Flowers and fruits

 Sunday, April 14, 2024

It's a good day of connecting. Titik has outdone herself with yellow flowers for the hall. We bring the arrangement home after the Gathering.

I move the coleus bouquets to other tables. Their pink stems are a pretty contrast to the light green and cream leaves.

 IES guests from Jakarta lived nearby before their move to the big city. We find friend in common as we chat.

A young Indonesian graduate who moved to Berlin is attending the IC we support there. I send our selfie to his pastor. The family of God is a closely-connected web across the world.

Afterward, we grab some cookies from the home fridge and attend Joel's birthday party down the hill. It's a feast of Filipino foods and warm hospitality. As soon as we've eaten, the downpour starts. In good weather, we could walk back up the hill. Instead, we wait 25 minutes under the rain canopy outside for a Grab vehicle. We're wet before we reach the car door. It feels good to change clothes when we get home.

Monday

If you struggle with motivation to walk, get a dog (or 3). Look at these guys, leashed and waiting patiently for us to change into street shoes. They're trained to one leash, which makes it less likely that we'll trip over them.

I start a syllabus for a class I'm teaching in July/August. Gail and Kim offer helpful resources from across the world (yay for good colleagues, online meetings, and texts). On my desk, the fish circle the tank. The solar-powered fountain floats under the LED lamp and bubbles air into the water.

W and I work with Herbert on his Sunday talk. IbuS bakes fresh bread and I hard-boil some eggs, so we have egg salad sandwiches for lunch.

I've been stressed for over a week -> hungry hungry hungry. I re-read my journal, which I seldom do. And yup, "that's why." The inner scramble reminds me of high intake seasons: studying in undergrad classes (when I needed to also read a novel) and in grad and post-grad courses (when I'd bring snacks or a sketchbook to help me focus.)

I snack all morning and stroke paint on 3 old canvases to harness the churning energy. Some faces start to emerge - we'll see who's there over the next few days. These have a long way to go.

Lew calls and works out direction for his dissertation proposal. It's fun to learn with someone who has clear goals and methodology. Even better is when the topic will be useful and applicable.

Tuesday

The dogs are barking up a storm as the helpers are back. The yardman's job is transferring the piles of composting leaves and twigs to the proper place. The house relaxes into clean bedding and mopped floors. The smell of baking cookies baking wafts from the kitchen. We used most of our baked goods over the Easter and Ramadan holidays. It's time to fill the cookie boxes for the next round.

One morning meeting leaves me with a page of notes and a lot of questions. They will work themselves out, I know - but meanwhile, I study what I am learning.

Lunch is good. IbuA makes a potato and chicken curry. Oh wait! we bought the potatoes this morning to make them for lunch tomorrow. Oh well ... my fault for not putting those off limits. I have to get used to giving specific instructions again after having the house to ourselves for the week of Lebaran.

Wednesday 

After our walk, I take food from the freezer and start to cook lunch. I set 2 places on the dining table, along with the rest of the plates and cups to replicate the models.

We transplanted a barely-alive, leaf-dropping Benjamina fig into the garden from its pot. We've had to trim it often to keep it at 5 meters: it explodes with growth in its happy place. It's growing so quickly that it shades the flower bed. I cut the bright green coleus under it into submission last week.

I want to plant a mango tree there. We have to remove the Benjamina before its roots disturb the sidewall of the yard The yardman's big job today is chopping it down. What a chore. Getting the deep roots out of the ground "can't be done." What?

 

Impossible is not in my vocabulary. I suggest a method for toppling the trunk that pulls the roots out with it. My dad dropped four 30-meter (100-foot) trees this way to clear space to build our Seattle house.

"Not possible," says W. Could they try? ... and if it doesn't work, try the old way? They choose what they're comfortable with. Leaving a 1' (35cm) stump and roots in the ground = hard future work for the yardman. Go guys, I guess.

I'll have to wait a few weeks to plant the mango, after the roots are pried out piece by piece.

We enjoy lunch with friends Chandra and Titik, Ofly and Angie and their two beautiful kids. The dogs love the attention, of course. Young Ben takes Bailey's leash and joins PakG on the afternoon walk with the dogs.

Titik leaves this arrangement behind. 

"You can store it flat," says Chandra. "It's made from one piece of wood." I put the fruit in the fridge away from the ants. Wow! who thought of this?

Read more:

*It is God who arms me with strength. Psalm 18:32

*I, I am he who comforts you; why then are you afraid of a mere mortal who must die? Isaiah 51:12

*God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. 1 Corinthians 1:25

*Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you. 1 Peter 3:15

*See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. 1 John 3:1

Moravian Prayer: O God, help us to prepare to live a life that is an example for others to follow. Help us to demonstrate to others through our actions that our lives are full of the Holy Spirit, and our hope and wonder is built on the solid rock of Christ.

God of power and might, we know that you give us our strength. Help us to be faithful to you and your son as we wait for his return. Amen.

Spun sugar and balloons

Thursday, April 11, 2024

Brunch with Laurel includes toasted egg sandwiches, fruit, cherry yogurt, and tomato salad. I'm brushing ants off the dishes even before they have food on them: it's definitely bug season in the kitchen and outside. I cook so rarely that it's a treat to pull together a meal after a morning walk.

I tour the yard, spot the turtles, feed the fish and birds, and am exhausted. Cmon! What's going on? I lay down and crash into a 2-hour-nap. Meanwhile W and Herbert work together on the Porch.

For lunch, Korean ramen hits the spot, even though it's from a package. There's work to do and it's nice to finish before nightfall.

Friday

The trees are showing off in the increasing sunshine, between night showers. Over our heads, an 8-meter (25') palm is dripping with red berries as we walk.

We read the talk for Sunday with this view from the Porch.

I package cookies for Dyna's baby shower. Wina picks up a few guests and me around 10:00. With drivers on vacation, owners are driving themselves or catching a ride with friends like I do.

It's wonderful to celebrate new life coming into the world. We bring our baby pictures and do a guessing game of "who's who?" The furthest back I can find is a picture of my Uncle Albert's and Aunt Edith's wedding. I was a flower girl with my cousin Elaine. My cousin, much more of a lady even at age 8, was pristine at the end of the wedding. In contrast, my socks were wrinkled, my white shoes scuffed, and my bouquet wilted. I remember it being a fun time with people trying to restrain me all day - oh well. The hand on my shoulder is probably so I'll stand still at the photographer's.

Each person brings snacks to share at the baby shower.

We confirm that another guest is also expecting a baby in the next months. Woohoo! The two little boys enjoy their time together, checking out the presents.

Dyna and Daniel are expecting another son within a few weeks. What joy!

Every child is wanted by God and sent into the world to be a blessing - in his or her unique way. (Imagine if God had made us all alike! What a boring planet we'd live on.)

Saturday

My goal is to thin the garden into submission before the yardman returns on Tuesday. We need a fresh start on the flowerbeds. They're an unruly jungle where roses and other plants are shaded by more vigorous growers. One of those "can't-stop-growing" plants is coleus. It's found a perfect spot and takes over. I snap off stems until the pond, lavender blooms, and a rose bush emerge.

Half of it gets chucked; the rest soaks in the kitchen sink while I'm watering plants outside.

There are enough stems for 2 bouquets: one in a heritage vase for the living room, and another for the Porch table. Mom bought the colored vase in Italy decades ago. The thought crosses my mind: "What will archaeologists learn about our global culture when they find Italian vases in Indonesia; Indian fabrics in Europe, Brazilian carvings in China, and Navajo pottery in Alaska?"

W and I stroll to #NaraParkBandung for brunch. Several restaurants are open around the courtyard. I order pesto linguini, which comes with sausages cut into florets. W eats the meat because I'm not a big sausage fan. The pasta is perfectly flavored.

Beside our table, this young princess spins cotton candy. At 65c, the childhood memory of days at the fair is irresistible. W and I share one on our walk home.

I can't get over how beautiful the world is, working on the Porch with the cicadas chirping in the tall trees at the back of the yard.

Last year we bought a clutch of bird toys at the bird market. Today a new one goes in each birdcage. The birds stay on the other side of the cage most of the day until they figure out a beaded swing and the dangling wood blocks are safe. They will eventually chew them to bits as they've done with the old ones.

I download another dozen books for review. I'm hunting for classroom texts and recommendations for our university students and my husband, who's a professor of IT and theology. The business and art titles are passed along to faculty colleagues and artsy friends.

So many good books are close to being published, alongside the self-published volumes that spring up like weeds. (Good weeds, many of them.) If you're a self-published author, give me access for a review.

Read more:

*Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord God, and not rather that they should turn from their ways and live? Ezekiel 18:23

*Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. Luke 9:34-35

*The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

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

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

Moravian Prayer: O God of reconciliation and peace, please help us to learn to love and forgive our enemies, just as you continue to love us when we fail to follow you. Help us to understand that we are all sinners who have been set free by your gift of grace. We should delight with all who turn to you. 

Lord, you are our true king and the son of God. We know we are to follow your words of love with actions of love. Please help us to listen to your words of wisdom so that we can fulfill the loving purpose you have for our lives on this earthly world. Amen.

A blend of books and a blur of chores

Monday, April 8, 2024

A room with full bookshelves makes me happy. My eyes are tired from reading yesterday evening. The Kindle "dyslexic" font makes reading easier and faster for me.

I'm plunging through two fiction series by Karen Kingsbury. She writes about common challenges in a family (marriage, friendship, rebellious children, substance abuse, unwed pregnancy, cancer, etc.) and the responses of Christian adults to those.

[For those unfamiliar with a conservative American-Christian worldview, her writing offers a peek behind the scenes into Christian families. I recommend any of Kingsbury's books for neighbors of Christians, politicians, and those who are curious about American Christians. Plus they're good stories.]

I meet online with a friend and partner before a walk around the neighborhood with W. We pray God's favor and blessings on our neighbors going in the last week of Ramadan. 

I've only seen one of the turtles we picked up on fish street last week. But this morning, two little splashes show that they've stayed in the bathtub pond and seem to be thriving.

We head out the door before lunch, buying some mums to replace expired flowers and an orange tree where the dead-and-gone papaya tree used to grow.

Ocha (rice tea) and lunch at Sushi Teh is fresh and delicious. Despite the Muslim fast, the place is full.

We make two more stops: a department store and a grocer. No matter where you live in the world, chores don't do themselves. We're home by mid-afternoon. We set the plants aside for the yardman tomorrow and put the groceries away. I set up future meetings, discuss the direction of next week's talk with W (he's writing it), and confirm our travel arrangements for the next months. What a relief that W takes care of the details.

There's enough time for another blurt of book review before I call it a day. I like one book in particular and may use it in the classroom. It's a self-coaching manual called The Clarity Advantage by Tobin and Peterson. The premise is if people are yawning with boredom, turned off, or falling asleep when you talk, you need help with your communication style and presentation. (Click the link for this and other reviews.)

Best coffee table book? Book Nooks by Dina and Gilhuly. 

It takes longer to read stories than to skim potential textbooks. I feel privileged to pick up a diversity of books from publishers. Saves us thousands of dollars each year at the bookstore, too! A few are already available; many are getting ready for publication. 

Tuesday

Typically, in tropical houses there are gaps around doors and windows like this one. Bugs, lizards, and other creatures take full advantage of the spaces to come and go, night and day. You can hear the lizards chirping when it gets dark. An empty yogurt container with its lid on in the sink swarms with hundred of ants by morning.

The house is cleaned thoroughly before helpers take a Ramadan break.

After a few final errands, W and I have lunch at #2HandsFull. There's nothing I'm really hungry for there, but the tortilla is pretty good.

In the afternoon, I go to an exercise class down the hill with some of the walking group. Fitness trainer Angie keeps us engaged. I may be sore tomorrow though it was a well-paced session.

Wednesday

It's quiet and relaxing around the place after a noisy night of chanting and fireworks. The standard greeting is Maaf, lahir batin or "Forgive me, body and soul." 

The neighbors and helpers are preparing food and travel for Eid-al-Fitr, closing out the month of Ramadan. We pray for God's lovingkindness over each one who will seek him in this season. And we are utterly grateful to know our sins have been forgiven by God, whose justice was satisfied by the sacrifice of Jesus the Son.

The Indonesian constitution guarantees rights to practice 6 religions: 1. Islam, 2. Christianity (Protestant), 3. Catholicism, 4. Buddhism, 5. Hinduism, and most recently 6. animism. Religions are not equal in access or acceptance but these are permitted, which is unique among world governments. Muslims get many days off. Around Eid-al-Fitr, they have a week plus travel days. The helpers take Buddhist and Hindu holidays off, too. Interestingly, Christians get two days off for Christmas, one for Good Friday  and two days for Ascension Day (Jesus' return to the Father in heaven.) 

Easter is not a public holiday since the resurrection of Jesus is considered suspect by Muslims. The Roman soldiers at the empty tomb of Jesus did as they were told, bribed by religious leaders 2 millennia ago. Here's what Jesus' disciple Matthew records:

[In the morning after Jesus' resurrection,] some of the guards went into the city. They reported to the chief priests all that had happened. When the chief priests met with the elders, they came up with a plan. They gave the soldier a large amount of money. 

They told the soldiers, "We want you to say, 'His disciples came during the night. They stole his body while we were sleeping.' [Such negligence would have earned the soldiers death!] And if the governor hears this report, we will pay him off. That will keep you out of trouble." So the soldiers took the money and did as they were told. This story has spread all around among the Jews to this day. (Matthew 28:11-15)  Read the eyewitness account for yourself here.

It takes a lot of people to maintain a home and yard in the tropics. Think about this: ants, termites, roaches, mice, civits, sloths, monkeys, etc. are competing for indoor and outdoor spaces. (The weight of insects on the planet is about 70X that of humans. Wow!) This week, the robot vacuum runs around the rooms and sucks up ants that make it though the porous walls. I swipe with a rag at surfaces which get dusty every day and lay low for the most part.

Each day we circle the yard to feed the fish in the ponds and the birds in the cages. The solar fountains bubble in the morning sunshine. It's cicada time at the beginning and end of every rainy season and they're noisy today. The new little orange tree is in the ground, thanks to PakAD's good work yesterday. How many oranges do you see?

 A cup of tea on the porch hits the spot. I have some academic documents to read, W's Sunday talk to revise, and more. We write until a lunch appointment at #MissBeeProvidore. Thony makes our time together fun and interesting - he's a traveler and an international Indonesian.

We walk home as the thunder begins to rumble. We get a warm welcome from Juno as we come in the gate. The other dogs are more interested in finding a quiet dark space - they dislike the storms. All of them are on "guard alert" with a steady parade of guests arriving at our neighbors' homes. The dogs are not letting anyone into the yard without our permission.

Read more:

*The Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you, but deliver us this day!” Judges 10:15

*But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ Luke 18:13

*If we walk in the light as God is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

O loving God, we thank you for your mercy. Although we are all sinners, we are the benefactors of your tenderhearted care, grace, and forgiveness. Because of the offering of your beloved son, we are blessed to have been pardoned and to have received eternal salvation. Thanks be to God! Amen.

Hazy mornings and swinging afternoons

Friday, April 5, 2024

Our kids have been married 16 years today. Congratulations, T and M! We're cheering you on. W and I had been married 30 when they got started. I'm in a meeting for an hour before sunrise at 6:00. It's a hazy morning in the mountains. 

W and I walk around the block and spot this critter on the street. Its buggy eyes wave around watching as our camera comes closer.

This beetle is impressive whether buzzing around in flight (taking off above) or googling its big eyes at us (below - 1.5" - 3+cm lines). I am curious: what are the brown sacks under their wings? I look it up. Oh, those are the "real" soft wings for flight, protected by hard-shelled wings above them. How cool is God's engineering ... even for bugs.

We have breakfast at #WaorungEthnic, running into friends who are eating together. It's a favorite place for good rice and beef rendang (spicy stew.) The beef is cooked repeatedly in coconut milk and spices until it is almost dry but flavorful. It's one of my favorite Indonesian feast dishes. 

A few strands shaved off the beef can flavor a heaping spoonful of rice. Rendang is not eaten by the chunk but by the sliver. It looked like stew so I took an American-sized cube in my mouth the first time - and I had to chew it a long long time before it was  malleable enough to swallow. How embarrassing: later I realized that my forkful was an entire person's portion

Saturday

It's another hazy morning. The streets are empty though the playground rings with laughter and shouts. The preteen and teen boys kick a soccer ball in an oddly-shaped triangle between streets. The kids are wearing flip-flops on the uneven pavers. 

Someone sends the ball out of bounds and another boy races toward the 4' wall and the drop-off to the street. The ground under the tree where the ball catches is topped with slippery leaves, and he's going at full speed. He skids toward the ball, hooks it with his toes, kicks it back into the center, and the game continues as he runs back toward his fiends. All in flip-flops. We watch in wonder.

Many houses have a garbage bin that open in the yard for disposal with another opening on the others side for pickup.

This house is being built around the former house's walls. So interesting to watch how people think about building here. I'm wondering when they'll redo the roof. For now, the workers sleep inside.

At home, I make the Sunday flower arrangement, grazing in the garden for berries, ferns, and flowers. There are a few still-green leaves and the lilies from Easter have just begun to open.

On the Porch, I watch a new-to-us betta (65c on fish street) cruise around. This fish becomes aggressive when swordtails or platys come near. Settle down: you're the new guy in town. (Maybe he's had his fins nipped before?)

I fill a 5-gallon cylinder and set it on my desk, adding a betta with 4 swordtail fry and plants from the garden ponds. As I work, they swim circles and pick at the greens.

W and I restructure the IES Bandung talk because it's Family Sunday with kids in the hall. How does the story relate to them?

I download and review 10 books that are coming to publication in the next months. What a mix: business, art, leadership, and fiction. I only thoroughly read those with content that teaches me something. On the side, I'm enjoying some "clean" family fiction by Karen Kingsbury.

Sauerkraut for lunch? Why not. The jar sitting on the counter is ready to expire. I rinse the cabbage, chop an apple and a sausage, season it with black pepper, and add cloves from our garden. It goes into the oven for a few hours with small whole potatoes on top. We eat it with radish sprouts and ricotta cheese because we don't have sour cream on hand. 

The dogs get groomed - old Mr Bailey looks pretty smart for his age! Good boy. The dogs love to be at their "spa" - the groomers come to the house to take care of nails, ears, and hair (everywhere on a poodle.)

Sunday

One of the wonderful parts of leading is the privilege of adding to the DNA. One of our core values is inclusion, and this works itself out in many ways. A diversity of ages, heritages, and gifting ... everyone belongs and can contribute. Today we have a young reader for one of the scripture passages. He dances with excitement when he's done.

After, we have lunch at #Narapark. The table settings are simple and elegant.

We order a Ramadan special: rendang lasagne. Very spicy!

W and I spend an hour on the swinging chairs in the backyard, watching the turtle climb up to sun itself and slide back into the water when we move. The dog sprawl nearby. The solar fountains bubble up to aerate the bathtub ponds.

Oh oh. A strip of wood paneling has fallen from the Porch ceiling. The weight of the bird cages is not the best thing for the paneling but that's not the only factor - age, termites, and 40 years of animals in the ceiling are hard on the house. W rehangs the cage into a rafter, a handy man to have around.

Read more:

*I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create woe; I the Lord do all these things. Isaiah 45:6-7

*But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 

God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Romans 3:21-26

*[Jesus declares,] I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever, and I have the keys of Death and of Hades. Revelation 1:18

Moravian Prayer: Creator of all things, we see you in everything. Your presence is felt in times of joy and sorrow. We praise you for breaking the bonds of death and for raising us to new life in you. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.