The Heat is ON!!

We have been under an Excessive Heat Warning since Saturday and it has been extended to next Saturday. Yesterday it reached 109 on my backyard thermometer. Supposed to crack 110 today and maybe even 115 tomorrow and Wednesday.

I am now in Week 1 of my Cycle From Hell. Which is good news b/c I'll feel better tomorrow and all of next week. Or I would feel good if I wasn't coming down with a virus. My oldest son was sick all weekend and I was bringing him drinks and "nursing" as is expected from a mom. So I know where I got it. My temp is up to 100 and my throat is hurting and my nose is running. I really am Debby Downer.

Otherwise, the sun is nice & sunny. The desert sky is an amazing shade of blue. There are hummingbirds at the feeders and finches at the bird bath. Lizards everywhere - they really like this kind of weather.

I'm dog-sitting for my oldest daughter. She has a toy poodle that is so easy-going and friendly, he is a joy to have around.

Well, this bit of exertion has been enough to get my eyes watering. I think I'll take a nap now with the poodle.

The Prophet Elisha

Today is the Commemoration of the Prophet Elisha

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.”  And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.”  And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.  And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. (2 Kings 2:9-12)

The Rapture! Coming to a Sky Near You September 23, 2017

More fun with apocalypse predictions. Remember Harold Camping?  Once again the Watchers, the Prophets and the Discerning are all astir over the signs in the stars - it's Revelation 12 coming to life before our eyes. The moon and sun will be at the feet of the constellation Virgo, 12 stars will be at her head, and Jupiter will appear to be in her womb. Or not.

But what it really is, is astrology. Good old pagan astrology.

People are never satisfied with spreading the Gospel. Spreading fear and, in this case, pagan mythology, provides much more satisfaction to the flesh.

No matter how hard we try, we just can't stop the sinning.

The Beauty of The Traditional Liturgical Year

Today is the Commemoration of the Ecumenical Council at Nicaea, 325 a.d.

We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen.

I've Been Thinking About You

Started to feel like writing again but my thoughts are too scattered to compose anything truly "blog-worthy." I'm mired in perimenopause. For me it isn't so much hot-flashes as it is brain fog, night sweats and much, much worse PMS. Plus my periods have decided every 3 weeks is a good schedule to keep. So my cycle pretty much goes like this:

Week 1 - Period, Night Sweats, Brain Fog (first 3 days)
Week 2 - Feeling Good!
Week 3 - PMS, Brain Fog, Anxiety, Bloating
Rinse & Repeat.

Presently I'm in Week 3.

Trying to eat better and get more exercise - it really does make a difference. But once the PMS sets in it is really hard to dig myself out of the big, black hole of lethargy.

Sorry to be such a Debby Downer but right now I am in the Debby Downer season of my life. All those years where my cycle was like clockwork and PMS was a titch of moodiness, yeah, I'm paying for it now.

What I have realized, but not fully embraced, is that what worked no longer works and I must not only try something new but fully embrace and change to doing new things. Different things. Like regular exercise. Going to bed on time every night. No caffeine at all, ever. Lots and lots and lots of fiber - truckloads. Gallons of water.

Oh, hormones, you are wicked masters.

This.

If my sinfulness appears to be in any way smaller or less detestable in comparison with the sins of others, I am still not recognizing my sinfulness at all.

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Wake Me Up When It Ends

It has been a dark, dark summer.

Election years are never good times. But violence and tragedy worldwide and here in the U.S. have pushed this year to a new level of wretchedness.

I need to unplug from it all for awhile. Life around me has enough trials and troubles of its own. That's enough to deal with.

Last week I realized I was worrying too much about things that are wholly out of my control and I was badly in need of distraction. And, lo and behold, a distraction found me.

A woman my daughter, Lucy, works for asked her if she sews. Lucy said, "No, but my mom does." And the lady gave her an overlock machine! She had bought it years & years ago, hardly used it, and packed it away. She had moved 4 times with the thing and never unpacked it! She figured it hadn't been opened since the early 1990s. She is down-sizing and getting rid of a lot of her stuff.

It is a tiny, portable serger that only holds 3 spools, but the instructions were in the box and I was able to get it threaded and working. Go, me! But that's not all that was in the box....

In the box was a gallon sized zip-lock with fabric strips for a quilt. Seven colors and yards and yards of material. What she was planning to make is a mystery - Lucy's employer doesn't remember it.

I've made a couple of quilted "things" but I have never made a quilt so I've done some research. I think a Log Cabin pattern will work with the colors and amount of material that I have. Plus it is recommended for beginners. I'm not going to escape this endeavor expense free since I need a cutting mat, rotary cutter etc. And batting and backing and edging. Oh, I'm so excited just thinking about it!

I've found an escape. For now.

Pray without ceasing!

Housekeeping!

Cleanliness is next to godliness. - said no Bible, ever.

As a teenager I worked one summer as a room maid for a resort hotel. My girl friend, Gee, and I got jobs there partly because employees had free use of the water park. I think Gee & I only used the water park once or twice. When our shifts ended we just wanted to get out of there.

Being a maid is not very taxing work. We were armed with a checklist of what needed to be done and in what order and, for most rooms, if you followed the checklist the room got clean lickety-split. On to the next one. There were exceptions, of course. Some people trash hotel rooms. In those cases management is notified and getting the room back in order becomes a team effort.

Point is, cleaning should not get your undies in a bundle. Sometimes cleaning becomes over-analyzed and you start to take it personally. Then instead of a task that can be easily completed when approached methodically, every wipe and every swipe bears some incredible amount of significance. Drama and hand-wringing follow. "Oh, whatever shall we do! The TV needs dusting! Woe, woe is me." In a marriage this often turns into a power struggle - the "good" spouse does the cleaning.

My in-laws fought so much over housework they even separated for a time.

They were both serious neat-freaks.

This has been to my benefit, as I married their son who was sick to death of having to keep his room spotless at all times. I'm okay with him leaving his clothes on the floor. He appreciates that. I realize the dirty clothes will get picked up, eventually, either by him or me. We don't keep track of whose turn it is. It isn't a competition.

I'm not saying neglect is okay. No! Not at all. We are not animals. Cleanliness and order make a comfortable home. Filth invites vermin and odors. I really can't stand either so I will do what it takes to prevent it. But whether or not my TV is dusty or my husband's socks are on the floor has no moral bearing. It is just a task that needs to be done.

When morality gets involved, and cleanliness becomes less about comfort & hygiene and more about spiritual superiority, your home has become your idol. Its "cleanliness" a reflection of your spotless, obedient soul. An outward sign of inward glory. Pride & idolatry go hand in hand.

There isn't much that can be done about it. We are sinners. We sin. We do the right thing for a thousand wrong reasons. Confess, repent, try try again. Try not to judge other peoples standards, whether too clean or too messy. It just doesn't matter.

What saved my in-laws marriage was hiring a housekeeper. Instead of fighting over who left a fingerprint on the refrigerator, they'd shrug and say, "Let Terri get it on Thursday."

St. Zita, patron saint of housekeepers. She'll help you find your keys. Of course, if your house wasn't so messy you wouldn't have lost them. A place for everything and everything in its place. ;-)

If Jesus Led a Bible Study

As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. “Master, don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand.”

The Master said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.” (The Message)

I think a Jesus led Bible study would focus more on the gospel and less on the law. More discussion on what He wants us to believe and less on what He wants us to do. Like in the Mary/Martha story. The woman at the well is probably a better example because we do not have a record of what Jesus was saying in front of Mary & Martha. 

A Book You've Read at Least Once

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

 

I last read To Kill a Mockingbird in high school. I didn't intend to re-read it, but the e-book happened to be available from our library and Harper Lee's recent death made me realize how little of the story I remembered. 

I'm from a small town and grew up in a relatively poor family but my family lived in that county for 6 generations so I was related to "everyone." There is a sort of status in having a lot of cousins. Even though my family was nothing special, we were related to some who were. I knew families like the Ewells and Cunninghams and Finches. I knew a kid like Dill. A lot of what Lee writes about small town life resonates as true with me. Probably more so now that I have moved away from it all. Time and maturity have altered my perspective. Rose-colored glasses are firmly in place.

It was nice to read something so good that I stayed up late to keep reading, even though I knew what was going to happen in the story. Does that make sense? Anyhoo -- 2 down, 10 to go.

2 Yrs L8r

Two years in Arizona, already! Still feel out of my element, but less so.

The old saying is "bloom where you are planted." I am not blooming. But not withering and dying, either. More just living. Just being. But life is like a bicycle, you have to pedal now and then if you want to get anywhere. The only time you can coast forever is on the final downhill run.  I need to stop coasting. Life is getting dangerously slow and unsteady. So pedal I shall.

Blooms are happening around me if not within me! And hummingbirds are loving these two in the yard.

And it looks like I will pick my first tomato tomorrow, with many more to follow.

Summer break starts next week. I welcome the brief change of routine and a bit more sleep in the mornings. And time to enjoy a cup of tea on the patio at the start of my day. Perhaps that is all the fertilizer I need to get my bloom on.

Strong's #2428

The Hebrew word translated variously as “virtuous” or “noble character” or "worthy" in Proverbs 31:10 is only used to describe one other woman in the Bible – Ruth (Ruth 3:11). As we know from her story, Ruth was a very hard working woman and not the Angel in the House many want to twist the Proverbs 31 woman into. Ruth is also a foreshadow of Mary. I think we protestants latch onto the imaginary Proverbs 31 woman and ignore the flesh-and-blood Mary as a model of womanhood because the reality of Mary is.just.too.catholic. We are comfortable making an idol from the mythical Proverbs 31 woman because we tell ourselves we can become her if we try, try, try. One only needs to look in the mirror to greet her early each day before heading off to tackle that to-do list! But apparently praying to have the faithfulness and humility of Mary would be idolatry. Go figure.

And what is to be gained if I become the perfect Proverbs 31 Woman and dance about telling everyone? The comfort that I can rely on myself to work out my personal salvation? The honor of others looking to me as an example? Oh, yes, I am promised that my children and husband will arise and call me blessed. The word vainglory comes to mind.

No. Not going to do it.

Ruth & Mary humbled themselves as servants. The better choice.

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:38 ESV)

He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” (Ruth 3:9 ESV)

B&W vs. Kodachrome

The devil's favorite color is gray. - G.K. Chesterton

Years ago I read Ben Franklin's list of virtues that he tried to abide by and how he evaluated himself daily. I thought that was a bit extreme, but I found the idea of 7 deadly sins vs. 7 heavenly virtues a more attainable challenge, at least in my head.

The best way to score oneself on this Vice/Virtue challenge is to imagine it is like a customer service survey where Always is on the far right and also on the far left. 50/50 is in the middle. Always on the far left is BLACK and Always on the far right is WHITE.  Anything in between is a shade of gray.

Immediately we fail because no one can check "Always Humble" without pride. And we continue to fail because practicing these virtues perfectly is impossible.

We can hope to live our lives in the lighter shades of gray. Perhaps leading a light gray life is a sign of a person with very good character, but real life isn't light gray. It's blue and green and yellow and pink and so on. Those nice bright colors, the greens of summer, makes me think all the world's a sunny day (oh, yeah)...Everything looks worse in black & white.

The world around us is colorful and vibrant and interesting. It is also imperfect (but that is okay)! Let go of perfectionism and enjoy the ride. That is truly a challenge but those who can do that have genuinely good character.

Just a Reminder

Disagreements happen. I believe this is not a bad thing. Pretending to agree just to get along is so....fake. But disagreeing for the sake of creating an argument, well....it's unnecessary. I feel a little guilt there. Yet I gain a lot from disagreement. It challenges me to examine my faith, my behavior, and my relationships.  

There is a lot of toxic "Christianity" on the web. By toxic I mean it drives people away from faith rather than reaching them with it. It teaches false doctrines. It diminishes Christ's work of salvation on the cross. It casts doubts on God's sovereignty. It is hard to sit in silence sometimes.

The gentle reminder, kind of whispered in my ear = Prayer Is Important.

O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us,

in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront

one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work

together with mutual forbearance and respect;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Online Book of Common Prayer

A: It keeps no record of wrongs.

Q: What is love?

One woman was telling her story of divorcing her husband due to the hardness of her heart towards him. Years later, her granddaughter held her face in her hands and asked her, "Nana, did you ask for forgiveness from Papa {her grandpa} for divorcing him?" and she said, "Yes." "Did you ask my mama forgiveness for divorcing her dad?" and she said, "Yes." "Did you ask my aunts to forgive you?" "Yes," she replied. Then that little girl looked right in her grandmother's face and asked, "Why haven't you asked me for my forgiveness?" - Source

Yet it would be a million-zillion-billion times more important to teach the little girl to forgive her grandmother without making "Nana" beg for it.

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, 

as God in Christ forgave you. - Ephesians 4:32

But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. - Matthew 6:16

The CCO vs The Merciful God

The Chief Compliance Officer is the person who makes sure a company is obeying state and federal regulations and internal policies and procedures. CCOs are a necessary part of modern corporate America and ever increasing layers of regulation and litigation. The CCO knows the rule book cover to cover and is responsible for training employees to comply with the rules.

Does the church need CCOs? In Bible-speak, a CCO is a Pharisee.

Pharisees believe in obedience to the letter of the law. Compliance.

One of my top 10 favorite verses:

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? - Micah 6:8

Do justice. To who? Jesus lives this verse. Do justice to the poor, the lame, the sick. Do justice to those the Pharisees excluded: whores, lepers, tax collectors, the demon possessed. Do justice on the the Sabbath. Do justice to the woman at the well, the bleeding woman, the dead girl, the adulteress.

What do all these people have in common? They are the weak. The victims. The abused. They didn't earn Jesus' mercy by obedience, but they received it by His Grace. It is absurd to believe Jesus would ever side with the abuser for the sake of keeping the law. It is beyond absurd to believe God would condemn an abused woman for divorcing her abuser.

The church does not need CCOs. It needs Jesus.

And if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. Matthew 12:7

Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall, Who's the Most Modest of Them All?

Are clothing choices an issue in third-world countries? What clothes I choose to wear or not to wear and how much skin I expose or don't expose seems very #firstworldproblems. Having a choice in what I wear is a luxury not everyone can claim, and (I'm guessing) many people cannot even choose here in the U.S
.

What I do with my freedom of choice reflects the content of my character or, more likely, my character flaws. Do character flaws put me in the goat column? How about those who judge other people by how they dress? Another character flaw. Or men who blame their lusty thoughts or violent actions on women's attire? Another character flaw. That sinful nature is with us even when we try to do what is right.

The Amish use two German words I rather like;  hochmut (pride, arrogance, haughtiness) and demut (humility). The Amish, by having a strict dress code, have eliminated the freedom of choice. Their clothing won't reflect their character flaws (hochmut). Everyone in the community dresses the same and inequalities are eliminated. Therefore, demut is to blend in - to dress like those around you. To NOT stand out from the crowd.

The online modesty contests that break-out on Christian women's blogs make me shake my head. Inevitably they result in an endless one-upmanship battle. Instead of passing along encouragement and compliments they pass along gossip, judgement and condemnation. It's ugly and a perfect example of how clean we get "the cup" on the outside while the inside remains a dirty mess. (Matthew 23:25)

Dichotomies or Blurred Lines?

Note the complete absence of FAITH or JESUS or GOSPEL or GRACE or even SANCTIFICATION.

This is written by someone who does not want to be reminded of her sins and attends a non-liturgical church with none of that uncomfortable confessional stuff. Plus her church rocks-out every Sunday to a praise band pumping out the top 10 CCM hits. That's not being entertained by popular media?? Seriously??

Happy Easter!!

Time to eat those chocolate bunnies -- nom nom.

Enjoy!

Holy Saturday

O God, Creator of heaven and earth:  Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.