SAFE AND SECURE IN HIS LOVE

• Is there anything that raises our protective instincts more than a helpless little baby?
• Even more so for God, our heavenly Father, who sees us caught in our sin and unable to free ourselves, worried and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd!
• Try as hard as we will, we can't protect our children from all the pains and struggles of the world, which is why we commend them into God's powerful hands and loving will, from Holy Baptism on, for He has promised,
• "I will never leave you nor forsake you; no one can snatch you out of My hands!" (Joshua 1:5 and John 10:28).
• Enjoy another "grandchild" video, this time accompanied by Barbra Streisand singing "Not While I'm Around," from her Broadway album.

ONE LITTLE HEARTBEAT AT A TIME

• Just a little "movie" in honor of our daughter and her husband who have been gifted with "Isaac Aaron," who is now 9 days old!
• All of us who are older are saying to them, "Enjoy each day you have with him, noticing each change and growth milestone, because before you know it, he;ll have grown up and want to be on his own, which is what you'll have been preparing him to do for all of his life . . .
• So before that day comes, delight in the events, developments, and progress they make one day at a time. Celebrate it with them.
• I'd give just about anything to have those days back again w/ our 4, knowing more today than I did then! At the time, I let myself get too caught up in keeping the bedrooms and playroom clean and neatyard work and housework and seminary coursework, instead of playing and making memories.
• So set your priorities better than I did, dear young ones: let time with them be the most important thing in your lives after time with God---all the rest of it will fall into place and what doesn't get done as soon as you wish, isn't as important as you think it might be. But raising a child who knows and loves the LORD is the most beautiful and important task there is.
• "Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:58b).
• Enjoy the chronicle of Isaac's quiet life for the last week, set to a song by Steven Curtis Chapman, from his CD, This Moment, called "One Little Heartbeat at a Time."

YOUR LOVE IS EXTRAVAGANT

• Rejoice with us!
• We have a new grandson, Isaac Aaron born to Tessa & Jeremy on July 11, healthy, happy, 6 lbs. 13 1/2 oz. and 19 3/4 inches long.
• Grandma Denise is already out there with them & I leave Tues. a.m. Can't wait to hold him!
• Isn't it amazing the love we have for our children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren?
• Do we understand that God's love for us in Christ FAR surpasses what we feel for our own. "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though SHE may forget, I will NEVER forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands!" (Isaiah 49:15-16a).
• The gift of a child sure does bring us back to basics and what's really important: relationships. Treasure them!
• And enjoy this song about our relationship with Him by Casting Crowns, called "Your Love is Extravagant."

YOUR GRACE STILL AMAZES ME

• My apologies to those who actually were reading this blog--it's been a while since I've written. Lots has been happening in our lives and God has been busy as usual, always working visibly and invisibly for His people's benefit, including ours.
• In the midst of our loss of Tessa, Jeremy & little Isaac (due any day now in CO), we had the joy of having Gianni with us for three weeks and he kept us happy & busy to say the lease as school wrapped up here in WA finally and we got to have some time away with him at Cannon Beach. Such a joy and so hard to let him go back to his homes in the midwest.
• Denise will be leaving Monday morning for CO to join Tessa for the "labor" process as only a mom can do. I will follow July 14, not soon enough.
• I had the joy of attending our NW District LCMS Convention w/ one of my elders and actually enjoyed it. But we had a sad event--the very first day, one of the delegates, Bill Brackman of Puyallup, WA, slipped and fell, hitting his head at the Convention Center in Portland, OR. He went into a coma, never regained consciousness &, unable to breathe on his own, the Lord called him to his heavenly home! Who would have expected such a thing? Reminds us all to appreciate each day we are given and to be ready in faith, because out time could come at any moment.
• We were privileged several years ago, w/ friends from our congregation to visit Bill & his wife and their beautifully tended rhododendron gardens. The pictures below were taken then. We pray for their family in confidence that the Master Gardener has received His son into heaven . . . . for His promise to us all is "Be faithful, even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Revelation 2:10).
• God has fulfilled for Bill this promise as well, "The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land; you will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail" (Isaiah 58:11).
• The Water of Life, our Lord Jesus Christ, has refreshed Bill fully. May He do so for us in part as we live in this world still, amazing us with His grace each day! Enjoy Phillips, Craig & Dean's song, "Your Grace Still Amazes Me," as you watch some of Bill's rhododendron garden.

HE'LL NEVER LET YOU GO

• It's been a rough couple of weeks & what a blessing to be able to talk things through with a friend.
• The long, firm handshake afterwards reminded me of God's firm grasp on us, as well as God's promise:
  "Be strong and courageous(impossible, Lord! for me; more & more I realize what a weakling I really am!). Do not be afraid or terrified, for the LORD your God goes with you (thanks for coming along, Lord, the road has been hard lately); He will never leave you nor forsake you (You are my courage and strength)" (Deuteronomy 31:6).
• Enjoy Phillips, Craig & Dean's song, "He'll Never Let You Go."

DO I TRUST YOU, LORD?

• My heart is breaking.
• This is another one of those times in my life where the "rubber hits the road," as they say. Where I need to "put my money where my mouth is." Where I practice what I preach: trusting the Lord and His ways . . . even when I can't understand them or see the outcome or wonder why He's doing things the way He is, when the pain of what’s happening is threatening to overwhelm me, when I want to scream out “NO!” and take control of the situation and make it work the way I think it should go. And yet, with all my heart, I’m trying to pray, “Not my will be done, Lord, but Thine,” as Jesus did.
• It's not easy for any of us, is it? This time we have to let go of our middle daughter, her husband and their soon-to-be-born baby, after enjoying their company and working in the same congregation with them for two wonderful years. She has accepted a call to teach and direct a preschool at another Lutheran school in another state.
• I know it will be a wonderful opportunity for her to continue to use her gifts and expand her skills; and he will be able to find work there more easily than out here in the city. And the baby will be loved deeply by his grandparents there, of course. And I know we can fly back and forth to see them, as many grandparents do today.
• But oh, how I had already planned the future I thought we were going to have. You've done that in your life too, haven't you?
• I was ready to care for the baby on Mondays, my day off, and we'd go for long stroller walks and maybe I could get back in shape doing so. And we'd have all kinds of fun, reading books, playing in the yard, going to the ocean, riding in my blue volkswagen, flying kites, and watching him crawl, take his first steps, say his first words, then start Sunday school, and preschool, and get to participate in his activities, and have him come up on Sunday mornings for the children's message, and then come over to Mimi & Papa's on Sunday afternoons to give mom & dad a break, and have holidays together and celebrate birthdays up close and personal & do all the things that families get to do when they live in the same town!
• And now, the plans I've made, many of which I'm not even aware of yet, are not going to happen. At least not the up close and personal part. So I'm praying for our "children" as they move away from us with all the challenges they will face so soon . . . and I'm praying for us as well as we try to adjust to what plenty of other people have already adjusted.
• Lord, I'm not liking it at all right now . . . but I will trust You, and down the road, maybe we'll understand why this is all happening . . . and then again, maybe not.
• Twila Paris' song, "Do I Trust You?" has always been an encouragement to me at moments like this in my life. May it be for you as well when you find yourself in similar situations.

MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION

• Lately, as the weather has been so beautiful, I've been spending lots of time (when available) in my yard, trying to catch up from last summer not being able to do anything because of my knee replacement. What a mess that made for this year!
• But also what a "fun" non-work activity (even though they call it "yard work", if you will, and GREAT therapy for most tensions.
• This Sunday afternoon, though, rather than yard work, we went to the Washington Rhododendron Species Garden sponsored by Weyerhauser Inc. and beside the beautiful rhodies, we saw all kinds of native wildflowers and groundcovers and this beautiful BLUE poppy! We bought two tiny plants, hoping they'll bloom in the rest of our poppy patch . . .
• As much as I enjoy plants and gardening, my real obsession is the same as St. Paul's, "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead" (Philippians 3:10-11).
• Enjoy Steven Curtis Chapman's song, "Magnificent Obsession." What has captivated all your attention?

RESCUE ME

• Snoqualmie Falls! What a beautiful site just 40 minutes NE of where we live.
• A powerful force--incredible when it is at flood stage--very, very misty when the wind is blowing, and NOISY! And it spills 268 feet till it drops into a 65 foot deep pool below.
• Can't imagine going over the edge! What a nightmare! And certain death. Not unlike our predicament as we are caught in our sin & dragged to certain a death if it weren't for Jesus Christ!
• Because of His perfect life and sacrificial death, we are RESCUED! "The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen" (2 Timothy 4:18).
• Enjoy this song from the Newsboys, from their CD "Thrive."

HOW DEEP THE FATHER'S LOVE FOR US

• I was born near the ocean and live near it now; can't imagine moving away from it. Its power always fascinates me; its size puts things into perspective for me whenever I walk along the shore.
• Micah, the prophet, offers us such comfort & assurance of forgiveness in his 7th chapter, verses 18-19: "Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea!"
• Wow! No one can ever see our sin again, because it's buried in the depths of the ocean! Thank You, Jesus!!!
• Enjoy this song by Philips, Craig & Dean, "How Deep the Father's Love For Us," from their CD, "Let Your Glory Fall."

GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY

• What a beautiful Good Shepherd Sunday! Lots of wonderful "lamb" music as one of our members said.
• And how I need a shepherd's guiding, leading, feeding, restoration, correction, and loving care each day.
• Because of it, "The Lord IS MY shepherd, I shall not want" (Psalm 23:1).
• Enjoy Michael Card's "The King of Love My Shepherd Is" from his CD, Starkindler.

PRAISE FOR THE SPRINGTIME

• Oh, the joy of springtime--it's my favorite time of year when the grays and browns of winter finally disappear. And this winter was a LONG one!
• It made me think of Isaiah's words, "The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus,
  it will burst into bloom" (Isaiah 35:2).
• The plants & trees & flowers that are blooming now in the Northwest are magnificent and everywhere I look, dig, plant & mow I can see His magnificent sense of beauty & design & artistry & praise Him for it. How about you?
• My favorite of His blooming creations are the Prunus Serrulata Kwanzaan cherry trees in front of our garage windows and along our backyard path. And when the blossoms begin to lose their petals, it's the softest, pale pink rain you've ever seen.
• So many reasons to "Bless the Lord My Soul." The song below is one of my favorites from the musical, "Godspell."

BLESSED EASTER

• What a Blessed Easter Sunday to not only hear the foundation of our faith that God has raised Jesus from the dead in acceptance of His Son's perfect life and all-sufficient sacrifice in our place,
• but also to receive His Holy Supper for the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our faith and the joyous assurance that "because He lives, we will live also!"
• Wonderful music, wonderful hymns, wonderful breakfast, lots of guests at our services!
• And then just a little nap with a cozy little fleece blanket made for me by two of our children in the congregation, Jefferson & Serena, before heading to the family dinner.
• Blessings to you all! And Hallelujah! He is King of kings and Lord of lords and He shall reign forever and ever!

RANSOM

• Today ended with our Good Friday Tenebrae service, one of my favorite of the year, simply because through its music, Scripture readings from the Passion of our Lord, and choral selections confronts us with the starkness of our sins and the clarity of God's overwhelming love for us in Christ on the cross.
• Lord, thank You for caring so deeply for a world that strayed so far from You, for me, a servant so unwilling, so proud, so undeserving of Your attention, let alone Your love and forgiveness!
• May Your kindness continue to lead us to repentance before You (Romans 2:14) as we look forward to celebrating Your Easter and living as Your people to share Your Love and Wisdom.
• This song, "Ransom" by Farrell and Farrell says it all.

PEACE & MERCY

• I recently discovered the music of The Priests (self-titled CD).
• "Pie Jesu" has become one of my favorite pieces, and it brings a real peace each time I hear it. May it do so for you too. In fact, we will play it during the distribution of the Lord's Supper this Maundy Thursday evening. Here are the lyrics & translation:
• "Pie Jesu" (Lord, have mercy)
• "Qui tollis peccata mundi" (You who take away the sins of the world)
• "Dona eis requiem" (Grant them peace)
• "Agnus Dei" (Lamb of God)
• "Sempiternam, sempiternam requiem" (Peace everlasting, everlasting)
• "My peace I give you" Jesus says, even in the midst of our world's chaos.

SMELLS & SOUNDS OF NEW LIFE

• Oh! What a beautiful 72 degree Puget Sound day with just the slightest breeze!
• Perfect for yard work, raking (& discovering two garter snakes under a pile of leaves), trimming ivy, planting alyssum & violas at the base of my tree roses, replacing worn-out trellises to hold our climbing roses above the pond, & digging out wild blackberries from the edge of the property.
• And in the few moments of resting, the smells and sounds of spring: the fresh, moist earth; the red peony stalks poking up like new asparagus; the neighbor children playing in their backyard; the rushing water of the cascading fountain; the 1/2" peeper frogs chattering endlessly; the neighbor mowing his yard; another neighbor putting together a swing and playset for his little kids; the robins enjoying the bugs exposed by the leaves having been raked away; a beautiful blue sky w/ just a few clouds; and me, glad to be alive. Are you grateful for His gift of life? For the very air we breathe? Listen to Avalon sing, "Oxygen," from their CD by the same name.
• "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord" (Psalm 150:6).

BELLS CALLING US TO WORSHIP

• Recently we were in So. California to hear Ethan in his spring choral concert, and one day when he was in classes, we drove south to visit San Juan Capistrano, where the swallows return every year, and we enjoyed touring the Mission, parts of which still stand from the early days before our nation was formed. This is one of the original bells that still rings.
• Sad that we've come to the point where the bells no longer call us to worship the Lord. There was a time when they rang, that everyone laid down their tasks and took the priority to enter God's house and hear His Word, to
• "Worship the LORD (not oneself as most often happens in our culture) in the splendor of His holiness (only possible if we're willing to acknowledge and repent of our sin); tremble before Him, all the earth (because although we should be destroyed and eternally condemned for our sin, because of Christ, we are allowed to ENTER His presence and enjoy a relationship with Him" (Psalm 96:9).
• Do you enjoy that relationship yet? What's it like living with Him?

GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD

• I'm years late, (what's new?) but I've recently discovered the beautiful music of the Taize Community in France--simple chanting of Scripture passages--a mode of music that has been around since the Church began.
• Its simplicity and repetition brings a focus, a "slowing down," an energy and priority and sense of God's perspective as opposed to our skewed view of things that all too often, sets things awry.
• In the following song, "Confitemini Domino" from the CD, "Songs of Taize--O Lord, Hear My Prayer and My Soul is at Rest--Vol. 1"), the repetition & simplicity of the music did exactly that for me after having a very difficult but but very necessary conversation with another Christian.
• Isn't it amazing that God's Holy Spirit can find us on a parking lot, dry our tears, calm our hearts and even if things don't work out the way we hope, still lead us to speak & sing the truth: "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever!" (Psalm 36:1).
• Was it Meister
  Eckhart who said, "If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is ‘thank
  you,’ it will be enough."
• The Latin words to the song go like this: "Confitemini Domino, quoniam bonus ("Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good) Confitemini Domino, Alleluia" (Give thanks to the Lord, Alleluia--Praise Him!" See if you don't find yourself singing along!
• How has He shown You His goodness today?

WHY DID YOU DO THIS FOR ME?

• I found this beautiful ceramic painting below of Christ in Deruta, Tuscany, Italy and couldn't resist its beauty.
• "If God is for us, (and He is!) who can be against us? (No one! Neither me, my own worst critic, nor eventhe devil himself!) He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? (Indeed, He will! Look at all He has blessed us with!) (Romans 8:31-32).
• Lord, You endured all this for me? The crucifixion, the suffering, the dying, the being rejected by Your Father . . . just in order to save me! What wondrous love IS this that would sacrifice all to bring me, a sinner, back into a relationship with Your holy Father!
• What response can I make, but repent of my sins and desire to live a life that honors You and bring You glory?
• Enjoy this song by Michael Card, "Why?" (from his CD, "Known By the Scars.")
  

STOP & LOOK AROUND YOU!

• Leo Tolstoy, the Russian author (of War & Peace, & Anna Karenina) wrote:

  "In the name of God, stop a moment,
  cease your work, look around you!"

  What beautiful advice in a world that is moving Much Too Fast for us to enjoy the life and treasures He showers on us each day!
• So, stop a moment, cease your work and listen to a song by Chris Rice, "Hallelujahs," (from his CD, "Deep Enough to Dream.")
• “One thing I ask of the LORD, (just one thing out of all things!) this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple*(and that would take an eternity to see and comprehend Your beauty and the way You've fashioned our lives in it!)” (Psalm 27:4).
• Where have you seen God's beauty today?
  

GOD IS EVERYWHERE IN OUR LIVES

• Listen to a beautiful song by Nichole Nordeman (from her CD, "This Mystery") that has touched & changed my life.
• I intend for it to be played at my funeral as a reminder to all who know they can find God "in every season."
• His promise is, "The LORD Himself goes before you (so there's nowhere I can go that You haven't already been & prepared the way for me) and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you (I am never alone, even if I feel like it; You are always at hand to protect & guide & encourage). Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged (With Your help, then, I won't!)" (Deuteronomy 31:4).
• He is always working to draw us closer in relationship with Him. That means with You, too!
• May this song be a blessing for you as well.
• How has He worked in your life this week?