Category Archives: family

Christianity, family

Ordination

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I’m sitting in my office this noon hour with a storm raging about me. Not a figurative storm, but a literal storm. The tornado sirens sounded about 10 minutes ago, ran for five minutes then quit. The Weather Service has issued a tornado warning. A funnel cloud–no, perhaps two funnel clouds were spotted within striking distance of us. One NE of Gentry and one SE of Gravette. That’s probably the same storm. A rumor has it that one is also near Cave Springs, about 6 miles south of us. The wind is fierce, sky dark, rain heavy, lightning and thunder in close communication, and all who are in the office worried. Traffic has supposedly stopped on the state highway a mile and a half south of us.

I just went on walkabout throughout the building, and although radar says we are now in the worst of it, the sky has lightened. We’ll see.

Last week we attended the ordination service of the Southwest Oklahoma District of our denomination. This is, I think, the fourth ordination service I attended but the first one where I went for a purpose other than as a delegate. Our son-in-law, Richard L. Schneberger, was ordained. The way we do it is a minister is licensed once he or she has passed a course of study and been examined by a District Credentials board. This makes him/her legal with the State, and able to perform marriages. For ordination, we require a minimum of 2 years of active pastoral ministry or 4 years as a minister on staff–plus another examination by the credentials board.

Richard made it. He has been pastor of the church for the last year [there goes the tornado siren again], was a fill-in pastor for several months a couple of years ago, and was in staff ministries a couple of years. It all added up to enough; the Credentials dudes thought he was qualified; and he was ordained.

The ceremony was not solemn by any means, but it was reverent and exciting at the same time. We, like most Protestant churches, do not consider ordination a sacrament, but perhaps we should. What is more sacred, or a more outward sign of an inner grace, than for the bishop (a.k.a. General Superintendent) to lay his hands on the new minister and read the minister’s charge from the writings of Paul, then for a mentor to pray the prayer of ordination/dedication. To tell the ordinands to preach the word, minister to the sick and needy, administer the sacraments, and change the world. Truly this was an inspirational moment.

So go out there Rev. Richard and change the world. I am here in an inner room amid a fearsome storm, but you will be outside in an unstoppable storm that is leading to our Lord’s coming again. Things are not going to get better, only worse. The difficulties under which you will work are enough to crush someone who is not truly called of God for that purpose. Find your own inner place to pray and be strengthened. Heed the advice of the scripture and those who are senior to you in the ministry. As an ordained Elder in the Church of the Nazarene, help us laymen to dedicate our lives to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The tornado warning in our area expires in one minute. The worst has passed us by. For you the storm continues. May God bring you, Sara, and Ephraim safely through the storm of ministry.

family, History

We Remember

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Everyone is gone now. Richard, Sara and Ephraim packed up and headed west a couple of hours ago. My mother-in-law is about to head back to her place in Bentonville. Lynda is in bed with a stomach flue. The kids brought it from Oklahoma City and we have all had it in succession (except me; my time may yet be coming). That put the damper on weekend activities, as did the rain. But we weren’t planning on cooking outside, so all it did was keep us from taking walks.

Yesterday I was called on to teach life group since my co-teacher was called in to work. I also had to start of the class with announcements, prayer requests and praises, etc. One of the things we normally try to do is have something humorous prepared to read. When Marion did this I called it “Marion’s words of wisdom.” Now that I generally do it I call it “Totally useless information.”

Yesterday, however, I gave them some statistics that were not useless, and in fact were quite important. Here they are.

American Revolution…25,324

War of 1812………………..2,260

Mexican War…………….13,283

Civil War…………………498,332

Spanish American War..3,289

World War 1…………….116,708

World War 2……………407,316

Korean War………………54,246

Vietnam War…………….58,159

Persian Gulf War……………200

Afghanistan War…………..610 and counting

Iraq War…………………..3,915 and counting

All statistics are approximate, based on the best sources I could find.

We remember the sacrifice.

And to those families who are represented by these statistics, we thank you for your gift to the nation.

family

My home has been invaded…

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…by family!

Wednesday night our daughter and son-in-law came in from Oklahoma City, bringing their son Ephraim with them, of course. My mother-in-law came out from Bentonville to stay with us, so we have much more than our normal quiet household of two aging baby boomers.

We baby-sat Ephraim last night while the kids went off to Eureka Springs for a belated anniversary celebration and time away. They’ll just be gone a night, coming back late today. Sara has high school class reunion over the weekend. So they will stay till Sunday or Monday.

Ephraim was a delight last night. Now a year and two weeks old, he’s not quite walking yet but does an amazingly fast crawl. We had baby-proofed the house somewhat, and got a bunch of toys out to keep him busy. It worked, and he didn’t spend too much time trying to get where he shouldn’t. He is a little too interested in the lap-top computer, but understands “no” and stops when you tell him to. He was kind of fussy when we put him to bed, and Lynda got him up for a late night snack. After that he was fine and we didn’t hear a peep out of him. Well, at 4:00 AM he let out a single cry, but we left him alone and he went back to sleep.

I got some great pictures of him last night. I’ll try to get them downloaded tonight and added to this post, and make another out of them.

I’m afraid I didn’t get much writing done over the last two days.

family, Harmony of the gospels, Screwtape's Good Advice, Writing

Getting Things Done, Part ?

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I have been in the whirlwind since last Thursday, and am just now taking time to post, in the few minutes before beginning my work week.

This past Friday and Saturday we held a moving sale for my mother-in-law. She moved to her apartment in August, but we have just now gotten our act together for the sale. Thursday night until 10 PM was intense activity of setting up tables, arranging items for sale, and pricing them. Then home to make signs. Up at 6:00 AM to get ready and in to town to place signs and hold the sale. Traffic was steady both days. We sold much, though it still looks like we have a lot left; some of it ours, for we brought some items to sell as well. By Saturday night we were exhausted, physically.

Then, on Thursday as we were setting up for the sale, we received a call from an out-of-state family member who is in the midst of a financial crisis. Dealing with that took much mental energy.

Then, on Saturday during the sale, at least two people showed interest in the house, and one person brought by an offer. While this is good–no great, it also turned out to be part of the mental overload in progress, and we couldn’t deal with it right then. So we arrived home Saturday night mentally exhausted as well. I then got another hit as I received a critique on a book proposal that indicated the work was too denominationally slanted to be published. A further mental blow. I tried all Saturday evening to prepare my Life Group lesson for Sunday, with no concentration available and hence little success.

Sunday was a true day of rest. We were to church a little late, then had a good Life Group time afterwards. The lesson turned out okay, as I came back time and again to the basic principle behind the lesson. Sunday afternoon, after nap, I went to work typing the harmony of the gospels, and I finished it about 5:00 PM! I’d say this is the end of several years of off and on work, but the end is not in sight. I now need to print it and proof it and annotate it and decide on a number of up in the air places. And I have to write a dozen or more appendixes with notes about why I made my various decisions.

But still, that main effort, the document itself, is done in first draft. That is always a good feeling.

This morning on the way to work, somewhat recovered both physically and mentally, I made two stops. One at my mother-in-law’s house to pick up something left there on Saturday that I need today; one to put some gas in the truck. It’s strange, but just getting these two things done has given me much satisfaction to start the day. Well, being down in my weight helped a bunch too. I’ll get back to my series on the harmony of the gospels soon.

family

R.I.P. Howard Cheney, age 97

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Last Wednesday one of Lynda’s elderly cousins, Howard Cheney, died at age 97 in El Dorado Kansas. Before 2006, Howard was a name on my many genealogy pages. An older cousin of Lynda’s dad, I assumed he was dead (being age 85 when I began genealogy pursuits), and didn’t make any attempt to learn more about him.

In May 2006 he celebrated his 95th birthday, his granddaughter, Ronda, sat with him over old family photos and asked him to identify them. One he said was “Grandma Cheney”, but he couldn’t give any more info than that. Ronda’s interest was piqued; she began doing some genealogy research; found my posts on-line about the family; and contacted me in August 2006.

Events happened quickly. We were going to New Mexico in October for a writing conference. Another elderly cousin, Cecil Cheney, 91, lived outside Albuquerque. When Howard learned Cecil was alive, he wanted to go see him, and a mini-reunion was planned and happened. Howard and Cecil had last seen each other in 1918, when Howard was 8 and Cecil 4. Cecil’s dad Will Cheney had been murdered in 1916, and his widow and their three children moved in with Howard’s family, the Clarence Cheney family. The widow re-married in 1917 or 1918, they moved to Colorado, and lost track of the Cheney family.

That was quite a moment, when Howard and Cecil saw each other for the first time in 88 years. Howard remembered some of those times, but Cecil not at all. Still, it was a good day, and I was glad for the part I had in making it happen. Genealogy does have some positives.

We drove to El Dorado on Sunday, after Life Group, for the afternoon visitation hours. The weather deteriorated during the four hour drive, the temp. dropping from 69 to 21. We saw Ronda and her brother and sister, their mom and uncle, Howard’s widow (a late in life remarriage for him), some spouses, and other relatives. Most of these we had not met before. It was a great time, including looking at some photos we hadn’t seen before. The trip back was through some sleet (not too bad and not enough to slow down a whole lot) and temps. around 17. We were back about 9 PM, glad we made the effort, happy to have met relatives, sorry at Howard’s passing, and worn out.

family

Days of Thankfulness

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I have barely visited the blog since last Tuesday. On that day our daughter, son-in-law, and grand baby arrived from Oklahoma City for a several days visit. I left work early to come home and help with final clean-up and prep. Then on Wednesday morning, about 7:30 AM, our son and his roommate arrived, having driven all night from Chicago. With my mother-in-law still with us, recovering from our shoulder injury, we had a full house and a great time. The blog didn’t seem so important; neither did writing.

We had a good Thanksgiving day, and the days on either side of it were great as well. The kids went off to visit friends during the day on Friday; otherwise they were at home. Good meals on all days. We cut back a little on how much we prepared for Thanksgiving dinner, yet there seemed to be plenty. We still have turkey, mashed potatoes, and some other things left, even with putting up four lunches for me. We put puzzles together and watched videos and just talked.

And of course played with Ephraim. This was grandson’s first time to be at our house. He and his mother are still here. We talked her into staying through today so that some of the people at church could see him (and Sara too). Everything was a delight this long weekend.

Yet, we were saddened by the tragedy in Mumbai, where terrorists decided to try to wreak havoc in that city; and by the Wal-Mart employee who was trampled to death in a mad rush at the beginning of Black Friday. I do not understand the mentality that has given rise to this most base of all Thanksgiving traditions. People have told me of the adrenalin rush they receive when they rush into the store to find the bargains they want, but I just can’t see it, and will have no part of it.

Today I try to get back to the routine of writing. I’m still not ready to re-enter the world of publishing, so still won’t seek that; but writing I will continue. I should be back before the end of the day with the results of meeting my November goals.

family, travel

Home

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We are home again, 2,600+ miles and ten days later. On Friday the 1st, we headed out, driving to Orlando for the conference I presented a paper at. We went south via New Orleans, just driving through on the Interstate, but still seeing areas that were devastated in Hurricane Katrina. Our route took us through new States, more for Lynda than for me.

In Orlando, we did a lot less than expected. My work kept me busy almost three days, and Lynda hung out in the hotel room and did her work. We had planned to leave Orlando today, but on Thursday afternoon we made the decision to head home the next day. Rather than make the drive in two days, we took three, a leisurely drive indeed.

On the way there, we stopped in Live Oak, Florida, and saw my cousin Pamela. I last saw her in 1959. I don’t remember that, but the family photos exist of us in the same picture in my parent’s driveway. That was an enjoyable meeting lasting a few hours. The next day we saw her father, my Uncle Gilbert and his wife and another of his daughters, my cousin Jody Beth and her husband. I hadn’t seen them since Dad’s funeral in 1997.

So it was a good trip. Back home, I will again turn my thoughts outside of the office to writing, and try to achieve some of the August goals I blogged about a few days ago.

family, travel

2043 miles

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We are home again. The direct route from Bella Vista to Ridgecrest was about 880 miles. A little bit of back-tracking in the Asheville area, the diversion to see my sister in Evansville, Indiana, and the diversion to see our children and new grandchild in Kansas City made for the remainder.

I’m now in the process of post-conference follow-up. Sent two e-mails tonight, and may get one more done. I have to work on two non-fiction book proposals requested by an editor, and a novel proposal and a series of book summaries (for books I have not yet written) for another editor. I have a bunch of other e-mails to write, and many web sites to visit–as well as catch up on sites not visited while I was gone.

Then, in order to not forever be an arrow through the air, disturbing unseen gasses but never hitting a target, I need to figure out what my correct target should be. That will take some time, hopefully not too long. Then the real research and writing will commence.

family, Writing

It’s been a wonderful week

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The turmoil of the week before last, which caused me to describe that week at “turbulent”, has passed. I’m currently basking in the glow of Ephraim Todd Schneberger, now age 8 days. Saw him Wednesday through Saturday just passed, and what a cutie he is. Hopefully I will figure out how to paste in a picture. He is incredibly expressive in his face, with many worried, furrowed-brow expressions. He will be a serious person, just like his dad. The parents are doing well, though understandably stressed out, especially with their move to OKC next month, where Daddy will begin his duties as senior pastor in a church there. He’s off today for a quick house hunting trip. Through the miracle of the Internet, they have found an agent they both know from college days there, and have narrowed the number of houses to look at. Sure was different in 1983, when we moved to North Carolina, and 1991 when we moved to Arkansas.
I’m gelling right now. I learned that someone has stolen my corporate credit card, and made four purchases in Australia. Yet, none of that will be my problem, since our corporate card company is on top of it, and since it isn’t tied to my SSN, it won’t show up on a credit report. Last night I completed some major work on my non-fiction book proposal, and it should be ready for the Ridgecrest conference next week. That should be stressing me out, because I only have till Friday night to prepare (must leave Sat. AM to make it there by mid-day Sunday). Yet, I’m not feeling the stress at all. On Wednesday they are going to use my submission, a post from this blog, on the conference blog. Possibly that will give me some good pre-conference publicity.
I find the quiet in this part of the building makes for difficult working conditions. I will be shifting to a new cubicle sometime within the next three weeks, up to where others have moved, so will be back in the ambient noise of people, phones, faxes, printers, and copiers. It’s also quiet at home, as Lynda is still playing grandma to Ephraim. Hopefully this week I’ll find time to make three or four posts. Stay tuned.