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Bits & Balderdash

Early in February I began to try and eat better, exercise more and generally just take better care of my health.

I used to refer to my self as pre-diabetic but the reality is that I am a diabetic! Last fall I scored an A1C of 7.0 for which I was very happy considering I've had A1C's as high as 11+! That is not good! I had a recheck of my A1C in March and it was 7.3 for which my doctor was very happy. But in reality I knew the real truth.

With my daily blood glucose number a total mess, in early February some good friends I know were just beginning a new healthy eating regimen. So Lynn and I thought what would it hurt.

After just a few weeks my morning fasting blood glucose reading were down into the 90-110 range. While not perfect ... GREAT for me!

As a bonus, in early February my weight was at 208, at of today, April 9th I'm down 23 pounds to 185! I'm super stoked! My new milestone if to reach 170 which is only another 25 pounds!

I'll keep you posted!

Pastor Steve   

What An Adventure!

Five ears ago, Lynn and I bought our first home i n Oskaloosa. For all the years
before that in ministry, we'd always lived in a parsonage in both Pittsfield and Clear Lake. (A parsonage is a home provided, owned and up-kept by the church.)

After buying our home we began renovations! One of the things I've always wanted was a wood burning stove, so we installed one in what we now call the fireside room, which was a three-season room we converted to a four-season, with a wood burning stove!!!

One of the men of our church (Jerry) helped me (did all the work as I watch) with the stone work around the wood burner. He did a wonderful job!

While he was working on the stonework we made plans to cut a couple of truckloads of firewood and then split it at his place in the country. We had a wonderful day in the timber and I loved hanging out with him. However, shortly after our day in the timber and splitting wood, my friend Jerry was called home to heaven. Words cannot express how thankful I am for the opportunity that I had to spend time with Jerry!

Sometime after the funeral, I called his wife and asked if I could use the wood splitter to which she responded "No". My heart sank. When she continued "my daughter and I think that Jerry would have wanted you to have it!" I was floored!

That is where this blog post is headed ... Servicing the Wood Splitter!

This spring I put in fresh fuel, changed the oil and the last thing I wanted to do was replace the filter for the hydraulic fluid system. Now that was an adventure!You see, Jerry built this splitter from the ground up and I had no real idea where to get a replacement filter.

The only information I could find was the brand: CROSS. The only other writing that I could make out was "25 MICRON". So the search and the phone calls began!

Long post longer, it became a 4 day process that included either phone call or visits to businesses in Des Moines, Pella, Ottumwa and Oskaloosa! The search ended when a guy at an Auto Parts store in Oskaloosa said he was not willing to give up until WE figured it our ... and he did! In the meanwhile I smoothly drained over 2 gallons of hydraulic fluid all over my garage flood! So I go buy 100 pound of oil dry and start cleaning ... But the wood splitter is fully serviced and ready for another season for splitting fire wood!

What an adventure!

Pastor Steve

Note from Pastor Steve: I've had this article written for a week waiting for some pictures of the wood splitter ... have not gotten that done yet for I'm posting this now and maybe someday I get some pics of my splitter and get them posted as well. 

Encouragement ...

I so enjoy the moments in ministry when you are encouraged beyond your own belief!

Often in the life of a Pastor or minister, so much of the work is done in a way where visible fruit and or progress are difficult to see, but there are times that your heart is encouraged!

One of the areas that can be somewhat discouraging is the are of counseling. Specifically when counseling someone who you're not really sure wants your help. Counseling, or more specifically Biblical Counseling, is the act of intensive discipleship. If that doesn't help, discipleship is the act whereby one believer comes alongside another believer to help them to learn to walk, love, serve and grow in their RELATIONSHIP with Jesus!

Part of the problem is (and we are all guilty of this) waiting until the issue, problem or situation is almost to, if not past, the point of salvage. We, in our own wisdom, skill and ability had done all we know to do  ... so ... we turn to others for help and when that fails we turn to God! Many times as what seems to be a last resort.

For the Biblical counselor, often we are that last resort! Presented with daunting problems that had they been handled differently in the beginning would not now be so very difficult to walk through.

I have the privilege to attend, be apart of, a group of Biblical counselors that gather once a month and walk through different aspects of the Biblical counseling ministry, common issues that the counselor  will encounter and just a time of prayer for one another.   

Today was the monthly meeting of the Eastern Iowa Biblical Counseling Coalition (EIBCC). a group that I have come to fellowship with and be encouraged by as well! Thankful for our presenter today who spoke on the topic of "Knowing When We Don't Have A Counselee" ... in other word, when someone is in the counseling room but not really interested in getting help. Sometimes it is the counselee that is the issue and sometimes it is the counselor who is at fault! (Ouch)

What an incredible time of learning, fellowship and encouragement! Already looking forward to our meeting next month!

Pastor Steve

Morning Thoughts w/ Dr. Paul Tripp

1. The cross tells us the extent to which the Lord will go to win the great spiritual war that rages in us and around us. 

2. The is no spiritual danger that you face alone, there is no spiritual deceit that you must defend yourself from alone, there is no spiritual battle that you fight alone, because the Lord Almighty is with you. 

3. Know that in those moments when you are weak and discouraged and don’t want to fight spiritual battles anymore, your Savior still fights for you.