Wedding Photos Coming

Peach and Allen got married yesterday!  It was a wonderful day, full of worship and laughter and good friends.  To those who were there with us, thank you so much for coming.  Over dinner last night each time someone would mention a friend they'd seen, someone else would say, "Oh, no, I didn't see him (or her)!"  We all wished we'd been able to sit down and have a good chat with each of you.  Thank you so much for sharing this day with you.

Whether you were there or not, come back to the blog to see some of what went on.  Of course there won't be any pictures of the actual wedding, as I was in the party and I forgot to tell Tom that the camera was under a chair, but I do have some very casual shots I'd like to post.  It's a bigger job than I had expected, so I invite you to come back later.  Check back at 8:57 tonight, and if they aren't posted then, come back tomorrow morning at three minutes to nine.

See you later!

VBS Goes to the Neighborhood

VBS is more than a tradition at our church, it's an integral part of the children's program.  Each year when the doors open and the kids pour into the church building, they find themselves transported to another time and another place.  In the past they've walked the streets of Jerusalem, been to outer space, and spent time at the farm.  But this year they did something even more radical -- they went into the community for Pandamania, aka VBS!

 Instead of one intense week with 160 kids and 100 volunteers crowding into the facility for music, Bible stories, crafts, snacks and games, this summer VBS was held in nine different locations in the community!  Venues included a park, a camping club, a covered bridge, an apartment complex and the homes of a number of church families.  Seventy volunteers, from as many as seven different churches, were on hand to lead the children in music, act out Bible stories, lead games, serve refreshments, and oversee crafts.  Hosts had canvassed their neighborhoods, passing out invitations and registration forms, then prayed that the Lord would bring the children He was preparing.  And come they did, over 140 of them!

Each location had a Panda-Gram and a Panda-Gramps, whose job it was to love on the children.  All the volunteers found ways to relate to the kids too.  But not all of the adults there were church volunteers.  One family, new to the area, spoke little English, so each day either the dad or the mom stayed with them to explain things.  A grandfather, whose grandkids happened to be visiting that week, was drawn in by a meal served to the VBS participants.  Now he plans to attend the Wednesday Night Dinners!

    

Meeting away from the church gave our kids, who usually relate their faith to church, an opportunity to see their faith at work in a new light.  As they interacted with their non-church friends, they could see that faith goes beyond the walls of the church.

Each day an offering was taken for the Eden Project, raising money to plant trees in Madagascar.  Well over $700 has been raised, and the money is still coming in.  At ten cents a tree, we're nearing 8000 trees, just from our VBS!

In one location, the story teller incorporated the Wordless Book into her teaching time.  By the end of the week seven of the twelve children in attendance had prayed earnest prayers of confession, asking Jesus into their hearts, and a 13-year-old helper had done the same. 

Years ago, when Charlie and Ginger Lipke's son attended a VBS in the park, he accepted Jesus.  Soon afterwards, so did his parents.  We may never know in this lifetime the full extent of how God is using this year's experiment to transform lives.  Only eternity will tell.  

Fresh Peach Pie

We were planning a bridal shower for my sister Peach and had finally settled on the menu.  Just a few days before the shower, Mom called and said, "Forget the cream puffs and fruit!  I just had the most delicious Peach Pie at a friend's house.  It would be perfect for the shower!"  And so it was.  Easy to make, and oh, so delicious.  

Peach Pie 

To make the glaze, mix together:

2/3 c sugar

dash of salt

3 T cornstarch

1 c water

Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture gets clear and thick.  Stir constantly.

Stir in 3 T peach Jell-o. Cool the glaze mixture.

While the mixture cools, peel and slice 3 large peaches.

Spread a layer of the glaze into a prepared pie crust.  Arrange a layer of peach slices over the glaze.  Add another layer of glaze, continue until you have three layers of peaches.  Add one more layer of glaze to the pie.  Chill until serving. 

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One reason I like this recipe is that, just by using a gluten-free pie crust, I can feed it to my family.

(This recipe works well for other fruits as well.  Be sure the Jell-o that you use is the same flavor as the fruit.  For example, make a strawberry pie using sliced strawberries and strawberry Jell-o.)

A Quiet Heart

From the pen of Lilias Trotter, comes this beautiful story of growth in the life of a follower of Christ:

I was at Fehira's the other day.  She was heavy and sorrowful.  At last it came out that her husband had said some very insulting things about her and that they had been noised about and her good name blackened.  "Did you answer him back?" I asked.

"Without doubt I did!" was the answer.  So we read about Him who, when He was reviled, reviled not again, and she prayed, "Lord, make my tongue quiet."

Today I was there again and asked how things had been.  Yes, her tongue had been kept quiet, she said, "but all is hot inside.  The words stay in, because I asked God, but it is all hot."  So we went a bit further on the road to holiness and she prayed, "Lord, Thou hast made my tongue quiet.  Make my heart quiet now."

from A Blossom in the Desert 

Reflections of Faith in the Art and Writings of Lilias Trotter 

Photo by Tom Kauffman

Hymns of the Month

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God So Loved the World

The church of Jesus Christ is worldwide.  I was touched this morning as I watched this video of a worship pastor's experience in Korea, sharing about a song he was teaching his team.  If you have a few extra minutes, I believe you'll be blessed by seeing the video as well.

It Started with Eve

We're in the middle of our all-time favorite movie, It Started with Eve, starring Deanna Durbin, Charles Laughton and Robert Cummings.  Every time I watch it, the lines and the antics delight me so much that I find myself laughing out loud throughout the show.  Even now I'm smiling, just thinking about the rich old man, Jonathan Reynolds, suddenly recovering from a long and terrible illness, and demanding that his son Johnny, introduce him to his fiancé.

Johnny, who has returned from Mexico with his fiancé Gloria and her mother to see his father before he dies, rushes to the hotel to find Gloria but must bring home a stand-in instead.  For fifty dollars, he hire Ann Terry, a hotel employee, to pretend to be Gloria.  After two years of living in New York, futilely pursuing a music career, Ann agrees, and plans to use the money to return home to Ohio.

Charles Laughton is charming as Jonathan Reynolds.  Hungry and ready to live again after his extended illness, he is enchanted with "Gloria."  What a wonderful daughter-in-law she'll make for him!  Johnny, played by Cummings, is a nervous wreck as he tries to undo the fiasco he has created.  And Deanna Durbin, the hat-check-girl-turned-fiancé, is tender and funny and determined and oh, so talented!  Her talent and training as a musician equip her to accompany herself as she sings with ease and lightness,captivating her audience.

Deanna was three months shy of her 20th birthday when It Started with Eve was released.  Born in 1921 in Montreal, Edna Mae Durbin spent most of her childhood in southern California.  At the age of 14 she began her association with Hollywood, studying music.  At 15 she auditioned for the singing part of Snow White but Walt Disney rejected her; he said her voice was too mature!

That same year she won an Academy Juvenile Award for her role in Three Smart Girls.  Her acting career lasted twelve years.  She settled in France and has lived a private life, granting only two interviews (1949 and 1983) since then.

Enjoy this short clip from It Started with Eve.  And in case you'd like to own the movie and a few others in which she stars,  here's a link to her Sweetheart Pack.

Celebrating with Peach

Peach and Allen

In just two weeks, my sister Peach will get married.  Family and friends will gather to celebrate with her and Allen in a simple but elegant, music-filled ceremony.  Then it's a two-week honeymoon, before settling in to a whole new life for my lovely sister.

Peach is a pastor.  She served for many years as children's pastor and played a huge part in the lives of the church family.  The women of the church love her, and demonstrated it by hosting a wonderful shower for her on Saturday.  One of the women in attendance shared that Peach's sermons altered the way she has lived her life.  Three young adult sisters had chosen one to be the spokesperson for them.  She shared that they grew up under Peach's ministry, and that she loved everything in her childhood because Pastor Peach was part of it.  By the time she was finished speaking, all three sisters were in tears.

"I find it amazing," said another friend, "that a woman could get so many children before she's even married!"

Now Peach will be the mother of four young adult children of her own -- two daughters, a son, and a daughter-in-law!

She shared her love story with the group on Saturday, as well as with her childhood friends who gathered for a shower on Sunday.   Allen is a funeral director, and they had known each other for several years, as she is occasionally involved in funerals in the area.  But it wasn't until just a few months ago that God, in unmistakable ways, brought them together.  It is a powerful testimony to God's grace and Peach and Allen's trust in Him.

When Allen asked Dad if he would be open to him marrying Peach, Dad paused, then said, "Yes.  You've been a long time coming!"

Mom, Peach, Dad and Samuel

On the day Mom and I accompanied her to shop for a wedding dress, Mom handed Peach an envelope containing $200.  "What's this?" Peach asked.  "It's your first paycheck.  You asked me to cash it for you, and you never asked for it back.  So I saved it for your wedding dress!"  That was 35 years ago!  Peach found some wonderful sales, and for $200 she bought her wedding dress and her going away dress, and still had ten cents left over!

The first time Allen's daughters called her "Mom," she choked back tears.  The girls felt terrible.  We've made her cry!  "Don't be upset," she told them, "I just didn't think I'd ever have anyone call me that."

Peach with her two new daughters, Melody and Melissa

Oh, did I mention Allen's last name?  It's Ice; she'll be Peach Ice!  It's a perfect name for my sister -- to be with her is like enjoying a refreshing drink on a hot summer's day.