Thanks to those of you who have written to ask about my health, and thanks especially to those who have continued to pray for me. At this writing, I am sixteen weeks into recovery from my colon cancer surgery of late December. As I am cancer-free and recovering well now, the surgeon told me in March that he doesn't need to see me again until I have another colonoscopy in December. He said it may be a year before everything inside settles down into a "new normal." I'm ready for that. Besides this, the recovery is going well.

In late February I began climbing aboard airplanes again and speaking in churches and conferences on many weekends. In moments of "grim jocularity" (to borrow from P. G. Wodehouse), I sometimes refer to "the glamorous world of jet travel." Those with lots of frequent flyer miles in their various airline accounts know the irony in that statement. (For instance, flight delays last Sunday night got me home at 3:30 a.m. How glamorous, eh?) Still, there are times while standing in an airport security line or wedged into a middle seat when I remind myself how grateful I am for the Lord's gifts of life and health that enable me to get on those planes again.

Don teaching at Southern Seminary's collegiate conference in early February

As did many of you, we had an unusually warm and dry winter. We received hardly any measurable snow, although the Louisville area normally expects to get about eighteen inches. In fact, we had thunderstorms and tornadoes in the area during the first week of January, and every month since. We've been anticipating the glorious outburst of blooms from the Bradford pears, redbuds, and dogwoods that we saw here last year when we first looked at this house. But now most of these trees are leafing out, indicating that we probably won't see such spring glory this year. Is it because of the warm winter? Regardless, it sure is good to feel the warmth of the sun, to enjoy the extra hours of daylight after supper, and to see the bright green of growth under our feet and overhead. Last year I told you I had heard the calls of Rufous-sided Towhees in our neighborhood. This year I think they have nested nearby. Hooray! It's exhilarating to walk out on a bright, clear morning and hear the high-pitched, "Drink your . . . teaaaaaaa!" Saturday I saw bluebirds here for the first time. There are still a few calls I hear regularly that I've not yet identified.

Caffy is delighted with the opportunity to plant a garden for the first time since 1980. It's great therapy for her, and should provide us with good nourishment beginning in a few weeks. I'll keep you posted on the latest garden news in the next newsletter.

Last Sunday she began teaching a Precept Bible study on Philippians to the women of our good church. In March she spoke to the Pendergraph Women's Ministry at Southern. This was an opportunity for her to address a good representation of female students, student wives, and faculty wives at the seminary. What a great seminary community there is at SBTS.

As to artwork, right now she’s doing some illustration work for one of our seminary publications.

My surgery and its aftermath have not been easy for Caffy, especially since it all came about during the dreary winter months and had me in the hospital both for Christmas and our anniversary. While things overall are tremendously better now, if you'd like to send her a word of greeting or encouragement, contact her through her website, www.CaffyWhitney.com

Laurelen is on spring break, and loving every minute of it. Outside, she's been leisurely pushing her scooter up and down the driveway. Inside, she's been knitting. She recently formed a "Knitters for Christ" group with some of her friends and even some adult women at church. While working apart between meetings, they gather every couple of weeks and combine the work they've been doing separately. They are making blankets for newborns in our church as well as items that might be useful or bring cheer to the shut-ins or elderly. She and the pastor's daughter biked to church Sunday night. Last night Laurelen and I finished reading a biography of Daniel Boone together from the great Landmark series for children. It's helped us appreciate more of the early history of our new home state.

Please pray for the completion and distribution of my booklet on family worship. I hope to go to press with it later this month. As the Lord provides, I also intend to produce a CD and DVD of the same message. This is the material from which the FamilyLife Todaybroadcast was taken in January.

The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.
2 Timothy 4:22