Hope America July 31, 2006
I love this girl. We bike together and talk. There’s nothing in the world like it. She can carry her end of a converstaion like no seven-year-old I have EVER met. When Lois does her hair like this I call her Gretchen. Sunday we had sweet corn. You should see her eat that.
What’s Up This Week
Here in Oak Brook/Hinsdale there are miles of beautiful, well-maintained bike trails. With the CRIM Race coming up August 26th at the very front door of the hotel in Flint I have been putting in some miles and hours running and riding and our new home is surrounded with great places to do that. Hinsdale is a delightful place to run and bike. The homes and yards of Hinsdale are garden and park-like.
A Good Word at the Right Time
Years ago in Ohio I had a friend named Cliff. Cliff loved to hunt deer, especially during the bow season. At the time I was meeting with Cliff and his wife Amy every week to disciple them. They were young, eager Christians, just starting a family. Their oldest child was a beautiful little girl named Torrey.
Cliff was a teacher and a coach. In the autumn he would spend his afternoons in a tree stand enjoying the fall and waiting in silent enjoyment for deer until dusk. One evening I drove west, across rolling Knox Country, for our meeting enjoying the cool snap in the autumn evening and the slant of the light as the sun set beyond the trees. When I arrived at Cliff and Amy’s I noticed that Cliff had been successful at taking a nice deer. It was hanging in his yard.
I came up the back stairs and in the door. Amy welcomed me. Cliff was there and Torrey. Trying to be funny I said; “Cliff, I see you shot Bambi there.”
What’s New July 25, 2006
We are dividing our time between Hinsdale, Illinois and Flint, Michigan for another month, after which we should be in Hinsdale for good.
From August 8-11 I will be in Indianapolis speaking at the Advanced Training Institute Regional Training Conference. Take a look at the ATI site for details. I would love to see you and your family there. Check to out here and let me know if you are going to be there. You can buy me coffee for the tip. Here is the URL: http://ati.iblp.org/ati/events/trainingconferences/
On August 26, 2006 I will participate in my fourth CRIM Race. In 2003 I ran the 8K. In 2004 and 2005 I ran the ten-mile. Lord willing, I will run the 10-mile distance again this year. The race is a very big deal in Flint and we have grown to love the event. The Character Inn is the host hotel for the elite athletes and the race begins at the very front door of the hotel and ends on the bricks of Saginaw just two blocks south.
Discipline Yourself
Shawn is a polite young man who works at the bank next door to the Character Inn. We met him when he came to get a Character Lunch last February. He’s been around a lot lately. He and our oldest daughter Holly are courting. They spend a lot of time together.
The other night we were all eating together and he said; “When I was little, if I said a bad word my mother would wash my mouth out with soap. One time I said a bad word and my brother said I was going to get my mouth washed out with soap, so I went and got some soap and put it in my mouth and went to my mom and said, ‘Mom, I said a bad word but I already washed my mouth out.’”
When I heard that story it reminded me of the passage in 1 Corinthians 11:31 that promises if we judge ourselves we will not be judged by God. Like I enjoy a shower almost every day, I want to keep clean and right with God. I try to discipline myself so God does not have to do it.
Ken Pierpont
Brook Place
Hinsdale, Illinois
July 25, 2006
Latest News Mid-July 2006 July 18, 2006
Thursday through Saturday I was with the men of Lighthouse Gospel Fellowship on the shores of Lake Huron north of Sarnia in Ontario, Canada. It was the weekend of the Huron to Mackinac sailboat race so the view from Bluewater Bridge was stunning.
My Wedding Garment
Our family spent the month of May in Mexico. We traveled light. I packed a blue blazer and kaki slacks, some dress shirts and work clothes. When we returned from Mexico we were to report to Nashville and then go through Ft. Wayne, Indiana to perform a wedding before returning home. I didn’t have a suit for the wedding but I didn’t want to have to carry one all over Mexico. I hoped that a blazer would do.
What Don’t You Want July 11, 2006
You don’t want to go to Subway with an indecisive person unless you want to be there until your clothes go out of style. There are just too many choices. Too many combinations. Buns, sauces, meats, vegetables, cheeses. Toasted or not. Choices!
Summer’s Evening Drive
Last evening we drove back to Flint from our new home in Hinsdale (a western suburb of Chicago). I saw my new office, got all our furniture and stuff into our new home, and briefly connected with the some of those with whom I will be working in the future.
Maurice’s Prayer July 6, 2006
When Maurice was a little boy growing up in Florida, he wondered if there was a God. Lying in his bed one still, stifling night he prayed; “God, if you are there send a breeze.” Immediately a strong breeze began to blow the curtains beside his bed.
Ken's new book - Sunset On Summer, now available for order, $13.95 each.