Quiet bliss

On Memorial Day I moved a chair from the screen porch into the sun right outside the porch. This has been a cool spring, and the mornings and evenings require a sweatshirt and a spot in the sun.
There's a lovely bench to hold the gear, and the chair swivels so I could put my feet up and stay a while.

The bottom two photos are what I could see from my vantage point.



Quiet time bliss.

Now in bloom...

The irises are currently in their glory - the purple ones have joined the white ones which began blooming a few days ago. Each bloom lasts only a day, which seems a shame - they are so beautiful. These ones were transplanted from my mother's yard to our old house and now here. They are HARDY.

I have no idea what this little plant is. The stalk/trunk is woody like a bush, and it is under two feet tall. This year it is in full bloom! It has not grown much in size in the two years we've lived here, and this is the first year of blooms - last year it had some orange buds which never developed. It survived our harsh winter, and the leaves are thick and waxy like a succulent. Does anyone have any guesses?

Herbs

Today I dug out a new garden in the corner of the tiers by our kitchen patio door. The previous owner of our home added landscape beams and created tiers all around our home which makes for interesting vistas and difficult mowing!

Anyhow, this is now the kitchen herb garden. Still left the lemon verbena, the spearmint and the lemon balm in their containers for this year, as I'm afraid they'll take over the whole space. Added some "spicy basil" and "cinnamon basil" from the garden center along with a large chunk of chives from a friend's garden. the edge of mulch all around is for easier moving around the rocks. There already was a tiny bush in the corner - that's still there...with a garden angel flying over the space.

The plan is that I will walk out the patio door and clip some fresh herbs while I cook or when I make beverages. Sounds good in theory.

What do you do with chives other than clip them onto a baked potato with sour cream? Any ideas out there?

Garden Updates

Decided to document what is in bloom when and make a garden journal of sorts. I'll share the photos here too.

First was the purple phlox - which came back in ABUNDANCE this year.

This next photo is also the front entryway, with a few annuals now planted there as well. The phlox is perennial, and we have it in various places all over the yard. It is a beacon of spring. Annuals are not safe to plant until Memorial Day week end. Our Wisconsin weather is just too unpredictable.

Last year I planted a Bleeding Heart. It must *love* its location, because it is thriving! Bloom time is about the first of May.

The violets were transplanted last year to a protected spot, as the deer loved them! These are precious to me as they were originally from my mom's front entry. She was not a gardener per se, but had irises, violets and tomatoes! This year my violets bloomed on her birthday, May 7th.

The irises are just beginning. The white ones, transplanted from my friend Vicky's garden, are called "immortality." The purple ones are not open yet..they have been transplanted twice - originally from my mom's garden in Madison, WI.

Immortality bloom time? Today! May 29th.

These wild geraniums are a hardy ground cover with lovely blooms a couple times per season. They were transplanted from my friend Jodi's garden. You can see the pot of Lemon Verbena in the background! This photo was also taken just this morning.

I just love the rhythm of the garden - one of the blessings of Wisconsin is the cycle of all four distinct seasons. Spring has to be my favorite - new birth and the revival of what looked to be lost...

Spearmint

This year our garden contains a few edibles. Since the deer visit most evenings (scared one away from the feeders again last night - inches from her as I whispered "shoo!" she just kept munching...until I started to further open the window. Then she moseyed away) I can't have a vegetable garden unless I want a fence - which I don't. But next to the screen porch is a barrel with a "patio tomato" plant in it, and two variations of cilantro. And in other pots I have Spearmint, Lemon Balm and Lemon Verbena. I learned (the hard way) that these herbs are VIGOROUS and spread everywhere and throughout everything - thus the pots this year.

I love mojitos, but don't especially need the alcohol nor the sugar. My "mojito garden" this year is for iced tea: with Splenda, Lemon Verbena and Spearmint it is quite incredible, and a great summer refresher.

I do make quasi mojitos too. I soak mint sprigs in lime juice in the fridge. When I'm ready for refreshment, I strain an inch of lime juice into my glass and add Fresca and a splash of rum. What a FABULOUS sugar free beverage for a summer evening. It's as good as a margarita without all the sugar and calories. The rum is just for the tinge of flavor - alcohol puts me to sleep - I am a VERY wimpy drinker.

Just clipping the mint sends my senses soaring - rubbing it in my hands emits the most amazing aroma. An automatic lift.

I'm enjoying my mint. Today it's just floating in my hot tea. Simple Pleasures.

The Journey

Still reading For the Tough Times by Max Lucado. Love these quotes:

The wolf cannot get to the sheep without the permission of the Shepherd, and the Shepherd will only permit the attack if, in the long term, the pain is worth the gain. (p.44)

Luke 22:31-32 (NASB95)

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail;

and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

The purpose of this test is to provide a testimony for the church. Jesus was allowing [Simon]Peter to experience a trial so he could encourage his brothers. Perhaps God is doing the same with you. God knows that the church needs living testimonies of his power. Your difficulty, your disease, your conflict are preparing you to be a voice of encouragement to your brothers. (p. 44)

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NASB95)

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man;

and God is faithful,

who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able,

but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also,

so that you will be able to endure it.

I needed to read this today.

God Does Things Like That

Yesterday afternoon my mother-in-law called me at work in a panic. Her twin sister is failing, and the nursing home where she is in rehabilitation care had called to say my mother-in-law might want to come. I'm not sure of the initial diagnosis, but our 76 year old aunt has deteriorated since her hospitalization in November. She has moved from hospital to rehab and back a few times, and is unlikely to make it back home. She and my mother in law have severe asthma, and our aunt now appears to have pneumonia for the third time this year. She has MRSA, and no pancreas - lost that over 5 years ago when it filled with tumors, and honestly, I don't know what else she all has. Many battles. The loss of a pancreas makes her a brittle diabetic which complicates everything.

I took my mother-in-law to the nursing home. It's not the type of place I planned to be just one month after my dad's funeral. Our cousins were huddled discussing options and making phonecalls to other siblings. It was a bit too familiar. It's time to make the call of moving her back to a hospital setting for treatment or leaving her in palliative comfort care. Our aunt is not fully cognizant, the infection and the medications taking over her normally lucid mind. My mother-in-law sat at the end of the bed and tried to make conversation with her beloved sister. Our cousins sought my advice. It seemed too soon to discuss my weeks in intensive care and to recall all the difficult decisions. And yet my recent path made me a resource in their time of grief.

Today I bought a book for a sister in Christ who wrote to tell me she is struggling. I went to the Christian bookstore to pick up our new Bible study guide, and on the $5 deal table was Max Lucado's small book entitled, For the Tough Times: Reaching Toward Heaven for Hope.

Just now I was previewing it, and I came upon an interesting quote: "Or consider Moses, watching flocks in the wilderness. Is this what he intended to do with his life? His heart beats with Jewish blood. His passion is to lead the slaves, so why does God have him leading sheep?...Who would have thought that God was giving Moses forty years of wilderness training in the very desert through which he would lead the people?...God does things like that."

I thought I bought this book for a sister, but God is already speaking to me through it. God does things like that.

God has taken me through an 8.5 year desert journey with my parents - an experience that gives me the empathy and understanding to walk beside others on their similar paths. God does things like that.

I can't tell you the number of times I have been able to open the doors of opportunity at work because I could talk intelligently with senior living administrators about housing options, and tell them of my experience in trying to find the right housing options for my parents. I moved them half a dozen times in 2 years as they travelled rapidly through the stages of care, and now I work for an architecture firm that designs Senior Living spaces. God does things like that.

I'm in a significant desert still, with no oasis in sight. But God is still on His throne. I am not forgotten. This wilderness has a purpose too. I need to keep reminding myself.

Just yesterday I wrote in my journal: "If I was not experiencing xxx, I may not have pursued God as I have." Would I trade the path that has brought me to this place of intimacy with God? That is a very hard question. I'd like to think that I'm deep enough to wildly pursue God even in blessing, but I'm not sure... Are there any effective people of faith who have gotten there through a life of ease?

Psalm 11:3-4
"When all that is good falls apart,
what can good people do?"
The LORD is in his holy temple;
the LORD sits on his throne in heaven.

"His [David the psalmist's] point is unmistakable: God is unaltered by our storms. He is undeterred by our problems. He is unfrightened by these problems. He is in his holy temple. He is on his throne in heaven.
"Buildings may fall, careers may crumble, but God does not. Wreckage and rubble have have never discouraged him. God has always turned tragedy into triumph." -Max Lucado

Trend Setter

From The Wa*ll Street Journal:

The roller-coaster stock market and plunging housing prices have left many consumers afraid. In response, marketers are adopting a softer approach to peddling their wares, playing up comforting images in their ads and focusing on family and the warmth and safety of home.

Some marketers are even reviving old advertising to remind consumers of happier times.

On Monday, Pillsbury, a unit of General Mills, launched a brand campaign about the pleasures of staying in. Dubbed "Home Is Calling," the campaign includes television, print, online and other ads. They feature a variety of characters -- a businessman, a young boy in a library and a woman at a train station -- who click their heels, envisioning a way to get home and eat with their friends and loved ones.

"The economy is so frightening," says Juliana Chugg, president of Pillsbury. "This campaign is an opportunity for us to represent hope in a time when people are feeling scared. To be able to connect home and values like safety, security, warmth and love at home really resonates."

Amid wide-spread economic woes, marketers are ratcheting up images of family and the warmth and safety of home.

I watch trends in the marketing part of my job. This new focus on HOME is a bit ironic. Give the nation everything it's ever wanted and more, then turn the economy upside down, and now sell with a focus on home. Home IS where the heart is - always has been. Perhaps we're catching up with ourselves.

Now to find an article on the trend of turning to God...

Sweet Spot

I love the term "sweet spot." I remember it first from tennis - how the ball sailed just perfectly if you hit it on the sweet spot of the racket. I read it in terms of life a couple years ago in the book, Cure for the Common Life: Living in Your Sweet Spot by Max Lucado. He talked about finding the sweet spot where God meant for us to live. I love it.

Today was a sweet spot day. Great time in the Word this morning, reading Hosea for my new class. Came upon this phrase in the New Living Translation:

I will return her vineyards to her and transform

the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope.

Hosea 2:14 NLT

That verse really REALLY lifted my spirits. Bye bye emotional storm clouds. My Valley of Trouble will be transformed into a gateway of hope. God loves me THAT much, and He is THAT capable and THAT reliable. I am waiting and soon I will see.

Anyhow, after transferring that and other verses onto index cards and scrap booking them a bit (more on that later) I went into my day with a much needed attitude adjustment.

The rest of the day was spent digging dirt and compost into the garden, planting beauty into our front entry way, dealing with the yard of mulch and half yard of stone delivered at noon, and generally enjoying the outdoors and some physical labor. That is a VERY sweet spot. Don't you just feel better stretching and sweating and really and truly working your body? Mine gets so soft and flabby in the winter. And yes, right now my 46 year old muscles ACHE and my bones are creaking, but you know what? My body feels alive.

The front courtyard was my focus today, and if I do say so myself, it's looking spectacular. This is our second spring here, and it is so gratifying to see the perennials thriving. Last year I planted a smallish bleeding heart, and this year it is GINORMOUS. I'll take photos tomorrow. The secret is the very *fragrant* (smelly) compost that we bring home free from the dump. The yardwaste we bring in is transformed into dirty gold - it is PRICELESS to the garden when dug in each spring.

After about 6 hours of non stop physical labor I re-showered, and sweet Sue arrived for grilled burgers and margaritas. Let the summer roll. After she left I got into my jammies (a definite sweet spot) and wrote a long overdue email. A sister needed encouragement and I wrote to her of how God ministers to me when I'm in the dumps. And now, here I am...writing again.

My life has some really big challenges. And I'm figuring out that I have to fight the emotional train wrecks that my mother fought. Thankfully I have my father's base personality and emotions, but I have a monstrous dose of female hormones added to that as well as my mother's propensity for the blues. It's a constant battle for me.

And so...my sweet spot. Time in the garden sweating and creating beauty. And marveling, after two years here, that God gave us this home. Some of you may think I'm bragging, but I'm not. I'm marveling. I longed for a different home for years and years and years, and thought it would never happen. But in God's PERFECT timing my husband relented and at THAT time this house went on the market. Any earlier and we wouldn't be HERE...in the home God had planned just for us. (my husband totally agrees that it is right for us -we're within a one minute walk of his parents which is SO handy for them) It's a rather modest ranch home, especially by today's standards, and yet every nook and cranny screams "grace." The yard, the woods, the birds, the opportunity for sweat and toil, and the beauty all around - it just feeds me, comforts me, and draws me back into the blessings of life from the funks that seem ever present.

And so, I am in my sweet spot. Sweet spots come and go...but...when you find one, it's time to CELEBRATE it, and MAXIMIZE its potential for good in your life! And of course, attribute it to the ONE who can take our valleys of trouble and turn them into gateways of hope. YEAH GOD.

Good night. Now it's time for Sweet (spot) Dreams.

Spring Surprise

This tiny fawn was in the back of the yard on Saturday. If I had wanted to I could have picked her up - she (he?) was simply too pooped to care.

Our neighbor assured me that the mom would be back. He has seen it before - the mom beds down the fawn in the long grass between the yard and the woods and then trots off for coffee clutch. He thinks that she assumes the fawn is safer from predators in the open than in the woods.

Isn't she adorable?

On the road again...

Today was spent in the car. To Big Bend to pick up Emily's friend, then took the two of them to Rhinelander to Crescent Lake Bible Camp where they will work for the summer. I'm so excited for her. I'm praying for GREAT growth - making her faith her own, and spending time with HIM.

Then to Marshfield for work, and then home. About 9 hours of driving. Lots of great music and some good meaty teaching from Chip Ingram and Joyce Meyer.

A good day, except I usually have a *catch up* call with my dad on my long trips...I missed that today.

Good night!

Purpose Driven Connection

On Saturday I spent a good portion of the afternoon at Borders bookstore. I love to browse and wander and spend time skimming magazines and books rather than or before buying them. It was wonderful.

I picked up Rick Warren's new magazine, Purpose Driven Connection. It was on an end rack which is SO COOL - a Christian highlighted at Borders.

Now I know that there is a segment of the church that doesn't think Rick Warren teaches deep enough, and does not emphasize the cross enough. That's a good discussion...for another day. Stick with me here.

The magazine is $9.95. Not cheap. But inside is a DVD with a 6 part small group study! And a study guide. Quite intriguing. This is just a PART of this thick glossy publication - a first rate quality magazine.

This morning I am listening to the DVD series, session one. It is a joint effort of Rick Warren and Chuck Colson on "Framing Your Worldview."

It is superb.

I'm not an easy sell. I love love love the Word of God, and am quick to defend it. And so does Rick, and so does Chuck. I have listened to the first two segments of session one and there is not ONE word I take issue with. Not one.

One summary statement is: (from the study guide) Worldviews contradict each other and can't all be true; only the biblical worldview gives us a complete and true picture of the world as it really is.

They discuss compartmentalization - putting our religion in one compartment, our work in another, how we treat our body in another, how we handle money in another...all kinds of categories. But the goal is INTEGRITY which is based on the word INTEGER which means one and wholeness. I am ONE person. I can only live according to ONE world view, and when I accept everything (syncretism) I negate everything because different world views are in conflict with one another. I become fragmented, and that is not a firm foundation.

Chuck especially speaks to how the church needs to THINK more rather than rely on feelings. A quote from Chuck: "The most important thing we can do is ground ourselves in this.[holding up a Bible]"

WOO HOO. Push the Word. AMEN. Do it with technical excellence in a format that will appeal to the younger generation. AMEN. And then sell it through a secular venue...right there next to O Magazine and Newsweek. FABULOUS.

Christians, we need to FULLY SUPPORT the Bible being taught in the mainstream media. The church's worst enemy is the church - we shoot each other down ALL THE TIME. Before you criticize Rick Warren for being...Rick Warren...and thereby disqualify the new magazine, please read it. Let's USE OUR MINDS as Chuck Colson so challenges us, and let's OPEN UP to the Holy Spirit using new media and fresh faces and new ways to engage this POST CHRISTIAN world in which we live.

I would LOVE and WELCOME your comments as to what you disagree with in this magazine. My brain is in full gear. It is written by humans, so likely there will be some errors in judgment. But it points to the WORD. A respectful discussion is always a good thing - one where we don't label people, but rather use quotations as discussion starters. No person is perfect, and there are no writings on which to hang our hats except those authored by God. But God uses people, flawed though we are, to communicate to the world. Is it not obvious that Rick Warren is being used? He cannot be an instrument of anti Christ AND accuratey quoting Scripture and pointing people to it...that is NOT possible. He doesn't manipulate the Word, he urges people to study it for themselves.

I'm challenging you all: Get the magazine. Just try it. Watch the DVD series even if you don't have to agree with every emphasis. Of course we MUST stand up to heresy...but we shouldn't be assuming it, should we?

I am really conservative. But I'm growing to understand that God uses new ways to reach new generations, and that the biggest opposition to His work, historically, has been the established church. I so don't want to become dogmatic about form. It's ALL ABOUT the BIBLE, and pointing people to it.

Amen? Amen!

Gokey on Fox

Try THIS LINK for the Gokey clips on FOX. Or go look for them. They're worth it!

Go Go Gokey

Yes...Emily and I went to see Danny Gokey on the lakefront in Milwaukee today - at the Summerfest grounds. We and thousands of others.

I only start watching Idol when it gets to the top 5 or 6. But then I'm hooked. And to have a hometown boy in it is very fun.

I didn't think he was the best contestant though. But today...well...today was amazing. Danny came out of his TV shell, and was ALL performer. He had a blast with the show.

If the link I've added does not take you to about a dozen video clips on FOX, then search them out. The one where he talked at his church today was AMAZING. He just kept crediting God.

Go Danny!

Friday

Since this is post number 3 in 20 minutes, you've likely surmised that I'm off today. In fact, a four day week end stretches before me. WOO HOO.

I'm in my spot. In the past few months this spot nestled away in our bedroom has become much more beautiful due to the replacement of our 25-plus-year-old covered loveseat with a de-luxe chocolate brown leather reclining loveseat and some new artwork. The lamp came from my dad's room, as did the blue down lap blanket. (sigh) You can see in the photo that my coffee is in place as is the art tote used to store my current quiet time materials, journal, Bible and colored pens.

Our 19 year old, Emily, came in and said it felt like summer in here. (the little noise machine has the sound of ocean waves and seagulls as I enjoy my morning ritual...covers the distractions of the house) Another time she said it felt like a spa - all in browns and bluish greens. The triple window to my left is a gift that cannot be put into words - watching the birds, the squirrels, and now the budding trees.

I won't bore you with the details of the amazing deal on the loveseat at HOBO and the artwork at TJMaxx. But I know that my Father honors the priority I give Him - both in how He fills me during this time each day and now in how He has provided such beauty and luxury in such a personal way.

Thank you Lord for the gift of this hiding place - a place for YOU and I to spend time together each early morning. It is a sheltered cove in my busy world.

Facebook

One interesting comment (of many) that our New Testament professor had was that satan's plan is to get us to look more and more at ourselves and less and less at Christ and at the lost world. He used the example of facebook. It was set up as a social networking device, and in that capacity it has amazing potential for good in the kingdom. So satan is working on messing it up - by making us use it for self analysis more than for communication, relationship building or outreach.

Since he said that I've noticed the dozens of self tests...ie what fruit do you most resemble?

Interesting perspective, isn't it? Our enemy is so perverse...and knows us so well.

Bible Notes

When in Iowa for my dad's burial, I borrowed my aunt June's Bible to look up Genesis 3 - I don't actually remember why I was looking up that passage. She has a Life Application Study Bible. Near that passage the study notes read:

Satan's Plan

Doubt: Makes you question God's word and His goodness.

Discouragement: Makes you look at your problems rather than at God.

Diversion: Makes the wrong things seem attractive so that you will want them more than the right things.

Defeat: Makes you feel like a failure so that you don't even try.

Delay: Makes you put off doing something so that it never gets done.

Wow. I can really see how satan has used these tactics in my life. It's so clear. Doesn't it just make you wanna fight back and tell him he's NOT going to deceive you any more?!