Ways of seeing and being

Friday, February 16, 2024 (Lent Day 3)

I'm pondering the goodness of God toward someone as unworthy as I. What comfort we find in his kindness and mercy.

The dogs are ready to go at 6:00 a.m. - "yip, yip" accompanied by a prancing Bailey - so, a walk it is!

I write a few book reviews. 20 or 30 more reviews are waiting to be written. This book is a winner so I start here. I recommend it as a step-by-step manual for entrepreneurs figuring out business basics, a creating marketable culture, and defining their online presence.

In the afternoon, the Bandung book group meets to discuss a story of Syrian refugees. 

My grandparents and their kids (including Mom) were war refugees in Europe so this book feels personal. I remember their stories. What is similar between them and many of today's refugees? The fear, the displacement, the desire to settle their family is the same.

What is very different? Unlike some migrants or refugees today, Grandma and Mom's generation had an attitude of appreciation and gratitude rather than entitlement. They set out to improve the place where they landed and determined to work hard. They understood that their own immigrant community needed to help each other invest. When they could put a down payment on a home, it was a badge of honor to pay off their mortgage before spending a dime on extras.

The entire family - parents and kids and sometimes grandparents - got jobs and pooled their incomes. They were so frugal that the word only begins to describe their lifestyles. They were determined to fit into the new culture and, poor though they were, they refused handouts. They never had instant benefits or the lifestyle of locals who had worked hard. Instead, they took whatever menial jobs they could, gardened, and ate home-cooked meals while they got on their feet.

Grandma had lots of stories. She told us about the night when she and her children were part of a refugee train going through an area known for guerrilla attacks on the railroad. She prayed and saw an angel flying outside her window all night long - and the train passed unharmed. She not only believed in miracles: she experienced them. Days like today, I miss her still.

Saturday (Lent Day 4)

Mom and I talk as we do each morning, continents and an ocean apart.

DrW and I meet on the walk and do a few loops. On the final round, she spots a young man looking for something at the roadside. He's stumbled and lost a lens from his glasses. We search the grass and undergrowth with him, but it's nowhere to be found. 

After a few minutes, I pray aloud: "God, you know where it is. Help us to find it." The dogs and I cut through the hedge to the water runoff ditch, to search from the other side. There it is, hidden even when the young man sees where I'm pointing.

"Put your hand down now," I tell him. He lands on the lens. All three of us happily continue our walks. Thank you, God.

Mid morning, I feel I should call my WPPR friends. What a divine treat to reconnect without the back-and-forth scheduling we usually need. They answer from around the world - hurrah! and we catch up. 

The sun shines through the clouds so I wander into the yard. The yellow marigold-like flowers are 8' tall on either side of the lawn. They grow and grow - and get pulled out and composted when they stop blooming.

The rain has brought a burst of color around the fishponds.

Even the vines that shade our room are greening out after a trim. I like the shrub's shape in front of it. I can't use the mops for arrangements because they wilt quickly and completely.

Along the Porch are pops of bright green, pink, and purple. The yellowish shrub is rumored to ward off mosquitoes with its bitter citrusy scent. It's not working; as I write, mosquitoes buzz around me.

On the 12' wall that separates us from our neighbors, the bird's nest ferns are 5' (1.6 m) across. We only dreamed of such green abundance while living on the West Coast (Vancouver/Seattle) and enduring the 6 months of cold weather.

W gets a first-class upgrade as a Delta million-miler on the flight from Austin to Seattle. "Nice, but maybe not worth an extra $600," is his verdict.

He stopped in Austin on either side of a theology commission session in Missouri. In Austin, he checked things off our daughter's "Dad's-help" list.

Despite his crazy schedule, he feels invigorated. This trip combines many of his interests: travel, helping others, and learning about God / talking about Him with friends. He'll be home soon.

A few times over the course of the day, I fill my thermos with hot tea and drink from a glass teacup bought in Turkey last year. The shape is perfect in my hand and for my mouth.

From my vantage at the dining table, the room feels cozy and subdued. Gold and cream, pale pinks and blues, olive green, chocolate brown, and black = a strange combination?

One throw pillow has most of the colors, which pulls it all together.

This beautiful pastel portrait has moved around the house: it's been upstairs and downstairs, in one room and in another. I liked it the minute it was spotted in a close-out sale at an art galley. 

However, no matter where we set it, we had to go right up to it to see any details. We put non-glare glass on it as any reflected light made the face disappear.  It finally found a place on the easel in a corner of the living room, lit by a Turkish mosaic lamp.

Outside, a mass of dark clouds comes churning down the mountains. Thunder begins to rumble. Heavy raindrops slap the leaves and bend the branches. Last week, a footballer died from a direct lightning strike while playing a game in town. So we don't mess around when the weather comes in.

The dogs crowd into Bailey's medium-sized crate, appreciating the tight quarters as the storm shakes the ground. If I were afraid of the crashing, I'd be tempted to crawl in with them: it's so close. Gypsy has to come inside for 2 hours: he is terrified by the nearby FLASH BANG! of lightning and thunder.

Sunday

Our tech person and W are traveling. We have a wonderful sub - but before she arrives, the worried worship team asks for my help. HA as though I know anything! We video-call W and he explains the basics of what to plug in and turn on. Which of course doesn't work because ... (I tried to follow directions quickly and completely. Oh well.) Ivo to the rescue!

Our topic from Acts 3 is divine healing and provision, in scripture and in the Church. We read a lot of passages and I speak and invite people to come forward.

S mentions that it would be good to ask for volunteers each week so, "Hey, let's make a quick video and post that!" And we do, on the spot. The media crew can work on a nice formal one when they have time.

Laurel and I have a great lunch at Maxi's and then walk back to our neighborhood together. Waiting outside are the beautiful flowers from Ibu Titik. She's made 3 huge bouquets from about $12 worth of blooms. Her creative gift rivals any professional florist's. 

Every week, we get spoiled by the Sunday flowers. If someone lands in hospital, is ill at home, or celebrating, we pass them along. Otherwise, this gift of God is appreciated by our guests and us. When a flower droops, it gets recut and rehydrated until no life is left.

I take an arrangement inside for the entry table, balancing it on an old clay pot. The pot has long since lost its base but the sides (30cm/1' tall) make a good stand.

The dogs are happy to see us and bounce around saying hello before eating their own lunch.

Read more:

*[Job said:] I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! Job 19: 25-27

*So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart. Psalm 90:12

*If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. Romans 14:8

*Be patient, therefore, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. James 5:7

Moravian Prayers: Alpha and Omega, we recognize that all things come from you and will return to you. Help us to be careful that we live out our lives in a manner that is pleasing to you. 

God, you are truly quite phenomenal! You are precious, and your patience and provisions are incomparable. Continue to deal bounteously with us; keep us faithful even as you are faithful. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

Elections galore and food to remember

Monday, February 12, 2024 - a birthday of remembrance for Dr Hanna, who would have been 81 today.

I leash Juno and walk her for a few miles. She remembers the instructions from last week and sits immediately when we stop. After a few adjustments - and boy, is she a heavy lunk! and hard to shift to my side, she plunks herself beside me the minute we stop.

So ... the not-sitting was because she didn't wanted to? Hmmm. I praise and pet her vigorously when she gets it right. One of the reasons I'm strict with our dogs is for their safety - and mine.  She's strong and heavy so could probably pull me anywhere.

A few months ago, Juno spotted a cat, cutting across W's path as he was running. He tripped over her and skinned his face. Today, she pays attention when I preemtively say, "Leave it" as we pass some cats. She walks right by. Good girl.

It's a morning of meetings and writing. I'm speaking on divine healing for next weekend. I read an "oldie but goodie" about how God answers prayer, in addition to being captured by 5 stories of healing in the scriptures. What to keep, what to hold for another time?

The political signs are coming down, 3 days before the election. I spot this one lingering in the neighborhood. There's a fine if the campaign is caught with a sign still up today.

Parents take their kids to school while older teens and young adults head to work. There's a constant buzzing of motorcycles. Sometimes a whole family - dad, mom, school kids, and babies - rides on one bike.

After Christmas, I chose subdued brown, red, and black batik fabrics for the table. I still feel the Seattle "winter" in the dark of rainy January, though it is warm and wet in Bandung.

Today, when the tablecloth colors change to white and blue, it brightly refreshes the dining area.

 Lunch is at Tizi's, our friend's favorite family restaurant. 

The place has been open since her daughters were little girls. They remember swinging in the courtyard as kids.

At home, I clip some ferns that have seeded on the guava tree and give the daisies from last week's bouquets one more chance.

Tuesday

The day starts with a 5:30 meeting before a walk and more meetings. Overhead, the vines are ablaze with color.

The old fig tree is dripping with inedible figs. Wow - it could feed us all if the figs were good.

I love the natural companionship of these nurses, on a loop walk from the nearby hospital. They hold hands and chat.

All of MS Word disappears on my computer and I have to call W to fix it - almost opposite me on the clock. "Activate Word 365," the only option, isn't working. Ugh.

Laurel comes for lunch and then it's team meeting time.

Supper is simple: egg salad sandwich on homemade bread.

Ash Wednesday, Valentine's Day, Election Day

Kevin has sent his Lenten Devotional and we look forward to the daily challenges.

W and I call each other, he at night and I in the morning. Across this country, it's election day. People vote from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. across the nation.

Thursday

We hike the forest trails and the tea plantations. What a relief: it's been 4 weeks. I taught for 3 and last week was Chinese New Year traffic so we didn't go.

On this route, we stop for a photo under an enormous tree.

Some long seed pods catch our attention. They'd be amazing on a table, filled with wax or votives. But I'm not in the mood to schlep them so they stay on the forest floor.

The dogs are thrilled to be out walking. When they're out of sight, I whistle and they come running back.

We find a cave beside the trail but only 2 climb up the bank to it. It's small and empty.

About halfway into the hike, it starts to rain. Soon our shoes are full of water and the dogs are soaked.

Everyone has brought a raincoat. It was sunny when we left the city this morning but we know how unpredictable the mountain weather is.

After, some of us eat lunch at Mandarin in Lembang. Delicious food, reliable service, free hot tea. What's not to love?

For the first time, I see this Aceh heroine (freedom fighter, says PakG) on a bill. Rp1000 is worth about 6c.

The helper has been in the garden, gathering flowers to refresh a fading arrangement. Good job!

I warm up with a shower while PakG brushes the seeds out of the dogs' coats and ears. 

"Look for leeches," I say after finding one - fat and full - on my leg. Only one, though. Sometimes there are up to 10 after we trample through wet grass. We pull them off and splash the bloody holes with a traditional oil formula: minyak gosok.

W's buying American and European chocolate (TJ and Aldi) so I feel obligated to make a dent in the DairyMilk Kettle & salt bar at home. I sit and write, and brush ants off my face and chair. They come in all sizes and enter the house from the garden when it rains.

Lenten blogs posted here: https://simplelife-rosemarie.blogspot.com/ 

Read more:

*My Spirit abides among you; do not fear. Hagai 2:5

*Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

*For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as servants for Jesus’ sake. 2 Corinthians 4:5

Moravian Prayer: Spirit of God, your holy presence makes us confident in all things. We are assured that we do not need to fear because you have overcome the world. Grant us the strength to always trust in your abiding presence. Amen.

Day 2, Lent 2024: What have I promised?

These daily posts are found at https://simplelife-rosemarie.blogspot.com/

----

Decades ago, I promised God I'd follow anywhere he led, just like Jesus did. Then I would wince at the thought that the life of Jesus led to the cross. And I'd hope that suffering would be distant and my life wouldn't be painful.

Yet pain comes. Suffering comes. Distractions arise. And in daily life, we get diverted from our promises.

This Lenten season, I'm asking God to remind me of my promises. 

I want to rest in the comfort Moses promised God's people if they would align themselves with God's nature and his plans: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you;he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Challenge: In what ways am I following through on what I have promised him? Do I trust him to fulfill his purposes for me?

Ash Wednesday 2024: Giving it up

Lent has arrived more quickly than I anticipated. I post daily during Lent = through Good Friday (March 29) at https://simplelife-rosemarie.blogspot.com/  Use the posts to help you renew a sense of wonder at your salvation. (Subscribe if you want an automatic email.)

---- Ash Wednesday 2024: Giving it up----

Today around the world, the palm fronds from last year will be burned and the ashes touched to the forehead in the shape of a cross. 

During Lent, the next 40 days of meditation and prayer, we remember that Jesus lived and died for us - . Typically, Christians choose a daily spiritual discipline - fasting, prayer, Bible reading, etc. - that turns our hearts toward God and his loving sacrifice for us. 

Remember that the discipline does not make you more beloved or holy in God's eyes. You are already completely loved. And what Jesus accomplished on the cross makes you holy and righteous in God's eyes.

Fasting is usually the discipline of Lent. You can limit food or drink (do a traditional fast), media, a habit, a routine, or ...?

Challenge: What will you give up for Lent to make space for spiritual growth? Or, what spiritual discipline will you choose to honor Jesus as your Savior and Lord? 

Creatures and growing things

Friday, February 9, 2024

A double walk with one dog is what I manage this morning. I leash Juno the labradoodle at 7:00 a.m. since she's most likely to howl if left behind. She trots at my side like a pony. Later in the day, I take Bailey the poodle on a loop. He is stroked by school children, who are normally frightened of dogs. 

"He's like a little lamb, feel his coat," I encourage them. The brave ones go first. When we get home, he naps.

Our houseguests have their own agendas so the house is quiet during the day while the helpers work. Ibu Siti the masseuse grinds the kinks out of my back.

Yesterday, Alaine my spiritual director led me through a body-awareness exercise to see where emotions are being carried. "Sometimes the body responds before the mind or spirit are aware of what you're feeling." Things grind to a halt mid-back.

Alaine encourages me to pay attention to what fear and joy and stress feel like. Then, when my body reacts, I can recognize the emotions I'm feeling. Good idea. Right now, the tangle of thoughts in my head is like these pea sprouts.

"Name the block you're feeling, if you want to," Alaine says. "Identify what belongs to you or what the block is carrying for you. Then ask what you can offer up to God." Maybe she's expecting me to name the tension in my back: "stress," or "block," or some other identification.

But "Fred," pops into my head. I laugh aloud. I've been thinking often about Dad, who died 3 years ago, so I guess that's where that word come from. For decades, my dad assumed his middle name was Fred in honor of his uncle. He called his business AFD Enterprises - his supposed initials. But when he checked his birth certificate in his 50s., lo and behold, he had no middle name. There was no "Fred."

So the label FRED makes me laugh. It soon becomes an acronym for things in my life: "Family, Relationships, Emotions, Distractions." My amusement at FRED's identification entwines with sorrow at the complications of life. I was ready for spiritual direction and Alaine hears from God what can guide my journey.

And today, Siti the masseuse gives me a fresh start, grinding out the knots. After I'm relaxed and showered, the lovely Caron drops by to listen and give comfort after the strange weeks we've waded through. We drink tea and coffee (her treat) on the Porch and eat freshly-baked cookies made by IbuA and IbuS this week. Caron's visit assures me of God's sovereignty and love through it all.

After combining bouquets to use in the hall Sunday, I finish grading class assignments from the past weeks. I drop the grades into a fresh Excel sheet. There's one more task - a long one - ahead before the class is done. I'll spend the next month correcting revisions and offering suggestions to make the student papers the best possible. This is an intensive class for the lecturer but if the students improve their writing, I'm happy. No free passes though. No excuses. They have to do the work.

Saturday - Lunar New Year

The best thing about any beginning is the hopefulness about what may lie ahead. Melvi, Laurel, and I walk a few blocks to see Alice and her family. We've just eaten but they serve lychee and rose tea - the same blend we drank the last time I visited their mom. They offer delicious snacks: banana chips and spicy bbq chips.

The waterlilies are blooming in the pot beside the Porch when we get home.

One little durian falls off the tree. We don't have helpers here today (New Years vacation) so we send it off to the first neighbor on the list. The whiteboards and other supplies for Tanikota's English Program arrive via truck: shipping is cheap. It costs only a few dollars to move things across Java.

Saturday is usually a sabbath. When I wake at night I ponder how I'm living out the resolutions and promises I've made in years past. Realignment would allow God to pour out more abundance and grace. There's internal work to do, clearly.

Though it's the middle of the night, I start writing my annual Lenten blog. If I don't follow the prompting, there's no trace of the ideas in the morning.

Some Lent or Advent seasons, I write each day, exploring whatever I'm experiencing in this life of faith and discipleship. Those years, writing is a discipline of daily observation and recording.

This year, I'm apparently writing ahead of time - blindly listening - and trusting that each daily post will be the challenge God has for me that day. I ask God to speak through the words he's putting on the page. I finish a week's worth and turn in to bed, to continue sleeping.

Sunday

Laurel preaches her heart out on the meaning and significance of the Church. She's amazing, a gifted communicator.

The young people head off to lunch together. They come from almost every continent.

It's great fun to see their friendships develop.

It's also treat to meet Vanessa, visiting from a "sister" IES congregation in Jakarta. Turns out that we know many of the same people.

Lunch? A wonderful Mushroom Rules pizza at Miss Bee Providore. I eat a few slices and pack the rest up for later.

The dogs are happy to see me and sprawl nearby in the sun and wind. W's asked me to edit a chapter he's writing but I have no capacity to find the original document. I change out of "Sunday" clothing and relax on the Porch with the dogs around me. Periodically they run around the yard, barking up a storm - and then they come back to rest. Good doggies.

When the clouds and rain roll in, Gypsy hangs out by our room. When someone comes to the gate, he's off in a flash to make sure no one comes in uninvited. Then he settles down nearby.

I'm working my way through the most recent Morning Pages journal. I have about a dozen of these. Most are in Seattle but a few have filled up here. 

HINT: If you wonder who you are and what your gifts are, watch to see what you do without thinking or hesitation. I write. I dabble in art and I think a lot about decor - but I always write.

With high humidity and rain, many plants thrive. I got this ivy from a friend last Easter. It hasn't taken off like the ivy does in Seattle but it's still sending out vines.

On the other hand, the green wall is filling up with ordinary ferns. They need to be culled - maybe for a flower arrangement  - before they crowd out the orchids, birds nest ferns, and staghorn ferns.

Beside the Porch, the papaya tree sends out a continual parade of edible flowers.

The canary sings his heart out as soon as the rain starts to hiss through the garden. The creatures great and small, the Lord God made them all.

Read more:

*Repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in Christ’s name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. Luke 24:47

*It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:26

*Jesus says: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." John 15:4-5

*Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:1-2

Moravian Prayer: Faithful Companion, we thank you for your constant presence while we run this race. May your presence rejuvenate and strengthen us on this journey as we anticipate our salvation in Jesus Christ.

Gracious Redeemer, sometimes we take for granted how powerful it is to be pardoned of our sins. Help us to always embrace this blessing and proclaim the joy of sins forgiven with confidence to the whole world. Amen.