The stories continue

Tell me the Story
is a book by Max Lucado
We owned it at one time and in story form tells us about creation, forgiveness, redemption and other matters of faith. I sure hope it is in storage somewhere. It was delightfully written and the paintings by Ron Decianni are captivating. (July 2008 Indeed it was in storage which we finally got rid of last spring when we bought our house in Boylston MA. I think Dan will probably add it to his save it for the future grandchildren collection.)

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Life is richer and deeper than we know. Are we willing to question? to understand? to find meaning? or are we trudging along? putting our collective noses to the grind stone?

What? How about the economy? the upcoming election?

It is still worth
(October 2008....questions, the meaning and purpose of life.)

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Story

Hey there! I have put up the new blog for my raw fiction. So you can check it out anytime or not.

There are so many people that I love! God has been gracious to us.
(October 2008. I still like this story in the making but I never went back to it.)

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Sunday Morning December 21, 2008

Writing to you from Sutton, MA where it almost seems like what CS Lewis called Narnia at some point, "where it is always winter but never Christmas." The reign of the white witch I believe. We have our little tree, a few other decorations and the music of course. There is just something different going on. (some might say, "it's the economy stupid") I received a phone call from an older woman last night, I answered and she said hello, then brief silence, she said it's Jules, and I said who are you looking for? and she said Judy, I said you must have to wrong number, Merry Christmas and she said Merry Christmas to you too, dear.

When people say Merry Christmas it is softer not as rushed, like they really mean it. Like they're saying keep your chin up. Times are tough but we can still enjoy the simple things.

Tuesday Morning December 23, 2008 (Ah, winter in New England. This is also the year we had that terrible ice storm. We lost our power for about 10 hours but some people went a week or more without power)

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Relationships come in all different flavors. As a traveler, I had to be willing to give my heart to people even if I would only walk through their life and they mine for a matter of days or weeks. It has enriched my life so much. Some people I keep in touch with, some I don't and some may read my blog regularly and are reading this very post and I don't even know it. The point is we are made to live in community and have all kinds of different relationships. (February 2009  We are all travelers and one day we will come to the end of the road and it will be our last day here on earth and then on into eternity. Even for someone who never ventures out of their own parts, it still holds true.)

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Bringing back the memories (more drafts)

As you may or may not know our family has been involved with Communicators for Christ (www.communicatorsforchrist.com) for the last few years. Last night I took Katie, Michael, along with our friends Dominic and Madeline Penson to a speaking engagement to promote CFC. (March 2008 The website is outdated and the name of the organization has changed. I remember this was one of those last minute speaking engagements. The kids spoke with Tim Nichols of Teenpact, some place near Attleboro, MA. At the time we were living in Hull. This was the beginning of the Chapters program for ICC formerly CFC.)

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My aunt use to say, I read the obits first and if my name isn't there, then I can read the rest of the paper.
George Carlin died this past Sunday and my uncle John J. MacDonald died last month.

There is no better place to live then in a home whose foundation is the Lord Jesus Christ.

(written in June 2008. Death is 100%, none of us will get out of here alive. )

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Something Bigger than ourselves

There are times in our lives when we are caught up in something much greater than ourselves.

(August 2008. I am not sure what I was thinking about here. It makes me think of something my friend Kathleen use to say: "My life is none of my business.")

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In another time and place.....

"What are some of your favorite stories?" the young speaker asked her audience.

"Today my sister is going to share a story with you in a different way. The Butter Battle book by Dr. Suess brought to life."

So many stories to love, to share and to read again. One of my favorite storytellers is George MacDonald.

(September 2008  I remember this event. Grace was introducing Katie at a private school assembly. My kids are pretty skilled at sharing stories.) 

Previously not posted (Drafts continued)

Crossroads

Grace and I stood outside the gate of our apartment complex and looked down the street less than 100 yards away at the intersection. "What could you call that?" I pointed down at the lights.
"Crossroads" she answered as if to read my mind.
"That is where you are right now at this point in your life. We are about this far away from the crossroads. You are not alone, your dad and me, we are with you. And the Lord is with you."
Grace shock her head in agreement. I will hold off on this point until we draw closer to that crossroads.
(written in December of 2006 in Gainesville, FL  I have a vivid memory of that day and part of me wanted to just leave this draft in the "drafts." Fear, faith, reality of life speeding on down the road and not wanting to be one of those parents who cling and attempt to put the breaks on life and make their children remain children. Even now, as much as I do my best to treat them as the adults that they are, I fall into the trap of mirroring my own parents at times and that is SO painful. Dan and I have been graced by God to do it very differently than our parents did in raising our own. We would send Grace off 7 months after I wrote this post and never returned to finish it. And before we sent her off we moved to Charlottesville, VA which would have been move #11 since 2003. And since then all 3 of our children have walked through their own crossroads.)

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Book idea while reading Angie's blog June 9th post:
An author encounters a young lady who checks out her books regularly, it is such an honor to have a great influence on a younger generation. (June 10, 2007 I just went back to Angie's blog, Angela Hunt that is, an author that we truly enjoy. Katie introduced us to Angie's work years ago. When we lived in Florida Katie, Grace and Dan got to meet her at a Florida library I believe. So in Angie's post she mentioned a website www.twitterlit.com and I still like the idea. Whether or not, I would write the story is yet to be seen.)

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So, we are at it again. The other day I received a phone call and the person on the other end said, "so what are the Mullaneys up to today?" I said packing and the person said for what? I said, we are moving. This individual is not really aware of how we live and was sorry for interrupting but I put his (June 2007...stopped in the middle of the sentence probably needing to attend to the logistics that go along with moving.)

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When I was her age . . . .

(this was August 2007 and I could have been thinking of Grace or Katie since they both have August birthdays and those are around the corner.)

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"Don't like the weathah, just wait a minute"

or at least 24 hours. This is just one of those sayings that is truly in New England.

 (October 2007 we returned to Massachusetts there was a bit of Indian summer that first week and then a 30-35 degree temperature drop. It is amazing that we have been back in the Commonwealth nearly 6 years.)

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Back in Massachusetts

It is good to be back and I say that in all sincerity. Returning to New England for the winter, snow, wind and cold are a part of the package. It is refreshing to be able to experience the seasons again. (December 2007 and I meant every word.)

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Jigsaws are also something I enjoy. We usually do one when my mother comes to visit us. At the moment life has been on a bit of fast forward, we now live fairly close to my parents but their hasn't been a chance to visit. I was hoping to do one that my dad gave me. It was the one he did the day I was born, back in the day when dads waited outside of the delivery room. I would like to do it sometime in 2008. (It was not until December 2010 that we actually sat down and did the puzzle when we were snowed in with all the kids home. The puzzle is round and a computer theme. You can see the binary number along the outer edge - the circumference .) 

Drafts Spring/Summer 2007

Better Off Flipping the Switch on Technology by Eric Brende
(A book I read and enjoyed and perhaps I was going to review it. It was read in the spring of 2007 when we lived in Gainesville, FL)

"This is the first time that I have felt extremely honored by a group for how we have chosen to raise our children. Our time of sharing with one another was so encouraging, reassuring and inspiring. Each family spoke a blessing over their own and many over the group as a whole."
(This was written in July 2007 when we returned home (Charlottesville, VA) from the commissioning of our daughter Grace for interning with an organization that would travel the country training & inspiring others to communicate well on the public platform for Christ. It also stood as the first test launch of sending our children out of the nest.)


When I help my children with their academics, I don't think, oh now I am Mrs. Homeschooler and I never have. Do I instruct my children? Yes. Have I equipped them with the tools for learning? It has been a team effort ( Dan, myself but mostly GOD). Do we continue to guide, advise and provide for our three who are now young adults? Of course, and they still seek us out and want our input for this I am very grateful. My life is very much integrated, I never think now we are on school time and now we are on living life time. Like Mark Twain said, and I paraphrase, I never let school get in the way of education.
Even in the grocery store, its back to school time. And unlike back to school, our family never leaves learning behind. "Oh. I am not sitting down with a textbook, this can't be learning I am having too much fun taking on a cover at the spy museum in Washington DC or listen to David Barton give a history lesson on a Sunday morning in a tiny congregation in downtown Charlottesville, how there were 27 reasons why the American colonists declared their independence from King George" Perhaps most of you are shaking your head, saying well of course that's learning but it is not school and to some in the growing community of home schoolers, that doesn't count, Sat in DC and Sunday in Church.
ALL of life counts!!! (written in August 2007)  (My comment for this particular draft may bring this post to a close. Especially in light of a reflective conversation I had this week with a dear friend. Upfront, I freely admit that I get a little passionate about my convictions and at the same time, I strongly believe that the educational choice of our children's is just that - our choice. Educating my own children  was not something that I was "cut out for" in fact, I would say that clearly, I did not see it coming but I am so grateful to have had that time with our children and to introduce them to the world of learning. Grace graduated from college this spring. Katie and Michael are both college students. As I continue to learn, it is becoming evident that experiential as well as textbook learning are becoming more acceptable these days. It is just one of those things that I strongly believe in.)

I am looking forward to looking through the rest of my drafts. I enjoy laughing at myself as well as strolling down memory lane.

Anytime is a good time to Look unto Jesus, The Resurrected One

Can You Go Without?

This post was started on Resurrection Sunday April 2011

Will you go without? There are lots of things that we can do without: computers, chocolate, dishwashers, heated seats in our cars, satellite radio, television, bias news reporting, video games, facebook (& twitter), wars, family feuds, disease, nightmares (real & dreamt), resentments, unnecessary laws, misunderstandings, language barriers, etc. Some of those things we would rather not go without but we can definitely live well without them. However, there is one thing that lots of people cannot do without including myself. Other people seem to be just fine doing without it and still more people who suffer miserably without it, now and into eternity. What is this thing that I cannot do without? Forgiveness.

Christians around the world celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. So what does that have to do with forgiveness? According to God and His Word, there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood. Throughout the Old Testament we can see how the shedding of blood for forgiveness of sins was animals blood, the sacrifice and it was done annually. Jesus Christ offered Himself as the sacrifice and it was done, "once for all." Jesus from the Cross said, "It is finished," in another word, DONE. The blood of Christ still to this day is more than sufficient for the forgiveness of sins.

In Isaiah 53 it says, in verse 5:

But he was wounded for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

pand with his stripes we are healed.

If Jesus had simply died and was buried PERIOD, then He simply would have been a martyr, a liar and a highly esteemed preacher of the 1st century. In Matthew, Jesus forgives the sins of the paralytic, the Pharisees know that only God has the authority to forgive sins and even prior to the shedding of His own blood, Jesus exercises His authority forgives the man's sins and heals the man's body.

The Resurrection sermon at BBC was from Hebrews 9 & 11.......

From Hebrews 9 "there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood"

Hebrews 11 "without faith it is impossible to please God"

Christianity is a bloody religion. We serve a holy God who cannot tolerate sin. He is altogether just and altogether loving. God is beyond our human understanding but I do understand that it is impossible to lead a sinless life. I believe that ONLY One has ever completed the sinless Life and that was the Lord Jesus Christ - perfect Righteousness. But Justice needed to be served. The LORD God sent His Son to make the forgiveness of sins possible by pouring out all His Wrath upon His Son Jesus Christ at the Cross. The Wrath that we deserved was indeed upon Him. It seems completely radical in putting my trust in the God who sacrificed His Own Son for me and that this Jesus went willingly. Even Jesus cried out in the Garden, Father if there is any other way but nevertheless not my will but yours.

Thou He slay me yet I will trust Him. By the power of the Holy Spirit, through the bloody sacrifice of the life of Jesus at the Cross and the perfect (incomprehensible) plan of the Father, FORGIVENESS OF SINS is provided. Though we mourn on Good Friday, we still call it good because it was on that day that all our sins were washed clean as the new driven snow in the blood of Jesus Christ. I have lived without the precious gift and it nearly drove me insane and to an early grave. The burden of guilt and sin are too much for me. Jesus lifted the burden first by forgiving all of my sins. When I am cognizant of this fact of ALL my sins have been forgiven, who am I to not forgive those that sin against me. It is an act of love as illustrated beautifully in Luke 7. The conclusion is "she who has been forgiven much, loves much."

Books

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I own more books than I have read but I am attempting to read more. 
Currently reading:
 Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry (recommended by Grace, Michael and Katie in that order). From the Garden to the City by John Dyer, The Redeeming and Corrupting Power of Technology is the subtitle(I had the good fortune of sitting under John's teaching and visiting with him and his dear wife, Amber this past week at Gordon-Conwell) Dan and I just finished The Meaning of Marriage by Tim & Kathy Keller. The Kellers give a sobering and biblical look at marriage for the long haul. A great source of encouragement. Yesterday we started Living Into Focus by Arthur Boers. Dr. Arthur Boers was another one of the speaker at the Conference that I attended. It is about prioritizing in the sea of distractions. Last but not least, The Holy Bible with its multiple human authors and the One Divine Author; it is the Word of God. 

Books on deck is Forever by Paul David Tripp. Eternity anyone...we will all face it. Within the Walls by Stephanie Bennett is a futuristic novel. 

Honor the Gift Giver

"He who loves with purity considers not the gift of the lover, but the love of the giver."Thomas a Kempis

Is it possible to be grateful for what we have and give thanks and credit to the One who is the Giver of all good gifts? I believe that we can. In my lifetime, I have encountered people who are very grateful for what they have but they give credit to the universe or karma, but not to the Triune God, our Abba Father.  

It is so easy to forget to just be grateful never mind to give Thanks to the One who is due the honor of thanks and acknowledgement of the Gift Giver. 
So my prayer is that I will be able to give thanks in all things (which does not require a prerequisite of giving thanks for all things) no matter how difficult, no matter how painful, no matter how vulnerable and exposed I feel, and especially on occasions of joy, excitement and blessings of all kinds. May I be overflowing with thanksgiving to the One True God. I do not want to take God for granted. The other prayer is that I continue to learn to practice the Presence of God and simply be grateful for my LORD JESUS Christ who has redeemed me from sin and death and will One day make me NEW, an everlasting daughter. 

"We can be certain that God will give us the strength and resources we need to live through any situation in life that he ordains. The will of God will never take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us." 
Billy Graham

HOPE

I have hope!  Two big changes happened in my life last summer one on the heals of the other. Our oldest daughter Grace married our son-in-law, Austin Humbles and 2 weeks later I drove our youngest child, Michael off to college. It was incredibly overwhelming for me. I had no idea that it would hit me as hard as it did. It was not the identity crisis that a number of women experience when the kids are grown and gone, nor the wring of hands, oh what will I do now? Dan and I so enjoyed raising and being with our children, it was like when you read a really good book and you don't want it to end. Life with our children was not absent of pain or struggle but there was much joy. M. Scott Peck began his book, The Road Less Traveled with, "Life is difficult." and more recently, Dr. Brene Brown said in her Vulnerability TED Talk, "We were born for struggle." And Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world."

Grieving is a part of life that most people do not make space for anymore. And this year, I have made space for it. More importantly, Dan and my counselor have helped me to make space for me to grieve. A few dear friends have walked this road with me. Comforting, counseling, and praying for me, these dear ones held me up and held me close. One of these friends: Jamie continually held up the banner of HOPE and she believed for me that the LORD Jesus would see me through this season. Time and again, with the Life Giving WORDS of God's Holy Word, Jamie would remind me of God's Promises. The season is not really over but more and more, I am feeling hopeful and more importantly, I am believing in the HOPE of the Gospel, the GOOD NEWS of JESUS CHRIST.

The countless, phone calls, texts, emails and then a wonderful visit in the beginning of March of this year with Jamie and her dear husband, Craig have been life giving. It was so sweet to have some face to face time. The LORD is GOOD and Jamie is a great ambassador for Christ and counselor in Christ. I think counselors need to be compassionate and also carry the banner of HOPE. In Romans chapter 5, God's Word says:

"we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

"Hope does not disappoint" and fortunately, Jamie reminded me of the truths and promises of God. In 2Corinthians chapter one it says, "As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him."  (Which I believe that I have quoted earlier this month.) The LORD JESUS is ALIVE and well, working through the body of Christ to help me to remember that my hope is in Him.
There is so, so much more that I could write about HOPE but we will leave it there for now. It is a topic that never grows old.

Grateful & Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Meister Eckhart is credited with the quote: "If the only prayer you ever pray is Thank You that would be enough."
What an acknowledgement of the Sovereign King, the LORD of Lords, the Triune God, Creator, Ruler, Sustainer of ALL things.

Today I am grateful for my husband, always supporting and encouraging me to pursue what it is the Lord would have me do, as I have been in the midst of transitioning from a season of life that has been rich and full and SUCH a blessing, having raised 3 children and educating them at home.
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary treats women the way the LORD would intend for them to be treated as equals, who are also the called out ones, willing to educate and equip them to serve the LORD our King, Jesus. It was so refreshing to be around men who not only care for women but respect them and are humble enough to learn from women.
There is a great disservice happening in our churches and in various groups of Christians. Women have been given gifts and talents from God and often these go untapped and women who are IN CHRIST are suppressed from LIVING the ABUNDANT LIFE that the LORD Jesus has given us.

"Now tthere are varieties of gifts, but uthe same Spirit; 5 and vthere are varieties of service, but uthe same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is uthe same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 wTo each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." 1Corinthians 12:4-7  


BUT there is GREAT HOPE because of places like Gordon-Conwell and women like Dr. Stephanie Bennett, Dr. Alexandra Cist, and Dr. Roslind Picard who were a part of the 2 day conference that I just attended, The Promise and Challenge of Technology. The attendees were mostly men and dare I say that women are not encouraged to go to these types of events. O How women need to go to these types of events. It was such an encouragement on so many levels. The speakers challenged us to explore, discover and create for God's glory. There is much that I need to think over, ponder and read about, but for now, I am full of thanksgiving to God for the opportunity that I had the past couple of days and I look forward to fleshing it out and gaining some clarity for myself.

Faithful

My God is FAITHFUL. He is true. If my Christian walk dependent on my faithfulness, then I would be toast. Are there 100% never faltering Christians out there walking the Pilgrim Highway? If there are then I think that they are probably lying to themselves and to us, but God knows the heart. I am SO grateful for His tender mercies that are new every morning. Your GOD is FAITHFUL and true. Each breath we take is dependent upon HIS FAITHFULNESS. Buddy, if you are not breathing, you are not walking and if you are walking in faithfulness today it IS because GOD is gracious and kind pouring out the power that is needed and it is His Righteousness that He has given you to walk in. When (NOT if but WHEN) we stumble and fall HE is there to pick us up and get us back on track. Our GOD is FAITHFUL and true. GOD is FAITHFUL to HIS WORD and ALL of His promises find there YES in JESUS.
Today I will count on HIS FAITHFULNESS!

 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;  his mercies never come to an end; they are new  every morning; great is your faithfulness.

                      Lamentations 3:22-23

Enthusiasm

ENTHU'SIASM, n. enthuziazm. [Gr. to infuse a divine spirit, inspired, divine; God.]

1. A belief or conceit of private revelation; the vain confidence or opinion of a person, that he has special divine communications from the Supreme Being, or familiar intercourse with him.

This is from Noah Webster's 1828 It just seems kind of off the charts.  

2. Heat of imagination; violent passion or excitement of the mind, in pursuit of some object, inspiring extravagant hope and confidence of success. Hence the same heat of imagination, chastised by reason or experience, becomes a noble passion, an elevated fancy, a warm imagination, an ardent zeal, that forms sublime ideas, and prompts to the ardent pursuit of laudable objects. Such is the enthusiasm of the poet, the orator, the painter and the sculptor. Such is the enthusiasm of the patriot, the hero and the christian.

I guess I will let my reader meditate on those definitions for awhile.  

It has been a full day. You might say that I met the day with enthusiasm. It is time to hit the sack. Tomorrow I venture into the unknown and that always boost the adrenaline.  

Do you think that Merriam-Webster has a definition as entertaining as these?

Dependent

Last month I started reading "Wired" the magazine and oddly enough, I am reading the paper version. There is just something about flipping through a magazine that you are holding in your hand. While flipping, I landed on an article entitled, The Atlas of Dirt Stalking The Planet's DNA. These are the sentences that grabbed me and dragged me over to the computer: "Problem is, the microbes are so interdependent that isolating the most industrious organisms is tricky. "They live together in communities," Jansson says.
Now if I go back to the publishing page that lists all the people that help to create this periodical, I see at work another interdependence. In days gone by, an NCFCA national tournament program listing all the tournament staff. Go to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation leadership page and check out their team. You don't see Tiger Woods carrying his own golf bag. Steve Jobs brought us Siri but not ALL by himself. Madonna has her band and roadies. Even those who seem "strong" in this world don't make it alone.
The first time that God said something was not good in Genesis was in reference of man being alone.  Throughout the Word of God we find that God himself is three persons in One God and that man was not meant to live alone. 1st Corinthians chapter 12 describes the family of God as a body and how every part of the body is valuable. The human family continues because people have babies.

There is a dependence that every human being can agree to the need for air, water, food, shelter and sunshine. And I would content that we have a Creator who is also our Sustainer that provides for all of those things. Therefore there is something more that I need and that is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the burning fire that enables me to acknowledge that I am dependent upon God for these basic human needs. It is also the Love of God through Christ Jesus, a relationship with the living God and the friendship of my fellow human beings. We are social creatures and we were never meant to live life alone.
The first 21 years of my life, I hated being dependent upon other people and I guess you might say I resented God for setting us up this way. And now, even though I am struggling with relationships (who doesn't), I am still able to see that our dependence upon God and our interdependence with others are gifts.

cOuNt yoUr bLeSsinGs

3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved." (Ephesians 1:3-6, ESV)

I have heard these verses recited from memory from my friend Nancy countless times. So that now when I read these verses, I hear Nancy's voice in my head. It is kind of nice since Nancy and her husband Dave just moved to Ohio. Friendship, is it a spiritual blessing? 

What are spiritual blessings? Well, let me take a stab at the question. First I would say that spiritual blessings are eternal. They can not be moved or destroyed. If we are friends and sisters (or brothers and sisters) in Christ then that will be for eternity. The Blessings are "In Christ." What do we have in Christ? Everything we need for life and godliness is how the apostle Peter put it. We have the Love of God, Redemption, Fellowship with the triune God, Forgiven, Peace, Grace, Mercy and the list goes on. The ESV Study Bible says that these a "saving gifts"and that the Holy Spirit guarantees these future Heavenly Blessings.  So, I imagine that if we are both on the Pilgrim Highway making our way to the Celestial City, then it is a blessing to be sharing in these saving gifts. 
This may not be the usual way to count my blessings. In fact, I thought about just quoting some of that Hymn and the history I read about the song said it was based on Ephesians 1:3-6 and that is what got me going in that direction. Hopefully, my gratitude is evident in this post. 

Believing God’s promises

"As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory."  2Corinthians 1:18-20

"all the promises of God find their Yes in him." 

From Genesis to Revelation there are promises that God makes to his people. Some have been fulfilled and others have not yet come to pass and still others are promises that are for all time. 

I heard Tullian Tchividjian say that "the struggle we all face is unbelief." We fail to believe God particularly his promises. One that is repeated over and over is God's love for his people. In Psalm 136 it states 26 times, "his[God's] steadfast love endures forever." It is His love for me that baffles me especially when I am so aware of my sin. And even in that He sent Jesus to die for my sins, to make it possible for me to even approach God in prayer and address Him as Father. 

In Romans 8 Paul tells us that NOTHING can separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Oh, how I am grateful for this truth. God is SO much greater than my sin and anything disastrous in all the world. His Steadfast Love endures forever.

Accordingly

I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord,

the praises of the Lord,

according to all that the Lord has granted us,

and the great goodness to the house of Israel

that he has granted them according to his compassion,

according to the abundance of his steadfast love. Psalm 63:7

The beginning of the week in one way or another thoughtful Americans remember those who have given their lives in service to our country, in service to us. 

It has been some time since I have posted and I was inspired by Memorial Day to start off with gratitude. No matter what is going on in the world or in our lives, anytime is a good time to cultivate a grateful heart. Sometimes we have to push through a lot of stuff to get there. If we start with thanksgiving I believe it will help carry us through some of the hardest times.
It has been quite some time since I have written on my blog. Today, I started with getting some perspective on the day through what Mark Dever says is Jesus' descriptions of his followers Matthew 5-7, then I went on to Romans 8 and Galatians 5. Living by the Spirit is much more challenging than living by the rules or what some call salvation by works. There is not a whole lot that I want to say about what I read. I will say this: I am grateful for the Bible and for the Bibles that I own. In fact, the reason that I even read something by Mark Dever is I started to read the articles that are in my ESV Study Bible. It is great to read and be directed right back into the Scriptures. It is where I need to be. What a gift to be hungry and thirsty for the Word of God. My prayer is that I can never get enough until the day I die.

Content without it

"Those who are contented are fitted to receive mercy from the Lord. If you want a vessel to take in any liquor, you must hold it still for if the vessel stirs and shakes up and down, you cannot pour in anything, but you will say, 'Hold still', that you may pour it in and not lose any. So if we would be vessels to receive God's mercy, and would have the Lord pour his mercy into us, we must have quiet, still hearts. We must not have hearts hurrying up and down in trouble, discontent and vexing, but still and quiet hearts, if we receive mercy from the Lord. If a child throws and kicks up and down for a thing, you do not give it him when he cries so, but first you will have the child quiet. Even though, perhaps, you intend him to have what he cries for, you will not give it him till he is quiet, and comes, and stands still before you, and is content without it, and then you will give it him. And truly so does the Lord deal with us, for our dealings with him are just as your froward children's are with you. As soon as you want a thing from God, if you cannot have it you are disquieted at once and all in an uproar, as it were, in your spirits. God intends mercy to you, but he says, 'You shall not have it yet, I will see you quiet first, and then in quietness of your hearts come to me, and see what I will do with you.' I appeal to you who are in any way acquainted with the ways of God, have you not found this to be the way of God towards you? When you were troubled for want, perhaps, of some spiritual comfort and your hearts were vexed at it, you got nothing from God all that while; but if you have got your heart into a quiet frame, and can say, 'Well, it is right that the Lord should do with his poor creatures what he will, I am under his feet, and am resolved to do what I can to honour him, and whatever he does with me, I will seek him as long as I live, I will be content with what God gives, and whether he gives or not I will be content.' 'Are you in this frame?' says God, 'now you shall have comfort, now I will give you the mercy.'
The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs

This book was written in the 17th century and in our 24 hour a day world, I believe that a lot of us have forgotten how to be still. 18 month olds are handed ipads and smart phones to keep them occupied. And right there I have 2 reflections that I could easily expound upon but this time I will not. Please just take in what I have quoted (pun not intended).  Perhaps my fellow Christians can think about this: How are we to be poured out like a drink offering, if we never take the time to be still long enough to be able let the One who is the Living Water pour into us? And if we are not being filled by the Living One then what is it that we are pouring out into others?

You are in mine and I am in yours

This morning I have been reading some blogs: I started here with Pen of a Wayfarer, then to my Brother in Christ who happens to be a pastor in Florida over here and lastly to a friend of a life giving friend on this page, which basically urged me to stop reading and get writing. I did finish reading this last post and then made my way to my computer. I found myself re-reading my last couple of posts and thought, "Wow is time marching on" which is true. I want to remember and I don't want to just let things pass by when people are impacting my life in a profound way and doing my best to humbly think that my presence in their lives is having a similar effect.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, therefore our Heavenly Father puts us in one another's lives to bless us. As I read in Jean's blog this morning:

"God wrote your story before you were conceived. Even before He spoke the universe into existence. Every “page” of your life — my life, any life — is part of His great unfolding plan. In our families, neighborhoods, communities, in all our coming and going, our life intersects thousands of other lives. Every time you or I interact with any soul — in the grocery store line, at the toll booth, in the doctor’s office, online — we become part of their story, and they become part of ours."

I thought, "Catherine, you need to acknowledge how the LORD is blessing you in the midst of the tremendous changes happening in your life." Life is constantly changing and I am indeed grateful that I have an Anchor for my soul, the Creator of the Universe, The Alpha and the Omega, the Author of my story who never changes.

It has been my privilege to have raised with Dan our three children, who are all adults, each attending college at the moment. Each one, loved, cared about and cherished. The effort, the struggle, and stick-to-itiveness of intentional parenting is still bearing fruit in my life.

Anitra is a young wife and mother of two small children who sought me out for encouragement in her parenting. Being with her and one of her little ones, I was reminded of how big mommy and daddy are in the life of small children. We are the most influential people in their lives. But children do not stay children for very long and it is only right that as they grow that not unlike John the Baptist we must decrease and the LORD Jesus must increase in their lives. This happens through EVERY stage of a child's development. It is good to be able to give Anitra the Big picture view of parenting, indeed we want to work our way out of a job by producing adults. That is not to say we cease being the mum and dad of Grace, Katie and Michael. We will always gratefully be so. Parents of young children train, teach, guide, direct, and discipline them because of the love that they have for their dear little loves. While we put in the effort to do these things, we then get to delight in them and enjoy their sweet company. Every time we meet together, I seem to be the one who is encouraged.

Jordan is a younger brother in Christ who asked me to tutor him and I am pretty sure that both of us are the students. It is not unlike when I was educating my own children at home, I learned so much during their growing up years. If you have been reading my blog for some time, you know that my philosophy of education can be pretty much summarized by the following quote from Plutarch:

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.”

The flicker of the spark was there when Jordan came to me but he has just needed some help with the kindling, where to find it and how to stack it to get the fire going. Right now, he is pursuing his education vigorously. It is a wonderful thing to be a part of and again, it a totally different way from being with Anitra, I am encouraged.  

This post is just a way of acknowledging that the LORD is still writing my story and that these are two of the dear ones that have become a part of mine and I have become a part of theirs. And I know that there are people reading this post who are in my story and please know that I thank the LORD that you are.

Reading Day

Yesterday was our reading day. Katie, Michael and I were reading and Dan was working. We read a good portion of the day. The afternoon was peacefully quiet. It reminded me of the Wednesdays of their childhood when we would walk to the Marlborough Library, bring home a boat load of books and the house would be quiet the rest of the afternoon til dinner. It was good to be still, relaxed and not in a rush. Today has not been as quiet but equally relaxing.

For some time I have thought about moving on to a Wordpress blog. I already have a name and a focus picked out. The thing is I want to do a little more research in order to make my blog the way I really want it. Time to really buckle down, set my schedule and do my homework.

This is our first Christmas break without Grace home. We are so happy for her and Austin celebrating their first Christmas together and Grace getting ready to enter her last semester of her under graduate studies. Life is indeed changing quickly.

Well it was as Bono has sung..."all is quiet on New Year's Day....Nothing changes on New Year's day..."  but in a sense everything is changing.

The Name of Jesus

When I was a new believer and the Name of Jesus was upon my lips, tears of gratitude weld up in me. This probably happened for the first year or so of my pilgrimage. Somehow as time marched on my gratitude has waned. However in the past year or so, I have cried out to God, "I believe, help my unbelief" Life has taken some turns and bends that have caused me to doubt however, I continue to rediscover not only my need for gratitude but also my great need for the LORD Jesus Christ to reign and rule in my life.
There are so many things that I have been discovering and praying about these days, yet I have failed to write about them here. Sometimes they end up on an index card or in the margin of a book or even in a hand written journal.
In the last hour of 2012, as the fireworks go off in my neighborhood, I thought it might be a good idea to just post a few thoughts on being grateful for the Life of Jesus Christ. We often talk about being grateful for being forgiven, that our debt for sin has been paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ and it is necessary for our salvation and we failed to talk or write about the Righteous Life that God has provided for us through the Life Jesus led while here on earth.
Jesus walked in perfect obedience to His Father and as my son reminded me today, that Jesus said we are to be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect. We say impossible and for us it is definitely impossible, "But with God all things are possible." So we do not only trust that Jesus has paid for our sins, but HE has also lived the Righteous Life that we could never live and has done it for us. This is an incredible MYSTERY. Who can fathom it?!

Walking perfectly with the Father
Jesus
Learning to obey
Obedience meant denying himself.
Leaving his home in glory to have no home here
Being hated
Being thought of as crazy by his earthly family
Serving rather than being served
Loving the unlovable
Touching the untouchable
Communing with His Father in prayer
Raising the dead
Being among the ones he had created
Trusting His Father
Willing to die
Taking Joy in doing the will of His Father
Knowing that he would make all things new.
Being the Beloved of the Father and delighting in making us His beloved brothers and sisters.
Jesus did not make one misstep. He summed up the Will of His Father, which also summed up the Law, by answer the question from the Pharisee, "What is the greatest commandment?" and Jesus answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind and the second is like it, Love your neighbor as yourself."
It is a short list of Jesus' Righteous Life and I am grateful that it is finished, done for me and Jesus was not "just an example" for me to follow but has done it all for me and for you.
Hoping that this new year will draw ALL closer to the LORD Jesus.

The Stories must be told

The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ has been called "The Greatest Story ever told" and one of the movies about the life of Jesus is Entitled as such. There is power in the narrative. Whether it is in literature, the stage, film or audio drama, music all of these mediums are making an impact upon our lives.
We are drawn to the stories being told and we are drawn in by characters and their various relationships, by the events taking place, by the story line and of course by the message being delivered.

Stories - there are stories that are fiction, purely created by the author and their are stories that are real life stories, biographical, autobiographical, historical events, places, inventions etc. Regardless of fact or fiction, each kind has the power to make us think, inform us, move us and even the power to change us and the course of our lives. The writer of Proverbs says that words have the power of life and death and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Funny, I am writing a blog post and this is how I am procrastinating in writing my NanoWrimo novel. It is motivating me to get writing because it is November 4, 2012 and I am publicly stating that I am participating in the challenge of writing a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I have written every day but I am slow out of the gate, lagging behind my fellow writers.  

We need stories, we desire to be a part of our own story and to be intentional in playing our part.  In googling "the power of story" the search yielded 4,220,000,000 findings. You read that right: 10 digits in the billions.  Here are some quotes from my search:

"Gripping tales teach us, persuade us, and define us." from Psychology Today

"We put away our grammar books and Mr. Hatch said, Conley, today we are writing stories...you can write anything you want."   Susan Conley from TED Talks 

"If you don’t believe in the power of story watch an audience at church the moment the preacher says “Let me illustrate this point with a little story.” Folks who were restless stop fidgeting and listen. Even kids suddenly tune in. An audience that may have drifted away suddenly comes right back to the speaker and sits attentively at his feet. The entire audience is galvanized by even a simple story."  
from Mark Roberts at Westside Church of Christ Irving, Texas

"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho" from Luke's Gospel where Jesus tells the story that answers the question "Who is my neighbor?" 

“Child,' said the Lion, 'I am telling you your story, not hers. No one is told any story but their own.” 
― C.S. Lewis, The Horse and His Boy

During my thinking and listening time, this is what came to my mind:

"And God said....." Genesis 1  "the Word was with God and the Word was God...." John 1  "Write what you see in a book...." from the Holy Bible, the very Word of God from The Greatest Story Ever Told

God is Spirit. He is Greater than ALL. God is the Truth. God chose to reveal His Son through the written and spoken Word of His Prophets, sent Him to walk among us fully God and fully man, a mystery for sure and then continued to have His children record this Life in the Gospels, had Paul write letters to the Churches, the saints, to close brothers and finally God revealed to John, the Beloved Jesus returning in power and the end and that there will be a new heaven, a new earth and a new city.  The story of stories is to go forth and be proclaimed throughout the world. The story has been preserved through the millenniums for us.

No matter where we are in life and in the world we want to hear the stories that not only inspire and move us, but also that disrupt and challenge us. We want to stay connected - this is precisely why the stories must be told. And with that perhaps I will get going with my nano novel and see where my characters take me today.