With a desire that our family would focus on giving rather than receiving at Christmastime, Mom came up with a great idea that was destined to become a family tradition. Now, every year as Christmas Eve approaches, anticipation and excitement build while each member of the family secretly creates a special gift for someone else. […]
Thursday evening found David and I, in full Christmas spirit, busily making our first batch of gingerbread cookies. We had just finished mixing up the dough when David peeked in the bowl, noticed it was sticky, and remarked, “I think we need another half cup of flour!” Looking at the recipe, I saw to my amazement that it […]
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was filled with sorrow at the tragic death of his wife in a fire in 1861. The Civil War broke out that same year, and it seemed this was an additional punishment. Two years later, Longfellow was again saddened to hear that his own son had been seriously wounded as a lieutenant […]
Standing in a crowd of friends and neighbors, sipping my warm cup of hot chocolate, I listened to the familiar sounds of Christmas carols floating through the chilly night air. It was the annual town Christmas Celebration at the Salem depot! This year Esther, James, Daniel & David played four beautiful Christmas carols on the […]
After three full days of traveling (two of which were the same day of the week, thanks to the International date line), I finally arrived home from the Philippines on the 12th. This trip went far beyond my expectations. Seeing how the Lord was able to use each member of the team to spread His […]
“Temperatures are staying low. Light enough to shoot by 6:45. Snow flurries between 8:30 and 9:00. Breezy. Lots of rustling in the leaves from critters out and about… now that sounds different!” In the next few seconds I experienced the thrill of what hunting is all about. A nice sized four point buck was trotting […]
There is a secret to getting everything you need from your daily bread. The greatest possible health benefits will be gained from your bread if you have a way to use freshly ground whole wheat. Flour loses almost all it’s vitamins 72 hours from the time it is ground. The nutrition in bread made from flour that is older […]
This year The Buckhannon Chamber Orchestra invited me to play with them. This is the most advanced group I have played with since Esther started teaching me in 2004. I really liked the songs that they picked. In the middle of the concert one of my strings got loose so I couldn’t play it, but at the end of the song […]
This was truly one exhilarating, exhausting, yet encouraging weekend! From around 8:00 Saturday evening when the Wilkes Team pulled in until 2:00 Monday afternoon as they tooted at the end of the driveway, our adrenaline levels hardly gave us a chance to rest. Catching up on the events of the last few months and gathering in the Living Room for […]
Right now I’m in the Philippines with a Character First! ministry team headed up by David Waller. So far it has been quite the exciting adventure! We are teaching in quite a few different schools and ministering in several local churches. If you would like to receive periodic prayer updates or a link to the […]