ONE FLESH

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife:
and they shall be one flesh.                                              Genesis 2:24

Last week Paul and Gail celebrated their forty-eighth wedding anniversary. On the hottest summer day in 1966 in a small non air-conditioned church in Adrian we became one flesh. After that Gail has always said that we are joined at the hip. The older we get it seems like we are indeed joined at the hip. An example would be when Paul was having his surgery in 2011 Gail just had to be right at his side the entire time he was in the hospital, which was fifteen days. There's hardly a day that goes by when either Paul or Gail mentions something they have been thinking about and the other comments that they have been thinking about the same thing. Not only are we joined at the hip but we are joined in our thoughts.

Our life together has been full of many exciting chapters. We have lived in three different states. Three children, who are now grown and on their own, brought a special blessing to our home. Paul enjoyed forty-five years in education, 28 of those serving at Lenawee Christian School. Gail served a dual role as a housewife and artist. We have had opportunity to travel in the United States and Europe as well as being on various mission trips. A highlight of our travels was our cross-country motorcycle trip in 2003.

                                Forty-eight years of marital bliss


Now that we are retired our life remains busy. Gail continues to paint and Paul is involved in pottery making. One of the most enjoyable times we look forward to is our devotions together in the morning. What makes this even more enjoyable is that Paul doesn't have to rush out the door to go to work.

These forty-eight years have gone by quickly. We have been very blessed by the Lord in so many ways. It seems like our marriage grows stronger every year.

Blessings and Encouragement,

Paul, Gail, Patsy, and Penny

CHANGE

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.  Hebrews 13:8

There is an old expression that says, "The only ones that like change are babies."  However, change is inevitable in our lives and our situations.  As we journey through life, hopefully we are making good changes such as eating right, exercising more and internalizing more of God's Word.  There are many things we can do to better ourselves physically, emotionally and spiritually.  But most people don't like change.

     Presentation to Dave and Carol Bowles at the Adrian Nazarene Church

Dave, Carol and Jackie the Sunday before Dave and Carol moved to Kansas

A change is taking place in our church as our long time members, Dave and Carol Bowles, have moved to Olathe, Kansas.  This past Sunday was their last Sunday at the Adrian First Church of the Nazarene.  They are planning on being in Kansas by the end of the day on Monday.  The church had a ceremony recognizing them for their faithfulness and leadership in the church for many years.  Dave also has been cutting hair in Adrian for 48 years.  He estimates he has cut around 450,000 heads of hair over the years.  He is Paul's barber, and now that he has left Adrian, Paul is threatening to look like the men on Duck Dynasty.  Dave has been instrumental in heading up Bible studies over the years which has had a great impact in many who have attended.  Dave and Carol will certainly be missed.  Change is inevitable but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Monday evening Gail and Paul worked in the Republican booth at the Lenawee County Fair. The booth has a question of the day where people respond by putting a bean in a jar marked either yes or no. Each question has to do with many of the changes that are taking place by our federal government.  As we served in the booth people came along and freely expressed their opinion regarding some of these changes. Even though these changes are taking place for good or for ill, we know that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

   The Republican booth Question of the Day.  Results  Yes-13, No-109

        Paul manning the Republican booth at the Lenawee County Fair

Blessings and Encouragement!!

Paul, Gail, Patsy and Penny

MEET YOU HALF WAY

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires, to be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.   Ephesians 4:  22-24

Last week we got a call from our daughter, Christiane, saying that she had to fly to Chicago on Sunday to meet with her boss on Monday morning. Since she was going to be so close we decided to meet her at the Warren Dune State Park near Benton Harbor. So Sunday morning we went to early church, packed a picnic lunch of fried chicken, potato salad, baked beans, and raspberry cobbler, and headed for the west coast of Michigan. We met at the park around 3:00 p.m. and had our picnic lunch along with great conversation. In fact, we talked until well after 7:00 p.m. and finished up the leftovers of the picnic lunch. It was finally time to leave as Christiane had important meetings the following day. It was so enjoyable to talk to our daughter about important things going on in her life and to see the positive outlook that she has on various aspects of her career and her relationships.

                                     
                 Selfie taken at the Warren Dunes State Park in Michigan

Her attitude towards so many different things was so refreshing as she always seemed to put a positive spin on everything that was happening in her life. It seems like we are living in an age where everything that is broadcast from the news media is so negative. Hearing these positive things from our daughter is such a blessing. At her request, she asked us to pray with her regarding decisions she has to make. As we left the park to go back home we were praising the Lord for this special time we had. May we all be challenged to keep a positive attitude with whatever comes our way. Remember your attitude determines your altitude.

Blessings and Encouragement,

Paul, Gail, Patsy, and Penny

LIFTING OUR BANNER

When you win, we plan to raise the roof and lead the parade with our banners.  May all your wishes come true!   Psalm 20:5  The Message

We had a beautiful weekend to celebrate the 4th of July, which is really Independence Day. This holiday is celebrated with fireworks, parades, cookouts, and get-togethers. Adrian always has a parade sponsored by the Civitan Club. It contained horses, floats, The Adrian City Band, fire trucks,
big wheeled bikes, and many other things that you would normally see in such a parade. Since this is an election year, there were many representations of candidates from the major political parties. Many people were handing out candy, small flags, stickers, flyers and literature for these candidates.

Since Paul is a precinct delegate, he rallied some friends to help with the parade. We asked Don and Linda Burack to join the two of us to do what we could to promote the political candidates. Don and Paul volunteered to carry the banner for Nancy Jenkins, our State Representative. With Jenkins shirts and the banner they briskly walked up Maumee Street in Adrian to show their support for Nancy. Linda and Gail had fun passing out Nancy Jenkins' stickers to the people along the parade route. It was interesting to note that the people loved getting the stickers.

It is a blessing to be able to support someone who is a committed Christian and works very hard in her capacity as a State Representative. She has been instrumental in sponsoring several bills including a bill giving a veteran's designation on his or her drivers' license. Nancy is truly a great representative for our district. As Christians we need to be active in knowing what is taking place in the political arena and doing all we can to support with our time, treasure, and talents those candidates who are doing the right thing.

Blessings and Encouragement,

Paul, Gail, Patsy, and Penny

FRIENDS

Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man shapeneth the countenance of his friend.    Proverbs 27:17

Interestingly enough there are quite a few verses in the Bible that speak of friends or give examples of friends such as Ruth, Jonathan, Elisha, Mary Magdalene and, of course, Jesus Christ.  Friendships are so important in the development of our relationships with others.  Above we quoted Proverbs 27:17, which speaks of the impact that friends have on each other.  Gail experienced this recently when she went out to lunch with Louise Davies.  Louise has many gifts, but her gift of encouragement really stands out.  Many people have commented to her that she is such an encourager,.  Louise serves in the secondary office at Lenawee Christian School, and Paul has observed her encouraging students, parents, teachers, administrators and even himself on a regular basis.  Being an encourager is just a natural outflow of who she is.  When you walk away from interacting with Louise, you feel like you have had a special blessing from the Lord.

      Louise Davies enjoying lunch at the Governor Croswell Tea Room

This past weekend Paul went to the Upper Peninsula with some old friends.  They ended up at the Townsend hunting cabin near Arnold, Michigan.  There was a mixture of work and play, but the best part of the weekend was sharing stories and enjoying time in God's Word.  Even though we don't get together as often as we would like, the relationship among the four is very special mainly because of the common bond we have in Christ.  Every aspect of the time in the north woods was special whether we were mowing lawn, riding four wheelers to inspect the deer blinds, cleaning out a garage, or sitting around the table.  The fellowship was a time to treasure.

     Four men enjoying the north country at the Townsend hunting cabin.

Take time this week to let that special friend know how much you appreciate them, and if they need encouragement, be their encourager. 

Blessings and Encouragement,

Paul, Gail, Patsy and Penny