In this issue:

• Split-Bamboo by Dr. George Parker Holden
• Tinned Tobacco Review- Cross- Eyed Cricket
• The Lord Taketh Away And The Lord Giveth
• The Prince of Peace by Herman Hoeksema
• Father McAllister's Quabog River Blend
• Websites of Interest
  

From time to time I have been criticized, and rightly so, for never ending what I begin. My life is littered with unfulfilled visions, unreached goals and unfinished projects. Consequently, there is a creel full of personal satisfaction in being able to say that this issue of THE CHURCHWARDEN completes one whole year's worth of literary weirdness published to the glory of God. Even so, in a certain sense my critics continue to be correct: I am not done with THE CHURCHWARDEN, at least not yet. Lord willing, I intend to keep printing the newsletter month after month until He finally says, "Enough, already!"

The public response to THE CHURCHWARDEN has been tremendous. People seem to really enjoy what they read, something which I find incredibly amazing. After all, no other publication on the planet puts the politically incorrect subjects of smoking, hunting, fishing and biblical theology in the same package and then offers it to Christ Jesus as a gift of gratitude for His lordship over the totality of human existence. Much to my surprise, nobody has registered a single word of complaint about the content. In fact, the feedback I have received to date has been extremely supportive. More importantly, according to God's sovereign pleasure THE CHURCHWARDEN has effectively ministered to non-Christians and Christians alike through the twin graces of evangelism and edification. Truly, praise belongs to Him alone.

I believe, however, it would be appropriate to acknowledge those men and women who have made a significant contribution to this project thus far. Therefore, I wish to express heartfelt gratitude to:

• my wife, who constantly saves me from my own stupidity by editing everything I write before it hits the press;
• Jeanette Brown, the talented woman responsible for the virtual reality of THE CHURCHWARDEN on the internet;
• A. E. LaValley, the pastor who lovingly bagged me for unbecoming language on one or two occasions;
• Richard Lovelace, for his prayer-provoking poetry;
• plus William D. Brown, Jeff Johnson, Shannon Hooge, Father Felim McAllister, Reed Munson and Gary Rogan for their excellent articles.

Of course, you--the reader--deserve special mention. You are gracious enough to intentionally peruse this periodical on a regular basis without the beautiful benefit of alien brainwashing (which makes a man feel like a king, by the way). You have no idea how much I appreciate your on-going, but inexplicable, interest. All I can say is, "Thank you, thank you very much. . . I'm all shook up."