Unsettled church situation
In one of my first few blogs from NC I shared that I had found a church home - a small church with a pastor from South Africa. In the past three months or so I've become quite close to the congregation of 25 or 30, especially to the women. I'm so grateful to the Lord that I was able to make friends so quickly in this way.Last week the whole apple cart got upset when the pastor all of a sudden resigned due to an extramarital affair with a church member. These revelations have the power to shake mega churches, but when such a small church is involved, its very survival is threatened. So far we've been circling the wagons and seeking to react with love and forgiveness. But already

Fall in the Mountains of WNC
By now I've lived through most of the fall season here, and it really is as beautiful as everybody says - especially when it is sunny. By now the leaves in the higher elevations, like up at the Blue Ridge Parkway, have fallen, but down here in the lower elevations the colors are in full swing. They are, perhaps, a bit more muted than in New England - being yellow, red, and some green - but much prettier than in Iowa, which is simply yellow, if it has a forest at all.With my sister visiting from Germany, we've been out hiking and walking every chance we've got, and the timing couldn't be more perfect. The weather is cool in the mornings - it froze a couple of times - but in the sixties

From Flatlander to Mountain Woman (Ha, ha)
One of the attractions of moving to NC had originally been the proximity to the ocean. "Only five or six hours to the ocean" - I said to myself, and I saw us whizzing down the freeway to Myrtle Beach all the time. Well, even though I still hope to go sometime, it seems that the mountains closeby win out over the beach far away. Who needs driving for hours and spending a hundred bucks a night in a motel if we have some of the most scenic tourist spots right in front of our door? We can pick just the right, sunny days for our outings, get to stay home if it rains and sleep in our own beds, not to mention cook at home if we like or go out, if we want.In Iowa we complain about our h

Guns and Rain
When I was signing in at the outpatient clinic for my mammogram, I noticed a line on the fairly short form asking:"Are you carrying a weapon?"And, "If so, has security been notified?"I had noticed a sign at the entrance saying "No concealed weapons permitted" but never expected this on an admission form. They sure wouldn't ask this in Iowa, or Germany, for that matter!For someone like me who is at least a semi-pacificist, this passion about guns is frightening. In South Carolina, just a few miles from here, a mayor got into trouble with the NRA because he joined a group called, "Mayors Against Illegal Weapons." Note - this was about illegal weapons,

A Trip to Atlanta
We just came back from our first overnight trip since moving to Hendersonville, NC. Here are some of my observations, in no particular order:1. No matter which way you're driving to Hendersonville, you're driving through some gorgeous scenery. I love the mountains more each time I drive through them. On that account Hvl wins hands-down.2. As soon as we got the "flatland", we were hit with the reality why I don't like living in the South: the heat and humidity. Even at temps in the 70's and 80's it seemed pretty unbearable. Hvl. was humid, too, but cool, in the upper sixties. It felt good to be home!3. On the downside, gas is much more expensive here. In both Georgia and SC