Beautiful Fall Day...

Took a walk along the channel today and half way out on the pier. On a windy day, as it was today, the channel waters always remind me of the vats of chocolate at the Hershey Chocolate Factory where I would go as a kid for school field trips. The large mixers would push great waves of chocolate around in vats the size of a swimming pool. The waters churning in the channel always bring that memory to mind.


Once I was out on the pier, I couldn't go past the first lighthouse or I would have had a second shower for the day. Even so, the walk to that point was sending a mist over the pier as the waves rolled up over the concrete wall.




The sun was shining and the fresh air was exhilarating. The wind surfers were enjoying what mother nature brought their way today. And the seagulls seemed to be unaffected by the winds.



A gorgeous fall day in West Michigan...

Keeping it in perspective... (the election that is)

I've been thinking about all the election stuff for quite some time, listening to debates, reading articles from a variety of sources, and discussing it with others. One of the things that has come to my mind in the last week or so is this: it seems many are looking for a savior in our next president - someone who can save us from the economic crisis, the war, injustices, Washington.

I read this post - Frustrated with Politics & Christians - from Perry Noble today and his words resonated with my thoughts. Obviously he is speaking to Christians here, so please read it in that context. Here's his final comments:

One more time…YES, we should have political opinions…and YES, it is OK if they are strong AND we believe in the cause…BUT PLEASE let’s not make the mistake of thinking that God is somehow limited by the policies and philosophies of a particular party!

HE REIGNS! Always has, always will!

It's good to keep it in perspective...

Domestic Stuff and Gender Roles...

Dennis and I are getting our empty nest roles figured out, at least in the kitchen that is.

I mentioned before that since the kids have been gone Dennis has picked up the meal planning and preparation, which I love (since I don't really like to cook). It's not like I don't ever cook, but it just works out well this way for us.

We traded. He cooks and I clean up. Actually, I like cleaning up. Really. But I still feel like I should contribute something to the meal. Maybe I'm having a hard time giving up preconceived gender roles.

But, I do enjoy baking or making desserts, which has given me a place to contribute to the meal. Today I made raspberry pie, Dennis' favorite (summer raspberries preserved in the freezer). Tomorrow it's apple pies made with the Ida Reds we picked at the orchard in September, with my made-from-scratch crust which I've been using for the past 28 years. I love getting a fully prepared unbaked apple pie out of the freezer in the middle of winter... warm out of the oven with a little vanilla ice cream, topped with whipped cream. Yum... so good.

Who says only a woman's place is in the kitchen? Why not both? Call it teamwork - doing what you do best and enjoy the most... makes a great meal, a happy husband and a happy wife!

Books, Faith, and the Ordinary

Books often have a way of speaking into my soul. It's not unusual for the Holy Spirit to nudge me about a certain book that ends up being timely in my life. Recently I had one of those times... I was cleaning our bedroom when I glimpsed a letter our daughter Jamie had sent us eight summers ago while living in Denver just after she completed high school. Months before, when getting the house ready for sale, I had sorted through sentimental boxes filled with cards, notes, and letters from Dennis, with an occasional card or note from one of the kids. I pulled Jamie's letter from the box and laid it on the bottom shelf of a small table in our room. For some reason it sparked my interest and I had hoped to get to it sooner than later.... but with a busy summer, the "later" won out... in the middle of a cleaning day.

I turned off the vacuum and sat down to read again what Jamie had written on the back of a few copied pages from Elisabeth Elliot's, These Strange Ashes - a book instrumental in her life during a summer that she describes as a time of "brokenness." Finishing the letter, I turned the copied pages over to read portions from a chapter in the book that were particularly meaningful to Jamie. Elliot's words drew me in. I wanted to read more. Thankfully I discovered These Strange Ashes occupied space on my book shelf.

I turned the pages to the chapter that Jamie was referring to in her letter. I could resonate with Elliott's words, the questions she pondered. She wrote, "Faith's most severe tests come not when we see nothing, but when we see a stunning array of evidence that seems to prove our faith vain."

Before I went back to my cleaning, I knelt by my bed, and as E.E. in her transparency shares, I "bowed down before that which I could not possibly explain."

Her words encouraged me, but more than that, the divine exchange in my room that day was a turning point for me - surrendering that which I could not explain and accepting what is given. In so doing, God gives Himself - His cleansing, peace, and joy for the unexplainable... the essence of Isaiah 61:3. It is only when I allow this divine exchange to take place that I have something to offer to others.

Elliot finishes the chapter with this: "I saw that to God nothing is finally lost. All the scriptural metaphors about the death of the seed that falls into the ground, about losing one's life... all these go on to something unspeakably better and more glorious. Loss and death are only the preludes to gain and life."

And so, I'm thankful for books that feed the soul,
a faith that is living and real,
and days like this where God meets me in the middle of the ordinary.

One debt we don't need to get out of...

I read recently that one of the best things we Americans can do in this economic crisis is to get out of debt. Isn't that the whole problem, at the federal level right down to where we live day to day? Spending beyond our means is what got us where we're at in the first place for both of the above. Dennis and I have always tried to live within our means. Many times that meant going without something we wanted or thought we needed, but we always had enough. The peace of mind of being debt-free (except our home) is worth it!

But, there is one debt that we should never stop paying back. Perhaps the apostle Paul had the best advice for our troubled times when he wrote, Pay all your debts, except the debt of love for others. You can never finish paying that!

What if love outweighed the debt of money? With the trillions of dollars that make up the federal deficit, there would be a lot of love to go around!

Maybe it would be a different world if we thought more about how we can show love to others than how we can make more money to sustain a lifestyle. Just a thought.

Being true to yourself...

In wrapping up some posts on knowing who you are, I must add that I believe the crux to all this - strengths, passions, gifts - is that we are most true to ourselves when we find our identity in Christ.

Walking in a deep and abiding relationship with Christ brings us closer to the true self that God created us to be. Thomas Merton in his book, New Seeds of Contemplation, explains that one discovers himself by discovering God. It is in God that the reason and fulfillment of one's existence is found. Without him, we lose sight of who we are. Left to myself, with a desire to exist outside of God’s will and love, I become an illusion, covered up by deception. So, in a sense, one aspect of salvation is redemption from my own deceived self. I believe this is what Paul meant in his letter to Timothy when he wrote, "Watch your life (how you live) and doctrine (what you believe) closely, for by it you will save both yourself and your hearers."

Living in the truth of who God is, we find ourselves... operating in our strengths, passions, and gifts to His honor and glory. Hmmm, maybe this is one aspect of what Jesus meant when he spoke of humanity being "lost"- he rejoices when we "find" in Him the truths of our own identity, because he knows that it is in this discovery that we will make our greatest unique impact in the world.

Be true to yourself...

God-given gifts...

In addition to strengths and passions, I cannot miss the fact that we also have God-given gifts. There is so much that could be shared about the gifts, but simply put... they are given uniquely to each one of us by God through His Spirit, to be used for the benefit of others, for His glory.

N.T. Wright suggests this is how “Jesus makes the church into his own ‘fullness’, giving us his own presence by the Spirit.” He goes on to say, “What matters is that, even with all the different gifts that Jesus has lavished on the church, it is the same Jesus, the same Lord, who is personally present, by the spirit, in each of them.”

You’ll find lists of the different gifts in the following three passages in scripture – Romans 12:1-8, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4:11-13. Each gift is of equal value, not to be neglected. They range from helping others, to teaching, to giving, to administration, and so many others. The important thing is that we use our gifts! 1 Peter 4:10 (NLT) speaks to this: “God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you.”

I find it interesting that both the Romans and 1 Corinthians passages on the gifts are followed up with the importance of doing all things in love. “Love must be sincere,” Paul says in Romans 12:9. And most people are familiar with 1 Corinthians 13 that rings with the message that we can use all the gifts, but if “I didn’t love others, I would be of no value whatsoever.”

Strengths. Passions. Gifts.

Done in love.

Give God glory.

Mike and Joni!

Mike and Joni were home this weekend for his brother's wedding. We loved every minute we got to spend with them! Take a quick scroll through our time together...

An afternoon of bowling.

Our favorite bowling alley in downtown Holland
has closed down :(, so we ended up at Century Lanes.

The guy below had "all marks" on his game.
Yep, that's Dennis' 212 score you see.

What more can I say?

84 East - Mike and Joni's favorite place to eat!

Couldn't pass up the candy store!

This one's for Kari :).

Mike & Joni went to Watermark.
Dennis' parents joined Dennis & I as we visited
Frontline Church in GR and
we all met up for a Chinese buffet.

So great to have you Mike & Joni.
We're going to miss you!

Living out your passions - Baby Get Green!

My last post was on passions, so I'm taking the liberty to promote a wonderful website, BabyGetGreen created by our daughter, Jamie, that oozes with her passion. Her life mission statement - Striving to live a simple and peaceful life and helping others to do the same. Writing a mission statement is often a helpful tool in clarifying what you're passionate about, plus it can empower you to know what to say "no" to and what to say "yes" to in life.

Jamie has been posting some great interviews. Back when I was a young mom, I would have loved to been inspired about meal planning (which I don't enjoy) and organizing my home (something I inherited from my mom)... both domestic virtues would have been nice to have! But, we can gain some new tips and understanding from the experts. Did you know meal planning and organizing your home helps save money? Click on Jamie's links below to find out more about it!

• on meal planning with Melissa from DinnerPlanner.com
  
• on organizing with Beverly Coggins
• on organizing with Barb Myers

Thanks for letting me do a little blurb on my daughter who is living out her passions!