A new season

Sunday, June 8, 2025 Pentecost Sunday

Anton and Juno walk 2 loops on one leash. I pray that there are no cats for Anton to lunge at - and God's "small mercy" is that we see not a single one! We have a peaceful 2 mile stroll, with sturdy Juno as the anchor. She trots along happily, no matter what.

In the front planter, the two-toned leaves pop.

Cika helps out with the worship team. Pentecost is the fresh wind of a new season.

Tota leads and W's on his way to a scholar's conference so I speak alone. We expect the Spirit of God to be at work among us on this day when we celebrate Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit. (Read the story by clicking the link.)

The lilies are blooming at Green Gate.

We turned last week's silk&fresh arrangement from front to back this week; there was no time to make a new bouquet.

When I cook for myself, meals are sporadic - made when I'm hungry. They usually include lots of vegetables and noodles, too. Same today.

Monday

W often walks the dogs but Anton behaves for me without pulling at the leash. No cats, once again - or at least he doesn't see the three that we pass. After a walk, I have a few meetings, and then it's down to work.

The huge leaking "pond" pot was drained, repaired and painted last week. Today it is being refilled. The plan is to put the plants back later today and return the first in a few days after the water quality stabilizes. 

It's almost full when I notice that it's still leaking a bit. PakG drains it partway and repairs the cracks with aquarium glue. The pot is ancient. The ugly red color will fade to terra-cotta in the sunshine.

I have stamina for academic work until noon, between international calls back and forth. Then I take a break by playing fetch with the dog and checking social media.

FB tells me that 16 years ago, I was writing Alumni News for NU alumni around the world. Seems like a lifetime ago. I loved connecting to alumni, sharing their stories, university events, and projects in what one coworker called the university's "gossip rag."

At least a year before that (+17 years ago), W heard about something called Facebook and told me to get NU as an institution and NU alumni on it. I opened an account in my name over office protests of, "What's Facebook?" and "It will never work; no one wants that."

W was right. Shortly, I had almost 1000 "followers" and 5000 "friends" between real friends, alumni, and students. That was the permitted limit for a personal account. After a while, I was permitted to set up NU pages, including alumni decades and parent groups. If you're connected to NU, look 'em up. There's always something happening there and on IG.

By 2:00 PM I'm almost hungry enough for lunch. And I think I'll pack it in. I have almost 50 PPT slides and notes organized - with at least that many to go, tomorrow. After that, I'll have to check every reference in the updated editions of the textbooks and make sure the links are correct.

I walk out for a 5:00 dinner with a friend who is asking about God-with-us. 

What a treasure it is to be invited into God's presence with those we care about.

When I get home, Melvi warns me that a bench leg has given way. We usually sit on that bench to pull our shoes on and off. In the dark, I might have slid right off the leaning side. Termites must be in the bench wood. That will have to be replaced.

When we tip the bench on its side, we see the extent of the damage. The top of the leg is eaten away and the leg itself has been hollowed out. Frass pours out of every gap in the upholstery, like dust pellets.

Tuesday

Dawn is breaking as we head out the gate. Oh oh. Someone has left flip-flops on the Porch. Anton like to chew those! I put them away.

We pass 3 cats without incident. Waaaha! Helps when Anton wears a prong collar that puts pressure on him if he pulls hard. The past mornings, he walked nicely on a shared leash with Juno, our solid brick of a Labradoodle. Juno trots steadily and doesn't look one way or another = straight ahead, ignoring cats, chickens, and other dogs. Good girl.

I talk to Mom and Keelee before 8 AM and then it's time to work some more on next week's class. I listen to Blinkest books as I coordinate PPT slides with teaching notes.

I get the seasonal itch to redecorate. I'm inspired by the spring and early summer photos of friends up North.

The room gets updated from black and green to creams and blues. The rug needs swapping before we land in a new season.

Melvi and I walk Anton and Bailey to the corner, talk to PakIyan, and walk back. Someone asks if we want a fire pit. They have cut wood from a tree they chopped down. What do you think? (It's a lot of wood.)

Some guys have unearthed a half-gone giraffe statue under a tangle of vines. I remember seeing it years ago when we visited, but never could find it again. I assumed someone had stolen it, along with the doors, plumbing, and electrical wiring on that property.

It's a baking day to replenish what was eaten last weekend: oatmeal cookies with Kopiko coffee candy and smashed chocolate from a Trader Joe Dark Chocolate Almond bar. Thanks, IbuA and IbuS! And thanks, Adam and Jenn, who delivered the chocolate on their visit a few weeks ago.

Breakfast is half of the leftover noodles and chicken. I chop the other half into little pieces and covered it with water. The dogs happily gobble it down atop their kibble.

IbuS bakes bread so I make an egg salad sandwich for a late lunch. Supper-ish is tea, a piece of IbuA's pumpkin pie, and an apple. On my own, I'm rarely hungry at mealtimes. I don't feel obligated to eat until I feel peckish.

It thunders a bit and the sky is dark. Gypsy cowers in his doghouse but the other dogs ignore the weather and relax in the yard until bedtime.

Wednesday 

The pot-pond is still leaking when PakG fills it up. He goes back to the hardware store for cement and another can of paint. After our walk, the dogs relax and I spend the entire morning on my class notes. The leaves we picked up a few days ago are almost dry.

We change the dining room from green and pink 

to blue as well.

The rain starts at lunch and the fresh smell of gardens and green leaves wafts into the house.

Read more:

*O Lord, in your hand are power and might, so that no one is able to withstand you. 2 Chronicles 20:6

*You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation! Psalm 89:26

*Give us today our daily bread. Matthew 6:11

*They drove Jesus out of the town and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way. Luke 4:29-30

Moravian Prayer: Holy God of our salvation, we praise your holy name. Provide us with our daily bread, as we trust in your provision. We give thanks for your steadfast love and faithfulness.

Gentle Shepherd, your power and might are always on display. Help us to remember that this power is funneled through your great love for us, and that you love us fiercely and powerfully as your chosen children. Amen.

Pines and finds

Monday, July 9, 2024

We wake slowly and quietly with birds chirping in the treetops.

Our first order of business is trimming the birches growing toward the cabin. The shop loans us their extendable saw. (Thank you!) 

From several sides, the brown stained siding and green roof almost make the cabin disappear. We've kept as much greenery as we can. The dappled shade from the trees cools the house without air-conditioning.

A call to Mom takes precedence. She is in continual pain, has trouble eating and drinking, and it feels like she's fading away. Her prayers and counsel remain powerful. My brother arranges the first phase of home care for her.

On a walk, I spot these cheerful wildflowers.

Beside the park bench, a children's ring (google-y eyes) waits for pickup.

On another lane, the decades-old firetruck waits. 

W's biggest chore this year is removing the creaks from the stairwell. He got partway there in the past days. Today he's happy to finish up. Top steps and bottom steps are on the agenda. He removes the wooden 2"X4" supports and replaces them with angle-irons. It's much better without the creaking of wood on wood. W protects the treads with a coat of water-based sealant.

The high schoolers arrive for their week of camping. They're noisy, finding their peer groups, and totally self-absorbed. It's more fun watching their social antics from a distance than it was making friendships happen as a teenager, that's for sure. Given the option, I'd never relive my teens, 20s, or 30s! Would you?

Two girls stroll by, never glancing in my direction or at the couple walking behind me. After living in a high-respect culture, it's interesting to watch American youngsters ignore everyone older than themselves. The parental cautions from childhood to adulthood about avoiding strangers isolate them from anyone they don't know well. I feel sorry for these kids.

Tuesday

Another slow-waking day, though this one starts at 6:00 a.m. I didn't measure the distance of the camp streets the last time I did them all. With W's gout, he hasn't been walking much, so I take my time to laze through the campground every day. The early morning sun glints off the river.

W's leaving to cabin to stroll to the wifi spot. He's taking my computer along when I reach the midway point of my walk: our cabin. I go along and catch up on the morning news. It's amazing how fast the trees have grown around the cabin ... and how tall the trees can get. The firs can reach 80-100 feet (25-30 meters).

When we laid the cabin foundations, the camp caretaker felled 3 huge firs with this comment: "Don't worry. If there's one thing Montana does well, it's this. We grow trees." He was right. We've kept every tree we could. This year, there's a fir spouting through the front cluster of birches. I debate whether to keep or cut it.

One of our challenges is caring for our parents from so far away. On this unexpected trip to the US, we blocked a day to drive to see them in Canada and come back the same night. That may have to expand as my mom is not doing well.

I spend a good part of the morning on the upper balcony. I remember a rocking chair under the cabin. W hauls in out, pokes the wicker back into place, and we clean the chrome and seat thoroughly before dragging the chair upstairs. The balcony is a comfy perch for reading.

I guess we did ok: here's the chair when it's new. We must have a rip-off. I find a second one, which we clean later on.

I've cooked more in 2 weeks at the cabin than in the months before in Bandung. We're almost through the leftovers and fresh produce in the fridge. W's happy: his low bid for a sleeper compartment on the Amtrak train is accepted. (He saves $400 over purchasing the seats outright.) So we'll lie flat overnight when we leave tomorrow.

I call Mom, who is doing better today. Then I call my 93-yr-old Uncle E, who lives in the middle of Canada. What a treasure he's been, praying for us through my lifetime. We pray for him each day, too. I call Mom with the update about him ... it's round and round keeping connected.

Wednesday

Time to clean up before we head back to the city. We walk the morning streets, greeting many volunteers who make the camp a safe and beautiful place. The echos of teen voices pierce through the trees from the breakfast line.

Room by room, the cabin is pulled into shape.

I haven't dusted the old wasps nests and the birch branches at the door - but most everything else is done. We pack up, haul the garbage away, and clean the appliances last.

We have supper with Gary and Philly, Paul and Kathy (K's famous pizza - YUM!) at the Rohde cabin before Gary takes us to the Whitefish station at 9:30pm. The train's running late due to speed restrictions in the overheated plains. They go 20-40mph so there are no sparks igniting the grass beside the tracks.

In the dark, W and I stroll around Whitefish for a half hour, admiring the stained glass windows at the Presbyterian church. The windows tell the Story and honor those who have lived well.

Thursday

Our train leaves at 3:30 am instead of 10:30 pm. W's  sleeper car lets us stretch out and sleep. We get the free breakfast in the dining car about 7:00 before I go back to sleep. At 9:30, the attendant knocks until I get up and insists she has "to make up the suite before Seattle." Ok ... except Seattle is 5-6 hours away. I really could have used more rest.

We cross ranch land where cattle graze in open fields

and find shade where they can.

Since we're 5 hours behind, the dining crew assembles a midday meal of leftover potatoes, gravy, and a bit of meat for "beef stew." We sit across from Mike and Gina at lunch, praying with them for their estranged son.

Pictures taken from the train windows have the glaze of faded old photos.

It's travel with no obligations = restful. "Would you get a sleeper again?" W asks. Yes, definitely. Being able to lie flat is a great blessing.

Read more:

*He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 NIV

*Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:1-6

ABC Prayer: Eternal Father, we admit that we cannot save ourselves. Help us to believe in your love and your provision of Jesus as our Savior and Lord. Then teach us to commit ourselves to following and obeying you as the ancient believers did. Thank you for paying the debt we could not pay and forgiving our sins completely. We honor and worship you today. Amen.

God's loving-kindness and generosity

 Friday, June 14, 2024

I had a few in-person meetings yesterday. Today continues with the same, so we walk first thing.

Then I check the newly-built 20' (+6 meters) grape trellis. The yardman planted THREE grapevines, one at each intersection. My dad's single grapevine spanned 40' (+14 m) and was heavy even after being pruned each year to one main branch.

"No worries," PakAD says when I protest. Apparently he hasn't grown grapes before. Grapes grow year-round here, without a winter rest. Yikes. He'll have to cut these vines back a few times a year and brace the trellis as soon as they take off.

At lunch, W and PakG arrive with our SUV jammed full of books. "I thought we agreed not to get more books," says W. Sigh. So did I.

2 chameleons rustle beside the Porch where we eat lunch. Can you spot them? Look for their 2' (600cm) tail, their skinny feet, or crested heads.

"Careful, don't get too close. They bite!" say our helpers. Juno doesn't care. She waits for them to dangle within reach but walks away when W shouts at her to "Leave it!" We don't want her to get bitten. She's fascinated by wild things in the yard and brings us gifts when she catches them.

An hour behind the guys is the moving van heaped with furniture, games, classroom items, maps, and ... more books. 

What? More books are wedged between shelves in the truck. These latest +50 bags are our final batch, I hope. Who will take them? W and I spend a few hours sorting piles and categories.

I've drawn up a map again for the shelves we are keeping. Since the house assimilated 11 shelves last week, I need precise measurements and creative placement. Where does it go? Here is one before and after set, with the old under the new.

We swipe everything off the buffet/dresser before putting the new shelf in place. Its measurements are exactly the same as the shelf below.

Another shelf corrals clutter under the kitchen cabinets.

The guys wrestle 5 round tables and seven shelves off the truck so it's ready for the next load. Two shelves have been purchased by a helper. We put them aside for now.

It takes all 4 guys to put the "beast" of shelves in place. The glass cabinets have locks and keys. Not sure when that will be useful. "A bonus," someone pipes up.

Another bonus? a rocking chair that will go to a charity for unwed moms and local adoptions, or to the church nursery.

The first person to show up takes classroom items, books, and maps.

A teacher sorts through teaching manuals. Many of the university students don't have access to materials that are common in the West so these discards are a godsend.

The two movers agree to extra trips that take them all day. "Will you drop off shelves for MrM at his school?" Ok - they take his load from the next city to across town. "Then bring IbuA's table and shelves here, pls."

"Could you load up the tables for the hall with a table and shelves for the helpers?" By the truck's fourth trip, it is late afternoon. W adds $6-30 per load, depending on how far the destination.  That includes 2 wiry movers.

A friend asks for novels and action books. We fill two huge bags for pickup tomorrow. Everything settles into the house. W picks up a supper pizza on his walk home from the last trip to the hall. What a guy! We're worn out.

Saturday 

After our morning walk, co-lecturer Gail meets me online about an upcoming class. She appreciates this season of choosing work that she enjoys. At our age, we no longer feel the obligation to agree to every request.

W and I call our moms, read through the Sunday talk, and W loads up our car with books for the hall. We'll give away as much as we can on Sunday and have the admin display a new load each week ... until the books are gone. W has meetings in town until afternoon.

The motorcycle taxi comes for our friend's 2 bags while Melvi selects books for herself and her friends. PakG offloads the books at the hall and delivers a final load of 15 bags to a new library on the next hill. Everything but MrM's pile is spoken for. What an answer to prayer! Stuff comes. It goes. Thanks be to God.

W eats downtown while my lunch is vegetarian leftovers. Yum.

The thunder rumbles in, midafternoon. I find a few expensive textbooks in the stacks. What provision!

There are a few books our kids loved, too. We'll pack them for the next trip to the grandkids.

Sunday: Father's Day

We display books on the table outside the hall, free for the taking. W has written the Father's Day talk, which includes how much his dad meant to him. I celebrate my dad all day, thanking God for healthy and loving parents. And I remember my "second dad" who shared a birthdate with my father. I still love my dear Uncle Erich in his 90s.

At lunch, we celebrate Shibli and Herbert who are graduating. Except that both of them have made plans elsewhere. We split their two "Congratulations!" cakes among the team after a nice lunch without them. 

We send pictures of each family's portion to the missing guys. We are thrilled to have Alice back as well after an extended time away.

W and I feel at home in the little library space; we eat most meals at its just-right table beside the kitchen.

Della and Daniel take Titik's beautiful bouquet home - they'll celebrate their daughter's grad this week.

A young friend comes by for her English charity school. She thins MrM's load with her items. Afterward, W and I work on typical Sunday afternoon stuff. While he's editing sound from the morning video, I'm planning the week ahead. (Our day of rest is Thursday.)

Monday - feast of Abraham

All night long, the chants and readings from the Koran are broadcast across the city. Not many people sleep since mosque speakers are turned to high volume for the special broadcasts. We walk at sunup and pass a cow tied to a business gate. This cow has no idea what's ahead. 

A little further, goats and cattle are tied up. They'll be ritually slaughtered in commemoration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son. The Bible says it was Isaac. (Click here to read the original story.) The Koran doesn't specify which son so Arab culture has adapted the story to their ancestor Ishmael.

Groups of Muslims are headed for the neighborhood meeting place. When the ritual butchers have divided the animals, the piece each family (or group of families) has purchased is taken home for cooking. It's a much-anticipated feast and a government red-letter day (holiday) for all.

W and I pray, "May God find those who are seeking him." We pray for peace and favor over those who are celebrating.

Followers of Jesus have the assurance that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He foreshadowed the sacrifice of his Son in the willingness of Abraham to offer his own son to God. Now, since the death of Jesus on our behalf, our debt is paid in full. What hope! What joy! And what confidence we have in our Savior and his salvation.

Read more (about the joy of serving the God of Abraham today):

*[Joshua told the people of Israel:] Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:14-15

*We know that Christ was raised from the dead and will never die again. Death doesn’t control him anymore. When he died, he died once and for all time. He did this to break the power of sin. Now that he lives, he lives in the power of God. In the same way, consider yourselves to be dead as far as sin is concerned. Now you believe in Christ Jesus. So consider yourselves to be alive as far as God is concerned. Romans 6:9-11

*For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18 

*My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1-2

Prayer: Generous Creator, what kindness and love you have shown us. What we could never accomplish by striving for a perfect righteous life, you did by sending your son Jesus. You apply his perfect obedience and righteousness to us. We have become your children because we have accepted your loving sacrifice and forgiveness. All praise, honor, and glory belong to you, One God, now and forever. Amen.