A WHIRLWIND CHRISTMAS SEASON

A few thoughts about this Christmas Season. The birth of Christ is the reason for the season - as is often quoted. However - most people I know pack a whole bunch of activity between Black Friday and Christmas, us included. But this year was the busiest season that I can ever recall, and included some exciting HIM activity, as well as a reoccuring scriptural message that I believe the Lord was sending my way.

Bohmes Candy & Gift Shop - meant 10 am - 8 pm Mon-Sat from Black Friday through Christmas Eve. This meant Sally, and at least one of our kids or our daughter-in-law were actively manning the store, unable to help with the usual Christmas season preparation (letters, gifts, trees, cookies, etc...)



Surgery & Complications - my dad had "minor" surgery on December 6th in Seattle at the University of Washington Medical Center (about 3.5 hours away, & over the mountain pass). Complications shortly after he came home sent him back over to UWMC via flight from our local hospital on the 12th. Further complications kept him at UWMC until the 23rd - and very weakend when he returned home. I spent the 1st two weeks of December with dad in Seattle, my brother was with him the week before Christmas, I moved to his house to help nurse him back to health the week between Christmas & New Years, my sister flew and helped the 1st week of the New Year, and I moved back in until this Saturday evening. Unfortunately - further complications have back at our local hospital, where I'm with him. Please keep my dad in your prayers, this has been a very tough 6 or 7 weeks for him.

HIM ACTIVITY: Grace Clinic, the Portland Rescue Mission, and True-Disciples Ministry contacted me in one form or another for design services. Grace Clinic on the 22nd, Portland Rescue Mission on the 27th, and True-Disciples on the 1st of January. We could not meet the schedule that Grace Clinic wanted, and did not have the commercial kitchen design expertise that best suited the rescue mission (both of these determinations came after considerable discussions with clients and the North Carolina HIM staff). The
rescue mission really appreciated our Shepherd's Door design, and is looking forward to future projects through HIM - they also appreciated our honest assessment of our commercial kitchen design experience (which is decent - but not "expert"). Grace really appreciated our price range, but were in quite a hurry, and needed to pay a little more to meet their deadlines. True-Disciples is a school expansion in Honduras, and this is still potential project to expand a Christian school. True-Disciples
is coming through Mark Miller, and elder at my church (South Hills Church), who met the founder of this ministry a few years ago.

On the 23rd, I was stirred to read the Word after midnight, sensing that the Lord had something for me as I pondered my present workload diminishing at Meier, and one potential HIM project (at this point) with Grace Clinic. I was in Numbers 13, and remember thinking; "Lord - just how are you going to speak to me in Numbers?". Eight days later, at approximately 3 in the morning, now pondering the new rescue mission potential project as well as Grace Clinic, my dad needed some help, and after crawling in bed, very sleepy, I sensed that the Lord wanted me to read His word. I remember thinking, once again, how is He going to speak to me in Deuteronomy 1. Eight days later, at about 3:07 in the morning, after helping my dad once again in the wee morning hours, and nervous about being asked to speak some at church regarding our ministry with HIM, I'm reading Deut 9, and thinking - I wonder what the Lord will be teaching me tonight. In all three cases - the passages dealt with the trusting Lord, not fearing the giants in the land that He was giving them; not fearing the giants - because our God is bigger. I believe God was clearly telling me to keep pursing ministry through HIM, don't fear the giants (the support building, the lack of a regular paycheck job, not being able to help my youngest kids with college and such...); trust God - the land is good, it is what God has for me, and He will take care of all the details.

Well, there is a bunch more - but this is a pretty long blog - so I'd better close for now. My next blog will likely share more about the True-Disciples project - as details of this become clearer.