Miles Upon Miles

Today the road took us to Williston for a "Celebration of Life" service honoring a dear friend.  Her life was cut short by our standards, but it was refreshing to hear her sons recount the many times her physical challenges gave opportunity to share the message of Jesus with those caring for her.  The church was full of family and friends, all who were in some way impacted by her life.

Our connection to her began during the time our daughter needed a place to live while doing her student teaching.  This woman and her family graciously offered to take her into their home, and it was during this time our now son-in-law came into the picture.  Although our friend claimed she never delved into the world of "match making," I can't help but think she did her part to insure our daughter found the perfect match.  For this I am eternally grateful!

Back home this evening I am putting together an overnight bag, as in the morning a group of ladies from our church will be headed down the highway to Bismarck for a Ladies Conference.  There will be two different speakers and lots of fellowship time with other women of faith.  My heart is already open to receive all God has in store for us.

From Bismarck, some of us will journey back to Williston for a Fall Fundraising Banquet at the Christian school our grandchildren attend.  I try not to think about the total number of miles covered in the course of three days, but instead am thankful for the opportunities there will be to hear from God and the plans He is placing before us.

Around my computer desk are multiple messages. . .special writings which at some point inspired my life.  It has actually been a long time since I've taken the time to read them.  Tonight, as I end my day, one in particular caught my eye, and I feel it would be fitting to share.  As we put on the miles this week-end, please keep us in your prayers!

LIFE IS A MIRACLE

 

Life is a miracle,

don't let it slip away.

Open your heart to others,

give of yourself each day.

 

See the beauty in everyone

Regardless of where they've been,

Some have a difficult journey

And really need a friend.

 

Share your gifts and talents

Listen with your heart.

Do the things you dream about

But don't have time to start.

 

Pick a bouquet of flowers

Show someone that you care,

Be gracious and forgiving

Life is never fair.

 

Hold on to your courage

You may need it down the road,

We all have a cross to bear

It could be a heavy load.

 

If you practice all these things

No matter where you roam,

You may find both sun and rain

But you'll never feel alone!

~Author Unknown

Butterfly Kisses

A month has now gone by since the departure of my dear Aunt Mabel.  Days have been filled with the usual activities of my world. . .exercise, yard work, music, reading, and trying to stay abreast of the housework, laundry, and cooking.   I'm very thankful for my husband who has stepped up to the plate to help on days I just haven't felt like doing them.  The thing missing from my world has been the visits with Mabel which blessed my life beyond measure.

Her youngest daughter, who is a year older than me, has been here taking on the task of sorting through her mother's things, and making the decisions as to what will be their final fate.  Children and grandchildren had the first chance to take things which were special to them.  From there on, things were sorted to be given to various extended family members, or set aside to be disposed of in a number of ways.  Some went to a second hand store in a neighboring community.  A large stash of fabric was delivered to a group of women known as the "Pack Rats".  They are a thrifty and talented group who sew quilts, blankets, and other items for those in need.  Other items have been set aside to be part of a community auction sale next month.  And, alas, some simply filled the dumpster in the alley.

As I did what I could to help, I found myself often singing the words to a song.  It is one which was sung for Mabel at one of her "milestone birthdays", and has a fitting message.  The song is entitled "Find Us Faithful," and was made popular by Steve Green.

We're pilgrims on the journey of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace
Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives

 Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

 After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find

 Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
 Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

 

Steve Green "Find Us Faithful" [Click to hear song]

 

Yesterday I found myself once again walking to Mabel's house.  My heart longed for another visit with her, and I felt perhaps a chat with her daughter would help.  Alas, she wasn't home.  As I looked around the now near empty house, I found myself tearing up.  No longer would there be times spent rocking in the chair opposite Mabel's, unloading whatever happened to spill out in search of her wisdom.  As I made my way to the door, my eye spotted a card covered with butterflies.  The message seemed to be just what I needed to hear:  "Gently as a butterfly, may happiness touch your heart today."  It was one I had given Mabel years ago, which her daughter was planning on returning to me. 

 

Just outside the door, I paused on the steps to glance around at her flower beds, now finding their rest at the end of the summer season.  Suddenly, a glimpse of color caught my eye.  A beautiful butterfly flew nearby and seemed to send the message my dear Mabel was not far away.  Somewhere in the back of my mind came a voice spoken with love, "I'll always be here, cheering you on, until the day I welcome you to your heavenly home!"  It was a message I needed to hear, and I'm thankful for a God who sent it just when I needed it most.   

 

Of Flowers, Birds, and Butterflies

It has now been two weeks since my dear Aunt Mabel left this world.  It is an empty void for many, as her amazing life intersected with a host of people.  Her family has begun the process of sorting through her things, and I am thankful to say there are a few items which have found their way into my possession to remind me of her.  Not that a "thing" is required, but sometimes it is nice to have a piece of her world in mine.

Besides the things in her home, so much of nature brings her to mind, as well.  In particular, the top three reminders for me are flowers, birds, and butterflies.  She was a wealth of knowledge when it came to flowers and birds, and butterflies were her trademark symbol.  After her passing, my daughter gave me a little butterfly ornament with an oval containing the words, "If nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies."  Losing Mabel was one change I could have done without, but thankfully we have the assurance through God's Word we will one day see her again!

 

Mabel's youngest child is my cousin, Susan.  We have had a close bond through the years, and it has been fun looking through pictures with her, and passing stories back and forth.  One story of particular interest involves a plant Susan purchased earlier this summer.  It was said to be a hibiscus plant, and was to produce red flowers, but even though the plant grew, no flowers appeared.  Susan had told her mom about the plant and they had discussed it on several occasions.  After Susan received the call from her brother relaying the news of their mother's death, Susan went out on her patio to shed some tears.  Lo, and behold, out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of something red.  The hibiscus plant had begun to flower!  My first thought was seeing Mabel marching up to Jesus, and asking Him if He couldn't do something about Susan's plant.  Whatever the case, it has now been blooming!

For me, there have been almost daily visits from a little hummingbird in the backyard.  They come and go so quickly, it is hard to catch them, but it seems the timing has been such I have caught him among my flowers on many a morning when looking out my kitchen window.  On one particular day, I hadn't seen him.  Later in the evening, I decided to water the flower pots at our church on the next block, and sat down to do some deadheading of the spent blossoms at the same time.  Who decided to pay a quick visit?  My hummingbird friend!  I could imagine Mabel and her brother (my dad) arranging the chance meeting, which put a smile on my face, and a good dose of needed joy in my heart.

While visiting with my sister-in-law, she related taking her dog out for a walk on their farm shortly after Mabel's death.  She said the prettiest butterfly she had ever seen appeared, and danced through the air around her.  Reminders.  They are a good thing!

This brings me to this morning.  I have gotten in the habit of looking out the kitchen window in the morning to see if I can spot the hummingbird.  Today there was no hummingbird, but instead another beautiful butterfly.  Yes, things have changed here on earth, but Mabel memories and reminders abound.  Blessed be her memory!

A Dry and Thirsty Land

There are two words which can adequately describe the kind of summer we have been having. . .hot and dry.  Yesterday my daughter said they had been blessed with some rain just an hour south of us, but not even a drop here.  It's been so long since it last rained, I can barely remember what it is like to listen to the sound of it!

If I were to choose a word to describe the sound of rain, it would have to be "refreshing."  And nothing beats the smell of freshly falling rain.  Oh, how I would like to experience it again!  Part of me questions, "Why, Lord?  Why haven't we received any rain this summer?"  Then I hear His voice saying, "Don't ask why.  Ask what.  What will you learn through this time of dryness in your life?  Will you learn to trust Me?  Will you remember I always take care of My own?"

A song comes to mind.  It was made popular by Michael W. Smith a few years back.  The name of the song is "Healing Rain."  It speaks of another kind of rain we desperately need.  A spiritual rain of mercy and joy coming to bring relief to hard and calloused hearts.  Perhaps we need this kind of rain even more than the wet kind.  These are the words to the song, or you can listen to a YouTube version of the song at this link: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=healing+rain+michael+w+smith+lyrics&view=detail&mid=64BE44B414F9886E1BA364BE44B414F9886E1BA3&FORM=VIRE

     

Healing rain is coming down
It's coming nearer to this old town
Rich and poor, weak and strong
It's bringing mercy, it won't be long

Healing rain is coming down
It's coming closer to the lost and found
Tears of joy, and tears of shame
Are washed forever in Jesus' name

Healing rain, it comes with fire
So let it fall and take us higher
Healing rain, I'm not afraid
To be washed in Heaven's rain

Lift your heads, let us return
To the mercy seat where time began
And in your eyes, I see the pain
Come soak this dry hearts with healing rain

And only you, the son of man
Can take a leper and let him stand
So lift your hands and they can be held
By someone greater, the great I am

Healing rain, it comes with fire
So let it fall and take us higher
Healing rain, I'm not afraid
To be washed in Heaven's rain
To be washed in Heaven's rain

Healing rain is falling down
Healing rain is falling down
I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid

 

 

We have a big celebration coming in our community next weekend, commemorating "100 Years and Building."  We had our City Centennial in 2004, but it has been 100 years since our beautiful Courthouse was built, and it was time to do another "All School Reunion."  We are also throwing in a few things to celebrate our church's 90th anniversary, which was actually last year.  It would be nice to get some physical rain to green things up before everyone arrives.  And my prayer is their time here will also give them a boost of the spiritual kind!

It's Official!

It was an April day in 2016 when I first heard the words over the telephone.  It was a pleasant voice informing me I had won a Premium Publishing Package from Xulon, a Christian self-publishing company.  My emotions went from excitement, to skepticism, to being overwhelmed at the process.  With last year being the year of Bert's first official campaign for North Dakota State Legislature, I found myself putting the whole thing on the back burner so we could focus on getting him elected.

Fast forward to January and our time in Bismarck, which included enough free time to focus on editing and combining the writings which had already been written over the last nine years of my career as a bank teller.  They were a part of my "Saturday Seeking" project, one which involved looking back on my week each Saturday for a "God Lesson".  There always was a hankering to get the writings published, but I never was sure of the "when" and "how" part.  As He always does, God came through with His perfect way and timing.

Today is my husband's 62nd birthday.  I had been waiting for my first 5 complimentary copies of "Teller Tales" all week.  The company told me they had been shipped on July 11, and it should take 7-10 days for them to arrive by UPS.  Part of my day included a phone call from a nice man named Jason at Xulon, who was answering some of my questions regarding the purchase of "author copies" to have on hand.  He was able to check on the initial shipment and found there had been an error in addressing the package where our post office box number was used instead of the house number of our street address. 

Just as I was wondering if I would ever see the package, a UPS truck pulled up in front of our house.  Phone in hand, I answered the door and was presented a package containing my books.  What timing!  I could give the first copy to Bert for his birthday! 

Where will the writing of "Teller Tales" lead me?  Only God knows for sure.  My prayer is it will lead others to seek Him more in their own everyday world.  If you are interested in checking it out, an order can be placed through my author page at Xulon.  http://www.xulonpress.com/bookstore/bookdetail.php?PB_ISBN=9781545606063&HC_ISBN 
Or if you are planning on being in Crosby for the big celebration on August 4-6, I hope to have a book signing scheduled.  I just need to make sure they have the address right to get the books here in time!  Something tells me God already has everything under His control!

Time for a Tuning!

This week a delightful woman by the name of Ann came to our house and tuned our piano.  It was interesting to watch as she opened the top of the piano and started inserting things which would aid her in the tuning process, made possible because God has blessed her with the gift of "perfect pitch."  Basically, she can plunk out a note and determine if it is playing the sound it is supposed to.  Although I spent much of the time in the back yard with my garden and flowers, I did get to listen to a portion of the process, which sounded something like this:  "Plunk, plunk, [adjust] plink, plink, [chord playing]" and so on, until the whole piano was in tune.

As I listened, it occurred to me we can compare our Christian walk to a good piano tuning.  The Holy Spirit is the "tuner," and the tools used include Bible reading, prayer, Christian fellowship, and sound Biblical teaching.  Without a regular adjustment process, our Christian walk may be in existence, but not quite "in tune" with the perfect plan God has in place for our lives.

Another activity I participated in this week was attending a unique conference in Williston, ND hosted by First Lutheran Church.  The speaker for the day was Dr. Richard Melheim, whom I first met 47 years ago [can we possibly be that old??] at the same Bible Camp which invited him to Williston to educate us on a new concept in the Christian world called, "Cross+Gen."  With my roots coming from the Lutheran Church, it wasn't as much of a stretch for me as it was for my 18 year old nephew who joined me for the day.  He grew up in the home of an Assembly of God pastor, so knew little about the "Lutheran ways."  Hopefully, by the end of the day, he discovered we really aren't so different after all!

The basis of "Cross+Gen" ministry is to combine the "wonder of the child" with the "wisdom of the aged."  Instead of dividing Sunday School and worship time into age appropriate segments, their desire is to see people of all ages gathered together to discuss and learn from the Bible and each other.  As our speaker showed us statistics showing the steady decline of the current Sunday School system, it was apparent some kind of "tuning" was in order.  Could "Cross+Gen" be the answer?

Another concept Dr. Rich presented was something called "Faith 5."  It is a tool which could be used in a church setting, but is also seeing great success in homes and families.  The idea is to do 5 things together every night.  First, share the highs and lows of your day.  Second, read a Bible verse or story.  Third, talk about how the Bible reading might relate to your highs and lows.  Fourth, pray for each other's highs and lows, and finally bless one another.  What a difference it would make in the world if each household would undertake to faithfully do "Faith 5"!

The final part of our time together at the conference was focused on learning about Martin Luther.  Unbeknown to this now Assembly of God person, the Lutheran world is celebrating the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, which brought about the start of the Protestant Reformation.  Dr. Rich and his team have put together a high quality comic book, a color book, and an animated musical detailing the life of Martin Luther.  I found I learned more about the roots of my faith than I ever had during my 19 years in the Lutheran Church!

If you are interested in "tuning up" your faith walk a bit, feel free to check out the organization Dr. Rich started called "Faith Inkubators" www.faithinkubators.com  It is filled with valuable resources for people of all ages.  Check out the remaining dates on the "Cross+Gen Tour" and see if they will be in an area near you.  It would be well worth your time to attend, if possible!

"Thank you, Richard Melheim, for the memories both then and now!"

Although I had a large collection of pictures from Bible Camp days, they were all taken by me, so I'm including my class picture from back then!

Thankful God crossed our paths once again!

  

This Man

To some he was known as "one of the Divide County farmers."  To others he was the one to call when their crops needed a round of aerial spraying.  To many, during the course of his lifetime, he was known as someone who was always willing to lend a helping hand, or offer a means out of a difficult situation.  To my mother, he was a faithful life partner, and to my 3 siblings and I, he was "Dad."
 
My children were blessed to know him as "Grandpa," if only for a short time.  He passed away when they were only ages 8 and 5.  This past week-end, we have been blessed to have our four grandchildren stay with us, with the youngest two being similar to those ages.  It was difficult to imagine them losing a grandpa.  This morning I was able to "introduce" the 5 year old to his "great-grandpa."  We happened to be in the living room at the time I realized it was July 3, my dad's birthday. 

"Today is my daddy's birthday,"  I explained, and proceeded to tell him this man was his mother's grandpa, making him my grandson's great-grandfather.  We took time to look at a picture of him and my grandson's response was, "So, not my great, great-grandfather?"  No, just one great.  Unless, of course, you are describing what kind of a great-grandfather he would have been.  Then it would be a GREAT great-grandfather!

This man's life was cut short, but only after he survived a quadruple bypass heart surgery, a stroke, and prostate cancer which eventually made its way into his bones.  He left this life at the age of 72 and would have been 103 today if he were still counting years by earthly standards.  It is a comforting thought to know he will be among those to welcome me "home" when it comes time for me to transfer to a "heavenly home."

What comes to mind when I think of my dad?  Perhaps farming, flying, and fireworks rank near the top.  When I worked as a bank teller, the drive-thru window often let in the fumes of diesel pickups, and instantly my mind thought of the man who supported our family by long hours on tractors, trucks, and combines.  Another smell, the scent of spearmint, brings to mind the many times we flew as a family, and Wrigley's gum was the ammunition we used to avoid popping ears.  The sound of an airplane overhead usually makes me look up and say, "Hi, Daddy!" 

With his birthday on July 3, and our country's birthday the day after, there was always a nice display of fireworks to delight us.  To this day, the sound of fireworks and sparkle of lights in the sky bring a smile to my face as I think of the planning he did to make us "oooh" and "aaah" as he lit off the fireworks. 

And so I end the day saying, "Happy Birthday, Dad!  Thanks for the precious memories!!"