“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1

It started with a phone call. We were told that Jen’s dad had had a stroke. But as it turned out, it wasn’t a stroke at all, but a large tumor pressing in on the left side of his brain, causing temporary paralysis of the right side.

After the successful removal of the tumor, confirmation that the tumor was benign, and a week of rapid recovery, Cliff developed a life-threatening infection. The infection was so severe that it forced Cliff back into the hospital for 4 weeks, and left him completely paralyzed on his right side. He could not walk, or use his right hand to eat or write.

Suddenly, routine tasks that we all take for granted become difficult, if not impossible.

You can imagine the frustration of not being able to do things for yourself, being completely dependent on others for our livelihood.

Over the past year, Cliff has made remarkable progress. Yet one frustration has remained: Cliff has not been able to ride his bike.

Last fall I helped Cliff put his bike on a stationary stand in his living room. It took almost every ounce of his strength to get his leg over the seat so he could get on the bike. I watched Cliff’s frustration as he realized how much time and hard work it would take before he could once again hit the streets.

Yet Cliff has persevered. He consistently rode his bike, building up his stamina and his strength.

This past weekend, Cliff decided it was time to put his resolve to the test. So we loaded up the bike in the car and drove over the the high school where Cliff could ride on the grass.

To be honest, I expected Cliff to fall a few times, and I was hoping that he wouldn’t get too discouraged. Yet Cliff got on the bike and took off. It was another milestone in Cliff’s overall recovery. Praise God!

It seems to me that the Christian life is a lot like Cliff’s recovery. We all have obstacles in our way that keep us from getting to where we want to go.

In the Christian life the obstacles are often our own sin. The goal is to become more like Jesus.

As the verse in Hebrews points out, the only way we’re going to reach that goal is to put aside our sin which entangles us and to focus on the goal, becoming more like Jesus.

It’s not easy, and we often get frustrated by the circumstances and trials of life. But I guess that’s when our resolve gets put to the test. If we persevere, the reward is progress towards the goal. If we give up, we not only lose ground, we are forever stuck in the mud of frustration and often self pity.

Thanks to all of you who have continued to pray for Cliff. I know he is extremely grateful, as are we. Please continue to pray for him and his recovery. And pray for Jennifer and I, as we run the spiritual race of life!

Dealing With Car Problems

For the past 3 years, Jen and I have learned to get by with just one car. Overall, it’s been great. Only one car to insure, register and maintain. But there are disadvantages.

In less than 3 years we’ve put 55,000 miles on our car, and the wear and tear has caught up.

It all started about 5 weeks ago when the breaks went out. A week after getting that fixed, the alternator went out.

We had the car towed to the garage and I told the mechanic to check out the car and get it ready for our trip this summer.

I knew I was in trouble when the mechanic called and said, “Get out a piece of paper.”

The list seemed endless. The exhaust manifold was cracked, it needed a tune-up, a new fuel filter, and transmission work. Also, the belts and hoses have never been replaced and although they were still functioning, I had visions of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with a coolant system leak. The total bill would be $1300. Ouch!

Last year, before we moved back to Fresno, we had the timing belt replaced. Ever since then, our car has had no power. In my male quest for more power and speed, I asked the mechanic to check it out.

The timinig belt was put on wrong and was off by a whole tooth. “Add $100 to the bill”, he said, “and be thankful that you didn’t bend a valve.”

Last week, I finally took it in to get the rest of the work done (will pay by faith). It turns out that the breaks weren’t done right a month ago, so I had to take it back for a completely new break job.

Also, I had my mechanic check a shimmy that I felt in the steering. Cause: two bad tires that were only one year old.

Finally, our car is ready for the trip. It looks and runs great. Lord willing we will make it to Colorado and back without any more problems. Please continue to pray for us as we travel this summer.

Heading for the Mountains

This summer, Jennifer and I have the opportunity to spend six weeks in Colorado.

We’ll be taking four weeks of Bible classes and then we’ll be attending our biennial staff conference at Colorado State University.

We’re looking forward to getting some good Biblical teaching and also escaping the heat of California’s Central Valley. We’d love to hear from you. Our mail in Fresno will be picked up and forwarded to us. However, if you want to contact us directly, you can reach us at the following address and phone #: