Vacation Day Six & Seven

After cleaning the cottage and enjoying an excellent breakfast burrito brunch at Margo's house we left for State College to begin our return trip. Before dinner we visited again with Gary's parents in the back yard. Their vitality and enjoyment of life are really a testimony, considering their advanced years and health concerns.

Then we enjoyed a beautiful summer evening walking tour of the Penn State campus with a stop at the campus Creamery. Next we drove to the Scotia Reserve on the outskirts of town where the temperature is always about ten degrees lower than the surrounding area. No one knows why. It was very interesting as we drove in to see the trees and vegetation change and watch the thermometer show the temperature drop to 59 from about 70.

The following morning we left early for the long ride back to Connecticut. We avoided NY city and were glad we did- WCBS said that there was a 1-2 hour delay on the GW bridge!

Vacation Day Five

Carolyn and I took Christopher, Emily, and the cousins into Erie for Batman Begins. It was a fun movie- kind of a dark adventure. It was kind of cloudy and humid when we went into the 2 pm matinee and when we came out it was a beautiful day. In the evening we went bowling. The computerized scoring devices were all screwed-up but we had fun anyway.

Vacation Day Four

Christopher and I drove golf balls, played pool, and played air hockey. "The female contingent shopped, made jewelry, and ate chocolate. Carolyn's sister treated us to dinner at Hibachi, a Japanese restaurant in Erie, to celebrate her birthday. The food was cooked at our table with panache, verve, and dash- a fun evening and good food. Later she opened presents and we had cake (Boston Cream Pie, actually).

Vacation Day Three

We drove in a two-car caravan to Cleveland to see the Red Sox play the Indians at Jacobs Field- perfect weather; a beautiful ballpark; and the Red Sox won an interesting "back and forth" game. On the way to Cleveland on a state road we passed two buggies with Amish children sitting with their legs hanging out the back. Got back to the cabin late. The cabin belongs to Carolyn's sister. It is in an area called Lakeside so we get to walk to and along the lake before breakfast.

Vacation Day Two

Continued our trek across the great state of PA to Carolyn's other sister's house in Edinboro, near Erie. We celebrated Father's Day with a cookout and an ice cream cake. We watched Miracle, the movie about our olympic hockey team that beat the Russians in 1980 against great odds- very good, if you like sports .

Vacation Day One

We left at 6:45, taking I-95 to New York; I-287 around the city; and I-80 through Jersey into PA . Near Williamsport we stopped at United States penitentiary Allenwood to visit my old friend Stephen Bensen. Christopher and I spent about 90 minutes with him. It was our first "face-to-face," but it felt like old friends getting together. I think the visit was educational for Christopher in more ways than one. Arrived in State College in time for dinner with Carolyn's sister's family.

Summer Conference

This summer we are planning on attending a weekend conference near Corning, New York. It is called the Upstate N.Y. "Searching Together" Conference.

The speaker will be Jon Zens and the theme of the conference will be Not Under Law, But Under Grace: New Covenant Living In Christ. How does this affect what we know of and about: Sabbath? Tithing? Relationship of Church & State? Clergy/Laity? Use of the Old Testament by the New Testament? Israel in God's Plan? Church Life?

I know Jon personally and we've heard him speak- he has some important things to say. He has also been publishing a theological magazine called, Searching Together, for many years. Jon is not afraid to address many issues from the point of view of what the Bible says, even in situations where the Bible contradicts the practices of most modern churches.

The Barbarian Way

The following is quoted from the May issue of the magazine from Voice of the Martyrs:

Erwin McManus in his book, The Barbarian Way writes: "Two thousand years ago God started a revolt against the religion He started. So don't ever put it past God to cause a groundswell movement against churches and Christian institutions that bear His name.

Christianity over the past two thousand years has moved from a tribe of renegades to a religion of conformists. Those who choose to follow Jesus become participants in an insurrection. To claim we believe is simply not enought. The call of Jesus is one that demands action. We are called to an unconventional war using only the weapons of faith, hope, and love. Nevertheless, this war is no less dangerous than any war ever fought.

[Christians] live their lives with every step moving forward and with every fiber of their being fighting for the heart of their King. Jesus Christ has become the all-consuming passion of their lives. They are not about religion or position. They have little patience for institutions or bureaucracies. Their lack of respect for tradition or ritual makes them seem uncivilized to those who love religion.

New York