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February 2005 We never realized how close Valentine’s Day is to Christmas! Time is moving faster than we’d like to acknowledge, but it is what it is. Here’s a look at the happenings of H.I.M. over the past couple of months. We had numerous local speaking dates in December and spent a long weekend early in the month in St. Louis, Missouri, with Grant and Emily Williams. (Grant is an NFL player, formerly with the New England Patriots and now playing for the Rams.) We have a “chosen family” relationship with the Williamses and are always so encouraged to see the investment they’re making in their marriage and their children as first generation Christians. While there, we spent an evening teaching the Rams couples’ Bible study, wrestling with the oftentimes challenging issues connected with extended family relationships. Our time there was productive and delightful. December was full of preparations not only for Christmas, but also for our H.I.M. family mission trip to Trinidad, which began December 27. Preparing for the trip not only increased the demands on the already stretched physical and emotional reserves of the team members, but also forced each of us to consider how we would steward our energy that month. More than a few of us came to the conclusion that investing in the mission trip had more eternal value than baking another batch of Christmas cookies or buying another gift. It was good for perspective setting. The team of forty flew out of a very snowy Logan International Airport early on the 27th, and the next eight days were filled with serving, growing in community, experiencing the presence of God, and seeing Him work in a big way. This first H.I.M. family mission trip more than fulfilled our expectations and made a lasting impression on us. (See the H.I.M. Goes to Trinidad article for more details.) Thanks to the many of you who helped make it happen—financially, prayerfully, logistically, and practically. Celebrating New Year’s in Trinidad was unique and meaningful. Following a lively time of worship, Pastor Ashoke Bachew challenged us to live 2005 believing the promises of God. It was a good word. We reentered the States in a new year, with full hearts and new vision. Paul and I headed to California shortly after returning from Trinidad to speak at a marriage conference sponsored by Shoreline Community Church in Monterey, California. Johnny and Lori Potter (dear friends from our seminary days) hosted the event, which made it extra meaningful to us. We had done a marriage retreat for them four years ago, and the growth and maturity of their flock was noticeable. It was a privilege to partner with their good work in Monterey. Later, after two weeks in Charlotte, North Carolina, working on our Doctor of Ministry program, we ended January with H.I.M.’s first marriage conference, held at the Viking Hotel in Newport, Rhode Island. Over 250 people attended. Ray and Carol Johnston (Ray is the Senior Pastor at Bayside Covenant Church in Roseville, California) were the featured speakers and they were well received, appreciated for both their humor and their content. The dB Acoustic Band (led by Dave Bullock) provided great times of worship, and seven different couples led practical workshops on marriage issues. The weekend was truly an “off the charts” experience for many, as evidenced by their evaluations and emails. How thankful we are! Port Jefferson (Long Island), New York, was our next destination and we were thrilled to do a marriage conference for Randy Paige, Senior Pastor of Christ Church and a fellow student with us in the D.Min. program. We enjoyed the hospitality of Larry and Christine Engelbert, who treated us like royalty at their “bed and breakfast.” We found Randy’s congregation to be eager, open, and teachable. All work and no play makes one dull, so from JFK airport we flew to Orlando to support the New England Patriots in the pursuit of their third Super Bowl championship in four years. Fear not: this was not funded by H.I.M.; we were given tickets to the big game by dear friends. It was really wonderful to be there—especially because of the outcome! :) Truly, it was a dramatically great ending to our fifth season leading the couples’ study for the Pats and we were especially pleased to see how well “our” boys played. Next, we returned home to do some counseling, local speaking, and housecleaning before heading back out west to Lake Tahoe to speak (for the second year in a row) to a wonderful group from the Arcade Wesleyan Church in Sacramento. There’s something very gratifying in seeing the continuity of growth: the couple who left the conference last year having decided to cancel their upcoming appointment with divorce court was back—still married and definitely growing. Yes! Kevin and Cheryl Snider led an incredibly creative and diligent team in putting on a conference second to none in terms of pampering the attendees, and they outdid themselves this year. The weekend was even more special because we stayed an extra night to be with our three daughters, who all converged in Roseville. Paul continued his tradition of serving the girls a special Valentine’s Day breakfast in bed: heart-shaped waffles adorned with strawberries and whipped cream. He’s a happy father to still be their valentine. As our schedule indicates, many events and conferences are in the offing. We’re also finally getting some materials published; a twelve-week study titled Recapturing Eden was published a few weeks ago, and a CD of a talk we gave at Shoreline Church called “One Plus One Equals One: Lousy Math, Great Marriage” has also been reproduced. We’re thankful to have these resources available through the website and hope to have more materials available soon. Thanks for your interest in all we’re doing, and special thanks to those of you who pray for us and our ministry regularly and/or support us financially. Our desire simply is to improve marriages and families for God’s Kingdom, and to be faithful both personally and publicly. |
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