Home Again, Home Again

As was our pattern two years ago, we returned home to Crosby after our first full week in Bismarck for the 65th Legislative Session.  We were on the road by about 2pm, stopped in Minot for a walk around the mall and a bite to eat, and then hit the second leg of the journey.  It was dark when we got closer to home, and it is always satisfying to see the lights of Crosby appear down the highway after being gone. 

Driving down Main Street toward the Courthouse, I marveled once again at the beauty of it.

This is a shot of our Courthouse taken last winter on a frosty morning.

As I glanced at each business place, I was thankful for the great shopping opportunities we have for a small town.  Since it is Friday night, there were a variety of cars parked in front of the Dakota Theatre for this week-end's movie, a weekly offering chosen by the Meadowlarks Art Council.

A photo of our movie theatre taken last winter by Lariene Jones

Around the Courthouse to the north is my mother-in-law's home.  It has always been such a welcoming place and tonight was no different.  We spent a few minutes catching up with her and my brother-in-law and were also able to see my sister-in-law before heading back toward home.

This picture was taken at Thanksgiving, prior to the dumping of snow at Christmas!

We had noticed our son was working at my husband's woodworking shop, so decided to stop by and check in on him.  Next door lives my 94 year old aunt, so a quick visit was made there, too.  I know we have only been gone a week, but it sure was nice to be home!

As much as I love my earthly home, I also realize God's Word tells me no where on this earth is actually my home.  Philippians 3:20-21 tells us the following:

But our citizenship is in heaven. 

And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control

will transform our lowly bodies so they will be like His glorious body.

 

 In case you're wondering, I'm REALLY looking forward to the day Jesus calls us "HOME" to heaven!

A Man's Heart

Being at my husband's side while he is a part of the North Dakota state government process has given me a peek into the lives of many men.  Yes, there are women involved, too, but as of this point in time men do have the majority.  It has warmed my own heart to find so many "good hearted" men and I especially appreciate the close friendships developed as a result of our time in Bismarck.

Today, as we listened to our new governor's first address, I was impressed to find a "softness" to his heart as he spoke of the things he was passionate about.  In my books, this is a good thing!  There is a time and place for men to be tough, but there is also room for showing a caring and sensitive side.

In the Bible, King David is referred to as "a man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22).  This is fascinating to me, especially when you consider he was also an adulterer and murderer, among other things.  If you read through the Psalms you will find there is something which always followed David's "bad behavior".  It was a repentant heart. . .a willingness to say, "I did wrong.  I'm sorry.  I'll try not do it again".

Perhaps this is a good lesson for all of us to remember.  As we humble ourselves before God, trust in His guidance, and remain obedient to His Word, we might not be remembered as "a man after God's own heart".  But there are words of the Master we should all be seeking to one day hear. "Well done, thou good and faithful servant".  Thankfully, these are words reserved for both men and women alike!

Movie Messages

It was a snowy day here in Bismarck, with nothing on our agenda.  After joining a few friends for lunch at Panera, we decided to check out the movie listings and found an afternoon showing of the new Star Wars movie, "Rogue One".  Although this style of movie is not number one on my list of favorites, I must admit to a soft spot to anything Star Wars related.  My husband and I were in the early years of our marriage when the first movie came out, and I remember seeing it while vacationing in Seattle, Washington.

With my grandsons big into the Star Wars Lego sets, I couldn't help but wonder how their "pretend play" would match up to the screenplay action!  Hearing the theme song brought back memories of hearing our oldest grandson learning to play it on his trumpet last year and also brought back the memory of hearing it for the first time so many years ago.

As is my habit when watching movies, I try see past the general storyline to a "God Message" that may be hiding "behind the scenes".  As we exited the theatre, I thought back on the events of the past two hours.  There were quite a variety of characters, each playing a particular role in the unfolding events of the movie. It seemed this was the source of my lesson, which translated to "we all have a role to play in God's story"!

The amazing thing about God's story is He is never in search of someone to "act out" a particular role.  He is one step ahead of the game and actually creates each person with the personality and capabilities to carry out a special part in His timeline of events.  Psalm 139 has long been a favorite chapter of mine as it focuses on the fact God is intimately involved in who we are.  Verses 13-16 read as follows:

"For You created my inmost being;  
You knit me together in my mother's womb.  

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  

My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place.  

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 

Your eyes saw my unformed body.  

All the days ordained for me were written in Your book 

before one of them came to be."

It seems this all points to one thing. . .there is only one you.  You are uniquely created to do something special during this point in time, and God has equipped you with what you need to accomplish His purposes for your life.  Still confused?  Perhaps it is time to better acquaint yourself with the Creator.  He best knows the plot and will guide you if you humble yourself and allow Him to direct your life.  Make 2017 the year you really dig into God's Word and devote yourself to prayer and seeking God's will for your life.  As you do, you will find there is a bonus involved when you begin living the life God intended for you. . .joy will be added to your journey!

A Season and a Reason

Today we ventured down the highway to Bismarck, which will be our "home away from home" over the next four months.  We returned to the same condominium unit we were in two years ago during our first experience with the North Dakota Legislature.  As we unloaded the vehicles, I was very thankful they had finished the repairs to the elevator. . .it made moving into the third floor unit much easier!

As we traveled today, my mind went back in time over the many times we have covered the 230 mile stretch of road.  During a different season of our lives, most of the trips were made for hospital stays and doctoring as we unraveled the mysteries of dealing with the bipolar diagnosis I received after the birth of our second child.  I still have checkups with a psychiatrist every six months, but am thankful for a three year stretch of "on the level" living.  A combination of two drugs, a healthy lifestyle, low-stress retirement living and well managed sleep have proven to be our prescription for avoiding the roller coaster rides we endured during those years.

Two years ago my husband was appointed to fill a vacancy in the North Dakota House of Representatives and we began a new season of trips to and from Bismarck.  After thoroughly enjoying the experience of the 64th Legislative Assembly in 2015, he put his name in to run for a full four year term in 2016.  We spent many hours campaigning and were thrilled when his name came out at the top of the election results in November.

So here we are. . .a new season and a special reason God has us returning to Bismarck.  What will this new year hold in store for us?  It is yet unclear what the full picture will be, but we are ready and willing to serve God and the people of District 2 in North Dakota to the best of our ability!  We ask for God's guidance and your prayers as we begin!

A Most [Un]Traditional Christmas

There is something so special about the Christmas season.  It is the time we remember and acknowledge the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  He left the glory of heaven to come as a baby to earth and journey to the cross, where His death and subsequent resurrection provided the forgiveness needed for our sins.  This is reason enough to celebrate!

It seems, however, there is another reason so many of us enjoy Christmas and it comes down to one word. . .traditions.  It is a time we look back and remember, while at the same time making new memories to carry forward with us in time.

This year was a unique combination of keeping and breaking traditions at our house.  It began as contemplations were made regarding decorations.  At our house we decorate full force and rarely take decorations down until mid-January.  This year, however, we knew we would be leaving for Bismarck shortly after the holidays, so it seemed practical to hold back on some of the traditional decorating.  The difficulty was trying to decide what to put up and what to leave in the totes.  Everything carries a memory, and in the end most of it went up, including two trees, one upstairs, which features my Nativity ornaments and the other in the basement with a vast assortment of ornaments collected over the years.

The rest of the Nativity collection underwent a tighter scrutiny, and perhaps about half of them remained in storage.  Last year all of them saw daylight when we had a Community Nativity Display, so this year it seemed okay to let some of them rest.  The "window clings" were set aside for the grandchildren to put up, but they got "lost in the shuffle" and never did find their way to the bathroom mirror, dishwasher and microwave where they usually spend the holidays.

 

It was our year to share "real Christmas" with our daughter and her family.  (On the years they are with her husband's family, we find a time, early or late, and celebrate together.)  They arrived on Friday evening, bringing lots of Christmas joy and excitement with them, and we settled in to enjoy the holidays together.

A tradition which began when our children were little is an annual "Cousins Cookie Bake".  With an extended family of over 100, there are usually lots of cousins and second cousins around to join us.  This year, however, it was only our four little bakers and their mom who joined in on the fun.  Our oldest grandson was the most creative this year, making a Santa out of six different cookies, but the granddaughter qualified for the "most heavily decorated" cookies!  My contribution was a set of Nativity cookies, complete with Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, a shepherd and his sheep, three Wisemen and a host of angels.  Later on, when we were down to the last of the dough, it was decided we also needed to bake three "gifts" for the Wisemen! 
 

The usual routine on Christmas Eve is to attend services at our church, followed by a meal and then off to a gathering of extended family at the home of one of my husband's brothers.  This tradition got twisted in many ways this year.  Our pastor was away, leaving us with no service on Christmas Eve.  We opted to attend the Lutheran church which I attended growing up instead, but their service was at 6, instead of our usual 4 or 5 o'clock.  It was decided we had best eat prior to church.  Also, very few of the extended family was here, so the gathering at the brother-in-law's house was cancelled.  I did miss the singing together as a family, especially the song, "Come On Ring Those Bells"!  My mother-in-law plays piano by ear, and could really get us singing, accompanied by the little ones jingling sets of bells.  She had a different kind of Christmas this year, too, as she wasn't feeling well.

Another tradition we try to keep is pictures by the Christmas tree.  We took a few prior to eating, which turned out to be a good thing.  By the time we got back home, the youngest was tired and in no mood to take pictures.  We managed to get a few, but never did accomplish one of all of us together.

 

Prior to opening gifts, we like to read the Christmas story from Luke 2.  With modern day technology, we no longer require a Bible to do so, and this year our son-in-law did the reading from his iPod.  Big yawns let us know it had been a busy day, but things perked up as we tackled the massive pile of gifts, opening them one by one so we could savor the moment of each response.

Christmas Day there are always "stocking gifts" waiting in the morning, followed by the traditional assembling of Lego sets received the night before.

 




It had been our plan to have my brothers and their families over as dinner guests, but wintery weather prevented them from coming.  Although things didn't turn out exactly the way we originally intended, we felt the important thing was having our kids and grandkids all under one roof making memories.  We even got them one extra night because of the Christmas storm!

As my husband prepared for our church service on Christmas Day, a thought crossed his mind.  What would it be like if, instead of the massive pile of gifts, we each only received one.  After all, God's original gift was just one baby in a manger. . .and He was enough! 

Counting My Blessings

There is a song in our hymn book entitled "Count Your Blessings".  Many of you are probably familiar with the lyrics and tune.  The words of the chorus remind us to count our many blessings, naming them one by one to see what God has done.  Many people make November a month to thank God for a different thing each day.  In lieu of doing so, here is my attempt at catching up and counting 24 days of blessings. . . so much to be thankful for!

1.  God who loves me
2.  His Son, Jesus, who saved me
3.  The Holy Spirit who guides me
4.  A husband of 40+ years who has stuck with me through the ups and downs of life
5.  A daughter who is now a wonderful wife and mother to our 4 grandchildren
6.  A son who has been faithful to stick around "small town USA" to help his dad
7.  A son-in-law who couldn't be a better "fit" as a husband to our daughter and father to the grandchildren
8.  Grandson #1 - A tender heart, likes things "just so"
9.  Grandson #2 - A "free spirit" with a quick wit
10.  Granddaughter - A "girly girl" who can also tangle with the boys!
11.  Grandson #3 - An entertainer at heart!
12.  Parents who left this world far too soon, but gave me a wonderful start in life
13.  My two brothers and sister, along with their kids and grandkids.
14.  My husband's 5 brothers, 4 sisters and their kids and grandkids.
15.  A grandmother, aunts and uncles who helped shape me into who I am today.
16.  My hometown. . .small with big-hearted people
17.  Friends. . ."Make new friends, and keep the old. . .one is silver and the other gold!"
18.  A loving church family
19.  The gift of music and ability to share in multiple ways
20.  Technology which allows me to stay "connected" with so many and also gives me a platform to share what God is teaching me along the way
21.  A roof over my head and heat to keep me warm through the cold ND winters
22.  Cupboards that are never bare
23.  God's Word which is His love letter and manual of instructions for life
24.  The avenue of prayer as a means of communicating through faith with blessings #1, #2 & #3!

It would be possible to continue on, but it is soon time to start "counting sheep".  Feeling very blessed at the end of this Thanksgiving Day!

God's Love Language

This morning as I headed down the street for my daily walk, there was a bit of a conversation going on in my head.  Most of it was negative "self talk".  [In retrospect, it was actually the voice of the enemy attempting to defeat me!]  What was the conversation?  "You're not a very effective Christian." "Your talents are not being utilized to their fullest.",  "You should be as devoted to spending time with the Lord as you are to walking."  

As I reached the gas station on Main Street, another voice chimed in, "But I love you anyway!"  Just then, my eyes were pulled to a pile of gravel on the sidewalk and I smiled.  With a stretch of imagination, a heart shaped verification of God's love was before me.  Even amidst the "dirt" of my life, He still loves me!

 

 

The building next to the gas station is an empty apartment building.  During a hail storm last June, the windows were broken, and they are still in need of repair.  It seems the owners are waiting for the replacement windows, but in the meantime the damaged windows stand waiting for their demise.  Glancing at the broken glass, I saw something I hadn't notice the many other times I had passed by. . .there among the brokenness was another heart shape.  "Yes, Diane, I really do love you.  Even when things in your life seem broken, I still love you!"  Can you find the heart?  [It's in the lower corner of the left pane!]

 

 

 

Often while walking, a heart shape will appear and I am reminded of God's love which is always surrounding us.  It seems if I'm trying to find one, they aren't around.  Other times, the reminders show up where I least expect them.  They might be in the form of a rock, a leaf or a cloud, such as the ones in these pictures, taken on other outings. 

 

 

 

Next time you are out and about, open your eyes to the beauty of God's world and don't be surprised if occasionally He leaves you a "love note"!