Another Life to Give

I am sitting in my warm cabin in Northern Minnesota, watching another blizzard drop a few more inches of snow as I search through my pictures for this one on the left.  

God has given us the privilege of living in several place but none so different than the 2nd biggest island in the world, Papua New Guinea and now northern Minnesota. 

In Papua we lived right on the Bismark sea, on the equator which produces hot steamy and often times rainy weather.  Perfect place for insets   to grow which as soon as the sun goes down they begin to make their  noises.  You would think something so small could not make much noise but you get couple million doing what ever they do to make noise it can be deafening and made me never want to walk into the jungle at night,  and to be honest not even in the day time.  At night you had to sleep under a net to keep them off of you.

We came back to states in 2011 to take up the role of Member Care reps for the mission we serve with, Ethnos360. We are getting older by the day so we had to start thinking and doing something about who will care for us when we need help.  Thats how we landed in Mn.  right across the driveway from our daughter and family. 

Back to Papua and the heat. I struggle bad with heat rash for the first year almost and finally we put a small air con in our bedroom.  Between several showers a day and the air con at night my rash finally went away.  I was determined to not give up for I knew God wanted us there.  

Now in Mn. the discomfort is cold, and snow, brutal winters that keep one my age, 75, in the house day after day.  In Papua, even with an air con the weather made you want to be outside with the people, learning about their life. it was a primitive place compared to Bolivia, SA where we served first. 

Two different cultures, but the heart is the same and it act out the things of the heart in whatever culture you live in.   Evil comes out of every heart in everyplace all over the world.  Thank God, good come out too.  And a heart with Jesus living in it will strive to be like Jesus no matter where they live.  That heart will love beyond measure, forgive what ever, go that extra mile for others, give all they got to make sure others hear about the saving grace of Jesus.   

Ever thought about serving God overseas?  When that question was presented to us we were in our 40's and we took a huge leap of faith and enter mission training.  My sweet Mom was upset we were taking her Grandchildren away.  She would say to me, Betty Jo, there are lost people right here in the United States, why would you want to go overseas?  I would come back with, you are right Mom, there is also a church on every corner to get the gospel out but not in the places we and others were going to.  No bibles in the language they speak at home, most could not even read or write in their heart language. The task seemed impossible but we knew God wanted us involved beyond giving for others to go. We were in our middle 50th when we went to Papua.  

My husband and I have had a wide world of experiences and each one has taught us so many truths about people, God, life in general.  We always say, if we had another life to live, we would do it again.  

Our support center in Papua New Guinea.  

                                                          Our front yard in Mn. 

Easter, Again

 

Seventy five Easters have passed through my life. Tomorrow the churches fill up, usually new clothes are hanging on bodies. Kids are excited because some got their Easter baskets before church so they are zinging from the chocolate eggs. Family come to visit for a big Easter dinner after church.

Thats what an American Easter is filled with. But come next Sunday, the church will be back to the usual people, jeans are back on, candy has all been ate and extra family has went home, all are back to work or school.

One of the things the church we attend has on Easter is a breakfast before church. The men cook it, well mostly, with a little help from the women. I already have heard new folks are coming with some of the families that belong to our church. I probably wear my best to church, no new outfit though. I have to say I am not too excited about all the extra’s that have been added to death, buried and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

But, living in different cultures has taught me to be gracious toward those extra’s. You know the ones I mean because I named them, new clothes, huge breakfast, Easter egg hunt, tons of candy, Easter basket. All of that is not bad. and when my kids were little they hunted those eggs, the kind you boil and dye, and few ate. Someone got smart and invented those plastic easter egg. Boy, that was a step up for the kids when they were filled with lots of candy and a lot less work for Mom’s.

But, I wonder, as I always do if we picked a spot outside the city, met for a time of reflecting on Him, how many would come? Would that be asking too much of us followers of Jesus? Would we decide right there to change to another church who had a huge choir singing Easter morning.

Ponder this

He did not have new clothes the day He hung on the cross, and not His shoes.

Nobody put a basket in His hand to gather His blood.

There was no music playing as His blood dripped from His body, no Washed in the Blood or anything close to that.

There is nothing about meeting for a family meal after all the crucified died.

One of the best Easter I remember is when we served in Bolivia, South America. On Easter morning one of the older women missionaries went around to each house at the boarding school base and played, Up From The Grace He Arose on her accordion. It was that wake up call, cause more was coming. Before breakfast we all, the whole base, about 150 people, staff and students went up to a nearby mountain to sing and hear a message. Everyone in that big valley we lived in was invited, especially the little Bolivian church. They would sing and our choir would sing and then everyone would sing in Spanish and English. I can still see the glow of glory on the faces as we lifted up His name in song. Sometimes the message was in Spanish and sometimes in English. Even though my Spanish was limited I could tell when the Bolivian preacher was expounding on what happen on Easter. In tears we all shared the knowledge living in our hearts of His Spirit living in us.

Afterwards we went back to the school and had a great breakfast for all. And, then it was quiet time, which the kids hated but us adults loved.

Since 2011 we have celebrated Easter in the states. I love the little church we attend in northern Minnesota. Love the love between the ones who go there, love the heart for the lost. It’s pretty flat up where we live but I don’t need a mountain to sing and receive a Word from God from the sermon. I don’t even need a sermon, but I want one for I know in whom I have believed in, I know what He did for the whole world on Easter, I know the Father loves Easter too, He promised His Son would rise from the grave. And He did.

Happy Easter Everyone.

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True North

 

The author Bill George in his book True North states “it is how you understand yourself through your story that matters, not the facts of your life.”

At 75 I have lived a lot of stories with good and bad facts behind them. Each one has taught me something that can be used for the next story coming my way.    

True North is your orienting point - your fixed point in a spinning world - that helps you stay on track as a leader. It is derived from your most deeply held beliefs, values, and the principles you lead by. It is your internal compass, unique to you, representing who you are at your deepest level. 

Who do you run to when the world is spinning?  I use to run to my own thoughts but learned they are up and down due to my emotions.  At times I ran to my friends but they were as emotional as I was.  The government say look to them for our true north which will really get your head spinning.  

Yesterday I happened onto a site,  https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-true-north.html, that said everything my heart wanted to say about who my true north is, Jesus Christ. 

When we say that Jesus is our true north, we mean that He is the constant, unchanging source of truth and life. He is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). The philosophies, theories, concepts, and schemes of mankind are constantly shifting. “But the word of the Lord endures forever” (1 Peter 1:15; cf. Isaiah 40:8).

When we say that Jesus is our true north, we acknowledge that we live in danger of being “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14). In such a tempestuous world, we need to plot our course by the coordinates provided by the Lord Himself. We can avoid making shipwreck of our lives by “fixing our eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2).

When we say that Jesus is our true north, we glorify the Lord who defines justice and righteousness. Moral standards that align with His nature will keep us on the correct course, just as a compass that aligns with true north keeps us moving in the right direction. “As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him” (Psalm 18:30).

When we follow Jesus as our true north, we must disregard the many distractions and influences in the world that would alter our course. Just as the readings of a compass may be corrupted due to nearby objects, so we are prone to be swayed by various attractions in the world. We must constantly calibrate ourselves to the example of our Risen Savior. Our spiritual needles must point to objective truth and not turn after subjective opinions, vacillating values, or erratic rules. We must be like the man who built his house on the rock, not the sand (Matthew 7:24–27).

True north is a precise direction, and, no matter where you start on the globe, true north will lead you to the same location. There is nothing erratic or misleading about true north. It transcends geography, locality, and lesser pulls. For those who are lost, true north is a welcome blessing. And Jesus Christ is an even greater blessing to those who are spiritually lost.

https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-true-north.html

 

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  “Peace is not the absence of conflict; it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” – Ronald Reagan

Deer fight to gain, or retain, dominance. Although mainly associated with aggressive bucks that are pumped up with burgeoning levels of testosterone, fighting is not restricted to bucks; female roe deer also engage in battles with others of their own kind too, albeit, less frequently than the bucks.

If you watch animal documentaries you will find all animals fight to gain or mark their territory.  It's just not the wild animals that fight, domestic ones do too, and men fight like animals sometimes.  

It's hard not to think about fighting with the battles for Ukraine on every TV station. It's a battle to gain dominance with the destruction  getting worst every day.  

There is always destruction when there is fighting.  Those deer get their antlers broke, and those antlers cut the hide and they sometimes bleed and die.  People get shot, stab, and drowned, and even when they live after a fight they live with destruction in their bodies and minds. 

     

That quote by Reagan is popular and sounds like the perfect remedy for ending a fight but if one party wants to dominant there will be no peace.  It takes two parties to bring peace.  In war if one party is pursing peace and that other is not, destruction will follow on both sides really.  

Below is a paragraph from my Facebook friend, Zee whose heart is broken by a fight in her country as she watches it be destroyed and people killed right now by a fight she did not start.

(During this time of war, I have been reflecting a lot on how my understanding of numerous Bible passages has changed and transformed. I have always been a peace-loving person and I don't like conflicts between people. As a result, I often couldn't truly understand David's psalms, for example, where he was calling for God's wrath on his enemies. The reason? I never really had enemies. I had people

who disliked me, but enemies?)

God is gonna end all fighting someday. Do I know when? Nope. Do I know how? Yep, read your bible and you can know too.

Matthew 24:36 - But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. Luke 21:25-26 - And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 

Until then, lets pray with a pure heart that God comfort those who are suffering all over the world.  Lets pray God give you and I courage to witness to the lost.  Lets pray 

for my friend Zee and her family.  

This could be the day Jesus is coming back to get the believers.  It could also be 100 more years before He does that too.  But mark my words, HE IS COMING.  

The Rat and the Cat

 

This is my blog and Facebook friend, Zee Gimon and along with her family, they live in Ukraine. At first, Zee and the two children were hunkered down in their own place while her husband did his duty on the defense team. Because he was gone a lot, she and kids decided to move into their church basement with a few others.

As the war continued, they decided to move to her mothers and fathers for the support. Everyplace they have been there is danger. They can hear the bomb falling, the sirens going on to warn of an attack.

This update was written while they were in the church basement. Zee is a powerful writer and a courageous wise hearted woman of faith.

I picked this update because there is a powerful truth in it that if practiced there would be no more wars. I am encouraged by the rat and cat in her real life story.

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This was written on March 3rd by Zee.

When I first came to the shelter a week ago with our two kids and a cat in tow, I was surprised and worried that our friends brought their rat with them.

A cat and a rat in close compartments - what can go wrong?

But actually, both animals turned to be indifferent to each other. If anything Athena the cat was afraid of Remy the rat.

Today, after a week of being together, Zhenya handed me Remy and as he settled in the crook of my arm, Athena looked at me with a “That is my place” expression.

“There is still place for you. Come on over,” I told her and she did.

The animals met, sniffed each other, Athena gently licked Remy’s side… and they settled in next to each other for warmth and comfort.

So sweet.

If only people could lay aside their differences and ambitions and just peacefully live next to each other without trying to take over someone else’s possessions.

These two animals give me hope.

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Even in the middle of a terrible war, God will use the most unusual things to give us hope. What has given you hope recently?

Prison Repost

 

Prison is meant to keep those who are dangerous and have hurt others from hurting again.  Those who have stolen from stealing again, those who have killed from killing again.  I know several who have been in prison, or who have a husband, wife, adult child, mother, or father in prison.  I have visited several prisoners, written them letters, prayed for them.  I have read of those who have committed crimes that I think should never get out of prison.  I thank God my children have never done anything to land them in prison.  I have never experienced that heartbreak and hope I never do.  

Yet I know there are some emotions that can makes us feel like we are in a prison.  Daily we wake up with thoughts of those who have hurt us. Through out our day that memory can crop up again and again.  

 Unforgiveness is one of those emotions. .  I understand this prison, I have been in it before.  I have been a slave to someone who has hurt me deeply.  What they did would runs over and over in my mind.  So much so I would get frustrated easily because I could not think clearly.  It ate at my feeling till all that was left was hate and I wished I never had to see them again.    So, I can tell you for sure without Christ love for me I would still be in that prison.

Someone said to me several weeks ago,  forgiving someone would be easier if they could just forget what they did.  I had to agree, which means,  we have to replace what they did with what Christ did for us. God did not ask us to forget, He ask us to forgive.  (copied from  Bill (cycleguy post). ).

He has to become the focus of our life, the first thing we think about when we wake up and the last thing we think about before we sleep.  This is worth repeating,  HE HAS TO BECOME THE FOCUS OF OUR LIFE.  When He is our life all else becomes fainter, not forgotten but it becomes a scar not a wound.  We can touch the scar, show it to others, talk about it, praise the Lord for the scar.  As with all scars we can remember how we got it but it does not hurt anymore.  At that moment you are no longer a slave, no long in prison.  Free at last, free at last. 

“Whenever there’s an injury to a relationship, a hurt, a broken heart, or even a broken thing, and you are willing to forgive, you are saying, “I got this. I’m going to pick up the bill for this.” This is, of course, precisely what God has done for us.”
― Brant Hansen,

Ocean of love

 

When we lived in Papua New Guinea, an island north of Australia I learn to snorkel. As long as I stayed on top of the reefs, I felt pretty safe. The water was clear and warm and usually it was just the little fish that would swim close to shore.  

I would watch others swim out to the deep and I wanted to go with them, but fear held me back.  There is something safe about being able to touch ground when one wants to, so I played it safe time after time.   

Southern Illinois is my home ground, born and raised there. Nothing but corn fields, soybeans, and cows and small pond that we swam in as I was growing up.  In fact, I lost my engagement ring in a pond one night while swimming and it was never found.  Thankfully, my would-be husband thought enough of me to buy another one.  

Those ponds or lakes as some call them and even the mighty muddy Mississippi River did not come close to matching the depths of the ocean.  For me it was an all-new experience to swim in the beautiful ocean and I respected it and feared it as the same time.  

Finally, I got up the courage to swim out past the reef where the drop off was.  The fish were bigger, and I could not touch or see the bottom.  On the bottom, right past the reef was an old-World War II plane that divers go down and sit in and get their pictures taken.  I was told all you had to do was swim down a little way and you would be able to see it.  

As I waited to get up the courage to go deeper, I felt a huge fish brush up against me, I mean a huge one swim behind me.  Just as fast as the snap of the fingers he was gone and just that fast I was gone, making my way to the shore. I could not get there fast enough for I knew sharks were living in that part of the ocean and a few other big ones.  

My memory of that event has stayed with me, not because of the huge fish but that deepness I felt in that ocean past those reefs is embedded in my memory.  It's one thing to trust God to keep me safe as long as I can touch the ground but in the deepest part of the ocean, I never went back out that far.  I did not forget that war plane on the bottom either, but the feeling I would like to see it, is completely gone.  

We cannot see the depth of God's love, our human minds cannot grasp it, but my faith tells me it's true because He showed that love when His Son died on the cross for our sins.    

GUILT AND SHAME

 

The best way to distinguish between guilt & shame is this -- guilt says “Woops, I did something wrong, I did something bad.” Shame says “I am bad, there is something wrong with me.” Small differences in language, hugely different meanings. Guilt is an uncomfortable feeling when something we’ve done, or not done, doesn’t measure up to our values.

Both of these emotions can steal our joy, stop the freedom in our lives, makes us want to stay away from others, even make us physically sick. 

It's helpful to know, EVERYONE suffers with both feelings at times.  It's helpful to believe Jesus died for both of these feelings that will stop us from enjoying the fullness of His love for us.  

1 John 1:9 ESV / 

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness 

 ( I love this verse and it's the one I fall back on when I am struggling with guilt over a wrong I have done.  That wrong could be gossiping, telling a lie, auguring with my husband or anyone,  etc. ) Guilt is something God will use to get our hearts right when we sin.  

1 Peter 5:8 

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 

(Shame is a tool of the devil and he will keep our sin ever before us so we live defeated, not able to enjoy life. 

It's a progression from guilt to shame, but it does not have to be.  If you are stuck, seek help from the Word, talk to someone who can help you get unstuck.  God has provided for us to live abundant life by sending His Son to die for our sin and shame.  

Happy Valentine Day

Envy

 I wish I could say I am always content. I wish I could say I never complain. I wish I could say I have never envied the life of another.   I wish I could say I am better at counting my blessings than I am at assessing what I don't have.    These are all wishes because I know envy still lurks in my heart.  It is part of the dark results of the sin that still resides there.  

Jealousy/evny There is a distinction between jealousy and envy. To envy is to want something which belongs to another person. "You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, his wife or his servant, his ox or donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor." Ever been in a state of envy it made you depressed, I have. 

When envy rules your heart, the love of God doesn't.  Envy is selfish to the core. Envy always puts me in the center of the world. It makes everything all about me.  It causes me to examine life from the sole perspective of my wants, needs and feelings.  

Envy is the art of counting the other fellow's blessings instead of your own. Harold Coffin Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. Winston Churchill said, religion is meant to teach us true spiritual human character. It is meant for self-transformation.

Hindsight will turn into insight if one is thankful.  Thankfulness does not come naturally.  Everyone struggles at times with envy or is jealous because of the old nature rising up.  Being thankful on purpose can kill those envy thoughts. 

It Is Not A Race

 

Ten days into the New Year I am thinking, maybe I am more like a Turtle than a Rabbit. Thoughts of reading through the bible this next year has brought no results, yet! I mean I could catch up or just jump in on that day, the way I do my daily devotional read when I miss a day or two or a week or two. I mark my devotional book with the day I read that section with the date. Example, New Morning Mercies is my daily devotional book and the days I read it I write the year in the corner. The last time I read page January 10 was 2020 so I missed reading it in 2021.  

Early in my walk with God I somehow thought life was a race and we either grow like a turtle or a rabbit.  My personality is like a rabbit and I grew fast those first few years.  The church we were in was a working church, you work out your faith by doing, teaching, working in nursery, work a bus route bringing people, kids mostly to church to Sunday school and children church,  giving, witnessing, etc.  My husband and I were involved all the time in the doings of the church.  But, I am grateful that doing was part of my foundation of how much God loved me.  Not only did He say He would die for my sins, He actually did it.   

As I have aged, those doing years have decreased and changed through the years.  I grow more like a turtle now.  I have time to dig deep into the Word and and research the meanings I know I missed when I was a young child of God.  It has not been easy to go from a rabbit to a turtle but it's the season of my life.  

I am not racing now, I am pacing myself, slowing things down and realizing the guilt that comes from that is not from the Lord.  Oh, I know, some are still going at rabbit pace and if I was into comparing and not being content I would keep looking back to what we use to do.  The use to do days are over,  and I am enjoying the new mercies that my devotional books is all about. Below is something I read recently that has helped me to deal with it when I fail to others expectations of me.  

 Guilt, The Crippling Emotion

Guilt. Rarely has one small word been so widely misunderstood. Guilt is frequently viewed as a virtue, as a high sense of responsibility and morality. The truth, however, is that guilt is the greatest destroyer of emotional energy. It leaves you feeling immobilized in the present by something that has already occurred.

Now don’t misunderstand me: Human beings need to have a conscience. According to Webster’s Third Dictionary a conscience is “the sense of right or wrong within the individual.” Without a conscience we would have no compunction about hurting one another, and the world would be less safe. When your conscience tells you that you have done something wrong, it is important to face it, make amends and learn from your mistake. Staying consumed with guilt, however, will keep you from moving forward in a positive and productive way.

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I still have not started my bible reading for this year.   But, I refuse to live in guilt since I know God does not love me because of how much I read my bible or what bible I read, NOTHING can separate me from the love of God.  Now that is pure grace living.    

How was your start to the new year.