Wednesday Random Dozen

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Linda at 2nd cup of coffee created and hosts the Random Dozen meme every Wednesday. You can answer the questions on your blog and link up to Linda’s plus find more participants there.

1. Have you ever fired a gun or shot a bow and arrow?

Bow and arrow: no, except maybe my kids’ Nerf bow when they were younger. Gun: I can remember my dad taking us out to shoot tin cans once when I was a kid, but only that one time.

2. Do you know where your childhood best friends are?

Sadly, no. I think one is still in the town I grew up in. Last time we were there — about 21 years ago — I looked up her parents’ number and called, but missed her and never got back to her because we were at a family reunion.

3. Do you usually arrive early, late, or on time?

Yes. 🙂 It varies. I like to arrive a bit on the early side, but it doesn’t always work out that way.

4. Are you more of a New York or California type?

I’m not sure what is meant by such “types.” I think of Californians as barefoot free spirits and New Yorkers as rude and busy — but I am sure those broad stereotypes are no more true than the ones people had of Texas when they learned that’s where I was from and asked me where my accent was. I sometimes thought of saying, “Back on the ranch with my ten-gallon hat and tumbleweed.” 🙂

5. Do you have a special ring tone?

No, just a regular phone ring.

6. What is your favorite type of chip?

Used to be Ruffles Sour Cream and Cheddar, but lately I’ve been gravitating to Lays’ Sour Cream and Onion. Surprising because I am not all that fond of sour cream.

7. Best comedy you’ve ever seen is ….

I loved Boy Meets World in its early days. We stopped watching it when the kids in it got to middle school and constantly thought about kissing — didn’t want my guys to think that was the primary concern of kids that age! But we picked it up again in its later years.

8. Have you ever cut your own hair? To quote Dr. Phil, “How’d that work for ya?”

Yes, I have, and surprisingly it looked okay. Not so well that I wanted to keep doing it, but passable.

9. If you were going to have an extreme makeover, would you rather it be about your house or your personal self?

That would be a hard choice. If it was all expenses paid and they wouldn’t do anything without my preferences in mind, probably the house. But there are certain things I’d love to have a personal consultation about.

10. Are you allergic to anything?

Penicillin and sulfa drugs. Some artificial scents give me a headache, but I don’t know if that is properly an allergy.

11. Why is it so hard to change?

“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would” (Galatians 5:17). But “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16) and “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Romans 8:13).

12. One last question dedicated to February love: CS Lewis said, “To love is to be vulnerable.” Please share one example of that assertion or share any thought you’d like to about this topic.

I think that is true, because if you let someone know you love them, they might reject your love and therefore hurt you. Even if they accept it and love you in return, there will be times you’re not 100% in sync, and disagreement with the one you love most is more hurtful than disagreement with anyone else. The primary example of vulnerability in love is the Lord Jesus Christ, who was vulnerable to the point of death for people who did not understand and for some who rejected that gift. Yet His sacrifice made it possible for those who do believe and accept His love to enter into a loving relationship with Him.

What’s On Your Nightstand: February

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What's On Your NightstandThe folks at 5 Minutes For Books host What’s On Your Nightstand? the fourth Tuesday of each month in which we can share about the books we have been reading and/or plan to read. You can learn more about it by clicking the link or the button.

I finished The Tartan Pimpernel, an autobiography of Donald Caskie, a Scottish pastor in France during WWII who helped establish safe houses and escape routes for Allied soldiers, and reviewed it here.

I also finished Words Unspoken by Elizabeth Musser about…a lot of things actually, but the main story line involves a teen-age girl who feels she caused the accident that killed her mother, and eighteen months later still has panic attacks when she tries to drive. But as I said in my review, it is about so much more. This was one of my favorite books of the year so far.

I reviewed Mrs. Dunwoody’s Excellent Instructions for Homekeeping here but did not read it completely since it is mainly a book of homemaking tips. I did read much the philosophy behind the book and dipped into several portions, and have it ready as a reference.

I also finished Interwoven about two missionaries whose spouses died and who were eventually led together and reviewed it here.

I am almost finished with Parting the Waters:Finding Beauty in Brokenness by Jeanne Damoff about her teen-age son’s near-drowning and can’t wait to tell you more about it.

I just started Dr. Sa’eed of Iran: Kurdish Physician to Princes and Peasants Nobles and Nomads by Jay M. Rasooli and Cady H. Allen (which I looked up mainly because a poem from it was read at Dr. John Dreisbach’s funeral).

I’m not sure what is next after those two, but I think I am in the mood for something lighter. I have several Christian fiction titles on my shelf, plus I am thinking about reading Emma by Jane Austen after recently seeing the newest PBS production. I read all the rest of Austen’s novels over the last few years, but had read that one over 30 years ago for a college course. I’d like to revisit it while the production I saw is still fresh in my mind. But…we’ll see!

Meanwhile, if you’d like to see what other people have been delving into or if you would like to share what you’ve been reading, head over to 5 Minutes For Books.

Book Review: Interwoven

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The cover of the book Interwoven by Russ and Nancy Ebersole shows cloth intricately woven by Igorot women in the Philippines to illustrate the interweaving of the lives of Russ and Nancy.

Russ and his first wife, Gene, were married in 1950, and after graduate school spent ten years as missionaries in the Philippines. After battling cancer for three and a half years, Gene passed away, leaving Russ a widower with five children.

Nancy and her first husband, Harry, were married in 1957. He studied in seminary, and then they were led to work as missionaries in Bangladesh (East Pakistan at that time). After just two short years on the field, though, Harry became suddenly and seriously ill, and the Lord took him home in 1965, leaving Nancy a widow at 27 with three children.

Though a few threads of their lives had intersected before, four years later Russ and Nancy were led to each other, married, and blended their families together.

This book shares the testimonies of their early lives and that of their first spouses as well as how the Lord sustained them during loss, brought them together, and used them for many years afterward in various forms of service. Included are adventures such as the rescue of the family of Russ’s first wife, Gene, in the Philippines from the Japanese during WWII on the very morning they were scheduled to be executed in what “General Douglas MacArthur called…’the most thrilling rescue in all of American history'” and Russ and Nancy’s later being on a plane that was hijacked to China. Particularly poignant to me were the sections dealing with Gene’s response to cancer and Nancy’s adjustments as a young widow as well as many stories of the people they ministered to who became strong, fervent believers, some in spite of intense persecution. Some of the struggles and adjustments for the family after Russ and Nancy first married illustrate that missionaries are ordinary people with problems like everyone else would have, yet the Lord helped everyone to adjust and blend together over time. Woven into every part is God’s faithfulness and love.

Though a book like this is not meant to read like a novel, I did find the style just a little dry here and there, reading somewhat more like a report in places. But overall I can and do highly recommend this book.

(This review will be linked to Semicolon’s Saturday Review of Books.)

The Week In Words

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http://breathoflifeministries.blogspot.com/2010/01/announcing-week-in-words.html Melissa at Breath of Life hosts a weekly carnival called The Week In Words,which involves sharing some words from your reading. Melissa explains,

“Playing along is simple, just write a post of the quote(s) that spoke to you during the week (attributed, of course) and link back here [at Melissa‘s]. They can be from any written source, i.e. magazine, newspaper, blog, book. The only requirement is that they be words you read.”

I like this idea because I often will see a quote that really speaks to me, but then I forget it. Just recording them here helps me remember them a little better.

Here are a few words of wisdom from the past week’s reading:

From Warren Wiersbe’s With the Word, p.28:

Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is take a nap!

These two were from a friend’s Facebook:

“Keep out of your life all that will keep Christ out of your mind.” – Anonymous

“The way to know whether you’ve made an idol in your heart is when you’re either willing to sin in order to get it or sin because you can’t have it.” – Anonymous

Seen at  ivman:

“Being missions-minded is more than paying someone else to make disciples somewhere else.” – Drew Conley

Seen at Practical Theology For Women:

“The Christian gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and sniveling. I cannot feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone. I do not think more of myself nor less of myself. Instead, I think of myself less.”

Tim Keller, The Reason For God

I’ve not read the book and I don’t know anything about Tim Keller, but I liked this quote.

You can visit Melissa‘s for more or to link up with your own quotes.

Microfiction Monday

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Welcome to Microfiction Monday,
where a picture only paints 140 characters.

microfictionmonday

Susan at Stony River has begun a Microfiction Monday wherein participants write a story in 140 characters or less based on a particular image that Susan has chosen for the day.  Design 215’s Character Counter helps keep track of the number of characters. It’s a fun exercise in creative conciseness…or concise creativity… You can visit Susan’s to see some very creative stories for today.

The picture for today and my take on it:

“Wait — didn’t I see you in ‘Alice in Wonderland?'”

“Yes, this moonlighting is killing me, but I have a lot of mouths to feed.”

A happy birthday, laudable links, and thoughts about Lent

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Today is Mittu’s birthday!

Hope you’re having a wonderful birthday! You are a sweet, lovely addition to our family — I can’t imagine our family without you!

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They went for a super-quick trip back to see Mittu’s mom and friends in OK for her birthday, and we’ll celebrate here when they get back.

This is one of those areas as a relatively new mother-in-law where I’m never quite sure what to do. Do we do the birthday traditions we always do? Or would they rather do something different? We’ve tried to always keep the lines of communications and options open, to offer but to let them know we won’t be offended if they want to make other plans.

We’re dog-sitting little Spresso, who doesn’t quite understand what’s going on. He finally stopped barking, but I haven’t seen him lie down or even sit down yet. We did take him back to their house to sleep at night — he’s used to being alone in their laundry room at night, so we felt he’d probably feel more at home there. As excitable as he is normally, I can only imagine how he’ll react when they get back! Our dog, Suzie, doesn’t quite know what to make of him.

I didn’t get a nap yesterday like I thought I would except for briefly dozing off in the computer chair, but I did fall asleep on the couch about 8:30 or so. I woke up and went to bed around 4 and then woke up again I think around 7 this morning. So I think I’m caught up again! I feel back-to-normal now.

On Saturday I often share interesting links I’ve seen through the week, and today just have a few:

Arguments Against Anxiety by Justin Taylor. I don’t know who Justin Taylor is and failed to note where I saw the link to this, but this is a great list.

A Whole New Perspective on the children’s song “Zacchaeus” by Mocha With Linda.

Bobbi at Blogging Along has some good thoughts in a Lenten Rant. I’ve never quite understood Lent, even though I was in the Lutheran church as a child and then again a few years as a teen, or felt compelled to observe it since there is no example or instruction about it in the Bible. Christ fasted for 40 days, but that was at the beginning of His public ministry and was nowhere near the time of His death or resurrection. I can see how it could be a deep spiritual exercise, but giving up something for 40 days just to say I did so for Lent doesn’t seem to be so. No offense to anyone who does observe it and gain from it spiritually.

I do, however, like the idea of reading through the narratives of Christ’s last week on earth, His death, and resurrection in the weeks leading up to Easter (or Resurrection Sunday, as some prefer to call it). BibleGateway has a daily plan for that here: you can click on different days in the calendar on the top left if you’re behind, and you can click on a drop-down menu for the Bible version you prefer.

I mentioned yesterday I ordered  Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross: Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter, various thoughts and essays from as far back as Jonathan Edwards, C. H. Spurgeon, and Martin Luther up to current day John Mac Arthur and others, covering different aspects of Christ’s death and resurrection, compiled by Nancy Guthrie. It just arrived yesterday, and I flipped through it a bit and am looking forward to delving into it. I’m in Genesis right now in my Bible reading and want to get to the end of that before taking a break for this book.

Last Saturday there were a few inches of snow on the ground: this Saturday it’s sunny and shirt-sleeve warm. I love it.

Happy Saturday!

Friday’s Fave Five and Jury Duty

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Susanne at Living to Tell the Story hosts a “Friday Fave Five” in which we share our five favorite things from the past week. Click on the button to read more of the details, and you can visit Susanne to see the list of others’ favorites or to join in.

Here are my faves for the week:

1. Dinner at Outback! We don’t go there often, and we don’t usually go to restaurants around Valentine’s Day because they’re so busy. But when Jim offered to take the family to Outback the night before Valentine’s Day, well, I wasn’t going to turn him down! It did take a long time to get seated — they told us 45 minutes, but it ended up being almost two hours — but once we got to eat, everything was wonderful.

2. Valentine’s Day! It’s probably my favorite holiday, maybe vying with Christmas. We don’t usually do gifts, but we did exchange cards, I made my little chocolate heart cupcakes, and hubby surprised me with some Lindt truffles!

I pretty much only use tablecloths on holidays, maybe sometimes on special occasions, and I cannot find a pink tablecloth that isn’t peachy-looking, but I did spread this square pink one over the oval ivory one to make it more Valentiney:

I only had 6 pink napkins and we had 7 people, so I used both pink and ivory and alternated them. I liked the effect.

3. Snow Friday night! Nice and fluffy! And most of the snow melting Saturday afternoon! Yes, those are both favorites! I like it when it’s around long enough to play in a little, and then melts away.

4. A snowy Valentine message from Jesse, my youngest:

5. Cleaning out my desk and discovering a $25 award certificate to Amazon.com that I had forgotten about! I ordered three books totaling a little over $30, qualified for free shipping, and with my certificate only paid something like $5.87. One of the books is Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross: Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter, various thoughts and essays compiled by Nancy Guthrie in the same style as Come, Though Long Expected Jesus which I read and enjoyed before Christmas. I’m looking forward to using it to prepare my heart for Easter.

BONUS:

The Olympics! I mentioned that yesterday so I won’t elaborate.

I also mentioned yesterday that an unfavorite part of the week was receiving a summons for jury duty, and a few people wanted to know why I felt that way. Well, for one thing, there are other things I would rather do with my time, and I admit that is selfish. But I am also the most indecisive person I know. It takes me a long time to come to most decisions. I can see both sides of an issue or the pros and cons of each side of an decision and have a hard time unless it is just really clear-cut. The thought of having to evaluate a situation that is going to impact someone’s life unnerves me. Of course, for one-day duty it’s not likely there will be any major cases.

I’m surprised some of you have never been called! I wish they could rework it so that only people who wanted to could sign up to serve…but then they probably wouldn’t have enough people.

I’m feeling a little loopy this morning. I woke up at 3 a.m. to take Jason and Mittu to the airport for an early flight to see Mittu’s mom. It’s really strange being out and about so early! I’m not sleepy yet, but I feel just a little “off.” I think I foresee another nap in my future. 🙂

Ups and Downs

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UP: I had a really good, thoughtful post pretty much composed in my head in the shower at about 5:15 this morning.

DOWN: By the time I got to the computer at 8:15, it wasn’t flowing. I remembered parts of it, but it just wasn’t coming together. I’ll work on it and see what happens.

UP: I only got five hours of sleep last night and was up late a few night this week, so when I was falling asleep in y computer chair this morning. I decided to take a nap.

DOWN: I slept much longer than I intended to and now have a bit of a headache.

UP: But my mind is clearer and I am more alert.

DOWN: I got summoned for jury duty.

UP: It’s only for a day rather than a week. I requested to be excused due to medical issues that make it hard to stay seated for more than an hour and a half at a time. I don’t know if it will be regarded a legitimate request or not, but I felt it was better to bring it up now than not mention it and have it become an issue then.

DOWN: All of us except Jesse have taken turns being sick with some kind of cold/sinus issue.

UP: All of us are better…

DOWN: …except Jim. He’s actually better, but things seem to have settled in his throat. I thought for sure he had strep, but he went to the doctor Monday, who said it was just raw and inflamed. Every time he talks for very long, he starts coughing…and a lot of his job involves talking. The doctor did prescribe some medicine, so hopefully he’ll be on the mend here soon.

UP: I am loving the Olympics. I am watching more than I usually do — I think perhaps because of viewing history in the moment and in context rather than in short clips on the news. Loved especially Canada’s first gold on its own soil with Alexandre Bilodeau (who seems like a genuinely nice guy. I don’t know how anyone can do moguls and keep their knees for very long, though), Anton Ohno’s speed skating, the men’s short program in figure skating Tuesday night, especially Evan Lysacek’s routine, and Shaun White’s gold medal snowboarding last night. Looking forward to the men’s long program in skating tonight.

Wednesday’s Random Dozen

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Linda at 2nd cup of coffee created and hosts the Random Dozen meme every Wednesday. You can answer the questions on your blog and link up to Linda’s plus find more participants there.

1. If you could compete in one Olympic event (not necessarily winter sports) what would it be?

Figure skating. It looks so graceful.

2. Do remember a specific Olympic moment from the past?

Oh, plenty. Just a few: Mary Lou Retton’s perfect 10s in gymnastics. Torvill and Dean’s Bolero. The Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding fiasco. Kerri Strug’s injured vault. Michael Phelp’s swimming events in the last summer Olympics.

3. Have you ever known anyone who competed in the Olympics?

No.

4. If everyday activities were Olympic-worthy, which activity would you have a gold medal in?

I dunno. Eating? Sleeping? Reading?

5. Do you know anything about your ethnic heritage?

Like many Americans, it’s a mix. I know German and Black Dutch are in there, I think some Irish, and purportedly a little Cherokee.

6. Do you enjoy sleeping late?

Yes! “Late” these days, though, is 7 or 8. I don’t like feeling like I lost a big chunk of the day if I sleep any later than that.

7. Have you ever performed CPR on anyone? Do you know how?

No and no. I should probably learn that.

8. Name one country you’d like to visit and explain why.

Theoretically, because my dislike for travel overrides my desire to see them, Ireland or Scotland. Love the accents and the music.

9. Have you ever fixed up a couple romantically?

Only once, and that cured me. My sophomore year in college the guy I was dating and I set up his roommate and mine. They seemed perfect for each other. He really liked her, but she did not like him in that way, and it turned out very awkward for all of us over several weeks.

10. What is the last book you read?

Words Unspoken by Elizabeth Musser. Excellent.

11. Do you enjoy sleeping late? NO, YOU write the question! How’s that for random??

Do you ever add something on to a to-do list AFTER you’ve completed it just for the satisfaction of crossing it off? I have, occasionally. 🙂  I frequently make lists for myself but in the course of doing those things see other things that need to be done, or do something I forgot to list.

12. What is your favorite meal at your favorite restaurant?

It’s hard to name just one favorite restaurant, but I do usually have a favorite dish at each one. At Outback, it’s the Drover’s Platter which has both chicken and ribs, and I have enough left over for lunch the next day. At Fatz, babyback ribs. At Red Lobster, popcorn shrimp. At Cracker Barrel, usually their chicken and dumplings, though I also like their meatloaf and sugar-cured ham. At one local Mexican food place, Chicken chimichangas.

And now I am hungry….

Happy Wednesday!

A loss in the blogosphere

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Quite often on a “blogiversary” post or a blogging meme, many bloggers who have been at it for any length of time will comment that, whatever their reasons for starting a blog, one of the things that surprised them was the sense of community among bloggers. Once we find certain blogging friends, they become true friends.

I was very saddened to learn yesterday that a member of the blogging community had passed away. Dr. John at Dr. John’s Fortress went Home on Monday. I didn’t know him very well — I read his blog here and there, and we occasionally crossed paths when we participated in the same memes. But what I knew of him came mostly from his comments on mutual friends’ blogs. And one thing stood out: being a pastor wasn’t just a job from which he was retired: a pastor is what and who he was in his very essence.

Somehow we don’t think about heaven much until someone dies. Elisabeth Elliot once wrote than one reason we don’t know much about it is that we wouldn’t be able to concentrate on what we’re to do here if we knew all the dazzling glory awaiting us there. We do know there will be no more death, sorrow, crying, pain or sin and that God is there. That’s plenty to ponder and to look forward to! I am so grateful He made a way for sinners to be washed, cleansed, forgiven and fit for heaven, and that we can know that those who trusted in Him for their salvation are experiencing heaven’s joys as soon as they pass on.

We couldn’t wish them back from what they are experiencing now. But we do miss them, incredibly, achingly. Through time, grace, love and support, that ache will lessen to some degree, though it will never go away completely until we join them there. If you’re so led, I invite you to join me in prayer for the family and friends of Dr. John in the days ahead. And if you don’t know whether you would be joining that reunion in heaven, please read the verses linked above or read more here.

Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am. John 17:24a.