3 things that probably will never happen

Saturday's event may have been W's last NU graduation as full-time prof of 29 years. He'll be teaching online courses and doing other educational things but this is the end of an era for him. It's been fun for me, too. When we first came, I coordinated the women's group for faculty, staff, and spouses. I've been alum director, art chair, and taught off and on. When we lived next door to NU, the campus lawns and ponds were our kids' playground.

Looking forward to new adventures, we don't know what's ahead. But here are some things that I bet will never happen: (Photos below from http://news.yahoo.com/photos)

1. I'll never be a world-class artist (like Walton Ford, for example). That's ok. I like dabbling in watercolors and other artistic endeavors. I'm a happy amateur at a lot of things.

Paul Kasmin Gallery, NY: Walton Ford exhibition

2. I won't ever be an astonishing athlete. Being fit enough to function works. At a checkup yesterday, the doc smiled at me and said, "Doing good. See you whenever." That's fine with me.

A Sydney tournament: Swans vs Hawks

3. I doubt I'll ever be a "pet parent" or let a dog lick my face. Among the things we're letting go of here is dog ownership. I'm miss my dog, but he's one of the things we leave behind. Who'd put an animal in a long quarantine? We like him too much for that... 

Dortmund, Germany: dog show

I'm okay with all of the above. 

What aspirations have you left behind? What accomplishments of others don't matter to you? 

Aren't you glad to be who you are, the person God designed for this time and this place and this adventure? Thanks be to God.

3 things about endings

Opa and his girl

How do you handle transitions? Do you easily leave the past behind and get excited about the future? 

Is your life filled with happy memories? Or do you have many regrets?

Today marked the end of 31 years at NU for W and me. Three things we talked about today:

1. We are astonished by God's goodness. You can't plan a life as wonderful as God gives. No one could solicit such favor; it is God's gift.

2. We enjoyed every minute, knowing it was for the last time. We want to remember, to appreciate, and to savor.

3. You can be happy and sad at the same time. We were so proud of the graduates and the participants in the ceremony, but it was bittersweet - this phase of life is almost over.

We sense the new season rushing in. To God be the glory and thanks for the past, present, and future. Thankfully God is the same in each - we are anchored to his unchanging love and compassion.

Read more:

*I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2 ESV

*Jesus says, "I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture." John 10:9 ESV

*Thomas said to Jesus, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." John 14:5-6 ESV

Moravian Prayer: Loving Shepherd, may we enter life through you. On days when we are alone and lost, we know you will find us and bring us home. Amen.

3 things about Angela's book

For more info, click here.

She appeared before a room full of women, dressed in a tiara, tutu, and sash, waving a stick topped with a star (oops, a magic wand). Angela protests that my imagination is making up the tutu and sash. But to a person who hates dressing up (me), I remember thinking she'd dressed like a fairy godmother.

Actually, she was just making announcements at the women's conference, but she was brave, funny, creative - and dramatic. She offered a new perspective, while giving information and direction.

Her book - How to Love Your Crazy Family: 52 Quick Reads for No Ordinary Days - similarly engages our attention. She writes about her own family, full of gifting, quirks, and serious challenges, just like yours and mine.

Here are 3 things I liked about the book:

1. It's practical. If you have a family - especially one with special needs or disabilities, you'll learn important basic principles and practical advice. How to love by serving. How to nurture and encourage. How to show up with all your heart, to help your family grow. 

2. It's easy to understand. With good organization and plain language, Angela makes you feel hopeful about caring for our imperfect families. Whenever life feels crazy, it's possible to gain perspective, pick up the pieces, and move forward.

3. It's creative and funny. Angela's big heart and humor make this book is easy to read. You'll fall in love with her family and your own. You'll think deeply - while laughing aloud and empathizing with the Howard household and treasuring the people God's brought together - around her and around you!

I recommend it for anyone wondering if they'll survive the challenges of marriage and parenting. Angela shows us that where there's love, there's hope. Where there's life, there's potential. You'll enjoy this read, whether as a once-a-week meditation or if you pick it up whenever you need a lift.

Get to know the woman behind the smile:

Angela Howard
blog:           www.noordinarydays.com
speaking:   www.noordinarydays.com/speaking
facebook:   www.facebook.com/angelajanehoward         

Read more:

*With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Isaiah 12:3 NEV

*Let eve . ryone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift. Revelation 22:17 NEV

Moravian Prayer: Lord God, help us to live the life you have set before us. Although we do not always know of your plans, may we place our faith solidly in your hands. Amen

3 things about rain and sunshine

The rainforest outside our door

With sunshine a memory of earlier in the week, the rain is pelting Seattle. What to do?

1. We acknowledge that we need rain as well as sun. Unlimited sun produces a hostile desert environment. Unlimited rain floods its surroundings. These lush forests of the Northwest need lots of water. And they get it, mixed with occasional and glorious warm sunshine that unfolds the leaves on the trees and opens the faces of dandelions.

2. There are tools for sun and rain. A wide-brimmed hat for sun. A wide-brimmed umbrella for rain. Lucky us.

3. Some of us have weather amnesia. When it's sunny, it's hard to remember the rain. And when it pours, sunshine is a distant memory. Let's be grateful for each day, whatever the weather.

Read more:

*They rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest. Isaiah 9:3 ESV

*Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NEV

*You have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:3 ESV

Moravian Prayer: Heavenly father, good news is ours to tell. Let no one fail to hear. May we serve the prisoners and feed the hungry, for love shows no choice or preference. Amen.

3 signs you're getting ready to leave

How do you know when you're almost ready to move?

1. Minimal is a good word.You stop buying food because you have to eat up what's in the pantry. Extra clothes = giveaways. Less is better. "Just enough" is enough. Of everything.
2. Non-essentials stop: shopping, visits, and appointments. You've got to do what has to get done; so everything else goes out the window.
3. Your calendar of "last things" is crammed. It may not be a pretty list, but the squares are full.

• Dental checkup
• Dr./physical
• Vaccines at Bartell's
• Open cabin for the kids
• Final writer's critique group
• Accountability group meeting
• (And the strangest entry of all, July 1) "Goodbye to everything"

We must be nearly ready to leave.

Read more:

*[When love of God and care for others is our priority:] Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. Isaiah 58:8-9a NIV

*If you do not stand firm in faith, you shall not stand at all. Isaiah 7:9 ESV

*Jesus said to Simon Peter, "I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail." Luke 22:32 NASB

Moravian Prayer: In days of doubt and in days of certainty, we pray, Lord, that our faith will always rest in you. Strengthen our hearts and our faith, trusting Lord. Amen.

C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity: 

Teachers will tell you that the laziest boy in the class is the one who works hardest in the end. They mean this. If you give two boys, say, a proposition in geometry to do, the one who is prepared to take trouble will try to understand it. The lazy boy will try to learn it by heart because, for the moment, that needs less effort. But six months later, when they are preparing for an exam, that lazy boy is doing hours and hours of miserable drudgery over things the other boy understands, and positively enjoys, in a few minutes.

Laziness means more work in the long run. Or look at it this way. In a battle, or in mountain climbing, there is often  one thing which it takes a lot of pluck to do; but it is also, in the long run, the safest thing to do. If you funk it, you will find yourself, hours later, in far worse danger. The cowardly thing is also the most dangerous thing.

It is like that here. The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self—all your wishes and precautions—to Christ. But it is far easier than what we are all trying to do instead. For what we are trying to do is to remain what we call ‘ourselves’, to keep personal happiness as our great aim in life, and yet at the same time be ‘good’. We are all trying to let our mind and heart go their own way — centred on money or pleasure or ambition—and hoping, in spite of this, to behave honestly and chastely and humbly. And that is exactly what Christ warned us you could not do. As He said, a thistle cannot produce figs. If I am a field that contains nothing but grass-seed, I cannot produce wheat. Cutting the grass may keep it short: but I shall still produce grass and no wheat. If I want to produce wheat, the change must go deeper than the surface. I must be ploughed up and re-sown.

3 things about heart-friends

We only meet every few years because we have a hard time finding a date when we're both free. But when we meet, my soul feels like it has feasted.

1. Friends have history. I had lunch today with a heart-friend of almost 40 years. Bonnie roomed with me in college for two years, rescuing me from almost certain extinction due to a previous roommate, who smothered me by shadowing me everywhere. B knew what she did/n't want and didn't need to define herself by our friendship. She was happy to be herself, funny, and pragmatic as we students were wrestling with who we would become. Those schoolmates have disappeared and we're older women who see the tracery of God's plan across the landscape of our lives. (However, funny stories remain forever, like our midnight raid on the guys' dorms during finals week ... which we confessed to dear Doc Holdcroft - our college president - after 25 years.)

2. Friends stay connected over time. After we graduated, we stayed in touch, occasionally meeting or writing letters. My letter about expecting our first son crossed the mail with her own announcement to me. (Our sons were born a month apart.) Then we had a daughter each. Our kids grew up, moved out, got jobs, and gave us a few grandkids.

We tried to say hi or schedule a visit on Boxing Day annually. Through the years, there were more misses than hits in connecting. Whenever we met, we remembered what we were like as young women and caught up on the people we knew in college. And we shared what God was doing around us in our husbands, kids, work, and church.

3. Friends keep Jesus at the center. We've exchanged our challenges and prayer requests as the years skipped by from decade to decade. I could depend on Bonnie to hear from God and share that with me.

We've marveled that life gets simpler, even when it doesn't get easier. Our focus intensifies as the main thing really takes hold of us (= our relationship with God). And the periphery - the stuff of life - though stressful and heartbreaking at times, draws us in closer, where we trust and love God more.

We don't know if we'll meet in person again. She's moving to a small Canadian community I've never visited, while we're off to Asia.

As we talked today about how God has aligned our gifts with our calling, we were both amazed. She loves to sing, worship, and serve people with special needs. I like studying, writing, and speaking.

We're so different. But we're similar because at our center is Jesus and his Kingdom. When we paused to pray after lunch, our hearts entwined again. She promised to support us in prayer and I did the same.

She asked of God: "May your Kingdom come on earth [in each of us] as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10)

"Ah yes please, Lord Jesus," my heart answered. "Walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. (Isaiah 26:8)

What a gift Bonnie is! Between times, we assume the other is growing in grace. We've prayed for each other since we were young. And we continue to do so. Each time we meet, I'm astonished at how I can trust her with my life.

God, today I want to thank you for this dear friend. Bless her, her family, and her calling. Let your face shine on B and other friends so dear.

These special heart-friendships are your gifts of grace, your compassion and favor on us. We could not conjure them up nor solicit such depth of feeling.

On this pilgrimage, you display your care by sending us fellow travelers who experience life's purpose and meaning from many vantage points. Through their faithfulness, we learn more about you and your Spirit among us.

We are so grateful. Help us to be a blessing to them as they are to us. Amen.

Who are your heart-friends?

3 things about: God and his secrets

Yes, inquiring minds want to know. But the more we research and find out, the more there is to know ... and the more mysterious the world and God seem to us. 

When you pause to think about God and the universe, do you get overwhelmed? I admit it: I do, too! I remember our youngest son at 8 years old, who loved reading the book of Revelation. He was moaning one evening, "Mom I have such a headache."

I asked him why.

"I'm reading the last book of the Bible and it gives me a headache to try to figure it out." (Yes, son. Even today, I can't understand it, but we do find out that God holds the universe together in the end.)

Here are three things we know about God and his secrets:

1. God is unique. Aren't you glad someone knows everything? It's sure not me (or you). 

You are the Lord, you alone; you have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. Nehemiah 9:6 ESV

2. God has secrets. However, we ARE responsible to act on - and to pass on - the stuff we know about. One of W's and my defining verses is below. As professors, we admit defeat when it comes to being able to figure everything out.

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever - that we might follow all the words of this law.  Deuteronomy 29:29 NIV

Reflected beauty

3. Want to know more? God makes things that reflect himself, so our surroundings demonstrate what our mysterious, invisible God is like. Kinda cool!

Ever since the creation of the world God's eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made.  Romans 1:20 ESV

Read more: 

*Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1:15-17 NIV

Moravian Prayer: Lord, we long for a world of togetherness and love. In days of struggle and misdirection, we pray that you make us whole. Amen.

3 things I'm smiling about

1. I'm not graduating today. I'm done. In 2012, I finished my PhD. Seeing the candidates go through their receptions and their graduation ceremony, I am 200% (2 years worth) happy that it's not me. But it's SO good to see the faces of the men and woman from our classes, students and faculty alike.

Cohort #1. Several graduate this year; the others are still working at it.

2. Life feels good. It's been a week of renewing friendships and eating (first half of the week) before I started moving (second half: cycling, walking, exercise).

3. We have a teeny but happy lull this weekend before the storm or moving ramps up again. We have less than 9 weeks to go before we leave. W finished 57 semesters of teaching (classroom on-site) for Northwest U. He played accordion for his students to start the class, the final hurrah to years of "Bad Music Fridays" and was a bit teary-eyed after the last class. We're visiting a new church, hosting our kids (30th birthday for one), and shedding more stuff.

What are you smiling about this weekend?

Read more:
*Keep my statutes, and observe them; I am the Lord; I sanctify you. Leviticus 20:8 ESV

*And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast;     they will not be found there.

But only the redeemed will walk there, and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. Isaiah 35:8-10 NIV

*Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10 NIV

*It is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Philippians 2:13 ESV

Creator God, may we abide by your word and care for your creation. As your son Jesus Christ cared for us, may we care for those who are in need today. Amen.

C.S. Lewis in The Weight of Glory
There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilisations—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendours. 

This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn: We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously—no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be a real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinner—no mere tolerance, or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment. 

Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbour is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbour, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ vere latitat—the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden. 

3 things about Spring

1. New life outside invigorates most of us on the inside. Don't you love walking past those greening trees and spring blooms? We open the doors to let clean warm air invigorate our houses and our souls. We may examine our values, plan fresh goals, and move forward with renewed hope.

Life on a tray for Easter chicks

2. God promised seasons as a sign of his faithfulness and his presence. "He has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy." Acts 14:17 NIV

A hellebore in our woods

3. New growth is beautiful. Today granddaughter Kinsey and I walked through the neighborhood, admiring flowers. Even the spruces had new cones on their tips, glowing above the brown cones tucked into last year's growth. God created a world that renews itself year by year. Do you feel a season of refreshing and new growth like I do? What lies ahead for you?

Read more:
*Know that all lives are mine. Ezekiel 18:4 ESV

*For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,  who purchased our freedom  and forgave our sins.

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see-such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.

Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on Earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross. Colossians 1:13-20 NLT

*God desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:4 ESV

*Rejoice always. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 ESV

Moravian Prayer: Gracious God, as we live in this world of rapid changes and various issues, we can become discouraged about our Christian journey. Inspire us to be exceedingly joyful about our work, our ministry, and our passion to do your will. Amen.

God of guidance, may we put our trust in you. May you guide our paths when we meet temptations. We wish to be people of your spirit. Amen.

May: a month of 3 things ... Humility

In May, I plan to write 3 things "1 - 2 - 3 -" about whatever is going on. This first one is really hard to talk about.

I've heard and read a lot about humility lately. It's a quality most Christians believe in and aspire to, but how few of us reflect it? I stink at it (bit blunt that) so I kept my eyes and ears open to recognize it at a conference of ministers this week. Some observations:

1. Humility is thinking rightly of oneself, in relation to God and others. It doesn't mean deprecation of self, as in "Oh, I'm nothing. I'm unworthy of being noticed." That dishonors God who valued a relationship with us so much that he died for us. Humility also doesn't fight for attention, as in "I'm more humble than you are."

2. Humility is a secret grace that everyone notices. The least proud people I met this week were very accomplished, yet they didn't flaunt their skills or relationships. Instead, they quietly shone through the crowds of people, looking secure in God's pleasure and comfortable in their own skins. Their genuine comfort elevated others.

3. Humility, meekness, and love are triplets. Meekness means not demanding one's rights. And love means living for the best interests of others. If God gave report cards, I suspect mine would be marked D this week for the triplets. I was probably the least humble, meek, and loving of those at the conference. Why? Again and again, my mind returned to self-awareness and my agenda (whom I wanted to see and what I wanted to do). "After all," I justified when my heart condemned me, "we're leaving in 9 weeks."

God's presence was warm and welcoming around us. He astonished us as we worshipped. He inspired us through Scripture and preaching. He invited us to join in Kingdom work as we prayed.

In spite of His goodness, my focus was often internal. I grieved leaving these friends, this kind and caring circle of pastors, and this relaxation among peers. Though I wanted to be completely mindful of God and the needs of others, my own stuff kept cropping up in my head. How great would it have been, to be aware only of Jesus and his accomplishments! Can you relate?

God worked through many people this week. We were blessed, grateful, and awed by the Word and words spoken.

I came home thinking, "Oh Lord, what joy to be in your Presence! What a difficult task You have undertaken to remake us in your image." And, "How grateful I am that You never give up on us."

THANK YOU to our dear friends and role models who demonstrated that centering self in Christ is the way to be fully human and actualize humility. And I'm chuckling to think that the most humble reflections of the lovely light of the Cross would never suspect that I'm talking about YOU.

Read more:
*He has made his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate. Psalm 111:4 NASB

*I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. Psalm 145:1-3 NIV

*This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. 1 Corinthians 11:25 ESV

Moravian Prayer: God of all the wonders of earth, instill within us the strength we need to run the race set before us. May we feel your presence, Lord, in both times of trial and times of triumph. Amen.