Launching Out Into 2007

HAPPY NEW YEAR, dear friend! We wish you a year filled with new discoveries of all that God is and has made available for you through Jesus Christ.

We look forward to another year of BLOGGING FOR JESUS. What a privilege to minister through this medium! To all the "Fisher Connection", thank you for your love and encouragement over the past year. It has been a pleasure exchanging comments and blessing one another. We serve a mighty God and it's a joy to share His love with others!

Our slogan, as fellow pilgrims, for the new year is "A Step Closer To Heaven in 2007". Yes, we're getting nearer each day. The lights of "home" are coming into view on the horizon. Let's serve the Lord with gladness in 2007, looking for His glorious appearing.

Blessings, dear friends, and much love in Christ!

David

Something To Think About

My friend Greg Asimakoupoulos penned the following poem, reminding us about our apparent apathy during the Christmas season. It certainly challenged me.


O Little Town of Where-We-Live
A musical prayer of confession
by Greg Asimakoupoulos - Dec. 21, 2006

Note: These lyrics can be sung to the tune of O Little Town of Bethlehem

O little town of Where-We-Live
you surely know the score.
We give to those who give to us
and overlook the poor.
The homeless and the widows
don't have much Christmas cheer.
How can they when they live without
the basics through the year?

But we who live with all we need
take all of it in stride.
The holidays are good to us.
We rarely are denied.
We bake our Christmas cookies
and gather with our friends.
A concert here, a party there
and then the season ends.

But somehow something's missing
in spite of what we do.
If honest, we're quite empty
and joys it seems are few.
We end each year resolving
to break with old routines
and yet come next December
we're like we've always been.

This Christmas may God give us eyes
to see what makes Him cry.
And hearts to feel the pain he knows
when plans for justice die.
As shepherds left their livestock
we're called to leave our flock
to seek the place where Christ is found
uptown or down the block.

The Old Homestead

This Christmas I wrote a poem for mom concerning the home she has lived in and maintained since 1946. What a blessing to have a wonderful place to "come home to"! It's sixty (60) years since we moved in. I was only a year old so I don't remember moving day but I have many, many fond memories of The Old Homestead.

Four of the five verses in the poem are written from a different perspective. The first is what you see when you approach the house from the north. The second is coming from the east, the third from the west and the fourth from the south where Little Lake sits. The last verse is a tribute to my mother, of course. Hope you enjoy it. Mom sure did!

The Old Homestead (1946 – 2006)
Celebrating 60 years of memories…

Down Rogers Street
And cross the tracks
You’ll see the ol’ homestead;
With long white fence
Inviting doors
And shingles that are red.

Ashburnham Drive
Then cross the bridge
There stands our mother’s home
A welcome place
To come back to
Wherever you may roam.

When driving east
From Burnham Street
The house comes into view
Reminding us
Of memories past
I love that house don’t you!

Then coming up
From Little Lake
We see that big back yard
Where we would play
In good old days
When times weren’t quite so hard.

Six kids were raised
In that great home
That’s where we got our start
A cozy place
Adorned with grace
And love from mother’s heart.

David W. Fisher - December 2006

The Grandkids Gallery

One of the many benefits of the Christmas season is receiving new photos of the grandchildren. Our sons Tim & Stephen and their families were with us on separate occasions over the holidays. Tim & Nicole's children are Carissa (11), and the twins Josiah (8) and Daynica (you guessed it...8). Stephen & Denise's children are Rebecca (4) and Michael (2).

Here are some of the photos Carol and I received! Is it alright to say that I'm a proud grandpa! You bet it is!

This is Rebecca's first class picture. She's in JK.

Keep Those Cards & Letters Coming

Tonight I unearthed a copy of a BC comic strip that I had torn out of the newspaper several years ago.

As the founder of Epistle Sports Ministries, a letter-writing outreach, I found this particular "edition" of BC quite appropriate.

Yes, there are still some people who think an epistle is the wife of an apostle. Just kidding!

For Epistle Sports Ministries updates, go to:
www.dwfisher.blogspot.com

Putting 'Em Up Or Taking 'Em Down?

Thanks for this beautiful picture, Saija! Nothing like a good old-fashioned Christmas! We're sure not taking our Christmas lights down yet. I just put them up a week ago.

Hope this picture gives you a little pickup, I mean pick-me-up!

God bless!

Strength For The Journey

This morning I was reading the explanation concerning the logo for Joseph Stowell's STRENGTH FOR THE JOURNEY devotional ministry.

Here's the logo:













And here's the explanation:

The “leaping” figure in our logo depicts the joy and strength that God and His Word provide for those of us who look to Him for the strength that we need for our journey. But given the fact that life is rarely straight and predictable, the zigzag lines in the figure remind us that in spite of the changing nature of our journey, our Lord fills the unpredictable with His confidence and courage. We agree with what Isaiah said when he wrote, “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31).

Good stuff!

Note: Check out the link on this page!

Country Christmas...No Snow

On Christmas day I took a walk in the woods behind our home, down to the creek that runs across the corner of our lot. I hadn't been down there for a couple of months. Usually by this time the snow has made the path impassible but we have no snow and I was able to get down to the creek.

When I got there I saw that I had left our Adirondack chair down there last fall so I sat down and thought deeply for awhile. The sound of the "babbling brook" was music to my ears.

Normally I would be disappointed if we didn't get a White Christmas but not this year. Christmas came and went so quickly! And remember...the days are already getting longer! Hallelujah!

Regardless of the weather, we have a God who care for His own and I have much to thank Him for as we approach the end of another year. It's been a difficult year but the Lord has been faithful and good. He walked with this pilgrim each step of the way even when I wondered what was going to happen next.

I'm reminded afresh of the verse which my Grandma Fisher taught me many years ago:

"The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knoweth them that trust in Him." - Nahum 1:7

Merry Christmas

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah (9:6)

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

Thanks to Claire (Pilot Mom) for this wonderful wreath! Hope you enjoyed having Pilot home for Christmas! See Claire Bug link on this site.

He Shoots, He Snores

Merry Christmas, friends!

Hope you had a great day! This evening I got rid of my inhibitions (no I was NOT drinking...I don't drink) and got all dressed up in my CPAP machine mask (for my recently diagnosed sleep apnea) and my hockey helmet and gloves.

What a sight! We had to take Victoria's dog somewhere else or he would have gone crazy with his incessant barking if he saw me.

Just thought you might be amused but, if you're not, that's alright. This ol' pilgrim has to be crazy sometimes! Right?

GO PETES GO!

Happy Birthday JESUS!

Today we celebrate the birthday of the King! Aren't you glad He came? He's coming back again! What a day that will be!

"But until then, with joy I'll go on singing,
Until then, with joy I'll carry on;
Until the day my eyes behold that city,
Until the day, God calls me home."

Have a blessed Christmas dear friends!

Much love in Christ, David

The 2nd Best Gift

Today I received the 2nd best gift of the Christmas season (the 1st is Jesus, of course). My niece Holly, who many of you have been praying for, came home from Lyndhurst Rehab Hospital in Toronto for the Christmas season.

Our Fisher family Christmas celebration was held at Jim & Karen's home and Holly was taken out there from her parents' home by ambulance. How exciting for her to be home for about 2 weeks! She'll go back to Toronto on January 2nd.

Holly can move her legs and feet now and she can stand briefly but isn't able to take any steps yet.

She told me that being with family today helped to alleviate her pain and that being home was the best Christmas gift she could have.

Thanks so much for your prayers for Holly over the past six months. It's hard to believe that it was the end of June when she was involved in that terrible accident.

I took these pictures of Holly today. Please continue to pray! THANK YOU!

Epistle Christmas Update

Dear fellow pilgrims:

You may be interested in checking out our EPISTLE SPORTS MINISTRIES Christmas Newsletter for 2006. Just click HERE.

It's been a very "interesting" year of ministry. God's grace has sustained us through this period of transition and the prayers of God's people have been appreciated so much.

Please visit us at EPISTLE SPORTS MINISTRIES updates.

Only 6 days left 'til we celebrate the Incarnation! God, manifest in the flesh!

Note: My good friend GABE GROSS is pictured here.

Gettin' Ready

Saija heard about our house-warming party so she quickly started decorating. She only has three places set at the table so it's first come, first seated. Leo will be in his re-upholstered (sp?) recliner and the hostess, Saija, will be somewhere where we can wait on her royally.

Have you sent her a house-warming gift yet? Note: She doesn't want a space heater or an indoor barbecue.

Drop by for a visit HERE and wish them well. Maybe you'll get one of those three chairs.

My Momentum

My friend Tim Coles, Executive Director of Kawartha Youth for Christ, has his own blog and I've added a link to his site on "Pilgrim Scribblings" and "the Barnabas Blog".

Check out Tim's "My Momentum", not because he speaks of our ministry to the Peterborough Petes in one of his posts but just because "it's a great site"!

Enjoy your visit!

House Warming Party

Saija and Leo are getting settled in their new "digs", their condo. As all of the "Fisher Connection" knows, from Saija's posts, they had been praying for God to provide a new place for them to live...and He did...before Christmas. Hallelujah! (Pictures are from Saija's place)

If we are lived in their neighborhood we'd be invited to a house warming party but, alas, we are all separated by many miles.

So, let's all come here to PILGRIM SCRIBBLINGS and then take a visit together to THRO' A GLASS DARKLY and wish Saija and Leo God's blessing as they begin the latest phase of their lives together and with Him.

Drop Saija a note, leave her a comment, let's make them feel welcome!

Have a great week, dear blogging buddies! God is good, Jesus came, fully God and fully man and our lives have been changed forever through faith in Him.

Blessings...

P. S. Saija writes concerning "home":

"Jesus didn't have an earthly home to be born in ... just a stable ... yet, He has given us a home to move to - during this season of celebrating His birth ... i found that so ironic ... and so wonderful ... a present that speaks volumes to me ... it just reminds me again and again, that my true HOME is with Christ ... He knows i think that way ... yet, He gave us this place that we wanted ... and the timing makes me tear up ... a true Christmas present of the heart ..."

In The Mood?

Not feeling in the Christmas spirit yet? Perhaps Terry's (Canadian Blogger) picture will help. Have a wonderful day...in His grace!

Pilgrimage to Detroit

Our son Matthew wanted an early Christmas present...a trip to Detroit to see his Red Wings play. For some reason he has developed a passion for hockey and the Red Wings are his favorite team. Last night was a perfect time to make the trip because his cousin Mike Fisher was in town with the Senators to face the mighty (???) Wings. It was Matthews's first time to see Mike play "LIVE" since his cousin got to the NHL.

By the way, my Sens beat Matthew's Wings 3-2.

Matthew's favorite Detroit player is Robert Lang and he got to meet his hero in the Wives' Lounge after the game. Wow!

In no particular order, here are photos of Matthew waiting for the train in Cobourg, ON, riding on the train, meeting Robert Lang, Mike staying on top of the referee and a shot of the Joe Louis Arena. Another blessing for me was visiting with Red Wings goaltender Joey MacDonald, a former attender of our FISH get togethers with the Petes in Peterborough. I also saw former Peteborough Pete Jamie Tardif who had driven up from Toledo,OH where he plays for the Toledo Storm in the ECHL.

Now we'll catch the train here in Windsor and head for home. A great trip for father and son!

P. S. Mike picked up another assist in the game to make it even more special! Thanks, Mike, for the tickets and for everything else you do!

Laura Gainey

When I first heard the news that Laura Gainey had been washed off the deck of the tall ship she was working on I felt sick to my stomach. What a tragic event to be lost at sea! I know her dad, Bob Gainey, the General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens.

Last night at our Christmas Banquet for the Peterborough Petes we prayed, as a team, for Laura, Bob and the family. Bob lost his wife Cathy to cancer back in 1995.

Please pray for the Gainey family in the days ahead. In God's economy there's still a chance that Laura will be found but hope is diminishing. The search by the Coast Guard has been called off.

Thanks for your prayers!

Proud Grandma

Last Saturday my mom, Mike Fisher's grandma, got to see her 1st Senators' game in Ottawa. It was the first time mom had seen Mike play, "live", since his Junior days.

Mike took time out after the game, before flying to Columbus, to visit with mom!

Great memories!

Proud Papa

This afternoon Matthew made his debut in net with the Don Mills Diamonds. It was the third game of the season but Matthew's first as a goaltender.

He started the game and gave way to the other goalie half way through the game. Matthew allowed four goals but had little or no support from his defencemen. We won handily and 11 year old Matthew was sure excited as we drove home from Toronto!

The Diamonds are made up of boys and young men with various physical or neurological challenges. As I have mentioned in previous posts, Matthew has Asperger's Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism.

It was a great experience for all of us. We'll be back again December 16th for Matthew's next game.

GOD IS GOOD!

Fish Stories

With a nickname like "FISH" it's ironic that some of my favorite accounts in the New Testament are "fish stories". Now don't get me wrong. I hold a high view of Scripture and I cherish an inerrant Bible in the orinigal autographs.

The stories I enjoy are the ones concerning some of the early disciples who left their nets to follow Jesus. I've preached several times from John 21 where Jesus encounters Peter, John and five other disciples trying to catch fish. They are out in the boat trying unsuccessfully to catch a big one. Meanwhile the Master is onshore cooking up some fish on the fire. You know the rest of the story, I'm sure.

I've entitled my message "From Bed to Breakfast By Way of the Tree". Of course the bed in the manger, breakfast is the beach scene and the tree is Calvary.

I've drawn a parallel between those three vignettes fin the life of Christ and the events of Christmas morning at our home and many others. We go from bed to breakfast by way of the tree. No way that an 11-year-old and a 10-year-old are going to have breakfast before opening those gifts under the tree.

One of the components of our MONDAY WE HAVE FISH Bible studies with the Peterborough Petes is the story-telling time. I've always got a real-life story or two to illustrate the Bible passage I'm dealing with. Yes, these could be called "Fish Stories" but they're always TRUE, just like the biblical accounts.

So...I found it interesting when I saw this sign in the mall in Lansing, Michigan the other day. I just had to bring it home.

Yes, "Fish Stories" are told here on Pilgrim Scribblings but they, too, are genuine, true, reliable accounts of one man's journey home.

We are instructed to be "Fishers of Men"!

Caught anything lately? Any bites?

Deep Valley?

Going through a deep valley? I've gone through my share of them over the years. So did Joseph, Job, Elijah, David, Paul and millions of others. Guess what? They all came out of the valley again.

Paul Mackay posted this incredible photo on his Still Rambling blog. See all the traffic in the valley? Where does the road lead? Out of the valley and up the hill...in both directions. (Click on the photo to get a larger, clearer view)

Do you seem stuck in your valley? Look for a way out! "God will make a way where there seems to be no way!"

"As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools." - Psalm 84:6

Moving In...

GOD ANSWERS PRAYER...

Today Saija and Leo take possession of their condo! After waiting for God's best, they are moving in and will be able to settle and enjoy their new place over the Christmas holidays!


Let's show our love and our gratitude to God by posting lots of comments on Saija's blog, Thro'A Glass Darkly!

Saija has been a blogging buddy right from the start and those in the "Fisher Connection" have come to love and appreciate her.

CONGRATULATIONS, Leo and Saija! We are thrilled on your behalf!

Note: Saija posted the pictured scripture verse on Thro' A Glass Darkly back in October when she and Leo were waiting to see how God would answer prayer. God has truly been good to them!

O. K. go to her blog now and leave a note. She'll appreciate it!

Pictures???

Anyone else having problems downloading pictures on your BLOGGER site today? Any suggestions?

The Pilgrim

They Just Don't Get It

My friend Greg Asimakoupoulos, an excellent writer and pastor, posted the following poem on his site, Rhymes and Reasons, today:

A Politically-Correct Holiday is a Humbug

It's Christmas, but (for what it's worth)
what's grounded in the Savior's birth
is buried neath a holiday
politically correct.

The teachers call it Winter Break.
That makes me mad. For goodness sake,
two billion people in our world
are followers of Christ.

It seems to me a bit absurd.
We sing of Santa's flying herd,
but when it comes to caroling
it is a silent night.

I'm warned about the way I greet
the ones this month I chance to meet.
To wish them "Merry Christmas" is
considered quite uncouth.

Those life-sizes creches on the square
have been outlawed. It's so unfair.
The First Amendment guarantees
my right to celebrate.

Good Lord, these changes make me sick.
What once was yours is now St. Nick's.
The meaning of the virgin's child
is hardly understood.

If only I could help folks see
just what this season's meant to be.
Then maybe, Lord, the world would know
the peace you came to give.