Simon the Pharisee

Last night was a Lenten Service at our church. This year Mike asked for volunteers to do little one-person dramas. Last night was our first one and I am proud to say that one of the high school boys from the Sunday School Class I co-teach was the brave volunteer. I am always proud of the kids in our class.

This is Bailey, also known as Simon the Pharisee, before church began. I was snapping photos right along side of his mother, Nicole. Weird, maybe, but I have need of good material for my blog posts so I was willing to be a bit more quirky than normal. Thanks for putting up with me, Bailey and Nicole!

Here is Bailey in action. He did such a fine job! It was fun to watch him get into his part. The message he brought was excellent.

Simon the Pharisee was portrayed as one of the uppity-ups from Jesus' time, someone who followed all the rules and tried to make sure everyone knew him to be a righteous person. He spoke of watching Jesus and how he was impressed with him at first. He liked that Jesus was not afraid to "call a sin a sin". He liked that Jesus confronted sinners and told them to change their ways.

As he spoke on, though, Simon acknowledge how disappointed in he was Jesus. He said he'd invited Jesus and other important people of the community to dinner. He spoke of the woman of ill repute coming in and kissed Jesus' feet.  Simon was disgusted by her. He then became disappointed in Jesus for allowing her to touch him.

Although this woman may have been dirty and may sinned in ways that 

Simon went on, speaking negatively of Jesus' character. Of course, it led us all to the proper conclusion that we all need to recognize ourselves as sinners. We need to yearn to be forgiven and to change our ways because we WANT to please Jesus.

This lesson is not outdated. We are all sinners, yet forgiveness is available to us. We are loved more than we know.

I love that Jesus often used those society scorned in order to make his points. He showed such compassion for those who sought him out, no matter their station in life. 

Thanks, Bailey, for working to remind us of that love and compassion freely offered to each of us.

Luke 7:36-50

New Century Version (NCV)

A Woman Washes Jesus’ Feet

36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, so Jesus went into the Pharisee’s house and sat at the table. 37 A sinful woman in the town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house. So she brought an alabaster jar of perfume 38 and stood behind Jesus at his feet, crying. She began to wash his feet with her tears, and she dried them with her hair, kissing them many times and rubbing them with the perfume. 39 When the Pharisee who asked Jesus to come to his house saw this, he thought to himself, “If Jesus were a prophet, he would know that the woman touching him is a sinner!”
40 Jesus said to the Pharisee, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
Simon said, “Teacher, tell me.”
41 Jesus said, “Two people owed money to the same banker. One owed five hundred coins[a] and the other owed fifty. 42 They had no money to pay what they owed, but the banker told both of them they did not have to pay him. Which person will love the banker more?”
43 Simon, the Pharisee, answered, “I think it would be the one who owed him the most money.”
Jesus said to Simon, “You are right.” 44 Then Jesus turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I came into your house, you gave me no water for my feet, but she washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss of greeting, but she has been kissing my feet since I came in. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she poured perfume on my feet. 47 I tell you that her many sins are forgiven, so she showed great love. But the person who is forgiven only a little will love only a little.”
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 The people sitting at the table began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50 Jesus said to the woman, “Because you believed, you are saved from your sins. Go in peace.”

 

Empty Nest Ramblings

Sometimes I just don't feel like organizing my thoughts into a meaningful post. That's why I am just going to type my thoughts as I think them today.

So, having an empty nest is a little weirder than I thought it would be. Sam's schedule had been so much off from our's, we saw very little of him awake. I didn't think it would feel all that much different.

I was wrong.

Mike & I noticed that we keep having that thought in the back of our minds that we are waiting for someone to come home. It is strange. After all, for nearly 33 years we had offspring living at home. We were often waiting for someone to come home.

And then there is the food thing.

We don't need to buy as much.

I bought some Hot Fries the other day. That is one of the things that I enjoyed buying for Sam, something neither me nor Mike can eat. He was always so grateful when I brought them home for him. When Sam came by Sunday I think it made him happy to see that I had some Hot Fries waiting for him. It's the little things, you know.

Our house seems quieter... and bigger, much bigger.

I never really planned ahead much for an empty nest. Before I was married, I thought about being married. I always expected to be married. Before we had children, I thought about being a mother. I always expected to be a mother. This new phase, though, I didn't really think about it too much.

I do enjoy having  uninterrupted conversations with Mike.

Vultures - Another Point of View

What one word comes to your mind when you hear the word "vulture"? I think for many, that word would be death.

I go years and years without thinking of vultures at all but last week, when we went on vacation, they were a source of conversation on a couple of occasions. The first time was when we were driving in NE Wyoming on our way to the airport. There was a big vulture cleaning up some road kill as we drove by. I forgot just how big they are! Here is a close-up photo taken from Wikipedia.

 They seem kind of ugly at first.

In flight, though, they are quite beautiful.


 They hop-walk when on the ground and look pretty awkward. Their take-off involves and lot of hopping and flapping as well. What I didn't know, though, was that when they soar, they are really quite lovely. They often tip from side to side, catching the light with their lighter feathers. They can soar for hours, yes hours, without flapping their wings!

While I've always known that we needed to appreciate their work as garbage collectors, cleaning up after nature, I didn't realize that other cultures have really honored them. When we were on the cruise on Saguaro Lake in Arizona the captain told us that in a Native American culture (sorry, can't remember which) they were thought to be messengers from God. They were respected!

Some places in the world continue to show respect for these interesting birds. There is even an International Vulture Awareness Day every September. Who knew?

When we were in Arizona, I got a photo of this beauty overhead.

I never did see him flap his wings.

Confession of Sin

Confession of Sin

Most holy and merciful God,
we confess to you and to one another, and before the whole company of heaven, that we have sinned by our fault, by our own fault, by our own most grievous fault, in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone.




We have not love you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength. We  have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven.
Have mercy on us, O God.

We have shut our ears to your call to serve as Christ served us. We have not been true to the mind of Christ. We have grieved your Holy Spirit.
Have mercy on us, O God.

Our past unfaithfulness, the pride, envy, hypocrisy, and apathy that have infected our lives, we confess to you.
Have mercy on us, O God.

Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people, we confess to you.
Have mercy on us, O God.

Our neglect of human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty, we confess to you.
Have mercy on us, O God.

Our false judgments, our uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, and our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us, we confess to you.
Have mercy on us, O God.

Our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us, we confess to you.
Have mercy on us, O God.

Restore us, O God, and let your anger depart from us.
Hear us, O God, for your mercy is great.

(confession from our church bulletin)

The Three Amigos!

Lori (my cousin-in-law)

Sue (my sister-in-law)

 Joe (my brother-in-law)

Don't you wish you had a hat like that?

Do We Make You Sick?

Last year when we went to Arizona, Mike's Mom got so sick of us she ended up in the hospital. Ok, that might not be quite what happened but now I am wondering. This time we took my sister with us. Guess what!? She started feeling a bit under the weather our last day there and after getting back to Wyoming, she also ended up in the hospital. She is improving but good grief! Is it us? Anyone want to vacation with us?

Arizona Photos, Continued

There is something so very beautiful about a rose.

 Sam was so happy to spend time with his girlfriend, Alaysha.

It was our first time to meet her so we enjoyed getting to know her a bit as well.

 These birds were perched next door to Carol's house.

I loved them!

Ash Wednesday & Lent in Two Minutes

Saguaro Lake

One of our days in Arizona we enjoyed a cruise... on water!  It's true! There are lakes in the middle of the Arizona desert and it turns out there are some not far from where we were staying in Mesa. Who knew?! Well, actually, Joe (brother-in-law) knew and at his suggestion we decided to go on a 90 minute cruise.

Now, if you've never traveled with someone in a wheelchair, you maybe haven't realized all the complications that can entail. We made sure ahead of time that this cruise was handicap accessible. There were many steps on the way down to the boat but there was a special route involving a hill, a long bumpy dock and a bit of faith to get Tina on the boat. Picture a boat tied to a dock. There is that gap between dock and boat that is kind of scary to walk across and I felt a bit nervous to push Tina's wheelchair over that opening. She, however, didn't show any fear at all. Being handicapped requires a good deal of courage I've learned.

Although everything is harder from a wheelchair, sometimes there are perks. That day it was nice that the captain let Tina and me board early. We got to sit right up front to enjoy the view!

The rest of the family had to wait in line.

Can you see them up there?

They eventually joined us and we all got good seats close together.

Sue and Joe (Mike's sister and her husband) were nearby.

For those readers who know them, 

don't you wonder why they don't age?

It's weird, really.

Sam was looking handsome.

As it turned out, this was a lovely way to spend a February afternoon.

The weather was perfect and the

views were stunning.

Our captain was quite informative.

He pointed out this rare saguaro cactus that had crested.

That is to say its arms had turned inward and were grown together. 

I was intrigued by this one that seemed to be growing straight out of the rock.

I never really thought of cactus as a lakeside kind of plant.

There were so many different colors and shapes in the rock formations.

Doesn't that look peaceful?

What a lovely afternoon...

Relaxing in the Sunshine

Not long ago Mike and I cooked up a plan to take my sister, Tina, away from winter for awhile. We picked her up from her home, just a few hours away from our own. We then drove to Rapid City, South Dakota and spent a pleasant evening in a hotel and relaxed a bit. The next morning we took to the skies and flew to Arizona in our search for the sun.

Tina gets around in a wheelchair. She does very well but I'm here to tell you that I think it must take a great deal of courage for her to go on such a trip. She has to submit herself to being strapped into a funny, skinny aisle wheelchair just to get to her seat on an airplane. It looked a bit scary to me! She handled it all with good grace, though.

We were visiting Mike's Mom (Carol) and one of his sisters (Sue) and her husband (Joe). They were so welcoming and gracious, they made Tina feel right at home. 

Early in the week Sue and I took Tina on a long walk around the neighborhood. When you are from Wyoming, it is such a treat to see all the things that grow in warm places! I think this was one of Tina's favorite types of cactus.

We all enjoyed this bottle brush flower.

There are a lot of these pretty little quails (I really don't know if that is what they are, but maybe?) around.

 I felt Tina needed to have her photograph taken by one of the pretty pool areas.

We didn't go swimming but maybe we should have.

There is even a ramp for a wheelchair to go easily down into the pool.

Maybe next time.

 Sue showed us this cool cactus.

Do you see it as a waving bunny?

When we walked back, we found Mike and Joe out enjoying the warm day as well.

While it was sub-zero in Wyoming...

...and while the Wyoming wind was howling...

We felt pretty fortunate to be relaxing in the sunshine.

Holy is the Lord by Chris Tomlin Lyrics

Blessings With Names

Recently Mike & I spent an evening with the little girls at their house while their parents were out. We didn't do anything out of the ordinary. We read books and played a bit. Elise requested an episode of Thomas the Train. As it started she said over and over "Thomas the Train" then "I will watch it!" Yep. She is into sentences big time now. She is so tiny, it seems odd to hear her be so verbal. She has a LOT of thoughts, though.

We went through the bedtime rituals, kind of an extended version I think. Let's just say Cordelia is a pretty effective negotiator. She sat so sweetly as I brushed out her curls and braided her hair for bed. I think that was when we were supposed to help her settle down for sleep.  We might not have done that so well. I blame Mike. He's the fun one.

We made time for silliness. We enjoyed lots of hugs and snuggles. I took photos of those little faces I love.

I looked over at Mike with the girls and I felt so truly content. It still seems strange to me to think of my high school boyfriend as a grandpa and me as a grandma, but I'm so glad we get to share this experience as well. 

Blessings... one named Cordelia and one named Elise.

The Horse in My Purse

I love this little girl!

She delights in giving to others.

She believes it is her job to "make the whole world smile."

Right now, her favorite joy (obsession) is My Little Ponies. I was at their house recently and she offered to give me one of her little ponies. Of course, I politely declined. Well, time passed and not long before I was leaving for home, I saw her near my purse. When she saw me see her, she looked a bit guilty. I wondered... but then I kind of forgot about it. 

Later, at home, her momma texted me that Cordelia had told her, "I may have put a pony in Grandma's purse."  That kind of giving and sharing comes so naturally to her. No, she's not a perfect little girl, but she's got a quality that really warms my heart. 

And that, my friends, is why I now carry a My Little Pony around in my purse.

Kingdom - Giraffe

And this one...

...belongs to me

Thanks for coming along to tour some of 

Maria's pieces from her show,

Kingdom.

I hope you enjoyed it!

Kingdom - Walrus

This is another of the large paintings...

... very impressive!

If you just tuned in, go here to see why I'm taking you all to an online art show.

Kingdom - Panda

This one was really cool!

You can't really tell but it is quite a large painting.

Kingdom - The Royal Family

Here are some photos I took of Maria and family at her art opening event.  They were like royals!

Cordelia, fashionable as always, was stunningly charming.

She and her friend, Sadie, played hide and seek and chase 

through the sea of legs, munching on cookies along the way.

And Maria...

...smiling and greeting people the entire evening, often with Elise on her hip.

That was so appropriate, given that she did much of the painting while actively mothering.

Click here to see what I mean.

Eric, an artist himself, was enjoying seeing his beautiful wife shine that night.

Elise spent her night moving through a sea of legs, looking for 

those attached to someone familiar.

Grandpa was happy to give her a higher perspective.

I had to show you a close up of the hat!

Is that a happy artist or what?!