Game Night

Tonight, we watched the Steelers play in the AFC Championship game. Well, actually, the kids went to bed at their usual bedtime which was just before halftime. But before they did, they got to do a little cheering (there was a lot more cheering to do in the first half, anyway). They also got to … Read more

Hired Hands?

We’re back home from the Bishop’s Retreat. Tuesday was another great day. We had sessions in the morning and evening and had the afternoon off (the four of us took naps, then we took the kids to the children’s pool/playground area before dinner). After Wednesday morning’s final session, we returned home. Rev. Grace Imathiu, a … Read more

Recovery Time at the Bishop’s Retreat

One thing we’re slowly learning is that it takes time to recover from major stressful legs of the journey. The most recent stressful leg of our journey was working toward the monumental milestone of last week’s deadline for our ordination work. Fortunately, the Bishop’s Retreat, which I wrote about last week, came at just the … Read more

150 Days of Preparation for Ordination

With our major work for ordination in The United Methodist Church now behind us (except for interviews and events to attend), today begins 150 days of preparation for ordination. I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I want to make the most of this time, but I also know that my tendency is to … Read more

Monumental Milestone

Last summer, we detailed the final year of our long ordination process in The United Methodist Church (for more of the story, see posts categorized by Ordination). In that post, we mentioned that January 13, 2011 was the deadline for our work in preparation for interviews with the Board of Ordained Ministry. Well, today is … Read more

Preparing for Retreat

As we near the end of our ordination journey (more on that in the next few days), we are in much need of a retreat. So, the Bishop’s Retreat comes at just the right time. After lunch this Sunday, we will head to Lancaster, PA for the retreat. This will be the third year in … Read more

The Light

We are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The deadline for our work for the Board of Ordained Ministry is due 3 weeks from today (January 13, 2011) and we are beginning to see light! We’ve been especially busy in recent weeks/months, which at least, partly explains the lack of … Read more

Halloween 2010

Trick-or-treaters hit the streets Thursday evening in Clearfield (October 28, 2010). Last year, we had just brought Sarah home but still took Ethan to a few homes. This year, we bundled up the kids, loaded them into the stroller, and took them to some homes of church families within walking distance. The kids don’t normally … Read more

Sarah’s First Gotcha Day

One year ago today, Joleen and I were in Seoul, Korea welcoming Sarah into our family (one day after meeting her for the first time). This week, we’ve been remembering our trip to Korea last October. That’ll continue tomorrow (one year since our first full day with Sarah) and Sunday (the anniversary of the long … Read more