Thoughts

I hear through the grapevine that there are a couple of people who check in on this blog from time to time, so I will share with you some of what is going through my brain and heart these days. Besides, sometimes it seems like I need to get the thoughts that are rattling around in my brain down on paper- if only so I can play them back to myself and try to make some sense of them.

Through reading Compassion: Reflection on the Christian Life by Henri Nouwen, Donald McNell, and Douglass Morrison, and through my study of 1 Peter for our small group bible study and listening to sermon's preached at Covenant Life Church by Joshua Harris and Robin Boisvert, a theme has begun to emerge. Whenever that happens, I try to pay attention; I believe God speaks to my heart in such themes.

From the 5/2/2010 sermon "The Hope/Holiness Connection" by Joshua Harris:
"Holiness is important, but the pursuit of holiness must be fueled by the knowledge that we have been ransomed. We must pursue holiness knowing that we have been ransomed. Our hope can not be in our pursuit of holiness, we must pursue holiness knowing that we have been ransomed by God with the precious blood of Jesus Christ."

From Compassion: Reflection on the Christian Life:
" In a society that is so keen on new encounters, so eager for new events, and so hungry for new experiences, it is difficult not to be seduced into impatient activism. Often we are hardly aware of this seduction, especially since what we are doing is so obviously 'good and religious.' But even setting up a relief program, feeding the hungry, and assisting the sick could be more an expression of our own needs then of God's call....It is important to remain critical of our own activist tendencies. When our own needs begin to dominate our actions, long range service becomes difficult and we soon become exhausted, burned out, and even embittered by our efforts.
The most important resource for counteracting the constant temptation to slip into activism is the knowledge that in Christ everything has been accomplished...
As long as we continue to act as if the salvation of the world depends on us, we lack the faith by which mountains can be moved. In Christ, human suffering and pain have already been accepted and suffered; in Him our broken humanity has been reconciled and led into the intimacy of the relationship within the Trinity. Our action, therefore, must be understood as a discipline by which we make visible what has already been accomplished. Such action is based on the faith that we walk on solid ground even when we are surrounded by chaos, confusion, violence, and hatred."


So - this is what I am hearing: The life I live - my pursuit of holiness, my vocation, my desire to stand up against injustice in the world, my desire to serve the poor and hurting, - Must be motivated and fueled by my knowledge of and complete confidence in what Christ has already accomplished. If I begin to think that I am the one making a difference I will become exhausted, burned-out, cynical, or worse - prideful (Proverbs 16:18 says "pride goeth before a fall"). Only what Christ has already accomplished, only the victory that He has already secured on the cross, can and will stand. Do I have that kind of confidence and faith? Am I secure in and do I find my hope in Christ and Christ alone? Or am I primarily concerned with being liked, accepted, praised, or rewarded? Only by knowing and trusting in God through His son Jesus and through ingesting His Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to make it a part of who I am can I begin to allow Him to work in and through my life. I pray that I can know Him, love him, and trust Him more and more so that in some small way something in my life might make visible to someone what Christ has already accomplished.

Lessons on Life and Faith I am Learning from My Swimming Pool

My pool is probably as clear as it has ever been, and it has basically looked this way since Saturday. However, it has been consuming chlorine at an exorbitant rate making it difficult to keep it balanced and clean. You see, despite the clear appearance, apparently when the pool was closed last season there were some unseen contaminants - contaminants that looking back I had warning signs of but stubbornly chose to ignore. Despite a healthy dose of sanitizing chemicals added to the water before shutting everything down and covering it up for the winter, those unseen contaminants were able to happily munch on the sanitizer and the stabilizer leaving behind a pile-up of invisible waste products that just love to eat up the chlorine. I keep adding chlorine and it keeps disappearing. I have finally begun to get ahead and am beginning to be able to keep the chlorine level high enough to destroy the contaminants and their nasty waste. But, it has taken frequent testing and adjusting (every hour or so for 3 days) and more chlorine (in the form of bleach) then you would ever begin to imagine. And now that we are getting everything where it needs to be, all it will require is simple daily testing and incremental adjusting to keep it in the condition it needs to be in.

So, my life lesson? When my heart gets dark and dirty I may be able to keep up appearances on the outside but all the while on the inside the contamination grows and produces an unclean and out of balance life. The only remedy at that point is to soak myself with the presence of God and His grace through constant exposure to His Word, His Son, His Holy Spirit - diligently asking Him to show me the dirty, impure areas and asking Him to purify my heart and to balance my life with His grace. Then, I need to enter into His presence daily, continuing to seek His purifying grace and seeking to align my life with His plan. His grace is new every morning and is the only thing that truly satisfies.

Wow, almost a full year since my last post!

A whole year since my last post! A feeling that I began to experience about a month ago is beginning to get stronger and stronger: I am falling in love with this place. Not sure how or why or what it will all bring, but yes, I am falling in love with Kansas! I was driving about 40 miles southwest of home today to see a patient and the feeling I had as I viewed the wind dancing in the fields of amber topped wheat was glorious! And I noticed about a month ago when I was driving about 50 miles northwest of home for my foot clinic day in Hutchinson, that I found myself thinking "this place really is beautiful". I love seeing far into the distance across the prairie or the farmland, with the big sky spread all around. So that's the landscape. But what is really grabbing my heart are the wonderful relationships we are building. The beauty I am seeing in the landscape around me pales in comparison to the beauty of casual friendships growing into rich, deep relationships. I am once again reminded of the sage advice given to me by a dearly respected co-worker (who had also moved several times) when we moved from NJ to Georgia: "Andrea, I can't think of any of those friends I wouldn't have wanted to make." So, while I sometimes bemoan the fact that I don't have many life long friends, I cherish the seasoning that having cherished friends in 6 "homes" gives to my life and I find myself heartily agreeing with that dear friend. And I am thankful that God is placing a dear love for this newest home deep into my heart and soul. I wonder what His plans are?

What????

This is really disturbing:
http://http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,522637,00.html .

Things are Growing!!!!

Yes, it's been a very long time. Anyone (I know there are a couple of you) who ever read this blog probably gave up checking a long time ago. But, today I am so excited by the "miracle of life" as my daughter so aptly puts it (http://www.elaineinnewplaces.blogspot.com/ewplaces.blogspot.com/) that I had to share some pictures of my own. Today we had the joy of eating the first fruits of our vegetable garden - a lovely little cucumber!

I have never claimed to have anything resembling a green thumb, but the garden I inherited when we bought this house has inspired me. We have planted our own little vegetable garden, decorated our patio living area with beautiful flowering baskets, filled the spaces in our fountain garden,and added to our kitchen herb garden.

And yes, I do feel like a proud parent as I watch my vegetables, herbs, and flowers grow, bloom, and produce! It was so fun this past weekend when the guests we entertained from our small group at church asked what I had seasoned the salmon with and I got to say: "fresh herbs from my garden"!

And we have been thoroughly enjoying the bursts of color in the plantings so graciously placed and left behind by the previous owners of our home. Late last summer I even had someone from the local garden center come and tell me what I have growing in my yard, so I could even manage to impress you by naming all the plants in my yard.

We really do enjoy spending time outside in our yard, and this time of year the evenings are delightful. There are a few more mosquitos than I remember when we first got here last July, but even a few more is still a lot less than the hoards of them that used to great me within 5 minutes of sitting on my deck in Marietta. So, while I'm still not sure this feels like home, it's getting a little closer! We are blessed!

The Blizzard that Wasn't

Earlier this month I signed up to get weather alerts text messaged to me on my cell phone. Since it was the beginning of Tornado season, I thought it was a good idea. So, Thursday afternoon at about 4:00 I 'm driving to a small town east of Wichita when the alert notification sounds on my cell phone. It said: "A Blizzard Warning has been issued for Wichita, KS". What? Well, I must admit, the weather reports had been talking about a significant amount of snow coming to our area on Friday and Saturday, but I didn't really believe it. I mean, after all, it was 75 on Sunday and the signs of spring are apparent everywhere! A blizzard! Let's get real! But the weather forcasters were insistant! I even recieved 6 more text message alerts over the next 36 hours. The weather was supposed to begin Friday morning with some wintry mix, changing over to blowing, heavy snow (otherwise known as a blizzard) by Friday evening and continuing well into the day on Saturday. I had an appointment on Friday morning and by the time I got home it was indeed beginning to sleet, and by late morning we were convinced we were experiencing the beginnings of a big, bad spring blizzard. There was even some talk of "thunder snow" (that would be a new experience!) The weather forecasters were predicting anywhere from 9-16 inches of the white stuff and the early quick accumulation of sleet had us pretty well convinced that the meteorologists may even be underestimating this thing! But then it slowed to almost a stop, and then it began to rain. By the time we went to bed last night, the total accumulation was little more than it had been at 1:00 in the afternoon! The rain was freezing so there was a fairly thick coating of ice accumulating on the branches and surfaces, but we had been anticipating the white stuff! And although we were concerned about what a blizzard could mean, anticipating a larger accumulation of snow then this family had witnessed in over 10 years was kind of exciting. An ice storm was definitely a dissappointment! When we woke up this morning, there was just more ice. It had obviously rained a good bit overnight - our pool cover was quite full. We were all shaking our heads at how wrong the weather forcast had been for us (there were parts of Kansas west of Wichita that did get almost 2 feet of snow). Then at about 8:00 this morning, it finally began to snow! And it snowed pretty hard until a little after noon (not a blizzard, but a decent amount of snow). There was enough wind to cause some drifting, but still not even close to blizzard conditions. So, Steve's mom is getting to spend a couple of extra days here - she was supposed to go home this morning, but the ice and snow was enough to cancel flights out of town. And we are having some fun playing in the snow today. It won't last long, spring will be back in a day or two. And we'll be back into Tornado season again. Hey, I wonder if there is such a thing as a snownado?

Tornado Season

Tornado season has arrived in Kansas. Yesterday we prepared our "safe" room (the room in our basement that is 3 sides concrete) with the necessities of spending time there when necessary: water, granola bars and mandarin oranges (in easy open plastic packages), a mattress and some sleeping bags, shoes (thanks Cindy!), flashlights, batteries, radio. The first potential for severe weather was forcast to arrive yesterday evening, and sure enough, the tornado sirens did go off at about 8:15 last evening. One thing we have noticed about severe weather forcasts here in Kansas - they know exactly what they are looking for and they keep the public well informed. So, while the tornado sirens were alarming and we could hear them well, we went to our basement but not the safe room. Why would we not go in the safe room if the tornado sirens were sounding? We were informed by the television weather broadcasters that the sirens are activated on a county wide basis, and the storm trackers (both in the weather station and out in the weather) keep you well informed of exactly where the trouble spot is. And, thanks to our wonderful flat terrain and straight road grid system, not only can a funnel cloud be easily spotted, you can tell exactly how far you are away from it just by counting the grid blocks that the roads create! So, it was quite easy for the weather forecasters to pinpoint exactly where the trouble spot was and using the storm direction and speed, tell you exactly how long you had to seek shelter. They were able to tell us and show us that although the western edge of our county was in the path of the storm, we were about 20 miles away and the storm was tracking to the north and west of our little grid point. So, we hung out in the basement for about an hour, switching channels on the TV back and forth between a silly movie and the storm trackers, until it was apparent that the storm was loosing intensity and the warning was lifted - thankful that we have a safe room, but even more thankful that we didn't need it - this time. We do wish they made a weather radio available that would alert you only of tornado warnings ( not all severe thunderstorm warnings and flash flood warnings, etc.) and only in our area of the county instead of county wide - the alarm on those things can lift you right off the bed when you are in the midst of a sound sleep! (We learned that a little later last night, but gratefully went right back to sleep when we learned it was "only" a severe thunderstorm warning in a different area of the county.) So, hopefully the rest of the season will be as uneventful as last night was. Oh, by the way - the shoes are in case when you open the door of the safe room you are greeted by broken glass or other hazards. Like I said, hopefully the rest of the season will be as uneventful as last night!

An Update

Well, i guess a few more people read this thing than I thought; I've had a few comments and emails about my lack of updates, so here goes!

I have been kind of busy lately - added a half day at work and have had projects to get done that have kept me busy in the evening. My brain has been very busy - I took and passed my 3 certification tests (wound, ostomy, and continence) a few weeks ago - so I'm good for another 5 years!! I've also been putting together some teaching modules for work. And, I've been contemplating my faith, a lot (in a really good, wrestle with the truth kind of way).

We started doing "The Truth Project" in a small group from church in early January - if you have the opportunity I highly recommend this journey! It has really, really been good to look at the foundations of my faith and to begin to understand the lies of the world and how I have been affected by them. It has been really, really good to look closely at God and His Truth and to solidify my trust in Him and His Word. It has been amazing to understand, perhaps for the 1st time, God's purpose for my life: to know Him fully. To understand that my relationships, my gifts and talents, my passions, have all been carefully designed by God so that I might know Him better. I thought my purpose was my calling to be a nurse and to be a wife and mother, but I am beginning to understand that He has gifted me and given me these passions and these relationships so that I might know Him. And the amazing thing is that He gets firey jealous of anything that keeps me from knowing Him - imagine that, the Creator of the Universe jealous of anything that keeps little ole me from Him! Looking at my life from this angle has had some interesting consequences - like this morning when my first patient was talking on her cell phone and complaining about how long this was taking the whole time I was trying to draw her blood - I think normally that would have put a bad enough twist on the start of my day that I would have grumbled and stewed for a while - but this morning I was really able to look at the situation and say "OK Lord, I know you are trying to teach me something - let me be open to whatever it is." I didn't get any instant revelations, but I had a really calm, peaceful day despite the fact that it was pretty hectic in the clinic this morning.

And God is being so faithful in showing us His Hand and His Presence as we continue to find our place here in Wichita. In the small group that we are in at church, we have connected with one person whose mother grew up in the same small town area of South Jersey as my father did, and also another who I made an amazing connection with when I discovered that I was her brother's wound care nurse in Atlanta. It was a special revelation to both of us of God's loving care.

And Kim is excitedly preparing to enter Colorado Christian University in the fall - this is a dream come true for her! In fact, when she was trying to decide where to go to college when she was still in high school, she fell in love with Colorado Christian but in the end decided it was just too far away. She joked with us, knowing that Koch is headquartered in Wichita - that "maybe Dad should get transferred to Wichita so I can be closer to Colorado Christian." So here we are! And there she goes!!

So, I can't really say that Wichita feels like home yet - but we are certain that God's hand is on us and He is using this journey to grow us in knowledge of Him. So we continue to trust Him and continue to be excited about where He is leading us.

Apparently lots of people needed to find their snow legs.

This little clip from the local paper shows that I wasn't the only one having a little trouble with the weather on Tuesday. There must be some happy medium between the hype and needless closings we frequently saw in Atlanta and this:

A little snow causes 650-plus traffic accidents in Wichita area
Source: Kansas.com: Local12-11-2008 6:32 PM
The first winter storm to hit Wichita this season delivered less than 2 inches of snow to the area -- but more than 650 accidents.
Authorities didn't hide their frustration Wednesday.
"It was a tougher storm than we thought it was going to be," Kansas Department of Transportation spokesman Tom Hein admitted. "Twelve inches of snow is probably easier to deal with than that was."
While Tuesday's snowfall total was meager, north winds gusting above 40 miles an hour reduced visibility and kept reglazing streets and highways that had just been treated.
Many motorists seemed to pay no attention to the weather at all, Kansas Highway Patrol Lt. Roger Baughman said.

Trying to Find my Snow legs!

Yesterday was kind of exciting. Monday the high here was around 60, but the forcast for Monday night was a cold front moving in and the arrival of some snow. Sure enough, shortly before I left for work on Tuesday morning, the temperature had dropped to about 28 degrees and the snow was beginning. I was a little nervous because it's been a while since I've really driven in this stuff. Once the snow started, it came pretty steadily and accompanied by a strong and steady wind, with gusts up to about 30mph - that part I'm definitely not used to! Anyway, I usually only work 1/2 day on Tuesday, so when I got to work I asked if it would be ok to email the files I was going to work on to myself and work at home - permission granted with a little snicker at how concerned I was about the weather. I left work at about 10:30, thinking to myself "I used to drive in this stuff all the time, I should be fine". Well, 12 years of living in a city that shuts down at the thought of snow had made me a little rusty. Trying unsuccessfully to stop for a traffic light that was turning yellow and literally sliding through the intersection and the turn as the light turned red got my attention, quickly. I gripped the wheel and SLOWED DOWN. I drove about 25 mph the rest of the way home, paying close attention to the traffic lights ahead and making sure I had little or no momentum when it was time to stop or turn. Thankfully I made it home without anything else to raise my blood pressure again! Later, I had to take Kim to her class. The roads were quite icy, and the news was reporting about 300 accidents (mostly very minor fender benders) around town - but only a little cancellation of events or activities. Driving Kim to class felt like living in a world moving in slow motion - the roads weren't too crowded (but not empty either) and EVERYONE was driving about 20-25 mph and leaving PLENTY of space between travelers. I guess with a city this size, no hills, no blind curves, life can go on in this weather - just in slow motion! Atlanta most definitely would have been completely shut down! We only ended up with about 2 inches of snow. I'm not sure I completely understand how the roads got so bad (in my opinion, anyway) so quickly - must have something to do with that wind. Anyway, with temperatures getting down to about 14 degress over night, the roads are still pretty icy this morning and since schools are not cancelled, neither is my bible study - so I guess I'll leave plenty early and crawl along with everybody else to my morning destination. Fortunately it's only about 2 1/2 miles away, and it's supposed to be sunny and warmer today, so the roads should be better by the time I come home. I used to laugh at the way Atlanta shut down so easily, but I'm scratching my head a little wondering how a city that supposedly gets a lot of this kind of weather this time a year doesn't do more to take care of the roads and yet seems to carry on with life despite conditions that allow 300 accidents! I guess I need to carefully work on getting my Snow legs back!

My 30 Favorite Things About Kansas

OK, so it took me almost 5 months instead of 30 days, but I have finally compiled my 30 favorite things about my new Kansas home. It has been a great exercise at a needed time – this time of being past the newness and busyness of moving, but not really feeling a part of this community yet can be a difficult and lonely time. So, focusing on the positive – here is my list!

1. My double rainbow – seen out of the apartment the day the moving truck was scheduled to arrive, it’s memory is my constant reminder that we are where God desires us to be and that He has a purpose for us here. You can check out this post to see the whole story: http://gettingtotheheartland.blogspot.com/2008/07/kindling.html.
2. The flowers in my new yard. When we arrived in July, my backyard was in full bloom, it was fun!
3. Sitting on my patio on summer mornings and not getting eaten by mosquitos.
4.Crisp, clear air – less pollution and less smog along with less humidity make for noticeably clearer air.
5. Evenings on my patio with almost no mosquito bites – I had a couple by the end of the season, but I could still sit with my family and enjoy a meal and a relaxing conversation without being driven inside by mosquitos – something I have NEVER really experienced before.
6. Traffic – or the lack thereof. A Wichita traffic jam is at most not getting through a traffic light in 2 cycles – I have never sat through more that 2 cycles of a traffic light here, and even that is very rare.
7. My herb garden. Frost has destroyed it now, but I had a nice little square in my inherited garden where chives, oregano, rosemary, and a large basil plant grew – right outside my back door!
8. The Summer wind – I thought I would really hate it, but it was a welcome thing in the heat of the summer. Now Winter wind – that’s a different story!
9. Cultural opportunities that we actually take advantage of because they are fairly inexpensive and easy to get to. We have been to a musical, a symphony concert with and Irish ladies band, the art museum, the science museum, the botanical gardens, and even a chili cook off in downtown Wichita!
10. Chocolate pie – one of my new neighbors brought a chocolate pie to our door to welcome us to the neighborhood – YUM!
11. Getting around Wichita – the flat landscape allows for straight roads – set up in a very logical grid system makes navigation very easy!
12. Being able to see a long way. I have really come to enjoy the vista that a flat, relatively sparsely treed landscape provides.
13. The Flint Hills – these rolling hills are the closest thing Kansas has to mountains, and they have their own, special kind of beauty. Because of the geography they are pretty much treeless, but from the top of one of the higher areas you can see rolling green (in summer) beauty layed out before you – I have never seen anything quite like it, and I really find it quite beautiful.
14. Wind Farms. These fields of rows upon rows of windmills set on the rolling hills are really quite fascinating.
15. The stars at night. The clear air mentioned in #4 along with a little less light pollution (in some areas anyway) than Atlanta, makes for some pretty good stargazing. And I love gazing at a starry sky.
16. Being 2 ½ - 3 hours from IHOP (International House of Prayer) in Kansas City. I’ve only taken advantage of it once, but I like knowing it’s there, and I will be back!
17. Taking walks on the golf course – we have to do this during non-golfing hours in the early morning or in the evening – and those are really quite pleasant times!
18. The Great Plains Nature Center – literally about 3-4 miles from my door, a great place to enjoy the great outdoors in the unique nature of this area, and to take some great photos.
19. Average folk. It seems that there is less focus on “keeping up with the Joneses” here than in some places I have lived. I like that.
20. Meeting some of my neighbors while standing in line to vote at 5:45a.m.
21. The bike trails around town. Again, our flat terrain makes for easy bike riding, and there are several paved trails around town. I have always enjoyed bike-riding.
22. Watching the seasons change out of my own kitchen window. I “inherited” a pretty well planted/gardened yard, and I am grateful to the previous owner for doing such a great job of picking plants and trees with such great seasonal interest!
23. My Maiden Grass. One of my favorite plants I have been watching out my window is my Maiden Grass. It started out in July as a relatively non descript but not un-attractive clump of green grass, then in late August it developed these beautiful purplish plumes which now have become beautiful silvery feathery crests that dance gracefully in the wind – beautiful!
24. My 10-15 minute drive to work. I know I have already listed the traffic and the ease of traveling in Wichita – but my 10-15 minute drive time to work means extra time for quiet time (or for sleep). My commute time for the 7 ½ miles to work in Marietta was at least 30 minutes, usually more!
25. Knowing that if I needed to, I could walk to the drugstore, the tea shop, the grocery store, a wine shop, the dry cleaners, church – they are all a mile to a mile and a half away from my door. Haven’t taken advantage of this yet, but I like knowing I can.
26. The opportunity to serve the less fortunate. Yes, I know the opportunity to volunteer and to serve were available to me in Marietta, but for some reason I have taken advantage of the opportunity here and I didn’t in Marietta.
27. Christmas Lights. Haven’t seen this in full bloom yet, but apparently one of the things Wichita is known for at this time of year are it’s light displays. I’m excited and interested to see what that means – in fact our office Christmas celebration this year includes riding a party bus around town to see the displays. I’ll keep you posted.
28. My Veterinarian. Nick has had some special needs since we have been here, including losing a toe to a cancerous tumor. But he is healthy now, and I really like his Vet. (I’ve also found a loving, caring groomer – Yay! – But I still miss Holly).
29. My Patio. Well into the fall we were able to take advantage of our outdoor living area, which is nice and large, partially covered with the ability to block most of the direct sunlight, and graced by the sounds of our fountain. It’s really one of the main things that sold us on the house, and we have enjoyed it.
30. And last, but certainly not least – and maybe actually my most favorite – We are in driving (yes, it is an 8 hour drive – but still a drive) distance to the Colorado Rocky Mountains – we have done it twice already!

So that’s my list!!!! Like I said, sitting down and doing this has been good for me. What better way to celebrate Thanksgiving! So, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you – we miss you but we are grateful that we have so much to be thankful for!

My Favorite Thing about living in Kansas .....

Back in July when we first moved to Kansas, I started a list of favorite things about my new home. I never really finished it, and no, that's not what this post is about. However, i have decided what my number one favorite thing about my new home is: being in driving distance of the beautiful Colorado Rockies. I think I aluded to that fact last month when Kim and I went to check out Colorado Christian for the first time. Well, we went back for a long weekend this week so she could spend the night on campus and so Steve could see the school. And now it is official, my favorite thing about living in Kansas is Colorado!

Maybe I will finally finish that list and post it soon. There really are things I like about Kansas, too.

Shut Up, Get Over Yourselves, and Start Talking

As I have pondered the political process these past few weeks, and as I have struggled to make some sense of my own views and frustrations, one thing has been consistent: our nation's polarization is it's biggest problem. As a committed Christ following citizen, and as a parent trying to hear the heart of a child, it has been frustrating to watch and experience as I myself have gotten caught up in this wave. It has been the struggles closest to me that have made me realize (with the help of a couple of co-authors of a book - "Common Ground" by Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel) that the majority of Christ following voters on both sides of the political divide really have common beliefs and goals: the sanctity of human life, reasonable access to healthcare, equal access to a good education, relief of poverty. But as long as we get swept up in the tide and behave like the polarized politicians representing us, all we accomplish is making a lot of noise, and we do a great deal to tarnish our witness. As long as the unbelievers among us see us going right along with the loudest voices - accusing each other of sympathizing with baby killers or of being greedy, uncompassionate powermongers, they won't be seeing Christ in us. I believe what we really need to do is to be still and know that God is God, to seek and listen to His voice and His Word, and then - as I heard on Grey's Anatomy last night, we and our politicians really need to Shut up, get over ourselves, and start talking to find solutions.

Conquering Generational Curses!

My lovely daughter, with the patient prodding and help of her wonderful husband, is learning to conquer the chaos. Yes, she has inherited the curse of clutter from both of her parents. I tend to like to hide my clutter in drawers and closets, but it is still there! Anyway, she and her hubby conquered the piles of her clothes in their bedroom and got them ALL folded or hung and put away! I am so proud of her! I was also inspired by the video on her blog on how to fold a t-shirt - I tried it, it worked, and it was really easy!! So, I thought to myself - I wonder if I can find a video to teach me how to fold my fitted sheets - I am frustrated by that task every time I try it and usually just end up kind of wadding the thing up and flattening it out - doesn't make for a very neat looking closet. I was so excited when I found several videos on YouTube- so I watched a couple of them and now I am the proud owner of a neatly folded fitted sheet in my closet - after 49 years I have a neatly folded fitted sheet - and it was really pretty easy!! YAY!

The Mountains Make My Heart Sing!!!!!

Kim and I went to Colorado to check out Colorado Christian University this past weekend. We had a great time, and yes, Kim loved the school! I just can't describe the feeling I have when I am in the mountains - the most I can say is that they truly make my heart sing! We drove on Thursday (yes, Kansas is in driving distance of the beautiful Colorado mountains - definitely one of my favorite things about living in Kansas), visited the college and played a little on Friday, played all day Saturday, and drove back home on Sunday. The drive takes about 7 1/2 hours - 8 when you add meal and potty breaks. Broken into 2 1/2 hour segments it is kind of like this: the 2 1/2 hours between Wichita and Hays, Kansas is kind of pretty with the farmland and some rolling hills and a really cool and extremely large windmill farm;



the 2 1/2 hours from the Colorado border to Denver or Colorado Springs is pretty as you see the plains begin to roll and then the mountains to pop out; but the 2 1/2 hours in the middle is some of the most boring driving and landscape you can imagine! - FLAT and nearly Treeless and not particularly colorfull. Right after lunch on Thursday that middle segment seemed nearly impossible - lunch in my belly and a perfectly straight, flat, boring road made my eyelids kind of heavy! Thanks to my IPOD and some great music and podcasts, we made it!

I think Kim has posted about the school, so check her blog out for that. http://kimjoythoughts.blogspot.com/

I will just add that it really did seem like a place where a diverse group of young adults are seeking to learn and live the christian life in an incredible Christ-following community. I like it for Kim.

After visiting the school, we drove down to Colorado Springs to play on Friday afternoon and Saturday. We hiked in a park called North Cheyenne Canyon Park, drove to the top of Pike's peak, walked around in amazement at the Garden of the Gods -a park which was given to the city by a family fulfilling their father's wish that the area be "forever free to the public" (It was really incredible) and basically just enjoyed being in the mountains! We also got to shop at Whole Foods Market (one of the places we really miss here in Wichita) and even ate our dinner there Saturday night with a spectacular view of the sun setting over the mountains. Did I mention that I love the mountains? Colorado Springs was really a neat place, and yes, we did drive into the parking lot of Focus on the Family - just to see it, but we didn't make time to go to the visitors center (it was already closed when we drove through the parking lot).

So, that was our weekend adventure. And by the way, I really love the mountains : )

Just a quick update

Since it's been a little while, just thought I'd put a few words on here. We just spent an awesome weekend with our sweet eldest daughter and her wonderful hubby- they flew out here Friday night and back home this afternoon. It was SOOOO good to see them and spend some great time together. It had been a little strange for Elaine to never have seen the place her parent's now call home - so now she has a point of reference when I tell her about sitting on my patio, feeling the Kansas breeze on my skin and listening to the sound of my fountain - and Keith figured out the grid system that makes Wichita so easy to get around really quickly!!! We had a pretty busy weekend - walked the nature center early Saturday morning, then on to Old Town to check on the farmer's market (pretty slim pickins - getting toward the end of their season), then on to Wichita's Chili cook off for lunch. We tasted lots of chili, and only had to dump one sample in the trash can! Then back home for a little rest and some dinner before heading on to the Wichita Symphony for a performance with Cherish the Ladies for a really fun evening. Elaine, Kim and I headed back to the nature center to take pictures this morning before church, and squeezed in a quick shopping excursion after lunch ( Mom likes the chance to spoil her kids - and they don't usually turn it down!). All to quickly the weekend was over and we were on our way to take them back to the airport to head home - but it sure was great to have them here!

Quirks

My sweet daughter tagged me on her blog to list 6 quirky things about myself. While I think it would have been far easier for her to come up with 6 quirky things about me, I did manage to come up with a list:

1. I am a nurse Certified (that means I have taken special training and passed specific testing) in Wound (self explanatory), Ostomy (those surgical bypasses to our human plumbing system that create the necessity to wear a pouch to contain bodily wastes), and Continence (those issues that make it difficult for some to control their plumbing system) nursing – and I love my job!
2. I am a nerd at heart. I love studying and learning. Just the other day I got really excited when I figured out one of Kim’s algebra problems (its been a REALLY long time since I took algebra), and I can remember my uncontainable excitement when I learned the amazing series of events that takes place in the human body when it is wounded and begins what we call the wound healing cascade. See, I told you I was nerdy.
3. I have a horrible sense of direction, but somehow I think I can always find a better or shorter route – makes for a lot of time lost (that is why even though it drives the rest of my family crazy – I love my GPS).
4. I can’t stand to be tapped on the shoulder – don’t know why, just know it drives me crazy!
5. I have a place in the middle of my back that if someone runs their finger up my back it makes me just about wiggle out of my skin – Steve knows exactly where it is ; ) .
6. I get really nervous when the rules aren’t being followed. And perhaps my biggest pet peeve is when the “unwritten” rules aren’t followed – you know, like the unwritten rule that when deplaning an airplane you always let the people seated in front of you out first without rushing past them, things like that make me nuts!

So, I guess I’m fairly quirky – I even thought of a few more I didn’t put on here.

So now, I tag:
Youngerdaughter
Brandie
Debbie
Chip
(Oh dear, do I even know 6 other bloggers who know I read their blogs??)
KayeC
My Niece and her hubby (their blog is private, so you won't be able to link to it here)


And the rules:
Here are the rules:
1. Link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
4. Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking to them
5. Leave a comment for each tagged blogger to let them know they've been tagged.

Out of Egypt - for GOOD!!

OK, so I have been thinking about posting this all week, so here goes. As some of you know, I spent the week last week at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. It was an awesome time. I went with my agenda of things I wanted to study, things I wanted to spend lots of time in prayer for. Well, God totally blew my agenda out of the water (well, not totally, i did spend lots of time praying for people who are dear to me) and He totally blessed me with His agenda. He showed me wounds I had forgotten I had but that have totally shaped who I am, and began the healing process. Early on in the week, as we were participating in the Global Bridegroom Fast, I was overwhelmed at the spiritual smorgasboard that lay ahead of me - I didn't know where to begin. But God focused me, and by the end of the week I was able to see things more clearly.

One of the things I love is when God shows you something in scripture that has been there all along, but somehow you have glossed over it. That happened several times last week, but the one that blessed me the most was what He showed me from Exodus 13. We were singing about freedom and God parting the seas and our own Exodus - so I decided to meditate on Exodus 13 where God leads the Israelites out of Egypt. There it was in verses 17 and 18:

17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt. So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle."

God really does not want us to be tempted to go back to Egypt ( into bondage). In fact, He will lead us into the desert, into the wilderness, take us the long way if it will keep us from being tempted by something we are not up to resisting. God knows us and loves us, He knows what our temptations are, He knows our ability to resist some temptations and not others. And He will allow us to take the long, lonely, wilderness road if it will keep us from facing one of those temptations we are unable to resist. God knew that war would send the Israelites high tailing it back to Egypt, so He sent them to wander the wilderness for 40 years instead!! All along, doing things for them like parting the sea, just when they thought they were doomed. He taught them to trust Him the hard way rather than letting them run back to Egypt. He does the same for me and you! 1 Corinthians 10:13 says that no temptation has overtaken me but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, He will not allow me to be tempted beyond what I am able to deal with, and with temptation He will provide the way of escape, and I will be able to endure it.

I am so thankful that God loves me enough to gently show me my Egypts and to not want me to go back, and that He will allow me to endure the wilderness if that's what it takes to keep me from going back into bondage, and that He ALWAYS provides a way for me. God is so good, and He is so faithful.

Through the ages

1958
1966
1968
1980
1996


Well, Elaine has been having some fun with this, so I thought I'd give it a try too! Ever wonder what you would look like in a different era - these are supposed to be 1958-1996
Hmm, I think I remember having some of these hairdoos!

Lord I'm Amazed by You - or - Simple Pleasures

Psalm 8

1O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.
3When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
5Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.

6You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,

7all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,

8the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

At about 4:54 this morning, I awoke to the sound of my dog, Nick, running into our bedroom door (for those of you who don’t know, Nick is blind). He has been sleeping in our bedroom since we moved – for some reason the crate in the laundry room is no longer acceptable to him, haven’t quite figured out why, but so it is. Anyway, I knew he was either in need of the backyard, or of water. So, I got up and first took him to the backyard (seemed like the right priority). As I set him down in the grass, I looked up to see the most amazing sky full of stars – right here in my own backyard, when I wasn’t even looking for it. The absence of moonlight made the stars more visible than the times I had gone looking for them (earlier this month I had purposefully gotten up at about 4 am to see the meteor shower – although I was excited about the 8-10 “shooting stars” I saw in about 30 minutes that morning, I had been a little disappointed at the lack of a canopy of stars in the sky). I stood amazed and excited, then I went in and got my binoculars for a closer look. Again, I stood amazed and excited, and in complete awe of the majesty of our God that surrounds us all the time, even when we are not aware of it. I was humbled, and I confessed my lack of pure satisfaction in God alone – too caught up in the rhythm of day to day life, and lately burdened by the difficulty of life – to continually be amazed by my God. But my God is amazing, all the time, even when I’m not expecting it, especially when life is hard.

You dance over me

While I am unaware

You sing all around

But I never hear the sound

Lord I'm amazed by You

Lord I'm amazed by You

Lord I'm amazed by You

How You love me

How wide

How deep

How great

Is Your love for me

How wide, O how wide Lord

How deep, O how deep Lord

How great, O how great

Is Your love for me

Lord I'm amazed, amazed by You

Lord I'm amazed, amazed by You

Lord I'm amazed, amazed by You

How You love me