Sunday, December 25, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Christmas Songs bring memories
Have you ever heard a song and it brought back memories? That has been happening a lot to me this year. The very first song that comes to mind is Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer! lol My dad used to sing that song to us. But he always started out a certain way....."You know Dasher...and Dancer..and Prancer and Vixon, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen.....but...do you recall.....the most famous reindeer of all?" He always had to start the song that way. Every time!! Though my dear dad has been gone 14 years now...wow, is that possible??....everytime I hear the song begun with the reindeer names, I close my eyes and I can hear my dad singing it.
The next song that I remember, and have not heard since I sung it in choir, is SIMPLE HOLIDAY JOYS. It was a song we sung in our Christmas concert in high school. It was short and simple. A girl played the flute between every verse. I have never forgot a single word of that song!! I really can't explain why...unless somewhere deep inside me, I knew that I was a person who would treasure memories and this song is all about memories. I remember our choir teacher trying to explain what this song was about....to a bunch of self-centered teenagers who thought the world revolved around them! I doubt many of us got it...but somehow...I did. I may not have even realized it then. But because the words are still in my heart, I DO get it now. Here is the song:
Simple holiday joys...boys and girls, smiling faces, toys beneath the Christmas tree and a wreath on the door.
Star of gold, ribbons blue and a few fond embraces...how I miss those simple holidays joys I once knew. (here is where the flute played)
To be young, to believe, to wait up on Christmas Eve, through the night, with delight, O, the spell it could weave. (more flute)
To be young, with surprise, to be not quite so wise...watching snow, never knowing how quickly time flies. Did the years pass me by? Where's the sky full of reindeer? (where are they?) In my mind, the joys grow dim, how unkind that they do.
Though they shine like a gem, only memories remain, dear. But I find those simple holiday joys in YOU!!
I sing that to Korie every Christmas. It makes me smile to think of my old choir and I wonder if any of them even remember that song? I think of Mrs. Jones, our director, and wonder if she has been happy though the years. I know she has had some trials and I wonder if has found those simple joys again.
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus is a song that I was not familiar with as a child when our children's choir sang it one year at church. I remember the church kids and the bus kids meeting on Saturday's to practice. I remember the song printed in black on white sheet music and standing on homemade risers. I rarely sing it even now, but when I do, I remember that Christmas pageant in a small baptist church in Ohio.
THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS is a great reminder of the Peninsula Rescue Mission Staff parties. Every year for.....too many years to remember....the staff picks a paper with one of the 12 days of Christmas on it. No one ever wants "A Partridge in A Pear Tree"!! When it is your turn, you have to sing! Steve never sings! Someone always sings off key and everyone laughs and has a good time. What a great song!
There is a group of songs that remind me of our yearly youth group caroling. In Ohio, it almost always was cold and snowy in late December. We had a rickety, old church bus that we would board and drive around to older folk's homes. My dad always had a list of people who needed some encouragement and he and my mom always came along. The bus never had time to get warm and we were freezing. We would pile out, knock on the door and always sing O Come All Ye Faithful, Joy to the World, Silent Night and We Wish You A Merry Christmas. Those songs remind me of those days and of being invited in for cookies and apple cider and smiles on those elderly folks faces. They are "caroling" songs to me and I always remember them that way.
One year, when Steve and I had only been married a year or two and we were in Ohio visiting family, we all picked up my grandmother and went to the Ohio Historical Center. It was all decorated up for the holidays with wreaths, Christmas trees, carolers dressed up in 1890s clothes, and hot chocolate. But one thing that I had never seen...an open fire with chestnuts roasting on it! It was so cold that night that we could see our breath! We all gathered around that fire and watched them roasting. I didn't really care for the taste but it sure was neat to see it. Everytime I hear "chestnuts roasting on an open fire....." I can see us around that fire in Columbus, Ohio, watching the fire. It is a good memory in so many ways.
Away in A Manger is a good memory of my girls singing with me in the Christmas Eve Service at our church. Kristin was around 5 and Korie 3. The three of us, for the first...and last time...singing together in public. lol It was a special memory and I enjoy thinking about that evening.
There are many more songs,,,,, songs in our Cantatas, a duet with Jeff of Mary Did You Know?, songs I sing at night in bed with Korie before she sleeps....the list goes on. There are many reasons to enjoy Christmas songs. Mostly, to praise and remember what Christ for us. But there are a few that when I hear them, I can close my eyes and I can go to another place, another time and enjoy a memory from the past. And I know there are new memories to come. I love music...especially at Christmas!
The next song that I remember, and have not heard since I sung it in choir, is SIMPLE HOLIDAY JOYS. It was a song we sung in our Christmas concert in high school. It was short and simple. A girl played the flute between every verse. I have never forgot a single word of that song!! I really can't explain why...unless somewhere deep inside me, I knew that I was a person who would treasure memories and this song is all about memories. I remember our choir teacher trying to explain what this song was about....to a bunch of self-centered teenagers who thought the world revolved around them! I doubt many of us got it...but somehow...I did. I may not have even realized it then. But because the words are still in my heart, I DO get it now. Here is the song:
Simple holiday joys...boys and girls, smiling faces, toys beneath the Christmas tree and a wreath on the door.
Star of gold, ribbons blue and a few fond embraces...how I miss those simple holidays joys I once knew. (here is where the flute played)
To be young, to believe, to wait up on Christmas Eve, through the night, with delight, O, the spell it could weave. (more flute)
To be young, with surprise, to be not quite so wise...watching snow, never knowing how quickly time flies. Did the years pass me by? Where's the sky full of reindeer? (where are they?) In my mind, the joys grow dim, how unkind that they do.
Though they shine like a gem, only memories remain, dear. But I find those simple holiday joys in YOU!!
I sing that to Korie every Christmas. It makes me smile to think of my old choir and I wonder if any of them even remember that song? I think of Mrs. Jones, our director, and wonder if she has been happy though the years. I know she has had some trials and I wonder if has found those simple joys again.
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus is a song that I was not familiar with as a child when our children's choir sang it one year at church. I remember the church kids and the bus kids meeting on Saturday's to practice. I remember the song printed in black on white sheet music and standing on homemade risers. I rarely sing it even now, but when I do, I remember that Christmas pageant in a small baptist church in Ohio.
THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS is a great reminder of the Peninsula Rescue Mission Staff parties. Every year for.....too many years to remember....the staff picks a paper with one of the 12 days of Christmas on it. No one ever wants "A Partridge in A Pear Tree"!! When it is your turn, you have to sing! Steve never sings! Someone always sings off key and everyone laughs and has a good time. What a great song!
There is a group of songs that remind me of our yearly youth group caroling. In Ohio, it almost always was cold and snowy in late December. We had a rickety, old church bus that we would board and drive around to older folk's homes. My dad always had a list of people who needed some encouragement and he and my mom always came along. The bus never had time to get warm and we were freezing. We would pile out, knock on the door and always sing O Come All Ye Faithful, Joy to the World, Silent Night and We Wish You A Merry Christmas. Those songs remind me of those days and of being invited in for cookies and apple cider and smiles on those elderly folks faces. They are "caroling" songs to me and I always remember them that way.
One year, when Steve and I had only been married a year or two and we were in Ohio visiting family, we all picked up my grandmother and went to the Ohio Historical Center. It was all decorated up for the holidays with wreaths, Christmas trees, carolers dressed up in 1890s clothes, and hot chocolate. But one thing that I had never seen...an open fire with chestnuts roasting on it! It was so cold that night that we could see our breath! We all gathered around that fire and watched them roasting. I didn't really care for the taste but it sure was neat to see it. Everytime I hear "chestnuts roasting on an open fire....." I can see us around that fire in Columbus, Ohio, watching the fire. It is a good memory in so many ways.
Away in A Manger is a good memory of my girls singing with me in the Christmas Eve Service at our church. Kristin was around 5 and Korie 3. The three of us, for the first...and last time...singing together in public. lol It was a special memory and I enjoy thinking about that evening.
There are many more songs,,,,, songs in our Cantatas, a duet with Jeff of Mary Did You Know?, songs I sing at night in bed with Korie before she sleeps....the list goes on. There are many reasons to enjoy Christmas songs. Mostly, to praise and remember what Christ for us. But there are a few that when I hear them, I can close my eyes and I can go to another place, another time and enjoy a memory from the past. And I know there are new memories to come. I love music...especially at Christmas!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Beth Moore Conference-Baltimore 2011
Beth Moore Conference-Baltimore 2011
THE NET
Main passage: Psalm 25:1-22
Main verse: Psa 25:15- He will pull my feet out of the net.
This is an intertwining. A "network" is a way of being combined knot by knot (like the internet)...it is called a "web"....it is connected by links. We have to be careful not to be caught in a "net".
Things to know about NETS
1. A NET IS SOMETHING YOU DON'T SEE COMING.
We don't realize we are on the net...but it starts to fold up around us. Sometimes we don't even know how we got there. We wonder, "where did we go wrong"....but our "heels" are caught in the net!
A net can also fall over your head. Isa ( I missed the reference...sorry)
The enemy will not cast a net that is in full view. Prov 1:17.
Whole nations can fall into a net Psa. 9:15
When Ecclesiastes was written, this part was written for men Eccl 7: 26-a woman can be a net that is set for the heart.
Is there any way that MY heart has become a net??
2. A HEART CAN TWIST INTO A NET
Consider: Eccl. 7:26 It seems probable a heart that is a net, was born into a net or has always been a net.
Some Examples of heart twisting into a net:
a. Women who have one friend who has to be everything to them....it gets tangled up and causes drama.
b a woman who will not let go....that can be a woman-woman relationship or a woman-man relationship. She wants to "net" you with her affection/love and you feel obligated to her. A way to say this is "ingratiation" or to make oneself indispensable. To bring one's self into favor with flattery or trying to please.
Prov 29:5- Trying to win favor by flattery (vs says laying a net with flattery)
Flattery has a motive. It is always about the one flattering and not about the one they flatter. It's deceptive and we can become addicted to affirmation....or someone continually blowing up your ego. The flattery becomes a net for your feet and can turn our heart to a net.
Be careful of a person who can get you to open up with them about anything and yet you don't know much about them. This is emotional voyerism. Then you can't "leave" the relationship or it is difficult to leave because they know too much about you.
Habakkuk 1: 15-17 Others can become like a "fisherman" by catching you on their hook. In this passage, the Israelites gave sacrifices to a net, burned incense to it and lived in luxury in it. It became hard to say goodbye because it became a way of life to them.
This net will cost you more than you have!
Some modern day examples: the internet. Your phone. The TV. A person. Anything in which you are not able to leave it/them alone.
3. SHAME CAN KNOT UP AN INSIDIOUS NET
Psa 25:15- Where we look with our eyes had a lot to do with where our feet end up.
Psa. 25:1-3, 19-20 The psalmist was scared of being put to shame. Think about how shame itself can become a net.
SHAME
a. the innate fear of bringing shame
b. the innate fear of being shamed
How much shame is mentioned in verses 1-10?
In Heb. 12 it says to despise the shame. Jesus despised the shame and yet He took it upon Himself on our behalf.
Shame can pop up anywhere:
Socially, psychologically, occupationally, financially, professionally, and religiously. The enemy is at work!
Psa 25: 7, 11, 18- The writer had shame. He said: Do not remember sin but remember ME! We are pre-ordained to do something on this earth. But Satan wants us caught in a net to keep us from our purpose.
vs 11 and 18-Shame keeps us embedded in sin long after the repentance. If you have repented and still feel shame them something is wrong. Then you start to think that since we have the guilt, then we may as well just go back to it...this is Satan's thinking.
Shame is Satan's mockery to God's children. Keep your eyes on Jesus.
Shame can even affect your posture. (downward). Luke 21: 27-28 says to LIFT UP YOUR HEAD.....when the ultimate Redeemer returns...we will see Him when we keep our eyes UP!
Psa 130:7 Hope! Hope keeps us from shame. Full Redemption! We can have it!
The POWER of all we have been through can be used for testimony and for full release!! Not only difused but USED! Make the enemy sorry he messed with you! God will not only HEAL but you will TESTIFY!
Guilt is when you KNOW it but shame is when you WEAR it. Don't wear it!
BUT---how much shame is due to unconfessed sin? Our redemption comes from Him. Confess your guilt and sin. We are all called to such authenticity of life, that if our worse sins were exposed, it would not contadict our public testimony!
Choose to believe what God says over how you FEEL.
The net of negativity.
To get out of this net....we need only lift our hand up. God's power will lift you.
Satan is too good of an aim to try something new on you. He hits your repeatedly where you are uncovered. Be aware of him and of your weaknesses and be ready.
The nets in the New Testament are cast in a positive light.
4. THE GOSPEL CASTS A NEW KIND OF NET
Luke 5: 1-11
Jesus turns from the crowd and speaks to Peter. Jesus had met Peter in chapter 4:38, 39. Peter had asked for Jesus help and Peter had believed Him to heal his mother in law. When Jesus asked Peter to cast his net again, Peter believed Him and obeyed. He could have talked himself out of a miracle but he followed Jesus's words.
The miracle at Peter's home in chapter 4 probably would have affected women more. The miracle at Peter's place of employment caught his heart more. Jesus was better than what Peter was best at...fishing.
What Peter did at work, better prepared him for the ministry of fishing for men. What WE work at, will help us prepare for our ministry.
2 Cor 5-Paul talking about a body being like a tent...Paul was a tentmaker...he used what he learned at his work to minister to others.
5. GOSPEL FISHING IS CATCH AND RELEASE.
Some don’t accept Christ because they feel they will be in religious bondage for life. But we are released from all that holds us...we are free.
Jesus knew what He was doing when He called md. If we fall, it is time to get up.
Luke 5:10 says...from now on, you will catch man. "from now on"..... if you have sinned, get up and say..".from now on......" (this may be her next study).
Give up that net! What is done is done! Jesus has redeemed it! Vs. 10 in Luke says do not be afraid. Leave it from now on. I Cor. 2:9...this is what He will do!!
Remember in relationships....."BONDAGE ATTRACTS BONDAGE"
Ezekiel 47:1-2 A vision is given to Ezekiel. It is prophecy. It is literal but it is also symbolic.
Be careful of condemning and worrying about Denominations. These are "rib" issues. We should only stand in the "spine" of Christ. The non-negotionable issues are spine issues....such as salvation is thru Christ alone and the death and resurrection of Christ. This leaves a lot of room for loving one another. The rest are "rib" issues...such as the 1000 year reign, etc.
Rom 8 says the earth is groaning as it waits for it's King. Isa 65:20-we shall all be like Him. And the earth will be exactly as He designed it to be.
Read Ezk. 47: 7,8. This is the Dead Sea. The Jordan River constantly empties millions of gallons of water into the Dead Sea but the surface doesn't ever rise because it is so dry. This will change at His return. Fresh water will come to the Dead Sea (vs 8). "Fresh" in Hebrew means "human healing". But even the waters in the Dead Sea will heal. In 47: 3-5... It will first be ankle deep, then knee deep, then up to the waist till the water rises and cannot be crossed! No matter how deep our sin goes, Christ will be a Healer and you will flourish like the Dead Sea!
6. NETS WILL ONE DAY BE CAST INTO MENDED WATERS.
The full extent of it's fulfillment is yet to come! Take heart! It all turns out very well!!!
Our prince is coming on a white horse and we will live happily ever after!
In these difficult days, all is going according to His plan! Ezek. 47:11-after the waters are healed, God will leave some salt to be used for domestic purposes.
vs 13- Water is flowing and healing. The Holy Spirit in us is our earnest deposit. Now this verse turns to the inheritance of His people.
From the beginning, the Israelites had had an inheritance on the OTHER side of the water. In the New testament, there is no more parting of the waters. Jesus didn't have to part them. He walked on them!
Then..in verse 5 of Eze. 47-we are swimming in the river!! We inherit the RIVER!! The River of living water in us.
So don't get caught in the net!
Monday, September 12, 2011
Beth Moore's Live Simulcast Notes from Sept 10, 2011
Passage: Luke 1:1-4 -"So that you may know the certainty of the things you've been taught."
Luke-a little about him.
2 Tim. 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
"along with those who call on the Lord" The New Ehglish Version says "in the company of others". We are meant to pursue God in company with others! We aren't alone in our pursuit....do it alongside others!
In 2 Tim. 4:9-12 in vs 10-11 Paul has been abandoned by others. He said only Luke was with him. Luke may have been the one taking Paul's dictation here. Could Luke tell Paul's time of death was near? Luke was Paul's BFF!
Who was Luke? Col. 4:10-14
He was the loved physician (called the beloved physician in some versions). He was a man of means. He shows up in Paul's life in Acts 16:6. In Acts 16:10-15 the "we" and "us" includes Luke. In between verses 8-10, Luke shows up.
Church historians tell us that Luke and Paul met in Antioch, so we can assume that may have been Luke's hometown. Years have gone by since the time of their meeting. In Galatians 4:13-15, in Paul's letter to the Galatians, Paul is ill. His illness is bad enough that it effects his eyes. If Luke is a doctor there, for Antioch is in Galatia, then it is possible Luke met Paul there. (All fun to think about). Paul goes through Galatia in Act 16 and it is after this Luke starts the "we" and "us" in Troas. So Luke may have joined them in Galatia.
Luke put the "company" in the "accompany" and stays with Paul until Paul's end.
7 Things We Can Learn From Luke
1. We were created for good company.
2 Tim. 2:22 -Keep company with those of a pure heart.
I Pet 1:22 says you are purified by obedience to the Truth. And pure hearts love deeply!
We are purified at salvation but Peter is talking here about surrender to obedience....walking in God's way. If we walk in God's way, we do not fall into the cycle of repeat sin. Surrender is the key!
Disobedience to God deforms the heart. Obedience to God reforms the heart.
There may be people we love who are not believers, and we should love them, but our close walks and relationship should be with those who obey Christ. Even if it is a person who needs your help and wants to spend a lot of time with you. Being constantly one on one with an unhealthy relationship can mess us up, too. It is better to minister to this type of person in a small group context so that you may hold each other accountable.
2. An individual calling can only be fulfilled in a "we" context.
Acts 16:10 Throughout the book of Acts, you see "we" and "them" or "they".
Luke stays anonymous-that is meant to be all of us! We cannot fulfill God's destiny for us on our own. It takes a band of believers praying, supporting and upholding one another.
We don't have a "wee" calling but a "we" calling.
Your calling is as blessed as the people in your life you are blessed with.
Luke wrote two books. In the book of Luke, he wrote about things he didn’t witness and in the book of Acts, he was there but he didn’t name himself. What would happen if we took the "self" out of our study of God's word. Stop approaching it as to what God has for ME, but as for what God has to SAY. Just study the Word and say "God surprise me!"....we are to self centered. Let God work as He will.
Hermeneutics means a "method or a principle of interpretation".
Do you see the word "her"? Do you see the word "me". If the "her" is in "me", I will miss what He has to say about Himself.
See the word "he"? We should want to know about Jesus!
At the same time, look at point #3.
3. God never overlooks a single "me" in the bigger "we".
Scholars believe the book of acts was written in Ad 61 -63.
Acts 28:30- Luke is with Paul and may have written the books at this time...the time close to Paul's death.
Just as Luke may have been thinking he was just "along for the ride" or "lost in the crowd" (Luke stayed with Paul for two years)....God inspires a man (Luke), who is caring for an apostle, to write the longest canon....with more verses than any other. With Luke and Acts, Luke wrote 2157 verses. Paul write 2032 verses. Luke wasn't just along for the ride, God used him greatly!
Luke 1:3 says...it seemed good to me to write an account of"....... God didn't do a BIG miracle or speak outloud to Luke, it just "seemed good to Luke" to write the book of Luke. But God was in it.
Let's take a new looke at Luke 4:1-4
If you have heart for God's will, you won't have to worry about missing His will...He will reveal it to you.
Jesus became a friend of sinners so that we could become a friend of God.
Luke 4:3 "It seemed good, also to me to write an account"....there had been other accounts of the times of Jesus on the earth. Luke did not mind being an "also".
Other passages in scripture that uses the word "also".
Luke 8:1-2, 12:8, 16:10 John 10:16, 14:3, 19, Rom 1:6, 8:30-32, I Cor. 6:14, Eph. 1:11, 13, 2 Tim. 2:2, I Pet. 2:5, I Jn 1:3, col. 3:14 and 2 Tim. 4:7,8. O, blessed also!
Also-another life standing out, sold out, sticking out, spent out
(side note)single women-Luke was single. He served the Lord without distraction...no wife and children to tend to. He had flexibility in ministry that a married person wouldn't have.
In Luke 4:1-4 and in Act 28:28-31, Luke uses a High Greek beauty and artistry in his writing. It is a greek language for the educated and those who investigate. The rest of the two books are in layman's writing. These books would be written on a scroll and at the top of the scroll you could only see the first four verses:
(read them...it is a neat thing to read to introduce the scroll)
Luke 1:3 and in Act 1: 1-2 --Both books are written to Theophilus. Theo-means Friend of God and Philos means Friend. Friend of God.
Three ways of thinking about this:
a. It's written to all of us symbolically (we are all friends of God)
b. it's a pseudomyn- (I know I spelled that wrong) "fake name" because it was too dangerous to reveal who
c. it was a real person.
Beth thinks it was a real person. In Luke it says "most excellent Theophilus" which was a way one would refer to those in prominient positions. Later, in Act...it is just Theophilus. Some think perhaps he was not saved when Luke wrote to him in the book of Luke but later, when Luke wrote Acts, Theo had become a believer and had dropped the formalities with his friends...but this is just something fun to think about.
Another interesting fact...Luke makes reference to friendship more than any other writer of the bible.
Luke 7:31-35 This "proverb" Jesus was telling means sometimes you don't know what is wise until it shows it's reaping or it's end.
The Pharisees did not understand that THEY were the sinners that Jesus was a friend to. The "outcasts" (like the "sinner" woman who Jesus went to right after he told them this story) became the "insiders'....Jesus, Himself, was an outsider. Jesus spent time and loved the Gentiles, the poor, the publicans, the outcasts, and WOMEN. Jesus was a friend to them.
Luke left us an example of the art of curing souls.
Luke 15:17, 31-we are all inspired to be a "doctor'.
Luke 13:10-14--When Jesus heals the woman who couldn’t even straighten up..and he heals her on the Sabbath which makes the Pharisees in an uproar.! Luke is the only one who fills us in on this story. The Pharisees think the Sabbath is not a day for healing! The are indignant. In verse 15, Jesus calls them hypocrites. They would rather be "comfortable" than see healings that are "against the rules".
Beth says she was the like the woman who couldn't stand up....her sin was so great. Anyone with habitual sin or addictions can memorize scripture and when old thoughts or images come, spout off the Word till the go away. I Pet. 1:22 My abundant life comes from my obedience to God. Take addictions one day at a time, Your victory is in His authority. Jesus has the art of healing souls.
Ezekiel 16:4-7 No matter what your sin looks like, God will bring you to beauty!!!
We have been graciously graced and forgiven and has moved others to give us grace. But we don't grace some because of our bitterness and unforgiveness. Forgiveness means to send something forth.
Maybe if we don't have "good company" we should take a look at ourselves.
But the "I" back in the "Luv you"....saying I love you exposes ourselves or may not be returned. So instead of "Luv ya"...say "I love you!"
I Cor 12:31c says "most excellent way". To LOVE. Love is the excellent way.
(back to the 7 points)
5. We can revel in the certainty of the things we have been taught. Luke 1:4.
"taught" in Greek is ketecheo Sounds like catechism. Salvation through Christ. Everything God teaches us is to reach us...to get us to know Him.
Our heart aches for those trying to live godly lives without God. A relationship with the Creator is why we are taught. It is why we learn. 2 Tim. 1:12- Know HIM. He is our certainty.
Our faith is based on facts.
If you are not sure that "God is good" then know that God is great. The more you need Him, the more you will see Him revealed. When it is darkest of all, maybe you are in the cleft of the rock and covered by His hand. God is faithful.
John 20: 29 is talking about US. We are blessed because we haven't seen Him but we believe.
In Acts 1:1-4 Jesus had died and come back to those He loves. They kept seeing Him but then He would go away for a time. He did this for 40 days. How hard this must have been for them!! 40 days is an important number in the bible. There were 40 days of testing for Christ, 40 days of rain for Noah, Moses was on the Mount 40 days, the spies were out for 40 days. Elijah was fed for 40 days, Jesus on earth for 40 days, a child is in the womb 40 weeks.
But in Acts 1:4, Jesus is eating with them. In John, He made them breakfast and ate.
"eating" is a compound Greek word synalizo syns means together and lizo is to salt...to SHAKE with salt.
Jesus had them "shaking the salt" together! He tore break and they ate from the same piece. They drank from the same cup.
Salt is preservative. A cleanser. We are the flavor. We are not meant to blend in. We don't have to be unlikeable to be spiritual....they need to "taste and see that the Lord is good". We are called to the Dining table to commune and fellowship. Stop the divisions between denominations and spiritual gifts. If we have received Christ, then we are family. They will know us by our LOVE. Our witness is at stake.
In Acts 27:20, 33-35 Luke and Paul are on a ship together. It is dangerous. Paul told then it wouldn't go well but they didn't listen. After 14 days, Paul tells them to eat something. He break bread and gives it to them as Jesus did in Luke 22:19. It was a unique communion on the ship. It may have been just a meal to most there but to Luke and Paul it was Communion!
6. Jesus has passed us the salt, also.
The early church and Christ's followers are long gone, but we are here and can be used. We have the salt shakers.
7. We can be the many convincing proofs that Jesus is alive.
Act. 28:28-31 The last word in the book of Acts (in it's original language) is "unhindered". We are called to a life that is unhindered. God calls us to be unshackled to preach Jesus.
We don’t have time for bitterness, unforgiveness. Do whatever you have to do to BE FREE. We have the power through Christ.
Tradition says that Luke died at 84 years of age filled with the Spirit.
He had been the great narrator where Jesus was the main point.
Beth's grandson, Jackson, was suppose to write his story in K5. That age has a small vocabulary and weak writing skills. Jackson's life story was "I love you, Mrs. Marino" (his teacher).
I love you, Jesus was Luke's story. Is it ours??
Luke-a little about him.
2 Tim. 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
"along with those who call on the Lord" The New Ehglish Version says "in the company of others". We are meant to pursue God in company with others! We aren't alone in our pursuit....do it alongside others!
In 2 Tim. 4:9-12 in vs 10-11 Paul has been abandoned by others. He said only Luke was with him. Luke may have been the one taking Paul's dictation here. Could Luke tell Paul's time of death was near? Luke was Paul's BFF!
Who was Luke? Col. 4:10-14
He was the loved physician (called the beloved physician in some versions). He was a man of means. He shows up in Paul's life in Acts 16:6. In Acts 16:10-15 the "we" and "us" includes Luke. In between verses 8-10, Luke shows up.
Church historians tell us that Luke and Paul met in Antioch, so we can assume that may have been Luke's hometown. Years have gone by since the time of their meeting. In Galatians 4:13-15, in Paul's letter to the Galatians, Paul is ill. His illness is bad enough that it effects his eyes. If Luke is a doctor there, for Antioch is in Galatia, then it is possible Luke met Paul there. (All fun to think about). Paul goes through Galatia in Act 16 and it is after this Luke starts the "we" and "us" in Troas. So Luke may have joined them in Galatia.
Luke put the "company" in the "accompany" and stays with Paul until Paul's end.
7 Things We Can Learn From Luke
1. We were created for good company.
2 Tim. 2:22 -Keep company with those of a pure heart.
I Pet 1:22 says you are purified by obedience to the Truth. And pure hearts love deeply!
We are purified at salvation but Peter is talking here about surrender to obedience....walking in God's way. If we walk in God's way, we do not fall into the cycle of repeat sin. Surrender is the key!
Disobedience to God deforms the heart. Obedience to God reforms the heart.
There may be people we love who are not believers, and we should love them, but our close walks and relationship should be with those who obey Christ. Even if it is a person who needs your help and wants to spend a lot of time with you. Being constantly one on one with an unhealthy relationship can mess us up, too. It is better to minister to this type of person in a small group context so that you may hold each other accountable.
2. An individual calling can only be fulfilled in a "we" context.
Acts 16:10 Throughout the book of Acts, you see "we" and "them" or "they".
Luke stays anonymous-that is meant to be all of us! We cannot fulfill God's destiny for us on our own. It takes a band of believers praying, supporting and upholding one another.
We don't have a "wee" calling but a "we" calling.
Your calling is as blessed as the people in your life you are blessed with.
Luke wrote two books. In the book of Luke, he wrote about things he didn’t witness and in the book of Acts, he was there but he didn’t name himself. What would happen if we took the "self" out of our study of God's word. Stop approaching it as to what God has for ME, but as for what God has to SAY. Just study the Word and say "God surprise me!"....we are to self centered. Let God work as He will.
Hermeneutics means a "method or a principle of interpretation".
Do you see the word "her"? Do you see the word "me". If the "her" is in "me", I will miss what He has to say about Himself.
See the word "he"? We should want to know about Jesus!
At the same time, look at point #3.
3. God never overlooks a single "me" in the bigger "we".
Scholars believe the book of acts was written in Ad 61 -63.
Acts 28:30- Luke is with Paul and may have written the books at this time...the time close to Paul's death.
Just as Luke may have been thinking he was just "along for the ride" or "lost in the crowd" (Luke stayed with Paul for two years)....God inspires a man (Luke), who is caring for an apostle, to write the longest canon....with more verses than any other. With Luke and Acts, Luke wrote 2157 verses. Paul write 2032 verses. Luke wasn't just along for the ride, God used him greatly!
Luke 1:3 says...it seemed good to me to write an account of"....... God didn't do a BIG miracle or speak outloud to Luke, it just "seemed good to Luke" to write the book of Luke. But God was in it.
Let's take a new looke at Luke 4:1-4
If you have heart for God's will, you won't have to worry about missing His will...He will reveal it to you.
Jesus became a friend of sinners so that we could become a friend of God.
Luke 4:3 "It seemed good, also to me to write an account"....there had been other accounts of the times of Jesus on the earth. Luke did not mind being an "also".
Other passages in scripture that uses the word "also".
Luke 8:1-2, 12:8, 16:10 John 10:16, 14:3, 19, Rom 1:6, 8:30-32, I Cor. 6:14, Eph. 1:11, 13, 2 Tim. 2:2, I Pet. 2:5, I Jn 1:3, col. 3:14 and 2 Tim. 4:7,8. O, blessed also!
Also-another life standing out, sold out, sticking out, spent out
(side note)single women-Luke was single. He served the Lord without distraction...no wife and children to tend to. He had flexibility in ministry that a married person wouldn't have.
In Luke 4:1-4 and in Act 28:28-31, Luke uses a High Greek beauty and artistry in his writing. It is a greek language for the educated and those who investigate. The rest of the two books are in layman's writing. These books would be written on a scroll and at the top of the scroll you could only see the first four verses:
(read them...it is a neat thing to read to introduce the scroll)
Luke 1:3 and in Act 1: 1-2 --Both books are written to Theophilus. Theo-means Friend of God and Philos means Friend. Friend of God.
Three ways of thinking about this:
a. It's written to all of us symbolically (we are all friends of God)
b. it's a pseudomyn- (I know I spelled that wrong) "fake name" because it was too dangerous to reveal who
c. it was a real person.
Beth thinks it was a real person. In Luke it says "most excellent Theophilus" which was a way one would refer to those in prominient positions. Later, in Act...it is just Theophilus. Some think perhaps he was not saved when Luke wrote to him in the book of Luke but later, when Luke wrote Acts, Theo had become a believer and had dropped the formalities with his friends...but this is just something fun to think about.
Another interesting fact...Luke makes reference to friendship more than any other writer of the bible.
Luke 7:31-35 This "proverb" Jesus was telling means sometimes you don't know what is wise until it shows it's reaping or it's end.
The Pharisees did not understand that THEY were the sinners that Jesus was a friend to. The "outcasts" (like the "sinner" woman who Jesus went to right after he told them this story) became the "insiders'....Jesus, Himself, was an outsider. Jesus spent time and loved the Gentiles, the poor, the publicans, the outcasts, and WOMEN. Jesus was a friend to them.
Luke left us an example of the art of curing souls.
Luke 15:17, 31-we are all inspired to be a "doctor'.
Luke 13:10-14--When Jesus heals the woman who couldn’t even straighten up..and he heals her on the Sabbath which makes the Pharisees in an uproar.! Luke is the only one who fills us in on this story. The Pharisees think the Sabbath is not a day for healing! The are indignant. In verse 15, Jesus calls them hypocrites. They would rather be "comfortable" than see healings that are "against the rules".
Beth says she was the like the woman who couldn't stand up....her sin was so great. Anyone with habitual sin or addictions can memorize scripture and when old thoughts or images come, spout off the Word till the go away. I Pet. 1:22 My abundant life comes from my obedience to God. Take addictions one day at a time, Your victory is in His authority. Jesus has the art of healing souls.
Ezekiel 16:4-7 No matter what your sin looks like, God will bring you to beauty!!!
We have been graciously graced and forgiven and has moved others to give us grace. But we don't grace some because of our bitterness and unforgiveness. Forgiveness means to send something forth.
Maybe if we don't have "good company" we should take a look at ourselves.
But the "I" back in the "Luv you"....saying I love you exposes ourselves or may not be returned. So instead of "Luv ya"...say "I love you!"
I Cor 12:31c says "most excellent way". To LOVE. Love is the excellent way.
(back to the 7 points)
5. We can revel in the certainty of the things we have been taught. Luke 1:4.
"taught" in Greek is ketecheo Sounds like catechism. Salvation through Christ. Everything God teaches us is to reach us...to get us to know Him.
Our heart aches for those trying to live godly lives without God. A relationship with the Creator is why we are taught. It is why we learn. 2 Tim. 1:12- Know HIM. He is our certainty.
Our faith is based on facts.
If you are not sure that "God is good" then know that God is great. The more you need Him, the more you will see Him revealed. When it is darkest of all, maybe you are in the cleft of the rock and covered by His hand. God is faithful.
John 20: 29 is talking about US. We are blessed because we haven't seen Him but we believe.
In Acts 1:1-4 Jesus had died and come back to those He loves. They kept seeing Him but then He would go away for a time. He did this for 40 days. How hard this must have been for them!! 40 days is an important number in the bible. There were 40 days of testing for Christ, 40 days of rain for Noah, Moses was on the Mount 40 days, the spies were out for 40 days. Elijah was fed for 40 days, Jesus on earth for 40 days, a child is in the womb 40 weeks.
But in Acts 1:4, Jesus is eating with them. In John, He made them breakfast and ate.
"eating" is a compound Greek word synalizo syns means together and lizo is to salt...to SHAKE with salt.
Jesus had them "shaking the salt" together! He tore break and they ate from the same piece. They drank from the same cup.
Salt is preservative. A cleanser. We are the flavor. We are not meant to blend in. We don't have to be unlikeable to be spiritual....they need to "taste and see that the Lord is good". We are called to the Dining table to commune and fellowship. Stop the divisions between denominations and spiritual gifts. If we have received Christ, then we are family. They will know us by our LOVE. Our witness is at stake.
In Acts 27:20, 33-35 Luke and Paul are on a ship together. It is dangerous. Paul told then it wouldn't go well but they didn't listen. After 14 days, Paul tells them to eat something. He break bread and gives it to them as Jesus did in Luke 22:19. It was a unique communion on the ship. It may have been just a meal to most there but to Luke and Paul it was Communion!
6. Jesus has passed us the salt, also.
The early church and Christ's followers are long gone, but we are here and can be used. We have the salt shakers.
7. We can be the many convincing proofs that Jesus is alive.
Act. 28:28-31 The last word in the book of Acts (in it's original language) is "unhindered". We are called to a life that is unhindered. God calls us to be unshackled to preach Jesus.
We don’t have time for bitterness, unforgiveness. Do whatever you have to do to BE FREE. We have the power through Christ.
Tradition says that Luke died at 84 years of age filled with the Spirit.
He had been the great narrator where Jesus was the main point.
Beth's grandson, Jackson, was suppose to write his story in K5. That age has a small vocabulary and weak writing skills. Jackson's life story was "I love you, Mrs. Marino" (his teacher).
I love you, Jesus was Luke's story. Is it ours??
Friday, August 19, 2011
Last Time to Liberty
Tomorrow, we take Kristin for her last year of college. Looking back at this blog, I wrote quite a bit when she finished high school and went off to LU for the first time. It was hard. My heart almost broke. But three years later, it is a bit easier. I still miss her and I still dread taking her. But, knowing how much she loves it and what she will learn/see there, I am glad for her. The difference is...this is the LAST time....so the next step will be...leaving home for good. It may not be for another year or two...or it may be sooner...who knows...but the fact is, this chapter of her life is about done and finished. So, in a way, this will be the most difficult at all...because it is the the time that I was dreading back when this college "stuff" first started...it is almost the "end" of her time with us. Talk about hard.......
When we dropped her off for her freshman year, we finished packing and we sat in her dorm and just looked at each other. She was a bit unsure of herself and the roommate she knew from high school wasn't there yet. We encouraged her to go out and talk to some of her dormmates but she brushed us off, (in Kristin fashion) and kind of hung with us. It made it a little hard to leave her. We knew she would soon make friends and we were right, but as we drove away and she was standing in the doorway, about to go back upstairs to strangers, my heart pulled a little bit. I know this year, she will be anxious to see friends, to see Cary, to get back to her "normal" at the world she has created there. She will almost anxiously be ready to say goodbye to us so she can get back to the friends she missed all summer. Such a difference from when she was 18. But I wouldn't want it any other way. We will say good bye and get in our car and look back...she will be already turning towards others....but I guess that is the way life is...our kids move on and we look back.....we wonder where the time went and we sometimes wish we could go back and do things over or differently.
BUT, we will never be alone....lol. There's Korie...a whole other situation to ponder over. I am just happy to know that God has both my girls in His hands and I pray they both learn to love Him more and more. So...off to Liberty U one more time......
When we dropped her off for her freshman year, we finished packing and we sat in her dorm and just looked at each other. She was a bit unsure of herself and the roommate she knew from high school wasn't there yet. We encouraged her to go out and talk to some of her dormmates but she brushed us off, (in Kristin fashion) and kind of hung with us. It made it a little hard to leave her. We knew she would soon make friends and we were right, but as we drove away and she was standing in the doorway, about to go back upstairs to strangers, my heart pulled a little bit. I know this year, she will be anxious to see friends, to see Cary, to get back to her "normal" at the world she has created there. She will almost anxiously be ready to say goodbye to us so she can get back to the friends she missed all summer. Such a difference from when she was 18. But I wouldn't want it any other way. We will say good bye and get in our car and look back...she will be already turning towards others....but I guess that is the way life is...our kids move on and we look back.....we wonder where the time went and we sometimes wish we could go back and do things over or differently.
BUT, we will never be alone....lol. There's Korie...a whole other situation to ponder over. I am just happy to know that God has both my girls in His hands and I pray they both learn to love Him more and more. So...off to Liberty U one more time......
Friday, July 29, 2011
Family History Day
Belle Island and the Richmond National Cemetery
Oh how I loved today! But I love genealogy! I knew my dad's grandmother...Mary Hattie Gaylor Richardson. She lived to be 104...she died when I was 29 and Kristin was a few months old. Growing up, my dad would take us every summer to Campbell County, Tennessee, to visit with her. Lee Richardson, my great-grandfather was alive until I was 11. He died at 92. They are both now buried at Macadonia Baptist Church, just down a gravel road from the home they shared together. Buried there is their son, my grandfather, Judson Richardson, my great grandparents Lee and Hattie (Gaylor) Richardson, whom I just wrote of, and Grandma Hattie's parents and her great grandparents. Yes!! I know Als buried there are Thomas (born in 1856) and Sarah Isabella (Slover) Gaylor and Thomas's parents...Thomas (born in 1803) and Susanna (Harmon) Gaylor. The two oldest sons of this last Thomas, born in 1803, were John and James. They both enlisted to fight in the Civil War. Though they lived deep in Tennessee, they joined the Union army.
John somehow made it through this terrible war, for he lived to the age of 74 and died in Kentucky. James would not be so lucky. He is the one I thought about a lot today. I was there were part of his story happened...where he spent the last days of his life. This relative of mine, who was born around 1832 in Campbell County (where I had spent some time) died not to far from where I live now. And I didn't realize that until recently.
James was married at around age 22 to a woman of the same age named Mary Harmon. The Harmon name shows up many times in this side of the family tree. The Harmons must have lived close to the Gaylors and they obviously were friends and sometimes more. James and Mary had 11 years together and we know of two sons, Jacob and William. They were young when their father, James Gaylor traveled to Williamsburg, Kentucky to sign up to fight for the North. From this, we can only assume that the Gaylor family, even with their deep roots in the South, disagreed that man can own another man and fought for what he must have thought was Right. This makes me very proud. I also assume John went with James as they both enlisted in the same place.
I wonder what that twenty-nine year old James thought as he joined in that list of men? Did they train for combat? Did they just hand him his weapons? I do know that he had Detailed Service Duty at Camp Dick Robinson and at Loudon, Kentucky. I do know that after he enlisted and until his capture by the enemy, that he was engaged in around 83 skirmishes, seiges and battles all over the Eastern part of the US. In February 26, 1964, he was captured by the Confederates and taken to their prison on Belle Island, in Richmond, Virginia.
Though today, as I looked upon it, Belle Island was beautiful, it is not a pretty picture when you read about it as a prisoner camp. In 1864, Peter DeWitt, an Assistant Surgeon at Jarvis Hospital treated Belle Island prisoners. He described the "great majority of them as being in a semi-state of nudity, with chronic diarrhoea, phthisis pulmonalis, scurvy, frost bite, general debility, caused by starvation, neglect and exposure. Many had partly lost their reason...they were filthy in the extreme, covered with vermin and nearly all extremely emanciated so much that they had to be cared for even like infants."
James was one of the sick ones. Later, his family only knew that he died of "fever". His family apparently, tried to locate his body after the war. They contacted a Robert E. L. Krick, who was the Historian for the Department of the Interior. I won't quote the whole letter here but will give an idea of what it says. Basically, the Confederates only knew the identity of a few of the Union dead and even those identities were lost when the graves were moved from the island to another resting place. The Confederates, after the War, took every single dead Union soldier or grave that they could find and opened the Richmond National Cemetery and placed the bodies in graves there. Most of the tombstones there say "Unknown US Soldier" or "Two Unknown US Soldiers".
I went there today. There were rows and rows and rows and rows of Unknown Union soldiers. It hit me how many, many men died in that terrible war...and this was just a small part of those that died. But somewhere out there, in this very cemetery in downtown Richmond, where people drive by going to work every day and where cars gas up across the street and where people lay their heads to rest at night, is my relative James Gaylor. I doubt any of his family came all the way to Virginia to see unmarked graves. The distance was too great and the cost beyond what they could pay.
Instead, Mary Harmon went to prove she was the wife of one James Gaylor, who died in the war, so that she and her two sons could receive a pension and benefits to live on. She, and many other wives, never saw their husbands again and raised their families alone. So many...it is sad to think about.
As I stood there, on that terribly hot and sunny day, with the rows and rows of unknown graves, I thought of the thousands of wives, parents, siblings and friends never knew what happened to the one that they loved...never knew that they are now buried in Richmond Virignia, in a quiet National Cemetery tucked away behind a brick fence. But James, I know you are here. I don't know where you are...but I know you are here.
Earlier in the day, as I looked across the James River at Belle Isle, I tried to picture in my mind, what James looked like there, how he must have suffered and how he died alone. I wondered if when you first arrived there, if you came to the river and looked across wondering if you would ever leave? And you didn't. Maybe I am crazy. Maybe I am a dreamer. (If so, I get that from my Aunt Carol..also related to James!). But I felt kind of close to him today...and to my great-grandma Richardson. She was born in 1886, just 25 years after James died. She must have known his family...they must have spoken of him. I wish I could ask her. I wish that when she sat and told stories over and over to a bored 12 year old girl, that I had listened more.
I hope I meet him one Day. I know that my great-grandmother was a believer so I hope the generations before her were, too. I know that one fourth of James' regiment were from West Point and they were candidates for the ministry. If James didn't know God before he left, maybe he found Him afterwards...between the fighting, between the duties. If so, he must have met my dad by now. Maybe they watched me together as I searched today. You never know. James had a difficult life. But he is not forgotten. Even if he is in an unmarked grave.
John Jasper and Ken Richardson
Brown's Island and Sixth Mount Zion BaptistOh, my dad would have SO enjoyed today!!! Soon after Steve and I were married, before kiddos, my parents came to visit. I took a day off work and rode with mom and dad for a day trip to Richmond. I don't remember everything we did but what I do remember, I have never forgotten.
My dad wanted to go to Hollywood Cemetery. He was sooo excited. He loved history and this was the place to go if you enjoy history. In this cemetery, we found two US Presidents...John Tyler and James Monroe as well a Confederate President...Jefferson Davis and two Confederate generals...JEB Stuart and George Pickett. I also remember that we ate lunch at the MCV hospital! Dad did that a lot. :)
He also told me about a black preacher by the name of John Jasper. Dad had a paper pamplett that told about John Jasper and how he started a church in Richmond. I remember dad telling me that his church was on an island and he became so popular that people would come from all around to hear him preach. Dad was so interested. He said one day, he wanted to find that island and visit it. If we only knew, that from Hollywood Cemetery, we could actually SEE the island (I have since some to find that it is named Brown's Island) and if we had driven a couple of miles towards the James River, we could visit that island...we were SO close..but we didn't know.
TODAY, my family went there and more. Thank goodness for Google!!
We drove to Brown's Island....it was over 100 degrees and for Korie's sake, we couldn't get out and walk around. But we did drive around and see a little of it. Jasper was a funeral preacher... but his manner of speaking was so dynamic that he was often invited to speak at other churches. He was given permission to preach by his owner Samuel Hardgrove. He was invited to preach all around Virginia. But the invitees had to pay Samuel Hardgrove $1 for Jasper to travel and preach to make up for the work Jasper would miss.
Two years after Jasper's freedom, he and several close friends founded the Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church. They began meeting on Brown's Island in an abandoned Confederate Horse Stable on Sept. 3, 1867. By 1869, his congregation had grown so much that Jasper moved his flock to it's current site at 14 West Duval St. My family visited there today! I wish it had been a Sunday so we could worship with them!
Jasper's reputation grew as visitors, both black and white would fill the pews. His sermon called "De Sun Do Move" became popular and he had many requests to repeat it. It even appeared in a Richmond newspaper and he was requested to preach it in front of the Virginia General Assembly.
Jasper died in 1901. Steve and I went in this beautiful church today. There were homeless people surrounding the entrance because the church feeds them every Friday. Three ladies were working and one showed us around the church. She told us that since Jasper started this church, there have only been 9 pastors....since the Civil War time!! She was so kind and gave us a wonderful tour before she went back to serving the homeless. We are going back sometime to see the room dedicated to John Jasper. If you call ahead of time, the Historian will meet you and take you in the room....oh, dad!! If we had only knowns. How this would have make you so happy! But then again, I am sure you have met John Jasper himself and the two of you are probably great friends! It makes me smile to think of it!
What a day!
My heart is so full that I don't even know if I can put into words how special today was to me. Actually the past two days. Steve said we could go on a one night trip. I don't know if he is feeling the time of trips with Kristin passing by, but I do. So I am thankful for another family memory to make.
We decided to go to Richmond and work on our "stay three nights, get one free" hotel rewards program. :) Day one was "touristy" things but great fun! We went to the Capitol..it is just beautiful....with the blue sky and green grass, you can't take a bad picture of it! We had a great tour guide and enjoyed it. Our next stop was the Executive Mansion where the Governor lives. It was a good tour, too, but the mansion isn't really a MANSION...it's kind of small for a governor's home. But the decor was lovely. Two favorite things....out in the garden, we found the kid's hiding place for their boogie boards. Second, we had to take the new elevator so Korie could get in the house. The family uses the elevator as a place to store things. The governor's golf clubs were in there, a whole shelf of games and hanging on the back wall of the elevator was a hanger with a blue skirt!! Made us laugh. The walk back to the van was rough...it was almost 100 degrees!! We ended the day in Carytown and met one of Kristn's friends for dinner and a movie...Thor. I actually kind of enjoyed it.
Day two, we actually toured a cemetery. A famous one! Hollywood Cemetery holds two presidents...John Tyler and James Monroe as well as some famous Confederates...Jefferson Davis, JEB Stuart and George Pickett. Again..a HOT day in the 100s but the views of the James River were well worth it.
The next part, I will save for my next post...it involves memories of my dad and putting together some thoughts and events of a relative that fought in the Civil War. This second day was a pensive, reflective day for me.......
Monday, June 13, 2011
A Special Kind of Day
Today wasn't anything "special". We all got up, got Korie off to school, Steve went to work and Kristin and I got a little more sleep. I had breakfast, did some work around the house and helped Steve with some things. Korie is now home from school, the girls are watching the Cosby Show, Kristin is figuring out evening plans with friends and I am starting to think toward supper.
But it kind of WAS a special type of day. There are only a few more of these days left. Could this be Kristin's last summer at home? The last summer we fold towels together? watch Cosby together?....just have these normal days ? Sometimes I watch Kris and Korie together, listen to their laughter or I steal a hug and know that these are special times. Playing Phase 1o, watching our reality shows together, taking turns getting showers, eating dinner together at night....these will be memories soon.
So, though this is a "normal, nothing really happened" kind of day....I love it and I treasure it. I am tucking it in my heart to keep forever.
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
The Real Laura Ingalls Wilder
The first time I learned of Laura Ingalls Wilder, I was in the fourth grade at Monterey Elementary School in Ohio. I can still picture the small library and even the very shelves where her books were kept. I read through the whole series and then I would start over again. Something about the free and independent spirit of her pioneer family captured my attention. I never tired of reading about Pa and Ma, Mary, Laura, Carrie and baby Grace as they traveled from Wisconsin, Indian Territory, and DeSmet, South Dakota. As soon as my girls were old enough to understand, I began reading the same stories to them. The TV show made the family more popular and the made-up episodes were fun but there was nothing better than the real stories in Laura's written accounts.
So I was thrilled when my family traveled to Missouri last week and visited Mansfield, where Laura lived with Almanzo until her death in 1957. Seeing Pa's fiddle with my own eyes, the slates that Pa bought Mary and Laura in Plum Creek and more, was very meaningful to me. I bought a replica of Ma's Shepherdess that she always kept on their mantel, a tin cup with a peppermint stick and penny...the same thing the Ingalls girls got for Christmas one year and something else that I will always treasure. I bought a copy of bible references in Laura's handwritting that were in her small bible near her rocker where she sat to read. They were a blessing to me and I thought I would share. She wrote:
In facing a crisis read 46 Psalm
When discouraged read 23 & 24 Psalm
Lonely or fearful read 27 Psalm
Planning a budget read St. Luke chapter 19
To live successfully with others read Romans chapter 12
Sick or in pain read 91 Psalm
When you travel carry with you 121 Psalm
When very weary read Matthew 11:28 & 30 and Romans 8: 31-39
When things from bad to worse 2 Timothy 3
When friends go back on you, hold to 1 Corinthians 13
For inward peace the 14th Chapter of St. John
To avoid misfortune Matthew 7: 24-27
For record of what trust in God can do Hebrews 11
If you are having to put up a fight-the end of Ephesians
When you have sinned read 1 John 3:1-21
And make Psalm 51 your prayer
It was so wonderful to see how Laura relied on God's Word in hard situations. I am sure she faced many, as we all do. I am so glad that Laura lived her life with God walking by her side. I am so happy that I got to see this side of her....the real Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Easter brought some memories
Family pictures out in the back yard.... As my family gathered, a wave of homesickness came over me and I almost wept. I wanted my mom, with her silly sayings and her warm voice and love of family; I longed to hear my dad's laugh and the feel of his hand as it clasped mine. I was lonesome for my brothers and their teasing ways and the fun times we shared.
I realize that all through my life, those days will come back to me and all the things my parents tried to teach me will linger in my mind. The steady example of my parents have been something I have tried to follow though sometimes I fail or fall short. Their shining love of life has encouraged me to plod on in life, attempting to always do my best.
These thoughts lead me to think of the path of my own two children and the choices they will make through life. Have I done enough? have I loved enough? have I done what I could? I try to remember that my parents were not perfect. But I knew they loved me and I knew they had my best in mind for me, even if I did not always agree with them. I hope my own children realize the same.
I am who I am today because of my parents. I will never be able to go back in time, I will never again get to talk to them (in this life), ask their advice or just enjoy their company. Some days that makes me very sad. But also, because of them and the way they pointed me to God, I can look forward to something better than the life I had with them here on earth. Perfect scenery, perfect fellowship, all the time we need; it will be sweet....in a way I can't even understand. And it is because of "Easter" that this will be true. Because of what Christ did for us..this is why I will spend more time with my parents someday.
And my children? They will overcome my mistakes. They will both be there with us. Korie will be whole and healed. All these longings will be gone and Christ will be all I need. Yes, this Easter puts a longing in my heart...but a longing for what will BE....someday soon..I hope.
I realize that all through my life, those days will come back to me and all the things my parents tried to teach me will linger in my mind. The steady example of my parents have been something I have tried to follow though sometimes I fail or fall short. Their shining love of life has encouraged me to plod on in life, attempting to always do my best.
These thoughts lead me to think of the path of my own two children and the choices they will make through life. Have I done enough? have I loved enough? have I done what I could? I try to remember that my parents were not perfect. But I knew they loved me and I knew they had my best in mind for me, even if I did not always agree with them. I hope my own children realize the same.
I am who I am today because of my parents. I will never be able to go back in time, I will never again get to talk to them (in this life), ask their advice or just enjoy their company. Some days that makes me very sad. But also, because of them and the way they pointed me to God, I can look forward to something better than the life I had with them here on earth. Perfect scenery, perfect fellowship, all the time we need; it will be sweet....in a way I can't even understand. And it is because of "Easter" that this will be true. Because of what Christ did for us..this is why I will spend more time with my parents someday.
And my children? They will overcome my mistakes. They will both be there with us. Korie will be whole and healed. All these longings will be gone and Christ will be all I need. Yes, this Easter puts a longing in my heart...but a longing for what will BE....someday soon..I hope.
Monday, February 07, 2011
Birthdays
My birthday is coming up. Birthdays are a mixed bag of feelings. They excite because they are about YOU! And, it can't be denied that we like things that are about us. Usually, on your birthday, you get to relax, others do your work for you, take you out to eat, buy you gifts, etc. It's kind of nice to have one day a year that is about YOU. BUT, as you get older, well, birthdays make your number go up a little higher and remind you about how you are just getting....OLD! :)
Next year will be a big number for me (hey, I have one year before I really have to think about it so I won't mention which it is). But I will admit that it is a number that in the past, I have thought of as very aged!! However, I believe I will address all that NEXT year and enjoy this decade (which I also thought of as old 20 years ago) while I can.
This year, I have a new struggle with my birthday. As this birthday grows nearer, I think more and more about my mom and dad. I kind of regret not living close to my family...that was kind of out of my control...Steve's and God's...lol. Over the past 20 some years, I have resigned myself that my family goes on with birthday celebrations without me and that I spend mine without them. BUT, I did look forward to talking to my mom and getting her card....which was always kind of sappy, which used to sometimes irritate me but now, I would give anything to have one this week. PLUS, it always had money in it. I rarely get money that is just mine alone! To spend in anyway and on anything I want. I didn't realize how much that meant to me until last year when it didn't come.
Even last year, I missed mom but it wasn't as strong as this. I almost dread the day coming because I will miss her (and my dad) and the calls they would give me. I just realized the other day that they both would have turned 70 this year. That seems so old to me now, but again, as has already happened, the day will come when even that number doesn't seem so old anymore.
Mom used to make birthdays so great. I followed what she used to do...big birthdays only come with certain numbers...that makes them more special. In todays world, parents make each birthday so big and so expensive, that it is harder and harder to come up with something that outdoes the last one. BUT, mom made sure that each birthday was special, even if it was in a smaller way. I hope I did that for my kids, as well.
Each year, I could still have a few friends over. We would camp out in the backyard in a tent and play Truth or Consequences and laugh until we couldn't breath. Or I had a sleepover in sleeping bags in the living room, watching scary movies (in those days that was THE BLOB or THE CREATURE IN THE BLACK LAGOON, not the slash/ creepy movies of today...just throwing that in) and sharing secrets while eating pizza. And she ALWAYS woke us up playing HAPPY BIRTHDAY on the piano and singing....which she could do neither well! We made so much fun of her but if she had not done it, we would have been so disappointed. There would be cake and presents and calls from relatives.
My dad started telling me when I was a little thing that he didn't want me to get any older than ten. He would tell me that all the time. I thought it was so crazy! In my old bible, I still have a pink piece of paper where he wrote me a note on my 21st birthday. It's says:
Happy Birthday!
21
So hard to believe!
Have a good day. I wish I could be with you. You have a special place in my heart that no one else can ever take.
If you'll remember, I never really wished you to be 10 years old...now 21...Love, dad
I just cherish that now!
Yes, birthdays were great. Thanks, mom and dad! This weekend, I will miss you so much. I will try to find that memory of your birthday song in my mind and I am going to read that pink note. I will treasure your memories and hope that you know it's my birthday and so you might both peek down at me. Thank you for my birthday!!
Next year will be a big number for me (hey, I have one year before I really have to think about it so I won't mention which it is). But I will admit that it is a number that in the past, I have thought of as very aged!! However, I believe I will address all that NEXT year and enjoy this decade (which I also thought of as old 20 years ago) while I can.
This year, I have a new struggle with my birthday. As this birthday grows nearer, I think more and more about my mom and dad. I kind of regret not living close to my family...that was kind of out of my control...Steve's and God's...lol. Over the past 20 some years, I have resigned myself that my family goes on with birthday celebrations without me and that I spend mine without them. BUT, I did look forward to talking to my mom and getting her card....which was always kind of sappy, which used to sometimes irritate me but now, I would give anything to have one this week. PLUS, it always had money in it. I rarely get money that is just mine alone! To spend in anyway and on anything I want. I didn't realize how much that meant to me until last year when it didn't come.
Even last year, I missed mom but it wasn't as strong as this. I almost dread the day coming because I will miss her (and my dad) and the calls they would give me. I just realized the other day that they both would have turned 70 this year. That seems so old to me now, but again, as has already happened, the day will come when even that number doesn't seem so old anymore.
Mom used to make birthdays so great. I followed what she used to do...big birthdays only come with certain numbers...that makes them more special. In todays world, parents make each birthday so big and so expensive, that it is harder and harder to come up with something that outdoes the last one. BUT, mom made sure that each birthday was special, even if it was in a smaller way. I hope I did that for my kids, as well.
Each year, I could still have a few friends over. We would camp out in the backyard in a tent and play Truth or Consequences and laugh until we couldn't breath. Or I had a sleepover in sleeping bags in the living room, watching scary movies (in those days that was THE BLOB or THE CREATURE IN THE BLACK LAGOON, not the slash/ creepy movies of today...just throwing that in) and sharing secrets while eating pizza. And she ALWAYS woke us up playing HAPPY BIRTHDAY on the piano and singing....which she could do neither well! We made so much fun of her but if she had not done it, we would have been so disappointed. There would be cake and presents and calls from relatives.
My dad started telling me when I was a little thing that he didn't want me to get any older than ten. He would tell me that all the time. I thought it was so crazy! In my old bible, I still have a pink piece of paper where he wrote me a note on my 21st birthday. It's says:
Happy Birthday!
21
So hard to believe!
Have a good day. I wish I could be with you. You have a special place in my heart that no one else can ever take.
If you'll remember, I never really wished you to be 10 years old...now 21...Love, dad
I just cherish that now!
Yes, birthdays were great. Thanks, mom and dad! This weekend, I will miss you so much. I will try to find that memory of your birthday song in my mind and I am going to read that pink note. I will treasure your memories and hope that you know it's my birthday and so you might both peek down at me. Thank you for my birthday!!
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