Public Service Announcement

Remember the Wendler Paint-a-thon will be this Friday from 12 until around 6-7-8pm.

We will provide paint, a brush, and some pizza. Hope to see you there!

You provide the (wo)man power.

Highschool Art Class

This is a picture that I came across from an old highschool friend's MySpace account. Wow! What memories soar back into my head. (Some of which must be repented of.) I am the fat guy in the middle with the Venus of Willendorf apron on. I remember this picture quite well. It was right after a haircut when my hair went from beyond shoulder length to right under the ears. Notice the side burns.

These were the creme de la creme of the Corry art scene at the time. At least two of the girls in the photo went on to become artists by trade. One in fine arts and the other in commercial art.
Of the guys in the front row- the one that is laying across the others, that is Jason Hepler- he was one of my best friends in highschool, but we have lost touch over the years. I know that he is secondary school teacher. The guy leaning into me is Jason Miller. He sells cars in Erie, PA now and has recently settled down according to reports. His parents were one of the first 'real' Christians that I ever met. I am the next guy, and you all what I am doing- still in school- working on that Master's of Divinity- oh so far from where I thought that I would be.

I was under the impression that I would continue to mess around with hallucinogenics, listen to classic rock all of my life, go on for a PhD in art history, all while living alone in a studio apartment while popping antidepressants. Wow. The life that the Lord Jesus Christ can make out of someone. In the words of Jerry Garcia- what a long strange trip its been.

The last guy in the row is Steve Vancise. Steve was (is?) a brilliant thinker. He went off to college and then found his way back to Corry, PA to own and run the local Dairy Queen. (If he reads this I hope that he sends me coupons- or one of those funny visors that he makes the girls there wear.)

Does anyone have any other old highschool pictures that they can send me? Or does anyone know what has happened to the rest of these people?

EschKIDology

I am unsure where Anna has picked up her eschatology, but yesterday she kept asking if someone was trying to take her away.

We assured her that no-one was going to take her away from us.

She seemed pretty serious about this- and it was kind of weird, because we have no idea where she was getting the idea that someone was trying to take her from us.

She then said, Jesus is coming to take me away?

We assured her that if Jesus comes to take her away that Papa, Mama, and Owen were going to go with her.

A New Life on Union Avenue

There comes a time in all families lives where they feel the need to add another member to the family. Some people are able to supress this feeling with new house plants or a little cuddly puppy.

But there are those in families that desire to feel a little life growing within them. They desire to experience the development of new life and of reflecting a sense of the Creator.

Life is worth passing on to a new generation. Life is worth extending to little feet that will scurry up and down Union Avenue. Life is good when one is going to pass life on to another.





Congratulations to Steve and Janna Birn. May the Lord bless your family, keep baby from harm, and give you much grace as you carry on in the building of a Christian home.
(Did you think that Lyd and I were going to have another baby?)

Ode to Miss Emily

"Mama, papa.. I want to be like Miss Emily and wear baby on my back."


It is good to have a healthy attachment to a plastic and cloth baby. Plus, we all know of the benefits of skin to plastic skin contact.

Maggie's Sense of Humor

Sunday we had our dear friend Maggie over...all day. We really enjoy her company and her fellowship and it stands that she has an open invitation at all times.

We were discussing various topics, some that were good Sunday topics such as Scripture and Bible studies. At times our conversation would slip into things like our schedules and school.
Maggie said that she has been riding her bike to school so she does not have to pay the $170 (or some such figure). This has been really working out for her because she has to ride up 'Michigan hill' and that will help build strong muscles in the legs.

In typical Maggie fashion, she shared the humor of this all in that her bike does not have any brakes! She bikes up and down that hill and through downtown Grand Rapids without brakes. She said that her dad told her that they cost only about $3 at Meijer or Walmart or some other such retailer. We laughed with Mags at how carefree she is at times. Lydia said she had better go get them so that she does not kill herself! Maggie laughed and said that she would go get them this week.

Well, she has not purchased them yet.

They may be a good gift to get her when you go visit her this week on the 4th floor of Spectrum Hospital...which happens to be on 'Michigan hill'.

(She hit a car...couldn't stop!)

Are You Ready For Some Football

Anna and Owen have had some great times playing football. Owen is the one that seems to get the most battle wounds. They are having a great time though!

Anna and Owen

Congratulations!

Congratulations are in order for our friends Aaron and Lisa Bishop. We ask for prayer as they embark on one of the greatest journeys of life! You can email Aaron and Lisa to congratulate them: aaron.bishop@thproperties.com .

Seminarian Basics: Hebrew 101

Pastor Lanning knows the trials of seminary life. I have begun Hebrew this semester, and Lydia and I have been searching the net to find a singable Hebrew Alphabet. There is nothing online that I have found to be too helpful.

Pastor Lanning recalled a little song that he learned from O. Palmer Robertson at Westminster Seminary. The method that he learned was with the aid of Robertson's 'Happy Hebrew'. Sounds great, huh? Ahh...the joys of seminary life!

It's Hot

I am not an electrician, and I do not pretend to be one; but my wife tells me that she smells smoke, I listen. Last night, after a very long day, at 1am, we were ready to crawl into bed and call it a night.
Lydia came up stairs from taking Sedgwick for his late night trip to the outside and tells me that she smells smoke in the bedroom.

Recall a late October night in my college days when I arrived home from Lydia's apartment to find a smokey mess in the kitchen. My house-mates and I preceded to the basement to find some flames shooting up a bathroom wall that could be seen from the ceiling boards. We called 911 and were homeless for a few months as the contractors repaired the damage.

Back to yesterday:

I told her that I did not smell it but a sense of fear and paranoia fills me at the thought of another house fire. I began to sniff around and to my surprise a lightswitch had an added feature. It seems that when you turned this switch on now, a really noncomforting crackling sound would precede from the wall as well as that horrid electrical fire smell that sends terror down my spine.

I took off the plate and looked for flames, which there were none. I then noticed that Owen had decided to join me in the hallway. (For the record here is Owen's complete lexicon- night-night, Anna, and dog.) Owen decided that he would add 'hot' to the lexicon as he pointed up to the lightswitch. Good Owen! Hot.

The long and 'short' is that I replaced the switch and all works fine again. I do need some training on the two-switch to one light though. It seems that you cannot control the switch from either place, only one at a time. I am sure that Gerald, my new electrician will give me some free advice!

Hot!