Repost: Keeping Christ in Christmas

I originally posted this on December 12, 2008.  This was before we had been to Europe.  On our 25th anniversary trip we visited Ephesus.  There we saw an Ichthus carved in the Marble Road.  Our guide, Hakan, explained it to us:

Most Christians know of the Fish symbol. In Greek IXOYE (Ichthus) is the word for “fish.” For ancient Christians, though, it held deeper symbolism:  Iota is the first letter of the name Jesus in the Greek alphabet.  X, or Chi, is the first letter for “Christ.”  O, the letter Theta, is the first letter for the Greek term for God.  Y, or Upsilon, represents “Son,” and E, or Sigma, is for Savior - "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior."  Hakan showed us how it was drawn by overlaying the letters:

 How many times have you seen "Merry Xmas" and thought, "here we go again, taking Christ out of Christmas?" I've done it myself on a regular basis since I was a child. But I learned a little something this week - Christians invented Xmas!

 

This abbreviation for Christmas is of Greek origin. The word for Christ in Greek is Xristos. During the 16th century, Europeans began using the first initial of Christ's name, "X" in place of the word Christ in Christmas as a shorthand form of the word. Although the early Christians understood that X stood for Christ's name, later Christians who did not understand the Greek language mistook "Xmas" as a sign of disrespect.

So the next time your agnostic neighbor or atheist co-worker says "Merry Xmas," just smile and say thank you! Or take Paul's approach in Acts 17:23 "For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you" and introduce them to the Christ of Xmas.

When Christmas Punches You in the Heart

I've written a lot about Christmas during my ten years of blogging.  I plan to re-post some of those in the next days or weeks.  I've shared about my first Christmas after Rod passed away, Crying Over Jingle Bell Rock, but I've never shared the first time I heard "The Christmas Shoes."

I'm pretty sure it was December 1998.  Mom had only been gone a couple of months.  I have no idea what the church Christmas program was about that year, but I do remember someone singing "The Christmas Shoes."  Somehow I had never heard that song before.  I was so completely unprepared for it...

Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my mama, please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry, sir, daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes would make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful if mama meets Jesus tonight

It was the words in the second verse that hit the hardest:

He said mama made Christmas good at our house
Though most years she just did without...

My Mom loved Christmas.  She loved giving gifts to her family.  She loved making candy and giving it away.  Her birthday was one week later on New Year's Day and she often got the "it's for your birthday and Christmas" gifts with little celebration.

When I heard that song that night, I just sat with tears streaming down my face.  Oh how I missed her!  The most wonderful time of the year hurt so much.  Twenty years later, Mom is still missed.

Maybe this is your first Christmas without someone.  All the hearts singing and bells ringing when loved ones are near is just a reminder of your loss.  It is going to hurt.  Don't be afraid to cry.  You don't have to explain yourself.  Many of us have been there.  That punch to the heart is a reminder of love you've shared.  But with the pain I hope you will take time to remember the joy they brought. Recreate a special tradition, hold close a decoration from long ago, and let the memories warm your heart.

Repost: Giving 100 Percent

Here we are, the final few weeks of 2018.  It's so often a blur of busyness, with travel, parties, shopping, decorating, celebrations and more.  I've had the added joy of jury duty thrown in, with a trial that we hope to wrap up Tuesday afternoon.  It's also a time to start looking towards the new year and reflecting on the old.  No matter how you feel about the year, today is a good day to give 100 percent.

My latest issue of Runner's World magazine had an interesting article about the Chicago Marathon. Sammy Wanjiru was the winner in 2009, but as the 2010 race drew near his participation was in doubt. His two previous events had finished with three horrible letters - DNF (did not finish). Rumors and doubts were plenty, but as the gun went off Wanjiru was there. At the halfway point, he was in the front group, on course-record pace. By mile 23, it became a two-man race. With half a mile to go, he pulled away to the win with an overall time of 2:06:24, less than a minute slower than last years race. The sentence that stuck out to me was this:

He proved that even when you are not AT 100 percent, you can still GIVE 100 percent of what you have.

I really like that!! When you really think about it, how many days are you at 100 percent? You feel great, you're wide awake, full of energy, excited, pumped to face the day - feeling 100 percent! More days than not, life gets in the way, troubles come, sickness hits and feeling 100 percent is a distant memory. But we can still give 100 percent of what we have!

In my lifetime there is no greater example of that than my brother, Rod. I remember him singing many times, but I will never forget the time he sang sitting down. He had been very sick, his body weakened by disease. But there he was singing "I'm Gonna Lift My Voice Like a Trumpet," belting it out for all he was worth! He had few days in his lifetime that he would say he felt 100 percent, but over and over I saw him giving 100 percent of what he had.

2 Corinthians 9:7 tells us that "God loveth a cheerful giver." That is not just talking about money! The following verse says, "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." So cheerfully give in every good work, even when you're not at 100 percent!

Barn Insulation, Anyone?

Les and I were discussing candy this morning.  M&Ms has a lot more flavors than they use to.  I picked up a bag of coffee flavored the other day.  They also come in White Chocolate Candy Corn flavor.  Talk of candy corn led to other Halloween candy, which led us to Circus Peanuts.

Mom's mom, Grandma Luella, always had Circus peanuts on hand in the Fall.  I have no idea why.  I remember eating them just because I was a kid and they were the only candy she had in the house! According to Spangler Candy, "Spangler Circus Peanuts have been a long-time favorite fat-free candy. This banana-flavored, peanut-shaped marshmallow treat is free of major allergens." While Les and I were talking about them, I got curious so I went to Wikipedia:

The first circus peanuts are long rumored to have originated in Omaha, Nebraska as the brainchild of chemical engineer Richard Dye. After fashioning a foam, peanut-shaped insulation for use in preventing drafts in his livestock barn, Knapp was said to have been so pleased with the texture and shape of the insulation that he was inspired to recreate it as a confection in his kitchen using edible ingredients. The treat delighted his family and friends, and he was encouraged to distribute small bags of the candy “peanuts” each year when the circus passed through town.

Banana-flavored, peanut-shaped, marshmallow treat with barn insulation texture, anyone?

There's Something Vicious In Our Backyard

We had Santa Ana wind conditions for several nights last week.  The winds finally died and we were able to sleep with our windows open last night.  At about 4:30 this morning I started hearing some loud noises - water splashing, growling and high pitched squealing.  In my more than half asleep state I said to Les, "there's something vicious in our backyard."

I looked out our bedroom windows, but it was too dark to see.  My sleepy brain was trying to process it and I imagined a mountain lion with some innocent prey.  I decided to go downstairs to investigate further.  I'm not sure what I planned to do once I got there, but down I went...

I flipped a switch and the pool was flooded with light.  Much to my surprise, on the top step of our pool were about eight raccoons!  Not nearly as vicious as a mountain lion!

It was not a mama and babies, but a bunch of full grown raccoons.  They quickly fled the premises and I wandered back to my bed, with Les still chuckling about "something vicious in our backyard."

Friday Foodie

I tried another new recipe this week.  It was on the Pioneer Woman's website.  I've never made baked oatmeal before, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but this was really good!  The original recipe is here (with much better pictures!)

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 1 can (15 Oz. Size) Pumpkin Puree
• 3 cups Old Fashioned Oats
• 3/4 cups Packed Light Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 3/4 teaspoons Fine Sea Salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoons Ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon Cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon Allspice
• 1-1/4 cup Milk
• 2 Eggs
• 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Melted And Cooled
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• Greek Yogurt And Cinnamon Sugar, To Serve

 

Instructions:

At least 30 minutes before making the oatmeal (and up to the day before), line a mesh sieve with cheesecloth. Place pumpkin puree inside and let drain. Press the pumpkin occasionally with a spoon as it drains.  ** I did not do this step.  I'm pretty sure my baked oatmeal was a little softer than it would have been if I had. **

Grease an 11x7-inch pan. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Stir oats, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. Squeeze cheesecloth to remove excess pumpkin water and place 3/4 cup strained pumpkin in another bowl (I just added the full can.) Add milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla to the pumpkin and whisk until smooth.

Stir both mixtures together until combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until oatmeal is firm and resembles a snack cake.

Cut into pieces and serve warm with a dollop of Greek yogurt and sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar.

Leftovers may be covered and rewarmed in the microwave. For one piece, 40 seconds at 80% power is sufficient. Try it cold or room temperature on day two as well!  

 

The original recipe said 8 servings - an eighth of the recipe seemed huge to me so I ended up cutting mine into 16 servings.   I was completely out of cinnamon, so the flavor for this wasn't very strong.  Les also suggested adding nuts next time - I think sliced almonds would add a nice crunch.  I'm pretty sure baked oatmeal is going to become a regular in our house this winter.  

Friday Foodie

We all know the saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."  Well this week life gave me overripe bananas, so I made banana bread!  This was a recipe I had in an old recipe book.  It was labeled "Banana Nut Bread" but there were no nuts in the ingredients list.  Since my oven tends to run too hot, I decided to use my brownie pan and make miniature loaves (full sized loaves end up too gooey on the inside.)  These did not disappoint!  And I added some nuts...

Mini Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Loaves

1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1.  Preheat oven to 350, grease brownie pan (a muffin pan will work, too)
2.  Cream together butter and eggs.  Add bananas.
3.  Stir in sugar, salt, baking soda, and flour.
4.  Add nuts and chocolate chips.
5.  Fill squares with approximately 1/2 cup of batter.
6.  Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown.  Makes 1 dozen mini loaves.

If you would rather make a full size loaf, you'll need to bake it for 45-55 minutes.

Twenty Years

I have been blogging for over ten years.  One of the greatest inspirations for this blog is Mom's Bible.  I have used it many, many times.  A fitting quote for today is:

Only those who are assured of an Eternal life can be happy here and now.
- Mom's Bible

It was 20 years ago today that Mom escaped the pain and sorrows of this world.  For more than eight years she battled cancer with grace, dignity, and humor.  She loved God and looked forward to the day she would meet Him face to face, but many times during her battle with cancer she would say, "I don't want to leave my family."  She loved us so much, we were what kept her fighting.

She was an excellent example of someone who wrote her hurts in the sand and engraved her blessings in stone...

Two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything,wrote in the sand:

"Today my best friend slapped me in the face."

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one, who had been slapped, got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After the friend recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:

"Today my best friend saved my life."

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"

The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

Learn to write your hurts in the sand, and to carve your benefits in stone.
~ Author Unknown

I can only imagine how much she would have enjoyed blogging.  Her "Friday Foodie" posts would have been 90% chocolate recipes.  She would have shared her "diet hymns" such as "Slimming Down, Down, Down." She would have had stories about the many children she babysat and taught through the years.  She would have shared her love for her family.  And I'm sure she would have shared the many quotes from her Bible that I have been privileged to share.

Twenty years later, I still believe the Final Score:

Mom - 1, Cancer - O

Friday Foodie

I bought some apple slices a few days ago and they are starting to turn brown.  Last night I decided they needed to get used up before it was too late.  I Googled "biscuit monkey bread with apples."  Have you ever made quick monkey bread with canned biscuits?  It's super easy and doesn't make a huge batch.  It's really good, but this recipe took it to a whole new level!

Apple Fritter Monkey Bread

Photo source

Ingredients

1 (12-oz.) can refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

6 tbsp. butter, melted

2 c. cinnamon sugar

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tbsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 c. powdered sugar

3 tbsp. milk

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x5” loaf pan with cooking spray or butter.
On a cutting board, separate biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters. Roll each piece into a ball. Dunk each ball in the melted butter than toss in cinnamon-sugar until evenly coated. Lay about half of the biscuit balls in an even layer, touching on both sides, in the bottom of the loaf pan.
Toss apples with brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon. Scatter a very thin layer of apples on top of the biscuit balls. (You want the second layer of biscuits to touch the base layer.) Lay the second and final layer of biscuit balls over the apples, and top with remaining apples. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the biscuits are a deep golden and the apple mixture is bubbling. Let cool for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make glaze. Whisk together powdered sugar and milk until smooth.
Run a knife around the edges of the pan, and transfer the monkey bread onto a serving platter. Drizzle glaze on top of the loaf. Serve warm.

This was quick, easy and delicious!

 

October 3, 1958

Sixty years ago this young couple was married on a Friday evening in Visalia, California:

Ten years ago I wrote this:

They did not always agree, but they didn't fight in front of us kids. Any time two people marry, there will be disagreements, but how those disagreements are handled makes all the difference. I never heard my parents yell at each other. Dad once said, "Marriage is a lot of work" - and they kept working at it.

They did the best they could for all four of their children. We weren't wealthy, but we always had enough. I never went to bed hungry - even if Mom fixed something I didn't like, she would fix something else to make sure I ate something. I always had a roof over my head, clean clothes on my back, and shoes on my feet.

Mom stayed home with us kids so the majority of the discipline fell on her shoulders. Dad never tried to change whatever punishment was handed out.  "Go ask your mother," was a common reply when we were trying to get away with something - Dad definitely had us figured out! Whether they agreed or not, they supported each other in those decisions. None of us kids have spent time in jail, so I guess it worked!

They took time for each other. I remember Grandma Luella (Mom's mom) staying with us on more than one occasion when we were young, so Mom and Dad could go away for their anniversary.

Dad was completely in tune with Mom during her last months. I was in their home the night before she passed away. Mom was in bed in their bedroom. More times than I can remember, Dad would jump up, go down the hall, and back to their room. HE heard Mom calling him, while Kim and I didn't hear a thing. His care for her was amazing until her last breath.

If they were both still alive today, I have no doubt that they would have still been married.  I'm so thankful for these two and miss them so much!

You Matter

September is National Suicide Prevention Month.  Monday, September 10th was World Suicide Prevention Day.  The statistics regarding suicide are staggering.

According to the Centers for Disease Control: 
Suicide is the 10^th leading cause of death in the US for all ages.
Every day, approximately 123 Americans die by suicide.
There is one death by suicide in the US every 12 minutes.

According to the World Health Organization:
Close to 800,000 people die due to suicide every year, which is one person every 40 seconds. (I did the math on this and it is correct.  I couldn't believe it, but it is.  One person every 40 seconds.)
Suicide occurs throughout the lifespan and is the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year olds globally.
There are indications that for each adult who died of suicide there may have been more than 20 others attempting suicide.

A little over four years ago I wrote about Robin Williams' suicide.  The numbers have grown in those four years.   As I wrote then I really don't understand how a person reaches the point of suicide.  I've never had it so bad that I just wanted to quit living.  I've always had hope for tomorrow because I know a God Who holds tomorrow in His hand.  I'm thankful I don't have to depend on my abilities to make it through each storm.

for KING & COUNTRY sings a song called "Matter."  When someone makes the decision to end it all, is part of their thinking, "I don't matter to anyone?"  I wonder if Robin Williams felt like he didn't matter when he said the above words.  YOU matter.  You may not feel like you matter, friends and family may turn their backs on you, but YOU matter.  If you're hurting today, please find help.  Don't listen to the lies that say you're alone.

"Matter"

All of the dreams that haven't come true
And all of the hurt that happened to you
It matters, I hope you know it matters
You felt the pain of a bitter defeat
Where the weight of the grief is more bitter than sweet
It matters, I'm telling you it matters

To the One Who spoke and set the sun ablaze
To the One Who stopped the storm and walked the waves
To the One Who took the tree so He could say
You matter, I hope you know you matter

I know it's not easy, not saying it's fair
But close as a prayer somebody cares
You're a treasure, I hope you know you're treasured
So hold your head high, wait for the dawn
Keep hanging on, your sadness will turn into laughter
Watch it turn into laughter, yeah

Let the water spill from your eyes
Let it wash the wounds of those lies
Oh, let the water spill from your eyes
All that you are, all that you’ll be
Someone put the beat in your heart so that you’ll see
You matter

To the One Who spoke and set the sun ablaze
To the One Who stopped the storm and walked the waves
To the One Who took the tree so He could say
You matter, I hope you know you matter

You matter, heaven knows you matter
You matter, I hope you know you matter
You matter, heaven knows you matter

If you are a fast reader, it might have taken you two minutes to read this post.  During that time three more suicides occurred.  Those three people mattered.  And so do the next three.  And the three after that. I'm writing from a hurting heart today because someone I knew committed suicide last week.  I hadn't seen her in many years and I don't know what drove her to such an act, but she mattered.

I'll say it again, if you're hurting today, please find help.  You matter to me. You matter to God.  You matter.

Do Something

It was a Tuesday morning, just like this morning.  I got in my car for the 30 minute drive to work and turned on the radio hoping to catch a traffic report.  What I heard instead struck terror.  Because of the three hour time difference, by the time I was tuning in both Twin Towers and the Pentagon had already been hit.  We would later learn that a co-worker was on the plane that hit the Pentagon.

The stories of heroism that came from that day are remarkable.  In spite of an enemy trying to tear us down, Americans rose up to fight.  First responders marched into those towers and headed up, while others were fleeing.

One of the most remarkable stories came from United Airlines flight 93.  It was the fourth plane that was hijacked.  This time the passengers had enough time to fight back.  Their attack caused the plane to go down in an empty field in Pennsylvania, 20 minutes flight time from Washington. The plane still went down and all onboard were killed, but those passengers kept it from hitting any national landmarks or buildings.

Tom Burnett was one of the passengers on flight 93.  He made four phone calls to his wife - you can read the full transcript here.  Three times Tom told his wife, "we have to do something."  The last part of their final conversation went like this:

Tom: Deena! If they’re going to crash this plane into the ground, we’re going to have do something!
Deena: What about the authorities?
Tom: We can’t wait for the authorities. I don’t know what they could do anyway.
It’s up to us. I think we can do it.
Deena: What do you want me to do?
Tom: Pray, Deena, just pray.
Deena: (after a long pause) I love you.
Tom: Don’t worry, we’re going to do something.
He hung up

There's an old story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have.

"Do Something" by Matthew West

I woke up this morning
Saw a world full of trouble now
Thought, how’d we ever get so far down
How’s it ever gonna turn around
So I turned my eyes to Heaven
I thought, “God, why don’t You do something?”
Well, I just couldn’t bear the thought of
People living in poverty
Children sold into slavery
The thought disgusted me
So, I shook my fist at Heaven
Said, “God, why don’t You do something?”
He said, “I did, I created you”

If not us, then who
If not me and you
Right now, it’s time for us to do something
If not now, then when
Will we see an end
To all this pain
It’s not enough to do nothing
It’s time for us to do something

I’m so tired of talking
About how we are God’s hands and feet
But it’s easier to say than to be
Live like angels of apathy who tell ourselves
It’s alright, “somebody else will do something”
Well, I don’t know about you
But I’m sick and tired of life with no desire
I don’t want a flame, I want a fire
I wanna be the one who stands up and says,
“I’m gonna do something”

We are the salt of the earth
We are a city on a hill (shine shine, shine shine)
But we’re never gonna change the world
By standing still
No we won’t stand still
No we won’t stand still
No we won’t stand still

If not us, then who
If not me and you
Right now, it’s time for us to do something
If not now, then when
Will we see an end
To all this pain
It’s not enough to do nothing
It’s time for us to do something

We don't have to look far to see a need.  I know it can be scary to step out of our comfort zone to do something.  The outcome may not be what we hope for, but for today will you at least try to do something?

The Bike to Rider Ratio

I came into the garage this morning after my run and this is what I saw:

You may not be able to tell, but there are five bikes!  Les was out on a ride, so one was actually missing.  The bike to rider ratio in our household is 3 to 1.  My bike:rider ratio is actually 2:1, while Les' bike:rider ratio is 4:1.

One more and we'll have to sell one of our cars to make room.  We might need an intervention.

Happy Birthday to My One and Only!

This guy...

turned 26 the day after I met him...

he is an adventurer...

Corporate VP...

explorer...

cool bass player...

singer...

trumpeter...

cross country cyclist...

who has the occasional crash...
 

and is currently working on a Sunday school lesson that I'm sure will be outstanding!

Happy birthday to the best!  I love you!

Happy Left Handers Day!

You know there's a day for everything, right... er, correct?  Well today is Left Handers Day.  As a lefty, I've learned to do some things with my right hand by necessity (I've never owned left handed scissors) and some things I was taught to do right handed (my right handed brothers taught me how to hold a baseball bat.)  Just about everything else I do left handed.

Approximately 10% of the population is left handed.  There are many lists of famous left handers.  Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Michelangelo, Ronald Reagan, and Beethoven were all lefties.

I come by my left handedness honestly.  Mom was a lefty.  She had beautiful hand writing and taught me how to place my paper at a diagonal to avoid smearing.

Grandma Luella, Mom's mom, also was a lefty.  She is obviously the one who taught Mom how to turn the paper to avoid smearing!

And we have a fourth generation lefty - my niece, Krysten!  At family meals we try to sit next to each other so we aren't constantly banging elbows.

I'm sure there are advantages and disadvantages to which ever hand is dominate, but it's pretty cool being able to hold Les' left hand with my right hand and we both have are strong hands free!

Anyone else left handed?

Treasured Times

Victory Tabernacle was blessed this weekend with a special guest - Elder Vaughn Morton.  He preached our Jubilee service (combined service with our three daughter churches) on Saturday and was with us in service on Sunday.  Les and I were also blessed to go to lunch with Pastor and Sister White and Elder Morton yesterday.

I've written many times about the impact Elder Morton has had on my life.  My pastor for 19 years and my boss for 10 of those years.  His preaching has inspired and convicted.  His teaching laid a foundation that I still rely on today.

Elder Morton preached a message last night that I have heard countless times.  He told me he preached it before becoming pastor in Fresno, so I'm sure I heard it for the first time before I was 10.  It is one that has helped me so many times.  As soon as he read his text I told Les the title, "Forgive Yourself."  This beautiful concept is one that we all need to learn and embrace.  A victorious Christian life happens when we really understand the forgiveness of God and the power of the blood.

The key verse is 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  We just have to do one thing and God does four!  When we confess our sins, God:

1. is faithful
2. is just
3. forgives our sins
4. cleanses us from all unrighteousness

It's the best four to one exchange around.  There's nothing more for us to do.  We don't have to pay any penance.  Where many people go wrong is when they go back to the cemetery of their past.  We will never forget all our sins, but we can know they when they are forgiven God has forgotten them.  Since He forgives us, we need to forgive ourselves.  We closed the book on the past last night.

After service, Elder Morton had his book "The Road Called Life," available.  Pastor White asked me to sell them.  While I was sitting on the pew with the books, Elder Morton sat and visited for a while.  He also gave me a beautiful new pocket knife, because "every lady ought to have a pocket knife!"

I'm so thankful for this special man in my life.  A hug, an "I love you," and "I'll see you in the rapture," and he was off to his next destination!

Ten Year Blog Anniversary

Ten years ago this week I dipped my toe into the world of blogging.  My first post was published on July 22nd, but the post that has been the heart of McMoments and Memories was my third post, published on July 24, 2008.  Mom's Bible has been a constant here in my part of the world wide web.   The entire post was short and simple:

As I mentioned in the previous post, I will be sharing thoughts from Mom's Bible. I'm sure many of the thoughts are not original, most likely they are things she heard during the preaching because she always took her Bible to church. (And that's a thought for another post!)

She received this particular Bible for her 47th birthday, January 1, 1987, and it was the final Bible she carried. This contains her thoughts during an eight year battle with cancer and the loss of her youngest son, Rod. While that was obviously the most difficult time in her life, the notes and thoughts are constantly positive and uplifting.

So... if you see a note or thought labeled "Mom's Bible" that is exactly where it came from. And if the thought was originally yours, thank you for sharing it with her, because I'm sure if she wrote it down it was an encouragement to her.

One who uses the Bible as his guide , never loses his sense of direction.
- Mom's Bible

Mom's example of writing down notes and thoughts that were positive and uplifting is something I strive for.  I love sharing the adventures that Les and I have been on, but it's when I sit down with a thought or a scripture that's been tugging on my spirit that I feel like this blog is worth maintaining.  Just this week I shared a post with a friend - it was something I had written over five years ago, but it was right for her this week.

And here I am ten years later, still writing and still hoping that I can brighten someone's day or give the encouragement they need...

You Led Me to Believe

Sweet Comfort Band was a Christian band that was popular in the 70s and early 80s.  I've got some of their songs on my phone and was listening to them yesterday while I was out running.  One song in particular has stayed on my mind.  "You Led Me to Believe" has some sobering words about someone who walked away from the faith.

I've thought about this song a lot lately and I am filled was thanks for those who led me to believe.  I'm also so grateful that the ones who led me to believe have kept the faith.  My mom, pastors, Sunday school teachers, youth leaders.  I can't think of a single one who walked away.

I know that is not always the case.  I know of pastors and pastor's wives who have thrown it all away.  Parents and spouses who have left.  It's painful, more than I can adequately express.

If you're thinking about walking about from what you know is true, Stop.  Think about it.  Pray about it.  And stop.  Don't go.  Don't throw it all away.  It's not just about you.  There's a lot at stake.

If you've watched the one who led you to believe walk away, don't let that turn you away.  Don't turn one tragedy in to two.  Hold on to the One you were led to, not the one who led you there.  Keep holding on to all the thing you know are true.

You Led Me to Believe

You had the starring role that I wished I could play
So I learned every line that you were known to say
I stood in the shadows when the spotlight hit your face
But I never dreamed you'd throw it all away
After You'd take the stage you could do no wrong
And I was the first to cheer when you would start the song
I hid by the curtain and I softly sang along
But I never dreamed you'd throw it all away

You led me to believe
And I followed everything you'd say and do
You led me to believe
You've changed your way of thinking now
But I know what is true
And I will keep on holding on to all the things
You led me to believe

You were the guiding light for all who passed your way
The neighborhood Superman who always saved the day
You were the model, I was the clay
But I never dreamed you would throw it all away

You led me to believe
And I followed everything you'd say and do
You led me to believe
You've changed your way of thinking now
But I know what is true
And I will keep on holding on to all the things
You led me to believe

Now I miss you everyday and it cuts me to the bone
You have gone so far away and I must stand alone
I kept the things you taught to me and I found them to be true
I only wish that you believed them, too

You led me to believe
And I followed everything you'd say and do
You led me to believe
You've changed your way of thinking now
But I know what is true
And I will keep on holding on to all the things
You led me to believe

Kings of Judah and Israel

I am currently in the book of 2 Kings in my daily Bible reading.  It can be confusing reading about the different kings.  Some names are similar, while others are identical.  Reigns overlap.  Many kings are identified by their parents.  I found this chart to be helpful:

Over and over the Bible says, "he wrought evil in the sight of the Lord" and "followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin."  Of 42 kings, 11 were counted righteous over the course of 464 years.

We celebrated the birthday of our country this week.  242 years since we declared our independence.  I wonder what a chart of our presidents would look like.  Of 45 presidents, how many could be counted righteous?  There will never be a perfect ruler, but we need to pray for our divided nation.   No matter who rules, we as individuals still have the choice to do that which is right in the sight of God.