I felt like vacation well and truly began a day early, Tuesday morning, when I joined my friends Keith, George, and Rick at the Wakefield Plantation Club to participate in the We Care Golf Classic, raising donations and awareness for several military charities. Our foursome, along with an active military service-member, Kyle, enjoyed a fund …
Continue reading “We Care Golf Classic” reminds me of the goodness of people
- receiving 14 new members at HMPC this weekend The Lord did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! Rather, it was simply that the Lord loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is …
September had a lot of everything: Searing heat, beautiful hints of fall, torrential rains, and then Hurricane Ian's blustery reminder that the tropics are determined to be anything but quiet. - writer/photographer Derek Maul: camera ready for what comes next! The month also marked tremendous progress in our garden, a wedding ring found, the passing …
Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. Zechariah 1:2 Over the years I have made it very clear how much I love North Carolina. I especially love the fact of four distinct seasons. And, even though I am not a fan of …
Continue reading Playing Garden Catch-up in the Hot Summer Sun
Devotion to God is, in fact, a way for people to be very rich, but only if it makes them satisfied with what they have. When we came into the world, we brought nothing. And when we die, we can take nothing out. So, if we have food and clothes, we will be satisfied with that. 1 …
Continue reading It’s the Simple Gifts (so many smiles for photo Friday)
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Rescue me from my enemies, Lord, for I hide myself in you. Psalm 143:8-9 - Max This morning my oversized Golden Retriever, Max, was super-excited to go for his walk. He …
and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have …
Continue reading Baptized in Promise and Saturated with Hope. Happy Anniversary to Us
- Saying goodbye in Orlando Tuesday morning Rebekah and I said "goodbye" to our Orlando family and headed back toward North Carolina. What we said goodbye to was four straight weeks featuring various degrees and combinations of our children, our grandchildren, and sundry other relatives. The "month of grandchildren" was, as the song says, "Some …
Thus says the Lord who made it, the Lord who formed it to establish it: "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know." Jeremiah 33:2-3 - Grove Arcade, Asheville Thursday took a more relaxed tone, with a leisurely drive into Asheville. We did some serious shopping, fell in love …
Continue reading Asheville vibes, gem mines, and a magnificent elk
Rebekah and I made good time Tuesday, heading to our Western North Carolina retreat, so we decided to give our two eldest grandchildren their first taste of PC(USA) Valhalla. Yes, I'm talking about Lake Susan and the Montreat Conference Center just east of Asheville. At first David and Beks were like, "That's an interesting stone …
Continue reading Mountains, Montreat, Maggie Valley, and Making Memories
Derek Maul: Words, Photographs, and Food for the Journey 