What I'm Reading

I often have two or three books underway at one time, so over the last couple of weeks I have had some time off that allowed me to finish two books. The first one that I'll talk about here is Same Kind of Different as Me. My sister was going to read it so I downloaded to my ipad. It is the first book I have read on the ipad, and that in itself takes some getting used to. I like books and turning pages and marking things I find important or interesting. Although you can still do all those things, it's going to take some getting used to for me to be a fan.

This book is alternately narrated by a white man, Ron, who became involved in a homeless shelter, and a black man, Denver, who was changed by the ministry of the man and his wife. It is a powerful testimony of God's grace, and the struggle of what you do when things go wrong, and you can't understand why God lets bad things happen to good people. Tears are guaranteed when you read this book, so have a tissue ready.

Here are a couple of passages and quotes I really liked:

(Spoken by Denver, who was a tough, homeless ex-con) "Ever man should have the courage to stand up and face the enemy," I said, "cause ever person that looks like a enemy on the outside ain't necessarily one on the inside. We all has more in common than we think. You stood up with courage and faced me when I was dangerous, and it changed my life. You loved me for who I was on the inside, the person God meant for me to be, the one that had just gotten lost for a while on some ugly roads in life."

(Spoken by Ron) "I remembered what C.S. Lewis said of the clash between grief and faith: 'The tortures occur,' he wrote. 'If the are unnecessary, then there is no God, or a bad one. If there is a good God, then these tortures are necessary for no even moderately good Being could possibly inflict or permit them if they weren't.'" (C.S. Lewis lost his wife to cancer.)

(Spoken by Ron) "The pain of losing Deborah still brings tears. And I cannot mask my profound disappointment that God did not answer yes to our prayers for healing. I think He's okay with that. One of the phrases we evangelicals like to throw around is that Christianity is 'not a religion; it's a relationship.' I believe that, which is why I know that when my faith was shattered and I raged against Him, He still accepted me. And though I have penciled a black mark in His column, I can be honest about it. That's what a relationship is all about."

Here She Comes!

My brother shared the following piece when his mother-in-law died a couple of years ago. I thought it was lovely and wanted to share it in memory of my mother-in-law.


photo © 2009 Stephanie | more info (via: Wylio)




I’m standing upon the seashore; a ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength, and I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come down to mingle with each other. And someone at my side says, “There. She’s gone.”

Gone where? Gone from my sight, that is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and span as she was when she left my side, and just as able to bear her load of living freight to the place of destination. Her diminished size is in me, not in her; and just at the moment when someone at my side says, “There. She’s gone,” there are other eyes watching her coming and other voices ready to take up the glad shout, “Here she comes!”

…and that is dying for those who trust in Jesus Christ’s work on the cross for their salvation.

Dorothy Kiper

My mother-in-law, Dorothy Kiper, passed away today. She had been afflicted with Alzheimer's disease since about 1999. They call Alzheimer's "the long goodbye" for good reason. Dorothy left us long ago. Today she became her true self once again.

Dorothy was a wonderful mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother. She gave good advice but did not force it upon you. She loved spending time with all her grandchildren, and although she lived very far away, she made the time we spent with her special and something to look forward to. She was witty, sarcastic at times, and very funny. Her writing reminded me of Erma Bombeck (if you're old enough to know who that is).

She worked in Sunday School and in AWANA Cubbies for many years. She loved being with little kids.

She had been married to Roger for over 60 years. They were very devoted to each other.

Will posted this sweet status on FB: "The world lost an amazing woman this morning in my grandmother, Dorothy Kiper. She has struggled with Alzheimer's disease for almost as long as I've been alive and it's a relief to know that she's not sick anymore. I'm sad that I didn't know her better but happy that I will someday."

I am thankful to be able to pay tribute to her here. She was a wonderful person, and I will miss her.


This is one of my favorite pictures of Dorothy with Kathryn. Kathryn's expression shows how much fun her grandma was.


One time when we visited she pitched a tent in the backyard.


Grandma & Grandpa on a visit to our house on Ewton St.


Many times we went with Grandma & Grandpa to visit Lincoln sites in Illinois.


Our family on a visit to Illinois for Christmas.


Grandma & Grandpa visiting the TN Aquarium with us.

Resurrection!

Easter is such a joyous time!

Having observed Lent again this year, I confess the fact that I have had great anticipation leading up to Easter this week. I attended a Maundy Thursday service at Chapel Hill and took communion with a sweet and familiar set of friends that I don’t get to see very much. The sunset that evening capped off the evening nicely. I have had pleasant and meaningful conversations with Will and with my mom that have deepened the meaning of the season for me. I will treasure those moments.

But Lent is a time of fasting, and Easter is the time to break the fast. Anyone who has fasted knows how it feels to anticipate the end of the fasting. And so, Easter brings great joy because now I can partake of the things that I have denied myself for the past six weeks.

It is a great joy to be able to enjoy sodas, coffee and tea again. And it is a great joy to be reunited with all my friends and family on Facebook.

But those are such small things compared with the great joy of the resurrection of Jesus. His life gives me strength, hope, and love. I’m so thankful for all He has done for me and all He continues to do.

Holy Week

photo © 2008 Melissa Doroquez | more info (via: Wylio)


In the Church universal, many people observe the coming week as Holy Week. There is Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. As I approach the coming week I am making plans to carve out some time for quiet reflection each day about what this week means to me and my personal faith journey. I am thankful to have the leisure of spring break this week which will make it easier for me to have the time. For those of you who do not have that luxury, I still think that you need to set aside some time for meditation.

I've enjoyed following a new blog lately. This blog belongs to a new friend of Kathryn's; they go to church together. This entry has some great things to say about Holy Week.

http://rachelheldevans.com/not-so-holy-holy-week

I'm excited about our church service tomorrow. The choir is doing a wonderful song. (Thanks to Alyssa for her passion for making the music come alive.) We will be sharing communion; I love this! Can't wait to see what God does in our midst.

Jason & Jessica

My dear friends, Jason & Jessica, have been youth ministers at our church for the past 13 years. They have resigned, feeling called to something new, although they are not quite sure what that is yet. We had a special service for them tonight, and I, along with many others, got to pay tribute to them. Here's what I said:

"Jason and Jessica have been active in my kids’ lives for all their formative years. They have ministered to them in so many different ways. Their faithful service every Wednesday night has given my kids a solid foundation in the Word. Each summer at camp they were challenged to go deeper with Christ, to open their hearts more fully to the work He wants to do in their lives. They went on mission trips to New Orleans and Oklahoma, as well as being a part of missions right here in Dunlap. And both of my kids have chosen to spend a summer on a mission trip, Kathryn at Yellowstone and Will this summer in Canada at Camp of the Woods. Without the continued emphasis on missions that Jason & Jessica provided, I don’t know if that would have happened.

"I’ve shared a lot in their ministry, being a part of the Youth team, planning activities, opening my home, being a counselor at camp, chaperoning other youth trips. I introduced them to my brother, and he became their brother too. It has always been a blessing. I’m so thankful that they let me be a part of it.

"We have been through lots together, and they continue to be some of the “go to” people in my life. When I have been going through hard times, I have known that I can count on them and lean on them for support. They have been there for ME, not just my kids. I can never thank them enough for all they have done for us.

"They are two of my dearest friends, and when I heard of their decision to leave this ministry, I wrote them these words:

How courageous you are!!

You have let go of the known to venture into the unknown (or at least, the different)!
You have dared to imagine doing and being something different than what you see in your life right now.
Bravo!!

"And finally I am sharing again with you this verse that has meant so much to me through this very tough year. We sing it as a song in Kids’ Club…
Joshua 1:9
'Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.'

"He will go with you. You can count on Him."

Yesterday Aaron took Kathryn, Mary and I on a wildflower hike. It was a pretty strenuous five mile hike which took us about four hours. The path was strewn with all types of wildflowers. It was beautiful and hot and exhausting. There were many butterflies out on the flowers too, which seems very early for them to be out and about. We saw Sutter's Falls and Horsepound Falls at the Savage Gulf State Park where Aaron is a ranger.

The hike was a little longer than I would have liked but it was worth the time to see Mary enjoy it so much. She told me she wouldn't have gone if I hadn't gone along, and having Kathryn along was a great bonus. It was a throughly enjoyable afternoon, and I'm so glad I got to experience the beauty of all those wildflowers.