Among our highlights in 2017 was the discovery of a new church
family with a delightful semi-retired Norwegian pastor
who is one of the very best of the many pastors we have known.
Pastor Nysether's messages are always on rock solid Bible truth yet
sprinkled with politically NOT-correct comments to spice things up.
Recently, with a twinkle in his eye he said, "Not everyone agrees
with me ... but they should."
Click to view some of his messages
Patti and Joe's 2017 travel adventures included trips to
Cabo San Lucas Mexico in March and Cancun Mexico in May.
Then, for Joe, the all-time
best-ever Father's Day surprise arrived. My sons Greg and Jason called
to tell me that they were making all the arrangements to take me to a
Husker football game in the fall. So, our father-son Husker adventure
this past September definitely became one of the all-time greatest
bucket-list highlights of my life!
Now picture this:
It had been more than 65 years since the last time
I had been on a bicycle. When I finally got back on this year, it was
just like when I was 8 years old riding my bike to the swimming pool
on a summer's day back in Broken Bow, Nebraska. Great fun! And now,
once again, I ride to the local community swimming pool almost every day.
2017 was my 60th high school class reunion.
Many classmates wrote updates on their lives and we assembled another
class reunion update booklet. Now, both the 50th and 60th reunion
booklets can be read online:
Click this link to view them
Putting all those delightful stories together prompted me to begin
a new side-line called
Celebrate Life Well Lived. The goal is to
challenge, encourage, and help people in our 55+ community to write
and share their life stories with their families and friends. Don't
we all wish that our parents and grandparents had written their life
stories? What could be a more memorable gift?
Speaking of gifts, this year
I have realized more clearly than ever
before that perhaps the most satisfying and enjoyable gift that can
ever be experienced is the thrill of giving surprise gifts to complete
strangers ... anonymously.
Perhaps you have seen stories about that remarkable guy known as
Secret Santa who anonymously gives away uncountable thousands of
$100-dollar-bills all over the country at Christmas-time every year.
Well, this year, I woke up to the realization that almost all of
us can do something similar ... with whatever we can afford.
Just this past week, I went to visit a 98-year-old woman who has
no family in temporary shelter. While there, I was amazed to learn
that a care giver who works for $10 per hour to provide home health
care for the elderly had also been there just before me; and I then
learned that poor, seriously underpaid angel of mercy had brought
a basket of fruit and sweets and a little teddy bear and a little
Christmas tree, all purchased out of her own very meager income.
At that moment, I realized that I needed to and wanted make a far
better effort to go and do likewise. For what the world needs now,
is a whole lot more of that kind of gentleness, kindness, mercy,
and sacrificial giving.
The big news for the AV7 Bible Project this year
... at last, we finally got an initial version
of the entire Old Testament added.
Tap this link to get The AV7 Bible on your Android phone.
OR ... Tap this link to view the AV7Bible.com
website on any computer or mobile device without the app.
This is the fourth year of our tradition to share a few thoughts:
(one each year) on The 20 Most Important Virtues.
The previous two year's themes were: Love, Joy,
Peace, and Patience. This year, the theme is Gentleness.
Please tap this link for this year's thoughts on Gentleness.
Hope to hear from you soon!
855 South 77th Place
Mesa Arizona 85208
Joe @Actionline.com &
Patti @Actionline.com
P.S. To see our Christmas letters from previous years:
Click this link.
