Take for Granite

 I recently read a delightful post on Facebook that used the phrase "take for granite." Now, obviously, the person was really talking about taking something for "granted," not "granite," but as I read the post, I realized that there are some things I take for granite!

Granite is a rock-solid substance. It is a good thing to build on. Stable. Non-shifting. Secure. Firm.

So....things I take for granite:
 

 1. God's Grace. All of the sins I have committed (or will commit) are forgiven in the finished work on Jesus Christ on the cross. Amazing Grace.

2. God's Love. I am God's precious child. So are you. And you. And you! Yep, even you.

3. God's Call. My life is not my own to spend in serving myself. I am God's for His purposes. He has called me to fulfill His will.

4. God's Gifts. I am surrounded by abundant gifts: Loving and supportive nuclear and extended families. Friends. Time, sweet time. Prayerful support from many for the mission of our church. Prayerful support for our family from the members of our church. Enough food, clothes, money, shelter... actually, more than enough. Abundance.

These are the bedrock of my life. What is the bedrock of yours? What do you take for granite?

Love and Logic

Mother's Day #1

There was a time in my life when I walked far away from Jesus. I lost His way for many years. The precipitating factor was (ironically) an "Intro to Religion" class in my freshman year of college. Faith was so "illogical"; I had many new friends who were good people, but not Christian. I followed my "rational" thinking into non-faith.

I lived much of my life during that time in fear. Fear that I wasn't good enough. Fear that people would leave me. Fear that I would be left alone.

God slowly called me back to His fold. It happened moment by moment. Love conquered "logic." The first time I took communion following my lost years, I was positive that I wasn't "Christian enough" to partake. God disagreed; he clearly called me to participate. He said in my heart, "Just take it. I love you. I will complete your return to faith."

And He did. My faith has blossomed into the definition of my life. I seek God's Truths, Jesus' Grace, and the Holy Spirit's guidance in all I do. Not perfectly, by a long shot! But this is my constant prayer: That I might be closer to God today than I was yesterday. That I might do His will today.

But Satan knows my penchant for logic. This is how he attacks me as I draw closer to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He uses my intellect against me, putting "logical" thoughts into my head. Like, "Every human civilization has manufactured a 'god,' yours is no different!" And, "What about all those good people you know? How can you think they won't go to heaven?"

These insidious thoughts occasionally creep into my days, and I doubt. Sometimes I have asked God why these thoughts keep coming back when I have Jesus in my heart. A few times, I've even doubted if I had Jesus in my heart... If I did, why would doubts come in???

Mother's Day #2

Recently, I was having these kinds of thoughts. I asked God to show me where my sin was, where these doubts were coming from. I asked Jesus to come into my heart, and He said, "I'm already here."

Seriously.

It wasn't a voice aloud for my ears; it was a voice for my heart. But it was real.

I must've forgotten His answer, though, because I asked again a few days later, "Jesus, please fill my heart with your presence." And again I got the answer, "I'm already here." This time I listened. And I asked God to help my unbelief.

And He did. Through Scripture and song, my faith has been bolstered, and I have become convicted that this "logical" voice in my head is Satan working to destroy my faith. After all, the Bible says, "The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom." (1 Corinthians 1:25)

I am certain of God's victory. Jesus has already paid the price. And I am equipped with the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11), which enables me to stand against the schemes of the devil. My life is built on the firm foundation of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Our Father

Beloved Dad. That was the clue that did me in. See, earlier this week I put together a game to review what the phrases in the Lord's Prayer mean. The clue for "deliver us from evil" was keep us from bad things. It was a great review for the children and youth of our congregation, as we had been learning the Lord's Prayer this month.

Beloved Dad. The clue was for "Our Father," the very first phrase of the prayer. Jesus told his followers that Almighty God was their dad; that He loved them as a father loves his children.

Amazing. Wonderful.

And hard. Hard for those of us whose earthly fathers aren't so hot. For the children in my classes, churches, and neighborhoods...even in my own home at an ugly point in the past. For the kid whose dad is in jail for killing his mom. For the kid whose dad burned her with cigarettes. For the kid whose dad abandoned him before birth. For the kid whose dad sexually molested her from the age of two until he went to jail when she was 12.

And for me. My relationship with my earthly dad is rocky at best, and I hadn't communicated with him for more than six years when I sent him a Christmas card last December. I sent it because I wanted to open a door. He's the one who (six years ago) told me he didn't want to be my dad anymore. But I thought that a Christmas card, letting him know we'd moved, was a kind gesture.

Not so much. In return, I received a box containing every single picture, card, note, etc. that I (or my children) had ever given him. And a letter saying that he didn't want to communicate. Signed with his name, not "dad."

Ouch.

So how do those of us with these fathers approach a loving Heavenly Father?

I don't know. What I do know is that God loves me completely. Because of Jesus' finished work on the cross, God sees me as righteous. I am wholly acceptable to Him. As I have never been to my biological father.

And I do know that God has comforted me through my earthly father's rejections. He has filled me with peace about my choices to contact and not-contact him. He has given me two fabulous step-dads.

I pray for my biological father. I pray for my dear step-father. I pray for myself, that I can forgive the shortcomings of my earthly father. I pray for all the children I know whose earthly fathers fail them, that they may know their Heavenly Father and His steadfast love.

Because ultimately, the only Father that matters is the eternal one.

Foundation

In Dulce, tipis are pretty common. During Go-jii-ya (a festival), many families pitch tipis and camp in them for the four days. If you walk around town, it's usual to see a tipi set up in a yard or two. I've been in several tipis in my life; I've even slept in one on a frigid January night in Iowa!

I had no idea, however, until a couple of weeks ago at Bible Study, that a tipi's foundation is at the knots at the top. Makes sense, once you think of it, but it really surprised me!

So when you look up in tipi, you see the foundation... instead of standing on the foundation, the foundation is above you. And of course, that got me to thinking......

What is my foundation? 1 Corinthians 3:11 says that Christ is the foundation. And in Luke 6:48-49, Jesus describes one who builds his life upon Him as a man building a house on a firm foundation.

I love thinking about these verses in the context of a tipi. Jesus Christ, who is above us, is our foundation. We build our lives upon Him, as a tipi is built around the frame knotted together at the top.

And then, FLASH! I had one of those inspirations for a glass design that comes complete. I immediately started drawing my design. As soon as the drawing was done, I made a copy and began choosing glass. Here is the first version of "Foundation":

Next time I will choose a glass for the tipi that has more contrast from the sky background glass, but I love it! The cross is the foundation for my life; if that is also true for you, please consider ordering "Foundation" for yourself or a gift. It is 10x8 inches, and I will sell it for $60.00. $10.00 of each sale will go to the Jicarilla Apache Reformed Church, a mission church serving the Jicarilla Apache Nation.

500 Loads of Laundry

500 loads of laundry. 119 days of home school. 26 Sundays of making coffee. Approximately 20 sleepovers (I've lost count, actually). 16ish trips to Pagosa Springs for theater class. 12 trips to the Jicarilla Library. 8 piano lessons. 5 Sunday School lesson plans. 3 doctor visits. 2 ski trips (with another one planned this week).

That's how long we've been in Dulce. 

Six months. It wasn't the calendar that I noticed, though, it was the dryer sheets. We bought this huge package of dryer sheets when we went to Farmington the very first time (along with many other things!). It had two boxes of 500 sheets each... And I finished the first one this week. 500 loads of laundry. More than 80 loads a month. That's almost 20 loads a week! That's crazy!

I thought it was time for a "check-in." How are we doing here in Dulce? What are we up to? What's next?

We are doing great! My husband is thriving as the pastor of the Jicarilla Apache Reformed Church. People have said that attendance is up. The church and parsonage are being used frequently for God's work. We are in the planning stage of beginning an AWANA children's program in conjunction with several other churches in town.

The list in the first paragraph keeps me pretty busy. Plus, I'm helping with the AWANA planning. And I was busy with glass through Christmas. I haven't done much since, but it feels good to have a break. I am working on a design for the centennial celebration of our church. It uses the Jicarilla Apache Great Seal as the basic design:

We are quite happy here in Dulce. We look forward to what God has in store for us here in the future. We know that He has called us here for His purposes; we are committed to working with His people here in the homeland of the Jicarilla Apache Nation. I, personally, am excited about the near future in starting AWANA. The children and youth of Dulce will benefit from the cooperation of the churches to offer such a great program.

Stay tuned for a glimpse of the centennial pattern, more about AWANA, and our continued adventures here in New Mexico!

The Sad Part

My 7-year-old and I watched this movie last night... and cried when Charlotte died. I have read the book to her, and to many students, and I've teared up every time. Last night, our wee one was sobbing when Charlotte was left behind at the fair, and I was trying to cheer her up a little.

I said, "Honey, remember what happens next in the story? The sad part isn't the end!" We watched and enjoyed Wilbur meeting Charlotte's children... and when it was over, she said, "I'm glad the sad part wasn't the end."

                                                                 Me, too.


Because today, one of our dearest friends was buried at the age of 56. Tom has been one of my husband Brad's best friends for almost three decades. His wife has become a dear friend of mine, and their daughter is a delight.

We have all been saddened by our loss of friend, husband, father, brother, and this morning I was grieving. My daughter asked why I was sad, and I reminded her that Tom was being buried today.

She immediately said, "But Mom, you don't need to be sad! Remember that the sad part isn't the end. Tom is in heaven with Jesus, and he's dancing around with legs that work. He's up there with his new body right now. Don't be sad."

Amen. And amen.

Known

The road to the Post Office

"Do you want a ride home?" I didn't understand the woman at first. We were in the post office and had exchanged pleasantries upon arriving. She had even joked with me about getting my exercise in by walking to the post office. I didn't really know the woman; I've seen her around, but didn't know her name.

"Do you want a ride home?" she repeated. I said, "No thanks" out of habit, then realized that I'd just been given the gift of hospitality and friendship. I reconsidered, "You know, with this box, I think I would like a ride." We got into her truck and headed away from the post office.

I wondered if she knew where I lived. She didn't ask, and since I'm one of the only Anglo women in town, it was possible she knew. I was quiet, and she drove me directly home. "Thank you," I said as I exited the truck.

Feeling delightfully a part of the community of Dulce, I started thinking about the whole incident. I realized that being known was a wonderful thing. Chances are, most of the residents of Dulce could have done the same thing!

And then I asked myself, I wonder if everyone in my life knows where my home truly is. Evidently, everyone here knows where my physical home is... but is it as obvious where my heart's home is? Is my belonging to heaven as strong as my belonging in the parsonage?

I doubt it.

But it is certainly something for me to think about and work on. I am called to belong to Jesus Christ in Romans 1:6. In Galatians 5, the fruits of the spirit are delineated for those who belong to Jesus Christ. Does my life exemplify those fruits: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control....

And if I am honest with myself, I know that those fruits of the spirit have increased over the years of God's work in my life, but I am not overflowing with them.

Yet.

Philippians 1:6 assures me that He will continue His good work in me... to its finish.

Thank God!