I remember a good friend in California named Fred and the day he was 70 years old. He and I were working on something at the church building in Redwood City, and he told me how bad he felt that he couldn't do any more all that he used to do. He had aches and pains, not as much strength and he had heart trouble. It hurt him to do less.
I decided then that I would do my best to prepare myself for 70, not realizing how quickly it would arrive, and how much I would still want to do. I hit that wall last month. And what a wonderful birthday I had. First I celebrated with two of the grandchildren, whose birthday is near mine. Then Darlene and I returned to Kenya by way of Croatia, seeing old friends Tom and Sandra Sibley and visiting the church in Zagreb, as well as touring the coast with the Sibleys. On my birthday I was privileged to preach twice, something I seldom do anymore. And I bought my own birthday cake and shared it with the church (I can't eat it since I'm a diabetic, but they enjoyed). And birthday lunch was a great sirloin steak at the Vinidor in Zagreb -- a nice place. So...it's not bad being 70.
We are getting ready for The Story Project Seminar at Kamulu -- 50 representatives from 50 congregations in Kenya -- in which we will give a copy of The Story and about 450 pages of materials we have used in classes, sermons and small groups this year as we have gone through The Story. Various MITS Team members and church leaders will present on how they have used The Story. So Darlene and I have been getting rooms ready -- beds, mattresses, bedding and so on -- for the seminar. We have been working to get new "MITS Visitor" quarters ready also for next year. We put 5 bunk beds together yesterday, painted cabinets, and moved furniture around.
And now Darlene's birthday has come! Of course she is much younger than I.
I am slowing down some. It's a little hard for me to bend down enough to put on my socks and shoes. I have to stretch a little, then put my foot up on a chair and push down!! And I leave some things to Jackton and Robin and Francis and Joel and Moses and other MITS Team members. And they are glad to help me out. How wonderful to work with a Team of servant-minded people who love me!
I told the kids in chapel today that it is a wonderful thing to learn the song "Jesus loves me" and to know all your life that it is really true, that the love of Jesus is really for me, and that all of life is a gift from Him, and that his gifts are great treasures.
It's not so bad being 70.
