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Of deadlines, celebrations and new challenges…….

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It is getting down to the wire for our move of St. Patrick’s Mission to Westfield. I stopped by there today and it had yet to be painted, let alone carpeted or the “Animal Hospital” sign taken down from above the door (it’s big!). But too much has happened to lead us to this point, and I am certain that by Sunday morning at 9 we will be up and ready to go. (Okay, hopefully by Saturday night because we need to move in our furniture!)

My life is often like this though, high stress and deadlines. And though it often makes things a bit intense, it is also exciting in that it always seems to work out. Living in a way that counts on God to do His part takes a lot of faith, but I can tell you it works time and time again!

On Sunday we will rejoice heartily at what He has done, and then we will set our sights on something new. We have lots to do and there is never a dull moment…..but that’s the way we like it.

God’s call to us is new every morning…..we can only imagine what He calls us to in the next new day!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tom+

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Of rolling my fat self over the hump………

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Just when I thought the world was getting back to normal, I awoke to all this rain. It is December, and though I am from just a couple of hours north of where I currently live, there is SNOW there and there has been for most of November and December. Sure, rain is easier to shovel and a lot easier to drive in, but I really do think it should snow in December, not rain.

Of course if the Lord really was interested in my opinion my beloved Chicago Bears would be doing a lot better, so I guess I should just accept it and carry an umbrella instead of gloves and a hat. It’s not the first thing in my life I had trouble understanding, and I am certain it will not be the last. I am just glad I am not a kid anymore……this whole thing would make backyard/neighborhood ice rinks a little hard to maintain!

Today, overall, has been a good day. I got a lot accomplished, including a visit to my regular doctor. He is a great guy and a real Godsend to me through all I have gone through. No big changes for me other than an adjustment in some medications. The good news is that I look to have survived and am good for another 100,000 miles. Amanda and the kids will just need to save for a vacation…..there will be no inheritance!!

Oh I kid, I kid…. I am just happy to say I feel like I am on the other side of all of this, and that I only anticipate getting stronger. My weight is back up, but tonight is the end of it…..I am going back down. And we are getting rid of the gym in our garage and have decided to park, get this, cars there. Imagine that! So I will be finding a gym close to the house to visit soon.

Time has been good to me, and the Lord has blessed me deeply. I will not take that for granted. I am committed to living a long and healthy life, and hope to be a burden to all three kids someday. But for now I will just enjoy life and live it day by day.

Off to bed early for me tonight. I hope and pray your day has been every bit as blessed as mine.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tom+

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Blessings of an unexpected kind……

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On my way to the hospital this afternoon to do a call, I happened to be the first person to come upon a head-on collision that must have occurred just minutes before. It was between an SUV and a full-sized pick-up and it was bad. Both were off the road and the pick-up had sheered off part of a telephone pole. It was a surprise someone wasn’t killed. The man in the SUV was out and walking, but the man in the pick-up, an elderly gentleman was still pinned in by his steering wheel. I was able to lean over him and undo his seat belt that he said was hurting him, but other than that, I was able to do very little. Another passer-by, a woman, stayed there with me talking to him until the EMS arrived.

I would bet that neither of these men imagined this would be their afternoon. The young man was on his way to pick up his daughter, and I know was thankful that she was not with him at the time.

But in looking at it, there was a lot to be thankful for. Both men were alive. Though both vehicles were totaled, hitting the telephone pole the way it happened AND just missing the cables, he actually went between them with just inches to spare, made it an accident and not a fatality. As I left and went to the hospital, I said a prayer and remembered how blessed we all are. After all, things can change in an instant. Everyone I saw today, I am happy to report, will return to their homes again. Praise God!

I am off to hang out with Scotty and Ben! Have a great night and God Bless!

Tom+

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I’m Just Two Tents…………

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Tonight I built a tent in our living room for Ben while Amanda and Scott went to Steph’s work to get a few things and take her something to eat. Ben and I had a great time in the tent too. It was made with 4 TV trays and some blankets. We spent much of our time watching the Doodlebops in it and throwing balls at each other. But all good things come to an end. Amanda and Scott got home and soon I was booted from the tent and they replaced me.

Ben soon had to go to bed, and the tent is still up. Ironically, I still see feet sticking out of the bottom…..Scott’s. As everyone else left, Scott stayed. It is not a new thing though. When he was Ben’s age we used to make tents together and he used to fall asleep in them too. He and I will no longer fit in one together….but it sure was moving to see he and Ben in there together.

Anyway, Ben is in bed, Amanda is watching House MD, and Scott is just about 20 minutes from having to abandon his tent and drive me to pick up Steph. Life sure is exciting at the Tirman home, but I would not want it any other way.

Good night my friends and God Bless.

Tom+

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A day of transition………

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Tomorrow is a monumental day. Tomorrow the people of one of our Missions, St. Patrick’s, will gather for the last time at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds. And at the moment we leave the building tomorrow we will no longer be St. Patrick’s Noblesville, but rather St. Patrick’s Westfield! Yes, after well over a year in the Fairgrounds, St. Patrick’s will move to a new permanent facility!

I wish to publicly thank the staff of the Hamilton County Fairgrounds for all their hard work and support of us as we launched there. We were not the first Church they provided a home for and we certainly will not be the last. They are great people and a friendly lot, and though we are excited about moving, we will miss them.

So it is off to bed for me at just shy of 11pm tonight. I will be excited to see morning come. Tomorrow is going to be a great day!

Good night and God Bless.

Fr. Tom+

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Of birthdays, fatherhood, and ultimate doom……

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Today is my daughter Stephanie’s 17th birthday! It is an exciting day…..especially for her.

But for me, though I am happy for her, personally this birthday seems to terrify me. All her other birthdays seemed tolerable, but this one only marks how little time I have left with her here. Sure, she is only half way through her Junior year, but college is coming in no time, and with it her empty room. Times have already changed. Tonight she is out with her boyfriend and friends, and our birthday celebration for her accommodated that….as it should.

I have thought about all this since the day she was born, and am willing to just enjoy all the time I have with her here. I am proud of her, she is an incredible young woman and just a year from adulthood (though she would tell me she is already there). I could not ask for a better daughter. God has blessed me more than I ever expected.

But it is killing me! Steph and I watched a movie a year or two ago together that came out when she was born…..Father of the Bride. I have always considered it a horror movie, while most prefer to think it is a comedy, but they are clearly not a father to my daughter. At the end of it, while I was in tears, Steph just shook her head in disbelief and told me “Dad, that is EXACTLY you and it is EXACTLY me,” and sadly she was right.

I am sure I will get by. Fortunately for me Amanda is EXACTLY Diane Keaton. Yep, I will need help (as I always have) to get me through the future. But I know Steph will be alright. She is a pretty great kid (okay, young woman) and will do great. I am so very proud of her!

Happy Birthday Stephy, I love you………and I will be waiting up until you get home!

Good night my friends and God Bless.

Tom+

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The Birth/Restoration of a Church…………..

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Well I am back! And I have God to thank for the day I have had! I not only was able to be a part of a historic celebration as Orthodox Anglicanism gathered together to form a new Church, but I was able to do so and travel safely both ways all in one day, despite a snow storm during the day. It was remarkable in many ways!

What basically has happened in all of this is that a groups of Orthodox Anglican Churches, all part of what we have known as Common Cause, have come together to form ONE CHURCH. It was done at the request of the GAFCON Primates, who have worked hard to rescue biblical Anglicanism in North America, and who wanted to see all these pieces unify to form a new Province. It was a miracle, in that many different jurisdictions set aside differences in order to move toward the COMMON CAUSE……serving Christ through the formation on ONE Orthodox Church in North America. We now are a part of something even bigger, and have gathered as one under Christ and the direction of our now Primate/Archbishop-elect, Bishop Bob Duncan of Pittsburgh!

As a priest of many years, what makes this so amazing is that this reformation is something that will be written about in Church History textbooks in years to come. It is a joyous thing, and an important things, but more of just a starting line rather than a destination. The Lord has restored the Church through this rebirth, and now sets before us the task of ministry!

That’s right, a Church has been born and now it is time for action. Jesus calls us to fulfill our ministry, and in many ways it has just begun! But praise God! We are much more than we were the day before. Keep praying! The Lord is doing miraculous things! Look around! Can you see them?

God bless you my friends.

Fr. Tom+

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Something old, something new, something historic just for you……..

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Today I will not be posting, because I am in Chicago attending the historic meeting of the Common Cause Partnership for the launch of a new Province of Orthodox Anglicanism! It is an exciting time in that God is doing a new thing! I will fill you in tomorrow when I return!

Keep praying! It is working! This is a BIG THING!

God Bless you my friends.

Fr. Tom+

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Remembering and missing my sister……..

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This time of year is always difficult for me. Seven years ago we buried my sister Stephanie who finally lost a valiant 15 year battle with cancer. Steph (who my daughter is named for) was an amazing young woman, who I miss very much.

One of the other things that makes it hard is that Steph was truly the Queen of Christmas. No one I have ever known was more about other people than Steph. She never missed sending a card, and I have to say I kind of expected a Christmas gift to arrive even after she died, because if anyone could figure out how to do it from beyond the grave it was Steph.

Every time I get a bit down about missing her, or even my other sister Sarah who also died from cancer in 2004, I just remember who she was. Steph wouldn’t want anyone down….particularly at this time of year. She lived her life, and I mean lived it. And she would want me, okay she would expect me, to do the same.

I just miss my sister Steph, but I am certain she knows that. And on this day, and every day I am thankful that one day I will see her and Sarah again! God is good!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tom+

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A stay of a merciful kind……

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Though we wanted to take possession of our new facility for St. Patrick’s today, the amount of work that needed to be done before that could happen exceeded the amount of time we had. Our first service in the new St. Patrick’s therefore will be moved from December 7 to December 14. It’s not a large amount of time, but it does allow us to not have to rush as much to get things done.

Even though we are not responsible for the renovations, we still have to acquire all the things that go inside that we do not yet have. We have been at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds for a year and a half and they have things like chairs, tables, and podiums, all of which we must get within the next two weeks. There’s still a lot of work for us, so I suppose we can thank God for the extra time. The big thing was to be in there by Christmas…..and we will!

Keep praying for us! We are still hoping to receive donations for the new equipment (the tables and chairs). We need about 40-50 chairs and about 5 tables. We anticipate needing between $1000 – $1500 for that. We are confident that the Lord will provide, not just because that’s what we believe, but also because He always has!

Anyway, this delay will make my Tuesday a little less frantic, as I hope yours will be as well. I was able Jane Barrett in the hospital tonight and she and I had a nice talk! Praise God! God’s blessings are all around us…..can you see them? I hope so! They make life a lot more exciting!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tom+