General stuff

I have had a tough time keeping up with blogging and reading while learning to be a family of six, but when Steve took off for Israel I took a vacation.
I am back because Steve is back. His trip was life changing and I am loving his stories.
I finished Isaiah last week and it was a different read this time. In the past as I have read it I have seen an angry vengeful God. This time I saw a broken hearted Father. Take a week and read it slowly with that perspective, and have a great week.

This one's for Steve

Our lifestyle is Biblical, annoying, but Biblical.
I am still reading through the Bible. On December 31st I will declare victory, and hopefully start all over again.
Today, James 4:13 & 14 hit me square between the eyes. "Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow, we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes, Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.'"
We have been living that way since 1978. I got a lung infection in the Willamette Valley, and then later, while living in Hawaii, my lungs were further damaged by the volcanos.
Chemicals set off asthma, and while we know some of the offending chemicals, others remain a mystery. We never know what or when my asthma will be triggered. This has made public places scary. Perfumes and colognes are usually good for an attack. We gave up on back to school nights after Steve had to pick me up of the sidewalk, literally. We hadn't even gotten inside and the perfume was overwhelming.
I am often reminded of Pigpen from the Peanuts cartoons. A puffy cloud of filth followed him where ever he went. Why do women, (and some men) think it is okay to have a huge, pink, puffy cloud of perfume follow in their wake?
Anyway, back to the verse. Because I have no idea when my asthma will be triggered, planning to do things has become a source of frustration. Too many times we have gone somewhere, only to have to get back in the car, (often after I hit the floor, use the inhaler and an epi-pen) and head back home.
It has become so ingrained in our lifestyle that we rarely plan anything, and when we do, we always have Plan B. We even built a house last year, that is safe for me. Special paint, finishes and other details made it possible and I am so grateful.
It would be nice to plan a vacation and go. It's been a while.
I love you Sweeton.

The Absent Are Safe Here

The first time I read, "The Absent Are Safe Here" I thought about it for a week before I understood what it meant. Are the absent safe with me? Do I respect people behind their back, or do I dishonor them when they aren't around?
Pastor Kelly was talking about that on Sunday, well, that's how I applied it. He was encouraging us to pursue godliness, constantly, continuously, every day, without giving up. I think that includes our conversations with each other.
Even those inward, mental dialogues we have need to be measured in the light of godliness. You know the ones; repeating over and over what she said that hurt me, or what he did that was just so wrong. What should I have said? What could I have done to put her in her place?
Have you ever used the perfect comeback and then regretted it? Have you seen the pain on the face of the intended recipient and then felt like a worm?
There are no regrets when we know we have done that which pleases our Heavenly Father. There is no worminess when we hold our tongue, refusing to become the weapon of the enemy.
"So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another."Romans 14:19

The Challenge

I got bored so I changed things up a bit. This picture is of the beach in St. Andrew's, Scotland, just off the golf course. The opening scene to Chariots of Fire was filmed here, and when we walked on it I swear I could hear the orchestra.
There is something magical about a quiet morning by my window; the steam rises from my tea cup, the flowers are in bloom, and my Bible is open on my lap. I generally prefer a good sleep-in, but this is deeply good.
I am still up to date on reading through the Bible this year! Amazing, truly amazing. With major changes in my life this summer I have managed to keep up. I miss some days and have more to read, and some days are harder than others because I don't always like what I read, but I am pressing on toward the goal.
This week I read an old favorite and was challenged in a surprising way. I have this verse colored with light red pencil and there are notes next to it. I go to it often because it reminds me that I am loved with a divine love. I am precious.

 "I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 
Wonderful are Thy works, 
And my soul knows it very well." Psalm 139:14


This time, as I read it, in my minds eye I had a picture of a woman I never want to see again. She didn't just hurt me, she did so deliberately, with great planning, care and painful consequences. She was reading the same verse, and finding the same peace and comfort that I receive. It surprised me and then I heard the Lord ask me, "Is this verse true for her too?"
Wow and ick.
He did make her too. She was formed in her mother's womb with the same love care as I was. I should be spiritual enough to rejoice, but I am ashamed to say that I am disappointed. I can pray the part about being fearfully and wonderfully made for her, but the thanks for her still sticks in my throat. I am working on it.
Funny how, after all these years, the same verse that has brought me so much comfort, brings conviction. God's word is alive and still challenges me. It's a good thing; hard, but good.

Thank you, Judith Lane Dolim

I opened my Bible today to the front page and the message Judy wrote to me 34 years ago, caught my eye. It's the Bible she gave to me when I was leaving college to head back to YWAM England.
When I read the verses she put at the end of her message I smiled. Those verses have been true about me since the day she wrote them, and whenever I look at the front of my Bible I remember her. Judy got the Bible with the fish, Steve got the one with the cross and she picked the one with the fish and cross for me, so I would think of them while I was away.
Steve and I have been married 32 years today.
I love my old, well worn, leather Bible, with it's partially color-coded sections, notes by certain passages, and a coffee cup ring on the back cover. It is, as Judy wrote, the "precious and most valuable treasure" she gave me so long ago; even more treasured now because it has been with me for so long, holding not only God's precious word, but of memories of cherished loved ones.
Thank you Judy. I love you still, from a distance.
Happy Anniversary Steve! I love you more each year.

Hiatus

I have been absent. Sorry, but this little munchkin is too precious a distraction. Lucy loves my yogurt so much she decided to give herself a blueberry yogurt facial.











The Burn's are now living in their digs in our basement, Jewell, Richie and Lucy are pretty much settled in and we are loving becoming the Walton's. No "Good night Johnboy" because we all go to bed at such different times, but it is great.
I haven't given up on my reading, but it has become more challenging to write about it. I still don't get Job. Sometimes his friends said some good stuff and sometimes they were really judgmental, but I had to read it slowly. I am sure that says something about me. I am the Psalms now and I love it. Back in the '70's, I learned so many of them as songs. I found my old Scripture in Song book and have had some leisurely moments singing and worshiping with the old, dearly loved songs. Maybe I can teach some of them to Lucy when I am watching her. Like Psalm 27, "The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?"
Really, do they get much cuter than this?

I haven't quit

I find summer time wonderfully distracting, but I am still reading through the Bible. I became totally bamboozeld after I finished II Chronicles. There was so much about kings and judges in Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, but what stood out to me were the relationships, not leadership.
Relationships between the parents and children, and between the kings and judges, and between everyone and God.
When I finished II Chronicles I just sat for a while. The construction of two new houses bordering my backyard prompted thoughts of the house of God.
I am so grateful for my house. It was made just for me, to exact specifications. I react severely to many chemicals so we used special paint, special finishes, no glues, tested carpets and ended up with a home that is safe for my lungs. I am proud of it, and I take care of it.
Although my value doesn't come from the condition of my home, it does reflect me. A piece of my identity is wrapped in these walls.
So what? I wrestled with how to express how I felt about God's house when I finished Chronicles. It was built to exact specifications. The people of Israel gave money, jewels, and precious metals to make it beautiful. It was celebrated and praised. It was a place of worship, comfort and revelation. God lived there and His people knew where to find Him.
God's temple was honored then trashed, repaired then desecrated, cleaned then neglected, refurbished then destroyed. Over and over again God's house was valued and devalued. I sat wondering how that made God feel. Up and down an emotional roller-coaster is exhausting. I know that I am attributing human emotions to Almighty God, but He created our emotions. Our feelings have their roots in God's character.
We are His temple. How are you caring for His dwelling place?
There are a few ladies in my life that help me with the upkeep of my temple, and I love them. Thank you Ellen, Cindi, Lucia, Cindy and Jessica.