Declaring God's Faithfulness- November 2017

Our stories started differently.

Ted was raised as a preacher’s kid and understood the Gospel from a young age. (Think “Understanding” equals “Faith”? -Nope). Combine a retentive mind and a hard heart and you get a teenager who could spout all the right answers in Sunday school but had no living faith.

Linda attended a church where no Gospel was preached. Jesus divine? Maybe. Empty tomb? Only in the most symbolic sense. Then along came Young Life. Linda heard the Gospel for the first time. Accepted Christ at the age of sixteen at a Young Life camp. She remembers the moment so clearly: a ton of bricks on her head and suddenly they’re gone.

Ted has always been a bit slower than Linda. Freshman year at college, read C. S. Lewis’ Till We Have Faces. Glimpsed a life spent pretending that God doesn’t exist, a meaningless life. “Lord, help my unbelief!” And He did. Peace.

Meanwhile, boy meets girl. Senior year of high school – Ted is still astonished that a girl would go out with him. Love started, but who knows - a five year courtship - (Remember - Ted’s slow). Many dates, not a few fights, …..endless letters written… (For you young ones, long distance calls too expensive, internet not even imagined. High tech, equals - pen and paper, envelopes and stamps, and much checking of mailboxes).

Eventually he asked, and she said “Yes.” Married June 28, 1975 - off to Athens, Georgia for a honeymoon, then graduate school….Linda a secretary (“Never again!”) Ted studying stream insects in the mountains of North Carolina…Learning to cook for two and fix up an old apartment.

Meanwhile didn’t know a soul - tried a Sunday evening Bible study at the home of Dan Orme, an eccentric minister in the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod. Joined University Church - average age of congregation about twenty-four, but brothers and sisters in Christ – family, lunch together every Sunday; learning to cook for seventy, two children arrive: Beth in 1979 and Michael in 1982.

Linda takes a course in basic weaving, (More on that later.) Ted applies for dozens of jobs; finally an interview in Allegany, NY (Where’s that?). Near the kids’ grandparents in Rochester; St. Bonaventure University asks. Ted says “Yes” and learns to teach (but still learning). Sarah (1986) and Samuel (1988) join them.

“Children are a heritage from the lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.” (Psalm 127:3)

Blessed but busy! Tiny house (1,400 sq. feet), lots of closeness.

What about a church? On the way back to Georgia after house-hunting, we called the Erricks. Got Mark on the phone and asked for directions. Attended as soon as we moved to Olean - Dinner invitation from the Erricks our first Sunday - Within a few months, a plan to plant a daughter church in Wellsville -  Which one to attend? About the same distance from Olean, but we liked the idea of a church plant.

Worship at St. John’s on Main St’ Wellsville on Sunday afternoons. Felt a little weird but good preaching. Pastor Bill Voorhis preached in Port Allegheny, inhaled lunch, drove to Wellsville, and preached again. What a faithful servant of Christ! Much growth in grace for both of us, under a succession of pastors. Kids not so happy attending a church out of town, away from their friends. Good decision? God knows.

Linda in love with fiber arts: dyeing, spinning, and weaving; eventually, four spinning wheels, four looms, and a lot of wool. Once Samuel started high school, she became a children’s librarian, reading great books to little kids. Nice job.

Our own kids leave for college. Boys meet girls and girls meet boys. All married now. Just two of us, so of course we moved to a larger house. Two grandchildren come to visit – what a blessing:

“May you see your children’s children!” (Ps. 128:6)

Huge yard for Ted to play in - golf course behind the house to supply us with golf balls which we have no use for. Anybody want golf balls?

Opportunity for travel … We were able to spend our 40^th wedding anniversary in Rome. Lots of life complications. Occasional fights, but seldom now. It’s not good for either a man or a woman to be alone. Occasional glimpses of wisdom? Maybe! Thanks be to God for his faithfulness and steadfast love. As Sarah’s neighbor says, “God is good!” All the time.

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