Calvary Church

Jill and I spent last week in Seattle with our son, Jimmy, and daughter-in-law, Rachel. We had a great time, and what a beautiful place. It is scenic, artistic, and filled with coffee shops. Jimmy and Rachel took us to some great places. Jill and I had our first Vietnamese food. It was great! We attended a huge cathedral on Sunday night and listened to fifteen “monks” who sang in great harmony some ancient choral chants interspersed with reading from the Scriptures. The cathedral was filled with people of all ages, and the environment was one of reflection and prayer. We also made our first visit to Portland, Oregon. The highlight there was Powell’s Bookstore, the largest one in the US, a whole city block and four stories high. It felt like heaven (well, maybe not quite). We also went to the U2 concert presented at the Imax Theater in 3D, right beside the Space Needle. Wow! Felt like we were right on the stage. I have developed a great respect for Bono, not only as a great artist, but also for his expressed faith in Jesus Christ, and his choice to become a voice for those suffering with AIDS. God has used him to stir the church to become far more involved in ministry to the suffering.

Above all, Jill and I enjoyed having 8 days with Jimmy and Rachel. I consider being a father to Julie married to Spence, to Joy married to Jim, to Jimmy married to Rachel (and a grandfather to Danielle, Evan, Devin and Emily) to be a wonderful gift from God that has added so much meaning and joy to my life. Several years ago I wrote out Five Family Goals which I stated in the form of prayers that would express my deepest desires for our family…

- That each member of the family be a man or woman of God making a difference in their generation.
- That each member of the family discovers the will of God for their life, relationships, and career calling, and pursues it with courage and initiative.
- That each member of the family loves each other, being considerate and understanding.
- That each member of the family prays for one another each day, a) to grow more in their faith, and b) to say no to every temptation and harmful choice.
- That as a family we live our lives now serving Christ with all our gifts and abilities, and at the end of life join one another in the Lord’s Presence forever.

I am grateful that God has, and continues, to answer these five prayers.