Reliable

My husband and I have been enjoying watching Burn Notice (old ones, on Netflix). The main character is a spy who was blacklisted by the government. He opens in a monologue in which he says, "When you're burned... you rely on anyone who's still talking to you - a trigger happy ex-girlfriend, an old friend who used to inform on you to the FBI, family too- if you're desperate."

On what or whom do you rely?  This question has been going through my mind alot in recent months.  What does it mean to rely on something?  The dictionary defines rely as "1: to have confidence based on experience (someone you can rely on) 2: to be dependent (the system on which we rely for water)."
 
We attended three funerals in the first three months of 2013.  It got me to thinking about what things are secure in my life.  What things can I count on?  As I have pondered this I have come up with quite a list of things I count on to be consistent and stay in place in my life.

I rely on:
* my beliefs, my church, my family and friends
* a working car
* operating refrigerator, freezer, oven and dishwasher
* furnace and hot water heater that heat
* shelter
* electricity, computers, internet, email, free tv
* cell phones
* employment, income, insurance
* basic health and relative safety
* security, privacy

On a bigger scale, we hope we can rely on:
* completing marathons without being bombed
* doctors following a code of ethics
* our rights
* leaders to be not corrupt

How realiable are the things on my list?  Maybe you have guessed that they aren't 100% reliable.  There is always a chance of failure or breakdown.  In recent weeks we have had several cables go bad and need to be replaced for some of our electronic devices.  Even as I type this, I am not using my normal computer - my normal laptop is misbehaving and being extremely uncooperative.  The fuel pump went out in my car - thankfully the problem revealed itself while we were in a parking lot rather than on the road.  One morning a while ago the furnace kept blowing without making the house any warmer.  Our family has been dealing with quite a round of springtime colds.  The local news has been full of house fires and traffic accidents. 

Last week I worked with a lady and we talked about recent thunderstorms.  She shared that lightning had taken out her weather radio.  There's something ironic about that.  Even our safety measures aren't safe. 

My free tv is suddenly not so free anymore. 

Our family has realized too deeply that family members are not around forever. 

So, is there anything that can be relied upon?  Is there anything that is secure?  Anything that lasts? 

The Bible tells us that God is eternally reliable. He was and is and always will be.  His Word will stand and His love endures forever.   In times of discouragement, I can go on knowing that God is with me.  In times of hate, God's love remains.  God's plans cannot be thwarted by evil.   I can rely on God for hope and strength.  I can rely on God regardless of circumstances.  The things of this life will fade away, but God will remain. 

If you are frustrated with relying on temporal things of this world, I encourage you to learn more about the eternal God.  If you wonder why your possessions break down and fail to fulfill your needs, consider turning to God to fulfill your needs.  Find a Bible to read, find a friend who can answer your questions, find a church that will teach you how to find a more reliable life. 

"'I am the Alpha and Omega,' says the Lord God, 'who is and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.'"   Reveleation 1:8

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."  Hebrews 13:8

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."  1 Chronicles 16:34

"The plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations."  Psalm 33:11

"The word of the Lord stands forever."  1 Peter 1:25a

"The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment.  He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice.  The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.  Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you."  Psalm 9:7-10

When my strength is failing - Alice's music

My mother-in-law passed away unexpectedly last Monday.  She was a wise woman for sure! 

There are many things  I could say about her, but instead I want to focus on one thing - her love for music.  Love for music is a family thing.  My husband and his family sang together as he was growing up.  As time went on and her children got married and moved out on their own, Alice continued singing with her husband and in her church.  More time passed and my mother-in-law aka Alice aka Grandma also sang to her grandchildren. 

Alice also enjoyed listening to her family sing! She encouraged the grandchildren to sing songs they were learning for others.  It seems fitting that my youngest is processing recent events through music.  This morning my girl was singing a unique composition about the events of last week.  She started with a borrowed phrase, "It's so hard to say good-bye" then played the piano freestyle and sang several lines about the funeral service and ended with a chorus of, "And I will miss her very very much!"   

While Alice loved music, she was selective about her music.  She was partial to the old hymns and not so fond of contemporary Christian music. If you listen to family reminiscence long enough you may hear tales of contraband music, but you didn't hear that from me!  In recent years, Alice has been spending multiple weeks per year at my house, where I would only listen to Christian radio stations.  On various occasions she questioned the music to which we were listening - a wise move.  It is wise to know what you are listening to and to be sure you agree with it.   It is unwise to fill your mind with songs that contain questionable messages or inappropriate lyrics.  Give this some thought especially if you have young children. 

Alice's last months were affected by a second stroke.  Her ability to speak was greatly affected and likewise her ability to sing.  We didn't hear her sing as much.  But she still enjoyed listening to music and would quietly observe as her granddaughters practiced music for church.  One song in particular seemed to become a favorite.  She didn't talk about it and state it as a favorite, but it was one of the few songs I actually heard her sing along with when it came on the radio.  The song is 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman and ends with these lyrics, "And on that day when my strength is failing, The end draws near, and my time has come; Still my soul will sing Your praise unending..." 

I am thankful for those girls who practiced the song enough for Grandma to learn it.  And I am thankful for a mother-in-law whose soul kept praising even when her speech and strength were failing. 

No matter what circumstances come in 2013, will you be able to keep on praising?  The song also says, "Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me, let me be singing when the evening comes."  May that be true in my life... 

"Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise."  Psalm 48:1a

What kind of woman are you?

At a recent Bible study we discussed the qualities of a Biblical woman.  It was a good reminder to me.  I have been thinking about it especially at this time of year when I am tempted to try to "do it all" and keep up with everyone else in decorating, gifting and celebrating.  I cannot do it all.  I am glad for the reminder to keep things in perspective and only do the truly important things.

Here are some ideas of a Biblical woman that we came up with (this is not an exhaustive list):

• love God
• fear God
• be self-sacrificing
• be concerned about your family
• care for your own personal spiritual development
• care for your children's spiritual development
• pray; depend on God
• love your husband
• submit to your husband
• accept and appreciate your role as a wife and mother
• be kind and loving 

I know these ideas aren't popular, but I hope they give you some things to think about at this busy time of year.  Who or what is controlling your schedule? your purchases? your family time?  Are your words and actions God honoring?  Or are you bustling around too busy to say a kind word?  Are your Christmas celebrations reflecting Christ and His love? Strive to grow in wisdom even as you celebrate Christmas.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."             Matthew 1:21

Stained!

A theme for me today was working on stains.  I began the day mending my stained record for turning in a time card on time.  Grrr...

Next I worked on removing stains from laundry.  I remember my mother naming me The Queen of Grass Stain.  I now pass that title to my middle daughter.  In addition to grass stains there are food stains, grease stains, sweat stains, and the list goes on.  Treating this, scrubbing that - not really my idea of a fun time.

I finally got around to processing our one and only home grown pumpkin.  It has a few spots that needed to be cut off; stains that needed treatment.

Of course, no mother's day is complete without washing some dishes.  Wiping away crumbs, brushing dried on food, scrubbing tougher spots.

I confess I get weary of doing these tasks.  But it got me to thinking about my heart and how stained it is.  And I am very thankful for a God who does not grow weary of cleaning me up.  I am thankful for His Faithfulness and His Love.

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.  Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.  Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.  Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.                                 Psalm 51:7-12

Land Hurricanes and "The One Who is Always Present"

On my journey toward being more wise I have learned that there are things I cannot control - many things, most things.   I was reminded of this earlier this week when we experienced a land hurricane (or durecho); winds to the east of us were clocked at 91 mph.  For any male readers who are asking, "Do they make these terms up as they go?"  I'm told that land hurricanes (or durechos) have been so named since 2010 but I have spent no time in verifying this fact.

Several years ago I wrote a devotional about The One who can control things.  I will share that a little later on.  Before that I would like to share what I was doing during the land hurricane and what my children were doing.  Imagine the thoughts and feelings of this mother's heart.

Grandma is staying with us.  She recently had a stroke and struggles to say what she wants to.   She needed to take care of some things at her doctor's office.  Initially I was planning to take the girls along and do some errands while "in town" (the larger town about 8 miles to the west where we do most of our business).  As the day progressed I realized their constant chatter was making it more difficult for Grandma to speak.  That combined with thoughts of the small waiting area at the doctor's office and deciding the nature of the visit wouldn't be appropriate for young ears, I decided to take Grandma to her doctor's office and leave the girls at home.

If I had been on my computer at all that morning, I would not have made that decision.  If I had watched any news that day I would not have made that decision.  But I worked around the house, fed my family, etc. oblivious to the building storm - totally ignorant of pending danger.

I headed toward the doctor's office and commented about the dark sky but still had no idea how serious the coming storm would be.    We continued driving, the sky continued darkening.  Our area is experiencing a drought, so I'm thinking of the coming refreshment still naive of any possible danger.  My first warning sign was when the wind blew my car significantly.  Shortly after that one of the traffic lights was out.  And then the rain started, blinding at times.  I told Grandma we should go to my sister-in-laws house (where Grandma normally lives) and wait out the storm.  She agreed and we headed that direction but were stopped by a downed tree.  Thanks to the new one way road near the hospital, the only way to get around the tree and get to my sister-in-law's house was to go back out to the highway and deal with panicked drivers, wind and darkened traffic lights.  I thought about taking Grandma to one of the many waiting rooms on "medical row" but realized we would have to fight the rain to get inside to safety.  Instead we decided to find a parking space (away from trees) and just wait.

We watched the storm.  I wondered how soon it would reach my children at home.  And then the call from home came.   But... wait for it... wait for it... the storm took out our cell connection!  I was ten miles away from my children with no way to call them or call anyone else to help them.  I could not drive to them without driving through the storm and putting myself and Grandma in further danger.  There was absolutely nothing I could do!  Nothing but pray!  And pray I did!  The storm subsided, we headed home and the girls were fine.  They weren't even scared, proving that yes, sometimes ignorance is bliss. 

This experience taught me that I am too independent, depending too much on my own wisdom and my own strength.  It also reminded me how dependent I have become on my cell phone.   And most of all I was reminded that God was not surprised by the storm and he was not weakened by it.  He wasn't operating without power, without cell connections and with any trees down in His way.  He still had "the whole world in His hands." 

May you be encouraged by this message from Isaiah.  

Isaiah 58:11

The LORD (LORD in capital letters is the personal name of Jehovah God. It probably means “The One Who is Always Present” (The Revell Concise Bible Dictionary) I picture large hands holding me.  Wherever I go I am in God’s hands.  If I fail and fall, I am still in God’s hands.  A hymn states, “While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care and everywhere that man can be, Thou, God, are present there.)

 Will Guide you ALWAYS; (God’s guidance isn’t hampered by power outages, software glitches or inaccurate human input.  It doesn’t have to be weakened or altered to go through prison walls, hospital walls or soldiers' barracks.  It doesn’t have to be turned off on airplanes or in waiting rooms.)

 He will SATISFY your needs in a sun-scorched land

 (Picture the driest desert.  God not only satisfies our every day needs, but also our intense deep needs that no other resource can satisfy.)

And will STRENGTHEN your frame.  (When I am tired, I sometimes feel like my bones are rubber.  God strengthens my frame and makes my bones firm for the task.)

 You will be like a well-watered garden, (A well-watered garden is beautiful, flourishing, vibrant and fruitful.  I can be all those things with my ever-present God.)

 Like a spring whose waters never fail. (Water has energy and life-giving abilities.  God can give me that energy in unending supplies.)

Wishes, Knowledge and Thanksgiving

My mother-in-law was in and out of the hospital at the end of May, so I didn't have the time, energy or creativity to post with any kind of regularity.  Here are a few thoughts that have been floating around in my mind:

I WISH...
* allergies, diabetes and heart conditions weren't such a part of daily life
* sickness and hospitalizations weren't necessary
* friends didn't have to hurt
* I didn't forget things, neglect things, waste things


BUT I KNOW...
* God loves me and you and those I love
1 John 3:1a, 2, 16, 4:10, 16, 19:  How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!  ...This is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers...This is love:  not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins...And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.  God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him... We love because he first loved us.

* God has a plan for salvation that shines above our earthly challenges
Ephesians 2:4&5 - But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved.
John 14:6 - Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.
I Corinthians 15:3&4 - For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance:  That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

* I can call to God:  He hears and cares
Psalm 34:4, 8, 15, 18 - I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears...Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him... The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry...The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

AND I'M THANKFUL FOR...
* celebrating 17 years of marriage
* finding a major counter top kitchen appliance, a clay roaster and a fondue pot for $26.75 and a husband who was equally excited about the finds and the money saved
* being more mature
* medical coverage, allergy meds, insulin, appropriate and kind medical care
* a smoke free hospital and the memories of an incident some seven years ago when one of my daughters asked, "Is that the smoker nurse?"  after hearing her parents complain about the overbearing smoke odor of the OB nurse
* a loving God who created and sustains me
* family fun and Mother's Day pampering
* a sister who lives near a lake and offered a few hours of escape
* close proximity to most grandparents
* beautiful summer weather

Happy June!  What are you thankful for?

Resurrection Weekend

Good Friday and Easter Sunday or Resurrection Sunday are coming up this weekend.  What do those days mean to you?  How will you celebrate?  I've been thinking a lot about the meaning of this season.  I've been impressed anew with my sin and my inability to help myself.  I've been impressed anew with God's grace, reaching down to me.  God sent his One and Only Son to this earth to die on a cross for my sins, your sins - to pay the debt I could not pay, a debt He did not owe.  Think about that...

On a lighter note, welcome to my first blog post.  Hopefully the first of many.  They won't all be preachy, but that's what was on my heart tonight.  This blog is for the girls I love.  The ones in the picture are my beautiful sisters (and me) -- examples of wise women.  But we are all still growing.  And I hope my daughters continue growing toward wisdom.  This blog is mostly for the thoughts that I hope my girls know as they grow up. Some of my girls are a little more grown up than others:  my daughters range in age from 24 to 5.   It will contain some of my beliefs, some of my trials, some of my homemaking tips, some of my recipes, some parenting thoughts, etc.  I'm excited to finally get this started - it's been in my head for a while now.

I wish you a peaceful Resurrection weekend. I'll be attending a Good Friday service, attempting to accomplish some catch-up around the house on Saturday and attending church on Sunday followed by a gathering at my son's house.  I'm trying to figure out if I have the ingredients to make Resurrection Cookies.  We made Resurrection Rolls last year, but the Cookies are a little more involved.  We'll see what actually happens...