Faster than the Speed of Life

Whew.

I miss you, my bleaders. You know life is going past at warp speed when i don't even blog... Life is good, and full, and just the way it's supposed to be. Facebook is getting my daily snippets...I'll have to get back into the groove of the blog. My school starts in two days, so then I'll be chained to my computer and looking for reasons to procrastinate...

The house is full of happy sounds. Jake and his buddy Danny are playing video games with Brent, Emily's new beau. Brent was Jake and Danny's counselor at Bible camp in July, so Jake is all excited about Brent being here to visit. Brent is a 6 foot 4 inch blond haired goofball, and I totally approve of him. :) (remember Emily's list? He ranks pretty well...) Anyhow, I can hear the boys in the family room.

Under my room, where I'm currently sitting at my desk, is the girl's room. I can hear muffled gabbing and bursts of laughter. Is that not just a blessed sound? Truly, it makes my eyes tear up. I love that they are reconnecting after being apart for Em's semester in Spain and then her summer at camp. It's so good that they have each other.

Boomer is snoring at my feet.

Frank is visiting his dad at a rehabilitation center where he has been for a few weeks following a procedure to help strengthen his spine. Joey is working. Everyone is accounted for.

Quiet morning hour, then to work for a rush of projects, then lunch with Em and Brent, and back to work for a very full afternoon. (still playing catch up for being gone a week and a half) Went from work to the bookstore to get one last textbook, and then met the crew at Ricardos for pizza. While Frank went to see his dad, Em and I walked to see my mother-in-law and do a few chores. And now, here I am. Surrounded by happy sounds and trying to stay awake to work on my Bible study again.

Of course there are dark threads in the tapestry of every life, and I am working through a relational loss that has been so hard. Life is full of tough choices, isn't it? Sometimes it seems to be overwhelming...and then...I hear the laughter through the walls and I think of how blessed I am.

Such is life. Stay tuned.

Need chocolate?

Tonight after supper Jake asked for dessert. I remembered a recipe that my sister in law Karen raved about, and quick whipped it up for him.

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
> >> 4 tablespoons flour
> >> 4 tablespoons sugar
> >> 2 tablespoons cocoa
> >> 1 egg
> >> 3 tablespoons milk
> >> 3 tablespoons oil
> >> 3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
> >> A small splash of vanilla extract
> >> 1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well..
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

EAT ! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?
Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Result? AMAZING. In fact I made two for us, and then made one to take to the neighbors. It was so good and so simple.

I'm so sorry. This is the type of recipe you might not want to have on hand...

This first one I made in an oversized mug:



Next I made one in a regular mug and flipped it onto a dessert plate. With a blop of whipped cream, it's company ready...

Back to School

My school begins a week from tomorrow. Frankly, I'm not sure I'm up to it. But I will plod on. Something about my dad dying during the finals week, and then two classes with a LOT of homework in the summer...I burned out. But, onward and upward.

My class is History of Christianity. The description is:

This course will familiarize students with major developments in Christianity from the first
century to the present. The class will focus on various prominent persons, trends, and events in
this broad time period including: the patristic period; the ecumenical councils; the development
of a cultural and theological synthesis of the middle ages; the precursors, content, and
personalities of the Protestant Reformation; the contribution of classical Protestant orthodoxy
and subsequent rise of denominations; the rise of secularism and the “Enlightenment”;
awakenings, revivals, and missionary expansion; and modern theological trends.

Um...I think it's going to be hard. I know the Bible, so taking New Testament and Minor Prophets was challenging, but in my comfort zone. This...this is brand brand new.

I've ordered two of the textbooks, and have my name in for the third one - on a waiting list. Three big fat textbooks:

Bettenson, Henry ,and Chris Maunder (eds.) Documents of the Christian Church

Gonzalez, Justo. The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Present Day, one volume

Noll, Mark. Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity

Once I get them (two are being shipped) I'll start reading ahead. At least that's the plan...

Uncle

UNCLE. I cry UNCLE.
Actually, I got pretty far on my list.
The heat and my exhaustion have taken over. I'm heading to bed.
Good night!

To Do

Today's to do list. [last day of vacation...took today off to get caught up] In no particular order, this is what I will pack into this Monday:

• quiet time with God (about to start...)
• balance checkbook
• order books for "History of Christianity" which begins on the 26th of August
• laundry (already in process)
• brown the hamburger, freeze some and also make chili
• make Thai curry chicken for dinner
• bake shortbread (learned from Nancy - english butter shortbread - yum)
• walk or go the health club and work out
• finalize outline for retreat for September 11 to 13
• clean our bedroom - at least 2 hours worth - get a good start
• buy birdseed and bake it
• Bible study for Thursday night - work on the hand out
• drive Joey to the bus for Madison (he's going for 2 days of move-in/partying)
• drive Jake to football
• clean the kitchen sink
• get ahold of Emily's friend Kyle - arrange to get my old lap top to him
• put my password list into my mac (it's only on my Blackberry and that makes me nervous)
• phone Annie whose mom died on the Friday I left for Vancouver :( I missed the funeral.

Kind of a long list, but I have all day and all night. It's raining out which GREATLY simplifies my plan - I don't need to water all the flowers, and it's not the day to deadhead and trim my gardens. (I like it when God handles the watering!)

I'm looking forward to puttering about at home. Home is where my heart is.

On blogging...

Nowadays anyone with a crap laptop and Internet access can sound their barbaric yawp, whatever it may be. But the surprise is that for every person who's got something to say, it seems there are at least a few people who are interested. Some of them aren't even related. ... There's a dangerous, confessional thrill to opening up your eminently fascinating life and brain to the world at large, and the Internet makes it all so much faster and more breathless and exciting. ... the blog readers - I was beginning to think of them as my "bleaders"... Here, I took my anger and despair and rage and transformed it with my alchemy into hope and ecstatic mania. Here, I took a crap laptop and some words that popped into my head at seven in the morning, and I turned them into something people wanted, maybe even needed.

These quotes are from Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. The book is based loosely on Julie's real life experience of needing something new and fun in her life, and deciding to cook through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year and blogging about it.

The blog part is fun to read. That thrill of having bleaders.

The next day I got thirty-six hits. I know I got thirty-six hits because I went online to check twelve times that day at work. Each hit represented another person reading what I'd written. Just like that! At the bottom of the entry there was a spot where people could make comments, and someone I'd never even heard of said they liked how I wrote! I was going to eat lots of French food, and write about it, and get compliments from total strangers about it. Eric was right. This was going to be brilliant!

I loved the movie. I'm savoring the book. I love food, I love blogging, I love Julia Child, and I love the amazing love stories in both Julie and Julia's lives. So, my dear bleaders, I give it all two thumbs up. (with the caveat that there is a lot of swearing in the book!)

PS Comments feed bloggers. Please say hello.

Home again

It's really really good to be in my spot. Still in my jammies. French vanilla coffee in my favorite cup. Boomer snoring contentedly beside me. The house is quiet. My world is all intact.

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.

Traveling Light?

Blogging from 30,000 feet. [I actually have no idea how high up airplanes fly… but that sounded like a great opening line...] Seat 11D, on the aisle, on Airtran flight 211 en route to Milwaukee. No, I’m not online. But I could be. Airtran has WiFi, for a mere $7.95 per flight. Kinda cool, but not necessary this time.

The woman beside me has the coolest bag. Major bag envy. It’s creamy leatherette hugeness has thus far revealed a full sized hard cover library book, a half bag of sugar coated pecans still in the vendor paper bag, a bag of almonds and dried fruit for her body builder boyfriend in the window seat, a few magazines...it’s all in there, and there’s more. It has no structure, a center dividing pocket with zip (safety for passport and wallet), handles and a shoulder strap. It’s simply cool. It is squashed under the seat in front of her with seeming ease. Casual sophistication. I have a passion for bags. This is a good one.

My bag is relatively new and has compartments for everything I need. I like it. Oakley vertical messenger bag. But it’s feeling a bit stiff. There is no flexiblity as I wedge it under the seat. [pilot just announced another hour and fifteen minutes to touch down - 565 miles] I have everything in its place, but it’s just not as ...bohemian...as that great bag next door. Of course she does not have a lap top...so...perhaps my boring structure is necessary. [And I did pick up three pairs of “sleepless in seattle” pajamas in the Seattle airport...one oversized tshirt gown for me and two pairs of jammie pants for the girls. They are rolled up and smashed into the back pocket of the Oakley bag which no doubt adds to it’s stuffed inflexibility...but gosh are they cute... ]

I’m thoroughly enjoying every minute of this trip. I have so so many toys along, and I’ve kind of marveled at it all. I’m learning to travel in the 00’s. It requires an organized bag and a WHOLE LOTTA cords.

First my Mac. Oh, I love mac. Then my iPod touch. (ito) I have LOVED reading the ebook Julie and Julia in tiny bites all throughout the trip - planes, busses, trolleys, traffic jams on the freeways...delays continuously softened by my sleek little toy. The rental car had an iPod jack, and I had packed the right cord (the one I use in my car) so that was HAPPY circumstance for my 3 hours in the car both ways between Seattle and Vancouver - loved having my music and podcasts with me. I felt so...spoiled. And then there’s the photos. I put a smattering of my life in photos onto ito ...and have showed the handy little album to many people - such a simple tool. Mac requires a power cord and then there’s another cord that connects mac and ito...for syncing and powering. Ito's car cord came along too. [the rental car had the iPod jack and the power jack all hidden in the armrest...how smart is that?]

My little digital camera. No idea how many photos I’ve taken. At least a thousand. And a couple videos too… of my brother playing the piano. There must be a hundred pics of the secret garden alone. [which, by the way, I’ve easily made into a very stress relieving slide show with Vivaldi playing in the background. mac is so seamlessly simple...integrating photos and music and fancy slideshow settings…] Of course I brought the battery charger and the cord to dump photos off the memory card and onto mac. Haven't digital cameras just changed everything? You can just keep taking pictures - capturing the moment. It's free and it's simple.

Tom Tom. This is my hub’s navigation toy that he pre programmed for me and sent along in it’s little zipper pouch. (It’s about 5 inches x 1 inch x 3 inches) When I plugged it in to the second power jack in the rental car, I just had to touch “Navigate to,” “favorites,” “Holiday Inn Downtown Vancouver,” and the little machine verbally navigated me right out of the Sea Tac parking ramp and up I-5 Northbound. Simply amazing. I put every destination into it as I went, and thus had not one moment of angst as I zipped around new cities. Isn’t that incredible? It came programmed with all of North America, but you can download other countries as well. Frank bought it for all his business trips. It uses the same plug as my Blackberry.

Oh...my Blackberry. Texting. Who can live without texting? It’s how I kept track of my brother and sister’s schedules (we generally met at our destinations) and kept up with home a bit. International cell phone use is 69 cents a minute, so that was kept WAY to a minimum. We put me on an international text and email package for 9 days...and that’s what I did. I used the phone maybe 10 times for quickie calls...not everyone texts… The BB required two cords: car (shared with Tom Tom) and power outlet for at night. That’s my alarm clock too. And I can google on it, like when I needed to find the nearest Starbucks...

[The woman in the seat in front of me is making jewelry. She has pill bottles and snack bags full of beads in a big ziplock...it’s laid all over her tray table...she’s yakking away with the flight attendant...the jewelry is very lovely! She tapes the ends with scotch tape when she moves about...isn’t it amazing what you can learn just from watching people? Repeat after me: I do NOT need a new hobby...I do NOT need a new hobby...]

Starbucks. Wow. It’s like a home away from home. Each morning (after I left the Holiday Inn- while there I had great coffee and free WiFi in my room) started with my two free hours of wireless and a skinny cinnamon dolce latte at the nearest Sbux. I’d get caught up on email, upload a couple photos to Facebook, read about everyone else on Facebook, blog (okay...only twice) and also work on my Bible study. Lovely morning ritual. I have decided that maintaining my morning journal/Bible/online routine helped make my trip more relaxed. I fit a lot of visiting and sight seeing in, but that couple of early morning hours were all mine. I’d awake early and do my thing before heading out for the very full days. I need alone time and time with God.

Those are my toys. They are not nearly as cumbersome as they appear. In fact my small leather purse has three zippered sections on its face which held my BB, my ito and my camera. They went everywhere with me. Tom Tom stayed in the rental car for the entire 8 days, hidden in that very handy armrest. The car cords stayed there too. The other cords all stayed in my laptop bag, along with mac. It’s all very compact.

As I return home I feel all caught up. I’ve kept up with most of the emails, with facebook, I have this blog to post, and I put in about 4 hours of work in total - emailing my edits back to the office. I’ve kept up with the kids and hub, and they with me. My photos are uploaded, many are labeled, and a lot of the duds are deleted. [ I have 800 of my sister in law Nancy’s Paris photos uploaded too - they were so stunning, I wanted to keep them to gaze at and plan a future trip… ]

It’s simply handy to have my gadgets along.

On the way to Vancouver I did not even check a bag. I had everything in my one carry on bag and my Oakley messenger bag. I was extremely pleased to manage that, and it turned out that I did not even need all the clothes that I brought. I traveled light. [I did need each and every cord…]

However, for the return trip I bought a cheap $20 carry on while in Vancouver in which to transport the three Julia Child cookbooks and her biography which my brother and I scouted out at various used bookstores. (these weigh at least 20 pounds cumulatively, so, in retrospect, may not have proven to be the best of souvenirs…) We entertained ourselves for hours on a few rainy days with a used book store crawl. It was a BLAST, and we both got teary eyed when we bagged each of the 6 books we bought. (Mastering the Art of French Cooking is the focus of the movie “Julie and Julia” which Jonnie and I saw on Saturday during a rain storm) He and I both got Volume I, I found a first edition of Volume II, and I bought two old old copies of Julia’s biography entitled An Appetite for Life. I gave one to my ex sis in law, Nancy as a hostess gift - I stayed with her for 4 nights. She and her hub went to see “J&J” while I was there, and since she loves biographies she LOVED the musty old book and was reading it each evening. Oh - I also got one other of JC’s cookbooks...a volume 2 of her book regarding cooking for company...

Oh! We’re beginning our descent. You now have my travel logistics. Roll your eyes as you may, but this is feeling like QUITE the accomplishment to me. The lists and the packing and the selection of just the right bags and electronics - each proved to be a component of a wildly successful 8 day trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

More important than the logistics of it all, there are the PEOPLE I visited: my brother Jon; my sister Sally and her partner Gloria; Sally’s daughter Katherine and her hub Jose and their 4 year old Sara; Jon’s daughter Jen, her boyfriend Terrance and her 7 year old Joshie; Jon’s ex wife Nancy and her husband Lon; Jack - one of the parishioners of my dad’s church in White Rock; and Karla - my best friend from age 10 to 15. So many visits. So many stories. When will I blog it all? Not to mention the ocean and the mountains.

But alas...all electronics must be turned off now. So... au revoir! Thanks for the prayers and “bon voyages.” I’ve had a WONDERFUL week.

Julie and Julia

Packing light was a high priority this trip, as I did not want to check a bag. One of my packing downfalls is *books* - they are heavy but necessary on a vacation. I decided to try my new ipod touch and bring along an e-book.

Yes, yes, I know. That screen is small. But I thought I should give it a try...

I downloaded Barnes & Noble's free e reader, which came with a few free books and a dictionary. There are a lot of screen settings, so I set the font to very large and it seemed doable. I have great eyes, but did not want to work hard at pleasure reading...

Next I downloaded Julie and Julia for $9.95. Not as economical as the library, but not as pricey as the brand new paperback in the store...

And once on the plane...I powered up and...read. Verdict? I LOVE it. Truly. It's tiny and compact, easily portable, and while I have to touch the screen often to turn the page, it was not annoying at all. You can highlight a word to mark, you can bookmark pages, and you can tap a word to look it up in the dictionary. (Except that the words that I did not know were beyond the scope of this particular abbreviated free dictionary...)

My brother and I went to "Chapters" last night, (Canada's Borders or B & N) and I was not tempted to buy the next read because I will download one if necessary. (all I need is a wireless hotspot) This is sort of freeing. I don't know about you, but sometimes (always) I can have a backlog of books that I don't quite get to...but looked so good...

Another reading application is called "Stanza," and I downloaded that app for free as well. It has a "library" function. Haven't checked it out, but maybe you can rent a title for a shorter amount of time for a small (or no) fee? I'll need to spend some time there.

The book is FUN, written in a chatty casual style. I found myself chortling out loud on the plane, but thankfully the guy next to me was a sound sleeper... Can't we all relate to cooking disasters?

Yesterday Jon and I went to the movie - second day it was out - two thumbs up - way up. Fun food adventure and poignant love story. We cried at the same parts... an emotional movie for sure.

Today's paper features JULIA, of course, and Jonnie and I are going to rummage through some used book stores to try and find an old copy of the cook book that will soon be all the rage. (Chapters was OUT of it last night, but we were assured that A LOT more are on order) One funny line from this editorial is, as the editor was testing the beef bourguignon recipe, " ...when all is said and done, it is a glorified beef stew. It is very good. But it takes all day to make. By the time my guests arrived, I hated them..." Ha.

This trip will go down in my memory as the Julie and Julia vacation. Jon and I might even try to make Boeuf bourguignon at his place one day... (although there are a million steps to that recipe...)

Au Revoir, and Bon Appetit!

Vancouver

Deliciously wrapped in a white terry robe courtesy of an executive suite in the Holiday Inn Downtown Vancouver. [There are advantages to my husband traveling so much and racking up hotel perks...]

Awoke at 5 am local time, sigh, and tried valiantly to go back to sleep. But it was 7 am at home, and my internal clock said it was time to get up. After 45 minutes of arguing I gave in and threw on some clothes. Down seven floors and across the street to Starbucks. But, ALAS, this Starbucks does not open until 7 am! (that would never be allowed in the US, would it?) So, after swallowing the tears I made it back to the hotel, showered, made a [surprisingly good] cup of coffee in my room, and here I am - snugged in the heavenly robe and studying Ephesians with my LOGOS Bible program.

I am purring. Room to myself, A/C on high [my family is always cold...so...this is a treat...], my laptop, my Bible, my study guide, good coffee, a plush robe, a desk, a club chair with ottoman, and time. Time stretches before me. I'll be at the hotel 3 nights total, and then 4 nights at my ex-sister in law's, and then one night in a hotel near the Seattle airport before my return trip. Long enough to really unwind. Study. Read. Pray. Blog. Journal. Write. Relax.

This is good. Thank you Father. I am ready to regroup.

Yes, I'm also reconnecting with my dear brother Jon - but that's a story for another post. And with my sister Sally - yet another story. But what is overwhelming me in this very moment in time is how deliciously decadent these early morning hours feel. Blessings.

Fusions

There are a lot of reasons that blogging took a back seat in July, but one of the main ones was a switch to a MacBook Pro. I felt the need to separate my work from my personal life, even though I had free reign over my work laptop. In this economy I just felt I needed to be proactive *just in case* employment options changed. Since it has taken a month to get *close* to independent, I think I was right in being proactive.

And so...I knew I wanted a Mac. A few friends had them and never stop raving.

In addition to the MacBook Pro, I got a free Itouch because I am a student. Good deal! My Ipod had broken a year ago, and I just listened on my laptop... I also used my kid's Ipod Shuffles now and then. Anyhow, the deal was $229 towards any Itouch. I opted for the biggest one since I have A LOT of music and also wanted to back up my photos. Learning and syncing the itouch was a major challenge.

I also got Mobile Me, which gives me a *cloud* of my own in cyberspace. I can save a document to the cloud at work, and when I get home I can open it from the Mac from the cloud. Bizzarro but cool. Supposedly my calendar at work can sync to the cloud, which then syncs with the calendar on the Mac which then syncs to the Itouch. It's not quite working yet...

Then I bought FUSION, a program that allows you to run Windows on the Mac. I had to do this to run a couple programs which only run on PC.

Tonight I managed to get my *mega* Bible study program onto the virtual PC - what the Fusions Windows computer is called. It runs in "unity" where I can see the PC and the MAC all at once.

I *think* that the only transfer left is my Microsoft Money Plus - my checkbook.

This has been UNBELIEVABLY time consuming and brain draining. Thank goodness I'm between semesters at school. I did write my last paper on the MAC, and even that was a challenge. I'm getting much better now, but it really pushed my 46 year old brain pretty hard.

There is SO MUCH to learn. I signed up for ONE-TO-ONE, which provides one hour of one on one tutoring per week at the Apple Store. I have enough questions on my list to last the next few months. I keep watching online tutorials too.

And so, please forgive my hiatus. The switch to MAC was just one of the reasons, but it was a BIG one.

By the way, I already LOVE my MAC. I am indeed a convert. :)

Breezy Sunny Perfection

I've been on the screen porch for the better part of three hours, working through Ephesians 1, word by word with my Greek lexicon. Such rich stuff. Having taken the day off spur of the moment this morning, I'm feeling foot loose and fancy free. Well, there is laundry drying, and I made French toast for the kids, and the garden needed watering...but...footloose and fancy free is a relative term.

Today's weather is sublime. The breeze is just cool enough, and the scattered clouds provide occasional relief from the sunny blue. This spot is close to perfection - birds singing, sprinkler tinkling, Boomer snoring at my feet...ah, summer.

Sharing from Ephesians, here's the definition of grace, according to Zodhiates:

5485 in Strong’s. Charis: joy, favor, acceptance, a kindness granted or desired, a benefit, thanks, gratitude, grace; A favor done without expectation of return; absolute freeness of the loving-kindness of God to men, finding its only motive in the bounty and freeheartedness of the Giver; unearned and unmerited favor. God’s grace affects man’s sinfulness and not only forgives the repentant sinner, but brings joy and thankfulness to him. Eleos, [1656] mercy, is concerned not with the sin itself, but with the misery brought upon the sinner as a consequence of that sin.

It's hard to not celebrate the day when you think about God's grace.

Life

Loved this quote from Elizabeth Berg's The Art of Mending.

There are random moments – tossing a salad, coming up the driveway to the house, ironing the seams flat on a quilt square, standing at the kitchen window and looking out at the delphiniums, hearing a burst of laughter from one of my children’s rooms – when I feel a wavelike rush of joy. This is my true religion: arbitrary moments of nearly painful happiness for a life I feel privileged to lead. Think of the way you sometimes see a tiny shaft of sunlight burst though a gap between rocks, the way it then expands to illuminate a much larger space – it’s like that. And it’s like quilting, a thread surfacing and then disappearing into the fabric of ordinary days. It’s not always visible, but it’s what holds everything together. P 148

That's how life is, isn't it? Every once in a while moments hit you and you realize just how blessed you are.

Last night our 16 year old needed some mom time, and asked, repeatedly, to go to see "My Sister's Keeper." She and I both just finished the book. Even though I was thoroughly content on the couch reading Any Minute by Joyce Meyer, time with her is important, so off we went. It is a heartwrenchingly sad movie, the kind that gets me pondering the deeper issues of life.

We have four healthy, "normal" kids who have been relatively pain free from a parenting stand point. Do I thank God often enough? What a privilege. And right now, at this moment in time, all four of them get along unbelievingly well, and they each spend quality time talking to their parents. Thank you Father. Such a gift.

While I don't have much parenting pain to speak of, there is searing pain in my life. Life is hard. There are so many different types of "hard" - we could all be gentler, couldn't we? The mom of a child with leukemia could view anyone with healthy children as having everything. But the mom of the healthy child could have a traumatic childhood wound haunting her or a dying best friend. Financial struggles can overwhelm our perspective. Marriage woes. Responsibilities for aging parents. Strained relationships. Physical constraints and health issues. Life is hard, just as Jesus predicted in John 16:

³³"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

The blessing beyond blessings is that Jesus understands pain, and that He is our constant companion through the best and worst of times. He is all I need. There are days when that is simply fact to me - days where I have to remind myself of that truth over and over.

I wrote down this quote years ago, though I don't recall the source:

"Be kinder than necessary to everyone you meet, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle."

Funny how a movie can hit me just so and send me spinning into life evaluation...

Sneak Preview

Upcoming Topics:

Switching from PC to Mac - GROAN (but I'm starting to love it...)

Visiting Cleveland (Botanical Gardens, Art Museum, Lolly the Trolley, travel with boyz)

More hospital visits - three in one night!

Ephesians - latest Bible study

Personal Assessment paper - finally done

Minor Prophets - recently finished class

History of Christianity - next class

Joining a Health Club

Planning a trip to Vancouver in August

Emily's in love (shhhhhh)

and more!

Stay Tuned!

Lotus Flower

That photo up there on the header - it is unretouched. I took it at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens. A lotus flower. Isn't it simply amazing?

Just a warning

Just thought I should warn you...so that none of you are caught off guard...

I'm going to blog soon.

No, really.

I am.

Father's Day

After Frank's aunt's funeral last Saturday we drove 4+ hours north to visit our 20 year old, Emily, at Crescent Lake Bible Camp. She had just finished her first week of campers, having had 11 nine and ten year olds in her cabin. She told us it was an amazing week, and she looked forward to a QUIET evening. All six of us were together, likely the only time this summer, and we did have a great overnight. Pizza out, and then cards and swimming at the hotel.

The next morning we readied for church and off we went. Emily introduced us to her camp friends, as this is the church where they all attend.

Everything was well until the offertory. The piano began a rendition of Faith of our Fathers, the old hymn, and I lost it. I was *almost* sobbing. It had not really occurred to me before then that it was Father's Day. That hymn flooded me with memories, especially of family reunions in Iowa where my dad and his three brothers would sing it.

Emily put her arm around me, moved closer and put her head on my shoulder. It was such a sweet and tender moment. The wave of grief passed quickly, and I dried my eyes and the service went on.

Our Emily Joy is truly an amazement to me. Of all our children, she was the one most difficult to relate to, although never giving us a problem. We just didn't connect. But now, well now she is a comfort and a source of immense satisfaction for me. She is a reward of motherhood.

Twins

On Saturday morning we attended the funeral of my husband's mom's identical twin. 77 years old.

It's hard to know how my mother-in-law feels, as I do not have an identical twin. Imagine the grief of losing someone who has shared in each step of your life since the moment of conception.

At the wake on Friday, I was reading the bouquet ribbons: Beloved Wife, Cherished Mother, Dearest Grandmother...and then the one that turned on my tears: My Twin written in gold on a light pink ribbon, attached to a huge bouquet of summer blooms.

Barbara and Mary talked on the phone every day. Each morning they would compare schedules, and each evening, late, they'd compare days. They'd each do the daily crossword in the paper and then compare answers. They never lived more than 5 miles apart. They had their babies in the same years. They had the same friends...lifetime friends since they grew up here in the Milwaukee area.

Barbara, my mother-in-law, was the last eulogy at the funeral. She traveled up to the podium slowly with her walker, and clearly and succinctly paid tribute to her best friend in the world. There was not a dry eye to be found.

Before closing the casket, before the funeral, she walked up to her sister's body and said, "Well Mary, I guess this is it..." and then broke down.

I simply can't imagine.

Is that helpful?

TravelSmith emails me regularly with their tempting array of travel worthy comfortable clothes.

This item, on a clearance flyer, made me laugh out loud.

Does anyone really think it would be helpful to have 39 pockets in a jacket? It would take me half an hour to find my keys...

Grieving

Time moves on.

Little things make me sad, and the tears seem to come a bit more often these days. Of course now I am grieving the loss of the family structure as well. Our home has been the hub...but...no more.

I have finally finished the finances, and finished the *many* thank you's from the funeral and memorials, and now it's just odd little stuff:

• His clothes need to go to Goodwill.
• The photo albums need to be put back away - about 40 of them came out for my siblings to look through - my mom was the premiere scrapbooker. I emptied the bookshelf in the family room, and put them there. They are still there.
• The display photos that I kept in a big tub titled "Funeral" for the 5 years since my mom's death - what do I do with them now?
• The *big* portrait of the two of them that hung in his room...I can't throw that out, can I?
• I keep getting the mail...mostly advertisements... and ministry updates...mailed to his name at my address. I painstakingly write "deceased" and return to sender. Amazing how hard it is to write that 8 letter word.
• The banking is done. I closed our joint account. I remember opening it 8.5 years ago...it was so amazing to think that I was the keeper of my parent's funds. It was overwhelming, although not so large a job in reality. 3 years in assisted living and 5 years in skilled nursing took care of every penny. Both of them felt at home right until the end - they were in lovely facilities. Thank God.

Time moves on. While the work of the last 6 weeks is winding down, the emotions seem to be winding up.

Grief is an interesting path.

Woman Reading in a Garden; a painting by Mary Cassatt in 1880

If it EVER WARMS UP IN WISCONSIN...this will be me...

Hit "Pause"

Have you ever watched a movie so intense you needed to pause the movie, walk to the kitchen and simply get a grip on reality and the fact that the movie is just a movie? This has happened to me. Sometimes I close my eyes and remind myself...this is not real.

This morning I needed to "pause" life: to pull back, shut my eyes, recite what I know is true, and to review the blessings of the life I have been given. Most mornings I need to do just that - come away and let God open my eyes to the eternal and to what is really important. Reorder me. Re prioritize my thoughts and level my emotions.

I'm reading at the end of Matthew 3, where John the Baptist is baptising Jesus.

Matthew 3:16 (NASB95)

After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water;

and behold, the heavens were opened,

and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him,

Many commentators think that the "he" should be "He"...that Jesus looked up and saw heaven. Beth Moore describes it as "...the Father opened up the sky like a window, and showed Christ the vision through it." Isn't that an amazing word picture? I'm imagining a double hung - a piece of sky that blends right in, and suddenly God lifts it up and heaven is behind it. Or a big zipper - God unzips it and the Glory behind the sky is revealed.

Hebrews 11 recounts the giants of the faith and reveals how they viewed themselves:

Hebrews 11:13

All these died in faith, without receiving the promises,

but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance,

and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

Some days I feel more like a stranger and an exile than on other days. It's comforting to know that that IS the reality for a Christian - we should not feel too comfortable here, and we should expect to be misunderstood just as Christ was. THAT is reality.

And so, we need to remember to "pause" the movie of our life, the here and now, the temporary, and look up - look for the stabilizing reality that this is not our eternal destination. I love that God reminded His Son of the prize - gave Him a peek of heaven, a reminder, as Jesus began His earthly ministry. And I love that God affirmed His Son as recorded in John 3:17 "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Lord, may I be still enough for Your Spirit to land as a dove on my shoulder,
May I look to You often enough to see a glimpse of the prize as revealed in Your Word,
and may I hear you whisper,
for any tiny victory over sin and self that I might manage,
"Grace, my beloved, in that I am well pleased."

Once my vision is aligned with His, I can press PLAY again - knowing that whatever scenes might unfold in this crazy mixed up blessed life journey - they can be paused again at any time for a heart to heart with the Director. As long as He's for me, who can stand against me? (Romans 8:31)

God's Hands

Awoke with this picture in my mind. I don't draw a lot, but quickly sketched this in my journal as a visual reminder. I need to heave that bag of garbage and hurt right into God's willing and capable hands. It's too big for me to carry. Amen.

The Sound of Rushing Water

The sound of water is my favorite sound. When we were in Colorado last summer the mountains were magnificent, but it was the Colorado River and Clear Creek that drew me. And the waterfalls. That magnificent sound of rushing water.

The little noise machine by my bed, which I turn on when my husband stays up later than me or gets up earlier than me - the white noise - is the sound of waves hitting the shore. The magnificent sound of rushing water.

When I slept at the hospital with my dad when he was in intensive care, I needed white noise to overcome the continual hub bub of that department. Online I found white noise of ocean waves - it played in 3 hour increments. (I googled "white noise"...)

I've recently lamented to my husband, "I haven't heard the ocean since April of 2007..." We usually go to Florida for spring break, but it did not happen this year. The crashing waves soothe me.

Yesterday I found, in looking through old scrapbooks still laying about since the funeral, a poem my mother wrote about leaving the ocean when she moved from Vancouver, British Columbia to Madison, Wisconsin. I knew my love for words was inherited, but when I read that poem and imagined that grief...I felt a new bond.

This morning, taking extra time to snuggle in with my Savior, Beth Moore's study took me to Revelation 1 and this description of Jesus there:

Revelation 1:14-17 (NASB95)

14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire.15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,

Beth quoted," Your voice is like the sound of cascading waters,..." - love that choice of words. The New Living Translation states, "...and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves."

This God of ours is so amazing. John penned these words that God now used as a personal hug just for me today in this very moment. To think that the sound that most mesmerizes me on this whole incredible planet is the sound that describes His voice. Goosebumps.

This has been one of the hardest weeks of my life. One of my siblings, in his grief, has turned on me and is coming quite undone. My heart aches. The family is unravelling.

But Jesus is here, and His voice is flowing right to the tender spots. He is always Enough.

Strengths Finder

Next week end I am taking a one credit class entitled, "Personal Assessment." The course description is "Receive assistance in personal assessment of character, leadership and learning styles, gifts, and ministry and relational skills as it relates to your vocational calling."

I can't wait! It involves writing a life line which makes up 70 percent of the grade. The description is, " Your Life Line assignment summarizes the providential work of God in your life using a process outlined in Life Line: An Exercise in Spiritual Biography. This process
explores your development up until the present. The assignment has a number of components that comprise the total Life Line assignment."

I think I'm going to love this. The class is only Friday night and all day Saturday, but then we have a month to write up all the parts of the life line.

Tonight I did another part of the class - an online StrengthFinder test. There were 170 (?) questions with continuums of answers and you had 20 seconds to mark your spot on the continuum. It took about 30 minutes. The website generates a report on your top five themes which you can then read about in the textbook.

My top five themes, in order, with the descriptors that pop out at me, are:

1. Strategic. The Strategic theme enables you to sort through the clutter and find the best route. It is not a skill that can be taught. Trust your intuitive insights as often as possible. Even though you might not be able to explain them rationally, your intuitions are created by a brain that instinctively anticipates and projects. Have confidence in these perceptions.

2. Maximizer. Excellence, not average, is your measure. You don't want to spend your time bemoaning what you lack. Rather, you want to capitalize on the gifts with which you are blessed. It's more fun. It's more productive.

3. Belief. You have certain core values that are enduring. Belief theme causes you to be family oriented, altruistic, spiritual and to value responsibility and high ethics - in yourself and others. Core values give your life meaning and satisfaction; in your view, success is more than money and prestige.

4. Responsibility. When assigning new responsibilities, people will look to you first because they know it will get done.

5. Activator. Guided by your Activator theme, you believe that action is the best device for learning. You make a decision, you take action, you look at the result, and you learn. You know you will be judged not by what you say, not by what you think, but by what you get done.

By the way, all 34 themes are positive. That's why it is called STRENGTH finder.

So, do you think the test has me pegged?

The Religious Right Didn't Kill George Tiller

This is an effective and succinct article from the Wall Street Journal about the *left's* accusations that all of us conservative Chr1stianz are responsible for this senseless murder. I really appreciate this article: The Religious Right Didn't Kill George Tiller.

Murder is senseless and wrong. Whether at 9 months gestation, 1 day gestation or at age 60. Murder is not ever a solution.

Pass the butter...

Um...

Regarding that previous post about the chives ...if you were going to stop by for a baked potato...you may want to hold off until after a hard rain...

Boomer thought the chives were a bush...

Sigh.

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?!