The Post Turtle

A friend got a funny email the other day.  

"While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75 year old rancher, who's hand was caught in the gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man.  Eventually the topic got around to Obama and his bid to be our president. 

The old rancher said, "Well, ya know, Obama is a "Post Turtle".

Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a "post turtle" was.

The old rancher said, "When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a "post turtle".

The old rancher saw the puzzled look on the doctor's face so he continued to explain.  "You know he didn't get up there by himself, he doesn't belong up there, and he doesn't know what to do while he's up there, and you just wonder what kind of idiot put him up there in the first place".

I like that story.  I had heard it before, particularly about Jimmy Carter.  I just wonder how this presidency will be viewed by future generations.  I think that whatever you may think about President Bush, he at least had the courage of his convictions.  Remember that there were a lot of people who referred to Abraham Lincoln as Satan and hated him.  Now he is regarded as one of the greatest presidents in the history of the U.S.  The liberal media hated Ronald Reagan and his policies and when he died even they had to admit that his presidency was one of the most effective in recent history.  Food for thought.

We are on the countdown to the end of the school year.  I am particularly looking forward to the end of this year.  There has been so much turmoil and even though the kids are somewhat immune to it, some of it has to trickle down to them.  I think that when we come back in the fall some of the most dissatisfied employees will be gone because of their work ethic.  I is popular around here to gripe and gripe and never realize that some of the trials you are facing are of your own making.  That is the nature of the sinful world though and with all of the trials that my church has gone through, it happens in the body as well.  I see in that situation that God surely did work it out and now there is a vitality and love there that wasn't there before.  I believe that our school, even though a secular entity is undergoing the same thing.  God is doing some weeding so that the flowers can get the water instead of the weeds.  

Till next time...

Stuff

I don't really have a specific topic to talk about this time. I just wanted to blog tonight! I am at a library conference for a couple of days. I learned about repairing books today and LOVED it. When I got here and went to get my breakfast this morning, I ran into my MOM! She is here for the workshops too. She works in a little public library so they paid for her to come too. That was a fun surprise. We did the same workshops today and then went out for supper. I invited her to spend the night with me here in the motel but she didn't pack so drove home for the night and will be back tomorrow. You know how it is, no clothes for tomorrow, no makeup (HORRORS), etc. I am a little concerned about getting home tomorrow evening. There is supposed to be a BIG storm moving in with lots of snow. I hope that I can make it home! I was looking forward to this night away from home and being by myself for the one night but I really miss my men! I won't get to snuggle with my 7 year old before bedtime. I will be glad to get home to them again. I am so glad to have been able to come to this conference though. This particular conference has a lot of very valuable workshops. Last year I made the connection with the staff of the Colorado Rural Partnership for the Library of Congress. Do you know how many FREE historical resources you can get from their website???! I was absolutely fascinated. We did a staff development at our school on it. It was so much fun. This year the book repair workshop is the one that was worth the price of admission. And there is always a workshop on "What Teens Read" (learning the secrets of the teenage mind...WOW). It does help to have a little guidance with that. And with the advent of the Twilight series, it is all about the vampires. I read an article in Newsweek, though that vampires are on the way out and zombies will be the new monster wave. HELLO! I don't think so! Do you think that teenage girls will develop a crush on a ZOMBIE?! Have you SEEN zombies? Let's compare them to What's His Name from Twilight. (And by the way I am going to try to read the series again)

I love this wireless internet connection at this motel! Can you tell I'm a hick? This is a first for me! What a year it's been for me! I learned to blog, to make my own webpage for the school, to connect and use a wireless connection for the laptop, to use an MP3 player to download and listen to BOOKS, planned and executed a staff development day, WOW! I am amazed! I never knew I could do all of that stuff!

And after that upbeat note, this has been sort of a difficult couple of weeks for me. Some slanderous accusations have been made against my sister at work and I have been angry with the person who made the false accusations and with the person who goaded him into it. I know that it is not a personal offense against me but is against her. She has the right attitude, i.e. that everything that happens is for her good and God's glory so no matter what happens it can never be bad for us. She is so right! What a blessing she is to me, the angry girl. Every one is so stirred up at work about different things that are happening right now but I know that it is ALL for my good and God's glory, and for the good of the children who attend school there. God is good to us!

Till next time...

Happy Birthday (the Joy of Reconciliation)

Today would have been my dad's 72nd birthday. Or as he would have said, "the 43rd anniversary of my 29th birthday". My dad was raised by a crusty old German who had a lot of trouble getting along with people. My grandpa and siblings spent most of their adult lives feuding with each other. He knew one way to deal with misbehavior and that was with a strong cuff to the face or head. My dad loathed his dad. He spent most of his life trying to be the opposite of Grandpa. Usually though, the older we become the more like that person we become and that was true of my dad, at least on the surface. He always talked about how foolish my grandpa was when it came to the management of his cowherd. Grandpa would sell all of his best cows because he made more money from them and keep the culls. It took my dad years to build his herd back into one to be proud of. But as he neared the end of his life, in his desperation to make ranching work for him, he did the same thing. My dad could also hold a grudge along with the most stubborn of Germans!

There were a lot of things my dad did while I was growing up and on into adulthood that offended me. I was angry with him for so many years. We had many confrontations and for several years our meetings were filled with tension and anger just below the surface. I always felt that he never loved me enough. I resented that and when he divorced my mother I was so angry with him. I always felt that my behavior and actions were judged very harshly and here he had broken up our family! I even had nightmares about the situation and in my dreams I unleashed all of my anger in violence and retribution.

I am so very thankful that God convicted me to persevere in that relationship. I used to wish for a different dad, one who was a Christian. I came to realize that just being raised in a Christian family doesn't mean that you had a happy childhood. I had a dear friend whose children blamed him for so much that had gone wrong in their family. He was in the second half of his life when I met him and I saw first hand the regret he felt for those relationships. I watched him and saw how he tried to make up for past sins and saw his children's refusal to forgive him and God used that to convict my heart not to give up on my dad.

The day my daddy died was a beautiful fall day. He was riding on the fender of his beloved John Deere tractor while a friend drove it. The tractor was about 35 years old (Daddy bought it new) and kept slipping out of gear. It slipped out of gear that day and my dad slipped off the fender. His friend grabbed him but my dad slipped from his grasp and fell in front of the tire of the tractor. The tractor slipped back into gear and then ran over him. We all made it to the hospital and watched Dad pass from this life. God blessed that day and that time for me because all of the anger and bitterness were gone and the prayer in my heart was one of thanksgiving to God for having given me this dad and for the fact that we were truly reconciled at his death.

The bible says that if you refuse to forgive your brother here on earth our Father will not forgive you. This is a serious thing. You may say that you have forgiven someone but if you refuse to be in the same room as that person or refuse to speak to that person, you haven't forgiven them. I deal with this in my own life all of the time. I'm as good at denial as anyone. "But he did this, I have a right to be angry", "He didn't ask me to forgive him, therefore I don't have to", "He isn't a Christian, I don't have to forgive him". Guess what....none of those excuses will cut any ice. They may massage your lying heart but you'll still have to answer for your hard heart! May He always convict my hard heart and bring me to "the joy of reconciliation".

Till next time...

My New Niece!

My father in law and his wife dropped for a SHORT visit last night. The are over the road truckers and manage to slide in for supper or lunch every once in a while. While they were here my mother in law mentioned my sister in law's new daughter from China and that they have a blog about all of their adventures adopting their new daughter. Her name is Madison and she is BEAUTIFUL. It makes my heart yearn to go and see them so that I can meet her. What a blessing! At first they had planned on adopting an infant but the longer they waited the more the Lord convicted their hearts that they should adopt an older child since they may not be adopted after the age of 14 in China and they must leave the orphanage at that age. They knew that they wanted a girl since girls are held as valueless in China. After they made that decision it is amazing how quickly the adoption went through. Now they are adjusting to life with each other. It was truly a blessing to me to read about this wonderful story. The blog which touched my heart the very most is the one in which my sister in law describes visiting the place where Madison was abandoned as a baby. Lori describes her feelings as a mother as she imagined a young mother leaving a baby she knew she couldn't care for in a place where she hoped someone would find her. What a touching and wonderful testament to the power and will of God. Just think, when this tiny baby was born, God had already provided the perfect parents, sister and brother for her! You can read all about it at http://hollandadoption2009.blogspot.com . I think it will bless you as it did me!

Till next time...

More on The Providence of God

The Heidelberg Catechism, Question #1: What is thy only comfort in life and in death?

That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who with His precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins, and redeemed me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me, that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must work together for my salvation. Wherefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily willing and ready henceforth to live unto Him.

Question#27: What dost thou understand by the providence of God?:

The almighty, everywhere present power of God, whereby, as it were by His hand, he upholds heaven and earth with all creatures, and so governs them that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, yea, all things come not by chance, but by His Fatherly hand.

Question #28: What does it profit us to know that God created, and by His providence upholds all things?

That we may be patient in adversity, thankful in prosperity, and for what is future have good confidence in our faithful God and Father, that no creature shall separate us from His love, since all creatures are so in His hand, that without His will they cannot so much as move.

'NUFF SAID!

Till next time...

Chain Letters

Have you seen them? I'm sure if you have an email account you have. Those ubiquitous chain letters. You know what I'm talking about...the ones that say, "If you love Jesus, send this to everyone you know in 5 minutes and great things will happen for you! If you don't send it you are ashamed of Him! Where do you stand? Where do I stand? Well, I sent this on, didn't I? And by the way, send it back to me too!"

Some of those emails do make me think, until I get to the part about sending them to whatever the number of friends happens to be and then I just push the delete button! But then of course there is always that little niggle of doubt at the back of my mind, asking me, "Don't you love the Lord?" Then that part of my brain that is not ruled by guilt and self-doubt kicks in and I delete the dumb thing anyway.

So if I delete the email, does it mean that I am not a Christian? I have thought a lot about this question. When I see someone who has that little bracelet (WWJD), when I see someone with the little fish symbol on the back of their car, when I see that tattoo with the bible verse on it, I think about these things. Are those things inherently wrong? No, I don't think so but it is a lot easier to do those things than it is to live out the things that Jesus has asked us to do in the Gospel. "If you do not forgive your brothers on earth, my Father in heaven will not forgive you." Well, I don't know about you but in my sinful nature, I would a whole lot rather wear a WWJD bracelet than admit that I refuse to forgive someone. What, me wrong?! You mean that I am a sinner and need to repent?! My holier than thou attitude is WRONG?! But wait, I have a little tattoo that says, "(insert your bible verse here)".

I have seen this played out in my life at work A LOT during the course of the past couple of years. People who attend church on a regular basis, proclaim this Christianity and regularly send me these emails have made a practice of complaining about the administration we have there. I have been guilty of complaining about some of the decisions made as well. I have to admit that I was not a happy camper when I had to move 2 libraries into one room in half of a modular. I was not happy about purging a collection it had taken years to build so that it would fit. But now through the grace of God, I see that these decisions were for the good of the whole school community (we needed the classroom space for core curriculum, they moved me into the modular that was the newest and in the best shape, and because of the budget problems we are encountering now!) Where was my faith when I was first told about the move? All along God used those decisions for the good of my family especially (I got paid to move the libraries and reshelve the books and I got a big salary increase). It is easy to go to church every Sunday compared to submitting to God when I think I know better. But that is how God brings us to maturity (perfection), by sending those trials. I have peace at work now because I trust in Him more than I did before.

It would have been easier for my pastor to forward a bunch of meaningless emails than to forgive those who so despitefully used him in the past several years. But through my loving and faithful savior, my pastor kept preaching loving kindness, patience, long suffering and forgiveness. God used all of that in my life to root out a sin I had been holding onto for far too long. I FINALLY wrote my sister a letter and asked her to forgive me for my proud and haughty spirit. I didn't want to do it very badly. But God, through that faithful example and the faithful preaching of the Word, just kept convicting my heart about my own stubbornness in the area of forgiveness. I got a letter from my sister yesterday. She FORGAVE me and expressed her thankfulness and love for me. My heart is full of thankfulness to God that He, in His infinite love and mercy, softened my heart instead of hardening it. That He caused my sister to forgive me instead of (as I deserved) deciding to punish me.

So, if you send me one of those emails, just know that I will probably delete it. I read them first but you won't be getting it back. Yes, it is hard to live life on the basis of doing what Jesus has asked me to do but the reward is infinitely more than that small feeling of satisfaction of pushing the forward button.

Till next time...

The Providence of God

I have been thinking a lot about the Providence of God this week. It seems that whenever we feel that things are going "our" way we are so thankful for God's providence. Then when things start to "go against" us it either a boss who's done it, or bad circumstances or whatever other thing we can come up with to keep from admitting that we are rebelling against God. I do that all of the time. It is so easy for me to see the providence of a loving and faithful god in other's lives but not in my own circumstances. It is easy for me to see the working of God when it is after the fact but so very, very hard when I am in the middle of the tests the Lord sends me. It seems so simple to see when I am outside looking in at someone else's trials. I always know just what they should do! But of course MY situation is different and is SO much harder than everyone's! I appreciate those sermons and bible studies that show me once again that God's will is perfect and that I can rest in Him.

Several other things have struck me in the past couple of weeks. Providentially, we now have a grandson and a new son-in-law. They are WONDERFUL. My daughter ROCKS as a wife and mother. Her house is immaculate! (Mine NEVER was after the children started coming) My grandson is always clean, full and is growing by leaps and bounds. But....whenever I tell people that my sweet daughter got married in August and had a baby in January, they behave as if this is the WORST decision that she could have made. Several of my coworkers have shared with me that they have taken their college age daughters to get them on the pill, or told them to be sure and buy a box of condoms if they can't resist. I am not saying that it was not a shock when we were informed that we were going to be grandparents but here's the deal... My daughter wouldn't have had to tell us anything, her husband could have just walked away from the whole situation and no one would have been the wiser. They both handled the situation with maturity and grace and showed patience and longsuffering with her parents. God has use the whole situation to bring about a great deal of reconciliation among family members. This has all shown me that God's perfect plan is PERFECT, ALWAYS! God's ways are not man's ways. Praise be to God. (Plus we got a BABY out of the deal!!!!!)

Another note on the faith of children: Our youngest son and I were on the way to school the day before yesterday (March 12) and we were talking about how fierce the wind has been here for the past week or so. He said that the wind was good for the neighbors' windmills and I told him that we really did need to pray for rain, snow or some sort of moisture because the grass is so dry and we need it to grow and we need to pray that the fire danger would go down. Last night at supper, when he finished his supper prayer and said amen, he told us to wait a minute and began a new prayer. This is how it went, "Dear God, Please send us some rain tomorrow". This morning he got up, saw the snow covering the ground and came to me and said, "Look Mom, it snowed last night! Isn't it good I prayed that prayer last night?!"

My prayer: Dear God, please increase my faith so that it is the faith of a little child. Grant that I would trust in you for all things. Thy will be done. Thank you for your many blessings!

Till next time...