When you get dumped on!

Today Gwen and I took the kids to a local "spray park".  It looked like rain and we felt that we might have a very short visit if they cleared the pool at tot swim.  So we opted for this wonderful splash pad and the kids had it to themselves for most of the time we were there.  Zeke stood like a statue, over and over, waiting for the bucket to fill up and then dump on him.  He loved it.  After I snapped this picture of him, I got to thinking about "getting dumped on"! 

How many times have I felt like I was really getting "dumped on" - you know, when you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders?  It was not so pleasant and not something that I wanted to happen over and over.  And then there are the times, like last night, when during worship, I feel as if the Holy Spirit is just dumping on me.  And the feeling is amazing!  Just like Zeke, I could stand there and wait for that dump over and over.  In this case, Zeke was loving getting dumped on by the water.  In fact, he wanted it to happen over and over.  

This is another one of those things that is all about perspective.  It would not be so pleasant to have the water dumping on you, if you were NOT in a spray park.  It could be really nasty.  And when those overwhelming things happen and it is SOOOOO unexpected and all those negative things come at you from left field, it is not so great either.  And it is simply not possible to just shrug everything off and pretend like it doesn't matter. 

But here's the thing!  When you stand under that "dump" of the Holy Spirit, it just washes away all of that other "junk" that has landed on your shoulders.  It is wonderful!  So, you know it is impossible to stop the world from just dumping junk on you.  That just means it is more important to stand in the presence of Jesus, worship, and wait.  Wait for that dump of the Holy Spirit.  And the way that I look at it, I wouldn't mind having to need more opportunities to experience the cleansing of the Holy Spirit.  I want to run and play in the refreshing presence of the Holy Spirit.  And I want to stand and wait just like a little child, for that dump of cleansing and washing water.  Yes, I want to be like Zeke. 

Let's all become like little children, so that we can experience a taste of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth!  

Jesus, thank you for your love and care.  Holy Spirit, thank you for knowing exactly when we need you to come and wash over us.  It is amazing that you never just dump on us, rather you look for us to stand and wait.  Help us to adjust our perspective when we are faced with difficult situations, and remind us to wait for you to help!  Amen

When you get what you need!

Today was a really great day.  I got exactly what I needed after a bunch of tough days.  At lunchtime Ken and I were out running some errands and he suggested that we go to A & W.  Does anything taste as good as that good, frosty mug of the real A & W?  It just gives me a warm feeling, thinking about all the memories I have of that wonderful treat in a glass.  My mom loved A & W.  And there was an A & W near our "Lake".  So many times, a trip to town for groceries or laundry included a stop for a frosty mug.  Yes, this was a great treat for me today, just what I needed. 

Then this afternoon my small group met to bid farewell to one precious couple who are retiring and moving to Florida.  The down side to this is that they are moving without a place to live permanently.  (They are staying with family while they find a home) There is another couple who are currently looking for a new house since their home is sold and they need to be out by August 1.  There are issues with adult children, relatives that have serious illnesses who are near death, another person who is in transition in their living situation, several with job stresses and health issues.  So my "little" problem with my lack of employment seemed, well, SMALL!  But this wonderful, dear group of friends, reminded me that no issue is small when it is yours.  They prayed for and encouraged me.  It was exactly what I needed.  How great is a few hours spent in food, fellowship and prayer!  Just as the group was breaking up, the couple moving to Florida, brought in a box of books to share with the group.  When the box was opened, this book was on the top.

And I knew it was there for me.  Gwen has been reading this book for her small group Bible Study and she has been encouraging me to read this!  As one man said, "Wow, you really want THAT? It is sure not light reading!"  The book is a good 2" thick!  But, it was again exactly what I needed!

Don't you just love when Jesus gives you exactly what you need? I sure do.  Today was an amazing day of seemingly small (and sometimes hefty - the book) surprises.  While we were sharing about our needs and concerns, I got a text from Gwen.  There were tornado warnings in her area and she was asking for prayer.  So we stopped and prayed for protection for their area and their family.  About 15 minutes later, I got a reply text that they were safe and in the clear.  There was a tornado touch down very near them.  Just as we were celebrating that answer to prayer, the storm hit our meeting place.  It was really very strong and lots and lots of rain.  We were not under any tornado warnings, but it was a bad storm.  I texted Gwen to pray for us!  Soon the storm passed and we were also in the clear. Prayers cell phone to cell phone.  Exactly what we needed. 

I just love this picture of how Jesus provides for us, amidst the storms in our life.  He provides friends and family to stand with us in prayer.  He provides the love and support that we all so desperately need that assures us that we are not alone in all that we are going through.  We are reminded that there are many others who are worse off than we are.  And He stands with us in the storms. 

Yes,  tonight I can say with great assurance, I got exactly what I needed!

Jesus, thank you so much for your great love, your protection and your covering.  Thank you for friends that open their home for meetings and shower us with your love.  Holy Spirit, encourage us all to remember who we are in you.  Thank you for giving me exactly what I needed!  Amen

The Hand of God

Today I was thinking about this photo I took in April of 2008 while on vacation in Florida.  I often got up well before sunrise and sat and look out at the ocean.  On this particular day, I was reading about the hand of God, and then snapped this picture as the sun began to rise.  Yes, I felt that it was really a gift from Jesus. 

I guess whenever I am in an uncomfortable situation, a time of some uncertainty, a time of shifting, I realize more clearly, my need to remember that hand of God.  On that morning, when I snapped this picture, I was flooded with peace and calm.  There was the storm happening in those clouds.  But over it all, was that hand, shining with light, rising up from the storm.  Yes, I needed this today.

I had moments today of utter calm and then suddenly I would be flooded with anxiety and even some fear.  But thankfully, I was able to take a deep breath, remember WHO is really in charge of my life, and then the calm and peace would return.  I am so blessed to know that Jesus is available to me, with just a simple word, Jesus, I am flooded with his presence and peace.  Amazing. 

I saw a sign on a church today that said "Do you have the only GPS that matters? GODS PROTECTION SERVICE"  I laughed and thought, "Yes, I'm covered!"   I think it was around that time that I remembered this picture. 

Yes, sometimes life throws us a curve ball.  Sometimes it seems like we are getting pelted with those crazy balls.  But in it all, we can live in peace and calm when we know who is guiding and directing us.  I was thinking today that I am just in a "repositioning time".  Jesus is just moving me into exactly the right place for this time.  I just need to rest and seek the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit.

Father, you are Holy and mighty.  Jesus, thank you so much for the reminder of this amazing picture.  Holy Spirit, thank you for bringing me peace and rest when anxiety and fear threatened to overtake me.  Help all of us who are in unsettled situations, times of change and unrest to remember that it is your hand that guides us and protects us and holds us firmly.   Thank you for my friends and family for their support and love during this time.   Amen

UPDATE:  Just after I posted this blog, the following appeared in my email....

 

Today, Lyn, we believe God wants you to know that ...

you can find meaning in the storm.

At times everyone goes through trials and tribulations. Seek out someone else in a similar situation and give them an encouragement or just a hug. Find meaning in the midst of your struggles by helping another in similar straits.

Smile, even when things go wrong.

Today, Lyn, we believe God wants you to know that ...true happiness is a state of mind.

Happiness is not a consequence of things that happen. Do not pursue happiness - practice it. Sing, even if you do not sound good. Smile, even when things go wrong.

Create happiness, and happy you will be.

 

 

Yes, this has been quite a month.  Preparing for vacation, vacation, then vacation cut short, Ken's sickness, back to work, and today..........unemployment.  Yep, as of today I need to find another job!  I came home to the "God Wants you to Know" above.  Yes, I think it was a word for me.  I have also included my current favorite picture of Anna (taken on Monday) and also a picture of Lia (also taken on Monday).  I included these since they make me smile!  And I needed to smile today.  How can you not smile when you see those faces? 

 

So tonight when I opened my devotional, I saw that  the message was "God is our refuge, our Dwelling place, our shield, fortress and our strong tower".  I love that the first paragraph ended with the statement that "God has promised to watch over you and keep you safe".   The Bible text was Psalm 91:1-16.  It then went on to talk about where God dwells.  In the Old Testament God dwelled in a tent in the wilderness and then in the temple.  In the New Testament God's dwelling place took a giant leap forward, when God now dwells not only WITH us but IN us.  And then God is also pictured as OUR dwelling place!  WOW!  Isn't this just amazing?  And on a day like today, it is exactly the message that I needed.   I love when my devotion for the day really SPEAKS to my day.  It's like getting a warm hug when you most need it. 

 

I am sure that I am not the only one with a laundry list of problems and concerns.  So tonight, I am putting these two nuggets out there.  Smile even when things go wrong and God is our refuge, our dwelling place, our shield, fortress and strong tower.   I'm right there with you. So I think I'll just go immerse myself in Psalm 91 and go to bed with a smile.  Tomorrow is another day. 

 

Jesus, thank you for providing exactly the right words to get me through the difficult days.  Holy Spirit, thank you for comfort and peace and the ability to smile.  Jesus thank you for who you are. Thank you for your love and your promises.  Amen 



Family reunions......

So I recently got a facebook announcement of a family reunion (Roelke/Johnson)  that is taking place in Minnesota in a couple of weeks.  Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend.  Some of the people pictured in this photo will actually be at this reunion.  This photo is from 1948ish (I'm not exactly sure of the date - I am guessing based on my sister Julie who is standing in the front row on the far right).  My mom is not in this picture so it is entirely possible that my mom took this picture! This was years before I was born.  But I love this photo!  The two women in the center front of the picture are my Grandma Johnson and also Grandma Roelke.  Now the interesting thing is that two of my dad's sisters married brothers.  So most of our reunions have been billed as both names.  And this photo is an example of the longevity of these reunions.  I also have to point out my cousin Marv Johnson who is on the far left, standing right by his Dad!  Marv and his wife Iris have already replied YES to this years reunion. 

Now here is the really interesting thing about these reunions.  At this point, most of the people who would attend, do not know me. Thanks to facebook, I am "friends" with several of my cousins, but I can't remember the last time I actually sat and talked, in person to any of my cousins.  I am the youngest of the cousins.  And, unfortunately, several of my generation are already dead.  Quite honestly, because of the age spacing in this family, I am much closer in age to the NEXT generation, than I am to my own generation.  This made for some interesting times for me at these reunions.  I have very vivid memories of one reunion that took place in 1967 or 68.  I was still not a "teenager" and my cousins (both first cousins and second cousins) were all teens.  They left me in the dust - literally.  They drove me down a country road, kicked me out of the car, and told me to walk back.  Needless to say, this was NOT a very good memory for me.  

One of my favorite memories is of a more recent reunion.  I'm not quite sure of the year, but I think it was in the late 1990's or early 2000's. 

These are a couple of photos from that reunion.  It was really special that my two sisters and one of my brothers made it to this reunion.  I remember my mom talking about being the last of her generation.  She just loved getting to see all the nieces and nephews.  It was a special thing for her to go to these reunions. Thanks to my sisters and brother, she often got to these reunions.  If there had been more notice, Ken and I might have tried to make this event, to honor my mom. 

I have written so much about family in this blog.  And here I am today, writing and thinking about family once again.  And more than just family..... family getting together and just celebrating that they are family.   I am so thankful that Gwen and Doug make it a priority to be together with their families and just celebrate!  

And here's the thing.  I think that every time I get together with like-minded people and worship Jesus, it is a big family reunion.  We are there to celebrate that we are all in the same family and have the same father and the same brother. I just love this picture of family celebrating together.  That is why it should always be a priority to gather together as a family and remember who we are and why we are getting together.  There is a lot about priority in this.  Sometimes you just have to decide to celebrate and remember.  And in total truth telling (which remember I promised this blog would be) I have forgotten this far to often.  I have not made these gatherings a priority.  And tonight, I will commit to changing that.  Won't you join me in this challenge, to remember and make it a priority, to gather together.  And that every time we gather with friends and family who love Jesus, we are celebrating something wonderful!  

Jesus, thank you for family.  Thank you for welcoming us into your family and giving us so much to celebrate when we gather together.  Holy Spirit, remind us of this commit made here today.  Help us to remember and make it a priority to worship and celebrate who we are in Jesus.  Thank you for family reunions and the chance to make memories across many generations.   Amen

Doing what needs to be done...

So our day began with an email from Ken's sister telling us that his dad is not doing so well.  Being that he is going to be 94 this is not a big surprise.  However it is never easy to hear that your parent is failing.  I think it was especially hard because of Father's Day.  One of the things that Ken's sister told us was that dad has been asking for some of his old photo albums.  Ken and I have been storing one tub of things since dad moved to Florida in 2009.  One of the things in that storage tub, are the photo albums that dad so wants to hold and look at.  So today I sat and looked through the entire tub and made a list of everything that we had.  Wow, what a job.  And then between Sue and Ken and I a decision was made of exactly what we would ship to Florida.  Given that these two stacks weigh around 30 pounds, it will be quite a box!  Both Ken and I are happy to do this so that dad can have these precious photos to look at and remember.  The scrapbooker in me really appreciates this desire to hold on to these memories. 

And in honor of Father's Day, I just needed to include this picture of my Dad.  I recently came across this photo and it just made me stop in my tracks.  You might wonder why I chose this picture since it is not the most flattering shot.  But, to me, THIS IS MY DAD!  First of all it is at "the lake".  This was my dad exactly as he looked almost every day that we spent at the lake.  He even has the almost ever-present  beer in his hand.  He just loved this cabin that he had built.  Every board, every nail was done to his plan.  I loved this yellow color.  You could see the cabin from the road.  It was so sunny and cheerful.  So, even though this might not be a professional picture of my dad, it is my favorite.  And this how I most remember my dad.  In his work clothes, puttering around, at his own piece of heaven on earth - Lake Maud.  Even though he has been gone for 29 years, I still miss him. There are times when I am with Doug that I will get a flash of my dad.  I think Doug looks more like my dad than either of my brothers! I love that, thanks to genetics, we can continue to see our parents in our children! 

Ken is still not feeling well, so it is a really good thing that we are home.  And it is good that we were at home to take care of the photos for Ken's dad.  Yes, I spent the day doing what needed to be done.  Sorting through old papers, and taking care of Ken (as much he would allow me to do this!).  Not exactly how I expected our vacation to end, but tonight, I am sure that it is exactly how it needed to end! 

Jesus, thank you for our dads and all that they did to provide for us.  Thank you for photos and the memories that are attached to them.  Holy Spirit, bring comfort and peace to Ken's dad as he is in the final time of his earthly life. Jesus, thank you for the love and care that you are providing through Ken's sister and her husband.   Jesus, you are the healer. Pour out your healing power on Ken.  Bless all those who are celebrating their fathers this weekend.  Amen

A couple of reasons that we needed to be home early!

Well, unfortunately, Ken is feeling a bit "puny" (as he would say).  Yes, he is under the weather.  He had a slight fever and some tummy troubles and just wants to lie on the couch and rest.  So the immediate thought I had was "Thank goodness we are not trying to travel today, or sitting in a hotel somewhere!"   I was just so thankful to be home.  And I know that Ken was thankful also.  It's not so good to feel icky, but it is really bad to feel icky and be away. 

So while Ken was resting, I decided to proceed with my scrapbooking.  I was happily sitting at my scrapbook table, when my cell phone rang, with an out of area number.  It was a shocking call, and another reason why we had to be home.  Our credit card number was lifted in Canada and there were fraudulent charges made in the last couple of days.  Needless to say the card was canceled.  But now I have the tedious job of going over every charge on the account.  And because this was the only card we used in Canada, there are lots of charges.  To complicate the situation, now that the card is canceled, I can't access the account on line.  So I will have to go to the bank and get a paper copy of all of the charges.  They recommended that I wait until Monday to be sure that all charges have posted.  This is very upsetting!  The interesting thing about this is, that Ken and I talked about credit card fraud a lot while we were in Canada.  Our first charges in Canada required assistance.  They actually bring out a small credit card machine and YOU slide the card and input the charges.  And then you add on the tip and process the transaction yourself.  Then, on the last day we were at Niagara Falls, we were at a small street café.  They took my card inside to process the transaction.  It was the only time in Canada that this happened.  Ken and I talked about it as it happened!  And it was apparently exactly what we feared....the chance for our number to be lifted.  We are hopeful that we will not have any charges associated with this event.  But it is not the way I would like to spend my time.  It is making me really a bit nervous about using a card ANYWHERE!  And here is another reason in this whole thing to be very happy to be home.  When we were in Canada, we did NOT have our phones.  So had they tried to call us, we would not have gotten the call. 

Boy, does something like this change the way you think about safety, security and fraud. I am so thankful for the credit card companies that monitor things like this.  All of the people that I dealt with today on the phone, were so kind and helpful.  They made a tough situation, so much easier.   But it is a picture of our world today.  There are things that we have to contend with, since we live in this fallen world.  But as we contend with the trials and troubles, we can use the discernment, power, and insight of the Holy Spirit.  I will be carefully checking all of our cards for any unusual activity.  But I refuse to "give in" to the fear of using a credit card.  It's just like the terrorism thing.  If we become so fearful and walk in that fear and live in that fear, the terrorist have already won.  Even without any direct violence.  

I know that Jesus is a God of peace and health and joy!  So, in spite of these unsettling things, in spite of a vacation cut short, in spite of small illnesses, I will chose to take a deep breath, close my eyes and rest in the joy and peace of Jesus.  I know that is what Jesus would do. 

Jesus, thank you for who you are!  Thank you for being my peace and joy.  Holy Spirit, thank you for your discernment and wisdom as we walk through life.  Give us courage instead of fear, peace instead of unrest, and joy instead of sorrow.  Bless all those who work to prevent fraud and terrorism.  Thank you for your provision and your plans for us.   Amen

PS  I finally finished my 2012 scrapbooks! So now, on to 2013!