Scrapbooking and Constipation

The girls and I went to visit my friend Isobel yesterday. Isobel is the Scrapbook Queen, and she offered to let us use her "snibbly" box (all sorts of scrap papers and cardstock and embellishments) and stamps and cutters and so on.

I wanted the girls to learn the basics of scrapbooking, and they did a great job. It's obvious that they have an artistic bent, and they aren't bound by rules, so they are free to be creative.

God is good, giving us relationships with friends and family that are uplifting and encouraging, and just plain fun. We'll be back to our regular routine tomorrow, thankful for the mini-retreat we enjoyed.

I got this from Rachel today, regarding her 8 year old son:

I was talking to Trenton about constipation, and how it makes it very hard to pooh. He replied, "I call those my contemplation poohs, 'cause I have to sit there for a long time."

Isn't he brillliant? :)

I'll say.

:)

How Big is our God?

My husband was asked to read the first chapter of Ezekiel this morning, as preparation for our Pastor to begin his sermon. The vision Ezekiel has is of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.
As I stood there, listening to the description, I realized that I cannot begin to comprehend God. He is above all. He is utterly magnificent.

Does my vision of God shape my life? Do I live for Him? Do I instruct my children to focus on the One who sits on that glorious throne, with a rainbow of grace surrounding it?

God is the Lord of Time and Eternity. One day, every single knee, whether willingly or unwillingly, will bow, and every single tongue will declare that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

God is the Creator of all things. Every heartbeat, every breath I take is only because of His mercy. Do I use them for His glory? Do I arrange my days to serve Him? Is He at the forefront of my mind and plans for the days and weeks and months ahead? Or am I simply relegating Him to the back corner, and putting my self on the throne? Are MY plans, MY dreams, MY desires and MY goals what I focus on?

When I read the first chapter of Ezekiel, I know that I must

BOW DOWN!
HUMBLE MYSELF!
ARRANGE MY LIFE AS A SERVANT!

God is the Potter, and we are the clay. He has every right to do as He wills with His own creatures. Some He will raise up, and some He will put down -- all for His good pleasure, and all because of His sovereign will. He chooses our course, and we must learn to humble ourselves before Him, surrendering to His will. Whether we are up, or whether we are down, we must live for God!

Am I ready to live for God, radically, moment-by moment?

Ezekiel was.

At the time of Ezekiel, there was great political upheaval. Judah was in the middle between Egypt (Pharaoh Neco) and Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar). In 609 good King Josiah was killed at Meggido, and by 605 BC Neco's armies were destroyed by Babylon at the Battle of Carchemish. King Jehoiachim was playing politics instead of turning to the living God. He kept switching allegiance from Egypt to Babylon, which didn't go over very well.

Daniel was taken in the first wave, in 605. In 597, Ezekiel was carted off to exile, along with 10,000 others. By 586, Nebuchadnezzar in his fury destroyed the temple.

The children of Israel cried out, "What's going on? Where is God? Why did He allow this destruction? Doesn't He care about us? Isn't He in control?"

That's why God gave Ezekiel the vision of WHO HE WAS. And when Ezekiel saw it, he fell on his face:

Ezekiel 1:28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
2:1 ¶ And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.
2 And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me. 3 And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day. 4 For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD. 5 And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.

Ezekiel was certainly a prophet - he saw the vision and took the message to the people. He was also a priest, the son of a priest. His name means "I will strengthen", and he was strengthened by God to do His bidding and minister to the people.

He had a tough message. Daniel, like Hosea, was tender. Ezekiel, like Amos, was tough. God uses all sorts of people for His purposes. Don't compare ministries or personalities, but be thankful when you see God's provision in the talents of His people!

So God sent Ezekiel with a the message that judgment begins at home. They were dabbling in sin, going after idols, listening to false prophets, using false measures, pursuing gain, ignoring the needy, and trusting in super-powers rather than in the Living God. God used Babylon to discipline His people, to purify them and bring them back to a relationship with Him.

The book of Ezekiel is all about

the PLAN of GOD - to discipline Judah;
the PURPOSE of GOD - to restore Judah; and
the PROMISE of GOD - that His people would return to the land.

It wasn't an easy task, to take this message to the people. They were confused and felt abandoned, and Ezekiel knew it. That's why God gave him a glimpse of His power and glory, along with a reminder of His unfathomable grace. The rainbow encircling the throne was a powerful reminder that God always keeps His promises. Even if the enemy has come in and carted you away to a foreign land. Even if you have lost your home, your family, your land, your temple, your very country...God never fails. He will judge the sin of His people, and it is never easy. He also will restore His people back to a full relationship with Himself. One day, we will be in the Land - the best land - the heavenly land, where God dwells in the midst of His people.

We had a foretaste of heaven today as we gazed upon Jesus. He is the One with the plan to make a way for the elect from every tribe and tongue to be gathered as a People of God. He is the One with the purpose to redeem us from a life of sin, under the power of Satan and the sentence of death. He is the One who promised never to let one of His chosen ones go, and HE has the power to carry out His plan, His purpose, and to keep His promise.

It's all about YOU, King Jesus, and the glory of Your name.

My God is so BIG,
So strong and so mighty,
There's nothing my God cannot do!

The mountains are His,
The valleys are His,
The stars are His handiwork too!

My God is so BIG,
So strong and so mighty,
There's nothing my God cannot do!

Oh, God, Help me to live as one who really GETS that I am very small, and You are very BIG. Let me keep the vision of Your power and Your glory at the forefront of my mind. Remind me that Your eye is always upon me, and that You ordain every little thing that happens to me for my ultimate good, and for your glory.

In the name of Christ, my Saviour and Lord, I pray. Amen.

Love is the Glue

While surfing the web this evening, I came across this poem on the Prairie Home Companion website. I have been teaching analogies to Christopher, and this poem is full of examples. I'm glad that Rick and I are glued together uproariously, too.

"Love is the glue that makes us stick"
by Marydel Rosenfield

Love is the glue that makes us stick
That holds us together through thin and thick

Love is the yeast that makes us rise
To the occasion and fills with surprise

Love is the power that helps us stay
The course when we enter the fray

Love is the force that keeps us on track
That sends us on missions and brings us back

Love is intangible and also invisible
And sometimes positively risible

Being in love is a human emotion
Entraps like a mud flat, engulfs like the ocean

As fish love the water and birds love the air
Love tugs at our heartstrings and makes us a pair.

About the Author
Marydel Rosenfield (nee Coolidge) grew up in Bangor, Maine, the daughter of a forester; she was an only child and bookworm. She always loved playing around with words (learned "The Jabberwocky" in third grade; plays Scrabble not bridge). Her favorite living poet is Billy Collins. She lived in Riverdale (NW Bronx) from 1950 - 2006 with her architect husband; they summered in Maine (east Penobscot Bay region). Her favorite things are saiiing, music, three grown children and two grandchildren. Now living permanently on Deer Isle ME, she and her husband have been uproariously married for 59 years; he married her for her 1939 Ford convertible with a rumble seat.

Garden

The south side of our house is perfect for a small garden. It used to be a less-than-stellar spot, because we had four huge maples that shaded the entire area. However, since tornado-like winds took out most of the trees, and since Rick and Daniel took out another one the other day, there is plenty of sunshine in a very sheltered spot.

So, Rick tilled up an area about 40 feet long and about 12 feet wide. He added good, broken-down manure and soil, then tilled that in.


Today the children and some of the grandchildren helped me mark out the beds and the pathways. Presently we pass to some other object which rounds itself into a whole as did the first; for example, a well-laid garden; and nothing seems worth doing but the laying-out of gardens. Ralph Waldo Emerson



We got onions (white and multipliers) into the ground, but I am not planting anything else until we get a fence up, to keep ducks and geese and dogs and various other animals, including two-footed ones, out of the garden! Thankfully, we have plenty of posts and enough fencing to get the job done. Planting shouldn't take place before the third week in May in our area, anyway. I can plant onions, and I will put in some Romaine lettuce and a few peas, because they don't mind the cold.

There is something about gardening that warms the heart. It's amazing to see that the dirty soil has enough nutrients in it to transform lifeless seeds into beautiful plants, bearing fruit. There's nothing like seeing the flowers transform into beautiful tomatoes, or gigantic zucchinis, or perfect peas!

Poetry and Gardens go together...


Of all the wonderful things in the wonderful universe of God, nothing seems to me more surprising than the planting of a seed in the blank earth and the result thereof.

A GARDEN is a lovesome thing, God wot!
Rose plot,
Fringed pool,
Fern'd grot—
The veriest school
Of peace; and yet the fool
Contends that God is not—
Not God! in gardens! when the eve is cool?
Nay, but I have a sign;
'Tis very sure God walks in mine.

Dorothy Frances Gurney
The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.

It doesn't matter a whit that some of my vegetable gardens in past years have been overrun by weeds or consumed by creatures. It's spring, and here we go again!


Vita Sackville-West: The most noteworthy thing about gardeners is that they are always optimistic, always enterprising, and never satisfied. They always look forward to doing something better than they have ever done before.


Meanwhile, I hope you are all planting seeds, and remembering how nice it is to play in the mud.

Mud

Mud is very nice to feel
All squishy-squash between the toes!
I’d rather wade in wiggly mud
Than smell a yellow rose.

Nobody else but the rose bush knows
How nice mud feels
Between the toes

By Polly Chase Boyden

Piano Competition in Walkerton

Linda began piano lessons nearly two years ago, when she was already 18 years old! She has a wonderful, highly qualified teacher who is committed to helping her learn as much as possible. She is truly blessed.

Today, she participated in her first piano competition. Heather and I had the pleasure of going with her to Walkerton. We arrived over an hour early, so we got to sit in and listen to others compete in their class. The adjudicator was professional, yet warm and kind in her suggestions to the students. She took plenty of time to explain how they could improve.

When Linda's turn came, she was the only competitor in her class. She played beautifully, and Heather and I were so proud to sit there, listening and watching her play. The adjudicator then went forward and told Linda that although her piece seemed simple, it was actually rather intricate and difficult to play. She asked Linda questions like, "What is the most important thing about this piece?" Gulp.

Linda's answers apparently satisfied the judge.

Then, she said things like, "This piece needs balance...which you did beautifully! The dynamics are very important, which you demonstrated well!"

Heather and I were swelling with pride. We wanted to break out into cheers, but that wouldn't have been appropriate.

She earned an 88. Not a bad mark for her first competition!

Oh, and she came first! :)

Ladies at my door...

This morning, I was busy in the kitchen, and Tiana came in, saying, "Mom, there are JW's at the door."

I headed outside and greeted them. Two women, an older one and a young mother with a child, stood there. "Your daughter is very friendly," the younger one commented.

"Well, we're a friendly family," I responded.

"Did she tell you that we're JW's?" she asked.

"Yes, she did. And I am very sorry to hear that."

The surprise on their faces was obvious. I went on to talk about my faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. I quoted Scripture, explaining that Jesus is God, and that He is to be worshiped. I told them that the entire Bible is about Jesus, and that the Father is pleased to glorify Him, and that the Holy Spirit is pleased to reveal Him as the Son of God.

"Oh, you believe in the Trinity."

"Yes, most certainly, I do. The most important thing I can say is that you don't believe in the same Jesus I believe in. You aren't trusting in Him completely for your salvation."

They argued with me, but I pressed the point home, mentioning that they have a works-based religion. The older woman reminded me that James speaks of works, but I jumped on that, explaining clearly that faith without works is dead...but that what matters is the KIND of faith they have.

I asked the younger lady, "Who are you trusting in to take you to heaven?"

"We don't believe in heaven," she said. The older lady piped up, "We believe we will continue here on this beautiful earth!"

"You want to continue on THIS earth?" I asked, incredulous. "This sin-cursed earth, with all of its problems and all of the pain you see? That's your inheritance?"

"Well, Armageddon will happen and it will make all things clean."

"The fact remains that you do not worship the same Jesus that I am putting my trust in to take me to heaven when I die," I reiterated. "You forget that Thomas bowed down and worshiped Jesus, saying 'My Lord and my God!' You forget that the entire Bible is the unfolding story of Redemption, bought at an incredible price so that we can spend eternity with our Redeemer."

They inched away. I wanted to run after them, pleading that they should ask God to show them the truth about His dear Son. It was a blessing to be able to say what I did, and I do pray that God will plant the Seed of His word into their hearts, and that some day, I will fellowship with them in that glorious heaven they don't believe in just yet.

Kids + Bikes = Spring!

Grandkids and my son Christopher, riding bikes down the lane at Jeff and Adeena's farm.