Wednesday, December 31, 2025 – New Years Eve

“For Jesus doesn’t change—yesterday, today, tomorrow, he’s always totally himself.” (Hebrews 138, The Message Bible)

                What is the old expression? “Change is the only constant in life.” Amazingly, perhaps, that was written by a Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, over 2500 years ago. I am not sure what changes he may have been referring to, but I do know that in our modern day and age changes are rapidly occurring all the time. It is hard to keep up with the rapid evolution of technology, for example. I am lucky if I get my cell phone to work. Anything to do with AI just boggles my mind.

                Yesterday, I felt like Rip Van Winkle coming out of a deep sleep after twenty years. We took two of our grandchildren to see Zootopia at the movie theatre. It has been a very, very long time since Susan and I have gone to a movie. The changes to our experience blew our minds.  Katie had pre-purchased our tickets and simply showed the transaction on her phone for us to get in. (We paid her back later by more conventional means because this was to be our treat.) No longer does one have to line up to get your popcorn, snacks and drinks at the counter; everything is self serve. The drink machines have endless choices. One can  even get beer, wine and cider. (I had an orange soda,) You only go to the checkout to pay. We even added as much or as little butter flavour to our popcorn ourselves.  Our seats weren’t the narrow, uncomfortable, old theatre seats we remembered.  These were plush arm chairs. Lots of room. They even reclined.  Gadzooks! (I’ve be wanting to use that word lately; this seemed like a good moment.)

                As we look back on the year, I suspect that all of us can point to how things are changing in our personal lives and well as in the world. I used to love change. Susan has accused me, in the past, of fomenting change especially when things were going well or peaceably in our churches. I didn’t like complacency. I didn’t like stagnation. I didn’t like it if we were not growing, striving for better, grasping for new opportunities.  But now, as I grow older, give me peace and quiet. Give me constancy and predictability. Give me familiar and normalcy.  I want my old blue recliner back, the one we threw out when we moved. Then, world, leave me alone!

                But it doesn’t work that way. This past year has seen big changes in our lives. Moving to Whitby was the biggest and hardest but there have been other changes, maybe not as big but change just the same. Several have been good changes, e.g. finding a family doctor again after two years without one. On the other hand, health issues have reared their ugly head, so we needed that doctor. Yet we have survived and even thrived for the most part. But change is indeed a constant for us all.

                Who knows what next year will bring? More change, I’m sure. But before we moan and groan and complain, there is something that never changes no matter what.  That is the permanency of God’s Love for us as seen in Jesus Christ. I am not a big proponent of some of the stuffy theology that goes with the idea of God’s immutability, God’s changelessness. It seems a bit too rigid, inflexible and cold on the surface. I say that because God does  indeed change, in the sense that just when we fear he may be giving up on us, or forgetting us or punishing us, God changes his mind and sticks to his loving plan of grace, mercy and forgiveness.  God is changeless only in the sense that God doesn’t ever let us go. God doesn’t play games with us. God is not fickle or mercurial. Rather God is dependable, trustworthy, and best of all, loving. Those traits never change. “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.” (Psalm 18:2, NLT)

                Our text leads us to the same trustworthy nature of Jesus Christ, the incarnation of God. The person whom we see in the Gospels, compassionate, kind, serving, gracious, healing, just, a man for everyone, no matter whatever circumstances people are in, carries these same traits with him into his Lordship for us today and we can be sure for tomorrow. He came because of us; he lived and died for us; he will lead us into a better tomorrow. “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”  (John 8:12) As he did yesterday, that Light shines today and will shine tomorrow.

                I can guarantee that there will be changes in 2026. But I also can assure all of us that we are embraced and will continue to be embraced by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Love of God, this day and forevermore.

                A blessed New Year to you all!

Dale

December 24 – Christmas

“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”  (Luke 2: 14, New Living Translation)

             
            I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
            Their old familiar carols play,
            And wild and sweet the words repeat
            Of peace on earth, good will to men.           

             It’s not that I am anywhere close to being a Grinch or a Scrooge, but I will confess that I am having difficulty getting into the full Christmas spirit. But yikes, it’s Christmas Eve. If not now, when? Even the repetitive nature of popular Christmas music has not released the Christmas jollies in me. I am not so much dreaming of a white Christmas as I am hoping for clear road conditions for driving. My jingle bells have lost their jangle. My bad leg, although much better, won’t let me rock around the Christmas tree. I am sorry that Elvis is having a blue Christmas, but he needs to deal with it. There is no particular reason for how I am feeling. Nothing is really wrong.  We will be with family. Perhaps it’s all the bad news I hear, read and see.

            And in despair I bowed my head:
            “There is no peace on earth,” I said,
            “For hate is strong and mocks the song
            Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

            But wait, do you hear what I hear? “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” 

                It’s a song which our weary world needs to listen to, that you and I need to pay close attention. The King James version is especially appealing: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Yes, it needs to be more inclusive, but I enjoy the emphasis on both peace and good will as being essential qualities behind the Christmas story and indeed is also embedded deeply in the whole story of Jesus Christ from start to finish. Every year, we need to listen and appreciate the strength of that message. Peace and goodwill. There’s not enough of either in our world right now.                 

            Peace and good will in Russia and Ukraine.
            Peace and goodwill in Gaza and Israel.
            Peace and good will in the Sudan.
            Peace and goodwill in refugee camps.
            Peace and goodwill between faiths, cultures, ethnicities, tribes and clans.
            Peace and goodwill with our neighbour to the south.
            Peace and goodwill in homeless shelters and foodbanks.
            Peace and goodwill when we put a stop to mass killings, violence, hatred, and the like.
            Peace and goodwill in our homes and relationships.

            Peace and goodwill - are we listening or have we tuned out God’s priceless words because we hear it every year?

                We might envy those shepherds who listened to those heavenly voices afresh for the very first time. Some have speculated that they may have been Palestinians doing a dirty job that others wouldn’t touch.  They are out in the middle of no-man’s land, protecting the sheep which someone else probably owned. Yet God sings for them just as much as he sings for us all. The angels carry God’s Word to lowly shepherds and yet they hear a message that is meant and is fit for the whole world – peace and goodwill. We are reminded that there is no remote place on earth in which God cannot carry his song.

                In Jesus Christ, God sings for us. peace and goodwill. May it be so!

                Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
                “God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
                The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
                With peace on earth, good will to men.”

                Till, ringing singing, on its way,
                The world revolved from night to day,
                A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
                Of peace on earth, good will to men! (Longfellow)

                May you all have a very blessed Christmas.

 Dale

 Wednesday, December 17, 2025: Advent Four

“Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1: 20 21, New Living Translation)

                 Do you like your first name? Would you change it, if you could?

                These questions came to mind today when I read in a CBC report that the most popular names of the year were Olivia and Noah. Those are good, solid names. Interestingly, Mohamed is now on the top ten list reflecting our growing multicultural identity.  When our children were born, Susan and I bought a baby name book. We poured through it constantly to find just the right name for each child as he or she came along. Sometimes, a name that might appeal to one or the other of us would be eliminated because it had negative connotations with someone one of us had known by that name. Eventually, we found the” perfect” name for each child.

                I was never that wild about my first name, Dale.  Back in the 50’s, the only other person whom I knew of with the same name was Dale Evans, the wife of Roy Rogers, the cowboy star.  And she was a girl!  By coincidence, an article popped up this morning’s web site which cited the most popular names of the 1950’s. James, John or Michael were on that list. I would have made a good James, I think.  I always wanted a really cool nickname, other than “meatball” which my older sister, Elsie, called me when I was a kid. (Probably I shouldn't have told you that.) I don’t know why my parents chose my name; I never asked. But I got used to it. And of course, the name is commonly used for both men and women.

                It was not uncommon, in Biblical times, to name one’s fist born son after the father. Jesus might have been called Jesus Josephson, except in Aramaic or Hebrew of course. I find it interesting that many people didn’t really have last names. One’s lineage was important, whose line you were born in. Just check out the begats and the begottens of either Matthew or Luke for Jesus’ lineage. First names only. 

                In Luke’s Gospel, the people were totally surprised when Zechariah named his son, John. The naming seemed to even alarm the people, causing them to ask “What then will this child become?” (Luke 1:56) The circumstances surrounding the naming awakened an awareness that God was at work.

                The given name of Jesus was also a sign that God was stirring in the world. It meant” The Lord saves.”  Now we could get more elaborate such as Isaiah did in his prophecy about the coming of the Messiah. “And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) But that is quite a mouthful, as majestic as it sounds.  The simple name, Jesus, really gives us all the information that we need to understand about what God is doing through Jesus, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2: 10 -11)

                Jesus’ name is a powerful name, indeed, but let us not ignore how he lived out that name in his ministry and life. Jesus’ name is associated with compassion, love, healing, service, humility, sacrifice and self-giving. As we ascribe salvation to his name by his inglorious death on a cross, we get a far deeper understanding about who Jesus really is.  His grandeur comes not from power, armies, palaces, conquests, majestic clothes and superior strength.  Jesus, the one who saves, reveals the boldness of his name through his immense Love and Grace. “This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (1 John 4:10)

                When we take on his name, i.e. Christians, we should become more like Jesus. “And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.” (1 John 3:23)  We speak his name, we pray in his name, we act in his name, we bear his name by working out our own salvation in following his example. “Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more.” (1Thessalalonians 4:1)

                Will You Come and Follow Me
                If I But Call Your Name?
                Will You Go Where You Don’t Know
                And Never Be The Same?
                Will You Let My Love Be Shown,
                Will You Let My Name Be Known,
                Will You Let My Life Be Grown
                In You and You In Me? (Maule/Bell)

Dale

Wednesday, December 10, 2025: Advent Three

“Like an eagle that rouses her chicks and hovers over her young, so he spread his wings to take them up and carried them safely on his pinions.” (Deuteronomy 32: 11, New Living Translation)

               “Light and life to all He brings, Ris’n with healing in His wings.”  This is a line from Charles Wesley’s wonderful Christmas carol, Hark the Herald Angels Sing. I have always appreciated that one line especially.  It strikes a chord with me about the Love of God in Jesus Christ. Perhaps, Wesley was thinking of the verse from Deuteronomy. Whatever, with all the angels on the wing leading up to Christmas, be it a visitor to Zechariah, John’s father, or to Mary or to Joseph or a host of them to shepherds, God’s “winged” message to ordinary people is one of invitation to participate in his act of Love in the gift of Jesus Christ. God indeed lifts us all up to his Grace and Love.

                The Deuteronomy text points to an eagle.  This is a symbol of power and strength. Not small sparrow sized. Not a fancy peacock sized. Not a chicken sized. Although I must admit there is an echo of this text in Jesus’ words, “How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.” (Matthew 23:37) But here it is the powerful eagle, a strong, noble bird capable of soaring tirelessly high above the clouds. Yet, in one of a few female images for God in scripture, it is the mother eagle who protects her young from danger and harm.  It evokes a portrait of  tenderness and devotion to those under her care.

                The mother eagle will watch over the little, vulnerable eaglets until they can fly and fend for themselves. She will teach them how to fly, how to read the winds, the storm clouds, to seek food and shelter, to discover that they too have wings. Remember the Better Midler song, “Beneath My Wings”: “Did you ever know that you're my hero? And everything I would like to be. I can fly higher than an eagle For you are the wind beneath my wings.”

                In the Advent of Jesus into the world, God lifts up us so that we may “fly” under the winds of his wings. “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)  God watches over us and through Jesus Christs teaches us, guides us, leads us, nourishes us, so that each of us may may live in assurance, blessing and be not afraid. “He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” (Psalm 91:4)

                If we were up to me, I might prefer to simply hunker down in my cozy nest and let the crazy world spin by.  “Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings!” (Psalm 61:4) Sounds good to me! But flying with God takes me to new places which I might never encounter. His compassionate care for you and me leads us to face the world with courage, resolve, faithfulness, and determination.  Through God’s tender Love for us, we also learn compassion, empathy, kindness, encouragement for others.  The mother eagle expects her chicks to fly; so does our God, to reveal that we truly have been made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26)

                “Light and life to all He brings, Ris’n with healing in His wings.”  May we all rise above the din and clamor, the hustle and bustle, the pressure and angst and fly high on the wings of Love as God watches over us this Advent.

                “Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.”  (Psalm 63:7)

Dale

               

 Wednesday, December 3, 2025: Advent Two

“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. 5 When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.” (Matthew 25: 1 -5, New Living Translation)

                 I am terrible procrastinator. No wait, (pun unintended), I am terrific procrastinator.  I can put off doing something with the best of any postponer. I have always hated making phone calls; I am slow to respond to emails.  Case in point these days. I need to get my snow tires on my car. This is way late even for me. The problem is that the tires are in way, way up Peterborough at the dealership and I am way, way down here in Whitby. I have been putting the trip off for weeks. My painfully bad leg gave me a convenient excuse to put this off, but it is now getting better.  The truth of the matter is that I simply don’t want to make the drive there and back, an hour both ways. It is an inconvenient truth. I’ll get there; but not just today.

                I know the Psalms tell us that waiting is sometimes good.  “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” (Psalm 217:14) But I don’t think he was meaning procrastination or delaying what needs to be and should be done.

“Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.” (Psalm 37:7) But neither do I think we are supposed to twiddle our thumbs and find other distractions to delay the inevitable, that it is all up to God.

“For I am waiting for you, O Lord. You must answer for me, O Lord my God.” (Psalm 38:15) I am pretty certain that God is not going to change my tires for me; there are some things that I must do for myself.

 “My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me.” (Psalm 69:3) Most times, I have no one to blame but myself when my delays cause problems. Maybe it is true that God helps those who help themselves.

The foolish women in Jesus’ parable delayed in buying extra oil for their lamps.  They hadn’t accounted for the possibility that the groom would be late.  I have done a lot of weddings in my time, but I have never had a groom who was late for his own wedding. One bride was an hour late, once, but no groom.  There is no reason given for the groom’s tardiness. It is not especially relevant anyway. One can only think that Jesus’ words which he spoke just before he told this parable might apply here. “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.” (Matthew 24:42) The parable illustrates his point.

Procrastination can be costly idleness at its worse. At the last minute, just as the groom was arriving, the five foolish women’s lamps were empty and they needed to run down to the local Canadian Tire and buy more. I have, sometimes, wondered why the five other women refused to lend some of their oil. Wouldn’t that have been the charitable Christian thing to do? Perhaps, they only had enough for themselves and didn’t want to risk the same consequences that befell the foolish women. For those five missed the wedding. The doors were shut and locked against them. Cruel perhaps, but that is what procrastination will get you; nothing but grief. “Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house.”  (Ecclesiastes 10:18) Literally and metaphorically and certainly spiritually.  

                It is Advent, a season of waiting and preparation for the coming of Christ into our world. How we prepare to wait and watch is critical for us to enjoy the experience of Bethlehem once again. Even though Christmas is always on December 25^th, there may be moments on the Advent journey which will surprise us with their poignancy, with evocative feelings, with praise and adoration, with thankfulness and blessings.  Those are those God-smacked moments when we realize that Jesus has arrived. It may catch us off guard, or being distracted or weary or busy or hurting or afraid but suddenly the Holy Spirit speaks to us and invites us into the Advent feast. Be ready for that! It may come at a grandchild’s Christmas concert. It may come by a unexpected phone call from an old friend. It may come via some cookies which a neighbour baked for you. But don’t ever forget why Jesus came and let your hearts open up to the possibility and be ready in those wonderful moments for awareness. Carry some extra oil in the form of hope, peace, joy and love. This little light of mine; I’m going to let it shine.

                “Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.” (Psalm 62:5)

                Blessings on all, this Advent season!

 

Dale

Wednesday, November 26, 2025: Advent One

Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!” (Isaiah 40:3 The New Living Translation)

               The headline news, these days, seem intent on painting a worrisome picture for the incoming Christmas season. People are worried about the economy, inflation, the increasing costs of living and how expensive Christmas giving can be. To the horrors of Christmas commercialism, people are seriously considering to cut back on their Christmas spending.  But I also expect the gifts of charitable giving to much-wanting organizations may also fall under a more rigorous scrutiny. Our gifts may get smaller than normal and that would be a shame. Churches, foodbanks, shelters, children’s charities really need our support. But tough times call for tough decisions. The turkey may need to be a bit smaller this year.

                Perhaps, this is not the type of wasteland that the prophet was thinking about. But for many reasons beyond just economic ones, the Advent/Christmas season can feel like a wilderness, even for the most affluent. It can accentuate the barrenness of living: poor family relations, loneliness, separation from family, anxieties, worry, frustrations, stress, grief, health concerns, and, of course, counting pennies when one needs dollars. Thankfully, this is not everyone’s story of Christmas, but for many, it sometimes hard to hear the Christmas story against the backdrop of wilderness living.

                Yet it is this verse, quoted by Luke which often opens the Advent season.  It is helpful to hear how Isaiah and Luke both cut through the morass of bleakness and hopelessness to shine new light. Isaiah is speaking against the backdrop of the Jewish exile. Luke is pointing to the advent of Jesus’ ministry through John the Baptist. I like the fact the voice is SHOUTING. We need to hear what God is saying over and against all the noise and hubbub of a cacophonous world. God’s Word must rise above the din and speak to the fears and uncertainties of our times, be they Christmas related or not.

                Isaiah is part of clearing the path, creating a new way in the wilderness. He is directing us to focus on God who is clearing the way ahead. He is promising a better way, a safer way, a straight and narrow path for us to walk in faith, hope and love.  Later, in the book of Isaiah, some of the onus is on us to be part of that highway construction: “Go out through the gates! Prepare the highway for my people to return! Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders; raise a flag for all the nations to see.” (Isaiah 62:10) We are beacons of light for others along the way, for those who are lost, forsaken, hopeless or unloved.

                But it begins with God making a new highway in our life’s journey.  “You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping.” (Psalm 18:36) No longer are we trying to go it alone. No longer are stumbling in the dark but God has shone a new Light for us to follow. Jesus in that Light: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John  14:6) I don’t interpret these words as exclusionary but being very inclusive for any and all who are looking for a better way, a better reason for living, a clearer focus in life.

                When we grasp Advent through the lens of being in the way of Jesus Christ, then hope returns, peace reigns, joy abounds and love overflow. It does not depend on the headlines, not on world leaders, not on others, not on our gift lists, not on our social calendars. In Advent, God is reaching out to us and beckoning us to follow. “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Jesus understand the weariness of our steps, the plodding nature of our journey, the bumpy roads we encounter along the way.  His Light reveals new possibilities of a straighter pathway ahead. As we dare live by Jesus’ standards and follow his example of Love, service and compassion, we are led to New Life. “And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.” (John 17:3)

                Listen, indeed! Here is our straight road this Advent. “Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up.”  (2 Corinthians 4:1) Can it get any louder than that?

 Dale      

 Wednesday, November 19, 2025

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.” (Psalm 18:2, The New Living Translation)

               Yesterday marked our 47^th wedding anniversary. Wow! It has gone by in a flash in many ways, yet I am amazed and thankful for all that we have accomplished together, both in family and in ministry. Our four adult children, their partners and their children, our seven grandchildren, are a blessing and a joy each and every day. There have been so many people who have commented to us over the years how special our family is and how proud we must be. We are!

                Susan has been my rock in our journey together. As a father and a pastor, she has been the one who has kept me from faltering many a time. We have been through thick and thin; yet she is the one whom I trust in this life more than anyone else. It is funny how so many times we are thinking the exact same thing at the same time.  Susan has been my support, my advisor, my corrector, my love. When she was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, it scared me to no end that I might lose her. I would be lost without her. There is an old Willie Nelson song with which I really identify: “Maybe I didn't love you Quite as often as I could have; Maybe I didn't treat you Quite as good as I should have; If I made you feel second-best; Girl, I'm sorry I was blind. (Chorus] You were always on my mind, You were always on my mind. … And I guess I never told you I'm so happy that you're mine. Little things I should have said and done I just never took the time. [Chorus]And you were always on my mind. You were always on my mind”

                So the words from Psalm 18, although they certainly apply to God, reach down and have application to my life with Susan. She, too, has been my shield many a time, the love that has saved me from myself, and my place of safety when I get in my own way or life gets rough.

                I am such an old, sentimental, romantic fool! How has she put up with me? (That’s a rhetorical question, by the way.)

                 What this Psalm celebrates is a relationship with God that is intimately close. God is not aloof, not a distant outsider. God is there for us each and every day. God desires our best welfare through his Love for us. He doesn’t abandon us to the consequences of our own actions and decisions. Maybe we don’t always love him quite as often as we should, but his Love for us never stops reaching out to us in both good and bad times.  

Jesus wanted us to understand the close intimacy we may enjoy with God when he called God, “Father.” I know that some  people have very negative, painful images of fatherhood but let Jesus repair that image by the Love that he incarnated, the Word became flesh. “Thus we have been set free to experience our rightful heritage. You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, “Papa! Father!” Doesn’t that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you’re also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance.” (Galatians 4: 4 -7, The Message Bible)

God is Love and desires us to live that Love in our earthly relationships, husbands and wives, marital partners, parents and children, siblings, or even church as “family.”  Our closest and dearest relationships are filtered through the intimate Love of God.  “Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.” (1 John 3:9)

God is the Rock upon which we build all of our lives. “It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.” (Luke 6:48)

                Forty-seven years have been a living witness to God’s good Grace.

 Dale