Finishing Well (by Judy)

Today I met with the head of the school where I have worked for 31 years, and we agreed that he would announce my retirement at a meeting in a few days. Gulp! This moment which I have anticipated for years is almost here. The fact that the announcement is entirely at my initiative does nothing to take away the wobblies – nor does the statement from almost everyone I know that I will love retirement and never look back. Though he did hold out the possibility of my working on the farm during the growing season, the fact is, my life is going to dramatically change – and I want to consider the implications in Christian terms.

The Bible is filled with people who went through transitions, often having to do with growing older and failing to end well. Many of them had years of faithful service, but as they grew older they gradually derailed spiritually, or had one major breakdown which destroyed all their years of effort. We see the same pattern today – politicians, movie stars, sports heroes like Joe Paterno who died yesterday. Decades of accolades washed away in the final moments of life. Shakespeare got it right - "The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.” And he even titled a play, “All’s Well that Ends Well.”

Last summer I visited my daughter in New York City, and as we wandered the Greenwich Village streets, we came upon a small store selling one unique product – salt. Their shelves were filled with salts of all colors, and flavors, mined or filtered from mountains and oceans around the world. But they had one unifying quality – they were “finishing salts” – not something to be added, blended and diluted during the cooking process, but a wonderful seasoning to be added at the end – bringing out the best in the dish being prepared, and adding a unique richness. The dish would be diminished without the finishing salt’s transformative presence.

That’s what I want to be – a finishing salt! I know that to accomplish such a final purpose, I must start and end with God. I know that His strength is made perfect in my weakness, and I am promised that I can do all things in Him who strengthens me. What an encouragement to the faithful as we grow older. I was talking about this with my Bible study leader last week, and she said it is important in retirement to “be” – to allow oneself time to meditate, to dwell in the holy place – and not to feel a compulsion to remain busy and constantly outwardly fruitful. Wise words. I am sure I will hear many more. As always, the Bible says it best: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”

God's Work in Progess by Carolyn

Shocking! I am humbled by the power of God to make old things new; to refresh and renew what was stale and old and ready for the trash. Today is a day for praise and thanksgiving and I am so motivated to share my joy. And yet, I wait in awesome wonder anticpating what God will do.

I have a sister-in-law who had given up. She didn't care whether she lived or died. She was bitter, hurt, despondent and unable to function. Her dear, precious, son due to circumstances beyond his control, drank himself to death at age 34. One night, after months of drinking herself into sleepy numbness, she awakened and could not move her legs. My brother called the ambulance and they admitted her to the psychiatric unit at the local hospital where she stayed for 10 days.

God's angels in the form of a husband who loved her, counselors, AA, social workers, nurses, doctors and a team of people, family and friends who cared for her, brought her back from the abyss. All those angels and God Himself turned her around and pointed her in the RIGHT direction. She now has a will to live that is nothing short of miraculous.

My daughter-in-law had a lost childhood. It couldn't be found. For years she knew something was missing, but she didn't know what. She had been robbed of her sense of worth and well being. But nothing is impossible with God. Though she doesn't know it was God Himself who found the pieces for her and gave them to her, she will one day. I have no doubt.

Two women who have been transformed by the power of God. Two women who once were lost but by God's grace are being found! One day they will know and acknowledge their Savior. One day not only will their eyes be opened to their new lives, but to the One and ONLY God who can renew life and bring people back from the dead. They will discover they have been born again. I know it. One day, they will know it too. In the meantime, how I praise my Lord and Savior for His love and compassion on my family!

Where Do We Go From Here?

January 1, 2012.

"Ring the bell
It's a glorious sound
People gather round
And start to cheer
And the cheer starts to swell.
If you like taking a bow,
Then you've got to know how
To ring the bell."

Written by Jimmy Van Huesan and Johnny Burke

At my age, I wasn't awake to ring-a-ding-ding at midnight last night. I was awake at 5 a.m. this morning to see a news report of millions of people in Times Square ringing bells, hootin' and hollerin', cheering, waving, kissing and watching the ball drop. 'What a party!' I thought. Wow.

From the air, high above Times Square, they looked like one giant person moving in unison, like the waves you see at football games. They were definitely one in spirit. Would you like to be in Times Square at midnight on New Year's Eve like so many people do? How did you celebrate New Year's Eve 2012?

We were very blessed to be with my coffeepotgospel, bosom buddy, Judy and her husband. They have had a New Year's Eve party every year since 1973 only missing twice. For the last two years, at popular request, they've held their party from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. so we could all go home and sleep! There were old friends gathered there, new friends, neighbors, acquaintances, and folks I had never met. Throughout the evening there must have been about 50 people coming and going. We gathered around the buffet table filling our plates with the bounty provided. We massed in the kitchen all talking at once. Some chose to sit in the living room talking quietly with one another. I thought to myself, 'What a party!' Wow.

From the ground, in Judy's living room, family room and kitchen, faces shimmered with light; faces of love and good will, some faces now lined with the wisdom, individuals whose lives might vary enormously from my own, but people reaching out, reminiscing, laughing, and occasionally, thoughtfully wondering what 2012 will bring.

Sharply at 9, a dear friend began clanging on a glass, calling everyone to attention to announce there would be an "after party" party in the garage! Jack and Judy were stunned! Some of us were stunned too. How would we stay awake? We were told there would be plenty of pebbles to throw at Judy and Jack's bedroom windows to keep them up. But who would throw them if we were all asleep on the garage floor snuggled under our tablecoth blankies? There was a collective sigh of relief as we figured out this was good humored teasing that we aren't getting any younger! We were all one in spirit as we thanked our hosts for another happy, successful New Year's Eve, for their kindness, generosity and love.

Where do we go from here? Some went to their own after parties. Some went to bed. What about 2012? I don't know about everyone else, but I will find my way in faith in God. I know that He has plans for me, plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future. And you know what? He has the very same plans for YOU! Happy New Year Everyone! May 2012 be filled with every good thing!

"Who knows where the time goes?" (by Judy)

Oh my goodness – where has the time gone? Isn’t that a constant refrain, especially as we grow older - though Judy Collins asked the question in the title in the 1970s. I say this first because it has been 1 month since Carolyn posted her last blog, and our agreement is that we will rotate responsibility, trying to post once a week. Sigh. No excuses worth typing. But such a disgraceful lag on my part has given me the subject – how we spend our time.

I am part of a prayer group, and once a week we gather to honor our Lord with words of adoration. We also confess those sins we are able to speak out loud. We thank God for His bountiful blessings, which is always the easiest part of this time together. And finally we offer prayers of supplication for individuals, groups, our nation and the world. Though there are many common themes, one of the most consistent, I type with chagrin, is confession that we do not give God our first fruits. We fit Him in during chaotic days and nights where with exhaustion we fall into a deep sleep. He is not our All in All, but too often our Sometimes, When Convenient.

This disgraceful inattention to the most important matter in my life was brought home as I walked home from grocery shopping one day recently. I passed the beautiful church across the street, and saw a placard advertising a new service on Sundays. The words shocked me, and caused me to lament anew our worldly priorities. Honoring God once a week, setting aside a day of Sabbath rest, is not only a commandment, but a timetable that God modeled for us in the Book of Genesis. The first bullet point, best marketing position, says it all: the promise of a half hour service. In and out, on your way. I love you, Lord. Now time to play.

The familiar hymn “Crown Him with Many Crowns” sings, “Crown him the Lord of Years, the Potentate of Time….” Psalm 31 says, “My times are in your hands.” A concordance provides many other references to God’s time. This blog entry is more a rueful meditation on how I spend my time, and what my priorities are. There is one thing I know – every time I sit down, set aside the world and listen to God, I am blessed beyond words. My thanksgiving is that I still have Today!

"Are you kidding me? Bible study? No way. Not going to happen. Nope. Not now, maybe never." That was my first response when a friend invited me to Bible Study Fellowship, an international Bible study organization. http://www.bsfconnection.org/. When I hung up the phone I thought to myself, 'Why would I want to go and listen to a bunch of women complaining about their lives, their problems, and, their (God forbid) emotions! Satisfied, I went on my merry way.

As our teaching leader said last night, I was beginning to feel nagged. Again and again my friend suggested I just try it. "Come on," she said, "What the heck are you afraid of? What's there to lose? If you don't like it, you don't have to come back." She patiently explained that this Bible study truly was the study of the Bible, not a hanging out of everyone's dirty laundry. Still, I didn't trust her. After about 4 months, she finally wore me down and I agreed to go...once. I was comforted by the fact that the study was not associated with a particular church, but was an ecumenical approach.

I walked into the church and was met with a sea of women's faces. I had no idea so many women studied the Bible. There must have been about 250 women in the sanctuary. I found my way to an inconspicuous corner and sat down.

After a couple of hymns and a prayer, the hostess behind the pulpit, invited all new attendees to stay in the sanctuary while all the others got up and left. 'Where are they going? Here it comes.' I thought to myself. There were about 5 of us left behind. The lady explained we were studying the Minor Prophets. I had no idea what she was talking about. She said there would be a lesson to be completed each week, discussion to follow in a small group with a discussion leader, a lecture in the sanctuary after that, a fellowship lunch once a month, and plenty of people to help us find our way around the Bible.

That first week I waited until the night before at 8 p.m. to begin my lesson. As I dug in I quickly realized this was not going to be a walk in the park. This really was Bible study. The questions, while pertinent to the lesson, took us all over the Bible for reinforcement of the lesson. Struggling to complete it, I thought, "Are all those other women going to finish this? I doubt it." About 2 a.m. I put my pencil down and went to bed.

When we gathered the following week, I was amazed to see that not only had every one of the women in my group completed the lesson, but they were discussing it and nothing else: no movies, no books, no politics, no friendly conversations, no getting off message, no delays, no People magazine, New York Times, or family problems came up. The only thing that came up was Nehemiah 1:6 and the Reconstruction of the Walls of Jerusalem, which was very odd to me, but rather interesting.

The next week my attitude was even worse. I started my lesson a little earlier thinking to myself, "This bunch isn't going to get the best of me." I slammed into the lesson and finished up about 2 a.m. again.

The following week, I stared at my paper about 4 days before the lesson was due. Picking it up, I took a deep breath and began.

God pursues those who are against Him. He's the hound of heaven. If you run, He gives chase. He's on a mission. He's on a combat operation against His enemy, sin. His goal is to rescue the sinner, clean him up and welcome him to eternal life with Him. BUT, there is that little mystery of human faith combining with divine appointment. Somewhere in the night during one of my late evenings, the two intermingled and I understood this Bible was written for me. This God was mine. Jesus slipped out of the shadows of my mind and walked boldly into my heart. Will you hear Him out? Will you listen to His voice? What have you got to lose?

Gratitude for Music (by Judy)

In my last entry, I spoke about our trip to Tennessee, an experience that still excites me and reminds me about the amazing diversity of people, geography and history in our country. But it is the music that continues to dig deep into my heart and remind me about our great God. I know I am not alone. Even David sang, "My heart is steadfast, O God. I will sing and make music with all my soul."

Since Tennessee, we have embarked on two weekend trips - one to Virginia and one to Minnesota. Our southern journey was for fun, as we visited friends and attended a fair in a small Civil War style town. There were re-enactments, delicious food, costumes and games, and strolling musicians playing country instruments, like the banjo, fiddle, mandolin and dulcimer, which I am now studying. Best of all was a concert in a lovely chapel where a lilting tin whistle played notes that soared to the rafters - "When we've been here ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise, than when we've first begun."

Minnesota was different - a memorial service, celebrating the life of my son-in-law's father. We traveled 3 hours north of Minneapolis to a beautiful and somewhat wild land of lakes, pine trees, soaring birds, and people who enjoy hunting, fishing and wild rice pancakes. The evening before the service, I sat with family, talking about previous Catholic funerals I have attended. My richest memory is a hymn - "You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord, who abide in his shadow for life, say to the Lord: 'My refuge, my rock in whom I trust." and then the chorus, always led by a beautiful baritone several rows behind, "And he will raise you up on eagle's wings, bear you on the breath of dawn, make you shine like the sun, and hold you in the palm of his hand." Sure enough, the hymn was on yesterday's program and the baritone sang.

The morning after the service, I rose early, and went to the dining room of the rustic lodge where we were staying, thanks to the generosity of the lodge's owner, whose father bought meat from my son-in-law's father 65 years ago - for such is the steadfastness of love in the countryside. The cavernous room was empty, the huge windows looking out over Gull Lake pristine. As I sipped my steaming coffee, I watched the sunrise and listened to David's voice, the tin whistle, the baritone - and simply thanked God by singing His praises once again. "Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn."

Is That You, Jesus? by Carolyn

I had a friend who was ill with cancer. It was orginally diagnosed almost twenty years ago, long before I knew her. She was treated and for ten years she was cancer free. Then, about nine years ago it came back.

I met her a year ago when a mutual friend asked me if I would participate in a Bible study with her, her friend, and two others. She told me about Carol. She said Carol was nearing the end of a long line of chemo treatments. There were no other types of chemo that she could take that would halt the growth of her cancer and Carol wanted to know what heaven was like. She was a very smart girl. She wasn't one to take just anyone's word on things and so she had chosen a book called, "Heaven" written by Randy Alcorn. She wanted to study that one because it included thousands of Scripture references and Carol wanted as much evidence as the Bible could provide.

The study began and Carol was inspired. The Holy Spirit found her heart open and ready. She read and studied like crazy! She was the type of person who did whatever she did, passionately and this was no exception. The rest of us did our best to keep up, but she blew out the curve!

Her time grew shorter and she studied harder. She didn't "taste" the Bible. She swallowed it whole. At some point in her life she had asked Jesus to be her Lord and Savior, but it had been many years since she thought much about Him. Not so anymore! As her body withered, her spirit soared. It almost became incidental to her that she was wasting away. She was gaining on eternity with Jesus with every passing day.

The day came when she was admitted to hospice. She had been there only one day before her pastor showed up. When he came into the room Carol appeared to be sleeping, lying on her back, her hands folded neatly across her tummy. Not wanting to wake her, he pulled up a chair and sat beside her gently touching her hand with his. Her eyes fluttered open. She looked directly through him and said, "Is that you, Jesus? Is that you? Because I am so ready to go home. I want to go home with You."

The pastor was stunned. As he said at her memorial service, never had he had such an experience. He was speechless. He knew that Carol knew Jesus was on His way. He came and took her home that night.

Hours before my own mother died, she was semi conscious. She began asking no one in particular for a map. She couldn't understand why one wasn't provided, for without it, how would she get where she was going? She asked for directions. Apparently, foiled again she was absolutely puzzled and obviously chagrined. Her chagrin became relief and joy when she suddenly realized she didn't need a map. She didn't need directions. Why? Because, she said, "Oh! I see! You are coming to get me!" And He did.