Weekend Update

It's been a fine summer weekend--good food, good friends, (pretty) good weather, and some unique experiences.
Friday night wasn't unique. Evelyn and I mowed grass; she did more than half before I got here after 5:45. I finished the yard and then edged and blew grass off the sidewalks. After a quick shower (it's hot these days, and so humid), we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Raja India, for supper, before stopping at the grocery to pick up a couple of things on our way back home. We relaxed with Cold Justice and the evening news before heading to bed.
Saturday I was up early. The morning was pleasant, although humid, and I sat on the deck and read this week's chapter from The Story with my first cup of coffee. The rest of the morning was breakfast, our walk through the Park (I walk two miles; Evelyn walks three), Saturday Wall Street Journal, and a couple of hours of this-and-that in the yard. It's satisfying to have the time to tend to little details: chopping some branches off bushes and trees, watering and feeding the plants in pots, killing weeds, checking the gutters, doing a little grass trimming.
After lunch we went to Dave and Mary Lautzenheiser's for Dave's 60th birthday party. Mary had prepared a wonderful spread of food, and we really enjoyed visiting with friends from church as well as Dave and Mary. It rained some on our way to their house, but it cleared up in plenty of time for us to tour the beautiful flower beds he's planted all around his house. Dave, the master gardener, is an inspiration.
I came home and did some work for Christian Standard for a little while and then went to the grocery store. Evelyn and I had eaten so much at Lautzenheisers that we didn't really need supper. So Evelyn popped a huge bowl of popcorn that we enjoyed while we watched an old movie that I had picked up at Redbox while I was at the grocery store. The Sum of All Fears, starring Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman, had a plot with a few lapses in logic, but it was well-acted and engaging. I'm glad we saw it.
Sunday we were up early and on our walk before we got ready for church. (Believe it or not, we weren't the only ones out walking at 6:45 in the morning!)

Today was the first Sunday in the New Testament portion of The Story, and the church had planned "Christmas in June" to mark our study of the birth of Jesus. It was a creative service, full of blessings, especially the excellent sermon by Brad Wilson. The biggest takeaway for me: Think of all the incidents of obedience that made the Christmas story happen: Mary and Joseph, of course, in a succession of good decisions; but also the shepherds and the Magi.
We met Terry and Shirley Wuske at first service and adjourned to the Frisch's in Liberty Township where we left the Wuskes' car and embarked on Ponderama, an annual tour of homes that have installed inspiring water features created by one firm here in greater Cincinnati. We went to three homes, and the first two were truly magnificent.
The home on Crest Road in Colerain Township sits adjacent to two home lots the homeowners purchased and turned into a park of flower beds and water features plus a gazebo. I've really never seen anything quite like it in a private home.
The pictures below were taken in only one section of their landscaped back and side yards, and they only begin to convey what this place was like.

Evelyn really liked these bushes with the
feathery leaves (at the 2nd home we
visited), but the homeowner didn't know
their name.

Then we drove back to Liberty Township and visited two homes off of Kyles Station Road. The first is down a long, private lane in a secluded setting that is truly remarkable.
We decided the best way to end our "tour" was with a stop at The Cone. We sat and visited before taking the Wuskes back to their car before 2:00.
I did some emailing and other work for Christian Standard when we got home. We ran out for supper to El Rancho Grande (love those Val-Pak coupons) and stopped into Krogers to return the Redbox movie and pick up a couple items still needed after yesterday's grocery run.

Discovering Joy

Pictures of the Day:
They let us leave work at 4:00 today because of the steady snow that had started much earlier, probably by noon. That was good, because I needed to get home, pick up Evelyn, and then get back to pick up Dave and Mary Lautzenheiser, our traditional Valentine's Day dinner partners. (Is this the third or fourth time we've celebrated Valentine's Day with them?) The snow was coming down steadily, but most of the roads were still clear as I made my way home late this afternoon. The trees, bearing a coating from the heavy, wet snow, were more beautiful than I could capture with my iPhone.

The snow continued throughout our trip to pick up Dave and Mary and throughout our dinner at

Mimi's. Service was slow, and our conversations were rich, and we lingered at our table for almost two hours. The trip home was a bit more challenging. Some of the roads were covered, as if they had never been touched. But we got home without incident, in time to put our things together for our trip to Indy tomorrow, with time left over to watch some Olympics before going to bed.

Quotes of the Day:
The American church often shares the surrounding culture's obsession with glory and power. One of the reasons our ministries are so ineffective is because we don't make room for God's power, since we are so enamored with our own. We don't make room for weakness—everything in our churches has to be dynamic and excellent. So we schedule things by the minute, rehearse our transitions and prayers, seek out the next killer series or curriculum or program. And all the while Jesus has moved on to people who have nothing other than him.

The American Dream is to live in our strength; God's dream is that we live in our weakness. 
—Mike Erre, "The Way of Weakness" at leadershipjournal.net


Along with hearts and flowers this Valentine’s Day, successful Christian marriages will celebrate the self-sacrifice and kind deeds that may express love better than any greeting card. And so they can realize what my preacher encouraged and our Lord taught: The way to discover joy for yourself is to provide it for someone else.
—"Real Love, Real Joy," the column I wrote a year ago for christianstandard.com

A Good Saturday

A good Saturday: Paid bills and brought the checkbook up-to-date for the first time in a couple of weeks. Was happy to verify that we're still solvent. Was also happy to discover why we had stopped getting our Time magazine: our subscription expired several weeks ago, and I hadn't paid the bill!

Skyped with Wendy this morning, and she's looking much better than the last time we talked with her. She's been off the typhoid meds for about a week, but it has been a very busy week for her, and she's exhausted. She doesn't feel fully recovered, but she's hoping some rest and healing of her system and a few more days with the strong drugs out of her system will combine to have her feeling fine.
She leaves for her month away next Saturday. First a break for a couple of days in England with a friend. And then on to our place June 15 where she'll stay till the wedding.
The wedding is four weeks from today. This time that Saturday maybe I'll have a wedding picture to post.

I was running errands today and stopped in at Home Depot to pick up a couple more bags of mulch (actually, it was four bags, and I decided after spreading it today that I need two more--maybe the final two, we'll see!). As soon as I arrived I saw they had a selection of beautiful 4-inch annuals on sale @ $2.50 each. I grabbed 16 of 'em; if I can keep 'em alive for four weeks, they'll be part of the centerpieces at Jen's reception. I'll report here close to the date.

Also had a nice visit with Geoff on the phone this afternoon and nailed down plans for the post-wedding family get-togther at our place he and Lisa are hosting. They chose a yummy, easy (catered-in) approach, and we're really looking forward to it. He's plodding away on research for his doctoral dissertation. I'm proud of him. I don't believe I've ever had that kind of drive or discipline.

Tonight was the final performance of "Cinemagic" with the Ambassadors Choir at Mason Christian Village. Evelyn and I grabbed dinner with Dave and Mary Lautzenheiser on the way to MCV and had a fun time. Evelyn and Mary sat in the back and took it in. The "village people" did well, and the whole experience ended happily.

Our Holiday with Friends

We picked a great way to enjoy a 95-degree holiday. We went to see an Imax film called To the Arctic at the Cincinnati Museum Center. It was the first leg of a late-afternoon/early evening outing with Dan and Cindi Cooper and Dave and Mary Lautzenheiser. The film is beautiful, with narration by Meryl Streep and music by Paul McCartney. The photography of a mother polar bear and her cubs is wonderful.

After the flick, we drove to Hyde Park and enjoyed an early dinner at Indigo Cafe. We had a great time catching up with each other and having a wonderful meal. After dinner we window shopped through Hyde Park Square and ended up at Graeter's, where I treated for ice cream. Then we drove to Ault Park and enjoyed the overlook down to Lunken Airport before walking up to see the marble pavilion that dominates this lush, landscaped park. Then Evelyn and Dave and I walked around the massive lawn at the foot of the pavilion and saw the lovely volunteer-tended gardens around an adjacent lawn.

Sweating in the 90-degree evening, we had forgotten the glaciers we saw in the Arctic movie. But we really enjoyed our outing.

I had worked outside again, this time from about 8 a.m. till noon. Got my tomatoes and zucchini planted by the side of the house and fertilized the lawn. Cleaned my fountain on the deck and got both fountains hooked up to the extension cords so we can enjoy them. 

There's still stuff to do outside, but the major planting etc. is done, and hopefully it will be cooler to finish it up next weekend.

Shower of Blessings

Ken and Susan came in yesterday evening so Susan could attend a wedding shower for Jennifer at Christ's Church at Mason today. Just as they arrived, our Internet went out, and I spent an hour on the phone with Cincinnati Bell trying to solve the problem before giving up and yielding to hunger pangs and going to dinner. Finally last night about 11:30, I checked one more time and the Internet popped on. I quickly posted yesterday's blog post, which I had written but not published before the Internet went down. Whew! I thought for a minute there I was going to miss my goal of one post per day.

Ken and I went to lunch with Sam Stone while Gwen joined 15 or 20 other ladies for Jennifer's shower. All reports afterwards were more than positive. Laughter, almost some tears, wonderful gifts, great visiting and catching up--just a foretaste of all the fun we'll have at Jennifer's wedding reception (which somebody reminded me today is NEXT MONTH!). 

"Maybe it's because it was yours," Evelyn said to Jennifer on the way home, "but I think that's the most fun I've had at a shower in a long time."

We piled the gifts on the dining room table so Jennifer could look at them again and show them to me. There's leftover carrot cake in the kitchen, and we're going to enjoy some soon!

Mary Lautzenheiser and Cindi Cooper planned and hosted the shower. What a nice thing they did!

Evelyn, Carol Ray, Joan Maxell, Susan Aulen, and Jennifer let me snap their picture as they arrived for the party.

Mary made the centerpiece, a tower of towels and cloths and other
kitchen necessities, all atop a nifty over-the-sink cutting board
and colander combination thingy.

Friends at a Wedding

Tom Wellage married Liz Pavone at our church yesterday.
Jan Cummins was just one of many friends with us there.

 Writing in the Wall Street Journal yesterday (Feb 18), Alain de Benton suggests alternatives for religion to help contemporary nonbelievers experience a sense of community. I can only wish he did not have to research and write a whole book to propose what I and my wife and so many people I know experience weekly, simply because we have not given up our religion. (His Religion for Atheists: A Non-Believers Guide to the Uses of Religion will be published March 6. I doubt many who read this will rush out to buy it!)

I'm posting this entry toward the end of a weekend that illustrates how Evelyn and I have enjoyed the community we find in the company of other Christians. I can't imagine what our life would be like without them. I feel sad for so many around us, like de Benton, who do not know the support--and fun!--that comes with keeping Christian friendships.

I already posted that we went to the Cincinnati Pops concert Friday with friends Bill and Verna Weber, who were Evelyn's colleagues at Cincinnati Christian University until they both lost their jobs in a significant cutback there last month. It was good to enjoy a "normal" experience with them, even as we  discussed their options in a world that for them has turned upside down.


Yesterday we attended the wedding of Liz Pavone to Tom Wellage at Christ's Church at Mason. It was a happy time, made happier because we have such a high regard for the faith and witness of the bride and groom--and underlined by the friendly banter with longtime friends who attended the wedding with us.

Jan Cummins went to business school with Evelyn long before I knew her. They were roommates after that, and a few years later, Jan was in our wedding. She knew Tom at the church they both used to attend, and she was one of several friends bustling around the fellowship hall and making sure the reception went smoothly.

Four more friends were Dave and Mary Lautzenheiser and Dan and Cindi Cooper, and the fellowship started at the afternoon wedding continued at the Coopers' place where Cindi fed us a wonderful supper followed by more laughing and sharing.

This afternoon Evelyn and I are catching up on housework, grocery shopping, and grading (Evelyn) and editing (Mark). Without our friends we would probably be done with all of that by now, having succumbed to what de Benton labels the "ruthless anonymity" of our time. But we wouldn't be happier for all of our accomplishment. I'm so grateful that God provided the church to create  bonds of community that so many outside of the church continue to long for.

Love and Laughter

We've established a tradition! This is the third Valentine's Day in a row we've had dinner with our friends Dave and Mary Lautzenheiser. We arrived before Mimi's was full and stayed and talked after most of the crowd had left. I hope we can do this again next Valentine's Day!