WHEN SAYING “THANK YOU”

handwritten notes are the best. I am ambidextrous in some things, but handwriting is not one of them. And I’m accused of having a physician’s prescription handwriting style, so permit me to say “thank you” in my humble way. In my blog.

 

TO MY BOOKS AND BLOG READERS

thanks for inviting me into your lives by subscribing to ‘Perspective.’ When we meet occasionally on social media platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn it is always my pleasure there as well.

 

You are friends and partners in faith and ministry. You are people I enjoy being with. Some of you are kind to support the work I do financially, and for this, I give you my special thanks. I receive no salary or compensation, but your gifts aid with ministry expenses incurred in what I do.

 

WHAT IS AHEAD?

I remain in good health, well into my ninth decade, for which I thank God. He is El Shaddai, Almighty, All-Sufficient, the God of More Than Enough. There is nothing too hard for our One True God, and he lets me share in this holy adventure we call ‘life.’

 

  1. C3 Leaders. I co-lead with Ron a C3 Leaders Forum each Wednesday morning, consisting of business and professional men growing in our walk with Jesus. For information, visit C3Leaders.org.

 

  1. GAGE, the wonder dog, and I began training when he was 5 months old. My daughter, Michele, has joined our certified Reading with Rover medical/therapy dog D.R.E.A.M team (Dogs for Reading Assistance Education and More), helping school children with special reading needs; the “more” part is when we visit with older adults living independently, or patients in hospitals and assisted living/memory care centers.

 

  1. Perspective. The specific target is adults in Life’s Third Age (60+) and their adult children. It has become a meeting place for more than 1300 subscribers, along with others on Facebook and LinkedIn social networks, who join me in letting life’s ordinary elements of pathos and humor, prose and poetry, reason and faith, facts, and fiction, bump up against ancient biblical truths and 21st-century life. If you’re reading this on social media, subscribe now to Perspective (http//www.wardtanneberg.com/blog).

 

  1. “Tuesdays at Two.” This in-person first began on Zoom as a place to offer encouragement, tell our stories, unpack our spiritual journeys, and describe as older adults what our life purposes look like going forward. We have recently been showing “The Chosen” film series in the Timber Ridge theatre.

 

  1. “The Fellowship.” I live at Timber Ridge, among 500 active independent retirees, 60+ in age, a for-profit, non-religiously based community (think Acts 17:16-34). Two years ago, I invited a few persons who no longer drive, or who’ve lost connection with their church, or who are thinking about spiritual things for the first time in a long time to meet me in a small gathering area outside my apartment for coffee and fellowship at 10 o’clock. Would anyone come? Ten persons surprised me by showing up with cups in hand. The number grew, and soon, “The Fellowship” moved to a larger meeting area. In September, 10 men and women, mostly in their 70s, 80s, and 90s, were baptized in our community swimming pool. It was a TimberRidge first, a truly happy and beautiful experience. Mickey, with years of pastoral experience in the Catholic Church, together with Norm and Bobbe, who formerly led Professional Athletes Outreach, have joined me in helping co-lead this ministry.

 

  1. Widow/Widower Support Group. I will assist Allison, Holly, and Judy, in our third Widow/Widower 6-week support group, beginning in February, while enjoying dinner with these and others who have been in previous groups every other Wednesday. And because I love to sing, I joined the Rusty Chords choir this year.

 

  1. Writing is a way for me to put my arms around a world needing lots of love, more so than ever, and say, “It’s going to get better…Jesus is coming soon.” Please know how thankful I am when you remember me in your prayers. This is my most important support of all.

 

  1. Personal (of course, this note is all personal, but this especially so). Last Thursday, I flew to Savannah GA, for Thanksgiving week. to be with my son, Stephen, his wonderful wife, Nancy, and my grandson, Jesse. Stephen transitioned home from the hospital rehab center last week, still recovering from a recent massive stroke—a truly life-altering event. Keep them in your prayers.

 

Let’s keep doing this, as we each do in our own way, with our own skills and giftedness, “listen well, teach with humility, are creative in telling our stories of God’s love, stir the glowing embers in our peers, and leave the Light on for the next generations.”

 

May Jesus keep us close.