When the days go by...

My friend, Matt Glock, who lives and works in Grenoble, sent me the above photo taken in1980 by one of his colleagues with International Teams.  The Paveys, missionaries to France, visited my family in Dillon, Colorado where my dad was pastoring at that time (the church building is in the background).  I only remember that I was expected to take the missionary kids, John and Alain, skiing.  I did so begrudging.  That adolescent i-know-everything smirk on my face partially conceals my inhospitable attitude.  John and Alain are now avid skiers (in the French Alps) and excellent missionaries.  I'm grateful to them for this digitized snap shot of my past.  At the time, I never would have imagined that I too would live in France, speak French at home, and have three missionary kids of my own...who speak English with a French accent.  To quote the TalkingHeads' song Once in a life time, "Well, how did I get here?"   

I've included below a recent picture for comparison.  This photo was taken last year in California when I was with my brother and sister.  We are now much wiser, kinder, and gentler than we may have been in 1980...and much more supple in the hands of the God who patiently shapes our lives into something far more glorious than we could ever design ourselves.

OK... one more brother pic just for fun..