Communication

Communication. I have a degree in it. I'm writing blog number 425 today. I am a professional at using words, expressing thoughts, feelings, emotions, concepts and lots of blah, blah, blah. (picture Snoopy on top of his dog house with a message cloud overhead). Blah. Blah. Blah!

I should be a good communicator. But I'm not, especially with my husband. I'm working on that, but I'm not changing fast enough. Married for almost 45 years and I'm still struggling with the same weaknesses. I process my thoughts too long before I say them. What should be a good thing, turns out to be a negative for me.

Somehow I grew up saying what I thought someone wanted to hear. Often enough that it became a habit I find very difficult to break. That doesn't mean I never say anything quickly or out of anger. I do that, too. I'm a problem. I try to make people laugh with a quick response and I end up hurting my loved ones. How ironic, I'm a communicator who can't communicate well.

"The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful," (Proverbs 12:22 NIV).

The Bible is full of good advice for communicators. Proverbs 12 in The Message offers many key words of advice:

"The words of the wicked kill; the speech of the upright saves,";

"Well-spoken words bring satisfaction;";

"Truthful witness by a good person clears the air, but liars lay down a smoke screen of deceit,";

"Rash language cuts and maims, but there is healing in the words of the wise,";

"Truth lasts; lies are here today, gone tomorrow,"

"God can't stomach liars; he loves the company of those who keep their word," (Proverbs 12, MSG).

 Lord, I'm convicted. Help me to speak truth in all that I say or type.

Note to self: Words hold great power; use with great care.

The Comfort of God

God woke me up early this morning. Two minutes before the alarm was set to go off. I love how He is always with me, guiding me, surprising me, comforting me. He knew I had a blog to write and He is ready to help. Praise be to God!

I had a lot of 'stuff'' on my calendar this week and was feeling sort of anxious about it all, though I didn't realize it until now. In my old age I don't really like to have more than one thing on my agenda each day - meaning something I have to get out and do. Water aerobics doesn't count because there is no makeup or nice apparel needed.

I'll admit it. I'm a homebody. I'm happy any day I can stay in the house and do whatever it is I feel like doing. But, somehow my calendar gets filled in with appointments and commitments and before long I feel like I'm on the go all day long.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God," (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV).

I appreciate these verses and the assurance of God's comfort. I think God comforts me in my little "too busy" anxiety as well as He comforts those who are hurting or worried or overwhelmed. But look at the verses again. He comforts us so we can comfort others in the same way. We are not to stop at the point we are comforted, but we are to go forth and comfort one another.

So how do I do that today? A smile is comforting to someone who is having a bad day. A hug to a friend can lift a broken heart. A phone call to the lonely brings a blessing. A letter to a distant friend can brighten the day. A quiet conversation consisting mostly of listening is a real comfort. And I know you can think of more ways to share the comfort God gives you. Who can you comfort today?

Comfort received sparks comfort given.

The Labor of Homemade Noodles

I have a precious little notecard written in my Mama's penmanship. It is inside a plastic pocket so it can't get kitchen dirt all over it. It is her recipe for homemade Noodles. (Her noodles deserved a capital 'N'.) The best part is up in the top right corner she wrote, "Mom".

Homemade Noodles

There are only four ingredients: egg yolks, flour, salt and warm water. You would think this would be the easiest recipe I have. How can you go wrong with four ingredients? Believe me, you can! Because it is all in the labor it takes to make the noodles.

I believe it was as Paul described: "Your labor prompted by love," (1 Thessalonians 1:3b NIV). Mama's noodles were always made with love for her family or guests.

I've had 45 years to practice her recipe. The first 10 years I was too intimidated to try, then when I did try the result was not "Mama's noodles". It is easy enough to mix the ingredients in spite of the amounts being a little nondescript (1/2 cup warm water or less). It is the process that is tricky. "Knead until smooth. Roll very thin. Let dry and cut." It is the 'very' that got me from the beginning. It took me several years of trying to find out she actually meant "paper-thin". Almost. How much do you knead? How smooth? How thin? How dry? Cut how? I only knew the answer to one of those questions because I watched her cut the noodles hundreds of times in my life. But all the others I just had to try and fail and try and fail and finally got close enough to serve to my family. I'm getting closer to "Mama's noodles" every time I make them. It is all about the labor involved.

Rolling out the noodles requires arm strength and patience. I roll the noodles out, then keep rolling until I think they can't get any thinner, then roll some more. This is just the way my mother did noodles. I'm sure everyone who had a mother that made noodles has a different version.

"Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you," (1 Thessalonians 2:9 NIV).

I'm sure Mama made noodles so often because they were cheap to make. She usually had chickens to provide the eggs. She would make an angel food cake which used the egg whites and have the yolks for noodles. They went together because nothing got wasted in her lifetime.

I've lived 20 years without my Mama, and I can't forget her labor. Thank you to all the mothers who labor with love for their family; you are appreciated. Thank you to all the dads who labor tirelessly for their families; you are amazing. And to everyone who works, may you always work with love as the goal. God bless laborers today and always.

Goodbye August

Another August is ready to pass. Goodbye days of lazy summer, sun tea from the porch, the fragrance of freshly mowed grass, the bang of the screen door, sailboats on the lake, and playtime on the beach.
The days of scorching hot baseball games have been replaced by cool football nights. Sweet corn stands will soon be pumpkin wagons.

Old Faithful

The end of August reminds me of all the month's activities and memories made. What a blessing it is to look back on good times, new experiences, and love that was shared.

Solomon reflected on his life in the book of Ecclesiastes. He wrote about his personal experiences and those he observed. He wrote about searching for happiness, the emptiness of wealth and success, the rewards of work, the certainty of death, and where to find true wisdom. He considers all that he saw and heard and learned and he shares this revelation.

"I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all," (Ecclesiastes 9:11 NIV)

Life isn't perfect. No one's is. There are stumbling spots and rotten apples, confusing turmoils and great kite-flying days. There are losses and surpluses, highlights and hindsights, routines and shambles. Saturday morning starts a new month, a clean slate (is it isn't already filled in), a new period of your life. Take time to plan for the month and consider your goals, God's purpose for you, and His direction for your life. With God. Whatever your goals, include God. Solomon discovered how important God's presence was in his life. We can, too.

Joyful Praises To God

Good Morning, Jesus! My mind is swimming in all of the beauty of nature that we experienced in Wyoming last week. And I'm just beginning to sort through more than 400 photos. We especially cherish the sightings of bison, antelope, and moose because they are so unusual to us. I'm sure Wyoming natives get frustrated with the vacationers who line the road or slow down to observe what is rare to us.

The Grand Teton

That is kind of the same with Christians. Coming to know Jesus can be such an exciting time. New Christians are full of joy and delight and can't wait to share what they have learned with others! But what about us native Christians? Shouldn't we also feel that exhilaration of knowing that Jesus Christ is our Savior! Yes, we should. I'm speaking to myself here. I fail to show that joy and thrill of knowing Jesus, I'm sure.  The depression that still weighs me down seems to temper my joy.

That's what I love about vacations in nature. I love the stimulation I receive from God's beauty. I feel so close to God when I see and feel His amazing Creation! The grandeur of mountains, the uniqueness of areas, the tree-lined roads, the wildlife, the waterfalls, the power of rushing streams over rounded rocks resulting in cascades of white water. It seems so clear to me that God created volcanos and earthquakes and exploding power of geysers and melting pots of mud that have turned the Wyoming landscape into treasured areas of tourism.

So for today, I'm sharing Psalm 67, so we can all lift our hearts and voices up to God in praise and joy, each day.

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. Then the land will yield its harvest, and God , our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him," (Psalm 67 NIV).
Amen.

My Father's World

One song that we often sang in youth group when I was a teen and also in church was, "This Is My Father's World". The words are etched in my brain's archives, even though it has been many years since I sang it last. We just returned from enjoying more of the beauty of my Father's world - thus the late publish of this blog.

John and I have been very blessed to be able to travel around this great country, mostly since we have been empty nesters. Sorry sons. We love the National Parks, especially. So this year we are traveling to Wyoming to see Yellowstone and The Grand Teton. Of course, my camera is in tow so I can fill more picture albums. Though the family doesn't seem to enjoy the pictures very much, John and I love looking back through them and trying to remember the experiences we enjoyed.

Taken 7-19-18 looking east from Grimes at Bondurant tornado.

Sing along, if you remember: "This is my Father's world, And to my listening ears All nature sings, and round me rings The music of the spheres. This is my Father's world: I rest me in the thought Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas--His hand the wonders wrought. This is my Father's world, The birds their carols raise, The morning light, the lily white, Declare their Maker's praise. This is my Father's world: He shines in all that's fair; In the rustling grass I hear Him pass, He speaks to me everywhere. This is my Father's world, O let me ne'er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet. This is my Father's world: Why should my heart be sad? The Lord is King: let the heavens ring! God reigns: let earth be glad! A-men." Written by Maltbie D. Babcock in 1901 and Franklin L. Sheppard, 1915, I imagine they felt just as John and I do when we view the wonderful glory of the Lord in God's Nature.

You don't have to travel to experience the beauty of God's World of nature. I watched the above cloud formation all the way from Boone to Grimes that afternoon and wanted to catch it with the field corn in front. Our son's acreage provided the perfect setting as I took the photo above. Only after I arrived home did I hear about the tornado warnings and this cloud seemed to be in the right place at the right time to be the Bondurant tornado. We later watched the news with horror as other tornados ravaged Marshalltown, Pella, and rural areas in Iowa. Beauty sometimes holds even greater power than when it touches our hearts.

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "You God reigns!" (Isaiah 52:7 NIV).

Frustration With Myself

Have you ever made a note to yourself and then weeks or months later found the note and realized that you didn't follow-through with whatever you had written down. I just did. Post-it notes are really helpful if you read them. I don't know how many times I've cleared off my computer screen notes because I wasn't even noticing them anymore.

I'm ashamed to say that on June 22, shortly after attending the Cedar Falls Christian Writers Workshop, I made a note to myself to submit one freelance article a month. Then I listed the months and here it is the end of August and I haven't written one solitary article. So much for holding myself accountable.

When I read the devotional from Jesus Calling for August 20 I realized that I didn't back up my list with prayer. How foolish! The author, Sarah Young, says, "there is more--much more--available to those who ask." She is talking about asking God for what we want.

"You do not have, because you do not ask God," (James 4:2c NIV).

Had I asked, God would have helped me make time to write and would have given me the topic and even the place to send the article. But, I didn't take time to stop and pray about it.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened," (Matthew 7:7-8 NIV).

Forgive me, Lord, for thinking I could do anything without You. Nothing I do on my own will be a success. Thank you for reminding me that, "I need Thee every hour...I need Thee, O I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee; O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee!" ("I Need Thee Every Hour" by Annie S. Hawks and Robert Lowry, in 1872.