Snip, Snip,Snip

     Snip, snip, snip, snip....  One by one I began dead heading the petunias in the boxes on our deck.  Every year we plant  a kind of petunia called Supertunias in a variety of colors and place them in the same location.  Every year they look lush and beautiful and the boxes abundantly overflow with beautiful blooms.

     While these prolific beauties do grow and grow and grow, they do not do it without a bit of care. I have never claimed to be a master gardener. I am always just a bit surprised if anything grows because I am never quite sure what I am doing.  Still, in the morning as I stumble to the kitchen for my morning coffee, I glance out the window to check on our little petunias.  From afar they look great but later as I make my way unto the deck and draw closer to them I can begin to spot a lot of problems.  

    Every single morning there are many flowers that are either dried up and dead or on their way there.  So I begin...snip,snip,snip...the wasted blooms fall away and finally one container looks done and I can't see anything more to be dead headed.  I go to the second container and repeat the procedure. Then, back to the first container and look at it from a different angle.  Sure enough.  More dead little rascals are hiding.  So, I lift up the flowers and look underneath.  More of them...

    The next day there are more spent and faded flowers and the process starts all over again! But all day long the petunias look healthy, lush, and full of beautiful blooms!
    Last weekend we had company and I was too busy to do anything more than just make sure my flowers had water.  On Monday morning when I went out to check on them my plants were consumed with dead and wilting blooms everywhere.  I got busy and started snipping.  I began to wonder if I would ever finish this pruning process.  Eventually, I could find nothing more to cut and when I leaned back to survey the job I had done I felt so sad.  My little petunias were sparsely placed on each stem looking nothing like they had before the weekend.  The flower box was still filled with colorful petunias but they no longer looked like the beautiful princess on her way to a ball but instead they looked like the little orphan girl sitting outside the party dressed in rags!  What to do?
    I continued to water and fertilize and prune, prune, prune!  Every day the flowers looked healthier and healthier.  Every day it took less and less time to clip off the dead flowers because there were fewer and fewer of them.

    This process reminds me  of what it means to grow in Christ.  As Christians, we are like those flower boxes.  They are planted, watered, and given food to grow.  Eventually, they produce flowers of effectiveness  and beauty for the world to see.  But, the inner thoughts of our hearts and wrong actions that are not totally pure cause some petals to dry up and they need to be snipped off so that the nourishment from the vine (God) can cause the entire bouquet to remain as beautiful and healthy as possible.  This is called sanctification. 

    Too often Christians do not take this process as seriously as they should.  The dead and wilting flowers are left on and the closer others get to them, the more those ugly blemishes show.  I truly believe that that is why too many Christians are called hypocrites.  They don't cherish the pruning process and just leave the dead blooms caused by their sins to dwell among the healthy flowers.

    The common misunderstanding in the church and in the world as it looks at Christians is that Jesus Christ only came to save us from something not for something.  It is absolutely true that He did come to earth to be the door through which we can enter into a right relationship with the Creator of the Universe, the God above all gods and the everlasting, all loving Father.  BUT, He also came to give us life...... true , abundant life here on earth.   That is not a  life without challenges, problems, and heartaches because we live in a fallen world BUT it is a life that above all is filled with all of the fruit of the Holy Spirit....love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.   Through constant pruning, watering, and fertilizing of our inner being, we are given HOPE!   We are saved from our old nature and where that progression of sin would take us and we are saved for producing the most beautiful, flower filled life possible here on earth and given the sure promise of heaven in the future!

                                         Have a good day,  Love, Sue

    

    

   

     

The real thing

   Fads are strange phenomena.  For no apparent reason a certain, toy, game, or fashion becomes what everyone wants.  I can't ever figure out why a certain item becomes a true fad.  Why are jeans that are full of holes so popular?  Why were Furbies and Fidgits so longed for?
    In the mid-1980's, when my oldest daughter, Sarah, was nine or ten years old, we were caught up in the fad of Cabbage Patch Kids.  They were dolls that weren't very realistic or cute yet every little girl seemed to want her very own Cabbage Patch Kid.  Sarah was no exception.
     For Christmas that year that was the only present that she had asked for.   She wanted a blond, curly haired Cabbage Patch kid.  Sarah was never one to demand a toy and even though she would rather play outside than sit around and play with dolls, this was different.  I could tell that she was hoping and counting on getting one for Christmas....  So, I went to the store to find one.  There it was on the shelf....blond, curly hair and all.  I bought it and walked out of the store knowing that my little girl was going to be so very delighted.
    A few days later my mother told me that my sister was making Sarah twin Cabbage Patch dolls.  She had gotten a pattern and they looked almost like the real thing.  Wasn't that sweet of her she asked?
     Of course it was a lovely gesture!  My sister is an amazing seamstress and truthfully is excellent at any craft that she tries.  I was thankful that she cared so much for my daughter and I certainly didn't want to seem ungrateful.  But what to do with the one I had just purchased?  Would Sarah really need three dolls?  I couldn't imagine that she would ever play with that many.
     Sarah would have two "almost real" Cabbage Patch dolls.  After convincing myself that it would be fine, I brought the blond curly haired Cabbage Patch Kid back to the store and went home to get ready for the celebration.
    On Christmas Eve, we opened presents and my sister and my mom both watched in expectation as Sarah opened her gift.  To her credit she allowed only a flicker of disappointment to cross her face as she took her twin dolls out of the box.  As she held them up for all to see they looked almost like the real thing...but they weren't. Sarah tried her best to look both happy and thankful.  Sadly though, the copies did not fulfill her desire for the real thing.
    Looking back, I am not sure why I didn't just go back to the store and repurchase that little doll... I guess maybe that is why so many years later this incident still crosses my mind.
    Too many times in life we try to fill God ordained desires with only copies of the real thing. Copies rarely, if ever. produce the same kind of deep seated pleasure, delight, and fulfillment as their real counterparts.
     Ask yourself which of these you would rather have for your very own...real butter or margarine on fresh corn on the cob; tasty homemade chicken soup or store bought canned soup; a museum grade painting or a dollar store calendar picture;  the tried and true, tested love of a couple happily married for fifty years or the infatuation of a teenage crush.  To be fair, some of these examples are a matter of taste and really not very important in the realm of things but you can get the point.
     "Real" is an adjective that means "not imitation or  artificial".  Some similar words are genuine, authentic, sincere, and true.  When you yearn for what is real, a substitute just isn't adequate.
    In life, we are all created with a deep seated need for the truth that only the Creator of our souls can give us.  That need is at the very core of our beings.  It constantly tries to be heard above the din of everyday life.  It asks questions such as "Why am I here?" and "Who am I?".  That need is at the core of every person's heart whether they acknowledge it or not.
    Too often we try to fill that need with things that are an imitation of the real thing.  In today's hedonistic culture it is easy to spot.   "If it feels good to me, do it", seems to be the current slogan.  The problem is that ultimately, this is a recipe for disaster.
    For instance, if you want a true physical and emotional connection with another person, you have to be willing to go through a lifetime of trials and joys together.  You have to decide together to  put in the work of  understanding and forgiving and encouraging and challenging each other.  The result is true love with a depth of satisfaction that is impossible to achieve in a brief sexual encounter or emotional fling. In the same way, if we truly want to gain peace and joy in the life that we have been given we need to get to know the only One who made us as we are. 
     Many people claim that they "know" God because they have heard a few Bible stories or verses or because they listen to sermons occasionally.  Sometimes they believe they know all about it because they grew up in a Christian home.  Without seeking to know God on their own, they look at the hypocrisy of their families and reject it.  The problem is that they have to continue to search for that thing that will fulfill the inner need of their hearts.
    I have been married to the same man just short of forty seven years.  He is an imperfect, occasionally stubborn, and flawed human being.  We have had a long list of failures, many misunderstandings, and our share of hopeless situations.  So why can I say that I am among the most blessed women in the world and it has been a joy and an honor to be his wife?  It is because I am an imperfect, occasionally stubborn, and flawed human being too.  It is because I have learned to know my husband's heart and have watched him faithfully navigate not only the problems of life but the joys and victories that have far outweighed the hurts we've encountered through the years.  We have true love.  Not fake but real.
    So it is with God.  Even though I have been a Christian for my entire life, I have only begun to scratch the surface of knowing who He is!  God is perfect, patient, and all knowing.  He brings joy, understanding,  and hope to every situation.  So how can I say that I am among the most blessed women in the world and it has been a privilege and an honor to be His servant?  It is because even though I am an imperfect, occasionally stubborn and flawed human being, He has chosen me to be His child!  It is because I have learned (and am continually learning and relearning) to know God's heart and to hear His voice.  I have been the thankful recipient of His presence and His faithfulness as I navigate both the problems and the joys of my life.  God has given me true love.  Not fake but real.  He satisfies that deep longing of my soul.
 
                                                        Have a good day!  Love, Sue

Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me."  John 14:6

When I use the word "God", I mean God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit.  The amazing thing about God, the Three in One, is that He holds out the offer of being His child to everyone everywhere!  You have only to ask and to seek.

 
 
 

   
   

Dirk's Boards

    In the mid 1990's the youth pastor of our church gave a very memorable illustration to show how a small sin in our lives can become a huge problem unless we deal with it while it is still comparably small.
    He walked up to the front of our church with two very long wooden two by fours that were about 8 feet long or so.    Once there he placed both boards together on two sawhorses.  On one end he placed  a thin book between the two boards so that they were no longer  lying flat against each other.  While the book side was fairly close together, the farther away from the book, the wider those boards became until they formed a very long V shape.
    Pastor Dirk then proceeded to talk about how the book represented our sin.  At first it did not seem to disrupt the two boards too much but as your eyes followed the boards to the other end, they were far, far apart!  His point was that we need to confess our sins and repent from them when they happen.  If we wait to deal with each sin that we commit,  the initial problem can become  greatly exaggerated and  what started out small can become, with time, very big.
    But, as believers in the One True God we have good news!!!

"If we claim that we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves.  A claim like that is errant nonsense.  On the other hand, if we admit our sins --- make a clean breast of them--- He (the Lord) won't let us down; He'll be true to Himself.  He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. 1 John 1:8-9
 
                                                            Have a good day!  Love, Sue

Seventeen

    The other day I was talking to my very sad and frustrated seventeen year old grandson, Gabe.  For him,  the previous three weeks had been filled with one trial after another.  Late one dark and rainy night when he was extremely tired and half awake he rolled his car.  He was miraculously unhurt physically but his car was totaled and he wasn't sure when he could get another one.  For a young man who was used to being able to hop in his car and drive over to see his girlfriend, his new inability to do so was frustration enough for the week.
     Also, his girlfriend's father  had placed new restrictions on her freedoms, and lastly, he had not done as well as he had hoped on a school test because of a misunderstanding of the instructions.
    Although he was certainly trying to have the right attitude about it all, there seemed to be a part of him that wanted to blame everyone else around him for his pain. 
    As I listened to him I tried to remember what being seventeen years old was like.  Although I can't really speak to everyone else's experience,  I do have personal knowledge of my own life.
    When I was seventeen, I was filled with expectation, dread, courage,fear, joy and sorrow.  One minute I had purpose and drive and the next I had not a clue what to do with my life.  Occasionally I was filled with wisdom and knowledge and felt like I could handle being a grown-up and then I would do something that I knew was foolish and wonder if the day would ever come when I  would be able to control  myself.  I could hardly wait to make independent decisions for my own life but I still wanted my parents to agree with every decision that I, in my new found "adult" wisdom, chose to make.  I didn't want them to mess up my thinking with their opinions and yet I expected them to pave the way for me.
     Being seventeen was a confusing and wonderful time!  I was young enough to still enjoy the benefits of childhood but I was old enough to be able to anticipate what I thought would be true "freedom" right around the corner.  I wanted  to spread my wings and take full control of every situation in my life and yet I was blissfully unaware that I was only at the very start of the restrictions that complicate a normal adult life. 
    For the most part, I made good decisions as a teenager.  I was able to avoid a lot of the life altering pitfalls that befall many young people, even those who are trying their best to do the "right" things.  I had great friends, a caring family, and a good church.   I grew up in a small town in Northern Minnesota where a lot of the craziness of the 1960's seemed to be occurring in a parallel universe very, very far away.  Even though I was offered things like cigarettes and beer, they were easy to resist because I truly hated the smell of both of them. While I had many guy friends, I did not have a boyfriend so sexual temptation was not an issue.  I was never offered drugs of any sort so I was spared having to make a decision about them.
      My very earliest memories as a child include knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that God loved me and cared for me and was with me always.  Through His son, Jesus Christ I have always known forgiveness and His joy.  My mother told me that at two years old I came to her and asked her to help me  pray for my daddy who was away from home on business. At age four, I remember singing the song "Into my Heart" every week in Sunday School.  "Come into my heart, Come into my heart, Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today, Come in to stay, Come into my heart, Lord Jesus."  I meant it every time we sang the song.  Later I used to make up songs of praise to sing to Jesus as I would walk home from grade school.  Then, at age sixteen, I made a formal commitment to love and serve Him for the rest of my life.  My life didn't really change but my purposefulness did.  Now I knew in the deepest part of my being that learning how to live my life as a child of God was my most important endeavor as a person and that getting to know and understand the character of God would be my greatest challenge and joy in life.  That has never changed in the over fifty years since that day of commitment.
    Just to be extremely clear.... this statement does NOT mean that I have lived my life perfectly!  Sadly, even though my goal has always been to love, serve, and obey God, my daily walk of life has been filled with a multitude of failures that have needed forgiveness.  Since I have been trying to remember being seventeen here are a couple of examples of my weaknesses from that year... specifically disobedience and willful, cruel anger.
    One day my family was going to go somewhere that I did not want to go.  My dad said that it was fine if I didn't go along but I could only use my bike for transportation,  I was not, under any circumstance to use the other car parked in our driveway.  As soon as my parents left, I ignored that directive and decided to do what I had wanted to do in the first place.  Writing this fifty years later, I have no idea what that was but I do distinctly remember feeling like my dad was being unreasonable and denying me the right to live my life as I wanted.  There was a perfectly good car there and it could get me where I wanted to go.  As long as I was back before Dad came home he wouldn't even need to know about it.
    I grabbed the car keys, ran out to the car, opened the door, put the keys into the ignition and tried to turn it on.  Then I remembered that you had to do something with the clutch.  In saying that I couldn't use his car, my Dad knew something that I didn't.  Even though my dad, mom. and brother all made driving that silly car look easy,  there was a trick to it that I did not know.  I only knew how to drive an automatic transmission and a stick shift required a set of skills and knowledge that I did not possess.
   I had seen them step on the shift pedal so I did that.  Chug...chug the car inched backwards down the short driveway.  I stepped on the pedal again and backed up a few more inches.   I thought, "Surely this will be easier when I can go  forward"!!!!... Once on the street I anticipated taking off swiftly.  But no.... Chug a bit, chug a bit more and after a half an hour I was about half a block away, parked in front of the stop sign. I could not get that stubborn car to go any farther.  Now I really had a problem.  If I left that stupid car where it was my father would surely know that I had defied him.  I ran into the house and called my wonderful uncle Harold ( a busy farmer with a young family of his own who lived about 10 miles away).  Over the phone I'm sure he could hear my panic as I asked him to please, please come and rescue me!  He dropped everything and hurried to town, drove the car back into the driveway and parked it.  He gave the keys back to me and went back home.  Unfortunately, I don't remember what happened after my dad came home....I might have blocked it out.......
     A few months later my brother and I were home alone.  I am the oldest of five children.  I have three brothers and one sister all of whom I love dearly.  But, at seventeen I was much, much, much more concerned about my own life to be very involved in theirs.  I cared but I did not take a lot of time to show it.   My brother Bruce was only fifteen months younger than me though and while we were best friends in our early years, we had gradually become less than kind to one another.  There has been no other person on earth, either before or since, who has had the unfortunate ability to "push my buttons" like him!
    On this particular day I warmed up some soup and called him to come and eat it.  After we sat down, he said something that caused my anger to spike and in a fit of rage I picked up my bowl and threw my hot soup at him!  Startled and in pain, he looked at me in disbelief!  To this day I have no memory of what made me so mad but I think I will always remember that look!
    It took years for Bruce to forgive me and it changed the dynamic of our relationship for most of our adult lives.  Now, we have become dear friends again and for that I am very thankful.

    My sweet grandson was not asking for my advice when he was talking with me nor was he wondering what it was like for me to be seventeen .  He just wanted a listening ear of someone he knew cared for him and wouldn't judge him.  But, based on my remembrances of both some good and some bad from that year of my life, I have some things I would like to share with him.
 
   First of all, life is both easy and hard,  fun and boring, peaceful and riotous, predictable and chaotic.  At times you can make a decision and follow it through with no problems.  The next time you make a decision it might be undermined and destroyed by the decision of another.  It might seem like you should have control of all that happens to you and yet, the only thing that we ever truly have full control of in life are our actions and reactions.
     In each and every situation, we get to choose.  As a young person about to enter the world without the protection of your parents, you get to decide which foundation of truth you want to base your life upon.  In reality, all of the different ideas and philosophies of life in the world boil down to two basic world views...either you believe that the Word of God as found in the Holy Bible is all true or you do not.  Either you seek to serve Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior or you do not. It is your choice.  On the last day of your life it will not matter what your parents, grandparents, friends, or family believe....only what you believe and whom you have served.
     That choice also extends to how you accept or reject responsibility for your actions and reactions.  Obviously, in the two stories of my misbehavior I chose wrongly and irresponsibly.  My actions impacted others.   My disobedience caused my uncle to have to take an hour of his time to rescue me and it caused my dad's trust in me to waiver.  My anger with Bruce hurt him physically for sure but it also damaged him spiritually.  He no longer had respect for my brand of being a Christian and our relationship took a long, long time to recover.
    I think that growing in maturity means taking responsibility for your actions and consciously refusing to lay blame on anyone else.  Sometimes it is very clear that someone else is to blame for a problem in your life.  For instance, if driver of a car ignores a stop sign, rams into you, and causes you great, great pain, are you to blame?  No.  In the eyes of the law you are in the right.  But......you are still responsible for your actions and reactions.  It is your decision whether or not to allow anger or bitterness, revenge or hate to creep in.  It is your choice every single time!!!!
    My life has been filled with triumphs and failures probably in equal measure.  In looking back, I can see where I succeeded and failed in the decision I made at sixteen to serve Jesus Christ.   Both the successes and failures have taught me different lessons all aimed at one outcome....that I would get to know and trust Him better and better.
    That "knowing"  has been a great adventure so far and I hope to continue to grow in that truth for the rest of my days.  As a person, you are never done growing  and as a Christian you are never done growing deeper and stronger in your faith.
     
                                                                                 Love, Sue (Grandma)

"Choose you this day whom you will serve." Joshua 24:15
   
   
   


 



 
 

Bergen's Birth

    Two days ago we welcomed our seventh grandchild into the world!   After over 35 hours of labor,  4 hours of pushing, and an emergency c-section, our youngest child, Rachel and her husband Christopher now had a sweet little family of three!!!

    More than just the trauma of a difficult birth to deal with though, within seconds after being born, little Bergen Susan was struggling to breathe and had a very low Apgar score.  (In simple terms, this score measures the overall health of the baby immediately after birth.  A low Apgar indicates problems.)  The doctors and nurses and Chris made the decision to send the baby by ambulance to the University of Minnesota Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and put her on a cooling bed for 72 hours.  As far as I can tell, this procedure was instituted to give her little body time to heal from the intensive trauma.   Within that first hour of life, Bergen was packed tightly into a special ambulance carrier that looked like a plastic cage.

    Unfortunately, other than a glimpse of her unresponsive baby as the nurses rushed past her,  Rachel became unaware of what was happening to her baby.  Due to complications that occurred during the c-section,  Rachel began to shake uncontrollably and the doctors immediately put her under general anesthesia in order to complete sewing her back together.

    When all was ready with Bergen, the nurses wheeled her special ambulance basket over to the side of the bed so that a very, very groggy and overwhelmed mommy could say both hello and possibly goodbye to her new little girl.

    During the interim of time between the birth and taking the baby to the NICU,   Christopher was faced with the heart wrenching dilemma  of whether he should leave his very weak and traumatized wife or ride in the ambulance across the city with his struggling new daughter.  Fortunately, he had the presence of mind to call Rachel's only sister who lived just a few minutes away from the hospital and ask her to come in the middle of the night to stay with Rachel.  That sounds like a fairly easy solution but it was  a huge hurtle to cross in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic.  One of Rachel's doctors went out on a limb for them, fought hard against regulations and obtained permission for Sarah to come to the hospital.

    Sarah was uniquely qualified to be the one to stay with with her baby sister.  She was fourteen years  older and had always been both a kind of second mother as well as being a sister to Rachel.  The mother of four children, she had always been able to put her deep emotions aside while evaluating and dealing with problems.  In a crisis, her pragmatism has helped her and those around her find solutions to overwhelming challenges.  Sarah held her emotions in check until later when she told me that it almost broke her heart to watch Chris have to make his very first decision as a father be such a hard and impossible one.  She was also amazed at his strength of character in the midst of this crisis.  

     Sarah stayed in the room with Rachel who gradually recovered from the anesthesia and woke up to the unfathomable thought that her brand new baby was in crisis in another hospital.  The excruciating physical pain that she was experiencing in her body became a distraction that helped keep her mind away from the horror of her new reality.

     As of this writing, Rachel was moved by ambulance to the same hospital as Bergen and Rachel has begun the upward struggle of healing.  She has begun using a breast pump to give colostrum to the nurses who insert it into Bergen's feeding tube.  Bergen's vital signs have improved but Rachel and Chris  have to wait for another day and a half for the doctors give Bergen an MRI to determine whether or not she has any brain damage.  In the meantime they get to observe their truly beautiful baby through the glass, hold her little hand and pray for a good outcome.

     As the mother of Rachel and grandmother of  little Bergen I must confess to a crisis of faith.  Why would God allow this perfectly formed and healthy baby to have such a rough start and potentially have to deal with totally avoidable outcomes for the rest of her life?  Why would He allow my daughter to have to have such a disastrous experience giving birth in what should have been a  time of wonderful blessing?   Why would he deny both Rachel and Chris the opportunity to experience that amazing satisfaction, joy, and overwhelming love that washes over you when you first hold your newborn to your chest?  Why would He allow all of this to happen during a pandemic where all the rules have been changed and Rachel and Chris are thus denied the support of their loving families  gathering around them ?  

    Truth be told, I have not had any great revelations.  The only thing that has come to me is  to try and answer the questions, "Why not me?  Why not mine?"  We live in a sinful, fallen world and no one is given a free pass from trials and sufferings in this life.  As Christians we are promised that the Lord will be near us in every situation.  He has promised that He will give grace, mercy, and strength when you have to have it. 

    Too many times I expect God to let me live a perfect life where nothing ever goes wrong, everyone makes perfect decisions and everyone is happy all of the time! There is one glaring problem with this type of "la-la land" existence,  There is no growth and depth of character,  There is no testing to strengthen your faith, and there is no deep seated satisfaction from watching and experiencing the miracles and blessings that happen in the midst of trials.

    One of the things that I have learned as a mother and a grandmother is this:  I would rather personally suffer a great deal of pain and heartache than watch my children and grandchildren have to experience any degree of discomfort.  My adult children have all had times where they have been crushed and defeated.  It always, always, always breaks my heart to watch them suffer.  My desire is to just step in and take any and all pain away!!!!  But, I have to let them grow in their own  lives so that the Lord God Almighty can speak directly to them and give them mighty and strong hearts filled with wisdom, understanding, and compassion.

    When I was a young Christian, song writer Andre Crouch came out with a song that became very popular.   The words go like this:

                 I've had many tears and sorrows, I've had questions for tomorrow,

                 There's been times I didn't know right from wrong

                 But in every situation God gave blessed consolation that my trials
                  come to only make me strong!

                                               Through it all, through it all,

                                                I've learned to trust in Jesus

                                                I've learned to trust in God!

                                                Through it all, through it all,

                                                I've learned to depend upon His Word!

                   I thank God for the mountains and I thank God for the valleys

                   I thank God for the storms He's brought me through

                   For if I'd never had a problem,
                   I wouldn't know that He could solve them.

                   I wouldn't know what faith in God could do!

                                                 Through it all....

                                                                      Have a good day!


"The Lord is good,  a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him!"  Nahum 1:7

  Psalm 34, Psalm 30

Another great song is the hymn "Great is Thy Faithfulness".....
         "Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
          Great is Thy Faithfulness Lord unto me."

    P.S.  Although we are still waiting, I truly believe that Bergen will be fine!!!

Oh Grandma!

    "Oooohhhh Grandma!"  Terrified sounds from the backseat were increasing as my own fears threatened to overwhelm me.   Rain thundered down on the windshield while the wipers struggled in a losing battle to keep up.  No longer able to see, I said, "It's O.K. Sweetheart......I'll just pull over to the side of the road for a minute."  As I slowly tried to find the edge of the road without driving into the ditch I contemplated the ridiculousness of our plight.
      Of all the people to be with me in this situation!  Selma at six years old had been battling an unreasonable fear of bad weather for years now.  It had started about two years before when she was staying overnight  at a friend's house.  That evening a bad storm came and she was petrified.  Not only was she already trying to be a "big girl" and be without her mommy for the night but then had come a real threat and she had crumbled in fear.
     She survived but began to develop a habit of looking at the sky in the morning to determine her mood for the day.  All it took was a cloud on the horizon for her severe weather alert system to be turned on.  She would then need calming assurances of safety throughout the day.  Today she had bravely balanced her desire to go to our house with her fears and her trust in me had won the battle.
Now, the wisdom of that decision was being challenged....
    Truthfully, I was struggling with my own questions  of wisdom at the moment.  What in the world was I thinking?  A few days before I had decided that it would  be a good idea to take our dog and our three chickens with me to Minneapolis to visit our children and grandchildren.  My husband was out of town so there was nobody around to feed them and I had the "great" idea that the grandchildren might have fun caring for them.  It hadn't quite worked out the way I had envisioned.  Selma's cats, the dog and the chickens had developed an uneasy truce after a few initial skirmishes.  Though I was glad to finally take them all back home, it had meant stuffing our large pit bull into the front seat of the my little white Nissan Maxima, Selma, her suitcase, her car seat, and a power washer into the backseat, and our two grown chickens and our annoying, crowing rooster into the trunk.  Our daughter, Sarah, had laughingly looked at our full car and said we looked like Ma and Pa Kettle going down the street.
    Now, here we all sat waiting for the storm to stop.  Selma crying, the dog barking, the chickens clucking and crowing and me wondering what would happen if for some reason we had to stand by the side of the road and wait for help.  I imagined a drenched grandma, a curly blond haired girl sobbing silently, an extremely wet, agitated dog sniffing around a crate full of noisy chickens.  I envisioned the questioning stares from the people in the passing cars as they looked at our pathetic little group staring forlornly back at them!
    Fortunately, that didn't happen and after a few stops and starts we began to make our way home.  The two and a half hour drive turned into a five hour nightmare but we made it there and we all survived.  We tumbled out of the car in relief, even the chickens happily strutted around the yard for a bit before we had to corral them back into their chicken coop.
    That evening I tucked a calm and peaceful Selma into bed and then sank into my own bed with relief and an acute sense of the my own incredible foolishness.  But, we had faced the storm and come through to the other side......And I ....was much, much wiser than before!


     These days when the corona virus  is terrifying the world and a very real and palpable fear exists in the hearts of many, I have been thinking a lot about fear and trust and wisdom.  I have many, many stories  about what fear has produced in my life because I have struggled, like Selma used to, with both real and imagined fears all of my life.  What I cling to most of all in my most terrifying times is found in Isaiah 41:10.  "Fear not, for I am with you.  Be not afraid for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and I will keep you in my victorious right hand!"

                                                Have a good day!  Love, Sue


 
 

Pastor Rissmiller

Number 5 on my list of most memorable sermons is....

   The fall after I graduated from high school I made my way out to Seattle, Washington to attend the Lutheran Bible Institute.  LBI was a wonderful place in the early 1970's filled with teachers and students who loved Jesus and wanted to grow deeper in their walk with Him.  Every day we had a chapel service and they were usually good.  The only one that I really remember almost 50 years later  though was given by one of the professors, Pastor Rissmiller.  Pastor Rissmiller was one of the Old Testament teachers and made even the difficult to read book of Leviticus come alive for his
students.
    On this particular day, the students entered the chapel and sat down.  Usually there was a pastor, teacher, or special speaker up front.  This day no one was there and no one appeared.  Eventually a deep, rich voice sounded over the loudspeakers.  The voice began to speak, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes'"....At first we were not sure what was going on but after a couple of minutes we all sat back and listened intently as Pastor Rissmiller read the entire book of First John from the New Testament.  Since there was nothing to look at, no one person to concentrate on, the words of that book penetrated deeply.  It was one of the most poignant sermons I have ever heard and there were no other words said, save the words of Scripture.  When he was done reading, we all filed out of the chapel and went on our way.
    Sometimes I wish all pastors would take a lesson from this man.  Sometimes we all need to hear the words of Scripture as they really are.  They are powerful all on their own.....The living, breathing Word of God!!!

                                                   Have a good day!  Love, Sue

1 John 1:4   " And these things we write to you that your joy may be full."

Good Friday

Number 4 on my list of memorable sermons is....

    On Good Friday in 1980, my husband, John was going to sing a song for special music at Grace Lutheran Church in Erskine, MN.  While introducing his song, he spoke of what Jesus Christ went through on his way to the cross and what happened while he was hanging on the cross.  He shared every painful part of the events that led to the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior.
    In an extremely thoughtful and provocative way he described those events so that for the first time in my life I truly understood the immense sacrifice that Jesus Christ gave for me.  By that time of my life I had heard and read about the Crucifixion many, many, many times,  The knowledge of it had not become old hat exactly, but the impact of it had dimmed.  I knew the story.  I knew the facts that are written in the Bible.  But, that day, like never before, I heard, saw, and felt what it must have been like!  I was forever changed.
    Many years later a movie called "The Passion of Christ"  was shown in theaters.  We watched the big screen and immersed ourselves in what producer Mel Gibson imagined The Passion to have been like.  As I watched it, the words of Isaiah 53:3-6  from the King James version ran through my head over and over.

    "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
     Surely he has borne our grief, and carried our sorrows: yet we did not esteem him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
     But he was wounded for our afflictions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
     All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."

    I appreciated what the movie was trying to do; to help us see the sacrifice of Christ in a different way, but I did not need to watch it.  I had experienced it much more deeply all those years before through John's eloquent words taken directly from the Bible!
   
                                                      Have a good day!    Love, Sue
   
 
                                                       
                                                 

Billy Wolfe

   In the late 80's and early 90's we lived in North Bend, Washington.  During that time we attended church in Fall City, Washington where, for most of that time, a young man named Billy Wolfe was the pastor.  We attended church there on at least a biweekly basis so we heard from Pastor Wolfe a lot.  His sermons were always good but one in particular makes the number three spot of my favorite sermons.
    As we drove into church one morning we saw a homeless man standing just outside of the parking lot.  This was not an area where we would ever see a homeless man so the sight was very unusual.  He was minding his own business, gathering trash from the side of the road but he looked forlorn and worn down.  His clothes were dirty and tattered.  Thus, our deduction that he was homeless.
    We looked at him and commented on how sad he looked and proceeded to park our car and make our way into the church building so we wouldn't be late for services.
    Imagine our surprise when it was time for the sermon and in walked the homeless man.  He walked straight up to the altar, turned around and stood before us.  It took a minute but pretty soon a gasp was heard and we all realized that it was Pastor Wolfe!  He had always had a dark beard before and now he was clean shaven.  Dressed in his dirty, tattered clothes he told us that he had been standing there the entire time that the the people of the congregation had entered the parking lot and only one....only one of us had stopped to see if they could help him or invite him to come into the church!!!!
    Sadly, we were not the one car that had stopped and it was a tremendously effective wake up call!
    Truthfully, I can not remember what he said after that.  The illustration though has stayed with me for all of these years.
   
                                                         Have a good day!  Love, Sue

P.S.  I have never seen anyone transform himself quite so effectively as Billy Wolfe on that day!  Well, maybe in the movies!

Billy Graham Crusade

    Number two on my list of top ten sermons is special, not because I remember the words that were spoken or the songs that were sung but because of the aftermath of the event.  In 1987, my husband and I rode a bus with many of our friends from the little town of McIntosh, Minnesota to Fargo, North Dakota to sing in a Billy Graham Crusade that was held there.  The two hour trip sped by and when we got to the Fargo Dome we joined  others who were going to be a part of the very large crusade choir led by Cliff Barrows.  I remember singing alto with the choir but I don't remember what we sang,  I remember that a group performed special music and that Billy Graham preached but I don't remember the songs or words by either of them.  What I do remember is a very, very amazing time after the crusade was over for the night.
     Somehow I had become separated from my husband and my friends.  As I stepped onto the field of the Dome and headed in the direction of the bus I quickly became caught up in the wondrous display of love around me.  There on the tarmac were hundreds of people praying and talking about the Lord Jesus Christ!  As I made my way across the field I was completely wrapped up in a peace that I had rarely known.  I truly felt like I was walking on holy ground.  I lingered as long as I possibly could...just standing there absorbing with every fiber of my being that amazing, wonderful, completely overwhelming peace!!!  If there was ever a time in my life when I caught a glimpse of what heaven might be like, it was there!

                                              Have a good day!  Love, Sue


Philippians 4: 6-7  "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Corrie ten Boom

 

    Lately, I have been trying to make a list of some of the most memorable sermons  that I have heard over the course of my life. Since I have been a Christian since the age of three and am now in my sixties, I have a lot to choose from. Some of them I remember the words that were said and some are memorable for the reactions that I had.  So, after years and years which ones do I remember?
     I think that my first pick for one of the most amazing talks was from Corrie ten Boom in an auditorium in Minneapolis around 1974.  Corrie ten Boom was the author of "The Hiding Place".  For those of you who have not heard of her, her book is a "must" read as far as I am concerned.  She was a Dutch watchmaker who, with her family, hid many Jews during World War II and as a consequence spent a long time in a concentration camp.  After the war she traveled the world sharing her faith.
    When I attended the conference for which she was the main speaker, she was an 82 year old little gray haired lady.  Even though she did not shout or raise her heavily accented voice at all, you could feel the power and force of her words!  At one point she held up a tapestry that looked odd.  It had a jumble of colors and threads going this way and that.  She said that this is how we sometimes see our own lives.  They do not always make sense and we do not always know why God allows certain experiences -good, bad, and tragic.  Sometimes our lives look and feel messy and confused.
    Then she turned the tapestry over.....On the other side was a beautiful, delicate pattern woven with many colors into a perfectly designed cross.  She said that this is how our loving God views our lives,  As Christians,  he takes each and every thread and because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, turns them into something beautiful!
    Around the same time as we heard Miss ten Boom speak, a song written by Bill and Gloria Gaither became popular in Christian circles.  I heard the words to that song and used it as a lullaby for each of my four children.....It has become very precious to me.  Hear are the words....

                          Something beautiful, something good
                           All my confusion, He understood
                           All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife
                           But He made something beautiful of my life.
                   
                           If there ever were dreams
                           That were lofty and noble
                           They were my dreams at the start
                           And the hope for life's best
                           Were the hopes that I harbor
                           Down deep in my heart
                           But my dreams turned to ashes
                           And my castles all crumbled
                           My fortunes turned to loss
                           So I wrapped it all in the rags of my life
                           And laid them at the cross..

                            Something beautiful, something good
                            All my confusion, He understood
                            All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife
                            But He made something beautiful of my life!

                     
                                                      Have a good day!  Love, Sue

Stains

    One day when our grandson, Caleb, was about 7 years old we had a situation that has forever been imprinted in my heart....
     His mom, Sarah, and I had just finished painting the walls of a brand new playhouse.  It was a pretty impressive small building with it's own porch, picture windows, loft, and upper deck from which you could access a zip line.  It had turned out to be way more than any of us had envisioned and the kids were having a hard time waiting until it was finished.
    As Sarah and I shut the door and started to walk back to the house with our brushes and paint supplies in hand, we heard the door slam behind us. Sarah turned around and called out, "Who just went inside the playhouse?"
    A meek little voice replied, "It's me, Caleb! I'm up in the loft."
   "I told you that you were supposed to stay away from here for awhile!  The paint is wet and you have your new jeans on!"  She scolded.
    "I'll be careful, Mommy!"
    "No, Caleb.  You come out of there right now!"
    A few seconds later a very sad little boy emerged from the playhouse.  Head hanging low and new jeans covered in paint, he looked like the picture of dejection.  As tears flowed down his face he cried, "I'm so sorry!"
    Sarah looked at him with a mixture of compassion and sternness.  "I know, Caleb....but you were told not to go in there.  Now, you will have to suffer the consequences."
    Sarah took off while I waited for my sad little grandson.  As we walked to the house I listened to him.  He was mad at himself, frustrated that his new jeans were ruined and dreading his rightful punishment.  As we reached the door,  I turned to him and said,  "Let's try to get those paint stains out before you go see your mom, O.K?"
    We went into the bathroom.  After shedding his jeans, I went to work on them.  With a bit of soap, water, and a lot of scrubbing the paint was slowly washing away.  As Caleb and I watched the disappearing paint we talked about sin and how it always causes hurts, stains, and consequences.  We also talked about the importance of acknowledging and confessing sin right away.  If we had allowed those paint stains to fully dry before we tried to wash them they would have been almost impossible to get out.  By dealing with them immediately, the evidence of his disobedience was easier to get rid of.  Soon his jeans were fully restored.......They were wet and couldn't be worn for awhile but they were as good as new.  Relieved, Caleb ran upstairs to tell his mom the good news!
    I often think of this real little story when I am tempted to want to hide my sin from God.  When I do something that I know in my heart of hearts is wrong or when I willingly disobey a direct commandment from God, I remember this time.  It is always, always, always better to be honest before the God who knows all things and allow him to discipline me before the stains of sin are too deeply embedded and  the effects of sin become disastrous!
 
                                                          Have a good day!  Love, Sue
 
A paraphrase of the Bible called The Message states it this way in Psalm 51...."Generous in love, God give grace!  Huge in mercy, wipe out my bad record.  Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry."

Midair catch

    Yesterday I was sitting on our couch when my husband rose up from his chair and started walking towards me.  He appeared puzzled, confused, and inquisitive all at the same time.  He looked like a big cat stalking his prey, slowly creeping across the room. What was he looking at so intently?  I followed his steely gaze and saw nothing but air.  Suddenly he thrust out his arm! What?  In the split second before he clapped his hands together at the air in front of him, my focus cleared and I saw it!  There hanging by a single silken thread was a tiny spider about the size of a mosquito.  There was no  web just that tiny, lonely, little spider suspended in the middle of the room!

    It was a weird experience to go from seeing absolutely nothing to being able to see what previously had been unseen.  Just before he attacked the spider, John had called out the word "Spider!".  It was only then that I was able to squint, focus and see it.

   Last week someone I care about told me that I had done something twenty years ago that had  negatively impacted his life for that entire time.  I was truly mortified!  I hadn't known.  How could I have missed it?  It was like finally being able to focus on that seemingly invisible spider.....what had been unseen was now as plain as day!  Just like John calling out "spider" before I could actually see it, it took this person twenty years to have the courage to point out in plain English  how he had been wronged by me.  Sadly, he was right.

    Afterwards, I went on a days long journey trying to remember and understand myself at that time.  I came up with all sorts of justifications for my thoughts and actions.  I tried to give myself the benefit of the doubt and tried to minimize my sin.  Finally, after a very close and painful examination of myself, I could find no excuse.  Now, besides the original sin,  I knew that he had developed deep ruts of hurt and frustration over it.
 
   The truth is that it is always beneficial to carefully examine our lives through a microscopic lens.....to put ourselves willingly and thoughtfully into "focus". It is healthy to look clearly at our faults without trying to justify them.  Lamentations 3:40 says, "Let us examine our ways and test them.  Let us return to the Lord."
 
    I think that is the key... examine, confess, REPENT and then return to the safety of the only One who truly knows you inside out. 

                                                        Have a good day!  Love, Sue

To repent means to make a complete change of direction towards God the Almighty.  A 180 degree turn.
 

Take a breath

 
    Many years ago our oldest son struggled with bouts of allergies and croup.  I remember one night when he was 3 years old.  He woke up from a fitful sleep unable to breathe.   John and I quickly bundled him up and got him ready to go to the hospital.  It was extremely cold outside, well below zero.  As soon as John carried Carl outside though, his breathing stabilized and clear, cold air flowed freely through his lungs!  After going to the emergency room, John found out that simply bringing our little boy into the cold air could help him breathe freely for a few minutes.
     In the vitriolic atmosphere of the Trump impeachment debate,  I have grown weary.  I have tried to take in all points of view.  I have tried to be fair and listen to CNN, MSNBC, and FOX news.  Also, over the years, I have read a lot of  autobiographies by past presidents and their wives on BOTH sides of the aisle. I prefer listening to their own words and ideas and motivations without hearsay.  I have learned that they were all human with strengths and weaknesses.  They were neither all bad nor all good.
    So, at this time of anger and divisiveness, I wish....that every elected official would go outside and TAKE A BREATH!!!!!  I pray that the clear, cold air of truth would surround them and cause each of them to breathe freely and think clearly.   I hope that their  brains would receive a fresh dose of clarity.  Afterwards they could go back inside, examine the evidence and discuss it without bias instead of an already assumed conviction of either right or wrong.
    I pray that they would remember that we are all citizens of the same country.  To quote C.S. Lewis in "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader", (he says something to this effect)...."Let's save our strength for fighting our enemies!  We are friends."

                                                       Have a good day!  Love, Sue

Finding hope

    Fifteen years ago my teenage daughter and I were in a bad car accident.  The result was a lot of pain and broken bones and multiple surgeries for both of us.  It was a difficult time.  I not only had physical problems but I also dealt with the fact that I had caused the crash so all of Rachel's pain was ultimately my fault.
    As a parent, I had spent most of my adult life caring for my children.  It was my single most important task, an assignment from the Lord that I tried to take very seriously.  Now, my baby had to undergo all sorts of things that caused her pain, physically, mentally, and emotionally and it was all because I had failed to protect her.
    It took time to heal.  We were both able to continue life and go forward but both of us have physical challenges that have continued to impact our lives daily.  To her ultimate credit, Rachel forgave me for my part in her pain and has become a truly impressive woman who radiates joy.
 I have been so thankful for that forgiveness.  It has been a gift to me even as I deal with the physical ramifications caused by the accident.
    Even though the accident was terrible and awful and the results long lasting, in many ways I am so glad to have had it.  I know that sounds ridiculous but I have learned so much from that experience.  In some ways I feel like it has been tremendously good for me.
   Shortly after one of the subsequent surgeries on my foot, at a time when I was still in a non-weight bearing walking cast and feeling just a wee bit sorry for myself, I went to a wedding.  The church was beautiful and festive.  There were about eight to ten steps in front of the altar area where the bride and groom would give their vows.  Impressive to be sure but definitely not handicap accessible.
   The time came for the Scripture reading.  The man chosen by the couple to do the reading began to make his way out of his seat and up the steps to the lectern.  I was seated very close to the front and had a perfect view of the man as he struggled up step by slow step.  It was obvious that he suffered from some lifelong disability.  I'm not sure what  the specific problem was but his legs didn't work well and it was very hard for him to climb those steps.
    It was at that point that I felt a major shift in my thinking.  I began to thank the Lord for being with me in the midst of everything.  Before the accident I would have felt moved with compassion.  Now, instead of just feeling bad,  I realized the emotional strength of the man and admired his determination. I was blessed by the love he displayed to the young couple as shown by the exertion he put forth to honor them.  I was inspired by him.  He was not allowing his affliction to define him nor was he living in self pity.  His willing bravery helped me to "see" his situation in a way that I might have missed before and gave me more insight into my own life. 
     There are all sorts of afflictions in life.  Hurts and wounds can be physical, verbal. emotional. financial, or they can come in a wide array of other areas.They can be devastating or just plain old annoying.   Pain in any of it's vast forms affects all of us.  Nobody is immune.  We live in a fallen world.
    BUT......our problems, big or small, can be used for our ultimate good.  God's  goal for us is to purify our hearts, to teach us how to love and trust Him.  When we come to Him in repentance He proclaims that He will absolutely, positively never leave us alone.
     Like Andre Crouch's song says..."If I'd never had a problem, I wouldn't know that God could solve them, I wouldn't know what faith in God can do.  Through it all I have learned to trust in Jesus, I have learned to trust in God.  I have learned to depend upon His Word."
    I love old hymns.  One that continues to help me in my Christian walk was written in 1882 by Louisa Stead  after a great personal loss.
                                   "Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
                                     Just to take Him at His Word;
                                     Just to rest upon His promise;
                                     Just to know "Thus saith the Lord!"

                                     Jesus, Jesus. How I love Him!
                                     How I've proved Him o'er and o'er!
                                     Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus
                                     Oh for grace to trust Him more!"

                                              Have a good day!  Love, Sue

  Deuteronomy 31:6  Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be afraid of them, for the Lord  your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you !"                                                 
  Psalm 27
 
 

Swish! Snap! Pop!

    Swish!  Snap! Pop! Crackle!  The night sky was alive!  I looked up as the entire sky lit up with every color imaginable!  Streaks of pink, orange, yellow, green, purple and and a multitude of their various hues erupted in bursts of magnificent fireworks!  Only this was unlike any fireworks display that I had ever encountered before. It seemed as if each eruption brought with it a kind of unworldly music.
    I quickly ran inside our house to grab John and Rachel.  I wanted them to share this unusual event with me.  Living in Minnesota, I had often seen the Northern Lights.  In the fall, they could occasionally be seen on the northern horizon where they appeared to be far, far, away.  Strangely, tonight they seemed to have come to visit us.  They were located directly overhead and  created a private magical wonderland for us to enjoy.  We stood for a long while straining our necks trying to discover where these brilliant strokes of color went to as they flashed their way from what seemed to be their starting point right above our stately pine trees to a  never ending place above us. The dancing flames of light went up and up and up!  Twenty, thirty or more of them filled the sky at one time before pausing for a split second and continuing their awe-inspiring show.
   Eventually our necks grew sore and demanded that we take a break.  We went over to a nearby hill, laid down on the grassy slope, and continued to gaze in wonder at this amazing scene.  The lights seemed to get brighter and brighter the longer we watched but after an hour or so we grew cold and regrettably had to go back inside.
    I wish that I had the ability to recreate that night.  Mere words cannot capture the magnificence of it  or convey the overwhelming onslaught to our senses.  Today, think of one of the most amazing things that you have ever experienced and remember this.....

                                                "The heavens are telling the glory of God;
                                                And the firmament proclaims his
                                                             handiwork...."
                                                                         Psalm 19:1
                                                 Also.....

                                                "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard.
                                                Nor have entered into the heart of man
                                                The things which God has
                                                 prepared for those who love Him."
                                                                          1 Cor. 2:9

                                                  Have a good day!  Love, Sue

Aging

   A few years ago a friend recounted this story from when he was fourteen years old......

    One day this boy and his cousin were going to go fishing with their grandpa.  The boys gingerly hopped into the boat and waited impatiently for their seventy year old grandfather to slowly make his way.  He was being very precise and  cautious, placing his feet firmly inside the boat while he used his hands to steady himself.  Finally, the young boys had had enough.  "Hurry up, old man!" they teased.
    Their grandfather sat down, looked at them and sighed.  With a wry grin on his face he said,  "Ya know boys,  to you I have always been old but for me it is a brand new experience!"

    I chuckle every time I think of this story.  Getting older is a new experience to be sure.  For years and years I had the physical capabilities to usually handle whatever I needed or wanted to do.  I have never been a star athlete but I enjoyed a body that could run and jump and play just fine.   Not so much anymore.  Now, I frequently think of a quote by George Burns.  "You know you are getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you should do while you're down there."
    I am definitely there.  I don't appreciate the physical challenges of aging but there are certain things that I like about getting older.   I like the fact that I have lived through many decades.  It makes it easier to understand the world as it is today.  I like the fact that I have a boatload of memories both good and bad.  When I remember the good times, I am encouraged.  When I remember the bad ones, after I have taken a few minutes to straighten my thoughts, I try to learn from them. Sometimes I am successful and sometimes not, but that is okay.  Some hurts and bad memories take longer to process than others. 
    I find it fascinating to watch my children and grandchildren grow from babies into honorable and stimulating men and women.   Over the years I have had to hold my breath a bit when some of their decisions seemed questionable to me.  Sometimes, I have felt my chest puff up with pride as they succeeded at whatever they were trying to do.  All of these emotions are okay.  Their good times encourage them and their bad ones create more character in their beings.
    Mostly though, I find that the older I get and the more I learn about the Lord Jesus Christ, the more I am able to trust Him.   I am able to experience more fully what the songwriter says......"The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.  The more that I love Him, more love He bestows."

                                                                                     Have a good day!  Love. Sue
 

Caleb's Game

    Back and forth, back and forth.  Two teams of children giving all they had to get points up on the score board.  This basketball game was a bit lopsided but it was entertaining none the less.
    Earlier that day we had brought our grandson, Caleb to downtown Minneapolis to play in a fifth/sixth grade basketball tournament.  When we got there, we discovered that Caleb's team of 9 and 10 year old boys was going to try and defeat a group of 12 and 13 year old kids.  Standing beside our little boys, the other team looked monstrous!  They  were all at least a head taller than our team and occasionally much more than that. Height is quite an advantage when playing basketball!!!!
    Caleb and the rest of the boys went out on the floor to begin  the game.  John and I looked at each other with dread in our eyes.  How in the world could these little boys pull off the impossible against these giants!!!  We saw no hope and cheered and cheered regardless.  Maybe our enthusiasm could inspire a miracle!
    The game began and we watched in horror as the other team made basket after basket after basket.  The score ratcheted  upwards in their favor.  I closely watched my little grandson for a look of defeat on his face.  He hadn't given up yet and kept trying and trying to practice what he had learned of the game so far.  Soon Caleb made a basket and then another!  Four points on the board!!!  We began to believe that maybe it was possible.....could they defeat these enemies of their success?  We cheered harder and harder.   Caleb and the other boys were dripping in sweat as they struggled to win.
     The game was over and we had lost.  I can't remember for sure what the final tally was but I think that the score was 57 to 6.  A possible devastating loss to my sweet little grandson!  He came running off of the floor, gulped some water from his bottle and grabbed his coat.  I was a bit worried that he was waiting until we were alone to cry in frustration so John and I were just about to start saying every platitude we could think of (good game, you did your best, it will be better next time, etc., etc.) when ........
    Caleb turned to us, his red face flush with exertion and proclaimed, "WOW!  That was sure FUN!!!!!!!!"
    Amazing!  That was not what we expected to hear!  Then, as I looked at his triumphant and excited expression I realized that he had won!  He had faced a huge challenge and tried his best.  He was exhausted but feeling victorious in his defeat because of that little truth.
    Too often I look at the obstacles that I face in life and feel like giving up before I begin.  I am trying to remember that being successful or victorious in every challenge that comes my way is not the point.  The point is to remember that Jesus is with me and that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".  I don't have to be perfect.  I need only to be willing and give each trial my fierce determination to maintain a right attitude.  I need to show up and "try" in life.   I am not alone on this path of life.  I have the Lord who not only gives me strength but joy....flush, red faced type joy...., in every situation.  Then I am victorious!
                                                                                         Have a good day!
                                                                                          Love, Sue

       Philippians 4:13,  Nehemiah 8:10

Restart

I have not written on this blog for a very long time.  I constantly compose lines in my head describing  events in my life both big and small.  But........by the time I get around to writing those lines down I have either forgotten them or decided that they weren't all that great anyway. 
Consequently,  I have not written here for a very, very long time!

I have decided to change.  A few months ago, my son asked me why I never wrote on the blog anymore.  I told him that my reason was that so very few people read it anyway that it felt kind of silly to write it.  Although I'm not sure that that was the entire reason, his reply cut to the quick of my heart.  "But Mom, I always read it and I check it often to see if you've written anything new."

My son lives 1500 miles away and there is not a day that goes by that I don't think of him!  I have four children and they all live too far away from me for daily or weekly interaction but I think of all of them each day.  .  (My husband claims them too but these are my thoughts, not his, right now,)   I would like to talk with each of them many times a day but since they are all adults and have busy lives of their own I don't try to do that.  I try occasionally to send them short texts and when I need to talk, I call or text them to call me.  I want them to be strong, independent people but there are times when I miss the daily knowledge of what is going on in their lives.

The other day this same son called.  He had been in the hospital for two days in a coma.  He couldn't remember the previous week of his life.  As of right now, the diagnosis is uncertain.  I hope and pray that there is a simple reason for this for sure!!!  It was distressing to hear him express his frustration and puzzlement over this strange turn of events.  He has had to deal with lots of health issues over the years and  and this last one topped them all for strangeness.  As his mom I wanted to fix it and to care for him like when he was my little boy.  At forty years old though I know that neither he nor his wife would appreciate that effort.  As I thought over what I could do, the most obvious was to pray and ask the Lord to care for him and to heal him, to comfort him and his wife as they look to the immediate future.  I pray that the Lord will bless them richly especially in hard times.

As I continued to think and pray, I decided that maybe it was time to honor his request that I restart writing this blog.  So, my dear son, Carl, here it goes....... again......