We wrote what??

Monday, May and 6, 2024

Why buy a lawnmower when you have a goat? The neighbors let their 3 goats roam near their house and in the big abandoned lot. The goats call to each other nnnnneeeeeh most of the day as they graze.

W wants to try #Pipinos, a fusion cafe down the street. Surprise! I order the best ravioli I've had in Bandung ($3.25). It's high-fat with delicious cheese and pesto.

But I look across the table at W's gut bomb: a mayo-drenched croissant filled with coleslaw, deep-fried chicken, and maple flavoring. There's not one thing I'd order in that combo, but he says it's good.

These pretty crimson stems grow beside our courtyard table.

We take a shortcut down the hill between high walls of the kampung. Most neighborhoods are similar. Whether the walkway is 2 or 5 feet wide (600-160cm), motorcycles squeeze past as pedestrians flatten themselves against the sides.

The streets are busy: two guys carve away bricks and a cement pad with a chisel and hammer. I wonder what's going into that cavity.

Another group is cleaning the got (drainage ditches on each side of the street). Leaves, garbage, and food wrappers tossed by locals are everywhere, plus what washes downstream from elsewhere in heavy rains. There's not a garbage can to be seen; it's normal to throw the waste to the side of the street. It's cleaned up by private helpers or occasionally by groups like this. 

There's a growing garbage dump on our loop walk, not in the "real" disposal area, but in front of a beautiful weekend house. The heap of tossed bags contains home garbage: paper, food, plastic. It's disgusting. Every month or so, someone clears away stacks of rotting items. Once, someone hung a banner over the usual drop area: 'The ghosts will get you if you dump trash here,' and it cleared up until the banner was removed. Then it was back to people throwing things out from motorcycles and car windows.

Hurrah! hurrah! Finally my syllabus shakes loose from my desk and laptop and I'm making progress. There's a stack of 4 binders (from various classes I'm combining into one) and another pile of printouts.

Supper is a matter of clearing the fridge and catering to our tastebuds. These plates have a little bowl: great for dressing, yogurt, salsa, etc.

Tuesday

I figure out that my resistance to starting my academic work was mostly due to last month's flu. It shut down my brain, body, and drive. On a call with a friend, she mentions the same despair and depression. Wait - that whole muddle was from being sick? Thank God! that's over and I've come back to life. We pray for her healing as well.

Usually Tuesday is team day. Since the team celebrated and connected at lunch on Sunday, I give them the week off.

Walk. Nara breakfast. Writing. Syllabus work and class study. There's so much new information for the class. The question is what to include, what to shed, and what to pause. On the office desk, I leave behind what I've compiled. I spread the rest onto the table on the Porch.

It's a gorgeous sunny day. The rain has been tapering off, which means a warm afternoon. The helpers are hard at work. Outside, PakAD prunes jackfruit branches that have stretched into our eaves. Crash. Smash. The long limbs hit the ground.

Inside, dishes are being washed, pumpkin pies (from real pumpkins not cans) are ready for the oven, and bread is rising in the bread maker. My Turkish teapot steams away: a big handful of leaves steeps in the little top pot while water boils in the bigger bottom pot. I mix stiff tea and water, half and half. W finishes off what's left over with sparkling water, sweetener, and ice.

From the Porch, I smell roasting chickens. Yesterday, W and I popped into the grocer. Whole broilers were on sale for $2.25 so we bought several for the house plus one each for the help. PakG drove down the hill to pick up the heavy bags of groceries while we walked home.

Today I ask the kitchen helper: "Want to prepare the other fowl as you make our lunch?" It's easier if everyone takes home food that's ready-to-eat, rather than having to cook after they get home. Plus we have yummy spices and a real oven ... 

"Yes please!" Only two chickens fit into the turkey roaster at a time, so they are baking all day long. We try new foods when they come on sale and bought weird salty dried mango. It is magically transformed into a delicious fruit salad by IbuA, who is a genius with food.

Last week, I was browsing files for an upcoming class when I ran across a formatted-for-publication chapter. I had no recollection of writing it or what book that went into. 

Today, looking for a book, I find one that looks vaguely familiar ... and there it is? Ah, I vaguely remember writing it. Once my work is out there, it's out of my head. Margaret Shirer is the only Pentecostal mentioned in the book; she was a wild thing and an AG missionary to Africa and Central America.

Wednesday

After a walk, we stock up at the grocer's. Yesterday, making pumpkin pies and bread "ate" into our stock of eggs and flour. 

PakG points out the moving trunk of a tall avocado.

W gets a closeup of the writhing mass of caterpillars. 

"It's the normal cycle for avocado trees," says PakG. "They strip off all the leaves and the tree grows back healthy and strong for the next season. That will happen in our yard as well." Eh?! What a way to replace autumn and winter in the tropical garden!

My desk is a heap of binders, papers, art supplies, an aquarium, tissue box, toys and lamps from our last IKEA run, and even memory stones. (I draw my word-of-the-year on a stone and keep them on a plate as a reminder of God's guidance.) There's so much on the surface that I can't put my computer between. "That's it! Do something."

Clutter gathers when I'm ill, like during last month's flu. I'm ruthless about clearing what others leave in my office unless I'm sick or focused on a project. Hence, the heaps. In a mild start, I sorted books on the office shelf - and hey, today there's room for the class binders and texts in that blank spot. The other binders and books go back to the top shelf. DONE - lamps and toys head to storage as hostess gifts and play items for young visitors. 

W's kickstarter investment a few years ago keeps my tea warm as I tackle the paperwork that's left and write Sunday's talk and book reviews. I liked the book read to me overnight by the Kindle reader. (2X speed is about perfect for absorption.)

I'm chugging through an academic journal article, written by a well-known theologian. As I edit, my head begins to buzz with repetitions, run-on sentences, and prepositions. I write the new journal editor, "May I cut out some of this for the readers?" Let's see what he says.

The former editor offered me carte blanche and told me to quit highlighting my edits. "I trust you and I don't want to know what you did." That was easy. Now I'm trying to guess the new direction of the journal. Especially when the writer is famous.

After lunch, Lisa drops by for tea, pumpkin pie, cookies, and an apple to dip into yogurt. The cute plates were 50% off and called my name last week. The teacups are from my Seattle collection. I re-homed 50 or 60 teacups but kept some favorites.

We check in how the media is going for the weekend, send off some videos, and read through the Sunday talk for the first time. Learning is constant - as is connecting.

Read more:

*Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. Psalm 37:7-9

*Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.

The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names. Hebrews 1:1-4

Prayer: Thank you for your salvation, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the inseparable One True God. Thank you that you come near to us when we accept your forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

In you, we are made whole. We are set free from the powers of darkness. We are heaped with your mercy and divine favor. Give us hearts to worship, tongues to praise you, and feet quick to do your bidding. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Endless spring energy

Friday, May 3, 2024

Spring has a firm grip where most of our friends live in the northern hemisphere. And our all-year-round hydroponic system is almost ready. The pipes are repaired and painted. PakA applies so much paint that it's still wet since Wednesday. W washes it off his hands. (No wonder we'll need to buy more for the gate.) Next we'll slot in recycled drinking cups filled with soil and seeds and sluice water through. 

In the afternoon, teatime is with the monthly book group. We're discussing Breath by Nestor: how breathing works and what it does. We find it interesting, though it sounds like a bore before we started reading it.

DrI brings a homemade chocolate cake to celebrate Marji's bday. She's an amazing cook and baker. The cake tastes so much like the one my mom made every birthday that I tear up with memories. DrI promises us the recipe. Yum.

It's a small group today but most have known each other for decades. DrI chooses Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles for next month's discussion. We sit under the trees at Goodlife Cafe and enjoy our drinks and sweet treats.

Saturday

First is a 5:00 meeting. Then W and I read the talk for Sunday before walking the dogs on the neighborhood loop. PakG has taken the day off to prepare for a family wedding. W heads off to meetings in town. While he's away, I sign off on an intern for next year, reset my teaching calendar, and tackle other work.

What's that jumping under the chair in our bedroom? A frog has made it in from the garden. I see its back legs hop under the chair, open the door to the outside, and hope it finds its way out. Frogs are climbers and I don't want it in bed with us tonight. I never see it again.

Sunday

"Bake a cake!" is my waking instruction at 4am. I try a new recipe which turns out moist and delicious. The simple ganache topping is 1 c whipping cream, boiled and poured over a chocolate bar. (Stir after 5 min, let sit 5 min to thicken, then spread it over the cake.) 

Why bake a cake before church? At 34, Herbert is almost done with his masters studies. We're going to give him his first birthday party. It's our tradition to pray on the first Sunday for those with a birthday that month. He's a May baby as well. Alice brings the cake to the front and he blows out the candles in one go.

The team celebrates him at lunch and tells him how special he is to us. There's a second bakery cake, too.

We pray together as well. We have a wonderful international group leading various kinds of service. Our families join the meal.

On social media, it's fun to see graduation pictures from around the world. Our friends have earned master and doctoral degrees; their kids are getting bachelor degrees. We celebrate all their hard work. On FB from 12 years ago, my grad pictures pop up - I look exhausted. I was so ill that week that I could barely keep my eyes open. (Here, standing beside fellow graduate Doug Clark.)

It's a treat that so many friends are done with studies or almost there. No one gives away earned doctorates - it takes years of hard work, with friends and mentors encouraging us along the way!

Monday

After a long sleepless pause (11-4), I fall asleep again until 6:30. Sigh. I hate these interrupted nights, though I get through 2 Corinthians, Galatians, and most of Ephesians. A bonus: I'm learning to love scripture in new ways, discovering the Living Word in the unintended waking hours.

One of Ibu Titik's arrangements graces the entry.

The other is on the coffee table - how uplifting to see them when I walk into the living room.

W's already back from walking the dogs when I head out to walk and pray through some new neighborhoods. That is refreshing. It's 10:00 before I've got the documents printed that I need to do my work. I focus after some tea and cake - if you EVER get a chance to try this, do. Thanks to friends for this pick-me-up!

Read more:

*The Lord said, “O that my people would listen to me.” Psalm 81:13

*A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom, but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother. Discipline your children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire. Proverbs 29:15, 17

*I am with you, says the Lord, to save you. Jeremiah 30:11

*Continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard. Colossians 1:23

*Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested. Hebrews 2:18

Moravian Prayer: Our God and Savior, you know our human frailties, our problems, our failings. Be with us this day to guide us through each test and save us with your grace. 

O still small Voice, open our ears that we may hear what you are saying. Silence the clamor of the world around us for just an instant, that we may hear and act on your word. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Sunshine on field and forest

Monday, April 29, 2024

The sun comes up on a new week. Every day, God turns the world and lights us up, longitude by longitude. How kind. How creative. Who else could have dreamed up a spinning ball populated by creatures and forests and worshippers?

Meetings. Walk. Meetings. I review a few books on leadership and coaching. (Check them out here.) This little guy is sitting on the road. I'm not sure if he's dead and not-yet-run-over ... or just cold. It is 19oC (66F) after all. Brrr.

It's a typical Monday except that the possibility of a new venture has knocked me from maintenance mode to wild creativity. It's all in my head? Ideas are turning and flipping and popping around.

"Potential" is my happy place. I take care of post-weekend business before walking around the house to release some energy. An easy shift is removing the broken mirror pieces from the nook shelves. They get rehoused upstairs, in a cabinet of possibilities.

Without mirrors, it's flatter. Should I paint down the wall to the floor? Not today.

On the entry table, I spot a "scent-melter" (whatever it's called). 30 years ago, Mom bought this at a home sales party and never used it. I brought it here last year and haven't used it either. Let's see if the berry fragrance can inspire me to write 2 newsletters, due tomorrow. I light it and hope for the best.

I get one newsletter and a few more meetings out of the way. One meeting gets postponed and that creates some space in my head. The day flies by but my hands are cramping from writing by late afternoon. Time to put the keyboard away.

Tuesday 

The day starts after a walk. All but three meetings are postponed or cancelled. Suddenly there's unexpected time to write and edit. I'm working on someone's article for publication as well as my book, "Letters from Cambridge." I finish one last monthly newsletter to supporters and partners. W and I swing by the grocer for supplies which eats up the morning hours.

Our wonderful IES team meets after lunch. I admire their obedience to God, their willingness to try new things, and their mutual encouragement and prayers.

I'm reading Art of Work by Jeff Goins. It reminds me of the wild energy I had and how bravely I used to welcome new experiences. Time to do that again, but perhaps with more wisdom. Certainly with more restraint.

There's fresh bread baking, a delicious lunch of nasa goreng (fried rice with chicken), and the house is clean. Oh what a blessing are IbuA and IbuS! It starts to rain after 2:00, putting an end to the yardman's efforts outdoors. W heads to town for vermiculite and other hydroponic supplies. Slowly that project is taking shape.

Wednesday - May 1, Indonesian Labour Day

W and I have breakfast down the street after our walk. We expected a tropical country to be overflowing with fresh fruits and vegetables. Nope. Most fresh produce is exported. This is typical: noodles plus fried and more fried foods.

The newsletters are out, the addresses updated, and calls made. Labour Day is traditionally a day of student protests for fair wages and better working conditions. Since it's (another!) red-letter day, the driver takes the day off. The rest of the workers come since they get paid by the day.

Martha and I chat online between Washington State and Indonesia. She's a praying friend; it's a special gift to share our children, who married almost 15 years ago.

I have kept a bullet journal since January and it's a lot of reviewing each day. Something easier I've done before? Minimalist journaling, which is life recorded in a little square. For May, I'm going back to MinJo to see which I like better. Both are excellent ways to track habits, connections, and accomplishments.

W doesn't want to paint the hydroponic system the bright green I have; I offer to spray it with black and green but he says no. He's supposed to choose a shade from this plant - a natural shade. 

Instead Pak AD paints it (nicely, I admit) with leftover paint from the gate. "Don't spend money on spray paint," he advises. He uses up the can; now we have to match the gate color the next time it needs painting.

Supper is leftover meat, fresh bread, and melted cheese. Sometimes a sandwich is all you need.

I think my hesitation about teaching an upcoming class is solved in an online meeting. That falls through but I get a go-ahead to team-teach with an accomplished friend. What she knows will be of great benefit to our students. Back to the hard slog of scoping out the class out. The syllabus is due next week.

Thursday - happy birthday, Melissa!

It's a daughter-in-love's birthday today so we call. She's out so we leave a message. I remind my mom to call her as well. One more call to a brother who has good news we've been waiting and praying for.

We leave the house at 8:00 to hike in the tea fields and mountain forests. It's quite cool until we leave the forest. We pause for the same photo we take every time we get to this tree.

In the tea, the unshaded air is warmer.

Lightning strikes mark the few trees left to shade the tea.

The dogs love these walks and are full of grass seeds. They run back and forth = 3X our distance or more. Today's hike is not far (+3.5 miles/+5 km) but the weather is perfect. It's 32oC (90F) when we get to the car.

During rainy season, the rocky roads through the plantations become overgrown with grass, which is beaten down by the little trucks that pick up tea trimmings. That slight cover over stony ground eases the dips for our ankles and hips.

We decide on Sidang Reret for lunch. On the weekends, they're booked with tourists but they're empty when we arrive. (Check the gorgeous promo photos here.) After the tippy walk, we choose a table poolside rather than sitting on the floor cushions of the "boat" tables.

Thinking ahead, I order a platter for 3; chicken, tofu, rice, fried beans, crackers, and salad. I make lettuce wraps and enjoy a side order of beef satay. We wrap up the leftovers for tomorrow's lunch.

Thursdays outdoors unclench any expectations of what we hope to accomplish or what we still need to do. They are refreshing breaks and time with friends. I come home to finish my book group presentation, shower, and update conversations toward an upcoming class. Pretty restful, I'd say.

Read more:

*Give me an undivided heart to revere your name. Psalm 86:11

*Jesus said, “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.” John 15:4

*God exalted Jesus Christ even more highly and gave him the name that is above every other name, so that at the name given to Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11

Moravian Prayer; Loving God, we pray for your guidance in aligning our hearts to love you and to love others as ourselves. We pray for the strength to love you with every fiber of our heart and soul. Help us to understand that our love for our neighbors is our truest expression of the love we have for you. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

A whole lot of shakin' going on ...

Thursday, April 25, 2024

I was studying and sorting computer files all afternoon yesterday. My eyes were bleary when I quit after 5:00 p.m. I got to "D" in the files about spiritual formation. I've got a long way to go today.

I find a chapter I wrote for a book long time ago. I don't remember the book and I certainly can't remember sending in the chapter. But there it is, a file in my cleanup. Who knew! I'm always writing so unless I make good money on it, it's sent off and forgotten. "Edit any way you want," I tell the editors. Once it's gone, it no longer has a hold on me.

Shibli's writing arrives via courier. He's written a chapter about his mom in Uganda for a book of stories about mothers. We're delighted when our team and Bandung students get published and otherwise thrive.

My spiritual director Alaine listens to my rambling. She reads a wonderful poem and gives some healthy feedback to set me back in balance.

Friday

W and I walk the dogs and chat. I've got a new idea for the next season. To come to life, it would take a lot of discussion and planning. I run it past a few people who know us well; they instantly cheer for the project. Let's see if or how it unfolds.

As I work, I listen to leadership podcasts on culture and human flourishing. "Anti-culture is hunting down cultural boundaries and destroying them." It's not building up or revising for improvement as sometimes advertised.

The first podcast is an interesting look at how Jesus is good news for everyone. The conversation between Canadian and New York pastors is fascinating; it includes current issues such as sexual re-identification, redefinition of culture, immigration, AI, and other trends.

PakG takes all our spare tables to the hall because the usual round tables will be in use elsewhere this Sunday. It takes a few trips with our SUV. It's one less thing to think about on the weekend.

When a roach runs across your foot, it doesn't matter how good you are at washing dishes. You drop the mug in the sink.

Saturday

The walk is littered with dead creatures. This cicada is pretty, even upside-down.

The orange hedge replaces its flowers with beans when the blooms drop off.

This is a strange way to build: the walls of the new building go up around the old ruins - as the new walls spread, the old house is knocked down, room by room. It's a simultaneous process. The workers sleep in the part that still has a roof and will shift when the new roof is up.

W and I go to the hall to apply a film over the prayer room windows. We're blocking the view of sports equipment storage. I'm easily distracted by clutter so it's as much for me as anyone else.

We spray the windows and apply the reeded film, which easily peels off when no longer needed.

Have you ever seen anything like this, below? These guys are pulling illegal wires for cable or phone and tying them into existing items. They stand their metal ladder in the middle of the street and prop the top against the wires already strung. Two men brace the ladder at the bottom: the other climbs up to string the wire around the branches of the trees.

 

Close to home, the bromeliads are multiplying, bursting with life after all the rain.

Tomorrow we have company for lunch so I spend a few hours cooking. At 11:30pm, we wake with the bed shaking and the windows rattling. Should we go outside? Probably not - this old house has withstood more than this. The earthquake stops after 15 seconds or so, without causing damage at our place. We fall back asleep and hardly feel the aftershocks a half-hour later.

Sunday

It's a full house at IES Bandung's Round Table Sunday. There are visitors from Australia and a few well-known faces from nearby. Here's what we talk about.

Ibu Titik arranges flowers for each table. This week, Clau will use them for an 8th-grade graduation party at her daughter's school. Their budget is small so the bouquets are a treat at the right time.

The main arrangement is a 5' stunner on the platform

The earthquake has shaken molding and a light off the ceiling in a storage closet. The table I wiped down yesterday? It's loaded with dirt from the windows and ceiling. We clean it up again. Otherwise, the hall looks fine. Thank you, God!

After the Gathering, it takes me under an hour to heat and plate the food. W grabs a lime off a garden tree to infuse the drinking water. There's even  time to run a bunch of cooking pots through the sink before we dine with these wonderful Filipino friends. 

Filipinos are hospitable, accustomed to sharing meals. Most of them teach in local school and are nearing the end of the school year. They bring main dishes and dessert. OH OH OH so good. The table groans with food. It's a treat to include some guests we haven't seen in a while, since they've moved to work in Jakarta.

We may have sent home other leftovers, but we keep what's left of their goodies for another meal. Delicious. It's precious to catch up and pray for each other around the table. Then we head to the Porch for a better photo.

Our stomachs are full. Our hearts are happy. It's a quick cleanup since the guests help a lot. A half-hour after they leave, a sink-full of dishes awaits tomorrow's helper. But the rest of the house is tidied and back to rest.

I sigh over the abundance of God's provision: people, resources, and food. Underserved and unearned, it makes me even more grateful for those reasons.

Read more:

*“This is what the Lord says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come—yes, let them foretell what will come.

Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.” Isaiah 44:6-8 

*You say, “I am innocent; surely the Lord’s anger has turned from me.” Now I am bringing you to judgment for saying, “I have not sinned.” Jeremiah 2:35

*Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom. Luke 23:2

Moravian Prayer: Gracious Lord, our hearts need not be fearful or distrustful. We rejoice in knowing that because Jesus died for our sins, conquered death, and ascended into heaven, we will have life everlasting. Thank you, triumphant Lord. Amen.