Yep, I’m back! Now Granny to 4 GRANkids, I’ve been busy, too busy for phylosophy even journaling.

 I’m not particularly sure what will come out this time, it’s bits from the last six months to catch you up. Catching up on both  my life & brain…tall order! We have four little ones in our circle now. Ty & Dru added Ben and Ava came along to make Jow & Tiff’s camp a threesome. Anne & Co had moved back here long enough to have Ben, but the cold got to them and they have returned to the land of sun and sand. It’s good to know where you belong. We have had so much fun with four GRANDS around us, there is no gift quite like it before Heaven!

Bruce is working from home and I am… there it is. The fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue gets me some days. But keeping a stiff upper lip abd putting one foot in front of the other, I get to the next day. Fahter gives me little BITS of sunshine everyday to make the apin less. It helps. I’m singing again, it’s hard to sit in the chaie with ramrod posture and correct breathing fro three hours, but I do it mostly. I have found not driving helps. My good friend Jan picks me up, I help with the running of the choir business stuff, then sing and Jan, Dolores and I come on home. The choir are my biggest cheerleaders, they care for me and pray for me as do I for them. We have a phenomenal relationship, my songsters and I. As we have trials, we lay them before the group and ask that prayer follow each of us. How much more like a loving church could I find?

I hear stirrings that some question our faith. There are those who sit in judging of others, who very rarely look upon themselves. If done the greyish cast their own hearts have taken on would cause all who truly look upon them to worry! Why is it so hard for some who believe themselves to be Christ’ brothers and sister find it hard to accept them that worship differently would still have rooms in Heaven too? I wonder. I find that Christ giving and God’s receiving have done the reconciliation, no more making sacrifice necessary. Love is quite the answer. If loving eyes, the real loving eyes of The Father were used in all situations, no more animosity would remain between the Children of God. It’s not New Age, very truly, it’s a thought thought out 2000 years ago, in a garden amidst sweat and sleeping companions. How can we not honor the very existence of Christ, Our brother, and Father God by our not loving the stuffing out of all peoples. To an end, yes…we have different opinions, as many as there are peoples. But even if there were as many of us huManbeings as there is sand in the sea, there would be love enough in the eyes of God, Still, for each  silly one of us. Keep reading, I’ll be back…

In choosing some songs for my car cd, I picked a song from our computer list called “Dance WIth Me”, thinking of the Orleans oldie. I got that one, but I also stumbled on a life changing, faith affirming song by the same name. This one is written by Evan Earwicker…the man can PRAISE!!!

So often I have been caught up in the passion of My Father’s love and felt a romance deeper than can be explained. Imagine my comfort knowing there will never be ANYTHING that I can do to rob Him of our relationship. He will always love me fiercely, passionately and give me all the romance my heart can ever long for! This Easter, this Resurrection celebration Dance in the light of His Throne…Dance with me…J

Dance With Me

Words and music by Evan Earwicker
Verse 1
Many songs will fade away
And few things will remain
Melodies and Harmonies will change
Melodies and Harmonies will change
But I’m hearing a new song
I’m hearing a new song

Prechorus:
I’m beginning to hear the angels cry holy
Love song of God, rise in me
I’m surrounded by You here in Your glory,
Love song of God rise in me

Chorus:
I wanna be romanced by the King of the ages
I don’t want to sing of a passion I’ve never known
I want to get lost in the beauty of Jesus
To dance through the night around Your Throne

Bridge:
So dance with me
So dance with me

goto good ol’ YouTube to listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4Uti-C5prY

It’s turning again, this wheel we live in. People we love are coming and going, lives ending and beginning. Our path gets muddied yet dries further on down the way. Hormones, feelings, memories and opinions all drive us to walk each step of the way, and they work to do two things. On the one hand they can make us falter. Do we turn this way or that, listening to the inner turmoil that would trip us up? They become a rock in the midst of the walk that keeps us from moving quickly away from a dip in the path, making it harder to see just the way the road bends. They steal our joy, robbing us of the smile lines we treasure in eighty years of living.

But they can also bring about a state of grace, giving us hope, courage, and strength to weather the road. I’ve lost most of my family to time and age. I count on the ones I have left for the joy Life brings. Why do we wonder where we sit in the hierarchy of family? Why do we muddy our paths with feelings that take away from the walk. I love my family, each has their own place that cannot be taken over by another. To move one would upset the balance of the rest. The Best we can do is hope to seethecircle,add more to it. Moving over is just to allow another one to be brought in, more love to connect us, the bigger the wheel the stronger we get, not more thinner and more hammered down.

Life changes, we cannot grieve too long over the those bumps, but close the circle, and make it move us to where the future takes us. Come on along!

.

At least my faith in the reason of men, anyway. My hero, Aslan, comes again in the Summer of this year. Wilder, stronger, so much more the Saviour I know so well, we will be there to witness the strength of things hidden by the prose kind of meant for children. My Aslan, the true representation of The One Who Saved me, and He WHO saves me still will rip upon the theatre screen in all of His fiercest Wonder! And all this from the trailer…

Hoowah! to Mr C.S. Lewis and all of we who KNOW that our humanity has been redeemed, all of our humanity. Even the ones who champion golden devices, or seek to disillusion children all fall under the grace of our Aslanesque Saviour and are cared for by The Father who loves us beyond measure.

That’s all…wanted to remind you to NEVER give up hope…

The Golden Compass is revealed this weekend on screens in most neighborhoods near you. I have two points of view here. The first is that a movie taking a hard look at organized religion was bound to come up. I even looked forward to this one as the marvel of fantasy is one of my favorite film genres. The The movie looks so enticing and of course the actors are top notch Then there is my second point. This is a trilogy, like others written in days afore, but this time in the end The Lion does not vanquish the darkness, even the magician does stop the black arts.

This story continues to  enrapture the smitten hearts of it’s readers to kill The God of All. While I suppose we could have cerebral discussions on whether an adult should be allowed to view as they please, and it is exquisite scenery, I have GRANDchildren that read. Their hearts are educated about the Love of a God that sacrificed His One Son so that all his progeny would be saved, how can I encourage them to see a beautiful film that eventually kills that deity. Should I see the movie? I’m tempted. But with all that is coming in the next few months, in all honesty, I’d rather prepare our feast of birthday celebration for this very much alive God!

I suppose my last word on this is this: “As for me and my house, we wil serve (and not kill off) The Lord…Shalom

Can’t seem to come up with much of a topic, just life and the way it turns, is all. We are enjoying a boom in GRANDchildren these days, with daughter and daughter in law both expecting in late Spring. The upset tummy time is almost over and we are looking toward Thanksgiving for round bellies and  freedom to eat as you please! Boy, what plans are being made!

We had our first family get-together in honor of Tiff’s Mom over the weekend. In and outlaws were in attendance, inckuding 3 young boys , a new puppy and Steeler football. The event could not have gone better. It felt a bit wierd bringing food to the dinner, and not actually having everyone come to our house, but Joe & Tiffany have a much bigger diningroom and we fit all together! We’re making new traditions, even while building a new(?) family. Tiffany’s Sister in law is also expecting, so next year , Christmas 2008, will bring 3 new GRANDkids to the tree of honor. I love the tradition of Christmas Eve begun over thirty years ago by Bruce’s parents. We can truly appreciate the fact that there really is a reason we celebrate The Season(Of Love)…watching the family growing and knowing that these kids are brought up in the Truth of the resurrection!

Good old You tube….a great way to spend 6 minutes…

http://www.mychurch.org/blog/30635/coolest-video-ever

I’m always posting thru a song, but that’s how I hear things. We ARE His, HE loves us, no matter where we find ourselves. He loves us even if we don’t, can’t, won’t love ourselves. He loves us, all of us, even the ones that make big mistakes, do cruel things  or stuff we don’t understand. He loves us through our unloving thought and judgementalism right to the place HE knows is always there. That kernel of Himself in all his ransomed OWN. So much does He love us, it’s important to know…”

Who Am I

by Casting Crowns

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth

Would care to know my name

Would care to feel my hurt

Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star

Would choose to light the way  F

or my ever wandering heart

Not because of who I am

But because of what You've done

Not because of what I've done

But because of who You are

I am Yours,  Whom shall I fear ? 

Whom shall I fear  ‘Cause I am Yours,  I am Yours!”

It’s important to me to tell you that I once was lost, but now I’m found, I once judged, but now I look beyond it all to The Light, that famous “little light” that’s inside me and inside you. We are, huMANity,  that little pearl of great price Jesus knew about that was worth His suffering, dying, experiencing HELL so we wouldn’t have to and rising again, paying the cost of us all to reconcile us to his Dad. Every soul is worth it. Can we look upon our fellows any less than Jesus does? Because of who I am and you are are HE proved to us to whom we belong, free and clear….

My friend, Chip Brognan says this so well…

http://www.theschoolofchrist.org/articles/law.html

“For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the Law of Sin and Death” (Romans 8:2). “Two laws are mentioned in this passage of Scripture: the Law of Life, and the Law of Sin and Death. We who are in Christ Jesus have been delivered from the Law of Sin and Death and are under a new law, which is the Law of Life.  

The difference between a theoretical walk with Christ and a practical walk with Christ hinges upon being able to differentiate between the Law of Life and the Law of Death. In the Garden the choice was between the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Law of Death) or the Tree of Life (Law of Life). We must make the same choice today. Christians are much exercised in trying to discern between good and evil, right and wrong, Spirit and flesh. It seems the more we try to figure this out the more frustrated we become. Instead, God would have us come to the Tree of Life. This Life will instruct us in all things, including what is right and what is wrong, yet it is deeper than mere knowledge.”

Back to me, I feel like I’m beating the poor old nag again, but really, how is it this truth is SO hard to see? I fell for the religious line toeing the mark of death, thinking I was being (struggling) to be a good girl. I was so upset to find I had been lied to all that time! Not that I wanted to be a wanton hussy, but I could not understand how I was getting shut out of being mightily blest, health, wealth, or whatever was being touted that week from the pulpit. A real person cannot be an angel… different species, and last time I looked even some of them fell. If we look outward from ourselves, knowing the real gift Jesus gave us, then decisions to live your life as a real huMAN are so much easier. Now listen, LIFE is not easy, but the living of it becomes doable when you KNOW God loves you and in fact LIKES you!… Later, J

    You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you,” said the Lion.

 C S Lewis: The Seventh Omen

All along we knew it, He calls we listened. It was a rumble, an unsettling, something not quite right about the laws and rules. To our ears strange words were taught, Jesus was the Lamb, the perfect sacrifice but don’t make God mad cause you could endanger yourself. Even more, Jesus took the sin but you “dummies” you keep reinventing it…let us fix you.

I can say beyond a doubt there are no worries about this heaven place! I spent a weekend with God’s family in a lovely little chapel in Indiana. People were drawn there by a truth their hearts had been called to. Funny, now that I write this. We have been calling this event in our own lives”Called away”, since we left our own little church five years ago. Now I know that I know the lion was calling us to the safe place in The Rock called Jesus. Everyone goes a little crazy when you feel the nudge. Some lose their faith altogether, but just for awhile. Father sees to it we hear the calling, He raises us up and provides another one who has heard, and we realize it’s not our faith we’ve lost but our religion, and that’s a good thing! The calling is heard so deeply it seems it’s in your atoms, guess probably is! Father made us and redeemed us all, who can wonder that we feel Him moving around in us to tell us come home, the truth will set us free!

You, beloved, are not the only one. The lady at the grocer, the farmer down the road, sweet people full of love; you know them…Tell them what you know: Jesus died knowing His Father needed to have you and He paid dearly for you all, for the last time with the last sacrifice….ever.

                                                                                                                                                                    -more later…keep listening