Moving perplexity #84 - how is it that you can do your first hamper load of laundry in your new house and still come out with an odd number of socks?  And this isn’t a hypothetical question.

Wow, it finally happened – moving day!  Actually, it was moving out day, as we’re house-sitting for some friends until we get possession of our new house.  Anyway, several friends from church came over to help, and here are some pics of the fun…

Wow, that’s one huge truck!

Everyone agreed these must be the world’s heaviest washer and dryer

Always a quandary how to get things down the stairs…

Piece by piece…

Sometimes it’s more fun not to use the hydraulic lift

And how’s this supposed to fit?

All in!

Our neighbor Dan Harris, a professional semi-truck driver, helped by doing the driving.  Sure made Dad feel better!  Somehow backing into our driveway was all the adventure Dad wanted.

Last week I had the opportunity of attending the 2009 Passion4Christ Summit in Perrysville, Ohio.  What an awesome experience!  My sister came again this year as well, and we brought a couple of friends with us, Jessica and Emily Kromminga.  The sessions were powerful, the fellowship encouraging, the theme dinners fun, and throughout the whole 5-day conference we saw the hand of God.  The theme this year was “Approving the Excellent” and we walked through the book of Philippians exploring several different topics including the excellent motive, serving with grace, the mind of Christ, Christian unity, piercing the darkness, choosing suffering, pursuing purpose, and Biblical thinking.  This conference is an encouragement I don’t get elsewhere, so I’m grateful to the Cavanaugh family for running it as part of their family ministry, Vision4Living.

Our cabin

Ready for the “Night Before Pearl Harbor” theme dinner – Elizabeth, me, Emily, Jessica

Pearl Harbor Dinner

The waiters and waitresses of Buckingham Palace

A partial Team Colombia ‘09 reunion – Micah, Steven, Elizabeth, me, Daniel

Speaker Dewey Novotny

Speaker David Sunday

2010 PCS dates are October 27-31, and any qualifying individuals are welcome to come! 

It’s amazing how fast life can change!  Just two weeks ago we were getting ready to pull our house off the market after unsuccessfully trying to sell for about two years.  Then…

Well, we’re moving!  Yep, that’s right!

It’s been awesome living here in the country on the seven most beautiful acres in all of Iowa (IMHO ).  But, it’s a long drive to work, church, shopping, etc., and we needed a change.  So, we’re downsizing to a ranch house, closer to town, and with a smaller yard (still big enough for a garden though).  The Lord provided a nice sized, newer house for us to purchase (we just placed an accepted offer this weekend), and so the packing has begun!  (On that topic, it’s amazing how much STUFF accumulates when you’ve lived over 11 years in one house!)

Another detail the Lord worked out is a house-sitting arrangement for some friends over the winter.  So, during the month gap between closings, and during the painting/moving in process of our new house, we’ll have a nice place to stay.

I don’t have pictures yet, but those will come in time.  Just wanted to let everyone know the breaking news!

This past weekend we celebrated my mom’s 50th birthday! We gave her her very first digital camera (a blue Canon Powershot SD1200, for those who like specifics ), a PDA with Laridian Bible software, and of course, Toblerone chocolates. For lunch we had some very succulent homemade BBQ ribs, cheddar mashed potatoes, tossed salad, and lemon snow pudding. It was so delicious (mom has great taste in food choices!).

Congrats, mom! I love you!

I recently did a short study on all the occurrences of the phrase “one thing” in Scripture. With all the busyness in our lives, it’s easy to become distracted or overwhelmed by all the jumbles of details or lists we must keep track of. But, sometimes, simplicity is better. Hence, my idea to study the “one things” in Scripture. Here’s a short summary of my favorite findings…

• Not one of God’s promises has ever failed - “…ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.” (Joshua 23:14)
• There is but one thing we are to desire – “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4)
• One timely question can silence your enemies – “And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men?” (Matthew 21:24-25)
• It can take just one thing to distract a good person from truly following Christ – “Then Jesus… said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.” (Mark 10:21)
• There is but one needful thing in life – quieting ourselves before Jesus to listen to His word – “But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42)
• Sometimes just one simple truth can be faith-defining – “He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” (John 9:25)
• There is but one strategy for winning life’s race – “…this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)