Here is Mark’s September newsletter. Hi everybody! I know this is not my formal newsletter, but I did want to take a little time to give you a quick update about how things are going. I’ll write something a little more formal in October. I hope and pray all is… Read More »Taiwan Times – September Issue
About 3 Sundays ago while I was leaving the sanctuary, Andrea told me that she was thinking about me when she wrote her section for the October Bulletin. That made me a bit nervous. Was there some particular message that I in particular needed to hear? This Sunday the new… Read More »Done Waiting
More pictures that weren’t selected. This is a picture of June and Dean’s barn. This is a picture of the Basilica in Dyersville. This picture was actually originally selected for entry, but I decided that I didn’t really like the way it looked when it was printed, so it was… Read More »Bereft
It is that time of year when we are nearing the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest. I took a different tact for selecting pictures this year. I am pleased with the results. I will get into the process at a later date. But first, I want to reveal the pictures that… Read More »Not Loved
Lowell has signed on to teach Sunday School for Middle Schoolers. He was recently give a stack of potential books to use as curriculum. One of these books was trying way too hard to be “young” and “hip”. Not only did they try to make the guy on the cover… Read More »But I love gatherings. Isn’t it ironic?
After we left the Field of Dreams on Sunday, we visited the St. Francis Xavier Basilica. It is one of only 53 Basilicas in the United States. Random Flower Spires Spires The Church Altar Stained Glass Window Sanctuary Spire Willy Jay Dessert in Jesup Traditional Road Trip Photo The height… Read More »St. Francis Xavier Basilica
It is time to answer the most common questions I have received about my trip to Kentucky: What in Heaven would ever possess somebody to go to Kentucky, even for a visit? Teresa’s significant other Ernie lives in Kuttawa, Kentucky. He is a good guy and I wanted to visit… Read More »Kentucky FAQ
Friday was day 1 of my odyssey to the South. I took a few pictures. Here are some of them. Lunch Superman II Astronaut Costume Superman Museum Teresa Classic Family Portrait Metropolis, Illinois Superman Statue Superman Statue and Teresa Superman Statue Superman Reflection Metropolis I like big statues. Small Baptist… Read More »The South – Day 1
On the second day of the trip we headed to a house that hadn’t been touched or mucked. I can’t even describe how this house smelled. Once you opened opened the front door, you could stand across the street and still smell the house, with your mask on. The strange… Read More »Cedar Rapids Trip Day 2
I went over to Cedar Rapids with a group from my church to do a little flood relief. All I can really say is that it was 100 times worse than I imagined. 5,038 houses were effected by the flooding in Cedar Rapids. It will take 4 years of continuous… Read More »Cedar Rapids Trip Day 1
Looks like I’ve fallen a might behind. I’m in the process of helping Jesse put together a slideshow of pictures from Honduras. He has told me many a tale from his mission trip, but my favorite will always be about how he earned the credentials to be a first ballot… Read More »Jesse Goes to Honduras
I believe an important part of being an Iowan is having an opinion on what is the “right color tractor”. I don’t wish to get into this debate. I bring this point up because on Tuesday morning Lowell and I served breakfast with the Meth Men (as Lowell and I… Read More »The Right Color Tractor
I managed to make it through this Sunday’s Sermon/Interview. I don’t think that I embarrassed myself too much and I think at least a few people were touched or were able to relate to my message. I don’t want to re-hash the experience, but I would like to thank Jesse,… Read More »Sunday
I understand that most people will be donating stuff to help out Iowans, but say you don’t like Iowans all that much, I have an alternative for you. That alternative starts with a geography lesson. This is Honduras These are Hondurans Jesse is going to Honduras to do some mission… Read More »Donations Requested
My church, the First United Methodist Church of Boone, is doing a series of sermons this summer where the Pastors interview a member of the congregation. This Sunday is the second sermon of this kind. The lucky person being interviewed is me. I’m not really sure how or why I… Read More »Sunday, Sunday, Sunday
With all due respect to Dante and his circles of Hell, the only definition of Hell that I have ever been able to get behind is “separation from God”. Now that I have that figured out, I should work on a better definition for Heaven. While it is certainly true… Read More »Heaven and Hell
I’ve been thinking on a topic lately and I’ve come to the conclusion that I just need to write about it and then be done with it. I’ve been thinking about junk in art. Not refuse or garbage, but the male productive organ or the penis. I will refer to… Read More »Too Hot for Photobucket
Here is Mark’s latest newsletter about his mission work in Taiwan. I guess when I think about it, Mark might be the volunteeringest person I know. After all, every moment of his waking day he is doing mission work. I was particularly pleased to see that Mark has started an… Read More »The Taiwan Times – May Edition
Sunday was an interesting day for me. I started the day as a greeter for church. There were a couple unique events at church on Sunday. 4 of the churches in the area combined choirs and toured their churches. One of the other 4 churches is the Central Christian Church,… Read More »Sundaze
Last Friday Jesse and I embarked on a road trip that we lovingly named The Big Jesus Road Trip. Our final destination and epoch of the trip was a 33 foot tall stainless steel Jesus statue. A plan was hatched and a route was devised. The plan was set in… Read More »The Big Jesus
I have been looking forward to today for quite some time. After church Lowell and I attended a Methodist Men board meeting. I learned a lot about our future activities. We are serving the food at the Mother-Daughter Banquet this coming Saturday. We are serving Fellowship in the month of… Read More »False Snake Hype