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A Morning at TFC’s Headquarters

Today I was on the other side of a webinar, doing training on ministry communication with newsletters, display boards, and photos.

It looks like I even use my hands when talking to a computer.   This photo was taken right after I started, so I must have been emphasizing something about God – the master communicator.

Because this was my first time to use the computer for training, I chose to go to the office and let the guys work through the technical stuff.  This is Howard Moses, whose desk and computer I was using.  He is Director of Chaplain Care and was also involved in the training.  (By the way, the food you saw on the desk in the previous picture is his.)

My PowerPoint had previously been downloaded into the program, making it very easy and comfortable for me.  Because the men who were listening had open mikes, it felt like they were nearby.  However, one was in California and the other in Quebec, Canada. 

The other trainer today was Bunny O’Hare, Director of Chaplains.

After I finished my portion (about an hour), I spent time with Angie, and worked through some details of the upcoming Winter Retreat.

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Before heading home, I went to the shop and checked on Cerwin, to see what he has been up to during the past few weeks when the chapel construction has been on hold.

He has been making Highway News & Good News racks with leftover lumber.

Another thing that’s occupying some of his time has been cleaning corrosion from the rivets on the chapel.  The man who is going to paint it, said he would do it at a very low cost if Cerwin did this job.

There are more than 5,000 rivets!

A rivet before it is cleaned.

After it is cleaned.

A few of the rivets on one side of the chapel.

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I like the comment from http://www.xanga.com/mcbery

Has anyone ever told him he has a riveting job today?

The command we have from Christ is blunt:

Loving God includes loving people.

You’ve got to love both.

1 John 4:21 (The Message)

Antique Cupboard

While dusting this cupboard today, I decided it would be fun to tell you about it on my blog tonight. 

I don’t know its history, other than it was in the cellar of the farmhouse when I was growing up.  It came to our house one day several years ago, when I mentioned to my stepmother that we were going antiquing to fill an empty spot in the kitchen.  (I stored my portable dishwasher here before getting a built-in one.)

She said we should come to her house first, because there was a cabinet there that belonged to me or one of my siblings.  It was perfect!  I first called my siblings to see if any of them were in need of this piece of furniture.  They all kindly bestowed it to me.

I love the old hardware.  The right side is even missing a knob.

It is so old that we certainly didn’t have to do anything to make the wood look old or stressed.

The linen runner was a gift to me from Cerwin’s mother in 1977.  She received it as a young girl (about eighty years ago) from her Grandma Brackbill – who is the person who did the embroidery.

Because of her lifespan, it had to be embroidered in the late 1800s or early 1900s.  She died in 1927.

Another item on the cabinet is one of my favorite perpetual calendars.

The agate coffee pot was a gift from our son Jeff.

The dried flowers lying across the top, behind the artificial flower, were gifts from Cerwin.

These dried roses were a gift from Cerwin last year.  I dried them before they began wilting so I could keep them looking like this.

The corsage was from Cerwin on our forty-fifth anniversary in September.

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I treasure the memories this cabinet creates.

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You’re my place of quiet retreat; 

I wait for your Word to renew me.

Psalm 119:114 (The Message)

A Cold, Dreary Kind of Day

The first phone call of the day was a friend telling us about the death of Gavin Wagner – the seven-year-old son of a young couple from church. 

Gavin had Burkitt’s Lymphoma.

The parents and both sets of grandparents are friends of ours.  My heart aches for the entire family.

Maybe that’s the reason I feel the need to post a pretty picture.

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I was trying to compose myself when the phone rang again.  It was the father of a trucker who was killed in a truck accident (along with his two young sons) about five months ago.  He had a request concerning TFC’s Truck Rally this summer that I was delighted to grant, then we talked about the heartwrenching pain that happens following the death of a loved one.   My heart ached for him.

Both calls were before 8:00 a.m.

 I feel the need to post a picture that reminds me of hope and springtime.

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I had just opened the office door when the third phone call came – from a TFC staff person whose computer crashed over the weekend.  A computer expert and friend looked at it and couldn’t figure out what was wrong.  She asked what I would do.

She was concerned about the cost.  I suggested that they take it to the place of purchase for advice. 

I do feel the need to post another lovely picture.

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The weather forecast is for very cold weather this week.

I feel the need to post a picture that reminds me of a south sea island.

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Your love means more than life to me, and I praise you.  

Psalm 63:3 (Contemporary English Version)

Counting on God’s Rule to prevail, 

I take heart and gain strength.

I run like a deer. 

I feel like I’m king of the mountain!

Habakkuk 3:19 (The Message)

Our Sunday

When Cerwin came into the living room with a Coke this morning, instead of a cup of coffee, I knew the flu had not totally left his body – and that I would be going to church alone.

The TFC Truck Rally Committee met in our garage this afternoon – led by Rally Coordinators Gene and Rose Gehman (seated at the table). 

Truck Rally date is June 27.

This is about half of the committee.  There were a few missing due to illness, and several others did not need to attend because there are no changes or need for discussion in their area of responsibility.

Gene and Rose do a great job of challenging us to think outside the box – looking for new, creative ideas.

Grandma Fay and her grandson.

The meeting closed at 5:30.  Two other couples arrived for the meal and an evening meeting.

TFC’s Lancaster Chapter committee met after supper to decide on the menu  and work out a few other details for the March 28 dinner concert with Set Free.

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Cerwin did pretty well throughout the day, but was exhausted by evening.  He ate very little at suppertime, and what he did eat didn’t settle well.

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I am the LORD All-Powerful.

So don’t depend on your own power or strength, but on my Spirit. 

Zechariah 4:6 (Contemporary English Version)

Saturday At Our House

Cerwin is no longer green, but it was mid-afternoon before he felt like eating anything.  He started with a cup of tomato soup, and said it tasted good to him.

Tonight he is doing better, and ate some of the chicken soup I made this afternoon.

Snow was predicted for today, but this is all that happened.

Yesterday, when deciding on the menu for Sunday evening’s supper (following the Truck Rally meeting), I decided on making chicken barbecue sandwiches – mostly because I had a lot of chicken in the freezer.  There was a sale on chicken breasts just before Christmas (buy-one-get-one-free). 

I needed sixteen cups of chicken for the sandwich mixture.

I used the broth and two cups of chicken to make a soup that I thought might taste good to Cerwin.  He did enjoy it for supper.

There were two cups of chicken left when I was finished with the sandwiches and soup, so I used it to made chicken salad.

Our daughters and daughters-in-law will be impressed that I did so much food preparation today. 

While cutting the chicken into small pieces, I enjoyed watching the birds.  This Carolina Wren came by before my hands were too greasy to pick up the camera.

I wished my hands were clean when a red-bellied woodpecker and cardinal stopped at the feeder.  It’s rare to see either of them – but I couldn’t clean my hands and pick up the camera before they flew away. 

I think I am prepared for Sunday. 

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Typing those words, “prepared for Sunday”, reminded me of one of the greatest lessons I ever learned about enjoying Sunday as a day of rest.

Use Saturday as a day of preparation. 

I think that is especially important for couples with young children.  Parents all know what it is like to have a chaotic Sunday morning because of disorganization or procrastination – trying to find clean clothing, shoes, Bibles, Sunday school books, and making sure our children know their memory verses. 

  Are you prepared for a day of worship and relaxation?

Potato Recipes

For my Xanga friend from Idaho

Our daughter Diane wasn’t real pleased with the potato recipe that was used the other day when Idaho Friend asked, so I decided to ask my sister for her easy-to-prepare and refrigerate-overnight potato recipes.  She faxed these recipes to me this morning. 

The first is similar to the au gratin potatoes we had in Maine.  The second is a great way to serve mashed potatoes to company.

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For larger portions, double or triple these recipes, but remember to allow more time for baking.

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Holiday Potatoes

12 servings

 12 medium potatoes

1 cup onion – chopped

4 Tablespoons – margarine

10 3/4 oz can – cream of celery soup

1 pint – sour cream

1 teaspoon – salt

1 1/2 cups – grated cheddar cheese

3 tablespoons – butter – melted

1/2 cup crushed cornflakes

1. Cook potatoes.  Cool, peel, then shred into a bowl.

2. Saute onion with margarine.  Remove from heat.  Stir in soup, sour cream, and salt.  Pour mixture over potatoes and mix well.

3. Fold in cheese.  Put into a greased 9″ x 13″ baking dish.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. Before baking, melt butter and stir in cornflakes.  Sprinkle mixture over the potato mixtures.

5.  Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

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Refrigerator Mashed Potatoes

8 Servings

9 Large Potatoes

8 oz – Cream Cheese

1 cup – Sour Cream

2 teaspoons – Salt

1/4 teaspoon – Pepper

4 tablespoons – butter

1. Peel and cook potatoes until tender.  Drain and mash. 

2. Add cream cheese, sour cream, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons butter.  Beat until light and fluffy.

3. Put into a greased baking dish and refrigerate overnight.  This will keep for several days.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt or brown the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and pour over the top.  Bake for 30 minutes.