Shout-out to "Memphis Tim"

Hey Memphis!

Just wanted to say that it was nice to have met you and to have shared a meal with you over to the Fancys' the other night. Thanks for the invite, Eric, and Happy Birthday! Nice to see your family again!

*Memphis had hiked up through the Mahoosic Notch without any troubles, and after getting clear of what many throughhikers consider to be the "toughest mile on the A.T.", he stepped wrong on a rock, and went down... and at the very least, bruising some ribs. I think there is a better possibility of cracked ribs, from how he was feeling. A few days off trail will hopefully heal him.

So, Memphis, I hope that you are well on your way, and having a great finish to your hike. By the way, after you are done, could you possibly e-mail to me a picture of you on summit? I would be honored to post it here on the blog!

Well, gotta go back to work! I'll end with a little prayer for Memphis, the other hikers out there, and of course, for you too! GOD BLESS!

Stickman

"Memphis Tim" is in Maine!

Ya, I know, it's exciting! ... I'm sure that it is very exciting for Memphis Tim to have made it into his last State, and close to tackling Katahdin! But, you know, it is exciting for me too! Those of you who have never met Memphis are not alone... I haven't met him yet either.

I heard of Memphis from Eric Fancy, an old friend and ex-coworker, who lives across the river, in Anson. I believe Memphis is a relative of Eric's, or possibly Eric's wife... darned if I can remember. But, at any rate, I tried to check up on Memphis from time to time, and he was very kind in having e-mailed me.

He made it into Maine, through Mahoosic Notch, and such, and on up to Wilton, where one of his hiking buddies, Jared, aka "Cuda", spoke at a fundraiser for homeless veterans...(check it out)...

http://www.hikeforhomelessvets.org/

Now Memphis is in Anson, visiting with the Fancy's, getting some needed rest and tanking up on calories. Eric was so kind in inviting me over for tomorrow evening to meet Tim, and chat awhile. So, ya, I'm excited about tomorrow evening, and listening to some "trail tales"!

Feeling quite blessed, hope you are feeling God's Blessings too!

Stickman

Comings and goings...

Hey everyone! I hope that this update finds you all well!

Lot's going on up here these days, and Cari and I can hardly catch our breath. No complaints, though, as most of the hectivity...(I think I just made up a new word! HECTIC and ACTIVITY = HECTIVITY)... has been all good.

I have to say, it was good to take a couple of days away at Acadia, to do a little recharging... and it was a FUN time for Cari and I.

Some other good stuff! The truck! A few weeks back, I had wanted to go to Caratunk to try and hook up with a few hikers, maybe do a quick hike. Cari asked me how I would get there, as she had to work. I said "the truck", of course, referring to the old Dodge I use to go gather sticks. She then asked me if I thought that the truck would make it all the way to Caratunk and back... Well, I had to be honest... probably not. She then suggested that we look into purchasing a truck that was for sale just down the street from us. We now own (we and the Bank), a pretty nice truck. It is, for sure, the nicest truck I have ever owned. It is a 1998 Ford F-150 with a Leer Cap and a Bedrug liner. It has 108,000 miles on it, but runs well, and has NO RUST! We are pretty sure it can make it to Caratunk and back. It will be so wonderful for us, as we take our ScriptureSticks to events. The Pittsfield Egg Festival is coming right up, so we will get a chance to try it out! We are both feeling very blessed!

Speaking of Pittsfield Egg Festival, we are doing our best to get ready for it. Cari and possibly Elizabeth will do the Festival this year, as I have a Hibbard Family Reunion to attend on the same day... yeah, I know... I was the one that set the date for the reunion... what was I thinking!... But, it's all good, isn't it!?!

We have lot's of sticks to do, and are a little behind. I guess that is good also, to have something to do... We pray that those of you who are waiting will continue to be patient with us, we will get caught up soon... I think!

Last week... what a blast! I was asked to help out with TEEN WEEK out at our Church, Crossroads Bible Church, and decided I could do that. I am so glad that I got involved with these wonderful youth! The blessings were all mine! I was the speaker one night, which was kinda neat, and stretched me a little, out of my comfort zone. Again, it was all good! I got to know some of the youth a little better, and spent some quality time with some of the leaders. ... Special message to the YOUTH... I have gotten the jello, shaving cream, and silly string off of me! I will be looking for you! I hope you all had as good a time as I did, and that you also took something with you from the weeks messages!

This coming weekend... is the start of MOTORCYCLE CHURCH at Crossroads! We hold it for several Saturdays, for the biker's, and anyone else who would like to come. It starts at 6:00 PM and generally runs a couple of hours. There is free food and drinks, music, great fellowship and a message. On August 30th there will be a Motorcycle Rodeo, which is a blast! Although Cari and I do not have a motorcycle at this time, we still like to be involved, and will provide the food for one of the nights, and will do the music for another night. It is a great time, and we hope some of you might join us... bring a friend! See you there!

Now... what to do next?... mow the lawn!... no, no... weed the garden!... maybe... go cut some sticks... or rout some!






I'll try to do a little of everything, I guess!





Keep us in prayer, if you would, it is really appreciated!

Until next time, God Bless you all,

Stickman

Todd Murphy made it!

Hey everyone! ...I just got home from work, and thought I would check up on the progress of Mr. Todd Murphy, as he made his way SOBO, finishing up the A.T. hike he started last year. Well, the great news is that he summited Springer Mtn. on June 30th! It is a great accomplishment for anybody to finish this trail, and even more so for Murph, as he is a double amputee (both lower legs). I hope you will all join me in giving a huge "attaboy!" to Todd. He is AMAZING! Check out his Trailjournals site, and leave a comment for him! Well, gotta go! God Bless!

Stickman

Acadia, and such...

Quick update... Cari and I just returned from Acadia, where we stayed at Southwest Harbor for a few days! It was a much needed vacation away for the two of us, and we feel encouraged and rejuvenated! We would like to extend our thanks to brother Bill, and his wife, Karrie, for their generosity in offering their timeshare week to us. Although we were not able to stay the whole week, we had the best of times. We headed over late on Tuesday, and returned to Madison, today, (Sunday)! So, THANKS SO MUCH Bill and Karrie! It was a gift we will always cherish!

Some brief notes of our stay... It was supposed to rain every day. It only rained today, after we were on the road!...

We met wonderful people, from "there", and "away"!

From "there"... would include Jeff, of Somesville, who I believe is the "Garrison Keillor" of Mount Desert Island, if not of Maine. He entertained us with many stories, some humorous, some serious, all revealing some golden nugget as each story was unwrapped. We would like to thank you Jeff, for your kindness, and immediate friendship. I would also like to say these two things to you... "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5&6). ...and the next time we meet, we will all sing "God Bless America" ...we understand. Thanks. Our prayers are with you...

From "away"... would include Jim and his wife, Kitty, imports from Chicago. We had the good fortune of meeting these two folks as we readied ourselves to dine on lobster, at "Thurston's". They were at the next table, and we overheard Jim asking the server, how he should go about eating his lobster. The reply he recieved was basically this... "There is meat, here, here, and...here.". Cari instantly offered to have them join us, and to our great fortune, they did! We did quick introductions, and then, just as quickly, Cari and Jim began the search for the precious lobster meat, with Cari instructing along the way. Kitty, not a huge seafood fan, (some folks aren't, ya know!), had opted for a BLT, after seeing the live lobsters going to their demise. Kitty did try some though, and we applaud her bravery! They were such a nice young couple, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with them. Thanks, Jim, for your easy demeanor and infectious laugh... also for the prayer that you offered up. That meant so much to us! We pray that you both have a wonderful time while you see more of Maine, and that you have safe travels. Thanks again for sharing your time with us!

SO, so much more!... walks on Sand Beach, looking for,(and finding), many sand dollars... browsing the many shops on the Island... strolling on the granite, atop Cadillac Mtn. ... pleasant drives around the Island... checking out the Gardens, and Abbe Museum... giving out a few of the ScriptureSticks! I can't begin to tell you, and wouldn't know where to end... So, suffice it to say, it was all wonderful, and wonderful for Cari and I! ...

... Around here, it had been very busy prior to our little getaway. Lot's of chores... mowing, gardening, and such. Also, a few ScriptureSticks were completed, and delivered. I also had opportunity to get out into John and Becky's woodlot (THANKS J & B!) to harvest and peel some more sticks. I managed to get 100 of them in the sunshine, and another 100 of them in the rain...for a GRAND total of 200! Now they are safely drying out upstairs in the barn, waiting their turn to become ScriptureSticks.

...There are days, and then there are days that I feel God's Blessing's so deeply upon me... that is how I feel tonight. I know that I need to be more Christ-centered, and less ME-centered, to better be able to recognize all the Blessings that are given to me... So, tonight, my prayer is that my eyes will be wide open to the Lord's Blessings, and that you, too, will be able to see His Blessings in your life too! ... and, with that, may God Bless you all...

Stickman

Hiker alert! Bears!

Had to pass this one along! It is inevitable that if one hikes long enough, he will encounter a bear. So, please be prepared to protect yourself! Prayer is a sure way to help you through even the most difficult of situations, but... be careful what you pray for! Please heed the following story...

There’s a Christian who’s hiking in the woods one day when he comes upon an angry bear.

The bear stood up on its hind legs and growled ferociously, clearly preparing to charge.

In panic, the Christian started to run, but the bear followed close on his heels.

Finally the hiker came to a cliff. So he dropped to his knees and asked God to please make this bear a good Christian bear.

To the hiker’s amazement, the bear suddenly stopped growling, fell to his knees and folded his paws together in prayer!

"Thank you, Lord!" exclaimed the Christian.

"Thank you, Lord!" exclaimed the bear, "for this meal I'm about to receive!"

Stay safe out there, and may God Bless all of your travels!

Stickman

The long and the short of it...

Hey, it's been a pretty fine week! We had some great company during this past week, Eric, a good friend, and classmate waaaayyy back in High School, visited the other night, thanks Eric! Then, there was Vicky, another from school days, and a good friend of my wife, Cari. They had a pretty tight-knit group back then, which included another classmate, April, and her sister Dawn. They all visited us this past week! Wow, were we getting blessed real good! They all got out for a visit with another of their group, Lloyd, who was another classmate of mine. It had been many years since they had all been together... pretty neat!

So, what does that have to do with ScriptureSticks?... Well, it does, I think... but, mostly I was just thinking about these old (as in the past) acquaintances and how they touch our lives. One most important common bond is that every one of them are Christians, and they all had an impact on me, especially when I was unsaved.

As I was giving thought to old friends, I worked away on some ScriptureSticks. Some of them had been requested by Dawn and April. Two of them, I reflected, were the shortest and longest sets of scripture verse that I had ever had the pleasure of placing on a ScriptureStick!

John 11:35... Jesus wept.

2 Peter 1:5-7... For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

(That second one barely fit on a BIG ScriptureStick! Whew!)

After finishing up on the sticks, I came downstairs, and got my Bible out. I spent a good hour this evening, just trying to get to know these scriptures a little bit better. Reading them... reading "around" them, to put them in context. I know, for sure, that although I got a lot out of this mini-study, I could study these scriptures all night, or all week, and still not have their meanings completely revealed to me. But... the point that I'm eventually getting to is this... Scripture was placed in front of me, and I felt the need to investigate further. I wondered about it... I was curious. ... ... ...That is exactly the hope I have in this little ScriptureStick ministry! That Cari and I will place Scripture on hiking sticks, and the sticks will be read, or hopefully fall into the hands of the unsaved. Our prayer is that the unsaved will wonder about the Scripture they read, and be compelled to seek the Word. It is also our hope that Christians who have a ScriptureStick will be emboldened to share their faith in Jesus Christ with the unsaved... that the ScriptureStick might be the conversation starter... Hey, neat stick! What does that say on it?

So... that is the long and the short of it... as they say.

Which means that it is really, really late right now, and time to ask God to Bless you all, real good! Thanks go out to all you friends that stopped by for a visit! Anybody else out there that I havn't seen for a bit? You're all welcome to stop in for a visit! G'Night, and God Bless!

Stickman