Cold Snap

To say it has been cold here would be a gross understatement. In fact, it has been "Where the heck are my gloves-The car won't start-Does anyone know where the icescraper is?-I need a new coat , this one isn't warm enough, "MOM, I'm FREEZING" weather.

Keep in mind this is the temperate climate of the Oregon. We don't typically get extremes of weather on either end of the mercury. Thus, a week in the low 20's nearly caused county-wide panic.

1. Our woodstove just couldn't penetrate the cold on that level. It was miserable in the house.
2. Pipes froze and some folks went without water for days.
3. Broken pipes at the stable meant that workers had to haul water to the horses by hand: terrible work in frigid temps.
4. The homeless suffered even more than usual.

God Bless the Green Spot Event Center. They opened their doors during the worst of the cold snap and provided both food and shelter for anyone who needed it- NO questions asked.

As our church meets there, our family had the honor and privilege of helping out. We had so much fun I'm almost sorry the weather has warmed up again. Almost, but not quite!

The Green Spot owner John, and his employees Anthony and Richard, did an amazing job of meeting the needs of the community. They borrowed cots from the armory, provided sleeping bags, and kept hot soup and coffee available at all times.

Word spread to the community and the donations just poured in. Peope would walk in the door with arm loads of pillows, blankets, coats, and clothing. Dante' and I enjoyed sorting and folding clothes. Phil helped wherever needed and Max served as unofficial taste tester. He really enjoys Richard's cooking, which by the way is fantastic.

About the food: There was always a hot soup bubbling in the pot. Usually chicken with noodles or dumplings and plenty of veggies. Boneless turkey and ham were roasted and made in to sandwiches. Breakfast was often biscuits and gravy. We also enjoyed cupcakes, muffins and cookies. In fact, the food was so good I would nearly get homeless to have some. (Okay, a tad of an exaggeration. But just a tad)

So that is what we are eating in Oregon this week. Food, love, fellowship and compassion. When a community turns out to help it's own, it is a beautiful thing.

Love and God Bless,
-Ellen

Eating Cookies............

........by the Christmas tree, in the warm glow of the fireplace. Max is playing, Dante' is crocheting, I am holding my husband's hand. The older boys are playing video games downstairs and the house is quiet, peaceful.

For now we are happy, healthy, well-fed and free. We are blessed by God and will not take even the small things for granted. Wishing your family the same.

gratefully,
Ellen

Spirits in the Material World

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.
-Teilhard de Chardin

pumpkins, puppies, and legalism

Today was Halloween. As a Christian, a mom , and a Pastor's wife, the subject of Halloween is always a toughie. The mention of this 'holiday' can stir controversy and start fights faster than you can say "Holy legalism, Batman!" .

After a few years of avoiding this event like the plague, I finally grew tired of basing my actions on the fear of prying eyes and wagging tongues. The end result?: a great day. Maxwell gleefully skipped around the house in his dalmatian costume. He enjoyed the imaginative play. All day my little 'doggie' pretended to bark and scamper about on all fours.

In the afternoon, Paxson and Richard came upstairs to carve pumpkins with Max and Dante'. It was a rare moment to have most of the kids gathered together having fun. Paxson pronounced Maxwell to be cute and kissed his forehead. William emerged from his room dressed like a Ninja and he looked fabulous! I actually saw him smile before heading out to a football game.

Max loved trick-or-treating. It really was nice to be out in our neighborhood, chatting with friends, admiring the cuteness of other little kids and being a part of our community. We saw almost no 'scary' costumes. The smaller children go out earlier and were dressed very sweetly. I connected with people I hadn't seen in a while.

What is my point? Well, tonight stirred a bit of a memory in me. As a child, it was that feeling of wonder at being outdoors at night, the smell of the fresh, cool air, holding my mom or dad's dad, and that little bit of attention given by grownups handing out candy. "Aren't you cute?", they might say. Over the years , most of that got replaced by fear, legalism, and political correctness. Over time, Christmas parties at school became generic winter parties. Easter parties were blandly re-named spring parties, and Halloween became the devil's playground in the eyes of many.

Please don't give me a lecture on a pagan event practiced eons ago in a foreign country. That is not what we are doing here in the U.S. By that argument, we would have to give up Easter as well, and Christmas would simply have to go. After all, those same pagans who invented Samhain, also created Ostara, aka Easter, and Winter's solstice, aka Christmas. I can't speak for everyone , but I am assuming most of you reading this celebrate both the birth and resurrection of Jesus, our Lord and savior and don't give a hoot what the druids were doing about the same time hundreds to thousands of years ago. There is my point.

Last week one my son's little playmates informed him that he loves Satan, simply because he was excited for Christmas to come! Now what on earth am I supposed to say to that? That just broke my heart on behalf of both the kids. But I am not about to interfere with what a little one's parents have taught him/her. It isn't my place.

Haven't we learned through the real teachings of Jesus , that what we eat, how we eat, when we worship or where, is not the way we 'earn' a ticket to heaven? Does anyone assume that God is so shallow we can buy His glorious love by refusing to eat meat, or worshipping only on saturdays? If I refuse to acknowlege the day of my birth, does it make me more holy?
Newsflash: read the book of Matthew. It says plainly "No man comes to the Father but through Me!" in reference to Jesus.
That's it. The only way.

Is Halloween really important to me? No, not at all. But it has become the point at which I stop following a crowd and look to Christ for my direction in life. For those who choose to eschew this day, that's great. Please follow your own personal convictions. And I understand your concerns, as I have weighed these same matters many times over. But God is to be the centerpiece of our lives, not our lists of legalistic 'does' and 'don'ts'.
Peace,
EJ

Misc.

Lettuce in the home garden is really doing well. At the community garden today we actually got to pick a few radishes. This new batch is a different variety, red at the top, white at the bottom. Max loves them. Well, loves to eat them is a more accurate statement.

The goats, Robin and Locksley are my new obsession. ( I know I say that about everything) They are just so darned cute. They 'baa' for us when we arrive and bleat piteously when we leave. I feel like such a heel when they do that.

Lots of life stuff happening. Nothing to call the press about, just normal life. Youth group is going well. It's a great group of kids with a heart for the Lord. They are just super. We meet at a nursing home and have already made a new friend there. A woman named Teresita has sort of adopted us and we adore her. She is a retired school teacher, 77 years old, and she LOVES kids. We visit Teresita every week after youth and she prays for us.

Prophets wear lime green flip-flops

Saturday afternoon, Phil, Max and I left for a week in Newport. We are using a week of condo time and wanted to relax close to home. Before leaving, Phil got a tip that an old friend had started a new fellowship just a couple of minutes South of Newport.

Sunday at 9:00 a.m. we pulled up to southbeach community center, home of South Beach Chapel, led by Pastor Andy Green. Andy is quite the enigma. With wirey gray hair, thick white beard, jeans, t-shirt and flip-flops, he is not your grandmother's preacher man.

Including Phil and myself, there must have been about twelve folks in attendance. The atmosphere was homey and sweet. Although I expected a roomfull of old people, there were two young couples and a single young man.

Andy himself led worship on a badly tuned guitar. What he lacked in musicianship, he certainly made up for with joy and enthusiasm. The following teaching was just fabulous. Andy has the gift of an intimate, conversational teaching style. It's a bit like sitting down with an old friend who has extensive insight on the One who created us. Andy is just too hard to define, or categorize. Eccentric, friendly, peaceable, wise......

After church the tiny congregation served lunch. We left with full bellies and full hearts. May God bless Andy and his wife Katie. Next time your in Newport, drop in and say hi. Tell him Phil and Ellen sent you.
-EJ

miracles

It's funny how sometimes God is doing a work in our lives and we are completely oblivious. For months now, Phil and I have been struggling financially. This month things hit a crucial point when we couldn't make the mortgage payment. I trust God implicitly and knew that things would be okay one way or another, but I have to admit I wasn't confident that much, if anything was gonna get us out of this mess.

Phil's bank account had been WAY in the red for several weeks when he sold a guitar of his to help pay off some debt. Today, he showed up at the bank, and asked for information regarding his account. "What would you like to know?" The teller asked him. "Well, how far am I in the hole?", he asked. "Your not", she replied. Needless to say my husband was FLOORED. Someone had anonymously made a deposit into his account bringing it out of debt. And they had done it THREE WEEKS AGO. We never knew. We prayed and prayed for a miracle never knowing it had already happened. Praise God!

Today, a church couple asked us to drop by and we were blessed again! More miracles. Now, of course, I feel foolish. Why do I ever doubt God? It's not that I doubt God so much as it is that I feel unworthy of His blessings sometimes. Which is more foolishness, I know.

So now it is time to take my own advice: "Never underestimate the power of Jesus Christ in your life!" Never.

And God Bless those who blessed us.

gratefully,
-EJ

dinner and faith

Friends Tony and Patti came over for dinner. For convenience we augmented some pre-made frozen stir-fry chicken with our own fresh garden veggies. Dante' made fabulous home-made bread and I managed to coax just a little more lettuce from the dwindling garden supply. Tony and Patti are rock-solid in their faith. It was a pleasure to fellowship with them.

Afterwards, I was looking at my Women's Study Bible and came across a page that answers questions a lot of non-Christians have about God. I'll copy it here because it is worthy of note:

GOD ANSWERS DIFFICULT QUESTIONS

"Where was God when this happened to me?"- He was there. He sees Everything(Proverbs 15:3)

"Didn't He care?"- Yes and He still does(Nahum1:7)(1 Peter 5:6-7)

"How could a loving God allow this to happen?"-God gave His creation freedom of choice.He did not make His people like puppets.(Deuteronomy 30:15-20)

"Does the Lord understand how I feel?"- yes, more than anyone else. (Isaiah 53:3)(Hebrews 4:15)

"Is recovery possible?"-With God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26)
Yes, He wants to bring healing to you. (Jeremiah 17:14)

"How can be healed?"- Trust God to be faithful to His word (Psalm 18:25)

"Where do I begin?"- God hears you, confess your hurt. (Psalm 34:17-18)
Give your hurt to Him. (1 Peter 5:7)
Forgive the one who has grieved you(Colossians 3:13)

"Isn't forgiveness difficult?"- Yes, but what God commands of you, He will equip you to do.(1 Thessalonians 5:24)
Realize that God has forgiven you.(Ephesians 4:32)

"Then what do I do?"- Don't take revenge. God will deal with that violator. (Romans 12:19)
Let Go. Move on with life.(Isaiah 43:18-19)
Look for the Good that will come out of the bad. (Romans 8:28)

"When will I heal?"- Healing of deep hurt takes time. (Ecclesiastes 3:3)
It is a process of :
Facing the harm (Psalm 51:6)
Acknowledging your feelings (Ecclesiastes 4:8)
Applying God's truth from His word (Psalm 107:20)

So there it is. Just in the process of typing this out I felt a fresh burst of faith and peace. It convicted me also, of the hurts in my life that I have not trusted to Him.

Before I go to bed, let me leave you with this:

"For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah, 29:11

Those are some of the most comforting words I have ever heard. I wish you all the same peace.

love,
-EJ

My husband

"Oh great God be glorified, our lives laid down Yours magnified, Oh great God be lifted high. There is none like You. There is none like You."

Phil's  voice was beautiful as he sang in church this morning. The simple joy of the message was plain on his face.  As his voice blended with Greg's harmony, it was hard not to feel that same peace and contentment. 

Beautiful Sunday morning. 

-EJ