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In Case of Emergency

Posted in The Kids, WONDER, tagged Andrew Peterson, emergency preparedness, father-son bonding weekend, go back, in case of emergency, letter to son, love Jesus, Proverbs 22:6, Son, train up a child, You'll Find Your Way on February 4, 2013| 2 Comments »

e213e03d57cc73bcce414a1c5bfe3119 My mind is pondering my son, my only son, tonight.

Finally I am preparing to write my letter to him (referred to way back in my post, Father-Son Bonding Weekend) to be placed in the box with all of those letters from the special men in his life … and me 😉 .

As I was pondering my son, and the words that I want him to keep with him for all of his days, even after I am long gone, I am reminded of the beginnings of elementary school each year.

Early in September, the letter would come home. The letter with instructions for packing an emergency package to be left at school … in case of emergency. A large Ziploc bag would come home with the letter giving directions for filling the bag. A larger garbage bag, snack bars, a toy or stuffy, and a letter to comfort our child … in case of emergency.

It was always a tumultuous task to write that letter. I remember sitting at a table, paper before me, pen in hand …

I would start with, “Your dad and I love you …”

Then they would start, those imaginings of situations that might result in this letter being read by my son. And each time they would eventually come to the point of realizing that this scrawling on paper might be the last communication that my son might have from me. And the tears would fall, and words would see inadequate for all that I would want to leave for him to take into his life … in case of emergency.

And washing his hands, and brushing his teeth, and scrubbing behind his ears would seem unimportant for in case of emergency.

What would I want my last words to my son (or my daughters) be?

Then I would know, I would know with the greatest of certainty what he needed in case of emergency …

“Love Jesus with all your heart”

So when I encountered the following song by Andrew Peterson, I knew it spoke my heart, just like those letters written, just like the letter my son will receive this week,

in case of emergency …

When I look at you, boy
I can see the road that lies ahead
I can see the love and the sorrow

Bright fields of joy
Dark nights awake in a stormy bed
I want to go with you, but I can’t follow

So keep to the old roads
Keep to the old roads
And you’ll find your way

Your first kiss, your first crush
The first time you know you’re not enough
The first time there’s no one there to hold you

The first time you pack it all up
And drive alone across America
Please remember the words that I told you

Keep to the old roads
Keep to the old roads
And you’ll find your way
You’ll find your way

If love is what you’re looking for
The old roads lead to an open door
And you’ll find your way
You’ll find your way
Back home

And I know you’ll be scared when you take up that cross
And I know it’ll hurt, ’cause I know what it costs
And I love you so much and it’s so hard to watch
But you’re gonna grow up and you’re gonna get lost
Just go back, go back

Go back, go back to the ancient paths
Lash your heart to the ancient mast
And hold on, boy, whatever you do
To the hope that’s taken hold of you
And you’ll find your way
You’ll find your way
If love is what you’re looking for
The old roads lead to an open door
And you’ll find your way
You’ll find your way
Back home

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When Jesus Doesn’t Calm the Storm

Posted in Guest Post, WONDER, tagged get back in the boat, guest post, Jesus, look up, Matthew 14, peter, Roger Thorpe, sea of galilee, Storms, walking on water on February 3, 2013| Leave a Comment »

images I have been reading posts by Roger Tharpe for quite some time now. He is insightful and thorough in how he views what he reads in the Bible and how it relates to his life.

On his ‘About Me’ page, he says of himself, “My name is Roger Tharpe and I am a Christian. I love to blog and tell others about Christ in stories that could be shared by all.”

In this guest post, Roger writes of the story of Peter walking ~~taking a plunge~~ on the Sea of Galilee with Jesus, in What Do You Do When Jesus Doesn’t Calm the Storm?

We all have storms in our lives. Sometimes they are easily managed with relaxed breathing, and just taking it easy. Sometimes our confidence is shot, the skies are ominously dark, the waves seem aimed at us, and there is no steady hand for us to reach for in clear view … until we look up …

I highly recommend a read of this post, today.

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Old to New: The Weight Loss DiaBLOG – Month 7

Posted in Weight Loss DiaBLOG, women, WONDER, tagged accountability, diaBLOG, diet, goals, losing weight, modelmydiet, myfitnesspal, Old to New, pounds, weight, Weight Loss on February 1, 2013| Leave a Comment »

So, confession time has arrived …

I have not started the year out very well!

As is often the case, I do very well over the Christmas season, and even as the new year gets started. Then January gets in full swing, the busyness resumes, back to work, rains pick up and the dark of winter seems … darker, now that the Christmas lights are packed away. The winter blues set in, images and carbs are the only thing giving satisfaction.

Over the month I’ve packed on 4 pounds 😦 … that’s a chihuahua!

So, back to the weight loss part of this DiaBLOG!

I am going to pretend this month did not happen and look towards the future!

In the six months of 2o12, I worked hard and lost 24lbs! Although that does not seem like a big amount (I have a friend who lost about 50 in the same amount of time), I am ahead of where I was. So, as I was thinking about that 24lb. weight loss, I found myself thinking, ‘what if I made my goal to lose 26lbs. by the end of the school year, making my total loss 50lbs. after one year of living, thinking, and eating differently?’ So, that is my plan! I want to lose 26lbs. from February to the end of June. That is a goal of losing 5lbs. each month …. very doable!

So, this past month was not so successful, and my goal of walking three times a weeks is still unmet. I did manage to get in a nice long walk each weekend, but during the week has not been successful. So, I will continue on with that goal for February.

This month I discovered a web sight that is kind of fun!

www.modelmydiet.com

If you click the link above, you will see a virtual me, the heaviest I have ever been and the lightest … sigh, how does that happen? If you play around with the details on the right of the page, then click on ‘update’ you will get to see you. It was encouraging for me to see the differences from where I am now to where I was seven months ago.

Best wishes with the month of February!

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When We Get There

Posted in WONDER, tagged 1 Corinthians 13:12, 2 Corinthians 5:1-9, Chris Tomlin, Creation, dark, faith in what is unseen, faith shall be my eyes, faith that has been made sight, I will rise, January, perfect, Revelation 21, this is my father's world, we aren't there yet, Weather Forecast, works on January 31, 2013| Leave a Comment »

156148312051762778_tvv1QTVo_b January is (finally) at it’s end. A dark month, both physically and emotionally.

There has been one thing that I have been reminded during of this month of ebony … we aren’t there yet.

There being the life that waits for us once our life here on Earth has come to an end. There being that place where the streets are paved with gold (Rev. 21:21), where there will be no more death, or mourning, or crying in pain … no more tears (Rev. 21:4), where there will be no more night (Rev. 21:25), where we will dwell with God (Rev. 21:3).

There being the existence that we were originally created for, back in the garden.

I am no detester of this Earth, or this life we live. This IS my Father’s World …

and He created all that is good in it. But the world He created changed in it’s totality when sin came into His perfect, flawless, self-sustaining creation, and the effects of that sin are all that weighs us down in this life … sickness, floods, starvation, money, lies, hurts, death.

In the absence of the perfection that God intended for us to live, is the longing for … more. That more can only be found there.

“There’s a day that’s drawing near
When this darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear
And my faith shall be my eyes”
Chris Tomlin “I Will Rise”

As we trod this earth as believers in the Triune God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) we wish that we had such great faith that it is our eyes. We wish that we could see those around us with the faith of full belief, but we cannot. It is only in the presence of our Creator that our faith specs are able to see fully.

542402_10151372980315789_1055680521_n 428224_10151372978860789_461048034_n

Walking on my favorite trail with my beast, I came to this realization.

A few weeks back I took the photo above and to the left. It was a chilly, bright, clear day. If you look really closely you can see the snow covered mountain in the far background. It was a beautiful view!

Then, this past weekend I took the photo above and to the right. It was a cool, damp, cloudy, rainy day. The walk was equally beneficial, but not so beautiful. There is no mountain in sight, as it was hidden from my view by those rain-filled clouds.

You now know, because I shared my pictures, that behind those gray clouds are beautiful mountains. If I had just told you about them, you might have trusted my telling, and, with faith, believed that the mountains I shared with you are truly there, and beautiful. But, because you are able to see them for yourself (albeit with a magnifying glass), your faith has been made sight!

“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
1 Corinthians 13:12

And that is what awaits us. Faith that has been made sight!

“For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God-made, not handmade—and we’ll never have to relocate our “tents” again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move—and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what’s coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we’re tired of it! We’ve been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less. That’s why we live with such good cheer. You won’t see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don’t get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going. Do you suppose a few ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop us? When the time comes, we’ll be plenty ready to exchange exile for homecoming. But neither exile nor homecoming is the main thing (OR, in the NIV: “for we live by faith, not by sight”). Cheerfully pleasing God is the main thing, and that’s what we aim to do, regardless of our conditions.” 2 Corinthians 5:1-9 (MSG)

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Itchy-B Syndrome

Posted in WONDER, tagged bad day, humor, itchy-B syndrome, Men, one of those days, PMS, Women on January 30, 2013| Leave a Comment »

got_pms_ad_2-400x586 When I am having ‘one of those days’ almost no one in my path is safe!

Hubby is likely to get his head bitten off like a gingerbread man at Christmas. The kids are likely to be forced to clean something or do homework (whether they have homework or not is of no consequence). Really, only the beast is safe … and that is because she (wisely) never talks back, and she adores me no matter what kind of day I am having. And I am likely to put myself to bed early … in hopes that I will awaken freed of this syndrome … the itchy-B syndrome!

Now you are smart enough to read between the lines (or re-organize the letters of itchy-B) to know what I am really saying!

These days happen to us all (men included … just sayin’). got_pms_ad_3-400x586

The days when the planets are all aligned, the moon at it’s fullest, the tide is in, and we awaken with feelings similar to those of a rabid animal, a psychotic killer or a woman with PMS and no chocolate in the house (this could be the main trigger to itchy-B syndrome).

PMS, now we are getting to the heart of itchy-B syndrome!

It is as though our inner evil twin emerges with the vengeance of a genie who has been cooped up in his bottle for hundreds of years! And if you think that experiencing itchy-B syndrome vicariously through your wife, friend, mother, sister, co-worker, etc. is bad, try being the one with the syndrome!

To experience it yourself is like having an out of body experience, where your mind and body have been taken got_pms_ad_4-400x586 over by some unseen, but very real force. Kind of like invasion of the body snatchers, but the mind is included as well.

The worst thing is that you are completely aware of all that you are saying and doing, but your brain is operating as though it is no longer operated by yourself.

It is as though your mind and body were being controlled by some sort of remote control apparatus …

as though your words and actions are in the control and hands of another person …

as though …

someone you live with were forcing you to say and act the way you are …

as though …

Heck, it IS our husbands fault!

Like we didn’t know that in the first place!

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Introverts and “Group Think”

Posted in WONDER, tagged caring for introverts, extroverts, group think, introverts, susan cain, TED, TED talk, the power of introverts on January 29, 2013| 2 Comments »

As I was preparing (mentally) for a high school homeroom activity, and a staff retreat, I was drawn to a title for a TED video, “The Power of Introverts.” I knew that in both the homeroom activity and the staff retreat the goal would be from the perspective of “group think,” meaning that the goal was for mingling, connecting socially, getting to know each other … and all within groups that have been pre-assigned, scripted and designed for the extrovert that we should all aim to be in this life … blech!

Susan Cain’s TED talk inspired and encouraged me greatly … to be me … who God created, empowered and desired me to be.

TED introduces Susan Cain in this way:

“In a culture where being social and outgoing are prized above all else, it can be difficult, even shameful, to be an introvert. But, as Susan Cain argues in this passionate talk, introverts bring extraordinary talents and abilities to the world, and should be encouraged and celebrated.”

This video is a daunting twenty minutes long … please, please, please click on the link, and watch just three minutes! The first three minutes are the ones that any introvert could relate to, and any extrovert needs to know.

caring for introverts

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Are You Okay?

Posted in WONDER, tagged are you okay, down, feeling blue, How Long, how long oh lord, lamentations, lamenting, Mom, Psalm 13, SADD on January 28, 2013| Leave a Comment »

108930884708051549_nUBeMLyR_b It is a Monday morning, a 90% chance of rain, it’s the end of January … ugh!

I received a note from my mother recently, mentioning that my blog posts had seemed rather ‘dark’ of late, causing her to read between the lines, and ask if I was okay. Moms have this ability to read between the lines.

As, I pondered her words, I remembered that I had, just that morning, led a devotion with my homeroom from Lamentations …

Lamenting

Dark

Mom was right (Mom is now more puffed up than my beasty when someone tells her that she is beautiful)! For one, it is January, and the dark of this month can get me down like nothing else (when will medical plans cover sunny holidays for those who live in the Pacific Northwest … heck, I would take freeze-your-but-off sunny Edmonton over this weather). For another it is a month of past reflections that some years hits harder than others. Then there are all of the other complications of being married, having children (our own, and those of another mother and father), work with all it’s demands, finances, decisions, and so on, and so on and so on. All of this has a different effect on me in July, when the sun is shining, work is paused, schedules are relaxed, school is out and did I mention that the sun is shining?

1519615_f260 So, I went to my past blogs, searching for the post with my lamenting song … don’t we all have one? And as I read How Long Oh Lord I was struck with how good that post was! And I thought, wow, I should share this one with my readers because you might not have read it before, and I have to say that (in my opinion) it is one of my better posts!

I was also impressed with the scripture that I had reflected on, Psalm 13, a lament of David, that ends in hope (doesn’t every lament in the Bible also offer hope?).

So, if you are feeling rather … January, check out How Long Oh Lord … and may it give hope to you as well.

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Integrity

Posted in Guest Post, WONDER, tagged Abel Mutai, agenda, athlete, facebook, guest post, Integrity, Ivan Fernandez, Kenya, Media, runner, Social Media, Spain, Story, traditional media, we the people on January 27, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The guest post for today came from a story that I read on Facebook. The story touched my heart, encouraged me and reminded me of how sweet, and how rare stories of integrity are in the media of today.

This is the story of a race, where the one who wins does so because another was willing to give up their rightful place, for the success of the one who was coming up short (hum, this might even have a parallel to the redemption of humanity through the Savior … oh, how I love a story where the theme is redemption! But, I digress 😉 ).

Meet, Ivan Fernandex Anaya, a Spanish runner, who might just be the best athlete to encourage your children to follow. I will not give his story away, just click on his name and enjoy a real, authentic feel-good story.

This is also a story of the power of social media over traditional media. Traditional media has done little to share this good news story, and we need to remember, as discerning individuals, that the traditional media has it’s own goals, it’s own worldview, it’s own agenda. Thankfully, through social media, we, the people, have the opportunity to share the stories that we believe need to be shared. I think this is a good reminder that not all that is new is bad.

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From Wrestling to Blessing

Posted in WONDER, tagged Abraham, Blessing, Esau, Genesis 25, Genesis 32, GOD, hip, Isaac, Israel, Jacob, Jacob wrestles with God, limping, Rebekah, touched his hip on January 25, 2013| 2 Comments »

“Although limping, Jacob walked away from the battle blessed.”

Jacob+wrestling+with+God+1 I do not know where the words came from. I heard them, I wrote them, I saved them, and now I go back to where their story originates, in Genesis.

Israel, previously known as Jacob, was a wrestler from way back! The earliest recordings of his battles come from his months in his momma’s womb, where he wrestled his hairy brother Esau.

Jacob comes from a fine lineage, as his father was Isaac, and his grandfather was none other than Father Abraham, the father of many nations. Abraham had done his share of wrestling as well, although his wrestling was not so much physical as it was in his heart and soul.

There are many fascinating components to the life of Jacob … his mother, Rebekah, being childless (reminiscent of grandma Sarah), finally pregnant it is twins, and very active ones! The Lord speaks to her before they are born, giving a heads up to their future. Jacob is his momma’s favorite, but Esau is Isaac’s. Oh, there is so much to those early years of Jacob’s life! It is truly worth heading back into Genesis 25 to read of his earlier years! But, for now, I am concentrating on the wrestling match with God.

“So Jacob was left alone,and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.” (Genesis 32:24)

Jacob is all alone, and it is night. The next thing we know is that that he is wrestling with a man.

“When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man.” (Genesis 32:25)

Jacob was one good wrestler! He was winning, and his opponent was aware of the strength and determination within him. So his opponent, with just the touch of his hand, permanently injured Jacob’s hip.

“Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” (Genesis 32:26)

Jacob was a man with a mission. He was willing to wrestle until he got what he wanted … to be blessed.

“The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,”he answered. Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome … Then he blessed him there..” (Genesis 32:27-28)

The man asked his name … he asked his name? This was God! He knew his name, given to him by his father … but his heavenly Father had a new name for him, and Israel … strong, persevering, overcoming, with a goal to fight for was to be his name at his battle of christening.

“The sun rose above him … and he was limping because of his hip.” (Genesis 32:32)

Jacob was blessed … the sun was rising on a new day, he had what he was born to be blessed with, his very own blessing, not from an earthly father, but from the father of every nation.

And, although he was limping, he was blessed.

And, although we are all limping, we are blessed.

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The Give and Take of Blessings

Posted in WONDER, tagged bandage, Blessed by your name, blessings, choose, Job 1:21, Matt Redman, Pain, singing, Suffering, Worship, you give and take away on January 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »

“My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name”

Worship is a beautiful, action to participate in … in the sanctuary, under our roof, out in the open of God’s creation.

Some days our worship is ritualistic … I do it because I should.

“When I’m found in the desert place”

Some days our worship is intimate … I do it intimately, even in a crowded room.

“In the land that is plentiful”

Some days our worship is robotic … I do it, hoping the outward becomes the inner.

“When the darkness closes in”

Some days our worship is joy-filled … bursting from every cell in our body.

“When the world’s ‘all as it should be”

Some days our worship is loud and proud … I do it with a party in my soul.

“Where Your streams of abundance flow”

Some days our worship is silent … I am a face in the crowd, but I cannot open my mouth.

“On the road marked with suffering”

Some days our worship is against our will … through the clenched teeth of an angry heart.

“When the darkness closes in, Lord”

Some days our worship is saturated by the tears of our heart.

“Though there’s pain in the offering”

Worship is not limited to where we are, when we are there, who we are with, how we feel or the circumstances of our lives at that specific time. Worship is an act of love, respect and honor and it is received as that. Worship is good when things are going well, but it is even better when we can worship our Creator through times of difficulty, suffering and pain.

As I sang the words,

“You give and take away”

It, that which I lost, that which I loved, came clearly into my mind, and for a moment the sorrow of loss weighed heavy on my heart. For a moment that common heart response emerged into my thoughts … why?

When we lose something we love, when our life takes a u-turn, when plans change, and loss is what we feel most profoundly, it is then that why comes crawling back. The word without a consoling response. The word with no bandage effect. The word that causes festering, more pain, more sorrow.

Then came the next line, the one with the salve that gives healing, comfort, consolation …

“My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name”

To choose to say, in the pain, in the suffering, in the darkness, in the sorrow, in the loss,

Lord, blessed by Your name

That is the only covering bandage that will make what is lost to not be the end of the story.

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Job 1:21

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