Esther R. Schiveley, 10/12/17-10/14/07

Grandma and I, Mother’s Day 2006.
Editor’s note. The following is the obituary I wrote for my grandma, who died Sunday, October 14, 2007, two days after her 90th birthday.
Esther Schiveley
Esther Rodriguez Schiveley passed away Sunday, October 14, 2007 at Windsor Gardens Rehabilitation Center of Salinas. She was surrounded by more than 50 family [...]

Tio’s timeshare

The missus and I are still trying to navigate the seemingly hopeless waters of purchasing a home. Things came to a head Friday when our loan didn’t fund on time. This meant that our loan wasn’t recorded on time, meaning Friday. This had a number of ramifications.

We didn’t get the keys to our place. We [...]

The wife returns, civilization restored

The wife returned this, er, yesterday afternoon after a week’s absence visiting her family in Southern California. Her 85-year-old father, a.k.a. The Indestructible Little Mexican Man, continues to do well.

I’ll send another dispatch tomorrow, now that my week of bachelorhood has come to a close.

Back to reality — but first, the news

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We had a phenomenal time at our church’s Family Camp, held at the Old Oak Ranch in Sonora, CA. About 250 people registered, plus a number of families who came on Saturday and Sunday.
It’s hard to quantify things in numbers. Even the eight baptisms we had, [...]

The short and long good-bye

I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
Job 19:25-27 NIV

Friday found me in Salinas, [...]

This just in: hot teaching assignment

My ministry 2.0 experience, the years following my return to God in the fall of 2000, has been characterized by one teaching assignment after another. I’ve had the privilege of teaching:

 An topical adult class on Sunday mornings at our church in Salinas.
A Thursday-evening examination of the book of Romans at our church in Monterey.
Individual and [...]

Always good, always too short: At home with the family

Saturday found the Mrs. and I back in Monterey County visiting my grandmother, my former pastor and his wife, whom we love like family, and my family. Everyone looked a little older, a little more bald, with a few more wrinkles. Including me. But visiting family is such a rare treat for me now that [...]