Cornerstone Family Ministries
P.O. Box 8253
Nikiski, AK 99635
907-252-2036
Newsletter December 2010
Dear Friends:
Perhaps you have noticed it also that 2010 went flying by at near laser
speed. So, here we are ready to start a new year with all the
excitement that a new start brings with it. In counseling, I
frequently hear folks say, “Well, after the first of the year, I will
make this change or that new direction.” Then, after that attempt
fizzles out, it changes to, “Come spring, I’ll…” or “In the fall or
after school starts, I’ll…” May the Lord grant you the desires of
your heart as you delight in Him.
Celebrating Thanksgiving at
Christmas
This Christmas has turned out to be a special one at our house.
While the celebration of Jesus’ birth is always a blessing, this year
we are celebrating an event that did NOT happen. Let me tell you
about it.
On Christmas Eve morning, I went to my church office as usual in the
dark around 8:30a.m.to do some end of the year projects. I
noticed one door of the double doors felt kind of funny when I tried to
unlock it…the reason was because it was unlocked already. That
didn’t alarm me because it is not an unusual occurrence for someone to
forget to lock the door. About two steps inside the interior
doors I came face to face with an intruder! I somewhat loudly
asked who he was and what he was doing in the building. He glared
at me, then bolted out the door and up the street on foot. I
turned on the interior lights and saw what seemed to be smoke in the
air. I could also smell that he had been cooking in the
kitchen. I ran in there, turned off the burner, and then ran back
out to the foyer where I could see smoke billowing out from under my
secretary’s office door. When I pushed it open, I could see that
it wasn’t smoke but was the result of his emptying a dry chemical fire
extinguisher totally covering everything in there with a coating of
chemical. He must have just finished doing that because the air
was still so thick with it I could hardly breathe.
After checking the auditorium for a fire, I called the Alaska State
Troopers in Soldotna about thirty miles away and, about 45 minutes
later, a trooper arrived to investigate the situation. During the
wait, we discovered the bad guy had smashed our offering box, left a
garbled note, and had taken the baby Jesus in a manger from the
Nativity scene near the entrance and replaced it with a pound of raw
bacon from our refrigerator ( obviously intended to be an insult to
Judeo-Christianity. It took our church janitorial crew about ten
hours to clean up the mess and repair and reinforce the broken door.
It wasn’t until later that night that it really hit me just how
differently things could have turned out that morning. The
trooper told me that surprising a burglar/intruder creates a very
dangerous situation and he said I was very fortunate that he didn’t
clobber me with something or use a weapon. I would not have had
time to defend myself had he wanted to do some bodily harm. My
secretary, Emma, who would normally have been there a half hour before
me would have walked right into his acts of vandalism. She had
decided to come in later. Also, the couple who clean the church
on Fridays had planned for him to drop her off at the door while he
went to another job he has nearby. However, they had slept in a
little and that potential tragedy did not occur either. So, while
we often praise the Lord for the blessings He brings to our lives, in
this case we are very thankful for what DID not happen.
CFM News
I want to thank all of you for yet another year of your prayers and
support that have allowed us to continue the ministry of CFM. I
am a few clicks too busy with counseling right now but I am not
complaining. There seem to be an unusual number of folks dealing
with depression, anger and domestic tension. From the volume of
fundraising mail we get, it must be that most non-profit organizations
are experiencing the effects of the economic woes in America. So
far, we have not missed paying one bill on time. Thank you and
thank you Lord. 2011 will mark the 26th year for CFM. When
I say that we could not have done it without you, I speak the
truth.
Coming up this spring I have been invited to return to Ketchikan to
speak for another men’s retreat sponsored by First Assembly of
God. I had a great time last year and met some really dedicated
men of God. Then in April I will be going up to Victory Bible
Camp north of Palmer, AK to do a men’s retreat for Lazy Mountain Bible
Church in Palmer. I have ministered at a number of retreats in
this location and I am very glad that this one is nearer to
springtime. It is extremely cold there in the winter.
Maggie
Well, it looks like we have a new family member…at least for
awhile. About three weeks ago in the middle of a really gnarly
windstorm, Marveen went out in the elements to do her daily rounds
supplying about ten bird feeding stations in our backyard. We
have an abundance of small critters that frequent this smorgasbord she
provides…squirrels, magpies, siskens , chickadees, juncos, finches,
woodpeckers, nut hatches, stellar and gray jays, an occasional raven
and now and then an unwelcome Goshawk or sparrow hawk looking to nab a
meal here as well. One year we had three huge Great Horned Owls
and this year a tiny Saw-Whet owl, hardly bigger than my fist.
Anyway, as Marveen was taking care of her “flock” she noticed a magpie
(a bird species usually very wary and shy that fly away at the
slightest motion or noise) hopping along in her footprints in the snow,
and strangely, brave enough to come to within just a few feet of her
looking for a peanut or handout of suet or seeds. Closer
examination showed that where most magpies have long beautiful
tail-feathers, this little gal had NONE and was missing some wing
feathers on one side. We aren’t sure if a hawk, cat, fox or
another bird mugged this one, but, she had no tail and subsequently
could not fly. We think she spent a night or two under our
utility trailer until she found a tree in the front yard with a stump
nearby so she could hop up and by flapping her wings, was able to
scamper up to a perch. Being a magpie, Marveen affectionately
named her “Maggie” and now when Marveen goes out in the morning, she
calls for her by name and here she comes prancing over the snow like a
kid skipping on a playground. It is hilarious to watch as she
follows Marveen all over begging (successfully) for food which she
promptly buries in the snow and comes back for more. The folks at
the Kenai Wildlife Center told us that if she can elude the predators,
her feathers will likely grow back and she will be able to fly
again. The other night I was eyeballing a pound of fresh
hamburger to have for dinner but I was informed that the burger was for
Maggie and we were having soup. Had to laugh…Marveen and Maggie
had me outnumbered.
New Year
I hope you have a great year in 2011. Like it says in Eph. 5
(Amp), “Make the most of every opportunity the Lord brings your way.
FYI…If you wish to have any contributions recorded for tax purposes for
2010, they need to be postmarked by Dec. 31st.
God Bless You!
Wayne & Marveen