Last week, on our adventure day, Tom and I visited the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in Beechwood, Ohio. This probably would not have been our first choice for an adventure day in Ohio. However, Mom and Dad and some friends of theirs, Bev and Bruce, wanted to see the Adolph Eichmann traveling exhibit and …
From May 2016
Back in Ohio
We have been back in Ohio for a couple of weeks now and are getting caught up with family and friends. We are camping near my parents and it is really nice to be so close to them. We see them three to four times a week which is the most time I have spent …
Kinds of Grace: Prevenient, Justifying, and Sanctifying
When I was a pastor, grace was one of my favorite sermon topics. I especially loved talking to the youth in Confirmation Classes about God’s grace: the undeserved gift of being loved and accepted by God. In Confirmation Class we talked about the three kinds of grace: prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying. Yesterday at church, Confirmation …
Tom Hartley: Genealogy Expert
During our stays at Chickamauga and Kings Mountain, Tom became something of a genealogy expert. He learned how to look up records of people who fought at Chickamauga. At Kings Mountain he picked up another 100 years of looking up soldier records for people. Dr. Bobby Gilmer Moss was the genealogy expert for Kings Mountain. …
Last Week at Kings Mountain (For Now)
Our last week at Kings Mountain was the last week of April, but I’ve had so many things to write about in South Carolina! This week I am finishing up my South Carolina posts and will then move on to what we have been doing in Ohio. Our last week at Kings Mountain was as …
Diesel Prices Low in South Carolina
During the time that Tom and I have been full-timing, diesel prices have gone down. Considering that we only get 8 miles to the gallon when we are towing, a moderate increase or decrease in diesel prices can have quite an impact on our cost of living. So we were pleasantly surprised to find that …
Pinnacle at Crowders Mountain
One of our favorite hikes while we are in South Carolina has been the Pinnacle at Crowders Mountain State Park. Kings Mountain National Military Park, Kings Mountain State Park, and Crowders Mountain State Park are all in a line with the Kings Mountain range. The National Park and Kings Mountain State Park are both in …
Relationship Is More Important than Being Right
Yesterday at church, one of the things the pastor said stuck with me through the day: relationship is more important than being right. Actually, her exact words were “being right is never more important than being in relationship,” but I tend to shy away from words like always and never. Those words are relationship breakers. …
Prescribed Burn in the National Park
One of the first things we learned at Kings Mountain NMP is that they would have a prescribed burn. This is something that happens almost every year as the National Park Service works to keep the underbrush down so that small fires don’t become huge forest fires that threaten property and lives. For years, the …
Shelby, North Carolina: City of Pleasant Living
While Tom and I were in South Carolina, we spent some time in Shelby, North Carolina. We went to church in Shelby every Sunday at Aldersgate United Methodist and our favorite restaurant, Fatz Cafe, was in Shelby. Shelby had the closest Walmart, and we divided our shopping between Shelby and Kings Mountain. Shelby, North Carolina, …