Testimony of God's Grace

Our church website has a page devoted to our members' salvation testimonies.  A few weeks ago, I decided to re-write my own in a format suitable for this purpose.  You can find it here, but the text also follows below.



God’s blessing and grace have been evident in my life since my earliest days.  I was born into a family with parents who loved God and shared a desire to raise their children in the fear and knowledge of God.   My sisters and I grew up in an environment where we were daily taught about Jesus Christ and His work of redemption on the cross, and my childhood days hold sweet memories of learning what it means to love and obey Him.   God worked in my heart and opened my eyes to see my need for a Savior at a young age, and I placed my faith in Christ when I was around seven years old.

My life since that time has never been the same as God has used His Word, experiences, and people to further His sanctifying work in me and make me who I am today.  My teen and young adult years in particular have been spiritually rich as God has shaped me through the trials of life.  Psalm 119:71 says, "It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes."  Learning to fully trust God's goodness, love, and wisdom have been hallmarks of spiritual growth and depth for me as God has continually brought me to the end of myself in order to strengthen my faith and open my eyes to see Him for who He truly is.  It has been through heartache and sorrow that God has given me what I have needed the most:  a deeper understanding of His faithfulness and an unshaken confidence in His promises.  I praise God for this work and thank Him for giving me above and beyond what I could ever ask or think.      

My friends and pastors from Second Reformed Presbyterian Church have also held a significant role in my spiritual growth as they’ve challenged me in Bible study, offered opportunities for ministry within the church and surrounding community, encouraged my interests and pursuits, and most importantly, called me to live a Christ-filled, Gospel-focused life.   It has been a great privilege for me to be part of the staff at Second Reformed Presbyterian Church the last eight years and see first-hand how God is building His church, and I look forward to continue serving here as long as God allows.

September Bike Ride

Ever since I had biked the Monon Trail with a friend of mine earlier this summer, I had wanted to take some of my family members there to experience the beauty of the trail with me.  I wasn’t sure if that would take place before the winter, but a free weekend for Kathy came up this Saturday, so we decided to spend the afternoon biking.  An added plus was that I just purchased a brand new bike on Thursday, so I was able to ride it for the first time on this trip!

Few people know that Dad was an avid cyclist while in college and just after he was married.  He would spend hours not only cycling, but also conditioning his bike, taking it apart all the way to the ball bearings.  He had to put this hobby aside when God gave him children, and his bike has been stored in our attic all these years.  Well, when he heard that we were planning this bike trip, down came the bike – and he spent all of Saturday morning making the necessary repairs so that he could ride with us. We enjoyed having him come along, and it was nice to have an expert with us when Kathy managed to shift her chain right off her bike!

It was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed a lovely ride from 96^th Street up to 163^rd Street. Kathy loved the hills—mostly going down them. J 

Here are a few pictures from the outing:

Here’s my new bike and Dad’s antique. J

Can you tell all three of us are in this picture?   Kathy requested I take my sunglasses off after this realization. 

It was a fun afternoon, and we hope to plan another outing soon.

From the weekend

Eating dinner outside during the summer is something that the grandkids always enjoy.  So this past Saturday, we washed down our lawn chairs and set up the kitchen in the backyard.  The yellow jackets were a bit of a nuisance this go around, but that's part of the summer experience, right?

We enjoyed the classic summer meal:  grilled chicken, yellow corn, fresh green beans, salad, and watermelon.  Oh, and I didn't get a picture of dessert:  strawberry shortcake or fruit popsicles.  The latter was the preferred choice for most.  

It was fun, though the constant getting up and down to retrieve what was forgotten from the kitchen made me wonder if all the effort was worth it.  But at least we could sweep the crumbs from our laps and the picnic table onto the grass and not worry about cleaning it up later! :)

Another Year of Grace

Saturday, August 31 marked another year of God's grace in my and Kathy's lives.  Our birthday festivities actually began early that morning at 12 a.m. since we both had yet to retire for the evening, and upon realizing that the big day had already dawned, we greeted one another while on the way to bed with a hearty, "Happy Birthday!"

Since cake is my absolute favorite dessert, I had decided several weeks ago that I wanted to bake a two-layer white cake and ice it with our famous chocolate-fudge frosting.  Pure yumminess!  Kathy's contributions were the decorations, which we soon discovered were Hannah's favorite part of the cake.

Given that we have been extremely busy the last month, we did not give a whole lot of thought to party decorations.  So Saturday late afternoon found me and Kathy going through our specialty-occasion paper plate and napkins stash to see what we could use to make it fun for all the adorable children coming over soon.  Believe it or not, this simple task made our opposite personalities and likes and dislikes come out even more!  After numerous discussions and a couple of "rejects" from Jenny coupled with lots of smiles and laughter, we finally settled on something we BOTH liked, using what we had. :)

As usual for all our birthdays, Laura and the family came over for the evening.  Those precious little ones make parties that much more fun and enjoyable!  One of their favorite things to do is put the appropriate number of candles on the dessert and help blow them all out.  Their expressions of sheer delight and excitement make it something you won't forget!

Getting ready to blow them out... (Sorry for the blurry pictures, but you get the point!)

Since we had so much going on in our lives at the beginning of August with flooring installation and an out-of-town vacation, we never completed celebrating Mom's birthday.  So this evening was a combined party, and we finally gave Mom her birthday gifts.

An added birthday activity for me this year was spending Friday evening with a very special friend of mine.  We enjoyed dinner at PF Changs downtown and a leisurely walk along the canal.  An added bonus was watching the fireworks show following the conclusion of the Indian's game that night.  I couldn't help but think that they were in honor of our special day. :)

As we reflect on the last year, both Kathy and I recognize that we have so much to be grateful for:  the family and friends God has placed in our lives, the ministries He's given us, the abilities and interests He's blessed us with in order to pursue the opportunities He puts before us, etc.  We look to the future with hearts that praise Him for all He's done and a confidence that He will complete that good work which He has begun.