marlees journal

The Beating Heart

2010-07-09T11:52:00.001-07:00

The title of the blog is a phrase I read in a tweet from a friend this week. It stood out to me among the other information (under 140 characters) about a crisis in the early pregnancy of her daughter. That gets my attention!

In spite of the bleeding and pain, this baby's will was TO LIVE! This tiny heart kept beating and is still beating! God's people around twitter gathered and prayed and that matters to God. Imagine that, everything that we go through here on earth matters to the God that created all things. God hears our cries and answers us. (We can never say, "nobody listens to me!") We are so thankful! There was unity in that prayer for life in this baby, for healthy delivery and a long life serving and loving the Lord. I expect this baby to be a blessing to everyone who knows him.

The beating heart is from God.

What Endures?

2010-07-09T10:50:00.000-07:00

From the looks of our dumps around the United States, not much endures. Even our lives here on earth will not last forever, so that means God wants us to look elsewhere for the enduring things. The King James version of the Bible calls the enduring, "spiritual" and the unenduring is "temporal." Very fitting for those temporary things in our lives.

God has a lot to say about the enduring, so just what is it that lasts beyond this life? It took an entire page of 8.5x11 notebook paper to get all the notes written down on the enduring from God's point of view. Most of the scriptures declare these enduring qualities and virtues to last forever.

The Lord shall endure forever Ps. 9:7
Fear of the Lord endures forever Ps. 19:9
His name shall endure forever Ps. 72:17
God's goodness endures continually Ps.52:1
His truth endures to all generations Ps. 100:5
His righteousness endures Ps. 111:3
His praise endures forever Ps. 111:10
His righteous judgements endure Ps. 119:160
God's dominion endures Ps. 145:13
Word of the Lord endures forever 1Peter 1:25

The mercy of the Lord is through-out the Bible. A good beginning place is Psalms 136:1-26, then with a sturdy copy of Strong's Concordance, the Strong's EXHAUSTIVE Concordance, begin to find the other verses on the enduring of the Lord's mercy. If anything, after reading this word we should be fully convinced that our mission here is to spend our time living in the spiritual which lasts forever.

God hasn't left us out of this enduring process either. Ready?

David's seed and throne will endure Ps. 89:29, 36
He that endures to the end shall be saved Matt.24:13
Endure hardships as a good soldier (P. Jeff
mentioned this verse on the Freedom video) 2Tim. 2:3
I (Paul) endure all things for the elect's sake 2Tim.2:10
Endure afflictions 2Tim. 4:5
IF we endure chastening, then we are sons Hebr. 12:7
Blessed are those who endure James 5:11

Here are a few more, 1Peter 2:19, Hebr. 10:32, 34, Hebr. 11:27, Ps. 30:5

Hebrews 12:2-3 KJV "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him ENDURED the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that ENDURED such [hostility] of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your [souls]."

Seek those things that endure forever and we will endure to the end.

Common

2010-07-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." 1Cor. 10:13

The answer that God gives us in this verse is the completion of so many things. First of all, the trouble we go through is COMMON! We aren't the only one on earth that has unusual problems. No matter what it is, every temptation remains, COMMON.

All the disciples were in the boat when a great storm came. That story is the metaphor for 1Cor. 10:13. So, we can stop saying things like "...but you don't understand." Or, "you've never been through what I go through." Then there's this one, "Why is God doing this to me?" These are arrogant statements said when we think we are different than everyone else when it comes to trials and temptations. This attitude opens the "it's ok" door to self-pity.

Here is the counterweight to our imposed long-suffering or self-pity. "But God is faithful." All the air is taken out of the complaining with "but." He is faithful. He is so faithful that He will help us out of our trouble before we are overcome with sorrow. Unless we have opened the "it's ok" door to extended self-pity which becomes a comfort zone.

Problem with the self-pity comfort zone is the isolation. People have become tired of whining and complaining. Self-pity creates blind spots, we can't see who we have become because we live in our whining and complaining. The blind spots cut off our vision of the way of escape.

Remember, this is our way of escape, "that you may be able to bear it," (ESV uses 'endure') That's right. It doesn't say the problems will disappear, our escape is enduring through it, whatever 'it' is. Not to avoid it or dance around it, but to bear it with and in the Lord's generous help overcome. Learn everything God wants us to learn in the time of trouble.

God is more than able to deliver us immediately out of trouble and temptation, but many times we remain like Daniel in the lion's den or Joseph in his Egyptian prison. Jesus asked God for deliverance three times and each time He told God, "your will be done Father." There are many saints and martyrs who cried out to God to be delivered from torture, the fire, lions, swords. Some escaped, but many died and they came to a far greater place with God.

In faith, believe we are all in the same boat, we all have things in common and we all serve the living God.

Remember, God tempts no man or woman.

It's God's Choice

2010-06-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

This blog is based on a twitter I saw today from @burk_parsons "Osama bin Laden may be among the elect."

There. Someone said it, or rather, tweeted it. One of the most electrifying, profound, doctrinal, stirring, challenging statements I've ever seen on Twitter.

It's true. OBL could be among the elect because election is God's choice. God chooses us, the elect. If he is among the elect, OBL has been there from before the foundation of the universe. It's God's choice. OBL may not be a Christ follower now, but if God has chosen him and planned it, OBL will be saved at some point. It's God's choice.

Read the story of Hagar and Ishmael, Genesis 16:7-14 and Genesis 21:1-21 and Paul's use of Hagar's story in Gal. 4:21, 5:1. In the end, God pronounced a blessing on the seed of Ishmael and Hagar, their people would become many. God chose the murderer of His people, Saul, to be saved for His glory and the building up of the Church. Like OBL, Saul murdered people whom he despised because of their beliefs. Both felt they were doing God a favor by getting rid of those who disagree with their religion.

We are the people who preach, believe, sing, and convince others that with God all things are possible. Imagine what would happen if we who believe that with all our hearts and pray for the salvation of OBL's soul? Millions of Christians around the world praying the fervent righteous prayer. It's a prayer that will be heard and answered.

God knows exactlyhow to deal with OBL, just as He did Saul and any of us who are Christ followers. Only God knows and since we don't know who will say yes or no, we must keep
praying.

If social media has a purpose at all, let's keep this twitter about OBL in mind, along with Saul story. What are the similarities in their lives? If OBL will be saved one day, what similarities will he face that Paul did?

Let's keep praying.

Missional/Confessional or Attractional?

2010-06-10T12:59:00.000-07:00

Short and sweet. That's the way the wrangling should be that's going on in some churches about church identity and mission. Do we go into the world or attract people into the church? A total of 82,600 sites will give you their opinion on which concept is correct and heaven sent.

We are attractional: Every person saved was attracted to Jesus and drawn by cords of love to His salvation. The prodigal son was attracted enough to the Father that he came to the place of rescue with the Father. God gives us this same love to attract those who need His love. The Church is attractional. Ps. 126:5-6

We are missional: Matt. 28:19 The command is clear and straight forward, go into all the world.

Jesus Himself is attractional and missional. He is still doing both. He is interceding before the Father for the Church, missional. When His name is lifted up in the world and the Church, He draws all to Himself, attractional.

We are what He has made us, so now Go in the power and might of His Spirit. This is our mission. Boldly speak the name of Jesus, He is IRRESISTABLE!

God's Goodness

2010-05-26T10:41:00.000-07:00

From the very beginning we see the goodness of God as He creates Adam and Eve, then displays His goodness to them in the garden of Eden. Everything they needed was there in the goodness of God, including communion with Him. The first mention of the word goodness in the Bible occurs in Exodus 18:9 "And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel..."

Right in the middle of this sin-filled world, God is still pouring out His goodness especially to His people, but not exclusively. He is mercifully good to those who haven't come to Him yet. God is mercifully good because that is who He IS. He IS I AM and it is all in Him eternally!

The nineties were tough years and my mission was deliberate; I looked for the goodness of God every day! One example of finding that goodness occurred when I was entering a store. A young mother was in front of me and was carrying a toddler in her arms. This baby and I locked eyes and the biggest smile came to his face! The mother didn't see it, they were faced in opposite directions. No one around us saw it, everyone was too busy, focused on other things. The goodness of God on a baby's face.

Here is some descriptions of the goodness of God from the Bible:

Exodus 34:6 abundant in goodness and truth
2Sam. 7:28-29 His goodness is promised
1Kings 8:66 joyful and glad in His goodness
Nehemiah 9:25-26 delighted in God's great goodness
Ps.23:6 goodness and mercy shall follow me
Ps.27:13 believe to see the goodness in the land of the living
Ps.31:19 great is the goodness that God has laid up for those who fear and trust in Him
Ps. 33:5 the earth is FULL of the goodness of the Lord
Ps.52:1 goodness of God endures continually
Ps. 107:8 David pleads for us to praise the Lord for all His goodness
Ps. 107:8 He satisfies the longing soul with goodness
Jer. 31:14 God's people shall be satisfied with His goodness

Believe, receive, rejoice and be thankful! Rejoice as Jethro did in God's goodness...today!

All scriptures from the KJV

It Goes a Long Way When...

2010-05-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

...mercy is shown
... people are honest
... your work van or truck is really clean
... your contractor vacuums and sweeps up everyday. Thanks Mr. Contractor man.
...the driver in the other lane signals before he moves into your lane
...the pho cafe is always good
...Christians who have Jesus stickers on their bumpers remember they are advertising Jesus
...we remember the poor, the weak, and widows among us
...we do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God
...remember we are pilgrims on the earth
...your hubby texts you on a business/fun sales day camp-out, thanks honey
...you know, know, know that God has a plan for your life
...your church has vision that inspires people to SERVE

There is my list. What goes a long way with you?

The '61 Red Comet III

2010-05-05T18:17:00.000-07:00

Autumn day, sunny and warm compared to our cold windy days we had left behind in Alaska. Quiet Sunday morning, and Jim is getting ready to hitch hike 50 miles into Whitehorse. Grizzlies are already hibernating aren't they? Jim/Daddy takes one more look back at his waving family. We're blowing him kisses to make us feel better. I kept remembering all the answered prayer we had in the last three years we had been saved and committed to living for Jesus. We sang a song in the Nazarene church with this line, "Count your blessings name them one by one..." I think that line ran through my mind for the next few hours. I'm praying that God will have grace and bring him back quickly before the sun goes down and we are left in the cold and dark.

Jim walked nine miles and he was picked up by an elderly couple (probably the age we are now) in a pick-up. They drove him to Whitehorse without expecting anything. Jim found a Nazarene church and the pastor called his friend who had a tow truck, then made reservations for us at the lone Whitehorse motel.

It was dark by the time Jim and the driver got to the car. What a welcome sight! Kids and mom are squeeling happily. Our kids know God takes care of us. Our five year old son Jimmie was in heaven, he got to ride in the front of a tow truck with the driver and his dad! Joy all over the place. The creeky old motel in Whitehorse was a palace. Canada was taking good care of Americans. In all this time our image of the Canadian mounties was shattered. We didn't see one this entire time. Like Sgt. Preston and his faithful dog Yukon, we thought for sure some red uniformed mountie would show up for the rescue. We were grateful for the rescuers God provided.

Next morning we show up at the mechanics shop. He has the news, all the news for us and it's not very good. They have nothing we need in the way of repairs, he has already ordered it from Edmonton, Alberta and the entire process would take would take five days. I think we asked him, "How many days??" Five long days.

We set a plan and the kids loved it. There is just nothing that can stop the excitement of children. Especially the excitement of our three kids. Bobby was two years old, he didn't know anything except his big brother and sister were happy so he was too. Thanks Bob. Thanks Jimmie. Thanks Jeri. Up early every morning. Buy what we could at the grocery store and eat. Then walk the boardwalks in Whitehorse. The favorite question the kids had was, "Where are the mounties and their horses?" Then every afternoon we went back to the mechanics shop and asked, "How is it going?" We were glad our car was the only job he had that week. He got to know us pretty well. He knew we would be in his shop every day at the same time.

When the work was completed, the mechanic tried to start the '61 Red Comet. First time, engine is running and what a beautiful sound! The kids knew this meant we were on our way again. We all made the rounds to the friends we had made in Canada to thank them and say good-bye. The Alcan looks really good! The car repair cost $600, that meant we had $300 left to get us to Kansas City. We bought breakfast and lunch food from the grocery before we left.

By the time we got to KC, we were raiding the ashtray in the car where Jim kept his parking change. The cheapest meals we could find were McDonalds. The kids loved it, mom and dad not so much. That's why we have only McD's french fries every five years or so. The regular hamburger cost 15 cents.

God had gotten us to our destination; happy, mostly healthy. There was not one dime left in our pockets or parking money ashtray. He had provided everything we needed. My parents loaned Jim some money to get gas to go to work that Monday. What more could we ask of a generous God who has given us all things?

The next blessing we had that next April 18 was a healthy baby girl named Patricia Kathleen. With God's touch and good medical help I got safely through gestational diabetes. My last diabetes test showed my blood sugar was normal. The internist had told me to expect to have this disease the rest of my life. This is from a God who has good plans for His people and will deliver us through everything.

This memory was triggered by seeing that red '61 Comet on the street the other day.

Conversation at Seattle Lighting

2010-05-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

We keep going back to Seattle Lighting in all the remodel work we have done in this 70's something house we have lived in almost 20 years. We like their prices and their designs are very creative. Not your usual hardware store lighting fixture.

One of the designs I love exploring are the chandeliers. This is the conversation Jim and I had in the store about these fascinating lights.

We are waiting at the counter to order lights we need for the master bath, and I hear something calling me from the front of the store. Oooohh yes, it's the chandeliers!

Me: Jim, I'm going to check out the chandeliers again.
Jim: Ok, see you in a sec.

Made a couple stops before I got to my target and there they are in all their glory. What glitter! What creative design! What prices though! Jim is done at the front desk and walks over to where I am and kisses me on the cheek and says...

Jim: I don't care if we live in a quonset hut in Monroe, I'm buying you a chandelier.

I am swept off my feet. This is why I love Jim so much. Two weeks after we met, I knew this was the man I would marry. Big decision for an 18 year old and it definitely was the right one.

The 1961 Red Comet II

2010-05-04T15:14:00.000-07:00

The family car way back when, forty-nine years ago. Four doors, and away we go. This is back in the day when no one used infant seats or child restraints. Jim reminded me of some facts about this red beauty (?) I had forgotten. It was actually our second red '61 Comet. The first two, one for Jerry his twin brother and one for Jim, were to be used as work vehicles. We all waited impatiently for the cars to come up to Alaska by barge. Unfortunately, a storm in the Gulf of Alaska demonstrated its power and the barge flipped over and both red Comets went into the drink. We waited another six months for the new ones. Not such a wait considering we were still on a waiting list for phone service and we got on the list when Jim was discharged from the navy in 1960.

Jim also reminded me the "formable" tires were made of nylon, not rayon. They were still flat as a pancake in the cold winters.

Back to Eagle River and the flashing red oil light. At that moment my brain started working overtime. "We are only 13 miles from Anchorage. We could turn around, get the car fixed and head out again." No place to live, no job. I still thought it. Jim said, "we're going to make it." He is a man of vision, and seeing the vision fulfilled! Four quarts of oil and we were on our way. I noticed people on the road were looking at us. What do they see? I turned around to look behind us. Ooooohhh! It's the blue smoke coming out of the exhaust! We're still on our way.

We had the best kids. They loved the cozy in their very own play room in the back seat. They entertained each other, napped, sang to Jesus (hymns in those days), did some running around exercise when we made frequent stops and asked "are we there yet?" Our kids, all of them are a blessing!! One of their favorite stops was in B.C. where they got to explore an old miners cabin not too far from the road. It was about this time that the "washboard" road began to get to my stomach. The answer is swollow hard.

On the road again. About 600 miles out of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, in Watson Lake. Funny sound, the car is making a very loud noise. Jim has one word, "muffler." Part of the noise of driving the Alcan is going over rocks. They are constantly hitting under the car, plus winter driving for two years on ice melt containing salt had rusted out the exhaust pipe. Now the kids really believed Dad had a very hot car. No gas stations, repair shops, Sears. But lots of wilderness. We keep pressing forward.

Fifty miles out of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory I woke up to another very loud sound. This time it was the engine and Jim is pulling over to the side of the road. It's still wilderness. It's a warm Canadian Sunday morning. Haven't seen other humans for a long, long time. As much as we knew about prayer, we prayed and had the kids praying. Jim decided he had to hitch hike and walk into Whitehorse. Jim's guess was the engine blew a rod, seized the engine, blew the oil pump. Oil pouring out, he saw a crack in the engine. Our money is quickly depleting. My only thought as we got out of the car for exercise and took a look at Canada was, all this beauty is from God.

Amazing the memories that keep flooding through in writing this. To keep it short, I'll continue on part III soon.

Even in tough times, His beauty and goodness remains all around us.

The 1961 Red Comet

2010-05-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

This is one 60's memory I thought had fadded long ago! Apparently it hasn't because Jim and I discussed this means of transportation we had in our early Spenard, Alaska days. The '61 Comet was first used as a company vehicle, so it had been well worn over our dusty roads, icey roads, frost heave roads, and pot-hole roads of those days. (there is an old Alaska joke about the bad Alaska pot holes. Pot holes were always called chuck-holes cause a guy named Chuck drowned in one the winter of '53).

The Comet had rayon tires. That meant when it was -30 to -48 degrees, the tires were not round when we started it up in the morning. They were semi-circle round with a flat as a pancake area that was on the ground. When we would drive on these flat-bottomed tires, we looked like Fred and Wilma Flintstone bouncing up and down in our car. Every vehicle in Anchorage always had a heater cable installed in the front of the car and with a very long extention cord so our car was "plugged in" for the night. On the coldest of nights, Jim always took the battery inside the house to keep it warm for the next day. Driving in Alaska was a science, a very demanding science. Memorize the method and everything worked ok.

This car served its purpose well getting Jim to work every day, hauling all of us ( that would be five of us at this time) to church every Sunday and the weekly trips to the grocery store. Adjustments to Alaska winters meant you always left grocery shopping to the very last on the to-do list. If you did it first, then made a stop to visit with friends, potatoes and eggs had a way of freezing fast!

This car was easy on gas, hard on oil. Therefore, we kept a supply of oil handy in the trunk. Part of the discussion Jim and I had of this little red car from yesteryear was this...with all of its history, why did we choose in 1963 to drive the Alcan? Our three little kids were five years old and under and another little one expected in five months.

We want to believe it had everything to do with innocent faith in a generous God. Jim and I had been serving the Lord a short three years. After all, God can do the impossible can't He? Our motivation for leaving the place we loved was my pregnancy had some complications and we intended to drive to Kansas City area where my mom and dad lived at the time and I would be close to high-risk pregnancy care. All righteous.

We start off our trip on a beautiful Alaska October day. Warm, at least 45 degrees, sunny and we are hopeful. The kids are excited. Each child (Jim Jr or Jimmie as we called him, Jero Lynn and Bobby) had been given surprise packages to open. One for each day of the ten days my sweet mother-in-law Questa thought we would be on the road. What a wise and kind woman of God she is.

If any of you are familiar with the Anchorage area, we were a few miles out of town coming to a little place in the "boonies" called Eagle River. Our little red Comet is warning us with a red oil light flashing on the dash. The light set off sirens in my mind. Oh oh. My fragile stomach is getting queasy.

Sorry to leave you. There are several paragraphs already, so its time to close down and begin the rest of the story soon.

Family Teams: Generations

2010-04-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite men of the Old Testament is Nehemiah. Visionary ( 2: 11-18), com-
passionate (1:1-4), strong in the Lord, prayerful (1:4-11). Nehemiah was a man who remained faithful to God, to his calling in God no matter what his station in life was. He was a man who knew to count the cost before building (2:11-18). Nehemiah was a leader who motivated God's people to do the right thing (2:18) and he knew how to handle the mockers and complainers (2:19-20). Reasons enough to stop and take notice in our twenty-first century!

Chapter 3, the entire chapter, is devoted to a long list of FAMILY teams Nehemiah had gathered together to get the work done (that means he was an organizer too). It's not a short list either. Every family, name after name. Sons, fathers, grandsons, daughters. Wait, DAUGHTERS? Yes! (3:11-12). People of God responding to God's leader at a time of tremendous loss and hardship of captivity. All had been set free for the time to rebuild the wall. God gave His people favor in the most difficult of times and He had the right leader in Nehemiah to get the work done. Each family had their own project. Their gifts were being used in the area where they were needed.

The mayor of a certain district was there working for the church (3:14). One entire town showed up to work on one gate and ended up repairing 1,500 feet of the wall too! Can't stop those motivated-by-God's-love people! And then there was Meshullam who rebuilt the wall in front of his storage shed (3:30). We all go in the strength we have!

Families building, getting the work done for God. It didn't matter what they had been through, they were there with ONE purpose...to do the will of God. When His people are called and equipped, moving in the power of His might, there is no stopping the work.

In Nehemiah 3 we have the family legacy passed down for our encouragement. How very important it is to pass down our own legacy of our generation! Never give up on what God has called you to do, children are watching, learning, planning. Get started today on what God wants you to do and build.

All scriptures are from The Message.

Connection

2010-04-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

Part of who we are is the need for connection in this life. Being successful at this means it helps us find our 'place'. Actually, TRC is the first church we've been a part of that recognizes the importance of connection. That's what we stand for, "Connecting People to Life." Jesus has done such a powerful work in connecting us, we want everyone to experience what we have in Him. It's where we find our purpose in life, our gifts and how we impart those things to other people God sends our way.

The desire has always been there at TRC to connect people to life and with the introduction of a new computer program and a new Connect card, that work just got a little easier. That was a statement of faith! Many of us are still learning the ins and outs of the program, and it's coming along! Who would have ever thought a little Connect card would play such a huge role in people's lives and what it will mean for TRC? Awesome job on the Connect card!

I'm excited about this because we've had the experience in Guest Services of people dropping through the cracks. One person disappearing from the scene is too many. It's painful! If people leave no information, we have no way of connecting, but now we have a way of improving that. It's not just new guests we're concerned about. We love the people who call TRC their home and when any have missed two or three weeks, we care enough to find out why.

This is the function of the Connect card. I love it when things function properly and when there is beauty besides, all the better. Function and beauty all in one... great! Take a look at the Connect card and see if that doesn't stir something in your heart to be connected in a stronger and more fruitful way to the church. That's what I'm praying for, God's people established on the Rock, Christ Jesus.

It's ultimately being connected to life in the Son of God. Let it grow in your life.

Prayer and Praise to God in C

2010-03-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

I've never prayed like this before! I like it. Our prayer life to God is to be exciting and fulfilling and not one of doing it out of duty or feeling obligated. Most of my prayers are written in prayer journals and that's what I was doing this morning and I realized there seemed to be a lot of "C" letters. I'll share the prayer with you, it's for a purpose. I went to the table of contents in my study Bible, (everyone should have one), and I kept reading and writing as I went through the "C's." You'll notice I've used pronouns us and we, meaning the Church. This is an intercession for the Church.

Holy Father, Holy God, The work you do in our lives is a holy work. Your divine works separate us (or set us apart for His purpose, we are IN the world, but not OF the world) from this world to make us like You. Your work Chastens, Cuts, Comforts, Cures, Calls, we Cast our Cares on You. Your grace gives us a Cause to Celebrate everyday, Chains are broken, your grace Changes us, Chooses us for your very own people and we belong to Christ. You Circle us with Your love and grace.

You Circumcise our hearts, You alter our Circumstances to fit Your plan. Where we were once broken Cisterns, now we are Citizens of the heavenly kingdom. You give us Cause to Clap for joy. You make our way clear and You give us place to hide in the Cleft of the rock. You Clothe us with Your righteousness and one day You will return in Clouds in the air. You touch our lips with a burning Coal to speak Your word, You Call us, Come and I will give you rest.

You are our Commander and we Commit our lives to You. There is no other god that Compares to You, our God full of Compassionate grace, we are Complete in You. You Confirm Your word to us, You have taken away our Confusion and have made us more than Conquerors in our Christ Jesus. Now we praise and thank You in the Congregation of the righteous. We Consecrate our lives to You oh Lord. When we Consider Your steadfast love our hearts are filled. What great Consolation You give us!

You are our Guide, we Consult with You and we are given wisdom. Our zeal for You Consumes our lives. If all You are doing on earth were written in books, the earth could not Contain all Your works. You have made us Content in whatever state we are in. Your love is a Continual river flowing deeper and deeper. You do not despise the humble and Contrite heart. It was Conviction of sin that brought You near to us and with Cords of love You drew us to Your heart.

You are our Cornerstone and one day we will look on Your Countenance. You give us Courage to face the roaring lion, Courage to delight in doing Your will in the face of the lion. Your Covenant is everlasting, You Cover us in the Your shadow of Your wings. You Created in us new hearts, we Cried to You and You made us well because of Your sacrifice on the Cross.

One day in heaven, Your people will gladly Cast our Crowns before You because You deserve all the praise and glory. Thank You for enduring the shame of Your Crucifixion for all our sins. We will thank You face to face at the river of life, Clear as Crystal. You have given us a Cup overflowing with blessings. You are the Cure for this frame of dust, we are no longer Cursed, but blessed. We no longer have a Curtain separating us from our God.

All because of You Jesus.

Purpose, may all of us grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord.

That Childhood Dessert From the Fifties That We Loved So Much

2010-03-17T19:17:00.000-07:00

Just amazing what our mom could do with her creativity to keep my brothers and me happy. One of her most famous creations we couldn't get enough of was a dessert out of a can. At least the beginning of the dessert.

First let me introduce you to our mother. Her maiden name was Amundson. Karen Alette Amundson. Over the years she became affectionately known as "Letty," or "Karen," but in her home in Rothsay, Minnesota she was always known as Alette (pronounced Aletta), or Alett for short. The shortened version Alett, went very well with the short and clipped sounds of the Norwegian that I remember.

I imagine Mom was creative for a variety of reasons. The government ration book of the war years allowed certain things and she used what she had, or maybe this tasty dessert was handed down for generations. Or, maybe it was because she didn't have much time to spend on cooking after coming home from work. Mom was one of two women in our neighborhood in the forties and fifties that worked outside their homes. The other mom was a widow. Whatever her motivation was, this dessert delighted us every time!

It was a big deal when we saw the new can she was about to open. It was time to gloat around neighborhood friends we had in our alley. Na-na-na-na! We get dessert tonight! All the alley games stopped to hear once again the full story of this concoction; baseball, marbles, tag, or Red Rover, it all came to a stop to hear the description. Life was so good!

Well, that's my story of the world's greatest dessert from childhood. Oh, I'll bet you wanted to know just what it was, is?? Here it is, get out the pencils. The can was the biggest we could afford, full of sweet peaches. Mom got out the chipped cereal bowls and crumbled up at least two whole graham crackers in the bottom of each bowl. Then she got Grandma's big "grey spoon" (it was silver but it looked grey to us and remains "the grey spoon" to this day.) Wonder if my brothers realize I have Grandma's grey spoon in my silverware drawer? Got sidetracked there. Up comes a huge spoonful of the juicy peaches over the graham crackers and it softens the crunchy-ness a little. Out of habit we chimed in at the same time, "more juice please mom." She was so accommodating! Next came the whipped cream, real whipped cream from the farm. Thick, so thick you could whip it up with a fork and just full of butter fat. Who knows how much butter fat, we didn't care. When Grandma brought fresh cream, the fresh home-made butter came with it. The whipped cream was generously poured over everything until it looked like the bowl was nothing but cream. Everyone should have such childhood memories.

Back to the twenty-first century. I went out to the kitchen to help with clean-up and guess what? Jim is fixing the world's greatest childhood dessert! Every step the same, crunched up graham crackers, canned peaches with plenty of juice. But the cream is different, it's Reddi-whips finest canned whipped cream. The taste is great, crackers a little crunchy and a little soft from the peach juice. Peaches sweet and the cream passes the test. Still have the memory of every detail from happy days, and now you do too.

Have any memories of childhood desserts from creative moms or dads?

Sunday Night Thoughts

2010-03-07T21:16:00.000-08:00

It was -17 in Fairbanks today. Relatives are really cold and heater cables for car engines are plugged in again.

@zacjs8 needs prayer. His twitter today said his stomach is at war and feels like carpet bombing.

Jesus said, "Remember me..." He was broken for us.

I'm so thankful for my husband Jim.

Bought a hot pink tote bag today. Now for something silver! Never had anything hot pink before. Ever!!

Ladies of TRC love being with each other. 55 of us met in the Hub today planning for the women's conference with Lisa Bevere in May. You can't miss it!

Friday night women met at TRC , "Love Letters." Powerful word about being God's authentic love letters to the world today.

Monroe has it's very own Inflated Big Blue Monkey at the Dodge dealership and I took a picture of it for Tony Morgan, a collector of such pictures.

Had Thai lunch today after church with Brad, Katy, Riley and Olivia. Benjarong in Monroe.

Tomorrow is another day. Whatever missteps, misunderstandings, or disappointments, cover it all with love and make a new beginning.

Jesus loves you and so do I.

Encourage Each Other

2010-03-07T20:29:00.000-08:00

That's one of the gifts that God has given to us in the Church, encouraging each other. God shows us how to do that in His word, He is always an encouraging God! The only God that can. We'll be successful at encouraging people in the Church by imitating God's example and the example of other Christians.

Today I had such a great experience with a friend at church, it just wouldn't all fit in a twitter, so here I am, blogging. Love the doors the Lord opens up in the twenty-first century for communications! This experience was about the power the Lord gives to us every day, just because we are His. I told my friend I noticed some big changes in her and her child since they have been coming to TRC. A child previously too shy to go to her class and a mother who was too nervous to bring her child and leave her in this new area in children's church.

The day came when in Jesus name mom and daughter each took big steps. It came a little slow at first and it included some pacing for mom, but God is faithful! His power is for children taking their first big steps of faith and so I encouraged my friend of the powerful God changes I have seen in her and her daughter. On their own, they could not do it, but in the power of His might, it's being done to the glory of God.

I was getting ready to tell my friend that I have been thinking of reading the book of Acts again, all because of the powerful way God worked in His early Church. My friend asked, "why don't we read the book of Acts this week and then talk about God's power next Sunday and see what He has done?" Don't you love the way God works?

So this week is my Acts of the Apostles week. What more do you have in store God? Acts is one of the greatest adventure story! If you want your kids to know that power God has for the Church today, start by reading the book of Acts together. The twenty-first century is a pretty adventurous timeto be living in. We can expect God to be faithful to His word!

zacjs8

2010-03-01T16:43:00.000-08:00

The title of this blog is the twitter address of a young man who lives in Anderson, South Carolina. He is a member of New Spring Church and has a ministry of keeping the technology flowing for his church.

A few weeks ago I started following his twitter when I read a request for prayer for him and his family on another twitter. I'm touched by this young man's life and the grace that God has given him. He doesn't complain, he would rather talk of the work God is doing in his life. That is part of the tension of desiring healing and not being healed yet. Along with the facts of cancer he must deal with everyday and the truth of God's word. Getting through that tension area is truly the grace of God.

Everything in his life is being threatened by this disease, but he and his family are secure and comforted by the Lord and the support of his family and church. They are all learning the value of focus on Jesus, even though zacjs8's life is in the balance.

Here's how I pray for zacjs8; first thanks to God for who He is, for healing and for grace. On this earth we will never fully understand the power of that grace that is completely enough in EVERY situation. God said that. "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2Cor. 12:9 One of the key words is "weakness." That would be our weakness!

Grace for today for zacjs8 and his precious family. Grace for the next hour. Grace for sleep this evening, the entire night. Grace for peace on the whole house all night. Grace that sustains and gives deep-seated joy that can't be explained. zacjs8 is learning the lessons of gratitude and faith. Contentment in whatever state he is in.

I treasure the life of zacjs8, his wife Mandy and their three children. They are the story of God's grace.

If you want to see the vid of zacjs8's testimony, you'll see it when you go to New Spring Church and P. Perry Noble's blog. It's well worth the time.

Just Because

2010-02-25T12:50:00.000-08:00

There is great joy in the house of God in Australia and P. Brian Houston has ably tweeted that
joy to the whole world in CAPITAL LETTERS! A new baby is coming to the Houston family through their daughter, and Brian is positive it's a boy.

How generous our God is, gifts upon gifts and Grandpa Houston gets to SHOUT it out to the entire world through technology! The baby isn't here yet and already he knows how a grandpa acts! Shout it out! In a simple connection, we sign up and we get to share in their joy, scripture fulfilled! Marvelous God!

We serve the only generous God. There is no other God like Him. He continually gives gifts out of His treasuries to His people. Even though we are undeserving. We are a people most loved, highly loved, eternally loved! As long as we live, we will never have enough time to do enough good deeds to deserve any gift from God. That's why God is so full of wisdom. He knows we would take the credit for what happens, but it's all from Him

God gives just because He is a generous God, just because. Thank Him today for His gifts. If we start with the bed we sleep on...it could go on forever. Always be thankful.

Worship

2010-02-18T08:42:00.000-08:00

This morning I woke up worshiping. "Glory in the highest, glory in the highest, glory in the highest, to You." Too bad blogs don't have automatic sound, you could have joined in too. Life changes when we worship. In fact it's never the same again. God created us at His pleasure and for His pleasure. Imagine, God gets pleasure from us!

All of Israel knew where their strength was, that's why they had the tribe of Judah (praise) at the head. No fear in praise here, the desert was filled with loud praise, because God alone is worthy. The world is being filled with praise again. Powerful praise and TRC is part of that!

One of the experiences the Apostle John had while on Patmos was vision. One vision after another. After the messages to the churches, John's eyes are opened to heavenly worship. In Rev. 4:7-8 there are four living beings who did not stop worshiping the Lord, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come."

One of the wonders of worship is it spreads like fire. Now the twenty-four elders fall down before God, Rev. 4:10-11. They give their crowns to God and say, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."

Have you ever wondered why you were born? Verse 11 tells us why we are born, why God created us. To worship Him. He alone is worthy of all worship.

Rev. 5:8-14 The four living beings and twenty-four elders sing praise to Jesus, the Lamb of God for His gift of redemption. Verse 11 describes the number of creatures and angels who join in worship of the King, (it's spreading again) "...the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands and thousands."

Rev. 5:13 "And EVERY creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard...Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sits on the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."

And the four living creatures said, "Amen."

So how does this worship translate to us in the twenty-first century? Next blog.

More on Tears

2010-02-12T13:46:00.000-08:00

Just because the tears come, doesn't mean the joy of the Lord has gone away. God made us emotional beings and one of the ways we show that emotion is through tears. So, it's ok.

The shortest verse in the Bible is about Jesus and His tears. John 11:35 "Then Jesus wept." In previous verses it says that Jesus was angry in His spirit after seeing and hearing the unbelief around Him. In fact, it says in verse 33 that Jesus was "deeply troubled." Even as they walk along to the grave of Lazarus, "...Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb..." I think there is a blog here for later.

Jesus isn't the only person that wept, we can read of many who have shed tears. Psalm 69, David, the King of all Israel wept, many times! Another King, Hezekiah cried, Isa. 38:3. Now we come to the fishermen. We've known many fishermen, loggers, construction guys and the entire 25 years we lived in Alaska I never saw one fisherman, logger or builder shed a tear. Doesn't mean they didn't!

Peter, the great fisher of men spent three and a half years with Jesus, but in the end when he was tested, he failed because he denied his friend, the Son of God, Jesus. Matthew 26:75 "Peter wept bitterly." What bitter tears to have because of betrayal. God wasn't through with Peter though. God is the Author and Finisher of our faith and He faithfully did that job in Peter's life and now we have the epistles and life of Peter to be blessed by.

Others, the remaining disciples wept at the death of Jesus, Mk. 16:10, Mary washed the feet of Jesus with her tears, Luke 7:44. Paul serving the Lord with many tears, Acts 20:19. In Acts 20:31 because of Paul's constant watch care over the church, he cried night and day. Toward the end of his journey here on earth, Paul wrote that he had many tears for the church at Corinth because of the love he had for them.

So while we are here on earth, we will have tears. If tears don't come out of your eyes, they may have gotten stuck at the top of your throat. It's ok. One of these days we will be released from tears. But, in the meantime they are important enough to God that He stores them all in a bottle.

"I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, Look, God's home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever." Rev.21:3-4 NLT

Heros

2010-02-09T14:28:00.000-08:00

Thinking about my list of heros. It's a big one! Over the years it changed, but many of the old heros have remained.

When we were kids our big heros were the soldiers, marines, navy, the whole bunch. Four of my uncles served the entire time of WWII. There were the baseball heros, Brooklyn Dodgers all the way! No, I didn't make a mistake, I know they are the LA Dodgers now!

When I got saved in 1960, my #1 Hero on the list was Jesus, and remains the same today. Jim was replaced as #1 for Jesus! Second on my list is Jim, he's my hero everyday too. Jesus is my Hero because He gave His life for me when I deserved nothing from Him. Family members are my heros!

Bible heros. Ordinary people who say yes to the Lord and change the world they lived in. In spite of great adversity. By His power, they got the job done. Noah, Abraham, Joseph, David, Gideon, Esther, Deborah, Nehemiah, Ezra, Jeremiah, Peter, Paul. God calls ordinary people who are sure they can do nothing on their own, but with the God of the universe, can do all things.

Church heros. Early saints and martyrs who lived and died for Christ. His name the most important thing to them. Every pastor and Church leader today that keep their eyes on Jesus and the vision He has for the Church are my heros. No adversity will ever stop the work of the Church. We have some heros in TRC!

Who do you have on your list??

Tears

2010-02-09T14:06:00.000-08:00

"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." Psalms 56:8

We try so hard to keep those tears back sometimes. So hard in fact, some of us have been taught to not cry! Problem with that is, the tears get stuck somewhere in us. God has a solution for everything! The only thing we have to do is let them come, and He will do the rest. When our tears are collected, God is telling us He cares about those things. He keeps them as a memorial so we don't have to.

I first wrote about tears in 1977. They still keep coming! The past two weeks had many tears for many people. Last weekend was one of those times. I've had to wait until today to be able to write anything about the events. The Memorial weekend for Joe and Linda Knight didn't have the edge to the tears that has been there before. In fact, the Gala night was a night of resoration and healing. We never met Joe and Linda but we love the church that has come out of their legacy. New strength is here. Some old things passed away and the vision for the Church is ahead. The Lord isn't the only One saying, "Go, go!"

We saw and heard tears on Saturday night, but it was time. It was meant to be. Now there are more tears in the bottle.

I wonder if God intends our collected tears to be His river in heaven? Rev. 22:1-2

This I Know...

2010-02-04T13:27:00.000-08:00

Two little words, "you know" or "I know". Everything can have its up and down times but when we say "I know..." these are the words from the Bible that makes everything steady. I started looking up verses with "I know" and "you know," or "we know" and discovered that God has caused His people to "know" some very important, stablizing truths for all times and especially during rocky times.Here are a few of them. Add to your list when you run across them in your study of the Bible.

"But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand on the earth at last." Job19:25

"Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you." Ps.9:10

"Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world." Ps. 46:10

"We believe, and we know you are the holy one of God." John 6:69

"... I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return." 2Tim.1:12

"And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments." 1John2:3

"This is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did." 1John2:6

"...the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth." 1John2:20

"We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us." 1John3:16

"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him." 1John3:18-19

"Those who obey God's commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us." 1John3:24

"We know that God's children do not make a practice of sinning, for God's Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. We know that we are the children of God and the world around us is under the control of the evil one." 1John5:18-19

Have you noticed the epistle of John seems to be the book of "know?"

Here's another, do you know this one?

"Jesus loves me this I know,
for the Bible tells me so..."

All Bible verses are taken from KJV or NLT

Stand

2010-01-29T09:26:00.000-08:00

That's the way we get the victory, standing. Read this command the Lord gave Moses when it was his time to stand. Exodus 8:20 "Then the Lord told Moses, Get up early in the morning and STAND IN PHARAOH'S WAY as he goes down to the river [one of the worship objects of all Egyptians, the Nile River]. Say to him, This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so they can worship me."

It probably was the last thing Moses wanted to do. He stuttered, had no confidence in his abilities given him by God. Couldn't quite trust God all the way, in spite of numerous assurances. Moses obeyed, maybe his knees were shaking, but he was standing. God was faithful to all he promised Moses and because of God's faithfulness, Moses was the great leader of his people out of slavery.

All of us have been where Moses was, scared. Moses had good reason, Israel had been slaves to Egypt over 400 years and he was told by God to stand in the way of the slave master. But, the more he trusted the Lord, the stronger Moses was.

It's time to stand. Right in front of Pharaoh. The Pharaoh for us today is anything and everything that holds us prisoner and keeps us from worshiping God with all that we are. We've been fasting for liberty, freedom, breakthrough and that's exactly what the Lord wants to give us. Time to rise early and stand.

The Debt

2010-01-26T04:27:00.000-08:00

Pastors Jeff and Melinda have led us well in the Awakening21 fast these last weeks. Jim and I have been reading Isaiah 58 every day and one phrase keeps sticking out in my heart; "...cancel debts." Isa. 58:8 MSG. Talk about flying in the face of American culture! If I can use an analogy, our cultural 'scripture' would say: "Show me the money," or, "You owe me." This is not a call to abandon our contract debts, this has more to do with forgiving personal offense. However, God is blessed when we forgive money debt too.

Matt. 18:21-35 is the parable Jesus told about the unmerciful servant who refused to forgive the debt of a fellow servant. They were ALL servants of the king, ALL in the same boat, but one chose to hold on to the debt and threw his fellow servant into prison for non-payment of the debt. Of course, in prison there is no way the servant will ever be able to repay the debt. Forever in debt. That's the way unforgiven offenses are, holding the person in the prison of our making, except we are the ones that end up in prison too. At some point we will come face to face with the king.

I see Isaiah 58 as a call to spiritual maturity in the body of Christ. This is the meat of the word. This is a scripture that if we take it to heart will eternally change us. Another step in faith to faith, glory to glory. This is the denying of self just to please Christ who has given all for us. This is one of the greatest breakthrough scriptures in the Bible. This is the rhema that sets us free from the degradation of offense when it lingers. This is the scripture that will lead us out of offense or help us forgive the offense before it gets deeply into our hearts. This is what we are fasting and praying for. God does what He says He will do, this is His covenant with us who will follow His word. God says "if" and "then." The 'if' part is ours to do, the 'then' part is what God will do when we first do the 'if.' No mistaking anything in this scripture, God is ready to do exactly what He says He will do.

Why are we fasting and praying? Is it not... Fill in the blank space. When God does a work, it is mighty. Expect to see Him do just what He promised.

God bless you in this great step of faith.

Days

2010-01-22T11:05:00.000-08:00

No, I do not have the ability to see Jim's blue eyes on twitter. That's what happens when you blog early in the morning. But I can text him and say, come home so I can see your blue eyes and ask how your day was! This blog idea began with the twitter from Down Under, Pastor Brian Houston; "Gidday." Wonder what we tweets made of that day the 20th? All our days and nights are from the God who created them and all things.

"Then God said, 'Let there be light.' And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light 'day' and the darkness 'night.' And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day." Genesis 1:3-5.

As I wrote the blog titled "Twitter," there was a new blog moving around in my brain about days. YesterDAYS, toDAYS, future Days, and the decisions we make in this gift of days we are given by God. Making it count every day, or just floating by in this life. Putting decisions on the shelf somewhere or taking steps in faith when we don't know what the outcome will be. (Marriage is like that, a step of faith whether we know it or not.) No one can know what the future holds for us, but our days are made up of many decisions. Some small, some very big, some excruciating.

One DAY Abram (Abraham) heard God tell him to leave his country and family for a place he knew nothing about. It must have been like taking the last known stairstep into darkness. But he followed God's will and it has changed and influenced the entire Church. One day, one obedient man.

Days pass and before we know it, we are moving into the seventh decade, at least I am! There is nothing we can do to change any day we have lived, just thank the Lord we had every day, because our times are in His hands. He is the one who uses each day for His glory no matter what happened or didn't happen. God said the light of day was good, I'm thanking God for the light of every one of my days.

Today is a new day, a gift. Tell someone you love them. The new day is opportunity. Surprise. Open doors, closed doors. Laughter, lots of that. (One twitter friend said she had a goal of 25 laughs for the day, excellent!) Encouragement. New steps of faith. How about this one? Sunday is another opportunity to worship with family and friends. Jesus is worthy of all praise! God wants us to have breakthrough, so come ready to praise.

I can't imagine a more exciting day to be living in than the 21st century. Whatever the day holds, give it everything you've got!

Twitter

2010-01-22T04:12:00.000-08:00

Is it the sound birds make at 4AM out of your open window in the summer? Or is it the descriptive word of a bride coming down the aisle as she watches her husband-to-be? All a-twitter. If you were born after 1950, you've probably never heard that expresion before, all a-twitter.

Twitter is a form of communication thousands (maybe millions) of people are doing on line or over their cell phones. Does anyone own a landline any more? Twitter is a community in itself. Twitter is a form of connecting people to life in Jesus. Twitter is used as a cry out to the twitter world for prayer. Twitter may be an easier way for a guy to ask a girl out on a date?? Twitter is a great reminder of events coming up. You know, for those of us that need the reminder. If only we could remember to look at our date book. C'mon, you really don't think we're that old do you? After reading twitters from friends for several months, it's easy to see when something isn't going quite right, so God uses this form of communication to care for each other. Twitter is an open door for 21st century busy people to stay in touch. We need each other. We really do. (Guy named Reuben Welch wrote a book a few years ago titled, We Really Do Need Each Other).

January 20 late at night thousands of people got a one word twitter from Pastor Brian Houston... "Gidday". His day was just starting and he thought of the twitter world that follows him. Our day was ending. Wednesday was gone for us. We can never go back to add or take away what that day was all about. Did we go to bed angry or stressed? Did we miss opportunity? Was it filled with busyness or did we take time for silence and listen for God's voice?

Never fear. Another day is here right now. Thank God for creating day and night. He is present in both. I'm going to make the most of it, and we can use twitter to help a little. Encourage a friend. Pray with a friend until they are feeling stronger. Take a long look in Jimmie's blue eyes and ask him how things are going. Get encouragement from Jeff's daily blog on Awakening21 fast and prayer.

I'm glad for the day I decided to use twitter. Always wanted to hear more of T.D. Jakes since Creative Church Conference (C3) a few years ago and I just "hear" his voice now on twitter. It's amazing the people who have twitter accounts! Try it, you might like it. www.twitter.com

What Do You Have in Your Hand?

2010-01-19T08:11:00.000-08:00

I went on a hunting expedition this morning for the multiple stories of Jesus feeding multitudes of people. (Mt. 14:13-21, Mt. 15:32-39, Mk. 6:30-34, Mk. 8:1-9, Lk. 9: 12-17, Jn. 6:1-13). There is a common thread in these accounts that is amazing. Jesus told, and still tells His disciples (that would be us!) "you feed!" How are we ever going to feed so many Lord? Whatever Jesus blesses will be multiplied and it will be done. Jesus is telling us not to fret when hundreds come, because thousands are coming!

Today on the news I saw an example in Haiti of God's people taking care of business. No one is waiting around for someone to come and help them out. I wouldn't call it a well-oiled machine, but the job of caring and loving survivors is getting done.

Their church lies in ruins in the background. They have arranged shelters for themselves and any neighbor who comes into the church property. Fires are going, huge pots of stews are being cooked. Each of God's people have given what PENNIES they have in their hands and from that little bit, God is giving much. Vegetables, fruits and perhaps a little meat. Their faces show their trust is in the Living God! The earthquake has strengthened their faith and they are ALL sharing what they have. They know they are the blessed of God. We don't have much in the way of problems do we?

Every day we have a roof over our heads, food on the table and clothing to wear, gas in the car to get to work. Let us be thankful and realize when tough times, really tough times come, our Father never abandons us. Be encouraged today to give what you have in your hand. Haiti is one of the poorest nations on this earth, yet in the middle of their adversity, Christians have their own "Feed-a-Block" going. God bless His people in Haiti.

Vision 2

2010-01-13T13:56:00.000-08:00

Yes; without vision, the people perish. "When people do not accept divine guidance [vision],they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful." Prov. 29:18 NLT. Now, "Vision 1" is complete.

I've been reading of the loaves and fishes. In the three accounts I read, Jesus had compassion on the people. Love compelled Him to feed and take care of the people who came to Him with their needs. When Jesus blesses what we give, there is more than enough to go around.

What a large vision for the disciples. You feed...you feed...you feed. And with the blessing of Jesus, they did just that. No one went away from the provision hungry. I love the prefix, pro and suffix, vision! At the beginning it must have seemed an impossible task. All by ourselves it will always be so, but we will never have to be anxious about the vision God gives. He will never leave us or forsake us.

This is no small mission Jesus has given us. From the beginning, it's been large vision. Consider the Great Commission...go into ALL the world and preach the gospel. Everything God does is big. Creation vision, big. Salvation through Jesus Christ, the most powerful vision the world has ever experienced. God's vision for love, so great it's never ending. It's difficult to imagine anyone ever turning down the blessing of being part of this. Even if our part is small, when it's together, God will bless it.

Keep your eyes and ears open for the next few weeks concerning vision. Pray. Talk with friends about vision. Churches all over the world are getting ready to see a move of God so great...There are no words for it, except be ready. No one is left out, just say yes and God will provide for vision. Opportunities will seem to pop up out of no where. Just look at the news today, the terrible quake in Haiti and Dominican Republic. Look, just look at the outpouring of compassion God is giving people to help rescue, to heal, to provide. This is God moving in our earth. This is so big, it overshadows everything else we hear in the media . This is the Great Commission in action. Action has been a big part of TRC as long as we have been attending, almost six years. I expect it to soar and we will never look back except to thank God for what He has done in the past.

Can we do this? In our really small Monroe? In the power of His might, we will do it. God says.

Vision

2010-01-13T07:12:00.000-08:00

I've been praying since yesterday for blog words to write about God's vision. Every day we know that God has been stepping up the pace of ministry through TRC, but putting living words to the vision that He has given is another thing. It's like trying to explain the presence of Jesus. Words are wholly lacking to describe what that means in the heart. It's the same with vision.

There are certain things we know about vision. We perish without it. "Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." There's a clue, obedience to the will of God. Jesus very simply called his disciples, "Come, follow me." No big explaination, no great response from the disciples about what questions they may have had, if they did have questions. (Do you suppose Judas thought to himself, "what's in it for me?" Just wondering.)

The call of Jesus covers everything. Anxious about the unknown? Come, follow me. How will I have time for everything? Come, follow me. I will if... What is that to you? Come, follow me. I don't have much. Come, follow me. I'm weak, come follow me. Whatever we can come up with, Jesus says: "Come, follow me."

The second part of Vision soon.

Sweet Presence of Jesus

2010-01-11T15:11:00.000-08:00

Early this morning my granddaughter Rosemary and I had a twitter exchange about a worship song titled "This is our God." It's one of many worship and praise songs that Hillsong has produced. The song is the title to the cd. Well worth having it.

This afternoon I was doing some veggie shopping at Uwajimaya in Bellevue, thinking this whole time about worship and found myself rushing to get done with errands and get home. I knew an "event" with the Lord was about to happen. I got my iPod and started listening to the song. Had to play it again. And again and again. How precious and sweet is the presence of Jesus our Lord! We are powerfully changed in His presence. Oh, if all the world would know how beautiful our Savior is!

Since being a part of TRC, the way I look at praise and worship has been changed forever.

We are created to worship the Lord. All of God's creation has a desire to worship something greater than what we are, so some create no-gods so they can "see" their god, but their no-god will forever be what it is, a no-god without power to love, create, forgive, or bless. We have the honor to worship the true and living God, and I pray all of us will come to prayer and worship looking at worship with new eyes. We can have high expectations because of who our God is.

I pray this Sunday we all come expecting to know the presence of Jesus as we worship together. Let's thank God we still have the privilege of freely worshiping Him with all that we are.

Christmas Eve 2009

2010-01-07T11:40:00.000-08:00

Must see! Our granddaughter Rosemary just posted pictures and comments from the evening together. She and her husband Josh, also known as CB1, have a definite flair for capturing everything with pictures. That's why you must see! www.chakulablog.com This is their food blog and it is very much like them; joyful, colorful, and passionate. Click on the link here, or on the left side of my blog and you'll be there.

2010:Men and Women of Influence

2010-01-05T15:44:00.000-08:00

We are chosen by God to be people of influence in our families, the Church, our neighborhoods, our nations, our world. God hasn't called us into His great kingdom to be men and women sitting on the sidelines of life.

I've been thinking about influence since before Christmas; who has influenced me, who are the great influences from the Bible, what great pastors have we had that have influenced us? Some of the greatest influences have been people with humble spirits. Most have never been well known. Others from the Bible are favorites of all of us. I love the life of Esther. Her circumstances of being an orphan could have had a negative influence on her, but God had big plans for her. From God's point of view, it doesn't matter what our background has been. Many times He chose the humble to do His greatest work. The shepherd boy David faced down the giant and influenced his nation for God the rest of his life. And what of Gideon? Saul/Paul had a confrontation with God and look how the world has been influenced by Paul's obedience?

It's true, no matter who we are, because of His Spirit in us, we are men and women of influence. World changing, nation changing, life changing influence. Just coming to church, doing the bare minimum (no such thing in God's kingdom), isn't for any of us. If someone in your life has said to you, that you'll never amount to anything, I challenge you to reject that in Jesus name because it's a lie.

2010, twenty-ten, MMX, however you want to put it, dust off your gifts that God has placed in you and use them to influence people...this year. If you're wondering how that will happen, come to TRC Sunday, 9:30 and 11:30 AM and you will hear about prayer and fasting. Put yourself in God's hands and you will know what He wants you to do.

Message to a Friend

2009-12-29T04:44:00.000-08:00

What you are experiencing right now in this state of rebellion is the grace of God. He alone is the Giver of all life. He is our very breath, (Gen. 2:7). He chooses when and how long we breathe. There is only one God who gives us life. Physical, spiritual and emotional life, and when we rebel, we waste that precious life He gives.

Did the way get too narrow for you? Have you taken offense at someone? The way of rebellion is the broad way and at first it will seem like it gives freedom, but it's a trap. It all leads to captivity and eventual death. There is nothing you will find in this world that will match the love of Christ in your life. Why would you ignore His great love when you need it the most?

This may be a hard saying (John 6:60-64), but faithful are the wounds of a friend, Proverbs 27:5-9. If you are courageous, read Proverbs 27, the whole chapter. In it you'll find what grace gives, and also what rebellion gives when we insist on living our own way.

We are almost at the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century. Time is moving quickly my dear friend. I challenge you to take a great leap of faith, put away the lust of the flesh. You will never be satisfied fully in this world, but in Christ all of us are heirs to all things. Make 2010 a new beginning, the grace of our Christ is about restoration of all things. Let your alls be all.

TRC this Sunday, 9:30, 11:30. We're saving the seat for you. Friends are waiting.

My Christmas Thank You List

2009-12-14T20:10:00.000-08:00

Did anyone watch AFV with a little boy that had a Christmas gift list a mile long and he didn't stop! The Santa would say is that all, when the little boy took a breath then he would start in again. He remembered the entire list in his head!

That video reminded me we should have a thank you list to Jesus that long. What other people have a God like our God? No one. So, this is my blog about the main things I'm thankful for.

The list starts out with Jesus, He is the center of everything. He is the reason for everything in this life; all we are, all we have, all we have accomplished. He is the reason we breathe. He is the Giver of life and salvation. Without that, nothing else adds up or makes sense. Second is my family. My husband and friend Jim for over 52 years and all the children we have together, and that's a lot! We are a blessed family. Third, is TRC, the best church we have ever been a part of. I'm thankful for faithful, loving pastors who diligently watch over our souls with our elders. I'm thankful for the life lessons I have learned at TRC. I'm thankful for being part of a
GIVING church. When criticism comes, it's a signal to give more!

I'm thankful for friends, in church and out of church. One friendship is over 30 years long. That's a treasure. When we see each other, we pick up where we left off. Friends are those who stick with you no matter what. When they have something to say, they say it. When there is nothing to say, they come to comfort. The greatest friend we all have is Jesus, He sticks closer that a brother, (that's in Proverbs.)

I'm thankful to Jesus for my cousin Jan. We have been watching God bless her life the last several decades. God has blessed her with a loving, faithful husband who loves the Lord, two beautiful daughters and a passle of grandchildren that make grandma and grandpa so proud. God has been taking good care of Jan as she has gone through some tough procedures for breast cancer. She has had her last chemo and radiation treatment and we are so thankful to God.

So what's on your "thank you God" list? Bless the blog world with your list.

Merry Christmas to everyone and God bless you.

Planting Seeds 2

2009-10-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

Planting seeds always produces the goods. Planting seeds is a double-fold blessing. Joy when we plant; giving what we have, and joy when we reap the harvest.

Grandpa Amundson loved planting, then looking over the whole field with the satisfied look of a man who knew it was a job well done. He didn't say much, the look and nod of the head was enough. Planting was in his DNA too, his father before him, his father before him. So far, the news of family history has gone back to the 1700's in Norway.

The wisdom of Jesus uses planting and scattering seeds as a parable to teach us about the kingdom. God provides the seed, we plant and God gives the increase. We are workers together with God, it's a winning combination. Here are two of my favorite scriptures on scattered seed and harvest. Luke 8:12-15, 2Cor. 9:6-11. Scatter some seeds this week and the following week, and the week after...yielding an abundant harvest.

Surprise someone, ask them out to lunch because you know how valued they are to God. Their response might be, "You want to have lunch with us?"
5.00 left in your pocket, purse or wallet? Go ahead, I dare you. Give it to someone.
Stop and talk to the next worried person you see, they're all over the place. Encourage them, tell them Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith.
Buy a coffee bar drink for that teenager who is sitting alone.
Volunteer once a month in the nursery. Feed, rock to sleep, change a poopy diaper and love on those special babies. Toni Knight is the lady to see.
Tell Mary you will help her clean the kitchen after lunch. If you need encouragement in your life, Mary and Sue are ready to give it out.
Buy a Bible for a brand new Christian.
Send a note of love and appreciation to pastors.
Be a voice of faith when things are shaking.
Be a good listener.

Pick one this week, without expecting thanks for what you do, then do something else the week after, the week after, the week after. Before you know it, a new habit has been established, the habit of good deeds. Good deeds are kingdom work and our eternal reward is coming. Imagine the look on the face of Jesus when He says, well done, you're a good servant.

"The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life..." Proverbs 11:30

Planting Seeds in Minnesota

2009-10-22T15:51:00.000-07:00

I've got planting in my DNA. My brothers and I spent our summers on Grandpa and Grandma Amundson's farm in Rothsay, Minnesota. We had certain jobs to help Grandpa, all our uncles and farm hands as they did the work of farming. Amazing how scattered seed grows up to be straight, long rows of corn. It's a beautiful thing!

One of our jobs was to carry lunches and water and huge containers of fresh milk to the workers. No easy thing for barefoot kids who wanted to play. We had to cross several fields to find just where they were. Some fields had been plowed, some had not.

The unplowed fields were hard, baked-in-the-sun dirt. Still had razor sharp grain stems from the year before sticking up out of the dirt. It was slow moving in this field. It's like the heart that has been unplowed by the Holy Spirit. Hard, impossible to plant seeds in. Just not ready! We loved the freshly plowed field. Soft, warm straight rows of dirt. So soft our feet would sink deep down. That field is like the heart that is plowed by the Holy Spirit. Ready to receive, soft and ready, already warmed by the sun. We are changed by the work of the Holy Spirit!

Ahhh yes, the lunch. The Minnesota "little lunch." Remember, these workers are hungry because they have been working since sunup, so lunch for them is at 10 AM. Must have potatoes, meat (preferably beef, occasionally Grandma would kill one of her chickens for a delicious fried chicken lunch) and either homemade white bread or lefse. Lefse is a Norwegian delight! Made out of mashed potatoes, butter, small amount of cream and flour. Baseball sized globs are then rolled out flat and placed on a very hot greaseless griddle till bubbly and browned. Turns out the lefse looks a lot like a flour tortilla! After all this, is there room for dessert and coffee from the thermos? You betcha! Usually pie. Custard pie of some kind or homemade cookies. My brothers and I would eat the lefse and watch these heros of our childhood consume the lunch we had brought. We would then clean up everything, grab the metal containers that held the lunch, wash them all up and be ready to go again with a snack and coffee at 4pm.

By sundown everyone was finished for the day and all gathered around the big table in the kitchen-dining room. We had walked in to the smell of either freshly baked white bread or lefse. Yum! While it was still dark the next day, Grandma and Grandpa would be stirring around, ready to begin the next day of spring planting. Love for the farm motivated them every day. Nothing stopped them from doing the work of planting and harvesting. Not hail, tornadoes, too much spring rain, or pesky bugs that threatened the crops. They always came back to finish the
job.

All of us are farmers. Or fishermen and women. More on scattering seed tomorrow, going to celebrate Olivia's 7th birthday.

Influence 3

2009-10-21T15:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a question for you when you think about being an influence for good in the body of Christ. "Where can I influence in a greater way? Don't let Satan negate our influence with people. Forget what you aren't doing, just do. Take another step up the mountain." P. Jeff.

Here are some descriptive words and phrases P. Jeff ended with: healing, selfless, focus, willing, serve, compassion, generosity ("This is our culture. There is no other way." P. Jeff), faithfulness,, love, forgive, thanks, values, pray, helpers, influencers, go, grace. Phrases: the whole Church, ministers of healing, speak truth, exist for others, don't assume, at one, to be shared, dream big with P. Jeff and P. Melinda, kingdom work, salt of the earth (Mt. 5: 13) influence the kingdom, be about your Father's business, people of damaged faith will find their way back, anchor to you Jesus, called to promote Jesus and his kingdom.

"Our influence matters."

Influence 2

2009-10-21T14:53:00.000-07:00

At some point in our lives we have all had people who have influenced us. I clearly remember the people that had influence in my life before and after I became a follower of Jesus.

All of the following sentences in quotes are from P. Jeff. One of the most powerful statements P. Jeff made was this. "Our influence matters." Influence can lead us to do positive things or negative things. Not one person in this world can say they are without influence. Did you know that being an influencer is a skill that we can learn?

"We MODEL influence. What we say and do will be repeated!" How many of you have had the experience of having a child repeat what they have heard at home? Oh-oh! It's happened to us, that's modeling. One day I saw the three children of a couple from church doing what they know mommy and daddy do. They had Bibles in their hands, Sunday best t-shirts and shorts on, walking with a very determined walk into the lobby. Doing what has been modeled for them consistently.

"We MOTIVATE when we communicate on an emotional level." Sometimes influencing requires us to be cheerleaders to others and that's a good thing!

"We are MENTORS when we have direct focus on a person, we build confidence and trust." One of the greatest blessings in our lives as Christ followers, AND one of the greatest responsibilities is to mentor other people.

"We are MULTIPLIERS. This is the highest level of influence." The book of Acts is the story of many of the Churches greatest influencers, their love for Christ had highly motivated them to go out and multiply the Church. And here we are today, in the 21st century. Here is a challenge for you. Read and reread the book of Acts and learn from some of the best! What an adventure story of these influencers!

Influence 1

2009-10-21T14:17:00.000-07:00

A week ago Tuesday evening, P. Jeff talked to the Support Team and elders about being influencers in our church, communities, nation and world-wide. It wasn't a brand new message. He has taught on being an influence when he began his pastoral ministry. In fact, Jesus taught His disciples on having influence.

All of us who have the Spirit of God residing in us, have influence in people's lives. Whether we realize it or not, God's Spirit has given us gifts. All of us have gifts and those gifts are to influence the people that God sends into our lives. We may be in a place where we think we either don't have the motivation to influence...because we are too shy? Afraid to speak? Positive we will be rejected? Any number of reasons we can come up with. The truth remains, God has given us gifts. We are fully equipped to influence people to be saved and to become dedicated followers of Christ. (Hebr. 13:20-21, Eph. 4:11-13, 2Tim. 3:16-17).

Our influence is one of the most important gifts we have been given, and P. Jeff inspired us to be influencers in His great kingdom. If you wern't there, I'm going to blog some of the things P. Jeff said so you can be blessed too.

I- influence in the same direction, unity. Thoughts, actions, deeds align.
N- nurture, TRC leaders will never intentionally hurt people, give the benefit of the doubt.
F- faith, show our faith, what we stand for.
L- listen, focus on people you are talking to, have empathy. Having empathy is not always
having answers.
U- understand, having sympathy for people.
E- enlarge our sphere of influence, enlarge our thinking, make a committment to enlarge our
visibility and come to both services.
N-navigate change.
C- connect people to people when your plate is full.
E- empower others.
R- reproduce great influencers

Breakfast at the Village Square Cafe

2009-10-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

Jim and I have been going to this "forties" decor diner for ten years. Today I decided to write a blog about it, and grabbed the napkin I was supposed to wipe my mouth with and started blog notes.

Village Cafe is in Redmond, across from the Redmond Fire Dep't, station 12, hello guys, we appreciate what you do for us! TVC is booths, tables and a counter with red vinyl swinging stools. Collectables all over on shelves. Saturday morning at the cafe always means long lines. We thought with the heavy rain, people would be making breakfast at home. Not so. Jim and I got the last two stools at the counter, shook the rain off and sat down.

Ahhhh! Seated. My steamy hot venti coffee is staring me in the face, order up! We are at the center of the cafe counter, right in front of a huge mirror that covers the wall in front of us. I notice people are lining up behind us, they look cold and wet. They all have that 'I'm waiting' look. They want our seats. Sorry, we just got here. These people are hungry and ready to leap in if we give so much as a hint we are ready to go. (If they had noticed the venti coffee, they would have known it would be a long time before we left.)

My first bite. I look in the mirror. Yep. They're watching! Not only have people filled the cafe behind us, a long line of really wet people are looking at all of us through the window. Now, I'm faced with a choice. Do I shovel it all in quickly and give counter seats up, or do I take the proper time to eat a waffle, one piece of bacon and one scrambled egg? Being proper won out.

I take another bite. This time it's the crispy, browned waffle that smells so delicious. They are still staring. I'm about to find out why these seats were open! The waitress is bringing plates of uneaten food toward us. The garbage dump is right in front of us, under the counter! The pan for dirty dishes is next to the garbage. Took a look at my plate, more than half the breakfast is left. I've got at least 15 more minutes to eat the last of the meal. The line of people outside have gotten so cold and wet, they are huddled together in a bunch. Still looking in the window. I think, "It's nice strangers could get together and help each other out." I take another guilt-free bite.

Twenty minutes are up. We start stirring around and the hungry, patient people behind us have noticed. Newspapers are being folded and put under arms and their eyes are on the menus. I grab my note filled napkin and we're off to other errands.

I know we'll be back to the Village Square Cafe. Well, maybe not on a Saturday.

Suddenly

2009-10-16T15:06:00.000-07:00

I listened to Neal Cuvuto give some details of a talk he had with a friend who was celebrating His 50th birthday recently. They were enjoying the fact that the market was looking pretty good after hitting the 10,000 mark. They got down to the real important stuff; what it's been like turning 50 in this uncertain world, how several of this man's family had died early deaths, (in their 40's and 50's). What made this conversation so striking to me is people are thinking about something outside of pouring their lives out every day at work and neglecting the most important issue...life itself, and what makes it so important.

The friend talking to Neal had experience with the suddenness of life. Unexpected deaths from disease passed down through genes, the market is very fickle and could suddenly change with a major drop, their ability to make a good living in our competitive society is shaking. The unasked questions in both of them was, exactly how did everything begin to change, when did it all start to slip through my control and why?

The truth is, "it" never was in our control, none of it. God has placed powers and authorities in position, He has the king's hearts in His hands. He blesses whomever He wants to bless and He can withhold from whomever He wants. God said, "Jacob I loved, Esau I hated [rejected]." Rom. 9:13. Job had it all crash away in one day. Nothing as easy as slipping out of his control, a little at a time. "Suddenly, a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and hit the house on all sides..." Job 1:19. Just part of the verse tells the complete story. The Lord will suddenly bless too. "Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them." Acts2: 2-3.

These two men in their fifities having a man to man about life are thinking of how suddenly it could all be taken away. Imagine the ministry the Church is having in times like these? This is what He has equipped us for...influence in this world. We have everything we need in Christ. A powerful word on influence came from P. Jeff this week at the All-Team meeting on Tuesday. I'm going to write another blog soon on the important words we heard at this meeting. Not just words in a notepad, but words that turn into demonstration of the Gospel of the kingdom in our world. Yes, for those fifty something guys who look like they have it all together too. Whosoever will may come!

Random Thoughts on Grace

2009-10-14T08:29:00.000-07:00

These may be random thoughts, but the blessing of grace is anything but random. God is very intentional about all His gifts and because we are His people, we are enriched by these gifts.

This week I've been reading part of the story of King Josiah in 2Chronicles 34-35. Here's where grace comes in for we who are under the new covenant, 35:2-4.

"Josiah also assigned the priests to their duties and encouraged them in their work at the Temple of the Lord. He issued this order to the Levites, who were to teach all Israel and who had been set apart to serve the Lord. Put the holy Ark in the Temple that was built by Solomon son of David, the king of Israel. You no longer ned to carry it back and forth on your shoulders. Now spend your time serving the Lord your God and his people Israel. Report for duty..."

The king assigns and the king encourages those he assigns to work in his kingdom.

The Levites or priests; we are all priests to our God, are to teach all of Israel because we have been set apart for this purpose.

The holy Ark, God's presence, belongs in the Temple. That's us! The forgiven heart is the holy of holies for the presence of God.

"You no longer have to carry [the ark] back and forth on your shoulders."

NO LONGER DO WE CARRY THE LAW ON OUR BACKS!

That's what the law was, a burden on our backs that kept reminding us of our sins.

Now we are free because of the New Covenant, our sins are forgiven, we are justified (free from the penalty of our sins) and made holy by the blood of the Lamb.

Now our time is spent in serving the Lord and His people.

"Report for duty..."

What love! What infinite love!

Even if we can't fully understand it and explain it, we can demonstrate this love that sets us free eternally.We are shown opportunities every day how to demonstrate this love that forgives.

Love your enemies.

Pray for those who spitefully use you.

Forgive the debt.

Cover it with love.

Hope all things for those who look hopeless.

How rich we are to be given these blessings. Opportunities for the world, family, and church to SEE the work of the Holy Spirit.

To Infinity

2009-10-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

The title of this blog is an expression our kids used to say to cover every emotion they couldn't explain, especially the really big ones! Here's one: "I love you to infinity!" See, an expression like that always needs an exclaimation point after it. The seed for this blog began early this morning at 6:40 in a tweet from Jim. He sent out Psalms 147:3. When the seed of the Gospel falls on good ground, it produces fruit!

Fast forward to afternoon prayer. "What love, what grace You give us Lord! You can't love us any more than You do because we have been given all of it. It's just that in these human bodies we aren't able to contain it all."

When we are able to see ourselves in God's word like Psalms 147:3, He works His miracles. He tenderly heals our broken hearts when we run to His cross and ask! Remember, "...it is finished."

When we are able to accept more and more of God's love, our containers get bigger and bigger to receive more of this infinite love. If we could contain a tiny fraction of God's love, our world, our churches, our lives, our families would be changed dramatically.

The love that we understand here on earth is the kind that has attachments to it and the Lord wants to change that. It begins and ends with love. That's how we are able to forgive. This love being infinite is like something we can swim in and be changed from the inside out. Changed, cleansed and being made whole.

Serving with God's love is our motivation. Serving as law cannot possibly satisfy the heart and its needs. When we pray we can't possibly tell Jesus that we served because of the law. It doesn't work, God's infinite love is what makes everything work.

I'm so thankful the Lord gave me the memory of our kids using this phrase. The older child taught the younger child and it got passed down for years. There is nothing like a little child loudly proclaiming, "I wuv you to infinity."

Skip down to verse 15 of Psalms 147 and read out loud. His word flies swiftly!! That makes me think of modern technology, I love it. God's "swiftly" is faster than we can imagine. A friend twittered Matt. 10:8. God has freely given us His love, another friend twittered, "God is moving today." Yes, He is and He wants to continue to move in great ways in our church.

C'mon! God is ready to pour out His infinite love every day, as much as we can contain. Until we see Him we will know ALL His love! Pray about this love, show this love to someone. Speak His word and watch it swiftly go to the heart of a needy person. Twitter, text, e-mail His word, send His love in a letter. Most of all, demonstrate His infinite love today.

Cover It With Love

2009-10-02T03:40:00.000-07:00

The Lord is faithful. Especially when it's time to relearn a lesson. A difficult one for the human mind is covering all things with love. That doesn't mean we stop dealing with difficulties, it just means we don't take offense first or second or third when any of life's hard times come. It means deal with it, then cover it with love.

We have the power to do that because the Lord has shown us in our own lives how to do it. When we were saved, Jesus covered all our sins with His love. He loved us so much that He forgave all our sins and and has paid our penalty for all those sins. Every one of them. This is His kind of love, agape. This kind of love is a feast of love, dear love, charity. The kind of love given when love isn't given to us. It's the kind of love that covers all kinds of loss. If we are to be imitators of Christ, here is a great one to imitate. What do you suppose God can do with a life and in a life that is committed to this kind of love? Especially in the body of Christ?

An opportunity was thrust into our lives a few years ago to show this kind of love and forgiveness and for two days I couldn't reach that point. One of our adult children was very badly hurt by someone that we had known for 30 years. In two days anger and hurt caught up with me, I realized God was trying to speak to me through this betrayal. I asked Jesus for help after I repented for not taking that step at the very first. Would have saved a lot of grief and pain from a big headache! Such peace in covering sins committed against us!

"You forgave the guilt of your people-yes, you covered all their sins." Psalms 85:2
"...Be strong. And do everything with love." 1Cor.16-13b

That's it right there, the reason we have this kind of love, our own sins have been covered. We can do it, but not on our own. Paul said it, he would rather take a loss or cover it, than to hold on and allow the loss to captivate him.

When love motivates us, (remember what P. Jeff said? "Love made me do it." It's that kind of love) we can expect to see the Holy Spirit do some mighty work in our midst. I'm looking for it.

Freedom

2009-09-25T08:47:00.000-07:00

The idea for this blog started yesterday, on Twitter! Does God use technology to spread His word? Yes! It continued on twitter this morning when I posted a verse from John about freedom and it went from there. Here is the verse: "A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free." John 8:35-36. Then my twitter question was, "how long is forever?" Here is one of the answers: Forev....................(No ending).

So, with that in mind, where do we go from here with that knowledge, with that living word? Here's the important question. Do we continue in sin, since we are sons and daughters forever? A thousand times ...NO!

"Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives." Romans 6:1-4

Our response to this gift of grace and freedom is not to continue in sin, but to continue in changed lives! This grace is the power to do that. We continue in the love that Christ has given us through this gift; we love more, not less! We worship Him every day because of this gift and when we meet together we worship and praise more not less! We serve more, we give more, not less! This gift of freedom compels us, urges us on and on to live for Him and not for our own desires. The power of change in this gift is so great, we MUST speak and tell the story of His love.

We are sons and daughters of God. Thanks be to God for this gift.

Odor

2009-09-23T13:43:00.000-07:00

Language is an amazing thing. Some words may have similar meaning, but with just a hint of difference. Odor is one of those words that can evoke a good meaning, but in another way, not so good. For instance, when the cook is busy in the kitchen and homemade spaghetti sauce is the result, the 'odor' is delightful! On the other hand, having been the mother of four boys, opening the closet door to find old lunches, dirty sneakers and clothes on the floor...well, tends to slam you in the face with the odor.

The odor I'm blogging about today is found in John 11:1-44. The beautiful story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Just as our spirits are dead in the grave without salvation, Lazarus was physically dead for several days. God intends for this event to bring glory to the only One who is worthy of glory. When Jesus started praying, He spoke in past tense, as though the deed had already happened, no doubts faith! (v41). With a great shout, "Lazarus, come out, and the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, Unwrap him and let him go!"

Do you have the picture? Lazarus has heard the rhema, his dead body had to obey! Out he comes; stinking, odorous graveclothes still clinging to his body. The headcloth still covering his face. What held it there? His body had been decaying for several days in the grave. He couldn't see very well. Jesus told the relatives who were there to pay respects to a dead brother to unwrap him and let him go.

This powerful retelling of the life, death and resurrection of Lazarus is ours too. We are dead in trespasses and sins until Jesus gets hold of our lives! We are risen to new life, coming out of the grave of sin. We are still bound by some graveclothes we take with us because our human nature has gotten comfortable with some things of the old life. One by one, these stinking graveclothes are removed by the work of the Holy Spirit, until we will be completely set free. These graveclothes could represent many things. Love of things in this life so much that it takes love from Jesus and serving Him. It could be our past. The shame of our past, the anger or unforgiveness toward those who have hurt us. It could be fear of slipping back into old ways, or bitterness that clings. It could be old accusations that have labeled themselves on the graveclothes: loser, you'll never amount to anything, stupid. Many hurtful things that bind us up. The feet of Lazarus were bound. But...

God's will is that we are set free from old, stinking graveclothes. Beautiful are the feet that publish the gospel. Be freed to speak His Good News! The Holy Spirit is at work on our behalf, His work never stops! Imagine if you will, the voice of Jesus commanding that those things that bind us be taken off! Let's trust Jesus today for deliverance. Tell someone today youwant to be free of graveclothes and their odor. More room for the fragrance of Christ.

Perfume 2

2009-09-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

There are many verses about perfume in the Bible. Another woman named Mary was compelled to show this love to Jesus (besides the woman of Luke 7:36-50.) "Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar [grande] of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, (spikenard) and she anointed Jesus' feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance." John 12:3. This is Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus. She is at the feet of Jesus and wiping his feet with her hair, just as the woman of Luke 7 did. In both cases we have a man who absolutely despised what he was seeing in this love and devotion from the women.

Simon, the Pharisee of Luke 7 is bound up by the law and he is glad for it. He thinks this is his salvation, obeying all the rules and everything will be ok. He forgot the teaching of the prophet Micah 6:8, the 'minor prophet' with a major message. This meal took place in Simon's house. What was an immoral woman doing in his house? Simon was privileged to clearly see the road to salvation was repentance, yet he rejected it because judgement had a place in his heart. Poor Simon, rich woman.

By this time the fragrance had to have filled all the house where they were. A constant reminder of the absence of love in his heart. That love drove the woman to be at the feet of Jesus. When Mary in John 12:3 poured the perfume, it says the fragrance filled the whole house! What a nagging reminder to the man under the law! Long after everyone left, the fragrance lingered, it was so powerful. It's like the fragrance of every Christian who witnessed to me before I was saved. It lingered for years and when I was saved I remembered everyone, including strangers on the street.

Two of the people I remember was a Nazarene pastor and his wife that used to come to our house EVERY Friday with a freshly made loaf of Jewish rye bread and invited us to church. What was our answer for months? No. Did we ever say yes? No. They never gave up. When we repented in Alaska I started writing letters to those I knew who had witnessed to me. This couple was the first I wrote to. It was a letter encouraging them to never give up: inviting people to church, asking them to give their lives to Christ, invite them to your home, give gifts. Every good act showers the fragrance of Jesus on this poor, sick world.

We are the house! The Spirit of Christ takes residence in us when we are saved, and when we grow from grace to grace...more perfume! I want my whole house filled with the fragrance of Christ!

By the way, spiknard that was used in Bible times for fragrance was very costly. The plant was dried, then CRUSHED to get the oil and fragrance. To be the fragrance of Jesus we will be crushed but not destroyed!

Perfume

2009-09-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

The idea for this blog got started on Sept. 13, in the first service. Pastor Jeff was speaking on serving and he made this statement, "love made me do it." One of the scriptures that he used was from Luke 7: 36-47. Go ahead and read it, and think about the presence of Jesus as the fragrance that fills the room as you read.

Perfumery is big business. Walk into any department store. As you open the front doors the air from the store comes rushing out the open door...perfume! The packaging is the next thing that always gets my attention. If its attractive, I head right for it to look and smell. The selection is enormous, the packaging is beautiful, the names of the perfumes are intriguing. Ellen Tracy, Juicy Couture, Chanel 5, on and on. As wonderful as the perfume counter is, none of these earthly delights can ever approach the fragrance we are blessed to have in the presence of Jesus.

I've been reading 1st. and 2nd Corinthians the last couple weeks. I was stirred again about perfume reading 2Cor. 2:14-16 . "Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?"

More tomorrow on "Perfume." Have to be in His presence!

Mercy

2009-09-18T01:14:00.000-07:00

"Your unfailing love, [mercy in the NKJ] O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds." Ps.36:5

One day I was thinking about this verse and looking at the clouds in the sky and the earth as it was spinning around in the heavens and realized that no matter where the earth is, God's great mercy is so large it's over us every inch of the way. Wherever this earth spins, we can't get away from His mercy! That led me to search the scriptures on mercy. Both God's mercy to us and our response to His mercy. Here's some of what I found. These are some of the descriptive words inspired writers have written about our God and His mercy to us...

Mercies are great, manifold mercies, tender mercies, multitude of mercies, sure mercies, showing mercy, extended mercy, mercy shall compass him, plentious in mercy, mercy is everlasting, mercy is good, delights in mercy, rich in mercy, full of mercy. There is no such thing as stingy mercy, or begrudging mercy. If there were, it would be false.

God's message of mercy to us is...hope in His mercy, keep His mercy, love His mercy, we are vessels of mercy.

The next time you feel mercy slipping, hope in His mercy again because it is all of the above and more. Keep His mercy as one of your highest treasures from the Lord. Love His mercy and you will begin to see more and more of it. His salvation has made us vessels of mercy. His mercy will never run out, there is plenty to go around. That means we get to share it with those that may not deserve it (we don't either!) because we are containers of that great blessing, God's mercy.

When you look up into the heavens, remember God's mercy is all around us, every minute of the day and night. Thank and praise Him for His glorious gift, mercy. Honor God by showing His mercy to the Body of Christ, to people you work with, to family, to someone who has offended you. Your life will never be the same. Another step in growing from glory to glory.

He Will...

2009-09-15T04:19:00.000-07:00

"Through him:
God has enriched your church in every way..."
"This confirms:
that what I told you about Christ is true..."
"Now you:
have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus
Christ..."
"He will...
keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord
Jesus Christ returns..."
"God will:
do this, for he is faithful to do what he says and he has invited you into partnership with his
Son, Jesus Christ our Lord..." 1Cor. 1:5-9 NLT

Smile, He will.

What If...Imagine..."

2009-09-08T15:39:00.000-07:00

The scene is this: remaining disciples coming together to pray. Jesus has ascended to heaven and they have a job to do, evangelize the world!

"They all met together and were constantly united in prayer...During this time, when about 120 believers were together in one place..." Acts 1:12-15.

"On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability." Acts 2:1-4.

What if believers all over the world gathered to pray like that today? Obedience and hunger for God causes His people to gather like this. Putting aside everything to be in His presence and waiting for God to answer. He always answers!

What if...we had a "Night of Worship". No time constraints, no pressure from the clock, the prophets speak, the preachers preach until all the word has been declared. Imagine... God's people gathered in His name for one purpose, EXPECTING to hear from God. Imagine... churches filled to capacity and ALL are praising the Lord with a full heart. No divided hearts, just hearts to praise the God who is worthy of all creation praising Him. He desires to fellowship with His people. Now, that's an amazing statement! God desires to be with us much more than we can imagine.

What if...we pray as one and there is forgiveness and trust in every marriage and relationship in the Church? Imagine...people with chronic illnesses immediately healed of all disease. What if...we come together as one, and we are blessed with purpose and vision that changes our lives. What if...we repent and God heals our land! Imagine...God's people in faith lay hands on the sick in our communities and all are made well. What if...God's people preach His word in our communities and people hear and are transformed! Inside and out! Imagine...children being restored to parents and to God? All for waiting in the upper room to hear from you!

This is the Church that God is making, the Church in unity. We are not divided when our doctrine begins and ends in Jesus. Imagine...every Christian in Monroe giving school supplies and our communities see this and wants the vision we have? Imagine...the number of Thanksgiving dinners that would be provided, every child with a Christmas gift, soup kitchens around the city and the word of God being freely spoken?

Every Christ follower is able to do something, every church is able to do something. We have been given that power because the God we serve today is the same as He was on the day of Pentecost! Don't wait another day to discover what God has planned for you. He gives gifts to all His people, not one is left out. The table of the Lord is full, there is enough for everyone.

Be Comforted

2009-09-04T01:26:00.000-07:00

A friend and I were texting about some things and I'm inspiried to write some blogs about God's word. His word is called rhema, or living, among other things. God's word is timely and fitting for every situation we are in, no matter what it is. All His word is inspired for everything we need in this life, everything that is required of us. It is our wisdom and light. It is the story of our Savior Jesus and the love He had for us. It is word to the Church, God's own people. His word is truth. It was established in eternity. His word will never cease. It can never be out-dated. His word is up to the minute for every need. His word for tonight is "Be Comforted."

He prepared the way for our comfort by sending the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and in the twenty-first century the Comforter is still here! Be comforted as you read His word, His promise to us. Most of the scriptures I read this evening are from the New Living Translation. If you see something familiar, don't rush through it, read more than once until it becomes revelation to you.

2Cor. 1:1-7, 2Thess. 2:16-17, Isa. 51:12, Isa. 51:18-19, Ps.23:4, Isa. 61:1-11, Zech.1:17 NLT

Our strong consolation is in the Lord. Hebr. 6:18 NKJV

Jim and Marlee Tweet

2009-09-01T17:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a twitter exchange Jim and I had a few minutes ago. Made me laugh out loud. He is coming down to the end of his errands at the end of the work day.

Jim: Got the new folding table, getting a flu shot @ Safeway next.
Marlee: (my eyes and brain perk up) Is it the big flu shot? Swine? (he knows I didn't call him a
swine)
J: No, it's the teeny-weeny flu shot.
M: I'm laughing out loud.

This is about overcoming! Didn't think about it at first, but it's there. We have world organizations overtalking H1N1. Some have had the new flu. Should we teach our kids the proper way to sanitize? Definitely, yes. Should we have our sick kids in school or church? No. We should also talk with our kids about what they are hearing in school and among their friends and get information for our families so we can be prepared. But fear must not have any place in our thinking. When there is a lot of fear going around, I read the book of Acts and Mark 16:17-18. God is a God of wonders, a God who gives us strong consolation, 2Thess2:16 KJV. Have an attitude!! One of overcoming!

Our faith tells us the temptations we have in this life are common to everyone. When we consider God and how great He is, this temporary life and all of its tests are teeny-weeny!

No Fear

2009-09-01T15:23:00.000-07:00

I'm positive all of us have heard quotes that go something like this, "Speak without fear." I heard it today, but it didn't seem repetitive. It sounded brand new, so I wasn't indifferent to it. Seems to me the clamour in the world is getting louder and louder. The world wants our attention and is trying everything they can to get our attention. Here are some descriptive words of what comes into our ears every day: roar, blare, din, noise, bellow, hubbub, outcry, racket, tumult, uproar and my personal favorite, cacophony.

As Christians, we have no need of competing with the world for attention. We have been given everything we need. Jesus has the words of life and He has given them to us, they are ours in His name! I think there were occasions when Jesus got really loud. For instance, when He called Lazarus out of the tomb, chasing the money changers from the temple, chastising the Scribes and Pharisees. Just can't imagine calling people 'vipers' in a still, small voice!

So, what keeps us from speaking without fear? Why, fear of course. Fear has torment. (1John 4:18 NKJV). It will keep us from blessing, this fear. It will keep us from trusting the One who is worthy of our complete trust. Fear will keep us from living in the freedom we have been given in our inheritance. Fear leaves us in darkness, but Jesus delivers us from all fear and its torment.

How is it you want to speak to this generation? There are any number of choices today and you have been gifted by the only creative God, to speak some way, some how. Art, worship, drama, blog, FB, twitter. Yes, even those new techie things. Preaching, encouraging, exhorting. Opening a new business!! Our work every day, relationships in our communities to schools and other churches, activities in our communities like the parade we had Saturday in Monroe! That day of service to the community spoke in a very loud voice. We spoke God's love to the lost, hope in Christ, caring from a local church to its community. We may not have all that they need, but we WILL go in the strength we have and will give what we have.

This very thing, service, is what God calls us to do with all the passion we have. We have a voice given to us by God. I'm going to use it. The other noise doesn't matter, God's call matters.

Red Letter Words

2009-08-31T12:28:00.000-07:00

Mondays are usually days that mean rest and reflection. God is doing so much on this earth today, every Sunday when we come together to worship Him and in serving whenever the need arises. The pace in the twenty-first century has definitely picked up! Miss one thing and you really miss big things!

I got the title for this blog when I was in church listening to P. Jeff bring his message. Can't do justice in telling you what the worship was like Sunday. Just tell you, be there to see and hear for yourself. Jesus Christ reigns! His power is present to meet our needs, every time! I began to write down words from Jeff's message and thought these words are so important for the Church today, in our ministry to our families and our serving everyday. So here are some important red letter words: moved, give, energy, heart, stewardship, created, Jehovah, gift, follower, worship, cheerful, warfare, possess, turmoil, tithing, rearrange, priorities, forgive, purpose, serve, multiply, leader, life, pray, wrestling.

Not one of the red letter words of Jesus are static (at rest). All are living, vibrant and creative. His words are rhema, so alive that we are changed when we let His words into our hearts. The important red letter words above will change your life if you believe. Every word is a doing word. That's who Christians are, we are doers! Every word above takes a personal decision to make a change and move in a new direction.

P. Jeff related the story of Jacob and the wrestling match he had with the Angel of the Lord. Jacob did not give up, he wrestled all night until he got what he wanted, blessing. His life was changed thereafter, even his name was changed to Israel. "Your name will no longer be Jacob, the man told him. From now on you will be called Israel because you have fought with God and with men and have won." Gen. 32:28. An open door for TRC to serve Asia has opened up. Through some missionary friends of P. Jeff and P. Melinda, we will be sending funds to dig wells for those who have no clean water.

Red letter phrases from Sundays message: "To be Christ-like, you must give." "Settle who the real owner is of all things." (Ps. 24:1). "Quench continues! Wells are going to be dug in Asia!" "Wrestle so we may believe." "God, make me a giver in this place."

Enter through the open door.

Michael and the Grace of God

2009-08-28T00:17:00.000-07:00

I mentioned the unknown in the first blog about Mike. The unknown is that place of either wild and vain imaginations which lead to a dark pit of depression, OR it is the open door to the grace of God. We have a choice, one or the other. In His mercy, God led us to His grace. A much welcome late night twitter from a granddaughter came tonight with a message that she had read the blog about Mike. It was time to finish the story of Mike.

Mikey was a little boy that early on was a defender of the weak and anyone who seemed to be the under dog. Nothing seemed to hold him back when he helped someone, not even fear. As he grew older, sometimes that defensive mode got him in trouble, but a world in pain needs its defenders. We loved him for it.

One of the people he was defensive of was a young woman who was 21 years old. Her name was Mary and she lived in a nursing home. Every day in a wheel chair. She couldn't speak, but had a voice for yelling and when she yelled, her face showed pain and frustration. I think this was the motivation for Mike when we visited her. Our church had a ministry at this home and Mike loved going there. One Sunday we were on our way and Mike asked what he could do to make Mary feel better. He was 10 years old at the time. Had to think about that for awhile. We had plenty of people who layed hands on her and prayed for God to heal her, but I knew God had something else for Mike to do. He had just learned to stand on his hands, he did a great job at that, and his determination was very entertaining. So I suggested that he stand on his hands for Mary. His eyes lit up knowing he had something to help her feel better. We walked through the door of the nursing home and there she was, right by the front door. Mike greeted her and said he had something to show her. Mary wasn't screaming, just watching Mikey. First try, he gets up on his hands, legs straight up in the air and he just stood there, upside down. All of a sudden Mary began to clap her hands and give this funny laugh. Her whole demeanor had changed. Someone had stopped and focused on her. A little boy from the kingdom of God.

Mikey stood on his feet, red-faced and said, "did ya like that Mary?" And she clapped again. God's grace is so good. Many, many ways to serve in this world.

Life with Mike was one adventure after another. Our lifes mission was to love and keep him on the right track, and most days it worked. One day when over night it seemed, Mike was a young man of 6'3'' and 16 years old. In his 16 year old way, he let loose with a smart mouth toward me and I reached out and swatted him on the butt as he passed by. He looked and smiled at me and said, "mom, you hit like a marshmallow!" That got me fired up for sure. The swat hadn't work, what to do? No cell phones, XBox to deprive him of, and he wasn't that crazy about t.v. so the next best thing was the two month old can of whipped cream in the fridge. It had to be sour by then. Mike saw "the look" I gave him and started the retreat. By this time I had grabbed the old whipped cream and I got his whole body down on the floor because I knew where his tickle spot was, about the third rib down. It worked! I sprayed and I sprayed until air came out. His whole face was a mess of old cream.

Mike led an up and down life in his adulthood. Encouragement would work for awhile. He would come for prayer and how grateful we were for that. He stayed with a good job that had responsibilities but the next thing we knew, he had quit and got a job as a bouncer at a club in Seattle. We would hear from him occasionally by phone, letters. He always, always called me on mother's day and his birthday, August 19. Mike doesn't call me anymore since that last call.

Over the years, God sent His times of grace to heal. How good it is. The thing hanging over was the unknown. Is he dead, is he alive? The unknown is hell to live in. Here comes God's grace again and many times in between. He opened a giant door to The Rock Church in Monroe. Life hasn't been the same since then. We jumped into everything we could. God was healing many places in our hearts and we yielded one at a time.

About 2 or 3 years ago the unknown was creeping in again. The wondering. Would I ever get another call? Pastor Jeff would occasionally pray for wandering children. That told me there were other parents who knew how we felt. God's grace moves in marvelous ways. I had been in this place of the unknown for about a month this time and Pastor Melinda brought a message one night on how God communicates with us and she used the scripture from Jude about "the only wise God." Jude 25 NKJV. That phrase alone came like a bolt of light in my soul and I went somewhere with the Lord while He healed me. I knew, I knew, I knew (three times, Father, Son and Holy Spirit are involved in this one!) without a doubt that God knew where Mike was. In fact, God is omnipotent. He alone knows everything about Mike, now it's ok.

Years ago we dedicated Mike to Jesus and that's what we intent to live in. His grace is that unmerited favor when we know God truly does reign supreme. We could never in this world work that into our hearts, He did it by His grace.

Michael: The Early Years

2009-08-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

Recently our third son Michael had a birthday, August 19. He was born in Anchorage, Alaska in 1965. That would make him 44 years old on this past birthday. We celebrated his life in quiet ways, but, we wern't able to have a birthday party because we don't know where Mike is, and we haven't known where he is since 1992. We spent a few years doing everything we could think of to find him, and always ran into a brick wall. For another few years we quietly lived with the unknown. God changed all that; living with the unknown, three years ago. I'll tell you that story a little later in the blog.

Mike was the fifth child of six. He was born three weeks early and picked a time to be born when his dad, Jim, was in the bush of Alaska working. He came into the world weighing 9 pounds and 9 ounces, 22 3/4" long, lots of dark hair like his dad. First thing I noticed about Mikey was his love of the attention he got from four older brothers and sister. Michael Lee Woods early on established his position in the birth order. He knew how to keep up with his older siblings, he could go sledding on the Mormon Hill behind our house. That was a kid named hill, just because it was owned by the Mormon church in our neighborhood. He could stand as long as the rest of them at Summit Lake to fish, even though his fishing line had gotten tangled up, he didn't care, he was with the crowd he called his family. Mike love going clam digging at Clam Gulch, until one day when he was three years old, he got stuck in the mud. The look on his
face told me he thought he was going to be in the muck forever. We got him free out of his boots and used the clam shovel to dig the boots out. Silt in Alaska is like gooey cement.

Our favorite place in Alaska is still Homer. Camping on Homer's Spit in those days was like being in the wilderness. Quiet. Just the sound of bald eagles and ocean water coming in. We had a canvas tent that fit all six of our kids and a cousin or two. I think we built the biggest bon fires on Homer's Spit ever! Mike like all of our kids, entered in with all kinds of energy. Then there were all those long daylight hours in the summer! The light always seemed to make up for the cool Alaska summer air. Freedom was going all night with activity, not once did the kids ever hear, "time for bed!" The first night we would clean a bunch of huge razor clams and make a big pot of clam chowder on the beach. Every child knew how to clean clams at some point in their lives. Work, then eat!

These are just a few of the early memories of Mike's life. Let's do this a little at a time.

When God Stirs

2009-08-26T13:03:00.000-07:00

"I have riches and honor, as well as enduring wealth and justice." Proverbs 8:18

Sitting on my patio swing, enjoying the sun, the quiet and God's blessings. But I have to laugh out loud. Twitter has been going crazy the last few weeks, since "Night Out Against Crime". People are stirred up about serving!! It's like we have been to the pool of Siloam, meaning SENT!! (Found in John 9:1-41 The complete story). Jesus saw the blind man and declared that the works of God would be revealed in him. Jesus spit on the clay (that would be DNA) and places the mixture on the man's eyes and when he washes in the pool, he can see! His neighbors are astonished, they know him only as "the man who sat and begged". Yes, it is he, and now he is stirred with the command to go and tell everyone the wonders of God in his life. He doesn't stop telling the story, he who was once blind, now sees.

Blindness is the story of our lives before we met Jesus. Our meeting with the Son of God is the stirring that compels us to tell and tell and tell what He has done for us. The truth we tell will be rejected, mocked, distorted. It will make people angry, jealous and fearful. Some will revile us, and the name of Jesus, but some will listen and will see for the first time.

We bear the DNA of Christ in our lives. P. Travis and P. Jeff have both talked about this. Christ resides in us through the Holy Spirit and we need nothing more to be stirred in doing His will on this earth.

In this season of stirring let everyone of us lay aside everything that has hindered us from fully doing what God has called us to do. Pray for the sick, give generously to the God who daily gives generously to us, reject fear and have confidence in our faithful God. Stir your hearts today to give as much as you can for school supplies. If you walk in the parade you will never forget the happy faces of kids who will be ready to learn because you helped and gave! God's enduring wealth is for the benefit of His people to use, this has been my prayer this afternoon that His wealth will be poured out on His Church. We are not as the man who sat and begged, our God is the God who has enduring wealth! Not just earthly wealth, but spiritual wealth for our benefit!

This is the season giving, for serving. Do it with all your heart because you love Him.

Sauerkraut 2

2009-08-26T02:06:00.000-07:00

No, I don't eat sauerkraut. No matter how it is served!

Sauerkraut

2009-08-25T16:23:00.000-07:00

sau.er.kraut (sour'krout') chopped cabbage fermented in brine.

The one word title of this blog is sufficient. Sauerkraut. With the title comes the complete essence of the sauerkraut experience; limpness, pungent smell, after-taste and the wondering how long it would be before the next sauerkraut dinner. For fear it would be soon.

The experience of sauerkraut deserves a blog picture, but since I'm still having trouble attaching pictures to my blog, I'll do my best to describe this Old World delicacy in words. Too bad blog doesn't have smell capacity. Sauerkraut contains vinegar, cabbage, and brine. Brine is so salty it smells like ocean air when you are close to it. The key word in the definition is FERMENTED, thus, the descriptive prefix, sauer. This plentiful garden vegetable (equivalent today would be the zucchini) is then lovingly shredded into slaw-sized lengths and soaked in wooden barrels filled with brine for as long as possible.

Can't you just see the Old World ships coming over the sea with unnumbered wooden barrels of sauerkraut next to the barrels of dill pickles? Never mind the family heirlooms, the sauerkraut and pickles go over with us. They'll love it in America!!

Somehow, this German inspired dish made it over into the Norwegian culture, probably through marriage. In Rothsay, Minnesota where my brothers Larry, Bob and I spent our summers, the German Lutheran church was one block from the Norwegian Lutheran church. (They finally joined forces in the 21st. century). The Germans had their sauerkraut, the Norwegians our lutefisk. Lutefisk is the survivor fish of Norwegian culture and is worthy of a blog on its own. Let me write, I'm ever grateful to God for hardy Norwegians who figured out how to preserve the ever-plentiful cod in Norwegian waters to supplant the birch bark soup they made in tough farming times in the homeland. The Lord was their Provider.

The combination smells of lutefisk and sauerkraut at Christmas time in Rothsay must have been something as it hung in the icy winter air. This little town of 359 souls (still under 400 population today) all gathered at separate churches to enjoy their yearly feast. By the way, each church claimed Martin Luther as their own.

We Hamar Lutheran kids always knew there would be a table full of buttery, gelatinous lutefisk that moved like jello. We held our noses figuratively as we passed the lutefisk on the way to jello. Jello. The most inventive food group! The bowls danced and sparkled like rubies, emeralds, amethysts on the table. Next stop, lefse table!

Recently, we had our every decade meal with sauerkraut. It provided a very nice picture there on the grill. Perfectly seasoned bone-in pork chops, grilled to juicy perfection with a small clump (would that be klump in German?) of sauerkraut on the side. Just nothing like a happy husband having one of his favorite meals.

Possibilities for meals with sauerkraut are endless. Country pork ribs, sausage, hot dogs, pork chops, pork roast, etc. Sauerkraut is one of those veggies (really?) that your mom would say, "c'mon, try just a spoonful." The look told us it wasn't a friendly request. Lesson: be thankful for all things. Who knows, there may be a sugary jello later to make the fermented, salty taste go away.

Enjoy life whatever it brings.

Vision

2009-08-18T13:53:00.000-07:00

Still thinking about vision. Doing errands, vision. Watering thirsty plants, vision. Making dinner plans, vision. Without vision, we perish. With vision, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Know how we, the Church, fight the warfare we see going on everyday in the world? Vision. We stay focused on vision and we do not remain in a place of fear, disappointment, mistrust or illusion. We fight the good fight of faith every day in the power and might of the Holy Spirit. We stay obedient to the word and call of our God with our whole hearts. We love the Lord our God with everything in us AND our neighbors as ourselves.

We have been in both places, without vision and with vision. Remember the dry land that Noah built the ark on? That's a visionless life, dry land. We first came to TRC in 2003 on Main Street. We have seen many since then just like us. Christians, yes. But so lost without vision. We were perishing. We were blessed with the goodness of God in our children and grandchildren, we had all that we needed in this life, but without vision. One of our grandchildren kept looking at us with his big, bright blue eyes and kept asking us to come to church, and we did. First invite came in 2003, and it kept coming. Pretty big vision at that time for a three year old huh? Thank you buddy for keeping the faith. God has huge plans for a young man who is faithful to His vision.

What we were looking for at the time was integrity. What we saw at TRC was the heart of integrity. A church that had the mind to press into the kingdom of God and be willing to pay the price. We all must count the cost of going to war, or building a tower. (Luke 14:27-33). TRC was showing us that all of us were going to finish this to the end and along the way we received ALL these other blessings. A church full of babies and children being brought up in the Lord..great work families!!! An awesome band that gives it all every Sunday to lead us in worship and praise. Pastors who pour out their hearts for God's people. A pastor in P. Jeff who preaches his heart out because he loves God and His people. Elders who are given to minister to the church without end. The authority in TRC has a great responsibility, watching over our eternal souls. They have willingly taken this charge. We are a blessed people!

When we knew integrity was in the heart of the church, didn't take long for two broken people to lock in. It was the praise and worship that broke any and all resistance we had. It was like the Holy Spirit came and melted our hearts. Jim grabbed my hand, (spiritual leader) and I knew everything would be ok when we started out on this journey at TRC.

First things first, start tithing!!! And never give up!!! Follow your heart in offerings too. That way, it's given to God and given in love. Next thing we did was take the newcomers class, couldn't wait to tell people we were members of TRC! We had already been baptized as adults, but if you haven't made that adult choice, check with the church on how you can prepare for the water baptism at Lake Tye this Sunday the 23rd, at 6PM. If you just want to come and observe, do that! It would be great to have you there. Next thing, since we already knew we had the gift of hospitality, we sent in a note on a card for volunteers to help with the Guest Services. God taught us a lot by watching Susan and Terry, love you guys.

If you are looking for acceptance, immerse yourself in God and the vision He has given to TRC. Know above all else, we are accepted in the Beloved (Eph. 1:6). You have a secure place in the vision, come on, take that leap of faith!! You'll never regret it. Vision is good for the soul, we can't live without it.

Good Stuff About Noah

2009-08-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

One thing about Noah and many others in the Bible, they have made lasting impressions on people for thousands of years, and they are still encouraging in this 21st. century. Here is where you find good word on Noah: Gen. 5-9. The first act Noah did when they came off the ark is found in Gen.8:20. Matt. 24-39. Heb. 11:6-7. 2Peter 2:5. 1Peter 3: 18-20. I read these in the Amplified and Message Bibles.

"By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land..." Hebr. 11:7 , "And God spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness..." 2Peter 2:5. The vision begins on dry land, but the promise is coming! His covenant will always be fulfilled. Noah was a preacher of righteousness; both in word, and in demonstration. He never gave up. This is our calling!

Walked With God

2009-08-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

"...Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God..." Gen. 6:8-9.
Noah is the second man said to have 'walked with God,' Enoch, Noah's great-grandfather being the first to have 'walked with God.' When I see them in heaven, I have questions for them!

Especially for Noah and what it was like to have such a building vision from the Lord. How long did it take you? What was it like working with pitch on the inside and outside of the ark? In all that time it took Noah to build the ark, did no one ever think, 'what if Noah is right?' Was there ever a doubt in man's thinking, maybe...? Noah, what was it like when God shut the door to the ark?

There was no room for wondering if this man of God was telling the truth because "The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time." Gen. 6:5 For the man who walked with God, his thoughts and inclinations are toward the Lord and the vision He has given him, all the time.

What would God do through His Church in this twenty-first century that had such a clear vision of what God plans? We would see and understand, commit to the vision and never look back. No matter what the cost, it would be done because God had given the vision. We know a couple that continues to come from out of town to TRC because of the vision they see. The Holy Spirit draws them; they see and they know it's God. They take the vision back to where they came from, but the people would have to see the vision too.

Vision is a planting of the Lord. When the seed is in the heart, you know you can do whatever God has given you to do, to complete the vision. I want the vision to be so great that the world has to see and know that God is at work today in 2009. I want the world to know it's the love we feel for the lost that compels us to do whatever we have to do. This is no small thing that the Lord is doing in the community of Monroe, it's HUGE!!!

Is He telling you to walk in the Monroe Days parade for the first time? Children at TRC need you. Guest services need volunteers who will make visitors feel welcome. Be a part of the vision by attending a Reach Team, and then go on and teach one too! People with hospitality in their hearts are a welcome sight at the front door of the church. You could do that! Do you love to praise and worship the Lord? Go for an audition! If you're like me, you'd rather not do it on the platform, so praise with all your heart with us in the worship center. Maybe you would love making a favorite drink for your favorite people at the coffee bar? Has God encouraged you? Then tell of it!! Do you love to pray, then ask about being on the prayer team. You fit in the body of Christ, and He has a place for you.

We have Noah and many others who were faithful to the vision God gave. It's always a big, costly vision with eternal results. If Noah can do it in his day, so can we. Make room for God's vision in your life. Your life will be turned upside down in the best way. What is your part in the vision at TRC? God has blessed you with gifts that fit just right in the Church. Don't delay another day, don't repeat another excuse, just do what God has already promised He will help you do. Whatever that role is, you are God's builder.

BQOTD

2009-08-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

These are the best quotes of the day from Pastor Jeff's message on Erased. I know you had your favorite quotes too, twitter or text your best ones this week and remember to give credit to who said it! Here it is:

* "The Bible reads us!"

* "The Bible is a love letter from the Father."

* "Drink and eat! It's not a buffet that we pick and choose what we want."

* "He has already spoken the direction, we don't have to ask, it's go!"

* "Honor the authority in your life."

* "Work hard, give hard."

* "Release what God has given you."

* "Set a brand new day by being a giver."

* "The Bible is a love letter to affirm us."

* "The Bible is tender and tough."

* "I want the whole counsel of God."

* " His word is your freedom, baby!"

* "The Bible keeps me from stumbling morally."

Go through your notes again, read all the scriptures and recognize anew the place the Bible has in our lives. I read the Bible, I study the Bible because I want to know the Lord. What He did, what He said, what He plans. I believe the Bible because it has the power to change us every time we spend time reading and prayerfully considering where we fit. When I read of our early mothers and fathers in the Bible, God is telling me to be of courage in this spiritual warfare we are in. When I am weak, the Bible assures me. As P. Jeff said, "this [the Bible] is rich!"

Psalms 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

Thunder

2009-08-14T16:02:00.000-07:00

Just read Psalms 18:13 and it clicked in a childhood memory for me. My brothers and I were spending the summer with Grandma and Grandpa at the farm in Rothsay, Minnesota and we were having one of those BIG thunder storms the mid-west is known for. Grandpa said, "Thunder is God's voice". Grandpa Amundson knew the Lord!!
When the thunder rolled over, it would shake the windows in the house. We were always relieved when the storm was overhead, because we knew it would be passing on to another county!

Walked With God

2009-08-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't it be something to be known as a person of God who walked with Him? Those three words, "walked with God", are used to declare the kind of men that Enoch and Noah were. And only those two. Similar phrasing is used to describe others, like David, but these three words in one phrase were saved for two men in the Bible, both in the Old Testament.
The Hebrew word for walked is halak, meaning; behave continually, enter, exercise, forward, grow, lead, march, more and more, move self, be at the point, speedily, surely. The word 'halak' is from the root word, yalak. This word means to prosper, pursue and cause to run. A much deeper meaning than to be taking an occasional stroll with God, this is a constant walk with purpose. The kind that always has the goal in mind. Not just the goal, but also the love that compels us to walk with God. It's an enduring walk, the never-give-up walk.
Enoch was Noah's great-grandfather and because of his righteous walk, God "took him", that is, Enoch was translated to heaven without seeing death. The word Selah belongs here, pause and think of that! Think of the blessings to the generations because of the man Enoch. I think Enoch was fully aware in his evil time how important generations were (and are).
Enoch was a preacher and prophet to his generations. Just think, we have a record of what his prophesies were like in Jude 13-15!! There is very little else in scripture of this man, but when we know he walked with God, that's all we need in order to know what kind of man he was. Enoch's history can be found in Genesis 5:21-24.
Soon, the second part to the men who walked with God.

The Great Commission

2009-08-09T04:30:00.000-07:00

One thing about our God, He knows how to challenge His people! With big stuff!! From the beginning laid out in the book of Genesis, it's one challenge after another. He's not a God who gives orders and then leaves us to figure it all out on our own; He gives us the blueprint in the manual, the Holy Bible.
The first big challenge He gives us when we become followers of Jesus is found in Matthew 10 and Matthew 28:16-20. GO ahead, take some time and read it all, it's very revealing.......
OK, now that you've done that, see where Jesus speaks to His disciples in Mt. 28:18-19, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven AND EARTH. Go therefore..." He pronounces victory even before we start!
As a new Christian in Alaska, the Great Commission was my big challenge. God had to help me overcome Norwegian culture to fulfill this challenge because talking openly and fully about something as personal as relationship with Jesus just wasn't done! Attend church, yes. Memorize Luther's Catecism and get confirmed, yes. Read the Bible and pray, yes. (We missed the part about the Great Commission!). The point is, when His revelation comes, we figure out we can do it. My first big challenge was my neighborhood, and in Spenard, Alaska it was all trailer court. Remember Rev. Iva Berry? She was the one who challenged me to overcome and "Go, Molly"! So, I did, one door after another, Bible in hand. It was very simple, "Hi, I'm your next door neighbor, Marlee Woods and I want to invite you to come to my church to see what Jesus is doing for people." There, I said it.
Did anyone come? NO, not one! But I kept after one especially. She never did come, but we had coffee together a few times. When the seed is given, God knows how to plant the seed and make it grow. I trust His word.
The challenge of the Great Commission is huge. It's the reason we are Christ followers. The last few days I've been praying and reading the story of God's great builder, Noah. What a beautiful word about God providing everything we need to do all He wants us to do. More study and praying to do, hope this week to publish the blog on Noah.
You can do this, I know you can. In Jesus name. He'll help you overcome all things. Even culture.

Large Love

2009-08-06T10:53:00.000-07:00

Short and sweet. Luke 7:36-50. Pay close attention to all the details. Details are full of treasures. Woman comes to Jesus, burdened with large sin. Her heart has large repentance. She comes with her best offering. She is forgiven with the large love of the Savior.

His large love is ours.

Mentors 3

2009-08-03T23:59:00.000-07:00

As I've thought about the blogs on mentors, it's been good to remember those people the Lord puts into our lives for His purpose. He sends those people at special times for specific reasons. I've even remembered those people from high school days who witnessed to me before I was saved. We are His ambassadors in this world, to the unsaved and to each other.
As the other two mentors, Helen Bolton was sent to our family for a purpose, and at the right time! We met Helen at the Nazarene church in Anchorage in the 6o's. She was one of those quiet people, but you knew the Lord had done a great work in her life. Helen had the qualities of the fruit of the Spirit in her life. She didn't say much, but when she did, there was a purpose. She became "auntie" to our growing family and she fit right in. She was the fun auntie who came along for the ride no matter what we were doing, whether it was helping around the house or camping with a family full of activity or quietly sitting around a campfire sharing life stories, Helen was there. One of my favorite pictures of Helen is when we were camping at Mt. McKinley, one of those cool summer Alaska days, always bring jackets when camping in Alaska!
Helen was not a complainer and if she thought she was hearing too much whining, she would let you know. We didn't know a whole lot about why she had begun attending our church, but we knew she had come from another church in town and she brought some pain with her. She was content to tell the Lord about that pain whatever it was, and we were content to love her just the way she was.
Helen was single when we knew her and she supported herself by cooking in restaurants. She really knew how to dress up caribou in the pan to hide most of the wild taste. She also had this late night indulgence when we camped called chile and cheese. Scrambled eggs, meat of your choice, onions, garlic, little bit of salsa, seasoning you feel like putting in (she did have this independent streak), diced green chilies and cheddar cheese. We still make it when we have a campfire.
One of my favorite attributes about Helen was her faithful heart. To the Lord first, to the Church, to friends. We never heard if she had any family, but I've always thought we were. When we are given loyal friends, they are a gift from the Lord. Cherish every one of them and count yourself blessed.
If these blogs have stirred something in you about mentors or mentoring, act on it soon. If you have a mentor, thank them today, if you don't have a mentor, pray and ask God for one and open your heart because He will answer your prayer.

Jim and Marlee's Hints for Cooling Off in GNW Marine Climate

2009-07-29T22:45:00.000-07:00

We've been paying close attention to twitters, texts, emails and every kind of communication concerning the heat wave that has come over our GNW in the last few days. No sense shopping around for an AC, no store has them. It's like trying to hunt down a generator in the middle of a blizzard. Our way of dealing with some things we can't control is to laugh. It makes us feel better and I hope these hints will help you along the next melt-down. My skin was in shock today! There are a number of things you might try, to cool down but if you reject all of them that's ok, just laugh!
*move to Barrow, Alaska and ignore the mosquitoes, but if that's not an option...
*give heed to Tamara M's suggestion to freeze wet washcloths til stiff as a board. Fold the
cloth and place under the chin and hold. Your mouth is wide open at this point but both
hands are free to wave paper fans
*change your thermometer to celsius. 37.5C sounds a lot better than 108F. (today)
*ignore the calorie count and slurp down a grande java chip frappachino
*run through the sprinkler with your grandchildren
*turn sprinkler on!!
*visit husband in air conditioned office for eight hours
*keep praying the thunderhead clouds move west
*count how many days til Christmas!
*sing Christmas carols
There you have it. Feel free to to comment and add your own to the list. Funny how these things come out to be ten in the list, just like Tony Morgan's lists.
God is good no matter what the weather is.

Mentors 2

2009-07-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

Helen Carlquist was the kind of Jesus follower you knew had been a Christian for a long, long time. Her face spoke the fruit of the Spirit and the joy of the Lord. She was 82 years old when we first met her, silvery white hair without a blue streak in it! She had a twinkle in her eye and this smile on her face that could disarm any grouchy soul.
Helen did not make a way for herself. By that I mean, she never blew her own horn. She was content to live out the gifts God had given to her and she always freely gave!! Her life on this earth was to bless people with her wisdom and joy. We were priveleged to have her attend our home fellowship from 1977-1980. I loved her quiet ways, but her ministry to the Church spoke loudly! When our home fellowship got too big and we ran out of chairs, without any fan fare she handed us a check for folding chairs, PADDED folding chairs!
Thing about Christians in this modern time, we have to be adventurers and willing to take a risk when God says it's time. Helen was this kind of woman. On her own at 16 years old, she moved all the way to Alaska without knowing a soul. It was exactly what God had ordained. She was saved in Alaska and her life was forever changed. She told me one time of a snow shoeing mission trip she took with with other Christians. No small trip, from Anchorage to Fairbanks. She was an adventurer for the Lord!
Helen was a woman of vision. I see her life in the Proverbs 31 woman. She wanted to borrow a certain amount of money from a banker because she had this vision of buying land in a certain area outside of Anchorage at the time. It was so far out, it was considered "the bush." She kept getting a no every time she talked with him. Helen kept going back. You didn't expect she would give up with the first no or the twentieth? She kept going back until she got what she asked for. She was very convincing. She reminds me of the woman in the Bible who kept going back to the judge for what she wanted until he gave up and said yes, just to get rid of her. A few decades later, that piece of property became a huge portion of downtown Anchorage. Thank you Jesus! Her future husband Carl (the Swede) built a building on Helen's property and opened a jewelery store, Carlquist Jewelers. Helen probably had her choice of engagement rings!
Couple things I loved about Helen, was her consistent, abiding love for God's people and for Him; but also the uncomplicated way she believed God's word. Helen was a prayer warrior, she fully believed the scripture when Jesus said "enter your closet to pray". She always prayed in her closet. Wonder if Carl knew what she was doing in there? God knew.
I wasn't sad when I heard that Helen had died. She was with Jesus whom her heart desired.

Dude in Plaid Shorts

2009-07-26T21:57:00.000-07:00

What made us think plaid shorts for men and boys had disappeared from the fashion scene?!! First young dudes wear them thinking they are the newest thing in cool, but we "olders" of the fifties know it's another comeback along with the pink and aqua fashion of a couple years ago.

A few weeks ago strolling around in that fashion-plate store, Sears, we see racks and racks of plaid shorts on sale for $15! Immediately our favorite fifties music starts going through our minds... "Earth Angel", "Little Darlin' ", "A Rose and a Baby Ruth", "A Blossom Fell", "Come Go With Me", "April Love". Now that was a fun shopping experience!

First night wearing plaid shorts was to the last night of VBS. Jim and I had a discussion of what socks to wear with his new shorts of this 85 degree night. He had brand new beautiful white socks; above the ankle kind and I suggested he ask Katy what kind of socks look good with new plaid shorts. She took one look at the above the ankle socks and said, "not those". Good thing FM is close when you are in Monroe. The fashion faux pas was easily corrected. At least the socks he wore wern't brown, just below the knee kind!

While plaid shorts coming back has been a lot of fun, just be glad that pastel colored corduroy pants have stayed back in the fifties. So far.

Mentors

2009-07-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

Mentors in our lives are great gifts from God, especially when we are in the "infant stage!" The Lord sent three women into my life in the early phase of my walk with Him. I was 22 years old when I got saved and I needed mentors! I didn't know to call these women that, but I definitely knew they had a profound impact on my life.
I had love and respect for a woman in 1960 named Rev. Iva Berry. Yes, her title was reverend! From the early days in the Nazarene church, women were ordained. Many single women were missionaries to places around the world. Sister Berry was a prayer warrior and I knew that's the way I wanted to pray. Things happened around her, good things! Because of constraints, Sister Berry dressed in the holiness look for women, but the joy of the Lord kept bubbling out of her, even in long dresses! She was probably the most thankful person I've ever met.
Everyone in Alaska knew me by my nickname, Marlee. Sister Berry was from the state of Maine and she couldn't pronounce her r's, so my name came out "Molly." She would say, "Molly, you have to give that one to the Lord," or, "we're going to pray about this Molly." She would take me, children and all, and we would spend many afternoons praying. That's how my first three kids learned to pray. Soon, we would have our own time of prayer in our home. This is training up our children in the way they should go and they will not depart from it.
Sister Berry was a shouter in church and now I am too. We have MUCH to be thankful for! In those days and today, we have plenty to shout about. There was fire, zeal for the Lord that touched hundreds of military lives in the first three years we were in this church. Wednesdays and Sundays the altar area was full of people getting saved and comitting their lives to Jesus.
There was just something about Sister Berry that drew people to her. She wasn't the kind of
Christian that had the attitude that went along with her old-fashioned dress, she positively glowed with the love of Jesus in her face and in her life. She had a soft look about her, with a loud voice.
We didn't talk about our power and authority we had through the Holy Spirit, but Sister Berry knew exactly what she had been given by God. She was a prayer warrior alright. She prayed for deliverence for the native peoples in Alaska; many were addicted to alcohol. Her target was not the person, but the source of the problem, "get to the root of the problem, Molly!" Downtown Anchorage was famous for its bars, one after another. She would pray that God would deliver the alcoholic from sin and rid Anchorage of the blight of these bars, always reminding me to ask God to spare people. She knew God would answer that prayer one day, and she lived to hear about it in Maine. March, 1964 an 8.6 (some say higher) earthquake hit the southern part of Alaska and downtown Anchorage fell 12' into the ground. Every bar was destroyed and not one life was lost. The bars that had been there for decades have never been replaced. She came back to Alaska and when we talked, there was no arrogance in her about having this prayer answered, but she was thankful that no one was killed there.
One of Sister Berry's favorite scriptures was 1Peter 1:8 "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." We all knew when Sister Berry was in the house, she was teaching all of us to be thankful and to be people of expectations. She was teaching even when we wern't having a personal time.
Now she is experiencing that joy unspeakable for eternity, she who had not seen Jesus, now sees! Halelujah!! That's what Sister Berry would say, and I say it too. Jesus is worthy.
Two more mentors; Helen Carlquist and Helen Bolton, soon.

Returning to the Familiar

2009-07-16T14:09:00.000-07:00

There is a saying that the familiar breeds contempt, but the familiar I'm thinking of is what gives us comfort, encouragment, wisdom and truth. This is the familiar that spurs us on when we get weary, the familiar that feeds the fire of our passion for Christ. This familiar stirs our faith, comforts us when we need comfort and reassuring. The familiar I'm blogging about is our spiritual foundation.
Before we started coming to TRC, these familiar things would pop into my mind. When praying, an old song from the red hymnal came clear as day; or something from Luther's Catechism. That one went back a few years! Just last Sunday, P. Mel led us in worship from one of those hymns that's in the red hymnal to this day! "What can wash away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus." The familiar is with us every day because it's our Christian foundation, everything we believe about our faith in Jesus. Every doctrine, every familiar Bible story many of us grew up with, our prayer life, all the word of God is our foundation.
The danger in the human heart is to allow that familiar to be taken for granted. I know I did at one point and in doing that, I allowed my love for the familiar to become lukewarm. That's why God, in His mercy and grace, started filling my thoughts with the familiar again. I was surprised to even remember parts of Luther's Catechism that I had to learn in the early 50's. The once taken for granted now has my great love and I wanted to share some of the familiar scriptures we know very well. I'm praying it will stir up your love and faith for these blessings that God has given us.
Gen. 3:15, Ps. 23, Ps. 46, Isa. 25:1, Isa.46: 9-10, Eph. 6:10-18, Matt. 6: 9-13, Phil. 4:1, John 3: 16, Matt.11:28-30, Matt. 18: 19-20, Phil. 1:6, Col. 3:23-24, Col. 4:2, Rom. 1:16-17, Rom. 12:1-2, 1Cor. 15:56, 2Cor. 2:14-15, 2Cor. 5:7, 2Cor. 6:2, 2Cor. 9:6-8, 2Cor. 12:9-10, Phil. 4: 6-9, Phil. 4:13, Phil. 4: 19.
That list is long, so take it a little at a time. Take a scripture a day, spend time in it, pray and think about what it says. Ask God to give you understanding and help to apply it to your every day life. There might be another blog on the familiar, or make your own list of the familiar that has meant so much to you.
The familiar does great work in us!

The Long Haul

2009-07-03T23:28:00.000-07:00

The long haul was a phrase we heard for the first time in Alaska, and I was reminded of it again this week as we made our way up to Winthrop this last Tuesday and returned home today. That was a long haul! Highway 20 is a long and sometimes very slow haul, but beautiful all the way. On the way back we saw what we thought at first was fog near the top of the mountain. We quickly realized it was a forest fire. So, the long haul can have its dangers too.
The curving road forced us to slow down and we got a very good look at the beautiful creation God has given us in the GNW. We took the time to stop at several turn-outs for rest, picture taking and talking about this great land. Riley has taken to photography and with his permission, I'll post some of the beauty he saw on this trip.
The long haul has come to mean more than just a long and arduous drive to the North Slope in Alaska. There is very special meaning to our spiritual lives too. One of the ways we would describe certain Christians was, "she/he is in it for the long haul." That meant they were serving Jesus, no matter what came their way. That long haul to the North Slope? Long, lonely, cold, dangerous. That's the way it CAN be at times in the Christians life, but all along the way we have a goal and purpose. We are connecting people to life. We are demonstrating to the lost that they too can have a purpose in life through Jesus Christ. The ones who press into this kingdom are the ones who reach their full purpose in Jesus.
Along the way in this long haul, Christians have all the help we will ever require in this life. The presence of the Holy Spirit, The Church and fellowship with other believers, the Word of God to encourage and direct, leaders who watch out for our souls. Here are some of the scriptures to direct you on this long haul called life in the Son of God: 2Cor. 12:9 (look at 2 Cor. 12: 9-10 in the Message Bible); Eph. 4:7; 1 Tim.1:14; Phil. 4:19 and many , many others.
Stir your heart up for the long haul, many others are with you. How many trillions over the centuries have been on this way before us and now rejoice with God? Don't look or go back for anything.

Quarry Invitation

2009-06-26T14:52:00.000-07:00

Quarry Interns are extraordinary people! You have a chance to meet them at TRC at 7PM this evening. Say hello, get to know them a little better and congratulate them on a job well done. Jim and I will be there, we'll look for you!

52 Years Ago

2009-06-23T15:18:00.000-07:00

June 22, 1957, Jim and I were married in Waukegan, Illinois after a four month courtship. Yes, back then, dating was known as courtship. We met at a dance at the YMCA in Chicago, February 14. Jim was 19 years old and a handsome sailor stationed at Great Lakes Naval Station in North Chicago. I was 18 years old, fresh out of Airline Business school and working in the big city with other girlfriends from the same school.
By Easter time that year we knew we were going to be married, so Jim wrote to his mom and dad to ask permission. At that time, women were considered adults at 18 years old, but men were not "legal" adults until they were 21. His Dad did a lot of work in the bush of Alaska and it took an "eternity" to hear from them, but permission, finally came.
The first day Jim had off from electronic school, we took the el into town and headed right to the courtroom. Jim in his navy blue uniform and me in my blue and white dress, complete with crinoline, (crinoline: French word meaning a course, stiff cloth used as a lining in garments. Crinolines in the 50's were made out of net, and stiffened up with either sugar water or starch). We owned the world. We fully expected to be married forever and have lots of kids. We had absolutely no worries. God was taking care of us back then too.
We said our "I do's" in front of a judge named Emil Lindval. Grandma Amundson would have been happy, he was a Scandinavian.
Here we are, fifty-two years later and many of our dreams have come true. We have been married a long time and we have six children and thirteen grandchildren, four great-grandchildren. Everything we hoped for when we were young has been given to us by our generous God. The Rock Church has played a huge role in our lives for the last five plus years. One blessing from TRC and P. Jeff was to be there to lead us in repeating our wedding vows on our fiftieth anniversary celebration.
It's not so important what we do on our special day, we aren't looking for something bigger and better every year, just something important every year. Yesterday on our special day, we spent with friends talking, laughing, praying and being thankful. Never give up. Not for anything. Never give up. Now we have the blessing of looking back at all those years and we can say ...
Wow! God is great!

10 Must Do Things

2009-06-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

Are you a list maker? I am. Since I'm blogging my list, I won't have to worry about where I put the list! I'll be ok with a top ten list, but if I keep adding things to it, something always gets lost in the shuffle. So here's my list, not necessarily in order of importance:

attend Chef Laraine's cooking class
teach a R.T. class
take a cruise to Alaska with Rich and Bonnie
go to at least one more Mariner game this season
figure out how to get rid of those stupid looking flower bullet points (flower/bullet is an oxymoron)
read the N.T. again
read my fav classic lit again
climb the Pike St. stairs again
buy fresh seafood and veggies while we're at Pike St
make paella from Pike St. fresh seafood and veggies

There, that blog took about five minutes. that's some good stuff on the list! What's on your list, I'm sure it's a great list, let the blog world know what's on your mind.

Add On

2009-06-19T23:14:00.000-07:00

I'm laughing out loud! One blog about pests, the creepy kind, and when I publish the blog, up pops an ad from Google. For pest control! No, we don't need pest control!
BTW, why did my bullets become flowers? Flowers in a blog about killing those pesky bugs!

On Detesting Cockroaches...

2009-06-19T22:20:00.000-07:00

...but loving Tony Morgan's new book, Killing Cockroaches! Last Support Team meeting we were assigned reading and our table stirred when we heard, First Impressions team was given this book to read. The title alone gets a reaction. You have to find out what this book is about!
Jim and I started reading out loud to each other tonight. First thing we noticed was Tony's sense of humor on almost every page in the book, cockroaches everywhere! When you quickly flip the pages, the cockroaches run across the pages. Hey, I voted on Morgan's web site on which cover he should use for the book. The one with the dead cockroaches! He tricked us, thinking they were all dead, and he made us laugh.
We spent some time in his short and to the point advice to bloggers and we came up with a few pieces of advice corresponding to his.

Tony Morgan

keep it brief
don't ask me to link to your blog
stick with it
have fun
(twice) be you
offer your opinions
check links often
everything you write is read

Jim and Marlys

it's called a blog, not a webessay
if you have to ask...
even if you haven't had Engl 261
don't sweat it, or, it's Friday night, I have to blog even if it kills me
if you blog, do people recognize you in person?
and ID as such
the world is changing!
pray, rewrite, rewrite, publish

So, it just a few minutes we have discovered another Morgan book that will be fun, instructional, inspiring, challenging. Why don't you get your copy soon and find what it will mean to your life too? Who knows, you may discover that you ARE a leader in the Church! Amazon.com will get it to you in less than seven days. Try it, it's the one with the dead cockroach on the cover.

Ezra, Israel's Prophet and Project Manager

2009-06-17T18:52:00.000-07:00

Last night I decided to reread the book of Ezra. There is great encouragement for the Church being built in the 21st century. Ezra brings out the plan of God for the re-building of the temple in ten short chapters. It will definitely hold your attention.
As He always does, God goes before His people to prepare the way, He stirs the spirit of the king of Persia, modern day Iran, and Israel is given all they need to begin the rebuilding. The first thing they build is the altar! Prayer, worship, praise, commitment, giving, at the altar. First things first!
Then, the adversaries come. They are armed with proposals they think will work on God's people. They approach the project leader and the HEADS of HOUSEHOLDS! They say, we worship the same God you do, we have sacrificed as you have. That was all a lie, trying to water down what God is doing. God knows who His people are!! Thank God for leaders with discernment! Without hesitation this leader pulls no punches, "you have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord..." Ezr.4:3.
There will be one opposition after another when God's people are building what He has said to build. The opposers write to the king, complaining of course that the Jews are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. Calling what God has ordained wicked and rebellious, that should have made them shake in their sandals, but their arrogance wouldn't allow that. Their next step is to appeal to the king, these were men of high political standing fighting God's work. They had the ear of the king and he agreed with them and ordered the work on the temple to cease. That's what arrogance will do, first they say, we worship the same God you do and have made sacrifice to Him. "...make a decree that these men be made to cease, and that this city be not rebuilt..." 4:21. Selah.
The enemy of the Church is still saying the same thing. That is why I am rejoicing all the more in the description of the Church in Revelation 21:9-27.
Try what he will, there is nothing our enemy can do to stop the building of the Church, be it bribery, lies, threats, temptations, discouragement, fear. Whatever he tries to use, God's Church is being built. Every day we are being changed into His glory, we are being matured and being made strong. There is nothing he can do to stop God's will. Persecution couldn't do it; fires, betrayal, whatever weapon, God defends His Church.
Be encouraged in the Lord today, He is ever faithful!

So Loved

2009-06-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 ESV
I really had a good time today going back to the most familiar scripture in the Bible. This one verse is so descriptive of the wonders of God in such a simple (uncomplimated) way; "...so loved..." I have to think about that. I don't want to skim over this word. It's a word that has eternal impact on our lives, from the hour we are saved, to the end of our lives on earth and on into eternity. This impact comes because God's word is living word and when we have revelation of it, we are changed.
Sundays One Prayer message from P. Francis Chan on God's strength is like that. Sure we know God is mighty, but do we know because we have experienced His strength or do we know because we have read about it? So loved is like that.
Just as P. Chan said, we take one breath, two breaths because God has given us the strength to do so. Our God is the all-powerful God and it is He who has so loved. We have His love because He alone is Sovereign. He takes no counsel from anyone, He doesn't need it. Because God is love, He can so love.
We have lots of new babies in TRC, thank You Jesus! A church full of beautiful kids, thank You again Jesus. When we first hold our babies in our hands, we are being taught God's lesson on so loved. It is the love that stands the test of time, and stands the test!!
This is the love that so loves the proud and arrogant. It doesn't stop when the proud go about their way doing whatever they want, the so loved of God continues to the hardest of hearts. When we see the look of the hard hearted change, we know that heart has been broken at the experience of God's forgiveness in being so loved.
My prayer today is that we will come face to face with so loved. I pray we will exhort and encourage and demonstrate to each other this experience of so loved. Imagine what would happen in our families, our churches, our neighborhoods, our country. God's so loved is full of mercy and forgivness. It doesn't hold grudges. God's so loved, sets us free because His love gave us His only Son. Imagine getting rid of the burden of bitterness because we say and believe, God so loved me.
Imagine your heart has different rooms in it, room for all the people that we love and for the God we love. This love for God encompasses the whole heart. When new people come into our lives, no one has to shift spaces, lose space or share space. The rooms our family and friends have stays the same. When we make new friends, so loved makes the heart bigger and there is more room.
There is more coming on so loved.
Jesus, you are the Author and Finisher of our faith, I pray that each of us will grow into so loved. May Your so loved come as revelation to each of us.

Jael, the Wild Goat

2009-06-12T14:48:00.000-07:00

One of the more interesting things about history, any history but especially Bible history, are the things we can learn and apply to our lives. Without application, history is just an interesting story and we can soon forget what its meaning is for us in this day
The story of Jael was one that made an imprint on my heart. She knew who she was. Can't really imagine a woman like Jael waking up one day and saying to herself, "I'm having an identity crisis." She fully accepted who she was and what her life was about. She knew she could get the job done in this difficult wilderness life she led. She got familiar with the tools she had to work with, didn't fret because of what she didn't have. When she had a job to do, no matter how hard, she was ready to get it done. Jael is an example of a woman who could climb the mountain before her. Jael is memorable enough that her life and experience is in the word of God and was celebrated by the Judge of Israel, Deborah. God has a specific reason for including Jael in scripture and if we approach it with this in mind, we will find revelation in the scripture.
"Every scripture is God breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, and for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action), so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2Tim. 3:16-17 Amp.
No question about it, no second guessing, Jael knew who the enemy was and what this enemy was like. She knew her mission was to get rid of this enemy, or he would destroy them. This enemy represents the enemies of our souls, and what God calls us to do in destroying these enemies, none of whom are people (Eph. 6:12). Our work is to do the will of God with the weapons He gives to rid our hearts of these enemies.

mor-ti-fy: to kill, put to death, to deaden, to subdue. This is what we do habitually as the Amplified Bible says in Rom. 8:13, Col. 3:5.
Here is the victory we have, Christ has overcome sin, death, hell and the grave. He has given us our weapons! Did you know that His word is as a fire and a hammer? The weapon in Jael's hand was a hammer and nail. "Is not My word like a fire? says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?" Jer. 23:29. Every promise in the Bible is an assurance that all things are possible in Jesus. It doesn't matter how hard the heart is, God is able to turn it into a heart of zeal for Him.
My prayer for the Church today is that we will walk in the overcoming power of Christ. Rom. 6:7-14.
So, here is what I hope we will all take from the life of Jael. Know your identity in Christ, be content with who you are, when God is in the mission, we can do all things because He prepares the way, know the tools we have in Christ, don't fret about what we think is missing in our lives, know the enemy, know the mission, commit to the mission, no doubts, get ready! There are other people on this mountain, you are not alone!
I love you Church! We have the victory in Jesus name!

Jael: A Canaanite Woman Used By God

2009-06-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

The story of Jael is found in the book of Judges 4:11-24, 5:24-27. Very short piece of scripture to tell an extraordinary history of one woman and how the Lord used her to deliver Israel. Jael's story is so important that Deborah, judge of Israel at the time, sang praise to the mighty warriors of Israel, including Jael!! P. Jeff recently brought a message about climbing the mountain because that's where God is. Letting nothing stand in our way from reaching God at the top of the mountain.
First thing I did when I decided to reread Judges was to look up the meaning of the name 'Jael' in Strongs Concordance. This is what I found: Jael in Hebrew is pronounced 'Yaw-ale,' and it means the following; WILD GOAT, (this woman was a mountain climber!!) ibex as climbing. The primary root meaning is to ascend, to be valuable, useful, beneficial, set forward, can do good, be profitable, have profit. Can you get a picture of this Canaanite woman? She lived in a tent and I see her long, wild dark hair blowing in the wind. This woman knows she can do. Do you have a picture of a goat climbing a high mountain? We saw goats climbing all the time in Alaska. Nothing seemed to stop them.
There is no scripture reference of the Lord giving Jael instructions for what she was about to do, no word from Deborah who was judge at the time, although, Deborah prophesied that a woman would get the glory, "...for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman..." (4:6-9). What she did have is personal experience of what war with oppressors was doing to Israel. The people that Jael was from were the Kenites and Jael's husband Heber had earlier made peace between his house, the Kenites and King Jabin. This peace pact plays an important part in what Jael would do in helping to save God's people.
God knows the beginning, to very end of this thing He is doing. First, He called Deborah who knew how to spend time with God under the palm tree (4:5), seeking His wisdom. Next, Deborah called Barak who was in Kedesh (meaning sacred place)to lead the troops of Israel. Deborah herself lived in the land of Ephriam, and only 10,000 men came from two tribes; Naphitali and Zebulun. Out of the twelve tribes, only three were represented. The Few, Matthew 20:16. A few years ago, P. Jeff had an excellent series on 'The Few.' Check it out.
Next, God had plans for the enemy. The leader of K. Jabin's army was Sisera. The army had 900 chariots and as they were preparing for what they think will be a decisive victory for them, the Lord confused and terrified Sisera and ALL his chariot drivers (4:15). This apparently was too much for the enemy leader, Sisera left his chariot and fled the scene while every last one of his soldiers were slain by Israel.
Sisera knew he would have sanctuary at the tent of the Kenite, Heber. Jael is on the scene again, ready to make things happen! She calms all his fears, invites him into the tent, gives him a cover. He requests water and she goes the second mile and gives him milk with curd, that would be cottage cheese to us. She knew exactly how to disarm the enemy. This wild goat of a woman had everything set in place beforehand by the God of Israel. Now Jael herself was ready with everything she needed; the hospitality, the nourishment, the covering for him, the hammer, and the pin she used to stabilize the tent, and some assurance to keep him at ease. She knew everything about these tools, she was resourceful and well practiced in taking down tents and setting them up again. She quietly comes near the enemy who was in an exhausted, deep sleep and used the tent pin (we would call it a stake) and hammer to kill the the enemy who had oppressed Israel for twenty years.
I was up til 1:30 this morning reading the story of Jael, the wild goat. There are precious details here. I encourage you to read her story, take notes and talk about it with friends. Her story isn't done yet, this scripture was written for our instruction! You might have asked what does a wild goat have to do with me, or what does the Old Testament have for me? We are there!

Focus on the Point

2009-06-01T15:52:00.000-07:00

This is short and to the point. Adversity is not the point. Who God is , is the point. What He will do in and through the adversity is the point. Focus on the point.

Another Conversation

2009-05-25T13:19:00.000-07:00

This is a back and forth Jim and I had while running errands on this sunny day.
Marlee: (To Jim,) would you feel bad if I twittered what "Pookie" and I are doing today? (Pookie aka Jim).
Jim: (a resounding) YES, I would!! How about "HeMan or somethin' like that??
Marlee: or RealMan?
Jim:
No answer, he's thinking.
So later as I'm fixing our very late Irish oatmeal breakfast; Jim or RealMan, comes in the kitchen.
RealMan: "Pookie" wants a kiss. I figure if I say "Pookie" enough I won't be shocked when I see it in print.
Marlee: You get your kiss Pookie.
The whole point of blogging this conversation is to say that life is full of funny things, along with some very tough decisions we have to make in this life. If you plan on having fun and laugh a lot, it will make you stronger when it's time to make that decision. Pookie and I laugh a lot, so we know when there is something difficult we have to deal with, soon the laughter will be there again, it's become a habit. And besides that, Jim knows that the nickname Pookie will not become a habit, I like Jim just fine.
Everything is going to be ok.

Aspiring to be Great in the Kingdom of God

2009-05-19T11:25:00.000-07:00

Former Detroit Piston basketball player, Isiah Thomas, wrote a short tribute to his Piston coach Chuck Daly who recently died. If the article had been a poem, it would have had the word "ode" in the title. This was a work of praise to a man who was well loved and respected. He motivated his team players to be their best at all times. Mediocre did not survive around Chuck Daly. Remember Detroit's "bad boys" of the 80's? I hated it when Detroit came to town! Street ball. Not only were they motivated, but he expected his team to perform each and every game. In describing his coach, Thomas used such phrases and words as "champion," "mentor," "one of the greatest coaches," and "warrior."
Jesus also has words for those who would be great in the Kingdom of God, be a servant, Matt. 20:26. When love and respect for Jesus fills our lives, serving His people is His calling to us. In His time, Jesus makes us into the kind of servants that will become mentors, champions, warriors (we never give up!). The servants of Christ are gracious, well-respected and always teaching His word, telling and living His story. From the Savior who says "most assuredly," we are fully confidant of what we can do in His name. What more do we need in motivation than to have the Savior of the world as our Leader? We have all that we need in the face of adversity, God is the God who raises up champions and warriors! When we read that we can do all things through Christ, do we really believe, or do we admit it's in our minds but not our hearts yet? If you are in the land of "yet" still, take a leap of faith and believe you can because Jesus said it. That truth will bring us to the next step, and the next, and the next. Jesus has given us every word we need to fulfill our role as servant in this life. We can do all things only because Jesus has fully prepared the way for us in His word and on this earth when He was here.
I challenge you today to believe that Jesus will do the impossible for you. To believe that the call to servanthood is real and He has equipped us to do that very thing by imitating His example. No big wondering how I'm ever going to do it, it's all laid out in His holy word. Today is a day of challenges on all sides for the Christ follower and if we accept His challenge to deny ourselves and follow Him, everything we have need of will be taken care of. Trust Him, He is worthy!!

Grace

2009-05-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

"...He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' THEREFORE most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. THEREFORE I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Cor. 12:9-10
It's the grace of Christ that we long for. The grace that covers the unknown, it covers all that we have no answers for, it covers everything that gives us pain and we have no solution for. It covers ALL the past, our present, our future tomorrow and our eternity. It is grace that covers our sins and therefore, no accusation can be brought against us and have any meaning to God.
Seeking His grace, desiring to live victoriously in His grace every day. No need to struggle with how we get this grace, it is ours, freely given by our Savior. Praying we will have a revelation of His grace today, this very hour.

Call to Prayer and Worship

2009-05-12T19:12:00.000-07:00

I was glad when they said, "come, pray and worship at TRC." God is meeting us and He is doing great things in the lives of His people! We will definitely be there, we'll look for you to be there too. Expect the Lord to meet your needs, He is faithful and true.

Campus Ministry

2009-05-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

"Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and TRIED TO KEEP HIM FROM LEAVING THEM; but He said to them, 'I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.'" Luke 4:42-43. NKJV
This is the call of campus ministry, not just a ministry to students, but ministry to multiple cities, multiple sites to all people. YES, multiple site ministry is God's will and calling. He hasn't changed His mind in the 21st. century. Is it easy, no! Is it expensive, you bet it is! This walk of obedience will cost us EVERYTHING! If we lose our lives in Him, we will find our lives. We will discover exactly what God has called us to.
I don't know about you, but this kind of commitment used to stir up all the "what ifs..." in my heart. We first heard of multiple city ministry in 1973, there was a vision even back then. Verse 42 describes what happens when the what ifs take over, and it will you know!" "But Jesus, it's so good here." "But Jesus, it just won't be the same..." whatever our reservations or excuses, the calling remains, it will never change, it's ours too. Jesus will never, can never leave us, even for another campus. He doesn't love us any less, or love them more. His heart is big enough for everyone, His table big enough and full enough for all of us.
Next time you hear of an event at the Lake campus, drop by and see what is going on. You will hear God calling you to preach in cities too. God is the God who fully equips His people to do all He has called us to do. On to multiple cities to preach His word and fulfilling our purpose!

Most Assuredly

2009-05-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

How can we tell when someone is telling the truth? What do we look for? What are we listening for? We can listen to the eye witness and make a judgement, or we can look in their eyes. Do we know them?
Jesus knows that discerning the truth is so important one of His names is The Word. When He speaks, He is telling the truth, yet there were many of the religious establishment of His day that refused Him, called Him a blasphemer. Their hearts were darkened and they could not see the truth. Two of the words that Jesus spoke often, especially in the book of John are "most assuredly." In the KJV His words are "verily, verily". The more modern version, NKJ uses "most assuredly." When Jesus says "most assuredly", that gets my attention! What is He trying to assure us of? And wouldn't we think that the strong language He uses would tell us how important His teaching is? Jesus uses this phrase 25 times in the book of John in a variety of teachings.
The most important one is on salvation. Let us be most assured that when Jesus saves us, we are fully convinced. First of all, we have a need to be saved and secondly, He does what He says He will do, He forgives our sins and saves us! He is the only One who saves!! John 3:3 "...Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdon of God."
I could do the work for you and list the 24 other scriptures in John, but there is a better way. We live in a day when MANY people have given us their "most assuredLIES," and we've come away disappointed again and again. It's so important that we look to Jesus who is the TRUTH and believe Him, be convinced that every word He says we can depend on. I urge you to read the book of John NKJV, and everytime you see a "most assuredly," circle it and write down what Jesus is assuring us of.
Right in the middle of this day of mistrust throughout the world, find yourself assured. We can fully depend on His word. "Most assuredly..."

To Moms

2009-05-06T13:43:00.000-07:00

Mothering with all of its nurturing is the most important work a woman will ever do in her life. From the time the egg is fertilized, the mother is nurturing with God's miracle of creative power. From the minute you hold your baby that another woman gave birth to, you are nurturing your baby. God does a creative work in all who nurture. Loving, guiding, teaching, correcting, having fun with, crying with.
When our children are older, our nurturing takes a different form. We have discovered our nurtured baby is growing up and is quite embarrassed to be seen getting a hug and a kiss. So now our loving care takes form more in words of encouragement and praise--the hugs and kisses will come again.
One day when the last diaper is washed and folded (wait a minute, now you know what era I'm from!) and other signs of babyhood have disappeared from around the house, you may find yourselves jumping up and down in celebration for a job well done so far.
Jr. High and High School is right around the corner. Steadyyyyyy...steady, there is nothing to fear! You can still nurture. Now the nurturing takes form in leaving notes in their room that have nothing to do with cleaning the room. You know they love homemade bread and chocolate chip cookies. Do you remember those smells when you came home from school? It says, this is my home, I belong here. Kids of this age may not communicate much about anything, but all along you and the Lord have helped to create memories for children. Memories nurture. If you have a child that loves to communicate, you are blessed!
Have confidence in the nurturing gift you have been given by God! It's a beautiful thing. One day, you will sit back when all your children are grown and watch them relate to their siblings as adults. They actually love each other and like being together! This is the fruit of God's gift of nurturing.
"The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." That's an old phrase we don't hear much anymore, but I think it's true. It defines the influence we have in our children and then the influence they will go on to be in the world.
Have a blessed Mother's Day, you're doing a great job!!

??????????????????

2009-04-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

Could you guess this blog is about questions? People seem to be asking more questions in the last few years than ever before. It's good to ask. It's good to listen to the answer. Thomas was the questioner of Jesus' disciples, he definitely got his answer! Some of the sick who came to Jesus asked, will you heal? His answer is "I will..."
God taught me a spiritual lesson today. HE ASKED ME A QUESTION! What do you focus on? The question, or what you already know? Remember David's reaction when his mind got so full of questions about who God is? He finally realized, "these things are too high for me." We can either focus on our questions that may not get an answer or we can go back to what we already know and be filled again with His assurance. (Blog coming soon about these words of Jesus, "most assuredly")
Here are some of the things I already know: Acts 22:14-15, John 15:16, John 6:37-40, Eph. 1:3-4; we are chosen! 1John 1:7; we are made clean! Eph. 1:7; we are redeemed! 1Pet.1:3-5, John 17:11, Jude 24; we are kept by His power and love! Nothing can separate us from the Love of our God!
So, keep asking questions, but focus on what you already know. What are some of the things you know already?

Spam

2009-03-30T18:40:00.000-07:00

Maybe it was all the stories we heard about Spam growing up in Minnesota.

We grew up in the northern part, still the stories took on mythical proportions. We knew that Hormell made this canned meat known as 'Minnesota Delight' and the meat plant was somewhere down in the mysterious southern part of Minnesota. We didn't get around much in Minnesota. Austin, MN proudly claims Hormell packing plant as their own, and of course we are proud that Minnesotans have employment. The money stays in the state because we didn't go out of state. Most Minnesotans are born, raised, married and buried in this beautiful state.

Everything about Spam was mysterious to us because we never knew for certain just what parts of the pig went into the mixture. Anyhoo, (that's a Minnesota word for anyway) it comes out of the can a pink color. Why do they call pork the 'other white meat'? We enjoyed the good natured fun around Spam. There are Spam carving contests and inventive Spam receipe contests. There are Spam Festivals where everyone gets to be silly and think up silly Spam costumes to wear. The winters are long in Minnesota.

It's only been in the last couple of years that Spam has made it into our house again. Spam was considered survivor meat in Alaska when we ran out of moose, caribou, salmon, hooligan and halibut. It made it back on the grocery list because they lowered the sodium content. Hmmm, funny. Jim reached for the salt shaker tonight. I decided to overcome childhood memories about Spam and become inventive where this meat is concerned. BTW, what have they possibly used to keep all those pork parts together, it never falls apart in the frying pan.

Our favorite dinner with Spam is stir-fry. You may not see the pictures very easily, but the stir-fry was chopped Spam in Minnesota orderly squares, asparagus, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, cilantro, green onion and low-sodium soy sauce. I forgot to put in the mushrooms!! Oh well, left over Spam makes a good omelet with mushrooms.

Now the real reason I love cooking Spam is because it makes Jim happy! I had to face it, Jim loves Spam.

Spam hint: Costcos price is best, four cans to a pack. We have it hidden in the garage in a cupboard. Our kids know where it is though and it keeps disappearing. Life is full of mysteries, right?

More on the Eyewitness

2009-03-30T15:22:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I began reading Mark 16 and there it is, do we believe the eyewitnesses or not? There has always been a great challenge to Christian beliefs in a world that can only believe if they see first, 'show me the money.' Sunday in church, a friend reported a conversation she had with someone about faith and his response was, "show me the evidence." When we have God's word backwards, we will not see.

Christians who have seen and believed the Lord, love to celebrate who He is. Two of the days we love to celebrate more than any other are Christmas and Easter, the beginning of our faith for salvation and the resurrection to eternal life with Jesus. We love to celebrate and the world increasingly loves to castigate the meaning of our celebrations. But they can never change what God has given us.

What were the expectations and hopes of the people we read about in Mark 16? 16:1, they were going to anoint a dead body; 16:3, who would roll back the stone for them? Every emotion these three women felt is probably exactly what we would feel. They have been grieving, terror-filled, amazed, frightened enough to be trembling, bewildered and seized with consternation, they were held captive by fear and alarm (all scriptures are from the Amplified Bible). Verse 9 says that Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene, she went and reported to the disciples (v.10) what she had just SEEN and HEARD, and the disciples response was to weep and grieve. Yesterday (March 29) we had a very good description from P. Rory of what it is to weep like that. It's pretty messy, but there is no way to stop it because you don't care who sees it. The Bible calls this "godly sorrow for sin". Could it be that the eleven were sitting around thinking of the last few days and everything they had done and experienced? When the Master's name was mentioned, did Peter remember his betrayal of his Master? They grieved and wept. After all this, still they could not believe, "And when they heard that He was alive and that she had SEEN Him, they did not believe it" (v 11). Jesus never gives up on His people!! He appears to His apostles and rebukes and reproves them for their hard hearts and lack of faith, "...they had refused to believe those who had SEEN Him and LOOKED at Him attentively after He had risen [from death]." Thank you Jesus for not giving up on our frames of dust! Jesus believed in them! After His sharp rebuke, He gives them the Great Commission! And here we are today.

Soon we will be celebrating again. Easter is in a couple weeks, April 12. This year is the fifth year since we first came to TRC. Broken-hearted and unhealed, but Jesus...

I'm blogging like the whole world is reading everything, so this is my message to you today. Even if you have heard it many times and your response is "I'm still not ready", make this year different. Believe the eyewitnesses, believe the pastors when they preach their hearts out that Jesus loves you and will save you. They and many others have SEEN and believed. Believe the eyewitnesses in Mark 16, it is these people who changed the world. Jesus still wants more world-changers, you are one too when Jesus gets hold of your life. Forsake your life and your life will be saved. This Easter time!

Do You Believe the Eyewitness?

2009-03-29T23:39:00.000-07:00

A number of years ago I served for three months on a grand jury in Anchorage. The function of the grand jury is to show up on time when you are called and hear testimony of several witnesses, among them, eye witnesses. Based on the testimony we heard and after asking questions of the witnesses, we voted yea or nay on issuing an indictment. We heard testimony from many people, relating to many different cases over those three months. Some of the most important testimony was from eye witnesses. We believed some, and others we did not believe.

One of the blessings we have in our Bible is the testimony of the eye witness, and our choice is to believe or disbelieve. Holy, inspired men and women of God have carefully laid out their testimony of their experiences with God and with His Son, Jesus Christ. Their testimony has survived every test the world can throw at it. It still changes peoples lives because of its truth. God can tell nothing but the truth and when we believe by faith, that truth sets us free. (John 8:36; John 14:6).

For the Apostle Paul, there was no mistaking the experience he had on the road to Damascus. Still in the midst of threats, conspiracies and murder against the Church, Paul (or Saul at that time) had an unforgettable experience with the ascended Jesus Christ. He is ready to meet leaders of the synagogue in Damascus to carry out these plans against the Church but as he nears the city, he has a meeting with Jesus that knocks him off his horse and blinds him for a time in the light around him. Saul's first statement from the ground is "Who are You, Lord?" He immediately had the witness that the voice he heard was to be called 'Lord.' From that day on, Paul (God changed his name, as He did everything in his life) gladly gave eyewitness testimony of the transformation he had in his life and the credit belonged to Jesus.

The Apostle Peter was preaching to the household of Cornelius (Acts 10:36-43) "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil, for God was with Him. And we ARE WITNESSES OF ALL THINGS which He did..." The apostles eyewitness never softened, remained consistent to the end of their lives. The kind of eyewitness the whole world could believe in! Even the prophets of the Old Testament saw the Messiah by faith, Peter goes on, "To Him all the prophets witness that, [Jesus was to be Judge of the living and the dead] through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins." Peter was an eyewitness to the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. An eyewitness to believe. How boldly Peter told the story of the Savior! Can you imagine sitting down with Peter and listening to the complete story of what he saw when he lived with Jesus?

When Jesus was speaking at Capernaum, the multitude asked for a sign, "...that we may SEE it and believe you?" It was show me, and I will believe, with Jesus it is, believe and you will see. The statement that Jesus gives the crowd is, "But I say to you that you have SEEN Me and yet do not believe. (John 6:28-36). How blessed we are to have never seen, yet believe!! We who are transformed by the power of His blood know and have seen by faith that He is real and is everything He said He is.

Blogs permit only a few paragraphs. The scripture is full of eye witnesses who met the Living God and had their lives changed. I challenge you to find the eyewitnesses and believe them! Act on what the Holy Spirit witnesses in your hearts as you search His word.

"And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who SEES the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:40

The Mystery of Socks

2009-03-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

I read a comment by friend Stacie about her families sock problem. If you have had children, you know exactly what I'm getting at. The greatest household mystery of all time, the most asked question in a child filled household is, where is the other sock?? Why is it that every washer that has ever been manufactured has a hunger for one sock of each variety? Why don't matching pairs disappear? I fully understand your plea Stacie. If it's any consolation, millions of moms have had your experience!

The mystery of socks is right underneath the skin, and it doesn't take much to bring back the memories of the one missing sock. After reading Stacies remark on FB, memories of socks running away from home flooded in. All the crazy places they hide, all the odd uses kids find for their socks...it was too much, it had to go on a blog. It was imperative in our household that we find these socks, just wouldn't do for a kid to get out of the house in our Alaska winter with only one sock that could be found. Summer was no problem, kids loved bare feet. Finding socks became a goal, an inspiration to overcome the power that socks have over your household budget. Of course we can overcome this mystery!

First, find all the hiding places your kids use for candy, for incomplete homework, for the bug collection you said no to, the flashlight they use to read at night under the covers. That's some of the easier places to look. Then there is the deep recesses of the closet. Get beyond the locker room smell, the lunch box that disappeared with the sandwich still in it and you will find at least two mismatched socks in each place. NEVER throw away single socks, as soon as you do... you know what happens. I can't even write about that!

Kids socks have many uses other that covering feet. I have found lost socks being used to carry a marble collection. The sock would hang in a knot through a belt loop on jeans. Remember when we told our kids, "you've had enough candy today!" There's more in a sock somewhere. I have found caterpillars in a sock. That is really gross to reach in to turn the sock inside out and your fingers squish a caterpillar.

We eased the single sock problem at our house by buying same color socks. My girly girls didn't appreciate the gym socks though. We depended on grandparents to provide our girls with the pink, purple and lacey socks they loved. Whenever Grandma and Grandpa asked what they could get the kids for gifts, the one word response was always the same, socks.

The end of this mystery, frustrating mystery, is laugh at our frustration (s)!

Thanks to Jim for the sock picture, you are a dream come true.

P.S. I want to paragraph, but when I publish it, no paragraphs! Another mystery.

The Auction

2009-03-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

Tonight at 6PM at TRC, we are having an auction to raise funds for kids camps, kids activities, and kids ministry. Please try to come, it's funny as all get out. The bidding gets hot and heavy when the chocolate goodies come out for bid! It's nice to see the kids take part in their own fund raising by helping deliver the goods to the high bidder. There's a great variety of goods and services, for instance; what would you bid for cooking lessons? Delivery of fresh farm eggs? Try the auction, you'll like it. You might even meet new friends that could end up being your friends for decades. It's fun at TRC!!