Fourth of July Sabbath

It's been a wonderful Sabbath day. We began at church in Waynesboro, VA where we used to be members. It is truly a beautiful church. I'll have to get with the pastor, Will Johns, as he was gone  today. After church we went over to the home of some friends and low and behold we did find  Superman there. What a surprise that was. I have included a picture of our son and daughter-in-law on the porch of their new home. (Just kidding!) And finally you can see that Ingrid is able to enjoy the time with her grandkids as well. She is truly doing very well considering the extent of the surgery she had. Tomorrow afternoon we'll head back up to Julie's home in preparation for the beginning of the return trip on Monday morning and Ingrid's flight home on Monday afternoon. I'll put up some pictures of the fireworks tonight. Hope you are having a wonderful 4th of July. We are privileged to live in the greatest country on earth. Thank goodness the best is yet to come.

Friday, July 3

The first thing I want you to notice today is that my bride is with me. Well, that is she is with me if I can get her away from the grandkids. You can see that she is getting a very professional "facial" from Inge. She worked all day Thursday and flew all Thursday night, arriving at Dulles Airport at 6:20 eastern time this morning and we drove straight down to our son's house which was 2 1/2 hours away.  Yes, she is tired, but it is so good to have her with me for a few days.

The lovely couple with the farm implements are Julie's in-laws, Norm and Carol Wootton and we have been good friends for 22 years! I just wanted to show you the WV side of the family to help you understand why we live in California! (JUST KIDDING!)

The rest of the pics just show some of the beauty of West Virginia's northeast corner. Julie and I spent the day in Shepherdstown and then shared the evening with Norm, Carol, and her husband T.  I couldn't resist the bird picture and I'm glad I got it.  That is a crested wax wing and it is very rare to see one that far south.  I love to take pictures of animal life, flowers, sunsets, and other aspects of creation that God has given us to enjoy. I hope you enjoy them too.

Today we are just resting (as much as a 4 and 6 year old will allow you to rest) and looking forward to a couple of days here and then on Sunday we head back up to Julie's and Monday morning I'm on my way home and will arrive on July 23. Everything has gone so well, step by step, and I'm trusting God to bring me safely home with lots of material to sort through. I have already learned a great deal and am very excited about many aspects of it.

Enjoy your 4th of July weekend.  I am excited that our church is participating in the local parade and am also excited about many of the other things that I see on our horizon. Just a few more days and it's "back in the saddle again!"

Thursday, July 2

OK, let me catch you up a bit on some of my local meanderings in northern Virginia and southern Maryland on my way to be with our daughter and then the blessed day when Ingrid arrives tomorrow!!! Last Tuesday I rode up from our son's home in Fishersville to Vienna, VA where I was the pastor for about four and a half years from '87-'91 when I moved into the office as Ministerial Director. Vienna is a lovely church and, in fact, is my favorite sanctuary from past churches. The current pastor is Gary Genser, who came from Northern California where he pastored in Fortuna.  Vienna is what could be termed as a "commuter church" in that there are dozens and dozens of churches within driving distance and the majority of the local congregation does not live directly in Vienna. It is only 16 miles to the White House from there. Gary reports that they have become one of four churches alligned with WGTS, the Christian radio station on the campus of Washington Adventist University. This station has the second largest Christian radio audience in the nation.  Twice each year they will have "radio days" where the radio station personalities will lead out in the worship service and will promote this special day to the listening audience. This fall they will follow that with young adult events coordinated by Steve Case and evangelism done for and by young adults that will be relational focused and interactive with studies and small groups. It was a lot of fun to be there with Gary and see the church doing well.

On Wednesday I went up to Fulton, MD, which is just past the General Conference Headquarters where I stopped and had lunch with a dear friend, Don Freesland, and his wife, Shelly. I did get a few stares walking into the GC in my biker clothes and I'm not sure they believed me when I gave them my card, but they'll get over it.

I met with David Newman, former editor of Ministry Magazine, who is the Sr. Pastor at the New Hope Church and has been there for the past seven years.  In that time they have doubled their membership and attendance. In fact their membership and attendance are the same! When someone is baptized or transfers in they must attend a 3 hour "Entrance To New Hope" seminar that is provided every other month.  In this program they are introduced to the philosophy of the church explaining that their focus is on the gospel and not on the lifestyle growth of the members. They clearly explain that they are Christians first and Seventh-day Adventists second.  Their target on Sabbath mornings is the unchurched and 12% of their attendance is made up of these. 55% of attendees are not members of New Hope. The median age of the church is 26, whereas the median age for Adventists in North America is 55. I had a wonderful and challenging visit with David.  I love their "Ask Me Desk" which is hosted by a member throughout the worship time.  There are four full time pastors now and two full time Administrative Assistants, Prithy David and Lynn Ekelof. 

The last picture is of Ingrid's cousin Bruno Heidik and his wife Tuulikki who live nearby and I was able to have lunch with them.  The mileage total now stands at 6,200 and won't increase too much before I head west on Monday morning.  Ingrid arrives tomorrow morning and we will DRIVE down to our son's home and come back up to Julie's area Sunday afternoon.

God has been so good to me this journey and I am excited about the things I have learned and seen. Stay tuned.  There's lots more to come.

Thank Goodness for Starbucks!

At least at any Starbucks I can get online and stay in touch.  I'm sitting in one right now, Wednesday morning, just off of the Beltway heading up toward the General Conference and I'm waiting for a chance to visit with David Newman from the New Hope Church in Fulton, MD.  He is doing some fantastic things there so I hope we can connect.  Then I will head over to Frederick, MD and meet up with our daughter Julie to spend a day and a half before Ingrid flies in on Friday morning.  I'll get a post up with pictures from my visit in Vienna, VA yesterday.  I used to pastor that church and it was a lot of fun to revisit and see what all is happening.  I just wanted to at least get this info up so you can see where I am and what I'm up to.  Obviously this week has included a little work and a lot of family.  I'm looking forward to starting the journey back to Ingrid, home, and you all there in Napa.  I'm hearing lots of good things from there about the 4th of July parade and Manny Lopez being back with us.  God is great and you are all doing wonderful things right there.  I do have some good ideas to share that I have picked up along the way as well.  Keep the faith!

Last Day before I Go Back to Work For Awhile

A great day with the kids. They both had swimming lessons this morning and then we just hung out at the house and relaxed. I did a lot of connecting and reconfirming appointments for the return. Tomorrow I'll head up to the Washington, D.C. area for several appoinments before I go over to our daughter's home on Wednesday evening, spend Thursday with her and pick up Ingrid on Friday morning. It has been just beautiful back here while I can see that it is blistering hot out home.  Look for some updates on more churches either tomorrow night or Wednesday morning. Notice the future biker at the bottom of these pics. He thought that was pretty cool. So did his Opa!

Sunday Evening, June 28

What could be a better way to spend a summer Sunday afternoon than going to a polo match with family? There is a family in Crozet, VA who own a winery and have hundreds of acres and they have opened it up to anyone who wishes to come to watch polo matches.  I have never been to one before and I must say it is a truly exciting event. The pace is fast and you can feel the thunder of the horses. One of the best parts is that it's free! As you can see I had a great time with the kids and they had a great time with the horses, dogs, and even with the people! Tonight we're just hanging out at home playing with the Wii, which is quite addictive, and develops quite a bit of actual skill. I don't do as well with the motorcycle racing as I should. I hope it doesn't carry over to the ride home! I am truly a blessed man with three kids who love to be with us, five grandkids who love to be with us, a wife who loves me even though others can't understand why always, and a church that loves me too. I think I'm rich! Have a blessed week!

Sunday, June 28---NO MILES!

Can you imagine? I've had a whole day without even sitting on the bike! I make it sound like I'm suffering when I ride, but actually I'm not. However, it is nice to have a break.  We had a wonderful Sabbath day just being together and playing with the kids. We went up to Camp Blue Ridge a enjoyed the beauty of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Just enjoy the pics today of the kids swinging, getting a ride on Papa's shoulders, and the beauty from the hillside above their home. When we were up at the camp we got to visit with Jenny's (our daughter-in-law) brother Ryan Elliott who is a camp counselor up there. His girlfriend (in the last picture) is from New Zealand and her father is a physician there. I asked if she knew Ross and Natalie Sinclair and her eyes lit up and she told me that he was her dad's partner and they were like second parents to them. One of the delightful things I find as I travel around the country or around the world is that the world is very connected within the church. Most of the time that's a good thing. Today, Sunday, we're just hanging around the house in the morning, changing the oil on the bike later in the morning and then taking the kids to watch a polo match in the afternoon. I loved being a part of the church service yesterday and I am even more thankful to be able to Skype with Ingrid so that I can see her as well as talk. By the way, she is doing pretty well after her foot surgery. God is good, all the time, and I am thoroughly enjoying this week with family. I just added a pic of our oldest granddaughter from back here on.  Her name is Emma and she's a sweetie!