Author: Nick

Kaydence came to stay with us for the weekend last night. It was good to have her back although she was a bit fussy. Admittedly we were very indulgent with her, letting her have too much sweet stuff, keeping her up too late. We will have to get her back on schedule today. On mornings like this we can question our God. But, it occurs to me that God is often indulgent with us His children. He provided a multicolored world when black and white would have worked. He provides days like today with crystal blue skies and perfect temperatures. He gives us precious children and loving family and friends. Like our children we become spoiled and conclude that we have a right to such indulgence and become upset when “bad” or tragic things, like earthquakes happen. Although we are the beneficiaries of our Father’s great love and indulgence, we are also subject to His justice and intentions for our lives. We are here for a purpose. He could choose to take us home when we become His children, but we remain with a great commandment and commission. Father, thank you for the blessed reminders of your love and […]

I write this sitting at home. The quiet is amazing even though we are babysitting a puppy. The smell of home cooked chicken pot pie wins my wife the Good Housekeeping seal of approval. I offered to help, but she said, “Just rest.”   You might think four days with a nine-year-old isn’t restful, I was surprised to find it was. We didn’t take this picture on our trip. But it well describes “rest.” The last few days were great but it is also great to be home. And it’s at home that the real work must be done. Nick like all my family has to be loved every day. The special times will always be special; but the best memories and the strongest foundations are built on unplanned and ordinary times. Love is truest in the ordinary times and the daily grinds in putting out the garbage, walking the dog and helping with the homework. I hope I will be wise enough to continue to invest daily as I have the last few days. I know the rewards will be as important if not as instant and dramatic and restful. One of the problems of plowing back into the […]

The Third day of our Adventure is wrapping up in Hope: Hope, Arkansas. Today we did the Mid America Science Museum and TRex Jurassic Golf. By 2:30 this afternoon we realized we had done everything on our “What We Want to Do In Hot Springs” list. Wanting to cut short our on-the-road time tomorrow, we hit the highway and got as far as Hope. That’s a good way to end any time together. It was a great period of relationship renewal, but the hope is that it will be just the beginning of a new, improved relationship. I have learned quite a bit, including much about my grandson and some stuff about me. For example, I am getting old. Not just older, but old. I was most comfortable this week when taking a nap and I had trouble keeping up with a 10 year old. Growing old is just a part of life. It’s amazing that God has designed us so that as we age we should stare our mortality in the face as we function less perfectly.  The train is leaving the station. Our time for accomplishing anything in His name is limited. We should learn the lesson […]

Day two of our Arkansas adventure was better than Day one. We went to the tops of the mountains surrounding Hot Springs and went up the observation tower. We took in a movie and went to an Aquarium. We ended the day watching DVDs in the big king size bed and falling asleep.My principle observation from Day two is that Nick is a good kid. He is well mannered, never meets a stranger, up for anything and willing to pitch in. He unloaded the car when we arrived. He has complained about nothing and has been enthusiastic about everything. I know these traits will help in greatly in the years ahead. But I also know it will not be enough. Human goodness is, well, good. Further, those who display human goodness are often taken advantage of by those not as good. I pray God’s protection over Nick. But human goodness is not enough we need the holiness that only God can provide. Nick is well on his way on that path two. He feels free to talk about the things of God and shows a knowledge and understanding that are a credit to his Mom. I pray he will […]

The first day of our adventure was great. We left Lafayette at 8 a.m. Stopped for a great Mexican lunch in Hope.  (The Clintons declined our invitation to dine.) We arrived at the Alpine Inn at 3 p.m. Nick told the Inn Keeper it was the best Inn he had ever seen. Adding that it was the only Inn he had ever seen. We topped off the day with a steak supper at Outback. We are enjoying a movie bundled up in the King Bed. We listened to an audio book and played video games (Nick played. I drove) on the way up. It would have been a perfect day; but the Cajuns lost. It was a good game and very exciting but not satisfying. However, as Nick says “More time for fun things.” We plan to visit the Science Museum tomorrow and check the view from one of the surrounding peaks. My memory of the day was Nick’s overall enthusiasm. He frequently made comments appreciative of what we were seeing or doing. I tend to get down pretty easily and it is a great lesson to be with someone who is almost always up. Looking forward to more […]

Sing along with the Great Adventure.This morning I’m off on an adventure. My grandson and I are headed up to Hot Springs, Arkansas for the Sunbelt Tournament. Win or lose, we will stay until Wednesday hopefully watching basketball and having fun. Trips, large and small, have been an adventure for me since I was a child. Our family didn’t travel much. We had 9 kids and, for much of my childhood, no car. But my godmother would take us on great trips. I remember going to Colorado, Mexico and Tennessee. I remember the adventure started days before the trip with packing, buying clothes and general anticipation. It was great fun to see new places and to do something different from the daily routine. This adventure started the same. I didn’t even sleep very well last night in anticipation. I think the life of a Christian was meant to be an adventure. Jesus certainly was one to travel and to live every day to the fullest and with much adventure. The mundane course of most lives isn’t the natural way. We fall into routines because they are safe and require little faith or imagination. We should awaken each morning thinking, […]

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 1 Corinthians 3:6 NIV We want so much for those we love. We want them to have all that life offers. We want them to skip the painful lessons and to avoid the traps into which we fell. We want them to love and be loved…more than was in our life. We know that God gave us these loved ones and we feel responsible for the success of their lives. It’s frustrating. We need to always remember our place. We can plant seeds and we can water; but only God can produce the miraculous growth we desire for them. We need to always remember that we were incapable of changing ourselves; we have no hope of changing others—only Jesus can change a heart. So sometimes, beset with frustration in our inability to be agents of change, we fail to play the important part we have been given, planting and watering. We can do these tasks and we can make a difference. Direct them to Jesus. We can’t do this by simply saying “You need Jesus.” We do it by telling how we needed Jesus and how He […]

Here are some reflections from the leader of the last Kairos weekend. Please consider participating in the next weekend in June. Please contact me if you are interested. We need men and women. KAIROS #51 Have you ever been at a loss of words?  Someone asked me how it felt to be a new Dad once.  I just looked at him, unable to speak. After the weekend known as Kairos #51, I have been asked a number of times, “So, how was the weekend?” Fortunately, on the Monday following the weekend, I found myself on a plane, with noise canceling earphones, pen, paper and time. I hope these four experiences from the weekend summarize what has been a life changing event for me, the team and the residents of Angola’s Camp C. “I DOUBT IT” A major issue for Kairos 51 began before we arrived, in the form of transfers.  Camp C was being converted to a trustee camp.  Our weekend happened to hit DURING the transfer and because of this, several residents were asked Friday morning to pack their things and move. Obviously, their move out of Camp C would have resulted in them leaving the Kairos weekend. […]