Blazing ice

The ice storm this week brought frigid temperatures but exquisite views. It hampered my schedule, programs, attendance, safe driving and daily expectations. My kids waited with bated breath in front of the television, expecting a snow day from school, and only to find out there would be school. The ice storms brought such extra weight on the power lines, pulling them down all over the rural area which encompasses our city. Our middle school had to close 25 minutes after all the kids got there. T. got a day off from school, yet A.N. and K. were at the elementary school, which is far removed from the Middle School. A.N. and K. stayed in school, and T. gloated for a day and 1/2.
Our corps driveway has a dramatic decline and incline, which turns dangerous in this type of weather. So, even though we plowed and salted, there were only 4-6 parking spots which were safe and being used. This week was planned for our League of Mercy Lenten visits for the city nursing homes. The gifts had already been sorted and counted, waiting to be delivered on Wednesday morning, which coincindentally followed the worst of the ice storms we received. My home phone was ringing madly, phone call after phone call found me crossing one name off the list after another, those who were unable or unwilling to travel out in the weather.
I found myself gazing at one name remaining, and I expected she would not be meeting me either, that she had just neglected to call to cancel. But my calendar did not have room for postponement and rescheduling. I don't intend to be inflexible or rigid, but the rest of my Lent has been promised out. As I drove to the corps, I knew there was a terrific chance I would be delivering these three nursing homes on my own. It would take a bit longer, adding at least three hours to the day, but this is what the day was planned for, right?!.
I waited at the corps until 9:45 a.m., the planned time, and walking into my lobby was the only volunteer who hadn't called me. She and her family had lost power 24 hours earlier, no phone, no furnace, no lights and her previous day had included many altered forms of regular life - men and grandsons splitting wood for the constant fire in the two fireplaces, cooking with dutch ovens and camp griddles over the fire, shoveling the cars out of the driveway, etc.
Yet, despite her added complications and difficulties, she knew there was only one place she would be at 10 a.m. on Wed. She didn't do it for me (but I sure appreciated her helping hands), she didn't do it for her family (they needed her at home), or even for the residents in the three homes we visited. She did is exclusively for God. The people that we saw that day have become familiar to me, having been to their rooms several times already. Some of our other gifts are sitting on their shelves or folded on their beds or hanging on their wheelchairs, showing that they have been used and needed.
"Thank you for the War Cry...I enjoy another article about God," shared one gentleman who, though has shown sign of physical improvement, will not be leaving this facility just yet. "You chose a shorter hair style: I love it!" I declare as I walk into M. room, her style amazingly with every hair in place.
"Please don't leave yet, I need you to pray..."
No matter how shorthanded we might have been, there always has to be time to pray.
Lord, thank you for being our supply of encouragement and stamina, preventing use from letting a few obstacles get in the way of Your work. Help me to always, ALWAYS see your activity.

God has made everything beautiful in its time.

He has also set eternity in the hearts of men;

yet man cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

Blazing Ice

Home sweet winter home

Glistening diamonds

Blazing ice

Crystal touch

Stamina to say what needs to be said

Currently Reading

Text in a Whirlwind: A Critique of Four Exegetical Devices at 1 Timothy 2.9-15 (Journal for the Study of the New Testament. Supplement Series, 196.) John Mark Holmes

Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins. ~Jim Stovall

The spirited horse, which will try to win the race of its own accord, will run even faster if encouraged. ~Ovid

Appreciation can make a day - even change a life, Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary. ~Margaret Cousins

Do you hear yourself say things again and again like this...?

Cracked me up! A mom's work is never done and a mom's sentence is never finished.
When my family was listening to this, they each laughed out loud at different places...something just tickled their funny bone more than other statements. ("That's you mom" or "I've heard that more than once")

Although you may not have a soundtrack accompaniment to deliver your words of guidance (but wouldn't that be super cool?!.), continue to share your words of hope. People are turning to you, formally and informally, for your perspective, your input, your guidance. Let your language be seasoned with God's grace.

You may feel like you are saying the same things again and again, and no one is hearing them. No one seems to pay attention to what you are sharing. But keep giving encouragement, continue bringing hope.

Your spouse needs to hear hope from you. Your siblings need to hear encouragement from you. Your friends need to hear praise from you. Your children need to hear love from you. Your neighbors need to hear understanding from you. Your colleagues need to hear patience and flexibility from you. Pray to God that He will be the influence over your words, your speaking.

Keep saying the words, God's words, that need to be heard. Keep reaffirming that someone of their personal beauty, both inside and out. Say it again and again and again...it needs to be heard! Share the love of Jesus and God's desire to draw people close to Him. Say it again and again and again...it needs to be heard! Avoid being subtle and try to segue Jesus into your conversation, be transparent about your sharing of the Gospel. Share the story of salvation from sin with a friend who needs to know God. Continually offer the story of God's love, evangelizing this family invitation to become a child of God. Continue to encourage the strength which is shown, especially through weakness.

Use every opportunity to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative - there is too much despair in this world and not enough hope.

"Because, because, because, because!"

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." Galatians 6:9-10 NIV

Without Exception

Divine Servant in front of Gerber Auditorium, Ashland Theological Seminary

Jesus
Willing to serve,
Compelled by compassion.
Washing the daily filth from their feet.
The water in the bowl spilling out, uncontainable, extravagant.
He now showed them the full extent of His love.
Bending, reaching, stretching, pouring, rinsing, cleansing –
Forgiving.
Jesus is on His knees.
Serving.
The future would hold
Betrayal from one,
Denial from one,
Deserting, disowning, disloyalty
From each person He humbly served.
Yet every foot was washed, every one without exception.
Jesus’ humble service brought cleansing to feet.
Jesus’ humble touch brings cleansing to hearts.
Every heart can be washed, every one without exception.
From each heart He can humbly cleanse
Sinfulness, wickedness, bitterness.
Brokenness from one,
Failure from one -
The past has held.
Serving.
Jesus on His cross –
Forgiving.
Bending, reaching, stretching, pouring, rinsing, cleansing –
The love of God spilling out, uncontainable, extravagant.
He now shows us the full extent of His love.
Washing the daily filth from our hearts.
Compelled by compassion,
Willing to serve,
Jesus.

jsi

It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in this world, He now showed them the full extent of His love. The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God; so He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that He poured water into a basin and began to wash disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.
John 13:1-5 NIV

Just before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that the time had come to leave this world to go to the Father. Having loved His dear companions, He continued to love them right to the end. It was suppertime. The Devil by now had Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, firmly in his grip, all set for the betrayal. Jesus knew that the Father had put Him in complete charge of everything, that He came from God and was on His way back to God. So He got up from the supper table, set aside His robe, and put on an apron. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron.
John 13:1-5 The Message

Peacemakers

Currently Reading An Emergent Theology for Emerging Churches By Ray S. Anderson

We must be the change we wish to see. Mahatma Gandhi

I do not want the peace that passeth understanding. I want the understanding which bringeth peace. Helen Keller

There never was a good war or a bad peace. Benjamin Franklin

One is left with the horrible feeling now that war settles nothing; that to win a war is as disastrous as to lose one. Agatha Christie

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace. Jimi Hendrix

Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict -- alternatives to passive or aggressive responses, alternatives to violence. Dorothy Thompson

The gentle snowfall outside is reflected luminously through the moonshine, cascading gracefully onto the front yard, and it looks exquisite. The blanche covering of snow has mounded into small dunes, all from the plows and shovels and namely, the wind. These elements have all created a tiny mountain range, one peak following another, like the Grand Tetons, but instead of exploding across the western plain, its in your front yard. Its our homegrown winter version - these tiny Tetons are close to a pine tree in the corner of the yard and I don't want to walk near it for fear of accidentally destroying it.

This is the first time it has been anything described as gentle in these past few days. This winter storm has kept us all inside, only going out for the most necessary of reasons. I'm glad I had made a pharmacy run on Friday a.m. for insulin, glucose tabs and glucose strips. We needed to dash out this afternoon for specific lightbulbs as the last one in the bathroom burned out - rats! School has been canceled, corps programs canceled, music rehearsals and sports practices postponed to be rescheduled at some later date. Seeing the school listing in the morning to notice our schools were canceled again brought a sigh of relief ("A little more sleep" "A pajama day") and also a string of phone calls to "take care of the day."

Since the weekend included MidWinter Retreat for me and T., Dave got A.N.K. to Grandma's house - yippee! Everyone accomplished a great deal this weekend and we caught up with each other at Bob Evans on Sunday evening to share jokes and antedotes over syrup, omelettes, bacon and biscuits.

Needless to say, from spending two days at Grandma's and then two days home from school, my kids have seen more of each other than normal. We have had relaxing days in the schedule - not having to travel to so many places or programs to have completed - but they have also brought their own tension. Quiet moments have been shared but so have some quick and fierce arguments. A reading time has melted down from a quick poke to the head and a dash down the hall with a full-fledged linebacker tackle. I enjoy spending time with my children, treasuring their individual personalities, but they themselves don't seem to enjoy the cornucopia of personality their TANKness can bring.

They've been getting on each other's nerves.

As we were at N. soccer game last night, we found in the stands that our other friends are experiencing the same cabin fever quarrelsomeness. We parents watched the game (which N.s team won 6-1 woohoo) as the siblings all played and ran and spun and laughed and ran some more. "This morning was a fight about boogers..." was one lament, as another described the argument that happened about which color of pink was pretty and which was blecky. "Tag, you're it" has easily dissolved into a wrestling match...

...speaking of tag, I've been tagged from Ali. (Hello Ali...)

1. Pick up the nearest book, of at least 123 pages 2. Turn to page 123 3. Count down 5 sentences 4. Post the next three sentences 5. Tag 5 more people
There is a pile at my chair. My nearest book is Heart Talks on Holiness, Samuel Logan Brengle (only 117 pages). Next is God's High Calling For Women by John MacArthur (only 75 pages), so what is next is The Complete Illustrated Shakespeare edited by Howard Staunton. Page 123 is Comedy of Errors, Act II., Adriana's monologue, expressing her open heart to her husband. "Wouldst thou not spit at me, and spurn at me, and hurl the name of husband in my face, and tear the stain'd skin off my harlot brow, and from my false hand cut the wedding-ring, and break it with a deep-divorcing vow? I know thou canst, and therefore see thou do it. I am possess'd with an adulterate blot; my blood is mingled with the grime of lust:For, if we two be one, and thou play false, I do digest the poison of thy flesh, being strumpeted by thy contagion." Whoa, not good, not good at all.

I tag Evelyn Clark http://koli8.blogspot.com, Tim Clark http://clarkid.blogspot.com, Tim Miller http://thesearemychurchclothes.blogspot.com, Rochelle McAllister http://johnandrochelle.blogspot.com and Marta Agerhttp://frommartasvineyard.blogspot.com

Anyway...

...much of what has happened each hour has required me to be a peacemaker. Sometimes, it has resorted to different corners for 5 minutes until behavior has changed. Sometimes it has included increased chores (they did every load of laundry and vacuumed each bedroom).

Being the peacemaker has not been the easiest spot these past few days: its messy, stressful, filled with conflict in need of solutions, some name calling, some hurt feelings, some resistance to correction, some strong words, some tearfelt apologies. I have reached for the bottle of Advil more than once, and even "volunteered" to shovel the driveway, actually needing to take a breather outside in the frigid air to collect myself so I didn't lose control.

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early a.m. edit - our school system is closed again for Wednesday. We have another day to get this right. Peace, peace, perfect peace...
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When Jesus gave his teaching in Matthew 5:9, what we term as The Sermon on the Mount, He highlighted different circumstances in life which are not easy within which to live. "Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the sons of God." Jesus did not accentuate the act of loving peace as the supreme condition here. He illuminates the process of making peace - of keeping peace. These two things, loving peace and making peace, are two different things.

Are you experiencing conflict today, in the midst of a power struggle, a tug of war over choices and opinions? Have you found your circumstance void of easy or simple solutions, you needing to get more than one person to see life through another's eyes? Are you finding yourself in the throes of making peace, and you are reaching for the Advil from the headache it has all caused within your spirit? Reach deep for the strength God has for you and know He is including you in His activity, His work. Making peace is God's divine touch, and though it is never easy, it is always needed.

Peace is at hand, God's peace, and you can be the instrument of His divine peace. You are His child when you are within His activity. Bring the peace of God today.