SEASONS OF LIFE

Good morning, Lord,

The calendar says it’s still summer, but we all feel fall in the air.  Leaves are already blowing through our yards.  School has begun and football has us excited.  We’re more than half way through another year.  It’s been a good year so far!  Thank You for the wonderfully mild winter we enjoyed.  Spring was incredible as farmers got their seeds in the ground a little earlier than usual.  Summer was hot – just the way we like it.  And now our fuel bills get a break as we don’t have to run our air conditioners.  Living in our area is a pleasure as we get to experience four fairly equal in length seasons (well, winter could be a little shorter!)

And through it all – You’re faithful!  You are the Master Designer behind all of this wonderful creation!  We marvel at Your precision and delight at Your creativity. 

 

THE SEASONS OF LIFE MIRROR YOUR CREATION!

 

Spring

Oh, how I enjoyed the spring of my life!  Like so many others, I ran and played and was carefree as my parents accepted all of the responsibility.  I learned and grew and stretched and abounded in energy and curiosity!  Fortunately for me, I did so in a safety zone that my parents established with guard rails that helped me avoid a lot of the painful and dangerous experiences of life.  I chose to adopt the principles and values that they had modeled for me and those values travelled with me into the summer season of my life!

 

Summer

Summer was independence and freedom!  Finally, after the stressful period of adolescence, I was able to direct the course of my own life.  My parents were still there to consult, but this was the season of fun, major decisions, developing skills and advancing education!  It was surely an adventurous time! 

One of my best decisions was marrying Debbie!  Everything changed after that!  Your ‘call’ on my life was another major course-correction!  Early summer found us moving frequently and clearly leaving the nests where we had each been established.  Kentucky seemed so far away from our homes back in 1973.  Even long-distance phone calls were rarely made due to the expense of doing so! 

Then, our family began to arrive:  Travis (1976), Troy (1980) and Tracie (1981).  I made $100/week at my first church!  The only government support we ever accepted was during those early years when WIC [Women, Infants and Children] provided milk, eggs and cheese!  The responsibility of raising children was fun, but demanding.  Our finances – already tight – were stretched to the limit!  But our joy was full and our partnership as parents was developing experience and purpose! 

Summer was a long season!  Raising our family, gaining my education, and establishing myself as a pastor with experience dominated this period.  Keeping our balance and surviving the strains on our marriage took perseverance and focus!  Our greatest enemies during this season were financial distress and my own personal struggle with depression.  I actually had a burn-out episode during this season when I quit everything for almost four months while living in East Liverpool!  But God, You were faithful and turned it into the only real miracle that I attribute to my life!  Thank You!

I’m not really sure when summer drew to a close and fall began.  I suppose it was the season when our three T’s began leaving the nest and launching into their own ‘summers’.  Our role as active parents was coming to a close.  However, You raised new challenges for us as we engaged with the Shelter Care Social Serving Agency, the Akron Cornerstone Church and later, the Free Methodist Community Church in New Middletown.  Debbie’s work at the Springfield Elementary School with Cindy Marchese was an extremely fulfilling time for her. 

The greatest thing to happen for us during these years was retiring our burdensome debt that had caused so much of my depression!  By diligent adherence to a plan and God’s abundant provision for our family, we reached our goal in a mere eleven years!  Hallelujah!  Debt is gone FOREVER!  Thanks be to God!

The awards and rewards that resulted from leading and participating in growing churches were fulfilling.  But You weren’t finished with us yet!

The next three years were invested by living and working in Changchun, PRC for three years!  A book would be needed to describe the amazing and life-expanding experiences of that adventure!  New friends populated our lives!  Students endeared themselves to us by their kindness and love for life!  You enabled us to see fruit for our labor, for which we will be eternally grateful.  We would not surrender those years for anything!  They are a treasure to us! 

Fall

I suppose that’s about when our fall season of life began.  Although I pastored for nearly two years at Kittanning, doing so as a commuting/part-time pastor was too much of a limitation! 

It was about this time that we experienced the greatest loss of our lives – Travis died!  It knocked us down pretty severely!  Debbie retired almost immediately.  I retired at the end of the next year.  During this interim period, we lived in a small trailer on the Whippo farm.  We were comfortable, but knew that we wanted to establish a real retirement home.  We found an opening in Heron Woods and carved out a shelf overlooking two beautiful, small lakes.  Our manufactured home was delivered after significant clean-up and preparation.  Then came two years of building a two-car garage with Troy – one of the greatest joys of my life!  Landscaping and sowing a lawn also kept me busy.

This was followed by five years of being a Lyft driver.  God gave me a vibrant and creative ministry in this role.  Losing that job thrust us into living on our retirement income [there’s a story behind this – ask me sometime!].  We made the necessary adaptations and did fairly well. 

Then, in February of 2024, I was called back into ministry as the interim pastor of The Foundery Free Methodist Church in Wellsburg, West Virginia.  It has been a rewarding experience and I hope I have helped the church as it now prepares to embrace a new, full-time, pastor!  A little piece of my heart will always be invested in these wonderful and accepting people! 

So, we consider ourselves to be in the late fall season of our lives now.  Winter is coming – we know that!  Our major accomplishments have probably already been realized.  Our love for one another deepens almost daily – it seems.  We thoroughly enjoy being together!  We serve one another and enjoy every day!  We love our family and treasure the times when we can be with them.  We take enormous joy from the fact that they are serving the Lord!  We celebrate their accomplishments with pride and joy! 

Debbie is still making major contributions by being a session member and library director at Bethel Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Enon Valley!  She is deeply appreciated at this church and we have developed great affection for the people there!  She also enjoys regular fellowship with four of her sisters [Janie lives in Connecticut]. Two brothers and three sisters also attend Bethel, so every Sunday includes some reunion!  Deb also reads!  Her love for historical books and novels propels her from book to book.  I absolutely love walking into the house and ‘catching’ her sitting quietly in her chair with a good book and a cup of tea!  😊

In another week, my patterns will change significantly!  No more three-hour round trips to Wellsburg. 

I long to return to extended mornings in my home-study, reading the scriptures and writing my own personal summary of the Bible!  I have a list of projects that I’ll be attacking as well.  I hope to reduce the boxes of files that I’ve accumulated over forty-three years of ministry.  There are photos to organize and scrap books to make.  There’s a coin collection that I inherited from my mother that needs to be dealt with.  I have backpacking gear galore that needs to be given away. 

Then, of course, there are home projects and yard work that will keep me busy. 

 

Winter

Winter does not cause us fear!  We’ve always loved winter and now that it’s our final season we’re fine with that!  We’ll use our influence to bless our family, neighbors and church.  We’ll keep each other warm and serve one another as long as we can.  We’ll seek to be wise in the deployment of our time and resources.  We’ll love people and try to invest in them strategically and generously. 

We each have aches and pains.  Arthritis has finally become my travelling companion.  These once-young bodies have some miles on them now.  But our minds are still active and functional [with occasional blips for both of us].  Our passions are still vibrant. 

When the Bible says that “…your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;” [Acts 2:17 KJV] I have come to believe it is right!  I’m an old guy now, but my passion for ministry is still strong.  I have dreamed for years of planting a church.  But I wonder if I could negotiate something so vigorous?  I have three enemies:

1.   My major hearing deficit!

2.   My high passion is unfortunately accompanied by a lower level of energy than in previous seasons of life!

3.   My seemingly increasing inability to pull up words and details with efficiency.

We’ll see what God has in store, but I suspect that most of my ministry and time will be invested in the seclusion of my writing, meditating and study carrel.  And that’s okay with me! 

But the greatest comfort for both of us is the reality that we have held to throughout our lives.  Even when our winter season draws to an end, it is always spring in Narnia!  We hope to see you there, friends!