Week 8 at Lakeside

Have you ever experienced a change in leadership? Ever been delegated leader or chose to be a follower? Did you experience sucess or failure? These were the questions we considered this week as we looked at the mantle of leadership being passed from Moses to Joshua ... and of course continuing our water theme with the Israelites crossing over the parted Jordan river... similar to what God did for them at the Red Sea. Our incredible kids have raised almost $1400 for our water project and we are so pleased they turned their knowledge into a measurable act of kindness and generosity for the least and lost of the world! This was our last week at Lakeside for the 2009 season and we were very busy saying goodbyes... relaxing on the beach for a few more afternoons ... seveal meals with friends ... one final Wednesday night picnic ...and packing up everything for our journey back home. It has been a mafnificent summer! We are so grateful to the Lord for the new relationships we developed, the ones we strengthened and all the opportunities we had to plant seeds of God's knowledge and wisdom from His Word into the hearts and minds of the kids at Lakeside who attended our MGM program! We look forward to the new challenges and chances we will have this year in Charlotte and beyond to spread the good news of the gospel of Jesus!

The Century Ride

In the last 2 years I have developed a love for bike riding. I have put in many miles on my mountain bike along the greenway trails in Charlotte ... but the only riding available here on the peninsula is on the road. My friend Tom lent me a very nice road bike for the summer and in a couple of weeks I was doing 50 mile rides .....Another friend....Marti Creech who has unmeasurable wisdom and has ridden countless thousands of miles .... taught me many things on these rides. When He left in early July I told him I would train hard .... and would attempt a 100 mile ride with him at the end of the first week of August when he returned to Lakeside. It is much tougher riding alone ....but persevered and completed 77 and 81 mile ride to prepare. I am happy to report we finished with 105 miles .... 2 of those in the draft of a combine....which was one of the coolest biking experiences I've had ....not too mention it happened about 5 seconds after Marti joked about how nice it would be to follow a tractor. The pictures are at about 20 mile increments where we stopped for a brief stretch ....water and power bars. The scenery on this ride... the farms and cornfields...creeks and lake shore was stunning. I'm grateful to Tom, Marti and many others who offered their encouragement. Next year... maybe I'll make the 3 mile swim to Kelly's Island!

Week 7 at Lakeside

Ever gave some serious thought to what it would realy be like in the belly of a whale for three days.... Even though Jonah was running from the Lord He realizes his mistake...who is at fault ....and appeals to our merciful God who sees fit to give him another chance. The study this week was very interesting as we discussed mercy, grace, forgiveness, justice and obedience. Our kids continue to enjoy the competition of our team building relays and games....the crazier the better....the picture shows one we created using ping pong balls. Bonnie and I attended the annual Ice cream Social ....an event held to raise fund to maintain and preserve the Hotel Laskeside. Our best friends from Charlotte ... the Davisons ....were here with Mallory and their daughter Emma ....who they adopted from China. She was so excited about everything. It was so good to visit with them for the week! Each week we have a Wednesday night picnic... we usually have 300 plus attend. Chip Richter and his family ....Bonnie and I and 6 voluntters from ourt MGM program....host this event each week. It is a little bit of a task to get the food ready....but we have it down to a science. We also lead some family games ....and have a blast doing it. Our amazing kids have raised nearly 1000 dollars for our water project....and were recognized at Hoover before one of the programs. We also had some fun at the line dancing night...and attended the recognition evening held for the 15 college interns ... we were pleased to share it with Candace...the intern we mentored for the summer...and her parents.... and to top off the week were attended the Debbie Boone concert....and yes she sang You Light up my Life....but not before a wonderful array of other music....mostly dedicated in a tribute concert to her mother-in-law ....Rosemary Clooney.

Week 6 at Lakeside

Anyone ever been through a storm? Our study this week was how Jesus walks through those storms with us....we are never alone ....and He is in control. Where will you build your house? on the sand or the rock? There is a difference when we face storms! Bonnie and I did a kicked off concert for St Paul Lutheran's Vacation Bible School. I sang a few songs with Chip Richter at his Hoover Auditorium concert. Lakesiders are excited about our new CD project which will be exclusively about Lakeside. Several good friends here have children who won roles in the Lakeside Summer Stage production "Cheaper by the Dozen." We enjoyed the performance. The Lakeside Symphony opened up their concert series with the first of 8 performances. I supervised some work around the cottage here with Nathan Joey and Jacob. We saw a superb concert with the Von Trapp Family Singers ....4 kids who are the great grandchildren of Captain and Maria Von Trapp. Of course they did Sound of Music selections but were very versatile with many other styles of music. The annual "Racoon Run" .... a 1 mile fun run and 5K race was held this weekend and was exciting for all the participants cheered on by hundreds! I finished an 81 mile bikeride .... getting ready for that century ride!

Week 5 at Lakeside

This week we examined the account of Jesus and the woman at the well. We had some candid discussion on prjudice and how we are supposed to treat our enemies ….. the Biblical perspective of heaping coals and providing a cool cup of water is certainly a stark contrast than what many of would like to do. It was also a blessing to be able to share about the “living water” which allows us to never thirst again! Another $190 was raised by our kids for our water project... we are nearing the $600 mark .... 6 families will now have clean water for the next 20 years! The Lakeside "Women's Club" hosted their annual tour of homes. Almost 1500 people buy tickets for this event. There are about a dozen cottages showcased ... tours are given and the history of renovations is presented as well. Since the shuttles are crowded I drive the golf cart we use here to pick up the more seasoned citizens who were thinking they could walk .....but wishing they had not. Using my LOL (little old lady) cart is one of my favorite days of the summer! There is also a craft show held on the lakefront with over 50 artists displaying and selling their work. I posted a picture of all the bikes parked near the crafts....this is a common sight fro Lakeside events. My friend Dave Chesney.... a professor at he University of Michigan took me out sailing.... His lovely daughters are in our MGM program. I turned 53 this week...and received many birthday wishes from friends on facebook. I celebrated with a 60 mile bike ride ...and a nice dinner out with Bonnie... and cake afterwards with the families with whom we spend much of our time.

Week 4 at Lakeside

Our emphasis this week has been on Gideon .... how God used water through the dew and fleece and narrowing down his army to 300 soldiers by the way they drank water. If you know the story Gideon was an ordinary citizen... nobody special or important in the eyes of man... but used by God to do an amazing feat.....just as our MGM group is being used to change lives of those facing water troubles. The kids have now raised over $400 and are really excited about their efforts. We saw some amazing concerts at Hoover Auditorium this week. This facility was built in 1904 and holds 3000 people. Melissa Manchester was here(and no ...I did not cry out loud.
A Canadian family group of 8 brothers and sisters named Leahy gave an amazing concert. They wowed the crowed with their fiddle playing and Irish step dancing They have been featured on a PBS special. Phil Keaggy and Fernando Ortega also performed together and their talents were extraordinary. The Wooden Boat Society had their annual show here.... there were over 50 boats on the grounds and by the dock...some dating back 80 years. We spent some time at the McCallum Art Gallery where they featured a jazz band and some great food from a new restaurant called Ritzkys. There were 125 artists here this weekend to paint landscapes around Lakeside... some wonderfully talented people who were happy to chat and answer questios about painting. The weather has been in the high fifties in the evenings so it has been jeans and hoodies .... too good to be true for July. I completed a 77 mile bike ride ... in about 5 1/2 hours ... getting closer to my goal of 100!

week 3 at Lakeside

This week brought some challenges for us. Bonnie returned to Charlotte to be with our daughter Caroline who was having some outpatient surgery. She was born with one kidney and that one is not working to full capacity. Eventually she will need a transplant and this surgery was to connect a vein and artery in her arm to prepare for dialysis. The surgery went well ....but the recovery was longer than expected so Bonnie stayed the entire week to make sure Caroline was capable of functioning on her own. I hired Sam Creech .... a young man who will be a sophomore this year and has been an outstanding participant in our program for the last 5 years. He was an invaluable help and did a superb job! For 3 of the days we had over 50 kids in the Upper Room and I needed some help with logistics. I also managed to get in some beach time in the afternoons. Our focus this week was how water was used for healing .... and the water crisis in el Salvador. We are very close to the Meyer family whose cottage we live in for the summer.... we have a separate apartment on their second floor ....but we cross paths a lot with Laura...the Mom ....and her two children Ellie and Nathan. We often joke that it is not communal living....but it is about as near as you can get. The husband and father ...Doug Meyer ... died of a heart attack two summers ago... He was one of my best friends and all of us still miss him dearly. Laura's cousin Dan has taught in a school and worked on water projects in El Salvador and spent two days sharing his experiences. He brought his wife Ruby and their two daughters. His teaching skills were superb and slide shows raised awareness of the problems caused by the lack of clean water. The 5 gallon jug....weighing 40 pounds when filled .... which you can see under the table in the picture.... caused quite a stir when our boys had to carrry it on their shoulder ....and the girls on their head ....none of them were very sucessful. When they saw the mountainous terrain the children in El Salvador had to travel for hours to acquire water they learned some lifetime lessons! Our kids raised another $100 so 3 families will now have access to clean drinking water. They are learning you can make a difference!