Lois was out of town this weekend helping our daughter Heidi and our grandchildren Keira and Koen. Hope was home with me and our faithful Hazard. Saturday I met with the elders early in the morning. Later in the day was a memorial service for Bill Younkin, one of our Bethel men. The rest of […]
Bittersweet Farm Journal (Number 44)
Last week I enjoyed a three-day pastor’s conference with Leo Cumings (Bethel’s pastor for 23 years) and my brothers Kevin and Nathan, our brother-in-law Jim, and a nephew, Zach. It was an enriching conference. I wrote about it here. I worked hard on Thursday and spent my day off Friday “birding” with my friend David […]
Bittersweet Farm Journal (Number 43) Why Do You Call Me Lord?
The sky was clear and it was warm out on Bittersweet this weekend. We are in the greening of the year and the birds are returning. We have been visited by a bluebird and a brilliant oriole. His song is a welcome sound. Here in the Mitten we have been waiting a long time to […]
Bittersweet Farm Journal (Number 42) Pine Cone Cottage
Good Morning from out on Bittersweet Farm; Last spring Lois and I were invited to Pine Cone Cottage on Swains lake, the cozy home of Ken and Gigi Wyatt. Ken is a retired newspaperman who is one of our elders at Bethel Church. When we arrived I smiled to see Gigi had prepared shepherds pie […]
Bittersweet Farm Journal (Number 41) The Backstory
Easter. It’s dusk on Easter Day out on Bittersweet Farm. All the family have gone home and the house is quiet leaving us to our thoughts, and they are sweet tonight. Friday at Bethel the church was full of worshippers even with some in the balcony. Today the place was full to the ceiling, even […]
Bittersweet Farm Journal (Number 40) Finding Bittersweet
Sometimes life can be hard and unfair. It can keep you awake at night. It can break your heart. It can crush your spirit. Our family had an experience like that a couple years ago. In my new book Finding Bittersweet I tell the story. When you put it down I think you will be […]