Live 'n learn...well, maybe just live.

In an attempt to save money and keep our trucks working so our sign company can make money, I took on the task of replacing the water pump in the larger of our two bucket trucks yesterday (also because our smaller bucket truck is already in the repair shop costing us big money). It went pretty well, really, and did spare us substantial cost. While working on it, I noticed the date written on the oil filter…my how time flies…better do an oil change too. Unlike cars and quick-stop oil change centers, you can’t do an oil change on a big truck for $15.95. Using my own tools, our own shop, my own labor, purchasing only the oil and the filters, it still costs upwards of $75. Anyway…

As I was changing the oil, a now humorous (back then, humbling) experience came to mind. In my senior year of high school, I worked at Plymouth Oil Co. - the prominent local gas station/auto repair shop at that time. I was a gas jockey/grease monkey/garage cleaner/tire changer – “auto technician” wasn’t a term used much back then; the best we could hope for was “mechanic”. One Saturday, one of the owners of the business asked me to do an oil change on his Lincoln. Hey, cool…makin’ points with the boss, I thought. He tossed me the keys, I drove it in, put it up on the hoist and worked my magic. With the deft aptitude of a pit crew pro, I drained the oil, removed the filter and prepped a new one, reinstalled the drain plug, did a grease job, rotated the tires and after gracefully lowering his cherished ride back to the earth, finished by adding new oil and checking the fluids, belts and battery. That went well. Carefully, I backed his Lincoln out of the bay and drove it across the parking lot, just happening to pass directly in front of the window through which my boss was watching. Quite confidently, I jumped out of the car, flipped the keys around my index finger and stopped dead in my tracks. Funny, how a trail of fresh 10w40 across a parking lot, accurately illustrating the course one just drove, can immediately turn one from strutting mechanic to puddle of humility (much like the one under the car). My boss only spoke three words, "I'm not impressed". It left quite an impression on me though; since that day I've never forgotten to install a new oil filter.

Well, now I'm the boss; the days of making stupid mistakes are long gone. My skills have been honed and it's all second nature to me now. I remember that day and chuckle as the first gallon of fresh oil goes into my truck. I'm glad that doesn't hap...hey...wha...awwww! Stupid drain plug!

...i'm not impressed.

~Steve

2nd Annual BBC Fishboil

Fishboil 07 took place at our shop this year and was a great success! There was a good turnout, both attendance-wise and recipe-wise.

This is an idea we totally stole from Faith Baptist in Plymouth. In fact, we even borrowed their pot to accomplish it. We enjoyed it so much when we were living there that we introduced it to our church family here, in Beaver Dam. Most everyone enjoys the fellowship in one way or another...just visiting, playing soccer, and of course BIG FIRE! Howard Spaulding was our honorary kerosene tosser...I held the lid on the pot while he added the fuel for the super-boil.

After eating, we all gathered around the fire to sing favorite hymns, share testimonies and pray. I think that was my favorite time of the whole day. Bonnie Ostrander took some good pictures of the activity; they can be seen at Bible Baptist's Photo Gallery. We're looking forward to next year. Now, what's the best way to clean up a heavily sooted pot?

It's been a while...

I've neglected to post in a while due to the busy-ness of recent days. That's going to happen from time-to-time, or perhaps - often. Well, here's some highlights from the "silent period".

A few weeks ago, we had a week of meetings with Evangelist John R. VanGelderen at our church. What a blessing to see the wind of the Spirit of God sweep through our church family. Many, many people experienced spiritual revival (life again)...myself included. Eyes were opened to truly understand that besetting sins are not unavoidable in this life; that the death of our "old man" is a Scriptural fact, no matter how we feel; that the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit is accessible by faith; that when God's people are revived, souls are harvested; that the fields are "ready" for harvest - we can expect to do more than plant and water. Souls were saved, relationships were made right; restitution was sought and the Gospel was shared. And now, we are learning about lasting revival in our Sunday School class - daily dying to self and surrender to the Holy Spirit's power by faith. Pray that revival remains ongoing here and continues to spread! There's only one problem with the great revivals of history - the end date.

Last night, I was privileged to attend the homegoing service of a great servant of God - Grant G. Rice. An ordinary man in and of himself; tool & die man, salesman of insurance, real estate and business equipment, navy veteran. An extraordinary man due to his surrender to the truth of God's Word and the working of the Holy Spirit's power in and through his life. Grant left the business world and became a full-time Church Planter for over the past 50 years. Many fundamental baptist churches in Wisconsin and other states owe a debt of gratitude to his faithful service. I believe two of the churches that I have personally belonged to were started by Grant through home Bible studies including my current church, Bible Baptist in Beaver Dam. It makes me think how selfish and feeble the excuse is, "I'm only one person, what can I do?", that is used time and time again. Grant was one ordinary man who understood that it wasn't about him or his ability. It 's about the Heavenly Father's will, the Son's redeeming grace and the Holy Spirit's indwelling power. A lump of clay yielding to the Potter's shaping and use. May I and others seek to fill the big shoes Grant Rice has walked in.

~Steve

Backwoods '07

Another Watersmeet Men's Retreat has come and gone. This year, Backwoods went international with 4 men attending from Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada. Five churches in all were represented at the retreat. Each year is a special blessing...that's why we go. Each year is also different; some new faces mixed with the familiar veterans; some dear brothers missing, but very much there in our hearts. Usually Pastor Ohman will say something like, "this is the only time in history that we will ever meet together quite like this". He's always right about that and it's always special! It's a place where the bond of Christ insures that you'll meet someone new and become old friends before you leave. Commonly, the good-byes are accompanied by wet eyes, bearhugs and the words, "I love you brother".

One constant is that God always meets with us. I've never attended a Backwoods Retreat yet without my heart being stirred by the Holy Spirit and God's Word. This year had special meaning as Pastor Ohman shared his personal trials and what God taught him while going through them. God really is out there and He really does all things exactly right.

The other constants? Let's see...John Williams (never missed a one yet and will remind you of that fact)...the horseshoe tournament...and the coveted Chamber Pot award. Congratulations to our own Matthew Galvan for being only the second man in history to win the CP two times back-to-back. Why he won it is pretty lame, but why he really did deserve it is a bit more interesting: Actually, Jeremiah Alderden and Matthew should have shared the honors for gun hunting mice in the outhouse in the middle of the night. Maybe we can amend this year's award.

~Steve

Sr. High Sunday School

Recently, we were presented with the opportunity to teach the Sr. High Sunday School class at our church, Bible Baptist in Beaver Dam, WI. We've enjoyed working with the youth group in the past and are excited about participating in this ministry again.

We love our young people - each one is unique and special to us. Currently, we are studying the wisdom literature of Ecclesiastes...a very suitable course for young men and women preparing to launch into adulthood. Their participation is great and we hope to post some of their insights here soon. Stay tuned!

Quality Laptop Time

The North Street Study Group:

Hannah, Mitch and Ronda enjoy an evening of wireless fellowship.
Acer vs. Apple vs. Dell.

Great Golf Outing

My son-in-law Matt & I golfed 18 holes at Black Wolf Run today. It was a lot of fun. Yeah, we were a little outside of our comfort zone, but the course staff made us feel welcome. We pulled up to the clubhouse in my rusty '95 F-150 and they immediately unloaded our clubs and got our cart ready while we parked and checked in. "Yes sir, you're all set...18 holes on the Meadows course...10:40 tee time...enjoy". We boarded our cart (outfitted with complimentary tees and towels + onboard ball & club wash) and headed out (the wrong way). Driving down a long path..."Hey Matt, there's a few balls laying in the grass...let's stop and pick'em up". After we each had both hands full of "lost" golf balls, we realized that the ground was covered with them. They were practice balls and we were on a path that ran along side the driving range. Realizing that our lack-o-class was vividly showing, we sheepishly looked around...dropped the balls and quickly got back in our cart. Moving on...

We finally arrived at the Starter's shack. He was expecting us and kindly explained the layout of the course; where the various conveniences were located and when the next group would be teeing off. The course was awesome; our play...frustrating (as usual). Oh shoot...we forgot our score card on the steering wheel of the cart! I'm sure there are a few staff members laughing themselves to sleep tonight. The great part about playing a course of this caliber is that when you're searching for the ball(s) you just launched into the tall grass, you find 3-5 more that are of much better quality than the one's you brought along. Apparently, the usual clientèle enjoy the nicer things, but don't enjoy looking for them when they go astray. We probably lost better than a dozen balls, but found twice that. It's all good.

~Steve

10:40 Tee Time

I have been invited by my son-in-law, Matt, to golf at Black Wolf Run's course in Kohler, Wisconsin on Monday, the 17th. It's all due to the generosity of our good friend Ed, who comes across these offers from time to time through his job. I'm not a good golfer by any stretch of the imagination, but hey...FREE GOLF at a world-renowned course? I'm there.

This ought to be interesting! I'll show up with my $35 rummage sale clubs and tennis shoes, and try to fit in with the upper crust. Think they'll notice?

~Steve

Ronda's Quest for Ireland

Well, maybe it will finally happen! After seeing both of our daughters go to Ireland on mission trips (one of them went twice; the other met her husband there), we're making plans to go ourselves. Although we will only be there about a week, we do plan on acquainting ourselves with some of the missionaries that serve there. Both of us share a fascination with Ireland, Wales and Scotland, but to date have only been able to admire them from afar. It's exciting to think that we may be able to see them first-hand soon.

The trek is planned for late December as soon as our son, Mitch, is free on his Christmas break from Maranatha Baptist Bible College. Ronda has waited patiently for this trip for a long time - saving her pennies to make it happen. We're not sure who else may be joining us at this point, but the three of us are looking forward to it and (Lord willing) will be purchasing our tickets soon.