a Thanksgiving Prayer

Thanksgiving. It's a holiday that means lots of food, usually with family and friends, and maybe a football game on TV. Thanksgiving can be an attitude. We can remember to give thanks every day, not just once a year over a table groaning with food. I pray that we give thanks for a great meal, and remember those who do not have enough to eat most days. I pray that we are grateful for our homes and remember those without. And I pray that we, who are so richly blessed, help out the less fortunate by giving our money and our time to organizations devoted to their assistance. I pray also for those who serve and protect, in our military, in police and fire departments. And for those who must work on holidays, in hospitals and care facilities, and in restaurants and other businesses, and emergency personnel.

I pray for those who are grieving this holiday season. Many of us have lost loved ones this year. The first round of holidays after a loss is rough. And even if it's been many years, sometimes the ache of loss wells up unexpectedly. If you know someone who may be grieving or lonely, do give a call or send a note or message. Even a quick “hello” means a lot at these times.

I pray that each of us remembers how much we have every day. And that we know that even if our budget is tight, we are rich in love. We love because God first loved us. And God so loved the world--the ENTIRE world, all of creation--that God sent God's only Son, our Lord Jesus. It in His Name we pray, Amen.  

letter writing

Monday evening....It's been a day of odds and ends. It was a day off, mostly. I drove by the church building and took photos of the roofing crew at work, then emailed pics to the church secretary and put one on Facebook. I also went to the riverfront and took some pics. A highlight of the day was getting a letter from a dear friend who lives in another city. She and I have been friends since grade school! We've both had ups and downs, and we don't always stay in touch as well as we'd like. So a nice long letter was a real treat. And I am grateful that I had time to write a nice long letter back to her! My note to her has a Maya Angelou stamp on it, and hers to me has a Jimi Hendrix stamp :) We are both proud children of the Baby Boom era! Glad our US Postal Service honors such a variety of people on stamps. It's a fun way to add some “personality” to mail.

I must admit, I do not write letters often. When I do, I type, my handwriting was always bad and it's gotten worse over the years. I can type faster than I can write longhand. When I have “serious” writing to do, like a sermon or bible study, then I do make notes longhand on a writing tablet, or write it out completely that way. Not sure why, but when I am 'stuck', writing longhand seems to help. I have read that writing longhand stimulates more areas of the brain than typing on a computer. So for a recent start to a writing project, I bought a set of writing tablets, in different colors, and gel pens. I haven't done all that much with them, but they look great!

So I am “catching up” on my blog posts. I pray it's been a nice day for you too, dear reader. Shalom.

Thanksgiving Traditions

Ooops, behind in my blogging. But we knew that would happen didn't we?

It's Thanksgiving week. I like to cook the big dinner, for a couple reasons. I like the leftovers! And with allergy issues, I'm picky. Over the years we've modified the menu a bit to be healthier. We have turkey for sure! For sides, we have roasted or steamed vegetables, and/or salad; sweet potatoes steamed or baked, with butter, no sweetener. Yes, we have potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and dessert. And one can choose to eat those things in moderation-or not! :)

This year we will spend the holiday at the apartment of older son and his girlfriend. She and I will cook together. We did phase 1 of the shopping yesterday and had fun and were quite efficient! Phase 2, the fresh veggies etc will be purchased Tuesday. It's working out well, and I think we are beginning a new tradition.

Holiday traditions are important. Sometimes when our life circumstances change, we want our traditions to stay exactly the same, but that's not feasible. We need to be able to honor traditions, but perhaps modify them to honor our new situation. My family is honoring my wish to cook, but at their apartment, which quite frankly has a much better kitchen!

I pray your holiday is wonderful, with people you love, with some old and new traditions, and some healthy choices along with some treats! 

I don't have a past photo of Thanksgiving dinner, 

so here is the "cornucopia" decorations from church :)

what do you hope people remember?

(a bit late...ok a day late...)

NaBloPoMo Day 18: What do you hope people remember about you after you're gone?

well I am pretty sure people will remember my laugh. I hear enough comments about it! (I have a rather boisterous laugh, my mom was always telling me to quiet down...and it never worked!)

I hope people know how much I love my family, they mean everything to me.

And I hope that folks remember that I love the Lord and have tried to help others see that God is present through all our lives, in good times and bad. 

naptime!

another day to post another blog entry! I had a couple meetings this morning, and now i am home and had some lunch and it's raining. I love the sound of rain....and love to fall asleep to the sound of rain. So i am about to take a nap.

I love naps. It's often hard for me to stay asleep all night. I always have, I suspect it's some genetic or biochemical thing. but i don't care enough to get a sleep study and all that jazz...I just read a while until i can fall back to sleep. and then i have a little afternoon siesta. 

The cat always sleeps all afternoon!

One thing we can count on, Our Loving Lord never sleeps or even naps! Scripture tells us in Psalm 121, "He who watches over Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps" 

Psalm 121

A song of ascents.

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

Blog and Photo Posting Month

It's NaBloPoMo -National Blog Posting Month, which follows the tradition of NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. The latter is an event in which people commit to write a novel, 50,000 words in 30 days time. That is a LOT of work, but an effective way to establish a good daily writing practice if one does not already have one. I am not a novelist, but have thought in the past couple years of doing some sort of writing practice in November. I happened to come across info about Blog Posting Month, and well, here I am.

Just came across NaPhoPoMo, National Photo Posting Month! Some people are posting photographs every day during November. I have been doing that, putting a photo with most of these blog posts, not even aware that it was a thing. Most of these photos are one I have taken in the past, but a few are current, taken the day of the posting or one day before.

So without realizing it, I have been “killing two birds with one stone”, so to speak, posting a short written blog and photos every day. Thank you for reading my posts, and I hope you enjoy the photos too. My nature photos are depictions of beauty, sometimes a glimpse of something lovely in the ordinary. I believe that one aspect of God is beauty, seen in the midst of the ordinary. As when we see a colorful sunset or sunrise. The light of the full moon in a clear night sky. Or when the colors of a Maple or Oak tree in autumn are brilliant in the midst of evergreens. Or the flashing red feathers of Cardinal against the backdrop of snow. The glimmer or raindrops on a new leaf in spring. I pray that when I post a photo or two on my blog or on Facebook, or show them to friends, that people are seeing a glimpse of the glory of God's creation.

Happy writing, blog, or photo posting month, or just happy November to you. And again, thank you for following my blog.  

 More info about "NaPhoPoMo"

Photo taken summer of 2014, at Cadiz Springs State Recreation Area (just west of Monroe, WI)

a photo

NaBloPoMo Day 15: Something quick... a YouTube share, a picture, a haiku.. Short and Sweet Sunday.

one of my favorite photos taken at the Badlands National Park in South Dakota this summer. No filters or photo alterations at all. 

Prayers for Paris and all of us

There has been horrific violence on innocent people. As I write, details are sketchy, all that is known for sure is that there are more than 100 deaths and 300 people injured. It is the worst attack in the city of Paris since World War II.

This type of attack is so disturbing. It happened on a Friday evening, not on a battle field but in restaurants, a sports stadium, and a concert venue. People were out for fun at the end of the usual work week. That we may not be safe when out for an evening is appalling.

Humans need to feel safe and secure. If we do not, we can not function well for long. That is why terror attacks are prevalent and it also why news media cover them so avidly.

It is appalling also that we may not be safe in schools or churches. Sadly, many people are not truly safe in their own homes, as they may be subject to abuse. Sadly too, those who grow up in violence seem to learn that violence is the norm and often subject others to it.

Some may ask, where is God in all this?

God's promise is to be with us, always. Every person affected by these acts of terror is a child of God. Every single human being born was, or is, or will be, a child of God, even those who carry out terrible acts upon others. I believe God weeps because of violence happening to and through the acts of God's children.

I know that God promises to be with us always. We do not always perceive it. But God is present in those who help the victims, in the first responders, the doctors and nurses, and in the bystanders who offer aid to the injured or comfort to the dying. That God is present in those of us the world over who see the news and react in fear or anger. God urges us to think and pray..that even a thought, “those poor people”, is indeed a prayer of compassion.

We can pray. We can pray for those responders, for the victims and their families. We can pray for government officials in every country as they react and determine strategies for the future. And we can pray that those who act in violence will realize the error of their ways and that atrocities will cease and desist. We can pray that ALL of God's children, everywhere, know that God is Love and we are created to care for one another, not to hate. That hate and terror are acts of evil. We can pray that all of the children of Abraham, Jewish, Christian and Muslim, one day live in the love and peace of God as we were created for.

I pray this in Jesus' Name, amen.  

ideal day off

NaBloPoMo Day 13: Describe your ideal day off. What would you do with your time?

Good coffee, a leisurely breakfast, from which all the calories and fat grams were removed, of course! Read a little, write a little. Take a walk outside-it's my ideal so the weather is perfect to be outdoors! In fact, if we are dreaming, let's dream big and make that walk happen on a nice sandy beach! In Florida! 

And a nice lunch with great people, my family and a couple of close friends. The kind of folks that it's OK to have silence with, because we don't have to constantly fill the holes! But the silences mostly don't last too long, because we do have so much in common and have such fun things to say when we are together! So there would be laughter and hugs.

And then maybe a nap or some shopping..and then a lovely dinner with my hubby. And maybe another walk on that beach, at sunset. And I could take a few photographs :) Then some more reading and writing and a great night's sleep. And, since it's my “ideal”, let's do it all again tomorrow! 

Pensacola Beach Florida, June 2013.   ahhhhhhh 

"Fear" the Lord

NaBloPoMo continues...i didn't get anything written today, but am sharing a devotion i wrote some time ago.

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom.
All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom.

Praise him forever! -Psalm 111:10 NLT

Fear the Lord

A challenge of Bible study can be understanding the layers of meaning of the original languages. The word translated, “fear” also means to honor, to be in awe of, and to “be afraid of”. All of these emotions apply to our worship of God.

Driving in the Rocky Mountains on vacation a few years ago helped me to better comprehend all these overlapping layers of meaning. Where I live in the Midwest, one's experience of “rugged terrain” is a 1200 foot river bluff! In the Rockies, it is awe-inspiring and scary to drive through mountain passes, with miles of steep roads winding between towering peaks. Some roads have hair-pin turns, with sharp drop-offs on one side and a cliff rising overheard on the other. The scenery is stunningly beautiful, yet the ride can be terrifying! One lapse in attention or judgment can be disaster.

This applies to our faith life too. God is love, yet God is all-powerful too. God easily created those majestic mountains, yet could just as easily destroy them. Remembering God's power along with the perfect love, helps us to comprehend God better and to worship more fully. Yet, failing to follow the word of God can lead to sin and separation from God.

Thank God for Jesus! The Son of God, lived as a man in order to help us better love and know God. Through His gift of the Holy Spirit, we learn to worship in reverence and awe of the Lord God.

God of Glory, thank you for the majesty of creation to help us comprehend Your beauty and majesty. Let us revere and worship with awe today and always! In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Photo taken in northern New Mexico along highway 64 east of Taos

flowers

My church has several members who love to garden and thankfully, they lend their talents to beautifying the church grounds. It's November and there are Irises blooming at the church! Irises are spring flowers; they usually bloom here in May! I am not sure why they are blooming now, they started in October. There were blossoms for a wedding in did Oct 10, and a few more for our guest speaker two weeks later. Yesterday I noticed several blooms! We have had some cold weather, even frost, but this fall has been fairly warm, so I guess the bulbs decided it's springtime. Our rose bushes have continued to bloom, and the petunias are as well! The weather is predicted to change rapidly, so the flowers won't last.

The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever. –Isaiah 40:8 ESV

While we know the weather will change, our flowers will soon be covered in snow, our Loving Lord is constant and unchanging. When we commit to reading God's Word and to prayer on a regular basis, we are reminded of God's perfect love and care for all of creation. Thanks be to God!  

projects

Prompt for today:NaBloPoMo Day 10:

What is the hardest part of a big project: getting the energy to begin, finding the time to work on it, or feeling down that it's over?

Ooh great question. I am assuming this is a project that I was in on from the beginning. I usually have no trouble with the energy to begin. If it's something that's 'tossed in my lap' from someone else, then finding ambition to get going could be harder. If I like the project I will find the energy for it! For me, finding time to work on a big project is the hardest. There are so many things that crop up to distract or interrupt! Things pop up both in the 'day job' of being a pastor and in my home life. And it's so easy for attention and energy to get scattered, especially if there are a few projects going on! So I write notes and use electronic calendar and reminders to keep myself on task. If it's not on my google calendar, it won't happen! And I admit to writing email or calendar reminders to myself in the middle of the night, if I think of something then.

a photo from my favorite BIG project: the "Book Bag Bash" held in conjunction with Faith Works of Rock County. with 75 volunteers from 12 churches, we gave out school supplies to more than 600 kids in needy families, with a hot dog lunch, face painting, bounce houses, and live music :) 

 and no, i am not conducting a choir..i was thanking "ALL of you" volunteers and about to lead a prayer for the day :D

R&R

Mark chapter 6 vs 30-32: The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught.31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.

Jesus knew that the disciples need to rest. He himself needed rest sometimes-- elsewhere in Mark, Jesus was so tired he slept in a boat that was being swamped in a storm! Our bodies need rest and relaxation in order to function well.

R&R-- Rest and Relaxation. I am coming to realize that I don't always manage both. I rest...but relaxation is harder to come by. And without the second R, the first one is not very effective.

So today I am working on relaxation.(and yes, I am struck by the way I phrased that...”working on relaxation!?”) I have the house to myself for several hours. I've been reading and doing a few tasks around the house. I had smooth jazz playing—it's about to go off in favor of quiet! I think the kitty and I are going to go upstairs to nap for a bit. And so I am consciously working on UN-hunching my shoulders and gently stretching. I've been outside in the fresh air, and took time to notice the blue sky and the leaves blowing off the tree out front. And I've spent time reading my Bible and prayed for folks on my prayer list. But I am praying for myself too. That today is R&R and that I will be recharged to serve Our Loving Lord more fully tomorrow!

this is a serene scene I took a couple weeks ago on a day off. 

 

a favorite hymn

NaBloPoMo Day 8: Write briefly - oh , so briefly- about your favorite hymn line or stanza.

I have so many fave hymns...Amazing Grace, most of the Christmas ones :) & a contemporary hymn by Matt Redman that we will sing this morning at church- “10,000 Reasons”. One that is in the top 3 if not my very favorite...”How Great Thou Art.” When my husband and I were at the Grand Canyon, I started singing this, (after making sure no one else was close by...didn't want to scare strangers!) But the wonder and beauty of the canyon was beyond words. I just had to sing..

”Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds thy hands have made, I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, thy power through out the universe displayed,

Then sings my soul, my savior God to thee, how great thou art, how great thou art!”  

One of the many photos I took....it's hard to take a bad pic of Grand Canyon, I tried...about 400 times :)  click on photo to view larger

autumn

Oh dear, I've made this commitment to blog every day. And now I question why, I mean I am just not that interesting! And then I think there are certainly more boring people blogging every day....

This past week has been lovely weather, especially for November in the Midwest! We had temps in the low 70s most days. Now we are back to more normal weather, it's predicted to be sunny and 50ish today. The warm days I made sure to be outside even for a little while! It's just good for the soul for us to be outside, to get fresh air and sunshine. Even in late autumn there are still colorful leaves on the trees to add to the beauty of the day. So today I will post a couple photos that I took this week.  

Jars of Clay

2 Corinthians 4:6-7

 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

As we go through life, either we or someone we love will have health problems. It's the nature of life. Our bodies age, accidents or illness happen. Scripture says our bodies are “jars of clay”, that is to say, something fragile and temporary. We are meant to remember that permanence is God's and God's alone. “The surpassing power” to work change for the world is because of God and belongs to God. This is the knowledge of God in the face of Christ. (verse 6)

How can this be? God's power is made perfect in weakness. The perfect illustration of this is Jesus, God's own Son. He came to live as a human being. What is more vulnerable than an infant? He grew up in a working class family, so knew the pangs of hunger, the aches after a long work day. He knew temptation, and fatigue. And he suffered the ultimate vulnerability and weakness in death on a cross. And then showed the ultimate power of God in the Resurrection.  

Light and Momentary troubles

2 Corinthians 4:17

For the light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of of glory beyond all comparison.

There are ups and downs in life. Sometimes we want our life of faith to be a promise that bad things won't happen! But the bible never guarantees an easy life. We are promised that God is always with us. We may find God's presence in loving friends or family, and people who pray for us.

This verse reminds us that the challenges of life are temporary. “Momentary” and “light”, not meant to weigh us down! Rather we are being prepared for our eternal life in heaven. The promise of heaven -this is a promise beyond all comparison!

No matter what challenges we may face in life, there is something wonderful awaiting us. Heaven-to forever be in the presence of God and our Lord Jesus! In heaven there is no suffering or pain, no mourning, and God will personally wipe every tear from our eyes! What an extraordinary promise this is. We will eternally be singing God's praises, united with loved ones.

As we go through the stuff of life, we hold fast to this promise. We read the bible and prayer and are reminded that our losses and challenges are fleeting compared to our eternal reward.

Let's pray: Holy God, we thank you for the Bible sharing Your promises of eternal life with you. We thank Jesus for our salvation, and ask that we always be reminded that our earthly life is momentary. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.  

inner self

2 Corinthians 4:16

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

A pastor often spends time with folks in either the highest or lowest moments of life. Births, weddings, illness, death. It is not always easy but it is a privilege to be with families in these moments.

Sometimes when a person has had many challenges, their faith is challenged too. We know God is love and God's promise is to be with us always. But when we've seen or experienced suffering and loss, we may feel terribly alone.

The processes of aging or illness may have us feeling that our “outer self is wasting away.”

This scripture reminds us that our “inner self is being renewed day by day.” how can this be so, when we feel so alone? One of the most effective ways is to spend time, even a few minutes a day in the God's word and prayer. Reading the Bible and prayer do not have to take a lot of time. Even ten or fifteen minutes in the morning can be the foundation for the day. Or we can have time to read and pray in the evening before bed to finish our day.

Beginning and maintaining this practice will help us get through our daily lives. And when the challenges come up, we will have a daily habit to hold us in good stead. 

Owned by a cat

“Dogs have owners, cats have staff” I have no idea who initially made that statement, but it's apt. Our grey tabby cat is small, only about 7 pounds, but she's all attitude. Even though she is an indoor cat, since the weather got cooler, she's decided to be a lap-sitting kitty. Of course once she hops onto my lap, she thinks I should remain still as long as SHE needs me to.

This cat is definitely the ruler of the roost. There are cat toys all over. She has scratching post with a top on which she sits, and a “cat tree”, a carpeted pole with 3 small shelves at varying heights. She will run and jump onto the “tree's” highest shelf when she is playing. Sometimes she just sits on it to watch out the window, or even to take a nap. She is great at napping. Cats do sleep a lot. And they are often up during the night while the humans are trying to sleep. 3 a.m. is prime run-around-the-house time!

NaBloPoMo...National Blog Posting Month

I only just read about NaBloPoMo, National Blog Posting Month. You may have heard of NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, this is similar to that. Instead of novel writing, bloggers commit to writing a blog post every day for the month of November. It's a way to make oneself follow the first rule of writing, which is to Just Write. I am committed to writing more, so this is a great start. Somewhat typical for me- I am starting late-but jumping in with both feet, or rather with both hands on the keyboard! It's Nov 2, and in theory Monday is my day off, so it's a great day for me to begin. 

Today is a sunny warm day, especially for November in the Midwest US! Last week i had to wear my winter coat a couple days against the cold wind. Today is predicted to be 70 and sunny! ahhhhhhhh 

Photography is my hobby, so these daily posts will often include photos. either new or from my collection. I use a “real camera" that fits in my purse or my pocket. (so it's always with me)

Yesterday afternoon, hubby and I took a walk at a park in town and I took several photos.