Author: Fred Shope

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St. Augustine Trip – Day 2

After a good night’s sleep, we awoke to a beautiful north coastal Florida day. We went downstairs to the dining roomand filled our plates with a delicious breakfast, which we ate outside in the courtyard.

After breakfast, we hopped the trolley to travel around the city, picking out places that we hadn’t seen in our previous visits so we could go back to them later. We ate lunch at the Santa Maria Restaurant, where diners can feed bread to the fish in the bay through small trapdoors in the window sills.
After lunch, we walked around the old Spanish Quarter, looking at buildings that, in some cases, predated Jamestown and Plymouth. Of course, we also shopped. After we had tromped around for a couple hours, we went back to the inn for hors d’oeuvres and drinks. We then walked back to the old city gates for a ghost walk. The only problem was that I had bought the tickets on-line and for some reason we weren’t on the list for the time I had reserved. So, we had to wait for a bit. We walked to the Spanish fort and sat on a bench and just relaxed, watching people and the boats on the bay. After about an hour or so, we went on the walk. We heard some interesting stories of paranormal encounters, but we didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. There were a couple of folks in our group who took pictures that showed things that weren’t visible to the eye, so…

After the tour was over, we walked back to the inn and rested up for the next day.

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World Vision Wednesday

It’s hard to believe that it has been six months since Haiti was devastated by a major earthquake. World Vision has been there serving since the beginning. For an update watch this video.

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St. Augustine Trip – Day 1

We traveled to St. Augustine on Monday from Summerville, SC, having spent the night with my sister and her family. Since Jan shares my enjoyment of traveling off the interstate, we rolled down Highway 17 to I-95 South. We took 95 through South Carolina and Georgia to just north of Jacksonville, FL. There we exited and got on A1A, which winds down the coast through the beach towns and vacation homes of north Florida. On the way we found that traveling on this particular road includes a trip on a ferry.

After a 15-20 minute trip, we were back on the road. We continued south until we made it to St. Augustine and the St. Francis Inn. The inn is a bed and breakfast in a house that dates back to 1791.After checking in and resting for a bit, we had an anniversary dinner at an excellent Italian restaurant, and chilled out for the rest of the evening, resting up for some busy days ahead.

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TGIF

This week has been one of the best in a long time. Jan and I celebrated our 30th anniversary on Monday and traveled to St. Augustine, Florida, where we spent about three and a half days. We had a fantastic time. Expect to see pics soon.

I haven’t even come close to catching up with my blog reading, but here are some of the good links I’ve seen:

Erin is living by the seasons.
Jeff Dunn “reviews” Disciple Like Jesus For Parents.
Raspberry Wars, Part One.
Here is an iMonk classic.

Missional Discipleship Part 2.
What makes the story good.
This is good. (HT: The Thinklings)
Funny e-mail exchange.

How far is too far?
Does love get taken advantage of?
Good thoughts from Scot McKnight.
Christian hipster bookshelf. (HT: Scot Mcknight)
John Cleese explains extremism. (HT: Keith Giles)

That’s it for this week. Enjoy your weekend.

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30 Years

Thirty years ago, Jan and I set out on a journey together. Through those years the path has had many twists and turns. We have gone through jobs lost and found, leaving old friends and getting to know new ones, saying goodbye to parents, and seeing our children grow up and go out on their own. Of course, we have also gone through many of the adjustments that married couples make as they get to know each other.

We both had wonderful examples of marriage from our parents, so as we started out, we determined from the start that divorce was not going to be an option. That commitment, along with the grace of God, has helped make our marriage strong. Of course, it’s easy to want to stay with someone who you’ve never fallen out of love with.

God has truly blessed me with a woman like Jan. She has a wonderful sense of humor, which is a requirement for living with someone like me. Her love for Christ is evident in her demeanor and the way she approaches life. Through the years, as I have watched her teach Josh and Jennie and her school students, I have clearly seen her love for others. Her quiet and gentle spirit has been a calming influence for me many times, as well as her ability to cut through the fog and bring clarity to my sometimes muddled mind.

Proverbs 31:10 says that a noble wife is worth far more than rubies. I know that to be true. In Jan, I have found a noble wife whose worth exceeds not only rubies, but all other things as well. I know that I am truly blessed, and I am awed by the love that the Father shows me through her. I cannot imagine what life would be like without her.

Happy 30th anniversary, Jan. May God grant us many more. I love you more than yesterday, and less than tomorrow.

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TGIF

After a warmer than usual June here in the sunny South, July’s temperatures have started out going in the opposite direction. We may see record low temperatures the next couple of nights. Of course, that makes the days and nights much more comfortable.

I know that all of you missed TGIF terribly last week, so we’ll get right to the links:

Ministering money the New Testament way.
The power of love.
Surprise!
This should be interesting.
This should be great!

Tough question.
Just in case you’re looking for a new way for your church to celebrate the 4th. Just be careful what you worship.
Christian porn.
Funny.

Great price for a “fixer-upper” of sorts. (HT: Scot McKnight)
Maybe some people have too much time on their hands.
Knit together by grace.
Discipleship and a lawn mower.

Have a great weekend! If you set off fireworks, please don’t blow yourself up.

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Home Improvement

A church near us has a sign that reads, “For home improvement, bring the family to church.” When I first saw the sign, a number of thoughts ran through my mind. I was able to catch some of them before they ran away.

The first thought was how much I have come to disagree with the idea of “going to church.” It may a bit nit-picky, but I believe that the modern mindset that church is somewhere we go or an event we attend is a large part of the problem with evangelicalism. When “church” is a place or an event, then it becomes just a part of our lives, much like a club or other organization. We attend church, like we attend a play or a concert, and many times the result is the same. We invite people to events at church, hoping that they will like what they see enough to come back. This mindset can also bring about a spirit of competition between congregations. The dirty secret among many churches is that much “church growth” comes from folks moving from one church to another.

Another thought is that the sign reveals a mindset that “church” is the source of all the answers. If you just bring your family to church, everything will be fine. Along with this comes the moaning about all the kids who grow up in church and leave as soon as they get away home. Does anyone else see the contradiction? If taking your family to church was as effective as the sign seems to suggest, young people would be staying in church. A few years ago I heard a pastor of a prominent mega-church state that the hope of the world is the local church. This is the same view that the organization called church is what the world needs. The church is the “pillar and ground of the truth,” but that truth is Christ. It is only when the church is wrapped up in Christ that it can provide any hope.

The third thought that came to mind is that the key to home improvement is found in Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” What would our homes be like if husbands actually began doing that?

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World Vision Wednesday

For those of you who, like me, have heard of “blood diamonds” and the atrocities they have financed, here is a story of something that those of us who use electronic devices need to be aware of.

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TGIF

I am spending most of this weekend coaching basketball at a team camp, so TGIF is taking a break this week.