Sick....blah!

Did I suggest anywhere in the beginning of this whole undertaking that it would be a consistent blog??
Yeah, so I'm a little sporadic in writing...but I try to do it when I actually have something to say, not just
writing for the sake of putting something down that day.

Currently, Kristi and I are on what we hope to be the tail-end of a nasty bout of sinus/chest congestion-mess,
which managed to tarnish but not destroy our recent weekend getaway to Washington, DC. While we weren't
up to doing everything we wanted to do, we did manage to see lots of neat things, and it was nice to just have
a weekend together, doing something with just the two of us. I've come to understand this part of the marriage
deal more and more: it doesn't really matter a great deal what you're doing together, just as long as you're
spending time with just your mate, doing something. Kristi and I enjoy working together and playing together.
I can find enjoyment in craft projects or decorating or the Light Parade at Disney, and she finds it in herself
to actually enjoy cooking or going to a reptile exhibit or working on some project at church that has nothing
to do with her, just because we're able to do it together. That seems to be a core skill in marriage--to focus
on enjoying the presence of your spouse more than you concern yourself with the particulars of what you're
doing.

In terms of career, I've sold some lumber the last week or so, and I've spent a little time in between spells
of coughing my brains out working on some things for the future of our ministry together. We have at least
a couple of offers from churches that are coming together, and we'll be faced soon with making some
choices about our short-term future, at least, so please continue to pray that God will guide us clearly
in those processes.

In an unrelated note, our dog, Schatzi, seems to be calming down somewhat with age!! She has actually
reached a point where she sometimes is able to rest for several minutes at a time, in spite of our presence.
In the past, she has proven herself unable to resist the constant affection of one or the other of her masters,
often resulting in a comic sort of race between the two of us, as if she were comparing the quality of our
expressed affections.

To be honest, I'd just like to feel well right now, and I'd like to see Kristi feeling better, too. But, as James
reminds us, we must learn "...patience in trial, strong faith in persecution...." Thank God that He knows
better than us how we need to learn our lessons in life, because I would never have chosen any sickness
for myself--yet I always learn from it.

God's peace be with you this week!

--Steve