Goodbye to Dean

This picture is of Dean and Ruth, Diane's parents, taken last summer at Lake Erie. Dean returned to his Creator Monday evening 7:12 PM. Diane and I were there along with Ruth, Cindy, Diane's sister and her daughter Rochelle and Cindy's husband Gary. It was sad to see Dean go but we are thankful for his life and his over 60 years of service to the Kingdom. The funeral is November 6th.

Besides Ruth and his family Dean loved two things, preaching and fishing. He was active in both right up until this illness put him in the hospital. Ruth thought the more he fished the better he preached so he was improving right up to the end. I've never known someone who took fishing as seriously as Dean. The result was it was rare when he didn't make his limit. He loved fishing for Walleye though he would fish for anything that could be eaten. No catch and release for Dean. We could be certain of a constant supply of Walleye just about year round.

As much as Dean was a fisherman he was even more a fisher of men. He loved ministry and touch countless people for the Lord. He was involved in prison ministry in Coldwater as well as his church work. I've started going through his library and I believe he has copies of every sermon or lesson he ever taught, over 60 years worth. It is overwhelmning. I have been truely blessed by his example of faithful service and his encouragement in my ministry.

We really don't know a lot about what heaven will be like but I have to believe that we will serving and working. I believe that this life is preparation for greater responsibilites there though I have no idea what those will be. I do know that Dean has prepared himself for whatever the Lord wants him to do. Dean, we will miss you.

There are times

It is funny how different things strike you. Diane was speaking to one of our members here at Livonia just inquiring if they were okay since they weren't at worship on Sunday. She was told they had been very tired from things on Saturday and had decided to sleep in on Sunday. I guess I just didn't expect that of this particular person. The result was I told Diane I was ready to go back to Africa. It is just discouraging to see how low a priority so many Christians in the United States place worship and Bible study. If that person had said they were sick, or their children were sick I wouldn't have thought about it. Maybe I shouldn't judge fatigue as an illegitimate excuse but it did hit me wrong.

I don't know that I'm ready to run away to Africa over this. There were plenty of problems there, Christians who were not very committed, but I also saw a lot of enthusiasm for God and for his word. Just as people are hungry physically in Africa there is a spiritual hunger that makes them want to study God's work, want to know what God wants in their lives. It seems that people in the US are bloated not just with fast food but everything that fills up their lives and leaves little space for God.

Dean's Surgery

Yesterday was another busy day. Diane called me at 5:30 AM to tell me that Dean's surgery had been moved from noon to 6:30 AM. Since she and Ruth were staying in Kalamazoo they were able to go over and see him before they took him to begin the prep for the surgery. I drove over (it is about a two hour drive from Livonia) and got there about 9:30. The surgery ended at 12:30 and he came through in good shape. The doctor did three bypasses because there were some complication including an enlarged heart and hardening of the aorta. For those reasons they were unable to stop the heart as they typically do in this type of surgery so they did the work on a beating heart, amazing. Dean was still unconscious when I returned to Livonia that afternoon but his color was good and the doctor was very pleased with the surgery. Thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for his recovery.

A Busy Weekend

This past Thursday (Oct. 11) we received a call that Diane's father, Dean Clutter, had been taken to the hospital with heart problems. Dean is an active 82 years old, still preaching at the church in Coldwater, MI and is a walleye's worst nightmare. The doctors discovered four blockages and so Dean is to have by-pass surgery. We have made several quick trips to Kalamazoo where the hospital is. The surgery has been postponed once due to some lung issues and so we still do not have a definite date for the surgery. We ask your prayers on his behalf and for his wife of 60+ years, Ruth. It promises to be a stressful time but Dean is in the Lord's hands, as we all are. Whatever the physcial outcome the spiritual outcome is already decided and in that we take comfort.

We also just found out that we will have another granddaughter sometime in January or early February next year. Julie and Josh will have three girls less than three years (thanks to Josh and Julie who caught my typo 'months') apart. We are excited for them and rejoice in our fourth grandchild in less than three years. Diane and I will be traveling to Bolivia in late January to visit the family. You can visit their blog blog to see the first picture of Baby Marcum #3.

I Repent

Dear Friends,
This past week I was reminded twice that I have a blog and than I haven't posted anything in a year. Shame on me and apologies to you who occasionally check to see if I have added anything. Life is good and it is not because anything bad has happened that I have failed to post anything, just procrastination. Since my last posting we took a three week trip to Bolivia to visit Julie, Josh, and our two granddaughters Michaela and Eliana. Diane and I went on a five day spiritual retreat to a retreat center in the Amish country of Ohio. It was free for full time ministers so if there are any reading this contact me and I will provide the information. I have continued to preach at the Livonia congregation and have started my eighth year in that role. Julie is expecting and we will have our fourth grandchild sometime in late January. Diane and I are planning another trip to Bolivia around the time the new baby is due. So all in all life is good.

I am currently preaching a series from the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 using material from Tim Woodruff's book, "Walk this Way". I really like the material that Tim puts out and highly recommend him as a writer and thinker.

Thank you to those who reminded me of my blog and asking why I never post any more. God's blessings on all you.