Two months to Christmas?

Sunday, October 25, 2026
The date reminds me we're 2 months from Christmas. How did that happen? The Gathering is wonderful with a good worship team, service host, and speaker Hanny. She reminds us to be childlike, trustworthy beyond being respected, and welcoming to others the way God welcomes them and us.

We enjoy lunch across the street with three friends. We purchased fragrant roses on the last grocery run. They're set on the driveway terrace, a perfect place to smell them as we come to the house.

I have 2 quotes to think about from this weekend's talks. First, from Don Ross: "Everything God starts, starts with tension and confusion." (Examples: creation, Joseph's sojourn in Egypt, the calling of Moses, etc.) Certainly that's true of everything that starts here. It takes a while to sort things out. And second, from Hanny: "Aim not just to be respected but also to be trusted." I mull over the two ideas through the beginning of the week.

I'm in the mood for something dry and crunchy. I bake seed crackers with pumpkin, chia, flax, sesame, and sunflower seeds. 

How? Soak 5 c. assorted seeds for 15 min in 1 c. water. Add 2T sweetener, a pinch of salt and pepper, and pat the mixture in a thin layer on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Then bake for 15 minutes at 350F/180C. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Ours last for weeks on the counter.

Monday
Before 10, there are 3 online meetings. Two are life-giving, so that's a plus. Then it's off to Ciwalk, an indoor-outdoor mall down the mountain. There's a 70% off sale at Batik Keris, a clothing store. W goes clothes shopping every year or so. 

By the time he makes it into a shop, he's due for an update. He finds 4 batik (formal) shirts. This dazzler retails for $80; some of the others are less.

There's a Western shop, in the mall complete with full-costumed American Indian.

The seasonal decor at the mall hotel is typical: orchids plus pumpkins.

W sends out the Games Night invitation as we eat lunch at a new-to-me pizzaria down the street from the mall. It's not bad. And the list of guests starts to fill up quickly. By evening, 85 names are on the list.

It's a chore-filled afternoon at home. I soak W's shirts separately in vinegar and salt water to set the dyes, then wash and hang them up. IbuS irons them so they're ready to wear. (Everything gets ironed here.) The bread rising in a bowl needs punching down a few times. The week's calendar gets updated and reviewed. Then there's time to read messages and respond.

The sky darkens, thunder rumbles, and rain trickles in midafternoon. The seasons are definitely shifting from dry to wet. Do we want to walk once more? (I missed my morning walk since I was on calls.) W thinks it might rain but I remember the proverb about the lion in the street (something bad may happen, so why try?) We head off anyway and all is well. No rain while we're out.

Tuesday
It's dark out all day; no sunshine today. I write, research, call, and have a first go at focaccia bread. It's delicious. The plain dough gets doused with olive oil and sprinkled with Trader Joe "Everything But the Bagel" topping.

PakG picks up ripe bananas from Kiki, who lives down the hill. The helpers start baking banana bread. The whole house is fragrant with smells of warm baking. They send 2 loaves back down to Kiki.

Fred and Dolly drop by in the morning. She's a wonderful watercolorist who painted the right portrait of an island lady. We enjoy tea, baked goods, and hot focaccia bread on the Porch, along with sweet conversation. Dr Fred was one of the first geologists in Indonesia. He shares memories of Indonesia's political transitions, including the Japanese invasion and the end of Dutch colonialism, and has fascinating stories about his education and work. We want to hear more - maybe next visit.

For lunch, W and I fill leftover focaccia with homemade cheese, sliced tomato, and a dash of olive oil. We have 2 sweet figs - one for each of us - from the fig trees gifted to us by Angie and her Turkish-German husband when they repatriated.

Our afternoon guest cancels; he is ill. I bring down the games from the library. The staff sets up the tables and chairs. Looks like we're almost ready to go.

Wednesday
There's a fresh crop of mushrooms on the stump near the Porch.

We have breakfast after talking to our daughter before the walk. The orchids are off the tables and into the garden so every surface can be used so spread out games tonight.

The dogs are learning to sit and walk, getting better with each consistent practice session.

This bicolored rose has me puzzled. I think all the flowers start out pink and fade to creamy white.

5 meters (15') overhead, a tree is loaded with purple petals.

The 3 dozen eggs purchased earlier this week have been used up in baking. I head to the grocer for 3 dozen more, along with the seeds and nuts we are consuming at a prodigious rate. We fine-tune the setting for tonight with serving pieces and plates, print the portion control signs and stick them to the buffet tablecloths, and plug in the warming trays.

Della arrives with food. Then the guests start coming in. It's rained off and on all afternoon, which is a deterrent if the streets downhill flood. We still have a full house.

We sit on the Porch, around the house - talking, laughing, discussing life.

The hope is that each person goes home with new friends.

Play can open the heart to experience new things.

W has a Zoom meeting near the end, which lasts into the night. Meanwhile, the young adults pack up and have a noisy and happy farewell.

Read more:
* Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:6-9

The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. Jeremiah 23:5

* Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16

* Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ;perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! Romans 5:1-9

Moravian Prayer: Morning Star of our faith and life, you came and fulfilled the words of the prophets. As you now reign in highest heaven, continue to deal with us wisely and execute justice and righteousness in our land. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.