All wrung out

Louis has two teeth that have been bothering him. I finally was able to get him to the dentist today after one of the teeth broke. The dentist spent three plus hours on two root canals & hopes to save one of the teeth. The other will have to be pulled. This is about how he looks and feels this evening. We have had more dental work done in our fifties than all our other years put together. Is this typical of midage? We floss and brush regularly and stay away from sodas most of the time... yet, here we are - always in debt to our favorite dentist.

YOM HA ATZMA'UT - Happy Birthday, ISRAEL!

How many of you remembered that May 3rd was the Israeli Independence Day? That's according to the Jewish calendar - Iyar 5, 1948. Iyar 5 fell on the Gregorian date of May 14, 1948 when the United Nations voted to support the declaration of Israel as an independent nation where Jewish people could again live on their own. Many folks see Israel's independence as a modern miracle. If you know the Scriptures, this miracle should come as no surprise. God did just as He promised! (Genesis 12:1-3...13:14-17) Isaiah 66:8 "Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children." This verse also speaks of a coming day when the remnant of Israel will all be saved in one day & spared from the anti-Christ by the coming of the King of Kings & Lord of Lords!

Did you also know that the above flag of Israel is a talit (prayer shawl) with the star of David sewn on to it? The assistant to David Ben Gurion was given only a few hours in Geneva back in 1948 to come up with a national flag. He walked all over Geneva, praying and looking at flags of other countries. During the last hour, he was struck with the thought that a talit looked much like a flag. He added the star of David with a marker, I believe. It became the accepted flag.

Three Things Thursday - Favorite Pets

Ari, Genny & Tana - our wonderful goldens!

When my heart is breaking because of my past choices or the choices of my daughter, God has given me three faithful golden retrievers to show me His love. The middle retriever, Genny, is on permanent loan to a friend in her 80's, who is legally blind and needs a companion. Except for the hair that they continually shed, I can think of no flaws in these dear pets.

Special Olympics

We are boarding two extra horses, whose owners pay enough to cover the hay for all of our animals. This has been a true blessing. The owner of "Diego", a whitish half Paso-Fino and half Arabian mare, is somewhat disabled after a car accident years ago. Steve has severe seizures & even has a dog trained to help him realize when one of the seizures is about to begin. Because of his disability, Steve is able to participate in Special Olympics events. He asked if we could transport Diego to the Missoula Equestrian Park for one of those events this past Friday. (Diego is the horse standing just in back of the water trough in the photo.) I had never driven our Yukon pulling the horsetrailer, but was willing to try. So I asked the Lord to help me drive carefully & was treated with safety and a wonderfully up-beat day. The weather was absolutely glorious in the high 60 degrees with clear blue skies. Steve was one of 50 or 60 very special people there, whom God gifted with extra-difficult physical or mental needs. Oh, but most of them were so open with their friendliness and their delight in being helped to ride loaned horses through gates, over bridges, etc. in the trail portion of the events. The whole atmosphere was gilded with helpfulness and caring. The volunteers included teens, retired ranchers and cowboys, YMCA workers & a couple of ambulance attendants. I see & feel that same type of caring whenever Louis & I go up the hill to a resthome called "Kathy's Place". We go on Sundays after church and spend an hour or so singing old hymns with around eight of the dear folks who call it home. Margaret, in her mid-90's, is the most mentally alert and best singer. Ruth will hum with us if we spend a little extra time encouraging her to do it. Others show their appreciation by swinging their feet to the beat or just wanting to be helped to the main living area where our singing takes place. We find that taking time for others in these ways always enriches our lives. I did flatten one of our flower barrels by our gate while attempting to drive back into our driveway with the horsetrailer. Guess my mothers' day gift is a given this year. We have three large geraniums that we nursed through the winter for our gateway barrels. One is now without a container.

And now there are 10...the fox returned.

The two pullets, who flew the coop the most, were both white spangled spitzers - a new breed for us. They had floppy cute feathers on the top of their heads. Yes, I said "had". Louis could not get them back into the chicken yard night before last, although he certainly tried. We hadn't seen the fox since last fall, so he decided to take the risk overnight. When we checked in the morning, we found a small pile of white feathers in front of the chicken yard & another pile in the southeast corner of the yard. Just outside our pasture, in our adjoining neighbor's pasture was a much larger pile of white feathers where the meal must have been eaten. This is the end result of "flying the coop" when there is danger always lurking. This is why I am constantly praying when Esther is not at home.

Flying the Coop

This is the color of a couple of our chickens - the Rhode Island Reds. After the fox got all but two of our previous chickens, Louis reinforced the electric fencing around the chicken yard. Then in March we traded egg cartons for five pullet laying hens and a couple weeks later bought five more from a neighbor. We now own a couple of hens of 5 or 6 different varieties. Our dozen hens are without a rooster, which is fine with me. One less obstacle when we need to gather the eggs.

About a week ago, we noticed some interesting behavior in the chicken yard. Several of the younger hens were tired of being confined & found a way to escape the electric fenced chicken yard. They would back up to the far east of the yard, facing the fence between their yard & the area in which we have our six sheep penned. Then using most of the chicken yard as a runway, they would run two/thirds of the way to the fence and then start flapping their wings to fly over the fencing. After only one or two tries, several pullets succeeded in flying out of their chicken yard. We pray this will not expose them to the cunning fox of yore. Our original two survivors are too heavy to copy the younger hens' behavior. They seem content to take a dirt bath instead.

The young adult that lives off & on in our home, shares some of these chicken traits. When we tighten or strengthen the boundaries meant for her safety, she finds ways to fly out of the home area. Actually, it's usually driving out in her snazzy, red Pontiac Grand Am. Thankfully, tonight she is out, but attending her first Young Life meeting with Sherry & family & Taylor - a neighbor friend. Flying from one safe area to another is entirely acceptable.

God's Spring Cleaning & Hug

Friday's weather tempted us into a huge burning project. We had a lot of dead tree limbs, the pruned suckers from our fruit trees and piles of dead pine needles which needed to be cleaned up. Louis and I spent several hours burning them in our fire pit in our pasture. The horses and sheep stayed totally away from the fire, thankfully. Each Spring when farmers are cleaning their pastures via fire or I see the volunteer fire department assisting in weed-burning, I think about how God calls Himself a "Consuming Fire". He will clean us up if we ask Him. Like the spring fires I have watched, only the dead things get burned up. The green shoots of live plants seem to escape the fire unscathed. God leaves the growing parts in our lives too, if they fit into His best plan for us. He just removes all the deadwood & rotting things that clog up our lives and testimonies.

As we stood watching the fire, Louis and I both commented about needing a mini-tiller to help with the weeding in our flower garden and regular garden this year. These were passing comments and thoughts in a long stream of conversation between us. Yet, within two hours, our friend, Becky (Owner of Pug, a Schnauser we sometimes dogsit.), called while we were still in the field. "Cary, I have been thinking about giving away my Honda mini-tiller which I don't use anymore. You and Louis keep coming to my mind. Could you use one this Spring?" Becky is not a believer. However, God used her to give us such a wonderful HUG! He so loves to do this at the most unique times. Yesterday after Beth Tephila, we drove by her home and picked up the almost new tiller. It's the perfect size for our needs!!

Sherry's newest birthday creation!

Esther loved this Habiscus lemon cake, but was way too embarrassed by the situation to say so. Sherry has a definite artistic talent in several venues! Thanks for your love in action, Sherry! 

I'm an embarrassed new adult. Hurry, Sherry, before any other customers come into Subway! 

Celebrations

I climbed into bed a couple of hours ago nursing a sick headache after a full day. I awoke hearing Louis's deep breathing that comes when he's soundly sleeping. My heart is celebrating and overflowing with gratitude...even beyond laying quietly and communing with God.
Thanks for taking away that headache. THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR LOVE FOR ME AND ESTHER TODAY THROUGH YOUR SERVANT & MY SPECIAL FRIEND (SHERRY)! You brought Esther into the adult world in such a fun and memorable way. She'll always fondly remember her 18th birthday! She didn't know how to respond when I woke her with a kiss, whispered "Happy 18th Birthday!' & handed her a piece of warm Noodle Kugel and a glass of milk. (The eight days of Passover/Unleavened Bread challenge me a bit in creating "birthday cakes".) Sherry's greeting with a roll, an hour or so later, must have been special too.
Thanks for giving Sherry the desire and talent to create the habiscus-decorated, lemon cake just to Esther's tastes. Thanks for having Sherry include me in the mini-celebration. Once again, Es didn't know how to respond when we surprised her with it at Subway. She was thrilled we didn't forget her "big day"...She was embarrassed that Sherry asked her to wear the birthday crown and had the co-worker and customer join in on the "Happy Birthday" song as she blew out the 18 fancy candles..She wasn't hungry, but didn't want to offend us when we were honoring her. You removed her mourning of previous years that "her day" was shared with the anniversary of Columbine & Hitler's birthday - replacing it with a quiet joy!
Thanks for having her other friends remember her with small gifts and the arranged party at the cabin. Keep her safe there.
Thanks for having Sherry listen to Your prompting about checking out the Massage Therapy School so Esther has the choice to attend the Spring introduction and make a more informed decision about her future. Remind her how important it is to her when the time comes to leave her friends & attend.
You even used Sherry's artistry with the camera and computer to give us these photos to recall the day & to change my blog profile.
Yes, You also gave us the greatest weather yet in 2006! Clear blue skies, 70 degrees, a few Spring flowers ! Oh, there's more, but I just wanted to express my gratitude for your "chesed/faithful love" and for Sherry's friendship! I so enjoyed our time together today! I've added this day to my most treasured ones. It can remind me on those dreary, gray days of the abiding joy You bring to those who are Yours.

Problems seem larger, the closer you are to them.
My daughter's gray cat, Rachel, shadows me. She misses Esther, who is home very little these days, and has made me Esther's substitute. When she gets especially frustrated she has developed the habit of reaching around and pulling out some of her hair with her teeth. She almost denudes the back half of her body this way. At first, we took her to the Vet, thinking she might be in pain. The Vet. gave her a thorough check-up, took lab. tests & later reported she was in good health. I would rather clean up cat hair than cat urine, so I am thankful the habit isn't a worse one. Now I am praying for wisdom. While I'm praying, the Lord just reminds me that I am often like Rachel. When I get frustrated and try to resolve my frustration on my own, I am only hurting myself - and sometimes others. I need to realize that He is still in control. Therefore, I need to take each frustration to Him and leave it with Him. I also need to ask what I am supposed to be learning through the situation.

Chag Sameach! (Happy Passover!)

At 10 p.m.- about 24 hours before the start of Pesach- Esther began violent vomiting. Like clockwork, every 2-3 hours until 5 a.m., she began another episode of hugging and filling the trashcan. Of course, desperate calls for "Mommie" preceded each episode. Somewhere around 3 a.m. I gave up and spent the rest of the night in Esther's room with her. We had a Pesach guest from Great Falls, trying to sleep in the next bedroom. Thankfully it takes 2 to 3 days to incubate a flu virus before symptoms appear. The next day included cooking from scratch 4 large kettles of chicken-matzoh ball soup, table set-up for 65 seder attendees, cooking broccoli and assembling the appetizer plates, organizing the hand-washing and desert areas, music and overheads, etc. I was so grateful for the help of several women the day before, including Jeanne, when we prepared the charoset (chopped apples/nuts & honey, cinnamon & wine mixture) and the potatoe knishes. Then God sent great support before and after the seder service and meal, as well. The 5766 seder lasted four hours, but will be remembered as a success. PTL! The next day as we slipped into the seven day Feast of Unleavened Bread, Louis & I finished the clean-up, sorting and packing away of Pesach items along with a tinge of nausea. Yesterday, we awoke with full-blown symtoms. Nausea and bouts of diarrhea led to a low-key day, so I was once again so thankful that Sherry was accompanying Esther to her next portion of the GED exam. (Thanks, Sherry, for following through with this when you also were exhausted.) Chag Sameach!

Pruning

The sunshine and 60 degree temperatures beckoned to me yesterday. So I spent time in the yard that's greened-up from our two weeks of rain. The sucker branches that Louis & I pruned from our trees the day before the rain started in earnest, were still surrounding each tree trunk in pick-up-sticks fashion. We hope for bigger and better fruit late summer and fall as a result of the pruning done in early spring. The sun warmed my back as I gathered each armload of deadwood to carry to our burn pile. It felt so good to be outside again and recovering from my bout with an upper respiratory infection that came with the spring rain. My thoughts were on the pruning that God has been doing in my life. I was praying that His pruning would lead to my personal growth and fruit for His Kingdom, when suddenly one of the sticks I was bending over jabbed up one nostril! I nearly blacked out from the unexpected pain and held my nose...sure I had started a nosebleed. The reality of my day to day life is often like that unanticipated sharp poke from the stick. Sometimes I walk away bleeding, sometimes I'm just brought up with a start. Yes, I haven't yet slipped into olam haba - that world to come just beyond the vanishing point at my horizons. I'm still living in a fallen world. I need to submit to each experience my Master sends with "for this I have Yeshua/Jesus!"

Life Changes

In Hebrew class we have been translating our way through Psalms 90 - A prayer of Moses.

Adonai, you have been our dwelling place in every generation.
Before the mountains were born, before you had formed (literally "whirled")
the earth & the inhabited world,
from eternity past to eternity future you are God. (verses 1-2)

You bring frail mortals to the point of being crushed, then say, "People, repent!"
For from your viewpoint a thousand years are merely like yesterday or a night watch.
When you sweep them away, they become like sleep (or a dream);
by morning they are like growing grass, growing & flowering in the morning,
but by evening cut down and dried up... (verses 3-6)

The span of our life is seventy years, or if we are strong, eighty... (verse 10a)

So teach us to number our days, so that we will become wise. (verse 12)

After attending the Hebrew class today, I drove to my parents' home. Both Mom and Dad are 80 this year and viruses tend to linger with them now. They were both breathing shallowly so they could talk without hacking. Their flu virus has shown more respiratory components than the stomach flu like Tano Chidwick had recently. They appeared pale and more frail even than normal. I leave each visit with them now, thinking how I should treasure each moment spent with them. I wonder how many more years they will be able to manage a home by themselves. They are still involved with their church, the hospice and hospital patients they visit and our extended family. PTL! Mom filled me in on all the changes occurring in our family. My sister and husband are selling the "old homestead" and will be building a home soon. Their oldest son will be doing the same. Their youngest son is getting married in June. My brother's oldest son is getting married in the Fall... & so forth. I sensed I was observing & hearing Psalm 90 all over again in a fleshed out format. The chapters of our lives fly by so quickly. The comfort is that Adonai is our habitation or dwelling place - even as He will be throughout eternity!

A.D. Chronicles

For over 20 years I have enjoyed reading books written by Bodie & Brock Thoene. My favorites were their Zion Covenant, Zion Chronicles & Zion Legacy series until they started the A.D. Chronicles. "First Light", "Second Touch", "Third Watch" & "Fourth Dawn" are set in the time of Yeshua of Nazareth's public ministry and have numerous Messianic facts woven throughout their story lines, which I love. They are well reseached and well written. So... I highly recommend them to any of you who may have not already found them. I reread them the last couple of weeks as a wonderful stress reliever, as they refocus me on the eternal perspective.

Purim & Spring are around the corner

Hamentaschen baking has consumed a couple of days this week. My kitchen is lightly dusted with flour, but smells of orange peel and cookie dough! We will be eating those delicious three cornered cookies tomorrow at Beth Tephila & through the week since Purim arrives Monday evening. (I posted the recipie for the cookies a year ago.) We also read out-loud the story of Queen Esther in dramatized fashion each Purim. Haman's name is covered with the noise from our noise-makers and Mordecai's name is praised. Esther gets oohs/ahs/ or wolf whistles. Our Esther, Sweetheart Queen, has been a 17- going on 18 year-old- handful recently. Yet, with my friend Sherry's help, the prayers of many & the Lord's allowing rare glimpses into her heart, I have hope that this time too will pass. We will all benefit in increased maturity as a result. The LORD will deliver us from the enemy. He is so able!
Spring is almost here. Our recent snowfall has melted. We are expecting lambs any day and are beginning the preparations for Passover, April 12th. Yes, it takes much of a month for us to host a large Passover Seder each year. We always find it's worth the effort. This is one holiday we are commanded to keep. We enjoy keeping it along with Beth Tephila and many others.

El Shaddai

One of the principles I taught my 4th grade Sunday School class over a year ago has been returning to me as I'm jogging my 31/2 miles on the treadmill or just working in the kitchen.
I can be at peace in the midst of any storm because my God is Sovereign! We defined the word sovereign by the words within it...God reigns over this world. He always has the deciding vote and can turn around any situation to suit His purposes and will. I am believing Him for that very basic fact as it applies to my family. In the meantime, in my devotions I have started to once again study the Hebrew names of God. A couple days ago I did a word study of EL SHADDAI - God Almighty. The first time this word/name is used is in Genesis 17:1. "When Avram was 99 years old, Adonai appeared to Avram & said to him, ' I am EL SHADDAI. Walk in my presence & be pure-hearted.' Adonai had not spoken like this to Avram for 13 years, since Hagar bore him Ishmael (Avram's son of the flesh.) Now Ishmael, being 13 years old, was considered a grown up & responsible male. God was rejecting this 13 year old as the heir of the covenant between Him and Avram; He would institute circumcision as the sign of that covenant and tell Avram that his son of the Spirit would be born of Sarai; He also renamed Avram (exalted father) to Avraham (father of many) and Sarai (mockery) to Sarah (princess). First though, ADONAI revealed a part of His nature: EL SHADDAI - the One who reigns in power. He is so powerful, He can create life where there is death. That is, EL SHADDAI would create Isaac (laughter) from a 100 year old man and 90 year old woman. In Hebrew, Isaac is made with three consonants. The first is a tzadee with a numerical value of 90. The last is a kof with a numerical value of 100. Between these two letters is a chet which is often used in Jewish necklaces and pins, etc. to symbolize life since it begins chaim the word which means life. So EL SHADDAI would take a 90 year old and a 100 year old and between them create life. That life would become heir of the covenant and father Israel/Jacob.
God took the initiative by appearing to Avram, speaking to him, commanding him and promising things to him. Because of who EL SHADDAI was, Avram/Avraham was to do 2 things. 1. Walk in God's presence. (Although God is omnipresent and Avram was always walking in God's presence, I understand this as a synonymous way of saying "Fear the LORD" or walk consciously in my presence, knowing I hear every word you say & see every action & judge every thought & attitude & motive.) 2. Be pure-hearted. The Hebrew word for pure-hearted is tamiym and has the meaning of pure, complete, entire, whole, integrity, sincere, without blemish or spot.
As I meditated on these things and asked God to apply them to my life. I am reminded that at a time when the fleshly works I have born have matured, I am aware that they do not satisfy or complete me. In fact, they are extremely frustrating and destroying my dreams and peace. The Almighty, Sovereign God reminds me not only who He is, but that I am unable to do for myself what He asks. He alone can circumcise my heart, enable me to fear Him and be whole-heartedly His. I expect Him to take over from here and create life out of the ashes of my poor attempts to please Him in my way.

Transformers vs. Immutability

Back in the 1970's and 80's, Louis and I spent almost all our vacation time from the Army Nurse Corps enjoying Montana's gorgeous Autumns. Louis would hunt deer and I would visit with my sister and parents. My sister had two sons who for several years loved those sleek miniature cars and trucks that with a click or slide of a part or two became monsters of the mechanical or human types. This past month has been such a ride! One moment I am sitting back in my circumstances, enjoying the life God has allowed. My hand is lightly touching the cool, apparent solidness of my environment and my mind is supposing that I had something to do with creating all this pleasantness. The next moment, something or Someone behind the scenes tweaks one or two small parts of my safety zones and my circumstances have morphed into terrifying ones where I am clinging to a raging beast by my sweaty fingers & praying like mad. My illusion of any control or influence is broken and I am much more sanely aware of my total dependence on my God. Since I am not yet comfortable in discussing the details of all the transforming, I am just relating my underlying feelings. I am also praising the Lord for His immutability! When all else around me changes frighteningly, I can count on His character to remain unchanging. "The Name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and they are safe." ...whenever they experience those 9/11 moments, days or longer!

Hanukkah Carols

Hanukkah has been over for a week, but before we leave this holiday, I want to share a couple of the carols we sing:

THE SHAMMAS
Eight little candles in a row. See how the candles shine and glow!
Above the rest there stands the Shammas, servant to the others.
One for each night the candles' lit...'til through the days there are all eight.
None would be lit without the Shammas. Darkness alone would then pervade.

Chorus: The Shammas came to serve the small.
The greatest is the Shammas of all.
He came to earth so He might serve
and died for us though not deserved.

Thanks to our God who sent the Shammas, who lights our lives and gives us worth.
So like the other little candles, we might shine forth His light on the earth.


WHY PRAISE THE MACABEES?

Moses, our teacher, gave to us a code.
He said, if we obey it and love the Lord our God,
Then in a land we'd prosper, with peace on every border,
And be filled with the plenty from the land we'd sown.

CHORUS: Why do we praise the Macabees when we forget to
praise the God who sent them? Not to praise our
God has meant our fall. His law demands that we
should love Him and obey Him above anything.
Religion does not honor Him at all.

We've failed to keep our God's command
and failed to keep His law.
Instead of peace and plenty, war, dispersion came along.
And men, like Antiochus, have come, through time, against us
and filled our lives with agony and made us sore.

In mercy, God has come to us so all of us can see...
How great His love is towards us when His Son died on a tree.
It ought to make us love Him...Should we reject His favor,
A new Antiochus we shall ever see.

Hanukkah or Christmas or both?

The first week of December, Louis and I spent in Palm Springs, California, attending a Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations Leaders' Retreat. We missed the first large snowstorm of 8 to 10 inches at home by leaving for Spokane a day early. We drove into the storm as we entered Spokane instead, but at least had dry pavement over the mountain passes. Palm Springs was a wonderful break!! We've been trying to catch up ever since then, however. Here it is, December 30th and I'm still sending out holiday greetings via the snail mail. We are celebrating Hanukkah ... lighting six candles tonight at sunset. We minimized our gift-giving this year, and have spread out our gift-opening from family over the days of Hanukkah. It's been a very different holiday season this year. We've spent time with Sandy, my former boss, the owner of Nightingale Nursing. Her husband died a couple of days before out Palm Springs trip. We've visited Ruth, another good friend, who is rapidly going downhill physically and mentally. First she was in Community Hospital and now she is at The Village Nursing Home. This week we attended two other funerals. What a time for really going HOME!

While in Palm Springs, we stayed at the home of Rabbi Alon Barak. Here are some of his thoughts, slightly edited by me, on Hanukkah.
Hanukkah or Christmas?
OK, which one do we observe? Do we as Messianic Jews compromise and do both? What is the right thing to do or is there even a right thing to do? It can be pointed out that HaShem (G-d) never demanded either Hanukkah or Christmas be observed on His List of Holy Days. Let's see what the scriptures have to say.
First, there is no mention of the early believers observing the birth of Yeshua with a holiday called Christmas or anything else. The birth of human beings was not a day of celebration in the Bible. In fact, it was a part of pagan practices.
Secondly, there is no mention of Hanukkah in the Tenach (Old Testament). How could there be? It took place during the inter-testamental period - that time between Malachi and Matthew/the period of Yeshua.
When we want our activities to be based solidly on the scripture and what pleases our Heavenly Abba, but have no definitive proof text, what do we do? We look to Yeshua! Jesus observed the holiday of Hanukkah & not his own birthday. This seems strange to us. Let's first look in John 10:22. "Then came Hanukkah in Yerushalayim. It was winter, & Yeshua was walking around inside the Temple area, in Shlomo's Colonnade." Yeshua traveled from the Galilee to Yerushalayim to observe Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication. The tie of Hanukkah to Yeshua is easily recognizable. If Antiochus was successful in destroying Jewish identity, no one could fulfill the unique prophecies that were required of the Jewish Messiah. Antiochus was defeated, the Jewish community annually celebrated and Yeshua was there. John, who stated that he could not record everything Yeshua did, made certain that this event was added to his gospel. It was IMPORTANT. He knew that the entire Jewish population had been spared a holocaust, just as it had been in ESTHER.
Yeshua said that HE was the light of the world. So what's the center of the celebration of Hanukkah? You got it, the Menorah light. The Menorah is one symbol that G-d has repeatedly used throughout the Tenach (O. T.) and in Revelation. If there is only one symbol that Yeshua will use during His millennial reign, it is hard to find a better choice than the "light-menorah". For 3500 years, G-d has used it. It is much older than the famous "Star of David". Hanukkah celebrates light.
Hanukkah paints a picture of G-d's dramatic deliverance of his people from evil tyrants. (A shadow perhaps of Herod's slaughter of the Bethlehem babies.) We look forward to the return of Yeshua as a conquering King. The impact of Hanukkah fits this perfectly.
Is there a more appropriate time to celebrate Yeshua's birth? Of course, the actual time of His birth. Messianic Jews believe it was either during the Feast of Tabernacles in the Fall or at Shavuot (Pentecost) in May. Both dates were commanded by G-d to be observed.

Well, that is sprinkling of Messianic Jewish thought on this holiday time. What do you think?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our gorgeous frosted world, created by the fog of our weather inversion, looks more like Christmas than Thanksgiving. It inspired us to mail our first Christmas package that has the furthest to go ... southern Forida. Today we baked squash and green beans as our portion of the family Thanksgiving get-together. We are starting to saute onions, garlic and homegrown oregano in olive oil to add to our homegrown green beans. The result is delicious and less calories than the more traditional green beans with mushroom soup and french fried onions. We made both styles for today and will see which one folks like the best. We fix the squash almost like you would candied yams. Louis will eat yams or squash only if they have a little butter, brown sugar and marshmallows to sweeten the dish. Hope you all are enjoying your favorite foods & families. God is so good! May He receive all of our thanks for such memory-making times as this.

Simple yet delicious

Sometimes I find a recipie that is both delicious and extremely simple to make. While I was volunteer nursing at Camp Utmost, the cook was Chef Bill Colson. Bill usually is the chef for a restaurant in Shelby, Montana, I believe. After tasting his cole slaw at two meals, I sought him out in the kitchen to see if he would share his recipie. He did and here it is...

COLE SLAW DRESSING
Chef Bill Colson (Camp Utmost 2004)

Chop up 1 large head of cabbage & 1/3 small white onion.

Blend: 1 cup sugar
¼ cup oil
¼ cup vinegar
salt to taste
1 1/3 cup salad dressing or mayo.

Combine with the cabbage and onion and refrigerate.

Sometimes I add some shredded carrot to this recipie.

Enjoy. - Cary

Storms are a part of life and growth

Our first snowstorm arrived yesterday but is melting away fairly quickly this morning. We loved watching the big snowflakes, but had to moderate our driving to the lack of visibility and slick pavement. Another storm of sorts has arrived in our household. Have any of you had to take away a car from a teenager? Fireworks! No, warfare results! Our daughter's grades had fallen dramatically and she was not always obeying the family curfew, so the boundaries got tightened to her dismay. Now the relative shalom/peace of our home has been exchanged for a familiar battleground of wills, tempers, negotiations... It's back to taxiing our daughter to school because she won't budge out of bed to get to the bus in time. It's teaching through consequences that you don't always get your own way in this world, even if you are doing "OK" in the biggies like staying away from alcohol and drugs and illicit sex. More is expected in the areas of responsibility and authorities - to include parents - are to be respected and obeyed. Sound familiar to you? It's become a decade's theme for us. Thankfully, we have the best Father around to turn to for encouragement and wisdom. He assures us that it is worth it to hang in there and teach the proper values.

October Hikes in the Bitterroot/Selway

The drop off at the top of Bear Creek Canyon Overlook was a little scary.
Bear Creek Canyon Overlook is a long but fairly easy hike with a gorgeous view from the top.

While Louis hunted and brought home four deer for our year's meat supply, I had the fun of weekly Wednesday hikes in the Bitterroot Mountains and Selway Wilderness. The best way to share these with you is by a sampling of my photos taken during some of those hikes.

More hiking photos

Would you like to join me on a hike like these in the Spring?

Golden tamaracks and aspens are common in the Bitterroots...as are cathedral-like cliffs... so typical of our hike up Chaffin Creek in the Trapper Peak area.


Glen Lake was a more difficult hike into the Selway Wilderness, but the scenery was great!! The hillsides were covered with bear grass and huckleberry bushes dressed in their Autumn russet leaves.
Because of the high elevation, on some of the hikes we had a touch of winter via snow on the pine branches on either side of the trail.

Glorious September

I have just returned from a wonderful 1 1/2 hour hike up Sweathouse Creek Canyon that ended at Sweathouse Creek Falls. It is in the mid- 60 degrees on a bright clear day. Our leaves are just beginning to turn to golds and russets and brilliant reds on the bushes and trees. The intermediately difficult hike wound up the narrow canyon beside the creek on the left and steep canyon sides on the right. An old wooden flume could be seen in some places along the canyon wall and rock slides. Fallen timber was everywhere, sometimes across the trail. Laura and I knew the black bears are hungry this time of year. Hungry enough for a mother and two cubs to even venture on the university campus this week. So we decided early on to make this hike a prayer-hike. We talked and openly prayed our praise and petitions all the way to the falls and then all the way back. At the top of the falls, we ate our sack lunch and gazed at the glorious Fall splendor around us. No, we didn't see any bears ... only some grouse, a squirrel and chipmunk. This is the way to enjoy September! This is such a hug from the LORD!!

Wisdom or cowardice?

With an older teen in and out of the house, I'm slowly but surely learning how to react wisely when someone close to me wants to pick a fight or manipulate with anger:

- Detach emotionally, (physically leave if need be).

- Pray about the situation.

- Draw closer to the Lord.

Louis's cataract surgery was successful. In three weeks, at his postop. appointment, we will see if he'll need new glasses. Rosh Ha Shanah, the Jewish New Year or Feast of Trumpets, is only about a week away. Even as we are watching the news of the areas hit by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, our eyes are also on Israel, God's timepiece.

I'm feeling sheepish...

After church and a quick lunch, we drove to Hamilton with the horsetrailer yesterday. It was time to wrangle our six adult sheep. Wrangling includes positioning the horsetrailer next to my parents' pasture fence, setting up some horsepanels on both sides of the trailer to make a broad "run" into the open trailer filled with some scrumptious alfalfa hay, then chasing the sheep around the pasture a bit until they follow our directions out of sheer exhaustion. Thirty minutes was all the wrangling took this year as the sheep had grown lazy and tired out quickly. We also had kept the lambs separated the last couple of months...allowing the ewes some down time and then the chance to breed again with the ram. We wrangled the lambs into our trailer this morning to take them to the co-op. truck pick-up point. There they were weighed in, (an average 93 pounds each), and loaded into the truck for the drive to market. Another lambing season come full circle.

The willfulness of each sheep and lamb is evident during wrangling. Yet, so is the flock instinct. It takes only one reluctant sheep/ lamb to keep the others from entering the chute/run and therefore the trailer. It also takes only one leading sheep/lamb to start the flock back in the right direction. Yeshua so frequently compared humans to sheep. Here is another similarity. I can influence others toward His way or my own. Without thinking the rest tend to follow. I may be one of those unthinking followers much of the time, too. Oh, I'm feeling so sheepish again.

Seeing clearly and "that's Greek to me"...

Back when Louis and I were in San Jose this summer, we met a young woman who I believe called herself a "theophostic". Have any of you heard of this? She gazed intently at Louis and I as we were eating lunch together and then started speaking to us about our desires, our family, our finances, etc. Each comment was right on. Some of it was so personal & uncanny that it left you speachless. She commented on so many things that no one but God could have known about us...and she had just been introduced to us by our mutual friend who invited us all to lunch. Our mutual friend did not know us that well either and could not have fed her the information. Well, God allowed her to see into our heart of hearts and speak encouragement to us.
Louis has been scheduling and getting insurance authorization for another cataract surgery for this coming Tuesday. His first eye had a cataract removed back in June of 2003. He was at least twenty years younger than any other patient in the waiting room back then. His clear blue eyes were one of the physical features that attracted me to him. They evidently are more susceptible to cataracts than brown or hazel eyes. Now the other eye's cataract has obscurred his vision enough to require the surgery soon. I wonder if he will notice the mold that is just beginning to show up on the shower tile or the not so spotless floors once his operation is done. I love to read and have been known to cut corners in housework to be able to get back to a book I have started. Then there is my enjoyment of learning Hebrew, which requires study time. This year our class will continue translating in Genesis, but also start into Greek. I have been trying to memorize the Greek alphabet today. Louis says he learned it back in college. I never did. I was not a sorority girl. I have good focus, but it can be a fairly narrow focus at times, blocking out everything else. That helped me in my studies, but didn't enable me to absorb all the college culture around me. I always believed that was a good thing. Now I'm not so sure. My mind does not memorize with the rapidity it did in my twenties. Yet, to be able to glean nuggets of truth from the Word in the original languages is worth the time and effort. I hope that learning Greek, along with the Hebrew, will be like removing cataracts from the eyes of my understanding of Scripture. Of course, that carries the weight of added responsiblity before the Lord.

Deceitful Hearts

A couple of my recent posts received spam that shocked me. I even thought, "What am I doing adding another avenue for the enemy to enter into my life?" Yet, I so enjoy the encouraging comments of some of you and like to process my thoughts through this writing format when I have the time. Then Sherry and Carol Ann gave me the steps to clean up my blog. I took those steps and feel better. Thanks, Sherry and Carol Ann! The unwanted comments have been removed permanently.
This process reminded me of James 3 where James talks about the use of our tongues and how our tongues reveal the deceitfulness of our hearts. I bless the Lord with my tongue and awhile later use it to run down someone else or to gossip, etc. This should be as shocking to me as seeing those filthy comments on my blog. Sadly, I sometimes don't even notice that the same spring in my heart gave forth both fresh and bitter water. That should not be!!! I'm asking the Lord to sensitize me to what comes out of my heart and mouth, so I can run to Him with each problem area and ask Him to remove it permanently. Hopefully those around me will greatly benefit by this.
A dear friend of mine, Janie, was recently diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. I've spent hours with her, listening to her confusion and hurt. Her life has been full of many health & emotional challenges...this is the worst. I've tried not to be a comforter like those Job had. I want to just be there and walk through this trial with her. Like Jeremiah in Jeremiah 15:18, Janie was asking God why He seemed to be so deceptive? This verse from the Complete Jewish Bible (translated by Stern) : "Why is my pain unending, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will you be for me like a deceptive wadi, which is only sometimes filled with water?" To understand this verse, you need to understand that a "wadi" is a narrow canyon or valley in Israel. Often these are full of vegetation, but dry places that could tempt you to camp there overnight or longer. That is very risky! If the rains come, these wadis are susceptible to flash flooding that could carry you away and perhaps take your life. Janie feels like Jeremiah did - that life was proceeding at its normal pace, when she all at once was hit by one of those flash floods which swept her into a chaotic, life-threatening flood stream. Her faith is being severely tested. A lot of folks in New Orleans and Mississippi are being challenged similarly these days after Katrina's devastation affected their lives. No matter what the storm & its affects in our lives, it sure adds hope to know God will walk through it all with us. He even sends others of His own to be at our sides and show that they too care.

The Smell of Fall

Louis is stacking hay bales for this coming winter. He created a new place with horse panels next to where the horses usually feed. In the meantime, I harvested the apples from our small apple trees before the bees and wasps ate too many of them and started making applesauce. It's been smoky the last couple of weeks due to forest fires around this part of Montana and over the Bitterroot Mountains in Idaho. I can smell a slight hint of burning wood. Add to that the smell of the ripening apples and the hay. My thoughts turn to September harvests, the start of Esther's school year and all that the beginning of a school year brings in schedule changes. Since I loved school, I loved this time of year from an early age. The tinge of crispness in the air somehow makes me feel more alive. This week-end, Labor Day Week-end, we will spend partly at Camp Utmost's Family Camp...whenever we are not doing something for Beth Tephila. I'll probably have more to write after that week-end. Esther partially dislocated her right shoulder in volleyball on her first day of school. Thankfully, she is fairly stoic with pain, especially if it was connected with her beloved sports. She is an athlete - not a student. Hopefully she can still enjoy the fun of camp when she is not working at SubWay this week-end.

The 14,000 day generation - Be Aware of this Jewish tradition!

Jewish tradition holds that Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the seventh month on the Jewish calendar, celebrates the anniversary of the creation of the world, a day when God takes stock of all of His Creation. Translated, Rosh HaShanah means "head of the year." Jews believe that God's judgment on this day determines the course of the coming year. That day also begins the "ten days of awe" (time of repentance) which ends on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).

I have just become aware that several Jewish writers describe a biblical pattern of three 14,000 day (38.8 Jewish years) generations, the latest of which ends exactly on Rosh HaShanah, October 4, 2005. Whether or not anything will actually happen on that day is unknown, but it is good to be aware of it. Here is some of what they present:

There were exactly 14,000 days that the Israelites wandered in the desert after receiving the Law and before they entered the Promised Land. This was due to their unbelief and rebellion.

There were exactly 14,000 days from the day Jesus entered Jerusalem until Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70. This was the rebellious generation that rejected their Messiah.

There will be exactly 14,000 days from the capture of Jerusalem in 1967 to Rosh HaShanah (Feast of Trumpets), October 4, 2005. This is the generation that rebelliously turned the Temple Mount over to the Muslims after God gave it back to them in the Six Day War. Look at the problems this has caused. I find this connection with the 2005 Feast of Trumpets both intriguing and compelling.

Thus, if the dating is correct, the three most important generations in all history are 14,000 days in length, which is 2,000 Jewish weeks (14,000 divided by 7 = 2,000).

One of these writers by the name of Garrett says, "Recently I've actually heard Jewish rabbis discussing this same time-frame...that they are under 38 years of punishment for handing the Temple Mount back to the Muslims after capturing it in 1967....Because this is being discussed in rabbinic circles, and because there is a Biblical parallel which I was led to through research and prayer, I'm starting to think that whatever is going to happen on 4 October 2005 may be a solely "Jewish" event and have nothing to do with the Church. However, if this is the beginning of Daniel's prophecy concerning the final 7 years of the "70 weeks," that would mean the "times of the Gentiles" is over and all attention will again be on Israel. It wouldn't make sense to have the Church remain with Israel taking the world spotlight - but we will have to wait and see."

It is also interesting that on the Jewish calendar, October 4, 2005 actually begins on the evening of October 3 and there is supposed to be a solar eclipse on October 3, 2005. The Muslim Ramadan begins on October 4, 2005, the same day as Rosh HaShanah. Ramadan is probably the most widespread anti-Christ observance on earth. The Jewish writers are not saying for sure that the rapture will be on October 4, 2005. But wouldn't it be nice? If not, what? Anything? It will be interesting to watch.

Ooops. One little thought. The Feast of Trumpets is a two-day feast. That is because the feast happens on the new moon, which is 29.5 days after the last one, meaning it might occur on the 29th or 30th day, nobody knows for sure. Thus, this feast is referred to by the idiom, "Of the day or hour no man knows." Sound familiar? If the rapture ever happens on the Feast of Trumpets, it will be true that no one really knew the day or hour!

The Feast of Trumpets begins with a series of over 90 trumpet blasts. The last, climactic blast is the "Teki'at Shofar", a long blast, signalling victory or good news. This last blast is referred to as "the last trump," many believe to be the trumpet referred to by Paul in describing the rapture in I Corinthians 15:52 and I Thessalonians 4:16.

Most of the above info. was sent to me by a dear friend in Alaska. The person who sent it to her, Pastor David N. Decker of Jerusalem, checked and there truly will be an annular eclipse of the sun on Oct. 3rd, mainly across central Africa, that will also be partly visible in Israel. He also checked and Rosh HaShanah starts at sundown on Oct. 3rd, which is 14,000 days after June 6, 1967. Rabbis say that in the Old Testament, 14,000 days marks a full Divine Judgement cycle. Ramadan 2005 actually begins on October 5th. If there is going to be any POSITIVE action, or shaking that day...I would expect it to be in Jerusalem, hopefully around the Temple Mount...

Alon, our room-mate at the hotel, has learned the lifestyle of the ultraorthodox Jews in order to reach them and tell them of their Messiah. He showed Louis how to don the tefillin as well as the prayer shawl...It took about 20 minutes for Louis to get it all correct. Our second date on the open afternoon of the conference, was to tour the famous Winchester mystery house. It covered several acres!! This famous house was owned by a Winchester heiress, who had bad nightmares and sought the help of a psychic back in the 1890s. The psychic told her to continue building on her house day and night as long as she lived and she would be free of the ghosts of the people killed by the Winchester rifle. She took the advise and built on her house for over 40 years...sometimes having stairways contructed with steps leading up to the ceiling or doors that opened on walls, etc. There were gorgeous stainglass windows, ornate wood inlays in the ceilings and floors, many fireplaces, atriums, you name it... along with the strangest stairs or windows or cabinets that were built to just keep building. Our photos of the fairly dark inside didn't come out, but a couple that we took out the windows did. You may have seen a TV Special that was made about this mystery house. Well, this is the end of the trip photos that I plan to share with you. This grouping was eliminated by my glitchy computer and another grouping was published a second time. I noticed it when I reviewed the blog yesterday. Hopefully it will publish "ok" today. Thanks for bearing with me.

Back to our hike and the early morning views of the Columbia River Gorge. You can see the slug, but can you find the two chipmunks in the other two photos of the trail? After our refreshing hike, Louis and I had a scrumptious breakfast of fresh salmon omelet and biscuits with blackberry jam in the Multnomah Lodge. You can see the lodge peeking through the trees on the photo of the pavement at the base of the falls. There we met Chris, a Purdue, Indiana English Professor, who was finishing on that very day, a four week bike trek of the Lewis and Clark Trail. He started at Great Falls, Montana and biked over 1000 miles to Portland. He said his companions rode on ahead after the first week or so, since he was taking his time biking and reading several books about the Lewis and Clark journey, as he went. Well, I hope this brief showing of some of our trip photos was less frustrating for you than me as I fought the disconnect problem, but enjoyed sharing a bit of our trip nonetheless.

Two more of the photos out the window, which show the formal gardens and more of the varied structures of the acres-large Winchester mansion. Our third date was a mile hike to the top of Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge just west of Portland. We started the cool, misty hike around 6:30 a.m. and saw no other hikers until we were back down on Benson Bridge at the top of the lower falls. We loved the views, like the one from the top of the falls...and watching the chipmunks along the trail bend over the grass stalks to eat the seeds on top for breakfast. All at once we noticed that we had other wildlife on the trail - slime-covered slugs! Louis lay down on the trail to capture one on this camera

Trip continued

Yes, there I am just before we boarded the "Tahoe Gal" for our scenic Lake Tahoe cruise date. The Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations' National Conference was held at the Double Tree Inn near the San Jose Airport. The grounds were beautiful and we had a comfortable room on the eighth floor, which looked over a large part of San Jose. After the first two nights, we shared the room and our breakfast of gefilte fish, matzeh, boiled eggs, banana nut bread, coffee and fruit with Alon Barak, the leader from Desert Palm Springs. He, in turn, paid for the room and a couple of our dinners. What a blessing! The leaders' wives at the UMJC conference toured the Japanese Friendship Gardens at Kelly Park in San Jose. I loved the bonsai, magnolia and the other plants not usually seen up north. The Crepe Myrtle was in bloom- a dark pink for some trees and a lighter pink for others. Koi fish and ducks were in most of the ponds. We enjoyed a delightful lunch which was placed in a bathroom caddy for each participant. There was Crystal Geyser mineral water, cashews, humus with pinenuts to be used as a dip with fresh miniature carrots, broccoli and peapods, a small croisant and 2 multi-grain crackers to eat with a couple of small cheeses. There were also larger baskets of delicious fruit and various brownies and other cookies. We were asked to get a coin out of our purse and look at the year on it. Then when it was our turn to speak, we were to say, "Who we were, where we were from, & what happened in our life in that year of our life." It was an interesting and fun way to get to know each other. ( I am still fighting my computer, which is disconnecting about every minute, so I'll continue this later.)

San Jose Trip

Do any of you recognize this Scandinavian mansion off Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe? Louis treated me to a 3 1/2 hour boat cruise on Lake Tahoe as our first date on our trip. Vikingsholm Castle, built in 1929, was the turn-around point of the cruise. Fannette Island, the site of the Vikingsholm teahouse, is Tahoe's only island and boasts several hundred-plus year old bonsai trees. Our Captain and Tour guide for the trip hung his open testimony on the "Tahoe Gal", a medium-size, Mississippi-type, paddle boat in style. Thankfully the inside restaurant was air-conditioned on this 106 degree day.

We're back to our toasty home.

Our San Jose trip was wonderful!!!! I will give the details when I get a refresher course from Sherry on how to include my digital photos on this blog. Esther kept our place from burning up in the hot, dry weather...but that old fox got our rooster and another hen. We have four hen survivors, one of which has that splinted leg. She hops around on her good leg and balances some with the splinted one. The wild birds left our netted cherry trees alone. The wasps and yellow jackets did not. They left us all the pits and a handful of ripe cherries that somehow they missed. The apricots haven't ripened yet. We are very tempted to pick them green so we, rather than the insects, get to enjoy the crop. The raspberries are ripening quickly in the 90 degree days. Some have actually made it to our freezer instead of our stomachs. We are starting to harvest a variety of lettuces, spinach, peas, green beans, beets, onions, yellow crooked-neck squash and zucchini with no competition from the critters. We love to share our produce, so if you read this and would like some, let us know.
Last week was a catch-up week and the week of Esther's teeth implant surgery. Other than some expected oozing of blood post-op, all has gone extremely well. Esther even started her new job at the Subway, with two tiny metal posts sticking through her gums in the place of her retainer's fake teeth. Permanent crowns will be attached to the posts when they begin to ossify into the bone and are therefore more stable. We are so blessed to have had a safe trip, ample harvest and a good recovery for Esther.

Weeds in my Garden

Nearly every morning I spend 3 or more hours on my knees. I know you think that implies I'm a real prayer warrier. Oh, how I wish that were true. I am learning to pray more for Louis and Esther, using Stormie's "The Power of a Praying Wife" & "The Power of a Praying Parent" as my guide...however, I am often praying and weeding in my garden or strawberry bed concurrently. Some days I am just weeding and thinking how my life is also chocked full of weeds and grass with extra deep roots. I use a dandelion digger to help me unearth those deep roots in the garden. I also like to weed when I have watered the area earlier, so the pulling comes easier. Watering my life with the Word and then confessing the sins the Holy Spirit points out certainly prevents me from becoming too jungle-like.
Now I will get more than a week's weeding break as we drive to San Jose. The cherries on our cherry trees should be ripe for picking and our raspberries will be coming on, as well, when we return. Louis and I spent much of an afternoon covering our two Bing cherry trees with netting so the Robins and Finches in our yard could only snatch the outer ripe cherries as they land or fly-by. Hopefully the rest will remain until a little over a week from now. The wasps, as usual, have shown up to eat their fill of the strawberry patch and fruit on our trees. They even eat a good portion of our apples, if we don't find their hives and spray them. This year we are checking regularly under the eaves, etc. as our cherry trees and apricot tree promise some great fruit. The enemy is likened in at least one of the Lord's parables to birds that come to nest and pick fruit. We are reminded of that parable each summer... especially as the dry, 90 degree weather speeds along the growth and ripening. Louis bought a pellet gun to practice on those pesky birds and to sting the fox that has taken such a liking to our chickens. We have two traps set for the fox, but so far have only managed to snag the leg of one of the remaining five laying hens!! Louis constructed a splint of popsicle sticks and 2x2 gauze pad and tape for that poor hen. Her desperate squawking when her leg was caught in the trap brought us all running, thinking the fox had returned and gotten another meal. The other bandits in the strawberry bed are our squirrels. Thankfully we always have enough strawberries for them, the birds, the wasps and us. Our electric fencing seems to keep the deer away. They visit our neighbors, so we still get to watch these graceful creatures without having to shoo them away from our harvests. The sheep and horses always come to beg for the grass and weeds I throw over the fencing to them. I am more motivated to keep at my task since I can weed, pray, and feed our animals all at the same time.

Tempus Fugit when you're having fun

A month has flown by since my last post. Esther & I have been back home with Louis for most of that time. We are continuing family counseling and enjoying the blessings that flow from work on our relationships. I am especially loving the "dates" that Louis and I are starting to have. Can you believe this man I married 33 years ago is selling his plasma to Biolife to have the $ to take me out on dates?!! In another 8 or 9 days we are planning to drive to San Jose, California for the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations National Conference, LORD willing. The Beth Tephila Board members decided that I should accompany Louis this year. PTL! It costs no more in transportation or for the hotel room. In fact, the LORD surprised us with a free hotel room through a friend! That will now give us the $ to eat while in the San Jose area...ie. get items from nearby grocery stores and make our own meals most of the time. I will take our digital camera along, so we can fill you in on the trip once we are back home. Esther will house- sit and take care of the animals. We are paying for her car insurance and gas $ in exchange - to her great delight. This last month has included a Beth Tephila Retreat at our home, several family and friends get-togethers over the 4th of July week-end, celebrating our 33rd wedding anniversary and Louis's --birthday by seeing the latest Star Wars movie and dining out at "Shadows Keep", numerous hours of weeding the garden and strawberry beds, dog-sitting for two different friends, and so much more. Esther continues to seek a full-time job and was just interviewed yesterday for a position at Bob Wards. In the meantime, she works part-time at the Day Care center. This is a bit rambling. I'll attribute it to the over 90 degree heat outside.
The cooler, rainy June has turned into a hot and drier July. Our pasture is just now finally turning brown. The six adult sheep are now over at Mom and Dad's pasture, while we continue to feed and prepare the remaining three lambs for market the last of July. A red fox has been boldly visiting our chickenhouse during the middle of the day. We are down to 5 laying hens and our rooster, as a result. Louis has contacted the federal trapper, who will eventually get here when he clears up a couple of wolf and bear problems. Time to give one of our extra dogs a bath and grooming before she returns to her owner tomorrow. Jan, Genny's owner, has been learning Braille in Bozeman. Her one good eye has diminishing eyesight. She hasn't been able to drive a car for about a year now. We are so thankful we can help her and that Genny is such a needed part of her daily routine now. See you around.

New Driver & Learning Love Languages

Hurrah! Esther flew through her driver's testing in 15 minutes, the day after Memorial Day. She was even complimented on her parking skills by the examiner! So Esther is proudly driving herself to Basketball Camp this week, Volleyball Camp next week..and hopefully to a summer job once her two camps are over. I'm watching to see how long her extreme carefulness and love affair with her 2000 red Pontiac Grand Am will last. Speaking about love affairs, in our counseling & reading for each session, Louis and I have found that we speak entirely different love languages. He is essentially trilingual in "Physical Touch", "Words of Affirmation", & "Quality Time". I rate conversant mainly in "Acts of Service" and don't appear to value the "Physical Touch" much at all. His other two languages I value moderately, but no where near the top as he does in expressing and receiving emotional love. No wonder we were struggling at showing each other the love we really felt & thought it wasn't returned very well. We spoke different languages which automatically created confusion and misunderstanding in our marriage. Have you read about these love languages, as Gary Chapman defined them in his 1990's book, "The Five Love Languages"? Louis would tell me as he gave me a hug, "Honey, you look great today." "I love you sooo much!" "It's wonderful that we can share this time together!" I would have taken time to make a delicious & healthy picnic lunch, driven the car since his back has been giving him sciatica and checked out the times the event was starting or lasting, etc. We are each using our primary love language and are assuming the other person is fully appreciating how much we love him/her. Multiply this by 33 years. I am wondering why Louis never "backs up" those hugs and words with completion of little tasks around the house that I asked if he could do months or years ago. I wonder if those hugs and words are meaningless since that is how they feel to me. He is wondering why he is always the initiator in holding hands or hugging, suggesting an event we can attend together, or saying those affirming words. I often catch on and respond, but never seem to think to express my love that way. We both end up feeling like the other is not really that loving of a spouse. You never speak different languages with your spouse, do you? Maybe "giving gifts" is one of your languages. That is not high on either Louis or my expression list. Anyway, we are learning these things now and starting to attempt speaking each other's languages. Stay tuned.

Your Suzie Homemaker Tip of the Day

When we were first given a computer by friends who upgraded theirs, I would read all the e-mail chatter. You know, the warm-fuzzy stories, the scary potential harmful things we ate, drank or wear, and all the tips. After several months I decided I didn't have time for all of these e-mails, which tended to recycle through in slightly different formats. Now, once-in-a-while a tip does catch my attention as worth the reading and implementing in my life. Here is one of them, which I will quote:
I had a wonderful morning, the heating unit went out on my dryer! Why does everything seem to fall apart this time of year!?? The guy that fixes things went into the dryer & pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. We always clean the lint from the filter after every load of clothes. He told us that he wanted to show us something. He took the filter over to the sink & ran hot water over it. Now, the lint filter is made of a mesh material - I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. WELL... the hot water just sat on top of the mesh!!! It didn't go through it at all!!!
He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh & that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (& to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out & wash it with hot soapy water & an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about that??!! Learn something new everyday! I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that. So, I thought I'd share. Note: I went to my dryer & tested my screen by running water on it. The water ran through a little bit but mostly collected all the water in the mesh screen. I washed it with warm soapy water & a nylon brush & had it done in 30 seconds. Then when I rinsed it the water ran right through the screen! There wasn't any puddling at all! That repair man knew what he was talking about.

Brokenness re-visited

The grammar errors in my last post and jumbling of two separate columns in the quote portion reflected my last month quite well. I am glad to get back into communication mode and am willing to try again to be more understandable. Here's that quote again:

Continuum of "Togetherness" (Self- Reliance)

Human Experience -
The normative human experience is success and happiness. Hurt, pain, loss are aberrations which need to be accounted for.

Continuum of "Brokenness" (Reliance on Christ Alone)

Human Experience - Brokenness and tragedy are normative to human existence; suffering, pain, unexpected trauma, and death are the basic givens of life as we know it. Joy, love, justice and peace are aberrations which need to be accounted for. (Note Job 5: 6,7 and 19:7 - Those who are engaged in a battlepoint experience may more easily grasp this truth.)

GOD (Self-Reliance) -
God is the keeper of the "joy gate". He guarantees a certain measure of happiness and success for the faithful. He wants us to be happy and provides the righteous with gifts to keep their lives happy. He brings judgment on the unrighteous. Dark and tragic circumstances represent the absence of God. God shuns sin and chaos.

GOD (Brokenness) -
God enters into the brokenness of life to be "with us" in our suffering and pain. God wants to lead us through brokenness into His way of healing and newness of life (Christ-generated togetherness). Dark and tragic circumstances signal the presence of God with the wounded and powerless.

The Process (Self-Reliance) -
Through a good heritage, education, behavior modification, methodology, goal-oriented striving and religious activity, one develops a culturally acceptable, even admirable, character and lifestyle.

The Process (Brokenness) -
Through failure, pain, disappointment and loss that strip one of the illusions of natural and cultural acceptability, one turns to Christ and experiences His gracious love and acceptance. This undeserved favor teaches and develops a strong faith, an inherent humility and godly lifestyle.

Ministry (Self-Reliance)-
Tragic moments within the continuum of success and togetherness need to be fought and wrestled back into normalcy. Emphasize the positive (formulas, activities and disciplines are instruments of recovery.) Get people back into joy as soon as possible.

Ministry (Brokenness) -
Be compassionate even as our Heavenly Father is compassionate. Be with the wounded and broken in their suffering as a sign of the presence of God. Emphasize the reality of evil and the accompanying reality of God's presence. Weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice.

Witness (Self-Reliance) -
A demonstration of the benefits of righteous living: health, wealth, success and having it together. Shiny people are God's best advertisement. Problems represent a lack of faith and unfaithfulness and are a betrayal of God's purposes.

Witness (Brokenness) -
A demonstration of the power of the life of God to bring healing and newness in the face of sin and death. Broken people who experience God's presence are salt and light. Problems represent the context where God accomplishes His redemptive purposes.

Bless you for reading through this again. May God use it in your life.