The Scots Are Here (and gone)!

We've just finished a visit from three friends from Scotland. Craig, Colin and John are on a tour of America to celebrate their graduation from the University of Edinburgh. Craig is the son of Chris Nicholson, a very close personal friend of Kim's (whom she's never met in person). Kim got to know Chris via the internet. She first met Chris' father Duncan on some Scottish Fiddling blog, and he mentioned that his daughter was a Christian battling cancer. He asked Kim to pray for her... of course she did, but she also contacted Chris directly to offer encouragement and loving support (long distance). Well, with the healing touch of God, Chris beat the cancer, and they became fast friends. One of these days, they may even meet!

The boys arrived on Wednesday from LA. It was Craig's first time driving on the right (that is, "correct") side of the road, and in LA, no less! But they made the trip just fine. While they were here we have had our hottest time of the year (up to 115 degrees F!). Nevertheless, they stayed outdoors much of the time they were here. When I first met them, they were enjoying hot chili on the back patio - since it was nearly 10 PM, the temperature was down to a refreshing 99 degrees or so! Colin particularly liked the pool, staying in for over five hours one day and staying underwater for over one-and-a-half minutes!

They enjoyed hiking at Red Rock Canyon, and they spent two days camping at the Grand Canyon. They also enjoyed the Las Vegas night life with their local tour guides, Lauren and her crew. The lads were amazed by American food, especially endless fries and free refills on soda! Colin managed to down five cokes at one sitting on Monday night (but only after John challenged him to "man up")! The boys departed for San Francisco on Tuesday morning.

It was a real pleasure to have Craig, Colin and John visit. What friendly and polite young Christian men! Pray that the remainder of their trip is safe and pleasant until they return to Scotland! God bless, Craig, Colin and John!

Savior on the Street

We received an unexpected package in the mail today from "Savior on the Street." Before I opened the package, I noticed it was from Kingston, OK. Kingston being a pretty small town, I figured it must come from Elaine or one of her tribe. Then it dawned on me, just as I got the box open that it must be Stephanie. Sure enough, there was a note inside from Stephanie and Johnny saying that Lainey had told her we were interested in her "project." Well, this project was quite a bit more than a small, local program to aid the homeless. In fact, the box contained several t-shirts, rubber bracelets, leather bracelets (very cool!), and, most importantly bags.

"Bags?" you say? Yes, bags, but no ordinary bags. These bags are intended be filled with essential items for those living on the street - you then keep a filled bag in your car to give to homeless people you meet. There are two things that make these bags extraordinary. The first is that they are really cool microfiber mesh bags with drawstrings that must be a real convenience for anyone living ont he street, printed very professionally with the Savior on the Street logo. The second (and more important) thing is the sheet of paper each one holds. This sheet of paper is a list of things to include in the bag: at the very top of the list is a Bible. I have seen other projects to aid the homeless, and some of them, even though they may be church-sponsored, seemed ashamed of the Gospel. Their attitude was, we don't want to scare anyone away, we just want to feed them. In response to this sort of thinking, our Lord said, "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?" (Luke 9:25).

So I say, I'm proud of you Stephie and Johnny, keep up the good work! Walk strong in the Lord, and your reward will be great in Heaven. If you want to learn more about Savior on the Street, visit their website (see link in the links section of this blog). God bless you all!

Chuck

Easter Play, 2009

The first photos are back from the Easter play, "God's Masterpiece" in which Kim and I both played. A DVD version of the play is in the works and will be done soon. The play was a big success, playing over Good Friday, Saturday and Easter Sunday. Nearly one hundred people came to Christ as a result of the seeing the play. It was a great experience, even though it was a HUGE investment in time and energy. People are already talking about "next year." Although there were a lot of great photos, I am only posting afew that show me and/or Kim. Hope you enjoy seeing the photos. If you would like a copy of the DVD when it comes out, let me know!

Chuck

In Memoriam - Ruby Acree

As I contemplated Mom’s passing, I wondered how I would really handle it. I was a basket case when Dad died, but I am a very different person now than I was then. Still, when the news came and we prepared for our trip to Baltimore, my feelings were very complex. They still are. I miss Mom very much, and I daily think something along the lines of, “Oh, Mom would know that, I’ll call and ask her,” only to realize that I can’t call her. Now that we are home again, and getting our lives back to “normal,” I want to share something with you all that has made my grief light and easy to bear.
As we were preparing for Mom’s memorial service, Pastor Bill Akehurst asked all of us children if we might want to say anything. We all said no; but as we sat there waiting, I was convicted to say something about faith. My thoughts turned to the Apostle Paul who wrote “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). I thought, “Mom has gotten the gain, and she is with our Savior; but what about the other part? While she was living, she was not the kind of person who boldly shared her faith.”
As I pondered these thoughts, Pastor Bill began the service. He told us how he had really not gotten to know Mom well, until he visited her three days before she passed. He related how he had shared the 23rd Psalm with her. After going over the Psalm verse by verse, he said to Mom (paraphrasing), “Ruby, these are promises God makes to those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior: do you believe Christ died on the cross for you?” When he told us that Mom had answered, “With my whole heart,” my heart soared. I knew that Mom was a Christian, but had never heard her make a profession of faith. My brother Tom confirmed what Mom had said that night. Suddenly, I realized that I was crying tears of joy. As Pastor Bill continued, he shared the good news of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, and I realized, that Mom was a powerful witness. As I sat there in the front row, I looked back to see something like seventy-five people filling the room – many of them I did not know, but they knew Mom and loved her well enough to come to her service. I presume that most of these people had never heard Mom speak of her Savior. But now! – Now they were hearing her powerful testimony as Pastor Bill related how Mom loved the Lord and prepared herself to meet Him face to face.

Mom, I love you and I am proud to have you for my mother. Because of your witness, even in your passing, many have heard the Gospel of Christ who might never have heard it otherwise. Many seeds of hope and faith were planted that night. I know that God is faithful to complete the work he has begun in them and I pray for them all. I look forward to seeing you again soon!

Chuck

Welcome to the Cork Clarion!

Welcome to the Cork Clarion! This blog has been setup up as a family communication tool for the sons, daughters and grandchildren (and great-grandchildren, etc) of Edward and Ruby Acree. I chose the name Cork Clarion to honor my father Edward Acree who spent many of his 63 years living in Cork, Kentucky, and also because I spent a few years of my own there. In fact, in the late 1970s, Dad was the de facto mayor of Cork (only because the mailman delivered all the mail addressed to "Mayor, Cork, Kentucky" to him).

My hopes for this blog are that all my brothers and sisters will read and submit, and that this will be a place to reminisce about Mom, Dad, Pop (Sherman), Grandma (Flora), Granny (Marie Nault), brother Bob, what it was like living on the farm in '59 and throughout the 70s and what it was like to live in Baltimore in the 50s, 60s and on. I also want this to be a place where we can share our values, our faith, and our love for our families and for each other, as well as news and so on. I do not want to compete with the Acree Family website created by Tom, but I just wanted something easier to post thoughts on. It is my hope that the two will be complimentary.

Please be patient with me as this whole blogging thing is new to me. I hope to improve the site as I go along and add more features. For now, I have just started and look forward to posting more!!

Chuck