Ringing in the New Year

Ringing in the New Year {repost}

I heard a visitor to Japan remark about the bells we hear at this season. He was referring to church bells, jingle bells and Salvation Army bells, none of which I have heard in Japan.

But at the stroke of midnight on New year's Eve, almost everywhere in Japan one can hear the great bells or gongs at Japan's Buddhist temples. According to Buddhism, man has 108 sins and, by hearing the bells toll that number, he can be relieved of all of them.

108? Really? The words of this hymnwriter reflect more accurately the true condition of my human heart and the sin it produces.

No, not despairingly come I to Thee;
No, not distrustingly bend I the knee:
Sin hath gone over me, yet is this still my plea,
Jesus hath died.

Ah! mine iniquity crimson hath been,
Infinite, infinite—sin upon sin:
Sin of not loving Thee, sin of not trusting Thee—
Infinite sin.

Lord, I confess to Thee sadly my sin;
All I am tell with Thee, all I have been:
Purge Thou my sin away, wash Thou my soul this day;
Lord, make me clean.

Faithful and just art Thou, forgiving all;
Loving and kind art Thou when poor ones call:
Lord, let the cleansing blood, blood of the Lamb of God,
Pass o’er my soul.

Then all is peace and light this soul within;
Thus shall I walk with Thee, the loved Unseen;
Leaning on Thee, my God, guided along the road,
Nothing between.

Thankfully, we have a Savior for this infinite sin:

who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,

Will you pray that 2022 will be the year of salvation for many Japanese who do not yet know forgiveness of their infinite sin?

52 Hike Challenge

I'm always up for a good challenge to help with external motivation!  As we enter a new year, perhaps you'd like to consider one of these challenges for you or your family. :)

A friend introduced me to the 52 Hike Challenge (see here).  "A challenge where you will gain physical fitness, mental well-being, make new friends, explore new places, and connect with family, friends and yourself through nature."

"One hike, every week for one year" is their motto.  

There is also the 1000 Hours Outside movement.  I particularly like the different trackers available on their website.  I think they would make a good visual for children. 

"The entire purpose of 1000 Hours Outside is to attempt to match nature time with screen time. If kids can consume media through screens 1200 hours a year on average then the time is there and at least some of it can and should be shifted towards a more productive and healthy outcome!"

A local nature preserve near us has a 100-mile hiking challenge. That might seem ambitious, and the reward is merely a t-shirt (plus the pride & satisfaction of a job well done!), but if we have 10 more years of family hiking before LG goes to college, surely we can do 100 miles! 

Have you been motivated by any physical fitness challenges?

1000 Gifts, Vol. 6, #48

471.  a day after each Christmas event to recover :) 

472.  our children's first cousins, second cousins, and second cousins once removed with whom they enjoyed playing

473.  the Lord's protection when Jim fell on his eye onto a sharp piece of metal (thankful it was his eyelid that was cut & not his eye!)

474.  our new family room - we switched the dining room and family room, took the leaves out of the table, and removed some furniture, so now the dining room is in the smaller room and the family room is in the larger room.  We had hardly used the dining room since March 2020, but we have used the new family room more in the past few weeks than we had used either the dining room or old family room in the past few years!  We are all really enjoying it!

475.  my new command center - a Christmas gift of a beautiful tall secretary I found on Marketplace & which is in a corner of the new family room.  

476.  both children are finally starting to draw & color (it's been a long time coming!)

477.  Little Guy's enjoyment of his Christmas gifts - his first Nerf gun, a spy kit, Buzz Lightyear, and cars to build & paint

478.  Little Miss's enjoyment of her Christmas gifts - a cuddly unicorn, a mermaid backpack, wooden (pretend!) makeup & hair set, and a slime sampler kit

479.  our second-year-in-a-row Christmas gift (so I guess it's a tradition) of a photo book of LG & LM  for "new" Grandma (I literally burned the midnight oil to make it; thankfully the deal expired at midnight *Pacific* time, giving me an extra hour).  I'm motivated to make more photo books for us!

480.  this time & space between Christmas & New Year to pause, reflect, recharge, and mentally prepare for the new

Reading Challenge 2022

I was surprised to see that I read 27 books in 2021.  Here's hoping for more in 2022! 

Do you have a list of books to read in 2022?

How do you find pockets of time to read?  What are your book-reading habits? 

Looking in my Kindle library, I already have a good start on Books to Read in 2022. ;) 

 

Pillars: How Muslim  Friends Led me Closer to Jesus

Grace Across the Miles

Growing Together, Melissa Kruger

Saints & Scoundrels in the Story of Jesus

Depression, Anxiety, and the Christian Life

Eight Women of Faith

Unveiling Grace: The story of how we found our way out of the Mormon church

Love Stories of Great Missionaries

Reading Behind the Bars

Devoted: Great Men & Their Godly Moms

Smoky. How a Tiny Yorkshire Terrier Became a World War II American Army Hero, Therapy Dog and Hollywood Star: Based on a true story (Animal Heroes) 

What other books would you suggest I add to my list?

2022 Bible Reading

Have you thought about your Bible reading habits in 2022?  Since becoming a mom, this can feel like a loaded question for me.  Anything I get in God's Word is good.  Big goals are harder. 

This article was helpful for me.  Don't Just Read Your Bible: 12 Ways to go deeper.  

Jim & I did the 90-day plan in 2013 (post here).  I really liked it!

A friend told me once how important it is to read the Word in many different ways just as one would explore a mountain. Sometimes you fly over it in a helicopter. Sometimes you drive off-road in a jeep. Sometimes you hike. Sometimes you stop and use a magnifying glass.  You see different parts of it as you look in different ways.  That helped me not feel guilty about not always doing it one way or thinking there is only one right way to study or read Scripture. 

There are so many options & so many plans out there, paper or online trackers, apps, etc.  Those things are only as helpful as they are helpful.  What matters is that we read, and having a plan can be helpful. 

I spoke with a nutritional coach a few months ago who also "offers to meet women [clients] in God's Word Monday-Friday mornings." I asked what that looks like. 

It's Monday - Friday, no holidays.  They read on their own the same chapter in God's Word. The day I spoke with her it was John 15.  Then each one texts her (and I assume she texts each one; it's not a group, though that could be an alternative way of doing it).  Each person texts something from that chapter that God taught her or that she wants to turn into a prayer or that she had never noticed before.  Short & sweet. Just a text. But it's the accountability.

She said when she asks her clients who are believers how their time in God's word is, they often say they struggle, and yet it's foundational, and this has been literally transformational for many! 

 

This 5-day plan appeals to me.  See Melissa Kruger's article, "My Favorite Bible in a Year Reading Plan."

 

The 2022 plan is available for free download & printing on December 26th.  Click here. 

 

This article (link: here) on Scripture Writing is also inspiring. Have you ever written out Scripture?

 

What has been most helpful in keeping you in God's Word? 

 

 

Trimming the tree

Our tree came up from the basement (thanks to Jim) a few days after Thanksgiving, and thanks to the wonder of a pre-lit tree and an automatic timer, we have enjoyed the lights of the tree each afternoon, evening, and morning. 

But until December 23rd, the nativities were just placed helter-skelter on the dusty mantle, and the box of ornaments sat next to the unfluffed tree.

I almost decided to just skip the ornaments this year, but I am glad I didn't!  It's the first year that the children helped hang the ornaments.  It's the first year I got their special "Baby's 1st Christmas" ornaments out of their boxes.  And so many of the other ornaments brought back so many memories!

 

Beaded ornaments made by war widows in Darfur

Cross-stitch ornament I made as a child or teen for one of my honorary grandmothers. (Her daughters gave it to me after she died.)

The thank you gift I received from a church ladies' group in 1998 (I think).  Made of safety pins and beads, it was the start of my mini-nativity collection.

A school fundraiser; an aunt gave one to each of my sisters and me when we were young children.

Perhaps from The Museum of Appalachia. (A gift from my mom.)

Another gift from my Mom ... perhaps from Williamsburg?

Another gift from my mom - I think from Ireland?

Starting my own collection of ornaments made by my children. <3

Little Guy's special ornament from last year

One of the first additions my Mom gave me to my nativity collection. A Hummel, I love the little child cradling the stable in one hand and one of the figures in the other.

This set of three is rather hard to hang. The words on their bases say, "Find Him," "Seek Him," and "Praise Him."

 

These next four are ones I made as an elementary student.  They are almost antiques!!

Another school fundraiser purchased by an aunt for all four of us girls.

The first ornament Little Miss made (I love it!).  She hung it, and how fitting that she hung the Christmas nail & poem right behind it. It's all part of the same Story!

 

O Come, All You Unfaithful

Lyrics: 

O come all you unfaithful 

Come weak and unstable 

Come know you are not alone 

O come barren and waiting ones 

Weary of praying, come 

See what your God has done 

 Christ is born, Christ is born 

Christ is born for you 

O come bitter and broken 

Come with fears unspoken 

Come taste of His perfect love 

O come guilty and hiding ones 

There is no need to run 

See what your God has done 

 He’s the Lamb who was given 

Slain for our pardon 

His promise is peace 

For those who believe 

So come, though you have nothing 

Come He is the offering 

Come see what your God has done

Eve Candle Service {repost}

I'm pretty sure that isn't the way that we say it in English, but it's how I said it in Japan. 

Translation: Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

Christmas in Japan really is Christmas Eve.  (The 25th is a normal workday.)  A typical family might order Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Christmas cake (see a photo here or here).  For the singles, it's the most romantic night of the year, and calls for a specially planned date, perhaps followed by checking into a hotel. 

For Christians in Japan, Christmas Eve is the culmination of weeks of a full-throttle series of evangelistic events, since it's the easiest time of the year for nonbelievers to come to a church building or service. 

For single Christians in Japan, especially single women, who live in a nation of few single Christian men and are patiently waiting for a Christian husband, this night can also be the lowest of lows, as they're "missing out" on this romantic night. 

The last three years I was in Japan, the single girls in my church and I developed a neat tradition.  We attended an early evening candlelight service at one location of our church.  Then we met at my apartment.  I provided the space, decorations (including tree), candles and background music.  A good friend provided the lasagna.  One year we did a summary of an Advent Bible study I had led.  One year we watched "The Nativity" in English.  The next year we rented it in Japanese from the video store. And then!  Then we went to an 11 PM Christmas Eve service at another location of our church.

Those were some of my best Christmases ever!  I remember coming home from the 11 PM service and thinking, "Now that was Christmas!"  I would have been content even if I hadn't had a traditional American celebration with missionary friends the next day, and even if I hadn't spent a few days later in the week with my cousin's family, enjoying our family traditions. 

Christmas Memories, Part 2

Childhood Christmases involved more than midnight hikes. 

Sometime in mid-December "the big kids" would arrive from college, three cousins whose parents served overseas as missionaries.  My mom always had a long list of jobs for them to do, sometimes including cutting down the Christmas tree for the living room (and the cookie tree and small trees for each of our bedroom windows), making Christmas cookies, etc.  My dad had a list, too, including milking cows, providing special music on Sundays at church, etc. 

I remember them coming to our grade school to play Christmas music on guitar & autoharp.  I remember traipsing over the hills with them to cut down the trees, and then arranging the tall tree in the living room so that it would not fall! I remember going Christmas shopping with them.

We had to institute a seating chart for meals, because we children all clamored to sit next to them.  And when they left to return to college in January, we all were depressed.  But we had new stories to add to our imaginative play ... such as sitting on the stairs, pretending it was a college lecture room.  

Closer to Christmas, a station wagon filled with 6 people and laden with their luggage and gifts and lots of food would pull up the driveway.  Uncle J, Aunt R, and their children had arrived!  They brought roasted peanuts, pecans, honey, garden produce, delicious decorated Christmas cookies, and loaves of bread, all home-grown or homemade.  

And my mom prepared beds for all and three full meals a day, always including one of homemade tomato soup (from tomatoes canned from our garden) with toasted cheese sandwiches.  We might have had cereal and toast for breakfast, but I doubt it!  Sometimes, when extra guests were there, there was a card table set up in the corner of the dining room for the "kids' table," but mostly we were thankful for the v-e-r-y long dining room table our grandfather had purchased decades ago, which could be expanded to basically fill the entire length of the dining room!

After each meal and the Bible reading, we would linger.   By the time that many hands had made light work of clearing the table and doing the dishes (the dishwasher always seemed to be broken at Christmastime!), it was time to start on the next meal.  We spent hours around that table!

Last day of school before Christmas break

After spending 35 minutes in the school nurse's office coaxing a 4 year old to get saliva in a small test tube for the new "test to stay" protocol, I came home at 8.40 AM exhausted & defeated, albeit thankful she got to go to school (although the exhaustion might be attributed to being awake from 1-4 AM!). 

Cursory cleaning of the kitchen. 

Another cup of tea. 

Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate! in prep for my nurse coming this afternoon for my monthly 4.5 hour infusion. 

Read Your Local Epidemiologist's latest report.

Wonder what our next two weeks will look like, and if we'll be able to celebrate as we have planned.

Try to stop anticipating whether or not school will be remote in January.  Yikes!

Next up: 

Figure out if I can fit in a trip to UPS for some Amazon returns.

Run by the pharmacy and bank.

Stop by the library so the children can pick out some movies to watch while my nurse is here.

Try to address the next batch of Christmas cards. (I've been sending 20 or so each day.)

Make a big batch of egg roll in a bowl to eat for lunch & supper. 

Bring down all my infusion supplies and prepare a cozy corner where the IV pole will not get bumped by active children. ;) 

Give up on most of my to-do list for the week. :)

Merry Christmas!!

Repeat the sounding joy

 

"Our glittering ornaments and Christmas trees,⁣ our festive carols, our sumptuous feasts—⁣

By these small tokens we affirm⁣

that something amazing has happened⁣

in time and space—⁣

that God, on a particular night,⁣

in a particular place, so many years ago,⁣

was born to us, an infant King, our Prince of Peace.⁣

⁣

Our wreaths and ribbons and colored lights,⁣

our giving of gifts, our parties with friends -

these have never been ends in themselves.⁣

They are but small ways in which we repeat⁣

that sounding joy first proclaimed by angels⁣ in the skies near Bethlehem."⁣

⁣

- From "A Liturgy for the Start of the Christmas Season" | Every Moment Holy Vol 1

Christmas Memories

{repost from 2011}

My childhood Christmases on the family farm were special times with aunts, uncles, and cousins coming to stay for several days.  Our days were filled with leisurely meals all around one long table, snitching cookies off the cookie tree in the front hall (a live cedar with real cookies hanging on it), going out in the fields to cut down a tree, making tunnels and slides in the hay loft, listening to older accomplished cousins playing carols on the piano or guitar or autoharp, and rounds and rounds of Dutch Blitz.

The older cousins developed the tradition of going on a midnight hike one night during their Christmas stay.  We younger cousins waited eagerly for the Christmas when we would be 13, and old enough to accompany them!

My most memorable midnight hike was the year that we hiked east a half mile or so to an old, rather abandoned family cemetery on a neighboring farm.  After exploring awhile and deciding that it was too early to return to the house, we hiked back toward the house and continued on for another half mile or so to our family cemetery. 

We walked around reading the inscriptions on the tombstones, noting how old (or young) people were when they died,  and commenting on the verses chosen to mark their graves for generations to come.

I have glorified thee on earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. [John 17.4]

One cousin, then a college student majoring in Bible, preached an impromptu sermon about heaven and the believer's hope.  Another cousin had brought along his guitar, and we sang several hymns about heaven. 

"The morning cometh" [Isaiah 21.12]

I have never met another person whose favorite Christmas memory involves cemeteries - much less a midnight visit to one! 

Resting in hope of a glorious resurrection

But, the whole evening gelled into a very special memory ... participating in the long-awaited tradition, being part of the elite "over-13" group, spending time with just the cousins, being outside on a cool, still, quiet night (after the hub-bub of Christmas), reflecting on our heritage and on the faith and hope which we share with our ancestors whose tombstones give testimony to their faith.

And isn't that what Christmas is all about?

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

The Christmas we celebrated eternal life turned into one of my favorite Christmas memories!

This is Jesus

 

 

Night of wonder
Still and silent
Heaven's brilliance from above
Light of glory
Pierced the darkness
Mercy pierced my heart with love

 

This is Jesus
King of glory
Here to rescue from the fall
Son of God who
Comes to save us
Prince of peace and Lord of all

 

Oh the mystery
Who could fathom
God would leave His Holy throne
For a manger
For a sinner
For us all to be His own

 

This is Jesus
King of glory
Here to rescue from the fall
Son of God who
Comes to save us
Prince of peace and Lord of all

 

Rejoice He is with us
Rejoice Hope is here
Rejoice He is with us
Rejoice Hope is here
Rejoice He is with us
Rejoice Hope is here
Rejoice He is with us
Rejoice Hope is here

 

This is Jesus
King of glory
Here to rescue from the fall
Son of God who
Comes to save us
Prince of peace and Lord of all

 

For the hearts so
Prone to wander
For these feet so quick to flee
God is here and
Love is reaching
For the lost and least of these

 

Songwriters: Tony Wood / Darren Mulligan / Kyle Williams / Drake Robert Kennedy

This Is Jesus lyrics © Mike Curb Music, Centricity Music Publishing, Tony Wood Songs, Curb Wordspring Music, Curb Dayspring Music

Window on my childhood

Photo credit: Mary Alice K.

 

A friend posted this photo on FB last Christmas, and memories flooded back. This window represents so much more than some glass with a wood frame. Those walls, that glass, and the stain of the wood take me back to the countless formative hours of my youth that I spent in this sanctuary. 

The preaching of God’s Word that I heard in this room opened my eyes to God’s holiness, my sinfulness, and the reconciliation found in Christ. The heartily sung hymns I learned there sustain me yet today. And how many summer Sunday evenings was I distracted by cows mooing out the open windows, while a visiting missionary gave a report? Or how many sweltering summer evenings were these windows open while we children sat on the edge of our seats waiting to find out which team was ahead that day in the Vacation Bible School contest, not realizing that we were gaining so much more than points and a small prize?! We were hiding God's Word in our heart and learning the power of God's Word. (I cannot read Philemon without remembering a certain week of VBS lessons.) Seeing the Christmas decorations in this photo reminds me of the many happy (albeit dark and cold) afternoons in December when we spent hours practicing the Christmas play. And I could go on and on! 

Thanks for posting this, MAK!

Workweek Restart

After a full weekend, and a good night's sleep on Sunday night for all, everyone woke up, got dressed, and left for school or the pig truck, and I was home alone at 7.25 AM.  

I needed to leave by 8.10, so it was a quick morning at home, but it felt good to work quickly ... cook & eat a fried egg with guacamole, eat fruit salad while it cooked, drink a cup of tea and make a cup for the road.  Take a quick shower and get in the van by 8.10. Whew! 

Monday is (usually) laundry day, so after arriving home at 10.35 AM (just in time for the Pre-K bus), I started the laundry, made a phone call I should have made months ago to set up an appointment, was able to leisurely take another phone call, got lunch on the table, and did the dishes.  

And still had time to sit down for 30-45 minutes before picking up Little Guy.  What a nice start to the work week!

Reading Challenge 2021

How many books did you read in 2021? 

My brain does not remember like it used to, so I looked back on Goodreads and my Amazon digital orders to see if & what I had read this year.  (It's possible I read more, but I haven't figured out if or how to see past checkouts on my library app.  I definitely read 100s of children's books. LOL.)

I was surprised to see that I read 27 books.  The Mitford books were read mostly when I was up in the middle of the night with Little Miss when her sleep pattern was disrupted after her broken arm.  

It's quite an eclectic collection!  But travel and other cultures figure large. My favorites were Cheer Up! and Becoming Elisabeth Elliot!  I'm eagerly awaiting the follow-up book due out in fall of 2022.

Looking over my Amazon digital orders inspires me to read the ones I have purchased (at discount or free). That's for another post. 

Never Turn Your Back on an Angus Cow

Utterly Amazed: Following the Call of God in Japan

Women Who Risk: Secret Agents for Jesus in the Muslim World

Dear Bob and Sue

Dories, Ho!

For the Joy: 21 Missionary Mother Stories

Cheer Up!: The Life and Ministry of Jack Miller

Becoming Elisabeth Elliot

Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman who Saved the Appalachian Trail

A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II

Grace Beneath the Frost

I also re-read all of the Mitford series (14 books)

Pippy the Piano and the Very Big Wave

Cow Pie Water

Do you do a reading challenge each year?  What were your favorite books of 2021?

Christ is Mine Forevermore

 

Christ Is Mine Forevermore

Song by CityAlight

 

Mine are days that God has numbered
I was made to walk with Him
Yet I look for worldly treasure
And forsake the King of kings

 

But mine is hope in my Redeemer
Though I fall, His love is sure
For Christ has paid for every failing
I am His forevermore

 

Mine are tears in times of sorrow 

Darkness not yet understood 

Through the valley I must travel
Where I see no earthly good

 

But mine is peace that flows from Heaven
And the strength in times of need
I know my pain will not be wasted
Christ completes his work in me

 

Mine are days here as a stranger
Pilgrim on a narrow way
One with Christ I will encounter
Harm and hatred for His name

 

But mine is armour for this battle
Strong enough to last the war
And He has said He will deliver
Safely to the golden shore

 

And mine are keys to Zion city
Where beside the King I walk
For there my heart has found its treasure
Christ is mine forevermore

 

Come rejoice now, O my soul
For His love is my reward
Fear is gone and hope is sure
Christ is mine forevermore

 

Come rejoice now, O my soul
For His love is my reward
Fear is gone and hope is sure
Christ is mine forevermore

 

Come rejoice now, O my soul
For His love is my reward
Fear is gone and hope is sure
Christ is mine forevermore

 

And mine are keys to Zion city
Where beside the King I walk
For there my heart has found its treasure
Christ is mine forevermore
 

Christ is mine forevermore
Christ is mine forevermore

On the first day of Christmas

Or on the first day of December (as the case may be), I said to my true love, "What if we switched the dining room & TV room?"  Who adds extra things into their life in December?!?  (People on prednisone, that's who!)

After a few days of pondering and measuring, and (in unrelated but related news) his asking for my Christmas list, and finding out I wanted a secretary which I had seen for sale on Facebook Marketplace, the ball started rolling. 

We decided where the secretary would go, which meant I would have to move the buffet across the room.  Musical furniture!

First, I needed to empty the curio cabinet and move it out of the way to make room for the buffet.  So, as one does, I washed the contents, washed the glass walls and shelves, and moved the curio cabinet to the new dining room, refilled it. 

Empty the buffet, move it across the room, refill it.  (Purchase the secretary and put it in the new TV room/ old dining room.)

Move the couch from the new dining room to the old dining room. 

Move the dining room table to the new dining room. 

Empty the china cabinet onto the table. Move the china cabinet to the new dining room. Wash the glass. Refill the contents.  

Reading it in list format is deceptive!  We really paced ourselves, doing one step of the project in the morning and one in the afternoon for several days.  I kept the steam mop & dusting mitt handy, to clean hidden surfaces as soon as they were revealed. (I shudder to think of what all was under the couch!)  

The china cabinet comes apart (top & bottom), but I don't have strength to be part of that experience, so we put towels under the feet and scooted it as is ... until the top bumped the doorway into the new dining room. Oh, no!  At that point, Jim tilted the top down while I pushed the whole thing through the doorway.  I gained a few gray hairs on that one!  But it worked.  He's a problem solver ... and strong!

Next up: move the TV, VCR, etc. into the new TV room. Buy a TV stand that will also hold the stereo so we can consolidate.  Position the two easy chairs in front of the windows with an end table between them.  Purchase an area rug.  Hang the big mirror (that has been in storage in the basement since before we were married) on the new dining room wall.  Give away the sewing cabinet. Sell the fake tree.  Probably sell the curio cabinet and possibly the buffet.  Fill a pretty basket with extra blankets or throws.  

Doing a house project together has been really fun!  (Well, just having Jim home more after harvest has been fun!)  We wouldn't have done it if we were having house guests for Christmas.  And, as I write, it's only halfway done.  Let's see how long it takes to finish the second half! :)

Make a joyful noise

{from FB memories in 2020}

 

Memories ... When my aunt texted, "Happy Thanksgiving," the phrase, "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving" came immediately into my thoughts, and a flood of vivid memories rushed into my mind.

Summer evening.

 

Hills of East Tennessee.

 

Fireflies.

 

Dozens of (probably) sticky, sweaty bodies sitting on handmade, hard-backed pews under a pavilion.

 

Some young child in my cabin on my lap.

 

Vespers at summer Bible camp.

 

Closing the long, full, fun day with singing accompanied by a counselor on his guitar.

 

In my mind vespers is always associated with singing Psalm 100.

 

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving."

 

And also with the voice of a child turning around and requesting that I not sing ... just as my own daughter does. 

 

Last night when I started singing her bedtime songlist, LM said, "No, I can do it. Just like [name of cousin who recently put her to bed]." And, she started belting out "Holy, Holy, Holy," with a soprano voice, reaching high for all the high notes.

 

Despite young children across the years requesting that I not sing, I will continue making a very joyful noise unto the Lord. (Fair warning: You just might not want to sit next to me, though.)  

 

Social distancing for the win.

O Great God

O great God of highest heaven
Occupy my lowly heart
Own it all and reign supreme
Conquer every rebel power
Let no vice or sin remain
That resists Your holy war
You have loved and purchased me
Make me Yours forevermore

VERSE 2
I was blinded by my sin
Had no ears to hear Your voice
Did not know Your love within
Had no taste for heaven’s joys
Then Your Spirit gave me life
Opened up Your Word to me
Through the gospel of Your Son
Gave me endless hope and peace

VERSE 3
Help me now to live a life
That’s dependent on Your grace
Keep my heart and guard my soul
From the evils that I face
You are worthy to be praised
With my every thought and deed
O great God of highest heaven
Glorify Your Name through me

 

https://sovereigngracemusic.org/music/songs/o-great-god/

Seven Years Ago

Seven years ago, I buckled 11-month-old Little Guy into his carseat and made the 65 mile journey alone to the pediatric hearing clinic.  A month previously I had made the trip alone with him to the surgicenter to have tubes put in his ears.  But for the many trips prior to that, someone had always gone with me ... Jim, my sister-in-law, a niece, et al.  

This was (if memory serves me correctly) my second solo trip.  The solo trip for his tubes procedure had been anxiety-producing, but we survived. :) 

This trip was the one-month follow-up with the ENT and also an appointment for yet another hearing test.  The test was his 9th or 10th, but the first 2 or 3 had been in the hospital (newborn hearing screen) and he had had one or two attempted tests at a local ENT's office.  So I am not sure how many tests he had actually had at the pediatric hearing clinic.  I do know that none of them had been conclusive.  They always ended with, "Let's make an appointment to keep trying to get a complete picture."  

And so on December 3, 2014, LG and I went in the sound booth.  Jim and I had had 11 months to say to ourselves, "He jumped at that loud sound; maybe the newborn screen was a false negative."  And no other hearing test had been conclusive, so I wasn't prepared for a diagnosis, and was pretty shocked that this test was conclusive.  When our beloved gentle pediatric audiologist said, "He needs hearing aids. I'll make the impressions for the molds today, and you can come back in 3 or 4 weeks to get his hearing aids," my world was rocked.  As I pulled out of the parking lot, I drove up on the curb. 

On December 29, the three of us spent a couple hours with the audiologist, learning all about hearing aids and tips & tricks for keeping them in a baby's ears.  And that winter, LG started speech therapy and aural rehab therapy.  He was amazing at aural rehab and we were so sad when his therapist graduated him from her schedule. :( 

His speech was so far behind, but, as his beloved speech therapist said, "Once he started making strides, he moved quickly!"  He quickly learned to read lips and also to trick her when she was doing his LING sound check. Little stinker!  

At 3 years old, he graduated from Early Intervention and weekly speech therapy through the clinic, and began twice a week drop-in speech therapy at the local elementary school.  Six months later, testing showed that he was not making progress, and we made the hard decision to enroll him in the private special ed school for deaf & hard of hearing kiddos (65 miles away).  He attended there 11 months a year (3 days a week - Tu, Wed, Th - the first year; 5 days a week after that) from August 2017 until the world shut down in March 2020.  He continued with a rigorous Zoom schedule (of both classes & speech therapy) through July 2020.  

After almost a year of in-person school at our local elementary school, his speech testing in April 2021 showed some regression, so we did 3 months of zoom speech therapy through the clinic, and he finally graduated from all his speech sounds!! Woo-hoo!! 

This week, while in quarantine due to being a close contact, I had to video him making a show & tell presentation for his class.  When I watched the video, I almost cried.  I sent a random 30-second clip to his former Deaf & Hard of Hearing Teacher at the special ed school.  Her reply: "He’s so awesome! And everything he said was so clear. Amazing!!!"

Yes!  His articulation was PERFECT!!  Praise God for almost 8 years of answered prayer regarding his speech & hearing!! And thank God for the amazing pediatric clinic, speech therapists, and school - combo! 

Today may be a trauma-versary for me, but it's also a reason to rejoice and look back and see God's hand leading us.  

I am thankful for the audiologist at the local ENT's office who referred us to the pediatric hearing clinic and said, "If he needs follow-up, it's worth the drive to keep going there." I had no idea how true her words were, or that he would need follow-up (for years!!).  I shudder to think of the what-ifs.  

So, while my body still has a visceral response to remembering this day seven years ago, at the same time, I also am full of thanks. 

God is always doing 10,000 things in your life

“God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.                                                                                                                           ~ John Piper

Our pastor recently preached a sermon titled, Struggling Well Without Fear.  As I thought about it throughout the week, the hymn, "Give to the winds thy fears," came to mind (sung triumphantly in my head to DIADEMATA). 

It's not in my Trinity Hymnal, so I'm not sure where I learned it.  I heard that back in the day in Inter-Varsity they sang it to the tune of "Festal Song" (Rise Up, O Men of God).  "Indelible Grace" also has a version. 

I like verses 1-2 and 6 especially, though I would add a disclaimer of course that sometimes the joy that comes in the morning is the eternal joy that comes in heaven or the joy of the Lord that is given to us despite unpleasant circumstances. 

This is a link to  a neatly-packaged story about how the hymn came to be.  Though I prefer our pastor's thinking that we're going to struggle, so let's use Scripture (& I would add hymns & the testimony of others) to inform us how to struggle well as believers. 

I copied the Piper quote at the top because it fits with the theme that we really do not see all the things God is doing in any given moment, much less over a lifespan.  But we trust! We believe! We hope! We know He is indeed at work. In His time, we may see it. And when we don't see, it doesn't help us to be dismayed or fearful.  

I was reminded of the Piper quote recently as I was driving shortly after dark, and a large beautiful deer leaped across the road in front of my van.  If I had not been able to slow down, we would have collided. Thankfully there were no vehicles behind me!  It was a very vivid illustration of one of the things God was doing in that given moment for me ... He was keeping the deer from hitting my van.  How many times has a deer crossed the road two minutes before I got to that point or two minutes after and I never knew it? But on that day, He showed me His protection.  And if the deer had hit my van, the Lord still would have been doing something worthy of worship.  The question is - am I fearful or am I trusting?

1. Give to the winds thy fears,
   hope and be undismayed;
   God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears;
   God shall lift up thy head.
2. Through waves and clouds and storms,
   He gently clears the way;
   wait thou His time, so shall this night
   soon end in joyous day.
3. Still heavy is thy heart,
   still sink thy spirits down?
   Cast off the weight, let fear depart,
   and ev’ry care be gone.
4. What though thou rules not,
   yet heav’n, and earth, and hell
   proclaim, God sitteth on the throne,
   and ruleth all things well.
5. Leave to His sov’reign sway
   to choose and to command.
   so shalt thou wond’ring own His way,
   how wise, how strong His hand!
6. Far, far above thy thought
   His counsel shall appear,
   when fully He the work hath wrought,
   that caused thy needless fear.
7. Thou seest our weakness, Lord,
   our hearts are known to Thee;
   O lift Thou up the sinking heart,
   confirm the feeble knee.
8. Let us in life, in death,
   Thy steadfast truth declare,
   and publish with our latest breath
   Thy love and guardian care.

Prednisone Diaries

I have been on prednisone for over 2 months. Started at 80 mg/day, which is a LOT!  Now at 30 mg/day, which is still a lot!  There are side effects.  But there are also hidden blessings (besides relief of symptoms), the main one being energy. 

One recent school morning, I had labwork scheduled in a midsized town 20 minutes away.  On the way, I followed Jim to the farm, where he left his truck & got in the van and we both went to his distant field in the direction of that town.  I dropped him off there to bring back his last (?) vehicle after harvesting that field. 

After my quick & easy lab appointment, I went to the scone shop (yum!!) two blocks away to redeem a free (& gluten-free) scone.  (I wish that meant every lab comes with a free scone, but what it really means is that I have been treating myself to a post-lab scone, and I have had so many labs, that I have earned a free one in their rewards app!)

Next up, I went into Kroger solely to go to Starbucks. I had mistakenly thought that my labs were fasting labs (they weren't), and I was about to faint.  A grande English breakfast tea with egg bites hit the spot.  

Next door to CVS to drop off a UPS package - the IV pump for my infusion (the specialty pharmacy sends a new one every 10-12 months & I have to ship the old one back & they audit my nurse's settings).  

Heading home, I took the opportunity to return a phone call from a week ago, while on the interstate. It was a quick call. Then catch up with my parents for 15 minutes, until I reach my destination.  Swing by the post office before the school bus brings Little Miss home. 

And on and on it goes.  Being on prednisone is like being the Energizer bunny ... you just keep going. And then you wake up at 5 AM to go again.  

I'm thankful for the energy. I'm thankful for functioning. I'm thankful for the amazing amount of things being crossed off my to-do list (things I didn't even know were on it - like purging 6 years' worth of outgrown ear molds from LG's hearing aid supply bag!).  I'm thankful for a doctor who is watching labs & symptoms & using his best judgment to decide my taper dose.  I'm thankful for the early morning hours alone.