Dear Friends (from Helen)...

What a bright, sunny, clear, clean, Easter morning was presented yesterday here in Idaho.  I was looking forward to the renewing of friendships at our church in Boise (Covenant Presbyterian) and being with our daughter and granddaughter again for a holiday.

Being my 72^nd year on this earth, I believed I knew how this Easter would progress but God (as usual) had a huge surprise for me and my family. 

The day began with a POWERFUL sermon by our Pastor Phil Moran which can be heard in audio form at cpcboise.org.  Phil’s sermon explained  in very factual tones the actual power of God and the resurrection.  Phil  has a talent for  stating it simply but emphatically.  How could anyone doubt?  Having been a believer officially since I was 12 years of age, today I heard the Good News with a deeper understanding  of how Omnipotent and Eternal God is in all the universe.    

Phil stated in his sermon that the crucifixion and resurrection were both very public events.  No transparency problem.  It was done for all the world to see.  It was God’s plan that these events occurred and not just happenstance in a chaotic world.  And, His power is omnipotent over all of life, beings and events in our world and the world beyond;  A very inspiring sermon.

After a joyful time with friends in church, we proceeded to our daughters home for a delicious Easter celebration dinner with all of the comfort foods, ham, deviled eggs, lime jello salad, THE green bean casserole and rosemary new potatoes.  The banana pudding cake wrapped up all the Easter’s past and the parade of family members past and present came together at this meal with us.

As evening approached with an outrageously beautiful northwestern sunset, we arrived at the First Nazarene Church for a local presentation of the life and resurrection of Christ in the play “No Greater Love”.  As we passed the camel and donkey waiting quietly outside the front door, I still had no clue what an experience we were soon to enjoy.

Our tickets lead us to the SECOND row of this enormous auditorium in front of a huge stage.  We were seated center stage with  four steps directly on stage  in front of us. Larry was sitting on the aisle. (God had a plan for us!).  A fifty piece orchestra with a director in tails was softly playing in the background until 7 o’clock and then they turned up the volume.  A piece “Power Easter Medley” began and the old TRADITIONAL “ Jerusalem” rocked the audience.  I knew then it was going to be a teary night.  Did I mention the floor organ too?!

The stage is decorated very cannily with columns in various places,  large rocks,  and balconies.  As we began, an enormous crowd of people (75 to 100) started descending down the aisles of the auditorium in authentic costumes of 2,000 years ago.  Women had grown their hair long, men had grown their beards and hair long.  No bathrobes or wigs in this bunch.  I was too close and personal not to be able to see the authenticity.  People were barefoot or in sandals.  Make-up of course, but I could also see the tears causing make up to streak during the performance.  Many many times during the performance, there was not a dry eye in the auditorium.

This performance has been presented for the past 34 years and is on going all Easter weekend from Good Friday thru Easter Sunday evening.  What a commitment.  It has an enormous endowment from memorials and the financial backing of the Nazarene Church.

I will try to make this short but here are the seven OUTSTANDING scenes we experienced in our VIRTUAL Easter celebration!

The audio and lighting were superb.   

ALL of the people in the cast are part of this enormous choir.  Adults, Teens and Children.  There were astounding, outstanding solo voices for the lead characters including the disciples and Jesus.

The choices for the disciples were  incredible for local talent but they were just like us right?!.  Peter was a tall and well built sandy haired man with a great heart and spectacular presentation.  About four times during the evening, I looked to the end of the row and Peter was standing right next to Larry!  Yes, I know it was a play BUT the message and reality were enough to shake me. The rest of the disciples were just as spectacular in their roles.  We all wept when Judas sat on the steps in front of us and cried in agony with his money bag in his hand “Lord, I just did not understand!”  Doubting Thomas was truly believable.  The disciples were what I thought the disciples would be like in real time.  Shudders were felt.

The character of Jesus was totally believable – a man a little slighter than the towering disciples with dark hair and blue eyes of steel.  We were so close that we could see everyone’s facial features.  They were REALLY into their roles.  Joy and tears!!!

A man enters the crowd with a beautiful little blond girl on his shoulders carrying a crutch.  Her barefeet hang over her father’s shoulders and she is wearing a light blue tunic.  You see them making their way toward center stage unannounced and suddenly the father swings the little girl down to the floor on her feet.  She YELLS as loud as possible  “JESUS!”  and runs down the steps into Jesus arms as he enters ( by Larry’s arm) down the aisle toward the stage.  It was a heart stopping moment.  Jesus says, “You are healed!” and walks with her thru the crowd.

The choirs of people are singing “Hosanna/Before the Rocks Cry Out” and all of sudden I hear this strange loud noise like crying coming from behind us.  All of us( including my granddaughter in her blue jeans with her phone on her lap), are surrounded  by 30 or 40 shepherds, men and women and children.  Two or three shepherds at a time were carrying live lambs that were bleating – BAA BAA- and kicking with excitement. There must have been a dozen sheep.  And then a camel, almost too big to get in the building is walking across the aisle in front of us carrying an obviously wealthy Roman.  The Roman is surrounded by his entourage.  WE looked out of place in our 2013 clothes!

Saul who is converted to Paul is completely convincing and the Roman women in all their stylish robes and jewelry looked like the movie stars of today.  Big gold shiny rings on every finger, gold bracelets, gold hair with extensions, gold glitter, gold necklaces.  They made me sad.  It was too REAL!! Shades of Neiman-Marcus.  To their credit,  the Roman women came to believe and cried buckets of tears.

Lazarus in a shroud of white cloths rose out of his tomb and was an integral part of the rest of the presentation. 

Jesus seems to be everywhere and indeed He is.  He appeared in the crowds, He appeared behind us speaking scripture in a postitive tone. He was in the garden.  He descended from the balcony.   Many times, He came right down the aisle beside us and would stop at Larry’s elbow.  Unnerving to say the least!

NOW, all of sudden our aisles are flooded with 20 or so Roman centurions.  The police of the day!  Costuming and hair is superb with the RED short tunics and brown leather belts and armor.  I could reach out and touch their spears if I dared.  One was the spear that pierced the side of our Lord on the cross.

Three heavy crosses are bearing down on us from behind with masses of Jews crying “Crucify Him!”  It was chilling but NOTHING like when the three crosses were raised 10 or 12 feet above us and Jesus forgives everyone!  Mary was sobbing uncontrollably and all of the rest of us were too.  Then THUNDER rocked the auditorium and the orchestra was at full volume. The curtain was TORN asunder and so were we!

“In Our Midst Again” the mighty choir sang as the Mary’s found the tomb empty!  Awesome and chilling!!  How could anyone NOT believe!  What a miracle!  God is Almighty!   And, by the way, the director for the first twenty years of this production and the creator of the piece “In Our Mdst Again”, died yesterday Easter morning at 3:45 am.  He is now with our RISEN Lord! 

AS I SAID “NOT A DRY EYE IN THE AUDITORIUM!”  

50 !!!

We made it! 50 years ago today we said our vows at Decatur Presbyterian Church, Decatur, GA. Dr. Wade Huie, dear friend and mentor (prof at Columbia Seminary) conducted our wedding service, assisted by my seminary roomie, Alan Johnson. 50 years, seven churches, three kids and many adventures later...here we are, parked in an RV in Idaho, knowing for sure God has guided and blessed our lives.

From marching the streets for racial justice in Mississippi in the 60's to leaving a new church in 2008 we started in Atlanta in 1994, to traveling 50,000+ miles in our RV, we have enjoyed incredible adventures, met many new and now dear friends, and have seen nearly all 50 states (not Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire, California).  

We have grandkids in Atlanta, Connecticutt and Idaho (two now in college at VA Tech -- Erica -- and Valdosta State -- Aaron) and soon will have our first grandchild married (Emily in Idaho).  Our daughter Anna is teaching first grade in Caldwell, ID and Todd has published his first novel (Newtown, CT.)


Our RV rig is a 2011 Open Range 32' Roamer fifth wheel.  Here's a photo:

We spent August 1 through December 31 in Idaho, then head south (in cold weather) to Nevada, Arizona, Texas, etc.  Sometimes we go east for a few months to see family and friends, but with diesel fuel rising daily, we won't do that in 2013.  Will meet and enjoy old and new friends in the west.  

I fill pulpits when asked and/or needed.  Have declined many requests to serve as interim pastor.  Just not my jig.    Helen is a member of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Boise, ID and I attend and serve there with her.  CPC is a welcoming and warm, caring congregation, much like the one we began and developed in Johns Creek, GA.  Helen helps in various ways there and I preach and teach when needed to fill in for our pastors.  I moved my presbytery membership from Greater Atlanta to Boise Presbytery two years ago.

If you are out west, give us a hollar!  We'll meet you somewhere if possible.  Blessings, Larry

I Was Once Proud to be a Presbyterian

The PCUSA, the church that birthed me, nurtured, educated, sustained and ordained me is dying.  After serving 45 years as a pastor in seven pastorates in three southern states in influential congregations, I retired in July 2008 and have watched my church lose 50,000-65,000 members each year since.  Actually the demise of my church began in the 60’s, only to accelerate its membership loss in the last two decades. 

There was a time when I was shamelessly proud to be a PCUS/PCUSA Presbyterian in the south.  In the 60’s and for several decades following we stood (for the most part) united in the struggle for racial justice, for the rights of women and on the side of the poor.  We worked to allow children to the Lord’s Table. 

In those years many of us pastors began to worry about a growing disdain for evangelism -- leading others to know Christ as personal Lord and Savior.  The spiritual birth rate of our united church (southern and northern branches of American Presbyterianism) dropped dismally. 

Evangelism (living out the Great Commission given us by Jesus) has become an embarrassment for the Progressive Left wing of our denomination.  The call to start 1001 new churches in the near future is laughable.  Only the conservative wing of our church is serious about church planting and the number of pastors and members counted in the conservative wing is steadily diminishing as pastors and churches opt out of our denomination and move to conservative denominations such as the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.  The Progressive Left is gaining an even greater majority when the critical votes are counted. 

The demise of our church accelerates as our higher governing bodies annually approve and endorse gay marriage, the ordination of practicing gays and lesbians, abortion, the homosexual lifestyle and deny the Lordship of Christ and the authority of Scripture.

When the PCUS and the UPCUSA united in the early 80’s, we together formed a denomination of more than 4,000,000 members and the united denomination carried significant influence in our society.  Today, as 50,000-plus members leave the PCUSA each year, we are now a denomination of less than 2,000,000 and we have little or no influence in our culture.  To the contrary, the culture dictates our policies.

Those who study such things predict the death of our denomination in less than 40 years.  There will not be many members left who can turn out the lights!

Of course, there are many local PCUSA congregations that still stand strong against the cultural influence in our churches.  As I travel throughout the U.S. (60,000 miles in the last four years), I worship at various local Presbyterian churches.  I do hear sermons that challenge me to draw closer to Christ and be more serious and intentional about my discipleship.  But, sadly, I also hear sermons that are void of any passion about a personal relationship with Christ. 

I once was proud to be a PCUSA Presbyterian.  No more.

The Cliff Neareth!

Our (PCUSA) General Assembly meets soon. It's a stacked deck. Conservatives have absolutely no chance on any important vote, such as same sex marriage. The commissioners from small churches have no idea they will be boondoggled into voting the liberal view. They don't have the foggiest idea what is going on as the GA proceeds. Our former beloved denomination is dying and liberals are rejoicing. The average pew sitter is sitting on his/her hands while the church burns. How very sad!

The train is headed for the cliff and 'heads in the sand' keep trying to portray it otherwise. Many conservatives are doing absolutely nothing. Many of their pastors are strangely silent. But they have their excuses...so...?

We (the PCUSA) was once composed on more than 4,000,000 members. Today we are less than 2,000,000. We have lost more than 2,000,000 members since my ordination in 1964. Yet, the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly says the PCUSA is "soaring with hope"!  What planet does he live on...?

Talking about a stacked deck: I was the advocate for a presbytery at a GA meeting in Tuscaloosa, AL, regarding a resolution before a committee. After I made my appeal, the chair of the committee (who opposed the resolution) told me the issue would be taken up at 2 pm the next day. The next day he called the issue to a vote early in the morning without telling me of the time change. He was in bed with the GA staff.

What a Mess! It's Ugly...and Evil.

This entire PCUSA/EPC/ECO/PCA/FOP matter is a huge mess!  
We in PCUSA congrgations have three options: (1) stay in PCUSA and join FOP and endure a continual distraction caused by confusion over what FOP means that will weaken local witness; (2) join ECO and continue to litigate property issues against greedy presbyteries that will sap the energy and funds of local churches; (3) join union presbyteries and be neither fish nor fowl. 

Liberal PCUSA leaders must be laughing hysterically at us.  
FOP leaders could not come up with a plan that makes sense.  We may be conservative evangelicals, but we are no less torrid ‘turf protectors’ than the liberals.  I didn’t expect the FOP leaders to put themselves and their churches in danger of ‘dying to self’, but I also didn't expect this mess.  I was once one of the ‘tall steeple’ preachers and remember the timidity voiced in that group during our meetings in Dallas.  We are all hiding behind the ‘missional’ label as if that forgives our obvious over-riding self-interests. 

I grieve thinking of the lost dollars and witness caused by continual litigation…and I grieve at the greed of presbyteries that cannot simply say, graciously, “Blessings to you” as congregations leave the PCUSA.  It’s all about control, all about power.  It has little to do with gracious separation.  It has even less to do with faithful witness to the lordship of Christ.

I am retired now and should just let the whole thing go, take my pension and forget the ugliness of it all.  The entire ‘fight’ is beyond ugly.  It is evil and the devil smiles at our ineptitude and stunning lack of spiritual power.  
But just when I try to forget it all, I find myself weeping at the keyboard.

Currency -- a New Novel

Our son, Todd Wood, has just published a new novel, entitled Currency.  It is available on Amazon Kindle.  It is an incredible story of power, romance, revenge and international finance spanning three centuries. The issues could not be more timely!  


Todd is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has been an aeronautical engineer and an Air Force pilot. In the Air Force he flew for the 20th Special Operations Squadron which started Desert Storm.  For the past eighteen years he has been an international bond trader with expertise in Emerging Markets. He has conducted business in over forty countries.  Todd has a keen understanding of politics and international finance. He has been published in the Armed Forces Journal.  He lives on a 300+ year old farm in Connecticut deeded from King George of England with his children.

Here is one review of the novel:  "Wow!!! Can this guy see the future? I bought this on a whim but so glad I did! A must read!"

I hope you get a chance to read it.  

If I could only more closely follow his admonitions...

Those who know me are aware of the influence the writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer have had on my ministry and, indeed, my life.  I read Bonhoeffer several times a week.  Since I gave away my entire library when I retired -- several thousand volumes -- I don't have in my possession many of the treasured Bonhoeffer books.  When you live fulltime in an RV travelling the country as we do, with only 300 square feet of space available, you choose to give up things, even some things dear to your heart.  I am able to read a lot of Bonhoeffer on the net.  That hardly satisfies having the hard copy in your hands, but it has to suffice.  I do have a copy of A Year with Dietrich Bonhoeffer which offers a reading of his work each day of the year.  Today I read the following from A Testament to Freedom.

One day, at the last judgment, he will separate the sheep and the goats and will say to those on his right: 'Come, you blessed, ...I was hungry and you fed me....'  (Matt. 25:34ff).  To the astonished question of when and where, he answered: 'What you did to the least of these, you have done to me....'  (Matt. 25:40)  With that we are faced with the shocking reality: Jesus stands at the door and knocks ....  He asks you for help in the form of a beggar, in the form of a ruined human being in torn clothing.  He confronts you in every person that you meet.... He lives in the form of the person in our midst....'

What would it be like to live that way every single moment of every day?  What would it take for me to do that, to live like that?  To see Christ in the woman at the checkout counter, in the man on the corner holding a sign asking for food, in the person I pass on the sidewalk, in the man and woman sitting with me in the doctor's waiting room, etc.  How do I see Christ in Obama,for whom I hold little respect?  What about seeing Christ in the form of the minister colleague who has made a decision to flaunt his or her misinterpretation of Scripture in the face of Jesus --someone with whom I significantly disagree? 

What would it be like to live like that every day?    These questions trouble me.  You...?