Home

When we went to get our marriage license I was totally stymied by the question, "Where do you live?" I had just moved out of the house on Easton Road and was settling into the apartment in Elkins Park. By then, Cindy and I knew that the house on Baffy Ave in Landisville was going to be the hub of family life for holidays and stuff. So, I sputtered until the lady behind the desk said, "It doesn't really matter."

Okay, but the sense of disorientation/reorientation is pretty profound as we commence our life together. But we have decided, that "home" is wherever we are when we are together. And that makes sense. We find our anchoring in relationship, no human relationship is more foundational than marriage. So, Cindy and I feel at home beside one another. That is just as it should be. When we committed to one another we found a new address, a new home.

At last: A post-wedding update

Cindy and I “began our second dance” September 26 in Lancaster when we exchanged wedding vows.

In our personal vows, she reported that 310,000 electronic words were exchanged to get this unlikely couple to the altar. I promised to remain in “recruiter mode,” pursuing her for the rest of my life. The ceremony ended with us executing one of our patented “spin moves.”
After a few quiet days in Myrtle Beach, we returned to Pennsylvania to begin our new life together. Weekdays begin as we leave our apartment to put Cindy on the 8:04 train. She leaves Elkins Park bound for the center city offices of the American Heart Association for whom she serves as a Regional Vice President for Customer Strategies. Weekends take us to Lancaster to check on the young adults who still live in her house, mow the lawn and catch a slice of country life. That is our transition lifestyle, as we take a year to more clearly discern how God wants us to blend our gifts to serve HIM as one.


Just now, it is great to share morning coffee and night time prayers with one another. We will learn to walk together one day at a time. Pray for a walk reflecting His love and the Spirit’s harmony in our lives.

Heading West

We have 2 days, 8 hours and 25 minutes, 'til the altar...YES I am counting!!! Meanwhile, I have done my last load of laundry. The counter tops are wiped down. In less than an hour, I will pack up the car, and begin the day-long trek to Lancaster. (Part of the journey involves a day at the office). Anyway, I won't come back to this apartment without my bride.

"Our journey" began months ago
With a whimsical "hi" on Love and Seek.com

It continued through emails, phone calls,
A face to face meeting, amidst lights and flowers.
The pre-dance ritual included movies, baseball games, travels, laughter and prayers and tears.
It led to a question, a ring, and a trip to the mountain to set the date.

God is good. I was terrified to be alone. HE sent Cindy.

"40 Days" ago I was scared to move into this place without a roommate.
But God met me here.
In the quiet.
Preparing me to head West
To claim my bride

The dance will commence in earnest at 4pm this coming Saturday.
Pray for the music to play with clarity and joy....for a long, long time.

The Prayer Chair

Yesterday was a bit of a coming out for us as a couple. Cindy joined us at WHM for part of our Day of Prayer. When the time came, we shared part of our story, asked for the staff to intercede for us, and sat in the "Prayer Chair" as the staff asked God to bless our impending union.

My co-workers had played a major role in getting us here. I had first asked them to pray for us last winter. So, it meant a lot to have them praying us toward the altar

Words, Words, Words

We often marvel at the ease, the depth and the range of our conversations. We cover a lot of ground. I can honestly say that Cindy and I have talked about almost everything the past few months. We don't expect big surpises once we are under the same roof. Surpises, yes, just not big ones. Well, I hope that is the case anyway.

This verbal stream has been such a vital part of the dance. You see, we don't have the years, or the energy to find things out strictly by observation or intuition. We have had to help one another along via "full disclosure." Sometimes these talks are fun and quirky, other times they can seem painful and exhausting. Oddly, too, there is no "quiet one" in this couple; we are both eager to share with the other. We have found joy in such rapid fire interaction.

May there never be awkward, chilly silences. May we always be ready to hear what the other is so ready to disclose. May this always be a relationship filled with "words, words, words."

Praying in Step

Dan to Cindy: B safe (on the roads) today

Cindy to Dan: Praying for focus and productivity

This text exchange says so much about the heart of our partnership. We are called to care for one another through prayer and encouragement. As the male leader I am called to set the tempo in prayer. Cindy prays for me with the insight that only my best friend can have.

As we pray for one another we hold the umbrella over one another. Over us. Thus, we not only weather the storm, we dance through the rain! In this way, praying with and for one another provides the foundation for the dance floor.

Beyond the Condo and Into the World

There is great joy in an autumn dance. Great delight. At times we have joked that our vision could be summarized in the phrase, "One Bedroom Condo." Simplifying our lives sounds wonderful. Being together may calm things down a bit. No more late night trips up the Pennsylvania Turnpike. No more long phone calls with the cell glued to the ear. We both long for some quiet evenings in this 1000 square foot apartment I rented. So, too, we look forward to growing old together, rather than alone.

However, we believe we are destined for a season beyond ourselves--a time of bearing fruit "outside this hut." A time of combining our gifts and going places, loving people, making a difference for the ONE who has crafted our impending union. But where? How? In what mode and fashion? Indeed, what location?

That's why we rented this place. We want to watch and pray, and wait 'til HE shows us where the road ahead is to lead. Join us during this season as we wait upon HIM to retool our vision to include one another. And for us to grow to the place where we two are striving as one for the sake of the gospel.