Should I Just Call It The "Parkside SquirrelCast"?

A few sharp-eyed readers may have already spotted the "Parkside Baptist Church" stuff in the sidebar, and might be thinking, "Wait... I thought the Squirrel was an elder at Superior Baptist Church? What's going on here?"

Well, let me let you in on a little secret - we're right in the middle of changing the name of our church. While the church is in the town of Superior, Montana, I've always felt that the name "Superior Baptist" seemed a bit... pretentious, shall we say? Others in the church shared my sentiments. For the last couple of months, we've been kicking around some different possible names. After some deliberation, we settled on "Parkside Baptist Church." The church is right across the street from Eva Horning Park, so it seemed quite fitting. (And Squirrels are sort of fond of parks...)

The signs and everything at the church building will be changing on Sunday, June 5th. But, with other changes being made, the name change, while not Official until June, is already being made behind the scenes.

One of those changes is a new Pulpit Podcast. We recently received a donation (Thank You!) that was designated for the purpose of purchasing a digital recorder so that the church could start recording and podcasting sermons. Podcast links will always be available in my sidebar here, and at the church's website, when we get it up and running.

It has been a really long time since I've recorded myself. And I was, I must say, very aware, hyper-aware, of the microphone last Sunday. If you listen to my sermon, you'll no doubt note that I started off very stiff. But after a while, I settled down, and relaxed, and things went much more smoothly after that.

Sometime real soon - in the next two weeks or so - the church website will go live. You'll be able to keep up with the happenings at the church there. And I'll be sure to let you know when it's up!

So, lots of things going on! (And lots of things keeping me busy!!) Please be in prayer for our church, as we make these changes!

Remembering Ronald Reagan

“There are no easy answers but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.”

– Ronald Wilson Reagan, 40th President of the United States

Today would have been Ronald Reagan’s 100th birthday. Or, as Reagan would have us say it, the 71st anniversary of his 29th birthday.

Ronald Reagan will always be "my" president.

Ronald Reagan was not president when I was born, that was Lyndon Johnson. Ronald Reagan is not the first president I can remember, that would be Richard Nixon. Since the day I was born, there have been 8 men other than Ronald Reagan who have sat in the Oval Office, but Ronald Reagan will always be “my” president.

You see, Reagan was president during those formative years of my late teens and early twenties. He was elected during my freshman year of high school, and, when he ran for reelection against Walter Mondale in 1984, was the first president I ever voted for. Reagan alone is not responsible for shaping my political philosophy; my father played a big role in that, as did books by Ayn Rand and Robert Heinlein and others; but Reagan’s beliefs were a huge influence. (My commitment to Biblical truth has further shaped my thoughts on politics, of course.) Of all the presidents who’ve served before, I’d have to say that Reagan’s politics are still the closest to my own.

During the 1990's, I had, in many ways, forgotten how much Ronald Reagan had meant to me, and to the United States. Due to the tragedy of his Alzheimer’s, he had been forced to withdraw from public life, and he wasn't in the news often. Other than the frequent mentions he got on talk radio, I didn’t think about him as I went about my daily routine.

And then, on June 5, 2004, word came of his death, and a strange sadness came over me. A sadness I’d never felt about a death outside of my own family. I knew that, though I’d never met him, I had lost someone very dear to me.

All that week, either the radio or the television was on to coverage of his life and the services that were held to honor him. I watched the thousands file past as his body lay in state at the Reagan Library in California. I cried. I explained to my then 13-year-old daughter why I was sad, and why this man had been so special. I watched as the horse-drawn caisson carried his body down Constitution Avenue to that slow, slow, painfully mournful drumbeat. I cried. I listened to the service from the National Cathedral in Washington, and watched the final service that took place during that beautiful sunset at the Regan Library in California as he was laid to rest on the evening of Friday, June 11, 2004. And I cried.

Since that time, I have become a more deliberate student of Reagan; his life, his character, and his politics. And, as I have, my respect and admiration for him has only grown more profound. Ronald Reagan wasn’t perfect, of course, no mere mortal man is, but he lived a life more admirable than most.

As we remember Ronald Reagan today, remember that, for a time, God blessed us with a very special leader, and give thanks.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President. Thank you, and God bless the United States of America.

Thank You All!

The goal has been met! Today at church, the church treasurer informed me that, in the last week, checks totaling $500 had come into the church earmarked for the pastor's conference fund. The Superior Baptist Church Pastor's Conference Fund has received a grand total of $1208!

Well, you did it, and I am so very, very grateful! This puts me way over the top, exceeding my fundraising goal of $1000 and covering the entire cost of the trip to the 2011 Shepherds' Conference. I can't tell you how much this means to me! I will, of course, do daily blog posts from the conference (with pictures), although I don't think I'm talented enough to live-blog it.

I also want to meet as many SquirrelFans as might be attending. So, if you read A Squirrel in Babylon and you are going to be at the Shepherds' Conference, let me know.

When Brakes Fail...

I was just getting ready for bed, was in bed, actually, when I felt the whole house shake. Then my Mom yelled down the stairs to our basement bedroom that my daughter had driven though the back wall of the garage. Mrs Squirrel and I threw on some clothes and ran outside to see the nose of Mandy's car sticking through the back wall of the garage and a very shaken Mandy sitting in the driver's seat with an amusingly stunned look on her face.


The driveway is steeply sloped downhill from the street to the garage, and her brakes failed on the hill. As it would happen, she had already hit the button to open the garage door (although I imagine replacing the door would have been less expensive then rebuilding the back wall.) It's also a good thing that Mandy parks in the end slot, as the other two parking places back up on the laundry room, and if she'd driven through that wall, she'd have been parking her car inside the house.



There were no injuries, and the damage could have been a lot worse. We have to wait until we get a contractor to shore up the wall before we can tow the car out. Then we'll have to assess the damage to both. But God is good, and, ultimately, this is a minor incident and easily reparable. This is why we pay those insurance premiums each month, right?

Way To Go, Joshua!

Joshua Cookingham writes:

"I have graduated from Dutchess Community College. I now have a Associates in Communications and Media Arts."

And you can see that he's happy...



Here's hoping, Joshua, that you get over that cold quickly and enjoy the summer!

New Look

Welcome to the new look of A Squirrel in Babylon. And my thanks to Everyday Design!