Master Craftsman

Tomorrow, we are laying to rest my uncle Jim Fruechting. Jim passed away this week from complications of Parkinson's disease. It is a hideous disease that in his case caused his brain to sort of short circuit, and not properly communicate with his respiratory system. Consequently, he would go into respiratory distress, and would have bouts of struggling just to get another breath.

Although uncle Jim never was formally recognized, he in my mind was a master craftsman. He loved to take old dilapidated furniture, strip it all down to the natural wood, and then sand, stain, seal and reassemble the piece into something that was as good as or better than the original. His patience was nothing short of amazing to see. Each piece was painstakingly doted over to make sure it was done just right. I remember once seeing a pile of wood on his garage floor, and I thought he had just put a pile of trash there to get rid of. He said no, it wasn't a pile of trash; it was an old spindle chair that he had purchased at an auction. I thought he was nuts! There was no way that pile of wood could be a chair! He called me a few months later and asked me if I remembered that pile of wood. He invited me to come over and look at it now. He had turned it into a beautiful spindle chair much like the one in the picture above. What I saw as a pile of junk, he saw as a beautiful piece of furniture that just needed some tender loving care.

I had the good fortune of having him refurbish an old cedar chest of my mom's that I am passing on to one of my daughters. It is absolutely beautiful. Whenever I see that cedar chest, I will always think of uncle Jim and his love for restoring things that others have given up on.

As uncle Jim was able to see potential in a pile of broken, unassembled wood, God sees the potential in our lives, broken as we are. Others may give up on us, but God never does. He lovingly and patiently works on "stripping" away our sinful nature, "sanding" away our rough edges, putting our broken lives back together into a vessel worthy of service to Him. Thankfully our God is not like me who sometimes cannot see the potential in brokenness, but rather sees the good and potential we have in service for Him.

Uncle Jim, thank you for the valuable lesson you have taught me about patience and seeing the potential in everyone. I know you are now resting comfortably in the arms of the true Master Craftsman.

De Colores

Over The Hill

OK, after having several days to process it and see if I was still going to be able to function, I'll publicly admit it......I turned 50 on the 19th!!! It is of consolation that since the big event I have found that (1) I am still waking up each morning (2) my wife still loves me, (3) my kids aren't embarrassed about me any more than before, (4) I still enjoy running, (5) nothing suddenly fell apart and (6) despite a little (??) gray on my head and wiskers, I am still as good looking as ever!!

Here is a top 20 list of advantages to being 50....
1. Kidnappers are not very interested in you.
2. In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.
3. No one expects you to run....anywhere.
4. People call at 9 PM and ask, "Did I wake you?"
5. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.
6. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
7. Things you buy now won't wear out.
8. You can eat dinner at 4:00 P.M.
9. You can live without sex but not without glasses.
10. You enjoy hearing about other peoples operations.
11. You get into heated arguments about pension plans.
12. You have a party and the neighbors don't even realize it.
13. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.
14. You quit trying to hold your stomach in, no matter who walks into the room.
15. You sing along with elevator music.
16. Your eyes won't get much worse.
17. Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.
18. Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the national weather service.
19. Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them either.
20. Your supply of brain cells is finally down to a manageable size.

Life keeps keepin' on, and so will I!!

De Colores

Mum's The Word

The abundance of rain this summer and early fall has made for some spectacular mums!! All summer, Lori was pruning the blossoms off of the plants, and I kept looking at her and asking why in the world would you cut off the blossoms? How is this plant going to have any flowers? She said that the plants needed the trimming so that they will grow strong and healthy, and would produce the flowers "when it was time". If left unpruned, the plants get straggly, they bloom early, and don't last very long.

How much we are like that!! We think we need everything now. When we run into hardships and trials, we feel like "Why am I being pruned? Life shouldn't be hard like this!" God, our master gardener knows just what we need. As we are being pruned by Him, we are being prepared to "bloom" at the right time.

Praise be to God for His wonderful and awesome power and love!!

I'm off to the metropolis of Garden City on Thursday afternoon to help with another Walk To Emmaus. Good friend Rod Just and I are the music team for the Men's Walk. What a great time!! It is 72 hours of being immersed in God's love and grace. We'll eat too much, get way too little sleep, sing and play our guitars until our fingers fall off, and sit back and watch God once again move in the lives of the men who will be attending. God is good, all the time!!

De Colores

Warrior Update

The Warrior nation was celebrating after Friday night's thrilling 6-0 victory over rival and state ranked Hoisington. It was a hard fought contest with 3 goal line stands, long drives and one critical successful fake punt that set up the winning score. It was one of those games where you knew that the team who made the fewest mistkes would win the game, and that's exactly what happened. Even though the score was low, the Warriors played probably their best game of the season. Brian contributed with his blocking on the line. He is #76 in the picture. He also was in on several key tackles in the game. He came home with lots of bruises and contusions, but wore them proudly.

With the victory, their record is 4-1, and tied for second place in the league. They are positioned very well going into their last game before district play. The one thing they need to be careful of is to be sure and not have a "let down" after such an emotional win. They play Ellinwood this Friday, who only has a 2-3 record, but with the tough MCAA league, and team can win on any given night.

GO WARRIORS!!

De Colores

Taste Of Autumn

Mother Nature gave us a little taste of fall this morning. I thought it felt a little cool in the house, and when I went out on our back deck to look at the thermometer, I was surprised to see it hovering right at or a little below 40 degrees!! I looked down into the valley and saw some fog/mist coming up off the little pond. What a beautiful start to the day!! We are getting some reminders that the seasons are once again changing.

Isaiah 44: 21-23 says "Remember these things, O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel. I have made you, you are my servant; O Israel, I will not forget you. I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.
Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this; shout aloud, O earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the LORD has redeemed Jacob."

Isn't it great to know that we have a God who is faithful to us. Though the seasons change, God never does. He is our constant. Let us sing and rejoice!!

De Colores