In the spring I was looking forward to spending the summer at our home in Greensboro. Being away so much of the time it just seemed like that would be good.

Now summer is moving towards an end and the goal has been reached. And it has been good. Not what I anticipated, but good…

First of all, the invitation to Nancy to be in Tajikistan for the month of July was not anticipated. But when the invitation came, it was clear that it was an opportunity not to be missed. So she went, as an English Language Specialist under the sponsorship of the US State Department. While I wasn’t there, I know she did a great job and the 30+ teachers she interacted with gained a great deal. She is really good at what she does!

DUSHANBE (Tajikistan) PHOTOS




Secondly, I did not anticipate that my big project would be painting our house. Nor did I anticipate it to be such a big project. But it was…For nearly the entire time of Nancy’s absence I was up on a ladder scraping, caulking, replacing a few rotting boards, and painting. Fortunately the weather was only mildly hot, and all went as well as I could imagine. And fortunately Nancy had picked out the paint colors before she left—so there was no surprise when she returned. And fortunately it looks great. I guess you could say I was good at what I did!

BEFORE and AFTER




Aside from these two major changes, the summer was as I had envisioned. Lots of wonderful time with two grandchildren, doing everything from walking around our pond picking up trash to playing in parks to trips to Home Depot to Vacation Bible School (I was Samuel Swampus) to short sojourns in the bike trailer. I also preached a bit, joined Salem Presbytery and finished up on the class I was teaching in Mexico. Plus many nights watching the Mariners games on MLB.com—usually with one day’s delay and projected onto the blank wall that is left sans decoration for that purpose in our living room.

Now we begin the next chapter. In a couple days we (Nancy, Emily, Steve, Colette, Jacques and I) leave for Oregon and Washington—to attend the wedding of Nancy’s brother and to make a quick visit to friends and family in Seattle. Three days after this I fly to Dublin to rendezvous with my friend Brian and begin a month long cycle trek from Hamburg, Germany to Venice Italy. Two days after that Nancy and I will be in Ireland where I begin a month of preaching and pasturing in Ireland (Fermoy and Cahir). Then to Albania for a month teaching in Erseke and preaching in Tirana…

Once again I am reminded that life is lived in chapters. Each chapter has a beginning and an ending, and each has its own story. And once again I am grateful to God for the chapters in my life. They are varied, with opportunities and obstacles, happy times and difficulties, but they are always good. And God’s grace is in each of them. Life with Christ is truly an adventure.

Psalm 106:1 Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.