Burgers’ Thanksgiving 2024

For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His faithfulness is to all generations. —Psalm 100:5

Bob

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him! —Psalm 34:8

  • Spending time with my grandchildren is such a joy! I was delighted to see Angie, Elizabeth & Josh in May when they visited from Georgia for Ben’s high school graduation. We celebrated Elizabeth’s birthday with the whole family together again!
  • Verla, John & I enjoy teaching the preschool Awana Cubbies on Wednesday evenings at CrossBridge Baptist Church. A couple of the children speak a little Spanish with Verla. When reviewing what Nebuchadnezzar did to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they refused to bow down to his golden statue, one child aptly replied, He fired them!
  • Last December I had my hearing tested at Costco (no cost to members) and was fitted with hearing aids the day after Christmas. I love hearing so much better that it’s like hearing in color after years of gray! An unexpected treat was that noise-cancelling headphones work well at blocking low-frequency noise while allowing me to hear speech through the hearing aids.
  • In July we celebrated Dad’s 80th birthday at Wisconsin Dells with a large group of his descendants! Lottie had fun with us while her parents savored time with newborn Theo. We are looking forward to next summer’s reunion in Denver for my nephew’s wedding!
  • In August Stacy, Hannah & Stefon, Ben, Verla, John & I visited Yosemite National Park. Highlights included bouldering near waterfalls, looking out from Glacier Point, climbing 1000 ft. to the top of Vernal Fall, seeing giant sequoias up to 3000 years old, and playing in the Merced River. We learned that the sequoia trees have massive interconnected root systems by which they help each other and that regular small ground fires provide the heat needed to open the seeds.
  • At Christ the King Church of Thorntown I have the privilege of serving on the worship team with Zach Elliott, Huffy & Robin Tolbert, and Juli Van Kley.
  • At church we spent a few weeks reading and discussing The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer. This 1948 classic reminded me not to lose sight of God with religious activities but to taste and see His goodness by following Him.
  • This year three long-term colleagues from the past joined me at Indigo BioAutomation. I am very thankful to work with such a great team writing software that helps laboratories automate their analyses. We focus on the areas of liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and molecular diagnostics. Highlights for this dream job include mentoring college interns in the summer, evaluating algorithmic improvements using large datasets, maintaining Chez Scheme, and focusing on technical work without corporate distractions.
  • Stacy & I regularly take time away to recharge and reconnect. In June we canoed down Sugar Creek and hiked at Turkey Run State Park, and in October we hiked at Brown County State Park.
  • This fall Verla & I sang in the volunteer choir that Robin Tolbert led for the Keith & Kristyn Getty concert on October 29 that supported the work of Mission to Ukraine. Meeting people from other churches and singing together was a great encouragement! Before the concert, Keith Getty reminded us that our job was to lead the 1300 people in praise & worship, not to put on a show.
  • With Ben off at college, I got to drive John & Verla to high school cross-country practices and meets this fall. They worked hard and had a great season with their friends at Wisdom Builders. Watching the beautiful sunrise and having quiet conversations as I drove our large van filled with runners to Indiana Wesleyan University at 6:30am on two consecutive Saturdays in September was memorable.
  • We bought our 15-passenger van two months before the twins were born in 2009 and loved driving it 109,376 miles. With our shrinking family at home, we rarely use it, so a family with quintuplets who served with Verla & John in CEF summer ministry are now putting it to good use!
  • John & Verla help me shoot and edit video for Wisdom Builders events. Having performed with Wisdom Builders in the Esther musical at the historic Paramount Theatre in Anderson last March, they are looking forward to performing in the Leviathan musical there March 20-22, 2025.
  • John & Verla are learning how to drive. Most of our trips involve interstate travel in heavy traffic, which can be stressful. They are doing very well, and I am thankful for the time we have together in the car!
  • Using only cardboard & packing tape, Ben & his classmates in Engineering Professions built a canoe for the annual cardboard canoe race at Cedarville University. Stacy, Verla, John & I were glad to witness the successful voyage across the lake on October 4!
  • Every morning I do the 7 Minute Workout to get my blood pumping, and Stacy & I have daily devotions from Today in the Word. I read the news from World news magazine.
  • In Unveiling Mercy, Chad Bird shares daily insights from the Old Testament Hebrew. Rabbinic scholars say that reading the Bible in translation is like kissing the bride through the veil, so this book is designed to lift the veil ever so slightly. Stacy & I have been tasting the richness of the original text without having to learn Hebrew.
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