the most beautiful place I've ever been

It's even lovelier when you look at it right-side up. :)

This is the stream out behind what used to be Mary Jones' house. If you haven't read the story of Mary Jones & her Bible, you are missing out!

The link speaks of this as a "legend" ... but it's definately not. I was in Bala, and visited different places mentioned in the book; I saw Mary's parents' graves, visited this beautiful spot where their home stood, and drove over the pass she walked to get her Bible. If you can get your hands on a copy of the book (probably long out of print), it's worth having!

I was scanning old negatives tonight, and came to these from our time in Wales, and thought ... now THAT was a beautiful spot. Thought I'd share it.

Now ... if I could just figure out why they're suddenty scanning in upside down ... :)

Trinka

something so simple ...

I put some flowers in my window boxes yesterday, and I'm sitting here this morning just enjoying them like crazy. :) They look pretty spindley now, but I have high hopes for them. The little one in the bucket is a tomato plant. He and the hanging basket arrived last weekend.

well ... not ALL plastics

I spray-painted this old suitcase pink. The spray paint said "for most plastics." Apparently not THIS one, because it's been three days, and it's still sticky. :) A friend who does a lot of painting suggested I put it in my car, and let it bake in the sun. So that's currently in process, but I don't see a lot of de-sticky-fying going on!

I was reading some cross references in Philemon while working on a friend's project, and found something that interested me.

Philemon is a personal letter from the Apostle Paul to his friend Philemon concerning the fate of Onesimus, who was Philemon's run-away servant.

Some time after running away, Onesimus came in contact with Paul, and became a Christian. Paul is writing to ask Philemon to accept Onesimus back, and be merciful to him. (He may have stolen or cheated Philemon as he was leaving).

In the course of writing to Philemon, Paul uses the following phrase in verse 11: He says that Onesimus "... in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me."

It was interesting that what Paul was asking Philemon to do was similar to something Paul had done himself.

Earlier, Paul and Barnabus were traveling together, and Barnabus' cousin, Mark, was traveling with them. There was some situation where Mark left the group, and Paul was disappointed with him. (Acts 13-15). However, later the situation was mended, and Paul commends Mark as being "profitable" (2 Tim. 4:11).

I thought it was neat that Paul uses the same word to commend Onesimus to Philemon that he had used about Mark with himself. There was a time when Onesimus (and Mark) were unprofitable ... but God had done a work, and they were now profitable (or useful in other translations.)

God does that! Takes areas of our life that were waste, and grows gardens there ... brings usefulness out of places that were void.

Been walking a lot this week, and hope to get to the gym tomorrow morning (if it's open for Memorial Day ... better check that).

The perfect travel-related quotation

I just started reading Around the World in 80 Travel Tales (while sitting in the sunshine on my newly-cleaned, newly-house-plant-populated balcony).

In the introduction was a quote from Lao Tzu (don't know who he is ... but will Google his name eventually and find out):

A traveler should neither have fixed plans nor be intent on arriving at his destination.

I think that sums it up perfectly! The ladies I travel with have mastered this, and it's what makes it such a joy.

Flat tire after midnight? An adventure.
Near misses with disaster? An opportunity to praise God for His protection.

I think of so many serendipitous instances that never would have come to be, if not for that attitude ... ending up at the Grand Canyon on a snowy Easter morning as a boys' choir's singing echoed off the canyon walls, discovering unpopulated beaches and meeting hospitable strangers with open homes ... God is just so good to me!

AND my windows are washed. :) (Well ... I can't reach out far enough to wash ALL of the big front one, and I'm too high up for a ladder ... so the left and right sides are washed. The middle is a bit iffy. )

Trinka

general maintenance - a good thing ...

I defragged the hard drive, used registry cleaner (thank you Kim Komando), etc., on this little computer yesterday, and it's just FLYING today. These things need to happen more often! :)

Went to the gym yesterday and batted a racquetball around for a while. I'm starting to get a bit more consistent with it, and maybe I'll play with an actual person one day soon. :) Also lifted weights afterwards.

I was reading last night in Joshua 22. Israel had taken control of the land (more or less) and each tribe was going back to their parcel of territory. The two and a half tribes who had land on the east side of the Jordan had gone home, and built an altar on the other side of the river. God had commanded that He wanted to be worshipped in Jerusalem ... so to build a place of worship there was a "very bad thing." (It almost seems to me that they didn't build it for worship, but rather as some kind of memorial ... but I don't remember reading that last night ... either I missed it this time, or misunderstood something last time ... gotta read again and figure that out.)

The other tribes saw this happening and confronted them. Sin within the group had already had disasterous results in the past, and they wanted to protect against it this time.

In our postmodern culture, it is VERY hard to tell someone they're wrong. We've been fed the fallacy that there are many truths, and what is true for one person may not be true for another. I am a big fan of openness and inclusiveness in some areas ... but there are a few where we need to not be so open!

It's not loving for me to see a brother or sister in sin, and ignore it. And it's not loving for someone to see me in sin and ignore it. We're supposed to have each other's best interests (and the best interests of God's kingdom and glory) in mind ... and that means there are times when we need each other's help to forsake the old and put on the new.

22:19 says, "‘If, however, the land of your possession is unclean, then cross into the land of the possession of the LORD, where the LORD’S tabernacle stands, and take possession among us. Only do not rebel against the LORD, or rebel against us by building an altar for yourselves, besides the altar of the LORD our God."

They were so concerned that their brothers seek after God, that they offered to give up part of their own inheritance, to make a place where they could live closer to the temple. Am I so passionate about the Lord, and His people, that I joyfully sacrifice my own interests for their good?

Trinka

How quickly our perspective changes

This morning, I actually had the thought:

"I've only got 30 gig left. I've got to do some house-cleaning on this hard drive!"

Hmmmm ... how fast things change!

Only 10 years ago, it was:

"I've only got 30 mg left. I've got to delete the temp files!" :)

Actually, I'm working with a little film scanner to scan in all my old negatives, so the pictures are quickly consuming great chunks of hard drive. Hence the desire to keep as much free as possible. The scanner is a snazzy little critter - about the size and shape of a shoebox. It does a great job, and is fairly fast - I got about 40 pictures done last night while I was watching the (videotaped) finale of the Amazing Race.

That show is one of my guilty pleasures. I love to travel, and it interests me to see how people interact with each other in the stressful situations that travel presents. This year one of my favorite teams won. It was a couple of easy-going guys. They were nice to each other, and to the people they met along the way, and just flat-out seemed to be enjoying the travel, whether they won or not.

No exercise happened last night (reference the above videotape/scanning negatives time indulgence!). But I did get some great time in the Ruth study.

Ruth is the story of a widowed mother, living outside her homeland, who marries her sons off to two native girls. The sons die, and one girl chooses to stay in her home country, while the other, Ruth, travels with her mother-in-law back to Israel.

In Israel, Ruth works in the fields to provide for the two of them, and eventually meets the owner of the field, Boaz, - a family member of her mother-in-law.

There is an Old Testament practice where a dead man's closest male relative will take the widow as his wife, and the first son resulting will inherit the dead man's estate, and provide for the widow. The new husband is called the "kinsman redeemer".

Through her mother-in-law's prompting, Ruth asks Boaz to take on this role. Boaz tells her that there is a closer relative who has the right to do this, but if that man doesn't agree, then Boaz wanted to marry her.

Anyhow ... the reason I relate all this is to say, One of the things I'm doing is tracking all the references to time and location - down to the very minute, in the book.

And there are a LOT of them. It's written almost like a play ... you know where everyone is, and when they're there ... right up until chapter 4.

Chapter 4 (the last chapter) is where Boaz sits down with the closer relative to discuss who would marry Ruth.

Ruth is an Old Testament book that, while portraying actual history (she was the great-grandmother of King David), also carries a picture of the Christian's salvation.

Ruth was a Gentile. She had absolutely no rights among God's people. But she was brought in by Boaz, and made a child of God. We, too, have no rights before God. We are born in sin, and there's nothing we can do to change it. But Christ DID what we couldn't, took our penalty, and has made us a child of God.

There was a closer family member who had the first right to Ruth. So the Old Testament law had the first rights to US. If we don't accept Christ's provision to save us, there is ONE other way available. If we keep the Old Testament law perfectly, to the letter, we can be saved that way. However, in the history of the world, only the Lord Jesus has done so ... so that route is not promising!

Anyhow, what I really wanted to share this morning was the change that happened at the beginning of chapter 4. The narrative went from a meticulous focus on time and location, to having nearly none. And from the moment the transaction was sealed ... and Ruth was Boaz's wife, nothing at all.

It's like time and location ceased to be significant.

When our place with God is sealed ... time and space become less significant for us, too. I've got a few more decades here ... but forever with Him. People I love may be far away, but He is with me, and with them.

Not as polished a presentation as I'd like of what I'm thinking about ... but if I wait for polish, it just doesn't get done most days. :)

In response to the discussion I'm listening to on talk radio right now ...

Please see The Top Ten Fallacies in the DaVinci Code ...

It is a work of fiction people! While he claimed to use "real history" ... it was just a literary device. Take a deep breath! The only reason it's "controversial" is because you're assuming there's some factual basis. There isn't. It's a STORY!

The website cited above is concise, and lists the actual facts that are distorted in the book ... it's not just what Christians believe ABOUT the history ... it's the actual, documented, facts that are at issue.

Since I can't call Rick and Scott ... I'll send it your way. :)

back to your regularly scheduled blog ... :)

Had a great walk last night; the sun was shining, and it was beautiful out. I'm enjoying the Ruth study - it was suggested to me to take all the dialogues and compare them. The book is 70% dialogue, and you really learn a lot about the individuals by looking at just what they had to say.

What a nice break ...

Mel Trotter Mission, in downtown Grand Rapids, has a luncheon for church secretaries every year.

It's one of those places that's done so much good for the kingdom of God, for so many years, that you love meeting people associated with it.

The mission is 106 years old, and has residential drug & alcohol treatment programs for both men and women. (with an 85% long-term success rate!). They have overnight housing for homeless people, and meals as well.

They also have some kind of training program happening in their kitchen ... the food was wonderful, and also just beautifully presented. They really made it special for us.

It was a blessing to get away for a while, and also to meet some other people who do the same job I do.

I got out for a walk last night, and hope to get to the gym tonight.

I started a study of Ruth last night, and am having a great time. A friend does a lot of teaching, and I asked her to set me up with something challenging and hold me accountable to it ... this certainly fits the bill! One thing I noticed this morning that I hope to pursue is how the theme of famine/hunger/thirst/harvest seems to run throughout. More to come on this (hopefully) as things progress!

the birthday boy (hmmm 60, right?)

Look what I found while I was de-cluttering today. :)

Happy birthday!

One box out in the car, ready for the Bibles for Missions store, and another is sitting on the table ready to be filled. A great big bag has already been dumpster-ized, and I'm looking forward to the rest of my day! I just love empty space and clear shelves!

This is the first year I've kept track of what I'm donating - I got Deduction Pro when I bought Tax Cut this year, and I'm shocked at how the total is adding up as I put in the stuff I'm giving away. It's really worth the extra time!

Back to work for me!

OK ... I've HAD it ...

The clutter level in this house has become unacceptable.

This is the "create empty space and lighten the load" weekend.

I anticipate many boxes headed to charity, and more than a few for the dumpster. Where does this all COME from anyway?

(For those who may be tempted to call the health department ... that picture isn't actually the current state of affairs ... it's what the place looked like when I was unpacking & doing laundry after my trip to Texas). :)

Got out for a walk tonight (in the rain), and will squeeze in another one tomorrow. Hitting the gym Sunday, as I'm guessing that Mothers' Day will be about as empty as it gets!

Trinka

lilacs!

The lilacs are out - right on schedule for Mothers' Day.

They seem unusally full and beautiful this year. I know they blossom better every-other year ... but they are just amazing this year.

They are the ideal flower for my lifestyle - thriving on that perfect combination of sunshine and neglect. :)

This bush was going above and beyond the others, and I drive past it every day on my way to work. I thought it needed its picture taken today. I've never been to Mackinac Island for the lilac festival - I usually avoid any event that brings in bus-loads of foreign tourists. But this year might be the one to make an exception!

I spent some time hitting a racquetball around last night before going downstairs to lift weights. Thwacking that ball really is a terrific stress-reducer. :) As I left to go home, I found myself thinking, "what a pleasant afternoon," this kind of thinking is fairly new to me, and I marvel at it when it happens.

Monday night, I went and helped a couple from church set up a blog. He has had on-going serious lung problems, and was just diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. He started chemo yesterday, and they wanted a blog to post updates on his progress. If you'd like to pray for them, and send a little encouragement their way, their blog is here. Ken and Judy have been a tremendous blessing in my life ever since I met them almost 15 years ago.

Trinka

Bother!

"We apologize, but we don't have a rack fit for your vehicle. Our Fit Technicians have scratched their heads over this and they don't easily admit defeat, but unfortunately your car is "unYakable". If you believe that you have received this message in error - please use the back button and make sure that you have entered your vehicle and all of its modifications correctly. Questions? Call Yakima Customer Service at 888.925.0703 (M-F, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. PST)."

Sounds as if the roof-rack kayak option isn't available to me either.

I'm fixin' to admit defeat ...

no kayaks for me :(

The shortest one I can find is 9 feet, 4 inches ... and the longest possible thing I could get in my car is 8 feet, 6 inches. BOTHER! I do love the things! As far as I can tell, a roof rack would add $250 to the cost of an already-stretching-myself purchase.

So I suppose I'll air up the tires on my bicycle and stay on land! :)

Got in a walk tonight, and a short one last night out along the Lake Michigan shoreline. It was just beautiful.

Clifford ... No. Don't eat the ice cream! It's not worth it! Celery man ... celery is where it's at! :)

No consequences followed my failure to organize an ice cream social ... the other board members appeared to have forgotten it was my responsibility last month and assigned it to someone else this month. Which ... really ... is a good thing. Trinka chairing the social committee was a recipe for failure from the very beginning.

Picture of living in a building with elderly people:
I was just down putting in 3 loads of laundry (we have 3 machines), and a lady walked in, telling me that she was "doing one load at a time."

OK, I think. How nice for you.

Later I realized, "oh, she was asking to use one of the machines."

I went up to her place to apologize, and she informed me that there was a "rule" that you could only use 2 machines at once.

Hmmmm ... I've lived here 3 years ... haven't read that one yet. :)

You occupy the machines for the same amount of time, whether you do it all at once, or stagger it ... plus you're harder to predict if you stagger it.

I have noticed that "rules" seem to multiply in the presence of elderly folks, though! :)

She had just moved in and heard about the "rule" from one of the other ladies. I told her that it probably wasn't anything to worry about (after I made my apology for not understanding her point earlier!)

Groan! :)

off to get my laundry now! (all 3 loads)

Trinka

Well, I guess that's no surprise ...

The world's smallest political quiz at:
http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz.html

Give it a try!

Got in a walk last night, and plan on heading to the gym tonight before prayer meeting.

In addition to daydreaming about kayaks, I'm also daydreaming about a scooter ... INCREDIBLE gas mileage, and most of my driving is just around our little town ...

Thinking ...

Trinka

I sing the praises ...

of the (relatively) Healthy Choice frozen dinner.

Really ... would I ever take the time to make a protein, vegetable and starch for myself after work? No. I would not.

Would I even take the time to even make something HOT after work?
Probably not.

But here, I can stagger home from the gym, and before I'm out of the shower, the microwave has dinner ready for me.

May not be gourmet ... but I'm thankful. :)

Off to the condo board meeting, to admit that, no, I did NOT get an ice cream social organized for April.

Trinka

oooh ... now that quote stings

I was just proofreading an article that contained the following quote:

The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My [God], you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world?

Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the church's prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Oh, priceless scholarship, what would we do without you? Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. yes, it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament. -- Provocations: Spiritual Writings of Kierkegaard

Well ... if THAT isn't a description of what I don't ever want in my life. God can be trusted, and if my own reason, or society's conventions, or political correctness contradict ... it's God who created this place, and all in it ... and He knows how it's designed to function. I want to choose Him!

***

The job Saturday didn't happen - they had enough people before they got to my name. I said I'd be interested if it comes up again though! I did get to the gym to lift weights and bat a racquetball around some on Saturday, and yesterday walked Riverside Park with a friend (4.47 miles from her door, through the park, and back again.)

While walking the park, I was looking over at the river and daydreaming about kayaks ...

If only I could get one to FIT in my car. I hate the idea of spending money on a roof rack that will just mar the paint, and be difficult for short-little-me to actually USE. I'm going to do a bit more investigation on the geometry available with the seats folded down in my car!

Trinka