Baptism and beauty

Monday, April 5, 2021

Easter Week One passes quietly. The beetle skeleton is still stuck to the leaf by the porch. I think about grabbing it as part of a floral arrangement and keep forgetting.

 

This 2' bloom reminds me of Christmas trees, fully lit. There's a whole border of these blooming nearby.

Tuesday

It's a scramble to keep things straight: we write the Sunday talk before the weekend and record it on Tuesdays. W and the media team go through it and assemble it as the week goes on.

We "attend" online on Sundays, along with the BIC community and friends around the world. It's a lot more work - sometimes it's tiring. Before Covid, we prepared all week and showed up in person for one day. Now work lasts all week. (We do admit sometimes that it's nice to eat breakfast on the porch on Sundays and not have to dress up to get out the door before 7am.)

I don't know our city at all since I never drive. So I have NO idea where anything is. W chooses our destinations and shopping near where he will run errands. He keeps his eyes on the moving digital map, knowing where he's headed.

He's encouraged me to do the same. Without an end goal in mind, it's round and round for me. Then, when we drive past something familiar - after many twists and turns, the compass points in my head are completely confused. Shops and landmarks appear or don't show up. I truly have no idea where we are.

Starting today, I ask Pak Gum to drive me to a neighborhood on the map. W stays home. Gum and I go up and down every street and I take notes of what is in that area and where things are. So that's where the main hospital is? I didn't know, though we've driven by dozens of time on the way from or to somewhere else ... and changing one-ways and temporary traffic barricades that appear and disappear don't help.

Wednesday

After W posts his theology talk on Wednesdays, we meet at Nara for breakfast. I'm often deep into work already, so maybe we'll change date day to another day of the week when both of us can meet earlier.

A kilim arrives in its multicolored splendor; it's my "senior" birthday present to myself. Until we get to IKEA for a rug underlay, it lies on top of the wool rug already there.

The cicadas continually hiss in the background, whether we are at home or at the office. One flops down by my chair (3" long) as we sit outside. It's still moving, but barely. By the time they fall to the ground, they're almost dead.

On the other hand, this 3' snake slithers across the street in front of me as I walk to the office. I have to find someone who knows snakes. I don't think it's poisonous. It has an oval-shaped head but venom glands stretch the back of a dangerous snake's head into a triangle. It's still a little bit of a surprise - and it has almost wound itself across the street by the time I snap a picture.

Ibu Sieo sends some Chinese tea over. It's fragrant and delicious though Google Translate cannot make any sense of the label.

In zoom sessions, I finish the star doodle and move on to quilting and the next shape in an art book: branches.

What do you suppose this is, below? Take a guess?

One of our friends is an artist who carves lino for block prints and works with leather. This is one of his beautiful "wallet" creations.

On another walk to the office, I spot this usual bloom, which produces a lumpy fruit that's popular in health drinks, called nona?

Wednesday we also check out some pots at the local nursery.

I'm determined to try something different every time I go into a restaurant. How else will I know what's good? These Chinese noodles at Maystar dim sum are extremely spicy and chewy. "Like," from both W and me.

Saturday

What a special time. Marie loans her pool for Misha's baptism. This walk of faith is a walk of obedience. Christian baptism signifies our identification with Christ's death and resurrection. "Buried with Christ; raised to walk in newness of life," W says as he baptists Misha. (Josh took her through a catechism earlier.)

After, we go to Baby Dutch for coffee and pancakes, and then wander across the street to order a takeaway treat from Vilo, the new gelato restaurant.

To finish off the day, we hang out together with Misha and her family on our porch.The gelato is tasty and the company is good. They're considering adopting an adult dog. Of course, our dogs are happy to have us nearby, petting them as the cool wind blows through.

Sunday

We've asked BIC's active team members over for a BBQ. Waldemar brought a Kettle grill from Singapore a few years ago and has loaned it out a few times. While washing the racks, he notices that the plastic handle has been melted. That lowers resale value but at least nothing else is damaged.

I try a new recipe from Ish our head chef: pasta and cabbage for 12. It's pretty good - and there's lots of it (made for 12). I bag it up and freeze it later, after forgetting to hand it out along with the other things that get divided.

Ish brings chicken, while Josh grills steak on our barbecue. Nothing like South American drillmasters and chefs. They know food! and it is all delicious. Alice makes desserts with strawberries and a lemon custards (oh yum) and Clau brings a homemade potato salad.

It's a comfort and lots of fun to hang out together. We can unmask on the porch in the fresh air. It's been a long while since we've been able to gather, except in small groups.

W and I are signed up for our first vaccinations this week and looking forward to getting that over with. Once people are vaccinated, we can consider reopening in person.

It's a restful evening because everything is tidied quickly. We're ready for sleep by 7:00. I can barely keep my eyes open once the sun goes down because we get up by 4am most mornings.

Monday

I'm wide awake at 3am after 8 hours of barely-interrupted sleep. I read and write until it's time to get to the office. Several meetings lie ahead. I pull out my quilt so I can focus attention on the person at the other side of the call.

Read more:

*Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength is spent. Psalm 71:9

*Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. Isaiah 43:1

*Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John 3:14-18

*If God is for us, who is against us? Romans 8:31

*So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16 

Moravian Prayer: Jesus, help us to hear you calling and to remember that we are yours. We fear no foe with you at hand to bless, though ills have weight, and tears their bitterness.

Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, your victory? We triumph still if you abide with us. Guide us to be your hands, heart, and feet in this world today. Amen.

For freedom you have been set free ...

 Saturday, April 3, 2021

I kick the ball, my flip-flops catch on the pavement, and my toe is slammed into the concrete. Ouch. And even more so when it starts to swell within minutes.

I'm not one to suffer long. I can barely make it through supper, even with an ice pack on my foot. When I hobble to bed and put up my foot, I ice several more times. And then it's time for bed.

Sunday HAPPY EASTER!

Well, that helped a lot! I skip our usual walk though, ice-ing  my foot one more time. And I rest up most of the day.

There's Stollen for breakfast, a traditional European bread eaten at Easter and other feasts. Mom bought us some when we visited her in Canada in December. Let's enjoy it today in the traditional way. The marzipan (almond paste) inside is delicious, too.

Before the morning online Gathering (BICOnline), I clean 3 aquariums (fishbowls, really) on the porch and in my home office. My favorite usually sits on its log: the glass was hand-blown in Bali onto the piece of wood.

We put the wood/glass temporarily on another surface while W painted its table last week. When I lift up the tank to return it to its place, there is a swarm of hundreds of ants and a piled mass of white ant eggs under it. We pour boiling water on the log and the table. Gone.

The bowl sits alone on its length while the wood dries. It's pretty because you can see everything from the top.

Something about the lazy swirl of fins relaxes me. Not having to heat, filter, or light a tank makes these fishbowls easy to maintain on the porch. We empty the water and refill it every week or two. That's it. When fish get siphoned out with the waste water, we scoop them up with a net and pop them back into the tank.

I chose this particular bowl from hundreds in the Bali factory because of its size (2' tall) and because it didn't topple off its side without the wood stand. From the top and the side, we can view the "landscape" of poured glass. There are dozens of little fish hiding in the plants. There must be a new spawn from last week.

That's the beautiful natural world. But today I'm mostly immersed in the spiritual world. Meditation. Wonder. Astonishment.

We post the BICOnline Easter talk and comment as friends watch from everywhere. We are 14 hours ahead of the West Coast where many friends live, so they're "live" with us on Saturday night.

Easter is a special holy day for our own community of faith and Christians around the world. We remember what God has done on Resurrection Day each year (as some prefer to call it).

All day long, I'm consumed with the unfathomable grace of God. How could our Creator love us enough to take our punishment, our sins, and our debts on Himself? That was the only way we could be reconciled to God. And that is what He accomplished for us: the Perfect One sacrificing Himself for his imperfect creatures. Amazing.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free," Paul wrote to the Galatian church mere decades after Jesus' resurrection. "Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1)

All day long, I'm pondering that freedom. Why is it that most people - myself included - choose comfortable restrictions and bondage to unhealthy things? We could be living the lives of exuberant goodness and expansive kindness that God offers us. I have no answer. I'm as broken as the next person. So I revel in the mystery of grace - the unmerited favor of God.

We order lamb for lunch, a traditional Passover dish that represents a sacrifice feast. The same menu (goat or lamb) is common when Muslims celebrate their religious festivals. For Easter, of course followers of Jesus are commemorating God's sacrifice of his own Son.

The lamb is tasty, roasted just right. We have lots of desserts, too: Apong's pumpkin pie, cookies, and a special palm-fruit dessert Dr Wuri sent over. Melvina returns from her walk with sweet coconut water for us. Yum! W and I waited for her, but finally started eating. We are finishing dessert on the porch when she comes back. She brings her meal outside to join us.

W has 2 appointments in the afternoon, one a coffee and the other a meal. About this time in her own timezone, my mom visits Dad's graveside (he died in December). She leaves her beautiful arrangements of flowers and remembers how much she was loved. The last time she was there, I was with her. This time, my brother takes her to the cemetery.

Something occurs to me as I prepare for my usual food in the evening. Spiritual disciplines can become legalistic and lose their meaning. There's nothing particularly spiritual or useful to God about the disciplines themselves. Rather, they bring our attention to God and allow God to shape us. I have had the same fasting routine for years. I decide to shake it up between now and Pentecost (50 days away).

So ... Sunday supper? It's been a while. What to eat? How about the soup made yesterday? It's delicious - barley, split green peas and lentils, meat, and vegetables. By mid-afternoon I've also had at least six 16-oz mugs of tea so it would be good to switch to peppermint tea toward evening.

While W is gone, I watch a few podcasts on art and creativity. It's a whole day of feasting and feeding the soul and mind, along with connecting with dozens of people in our city and around the world.

Monday

W has purchased 5 A5 notebooks and 3 A4 notebooks for me, along with 50 glossy cardstock sheets that I'll use for gelli-printing. They're delivered to the house in 1 day - for about $10. I start sketching right away, playing with line and setting up a journal. I've been doing minimal journaling for about a year. 

It's amazing how much you can track in a 1" square. This guy has written down fitness, travels, meals, sleep, connections, and the most important thing he's done in a day. Wow - I choose the daily habits and things I want to track for mine. (Read more about his system of minimal journaling here.)

We walk a one-mile loop instead of our full distance. The soles of my shoes are too flimsy to provide enough support for the stubbed toe. But it's not too bad. I choose stiffer soles when I return to the office after lunch. There's a talk to write, emails and a vlog to post, and a few other matters to finish.

Monday in the office is always full. While I'm thinking, I doodle from a book on natural shapes (Yellena James: Star, Branch, Spiral, Fan). I've wanted to work through the book for years, so here we go, a little at a time. One of the podcasts advised, "This week use colors you hate." That would be the ones on this page: grays, pastels, burgundies ... 

Today the office porch is finished. The final touch is swapping out the white floor tile for a blue-and-white one. Better. Done. It started like this

and evolved to this. I work here nearly every morning before the sun comes round to that side of the building. It's a great place for tea or a chat with others, too. I am content.

Happy Week 1 in the Easter Season on the Christian calendar, everyone! "Christ is risen."

"He is risen indeed."

Read more:

*The Lord said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14

*Jesus said, “Because I live, you also will live.” John 14:19

*But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. 1 Corinthians 15:20

Moravian Prayer: Risen Lord, we celebrate your resurrection and claim your transcending love. Thank you for your living and loving presence in our lives. Help us to realize the joy and comfort of living for you. Amen.

A birthday during Passion Week

So this is what it feels like to be 65. You may cross a bridge with the same courage but you'll probably have less confidence than you did at 40. (Read more about that washed-out bridge below.)

Sunday

We start with a walk after 6:00. It's cool and fresh after downpours most of the night. Many people are strolling outside.

The dogs, including our new little poodle, frolic in a big gated yard near our place.

Friends send many birthday greetings, spiced up by the delivery of delicious foods. We start with a taste of Germany - absolutely wonderful leftovers from Friday's feast in Jakarta.

I'm not fasting this weekend, that's for sure. Dr Hanna and Alice send over smokey noodles, a traditional birthday food "for long life." They're so good that I eat the whole serving, while W stashes half of his.

But later, the Japanese rice dish Sayaka makes is yummy, too! Sitora has baked her traditional rolls so we enjoy those. And to make sure we celebrate properly, Rut and Melvina have chosen 3 desserts, which we split between us.

Ruth surprises me with 60 long-stemmed roses. They unfold day by day.

The 3 tall bouquets last all week.

I give myself two big presents for my 65th birthday. This year, I've officially become a senior according to my Canadian heritage. The first indulgence arrived 3 weeks ago, the little "white shadow" who snoozes under my desk or right beside my chair on the balcony when I'm working.

The second gift is a vibrant modern rug, traditionally woven by families in one of the -stan countries. I still remember it from when we saw it in Bali in October. "Do you need more things for the house?" W asks.

Need is a relative word. He updates tech constantly, which he finds important. On the other hand, I am nourished by keeping our house updated. A complementary pair, the two of us.

Monday

We spend hours this week sending WhatsApp Easter greetings and prayers to friends and the BIC community. I'm tired at the end of each day; I don't think I've talked this much since the pandemic hit!

Even after 2 weeks, the flowers and leaves Sumi popped into a vase for the back hall look cheerful.

I've been eyeing the living room since February but haven't mustered the energy to change from Winter-Valentine's Day red slipcovers to cream. I changed the pillows a month ago so it's time. The new rug's colors will boost the energy.

Thursday

On our mountain walk, we get to a washed-out bridge. It's been raining every day so the creek's banks have eroded. The 8'-wide concrete pad has fallen partially into the gushing stream. The water rushes by 7-8' (+2 meters) below the top lip. The cement looks well-wedged to me though there's a narrow tree sticking up near the other side. That branch might be a hassle to traverse, but the rest of 12" ledge looks doable.

I'm inclined to try it. So what if we fall in? Someone else can haul us up the steep bank on the other side. Worst comes to worst, we'd be wet and maybe a bit bruised. The slab keeps us from getting swept downstream. (Below is "Side One." We have to get to the other side ...)

We've already hiked through the pruned tea fields, avoiding puddles and inches-deep mud by walking beside the lane on the rocks or in the grass.

We've come on overgrown paths through the shrubbery someone has chopped down to 8-12"-tall sticks. For a while, there's just a narrow untrimmed path. At the end of rainy season, the paths are a mess that needs beating back into drive-able and walk-able passages.

Our small poodle is on his first hike. Do his eyes clear the sticks protruding from the ground? He's good. He runs ahead, comes back, and trails me again. For every kilometer I walk, he does 2 or 3.

The 3 big dogs easily trek through the leaves and shrubbery, clearing out spiders and snakes. Alice, who leads through the trees, has to wave her walking stick to make sure there are no webs overhead. The spiders can be 10", leg- to leg-tips. Ugh.

The glowering sky holds its rain until we're almost back to the cars. The air is cool. Clouds cover the sun: perfect weather for hiking.

When we get to the broken bridge, we decide to find a path around it. After some ups and downs, we are in fields of hot peppers, trellised with bamboo teepees. Hundreds of short yellow peppers are ripening into red heat.

Well, the people sorting peppers beside the trail tell us there is no way past them. We'd have to cross the river in 2 places and we'd end up nowhere anyway. We must go back the way we came. We never know who is telling the truth or who is just sending us away. Since we are 5 km (3 miles) in already, we decide to give the bridge a try.

It still looks the same. Our two dogs run across the top, though Cocoa makes a few leaps to the other bank when she starts to slide down the slab. Angie and I scoot across and she pulls her golden retriever over by the harness. Getting across is more of a challenge for those who dislike heights.

On the far side, I find a long piece of bamboo. We slot it into the branch lying across the slab. That provides footing - and makes the scoot-on-your-bottom crossing much easier and safer. We help everyone across. W puts the smallest dog on his lap and that's how we get to the other side.

No one was in danger of serious harm and it's the kind of adventure that names our walks in the future. What should this one be called? The "Broken Bridge" walk? Maybe the "Slithering Slab?" Hopefully the bridge will be repaired next time we come this way.

GOOD FRIDAY

Our BIC kids have done a special reading and answered the question: "What does it mean to you that Jesus died on the cross?" They send in the videos for the media team to compile and post for everyone to enjoy.

Indonesia considers Good Friday a holiday but not the Sunday of Resurrection Day. The USA does not take Good Friday off but makes a big deal of Easter, though it's devolved into bunnies, spring flowers, and eggs to divert attention from the world-changing event that Christians celebrate.

Growing up in Canada, the whole thing - Friday to Sunday - was a long weekend before an Easter Break. With political pressure from non-Christians, the governments have changed the name to Spring Break. The date moves around so families can't travel for long trips during Easter time. Anything to downplay the uniqueness of God's Son living among us, dying for us, and being raised to life by the power  of God. Anything.

After all, God-with-us changes everything for those who believe the Good News is true.

After a morning walk, I read most of the day and do some quiet research. W is restless by mid-morning. He puts a few miles on his shoes while I stay home. I'm not much for walking at noon: it's just too hot if the sun comes out. There are a lot of hills and valleys to his errands.

One helper is working her second day this week, instead of the usual 5. We're being cautious. The driver, who returned yesterday after 2 weeks away with COVID, also takes the red-letter day off today. That's his right and he gets paid the same. It would have been nice to get out, but maybe we can do that tomorrow when he's back.

Saturday

W walked a long way yesterday so he doesn't want to walk this morning. Since it's raining, I skip as well. But we catch a ride to eat brunch at Down 2 Earth. The beef wraps are delicious. #D2E And my mango juice is excellent.

Tomorrow is Easter. This day of remembrance thrills my soul every year. Who would let themselves be tortured and killed to pay off the debt of another person?

And yet, God has done this for us. I am grateful. I cannot comprehend God's love and compassion for me, who could not save myself or reconcile with Him on my own. "He has done it!" Hallelujah.

Read more:

*The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the Lord. But there they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous. Psalm 14:1-5

*For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. John 3:16

*[Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time:] Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” Matthew 20:17-19

*[Hanging on the cross,] Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34

Moravian Prayer: Dear Jesus, like those who crucified you, we often sin, not knowing what we are doing. Forgive us when we have sinned against you, when we have hurt and rejected you out of ignorance and carelessness.

God of word and action, help us to perceive your message. It can be easy to ignore you in the moment, only to realize your presence in hindsight. Help us to recognize you in our lives today. Amen.