The Plan B Prayer

Tim's new book, The Plan B Prayer: Living with the Loss of the Ideal, is now available through Striving Together Publications.  How do you pray when "Plan A" has vanished? Find help in this insightful study of Psalm 90. We would be honored if you read it and let us know if it is a blessing to you.

Working Through an Asaph Moment

We are very excited to announce that Tim's book is now available:
 

Working Through An Asaph Moment and Dealing with Doubts About God

His book takes you on a journey through one of Asaph's more popular psalms: Psalm 73. This psalm was a source of strength for Tim during his recent bout with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood plasma. Intertwined through the book is Tim's own story of the ups and downs of life and ministry. We pray that this book will be an encouragement to all those who read it. 

UPDATE June 2016: Tim's first book has been republished by Striving Together under a new name.Click here to purchase a copy of Secret Doubts: Dealing with Unspoken Unbelief.

Happy New Year!

 

We want to send new year greetings to all our friends and family!  It's hard to believe that another year has passed. The year 2012 brought many challenges, but also many blessings. Our little church purchased an old New England-style church building that was built in the late 1800's.  Owning our own property has been a prayer and a dream since we moved to Branford and planted the church. We had many challenges to overcome as we moved in and remodeled the basement. The remodel project turned out beautifully, though, and it was quite sobering to finally see the auditorium full on our Grand Opening Service in September.
Tim continues to stay healthy and strong and runs circles around all of us!  He has an exciting project in the works - he has written a book about his cancer and the many emotional and spiritual battles that it brought to our lives.  The book is in the editing process right now, and we hope to have the first copy in our hands by the spring. Very exciting!
Michael is now 15!  He made a lot of gains in the therapy that he received last year. We  have really noticed a difference in his ability to communicate and in several areas of his school work. Currently, we are working on placing him in a school for kids with his special needs.   He is pretty excited at the possiblity of getting to go to 'real' school - as if homeschool isn't 'real!' Trust me, it is! :) We still have many meetings to attend and hoops to jump through before it can happen, but we are praying for the Lord's leading and provision in this area.
McKayla turned 9 this year.  She is taking piano and flute lessons and really enjoys both. She is in the 4th grade and loves reading and spelling. She has a sweet spirit and a tender heart for the things of the Lord. She also enjoys singing and has sung a few times in church with her BFF, Abigail.  They do a great job and just love to be together!  Her Aunt Sheryl calls them the Giggle-Goofy Girls!
Mark turned 8 and is our 'Little Einstein.'  He is working on some 3rd grade work and some 4th grade work.  He keeps me busy trying to keep him stimulated and interested in what he is doing.  He asks a lot of questions and loves to learn.  He is also taking piano lessons and got a guitar for Christmas, so he is going to learn guitar.  He has become a Lego-maniac, and also loves to tell jokes to make people --and himself-- laugh! 
We continue to pray for our oldest son, Matthew.  The details of his life right now are too long, too personal and somewhat painful for us to share.  He is 19 and out on his own.  He is in the Lord's hands and we love him and pray earnestly for him.
Stacie stays very busy with homeschooling, church ministry and family responsibilities.  There doesn't seem to be time for much more than that, but this time in my life shall pass... much too quickly for sure.
We appreciate each one who prays for us and have enjoyed the many Christmas cards and letters we received this year.  It's always great to hear from everyone and catch up on what is going on in your lives.  May God bless you with a new year filled with His goodness and blessings.

Fall Update

Our lives have felt like a whirlwind the last few months.  We have been working on our new building getting it ready for our Grand Opening and Dedication services on September 16th. The basement remodeling project was a bit more than we initially thought it would be, but in the end, it was worth all the time and effort to see the final product. The basement is now a bright, updated space for our nursery and children's Sunday school classes, as well as a great space for fellowship meals, and has nice, updated restrooms. Throughout the project, Tim had amazing stamina and vision to see the project finished. He and Pastor Fitch spent many, many hours working on details, painting, organizing helpers, as well as keeping up with the daily duties of the ministry.
September 16th was a glorious day with Ray and Ann Gibbs providing special music during the services. Their powerful voices filled our beautiful auditorium and inspired our hearts! There was excitement in the air, the building was full, and the Holy Spirit met with us!  Tim and I were truly overwhelmed as we looked back on the beginning days of our church and remembered all that has taken place since then. Having a permanent place to call our church home has been a constant prayer since before we moved to Branford in 1999.  Pastor Fitch put together a video showing the different locations that our church has met in over the last 13 years and documenting the transformation of the basement of our new location.   Here it is below:


Tim preached a message on "What's the Big Deal?" from I Timothy 3:15.  You can listen to it here: Grand Opening sermon
The dedication service that evening was touching as Tim recognized and thanked all those who gave financially and/or worked on the many different projects that needed to be completed.  Whether it was helping with the move, tearing down walls, pulling up old carpet, laying tile, hanging sheet rock, painting, cleaning, putting up trim, building shelves and radiator boxes, preparing meals for those who were working or completing the many finishing touches, each person was recognized and honored for their service.  It was a truly special day for us...and most of all we give the Lord all the glory for the gift of a permanent location in our town.
The week after the Grand Opening and Dedication, Dr. Rick Flanders came to hold a four-day revival meeting. Many people asked if we could continue the revival meeting and have it all week!  Our hearts were genuinely touched by his messages and many decisions were made to take new steps of faith in our walks with the Lord.  Needless to say, this has been a busy, but exciting few months in the life of our church.
Tim is doing really well physically.  His doctor has now extended his monthly checkups to every two months.  The cancer remains quiet, and his blood work is stable with all his numbers still in the normal range. We are so grateful for the Lord's faithfulness and graciousness to us!  Enjoy these pictures from the Grand Opening service:

 

Moving Day

We moved out of our store front facility in the middle of a thunderstorm about 3 weeks ago. So many people showed up to help that we were completly moved out by around noon. It was a crazy morning! I couldn't believe it when someone told me, "Well, that's the last load!"  As my mother-in-law always says, "Many hands make the work light!"  That saying was certainly proved on moving day!                          
The auditorium and front lobby have been painted and look fresh and bright.  The basement remodeling project is coming along nicely.  We anticipate the walls will be painted this week and the carpet will be installed at the end of this week or the first part of next week.  We are hoping to be able to move in to the basement at the end of the month.
There has been a good group of people come to help us with the project, and even more have given to help with the expenses of the project.  Tim has stated on several occasions how honored he is that so many churches and individuals would take time to help us or give financially. It means so much to know that others support the work being done here in Branford and are excited about this new phase in our church's history.  It has been amazing to see God bring people to us who have a particular skill - and they come at just the right time to finish certain tasks. We appreciate each person's time and effort to help finish this project in a timely manner. I look forward to posting pictures of the completed basement soon!

Group from Michigan who came to help



Taking a break for lunch

Fred keeps everyone laughing