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Another weekend, come and gone. Sunday dinners have changed much for our family over the years. When our children were growing up, Sunday dinner was the highlight of the family's week. I went out of my way to make a dinner that was delicious and would make for a good time of conversation around the dinner table. Seven pound home grown roast chicken was the main dish many Sundays. More often than not, there were guests for dinner. We had my grandmother for Sunday dinner for years. It was a pleasure. I had a relationship with my grandma that I had with no one else. I could tell her anything about myself; how I felt about things, what I did, and what I dreamed about. She listened carefully and then always made me feel affirmed with the things she said. I cherish her influence on my life.
We also had other people for SD. Perhaps new people in church or relatives or friends. I did much "entertaining " in those days. Nowadays, life is different. Sometimes, I don't cook dinner and we just find what we can eat. I have noticed that appetites of older people (Ken and me) and appetites of younger people (my daughter and grandson) don't always mesh. Becoming discouraged, I just quit the effort. More often than not in recent years, the Sunday table is set for three. Lately, I've decided to put more effort into eating together again for Isaiah's sake. He needs that feeling of structure and nurture. He also needs to learn what is most healthy for a family he will have one day.
Yesterday, I made meat loaf. Not Isaiah's favorite, but something he will eat, nonetheless. He ate most of the side dishes including the new recipe of sweet potato fries I made. We always enjoy those moments around the table with this young man. To close our meal, we read Isaiah a list of Biblical questions from a book he enjoys. The kid knows the facts of The Word. I am always encouraged when he answers questions I may have to think about first. I thank God for the opportunity He has given Isaiah to attend a Christian school. Many people have collectively picked up most of the tab for his education and for those people and the blessings they share, I am most humbled. Toward the end of the questions, something was said about Pharisees. I told of a teaching from Beth Moore that says, "Never argue with a Pharisee". When I heard her say that, tears came to my eyes because I thought of my wasted effort throughout my life of arguing over things that only the Spirit can effectively convince people of. When I shared that story from my own heart, Isaiah said, "yea, I had something like that recently. I can't think of it now but when I heard it I thought, 'oh, now I get it, that explains this and explains that'"
Even though he couldn't share the exact revelation, his telling of it made me so thankful to God for working in this boy's heart to reveal truth. After dinner I asked Ken if he had said his thanks yet. For what? When I explained my thankful heart he had to agree that it is pure joy when we see our loved ones express the movement of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. We thank Him.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Hand and Foot
The picture in the header is quite the accomplishment for me. I'm not the greatest photographer in the world, though I would like to hone my skills. As I sat in the living room of Jerry's home this week, I was intriqued with a kaleidoscope that was lying on the coffee table. Actually, it was pretty hard to find as it was hidden by the latest magazines. I looked through it and was enjoying the beautiful scenes it was creating. I scanned it past Emerson and got an idea. I wonder.......and I spoke the question to Jerry who was also sitting in the living room. "Do you suppose my camera would take a picture through the little hole in this thing?" He shrugged his shoulders like I was a bit nuts but then he hopped on board moving her car seat into the light by the big windows while I ran to get my camera. What appeared on the camera screen amazed me. Once I realized I could actually do this...the sky was the limit. We have goofy pictures of everything we could think of. Kendra got into the fun as she took the camera outside to take pictures of the dog and other random things. Both Jerry and I now have a five by seven picture of a kaleided Emerson.
Yesterday afternoon, Ken and I visited a 45 year old woman from our church who is in the hospital recovering from open heart surgery. Pretty scary stuff. She had a heart attack last Monday night, had a angiogram on Tuesday and was from there rushed into surgery. Deb and her husband have two young boys ages 7 and 3 so Deb has many years ahead of her that require her to be active and productive. She got out of intensive care on Friday and is due home on Monday or Tuesday. She is progressing well but was still on oxygen yesterday. She and her family need our prayers.
While coming home we decided to go to see Lauri's and Elton's family whom we hadn't seen for a week. We don't see some of our other kid's families for months because of distance but this one is close by and it is common for us to see them often. When we arrived we got hugs and gave hugs all around the four kids then settled in for a cup of java with Lauri and Elt. It wasn't long before Lauri was talking a dinner out. Elton wasn't so sure. When she proposed leaving the kids home and the four of us going to KFC, the proposal passed and off we went.
After our appetites were satisfied we came here to enjoy a glass of wine together. That developed into a card game of hand and foot. We should all be healthy as fish this morning after laughing so hard. Lauri and Ken continued to take chances on picking up the pile (if you've never played, you won't understand this). Elton was the tortoise as he avoided the pile and just kept playing. Me? I could do nothing last night. They all uproared in laughter when each of them had a thousand points plus and I had three hundred. They did comment that if we were playing Scrabbble the situation would be reversed. Ken said that was why we weren't playing Scrabble. Ken eventually won. I'll get them yet.
Yesterday afternoon, Ken and I visited a 45 year old woman from our church who is in the hospital recovering from open heart surgery. Pretty scary stuff. She had a heart attack last Monday night, had a angiogram on Tuesday and was from there rushed into surgery. Deb and her husband have two young boys ages 7 and 3 so Deb has many years ahead of her that require her to be active and productive. She got out of intensive care on Friday and is due home on Monday or Tuesday. She is progressing well but was still on oxygen yesterday. She and her family need our prayers.
While coming home we decided to go to see Lauri's and Elton's family whom we hadn't seen for a week. We don't see some of our other kid's families for months because of distance but this one is close by and it is common for us to see them often. When we arrived we got hugs and gave hugs all around the four kids then settled in for a cup of java with Lauri and Elt. It wasn't long before Lauri was talking a dinner out. Elton wasn't so sure. When she proposed leaving the kids home and the four of us going to KFC, the proposal passed and off we went.
After our appetites were satisfied we came here to enjoy a glass of wine together. That developed into a card game of hand and foot. We should all be healthy as fish this morning after laughing so hard. Lauri and Ken continued to take chances on picking up the pile (if you've never played, you won't understand this). Elton was the tortoise as he avoided the pile and just kept playing. Me? I could do nothing last night. They all uproared in laughter when each of them had a thousand points plus and I had three hundred. They did comment that if we were playing Scrabbble the situation would be reversed. Ken said that was why we weren't playing Scrabble. Ken eventually won. I'll get them yet.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Home Again
Wow....five days without a blog. I think that is a record and I'll try not to break it. We were in the "sticks" down on the MO/ARK border. No reception on my phone at all and nothing for our computer either. So the hauling of the computer was in vain. We stayed at a hotel in Branson on Thursday night which boasted WI FI on their sign. I got one bar of reception and was not able to get on the net at all. I wasn't a happy hoteler. We got home last evening; had a great trip and a great time. I love spring break even when I'm not working at school anymore. I guess what has become a habit is not going to break just because I'm not directly having SB.
Monday thru Wednesday we spent with our son in law's father on Table Rock lake in his huge big log home. It is decorated very much like a lodge which gives a vacation feel. We enjoyed visiting with Jerry and watching him get acquainted with his new grandaughter who happens to be our new grandaughter also. On Monday all six of us visited a meeting of the quilt club in a neighboring town. Craig's mother was the president of the club when she passed away last year. The club has not forgotten the family and has been generous in gifting the baby, etc. In Jerry's words to a friend, "you would have thought those ladies had never seen a baby before." The gals did enjoy being remembered and flocked around the car seat and googled at Emerson. Jerry stood a bit away with tears streaming down his face. This setting was too close to the person he loved and lost nearly a year ago. I was amazed at the involvement of the club. There were close to sixty ladies there. They had set up different areas for different stages of quilting and when we arrived, everyone was head over into one kind of activity or another.
On Thursday, all of us traveled an hour to Branson and spent the day visiting the winery, the Butterfly Palace, Dick's Five and Dime and Dick Clark's cafe. Late afternoon, Ken and I parted from the rest and found a place to spend the night. Later we attended the Shoji show. It was very good and half the fun was talking to the people around us. The temperature during the day was 85 with a cool gentle breeze. Couldn't have been nicer.
Yesterday was travel day. It was good to get away and also good to get home again.
Monday thru Wednesday we spent with our son in law's father on Table Rock lake in his huge big log home. It is decorated very much like a lodge which gives a vacation feel. We enjoyed visiting with Jerry and watching him get acquainted with his new grandaughter who happens to be our new grandaughter also. On Monday all six of us visited a meeting of the quilt club in a neighboring town. Craig's mother was the president of the club when she passed away last year. The club has not forgotten the family and has been generous in gifting the baby, etc. In Jerry's words to a friend, "you would have thought those ladies had never seen a baby before." The gals did enjoy being remembered and flocked around the car seat and googled at Emerson. Jerry stood a bit away with tears streaming down his face. This setting was too close to the person he loved and lost nearly a year ago. I was amazed at the involvement of the club. There were close to sixty ladies there. They had set up different areas for different stages of quilting and when we arrived, everyone was head over into one kind of activity or another.
On Thursday, all of us traveled an hour to Branson and spent the day visiting the winery, the Butterfly Palace, Dick's Five and Dime and Dick Clark's cafe. Late afternoon, Ken and I parted from the rest and found a place to spend the night. Later we attended the Shoji show. It was very good and half the fun was talking to the people around us. The temperature during the day was 85 with a cool gentle breeze. Couldn't have been nicer.
Yesterday was travel day. It was good to get away and also good to get home again.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Easter Morning
Happy Ressurection Day!
Kendra called yesterday to say that on their travels to Mo. they went through an area south of St. Louis where the flooding was impressive. They saw a semi truck and trailer nearly covered with water and a stop and go light with water up to the lights on the pole. That is a lot of water. Traffic stopped to a crawl while people were snapping pictures to capture the memory. While the experience is interesting to the observer it is destructive for the people that live there. We will be going through there today and I hope to record my own experience for memory sake.
I did a lot of preparation for leaving yesterday. I wish I could say that everything is pristine but I did make progress. I tell myself that if I didn't have four adults and a twelve year old to follow around and clean up after, I'd have things just the way I want it. I expressed that to Lauri today while we chatted on the phone. She reminded me that I'm the kind of person that wants to take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself so my chance of having a pristine environment is iffy. Part of the problem here is that there is so much STUFF. The two adult girls have tons of stuff to add to the mix and Isaiah isn't far behind. Their junk mixed with ours makes for a lot of things to keep straight. I do my best.
I need to be at church at eight this morning for praise team practice. Church is at ten so we have at least an hour to get the kinks out. We practiced from seven to ten on Tuesday night. I wonder how many people realize the extent of preparation there is for a Sunday service these days. Fortunately, my team is only responsible one Sunday a month. There are twelve people on my team. Take that number times four hours and that is a whole lot of time spent. One shouldn't be counting though when it is service for the Lord. Forgive me.
The battle is o'er, the victory won...Jesus broke the bars of death and hell and our debt is paid. Hallelujah!
Kendra called yesterday to say that on their travels to Mo. they went through an area south of St. Louis where the flooding was impressive. They saw a semi truck and trailer nearly covered with water and a stop and go light with water up to the lights on the pole. That is a lot of water. Traffic stopped to a crawl while people were snapping pictures to capture the memory. While the experience is interesting to the observer it is destructive for the people that live there. We will be going through there today and I hope to record my own experience for memory sake.
I did a lot of preparation for leaving yesterday. I wish I could say that everything is pristine but I did make progress. I tell myself that if I didn't have four adults and a twelve year old to follow around and clean up after, I'd have things just the way I want it. I expressed that to Lauri today while we chatted on the phone. She reminded me that I'm the kind of person that wants to take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself so my chance of having a pristine environment is iffy. Part of the problem here is that there is so much STUFF. The two adult girls have tons of stuff to add to the mix and Isaiah isn't far behind. Their junk mixed with ours makes for a lot of things to keep straight. I do my best.
I need to be at church at eight this morning for praise team practice. Church is at ten so we have at least an hour to get the kinks out. We practiced from seven to ten on Tuesday night. I wonder how many people realize the extent of preparation there is for a Sunday service these days. Fortunately, my team is only responsible one Sunday a month. There are twelve people on my team. Take that number times four hours and that is a whole lot of time spent. One shouldn't be counting though when it is service for the Lord. Forgive me.
The battle is o'er, the victory won...Jesus broke the bars of death and hell and our debt is paid. Hallelujah!
Easter/Spring Break Plans
This morning, Isaiah is getting ready to join Lauri and Elton and their kids on a camping trip to Tennessee. He is pumped about this opportunity. What fun for an only child to join a family with four children to camp in their trailer. They are leaving at 8:30, so he is busy getting prepared. It used to be that getting ready was easy for a little boy but now that he is a big boy, it requires taking all the tech stuff; phone, Ipod, electonic games, chargers and the like. Then there is the bike, the fishing rod, tackle box etc. He also has to take his latest addition to hygiene; his cologne. The kid smells so good when he is ready to go out the door. Scares me to death. He is toooooo young and growing up way too fast.
Last night we celebrated Sydney's (Lauri's daughter) twelve birthday. She is just two weeks to the day older than Isaiah. In between them is also our son Jay's son, Austin's twelve birthday. Next year we will have three grandchildren turning into teenagers. Sydney enjoyed our time together and especially opening presents. That's a surprise, uh? Syd is such a sweet kid. I don't ever see her making trouble. She is quiet and minds her own business letting the rest of them to fight the battles. Lauri tells me that she does her share, but I haven't seen it.
Tomorrow is Easter. Normally, we have kids and grandkids coming. This year, some of them are vacationing and others are at the other side of their families. Some aren't coming because the other kids aren't coming. You know how it was when you were a kid. You don't go to see the grandparents, you go to see your cousins. I remember it well so I understand. I usually have an egg hunt, too, but it isn't half the fun if most of them aren't here. So, we have decided to have the egg hunt on Mother's Day when most will be here for Emerson's baptism.
What are we doing??? We will go to our church's morning service where we serve in tomorrow's praise team. Then we will take off for the Mo/Arkansas border where Kendra and Craig are visiting Craig's dad, Jerry. They will present him with his first grandaughter. He has wonderful twin grandsons but this is the first girl in their family. Jerry had four sons, two of whom are deceased. Craig's mom, Mary, died last spring after a very short illness. So, we will all descend on Jerry at his lakeside log home where life is usually very quiet these days. Isaiah and I spent spring break there two years ago. We had such a good time. This time, I will miss Mary very much. I had bonded with her on that visit. I regret that she didn't live to see this grandaughter with whom she would have been thrilled to pieces. God's ways are higher than our ways. I know I will feel a void when I'm there. I know Jerry and Craig feel a terrible void. I lift them to the Father for comfort and healing.
So, for you, I pray a meaningful Easter. A day when you celebrate the freedom there is in being a child of God, bought and paid for through the blood of Christ. If you don't know that you belong to Him, write me a note and we will explore the possibility together. You have nothing to lose and EVERYTHING to gain.
PS For those that read this faithfully (thank you, I'm humbled); know that next week may be a lean blog week as the area we will be in gets little tower. I'm taking the laptop but don't have much expectation that we will be able to get on the net. I recall that my cell phone was rather useless there.
Last night we celebrated Sydney's (Lauri's daughter) twelve birthday. She is just two weeks to the day older than Isaiah. In between them is also our son Jay's son, Austin's twelve birthday. Next year we will have three grandchildren turning into teenagers. Sydney enjoyed our time together and especially opening presents. That's a surprise, uh? Syd is such a sweet kid. I don't ever see her making trouble. She is quiet and minds her own business letting the rest of them to fight the battles. Lauri tells me that she does her share, but I haven't seen it.
Tomorrow is Easter. Normally, we have kids and grandkids coming. This year, some of them are vacationing and others are at the other side of their families. Some aren't coming because the other kids aren't coming. You know how it was when you were a kid. You don't go to see the grandparents, you go to see your cousins. I remember it well so I understand. I usually have an egg hunt, too, but it isn't half the fun if most of them aren't here. So, we have decided to have the egg hunt on Mother's Day when most will be here for Emerson's baptism.
What are we doing??? We will go to our church's morning service where we serve in tomorrow's praise team. Then we will take off for the Mo/Arkansas border where Kendra and Craig are visiting Craig's dad, Jerry. They will present him with his first grandaughter. He has wonderful twin grandsons but this is the first girl in their family. Jerry had four sons, two of whom are deceased. Craig's mom, Mary, died last spring after a very short illness. So, we will all descend on Jerry at his lakeside log home where life is usually very quiet these days. Isaiah and I spent spring break there two years ago. We had such a good time. This time, I will miss Mary very much. I had bonded with her on that visit. I regret that she didn't live to see this grandaughter with whom she would have been thrilled to pieces. God's ways are higher than our ways. I know I will feel a void when I'm there. I know Jerry and Craig feel a terrible void. I lift them to the Father for comfort and healing.
So, for you, I pray a meaningful Easter. A day when you celebrate the freedom there is in being a child of God, bought and paid for through the blood of Christ. If you don't know that you belong to Him, write me a note and we will explore the possibility together. You have nothing to lose and EVERYTHING to gain.
PS For those that read this faithfully (thank you, I'm humbled); know that next week may be a lean blog week as the area we will be in gets little tower. I'm taking the laptop but don't have much expectation that we will be able to get on the net. I recall that my cell phone was rather useless there.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Maundy Thursday
This is a bit crazy but it is 1:30 a.m. on Good Friday morning. After tossing around for what seems like hours..only three....I'm sick of it and decided to do something productive. I've watched television, listened to music, now this. I answered my e-mails which I normally wouldn't get til morning. Hopefully, the time I normally do that I will be on my ear. Why am I so wired? The whys and wherefores are not coming so here I sit.
Tonight was a wonderful night. Some friends traveled with Ken and me to St. Joseph Michigan to our son's church for their Maundy Thursday service. It began as kind of a fluke. It was asked at our church on Sunday that we bring cushions to sit on in our Thursday service. Both our male friend and Ken said they couldn't sit on cushions or pillows so they would have to do something else. I suggested we go to John's church and it developed from there. In the end, I'm not sure what the cushion thing was all about because there was tables and chairs set up for our service. I'm sure it was nice and we would have received a blessing from it. However, the thought of doing something out of the blue and seeing our kids and grandkids, too, took our attention. We left around three o'clock and had dinner together on our way. The service was instructive and enlightening. One understood the sacrifice just a bit better because of it. The bell choir was enjoyable.
It is both humbling and exciting to sit in a service in which one's son is the pastor. The most exciting thing is that one can see and hear the spirit of God pouring out of him. The humbling thing is that God can use "mine". Actually, he is more God's than mine, but I did have something to do with it, didn't I? I recall how at age twelve he began to suggest that God was calling him to be a minister of the Word. I remember lifting that to God and asking Him to use him. I also remember doing the dance between encouraging him and pushing him. I didn't want to cross the line. Pushing someone into the service of God is a train wreck waiting to happen. I think that was when I began to learn to wait on God. How could my boy possibly think of enough things to say about God to fill two sermons each Sunday? I smile now when I think of the concerns I had then. I didn't need to even think them. I learned that God means what He says about His spirit speaking through His servants. The Word of God just flows through that boy. God is using Him and I am humbled. Eventually, after trying several detours, being married and having three children, John returned to seminary to validate his calling. It is not an easy road. But it is a journey of joys and sorrows that build faith.
At the end of the service, that little boy of mine picked up his guitar and sang a song. It was a beautiful song about the sacrifice of Jesus; the refrain saying, "Father, forgive them". I know he is mine, but I have to confess, his song was annointed. I'm not at all sure there was perfection in it, but there definitely was annointing in it and that made it beautiful.
Thank you Lord, for working in our kids even after our work with them is virtually complete. You are so faithful. Work yet in those that are not following you. This is Easter week, Jesus. Thank you for your sacrifice for us. Holy Spirit, work that salvation into those we love who are not yet connected to You. You know who they are. In the powerful name of Jesus.
Tonight was a wonderful night. Some friends traveled with Ken and me to St. Joseph Michigan to our son's church for their Maundy Thursday service. It began as kind of a fluke. It was asked at our church on Sunday that we bring cushions to sit on in our Thursday service. Both our male friend and Ken said they couldn't sit on cushions or pillows so they would have to do something else. I suggested we go to John's church and it developed from there. In the end, I'm not sure what the cushion thing was all about because there was tables and chairs set up for our service. I'm sure it was nice and we would have received a blessing from it. However, the thought of doing something out of the blue and seeing our kids and grandkids, too, took our attention. We left around three o'clock and had dinner together on our way. The service was instructive and enlightening. One understood the sacrifice just a bit better because of it. The bell choir was enjoyable.
It is both humbling and exciting to sit in a service in which one's son is the pastor. The most exciting thing is that one can see and hear the spirit of God pouring out of him. The humbling thing is that God can use "mine". Actually, he is more God's than mine, but I did have something to do with it, didn't I? I recall how at age twelve he began to suggest that God was calling him to be a minister of the Word. I remember lifting that to God and asking Him to use him. I also remember doing the dance between encouraging him and pushing him. I didn't want to cross the line. Pushing someone into the service of God is a train wreck waiting to happen. I think that was when I began to learn to wait on God. How could my boy possibly think of enough things to say about God to fill two sermons each Sunday? I smile now when I think of the concerns I had then. I didn't need to even think them. I learned that God means what He says about His spirit speaking through His servants. The Word of God just flows through that boy. God is using Him and I am humbled. Eventually, after trying several detours, being married and having three children, John returned to seminary to validate his calling. It is not an easy road. But it is a journey of joys and sorrows that build faith.
At the end of the service, that little boy of mine picked up his guitar and sang a song. It was a beautiful song about the sacrifice of Jesus; the refrain saying, "Father, forgive them". I know he is mine, but I have to confess, his song was annointed. I'm not at all sure there was perfection in it, but there definitely was annointing in it and that made it beautiful.
Thank you Lord, for working in our kids even after our work with them is virtually complete. You are so faithful. Work yet in those that are not following you. This is Easter week, Jesus. Thank you for your sacrifice for us. Holy Spirit, work that salvation into those we love who are not yet connected to You. You know who they are. In the powerful name of Jesus.
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