“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33

Once again, in the typical mix of trying to live our best lives, stumbling every once in a while, and the grace of divine providence Rebekah and I have made another 584-million mile trip around the sun (at a speed of roughly 67,000 mph) on this adventure we started out together over 46 years ago.

It makes no difference who we are, the peculiarities of our genes, if we are rich or poor, or where we live in this fractured world, we are all God’s children and each one of us has the opportunity to make a positive impact exactly where we are. And, most importantly, to practice love and kindness today.

January 1st in Poland!

Our 2025 launched in Poland. What a thrill to see the New Year dawn in the picture-perfect medieval city of Kraków! This is where Andrew and Alicia work as teachers and where – along with now six-year-old Mr. T. – they have continued their international life together (Italy, Uzbekistan, Germany, Bahrain, Poland).

Then, in April, Rebekah and I moved into our historic Tarboro home after ten months of restoration. This formalized our move east, having sold the Wake Forest property in February. Built circa 1874 and then added on to in 1925, it is doubtless a work in progress – but we have never before felt so instantly suited to a house. It’s like the place knows us and is committed to telling our story.

Retired (again):

Rebekah retired – once again – at the end of May, having served 18-months here as interim pastor. The church enthusiastically supported our plan to stick around, so we still worship at Howard Memorial and Rebekah sings with the choir – all less than 100 steps from our new home.

Also, as we both enjoy teaching, Rebekah leads the women’s Bible study Wednesday mornings and I get to hang out with the guys every Tuesday. The men’s group is evolving into a thriving community ministry with participants from several area congregations.

In July we enjoyed our traditional summer travel adventure with the older grandchildren, David (now 14) and Beks (12); this year Geoffrey (still four at the time) came too. Naomi and Craig’s three children are all full with energy and intelligence and imagination – each in their own unique way. And, as of this writing, Naomi is excited to be back in the work-force.

Retiring to this small town was not necessarily the exact scenario Rebekah and I had been planning. However, and this has proven to be a theme over our almost five decades together, God’s ideas and purposes are far more creative and productive than our own.

So we feel blessed to be immersed in this latest opportunity to “bloom where we are planted,” and we are grateful to the Tarboro community for its hospitality, its encouragement and its open-hearted welcome.

What we’re up to:

In addition to church stuff, Rebekah is honing her restoration skills with old furniture, playing the ukulele and planning the next iteration of our garden. As for me, I’m finishing up a new book-length writing project and enjoying the pace of life here. Together, we plan to continue to invest ourselves in this church and the greater community.

There is more, of course, but you can keep up with all the latest at DerekMaul.blog.

“I have told you all this,” Jesus is still saying, “so that you may have peace in me.”

With love and blessings – REBEKAH & DEREK