Below are more recent pics and clips of Samuel and Levi. They had a blast in the snowstorm last Saturday. Also included are some shots of the new Toy Room I made for them. Their great-grandmother’s bedroom has been repurposed in a way we think she would love. The long-term plan is to take out the inside wall of the addition and make the entire space a large primary bedroom suite, complete with a kitchenette, sizable bathroom, and massive walk-in closet. Emotionally speaking, we’re just not ready to do that yet. Besides, the boys will need a toy room for only so long, so now is the time to let them use it.
Samuel loves being outside in any kind of weather.Levi is not a big fan of the cold just yet.Do you want to build a snowman? Let’s go!Father and son working together.Samuel found a stick for one of the arms.Samuel gave up one of his cheese sticks for the nose.How does snow taste, anyway?
Brotherly love.
More brotherly love.The completed Toy Room.The fully stocked “toy castle.”Lots of options for a fun time.Toys for racing, riding, and jumping.
On the heels of the recent death in our family, I’m hopelessly behind in every area of life right now. What to do? Take a break and do something really fun—post pics and clips of my favorite munchkins. This entry is part 1, and I’ll try to get part 2 up shortly. These boys bring so much joy to my life. May God likewise grant them joy, health, and peace all the days of their lives.
The official Christmas 2023 Samuel picture.The official Christmas 2023 Levi picture.Christmas morning at our house.Samuel loves to play Hot Wheels.
Levi got a moving crab to help inspire him to crawl.
I want a hippopotamus for Christmas.Brothers in the Christmas spirit.Brothers couching at our house.Brothers couching at their house.We love Daddy!
We returned Sunday night from our trip to Hickory, North Carolina, where we conducted funeral services for my mother-in-law, Lorena Moore. It was good to re-connect with family, even on such a sad occasion. She is the second of 14 siblings to pass away, and most of her brothers and sisters came to bid her farewell. The outpouring of love and gratitude was both healing and refreshing. Here is a copy of the funeral bulletin:
Speaking of funerals, today is the tenth anniversary of the death of Dr. David A. Dorsey, my Old Testament professor who I adored. I may post later today the eulogy I gave at his funeral. I miss him a great deal, as do the rest of us on the seminary faculty. He had a high view of God, a high view of Scripture, and a high view of others, even while he himself was the humblest (and smartest) person I had ever met.
Christmas was a real joy, despite the death in our family. We kept our plans in place, and the immediate family gathered at our house for several days to celebrate. The kids, of course, were adorable. They were a bit overwhelmed at times by the sixteen people and two dogs who assembled under our roof. It’s a fairly large place, but when you have two 2-year-olds, one 1-year-old, and a 5-month-old in the midst of all that activity, you get a meltdown once in a while. That said, they were all fantastic and got along beautifully.
We were heavy on the gifts for our kids and their kids this year, but Sonya and I went light on each other. We decided that our newly renovated kitchen—which was completed two weeks ago—was sufficient. One of these days I may get motivated and post a few pictures of it. We’re thrilled with the results. Next up is converting the “Granny Flat” (as we called it) to a master bedroom. We’re not in a hurry, though. We need to grieve and discern what’s next in our lives before moving any walls or reconfiguring things. A few life changes are coming, and those changes could affect what we do with the space.
My sister-in-law got me the complete set of Harry Potter DVDs for Christmas, which totally took me by surprise. I had watched them online years ago just to see what all the fuss was about, but that was during a time when I was burning the candle at both ends, and I kept falling asleep. It will be good to fill in the gaps of what I missed the first time around. I remember them being quite charming and creative with wonderful cinematography and casting. The magical worlds of Narnia and Middle Earth always trip me into the boundless, and I suspect the same will happen with Hogwarts when I’m alert enough to follow the storyline.
There’s so much more to write, but I’ll leave it here for now.
Every major character in the Christmas story receives the same angelic message: “Do not be afraid.” Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds—all of them hear the words: “Fear not.” When Christmas happens, heaven announces, “You don’t have to be afraid anymore.” That’s good news because fear is universal. It’s also debilitating. It shuts people down and keeps them paralyzed in their thinking. Very often it prevents them from stepping into the future God has for them.
But, whether it’s fear of disappointment, the fear of inadequacy, the fear of rejection, or the fear of the unknown, God can help us overcome our fears. Indeed, the only thing we have to fear is God himself. King Herod didn’t have that fear. And that’s why he’s the only figure in the Advent story who doesn’t hear the reassuring words, “Fear not.”
But those who do fear God can overcome their fears. They can surrender the lie that stands behind the fear. They can submit to the truth that contradicts the fear. And they can seek the Lord, who alone is to be feared.
Seventy years ago last month, 10-year-old Gayla Peevey sang “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” on The Ed Sullivan Show, and it shot to the top of the charts a month later in December 1953. Peevey was a child star born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma City Zoo later acquired a famous baby hippo by the name of Matilda.
The reason I point this out is two-fold. First, When Sonya was 10 years old, she looked exactly like Gayla. Check out the video below and see if you can see a resemblance. Sonya’s voice is higher, sweeter, and less accent-y, but even their musical presences are similar.
Second, Samuel absolutely loves the song, and he breaks into a dance whenever he hears it. He especially likes the version performed by Rend Collective, which has an animated version on YouTube. Below is a video clip of him dancing to the song.
If you’re interested in an update on Gayla Peevey, check out this article in Risen Magazine. She’s still alive, and she’s a believer.
Local friends, the Christmas Eve candlelight service at Christ Community Church (Myerstown, PA) is one of the highlights of our church calendar. Our theme this year is “Christmas Right on Time” from Galatians 4:4-7. The service will be held at 7:00 p.m. and will feature traditional Christmas carols, brass, an inspiring message, and the lighting of candles during “Silent Night.”
A nursery will be provided. Plates for a benevolence offering will be available at the back of the sanctuary to help needy families in our community. Invite a friend to come find hope and encouragement in the good news of Jesus Christ at Christ Community Church.
Note: On Christmas Eve morning, there will be no Sunday school classes, only the 10:30 a.m. worship service and the 7:00 p.m. candlelight service.
Join us online or in person
CHRIST COMMUNITY CHURCH 121 S. College Street (Route 501) Myerstown, PA 17067 (717) 866-5353
The command to “fear God” is found throughout the Scripture, but what exactly does that expression mean? Are people supposed to live in sheer terror of the Almighty? Are we to dread his perpetual frown as a divine commentary on our souls? Are we to view ourselves as criminals on the run, with God as the cosmic policeman in hot pursuit of us?
Misconceptions abound when it comes to this important topic. What’s often missing from the discussion is that a major biblical motivation for fearing God is his surprising grace and forgiveness (Psalm 130:3-4; Jeremiah 33:8-9). That’s part of the biblical record, too, and it’s one that teaches us, paradoxically, that fearing God diffuses all other fears.
Shiphrah and Puah were two Hebrew women who understood this reality. These midwives refused to throw the Hebrew baby boys into the Nile despite the direct command of the king of Egypt to do so. Why? “The midwives … feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live” (Exodus 1:17). Quite significantly, the book of Exodus preserves the names of these two courageous women, but it does not preserve the name of the Pharaoh. Was it Rameses II? Amenhotep II? We’re still not sure. It was the author’s way of commending these women while scorning the dictator.
The biblical record also teaches us that the end of all fear is the perfect love of God as fully displayed in Jesus Christ (1 John 4:16-18). He took our punishment on the cross, says John, and we no longer need to fear that punishment when we trust him for our salvation.
My mother-in-law, Lorena Moore, 85, went home to be with the Lord today at 6:23 p.m. after a long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Her children and grandchildren gathered at her home (which is an addition attached to ours) this past weekend to say their goodbyes and encourage her spirit by singing the great hymns of the Christian faith that she loved so much. She stepped into eternity right as we were singing “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today,” specifically at the line, “Fought the fight the battle won. Alleluia.”
What a gift that moment was. My mother, Cherie Valentino, passed away as we were singing “O Holy Night,” specifically at the line, “Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices.” My father-in-law, Pastor Keith Moore, passed away as we were singing, “Victory in Jesus,” specifically at the line, “And I heard about the streets of gold beyond the crystal sea; about the angels singing….” These are sacred moments we will never forget.
Thank you for praying God’s comfort over our family at this time. And thank you, local friends, for supporting us these past several months as we’ve tried to care for Lorena in view of her homegoing. We are comforted by the life-changing gospel truths we celebrate this time of year—Jesus, our Emmanuel, “God with us.”
Mild He lays His glory by Born that man no more may die Born to raise the sons of earth Born to give them second birth
Lorena’s other son-in-law, John, wrote an obituary, which I will share below.
We wish everyone a joyful Christmas. Ours will be merry since Lorena is now fully and finally home for the holidays.
Lorena Pearl Moore, neé Taylor, 85, of Myerstown, Pennsylvania passed peacefully into the loving arms of Jesus on December 18, 2023 in Myerstown surrounded by her loving family and finally freed from the prison of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Lorena’s life was one of blessings redeemed from hardship. Throughout her life, when asked how she was, she would say, “I’m blessed!” She was a gifted teacher, dedicated mentor, devoted chaplain, faithful wife, loving mother and sister, and doting grandmother. Her greatest joy in life was her Savior, seen in her devotion to the Bible by studying, teaching, and living the Word of God at every opportunity. Lorena shared God’s love in moments of conversation and small acts of love that make up relationships that last. Next to her Lord, her family occupied the greatest part of her heart and time.
Lorena was born on May 27, 1938, and grew up on the family farm in Connelly Springs, North Carolina, with parents Lester and Bertie (Miller) Taylor. The sixth of sixteen siblings, Lorena assumed the responsibilities of caring for the home and her younger siblings following her mother’s passing in March 1954. This experience shaped her, making her eager to accept and fulfill demanding responsibilities throughout her life.
In honor of her mother’s high value for education, Lorena completed high school and earned degrees from Warren Wilson and Carson-Newman Colleges. Following a call to ministry, she earned a Master’s degree in Ministry from Southwestern Baptist Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas, where she met her husband Keith, a native of Lampasas, Texas. After their graduations and marriage in 1962, she labored with Keith in his calling as a home missionary for the Southern Baptist Convention, planting churches in Marietta and Cambridge, Ohio and the Wheeling and Martinsburg areas of West Virginia. Following Keith’s death in 2000, Lorena continued her ministry as a workplace chaplain in Hagerstown, Maryland and Greencastle, Pennsylvania. She retired in 2005, returning to Burke County, North Carolina until she moved to Myerstown in 2019.
She was predeceased by her husband Keith Moore, her brothers Troy and Zane Taylor, and her sister Nena Ann Taylor. She leaves behind her three children and their families: Sonya (Tim) Valentino of Myerstown, Joan (John) Mason of Wilmington, Delaware, and Joel (Donna) Moore of Aberdeen, North Carolina, along with five grandchildren and four great grandchildren. She is also missed by her sisters Helena (widow of Fred) Hanna, Alta (Grant) Crocker, Leathia (Jon) Conrow, Maxine (widow of Jim) Cooke, and Ermine (Rick) De Yarman, and her brothers Tommy Taylor, Doug (Brenda) Taylor, Maynard (Shirley) Taylor, Philip (Berneice) Taylor, Ronnie (Judy), Tony (Judith) Taylor, and Earnie (Gunda) Taylor.
The family will receive guests, on Saturday, December 30 at First Baptist Church of Hildebran, North Carolina, beginning at 1:00 p.m., followed by a funeral service at 3:00 p.m. A service of remembrance will also be held in Hildebran in June 2024 before the start of the triennial family reunion. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests gifts to The North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention https://www.namb.net/give/ or to The Alzheimer’s Association https://www.alz.org/.
After getting wedged between the Red Sea on one side, and Pharaoh’s army on the other, Israel begins to panic. Their situation seems hopeless, so they begin to grumble. In response, God tells his people to “move on” from their faithless talk and unbridled fear (Exodus 14:15). But how can they do that? What is the process by which God gets us un-stuck from the fear-ditch we sometimes find ourselves in?
It begins with realizing that God leads his people into difficult situations in the first place. He has his reasons for doing so, and they usually involve a much bigger purpose than we can fathom. At such times we’re invited to present ourselves to the God who is already present to us. When we do that, we’re in a better position to watch him work on our behalf like a master craftsman.
Indeed, the more we trust God with our fears, the more we will participate in his plan to recapture the world. Will you learn to trust God with your fears and participate in that plan?
My apologies for the sparse postings lately. My Advent reflections usually make their way into print this time of year, but my mother-in-law has declined so much in recent weeks that other things have had to take priority. She eats and drinks very little anymore, and she no longer wishes to get out of bed. Her earthly journey seems to be coming to an end, sooner rather than later.
One resource we’ve found helpful these days is a brief trilogy by Len Sweet, a professor I’ve gotten to teach doctoral courses with over the past five years. They consist of comforting words of God’s goodness and grace that can be read to loved ones at various stages of physical and emotional decline. The three titles are:
This has been a tough road to walk, but God has been faithful to us in the Advent-ure. The gospel of Jesus Christ shines so brightly in times like these.
Born to raise the sons of earth Born to give them second birth
Speaking of Advent, I hope to get the resources posted later today for Part 2 of our “Fear Not” series.
Be bold. Be strong. For the Lord our God is with us.
Fear is universal. And it’s not all bad. Good fear protects us from danger and prevents us from hurting ourselves. We need it to stay safe. But that’s not the only kind of fear we experience in life. Bad fear paralyzes us from doing what we ought to do and provokes us to doing what we ought not to do. Sadly, this kind of fear is far more common. And its cost is too high for any of us to pay.
Bad fear distorts our identity, steals our joy, and limits the progress God has for us. And that’s not the half of it. Worst of all, living in fear is a slam on God’s character. As John Ortberg has said, “Fear has created more practicing heretics than bad theology ever has, for it makes us live as though we serve a limited, finite, partially-present, semi-competent God.”
Ultimately, the antidote to living in fear is to trust God one promise at a time. If Immanuel (“God with us”) has come, then we can step into the future God has for each of us with these encouraging words ringing in our hearts: “Fear not!”
Samuel turned two years old today. My heart is filled with joy at all the love and precious moments we’ve shared during these past 24 months. Words fail this writer in describing what this wonderful little boy means to me. If I were to try, I would just short out my keyboard anyway, so I’ll share below the post that Bethany put on Facebook today. We got to see Bubby this evening (after babysitting Levi all day while his parents took Samuel to Tiny Town in Lancaster), and the whole crew is gathering Saturday night for the big bash. We can hardly wait to show (and tell) him how special he is to all of us. Thank you, Lord, for entrusting this amazing little blessing to our family.
Bethany writes:
“How amazing it has been this year to watch Samuel grow and his personality shine. He truly has a kind heart. He’s sensitive, he’s silly. He’s very slow to warm up, but when he does, he’s just so much fun. He’s cautious. He’s caring. He absolutely adores being a big brother. He prefers for everyone to be together. He loves being outside, going on walks, swinging at the park, swimming, helping daddy in the yard. He would eat M&M ice cream and pizza all day every day if you’d let him. And baked beans. And French toast.
“He is so helpful and eager to do what is asked of him if he knows he’s helping like making breakfast, washing dishes, throwing things away. He has the most amazing memory—I mean, truly incredible. He talks and talks and talks, and I LOVE hearing what he has to say. He’s a little clumsy (but we are his parents, so it was bound to happen). He listens to music as much as humanly possible. He loves dancing, playing his guitar, piano, and drums. He loves water towers, silos, trucks, buses, ambulances, fire trucks, trains—he’s all boy.
“He has a few stuffed toys; he pretends to put them to sleep and then comes back to check on them. He is obsessed with Christmas. He honestly loves talking about the Bible, Jesus, and church to anyone who will listen. He makes us so proud, happy, tired, and thankful. I love who he is, and we love being his parents. Happy second birthday to our Samuel.”
Amen.
Micah and Bethany are doing such a great job as parents. Best of all, they’re seeking to teach him about (and live before him) the real Jesus as revealed in the God-breathed good book (2 Timothy 3:16)! There is no other Jesus worth showing him.
💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙
Edit
Right after posting these pictures, we ran through the praise and worship songs for this coming Lord’s Day morning, which is the First Sunday of Advent. The first song was Michael Card’s “Immanuel.” I didn’t make it past the first line, as verified by the four wet tissues now on the end table next to me. The song is heart-warming in its own right, but my latest blub-fest probably had to do with the little lullaby Sonya created and sings to Bubby while he’s falling asleep: “Samuel, Emmanuel.” Our lifelong prayer for him—that he would always know and treasure that God is with him.
Samuel is obsessed with the big blue water tower here in Myerstown. I took him on a pizza date a couple weeks ago, just the two of us, and we made a couple stops along the way. First was a dairy farm with dozens of cows and a “big silo.” He was amused that the cows chewed sideways. He was also fascinated by how high the silo went “up in the sky.” Then we went to see the water tower, and he hasn’t stopped talking about it since. We hear about it non-stop!
“Water tower!”
“Big water tower!”
“It’s so big!”
“Up in the sky!”
Our little Bubby turns two years old this coming Friday. We tried hard not to overdo it in the gifts department, but it wasn’t easy. 😊 (Knowing what’s coming, he’ll be a lot busier opening presents on Christmas Day!) We got him a bike/trike (along with his parents), a tee-ball set, a musical keyboard mat, and a plaid Oshkosh shirt for church.
Speaking of church, his parents recently gave him the opportunity to pick anything he wanted from the Dollar Tree store. He picked a lighted church (see adorable picture below). I may have gotten a little choked up by that.
This dear little boy and his brother bring us so much joy.
’Tis the season to be grateful. Actually, gratitude is a year-round virtue, isn’t it? But it’s nice to have a special day of focus. Cicero, the Roman philosopher and statesman said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” Orrin Woodward, NYT bestselling author on Leadershift, said, “Ingratitude produces pride while gratitude produces humility.” And G. K. Chesterton, the English writer, literary critic, and Christian apologist, said, “When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” We have much to be thankful for, even though life has been challenging lately.
One. My mother-in-law continues her steady decline. She’s now on hospice, and we’ve had to learn how to use the equipment necessary to take care of her in (what appears to be) her final months. It’s been a real challenge, and that’s one of the reasons I’ve been so slow to post lately. I really do want to finish sharing those summaries on the book of Daniel. It was such a rich, encouraging, and eye-opening study, and it was hard for me to bring the series to a close. The book is timely as well as tremendous in its own right. I also have a backlog from the “Carved in Stone” series on the Ten Commandments. It just hasn’t been a good year to stay up on these kinds of tasks. I’m pretty sure my life is going to get a significant realignment in the New Year, as my health and sanity will require it.
Two. The boys continue to be a supreme blessing to me in these days. I never realized the joys of love could run this deep, but they do with these two munchkins! They are beyond adorable. When asked what the days of the week are, Samuel says, “Monday, Tuesday, Papa, Thursday….” (Yes, we keep the boys on Wednesday) 😊 That makes me want to melt into a puddle of gooey milk chocolate on a hot gas stove. Below are a few recent pics. We get to host them for Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday; otherwise, it’s a low-key weekend in our house, which is fine by me. Only after Thanksgiving do we start putting up Christmas decorations. That’s carved in stone, too. 😊 Next week we celebrate Samuel’s second birthday.
Three. Speaking of stove, our kitchen renovation project is nearly complete. We’re just waiting on one final cabinet and the new backsplash. The transformation has been amazing. I can’t remember if I mentioned this before, but by securing and managing the subcontractors ourselves, and helping where we can, we’re saving about $20,000 over the estimate we received a couple years ago when we first started kicking the tires on this idea. Given the horrendous inflation over the past several years, that probably translates to about $25,000 today. Happy dance. Even though I can’t dance.
Four. My yearly Advent sob-fest has begun already. This one took me by surprise. I was doing some worship planning recently and wound up listening to the Tabernacle Choir’s rendition of “Lo! How a Rose E’er Blooming.” For some reason, it hit a tender spot, and the floodgates opened, perhaps because the load is quite heavy right now.
True man, yet very God, From sin and death He saves us, And lightens every load.
I’ll post the song below.
Five. COVID killed our wonderful choir, but I wouldn’t mind seeing it resurrected in due course, especially since our church is getting a new organ this week. (It’s a gently used though lovely Rodgers organ from Ephrata.) A few of us have been crawling around the organ chambers over the past several days, cleaning things out and getting ready for the new installation. We’re all a bit stiff and banged up from that venture, but I’m ecstatic that it will be operable in time for Advent and Christmas. I’ll also post our church’s Advent letter and lineup in case anyone is interested.
Six. My dissertation is trucking along, but it’s taking longer than it should. Even I—yes, I—am starting to drift into the “Let’s get this thing done, already,” mode. It’s just so tedious to write at this level and do a thorough job of engaging all the heavy hitters who’ve written on my topic over the past two millennia. At last count, I’ve gotten up to 19 languages, and that’s more than enough, don’t you think? Still, I love the research. It’s the academic writing (i.e., being precise, anticipating objections, making and defending an argument, documenting everything, etc., etc.) that’s so time consuming. All in good time, though, right?
Seven. By the time I publish this post, it will be November 22, 2023, the 60th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. I wasn’t born yet when that awful tragedy took place, but I became fascinated by all aspects of it when I was in elementary school. And, yes, I’ve done an awful lot of reading on this subject over the years, keeping up with old details and major developments in the case. I had hoped to write more extensively about it on this anniversary, but that’s just not possible this year. Maybe someday. What do I think happened? Let’s just say, “Things aren’t settled until they’re properly settled.” And this crime was never properly settled. Enough said?
Eight. In the spirit of JFK (who died on the same days as C. S. Lewis and Aldous Huxley), let’s end where we began—gratitude. It was President Kennedy who said, “We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” In my case, that would take a whole lot of time. And it would include you, the readers of TNL. Thanks for stopping by.
Oddly enough, today I’m thinking about the death of another larger-than-life personality, Princess Diana. Last night I finished watching episode 3 of the final season of The Crown, so it’s fresh on my mind. And it’s stirring up in me the loathing I already had for the media. I’m sitting here wondering if the paparazzi have learned their lesson, or if they’re still greedy, corrupt, and dangerous.
Levi turns four months old today. He’s mostly a happy and peaceful guy, though today he’s under the weather. I look forward to seeing him every chance I get, and I miss him terribly when I don’t get to see him for a while. As is the case with his brother Samuel, we always have a blast together. His favorite games are, “Go See,” “Go Get ‘Em,” “Cheek Thing,” and “Belly Zerbits.” It’s time now to introduce him to the “Levi Sandwich” game!
Do you see any similarities to his brother?
Back to some Levi shots…
“Mom put us down for a nap. Are you planning on sleeping?”
