A friend from Dubai just sent this, and I love all the characteristics listed! May we be inspired and blessed!
“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”
Proverbs 1:8
Happy Mother’s Day!
Category: Holidays
Welcome to the Family, Bristol!
Here is a story of hope and joy in the aftermath of deep sorrow over the loss of a child, written by my dear friend, Susan Blount, to her newest grandchild. Motherhood (and Grandmotherhood) comes at a great cost, but it is one of the purest forms of love on earth. I pray that all of you who have had the great privilege of birthing a child into this world will have a very Happy Mother’s Day this Sunday.
January 8, 2024
Welcome to the family, Bristol Palmer Wall,
We’re so glad you are here safe and healthy. You are God’s surprise bundle of joy, but your journey to get here has kept us on our knees. Your mom had years of combating Lyme disease and Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy that gave everyone concern. Many decisions had to be made to give you and your mom the best chances of a healthy delivery, as cholestasis can raise the chances of a stillbirth. God was near, as He always is. I can’t wait for you to get to know Him.
God chose this day, and no other, for you to be born. He knew this before the world began. Imagine that! As the day grew closer I found myself feeling more anxious. This song from my childhood kept singing in my head: I will trust when I cannot see – when I’m faced with adversity – and believe Your will is always best for me – I will trust when I cannot see.
Your sisters, Hope and Alana, got a stomach bug just a couple of days before this. Thankfully, your mom didn’t get it! God was merciful.
Only God knew what the future held for you and the family who already loved you. We all knew what we wanted, but I knew what God had seen us through in the past.
It seems that Mom’s Lyme disease has been partly responsible for some of her pregnancy struggles. Then, thirteen years ago, your older sister, Ivana, died just prior to her due date. We have never experienced a still born baby in our family and the shock was almost more than we could bear. God was near, then, too, as He always is. He saw us through, though the memory is still very raw.
I thought of Ivana often during your delivery today. She never got to meet us, but it’s a comfort to know that she knew the love of your mother, and the sounds of her family before she left for the perfections of heaven – safe in the arms of Jesus.
In October of last year, Aunt Crysten and I were rejoicing with our friend Kelly who was expecting her second baby, a boy who would be named Noah. Like your mom, there were some concerns for the safety of Kelly and Noah so they planned to have her induced. Sadly, things didn’t go well for them.
These were the stories that played like a background noise in the days leading up to your birth. God was using them to stretch my faith – to trust in Him for the things I could not see or understand. Our God is great, you’ll see.
My prayer that morning wanted to beg God to make everything perfect, but I knew He already had a plan and I needed to be willing to accept whatever it was. I knew it would be for our good no matter what happened. So, I prayed that we would know peace and that the caregivers would have wisdom.
God’s continual presence is real, but I wanted it to be more than good theology… I wanted it to be tangible… and He did not disappoint.
Before leaving for the hospital your Great Aunt Judy sent me this: “In my quiet time this morning Psalms 145:18 “The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, all who call upon Him in truth… He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him: He hears their cry and answers them.” It was God’s way of reminding me, “Fear not, I am here.”
When Mom checked in to her room, they discovered right away that she was already 3 cm dilated at 36 weeks. This was the second confirmation that God was in this and moving us toward the outcome we desired.
He prepared a nurse, named Kassey, who was the perfect fit for Mom and our family. She was homeschooled, homeschools her children, had a home birth and seemed like someone we had always known. A woman who understood where we came from and embraced some of our favorite things in life.
Homebirth midwives have such a different philosophy than medical doctors, so it was comforting to have a nurse who would know the difference and help your mom to move things along in a non-intrusive way, as much as possible. She was patient and calm. Just what was needed. God was near.
She introduced us to a technique I had never heard of called Spinning. Spinning Babies® has become a new view on childbirth created by midwife, Gail Tully. The technique helps create room in the lower uterus so you could rotate into a more ideal position for birth. You seemed to like it and it may explain why you shot out of there in only 40 minutes. 😊
We certainly didn’t want a C-section because the recovery for your mom is so much harder and longer. But, if you had shown any signs of distress, they were ready to do that to save your life. Your mom wore a heart monitor the entire time and your heart rate never dropped or gave us any concern. God was near. Even in low risk births, the heart rate can drop some as the head gets lower in the birth canal. Your heart rate was an encouraging sign that the C section would not be needed.
The first procedure used to get things started was to strip your mom’s membranes. She did feel some contractions during the morning, but they were weak and not very often.
“What can we try next?” she asked Nurse Kassey. She suggested pumping some milk. She quickly went to get a breast pump and got your mom started. “I’ll be back in 15 minutes,” she said.
It didn’t take long before your mom filled two bottles with colostrum and experienced some good strong contractions – the kind she couldn’t talk through. It was more encouragement that this delivery would happen without surgery.
Nurse Kassey answered Mom’s call button and couldn’t believe how fast she filled those bottles. “I’ll put them in the fridge for later.” And it was a good thing she did.
I wondered two things: 1. Has your mom used up the essential colostrum that would be needed in a few hours? And 2. If needed, how would they get the save colostrum into a breastfed baby? God was near and He had an answer for both of my questions.
(When babies are born early, their blood sugars are often unstable. Nurses keep checking for about 24 hours and yours were dropping. You wouldn’t wake up to eat and the saved colostrum helped elevate your blood sugars. They used a dropper to get it into your mouth. God was near… as He always is.)
Once Mom stopped pumping her milk, the contractions continued but not at the same pace. Your doctor came in to discuss the next step – an infusion of Pitocin, a synthetic version of oxytocin, the naturally occurring hormone that the body produces to signal the uterus to birth its contents. We hesitated to go that route because we would be asking Mom’s body to do something it might not be ready for, and the contractions are much more intense.
Dr. Abbey said she would just do “a squirt” every half hour and would stop whenever your mom said to.
With the contractions getting stronger, I suggested your mom might want to get in the tub and she agreed. Warm water was drawn and she slipped into it, groaning with contractions. Your dad hovered over her in case he was needed. You were tolerating everything well. The Pitocin seemed to be working.
The time was 6:50 PM. Before long, Mom yelled that she thought you were coming. Dr. Abbey rushed in and said, “Melissa, you have to get out of the tub. We’re not allowed to deliver in the tub.”
Mom couldn’t move. “I have to push!” “Don’t push yet,” Dr. Abbey said. But you can’t stop a fast moving “train” and as the water was draining out of the hard porcelain tub, out you came! It was only 7:28 PM!
You came with an attitude and that was very comforting because preemies often have weak lungs and your cries confirmed yours were strong and getting stronger with every crying breath. God was near . . . as He always is.
You were a short 18.5 inches long and a round 6 lbs. 5 oz. Very good size for a “preemie”, born at 36 weeks. There were no extraordinary measures needed (no NICU) to secure your health. Sing Hallelujah! All is well. We see God’s plan now, and in all circumstances, He is worthy of our praise.
I can’t wait to do more life with you, Bristol. You’re one of a kind and perfect, a thumb sucker (like me when I was little), and your snuggle is real. All is well, lift up your voice and sing Hallelujah, all is well. Thank you, Jesus.
Welcome to the family. We’re so glad you’ve come.
With hugs from a very grateful Nana who loves you a bunch.
“ . . . and give to my children a perfect heart to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies and Your statutes, and to do them all . . . know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. If your heart is blameless you will not be ashamed.” (1 Chronicles 29:19; 28:9-10; Psalm 119:80)
Sweet Chili Chicken Wings
Chicken wings have become so popular they cost more than chicken thighs at the store these days! I’m not a lover of super spicy foods, but I finally decided it was time to try them before they go out of fashion. However, they’re really fun, so I can see why they keep popping up at parties! Whether you’re looking for a special treat for Cinco de Mayo tomorrow, Mother’s Day next weekend, a ball game or a shower . . . wings are never out of style, especially this super simple recipe with its perfect blend of sweet and spicy.
Chicken wings even made it into the menu for our annual high tea this year!
Sweet Chili Chicken Wings
(Makes about 18 pieces)
Secret Ingredient: Panda Express Sweet Chili Sauce! 🙂
Ingredients:
3 pounds frozen chicken wings pieces
20-oz bottle of Panda Express Sweet Chili Sauce
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Lawry’s Seasoning Salt
Black, ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Arrange the partially defrosted chicken wings on a baking sheet (I take them from the freezer to the refrigerator overnight, but they’re still half frozen when I bake them.)
Bake uncovered in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the juices start to flow clear and the skin is starting to crisp a little.
Baste each wing with Panda Express Sweet Chili Sauce (One [20-oz] bottle will actually cover almost 6 pounds of wings.) Sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, and seasoning salt (the more you like of those flavors, the heavier the dose). Return to the oven and roast another 15 minutes.
Flip the wing pieces over, repeat the seasonings with added pepper to taste, and then baste the bottom sides. At this point, you can cover the wings lightly with aluminum foil and return to the oven to keep warm (and continue baking slightly) BUT be sure to turn the oven completely off (or at least down to 200°F).
Arrange them on a tray only when you’re ready to eat them, so they’re still hot!
“But of all clean fowls you may eat.”
Deuteronomy 14:20
Ivana: Above Rubies
To me, May is always the month of celebrating spring, graduations, birth, rebirth, and motherhood. This is a long post written by my dear friend, Susan Blount, about her daughter and granddaughter. It will break your heart, but it may also be a balm to those of you who have suffered deeply in the area of motherhood.
June 6, 2010
Diane arrived early for my scheduled haircut this morning. I
was struggling to stay focused and get things done before she
came. I was still restless after she left – so much to do, but
for some reason I just couldn’t settle into any of it.
I was reading these verses – Psalm 46:1-3, “God is our refuge
and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we
will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though
the mountains be carried into the midst …of the sea; though
its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake
with its swelling.“
Sometime after 10 AM, while reading these Scriptures, the
phone rang. It was my son-in-law Dan calling from his work
site “Melissa is on her way to the hospital. They can’t hear
the baby’s heartbeat.” Melissa was my daughter and Dan
was her husband. My heart sank deeply. “No, Lord,” I
protested. “Not Melissa!”
“What do you need, Dan?” I could barely listen to what he
was saying as my mind raced – Melissa would have Emma
with her. “I’ll meet you there,” I said, knowing I would be
needed to watch Emma or take her home. “I’m so sorry,
Dan.”
I was first to arrive at the hospital. It all seemed so surreal
as I waited. I had little hope that an ultrasound would
change the outcome. Surely this wasn’t happening to us—to
my beloved daughter who, with her husband, had committed
to having as many children as God would give her. Now, that
commitment was being tested – attacked is more like it.
Dan arrived next and together we watched the midwife,
Heather, Melissa and little Emma take that lonely walk from
the parking lot. My stomach was in knots . . . “Be still nerves,
be still.”
Without a word we followed Heather and took the elevator up
to Room 5 where nurses Heidi and Belinda greeted us. They
wasted no time getting the Doppler going, but all we could
hear was the silence of Melissa’s womb.
“I’ll call the doctor,” the nurse said softly, trying to hide her
emotions. Dan looked at Heather. “What does that mean?”
he asked hopefully. “They didn’t get a heartbeat,” was her
quiet response. It was then we all knew…
It didn’t seem long before the doctor came in. He took the
ultrasound and began his search. He looked at Melissa and
said, “Everything looks perfect, the placenta looks well
attached, the baby looks good, but here’s the heart . . .” and we
could all see . . . it wasn’t moving. Ivana had been delivered
directly into the arms of Jesus after approximately 8 months
in her mommy’s womb.
Melissa had had some concerns over the weekend. The baby
hadn’t moved much, so on Monday morning Heather, the
midwife, drove over to check. They got a healthy heartbeat
and everyone was reassured. Then on Wednesday the baby
was quiet again, and by evening Melissa could not coax her to
move at all. That must have been a long night. Early the next
morning she dropped her children off at 4-H before Heather
came once again. But, this time they could not hear anything.
I didn’t know until later, but Melissa was now troubled by her
fears of being around dead people. When my parents had
been caretakers for a funeral home, she had never been able
to go in the room where the caskets of dead bodies were.
Now she was trying to come to grips with her fear and
wondered how she could ever go through the delivery of her
very own baby. She wanted it out, and she wanted it out now.
I couldn’t believe she was asking for a C-section. Melissa? I
knew that it was best, even now, for her body to experience a
vaginal birth. The doctor agreed. He offered Melissa all the
time she needed to think things over and when she was
ready, he would give her something to get things started. He
explained it could be hours before it would even take effect.
Without consulting with Dan or anyone else, Melissa insisted
on getting whatever she needed to get started. It was urgent
for her.
Because there is a God, the doctor’s predictions were
misspoken. It was not a long wait. During the night before,
Melissa had felt some mild contractions. Now God was using
Melissa’s own body and with little intervention the
contractions came and Ivana was born by 6 PM that evening.
During this time, I was trying to tend to Emma; call Melissa’s
sisters; first, Jen in New York, and finally Loralei and Crysten
nearby. A friend agreed to keep Melissa’s three oldest
children with her as long as she needed to,
Melissa asked about a tub birth, and even though it was
against hospital policy, the doctor allowed it. The tub was a
large whirlpool one and brought a lot of comfort to Melissa as
she labored.
She did beautifully throughout the process. I still had no idea
about her fears. The doctor and his nurses were wonderful –
God’s agents, for sure.
I watched Ivana being born, and I watched her mom embrace
her just like she would any other of her babies. Ivana looked
unbelievably whole . . . except she wasn’t breathing.
“It’s a girl,” Melissa announced after checking to be sure.
Melissa talked to her with comforting words of love even
though she knew Ivana wasn’t there. She was experiencing
the grace and mercy of God that casts out all fears. With God
we can do anything.
We were looking at a beautiful little baby girl, who weighed 6
lbs. 10 ozs. (on 6/10, by the way). We may never know why
God didn’t allow her to stay. Life and death decisions are and
were in His hands on this day. There were no decisions to
make, and Melissa and Dan can have confidence that there
was nothing more that they could have done to avoid this.
They had done the best that they could for Ivana Grace. Her
name was chosen because it means “Gift of God.”
As soon as she was born, Melissa asked for her other
children. I don’t know what Faith, Eli and Alicia must have
thought when Aunt Crysten came to pick them up. They had
no idea their mom was in the hospital – they just thought she
was late in picking them up from 4-H.
The nurses were preparing a new room for Melissa at the end
of the hall, away from the sounds of birthing mothers and
crying babies. I encouraged Dan to take the children there to
tell them before they went in to see their mom. There were
tears as they came out, and more tears and weeping when
they saw their mom holding their new sister.
It’s hard to think of all the wonderful things Ivana was
enjoying in heaven, when all you want to do is hold her, bath
her, nurse her, dress her, teach her things like how to smile,
to clap, to walk, to sing “Jesus Loves Me” . . . but, with time,
everyone will now be more heaven minded knowing that
Ivana is there.
After the Walls had their time as a family we were invited in
to join them. There are some wonderful ladies in the local
community who sew clothes for little babies like Ivana and for
parents who are unprepared for the suddenness of losing
their baby. God bless them.
Melissa dressed Ivana in the most gorgeous ivory colored
eyelet dress, complete with bows, lace, matching bonnet and
socks. Then she gently wrapped her in a blanket and anyone
who wanted to hold her was welcomed to do it.
She felt like a living baby. She looked like a living baby who
was only asleep. “Can’t we keep her, Lord?” I found myself
asking as I stared into her precious face. I didn’t want to let
her go. I just wanted to keep her; hold her. I can’t imagine
how hard it must have been for Melissa, but she managed her
emotions very well – stoic at times, strong; and then very sad
at other times.
Another great gift to the community comes from the
generosity of local funeral homes. They provide their services
at no charge for babies like Ivana. What a comfort to
grieving parents who have been blindsided by all the
unexpected and unexplained that is happening to them. They
would have supplied the casket at no charge, too, but Dan
wanted to build one for her himself.
Melissa wasn’t always sure what she wanted – no
company/company – and would switch back and forth for a
while. During her “no company” time she inadvertently sent
her midwife away. She also couldn’t decide whether to go
home or not. Her universe was rocked, and nothing else
seemed to matter. Even the smallest decisions were difficult
to make. In the end, she went home about 9 that evening.
Our church family was very supportive. The men volunteered
to help Dan dig a grave, but he turned them down. “That’s
okay. It’s my daughter,” he told them.
Eli, Ivana’s ten-year-old brother, wanted to do something for
the Tuesday afternoon outdoor service. When he mentioned it
his sister asked, “Do you want a piece of paper so you can
write something?”
“Nope. I have my Bible. That’s all I need,” he replied with
confidence. I wasn’t there for the discussions, but he wanted
to share this verse with everyone: “In all this Job did not sin
nor charge God with wrong ” (Job 1:22). They had been
studying it during family devotions. He wanted everyone to
know that they weren’t mad at God. He practiced with his
mom.
But, at the service, Eli was so overcome with his grief, he
couldn’t compose himself to speak so his dad shared with the
audience of over 100 what he had wanted to say.
Ivana was buried in a small private cemetery here on the
farm. In the middle is a huge oak tree that shadows the
entire site. Other children from the 1800’s, who lived on our
farm, are also buried there.
We used golf carts to drive those who could not easily make
the walk. We sang songs that had been chosen by Ivana’s
family. Her siblings wanted “Jesus Loves Me” to be the first.
After Dan and Pastor Wayne shared some Scriptures and
encouragement, Uncle Jeremy and Uncle Ed carefully placed
Ivana in the ground and we dropped our roses, given to each
of us by the church, on top. She was buried in the beautiful
gown from the hospital and with a blanket that had been
made for her by a friend.
Only little Emma refused to share her rose. She decided to
keep it. Eli took a shovel and insisted on helping to cover his
sister’s casket with dirt. No one moved until the job was
done. Then slowly, people began to make their way back to
their cars. It was very quiet.
It’s so hard… to say, “Goodbye”. Melissa’s sorrow was great,
but not irrational. Thank God “Goodbye” is not forever.
There’s a place where we’ll see Ivana’s face again. This hope
is our anchor.
“We’ll give thanks to You with gratitude for lessons learned in
how to trust in You—
That we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream In
abundance or in need” (—Nichole Nordeman).
Once again I was reminded of the verses God had given me
the day Ivana died:
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in
trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be
removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst
…of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though
the mountains shake with its swelling” (Psalm 46:1-3).
So Long, IRS?
Here is another online joke, although I don’t know the author to give a proper attribution. But, in America, today is “the day” to have in our tax returns. Oh, wouldn’t it be great if we could enjoy all the benefits of our governments without needing to support them? Despite disagreeing with many of America’s financial policies, I am grateful to live in a country where people can run for election without getting mysteriously murdered. I am deeply grieved for the moral failures enabled by our freedoms, but I’m thankful for the great freedoms of choice we have, and I believe these freedoms are God-given. Painful as it is, God created us with free wills, and most of the horrifying evils as well as the inspiring goods we see in the world around us are because we, the people, have been allowed freedom to choose. I also believe heaven will be a place where we still have freedom of choice, but we will be like Jesus and always make right choices.
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:1-3).
Summer Setting’s Sweet Sixteenth
My eldest granddaughter celebrated her Sweet Sixteenth birthday a few months ago, and I am all agog with her loveliness, watching her grow in grace and beauty, serving the Lord by playing violin with their church’s worship team, running with her school’s track team, and participating with the Red Cross. In addition, she’s gone to great lengths to get admitted to a public Japanese school where she’s going to have all her high school subjects in Japanese! There are few things any more satisfying in life than watching our children and then grandchildren grow up walking in the light of Christ’s love and living lives of adventure and abundance, and I often find myself thinking about 3 John 1:4, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” Amen.
During the twenty years our flock of seven was homeschooling, I dubbed our conclave “GIGAK.” I thought it would appeal to our boys especially, since it sounds hi-tech and trendy, but it stood for something as ancient as the Scriptures themselves: “Grow In Grace And Knowledge,” based on 2 Peter 3:18, “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”
And now, almost another twenty years since my own children have grown up—as God’s child I am continuing to spend a lifetime trying to grow in grace and in the knowledge of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Most of my life I’ve felt like a spiritual toddler, crawling up on my Father’s lap for comfort, tracking along behind Jesus for a little while each day but needing lots of naps and rarely following Him on scary adventures to find lost sheep.
Am I ready to be sixteen? April 8 marks the sixteenth anniversary of this blog. I’m not sure if I even feel sixteen spiritually—certainly not more, but could I qualify as a sweet sixteen along with my granddaughter and my blog?
Over the last sixteen years, the only goal I’ve been consistently aware of is trying to please my Father as an audience of One when I write, although I pray continuously that He’ll help me learn to write better so my words are winsome and encouraging in a way that draws people toward Jesus. Once I hit my “teenage years” as a blogger, I realized there was potential for reaching a million people (or, at least a million views), so I found myself hoping, “I wish I may, I wish I might . . .” That dream was fulfilled this past year by the time I celebrated Summer Setting‘s Fifteenth Anniversary. Then, this past January, I noticed that I’d reached people in 230 countries around the world. I didn’t even know there are 230 countries in the world! However, I noticed that no one from Chad or Turkmenistan has ever looked at Summer Setting, so now I’m asking my Father, “What about those countries? Could you bring someone from each of those countries who might be encouraged by something I’ve written?”
Some of you might know my story of having a passion to go around the world preaching the gospel, taking to heart Mark 16:15, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” After university, my sister and I taught school, saved our money, and headed out to travel the world proclaiming the good news as summarized by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-7: “I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present . . .”
We spent the first summer working with missionaries in Scotland, but our global trip was cut short when—on the very day we left Edinburgh and hitch-hiked to Glasgow— I received a letter from Alan that began, “I’m so sorry to hear about your mom. I hope she makes it.”
My mother had been in a near-fatal car accident on her way cross country to attend her mother’s funeral, and Alan had no idea my mom had requested the family not tell us because she didn’t want anything to hold us back from traveling. We didn’t know any of this, but we called, and after searching our hearts and prayerfully seeking the Lord, it seemed right to go home.
After all, Jesus told his disciples to be witnesses at home before traveling to the “uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Would it be honoring to our parents (neither or whom were believers at that point) to leave our mother near the point of death to share the good news of Christ’s saving work with others?
We returned home and ended up going to Grace Seminary instead. I believe we made the right choice (although it was a hard one), and thankfully both of our parents did become believers before they departed this earth.
But, I’ve continued to have a deep desire to reach the world with the gospel! It seems that over these past 50+ years this desire is slowly being fulfilled despite my failures! What a benevolent Father I serve! He gives us dreams, and even though everything gets turned upside down, He often fulfills our dreams, albeit through such circuitous routes that we stand amazed, knowing it’s been ALL His doing for us and through us, not ours for Him, as we’d intended!
Thank you, Father!
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
So, What Happened on Monday?
Last year on Easter, our lead pastor, Tom Olsson, preached a message from John 20. He explained the earth-shaking Good News that Jesus died and rose again on Sunday. He died in our place to be the propitiation for our sins, making it possible for us to live changed lives on Monday . . . lives filled with peace, purpose, and power. All true. The Gospel has the power to totally transform our lives and give us a lifelong purpose— to love God; to love others; to share the Good News with everyone! That’s what I celebrate on Easter. Is that what you’re celebrating too?
However, when Tom (our pastor) asked us, “So, what happened on Monday?” he didn’t get a clear response. I’m guessing everybody was responding the way I did. I wasn’t sure what happened on Monday. On Sunday, Jesus astonished everybody by rising from the dead and bringing resurrection power and hope to those who saw Him, but I’m not sure what happened on the very next day. Maybe my head was too full of analytics from studying all the puzzle pieces of how to harmonize the various gospel accounts, but I was thinking concretely: What actually happened on the day after Christ revealed himself to the disciples? I’m not sure.
“The Incredulity of Saint Thomas” by Caravaggio, c. 1602 (Public Domain)
However, I am sure about what happened eight days later, on the second Monday after the resurrection, because we’re told in John 21:26-29, “And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.“
Thomas had not been present the first time Jesus appeared to the disciples, and he was unwilling to believe their report. It was only after Thomas had observed the Lord Jesus for himself—had touched his wounds and recognized that Jesus was not simply a ghost or the figment of somebody’s imagination—that Thomas really, truly believed the truth that Jesus had literally died and risen again. It was this shocking revelation that caused Thomas to surrender his heart to Christ as “my Lord and my God.“
However, that event wasn’t a final transformation that turned Thomas and the other apostles into men willing to die for their faith. The men were afraid for their lives, confused, and not sure what to do in the wake of all the tumult in Jerusalem. Remember, hundreds of thousands of people had come to the annual Passover feast in Jerusalem (possibly over two million according to Josephus, who was a Jewish historian and contemporary of Christ). The entire nation was in an uproar, and news of the crucifixion and rumors of the resurrection would have circulated throughout every corner of the country as people returned to their homes after the feast. There would be no easy way to hide from any Roman authorities or Jewish religious leaders seeking to destroy the followers of Christ.
What happened? Well, Jesus appeared to his little flock of apostle sheep and taught them truths from the Scriptures for close to 40 days and then sent the Holy Spirit to empower them to go out into all the world as evangelists and share the Gospel. According to tradition, all of the apostles eventually became martyrs except John, who died as a very old man in Ephesus.
So, what happened on Monday? I’m still not sure, but all the disciples weren’t transformed on Monday morning into the giants of faith they became. I see this instead: Our spiritual pilgrimage only begins when we believe that Jesus is our Lord and God. We don’t have a once-for-all explosive experience of faith that propels us through the rest of our life with undying strength, courage, and power. Even the apostles had to be taught. Even the apostles were frightened and discouraged when they were persecuted. It might be tempting to think that after Thomas confessed Jesus as his Lord and God, all would have gone seamlessly from then on, but not so! Soon afterward, we find him with a hungry, frustrated Peter back in Galilee, waiting for Jesus, who had said He would meet them there. While waiting, Peter didn’t preach. He decided to go fishing, and Thomas was among those who were with him.
Are you frustrated? Unsure of what to do next? I have a girlfriend who grew up in the church but became an atheist in college because she just couldn’t make academic sense of everything. Years later, during her residency training to become a physician, she was nearly in despair over her life but remembered the verse, “You shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). She made a deal with herself and decided to seek God through prayer for a month to see if He was real or not. During that month, she poured out her heart in prayer, and she saw Him answer by working out several problems with what she felt were miraculous solutions. In response, she surrendered her life to Jesus. That wasn’t the end of all her problems, but that was the beginning of a life of trusting Christ to be her Lord and her God.
What about you? Are you not sure what you believe? If so, how about seeking God with your whole heart? Pour out your heart to God in prayer. Ask Jesus to reveal Himself to you. Meditate on the Bible. Read the Gospel of John. Let this Monday be a day of faith in Jesus, and God will make it a new beginning for you. Then you truly will have the peace, purpose, and power that Jesus made available to us on the day He rose from the dead.
“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things,
which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:3).
“Good Friday, 1613 Riding Westward” (By John Donne)
Let man’s soul be a sphere, and then, in this,
The intelligence that moves, devotion is,
And as the other spheres, by being grown
Subject to foreign motion, lose their own,
And being by others hurried every day,
Scarce in a year their natural form obey:
Pleasure or business, so, our souls admit
For their first mover, and are whirled by it.
Hence is it, that I am carried towards the West
This day, when my soul’s form bends toward the East.
There I should see a Sun, by rising set,
And by that setting endless day beget;
But that Christ on this Crosse, did rise and fall,
Sin had eternally benighted all.
Yet dare I almost be glad I do not see
That spectacle of too much weight for me.
Who sees God’s face, that is self life, must die;
What a death were it then to see God die?
It made his own lieutenant, nature, shrink,
It made his footstool crack, and the sun wink.
Could I behold those hands which span the poles,
And tune all spheres at once pierced with those holes?
Could I behold that endless height which is
Zenith to us, and our antipodes,
Humbled below us? or that blood which is
The seat of all our souls, if not of his,
Made dirt of dust, or that flesh which was worn
By God, for his apparel, ragged, and torn?
If on these things I durst not look, durst I
Upon his miserable mother cast mine eye,
Who was God’s partner here, and furnished thus
Half of that sacrifice, which ransomed us?
Though these things, as I ride, be from mine eye,
They are present yet to my memory,
For that looks towards them; and thou lookst towards mee,
O Saviour, as thou hangest upon the tree;
I turn my back to thee, but to receive
Corrections, till thy mercies bid thee leave.
O think me worth thine anger, punish me,
Burn off my rusts, and my deformity,
Restore thine image, so much, by thy grace,
That thou mayest know mee, and I’ll turn my face.
“Donne” painted by Isaac Oliver, 1662 (Public Domain)
This poem was written on Good Friday on a trip Donne took westwards to Wales from Warwickshire, England, and he is examining his own soul in the light of Christ’s suffering and crucifixion. The interpretations of the poem are myriad, and I have only my own opinions to persuade me, since I never met him! 🙂 However, (projecting from my own spiritual journey), I believe the poem is an expression of the intimate and inevitably personal experience of faith, wherein we find ourselves undone by the overwhelming nature of Christ’s perfection and love and find that—although we are unworthy and undeserving—God incarnate in Christ has provided for our sins, calling us to Himself for redemption and resurrected life whereby we are gradually remade to become more like Jesus . . . until at last we see Him face to face and recognize Him as He is—the One who loves us with everlasting love and redeems us by his mercy and grace. All He asks of us is to believe. To turn to Him by faith. He, then, will turn us back toward East . . . and Eden. To God!
“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son,
much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Romans 5:10).
Leaping or Limping?
Happy Leap Day!
The weather has been really unusual this winter, although—in truth—weather is predictably unpredictable and therefore “unusual” most of the time in Michigan.
After a glorious January blanketed in heavy snows, our weather took a long turn for the warmer, and we had many grey days of heavy fog and dripping eaves.
It’s hard to walk through deep snow, but I think it’s harder still to navigate mud season.
Despite my love affair with the outdoors, during mud season I retreat to my elliptical where the footing is secure and the impediments and pitfalls few. However, once the roads aren’t too icy and the potholes more obvious, my heart aches to feel the free again.
It was in such a mood and on such an occasion I went out for a jaunt. I was making good progress when all of a sudden my left leg just sort of gave out. Something about the juncture where my bionic hip unites with my femur. Not sure why, but I can get unexpected, sharp pain if I push too hard. When that happens, I have to stop and rest for a few seconds, which seems to give my leg time to “reset,” and then I can walk again. But, sometimes I walk with a limp. Limping when I’d rather be leaping!
This happened while I was considering that 2024 is a “Leap Year,” where February has an extra day. Do you know this old mnemonic rhyme?
Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November.
All the rest have thirty-one
Except February. To keep up with the sun,
It has 28 days for three years straight
Then leaps to 29 on the fourth to not be late.
Well, I might have changed the last four lines, but you probably remember the first two. Why have a leap year? The most commonly used calendar in the world is the Gregorian calendar, which was developed in 1582, but it requires a recalibration every fourth year to keep up with the solar year, so they add a day. In truth, even with this improvement, the Gregorian calendar is 26 seconds less than a solar year, so by 4909 A .D. the Gregorian calendar will be a complete day behind the solar year. Should we be worried?
No! Should we be worried about limping rather than leaping? Well, if we’re over 70, we might be wiser to accept that we’re inevitably going to be losing a little more muscle mass year by year. That doesn’t mean to stop exercising; that means to have realistic expectations. BUT, there’s good news! The psalmist reminds us, “My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever” (Psalm 73:26). This sentiment is echoed by Paul in the New Testament: “Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).
We may not have the strength physically to “run through a troop” or “leap over a wall” anymore (Psalm 18:29), but Jesus calls us to “rejoice . . . and leap for joy” spiritually when we are persecuted for standing against evil (Luke 6:23). So, any of us can still be leaping in our spirits no matter how young or old if we’re standing for Jesus, who is the epitome of good: “Who being the brightness of his (God’s] glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3). Does it get any better than that? Jesus—God incarnate—came to earth and died for our sins, then ascended again to God the Father!
By the way, if you find yourself limping spiritually, take heart! God loves you and is patiently waiting for you to trust him fully. I love this reflection by Anne Lamott: “My coming to faith did not start with a leap but rather a series of staggers from what seemed like one safe place to another. Like lily pads, round and green, these places summoned and then held me up while I grew. Each prepared me for the next leaf on which I would land, and in this way I moved across the swamp of doubt and fear.”
If you’re not sure whether or not there’s a spiritual world to explore, please take a small step toward God by reading the “Coming to Christ” explanation at the top of this page. People say that believing in Jesus as our Lord is like taking a “leap of faith,” but once you sense His hand of love is reaching out to save you, it stops feeling dangerous. It’s really leaping into the everlasting arms of love! It’s “rebirth” from the womb of darkness into the Light of the World. Will you leap to Jesus and joy?!
“The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains,
skipping upon the hills” (Song of Solomon 2:8).
Happy Valentines Day
I hope you have a truly happy day today and feel very, very loved!
Although we don’t often ponder the roots of this holiday, it has a rich, ancient heritage dating back to a third-century priest and physician who ministered to Christians being martyred during the persecution of the Roman Emperor, Claudius II.
For his compassion and good deeds (as well as his faith), Saint Valentine was eventually arrested, beaten, and beheaded on February 14, 270 AD.
He was buried near Rome on the Via Flaminia (Flaminian Way), which was a famous road between Rome and the Adriatic Sea (marked in blue in the above photo).
View of the Flaminian Way in modern times
Pope Julius 1 (333-356 AD) built a basilica at the site to preserve St. Valentine’s tomb (which has since been destroyed, although archeological evidence of his tomb was found centuries later).
Porta del Popolo by Giuseppe Vasi (1710-82); Public Domain
(aka “The Gate of St. Valentine” in the 12th Century)
To this day, you can walk along the Via Flaminia and remember the great physician priest who died for love of his fellow believers.
(Public Domain)
What love, to sacrifice one’s own life while ministering to the needs of others! Yet, St. Valentine was following the example of Jesus Christ, the great high priest and physician who loved every person in the whole world so much that he laid down his life for us (Mark 2:17; Hebrews 5:9-10). “Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
The pure, holy, undefiled son of God—Jesus Christ—died in our place so we can have forgiveness for our sins and become children of His Father, God . . . so Jesus can become “the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29). Jesus loved us before we even existed or ever understood his love: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). This is the greatest expression of love in the universe! It’s God’s gift offered to us (Romans 3:23). Jesus’s “valentine” if you will. So, whether you give or receive any paper valentines today, please know that Jesus has sent you a valentine of sorts—His love letter to you, inscribed in the Bible! Will you reach out and accept His gift of love today? If you do, you will feel very, very loved and know that true happiness comes from being known, accepted, and loved by God!
“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us:
and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16).
Summer Setting 