All This and Heaven, Too
May 19, 2004

Ah, yes! It's true.

What I'm referring to is the recent visit my wife and I made to the headquarters for our denomination, the Free Methodist Church of North America.

This unexpected venture came about because of a trip Isaura and I had planned several months ago. Long time friend (thirty years!), Dolly McGuigan, contacted us about the surprise 50th birthday party she was planning for hubby, Ed, on May 8th. Could we come? So I began investigating flights to Cincinnati, OH, where Ed is pastor of a Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) Church. Looking at the map, I noticed the direct flights were either into Columbus or Indianapolis, IN. Since Indianapolis is the city where the Free Methodist World Ministries Center is, I thought we might just as well fly in there for a visit and then drive the hour and a half to Cincinnati.

I then contacted Andrea Anibal at headquarters. This young lady is the coordinator for the Free Methodist web site. She is the one who has been doing such a wonderful job of carrying all of my articles since December of 2002. She has really made the "Roots on Deck" web link look great, using the military motif of camouflage, boots, et al. Though we have only spoken a few times on the phone, and have e-mailed innumerable times during the past eighteen months, we had never met face-to-face.

No sooner had I sent the e-mail to Andrea informing her of our travel plans, then I received a reply asking if I would be willing to speak to the staff at their monthly chapel service. It's normally held on Tuesdays, but they were gracious enough to change the day in order to accommodate my travel itinerary. Andrea told me that quite a few of the staff keep up with my articles, so she thought they'd enjoy hearing about the ministry the Lord has given me since I was activated. This was shaping up to be a very fun trip!

Isaura and I flew to Indianapolis on a Thursday, arriving in time to make a brief visit to the headquarters where we met several of the staff, including Andrea. That evening, on Andrea's recommendation, Isaura and I drove to downtown Indy and ate dinner at Buca di Beppo, a family-style Italian restaurant. If you haven't eaten at one of these places yet, you must try it. Just make sure you're really hungry!

Friday morning we had a wonderful time with the staff in the chapel service. They used a patriotic theme. Kathi Walker played the piano prelude, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Trudy Burnett. We then sang the Star Spangled Banner. The next part of the service was a wonderful montage of all the Free Methodists who are currently serving in the Armed Forces of the United States, many who are currently in Iraq. Gary Wolf and Gerry Coates were responsible for this bit of electronic genius. Then Andrea introduced me. I had the remainder of the time, sharing with them how very blessed I've been serving the men and women of our military.

Isaura and I spent the remainder of the day touring the building, making new friends and visiting the beautiful city of Indianapolis with Andrea. If you ever have the opportunity, please stop by and walk along the canals that they've built through the city. It is quite beautiful, and certainly not what you'd expect to find in the downtown area of a major American metropolis. (Roll mouse over picture for another view.)

We then had lunch at TGI Friday's. And since Isaura and I have become big fans of Cold Stone Creamery, we asked Andrea if there was a Cold Stone in Indy. She was fairly certain that there was, or soon would be. So we began asking around, only to be lead on a merry goose chase. After covering a lot of downtown Indianapolis on foot, we finally wound up at a place called Maggie Moo's Ice Cream Parlor. They serve ice cream just like Cold Stone, so my cravings were assuaged!

That evening Isaura and I drove down to Cincinnati, wanting to have a good night's sleep so we'd be bright eyed and bushy tailed for Ed's 50th birthday party! It was a wonderful surprise party, and Ed never suspected a thing! About 70 of us — some I'd not seen in many years — gathered in a friend's back yard, waiting for Ed to round the corner. Later that evening we were having dinner together at a Mexican restaurant when Dolly asked Ed if he'd said anything to me about what they'd talked about. I had no idea what this was in reference to, but Ed soon made it all very clear. He looked at me and asked if I would preach in his church the next morning. Well, what could I say? Yes! Of course! One of the axioms I learned in seminary was to always be ready to preach, pray, or take an offering!

The whole trip was simply glorious and one that shall not soon fade from memory. God has been good to me, and I take delight in serving him. And heaven is still to come!