Monday, December 28, 2009

Andress and Mason Funerals

Two of the men of our church have gone home to be with their Lord. Here are the details of their "Homegoing Services":

Bruce Andress -

Visitations:
6:00PM to 7:00PM on Monday, December 28th, 2009 at Lighthouse Baptist Church,1842 Otts Chapel Rd. Newark, De 19702

7:00PM at Lighthouse Baptist Church, on Monday, December 28th, 2009

Cemetery: Tuesday Morning
Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery
2465 Chesapeake City Road
Bear, DE 19701 (map/driving directions)

Bill Mason:

Visitations:
6:00PM to 8:00PM on Tuesday, December 29th, 2009 at Strano & Feeley Family Funeral Home

11:30AM to 12:30PM on Wednesday, December 30th, 2009 at Lighthouse Baptist Church,

Services:
12:30PM at Lighthouse Baptist Church, on Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

Cemetery: (following the Service)
Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery
2465 Chesapeake City Road
Bear, DE 19701

Monday, December 14, 2009

A Lonely Grandmother


The first adult that I ever led to Jesus was a lonely lady at a Nursing Home. Many of you know the story of me returning several years later and finding her not only bearing fruit, but leading a ladies Bible study.

Many older people at Retirement Centers are very lonely and desirous for someone who will simply talk or sing to them. Many have no one to talk to on a daily basis. A bright, new face would be such a blessing to them at Christmas.

This Friday night, you can be a part of the Churchman's Village Retirement Center Caroling activity. Lighthousers will meet at the Center at 7pm. I know Gary Fornwalt and the regulars would really appreciate some help in ministering to these dear older folks.

Because of flu scares, you need to be at least 12 years old to go.

You could be a great blessing to a total stranger this Christmas!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Concerning God's Use of Our Lives

Rom 12:3-6

3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

Once upon a time, the animals decided they should do something meaningful to meet the problems of the new world. So they organized a school.

They adopted an activity curriculum of running, climbing, swimming and flying. To make it easier to administer the curriculum, all the animals took all the subjects.
The duck was excellent in swimming; in fact, better than his instructor. But he made only passing grades in flying, and was very poor in running. Since he was slow in running, he had to drop swimming and stay after school to practice running. This caused his web feet to be badly worn, so that he [became] only average in swimming. But average was quite acceptable, so nobody worried about that — except the duck.
The rabbit started at the top of his class in running, but developed a nervous twitch in his leg muscles because of so much make-up work in swimming.

The squirrel was excellent in climbing, but he encountered constant frustration in flying class because his teacher made him start from the ground up instead of from the treetop down. He developed "charley horses" from overexertion, and so only got a C in climbing and a D in running.
The eagle was a problem child and was severely disciplined for being a non-conformist. In climbing classes he beat all the others to the top of the tree, but insisted on using his own way to get there. . . .

The point of the story is obvious. Like the animals, every person has his own special but limited set of capabilities. Trying to operate outside those capabilities produces frustration, discouragement, guilt feelings, mediocrity, and ultimate defeat. We fulfill our calling when we function according to God's sovereign design for us.

(from The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Copyright © Moody Press and John MacArthur, Jr., 1983-2005.)

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Life Isn't Fair

Hi Carmella!....sorry, couldn't resist.



*Some have inquired about the New Post that only says "Hi Gary". Things got very busy last month and I couln't post much on the Pastor's Heart. During that time, Gary Fornwalt pestered me about posting, posting, posting (nag), and so I posted the "Hi Gary" just to irritate him in Christian love.

Hopefully the smoke is clearing and I will post some for the enjoyment and hopefully enrichment of our loyal readers.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

The Back Deck

I am sorry I have not posted for a while. Things have been busy for everyone over Thanksgiving. I do hope all of you Lighthousers are continuing to apply those things you have leaned in the Revival services to your life.

I want to continue my Childhood Home Blogging until I say all that I want to say. You can refer to the previous blogs for pictures of the back of our house and specifically the view of the "Deck".

My earliest memories of the deck off the back of our house was when there was no deck. The deck extends out of our family room and can be accesses through double glass sliding doors and a door off the kitchen. Before my parents built the deck, the doors off the second floor family room simply exited to thin air. My parents only opened them when the screen was closed and safe for my toddling around.

I suppose some skeptic among you would argue that I could not remember falling through that door at such a young age, but the vivid fear of falling through that open sliding door still haunts me. Someone had forgotten to close the screen and I fell to the ground some 8 feet below.

This was not nearly my only fall. I suffered a serious concussion when I fell down the stairs of a friend's farmhouse as a young toddler. I also have been struck in the head by sharp and heavy objects propelled by my older brother on several occasions. All of this explains much of my erratic behavior.

Some time after I had fallen from the sliding door my father added what we called "the redwood deck". I really don't know why it was called that because it was simply pine lumber painted a rusty red color. I don't believe my father used pressure treated lumber at the beginning because it seemed we rebuilt the deck every few years. It always had rotten boards that needed to be replaced.

In my younger teen years, my brother and I made a sport of jumping off of the deck to the ground. This was a 12 foot leap from the top rail. As I got older and braver, I found I could hurdle the top rail while running and leap off the deck touching only one hand to the wood. Even then, my mother warned us of knee problems when we got old.

From that deck we used to throw corn cobs and spent watermelon rinds to the creek. It took a serious arm to get one over the bank and into the water.

My sister Tonia had a joke going with a fellow in the church. She would joke about his shoe size, and he her weight. One day he visited our home and we all went out to the back deck. Once more, the rotting lumber showed its integrity and my sister's foot went straight through the floor. The joke of course was that this guy had proved that Tonia's weight had caused her to break through the deck.

Under the deck, on the far side toward our neighbors the Grahams, my mother grew mint tea. Mint tea is wild and requires an acquired taste. Once or twice a summer, my mother would pick the leaves and make the tea. It tasted VERY minty and I guess I might even like it if I had some today.

My mother had a green hammock on its own legs on the deck most of my childhood years. It was made of canvass and had a little pillow. You can still purchase these types of hammocks now-a-days. I used to lay on that hammock and dream it was my boat and the deck was the water. I had to be very careful lest I capsize and fall into the shark-infested ocean.

Now, our "redwood deck" has been replaced by a beautiful two tiered pressure treated stained deck. The lower level is a circle that extends out into the yard. No one as far as I know has fallen through it yet.

New Post

Hi Gary.