1. A Lake Called Crotch. Sometimes names don't really show
what a thing is all about. Correctional Facility. Oh, that's
nice...They're going to help me correct my problems. A little
support sure will be nice to work through this difficult
time. Well, I spend a few weeks each year at a beautiful,
wilderness lake in eastern Ontario. It is great for fishing,
boating, and swimming. It is surrounded by unspoiled acres
of pines trees and wildlife. Because of the serene atmosphere
and time to sit and think, I often get a lot of creative
work done there...songs written, orchestrations created.
And what is this tranquil retreat called? Crotch Lake. It
is named Crotch Lake because of the shape; it's two long,
areas of lake connected by a curved, skinny section. It's
like two legs, and...well, a crotch. But couldn't they have
dug a little deeper when it came time to name it!? For a
time in the polite 1950s there was an attempt to rename
it Cross Lake. Apparently it didn't stick. Once a Crotch,
always a Crotch. After fifteen years of visits, the name
doesn't faze me anymore...until it's time to explain to
someone where I went!
"Where did you go this summer?"
"A wilderness lake in Ontario"
"Really? That sounds wonderful! What's it called?"
"Umm...Crotch Lake."
[uncomfortable pause] "Oh."
Is it a nudist colony? A proctology research station? No,
it's just a lake! A really pretty one with a horrible name.
You can imagine some of the names for the little bays and
tributaries we have come up with. I won't share those now.
But some of you might like to vacation at a beautiful place
with great accommodations and amazing, natural surroundings.
Some of you might like the novelty of staying at a place
with Crotch in the name. There's even a par 3 golf course
and restaurant on the facility! The restaurant is called
Canadian Shield, by the way, not Crotchview or anything
like that. Visit the website of the place where we stay,
Tumblehome Lodge. http://www.virtualnorth.com/tumblehome
. Nary a crotch joke to be found on their site, unfortunately.
I think they should make their slogan "Tumblehome Lodge:
A Crotchful Of Fun." But that's just me.
2. The Money Pit. Is it just our family, or does it seem
that there are certain times when all kinds of huge expenses
come at you at once? That's how our summer has been. First,
after a very eventful set up in a church in the Pittsburgh
area, it became clear that I would be needing a new keyboard
amp. Then, the truck transmission started doing weird things
when we were in Canada. I wasn't sure what it would be like
to work with mechanics across the border, but we found a
guy who did a fantastic job and charged us a fair price...which
is still a lot of money! Then I dove into the lake with
my glasses on, despite the kind advice of my cousin, Daniel.
There is a fish who now sees extremely sharply at longer
distances, and I had to come up with new glasses, also in
Canada. The whole summer has been like this. Not to mention
Carter and Sheri spending a delightful night in the ER when
a virus started affecting Carter's breathing. He's fine,
by the way. What spiritual lesson should I draw from all
this? What is God trying to teach me? Well, one thing would
be that I am in control of a lot less than I may think.
Ultimately, there is much that is outside my control, and
the only way to have peace about it is to trust God to be
looking out for my best. And, equally important, when things
don't seem particularly "best" to my human perspective,
even the bad things are working good in me. "All things
work together for good for those who love God and are called
according to His purposes," the Bible reminds us. That
means even a blown transmission can be good in disguise
if I'm willing to learn. Sometimes that's a pretty big "if."
But I'm working on it.
3. Where Do I Go From Here? This has been a banner year
in many ways. In June and July I played three of the most
personally meaningful concerts to date. I played at Pennsylvania
Campmeeting of the SDA Church; my childhood church, Abington
Presbyterian; and the New Wilmington Missionary Conference.
Wow! Two big crowds, one...well, not big. But all meaningful
because they are special places to me. Makes me wonder what
God has in store next! Tune in to find out!
