Holding fast

Bolted to the wall, the new pantry:
Timo asks, "Who else has Mexican
chocolate and Asian sauces
on the same shelf?"

I'm reflecting this morning about the things we hold near and dear. There's nothing like a move to create a change in self-identity.

Yes, it's still startling and strange to be introduced as missionaries rather than professor or pastor or writer. What does that tag mean? What will it mean in the future?

We don't know. For now, we place one foot in front of the other. Letting go of the past, embracing today. We think about:

• how grateful we are for everyday things we've considered "normal."
• the security of the familiar, where we live and how our kids grew up.
• the people who partner with us. "Nothing in life is free," says Mom. Others are sacrificing to send us. THANK YOU, thank you! dear supporters.
• leaving behind our parents and children, these dear faces we'll miss and the family events we'll never attend.
• the foods we like - here and there.
• physical necessities and the overflow: how much we can live without!
• people and things we don't know yet. Indo friends. Language. Traditions. Reflexes of culture. Transportation. Living arrangements.
• the chores of relocation, here and there.
• the Joy set before us.

So many more thoughts and shifts in assumptions cross our minds. But we can let go of everything else when we hold fast to God.

What's churning through your mind today?

Read more:
*You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. Deuteronomy 13:4 ESV

*CS Lewis, after his wife's death, from A Grief Observed: "On the other hand, ‘Knock and it shall be opened.’ But does knocking mean hammering and kicking the door like a maniac? And there’s also ‘To him that hath shall be given.’ After all, you must have a capacity to receive, or even omnipotence can’t give. Perhaps your own passion temporarily destroys the capacity.

"For all sorts of mistakes are possible when you are dealing with Him. Long ago, before we were married, H. was haunted all one morning as she went about her work with the obscure sense of God (so to speak) ‘at her elbow,’ demanding her attention. And of course, not being a perfected saint, she had the feeling that it would be a question, as it usually is, of some unrepented sin or tedious duty. At last she gave in—I know how one puts it off—and faced Him. But the message was, ‘I want to give you something’ and instantly she entered into joy."

What's in your head?

After 6 months of waking with an empty mind and no agenda, my head is full again. This morning, it was full with:

• The calendar is packed this week. Do I have the gifts ready for my friends, the material studied for the discussion, the appetizer ingredients ready to prep for the party? Bzzz.
• Are my workout clothes clean and laid out for the morning session? Bzzz.
• Our daughter comes home today. How will her body respond to Seattle weather? Is the bed made up? What else can we do to make the room comfy? Bzzz.
• A daughter-in-law, our daughter, and I visit the spa tomorrow. Are our Groupons in hand? Bzzz.
• Husband's work party? Do I need to do anything but show up?
• Next Monday's turkey dinner? When to set up tables? How shall I decorate them? Are the serving dishes washed? When to thaw out the 22 lb. turkey? When to make the stuffing? Bzzz.
• Are the gifts wrapped for Sunday's family Christmas? Bzzz.
• Oh yeah, I'm a writer and speaker. Are the presentations close to edited so I can send them off before conference deadlines? Bzzz.
• I babysit our 1 yr old granddaughter Fridays. We have to move the crib from Kirsten's bedroom to another room before K arrives today.
• etc.

There's a lot of buzzing in my brain.

I'm sure your head is as full as mine is, spilling ideas into the day. How can we manage the details that flood us in such seasons of celebration and change?

• Schedule quiet time - at least 15 minutes of reflection and prayer - each morning before the whirlwind begins. This settling of the heart allows us to align ourselves with God no matter what the tugging and pulling of obligations throughout the day.
• Watch and listen to how wise and godly friends and coworkers handle the pressures. Copy what is good and ask for advice if you're getting overwhelmed.
• Take time with your calendar to sort and prioritize. Write detailed agendas for items that require advance preparation. Schedule NO more than 3 evenings out per week, say the experts.
• Cut cut cut! anything and everything that doesn't serve your priorities. Some years require intense focus, while others let us drift through holidays at a measured pace. (Last year's journal, while I was in the thick of writing my dissertation, reports many more no's than yes'ses. That was the only way to stay sane and keep moving forward. Everyone survived and I got the work done.) 
• Give away stuff that doesn't serve you as you clear and declutter. Got old cameras? Clothes that don't fit? Seattlites, the www.bigbuetruck.org (or 800 - 992-2060) will come to pick it up from your porch. Maybe your kids have been eying a favorite teapot or piece of furniture. Do you really need it? Give it away with a smile. (See, you feel lighter already!)
• Enjoy the pleasures of the season. The meaning and blessings of Christmas - God with us! The visitors! The lights! The decor! The ribbons and wrappings! The clean house in which guests feel welcome! They all require effort ... but nothing is free (according to my mother). Since we work so hard, let's relish the results.
• Focus on the good things. Peace on earth, goodwill to those around you. Share God's love in every way that comes to hand. Forgive those who have hurt you as God forgave you when you hurt Him. Hug and kiss your family. 
• End each day with a prayer of gratitude. God is good. He gives us the night and rest. Let's not squander it in worry and sleeplessness. Morning is coming and your head may but full again.

Read more:

*One day Kish's donkeys strayed away, and he told Saul, 'Take a servant with you, and go look for the donkeys.

... Finally, they entered the region of Zuph, and Saul said to his servant, 'Let's go home. By now my father will be more worried about us than about the donkeys!'

But the servant said, 'I've just thought of something! There is a man of God who lives here in this town. He is held in high honor by all the people because everything he says comes true. Let's go find him. Perhaps he can tell us which way to go.' 1 Samuel 9:3, 5–6

*Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Psalm 84:3

*But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:8-9 NIV

*So then, a Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God. Hebrews 4:9

Moravian Prayer: O God, when we are weary, you invite us to rest. In our anxiety and busyness, let us take your invitation seriously today. Make us stop. Let us rest in your embrace from our labors and be renewed. Amen.

Notes to self, approaching autumn

Sipping from my "joy" cup today

Do you love autumn? Relish the changing colors of the trees? Take the kids to romp in the winddrifts of crackling leaves? Welcome the chance to put logs on the fire and snuggle close to the warmth?

I'm a summer person myself. I love the emerging buds and bursts of flowers. I cherish each sunny day as though it were my last, even if it's the 100th in a row and I have to seek shelter from the heat. (Then I sit close to a window and thank God for bright light!) I love waking to early mornings and reading without lights until late evening. I think I love everything about summer. But fall? Since my kids were in their teens, I've dreaded it.

Hello, trusty Merrill shoes. Goodbye, beloved flip-flops
until the next sunny autumn day.

This year I've promised myself a better attitude about fall and winter. While the weather was hot, I got a smack-down from a dear friend about my winter whining. "Stop it!" she said. "That's enough already."

I heard her loud and clear. And, oh yes, I believe that "wounds from a friend CAN be trusted," as the wise sage said. So this year I'm going to thank God for the moments I enjoy, while anticipating spring's end and summer's beginning ... only 8 months away. Smiling already at the thought of all that sun and heat.

A cup of the Irish (AG version)
with Pumpkin Spice in our InginuiTea

The dogs and I had a great walk this morning. The drizzle held off until our driveway. Note to self: "The best weather in this neighborhood is before 8am. Get moving early. It will often be raining by 8:30 or 9."

I tore off a laurel branch that was leaning over the sidewalk and popped it into a vase when I got home. Its black berries look great on the kitchen sill. Note to self: "Prune the branches while they're pretty, since they'll be dripping water on you in a week or less. Enjoy their beauty up close and personal."

Opening the tea cabinet to choose
a fragrance for the day

When we got home, I made a cup of Black Irish tea and dressed it with pumpkin pie spice. Note to self: "Add a bit of sugar. Cloves and cinnamon are bitter without it."

While the tea steeped, I poured water from the hot-water tap over mulling spices in a medium pot. It's simmering on the stove, providing the illusion that someone is baking autumn spice cookies. Note to self: "Fragrance matters."

I like layering clothes when the weather turns on us, from those whitest of European undershirts to the thin merino wool tights that snug under jeans. Note to self: "Choose the nicest, warmest clothing. Don't save beautiful sweaters for appointments or pretty socks for special days. Enjoy every generous gift God gives you. And why not put on 3 interesting bracelets if you want to?"

W cuts out the yellow ceiling and a wall of blue

W repainted my office last week. Instead of three walls of cheery but intense medium blue, I have a brightest-white ceiling and facing walls. The mirror wall remains bluest-blue, and the opposite wall shines deep royal blue. It's an update without a loss of personality. Note to self: "Being at home during the cold season is a wonderful gift. Thanks, hon, for making our house live and breathe!"

 I'm happy this morning. The rain's come. The light's fading and days are short. But God renews his mercies every morning. Great is his faithfulness!

New merino wool socks for this cold morning

Read more:
*I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Do not fear, I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13 

*Jesus took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” Mark 5:41 

*But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Galatians 5:22-26 NIV

Moravian Prayer: Great Physician, you speak to us in many ways, bringing both comfort and challenge. Healing God, comfort us, heal us and encourage us. May we share your blessing with others this day. Amen.