Welcome to Buddy's Blog! This is new to me and I welcome suggestions on how to improve it.
I plan to share what is going on with myself, my precious wife, Linda, our four children and soon to be five grandchildren. I also will be writing Reflections on the Word which will be some of my thoughts as I read and reflect on God's Word. I hope to have an access to some of the devotionals I have written plus a section of brief comments called Nuggets from the Word which will be brief nuggets inspired from The Word.
We have purchased property in Cleveland, Tenn (25 miles NE of Chattanooga on I75) and plan to relocate there "someday". It could happen as early as next year. We have to sell our house first and then we will decide if we are going to find somewhere else to live here for a while or go on to Cleveland. We plan to build a log cabin or timber frame house and will do a lot of the work ourselves. We anticipate it will take a year to finish the house once we relocate to Cleveland.
I have given consideration to writing a devotional book entitled, "The One Minute Devotional". It will be written especially for those striving to rise to the level of mediocrity. The real thought here is that anyone who desires to be more than mediocre needs to spend time in God's Word. My devotionals or the nuggets do not presume to satisfy the daily minimum requirements of time with God. You have to do your own prospecting or mining to find the nuggets that God has placed in the treasure chest for you to dig through. Perhaps what you read from hat I have been inspired to write will inspire you to dig deeper on your own and spend time in reflection and prayer.
I just can't seem to retire. I am working with Blue Cross Blue Shield in Cocoa now. It's a challenge but I enjoy what I am doing. Linda has changed schools. She was science magnet coordinator at Cambridge Elementary School in Cocoa for the last four years. She has started a sixth grade position at Atlantis Elementary School in Port St. John. She has one class of math and four of science. We feel this will be much better for her in many ways. She is working 60-70 hours a week at teaching.
Our oldest, Scott, is Associate Minister of Praise and Worship at Ingleside Baptist in Macon, Georgia. He is happy there but hopes to be more than an associate some day. He and Carmen just returned from a trip to Great Britain. He enjoyed revisiting places he saw as a seven year old thirty years ago. They raved about how great England and Scotland were.
Shelley, our older daughter, lives in Port St. John, only five miles from us. They moved to the area a couple of years ago. She had to give up her position as Children's director at the First Baptist Church in Lake Worth, Florida due to her health. She has several problems and the strell of church work was taking it's toll on her. They also wanted to be where the girls could get good schools. For now, she is a stay at home mom with Cassie (6) and Brianna (4). She substitute teaches several days a week while the girls are in school. Cassie is a first grader and loves school. Brianna also enjoys school and takes books to school to read to her class. She obviously is an early reader. Cassie has been playing basketball and Brianna soccer. Shell's husband, Laz, works a graphic arts job in Orlando by day and drives a shuttle van for an Orlando hotel on week-ends. Someday he hopes to live a normal life and not have to work so much.
Stacey, our younger daughter, and her husband are in Boiling Springs, South Carolina (just outside of Spartanburg). She is pregnant with her third child and is on bed rest right now because of her blood pressure. She is scheduled for a c-section on Thursday, Oct 11th. She home schools her children-Jacob, age 6 and Noel, age 3, both of whom are playing soccer this year. Jacob is beginning to understand the fundamentals of the game but Noel has no idea what she is doing but that's ok, neither do most of the other players. It's all for fun so there is no winning or losing. Stacey and Rick met at Southeastern Seminary and both graduated from there. Rick is driving a fork lift in a warehouse but somehow isn't convinced that is where God intends for him to serve the rest of his life. Perhaps after Joanna arrives he will seek a church position somewhere.
Shane, our youngest, and his wife Rachel live in Orlando. Rachel is attending school part time and works as an insurance agent for Nationwide. Shane graduated from UCF with a major in Philosophy and has recently enrolled in RTS (Reformed Theological Seminary) in Orlando. Last year Shane and Rachel became Presbyterians. They have gotten very involved in church and seem very happy.
My Mom, Marguerite Copeland, lives with my sister, Carolyn Lovvorn when she is not with us (usually January to June). Latest reports are that she is doing well and is going to church now. When she was with us recently, she was unable to attend due to a fall she experienced shortly after coming to Florida in January. She will turn 91 on October 11th. She is still mentally sharp. If I'm going to be as sharp at 91 as she is now, I've got a lot of improving to do between now and then.
