Dean's birthday is coming up soon...It was June 23, 1954 when he and his older brother (by only a few minutes) were born in Kaduna, Nigeria. This is the first photograph of the twins showing also Nursing Sister Stokes. Nigeria was then a colony and protectorate of Great Britain. The doctor who delivered the twins was British as was Nurse Stokes. The cost to us: Zero. That's what national health care is all about. Or, it was then.

All decorated for Nancy's Birthday. Mom diverted her by asking her to take her to the store. Daniel, Suzanne, and Dad decorated. Suz made cake, Daniel decorated it (do you believe 15?), and we all worked on making chicken curry and all the side dishes. John...in Oxford...so sorry he was not there.

After my many years of treating large animals in my veterinary clinic in Urgisstan, I concluded that my grandson, Daniel, could use some horse sense serum. Following the injection he decided he was ready to run in the Kentucky Derby.

Daniel DeValve who is majoring in Floral Arrangement (just kidding) at Cedarville with flowers he had just picked for his Mom for Mother's Day. Daniel is majoring in International Studies.
Now on an entirely different note, a thought that has been circulating in my cranium and also in my heart is this, "What Gospel have we believed?" Of course we have believed and received the Gospel message that we are lost sinners in need of a saviour and that Jesus Christ, God's Son, through his sacrificial death upon the cross purchased for us our eternal salvation. That we gladly and willingly affirm. But it seems to me that many of us--or I'll limit that to me and perhaps "many" like me--have been taught and perpetuated another "gospel" and I speak now of "truth," not the salvation message, and that "gospel" defines us more by what we are not than by what we are. We have more or less subscribed to the notion that the most important thing in the Christian life is to not be "worldly" and by not being "worldly" we mean that there is a long list of things that are proscribed. And many of them likely should be proscribed, others, however have no more bearing on true holiness than some of the rules concocted by the Pharisees.
We have--and wrongly, I submit--concluded that to not be "worldly" is to be "spiritual." Indulge me, please, for a few moments more. I submit to you this thought to mull over: We have it all in reverse. This emphasis should not be on the avoidance of worldliness but on the thirsting for and seeking for God and His righteousness. If we are truly spiritual (seeking the Spirit's empowering to live holy lives with an ever growing desire to know and love God) then we will not be worldly. But simply to not be worldly does not necessarily equal being spiritual.

Suzanne DeValve, home from Cedarville University, after completing her freshman year. Majoring in elementary education as did her Mom before her also at Cedarville. She and her brother, Daniel (now a senior at Cedarville University) will be working this summer at the nearby Salvation Army camp, Camp Lahore.

Pictured above, Mom and Nancy on Mother's Day, at Missionary Retreat Fellowship, Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania. What's with the sweater and scarf? Well, the local weather prognosticator became a prevaricator and the warm weather promised was not forthcoming. But now that we are in the hot season in Florida we look back at Pennsylvania and say, "Being cool was cool."

A couple of years ago the home that stood on this spot burned. It was a beautiful home built early in the 20th century by a Mr. Lovelace. In 1917 it was purchased by my grandparents, Oliver & Vita Wheeler. It remained in the Wheeler family until 1982 or '83 when it was purchased by a great granddaughter of Grandpa & Grandma Wheeler, Julie (Hall) Walker and her husband Gene. They made many improvements on the old homestead and then, mysteriously, one day when no one was at home a fire--possibly an electrical short--broke out. The house was so thoroughly destroyed that it was declared a complete loss and later was reduced to rubble and carted off to a landfill. The structure in the background is the Starrucca Viaduct built about 1846 by the Erie Railroad. The stone was from local quarries. It is an engineering marvel.