Lent Day 28: Our Russian connections

Russian roots, anyone? Today I'm giving a special shout-out to everyone reading in Russia. (1/5 of this blog's readers are in Russia, according to Google stats.) With Russia so much in the news, it's timely to write what I've thought about for months.

Did you know that our family has strong family connections to Russia?

My mom's mother and father married young (16 years old) and settled in SE Russia (now Romania). The czarina of Russia wanted the swamps drained so her family wouldn't get malaria on vacation. So she offered land to young German couples who would dry out and farm the soggy soil nearby. My great-aunt's family remains in Russia and they were educated and worked farms under communism. By the time Soviet borders got more porous, they were firmly established.

Grandma and Grandpa built up a dairy and vineyard. Grandma learned to bake delicious bread - and became a good vintner. She baked and made wine until a few years before she died. (A staunch Christian, she took Paul's injunction to Timothy "take a little wine for your stomach" as seriously as she took every other part of scripture.)

Throughout the 1900s, ethnic Germans, like other Europeans, were on the move. German families lost everything, kicked out of Eastern Europe during world wars. Anger against Germans was especially fierce when the Nazis invaded. Displaced groups traveled back to Germany or immigrated to the Americas - south and north - to find land and a place to settle. My maternal grandma's family moved to South America, back to Germany, over to Canada, and back home again. (Grandma's dad loved adventure; her mom ... not so much, so they kept going back to Germany.) Grandma was a Canadian (born in Winnipeg during their travels), so after WWII, she brought her family to Canada through Halifax.

W's mom gave us these Russian nesting dolls

Dad's side of my family has strong ties to Russia, too. Grandma (nee Brandt) pulled out a map one day, pointing to places where her family had lived all over southern Russia. Her father was a itinerant Baptist evangelist in the late 1800s/ early 1900s who shared Good News with whoever would listen. She told me how the family would settle, preach, and then they'd get run out of town. They would pack up and find a new place to minister.

Meanwhile, Grandpa's family was active in the church in Poland and Russia; we have family pictures of Dahers who were church leaders. Many were musical; an uncle was trumpeter to the Czar, a forerunner of my brother's mad trumpeting skills. Grandpa was somewhat feisty all his life. (For example, he worked as a bouncer in Russian clubs as a young man.)  After Grandpa fell in love with Grandma, an externally mild but strong-willed beauty, they married and immigrated. They landed in Winnipeg, Canada, in the 1930s, sponsoring and sheltering many families who arrived after WWII. In contrast, Grandpa's siblings came through Ellis Island and settled in the States. An American immigration officer renamed our American family on their immigration papers: he apparently couldn't spell "Daher." (That wasn't unusual; renaming by misspelling was frequent at Ellis.)

W's grandfather, Theodor Maksymowicz, sits between
AG missions leaders (JP Hogan, seated on L) in 1965

W's family has Russian roots as well. He's proudly Polish, but Poland, like much of Europe, has been overrun by various tribes and shifted borders over and over. His dad had German roots. His mom's family was more connected to the Russian side. W's grandpa (Theodor Maksymowicz: article here) led Polish Pentecostalism in the 1950s and 60s. I remember him preaching at our Winnipeg church in 1965. His huge bald head, and smart, compelling preaching made him one of few visiting speakers I remember from childhood. Currently, W's cousin spends months each year in Russia, fluent in language and culture.

We've never been to Russia but here's my love and hello to those in Russia today. Hi also to readers in China, the UK, the Dominican Republic, France, India, and Malaysia... and everywhere else where you might be reading this.

Don't you love that God speaks Russian, Indonesian, Chinese, German, and English - and every other language?  He knows us. He "gets" our backgrounds. He understands what it means to be polite and rude where you live. What your gestures and glances mean to insiders around you.

Jesus lived and died for every ethnic group, every skin color, and people within every political boundary. Every day, that makes me very happy - and relieved. (What if he had loved every family on earth except ours?)

We're especially grateful because W and I are willing wanderers. W purchased tickets yesterday to move across the ocean and N/S hemisphere. We leave on July 1. We can't wait to meet new friends, learn the language, manners, and hospitality, and eat new foods.

I'd love to hear from readers in Russia or readers with Russian roots at rosemee at hotmail dot com.

Read more:
*If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock--the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. Deuteronomy 28:1-6 NIV [Don't you love a God who makes such promises and is big enough to make them come true!?]

*Not one of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass. Joshua 21:45 NEV

*O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! Psalm 95:6 NEV *The promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him. Acts 2:39 NEV Moravian Prayer: Congregations of the living God, arise! Proclaim the promise that the Almighty has given us: the Lord is our God and we are God's people! Thank you, Lord, for your steadfast promise. May Christ's name be praised, today! Amen.

Lent Day 27: Withholding nothing

Giving 100% of self is one of the hardest things we do. Whether we are protecting ourselves because of insecurity, past hurts, or other "reasons," we don't allow ourselves to be fully vulnerable.

Jesus gave everything for us. I'm thinking today about what giving everything back to him and to others would be like, and how it would feel. Are we willing to expose our "self" to draw near to God? Do we trust his protection by serving him without reservations?

Jesus said: As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. John 15:9-14 NKJV

Are you holding anything back? Am I? After reading Philippians this morning, I can only wonder at the God who held back nothing for himself, but lived and died among us. With us. On our behalf. Amazing.

Read more:

"The Lord your God is indeed God in heaven above and on earth below. Joshua 2:11 NEV

*Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan, I will now rise up," says the Lord; "I will place them in the safety for which they long." Psalm 12:5 NEV

*Jesus said, "When the Advocate comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment." John 16:8 NEV

*Jesus Christ, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness, and being found in human form. Philippians 2:6-7

*In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace. Ephesians 1:7 ESV

Moravian Prayer: Dearest Lord Jesus, we offer, in stunned humility, our gratitude and praise for your complete act of sacrifice. You gave yourself even for sinners like us. Truly, you are the Son of God.

God of love, send your Spirit upon us and renew our hearts, minds, and souls. Help us to rid our lives of the sins which keep distancing us from your will. Restore us to practice your word and be good and faithful servants. Amen.

Lent Day 26: God's tender heart

Z is a dear friend of +25 years. She's also one of the best moms and grandmas I've ever met. Every second week, between long one-week work shifts, she  and her husband fly to another state. Not for fun. Not for relaxation. Not for sunshine.

Their daughter and her husband are doctors. So they go to watch their daughter's 3- and 7-year old kids. I'm staggered by the practical love that this couple demonstrates. They could send emails and letters. They could just talk on the phone. Instead, Z and S meet their children and grandkids face to face.

Isn't that just like God's love for us?

Our Father in heaven sent us letters (scriptures) and his emissaries (the prophets). And then, when the time was right, He came and lived among us.

I am astonished by Jesus. He became Immanuel, God with us. More than a political deliverer, he freed us from our broken humanity. He took our burdens and shame. He extended God's forgiveness, wholeness, and abundant life.

Do we care for others in the same way?

"See what [an incredible] quality of love the Father has given (shown, bestowed on) us, 

that we should [be permitted to] be named 

and called and counted the children of God!

 And so we are!" 1 John 3:1 Amplified

What makes your heart sing when you think about God as Father? About Jesus as our Redeemer? About the Spirit who makes His home in us and guides us in all truth?

Read more:
*Those who mock the poor insult their Maker; those who are glad at calamity will not go unpunished. Proverbs 17:5 NEV

*Jesus says, "When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you." Luke 14:13-14 NEV

*Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:17-21   NIV

*[We are] looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 ESV

Moravian Prayer: God of all, we thank you that you have included all people into your embrace. Forgive us when we leave people out and inspire us to reach out to include everybody. Amen.

CS Lewis: The Great Divorce, on choosing the absence of God in hell over the presence of God

"There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ All that are in Hell choose it. Without that self-choice, there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek, find. To those who knock, it is opened.”. . .

“Hell is a state of mind—ye never said a truer word. And every state of mind, left to itself, every shutting up of the creature within the dungeon of its own mind is, in the end, Hell. But Heaven is not a state of mind. Heaven is reality itself. All that is fully real is Heavenly.”. . .

“Hell is smaller than one pebble of your earthly world: but it is smaller than one atom of this world, the Real World. Look at yon butterfly. If it swallowed all Hell, Hell would not be big enough to do it any harm or to have any taste. . . .

“A damned soul is nearly nothing: it is shrunk, shut up in itself. Good beats upon the damned incessantly as sound waves beat on the ears of the deaf, but they cannot receive it. Their fists are clenched, their teeth are clenched, their eyes fast shut. First they will not, in the end they cannot, open their hands for gifts, or their mouths for food, or their eyes to see.”

“Then no one can ever reach them?”

“Only the Greatest of all can make Himself small enough to enter Hell. For the higher a thing is, the lower it can descend—a man can sympathise with a horse but a horse cannot sympathise with a rat. Only One has descended into Hell.”

Lent Day 25: Riding the wave

I write on my calendar, "Goodbye, everything."

We spoke together in chapel this morning. And we bought our tickets today.

We've booked the flight that will take us from what we know. From our comfort zone. To a new place across the world.

I'm reposting again today. My heart is too full to write, feeling the swell of the new wave ahead.

---- CRESTING THE WAVE----

Life seems to be experienced in waves. Entire years and decades of Jesus' life go unrecorded. Then  his ministry crests: he chooses disciples and velocity quickens to wash toward his sacrifice on the cross as the Passover lamb.

The ebb of the resurrection, where God pulls back mortality's curtain to showcase His magnificence and power even over death, creates a riptide for the disciples. Jesus spends 40 quiet days with them, expounding on God's mission. He shows them their future as Life-With-God before he withdraws to allow the Holy Spirit to descend.

The Spirit roars into the life of the apostles with godly authority and power. Life and renewal splash throughout the city of Jerusalem and ripples into the world through the pilgrims attending the Pentecostal feast.

Throughout the book of Acts, ebbs and flows in the intensity mark the spread of the gospel:

• Organization and favor.
• Persecution, outward movement, and expansion. 
• Suffering and missionary proclamation. 
• Exile and writing to preserve the record of Christ and the early Church.

Have you experienced such seasons of quiet, followed by building energy and a surge of momentum?

Where am I right now? A bucket of "aha"s have been dumped on me since last weekend. The wave is rising and I am being carried into the future. I'm not certain of the shore toward which the power of "forward" is pulling me. And that doesn't matter too much. God only requires my "being in this" completely, attentive and intentional toward the work of His Spirit.

How do we "ride the wave" in seasons of change?

1. Breathe in the time of calm and stand at ease when there's no direction.
2. Mull over (and record) lessons learned and insights acquired during the pause between what was and what is becoming.
3. Still your fears of change. God is in control. Completely. Utterly. Beautifully. He holds your future securely and will not let you go.
4. Prepare yourself. Embrace whatever comes your way. Pray. Meditate on scripture. Serve at church. Read an insightful book, listen to a speaker, or attend an event. You may unexpectedly run into an acquaintance or eavesdrop on other conversations.
5. Be willing and obedient. When work appears, when a door opens, when God clears away the clutter of the past to a clear future ... say YES.
6. Surf the wave. God's current will direct you. Enjoy the ride: fighting the water will smash you, suck you under, and make you feel like you're drowning.
7. Enjoy the view as you land on the new shore. Wherever God takes you, He has planned this in advance. What is the wonder of this next job, this new ministry, or this fresh relationship?

What's your favorite wave to date? Were you surprised where the current took you?

Read more:
*The Lord said, "I have chosen Abraham, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice." Genesis 18:19 NEV

*Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their suffering. Isaiah 49:13 NLT

*And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” Matthew 20:17-19 ESV

*Faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness. Romans 4:9 NEV

Moravian Prayer: God, teach us to do justice by entering into relationships with persons in need. May we learn from them lessons of dignity, faith, and righteousness as we serve—that we may become wholly committed to your kingdom's work. Amen.

CS Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Lewis wrote these to show the opposing intentions of God and the devil. In this novel, Screwtape is a young demon-in-training.) In which Screwtape reveals the Enemy’s (God's) intentions:

"Now it may surprise you to learn that in His [the Enemy’s] efforts to get permanent possession of a soul, He relies on the troughs even more than on the peaks; some of His special favourites have gone through longer and deeper troughs than anyone else. 

"The reason is this. To us a human is primarily food; our aim is the absorption of its will into ours, the increase of our own area of selfhood at its expense. But the obedience which the Enemy demands of men is quite a different thing. One must face the fact that all the talk about His love for men, and His service being perfect freedom, is not (as one would gladly believe) mere propaganda, but an appalling truth. 

"He really does want to fill the universe with a lot of loathsome little replicas of Himself—creatures whose life, on its miniature scale, will be qualitatively like His own, not because He has absorbed them but because their wills freely conform to His. We want cattle who can finally become food; He wants servants who can finally become sons. We want to suck in, He wants to give out. We are empty and would be filled; He is full and flows over. Our war aim is a world in which Our Father Below has drawn all other beings into himself: the Enemy wants a world full of beings united to Him but still distinct."

Day 24: Including the double-crosser

Did you know Judas was at the Last Supper? That Jesus washed his feet in a final act of friendship and love, before Judas left the disciples to betray Jesus?

I am amazed by the love of Jesus, over and over. There is no resentment, no expectation of us being better than we are. He takes us in, forgives us, and says, "Now sin no more."

We get to choose whether or not to obey. Whether to follow his example. Whether to choose our own paths - our own gain - our own plans - and destroy our futures. He lets us decide.

But before we go, there's often one last warning, a last act of service, a final whisper: "Are you sure?" before we choose light or darkness.

Do we, like Jesus, welcome and include the person who will betray us? We ourselves will fail, whether we're like Judas, who chooses death over life, too proud to say sorry, or like Peter, who denies knowing Jesus but returns in penitence and humility. The one hangs himself. The other becomes a leader among Jesus' followers. Peter continues to proclaim grace and life ... because he has been restored after disgracing himself and disappointing his best friend. In the end, he dies for his Friend, whereasJudas died for himself = different eternal consequences.

Each of us will occasionally tell untruths, break down under pressure, and do the wrong thing. Then we must turn back to scripture for the reminder that Jesus has experienced it all: betrayal, abandonment, and - and always - offered forgiveness. 

by Jacopo Bassano (1510-92)

Jesus included Judas and Peter at the Last Supper and the foot-washing (John 13). However, Jesus did not pray the priestly prayer over Judas (John 17), because he had gone out and refused Jesus' invitation to rethink his selfish plans. When I make mistakes, I want to be like Peter.

Going a step further, can you (and I) extend the same forgiveness to those who betray us? I'm thinking that's a pretty hard thing to do - and one of the most awesome qualities of God-among-us.

Read more:
*He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:3-6 NEV

*Jesus Christ, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness, and being found in human form. Philippians 2:6-7 NLTMoravian Prayer: Dearest Lord Jesus, we offer, in stunned humility, our gratitude and praise for your complete act of sacrifice. You gave yourself even for sinners like us. Truly, you are the Son of God. Amen.

Lent Day 23: Only one of you and one of me

Reposted from 2013: God created us in community. Even Jesus was born into a family, known as from a town, and active within a group of followers. Sometimes you may think you have to do things on your own. Sometimes you may be overwhelmed by relationships. Can you identify with this post?

Think you're all alone? Too insignificant to make a difference? Ever ask yourself, "What can one person do, anyway?"

You might rethink that assumption as I did, listening to this (click here). This one gifted person creates a sound experience with his persistence, not to be missed!

Some of  biggest eye-openers and influences come through people interacting in ones and twos. This past week, I talked to::

1. Family: Mom and Dad came for a visit. I talked to Mom on the phone. Our kids came for lunch. Our granddaughter spent a day with us.
2. Friends: I just got back from tea with a dear looooong-term girlfriend who provided insights and advice. Within the past few days, I've talked to my WPPRs accountability group (four women, meeting for over 20 years). A friend and I watched her toddler and my grandchild play in the park.
3. Mentors: Several peer mentors directed me in self-examination, helped me edit, suggested work possibilities, and opened the door for a board position.
4. Church: Two pastors in particular spoke into my life. (Sudden AHA, anyone?)
5. Acquaintances: The gal I walk with after exercise class taught me about Alabama and shared her concerns about life as a live-in partner (vs. marriage).
6. People I've never met: Online and in books, the creativity in pictures and words inspires me. I love reading blogs and thinking about the sub-text (the unspoken agendas behind and under the photography, painting, and writing). Sometimes my readers respond with stimulating questions or life experiences, encouraging me to step forward in my own thinking. I LOVE hearing from you!

Who needs you? Could the world be changed if you gave the day everything you had - your gifts, talents, education, friendship, skills, history, and more?

Whom do you need? Could you write out a list similar to mine above? Not every week is this full, but we talk to people all the time. 

To whom could you send a thank you note or email? Who has touched your life recently?

Read more:
*In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. He heard my voice. Psalm 18:6 ESV

*I pray to you, Lord, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation. Psalm 69:13 NIV

*Paul said, “To this day I have had help from God, and so I stand here, testifying to both small and great.” Acts 26:22 ESV

*Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. Colossians 4:2 NLT

Moravian Prayer: God, teach us to pray: to know the comfort and power that comes from open hearts. Move us to pray often this day: prayers of gratitude, petition, or praise. Meld our words with our actions, gentle God, so our very lives become a prayerful response to you.

We often call upon you, Lord, expecting easy solutions when what we need to recognize is your presence and strength. Thank you for trusting us to live one day at a time and for assuring us that we are never alone. Amen.

Lent Day 22: An eye for an eye

A repost from Lent 2010: 
One bumper sticker on the van ahead of me in traffic reads, "What would Jesus bomb?" and the one right beside it says, "An eye for an eye, and the whole world is blind."

The driver misses the point twice. Jesus indicated no political leanings besides, "Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God." 

The second saying did not originate as revenge. Expressing God's desire for protection within an uncivilized slave culture, the "eye for an eye" law acted as a limiter of revenge. You could not take more from your adversary than was taken from you, JUST an eye for an eye. No more. You couldn't kill someone for making you lame or knocking out your tooth. Judging from current Middle Eastern temperaments, taking an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth and calling it "justice, done, finito!" would be a big improvement.

Jesus went a step further and said, "If your enemy demands you walk a mile with them (probably carrying their heavy pack), offer to carry it a second mile. Turn another cheek to be struck, rather than hitting back." And hardest of all to swallow: "God your Father will forgive you in the same measure you forgive those who have offended you."

Who bugs you or did you harm? Can you place them into God's care with a prayer for blessing rather than cursing, and entrust yourself to the merciful hand of God for your own sins?

Read more:
*But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. Psalm 3:3 NLT

*Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.

O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name." Daniel 9:17-19 NIV 

*Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4 NIV

Lent Day 21: A day of surprises

Over 900 lbs. Who knew fish got
this big? The surprise news item of my day.

Here's what surprised me today:

• I zoned in on my first surprise during morning devotions. I'd never noticed that Jesus ate the Last Supper and washed his disciples' feet before Judas left to betray him. I wonder, have I ever willingly eaten with or "washed the feet" of someone who was about to double-cross me, knowing their intentions? (John 13)
• I love love love speaking in front of a group. (Yeah, I like it that much, which surprises me every time.) Getting up in public makes my heart sing. I feel energized and happy, not nervous. How could it be such fun when I hardly spoke for decades? (My spouse is a gifted communicator so I've heard a lot of great talks. But that's rarely opened the door to speaking opportunities. For an event, you'd book a seasoned pro rather than an unknown part-timer, wouldn't you? Makes sense to me.)
• Speaking makes one a better speaker or "practice makes perfect." This year, W and I preached together most Sundays. It was a new skill for us, started by accident last September: I included him in my first-ever "6-minute-window-before-he-preaches" and he asked me back to the platform during Q&A, after his talk. We've never looked back. Our relaxation while co-speaking comes from confidence in God, trusting our partner, and sharing our voices. Speaking together has made solo talks easier, too.
• People thrive in a healthy team setting. Once again, I've been delighted by the sheer pleasure of a high-functioning team. Kim Martinez (Get Unstuck Bootcamp) facilitated our speech-coaching session today. She rocked as our team leader. Four women presented their talk. The following critique and the discussion were as much fun for me as speaking.
• Our two-year-old granddaughter is pretty good at singing "Happy Birthday." Apparently she's had a lot of peers to practice on lately. I was impressed.
• I laughed aloud with delight at W's bday card. He couldn't find an English one he liked, so it was Spanish - a precursor for guessing meaning in another language (we don't speak Spanish). Funny. And sweet.
• My Indonesian word-of-the-day is kelici (pronounced "cullinchee"). Guess what it means?

My first-ever Spanish birthday card
from my decidedly not Spanish husband

Thank you all for your birthday wishes and the kind words throughout the day. Friends are a true treasure, the best gift I can imagine.

Read more:
*[God says] My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they stand at attention. Isaiah 48:13 ESV

*For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you. Galatians 3:26-29 NLT

*For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 NLT

*Worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water. Revelation 14:7 ESV

Moravian Prayer: Magnificent Creator, maker of everything—arbiter of distant galaxies, weaver of the very air we breathe—help us to take our proper place in this world you have created and praise your name forever. Amen.

Lent Day 20: Family traits

We're halfway through Lent. I must say, I miiissssssss sweets every day (usually a few times a day) and the other disciplines are a pain at times. But I'm reminded how good life is, even with a few routines disrupted to remind me of Jesus' sacrifice.

Here's a repost that made me think of how lucky I am to be in God's family.
---

The day has slipped by. My brother and his kids came for a visit - they live in Edmonton, so it's a rare treat. Being with family is renewing and reminds us of who we are inside, before the expectations of work and friends shaped us.

Our parents made sure we stayed in touch when we started our families, so as adults we know each other, like each other, and enjoy the individuality of our callings as well as the things we have in common.

Dad put his Super 8 movies on DVD. What a laugh it's been to watch my little brothers put on an unselfconscious show (cello and violin). My older brother looks disinterested (at age 14), a typical lanky teen, bored at being conscripted for photos. He'll be the one who picks up the baton and makes a career out of music. In all the pictures, I'm restless, distracted, and uncomfortable on camera.

The old films show how we work together when the family plays music: my dad tucks his violin under his chin and the rest of us fall into line. We often have no music, just a, "Let's play this tune." No one looks very stressed or anxious about notes because we all play by ear. We're doing what we've done dozens of times, harmonizing together.

The music is an inborn trait: my husband's family and mine grew up singing and playing.  I'd hoped our kids would do the same, make music, perform, bond as a unit. But our kids never found an orchestra to play with, and my husband didn't take much of an interest in the kids' lessons. After we changed churches, the children refused to get up in front of strangers. Gradually the music fizzled out as they went to college and stopped taking lessons.

Maybe our kids will torture their own children with music lessons. It takes a lot of stamina and determination, not to mention a financial commitment. The discipline is all on the part of parents when kids hate practicing. Watching the next generation at lessons would be the best revenge, after all the trips I made as a student and as a parent of students.

It's interesting to see family traits in God's household, too. Some of us perpetuate the good things - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness... and some are still hard at lessons, struggling to fit into the band of brothers and sisters. Our spiritual Elder Brother modeled the family character so we could follow His lead.

God is kind. He watches over us with tender affection and cheers us on to do our best, no matter how excellent or distressing the performance.

Can you identify a few ways God is showing up in your own character and traits as you walk with Him? It's important to accept family and care for them - whether they are biological or spiritual siblings.

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*The Lord said to Cain, "What have you done? Listen; your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground!" Genesis 4:10 ESV

*Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone  is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:5-8 NIV

*Come now, you rich people, listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous one. James 5:1,4-6 ESV

Moravian Prayer: Lord, often we easily ignore those who work for what little they have; often we eagerly admire those who have much, but work little. Your mercy O Lord, must prevail. Grant us this mercy that we may work for your justice. Amen.