Forward to the Future!

Today is a landmark day...in more ways than one. As I drove to work this morning, I heard on the radio station that today is "Back to the Future Day", commemorating Marty McFly's journey forward in time to the year 2015 in the second movie of the trilogy.

Sure, that is a fun bit of movie trivia, but Wednesday, October 21, 2015 is far more significant for Rachel and me. In fact, the exact time on the DeLorean's flux capacitor was 4:29 PM. What was I doing today at 4:29 PM? I was signing papers to close on our new home!

It has been quite a journey, and so many people have worked so very hard to make it happen. Each one of you is more special than you will ever know.

After the closing, I went to our new home.. Mom got this picture of me letting myself in with the key for the first time.

We carried in a few cans of paint. Some people from my church will go over tomorrow to paint a few of the rooms a color other than white. On Saturday, a few others will help move some of the bigger pieces of furniture. Boxes of books and things like that will take awhile to move over, but it will eventually get done. And finally, we will be in our own home.

We may not be going "Back to the Future", but we are stepping forward into a new stage of the future that our Heavenly Father has in store for us. He is truly so good.

The Wait is Over

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You know that job I interviewed for yesterday? 

Well they already gave it away....

...to some 51-year-old lady who came back to the States from Indonesia ten months ago.  Yes, I got the job! 

I will be a school secretary for the principal who works with the students whose last names start from A-G. They divide the student body up this way so that students have the same principal throughout their years at Findlay High School.

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This is such an answer to prayer.  I can see God's hand all over this. It has been a challenging ten months since Rachel and I returned from Bali, but I have learned a lot. I have gained some new skills, met some amazing people, and done some interesting work. Now, I am ready to move on into the next chapter of my life.

This is a secular job, but in the life of a believer, everything is ministry. I trust that God will use me in this job to show His love to the students, parents and staff with whom I will work.

In Everything Give Thanks

After so many days and weeks of cold weather and snow, it seems that only the die-hard snow-lovers aren't feeling the urge to whinge and complain a bit about the colder-than usual winter. Pretty much everyone has expressed a longing for spring.

Today, school was cancelled again. I wasn't scheduled to work. With a Level 3 snow emergency declared for our area, Rachel and I stayed home. We slept in, had a late breakfast of French toast. We basically had a lazy day, although I did get some work done toward putting together a press kit to promote my books.

After supper, we watched Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy...two of Rachel's favorite shows. After that, we watched a couple episodes of The Waltons. Rachel complained about her skin being dry and itchy, so I told her to go get some lotion. She did that and took care of herself. Then she knelt down by my feet and started giving me a really nice foot massage. Let me tell you, that little girl is good at it, too! I hadn't asked her to do that. I hadn't hinted at it. It was all her own idea.

When she finished, she curled up in my lap and we cuddled for a while. Over and over, I thought about how very blessed I am to have her in my life. Often, things are busy enough that I don't have...or take...the time to slow down and just enjoy her. 

As I prepare to sleep tonight, I find myself thankful for a snow day and a Level 3 snow emergency that kept us home. Even in the midst of a long winter, I am thankful for the warmth of my little family.  

In everything give thanks...

1 Thessalonians 5:18a

Thankful for the Life

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During this month, I have written several posts about things I am thankful for.  Here are a few of th things I am thankful for.

• New Beginnings
• "Automotive Mercy"
• Smiles
• A God Who Came Near
• Someone Close Beside Me

If you haven't had a chance to read those posts, you can click the links above to read them now.

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In these final days before Christmas, with everything getting predictably busy, I hope you will bear with me if I share again with you several of the posts I wrote last year. I wrote them to coincide with the weeks of Advent as celebrated in my international church in Bali. I realize that there are a number of different ways of using the Advent candles to celebrate the birth of our Lord. Last year, the candles were used to represent the following:

• Hope
• Peace
• Joy
• Love

I hope you will re-visit these posts with me over the next few days, and reflect on how the coming of Jesus -- the coming of that Life -- brought all these precious things into our lives.