Wonderful Christian Music

We are enjoying some wonderfully warm weather as we begin Spring Break here at Pillsbury this week. It could possibly snow again, but we certainly hope not. I remember April Fool's Day a few years ago when the weatherman predicted a few snow flurries; we did get snow flurries, but the problem was that we got four inches of snow flurries! End of weather discussion.

A week ago Sunday was Pillsbury Day at Grace Baptist Church here in Owatonna. Pillsbury's small vocal ensemble, "Singing His Praise," provided special music in the morning service. For the evening service, the Pillsbury and Grace Baptist choirs sang several numbers under the able direction of Darrell Bevis and Tom Lawson. Dr. Crane preached in the evening service, and among other points, he encouraged all of us that Pillsbury College is moving ahead. We have had a few financial bumps in the road, but we feel that God will meet the needs of our college just as He has for the last fifty years. Please pray for Pillsbury in the days ahead.

On Saturday evening, I was greatly privileged to play in a classical and sacred concert presented by Deo Cantamus, which is Latin for "We Sing For God." This group is made up of born-again Christians who present two concerts a year at Fourth Baptist Church in Plymouth, Minnesota. The group is directed by Allen Hawkins, a gifted choral conducter who is an adjunct voice professor at Crown College. This is what Al has posted on the Deo Cantamus website: "...God has blessed us in so many ways. It is my greatest joy to use the gifts and circumstances He has provided to further glorify Him. To use music as a tool for teaching and encouraging holiness is what I enjoy doing most. This takes a commitment to high standards that is often absent in the music that contemporary society promotes. It is my goal to teach and conduct in a way that encourages individuals to pursue the standards needed to perfom at a level that inspires others and glorifies God..."

Needless to say, Al is my kind of guy. The major sacred classical piece on the program was Vivaldi's Gloria, which is a wonderful choral expression of why Christians can glorify God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The middle part of the program was sung by "Let the Children Praise," which is a children's choir that Al works with during the year. They sang a variety of numbers, including Pergolesi, Bach, and other sacred works. Finally, the Deo Cantamus Chorale concluded the evening with a selection of "Great Hymns of the Faith." This concert was professionally done, but the purpose of the group is to "sing for God."

It was refreshing to have the opportunity of playing with Deo Cantamus. If you live in the Twin Cities, their next concert will be in the fall of 2007. It will be worth your while to attend.

Small World Department

As we await the real manifestation of spring here southern Minnesota, I was reminded of the fact that in many ways we live in a small world. Although the advent of modern air travel has made the world seem smaller geographically, I am thinking of how we often interact with people who just happen to know a friend or family member. Nancy and I experienced several examples of that phenomenon in the last several days.

We ate lunch on Tuesday with friends from the Phoenix area. Our nephew, Nathan Crane, is married to daughter Andrea. It turns out that they are very good friends with missionary Ron Brewer, who was a student here at Pillsbury in the mid-1960s. As it happened, Ron Brewer spoke in Pillsbury's chapel on Thursday morning. In talking to Ron, we found out that his son and wife have been at Grace Gospel Church in Huntington, West Virginia, for the last fifteen years or so. Nancy and I taught at that church's Christian school back in 1983-1984, just before we came to Pillsbury.

On Wednesday night, the BJU Drama Team gave their presentation at Grace Gospel Church here in Owatonna. As I chatted with one of the members of the team, Seth Armstrong, we realized that he had been on the same Mexico missions team that Cynthia has traveled with for several years. Also, Seth is from the same California church that one of our Pillsbury students used to attend. The leaders of the drama team are Isaac and Jill Crockett. Isaac's dad, Leigh Crockett, was our brother-in-law Joe's BJU roommate back in the 1970s.

Finally, it's Opera Week at BJU. This year's presentation is Verdi's masterpiece Rigoletto. As it happens, I was a freshman at BJU in the spring of 1968, and the opera that year was Rigoletto. I had the privilege of playing oboe in the opera orchestra for the performance. In an interview with the arts writer for the Greenville News on Sunday, Dr. Dwight Gustafson reminisced about that performance. He had returned from completing his doctorate at Florida State University in the fall of 1967, so he was getting back into his conducting role at BJU. I consider myself so fortunate to have sat under his tutelage in the BJU orchestra for over fifteen years. A couple of notes [no pun intended!] about the 1968 performance: the title role was sung by a 26-year-old tenor named Sherrill Milnes, who became one of the great tenors of the later twentieth century. And my favorite memory from that performance is that Dr. Gustafson's wife Gwen was the understudy for the soprano lead in Rigoletto, namely Gilda. I don't remember who sang the soprano role during the final performance, but I do remember that Gwen Gustafson was absolutely terrific as the understudy!

As I say in the sidebar to this blog, "The lines are fallen unto [us] in pleasant places." (Psalm 16:6). Nancy and I have been married for nearly thirty-seven years, and we have seven wonderful children and two GREAT grandchildren. We thank the Lord for our family and for our friends, because they have enriched our lives. And God has given us great contentment as he has led us from place to place and ministry to ministry. There is no greater blessing than being in the center of God's will. I trust that you know what God's will is for your life and that you are in the place of His appointment.

2007 Missions Conference at Pillsbury

The 2007 Missions Conference at Pillsbury College ended earlier today. In the opinion of many of those who were in attendance, it was one of the best conferences that we have had in recent years. Phil Hunt, who has been a missionary in Zambia for about fifteen years, was the keynote speaker. He preached powerfully, with two of his messages being based on Philippians 1:21: "For me to live [is] Christ, and to die [is] gain." Rev. Hunt observed that many Christians act as if the verse says, "For me to live is gain, and to die is Christ." We must realize that our lives are in God's hands and that we must be willing to sacrifice our lives to God's service. We could live for many years, or we could die "prematurely." Either way, God will use us as he sees fit.

Several of the speakers recalled the words of Nate Saint, one of five young men killed in Ecuador by Auca Indians in 1956. In one of Nate Saint's journals, he had made the observation that, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." I would have to say that was the "unofficial" theme of this year's conference. It was a great week at Pillsbury.

Tribute to Roy Crane (1923-2007)

My father-in-law, Roy Crane, passed away at the age of 83 on Monday, February 19. He had been in poor health for the last several years, but he died from acute toxic shock after being transported to the hospital by ambulance. He is survived by my mother-in-law, Vera Crane, who is in her later 70s. She had been my father-in-law's primary health care provider in recent years. My mother-in-law did not want to see her husband placed in a nursing home or in an assisted care facility, so she provided the love and attention that only a wife of nearly sixty years could give. She transported her husband to the doctor's office and took him to see their children and grandchildren on special occasions. Although we will miss him greatly, he is now with his Father in heaven, and he is a far better place.

Nancy's dad was born in Farmington, Michigan, and he grew up in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. His folks later bought a farm in southern Indiana, but he did not live there. Roy enlisted in the U.S. Army on December 8, 1941, the day after Pearl Harbor was attacked. He served in India, Burma, and China under General Stilwell. After the war, he married Vera Abbey on August 2, 1947.

He attended Olivet Nazarene College for a year, and then he enrolled at Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina, where he graduated in 1951. Roy and Vera returned to Roseville, Michigan, where they lived together for over fifty years and raised a family of seven children. Dad taught math and driver's education in the St. Clair Shores School District. He was also very active in his church, serving as a deacon and moderator several times over the years. And one of his favorite things was to take the family up to the family cottage in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. All of us enjoyed going to Piatt Lake, where Grandpa Crane took great delight in being "King of the Raft." We have many great memories of the days we spent at the cottage.

My father-in-law was a repesentative what Tom Brokaw has called the "Greatest Generation." I concur with Tom Brokaw. It was most fitting that there was a military honor guard at the cemetery. When the two soldiers folded the American flag that had been draped over the casket and presented it to my mother-in-law, it was an emotional moment indeed. Dad had fought to defend this country, and he was rightly honored at the time of his death. Several of his grandchildren have volunteered to serve their country in the military. He was proud of their willingness to do so.

My wife Nancy is the oldest of the seven children. The Cranes also have thirty-eight grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren. At the funeral service on (which was held on Saturday, February 24), 37 of the 38 grandchildren were present, along with 14 of the 15 great-grandchildren. In my personal remarks during the funeral service, I pointed out the rows of grandchildren and great-grandchildren and stated that they represented my father-in-law's "greatest legacy." Faith Baptist Church in Warren, Michigan, provided a lunch for the members of the family, and we were able to take several photos of those who were present. This photo includes the grandchildren, the great-grandchildren, and Grandma Crane sitting right in the middle. When she came up to take her seat, the kids cheered and applauded her. That WAS an emotional moment.


















The last time that Grandpa and Grandma Crane visited us here in Minnesota was when Andy graduated from high school in 2005. They flew from Detroit to Minneapolis on Northwest Airlines. Although it was a little difficult on Grandpa Crane, he and Grandma managed just fine. We took Grandpa to church and to the graduation ceremony for Andy. He also enjoyed the graduation open house. It just so happened that the next day was Grandpa's 82nd birthday, so we had a party for him. You can see him here blowing out the candles on his cake, along with the help of his great-granddaughter Peyton Rose Vasquez.


















Nancy's dad and mom would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on August 2, but her dad slipped away before that could happen. On the occasion of their 50th anniversary, we had a great celebration in Michigan. But they were quite the pair, right up to the end. Indeed, it's hard to think of Roy Crane without also thinking of Vera Crane.
















On Nancy's birthday last December 10, she was talking to her dad and mom on the phone. After chatting with her dad for a few minutes, he sang "Happy Birthday" to her over the phone. Even though he was in the twilight of his life, he remembered and recognized one of his children. As Psalm 116:15 so eloquently states, "Precious in the sight of the LORD [is] the death of his saints."