Westwoods

Sitting down to my morning read with a trusty cup of coffee, my Bible opened to 1Peter 2:11-25.  The title over this section says: Christian Submission...just like that...simple. Right?  And that got me to thinking.  Why is that a knee jerk reaction in my spirit when I read those words? The truth is, the word itself is hard.  I know nobody who says, "Wow, I really like submission."  Most people naturally would like to avoid the discussion and if I was very smart I probably wouldn't try to explain why it it is hard.   But stuff happens in life, in our churches, in our homes, even in our country, and I think it is important for us to stop avoiding the pain of submission and look at what the Bible says about it. First of all, submission to each other as Christians is going to be difficult as long as we are concerned with our "rights" as humans.  And we just are.  Two year old babies already have this sense of justice when a toy is taken from the...

Don't be sad, there is yet hope. You can listen to chaos or hear peace. Peace is still there you know, if you want it. And so is the dirt and gloom and despair Of haters and whiners and bad manners. But also you might find clean, sparkling truth. The power is in your ability to choose,  To see God at work.  To watch it prevail; because it is stronger.  Your faith in a Savior becomes personal, When focus on Him becomes your rest, The filth of today is only a film of dust To be blown away by the daily reading And empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Don't be sad; there is always Hope. Pray. 

Last week, Bruce turned forty.  I took a day off work and planned a party for him for the evening.  It was all that parties should be and he was very successfully celebrated.  The only thing I remembered to take a picture of was the cheese board I set up on the island and that didn't show the actual thing as nice as it really was.  But anyhow, he turned forty and now we can be forty together for a couple months. We didn't see each other very much this week.  Bruce is cramming for exams for this coming Monday.  I was cramming to finish up the school week and school sale projects.  On Friday we had the day off school to prepare for school sale.  PLUS we got sick.  I resisted the virus all week but it did indeed catch up with me especially this morning during the sale.  Thankfully, I was able to do my assigned job and help with the making of the apple butter for the first time before heading home and curling up on the couch. But I di...

I am so happy for you if this never happens to you.  And I am also so happy for you if you never worry and think of weird "what ifs" at four in the morning.  However, this post isn't about bravery and I will not be handing out awards for those who sleep soundly in their beds at night.  This post could be categorized under honesty and a little bit of candid humor.  At least that is what it is meant to be. It wasn't particularly a nightmare that woke me.  It was a thought I was having while I was sleeping.  I didn't even know this was possible, but last night I woke very fully awake with the thought that...  Bruce and I were on our sailing trip in the Sea of Cortez . While I slept he sailed the boat.  Sometime during the night he was thrown into the sea by the waves.  When I awoke he was not anywhere on the boat and I was alone, under full sail, and didn't know where to go to even try to retrieve him. It was a very real feeling of d...

      When grownup Christians act childish and petty...this breaks my heart.  And when mature Christians look inwardly too deeply and become judgmental of other Christians...this also breaks my heart. I think it breaks the heart of Jesus too.  He gave His life so we could be free of such things, instead we choose to be bound to our old man.      Did you know your local church could be destroyed overnight by one person throwing a baby fit about a trivial matter such as color of carpet or where someone sits in the Sunday morning service?  Pathetic isn't it?  People claiming the name of Jesus and acting like that.  Whatever happened to the grace of God in their lives?  Have they not been freed from sin or what?        If I could right all wrongs by trying to pacify a person with this bend, I would.  I would lay down my own life and die if it would save a brother or sister that is being childi...

We are winding down the first quarter of school.  While a few aspects of teaching are easier this year, many things are indeed harder.  I don't know why.  Possibly because now things are predictable; like the behavior of children.  Nine of my students are the same ones I had last year so their characters are still them but with a little older twist.   One boy, a very smart boy, could get straight A's if he would only apply himself.  He finds it easier to fly through his work and then need to make 49 corrections.  He hates following directions and tries every which way other than the directions given.  He thinks outside every box of "normal".  If he sees his grades dropping enough to lower his average he will hop to and get about three 100's to compensate so he can make it on the honor roll. I am teaching the kids "Silent Night" in sign language for the Christmas program.  Most of the fourteen kids like this...ONE absolutely hate...