The Shack

For those of you who know me very well, you know that I am not a book reader!! My attention span is very short. I like to read newspapers, comic strips, and once in a while a magazine article. But to ask me to read a book is out of the question!!

That is, until Lori read a book entitled "The Shack". She wanted someone to talk to about what she had read. So I reluctantly picked up the book one evening and started reading it. Needless to say, it was very engrossing. I had trouble putting it down!!

I won't get into trying to explain the context and content of the book, as it would make this post way too long. The book makes you think. It makes you think of the way you view God and the Trinity. It makes you think of the things that are hidden in the dark corners of your heart. It makes you think about how good God is.

There are plenty of reviews online, and I would encourage you to read some of them. There are people who experienced life changing moments when they read it, and others say the book is "bad theology". A couple even go so far as to call it "heresy"!! For me, it was a good read with lots of things in it to think about and ponder over the coming days and weeks.

Has anyone out there read it? If so, what were your thoughts?

De Colores

Purpose

Ever have one of those days where you wonder "what am I on this earth for? What's it all about?" Sometimes life just gets confusing. Too many decisions, too little time. Too many problems, too much pressure. Not enough recognition, not enough positive reinforcement. It becomes easy to doubt ourselves, and even sometimes we find ourselves doubting our own faith...at least I do!!

A couple of days ago, I was reading through some of the cards Lori has sent me over the years. It is fun to go back once in a while and re-read them, and be reminded of the love and care that she puts into picking out that "special one" just for me.

One of the cards had a quote that really jumped out and spoke to me. It goes like this..."Just think, you're here not by chance, but by God's own choosing. His hand formed you and made you the person you are. He compares you to no one else - you are one of a kind. You lack nothing that His grace can't give you. He has allowed you to be here at this time in history to fulfill His special purpose for this generation" (Roy Lessin).

Wow, pretty powerful, huh!! God made me with a plan and a purpose for my life. I just have to trust Him that as I live each day, I am doing so with the knowledge that he is leading me each step of the day.

Second Peter 3, verses 3 - 11 says "3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

I don't know what tomorrow will bring, I only know that my God was the same yesterday, is the same today, and will be the same tomorrow. If I am faithful and put my trust in Him, I don't have to stress out about what is in store for me. I am taken care of! To coin an old phrase (with a twist), don't worry, be faithful!! God is faithful to us, and will lead us through this journey in life, and if we are faithful in return, we will receive a "rich welcome" from God in eternity. What a promise!!

De Colores

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

MHS Football Update

The MHS Warrior football squad is 3-1 going into this week's game. Brian is having a good season so far, starting on the offensive line at right guard (#76), and kicking the extra points. He, along with the rest of the Warriors is improving with each game. This past week, our running game tallied over 250 yards, most of which went over Brian's right side of the line. They are gaining more and more confidence with each play from scrimmage. Brian is learning that even if his opponent across the line is bigger than him, he can control him with technique, strength and speed. It is fun watching him mature in his position.

Next week will be a real test, as we travel to Hoisington. They are always a fast, physical team. This year should be no exception. If we can get a victory there, we will be looking good in the league standings.

GO WARRIORS!!

De Colores

Up Close And Personal

I've been playing with the macro setting on my camera, and found that I can get very close to objects and take a picture of them with striking clarity. The closer you get to nature, the more you come to realize just how intricate God's creation can be. The splendor and wonder of God's majesty comes into clear focus when you get "up close and personal".

How about you? What would people see in you if they put on their "macro" setting and could look closely into your heart and soul? What would they find? Would they find the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience kindness, gentleness, etc.)? Or would they find anger, resentment, hurt, apprehension, or hate? What is in your soul usually personifies itself in your actions.

David wrote in Psalm 139:23 "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts."

Dare to ask God to search your heart. Clean out the stuff that is ugly, and let His beauty show in and through you.

De Colores

Art In The Park

Tomorrow (Saturday), our sleepy little town of Marion and our quiet little park will be inundated with thousands of people all looking for that "perfect something" at our annual Art In The Park. We are expecting around 200 vendors and 20,000+ people coming to look at their wares.

Just down the road in Hillsboro, it gets even crazier. The last I heard, they had 360 vendors signed up to come, and they are expecting up to 40,000 visitors/shoppers. Amazing for a town of less than 3,000 people!!

I think a nice quiet round of golf is in order.....

De Colores

New Gym & Pool

The long anticipated opening of the new gymnasium and indoor swimming pool has finally arrived!! What an awesome facility!! The gym is huge, with a total seating capacity of approx. 2,000. When the seats are folded back, there is room for 2 full basketball courts. The volleyball people love it too, as a curtain can come down from the center, and 2 full volleyball courts can be utilized at the same time. It loads from the top, which means you come in at the top level, and then go down to your seats. This will really help in keeping people off the court. The center court logo is billed as the largest of any gym in the state.There is a running track around the top of the gym allows people to come and exercise indoors.

The indoor swimming pool is almost too good to be true!! It has a "zero entrance" area for the elderly and handicapped, has 6 lanes for competition swimming, and a 12 foot deep end for diving.

There are large overhead doors on the south and west sides that can open on warm or hot days to give the "feel" of being outside.

There is even a slide inside that winds you outside the building, then back in!!

The pool and walking track are open from 6:00 AM til 8:00 PM Mon-Fri, and from 1:00 PM til 6:00 PM on the weekends. What a great asset to the community!! The school district and it's patrons should be very proud of themselves for working together to make this dream a reality. It will not only fill a great need in the community, but also be a great drawing card for our community. We can host swimming events, large volleyball and basketball tournaments, as well as providing a year round place for people to swim. We are hoping the folks from our surrounding communities come and use the pool too!!

Come to the gym, run a few miles around the track, then go and cool off by taking a dip in the indoor, climate controlled pool. How cool is that!!

De Colores

MHS Football 08

Ready or not, the 2008 high school football season is upon us! MHS played it's first game of the season this past Friday night, traveling to Lyons. They came away with a hard fought 21-6 victory. They came out flat at the start of the game, and actually trailed 0-6 at halftime, but they turned it up in the second half and played like we're used to seeing them play.

Brian is number 76 (my old football jersey number), plays right guard, does the kickoffs and kicks the extra points. They have a pretty seasoned team, so we (I) have high hopes for them. They are picked to finish 5th out of 12 teams in the always tough MCAA league. If they play well and not make the silly mistakes, they have a chance to finish much higher than that.

Next up is perennial powerhouse Collegiate. They are the bane of the area, as they are a private 4A school in Wichita. I'm not saying they recruit, but.....

It will take a perfect game for the Warriors to win, but if they play smart football, they can give Collegiate a run for their money.

GO WARRIORS!!

De Colores

Estes Park Trip

Lori and I took a quick trip to Estes Park this past weekend for a little R & R. We had a great time, soaking in the wonder and majesty of God's creation in the Rocky Mountain National Park. We took a hike thru the woods to a glacier lake
saw unbelievable mountain peaks
and even did a little elk hunting (this is for you, Rick, Randy & Rod). This big bull came down out of the mountain with his "harem" every evening to feast on the lush grass of a local golf course.

It was a wonderful trip. The only bad thing was we had to share it with thousands of other people all cramming to get in one last summer trip over the Labor Day weekend. The roads were packed with cars and motorcycles. What a zoo!!

Back to work this week, bummer!!

Oh well, I have lots of pictures and memories. Lori, let's start planning our next trip!!

De Colores

R & R

Lori and I are heading out bright and early Thursday morning to spend some much deserved time together in Estes Park, Colorado. We are looking forward to getting away from the hustle and bustle of every day life and take in the beauty and majesty of the Rocky Mountain National Park area.

If the property management company is true and honest with us, we have a quaint cabin located off the beaten path awaiting us. It is in the Big Thompson canyon, and the Big Thompson River is supposed to be flowing directly beneath our deck. It almost seems too good to be true!!

I'll post a few pictures when (if) we get back.

De Colores

Dropping The Baton

Have you been watching the Olympics? What a whirlwind of different sports! What other time can you sit and watch anything from air rifle competition, to badminton, to canoeing, to trampolining, to judo, to beach volleyball to....well you name it, they play it!!

A couple of evenings ago, the US track team was heavily favored to win both the men's and women's 4X100 meter relays. The US hadn't lost this race anytime in the modern day Olympics!! Unfortunately, neither team was able to pass the baton cleanly during the race, and they were both disqualified. What a shock!! One second they're running for the gold, the next second, they dropped the baton and they're out of it!! No second chance, no opportunity to try it again. They're done.

Thanks be to our gracious God that our lives are not like that!! I can "drop the baton" over and over, and God allows me to pick it up and continue my race to eternity. No disqualification for me. Just God's grace that says I'm forgiven. Try again.

The Olympics are winding down this weekend, and the athletes from all over the world will be heading home. Some taking home the thrill of victory, some experiencing the agony of defeat. I already know that someday I'll get to experience that "thrill of victory", because Jesus Christ through His death and resurrection has assured me of the gold medal in heaven. All I have to do is keep running towards the cross.

De Colores

Happy Anniversary Lori!!

28 years ago today, Lori said "YES" and became my wife. Over the past 28 years, we have learned to not only be husband and wife, we have grown to be best friends. Happy Anniversary my darling, I thank God every day that He brought you into my life. I love you so much.

De Colores

The Future Is Bright

Yesterday (Sunday) was promotion Sunday for our children at the Aulne UMC. Just like in school when they move to new classes each year, they move to different Sunday School classes. We had 19 children from high school down to pre-school present (well, we actually had a couple more than that, but they were too shy to go to the front of the church) to be recognized by the congregation. We have at least a half dozen or more who weren't there who also attend. What a blessing for a small country church!!

My sincere thanks and admiration goes out to the teachers who are charged with showing and teaching these kids God's love and grace. I think back to my childhood days and remember the teachers who put up with our shananigans. They shared with us the same stories from the bible that we are passing on to our children today. What an awesome responsibility we have!!

Yes, the future looks good in Aulne. Just look into the faces of all these children and you know that GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME, AND ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD!!

De Colores

For Whom Doth The (School) Bell Toll?

Wow, I can't believe it, school starts back up this week! My youngest Brian will be a Junior in high school. How can that be???? Between mowing lawns with Brian, and chasing him all over the place with baseball, summer somehow flew by. School officially starts this Thursday the 14th. Our Chamber of Commerce fed all the teachers and staff their annual "back to school" breakfast this morning, and you could tell that they were all anxious and excited to get back to the classrooms (NOT!!).

We saw oldest daughter Amanda and husband Chad for a couple of hours on Friday, and she was telling us that she has a kid in her 2nd grade class this year who will probably test all of her skills that she has learned in her first 3 years of teaching. Pray for her!!

Middle daughter Erin is going to take a sabbatical from school this semester, and perhaps a year to clear her head and try to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up. Hang in there Erin, I have days when I'm still trying to figure that out myself!! You'll find your niche.

Pray for our teachers and students, they are all going to need lots of it!!

De Colores

Ahhhh, Relief!!

After several days of sweltering in 100+ degree weather and stifling humidity, I awoke early this morning to the sweet sound of thunder and rain. When it stopped, my rain gauge showed about 1 1/2 inches of rain. What a welcome relief!! Just when we were getting discouraged with the heat and the sight of yards and crops burning up, God provided (once again) exactly what what we needed, exactly when we needed it!! Temperatures are supposed to be in the upper 80's and lower 90's for the next week or so. After the past week of 100's, we'll take it!!

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!!

De Colores

Dog Days Of Summer

Well, it's finally here, the dog days of summer. After being spoiled in July by relatively mild temperatures and a lot of rain here in central Kansas, August is starting off with a sizzle. Temperatures have hovered at or slightly above 100 degrees the past couple of days. Couple that with our high humidity, and we have been baking!! Heat indexes have been 105 - 110 degrees. Yikes!!

Brian had football camp last week, and the last couple of days of it were brutal. Luckily, nobody got too sick from it. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right???

Our annual Marion County Relay For Life to benefit the American Cancer Society was held Friday night. Temperatures were right at 100 degrees at the start of it, but cooled down "nicely" into the upper 80's by midnight. We raised a record $50,000+ this year!! Pretty good for a small county like ours. Let's hope that someday soon, all the efforts to find a cure will pay off. What a hideous, brutal, unfair disease!!

Back to summer....the weather forecasters say that this heat wave is supposed to break in a couple of days, and we'll be back to more "normal" temperatures in the lower 90's. After the past few days, those temperatures will feel like fall!!

Stay cool!!

De Colores