Sandy and I became home owners for the first time in our lives and moved into our house on Cotile Lake on July 1, 2000. Below is a view of the lake from our back porch taken in late winter.



I named this house, Tutissimum Refugium Sanguinis Christi, which is Latin and translates roughly as "Fortress of Refuge of the Blood of Christ." It is our prayer that all who visit us will find our lake side home a place of retreat and renewal, made possible because our Lord Jesus Christ shed his blood to forgive our sins and secure God's blessings. As the Second Adam, he has begun to undo the dreadful curse of the First Adam.

Our heavenly Father simply gave us this house, and it has been our privilege to open our doors freely to those whom the Lord Jesus sends our way.

We have had many house guests stay with us, including ten folks from South Louisiana and the Florida panhandle who fled Hurricane Ivan.

On October 4, 2004, Rod, Ben and Jessie Leffley arrived from Lithgow in the Blue Mountains of Australia.

For a bit over two months, we hosted four members of the Choe family.  The Choes had to evacuate New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.  Pastor Choe had been a nuclear physicist in South Korea before the Lord called him to be a Pastor; he is now back at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary working on his Ph.D. in New Testament.

We find sitting out on our pier a great place to read and reflect.  Sandy carries her laptop, and I bring my handheld.  Early morning is a great time to regain ones focus.  Here Sandy and our two dogs survey the lake as we begin the day.

The evening reminds us of the glory of God; he paints another beautiful sunset across the lake.

X marks the spot where our house sits on Cotile Lake in this Russian spy satellite photograph.

Here is a Google Map to our Home