MONDAY MEANDERINGS!!

First of all, I want to thank all who prayed for me on Friday when I preached at the Memorial service at Annual Conference in Salina. I truly felt your prayers - no doubt about it. Thank you! As far as the rest of Annual Conference, all went well. Debate was civil. Worship was good. The ordination service was wonderful. The KfUMR banquet was a blessing. And the fellowship throughout the week was great. However, I did come home exhausted! Now, a few thoughts:

• One month until we move. Our house is beginning to be a mess. Boxes all over the place. It looks like the 29th of June is the move date. (Maybe the 30th)

• Kyle leaves for Dallas on Friday for the summer. Keep him in your prayers - traveling mercies, as well as a great summer of learning and growing in the Lord.

• Anticipating the birth of a granddaughter within a few weeks. Pray for Andrea (and Eric and Brayden). Can't wait!

• If you are having trouble with the church's website it may be because of the browser update. Those who have updated to Explorer 8 are not able to open the links for some reason. We're checking on it.

• Check Todd's blog (toddjust.blogspot.com) and vote for him to get a new landscaped backyard. He's leading the vote. Help him win it.

• Does anyone read this blog?

• NBA playoffs? Again, does anyone care??

• Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus everyone. Have a great week!!

THE "ANNUAL" ANNUAL CONFERENCE

I leave in the morning for Salina where I will be attending the Kansas West Annual Conference in which I am a member. It will be a busy week as I attend a Board of Ordained Ministry Meeting at 1:30 tomorrow until?? The evening will be the clergy session which will get us started for the conference. Wednesday morning I will have to drive to Wichita to pick up Kim Reisman, our speaker for the Kansans for United Methodist Renewal banquet. I am in charge of the banquet which will be at Grand Ave UMC around 5:30 pm. Should be fun.

Thursday will be busy as we begin debating the various ammendments to the Church's constitution being proposed by General Conference. Pray that all will be civil and that God's will be done. There will also be great plenaries with Bishop Schnase speaking several times. I am looking forward to that. In the evening will be the ordination service which is a great milestone for those who have been working through the process.

Friday morning at 11:00 am I will be preaching for the Memorial Service at the conference. If any of you are in the area, I invite you to come. The rest of the day will consist of the setting of the appointments by the Bishop followed by whatever business we need to do to finish the work of our time together.

Please keep me in your prayers. It is a busy week. Pray that God will be pleased with us as we gather to "conference" together.

THANK GOD FOR KIDS!

Had a great weekend in Salina with Owen turning the big #1. All our kids were there including Brayden, our other grandson. What a wonderfult time. We are blessed, blessed indeed!

Owen and Brayden having fun together.

Gramps and Grammy with the little man.

Firing up the Kawasaki

Ah yes, Gramps and Owen cheezing it up.

Ashram - "away from work".

Just returned from Estes Park Colorado where I spoke at the Colorado Ashram. "Ashram" is a word that in India means "away from work". It is a time to spend in worship, prayer, teaching, fellowship and centering on Jesus as Lord. I spoke 4 times between Friday night and Sunday morning and had a great time - speaking on the Great Sermon (Sermon on the Mount), the Great Commandment, and the Great Commission with a healing service in between. We met at a lodge on the outskirts of Estes Park - wow what scenery! It was beautiful. I even was interrupted by a couple of elk walking behind the lodge while I was preaching. Unbelievable! God blessed us all. Thanks to Dorothy Davis from Oklahoma for contacting me to speak.

You might notice the elk in the background. It was a cow and its coat was shedding so it looks pretty shabby. There were a lot more in the area but I didn't have my camera at the time I saw them.

This is the lodge where we met. It had a wonderful meeting room, a kitchen, and sleeping quarters. Great place to meet.

Yeah, that's me preaching on the great commandment to love God and love others.

Mary Lou and I at the entrance to the Glacier Lodge. It was pretty cold at the time. It even snowed on Saturday night.

Read Psalm 8. That's what went through my mind.