A legacy of laughter, kindness, and prayer

Vancouver BC from space: Chris Hadfield NASA

There's remarkable unity in God's creativity. This week, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield tweeted incredible photos from his NASA space mission. I thought some of them were pictures of underwater coral formations. Nope, that's the ferry dock on the BC shoreline. From small to huge, the signature of God is beautifully consistent.

Waldemar's family buried his 99-year-old Uncle Ferdinand last weekend. That old man lived a live of consistent laughter, kindness, and prayer. (Obituary here.)

Uncle Ferdinand at 99

Uncle Ferdinand Hirch grew up in Poland and German. He was a hard worker, whether as a laborer or in his eventual profession as a baker of exquisite German breads and pastries. (Oh those marzipan rolls and cream horns!)

Parts of Uncle Ferdinand's life can only be described as difficult and miserable. His family was so poor that he had to leave home at an early age to look for work. As a young father, he was conscripted into the Russian army. He lost track of his wife and baby for nearly 2 years. He survived being shot through the face -- a bullet went through his nose and out his ear. "That bullet saved my life. I got out of the army!" he said, rejoicing in his life rather than complaining about his deafness. A German pastor happened to read the Red Cross missing persons bulletin after WWII, leading to the family being reunited.

Uncle Ferdinand and Aunt Lydia's only child became a missionary, a great hardship of distance between close-knit parents and child. Uncle F and Auntie L made a point of traveling to Brazil to help build churches, pray over each new grandchild (all five of them!), and sacrificially supporting their son's ministry. They prayed long hours, lived simply so they could be generous, and hosted hundreds of people in their home over the years. They tended a lush garden brimming with basics and exotics like asparagus in the spring, berries and potatoes throughout the summer, and cabbage and horseradish in the fall. They canned and cooked, baked and cleaned in the old European tradition.

Uncle Ferdinand suffered many physical crises through his 99 years. His baker's hours were a brutal 3am - afternoon. (My brother, who worked for him one year, exclaimed about the physical exertion as well as the extreme hours.) Yet Uncle Ferdinand never complained. He and Auntie L greeted every bakery customer with a cheerful hello or word of kindly advice.

He was a joker, telling simple stories from life with a laugh and viewing human interactions as a funny series of possibilities. He attributed his long life to the goodness of God.

Waldemar's uncle never missed a morning or evening church meeting he could get to, even after Auntie Lydia died nearly 10 years ago. The church's sanctuary was only accessible by a long flight of stairs but he climbed them, service after service. Before reaching those stairs, it took a great effort to cross the church parking lot from his senior apartment after a knee replacement in his 90s. Then a car hit him in a crosswalk, hurling his 95-year-old body into a heap on the ground. He was in the hospital for a while but kept his good humor and happy outlook. And he went back to sit in his pew as soon as he could.

At 99, he still rode his scooter to town to shop for groceries. He cooked his own food, kept a neat apartment, did his laundry, and shrugged off "too much help" even when climbing stairs. He shopped in town on a recent Friday, howdy-ed with people who knew him, and died when his heart stopped that evening. He was almost halfway through the year toward his 100th birthday.

"He was always glad to see us!" According to his grandkids, he was cheerful as he ate, sang, and prayed with them last Christmas. He didn't complain about the noise of his 12 great-grandkids, nor the effort it took to get to his grandson's house for Christmas dinner, nor about having to Skype greetings to his son and daughter-in-law in faraway Brazil rather than hugging them in person.

Flying over Key Largo: Chris Hatfield, NASA

The consistency of Uncle Ferdinand's life reminds me of what only God can do in us. From his creativity and wholeness in micro to macro worlds, life with God is stunning in its integrity and beauty.

Over 100 people attended the funeral on Saturday, many in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. The memorial was that "small" only because most of his traveling companions have already died.

Who do you know with a similar legacy? Are you leaving similar good memories behind for your friends and family?

Read more:
*The Lord God is a sun and shield. Psalm 84:11

*Solomon also made all the furnishings of the Temple of the LORD: the gold altar; the gold table for the Bread of the Presence; the lampstands of solid gold, five on the south and five on the north, in front of the Most Holy Place; the flower decorations, lamps, and tongs—all of gold; … the doors for the entrances to the Most Holy Place and the main room of the Temple, with their fronts overlaid with gold.

So King Solomon finished all his work on the Temple of the LORD. Then he brought all the gifts his father, David, had dedicated—the silver, the gold, and the various articles—and he stored them in the treasuries of the LORD's Temple. 1 Kings 7:48–51

*It is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6

Moravian Prayer: Dear Father of light, thank you for shielding us so we can worship you another day. Continue to remove darkness from our souls and spirits so we may be beacon lights in your name for others to follow. Amen.

"I never thought I'd die"

How hopeful are you?

Coast guard rescue of Ryan Harris: BBC report

Teen Ryan Harris and his friend Mac capsized into stormy Alaskan seas this week. His friend was able to pull on a survival suit and swim to shore. Ryan wasn't as lucky but he was inventive in the face of certain death. The BBC reported:

Mr Harris took refuge in a bin used to store fish, and the two men were soon separated by the waves.

Mr Harris said he repeated to himself for hours the mantra, "I'm Ryan Hunter Harris and I'm not going to die here", and sang Rudolf, the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Row, Row, Row Your Boat, he told the Daily Sitka Sentinel.

"I never thought I was going to die, but I was worried about Mac," Mr Harris told the newspaper.

Ryan, climbing out of the Coast Guard rescue basket
inside the helicopter

Teens seem to think they're immortal. It's cool that Ryan repeated his name as a living reference, telling himself he would survive this awful accident. And he did. He was rescued after 26 hours. That's a loooooong day!

"I cheer you on, Ryan! May God give you the pleasures of a close relationship with himself to give you joy all your days." Ryan's care for Max also proves his concern for others. Bet he's the type to cultivate friends for life.

How do you face insurmountable obstacles? What happens when you're sideswiped and thrown into deep waters?

• Do you grab for the survival suit or the fish bin?
• Do you think only of yourself or do you look around to help others?
• Or ... do you give up hope and drift away into the freezing depths?

How have you faced the waves of death? Has it made you more optimistic or less trusting of the wide wide world and its opportunities and dangers?

Read more:

*The LORD protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and he saved me. Let my soul be at rest again, for the LORD has been good to me. He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. 

And so I walk in the LORD's presence as I live here on earth! I believed in you, so I said, 'I am deeply troubled, LORD.' Psalm 116:6–10

*The steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant. Psalm 103:17-18

*Continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. Colossians 1:23

Moravian Prayer: What a treasure it is to love one another, Lord, just as you have loved us. May that love be shared from generation to generation among your people. Cast aside our fear and doubt, proclaiming through us the good news of hope to all whom you put in our path. Amen.

The optimist's viewfinder

The post by Chris Guillebeau startled me this morning in thinking about the opportunities of an optimist: click here to view. Summer's almost here, so I feel challenged to gratefulness and celebration again. Chris notes that not all of us can do everything but we can admire and appreciate those with gifts like and unlike our own. Who deserves our applause today?

A closer look at "ordinary"

I found these flowers this morning along our gravel driveway. In their natural setting they were unspectacular. In a vase, amazing. People are like that too, sometimes sparkling in unexpected style.

Sometimes the constraints we feel aren't real. Sometimes we act as though we're tethered when God has given us incredible freedom to act and be, empowered by his Spirit. I walk my dogs on a leash but I'm rarely holding the leash. It trails behind them. If they wanted to take off, they could ... but they think I'm in control so they follow on my heels. Good doggies! (Silly people.)

Tethered. Sort-of.

Almost 4 weeks in Israel's sunshine has snapped me back to reality and healthy optimism (after 6 months of NW winter depression = life feels full of possibilities on sunny days but dreary and worthless during endless rainy Seattle mornings.) It's not always enough to have an office window facing south, a "sun-like" HappyLite staring me in the eyes, three brooder hanging lamps overhead (like hatchery lights), and two bright lightbulbs on the ceiling. The sunlight and outdoor exercise on the Holy Lands tour provided a rebirth from winter-death. Those of you with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) understand.

Whatever our day brings, we will choose the viewfinder. Our actual life options may be wide open. They may be narrowly constricted by health, finances, and relationships. God who sees us through his lens of loving Truth––as we are, where we are––offers us the benefits of abundant living, regardless of our circumstances. That starts in the heart and mind.

Bronze mouse sculpture, wasp's nest, and moss

Let's take advantage of his mercy––regardless of others' perceptions of our opportunities or challenges––with a positive "yes" to his bounty and the beauty around us! What ordinary and extraordinary things are within your reach?

Read more:

*God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” Exodus 3:14

*Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:35-40 NIV

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Revelation 21:6 

Moravian Prayer: Lord, may we never question the infinite presence that is you, the great I Am. As we value you, may we also value all of your creation, remembering that all are worthy because all are from you. Amen.