Leaving the PCUSA

This weekend I am making one of the biggest changes in my life as I will be transferring my membership from the Presbyterian Church (USA) to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.  The Presbytery of Mid-America is meeting in Kirkwood, MO.  They start this afternoon and continue through Saturday morning.  I will be examined and, if all is found in order, will be accepted as an associate member of the Presbytery at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.
The decision by the PCUSA to renounce the teachings of scripture and our confessions to change the definition of marriage from a man and woman to two persons was the final straw for me.  Over the past forty five years I have worked, debated, struggled with the many issues that have come from out of our General Assembly from approval of abortion, the acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle, to ordination of gays and lesbians to the offices of the church, and finally redefining the biblical teaching of marriage as man and woman.
It feels good to be joining a Christian body that holds very high the position of the scriptures as the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God and to make the Westminster documents the standards by which we are to understand the Bible and to guide our lives.  I have attended one meeting of the presbytery and was impressed with the quality of the many young men who are serving as pastors in the state of Missouri.  They are planting churches in many different locations around St. Louis and Kansas City.  And they have several men who are preparing for ministry.  Two will be examined and approved at this meeting on Friday evening.  What a difference in the vibrancy of the two denominations!  One is alive and growing; the other is diminishing.
In Monett both Presbyterian Churches are in the process of discerning whether they will leave the PCUSA and it looks like both will be taking that step in the near future.  I am sorry for Pastor Bill and Pastor Vicki because it means that they will be stepping down as leaders in these churches. My prayers will be with them as they seek God's leading for their lives.  But I am excited about the future for both of these congregations as they will be able to focus on the gospel and not all the social and political agendas of the PCUSA.
I hope to have more to say about this major change in my life in the days ahead.  Thanks for hearing my concern and I hope you will keep me in your prayers.

Time Flies

I cannot believe that I have not posted anything on this for nearly two years.  I have completed my year as District Governor on June 30, 2013.  My new position in Lions is District Cabinet Secretary for Lions District 26-M6.  I am also working on a regular basis as the Regular Preaching Supply for the First Presbyterian Church of Aurora, MO.  The community is about 13 miles east of Monett.  The church is a wonderful congregation of good people.  But the church is struggling.  I don't know if a part time preacher can do much good to get them on their feet.  Thank God it is not up to me.  God alone will bring about the victory and the renewal of this church.  So I will pray and preach the word and leave it in God's hands.
The big thing now for me is that I am going to Israel in July with my youngest daughter Linda and a group from her church, Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church in Denver.  Karen is not going with me.  I hope to post the trip and pictures on this blog spot so that folks can keep up.  I guess that is all for right now.

The Next Phase of My Life

Today the Missouri State Multiple District of Internationa Lions Clubs adjourned its 90th Convention, which was held in Jefferson City, MO. It was a great week-end gathering with my ever-expanding family of Lions. There were excellent training seminars held both before and during the convention. The business sessions were made up of year end reports from the multiple district committees and from many quality social agencies that work with the area Lions. On Saturday night we had the banquet and Karen joined me in formal wear as we were treated like royalty and made a grand entrance as we entered the convention hall. This marked the end of my year of service to Lions as the First Vice District Governor and the preparation for my taking on the duties of the District Governor of district 26M6 in southwest Missouri. I will still be doing club visitations and attending the district cabinet meeting in May. Then in June Karen and I will be flying to Busan, South Korea, for the Lions Clubs International Convention. There I will complete my training to become District Governor and will be officially installed. We are so excited about this opportunity.
God has really been good to us in this first year of retirement and I am looking forward to the wonderful plans that he has for our marriage, our service to the church, and our work together with the Lions Clubs in District 26M6. Maybe I won't take so long to post items on this blog spot.

When Does Retirement Start?

When I was planning on retiring, I told Karen that I would spend the first week sleeping and eating, taking lots of naps and going to bed at a decent hour. It hasn't happened! Things are busy, which experienced retirees warned me would happen. But I must say that I am loving it. I am still preaching most Sundays and looking forward to even more opportunities in the future. I love expounding the Word of God and sharing the greatness of our Creator, our Redeemer and our Sustainer. I have been at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Springfield, MO. A lovely and loving Christian community of people. They have now called a pastor and I will soon be out of the pulpit for a while.
One of the things I like about retirement is not having to show up at the office each day and putting in my hours. I do not miss church administration. And I am enjoying being free to take any day and go off to where I want (within the will of God). This last weekend we went to Mermet Springs in southern Illinois for a SCUBA dive. It is an 18 acre spring fed lake, quite cold at depth (45F). They have a 737 fuslage from the movie U. S. Marshalls to explore, along with an ambulance, firetruck, school bus, and a Cessna. The lake is populated with pan fish and even Spoonbills. We made just one dive, but it was worth the effort. I wish I had taken my camera on that first dive (saved it for the second, which I did not take), as there were some neat shots, including me sitting on a motorcycle underwater and a Blue Gill staring into Karen's face mask.
We stayed the night before at Karen's brother, John, with his four wonderful dogs. We had good food, conversation, and fun petting the more affectionate canines. It would have been nice to stay longer or return, but I had to get back to be at Southminster on Sunday when they held a congregational meeting to call their new pastor.

The Last Sunday

June 26, 2011, marks my last Sunday as the pastor of First Presbyterian Church. I am planning on leaving by the same door I came in and talk about the mission of the church. As I have been preaching through Matthew for several years, I have rushed over the last chapters to get to Matthew 28, where we will focus on Jesus' last words recorded in Matthew: The Great Commission. As I write this I feel a sense of depression because I am leaving the very familar life of being a pastor with its set routines and the weekly movement upward toward the sermon on Sunday morning with Monday being the day of quiet rest and beginning again. Though we will remain in the area I am also depressed with the reality that my ministry with the people in whom I have wrapped my life, sharing their joys, standing with them in difficult times, and even the sorrowful joy of sending them off to glory will be coming to an end. I will still be their friend, but it will be a less consistent contact and a different relationship. I am going to really hate it when I have to pronounce the Aaronic benediction upon the congregation and have final greetings at the door.

My only comfort (other than the one at the beginning of the Heidleberg Confession) is that there will be many other opportunities to continue the Lord's ministry. As I move through the positions to become District Governor in the Lions Club International, I will visit over sixty clubs and meet a lot of generous, giving, hardworking people in southwest Missouri. As the Lord provides I will also be filling in pulpits for pastors on vacation or due to illness, etc. I look forward to continuing the preaching of God's sweet gospel to his people. And there will be the opportunity to vacation, do things we have dreamed of doing, seeing the children and grand children more often, and of course, scuba diving in places on our "bucket list." Hopefully I will make the shift in life with ease and find retirement to be a great blessing from the Lord.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

After over forty years of ministry I have decided to retire from the position of installed pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Monett on June 30, 2011. I have been here for thirteen and a half years of wonderful ministry with the finest of Christian folks. It has been a good end to this part of my call to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. This does not mean that I am discontinuing ministry for I hope to keep on preaching as a substitute for pastors going on vacation and study leave or for emergency situations. I will remain active in John Calvin Presbytery, being a conservative voice for the denomination I joined and loved when I was only sixteen. I will continue to be a member of the Monett Ministerial Association and serving as their treasurer until they vote me out. I also will be on the board of Monett/Purdy MO Habitat for Humanity and serve also as treasurer for them for the next couple of years. The big news is that I will become very active in the Lions Clubs International. I have been serving 26M6 district as the Second Vice District Governor and was elected on March 12 to become their First Vice District Governor starting in July 2011.
I am looking forward to retirement so that I can see my grandchildren more often and that Karen and I can get in more time for SCUBA diving and seeing wonderful parts of our country both above and below the water line. We have plans to visit Seattle in July and Alaska in September. Karen will be seeing the grandchildren at the end of June. So the light is at the end of the tunnel (only hope it is not the train).

One Month and Still Loosing

I am sorry that I did not post last week. It was a good weigh in with over five pounds lost. Twice we have had to exercise for 75 minutes continuous. I wish I could say it was getting easier but I struggle, especially with balance and coordination type exercises. I really am a big lummox. But not as big as I used to be. Four weeks and I am 25 pounds lighter. My stomach is flatter. My love handles are smaller. I am wearing a shirt that is loose around the collar that in February I had to wear a button extender. I am another notch small on the belt. And I am not tired of the program yet. I really appreciate all your prayers that help to sustain me through these exercises and meal choices. Though I really cannot complain about eating. I get plenty. I just still crave foods, like cheese, chocolate, and ice cream. No wonder I was obese when I was eating all that stuff. Well, the program is working. I have lost about 39% of the total amount that I need to lose. I was reading the Mayo Clinic book on healthy lifestyle and I think I will need to lose more than Nancy has suggested because at the goal I have been set I would still be in the overweight catagory on the Mayo Clinic chart. (Sigh). Again thanks for the prayers, the encouraging words and the comments about my improve appearance. Just wish this program grew hair where it would do some good.

Biggest Loser

The first week is over and I ended up being the biggest loser our Journeys group. I lost 11.6 pounds in one week, which is 4.5% of body mass. The leader was pleased. She also was happy with my eating record for the past week. I know that it will slow down, but that it okay. This was just such a stunning start. The exercise was easier this time, but there are some of those coordinated moves that I just have trouble with. I guess I can't chew gum and walk at the same time. So I adjust as needed. Into the second week, so here goes. Please keep praying for it helps me to get through this each day.

Breaking Rocks at Alcatraz

Tonight I started my journey with the Journeys program at Cox Monett Hospital. We began with forty-five minutes of strenuous exercise (at least for this old goat it was strenuous). There were no serious breaks in that time, just enough time to swallow some water and move on. It was very hard for me. Then we had two talks tonight, with a lot of teaching on the records we must keep for each day on our meals and activities, including walking 10,000 steps per day (about five miles). This is not a diet program, but one that will work on a healthy lifestyle. I hope that it will give me new energy, reduce my need for diabetic medicine, and help me be in better shape for SCUBA diving. I really felt your prayers. So please keep it up. O, the title, I told our leader Nancy when she asked how I liked tonight that it was like breaking rocks on Alcatraz. She did laugh.

The Beginning of a Journey

Today I went to Cox Monett Hospital to begin a journey. Actually the program is called "Journeys" and is a weight loss, fitness program that has great success here in Monett. I have heard the testimonies of many people who have lost from 45 to 95 pounds. They look great. Today I met with the director, her name is Nancy. She asked the health questions and took measurements. Appears I am loosing height, now at 5' 11.5", but not pounds, now at 259. Then she gave some additional information and we worked on goals. Her plan is that in the ten weeks of the program, I will lose 1% a week, which means that I will be down to 233 at the end of the first phase. Then the second phase, an additional 16 weeks, will find me down to 196. I could not believe that I could get that low. So I said I would be happy at 220. But who knows what will come. I have not weighed below 200 pounds since I was in early college. We start on February 23. I am looking forward to meeting my fellow sufferers and getting started. I covet the prayers of all my friends. I will try to keep you up to date.

Day of Rest

This is our final day in Cozumel. We fly home tomorrow, so this is my final blog regarding our trip. We started the day with a special breakfast at Park Royal Hotel and toured their facilities. Very nice. Rebuilt after being destroyed by Hurricane Wilma. Lots of different activities for guests to do. They also have a dive shop, boats and a nice shore line. Might be a great place for a dive trip in the future.

After that we took a tour of the island in a taxi. There is one main road that runs around the coast line of the island, but only the bottom half of the island. It takes about two hours for the whole trip. We stopped at a couple of places to see the beautiful shore and to let Karen shop. Our driver was Victor and he spoke very little English and we spoke a little Spanish. But we managed quite well together. I have attached a picture of one place where we stopped.

After a brief nap and lunch, we walked one more time to the downtown area to finalize our souvenir shopping. It rained, so we had a long time in one shop. The city was very quiet because there were no cruise ships in the ports and the Coast Guard ship had left. So most tourists were SCUBA divers just picking up some things after a day of diving.

We ate our last dinner in the resort, reflecting on the fact that now Karen will be doing the cooking and washing the dishes and shopping for food once again. It was a great week, but we are ready to head home and get back to early mornings, later nights, the routine of exercise at the YMCA, going to the office, wearing a tie, and putting on coats because it is cold and snowing. We are excited about our getting back and seeing all of you dear friends again.

The other picture is Karen and I on the dive boat after completing two dives. Hope that you have enjoyed our reports..

From Karen: Yes, I agree. All play and no work is not good. But it is nice for a week or so once in a while! I just finished writing in a notebook all the things I learned while diving...things I will need to remember the next time.

Do you remember the blog that talked about the cruise ship backing up after we were into our dive and it made swimming difficult? We were not in any danger, but let me share the "lesson" I learned from that experience that I wrote in my dive log: "When the strong current came from that cruise ship, we stayed close to our Dive Master, with him (Martin) holding my hand the whole way and Walt sharing his air. Lesson: When difficulties come in our lives, we need to cling to the Sovereign Dive Master. He will take us through the difficult times. To combine two verses from Jeremiah and the Psalms,

"As a waistband CLINGS to the waist of a man, so my soul CLINGS to you, O God."

See you soon!

Last Day of Diving

All good things (except heaven) must come to an end. We made our last of five days of boat diving. We hired Martin again as our personal guide. We had two wonderful dives and saw some great things: sea turtles, lobster, Lion Fish, and at the last minutes of our last dive a big Spotted Eagle Ray swam along side of us for several minutes before we had to ascend. God is so good to give us such a finale to our trip. In the afternoon we went shopping and enjoyed the men who hustle you to come into their shops. It is also fun to see the crazy American tourists that come in on the cruise ships. I am sure we do not look a whole lot better, but at least we are not walking about town with balloon hats.
Some have asked about pictures. We do not have underwater capabilities. But we have taken some on the boat and in town, etc. I need to download them before I can get them into the blog space. Maybe with a more relaxed day tomorrow as we "off-air" for twenty-four hours before we can fly in an airplane we will have a chance to get them on to the blog space. We will take a tour of the island tomorrow for a couple of hours. Then we will just lay back, veg, sooth our sunburned body parts, and start packing for the trip home. We arrive into Springfield after 8 pm on Monday.
We are praying for a great worship service and message at First Pres and for an enriching time of Bible study with the 90-day groups. Until tomorrow night, adios! Amigos!
From Karen: Yes, this has been a wonderful vacation. The first days I needed to take tums to calm my nervous stomach. The last day, (today) I felt teary eyed as I thanked God for such a wonderful week. Thank you to each one who prayed for us. Not only wonderful experiences diving and learning so much, but also the resort...the friendly people...the delicious meals served so elegantly...having our own balcony looking out on the ocean...fun shopping...and time to keep up with our 90 Day Bible Reading. Today we invited a couple to join us for lunch that we had just "seen around". They were a lovely Christian couple from North Carolina. Good spiritual conversation. We will miss our Bible Study group tomorrow night, but will be thinking about you and praying for a meaningful time together, along with the group that meets at the Garretts and the dear folks taking on this challenge in your own homes.

Until tomorrow...love and prayers

Great Time with Martin

Our dive guide all week was a fellow named Martin, grandfather of two children. Today there were too few divers so we were regrouping. Our dive "shepherd" from Springfield could not dive with us today since his five days were done. So we decided to hire Martin as our personal dive master, which was wonderful. We wanted him to teach us our skills better and show us things on a more personal basis. Our first dive was a wall with swim throughs. Very rugged looking, like mountain passes in the alps underwater. We saw a huge crab and a regular size lobster (Caribbean lobsters do not have the large claws). We also saw a Lion Fish, which is a real ecology disaster in the Caribbean. They eat so many of the smaller fish and are destroying the reefs. They are not native here. Possibly someone dumped their fish from their aquarium. The locals kill them any time they see one. This one got away.
Our second dive was a bit of a thrill for us. A smaller cruise ship was illegally anchored in the dive area where we were. It had to back out and turned on its engines (after we had begun our dive). The turbulance created a current that we had to swim against. Walt really sucked air and Martin wanted to find a sea horse or two for us, so Walt conserved his remaining air and shared air from Martin and Karen so that we could all stay below longer. It was a shallow area, so no problems. We liked having him along, we asked him to do it again Saturday for our last two dives (boo, hoo). Even though it was his day off, he agreed to go out with us. This coming week is supposed to be slow for the dive resort, so Martin told us he can take a different day off. He didn't think we needed him, since it would be easy dives, but Karen will feel better having him with us. Which I agree.
The afternoon was spent shopping and Karen managed to find a few small things to buy.
Our group we are down here with from Aqua Sports leaves tomorrow morning while we will be down here two more days, flying back on Monday. We are looking forward to the cooler weather, it was just so hot today. Hear you have had some precipitation in the area.
We will be praying for Dr. Karl Young as he brings this message on Sunday. He is just a great man of God, he will bless you richly and you will be glad to be in church.

Almost Perfect Day

We are starting to get the hang of it. The first dive was to below 80 feet on a reef wall that was just rugged and beautiful. We got through large holes in the coral, kind of like driving down a narrow road in a deep canyon. It was really different. We saw another sea turtle, though much smaller. Again Walt was the first one to run out of air in the group. Problem is too much hot air to replace underwater!!
Second boat dive was in shallower water, reaching around 65 feet. The current was really swift, so just tucked in your arms and positioned your legs and floated along in the flow. Felt to Walt like a Disney World ride where you move along seeing a lot of interesting materials at a rate almost too fast to absorb. The fish were absolutely beautiful and plentiful.
We had the afternoon off from diving, so after lunch we did Karen's thing and went shopping without buying. Walt likes the money he saves. Because this area sees around five cruise ships every day, many of the shops are those little tourist joints that have jewelry or craft items to take home and give to relatives. We visited about five t-shirt shops with shirts selling at five for $20. One Walt liked best said, "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he sits in a boat drinking beer all day."
Walt went on a night dive after we got back from shopping. There were about seven people that took their underwater flashlights and dove in the dark. You really get to see a few creatures that do not adventure out in the daylight. Walt saw a baby sting ray, an adolescent sting ray, a crab, couple eels, and a few other strange creatures he could not identify. It was so different and beautiful.
Tonight's dinner was a Mexican buffet and party on the beach. They had so many wonderful foods to eat and the plates were so small. But they did stack up well. They also had a pinata that would be broken probably after we are in bed and the guests are more relaxed. Hope you all are doing well.
Hi everyone. This is Karen. This has been a good trip. Each day I'm a little more relaxed as our skills gradually improve. Our latest skill we hope to have mastered (one never knows what the next dive will be like) is our safety stop. When you're low on air and it's time to go to the boat, you first ascend slowly until you get to 15 - 20 feet from the surface. Then you have to stay there (between 15 and 20 feet) for three minutes, while you are watching your guage that gives the time and depth. That will take more practice to get good at it, but our last dive today it worked like a charm!
I found a verse in the Bible today appropriate for SCUBA divers and the SCUBA diving business. It's Psalm 107:23-24 "Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters; They have seen the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep." God's undersea world is simply AWESOME!
Love to each one taking the time to read our blog.

A Great Day away from the snow...

Well, once again in shorts and t-shirt I am sitting outside on our balcony. No breeze tonight and the ocean is almost silent. We had a wonderful day of diving. Our first dive was on a wall reef that went down to 70 feet. We got to see a large sea turtle just relaxing on the reef with some French Angel Fish playing about it. There was just a lot of a wide variety of tropical fish in the whole area. Walt sucks air fast, always the first one in our group to run out of air. We managed to stay under for 30 minutes.
Our second dive was a whole lot shallower at 50 feet. The current was strong so when we had to swim across it, it took a lot of energy. We saw a seahorse, a lobster, and some unusual fish. A lot of white coral sand between small coral reefs, so not as beautiful as the first dive.
Our dives were in the afternoon because the surf was really strong and they did not want to take very many out. I think they provided dive boats for the people on the cruise ships this morning.
We are meeting some really nice folks and it reminds us that we have a lot of good friends back home that we miss already. We have heard that a storm is coming into the Monett area. Hope it is not too bad.
Well, our day was really relaxing and uneventful, so will bring this to a close. God bless all of you and keep you in the palm of his hand.

First Day of Diving

Wow! This was really a full day. We left to dive at 8:30 in the morning. Beautiful day with the sun shining and not behind clouds. Little wind, so the sea was smooth. Our first dive was the Columbia Reef, which would take us to 90 feet deep off a wall. Beautiful location. Walt did not have enough weight so it was hard for him to get down, comsuming quite a bit of air. So he decided to stay at 70 feet and conserve his air. But he had a hard time communicating that to Karen who was fixed on the dive master and did not comprehend what she was being signaled. So Walt had to explain to her the importance of paying attention to one's buddy. Anyway it ended well. The wall was beautiful with thick coral growth, but not a whole lot of fish.

Our second dive went a lot better. It was a Yucab reef and was only 55 feet deep. So we got a long time under water. Saw a lot of nice fish, some very big compared to similar species seen elsewhere. We did see a nice size nurse shark taking a nap under a rock ledge and a huge green morey eel. The coral here was beautiful along with other animal life. It was a really fun dive.

We were going to take a dive in the afternoon out front of the resort, but went shopping instead. Visited a SCUBA shop and Walt bought a suvenior wind breaker to wear on the boat as does get cold in the wind (cold, but not like Iowa is today). Then we signed up our day off from diving on Sunday to do a tour of the island and hear a sales pitch for a resort near the area where the cruise ships come in. Today we had six huge ships from Carnival and Royal Caribbean, plus two other lines we did not recognize. Carnival had three ships tied up here today.

Then we went to a Mega Mart, much like a super Walmart. Got some cheese and Coke Light (not nearly as good as plain diet Coke or Coke Zero). Then we hit a couple of jewelry stores for Karen to look at. While waiting for Karen to shop without buying, Walt got the chance to witness to a Jehovah Witness. The guy just started jumping on Roman Catholics and said they had false teachings. When asked which ones, he started in on the Trinity. Walt got a good chance to try and explain the greatest mystery in the universe. The guy invited Walt to come speak at his church while in town, but decided not to go because (1) he would be outnumbered, and (2) he is on vacation. Just did not think it would be a good time or place, especially since Walt's Spanish is limited to items of food and bathrooms.

After a nice dinner of beef we are relaxing on our balcony with a slight breeze and wonderful peaceful waves on the shore. God is so good. Sorry all you Iowa folk are getting hit with the blizzard. Until Wednesday have a blessed sleep and a great day in God's world.

Safe in Cozumel

Greetings from warm and beautiful Cozumel. We are sitting on the balcony of our second story room at 7:30 p.m. There is a nice wind blowing in from the ocean. The waves lap against the shore in soothing rhythm, almost singing a lulluby that is about putting us to sleep. It may also be that we are very tired from our trip, having to arise at 3:45 a.m. to get to the airport by six o'clock. We arrived early enough that we caught an earlier flight to Dallas, which gave us nearly two hours to rest in the Dallas airport. We arrived in Cozumel about 1:00 and arrived at the restort around 2:00. The system for customs in Mexico is really smooth and we all got through quickly.
We arrived to find our dive group out in a boat because of two events. One is that the group must do one afternoon dive to help accomodate all the divers at this resort. The second is that there was a big storm from the north that passed through here on Sunday night. Because of the prevailing winds, the channel here was closed to boat traffic until 11:00 a.m. So almost all morning dives ended up being noon or later dives. Our group did not return until nearly five oclock, which gave Karen and I a lot of time to get settled in, pay all of our dive fees, sign all the documents. We also just sat on the shore and watched the water.
The restaurant here is nice, serving good and filling meals. Tonight Karen had chicken and I had seafood kabobs. All very tasty. But we did not get any diving in today. So our first dive will be tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. all things being in order.
We really want to thank you for praying for us today and thank God for answering those prayers because this trip down was just nearly perfect. Even security went smoothly for me as I just seem to get upset facing all that undressing and unloading the computers, etc. But we got through it without a hitch. They did search Karen's carryon bag because her gear looked like a toy helocopter. Well that is enough. More tomorrow evening.

Cozumel Here We Come

On Monday we will be leaving out of Springfield for a week of SCUBA diving in Cozumel, Mexico. We will get in six days of diving with two boat dives every day. Watch my blogspot every evening for updates as to our experiences and maybe a picture or two. We are joining a group of divers from Aquasports who will be going down on Saturday. Karen and I had to wait until Monday to go because of the church's annual meeting on Sunday. We will stay until Monday, Jan 31, which means that we will be diving after the rest of the group leaves. Hopefully we will feel confident enough to go with strangers after the group leaves. Cozumel is drift diving, which means we jump off the boat into the ocean, submerge to appropriate depth, float along in the current until we reach our air limit, surface, and (God willing) the boat is there to pick us up. They say it is a very relaxing experience and you get more time underwater because you are not sucking up air swimming. We will see. You can see a webcam at the resort web site and see us leaving on the boat at about 9:00 am and returning about 1:00 pm. The website is www.scubaclubcozumel.com. Otherwise, just read this blog and keep up with my reports.

Shame on Iowa

The joke was told by my Iowa friends that when I move to Missouri from Iowa that I would raise the IQ of both states. Seems more like that when I moved here that the moral standards of Iowa declined. The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled that the ban against gay marriage is unconstitutional. Starting on April 24 gay couples will be allowed to become legally married. We are talking about Iowa, which was once a solid religious state that had most residents being a part of an organized church. But with the growth of major cities like Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Sioux Falls, Iowa City, the state has grown constantly more liberal. Last year an attempt was made in the state legislature to define marriage as being between one man and one woman. But there was no heart for it as legislators feared that they would commit political suicide to take a stand for such an amendment. Now it will take nearly three years for such an amendment to be passed and put in force. Most likely it will never happen. Iowa will become the third state to sanction gay marriage. Since they have no residence requirement, it will be possible for gay couples from the surrounding states, including Missouri, to go to Iowa and get married and then ask for their marriage to be accepted in their home states. I am not up to date on Missouri law, so I do not know if our legislature has taken any action to refuse to accept marriages of gay couples conducted in another state. We see just another sign of the moral decline of our nation and of the world in whole. We must pray that God will send revival upon his church that his people can once again become an influential force in our nation.

Lent Looms Before Us

I am preparing for this Sunday and facing the reality that on Wednesday we have our Ash Wednesday service at the church along with a pot-luck sandwich supper. It is hard to believe that we have moved from Christmas into the preparation for Resurrection and Spring. This winter has not been bad enough to create in us a longing for spring, but we will look forward to the greening of the lawns, the budding of flowers, the foliage on the trees, and warmer weather. Lent is a time of preparation for the greatest event in history: the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. It is a time to remember how much God hates our sin and was prepared to sacrifice his only Son to justify us and impute to us the righteousness of Jesus Christ so that we will be saved from the punishment of sin and be guaranteed a place in heaven. I hope that if you do not know the wonderful peace that God gives to his children that you will stop and consider the deep, deep love of God, the wonderful work of Jesus Christ, and be open to the work of the Holy Spirit in your heart. If you will bow the knee in humble acceptance of God's judgment on your sin, repent of your sinful life, and accept the work of Jesus Christ on your behalf, God will give you the joy of becoming his child and the assurance of eternal life in God's presence.