Soul Restoration

"He makes me to lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside the still waters, He restores my soul." Ps. 23:2-3a

In 2004 Charlie and I were led to tear down our sixty-five year old cottage. It needed a ton of work as it was sinking precariously into the ground. The reason we waited so long was the old building sat so beautifully close to the lake. If we rebuilt, the DNR said we had to move the new structure so that it measured seventy-five feet back from the lake in every direction. We finally decided to bite the bullet and began clearing the land. Down went the old beloved structure and up went the new. Our lakehouse now sits on the point with water on three sides. We never dreamed that we would have such great views because the trees had been so thick that we couldn't see what a beautiful point was behind us. Sometimes you can't see the lake for the trees, as the old saying doesn't go.

Remembering our great family times at the lake over the years, we decided to give the new site a name: Restoration Point after Psalm 23 - "He restores my soul." Since then, we have seen much soul restoration occur in lives during time spent at Restoration Point.

This Christmas, the first anniversary of Nick's homegoing, we all spent ten days together at the lakehouse. There were twenty - four of us. We were all together for the first time since December 23rd, 2010 with its sad events. Many prayers went up for our family and the Lord answered. We had an amazing time. There was even a three month old baby with us that our oldest son and his wife are in the process of adopting. Little Elizabeth flew with them all the way from Alaska.

After everyone left, I started praying about my own direction for 2012. 2011 was a year of grieving for me, but now I am impressed that it is time to begin moving on. In the quiet of "Restoration Point," I received some good words for 2012. I would like to share them with you because I think they show us all clearly how to move on to whatever God has for us in this new year. They are taken from the "Our Daily Bread Devotional Journal" for 2012.

"The word connected captures our contemporary experience of life. Many people rarely go anywhere without a cell phone, iPod, laptop, or pager. We have become accessible twenty-four hours a day. Some psychologists see this craving to stay connected as an addiction. Yet a growing number of people are deliberately limiting their use of technology. Being a "tech-no" is their way of preserving times of quiet, while limiting the flow of information into their lives.

Many followers of Christ find that a daily time of Bible reading and prayer is essential in their walk of faith. This "quiet time" is a disconnection from external distractions in order to connect with God. The "green pastures" and "still waters" of Psalm 23 are more than an idyllic country (lake?) scene. They speak of our communion with God whereby He restores our souls and leads us in His paths.

All of us can take time to meet with God, but do we? In Robert Foster's booklet "7 Minutes With God" he suggests a way to begin: Start with a brief prayer for guidance, then read the Bible for a few minutes, and close with a short time of prayer that includes adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication for others. It's vital to take time today to connect with the Lord, who is our life." (David C. McCasland)

Once again, God has used "Restoration Point" to "point" me in the way He wants me to go in 2012. Wherever we are, we can make time to meet with God, knowing that we will experience soul restoration in His presence.

Happy 2012 to you all!

Is Narnia Melting?

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ." II Corinthians 1: 3-5

It has been nearly eight months since Nick died. My grandchild. Charlie's grandson. My children's son and nephew. My grandchildren's brother and cousin. His young life cut off and ended at the youthful age of sixteen. His driver's license three weeks old in the wallet handed to his parents.

I wrote about Nick's death in the previous blog thinking that I would journal my way through grief. But it didn't work that way. I couldn't write about this horrific family loss because all of a sudden I realized that my heart had frozen and locked up like a computer. There was nothing I could do to get it going again. I couldn't write about anything! Not even simple thank you notes. Whenever I started to write, I would stare out the window. I was numb and mute like the cold icey outdoors. When asked when I was going to blog again, I could only shake my head in silence. Sometimes I would say, "When the Lord gives, I guess." And I wondered, would He ever choose to give again?"

I talked to my friend who is a counselor. She said, "Betsy, you are trying to process your grief. Don't do that. When you are in so much pain, you can't process. Just lean into Jesus and let Him comfort you in His way and in His time."

That was very good counsel. I heard the Lord speaking to me through her words. It's the advice that I'd pass on to anyone who is suffering from deep loss. Lean into Jesus and let Him comfort you in His way and in His time. So that's what I did and that's what I am still doing. I have been amazed at the special comfort that He gives and sends into our deepest pain. I've given it a name - God's Customized Comfort. It's tailor made for us but we have to learn to lean into Him and receive it. Isn't that what the Christian's joyful journey is all about - "learning to lean , learning to lean, learning to lean on Jesus," as the beautiful old hymn tells us?

But lately, just lately, I feel a thawing, a melting deep within the innermost parts of my soul. It's like being in the northwoods and hearing a trickle of water surging up in the deep snow of a long winter. When you hear it, you pause and ask, "Is winter melting? Can it be? Will the newness of spring really come?"

Creative thoughts are beginning to gently rise like little bubbles in a kettle of water that sits on a gas flame and is almost ready to boil. There are things I want to write down and share about God's Customized Comfort. His goodness and tenderness in His care for me doing this time has been so healing. He has used His Word and He has brought people in ways that I could never have imagined before Nick went to be with Him. I would like to comfort others with the comfort that He has given me: "who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble , with the "customized" comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." II Cor. 1:4

Am I through the valley? No, I'm not. There is still a long walk ahead. I know that. In the "old days" women wore black for a year when they were mourning a lost loved one. That seems like a long time to wear black clothes but grief takes a long time. I've learned that. Maybe, after a year, my heart will reach into its closet, throw the black mourning veils in the hamper and clothe itself in colors again. Meanwhile I continue day by day to follow my friend's wise counsel and to lean into the pain finding that God's comfort is real and underneath are His Everlasting arms.

Aslon has been there and He is healing. I am listening, perhaps, maybe..... I hear the trickling stream and Narnia is starting to melt.

Ode to Christmas 2010

Christmas Day, 2010. I am in a plane flying to Dallas to attend the funeral of my sixteen year old grandson. He was killed two days ago when the Mazda 6 that he was driving crossed the median and sideswiped a semi. Nick had his driver's license for three weeks. By the time the helicopter got him to the hospital, he had gone to be with Jesus.

I look down from the plane window and see the neatly blocked streets of Milwaukee far below. They are covered with snow like a Christmas card picture. I think about all the people in the houses celebrating Christmas. I picture them opening packages, laughing at funny gifts, and watching their childrens' delight as they unwrap their special presents.

Some of the houses have cars parked in front of them and in their driveways - evidence of happy gatherings inside. I imagine the smells of platters filled with turkey and ham wafting through the rooms. Every year I cook too - pies, brownie bars, whatever my family likes. It gives me great joy. But not this year. That has been suddenly snatched away.

As I stare down, I wonder how the families in each house celebrate Christmas Eve? We always dim the lights and read the Christmas story. Everytime the word angel appears, the grandchildren take turns lighting candles symbolizing the verse, "The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light." Pretty soon the dark room is aflame with light. But not this year.

Charlie and I didn't open any presents this morning. We were packing hastily - rushing to catch the 12:30 pm flight to Dallas. Our one thought - get to our family whose loss is so great! As we hurried out the door, I glanced back at our darkened kitchen. No good smells, no Christmas dishes, no decorated table waiting for friends. This year our house was a way station on Christmas Eve. We thought we were going to celebrate two weeks with our Alaska family. That's what we thought until Thursday, December 23rd at 5:30 pm when we got the telephone call that said - not this year.

My thoughts go back to that evening - grieving and phoning - grieving and phoning. Family to call, loved ones calling back. "My son, my son, how can we be so far away at such a time?" Hearing the grief and pain in his voice and my Texas daughter-in-love's sobs, intensifies the already indescribable pain in my heart.

Miraculously we are booked on a 6 am flight Christmas Eve day from Anchorage to Minneapolis. Two hours sleep and it is 1:30 am. Time to dress and have our son drive us to the airport. For an hour and a half we talk - we share rambling thoughts. We watch four moose passing us in the cold Alaskan night. I remember that seeing them used to excite me. But not this year. I am too numb to register more emotion.

At 3:45 we arrive at the airport and are told that we can have seats together if we sit in the very last row. We don't care, we don't want to be separated at such a time. We both search our bibles for the comfort of the Scriptures. Lord, give us strength - special verses for Nick-anything that will help us get through this agony. As we read, the peace that passes all understanding begins to descend. We write the verses down. I look up to see the man in the window seat next to Charlie watching us. Charlie and he start talking. He is a ship's captain in charge of huge boats that carry cargo from Alaska to Japan. He tells us that he was at sea when he got a telephone call that his sister had died. He said, "What do you do when you are in the middle of the ocean and you get such a call?" We told him that the telephone also rang for us and that's why we were leaving Alaska the day before Christmas. After we had talked, we gave him the Four Spiritual Laws. He took it and read it from cover to cover then carefully zipped it into his leather seaman's jacket pocket. He wasn't supposed to be in that seat - someone had asked him to trade. We weren't supposed to be in our seats. Or were we all three supposed to be there? Was his possible conversion a good fruit from Nick's physical death? Maybe this year he will come to know Jesus. I wonder at God's grace shining in the midst of our darkness.

We arrive in Minneapolis at 2:30 pm. The van from the Country Suites picks us up. "Why are you traveling so late on Christmas Eve Day?" the driver askes us. We tell him and he shares that his son has cancer. He says, "You told me your trouble, I tell you mine." We knew what he was saying. The glitter of Christmas was all around us, but each of our hearts had great needs that tinsel could never fill. Not this year.

We drive the five hours from Minneapolis to home. Christmas Eve - snow falling, slippery roads, wrecker trucks pulling people out of the ditches, but my mind sees one wrecker truck pulling a black Mazda off of a Texas highway. We stop at McD's for a bite. Who are all these people standing in line for fast food on Christmas Eve? Are they traveling for dreadful reasons too? My mind is frozen like the landscape around us. I cannot smile at them - certainly not ask a personal question.

We get home and unpack our Alaska suitcases and make flight arrangements to Dallas for the next day, Christmas Day. Sleeping in my own bed for one night, my last thought is "No candles being lit tonight. No Nick laughing and striking a match as he hears the word 'angel.' But wait! Isn't he seeing the angels as he spends his first Christmas in heaven? Are they the angels who appeared to the shepherds when the Savior was born in Bethlehem? Is he asking them? Ah, Nick, Nick, what are you doing right now?"

My mind returns to the present. Soon I will see the neighborhoods of Dallas-Fort Worth - not snow covered and cold like in Milwaukee - but each house will be celebrating Christmas. My eyes will search for only one - a home where they opened gifts this morning and tried to continue on. A home with unopened presents under the tree labeled "To Nick." A home that now has three teenagers instead of four. How sad can life get?

The plane flies on to our destination. We are nearly there but I can't see the activity below. We are above the clouds and the sun is shining blindingly bright all around us. "Is this how bright the Shekinah Glory shines in heaven, Nick?" I wonder. "Jesus, the angels, God on His great throne. You are seeing and experiencing it all this year."

For an instant, looking out at the brilliant sun, I am there with him. The wonder of eternal life surrounds me. Then I hear the sound of the wheels going down and our plane descends to land. The clouds swirl around us and all is grey again. The trials and afflictions of this present world encumber us as before. But I have seen the upperside and God has reminded me that my grandson is truly alive. "He is not dead for He has risen!" Nick is above the clouds looking down at God's great canvas of eternity. He has fought the good fight, he has finished the race - this year.

We rent our car and drive toward Crowley. Our family is there.

Other Christmases may come and go with new joys and sorrows but we wont forget this year of our Lord 2010. We do not know what future Christmases will bring but we do know that we shall never be the same - not after this year.

Peace, Good Will Toward Men!

My dear friend, Janey, who lives in Birmingham, sent this wonderful writing in her Christmas letter this year. I loved the thought and so, dear blog friends and family, I'm passing it on to you.

Janey wrote: "In Psalm 23:5 David says God's flock is fed in the presence of our enemies. God asks us to pray for our enemies - those who for some reason do not agree with our loyalties to faith and family or country. For this reason, I am including a writing of Mother Teresa that has been a reminder to me this year of what the angels sang at Jesus' birth, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:14. May we all use the love given us to practice this in the coming year to those who do not know the luxury of God's approval because of the personal acceptance of His Son as Savior."

People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.

Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end it is between you and God. It never was between you and them anyway.

Thanks, Janey, for sharing how God wants us to behave "toward men" (toward everyone) as we travel life's joyful journey.

Road Open

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Jeremiah 25-27)

"'Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,' says the Lord; 'and I will make it a perpetual desolation.'" Jer. 25:12

Charlie was signaling to me. He looked excited as he gestured toward the street. I glanced up, from talking to a friend on my cell phone, and peered ahead. At first I was like, what? Then comprehension dawned. The detour sign was gone! The road was open. We could drive straight on through to the lake. No more detour through Seymour. Thirty minutes off our driving time!

"Look at that," he exclaimed as we sped along the smooth new pavement, "Passing lanes! Good bye poky drivers. This was definitely worth the wait!"

"I'm surprised they got it done before winter." I said.

"Oh," he replied, "I thought they'd have it open for gun deer hunting when half the state heads to the north woods."

We got to the lake so fast. I'd forgotten how much quicker it is without the detour.

Are you ever amazed when God opens a door in your life? It seems like you are on a perpetual detour and then - suddenly - something that has been blocked happens. The "Road Closed" sign is gone and there you go.... down a beautiful new path in life's joyful journey. A road has been under construction in your life and voila! It's open before you.

When Jeremiah wrote down God's words about His impending judgment upon Babylon, it must have seemed to the weeping prophet that he was stuck on a big time detour. God had told him over and over that Judah was about to be heavily disciplined and carried off to Babylon. Israel's Babylonian Captivity loomed omniously ahead.

But God never leaves His people comfortless and He gave Jeremiah chapter 27. Inspirationally penning God's word, he must have received hope as God told him that after seventy years, Babylon, too, would be punished. The Exile would not last forever.

Did he have any idea that seventy years later, a famous prophet named Daniel would be sitting in Babylon reading these very words? Could he know that Daniel would be inspired by what he, Jeremiah, had written and start praying for an end to the captivity and a return to Israel? Probably not. But as a result of Jeremiah's faithfulness to write God's words during a bleak time, a marvelous road of return would open seventy years later for his people.

We encounter lots of roadblocks in our lives. But if we will be faithful to what God tells us to do, the "Road Open" sign will come up. We don't know when but God does. He finishes

what He starts. His timing is perfect. Charlie was sure the Department of Transportation would have the road open before gun deer hunting started in Wisconsin. We can perfectly trust the detours of our lives to One much greater than the DOT.

Are you feeling blocked at every turn? Wait, knowing that the new door will open, because our God is an awesome trustworthy God, and He has promised that it will. Detours can lead to shining new roads with passing lanes!

"Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;" Phil.1:6

All My Life?

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Prov. 20-22)

"Train up a child in the way he should go,

And when he is old he will not depart from it." Prov. 22:6

"I wonder what we'll do with him for the next eighteen years?"

Charlie uttered these words as he looked down at our firstborn son wrapped tightly in his little blue blanket. We had just come home from the hospital and my husband and my mother and I were all gazing devotedly at our tiny new baby sleeping quietly in the bed.

Mom looked at Charlie incredulously and said, "Well, it will be a lot longer than eighteen years. It will be all of your life!"

Neither he nor I had been raised around babies. We didn't have a clue. We both stared at her blankly and wondered what we should do next. We didn't have to ponder long. Twenty four hours later, our morning delight had changed to late evening weariness. Ethan's brand new little outfits were in the wash, I was sore all over, and his diaper needed changing - again. There were three of us attending this little son and we were exhausted. One seven pound baby had turned our lives upside down. " All of our lives" seemed like a very long time.

Six weeks later, we novices were experts on this little fellow......

We knew his eating schedule and we recognized his different cries - "I am hungry, I'm uncomfortable, I need attention!" We could rock him just the way he liked to help him fall asleep. Our newly learned parenting prowess was exciting and satisfying. It's amazing to me that God gives young parents this ability to go from being clueless about babies to becoming uniquely knowledgeable about their own little child's physical needs very quickly.

Meeting our little one's physical needs was tiring but not that difficult. The true challenge was investing in his emotional and spiritual needs "training him up in the way that he should go." The word "train' doesn't mean a choo-choo. We learned that in the Bible the word, "train," has three ideas: dedication, instruction, and motivation.

First of all, we are to dedicate our child to God, recognizing that he is a gift that God has entrusted to us. Our dedication is an action that reflects our understanding that he belongs exclusively to God and we are to raise him as good stewards of this gift.

Secondly, we parents are to instruct our children in the ways of the Lord. We are to teach them how to please God. They are to study and learn and memorize His Word. It is our responsibility to place them under the influence of Godly people who will lovingly instruct them in His ways.

Thirdly, in Jewish writings, this word "train" means motivate. The meaning of this word in Arabic is likened to the action of a midwife who stimulates the palate of a newborn infant with dates or crushed grapes so that it will start sucking. Parents are to stimulate a taste within their child so that he is motivated in his heart to follow God, not by compelling him externally but by creating an inner desire for the Lord.

"Train up a child in the way he should go." Who are we to train up? A child. The word means "dependent" and as long as a child is dependent on his parents, he is to be the recipient of dedication, instruction, and motivation. There are many stages in a child's life and we are to do this throughout each stage.

If we do this, "when he is old, he will not depart from it" the proverb assures us. Old has the connotation of "when he is not dependent." As parents, we are to do the best that we can to dedicate, instruct and motivate our children while they are dependents. Then we are to rest in the last words of this beautiful exhortation trusting that God will bring it to pass in His way and in His time.

This son is a pastor in Alaska now. He and his family were here for the reunion. As he led our Sunday morning family service, it brought us great joy to sit under his wise teaching of God's Word. I looked at Charlie who was listening intently. and remembered, "What do you do with him for the next eighteen years?" We had learned, parenting lasts a lot longer - not eighteen years but for a lifetime. Christian parenting always involves dedicating, instructing and motivating and most of all trusting that "when they are old, they will not depart from it."

Tombstones and Flatscreens

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (II Kings 22-24)

Josiah was eight years old when he bcame king and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.

And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left." II Kings 22:1,2

Nine year old Rachel and her two year old brother have been staying with us for the last three weeks while their parents and two older siblings are in Africa on a ministry trip for the Navigators. Grandpa and Grandma's lives have picked up a bit of speed. Things have been slow on the blog but fast around our house.

Rachel and I have spent some time at the cemetery watering flowers and sprucing up family graves. One day we took our Bibles and sat by my mom and dad's gravestone and read I Cor. 15 - the resurrection chapter. We shared about the new bodies that we'd get in heaven and all the people that we would see who were already there. I said that we would have a lot of catching up to do.

"Oh, No, Grandma," Rachel reflected, "They will already know all about our lives. I think that when we get to heaven there will be flat screen TVs and we'll be able to look at them and see what the people on earth are doing."

"I don't know about that," I laughed a little. "You know the Bible says there will be no tears in heaven, so it might make us sad to see all the things that everyone is doing. But, I sure would like to see the awesome flat screens that God made!"

"We wouldn't be sad at all!" she replied positively. "God would have the remotes set so that every time somebody sinned, we would switch channels."

I thought, "We might be switching channels a lot!" but I didn't say that because I was thinking about her nine year old mind and how sweet it is.

We walked around the cemetery reading the tombstones and discussing the brevity of some of the lives. Rachel remarked that she wished she knew more about the people who rested in each grave.

"Yes," I said to my young kindred spirit, "Every tombstone has a story."

Rachel was quiet as we drove home. Then she turned to me and said. "When I grow up, I am going to write about people in a book and illustrate it. Guess what the title is going to be?"

"What?" I said with great interest.

"Why," she responded, "Every Tombstone Has A Story" of course!"

Josiah became king of Judah at the young age of eight. His heart was turned toward the Lord and he "did not turn aside to the right hand or the left." What a neat guy! I wonder if he was watching us from heaven on a flat screen as Rachel and I strolled past the flower filled stones. Someday we'll meet him and ask him, won't we?

An African "Boodle!"

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (II Kings 18-20)

“In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord; ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’

Then he (Hezekiah) turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying,

“Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before you in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.” II Kings 20: 1-3

The voice at the other end of the line was unintelligible. The man that I had reached knew what he was saying but I didn’t have a clue. He was speaking Zambian and I was communicating in English. He shouted something that sounded like “Boodle! Boodle!” When I asked for my daughter again, he raised his voice louder and shouted – “Boodle!!!!”

Have you ever tried to call someone in Africa? On their cell phone? It is a challenge that is almost unexplainable.

When Katie and Norman left for Zambia a week ago, they left us house numbers and cell phone numbers. Of course there are cell phones in Africa. Anyone knows that. (Actually I didn’t. When I thought of Africa, I thought of David Livingston talking about the smoke of a thousand fires.) The cell phones work – sometimes. The challenge is getting the bazillion numbers that you have to dial to go thousands of miles and reach the right person. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.

The next day I tried again. To my surprise I heard my daughter’s voice on the other end of the line. “Mom,” she said sounding incredulous. “It is a miracle that you got me! We’re in a Jeep traveling on a dirt road in the bush!”

“Yesterday,” I said, “I got an African man who kept saying “Boodle” louder and louder!”

“Yes,” she answered from the jungle, “they speak very emphatically here. In the US we would think they are having an argument, but they’re not.”

Then the line clicked off. But I had spoken to my daughter in Zambia on her cell phone in Africa! A miracle of communication in today’s world.

King Hezekiah was dying. The prophet, Isaiah, had come to tell him that he should set his house in order because he was about to die. But the king wasn’t ready to die and so he turned his face toward the wall and prayed. He said, “’Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.’ And Hezekiah wept bitterly.” (II Kings 20:1-3)

That’s all he did. He turned his face toward the wall and prayed and cried. He didn’t dial any numbers or wait for a ring or get the wrong person shouting “Boodle.” He turned over in his bed and cried out to the Lord and immediately got an answer.

“Then it happened before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying,

“Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people. ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you.” II Kings 20:4-5)

Katie said it was a miracle that I reached her in the bush. It was. But the greatest miracle of all is prayer. I can wake up in the night and turn my face to the wall and pray for my daughter and family in Africa and know that God is saying to me, “I have heard your prayer!”

Wow! No boodles about that.

Those Moldy Bread People Again

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (II Sam. 21-22)

“Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year, and David inquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, “It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.” II Sam. 21:1

My daughter-in-love Denise has a great system for remembering things. When she thinks of things she needs to do, she immediately writes a sticky note and adheres it to her kitchen counter. Then when she goes out the door, she just checks her sticky notes to see if she has everything.

Our family joke is – if it gets on one of Denise’s sticky notes, it will happen!

We all have little ways that we use to help us retain information. Today’s reading reminds us again that we have an omniscient God who remembers everything. He never forgets. He invented sticky notes for us, but He doesn’t need them.

King David had a problem. There had been a famine in Israel for three years. So, he inquired of God and asked Him why this was happening. God said it was because of the Gibeonites and what King Saul had done to them.

Remember the Gibeonites? They were those “moldy bread people.” When Joshua was taking the land of Israel, they dressed up in old clothes and brought moldy bread to Joshua. They claimed to be from another country and deceived Israel into making a covenant of protection with them. Later, Joshua discovered that they actually lived nearby but now he couldn’t destroy their city because he had made this covenant.

Four hundred years have gone by. However, during those years, Saul had broken the covenant with the Gibeonites and killed some of them. Wouldn’t you think God would have forgotten about it all by then? I mean the USA isn’t even four hundred years old…that’s a long time. But not to our God.

He is the God who remembers! He told David that he needed to honor the covenant by asking the Gibeonites how to atone for this infraction. David inquired and they replied that they would be satisfied if David gave them seven descendants of Saul and they would take their lives. David complied and delivered seven of Saul’s sons into their hands to be hanged.

What a sad story. Can anything good come out of the deception of the Gibeonites and the disobedience of Saul that resulted in the deaths of seven of his sons? I see one great thing. God takes covenants and oaths very seriously. If He honored the deceitful Gibeonites because of their covenant, how much more will he honor His covenant with us? How much more will he stand by His promises that are lavishly scattered through out the Bible, His Word? If he didn’t forget the Gibeonite covenant for four hundred years, how much more will He not forget our descendants and us? When we entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ, we entered into a covenant with God himself. Hebrews 6:17-18 tells us: “Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.”

He won’t forget us. We have His strong consolation that He doesn’t need sticky notes. He remembered his covenant with the descendants of the heathen moldy bread people. How much more will He be faithful to us - His own covenant children?

The next time you find mold on your bread, remember the Gibeonites. God didn’t forget them, He won’t forget you! Maybe we all need a sticky note on our counter that says "God remembers!"

The Color Purple

One week ago, we were standing at the intersection of King and Queen Streets in Charleston, South Carolina. As I looked up at the signposts, I turned to Charlie and said, "That sign sure reflects how the Lord has blessed us this vacation - He has been treating us like kings and queens!"

Sometimes on our joyful journey through life we come to places that are so breathtakingly beautiful that we just want to stop and rest and inhale the sights and smells forever. That's how I felt about our trip to this lovely city with its gardens, mansions and fascinating history. I believe that God gives us these times to pause and refresh our souls and experience His creation - to remind us how wonderful it is. In Genesis, He rested on the seventh day and sanctified His work. Acts 3:19 speaks of "the times of refreshing that come from the presence of the Lord."

This trip came about suddenly and unexpectedly. We were both yearning for the colors that April brings to spring in the South. God seemed to open every door so we took off in our RV and headed for Charleston. Sometimes it amazes me how quickly and unexpectedly God brings changes in our journeys. He so rarely does things the way I expect Him to.

When we reached Charleston, we were quickly immersed in the weavings of our past. We lived in Aiken, South Carolina for eight years. We came into a personal relationship with Jesus while we lived there. Three of our children were born in Aiken. Charlie helped start up a new mill nearby in Beech Island for Kimberly Clark. Our oldest son went to college in Columbia and met his wife there. Lots of history, lots of friends, lots of memories. Coming back to Charleston was another colorful thread in the weaving of God's tapestry in our lives.

There was also a theme - the color purple. Everywhere we went, we saw purple - the color of royalty...the color of kings and queens.

We noticed it first in the campground in Mahomet, Illinois. Parked next to us was an RV totally decked out in purple. Every curtain was bright and purple. Charlie looked at it and said, incredulously, "Betsy, I've never seen anything like that!" I agreed.

As we drove to Charleston the redbuds were in bloom. You know what color they are - not red but purple and lovely against the spring green of the land.

The first thing I noticed as we walked through the coastal city was the wisteria. I have never seen such an abundance of purple wisteria. It hung everywhere in huge tumbling masses that beckoned us to come near and smell and savor and linger.

We toured some of the mansions, hotels, and gardens. At the Rutledge Inn, we started talking to one of the desk clerks. He graciously put down his book and shared with us the history of the elegant old hotel. As he spoke I glanced down at the title of his book. It was "The Color Purple!"

On the way home, we spent the night again in the campground in Illinois not far from Katie and Norman's. Katie brought me plants and said, "Mom, here are some pansies I picked up for you. They only had purple."

We arrived home and had a birthday party for ll year old Kayla. My friend, Andrea, gave her a cushy fuzzy blanket. Yes, it was purple!

This morning I sit at my computer and relect on our sweet time. (Wait, maybe it's not quite over. Our purple rhododendrums have started blooming!:) God gave us a pause in our journey through life to reflect and be refreshed, to remember and be surprised again by His goodness. As His children may we all remember that we are the adopted sons and daughters of the Mighty King of the universe. We are all standing in our position in Christ right at the intersection of Kings and Queens Street. And as we are His - we're clothed in purple.

Have a great day. Thanks for staying with me while I was off playing. I'm looking forward to traveling life's "Joyful Journey" with you again - wearing purple, of course! But first, I'm going to read my May "Southern Living" that just arrived. The cover is filled with purple hydrangeas.

Set Aside

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Num. 26-27)

“Then Moses spoke to the Lord, saying; ‘Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.’

And the Lord said to Moses; ‘Take Joshua, the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.’ “ Num. 27:15-18)

I am now on a first name basis with the athletes of Olympic Games: Vancouver.

Apolo – Congratulations on being America’s most medal-decorated Winter Olympian.

Kim – You are the queen of figure skating!

Joannie – What mental strength you showed. Winning the bronze medal four days after the sudden death of your mom. Wow!

I’ve loved them all but do you know what has struck me most about the Games? The families! Nodar’s grieving parents and Axsel’s reflective father. Apolo speaking about his relationship with his dad, “We are a small family, just the two of us." Lindsey Vonn, stepping atop the podium to receive her downhill skiing gold medal, smiling down at her mother and siblings, including the brother who had her initials shaved into his hair, the “L” on one side, “V” on the other.

The families – the love, the support, and the encouragement that they gave each competitor - will be the image that sticks with me after the Games are over.

Today’s Scripture is all about family – the family of God. Once again we see why Moses is such a great leader.

The Lord instructs Moses to go up to Mt. Nebo and take a look at the Promised Land. But then He says that after he has seen it, he will die. “For in the Wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against My command to hallow Me at the waters before their eyes.” (Num. 27:14)

What had happened that kept Moses from entering the land of his forty-year destination?

The people needed water – always the greatest need of the Israelites in their wanderings. God told Moses to speak to the rock and water would come out. Instead, Moses chided the people as rebels and struck the rock twice with his rod. Water came gushing out but God wasn’t happy with Moses.

The great man of God had sinned. In his anger, he had joined with the rebels. Instead of trusting God by speaking and making his request; he hit the rock, not once but twice.

I find myself agreeing with the commentators who say that the rock symbolized Jesus Christ. Jesus was struck for our sins on the cross where He bore the wrath of God for all of our spiritual rebellion – past, present, and future. When he said, “It is finished, “ the debt was paid forever. He rose from His grave to sit in heaven at the right hand of the throne of God. He is our Lord and High Priest and will never ever be struck again. We, who know Him as our Savior, only have to ask to receive the Living Water that we crave from day to day.

Moses and the Pentateuch represent the law and the Ten Commandments. No one can be saved through the law because all have sinned. No human can ever keep the law perfectly and enter heaven. Only one recorded sin kept Moses from entering the Promised Land. Moses represented the Law that cannot allow for one exception. “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10)

Once again we see Moses model great leadership. There is no griping or displeasure only acceptance for God’s discipline in his own life. His reply to God shows his love and concern for the Israelites. He pleads with God and says, “Give them a good leader then. One who will be there for them, “who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.” (Num.27: 17)

God answers the great prayer of Moses. He names Joshua as the new leader and instructs Moses to have Eleazar the priest anoint him. Moses does just as he is commanded and continues to keep on keeping on serving the Lord.

What an amazing “family man!” Moses is set aside as Israel’s leader, but his heartbeat is for the future of the Israelites. “Don’t let them be like sheep without a shepherd, “ he pleads. The athletes have the backing of their families win or lose. Because of his great love for the family of God, the Israelites have the support of Moses in the midst of his own heartbreak.

What do we do when we lose our competitions and suffer great disappointments? How do we react when we are seemingly “set aside” on our sometimes “not so joyful journeys” through life? Do we quit or do we keep on serving the Lord wherever He has placed us, remembering, like Moses, it's all about God and His great plan for His family?

When the Saints Go Marching In

Reading Through the Bible In 2010 (Lev. 16-18)

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood.” Lev. 17:11

Last night Charlie and I joined with a bazillion other people in the world and watched Super Bowl XLIV. I always enjoy the Super Bowl because Green Bay is rarely in it. That means I can watch football with a normal husband who jokes and laughs. When the Packers play during the regular football season, life takes on a tension in front of our TV that is probably unsurpassed. We never relax unless the Pack is winning with a score like 49 – 3. Even then, even if it’s the last minute of the 4^th quarter, Charlie won’t eat or say anything except a terse: “Green Bay could still lose it!” (Which, I’ll have to admit is always a possibility with the Packers.)

But last night was different. We all ate pizza and munched chips and spoke to each other. We talked and laughed and didn't feel the least bit uptight. These weren't our teams. "This is a great way to watch football," I thought.

When the Saints won and Drew Brees got all emotional, we made mild comments like, “Seems like a nice guy. Wasn’t that a cute picture with him holding his little son!”

Things definitely weren't calm in New Orleans! Thousands and thousands of excited people were gathered together in the stadium jumping up and down - hollering and yelling. When New Orleans won and the big trophy was passed around, it was hard to see - the air was so thick with confetti. Players were being interviewed saying things like, “Being a part of this team is the greatest moment of my life!” Just before we clicked off the remote, we watched multitudes of celebrating fans packed tightly together moving en masse down Bourbon Street. The Saints fans were marching in.

But, in to what? A night of revelry and for sure a big headache in the morning.

Today’s Leviticus reading is about the laws of social order that God gave to the nation of Israel. There is a lot written about the laws concerning sexual sins and worshiping idols. But the verse that stands out to me is “For the life of the flesh is in the blood.” Every one of us who is alive knows that is true. When the Saints and the Colts started beating on each other in a huge pile up of bodies on the field, someone commented, “Whew, things are firing up. They’re out for blood!”

Our blood is our life and when we lose it we die. Ask any EMT about their experiences with blood loss victims and they will say, “Oh, yes, the life is in the blood all right!” Our physical life is in the blood.

True spiritual life is in the blood. When Jesus Christ becomes our Lord and Savior, we join a new team. It is a group of players united by the blood that Jesus shed for us on the cross. Because His blood has washed away our sins, we can truly call ourselves “the saints.” When all the saints of the living God have come marching in, our team will spend eternity together.

Our life is in His blood right now as we travel through life. The Holy Spirit that lives in us is our coach guiding our plays and moves. We can say, “Being a part of this team is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.”

We’re on our way en masse toward spending all of eternity with Jesus. No headaches the next morning. Only new bodies, new mansions and the never-ending joy of being reunited in heaven with our loved ones who are waiting to welcome us.

Now that’s worth celebrating!

“Oh when the saints, oh when the saints, oh when the saints go marching in, Well, I want to be in that number, when the saints go marching in!”

Come Up To Me......Be There!

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Ex. 23-25)

"Then the Lord said to Moses, "Come up to Me on the mountain and be there;" Ex. 24:12

I love my screen saver! I have it set on "beaches." It flashes the most beautiful ocean pictures across the face of my computer. Palm trees, vast expanses of vivid blue water, white sandy beaches without one piece of litter, and, of course, no clouds - only sun, Every picture has the most awesome light.

This morning I was gazing at the screen longingly when the phone interrupted my reverie.

"Mom," my daughter's voice interjected into my thoughts, "Mom," she said. "I've just got a minute but I have a question. Have you seen the sun in Wisconsin in the last week? We haven't seen it in Illinois since I left your house two weekends ago!"

"Hmn," I replied. "Good question! I think we saw it for about two hours on Wednesday. But then it went under the clouds again. At least it went somewhere. It sure hasn't been back."

"Well," she said, "I was just wondering. Have a good day in the gloom. I'm off to exercise. I guess that's where I'm supposed to be right now."

After she hung up, I glanced at my screen. The beach had disappeared, As I clicked it back on, I thought about our conversation.

"Exercise," I thought. "If the sun were shining and I was on that white sand, I would really feel like exercising. But in dull grey Wisconsin, I don't want to get on my dull grey treadmill!"

Don't we always want to be somewhere else? Sometimes it seems like it requires so much effort and discipline to be in the places where we're supposed to be.

The Lord told Moses to come up to Him on the mountain and be there. Moses had to climb up the whole mountain, God didn't even offer to come down and meet him halfway. He just said, "Be there!"

When Moses finished the strenuous climb, was there an awesome "top of the mountain view?" Actually, a cloud rested on the mountain. A cloud that covered the mountain for six days. On the seventh day, God called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. The glory of the Lord was right there in the midst of the cloud. God talked to Moses on Mt. Sinai for forty days and forty nights. A lot of Exodus is about what God gave him those days in the cloud.

Where has God called you to be? Maybe you're looking around and thinking, "There's a thick cloud around me. Could I leave and go to the beach?"

But when God has said, "Come to Me..be there." We need to be there. Right where He's called us to be. Today may be the sixth day. Tomorrow could be the seventh day - the day the "Son" will appear in all His glory.

Sold or Sent?

Reading Through the Bible In 2010 (Gen. 37-39)

"Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt." Gen. 37:28

JOSEPH

"I knew I had been sold,
For circumstances
Dark as a desert pit
And dismal as the slaver's caravan
Surrounded me,
And seemed to crush me down;
I had been sold.

I also had been sent.
The circumstance
Shone with the light Divine
And through the wrath of men
God put me in His own appointed place
He set on high,
And none could bow me down.
I had been sent"

M, Mannington


Do you feel like you have been sold? Maybe it's a job loss, a rebellious child, a marriage issue, slander that won't go away, friends that make fun of you in school. When you are "sold" circumstances do seem dark as a desert pit and dismal as a slaver's caravan. When we are betrayed we feel so crushed and life seems so dismal.

Yet as you go through your circumstances, look and see the light Divine that never leaves your side, The wrath of men cannot keep you from the appointed place that He has set on high for you. None can bow you down, because. like Joseph, you have been sent.

Higher Education

Reading Through the Bible (Gen.22-24)

"Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham," Gen.22:1

"Complete and unwavering faith in God is only accomplished through many trials and over many years. It was "after these things" that God gave Abraham his biggest test. After Abraham had left his homeland and all that was dear to him, after he experienced the results of going to Egypt for food, after Lot had taken the good well-watered land, after twenty-five years of waiting for the promised son, after Ishmael had been sent away, after God had said, "through Isaac your descendants shall be reckoned, after Isaac had nearly grown, "after these things," God tested Abraham's faith." (AB Simpson)

"Lauren," I said, "I heard you are studying for your big tests that are coming up. How are you doing that?"

"Grandma," she answered, "They give you some things that you can use to study for ACT's and SAT's. But, I think it's mostly testing you on what you've learned over the years."

"Testing you on what you've learned over the years." True words. Wise words!

When I started high school physics, I already knew that I didn't know anything about physics. I didn't really want to know anything about physics! But, to get into nursing, I needed the course. It was only after I had studied my book and listened to the lectures and done the experiments, that I could take the final exam. The results of the test showed me that now I knew a little about physics. "After these things" I took the exam. There wouldn't have been much point in testing me when I started taking the course. I already knew what I didn't know about physics.

The life of a believer is a series of tests. The Bible says we go from glory to glory as we're transformed into the image of Christ. God does His work in us as we study His Word, listen to His promptings, and go through His labs. Then He gives us the test. When we've finished does He look at the results of our obedience and say, "Wow! You got an A on that one? I'm shocked!"

I don't think so. He knows our hearts. He knows everything. But we don't. We think we know a lot about life but we don't. Not until we go through His courses taught in His way. Then we get to take our tests. The results show us what we have learned on our latest pilgrimage experience. They don't show God, they show us.

Deut.8:2; "And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not."

Lauren did really well on her two big tests. "After these things..." She's been a good student and she has studied hard in school for many years. I wasn't surprised at how well she did, but I wondered if she was? Her good results will give her encouragement for the next steps in her "joyful journey" through life. She will have stronger faith in her ability to learn new things in college.

What if she hadn't done well? What if she'd been sick, or had a bad hair day, or had a flat tire on the way, or couldn't find the place where SAT's and ACT's were being administered? I asked her about that.

She replied, "You get other chances. You can reschedule and take them again. If you feel like you didn't do well, you can retake the tests. But, I'm so glad to be done!"

"You can reschedule!" I laughed because God has rescheduled me on tests quite a few times. I feel like there are some tests that I have taken over and over again. I'm still not sure how well I've learned some of the things He's been trying to teach me.

Lauren's done, temporarily. She can rest from SAT's and she deserves to. She can rest from ACT's but she still has reams of homework every night. She has to finish high school. College will mean more tests. Lots more. In lots of ways. That's the thing about higher education.

I wish I could encourage my granddaughter and say, "Don't worry, when you finish college - no more tests!" The truth is, there is no graduation from tests for the believer, not in this life. God is taking all of us through His "Higher Education"courses. But, one day we will be finished with all of our testing. We'll have gone through the sanctification process. When we reach Heaven and enter our glorification, we will get more than a graduation cap, we'll receive a crown of life!

Tests will keep coming, we can be sure of that. The good news is that they come "after these things." After we have gone through the course. After we're ready to see what we have learned and what has been added to our hearts. What joy we will experience when God shows us our "permanent record" in heaven and says, "Well done. You have been a faithful and good servant. Your tests are over!"

Temporarily In the Office

"Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness...and He said, "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?" Gen. 16:7,8

THERE WILL BE NO BLOG TODAY BECAUSE I AM TEMPORARILY IN THE OFFICE! (That is all I was going to write on my post today!)

This morning Valley Cabinets appeared with my new office bookshelves. It was very exciting to watch them install cabinetry just for me! Just for my stuff! (Charlie said it was even more exciting for him because it meant he was getting more room in his office.)

After the installers left, I spent the afternoon organizing - putting my precious books and photos and CD's away in their new shelves and cabinets. Now I knew where everything was!

Why does being temporarily in the office mean so much to me? Because we have moved so much!!!

Brown cardboard boxes and orange moving vans have been a huge part of our married life. Over the short forty-five years of our marriage, we have lived in South Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, Arkansas, Connecticut, Alabama, and in several parts of Wisconsin. If you have ever moved, you know that moving throws your life into mislabeled boxes. You think you know where things are, but you really don't. One time I carefully unpacked a box inscribed: "Fragile! Dining Room China!" - only to find a long piece of carefully wrapped dryer pipe.

I shook my head and discarded it. I had no use for dryer pipe!

But now, no more mislabeled boxes! From today forward, a place for everything and everything in its place-unpacked-IN MY OFFICE!

So why is there more on my blog than I had intended?

As I reached up onto an empty shelf, I started thinking about Hagar. There she was, pregnant, fleeing from her mistress in the wilderness, abandoned by her master, Abram. But the Angel of the Lord found her and stopped her up short with His question; "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from and where are you going?"

It was a theophany. The Angel of the Lord was Jesus and He had found her! He had not only found her but God had a plan for her life that involved a mighty nation. She wasn't a piece of dryer pipe to be cast off as worthless. God knew where she came from and He knew exactly what He was going to do for her.

I know where I came from. I was dead in my trespasses and sins and He found me! I know where I'm going because even though I was dead, God made me alive in Christ! I'm going on to an eternal city whose builder and maker is God.

I am in this office, but only temporarily. As happy as it makes me to "nest" today, it is still for just a little while. But, what euphoria will I feel when I am finally there? What joy will I have when I see the heavenly bookshelves the Carpenter has built for me in the mansion that He has prepared - just for me?

Jesus found Hagar. Jesus found me. Jesus found YOU! He has a plan for our lives just like he did for Hagar's. But one day we're going to be out of our temporary earthly offices and gloriously situated in our permanent custom built heavenly homes
.
While we're still here though, why not keep on keeping on reading through the Bible with me?

Oh, and before you go offblog, say it with me: We are not dryer pipe!!!

Smiling At the Future In the North Woods

"Strength and dignity are her clothing and she smiles at the future." Prov. 31:25 NAS

Our family spent Christmas together at our lake house in the north woods of Wisconsin. Four out of our five families were able to make it up there to celebrate the holidays. Our oldest son, Ethan, couldn't come. He pastors a church in Alaska. Christmas is a big time for churches. so we always miss his family during our Christmas gatherings. But, even without them, we had a week of nineteen of us living together under one roof. A lot came out of that time. Our children are old enough now that I am surprised at how much I learn from them.

I was talking to Katie. She and Norman and their four children are planning a trip to Zambia with the Navigators in June. So I asked her, "Katie, that seems like a lot to take a family of six to Africa. Are you scared?"

She replied, "Mom, Last year I got breast cancer smack dab in the middle of an Illinois corn field. That seems like the safest place on earth. Now I want to live my life to the fullest! We are as safe in Africa as we are in the midwest if we're in the Lord's will. I just want to be where God wants me to be."

I looked at her and realized that God had done a work in her through her cancer. Instead of becoming a fearful apprehensive person, she was "smiling at the future." How does God do that? His ways are so much higher than ours. He really does take our afflictions and make us more like Him if we walk "through the valley" with our hand in His - trusting Him.

"But, Katie! Malaria, AIDS, snakes, your children. You hate spiders!"

I didn't say that. I was ashamed of my own fear. What about me? Have I come through this nightmare of her cancer "smiling at the future?" Or, am I going to shrink back from life in a spirit of fear thinking, "Woe is me, what next?"

When the children were growing up I told them, "Troubles can make you bitter or better. Either choice takes an equal amount of energy."

When we choose to trust God and make the choice to be like the Proverbs 31 woman and "smile at the future," we know that whatever God allows into our lives, He will use to make us better people - and so much more useful to Him.

Thanks for reminding me, my dear daughter, that I believe that. Thanks for teaching me. Onward to Africa!!