Where did this week go?

Wow.  I can't believe it's already Saturday.  It has been a full week.  In addition to our usually craziness of ballet rehearsals, youth groups, worship practice, etc., Mark and I also spent several evenings this week working on his parent's house.  Mark's folks are getting on in years and his dad in particular can no longer manage their stairs up to the bedroom.  We've spent all week converting his downstairs art studio into a bedroom.  This will keep him on a lower level of the house and help us sleep a little better at night...

I hate change.  Always have.  I don't mind the little changes, like the seasons or a new hair style.  It's the biggies that get to me.  Like seeing our parents age.  I don't like that one at all.  I miss the days when Grandma and Grandpa would take the kids for the evening - or the weekend...  Not just for myself, but it was such a joy for the kids and our folks.  I hate seeing my kids grow up so fast.  Don't get me wrong.  I love who they are and who they are becoming.  It is exciting to watch.  But there is still that part of me that says, "Wait!  Slow down!"  I'm not ready for this season to pass.

Moving Mark's dad downstairs is a major milestone.   It makes me face the fact that things are changing.  Time is marching on. 

But what is the bright side?  There must be a bright side....   I am learning to savor the days as they come.  I know this is not my first post about this, but I guess that's just where I am right now.   I don't take our time together for granted as much as I used to.  I make the effort to say the things that need to be said, that I want to say now.  To honor our parents as they deserve to be honored.   The bright side is being able to take a step back from the business of these days and appreciate the fact that Mark's folks are still here and need us, and my kids are still home and need us, too. 

In Luke 2:51, after the various events of Jesus' early life on earth, we're told that Mary "treasured all these things in her heart."  I'm sure that wasn't the last time either.  I'm learning to do that too.  Taking time to process all that is happening around me is the only way that I can really savor the moments.

Philippians 4:4-9 says,

"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!  Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.


Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you." (NLT)

Here is something that never changes....God's peace guards my heart.  A dear friend of mine told me once, "God is my only constant."  She is right.  God's unchanging nature gives me peace for today and strength for tomorrow.  Fixing my thoughts on Him, I can face anything that comes.  Ahh....

The Rainmaker

The first of the real fall rains came today.  I thoroughly enjoyed them.  The humidity and the VOG was all washed away.  It was a perfect day to put stew in the crock pot and watch a movie.

It just so happened that I picked up a bargain DVD from Walmart last week.  It seemed perfect for today ~ The Rainmaker (1956), with Katherine Hepburn and Burt Lancaster.  I had seen bits and pieces of this movie as a kid, but had never gotten to watch the whole thing.  You can always count on Katherine Hepburn for a stellar performance. 

Her character, Lizzy, is a perfect picture of shattered dreams, of "hope deferred" making her heart sick.  And it's not just her.  Her whole family is losing hope.  The drought is killing their cattle.  Then, in rides Bill Starbuck.  (Yes, that's his name.)  He's a con-artist who says he can make it rain...for $100, and a few crazy stunts.  Lizzy's father and younger brother, desperate to believe again, go along with Starbuck's foolishness.  Lizzy and her older brother, Noah (interesting name choice for someone needing rain...), see right through Starbuck and tell him so.  But Starbuck can see that this family is in need of much more than just rain.  Here's a clip of Lizzy, finally opening up to the possibility that she is more than she appears.

http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/index/?o_cid=mediaroomlink&cid=208673


It is a beautiful story of the power of believing.  It's an example of what our belief and encouragement can do in someone's life.  This will be one that I will watch again and again.  It's old-fashioned and corny, but some days nothing else will do.

If I could add anything to this story, it would be that our true source of worth is not found merely looking inside ourselves, or in a man or any other human.  Heaven knows that only leads to other problems.  It is only found in Jesus Christ.  In Starbuck, Lizzy finds a type of savior.  He looks at her with love and she sees that love reflected back, making her beautiful.  I love that image.  And just as Jesus does that for each of us (if we have the courage to look into His eyes...) we, too, can do it for others, pointing to the worth they have in Jesus.  There is no better way to be like Jesus, than to reflect His love.

In the end....wait, you'll just have to watch it for yourself.   But don't save it for a rainy day.  Sharing the grace of encouragement is great when the sun is shinning, too! *;)

VOG and other air-born enemies....

Vog on Hawaii's Big Island Leads to Disaster Declaration - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com

In Hawaii, there is a weather element that pretty unusual. It's called VOG. Wikipedia puts in this way,

Vog is a form of air pollution that results when sulfur dioxide and other gases and particles emitted by an erupting volcano react with oxygen and moisture in the presence of sunlight. The word is a portmanteau of the words "volcanic" and "smog". The term is in common use in the Hawaiian islands, where the Kīlauea volcano, on the island of Hawaiʻi, has been erupting continuously since 1983. Based on June 2008 measurements, Kīlauea emits 2,000 - 4,000 tons of sulfur dioxide every day.

What this means around here is a day of gloomy haze, runny noses, and headaches. Not very pleasant. (Did I mention I'm allergic to sulfur dioxide?) It wouldn't be a problem, except when the wind dies. Our natual trade winds normally blow the other direction, keeping the VOG heading out into the Pacific.


It got me thinking... There's a metaphore in here somewhere. And if you know me, you know I must find it! It is the "trade winds" of the Holy Spirit that keep the spiritual VOG out of my life. I Thessalonians 5:19 tells me, "Do not stifle the Holy Spirit." I know that when I do, the sky gets gray, the air is still, and I find it hard to function... The Holy Spirit in my life pushes the pollutants out to sea and away from my atmosphere.

I don't know who coined the term VOG, but I could name some other combinations. How about "bitterness" and "smog" - BOG. Or try "hatred" and "smog" - HOG. Maybe "doubt" and "smog" - DOG. What about "lies (of the enemy)" and "smog" - LOG...

Whatever it is, I'm praying for the trades to return, and for the junk to go. I may not be able to control the VOG, but I can control if I stifle the Holy Spirit.

Then we can get back to...enjoying the view! *;)

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Adventures in Attitudes

I was in our church office today making copies for our worship practice and happened to look up at the bookshelf.  This title jumped off the book it was written on....Adventures in Attitudes.  I had to laugh.  That pretty much sums up the last few days I've had. 

I could make a lot of excuses like,

"I have three teenage girls at home..."

or "homeschooling is really hard..."

or "I just didn't get enough sleep last night." 

They are all true, but excuses don't change a thing.  The good news is that my attitude will eventually change.  Like my emotions, I try not to put too much stock into them.  They just aren't reliable.  Learning to ride out the ups and downs is a process.  Hopefully, I'm getting better at it.   To see attitudes as an adventure...that could be just the perspective I need.

23 years and counting

Today was Mark and my anniversary.  Twenty-three years.  Wow.  Time has just flown by.  As my usual routine, I got out the old wedding video.  Yes, video.  I really must get this transferred to DVD.  The tape is already showing signs of age.

It's fun to see how much we've changed.  We were just 21 and 22.  Kids by my standards today.  Dear friends all around us.  (They've changed just as much as we have...)  My sister sang, my father read scripture, my other sister was my matron of honor.  (Thanks sisters, for wearing that gaudy peach lace.) It was a great day.  I missed my mom.  She had passed away just three months prior.  I felt her presence.  Her friends from the church did all the work.  It was as much for her as it was for me.  Now that my father is gone, too, I cherish those few moments that where caught on camera of the two of us.  He was holding me close and giving me he his last words of encouragement before I left his home to make my own with Mark.  Sweet memories.  A lot can happen in 23 years.  I have an abundantly blessed life.

Here's the song my sister, Cindy, sang for us.


Enjoying the view!  *;)

Me, Mr. Magoo, and Francis Chan

When it comes to my spiritual journey, I must say that more often than not, it looks like a Mr Magoo cartoon.  I seem to wander along fairly clueless about what lay before me.  It would be amazing to see how many near-misses I encounter every day.  The Lord just leads me on and somehow, by His grace, I continue on in one piece.  And yet, isn't that sort of what child-like faith is all about?

Case in point.  My Life Journal has me reading in the book of Acts.  Every time I read through this book, I have the same emotion.  Why does my life, my Christian experience, look so much different than the first century disciples.  I'm not trying to compare my life the the big guys like Paul or Peter...I'm just taking about the nameless "disciples."  The Holy Spirit's prominence in their lives is so evident.  Acts always leaves me wanting more in my life.  There has got to be something I'm missing.

Just yesterday, I was playing that same old lament in my mind when I "stumbled" across an audio book on iTunes.  It was Francis Chan's new book called, Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit.  Wow.  I loved Chan's book, Crazy Love, and didn't even know he had another one out.  I immediately snatched it up (complete, unabridged, read by the author ~ $4.85)! Another source for the audio book of Forgotten God .

God is so good to me.  He never fails to give me just what I need, exactly when I need it.  It has been this way for years.  God places a book or other resource in my hand, just like a spoon-fed baby.  He knows how much I love books.  I am so grateful for His care and attention.

This is going to be an exciting read.  In the Introduction, Francis already sounds like a kindred spirit,

Grab a copy and read along with me.   I'd love to hear what you think of it.  Perhaps we may "stumble" onto something that moves us further down this Kingdom road...

Tuesday was a day for Pumpkin Cake

A break in the rain today left the mountains looking like some one's quilt batting was dragged across the peaks.  So pretty.  Just minutes after this shot was taken, the mountain was again swallowed up in clouds.   I can see why ancient people thought the mountain had its own spirit.  It's always changing its mood.  Kinda like me some days...

 

Living in Hawaii, it's hard to tell when the seasons are changing.  It used to be that I'd watch what people were wearing on TV commercials.  When they broke out the sweaters and started advertising cold remedies, I knew fall had come.  We don't have the changing leaves or the daylight savings.  But today, the weather was definitely cooler.   The rain came through in waves making me want to snuggle up with a book.  Unfortunately, Tuesdays are not good snuggle-up days at my house.  There's school work and chores to be done.  I did manage to grab a cup of coffee and a piece of my favorite pumpkin cake.  I'll have to share the recipe.  This cake is so moist and delicious, I didn't even make frosting for it.  The recipe calls for cream cheese frosting.  I love it, but then the cake is so rich you can't eat too much.  I like it plain or with a dusting of powdered sugar.

 

This recipe has been adapted to be Sulfite free.  I've found that I can't tolerate baking powder, which makes baking rather interesting.  In most recipes, I substitute an extra teaspoon of baking soda plus half a cup of yogurt for every teaspoon of baking powder the recipe calls for.  This works best for quick breads.  I have a tortilla recipe that only called for 1/8th teaspoon of baking powder, so I just omit it.  The tortillas turn out fine.

Back to the pumpkin cake:

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups organic non-enriched flour

1 tsp. each: cinnamon, ground cloves, ginger, nutmeg

3 tsp. baking soda 

1 tsp. salt

1 cup butter

3 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup yogurt

one 15 oz. can pumpkin

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Sift together dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.
• In a large bowl, place butter and sugar and beat together until light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time to the wet ingredients.  Stir in the vanilla and yogurt.
• Stir 1/3 of the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, then 1/2 the can of pumpkin.  Follow that with 1/3 flour mixture, then the rest of the pumpkin and then the remaining flour mixture.
• Spray the cake pans with nonstick spray.  You can use either two round 9-inch pans or one bundt pan.
• Bake the two round pans for 30 minutes or the bunt pan for 45-55 minutes - or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for a minute and then turn out the cakes onto wire racks.  Let cool completely.
• To finish, frost with cream cheese frosting or sprinkle with powdered sugar - or each plain.

 To learn more about sulfite intollerance, see this great website.