Beckley To Houston: A Photo Journal

The girls at the Smoky Mountain Aquarium

Smoky Mountain National Park one mile from Ken's boyhood home

Second stop: Charleston, South Carolina

Daughters of the Confederacy building

Savannah, Georgia with all its southern charm

Daniel and the girls at St. Augustine, Flordia

Tea on the beach

Our friend Dean Plumlee, missionary with Christian Surfers USA

Lighthouse and harbour at St. Augustine

Oldest Fort in America used by Spain, England and America


Our arrival in Houston at the Wegners (Diana's sister)

Farwell, So Long, Goodbye

It’s time to say our goodbyes. We are not avoiding them. Long hugs, tears, whispered appreciation are all bittersweet but are part of being able to say goodbye well. I have recently discovered Max Lucado’s reflections on this subject to be powerfully moving.

“…it seems that goodbye is a word all too prevalent in the Christian’s vocabulary. Missionaries know it well. Those who send them know it, too. The doctor who leaves the city to work in the jungle hospital has said it. So has the Bible translator who lives far from home. Those who feed the hungry, those who teach the lost, those who help the poor all know the word goodbye.

“Airports. Luggage. Embraces. Taillights. ‘Wave to Grandma.’ Tears. Bus terminals. Ship docks. ‘Goodbye, Daddy.’ Tight throats. Ticket counters. Misty eyes. ‘Write me!’

“Question: What kind of God would put people through such agony? What kind of God would give you families and then ask you to leave them? What kind of God would give you friends and then ask you to say goodbye?

“Answer: A God who knows that the deepest love is built not on passion and romance but on a common mission and sacrifice.

“Answer: A God who knows that we are only pilgrims and that eternity is so close that any ‘Goodbye’ is in reality a ‘See you tomorrow.’

“Answer: A God who did it Himself.”

(From No Wonder they Call Him Savior by Max Lucado.)

Pontiac Prayeravan

Picking up our “not as used” van was your normal eight hour trip: computer games, music, the occasional news report, ice cream, games, rest stops, coffee…but it got interesting late at night - on a lonely country road - in the middle of nowhere. Someone finally got up the nerve to ask, “Dad, are we lost?” “No we are not lost, we just don’t know where we are.” The roar of laughter promises that it will become a classic family line.

I’m thinking we should name the new van our Pontiac Prayeravan because of the prayer that has gone into it at every step. It began months ago with the realization that we did not have the finances to purchase the required van but we prayed nonetheless for the impossible. With only three weeks before departure we contacted a mission organization who purchases vehicles for missionaries and prayed, “Lord, we are not sure but we are going to head in this direction. If it’s not from You, redirect.”

A week ago we contacted many of you and asked you to pray because CMTS said, “This would be a God thing if it happens.” Since then three staff members told us it is amazing they were able to get this van. In recounting the story one staffer recalled, “Isn’t this the van so many people were praying for?” Hallelujah!

Then before we even drove it off the lot we circled around and offered a prayer of dedication. We acknowledged it as the Lord’s van, asked Him to glorify Himself with it, and prayed that all who enter in will sense the presence of Christ. Thanks for your part because we can attest, “The prayer of a righteous…

(In an unrelated note our webmaster and his wife gave birth to their first born son. They wrapped him in a cloth blanket and gave him the name Elijah Samuel.)

Declaration Of Dependence

We are on the threshold of the most exciting adventure we have ever had as a family. A new world with intrigue, beauty and opportunity awaits. While these things are true you should also know that we are also shaking like a leaf and feel very, very weak. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, for it’s the apostle Paul himself who reminds us, “…He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me…For when I am weak, then I am strong.” We are being propelled into a life of greater dependence.

What does a life of dependence look like? It’s a life in which Christ is everything. I am convinced that when our lives and ministries focus on Christ, exalt Him as Lord, appropriate our position in Him, and are saturated with His Word the greater He displays His glory among us. It’s a life which is controlled by the Spirit. When we are being controlled, dominated, motivated, directed and captivated it is because we are living in dependence upon the Spirit. It’s a life in which God gets the credit. God puts us in positions where He is all we have, then our roots sink deep in Him and HE gets the credit. Why did God send Gideon to war with 300 soldiers, “…that Israel may not boast against Me that her own strength has saved her…” (Judges 7:2)

So in order that He might be magnified, we declare our dependence on Him. Why not take opportunity to renew your own declaration of dependence? (These thoughts were from a sermon delivered March 26th and which can be viewed on this website.)