We will periodically add more photos to the gallery in the future, as we take more. You will find the photo gallery, along with other galleries, at the “photos” link at the top of the page, or just click here. We’ll also go ahead and post the photos in this post as well (below).

We are enjoying getting to know our new home town. We both found ourselves saying, after only a few short weeks here, that our adjustment/transition to the area has gone so well that it seems like we’ve been here longer than we really have. We’re grateful for that!

It was Ethan’s first time there. He jumped right in and had a lot of fun!

It’s been just over a year since we’ve been to Tennessee. The last time we were there, we received the first photos of our baby boy from Korea (see It’s a Boy!; we also wrote about our First Baby Shower).

We’re looking forward to a week in Tennessee, where some of our family and friends will get to meet Ethan in person for the first time.

While we’re there, we’ll try to eat at an authentic Korean restaurant in the Chattanooga area (like the one in Carisle where we ate following the finalization of Ethan’s adoption last month). I’ve done a little online research already to locate one.

Interestingly, when we ate at the Korean restaurant in Carlisle, where I (along with Dave Norris, I believe) used chopsticks, Ethan picked up some chopsticks and emulated what he saw us doing with them. Perhaps one of these days we’ll have to teach Ethan to use chopsticks. In Korea, children begin learning around the age of 3, we were told (we actually bought a set of children’s chopsticks and soup spoon when we were in Korea).

We go to Tennessee in two weeks. We’ll rest. We’ll spend time reconnecting with friends and family. And I’m sure we’ll relive some of the special memories of the things we experienced the last time we were there, things like going to the nearby Panera Bread to open the package that contained the photos of Ethan.

We’re looking forward to it. We’ll probably document the experience and share some of the highlights here on the blog, so watch for that as Thanksgiving gets closer.

We had a great response our first time out. Today’s meeting was scheduled on pretty short notice (due to conflicts the rest of the month). We will try to schedule a hangout time every few weeks, perhaps monthly, as our schedules permit, and in the future, we’ll try to give more notice.

We think these events will not only be good for people from Centre Grove and West Side to hang out with their pastor, but also to see the pastor’s family, whom they do not get to see regularly. Ethan enjoyed the social time as well as his lunch (grilled cheese and fries, which he shared with Mommy; Daddy had a very good hamburger; and as always, Ethan *loves* to complete his meals/snack times with milk!).

Thanks to those who attended today. We’re not sure when the next time will be (December can get pretty chaotic!), but we look forward to seeing others of you next time around, as we try to do life together here in Clearfield!

Our family night began with carving a jack-o-lantern, then we distributed candy to trick-or-treaters for the next couple of hours. Ethan helped hand out most of the candy while Mommy placed a “Light up the night” flyer (available here) in each child’s/youth’s bag, making it not only a fun night, but also an opportunity to share “good news.”

At first, Ethan was a little afraid of the costumes, but he adjusted pretty quickly. At times it was hard for him to place candy in bags while trying to look at faces at the same time.

Forty-five minutes later, Ethan is in his crib still unwinding from all the excitement of the night!

In our new ministry settings, the youth groups from Centre Grove (who has been active participants in the outreach for several years) and West Side are both leading efforts in the two churches to assemble gift-filled shoe boxes for needy children around the world.

It’s a great way to brighten the life of children around the world, and to share God’s love with them, in the process. And this year, Ethan gets to join in the effort, too.

As we head into the colder months, we’ll have to find new ways to keep us all active, including Ethan. Here are some photos (unfortunately, as you may have noticed/wandered before, our photo plugin posts photos in a random order; I’ve not been able to find a way, if there is one, to control the order).

I also discussed my latest attempt at using an online application, Remember the Milk. While I like the (free) service, I have concluded that I still need to see everything at a glance and be able to take it with me wherever I go. It’s was the same thing with a PDA several years ago. While I could take it with me, I couldn’t see everything, easily, at a glance, or or record notes on the fly.

So, what’s next?

Believe it or not, I may be coming full circle, where I started two decades ago. I am seriously considering going back to a paper planner (like Franklin Covey).

The thing I miss about a paper planner is having a central location to record notes, thoughts, and action items. And, with adding a child to the mix in our lives, having an effective centralized system becomes that much more important!

Franklin planners start on the quarters so I have till January (the next quarter) to decide if this is indeed the direction I want to go, so stay tuned for 3.0 somewhere down the road.

We gathered at Gethsemane United Methodist Church in Allport (located across the street from West Branch High School) for the 10:45 am worship service where Rev. Dr. Pam Ford, State College District Superintendent, preached a much-needed message on the importance of sabbath.

After worship, pastors ate an excellent meal together that the church had prepared for us, followed by a teaching/discussion time led by Rev. Karen Allen (pastor of Gethsemane) called, “Gathering Our Crazy Scattered Lives.” It was a practical and helpful time!

We concluded the day with a time of worship and communion. This is especially noteworthy because it was the first time the three of us celebrated communion together as a family, including Ethan’s first communion. We had intentionally waited until the three of us could be together for communion, since we’re not usually together for Sunday worship gatherings.

Speaking of Ethan, he was with us for the day. After lunch, he slept for about an hour (a short nap for him), mostly while Joleen held him during the afternoon teaching/discussion session. He did very well on the day.

We’re grateful for the sabbath day we had together!

In this post, I want to highlight a few words from the Scriptures that indicate that helping the poor was a core value in the first century church (the decades following the death and resurrection of Jesus). Here are some parts that illustrate the value of helping those in need …

Tabitha (a.k.a. Dorcas) “was always doing kind things for others and helping the poor (Acts 9.36).

In Acts 10, a Roman army officer named Cornelius was described as “a devout, God-fearing man,” who “gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God.” The fact that Cornelius helped the poor was repeated by the angel who visited him: “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering!”

Paul, a leader in the first century church, wrote in a letter to a group of Christ-followers in Rome, noting that another group of Christ-followers had “eagerly taken up an offering for the poor among the believers in Jerusalem” (Romans 15.25-26).

Paul started out as an enemy of the church, but after an encounter with God, He became a leader in the new Jesus movement. Upon receiving approval from other church leaders to spread the message of Jesus Christ throughout the world, Paul mentions that “their only suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor,” which Paul stated that he was always “eager to do” (Galatians 2.9-10).

And there was good reason that helping the poor was a core value in the first century church. Jesus went so far as to say that how we treat those in need is how we treat Jesus, himself. Jesus said …

I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.

Jesus went on to say, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” (see Matthew 25.35-40).

These are just a few of the many Scriptures that demonstrate God’s (and people’s) heart for the poor. Today, there are some organizations that are leading the way in mobilizing people to help the poor. Here are some causes we support …

We’ve previously written about our experience with sponsoring a child through World Vision. It’s a great way to impact the life of a child!

We designate a certain percentage of our income that we give to our churches. We set aside another percentage of our income that we give toward special ministry efforts. In addition to the causes we’ve written about before, another favorite is Heifer International.

Helping the poor was a core value in the first century church. Nearly 2,000 years later, it must still be a core value for Christ-followers!