Rules for Living

I discovered recently that the YouVersion Bible app has a feature that will let you create a "social media" graphic for any verse. (Actually, the first one was pre-made. I liked it and wanted to use it, but I also wanted to include the rest of what Jesus said, so I made the second graphic to follow it.) There are just a few pictures and fonts available in the app, so it's pretty limited in what you can do with it... or maybe I just haven't figure it all out yet. Still, pretty cool, huh?

These are a just few verses I've been dwelling on recently.

The Passion Play

The girls are participating in the Passion Play of Denver each night this week. This is Laura's second year to take part. She talked her sister into joining in this year. Rebecca wasn't too sure about participating at first, but now that the performances have started, she is loving it. It's been a great experience for both of them.

Their first performance was Palm Sunday evening, so Lyle and I went to see it that night. The girls are part of the Crowd. They don't have speaking parts, but I think the Crowd is an important part of the play. It wouldn't be the Easter story without the Crowd, now would it? I told them they could be Jesus' friends, Mary and Martha, sisters in the New Testament.

I asked Laura to take off her glasses for the picture, but she didn't want to. She isn't allowed to wear them for the play, and she got tired of people telling her take them off! Oh, well.

He is Risen!

Passion Play of Denver

Laura and I got home from Minnesota yesterday afternoon just in time for the first performance of the Passion Play of Denver, which Laura is in this year. They will be performing every night this week but last night was the only chance I had to go. They did a great job. It was very moving, as it should be.

Why We Moved to Colorado

[Warning: long post.]
This past month has been such a whirlwind that I haven't taken the time to tell the whole story of why we all-of-a-sudden up and moved from Idaho to Colorado. I guess the story is better told from this end anyway, because we have been amazed at all the details that have come together to bring us here.

We loved living in north Idaho. For 15 years that has been our #1 choice of places to live. Montana was 2nd, and Colorado 3rd. That was as far as we had ranked the states, but obviously we love the west. We figured we would end up retiring in Idaho.

However, for the past 2 or 3 years Lyle has been sensing that it might be time for a job change. He had been working for the same company since 1998, and it's been a good job for him. He wasn't necessarily unhappy there, but he had some goals that he could see would likely never be fulfilled if he stayed at that job. We have been praying about that for quite awhile. This past summer he was actually considering applying for a job he found in Montana, but we just never did feel clear about that opportunity, so he ended up not pursuing it.

In early November, I received word that my stay-at-home contract with Sonlight (which I've had for 13 years) would not be renewed at the end of the year. They had decided to take the advisor positions in-house using employees instead of contractors. I knew that the decision was due (at least partly) to sales tax issues, which made using out-of-state employees much more difficult. After that heads-up Lyle told me, "When they call, ask them if it would make a difference if you lived in Montana or Colorado." (Montana doesn't currently have sales tax, and Colorado, of course, is where the company is located.)

We really didn't expect anything to come of it, but we thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. So I did. Much to my surprise I was immediately told, "Yes! We would be able to offer you a job if you lived in Colorado. Are you planning to move to Colorado?"

I said, "Well, I wasn't planning to. But we would consider it." They promised to get back to me in a few weeks with a formal job offer.

So we waited.

And prayed.

At that time Lyle didn't know of any openings in his field in the Denver area, so we prayed that if this was God's will for our lives that He would open up something there.

Naturally, a major move like this involves many, many details both small and large. Thanksgiving came and went, and we knew that if this was going to work it would need to happen right about the first of the year. It seemed impossible, but we kept praying for God's will.

For our entire marriage (28 years) Lyle and I have always prayed to stay in the center of God's will. Not what we think we want, but for what He wants. And it was the same this time. We honestly didn't have strong feelings one way or the other. It was so hard to know. Over and over I sang:

Ready to go. Ready to stay.
Ready my place to fill.
Ready for service, lowly or great.
Ready to do His will.

On December 5 I finally received a formal offer of full-time employment. As we read over the terms of the offer, we looked at each other and said, "I think we better go down there and check out the situation." That was a Thursday. On Sunday we flew into Denver, continuing to pray all the way.

We had previously researched churches in the area. We decided it would be a good idea to attend a service that week. If nothing else, we thought perhaps the people could tell us about the area, and offer insight or leads on jobs (for Lyle) or housing. Now, visiting new churches is not something Lyle and I enjoy, so it was unusual that we felt impressed to do that. But we gathered up our courage and went that Sunday night. (Our flight didn't get in early enough for us to make it to the morning service.) As we expected, the people were friendly. They were happy to hear we were considering moving to the area, and they hoped we would consider attending their church. It was a pleasant experience; about what we expected. We liked it well enough that we thought we would probably go back if we did end up moving.

Lyle spent Monday and Tuesday passing out resumes all over the city of Denver. He visited 29 print shops. Over and over he was told they didn't have any openings. On Tuesday he got a call-back from one shop that liked what they saw on his resume. They would have a part-time opening by the first of the year and would like for him to come in for an interview. He went for the interview but told them he needed a full-time job.

On Wednesday, I visited Sonlight (just because I was in the area) and told them that I didn't yet have an answer for them. In the hotel that night we decided we would take no further action. We were just trusting God to open the needed doors, and if nothing else happened, we would just enjoy a couple of days of "vacation" in Denver before flying home on Saturday. We both felt at peace with that.

Soon after we got up on Thursday Lyle's phone rang. It was the company he had interviewed with. They would like for him to come back for a second interview and meet both owners. They thought they might be able to offer him a full-time job, after all, based on his experience. Of the 29 shops he visited in the entire city of the Denver, this was the only one that gave him a call-back... and it just so happened that it was only 5 miles from where I would be working.

The interview went well, though they told him they needed a few days to put together a formal offer. Lyle was impressed with the company and thought he would like working there. That seemed promising, so that afternoon we starting looking for a place to live. We continued looking on Friday.

In the middle of the day on Friday we got a phone call from the pastor's wife of the church we had visited on Sunday. They invited us out for the evening. After such a stressful week, we thought an evening out sounded fun, and since a move seemed more likely we thought it would be good to get to know them a little better. We enjoyed visiting with them.

We really didn't expect to hear anything about Lyle's job that week, but while we were out that evening Lyle got a text from the manager of the shop telling him that he would be calling him with an offer next day. About noon on Saturday the call came. Amazingly, the offer was right where it needed to be.

You would think that would be the final answer, but like Gideon, we had to put out even more fleeces. Gotta talk to the kids. Gotta talk to Lyle's current boss (his brother). Gotta sell the house. Gotta find a place to live.

We flew home, still undecided. First, we talked to the kids. They were not thrilled with the idea, but were willing to go with us if that's what we decided. Lyle's brother also was not thrilled to see him go, but he was willing to release him if needed. He was very understanding and gracious about it.

And so on December 16, Lyle gave his brother a 3-week notice, and we starting packing. When our new friends in Colorado found out what our decision was they offered to help us find a place to live. We were looking at listed rentals all over the city, but hoping to not have a terribly long commute. It seemed that the rental market was pretty tight in Denver at the time, because every house we called about already had a contract out on it.

On Thursday, a house was listed only a mile-and-a-half from Sonlight. It was the size and price range we needed. The pastor's wife went to look at it for us, and we put our application in on it on Friday. On Tuesday (Christmas Eve) we heard from the property manager that our application had been approved. I couldn't believe it! I could actually walk to work and it's only a 6-mile commute for Lyle. Even with city traffic, that's not bad at all.

All through the holidays we frantically packed. We listed our house in Idaho with a realtor on Friday, loaded the truck on Saturday, and headed for Colorado on Sunday. When we arrived on Tuesday, the property manager was waiting to let us into our new home. And it turns out, we love the house! I like it even better than our house in Idaho. It has lots of trees in the backyard, which gives us a sense of privacy... plus we have a view of the mountains... right in the middle of the city.

A couple hours after we arrived a dozen or so people from "our new church" showed up to help us unload the truck. Some people we had never even met. What a blessing! We were so glad we followed through on the "impression" we had to visit that church when we were out here last month. God truly does work in mysterious ways.

We think we are going to like it here, once the shock of not living in Idaho wears off. We are praying for our house in Idaho to sell quickly. And we are praying that our new jobs go well.

God has apparently brought us to Colorado for a reason.

What an adventure!

An Encouraging Quote for Today

"It actually takes a lot of trust to follow a compass. By definition you only need to use it when you are lost and can't see where you are going. It is easy to want to follow our feelings instead. ('I know the compass says to turn right, but I'm sure its to the left...') It is also easy to default to walking the path that we already know rather than the one God is leading us to. Yet if we will trust God's biblical guidance and strike out on the road He lays before us, we will end up right where He wants us."

--The Life-Ready Woman: Thriving in a Do-It-All World by Shaunti Feldhahn and Robert Lewis

At the Crossroads

Road trips are always an adventure for Lyle and me, whether we are in a hurry, or we have time to linger along the way. We just never know what might be over the next hill or around the next curve. We enjoy the scenery along the way. We find the unexpected interesting.

And then, sometimes we come to a crossroads. When we're following the GPS, the crossroads don't slow us down much. But there are occasions when we're not sure which way to turn... which will be the best route to take.

At the crossroads, if we're going to move forward, a decision has to be made. We can't stand there looking down the road indefinitely. And we can't know what lies down either road around the next bend. That's what makes it so hard.

I have learned that life, like a road trip, is always an adventure. Even here at the crossroads.

Your prayers are appreciated as we make some important decisions regarding my work in the weeks ahead.

I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

 I don't know about tomorrow; 

I just live from day to day. 

  I don't borrow from its sunshine 

For its skies may turn to grey. 

 I don't worry o'er the future, 

For I know what Jesus said. 

 And today I'll walk beside Him, 

For He knows what lies ahead. 

  Many things about tomorrow 

I don't seem to understand 

But I know who holds tomorrow 

And I know who holds my hand. 

~ o ~

 I don't know about tomorrow; 

It may bring me poverty. 

But the One who feeds the sparrow, 

Is the One who stands by me. 

 And the path that is my portion 

May be through the flame or flood; 

But His presence goes before me 

And I'm covered with His blood. 

 Many things about tomorrow 

I don't seem to understand

But I know who holds tomorrow 

And I know who holds my hand.

--Alison Krauss

Quiet Times

During the summer months I look forward to having my morning quiet times on the deck just outside the kitchen. It is shady and cool there early in the morning. The breeze rustles the aspen and fir trees along the fence. The chickens cluck contentedly. The dog sniffs around the yard to see if anything has changed overnight. The cat is happy for the company and winds herself around my legs purring. I sip my coffee and open my Bible.

A few weeks ago, at a homeschool convention, I noticed a series of Bible journals offered for sale at another booth. They were handsome volumes with the name of a book of the Bible stamped on the cover. On the inside, the pages were essentially blank with space to write each verse. It was designed so that you would hand-copy that book of the Bible into the journal as a special keepsake. I liked that idea. Notebooks and journals have always "called out" to me, with all the lovely blank pages waiting to be filled. However, each book was something like $15 and truly, I didn't need a handwritten copy of the Bible to take up space on my shelf or to pass along to my children as an heirloom. So I didn't buy a journal that day.

I decided, though, that I would enjoy the exercise of copying scripture as part of my personal study. So I picked up a pretty notebook I had on hand and started out with the book of Matthew. I use a red pen for the words of Jesus (just like a red-letter edition of the Bible). So I've been in Matthew for about a month now. I'm currently in the middle of Chapter 13. It's a slow process. Some days I am able to copy more verses than other days, but I'm just taking it as it comes. I have been amazed at how much more I am getting out the scripture just by slowing myself down enough to copy each word. In general, I am a fast reader and it's hard to force myself to slow down when I'm reading the Bible. This method works for me... and I love it!

I am also still reading One Thousand Gifts. That's another book I have to force myself to slow down to read. In conjunction with that, I'm also continuing to add to my list of gifts on my Joy Dare page.

Life is challenging and stressful at times. That's when finding a few minutes each day to spend with the Lord is vitally important to me. I'm grateful that He's always there.

Today's Gifts

Adding to the 1000 Gifts list I started yesterday. I will keep the ongoing, numbered list on a separate page which can be accessed with the "Joy Dare" tab at the top of my blog. I probably won't post it here every day, so if you're interested in following along you can check there.

• A Gift in Weakness: Contact lenses.
• A Second Gift in Weakness: A prescription for migraine medication.
• A Third Gift in Weakness: A calculator.
• A Gift Outside: Lilacs in May.
• A Gift Inside: My antique bedroom set that once belonged to my grandparents.
• A Gift on a Plate: Oatmeal cookies.
• A Grace Overheard: Kudos to Laura from her supervisor. "Thank you for rockin' it on the 4th! Great job!"
• A Second Grace Overheard: From Becky. "What can I help with today?"
• A Third Grace Overheard:  From a customer. "Thanks for all the good service!"
• A Gift Old: My mother's bridal veil which I wore on my own wedding day.
• A Gift New: The hanging basket my family gave me for Mother's Day.
• A Gift Blue: The Liberty Blue dishes Dad brought home from the grocery store where he worked when I was about 12 "for my hope chest." I still have a few pieces.
• Something I'm Reading: 1000 Gifts.
• Something I'm Making: A crocheted hoodie sweater.
• Something I'm Seeing: Mountains in the distance.
• One Thing in My Bag: My Kindle.
• One Thing in My Fridge: A 5-pound block of Tillamook cheddar, Lyle's favorite.
• One Thing in My Heart: Love for my family.
• A Grace from Someone I Love: Lyle saying "I love you" as we drift off to sleep.

The Joy Dare

Not too long ago I noticed that my friend Denise was sharing a list of blessings on Facebook as part of The Joy Dare. I thought that sounded kinda neat, and I wanted to look into it. About the same time I got an email asking if I would be interested in reviewing One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I had been hearing a lot about the book, and I thought it might be connected with The Joy Dare, so I agreed. My book came a few days ago, and I've started it... but I'm only in Chapter 3, so no review yet. However, I decided to go ahead and start The Joy Dare.

The idea is to make a list of "1000 Gifts" in 2013... a gratitude list. To make it easier, Ann provides a list of prompts to look for 3 gifts each day. Obviously, I'm very late in starting for 2013, but I decided I'd still like to try to do it. So I'm going to start with today's 3 prompts, and then go back to January's list and use the prompts there as well. I don't expect to post every day, so my lists will be longer on some days than others. And I don't know that I'll use all the prompts. I expect I'll just ad lib some of the time. But that's okay, don't you think? I'm looking forward to counting my blessings!

1. A Gift of Rhythm: The rhythmic clicking of the printing press that provides Lyle with work.
2. A Gift of Rhyme: Reading aloud The Llama Who Had No Pajama three times in one evening to the delight of my sweet little nieces last month.
3. A Gift of Reason: "He's the only Reason I live, but oh, what a Reason!"
4. A Gift Heard: Lyle's voice.
5. A Second Gift Heard: The laughter of my children.
6. A Third Gift Heard: Joe's guitar at Bible Study.

More to come...

Sunday Afternoon Drive

My native country, thee,

Land of the noble free,

Thy name I love;

I love thy rocks and rills,

Thy woods and templed hills;

My heart with rapture thrills,

Like that above.
{Verse 2 of My Country 'Tis of Thee by Samuel Francis Smith}

Today I'm Praying for...

...my father-in-law who had a stroke a few days ago.

...my uncle who is in the hospital.

...a friend's sister who lost her baby yesterday.

Join me?

Pray One for Another

This morning when I logged onto Facebook I noticed a status update from my longtime friend, Denise:

Such an encouraging way to start the day! 

As I read that I was reminded of a poem that Denise had sent me years ago when we were girlhood pen-pals. I know I saved it in my Quotes Journal. In fact, I think I saved the very sheet of pretty stationery she had copied it onto, in her beautiful handwriting. But do you think I could put my hands on a journal from 30-something years ago this morning? Of course not! (It is here somewhere, though, I'm pretty sure.)

I asked Denise if she remembered it. She didn't, but she was very interested in reading it again. I wracked my brain trying to remember the first line so I could Google it. It has taken me all day to think of it... but I finally have! 

So, Denise, this one's for you!

Pray One for Another 

by Marianne Farningham 

 I cannot tell why there should come to me 

A thought of someone miles and miles away, 

In swift insistence on the memory— 

Unless there be a need that I should pray. 

 Too hurried oft are we to spare a thought, 

For days together, of some friend away; 

Perhaps God does it for us, and we ought 

To read His signal as a call to pray. 

 Perhaps, just then, my friend has fiercer fight, 

Some overwhelming sorrow or decay 

Of courage; darkness, some lost sense of right; 

And so in case he needs my prayer, I pray. 

 Friend, do the same for me! If I unsought 

Intrude upon you on some crowded day, 

Give me a moment’s prayer, in passing thought; 

Be very sure I need it; therefore pray.

Sufficient for the Day...

"...do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or what you will drink..."

...or whether or not winter will ever be over...
...or when Becky will get over this virus that has been hanging on for a week now...
...or what if the rest of us catch it from her...
...or what to do about the washer on the blink, after just replacing the dryer last week...
...or where to turn for encouragement when the days are dark and cold...

"For your heavenly Father know that you need all these things. 

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, 

and all these things shall be added to you.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,

for tomorrow will worry about its own things. 

Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Matthew 6:25, 32-34

Then Sings My Soul: Book 3 - review

When it comes to worship style, I am very much a traditionalist. I love the old hymns (and newer ones as well) sung in parts with a piano. I like holding a hymnal so I can see the notes as well as the words.

I also enjoy knowing the stories behind the hymns, so I have enjoy Robert J. Morgan's Then Sings My Soul series. Featuring over 80 hymns, Book 3 includes the sheet music for each song, plus a short article telling something about the composer and how each hymn came to be written.

It also includes a section on The History of Hymnody. Here are a couple of quotes from the book that I especially appreciated:

"If we lose the hymns, we'll lose a priceless legacy; and we'll be the first generation of Christians to ever do so. Every other generation of believers has added its songs to the hymnal without discarding the contributions of earlier eras." 

"A good hymn combines prayer with praise, keen theology with vivid imagery, and the majesty of God with our daily needs."

I love having this book (and the others in the series) on the shelf with my Bible and devotional books. It's a great resource for family worship.

Campmeeting

In case you ever wondered when the busy season was for homeschool curriculum companies (such as Sonlight), well, that would be the middle of August. As in, right now. Which is why I'm just now finding time to post about our trip to church camp last weekend.

Early in the year we had made plans to attend the family camp affiliated with the church my brother attends in Nampa. Campmeeting was such a huge part our lives when Lyle and I were growing up, and we want our kids to have similar opportunities for Christian fellowship and spiritual growth.

The campground is in the mountains in southern Idaho, about 6-7 hours from here. There is no north-south Interstate in Idaho. Highway 95 is two-lane most of the way down, but it is a lovely, scenic drive. We left early Thursday morning. The first service wasn't until that evening, so we took our time and just enjoyed the trip.

We arrived mid-afternoon and got the trailer set up. We discovered the "RV Park" part of the campground was a hike of about 1/3 mile to the conference center where the main activities (meals and services) were to take place. The schedule included two meals and two services a day, so we decided we could get by with just making the hike twice a day. Not that we're lazy or anything.

The conference center offered a beautiful setting for fellowship and renewal, with large windows and views of the mountains all around. The decor was distinctively "western" with several heads of various game animals mounted high on the wall-- several elk, a couple of antelope, a caribou, and a moose, among others. It was a little disconcerting to have them staring down at us during the services. But we got used to it. Kinda.

The services were wonderful. We thoroughly enjoyed the music ministry of Keith and Sharon Waggoner, and appreciated the excellent teaching on drawing near to God and being "deep people" by Dr. Mike Avery. I had been praying that God would meet with us in the services and renew our hearts and minds. He is so faithful to do that when our hearts are open to Him, isn't He?

Afternoons were meant for family activities. We haven't really connected with many of the families who attend this camp since we live so far away, so that made it a little awkward to get involved in the scheduled activities. It's hard to go up to a group of people who all know each other and asked to be included, ya know? So, we spent a lot of time together, just the four of us. We relaxed on the deck with our electronic gadgets, people-watching, chit-chatting and enjoying the view.

Camp was over Sunday after lunch. We spent the rest of the day traveling home, grateful for the time of spiritual renewal.

Lilac Days

Often I find myself thinking...

... "Life couldn't possibly get any busier." And then it does.
... "Surely my responsibilities will lighten up soon." But they never do.
... "When I get caught up I'll have time for all the other things I want to do." Instead I just get further behind.

It seems like a vicious cycle. In the meantime, life goes on. The sun is shining and the lilacs are blooming outside my window. My children just keep growing up.

I don't want the important things in life to pass me by because I was too busy to appreciate them.

So today, I'm going to soak in the sun for a few moments, and inhale the fragrance of the lilacs. I will spend time listening to the things my children want to talk about. And I will hold hands with my husband every chance I get. I will appreciate the strong work ethic he has and try not to mind the excessive hours he has had to work lately.

No matter what... life is sure an adventure!

Touching Lives

For the past twenty years my dad has driven a school bus route to supplement his income as a pastor. His route is about 28 miles long, so he drives close to 60 miles each day. Over the years he has had some interesting, and often funny, stories to tell about some of the kids on his bus. At Christmas time and the end of the school year some of the children give him small gifts and cards. Last week one of the high school girls gave him this note as she got off the school bus:

Mr. Ezell,
I realized the other day that you basically watched me grow up. I started riding the bus when I was five years old, and now I am going to get my license and probably won't ride the bus again, but a few times. You did more than just drive me to school. You really paid attention to me and the things I was involved in. To me, you are more than that old man that drives my bus, you really were a big part of my life, and a friend to me, and I thank you for that. I am very glad to have gotten to know you, and even though I will not be on the bus any more, I hope to see you around.
Sincerely, Molly L

I was very impressed by the thoughtfulness of this young lady to express her appreciation to someone who had touched her life. It was a good reminder to me that we just never know who we may be influencing as we go about the ordinary responsibilities of our daily lives. And I'm grateful for the example and influence of my dad.

I Heard the Bells...

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,

with peace on earth, good will to men."

Winter Solstice

 The winter solstice has finally arrived. I am looking forward to the daylight hours gradually getting longer again, rather than getting progressively shorter and shorter.

While I haven't researched the topic thoroughly, it seems that I read somewhere that Christmas was first celebrated as an alternative to a pagan holiday. From what I understand, it's more than likely that Jesus wasn't born on December 25 at all... but that some pagan religion celebrated the birth of their god around the time of the winter solstice, so the Christians in the area revised the celebration to recognize Jesus as the true God. I've heard of Christians who don't celebrate Christmas at all because of that... but I kinda like the notion myself.

The main thing is that we are celebrating the coming of the Christ-child, who came to dispel the darkness. The date isn't important to me. But the Light is!

Whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, 

to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, 

to guide our feet into the way of peace.

--Luke 1:78-79