Friday, July 25, 2003

9:02 AM Wrapping up a wonderful week at Living Waters … My final message comes at 10 AM, then we hit the road for Albany, about 11 hours, then to a motel, up at 4 AM to get to the airport for a 6:20 flight to Chicago … Excellent service last night. Billy Speer sang with joy and great power and touched all our hearts. Roger Black announced that the “old guys” beat the young-uns in the big softball game. Plus the staff won the horseshoe tournament as well. Excellent testimony from Gina who with her husband works in medical missions, leading a team soon to Nepal … I preached on “Wanted: Bold Believers” from Colossians 4:2-4. Great interest all evening long and a sense of God’s presence. Then we went to Billy and Paula and BJ’s room for some blueberry pie and rhubarb pie and some stories and lots of laughter after the service. This AM we’re packed and ready to go.

A few minutes ago Judy told us about “Bean-hole beans,” a famous Maine delicacy. It involves digging a hole in the ground, burning wood to make coals in the bottom of the hole, putting a big pot full of beans in the hole, covering it overnight while the beans cook, and then eating them in the morning. A fellow is doing that out back right now in preparation for Summerfest this weekend in Danforth. He’s a big, burly man named Cary who looks like he’s lived in the Maine woods all his life. While he was chopping wood, he also told us about “Trash-can turkey,” another local delicacy. The week here has been refreshing in every way. The folks at Living Waters are more like a family than almost anywhere else I go to speak. Roger (the director) is a true Maine man—he says “yup” in answer to almost every question. This is our second visit here and I hope it won’t be our last.

Here’s the Legacy Campaign prayer request: “Pray for the lasting impact of the books and tapes sold in the new Resource Center area.” That’s it for today. I don’t think there will be any more entries until we get home in about 24 hours.