It was a special day not only for Olga and Josh but for all of us who got to attend their wedding.
It was a blessing to witness a couple that has kept themselves pure for one another until this joyful day when they joined hands and hearts before God in holy matrimony.
They have laid a good foundation that they can build upon, with love, sacrifice , perseverance and relying on every word of God as their guide.
A good example for all of us follow.
While I reflect on this past year I do so with great emotion. Losing a loved one is one of the hardest things one can go through. With the loss of my Mother and Father comes a deep realization that we have a finite time here on this earth. What we do with the time God gave us will determine where we spend eternity.
I'm confident that neither death nor life will separate us from the love of God. We can rejoice that we have a savior that loves us beyond measure and will never forsake us when we turn to Him in our need. God is able to do a mighty work in us and turn our heart of stone into a heart of flesh, "Who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us"
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws." Ezekiel 36:25-27
God has given us a free will to choose to accept his unconditional love or not. As the rich young ruler had a choice and was asked by Jesus to come follow Him and "you will have treasure in heaven" but couldn't do it because of the love for this world and the things in it. We too are faced with these decisions whether to turn from our sin and this world to a life in Godliness, where we make a conscious decision to live for Him and obey all his commandments. With the help of the Holy Spirit we to can live a life that is wholly pleasing to Him.
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
It is my heartfelt prayer that everybody this year can find true peace and joy that is in Christ Jesus. God bless you all.
There will always be times in our lives where we can look back and appreciate the days gone by. Reflection during such times gives meaning to life. The weekend of Oct 4th was such a time where we all came together by a inseparable family bond to honor my father's last wish, that he have his ashes put in Pea Porridge Pond, right where he took us fishing every summer when we were kids.
My father had a love and appreciation for the outdoors. It was a place for him to be with his family away from all the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy the simple pleasures living in the country has to offer.
In the 50's and 60's he built a cabin (we call the camp) near Pea Porridge pond in New Hampshire. This place became a haven where he could take his family and instill in them an appreciation and love for the very things that gave his life meaning.
God blessed us with such a father, whenever we go back to the camp on Pea Porridge pond we will always remember the days gone by and my father and mother and the love and joy we all shared there.
I can't think of a man more fitting to honor then my father. Not just because he was my father but more so for the kind of man he was.
Devoted faithful husband for 53 years , loving father, great fisherman, teacher, skilled artist and craftsman, jack of all trades who had a deep love for God . Just a few things that my father was.
Most importantly he was a father in the truest sense of the word. He had a fathers heart, and his first priority was the welfare of his children. He would show this in actions more then words, more times then I can remember he would always have a good word and a helping hand when we needed it the most.
My father's lasting legacy is the life he lived in the body God gave him. Nothing else matters in the end, because everything else will be left behind except what good we do while in the body God gave us. My father wasn't perfect but he was faithful and obedient to God's commandments. His life was blessed because of this faithfulness.
I praise God for giving me such an example that I can follow. I can say now looking back that I wished I was a better son but I can't say I wish I had a better father. I think I had the greatest father a son could ever have. I'll miss you Dad.
Love, your devoted son
Michael
With the warm weather right around the corner, what better way to spend a sunny afternoon then to take a walk in the park.
We especially enjoy this time of year, when the weather turns cool and the trees are bursting with color. I Hope you enjoy the pictures.
