Bleak Destruction and Magnificent Beauty

I guess I should update you on our local fire.  It is now 100% contained and they are allowing most evacuees back up the mountain.  Unfortunately, 37 residences were destroyed, along with many outbuildings.  All human life was preserved but an unknown number of animals lost their lives as more than 15,000 acres burned.  I have not heard an official announcement but the word around town is that this was arson caused.

We all know that forest fires are scary and dangerous but also that they do some good... eventually.    Fires clear out debris that accumulates on the forest floor.  In time, new and more vibrant growth will erupt.  It will again be lovely.  Unfortunately, that takes a lot of time.

On Saturday Mike & I went to a wedding in Colorado.  Our friends getting married are both youth directors and have spent a lot of time at church camps.  Their wedding was held at one of those camps.  I was looking forward to a beautiful drive!

We drove many miles through the Poudre River Canyon not far from Fort Collins, Colorado.  Earlier this summer that area had also experienced a forest fire.  I remember hearing about it but I had NO IDEA of the level of destruction we were to see.  That fire burned more than 87,000 acres.  Because it is along a river flowing through a canyon, it was sort of a long, skinny fire.  The burn went on for miles and miles and miles.  The river, even now, has black sludge all along its banks.  I read that 259 homes were burned in that fire.

I admit, I did not take all that many photos of the fire area.  I had trouble seeing the beauty of it.

Finally, though, after an hour and a half drive, we got to the church camp.  There, beauty surrounded us!  

Is that not beautiful?  Can you see that little bit of last year's snow still up at the top of the mountain?  Although signs of Fall were everywhere, that day was hot.  The wedding was held at a beautiful outdoor chapel with mountains in the background.  It could not have been more lovely.  

I took this last photo on our way back down the mountain, just before we again approached the big burn area.  The photo doesn't quite give you the take-your-breath-away feeling but you get the idea.  Don't you just love the beauty of the mountains?

Entertaining Angels

New International Version (NIV) Hebrews 13:2

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

I loved the verse from yesterday that spoke of angels watching over our precious ones.  I love this one as well, but it kind of makes me nervous.  I'll tell you why...

I have some gifts in this life, as do we all.  I've long noticed, though, that I don't really have the gift of hospitality.  At least, that's what I thought.  You see, I'm not the one who just loves cooking the big holiday meals.  I'm not good at noticing when someone's glass of lemonade needs refilled.  Actually, I'm not always even hospitable enough to remember to offer then a glass of lemonade in the first place!  I think you get my point.  For some people, entertaining comes easily.  For the rest of us, it isn't our most natural gift.

But, if you also don't feel you have the gift of hospitality, not to worry.  I think we're still ok here.  I don't think this verse is talking about setting a beautiful table or even being a good cook.  I think it is talking about how we treat strangers.

(photo from www.freeimages.co.uk )

First of all, some translations use the word "messengers" instead of "angels".  That is, perhaps we aren't entertaining actual angels but rather someone who turns out to be a messenger of God.  One source I read stated that perhaps the stranger doesn't even know that they are going to end up being a messenger of God.  Hmmmm.... either way, I think the lesson is that we are to be nice.  I think I can do that!  Wait, how nice do I have to be?  Is this going to cost money?

So, who are the strangers?  I guess the lady at the post office could be considered a stranger to me.  The young girl who asks if I need help out with my groceries is a stranger to me.  I suppose it is kind of like the Biblical question, "Who is my neighbor?"  As it turns out, we are supposed to treat everyone with love and respect.  If you want to read another blog on this topic, I suggest you click here.  I don't know the author of the blog but I did like the article he wrote on this verse in particular.

I am not a theologian.  I don't pretend to be certain what this verse means.  I lean more toward believing it is literally speaking of angels, heavenly beings.  I really love the idea of angels walking among us, don't you?  

Grandma Heaven

New Living Translation

Matthew 18:10

"Beware that you don't look down on any  of these little ones. For I tell you that in  heaven their angels are always in the  presence of my heavenly Father."

A Girl and Her Trucks

The other night I got out some of the toys Ben and Sam used to play with and offered them to Cordy to play.  Having watched little boys take those trucks and immediately make truck sounds, it was interesting to watch Cordy's way of playing.

Cordelia's trucks talk!  They say things such things as, "Hello.  How are you today?"

Cordelia's truck carried flowers in the truck bed!

I love watching this little girl grow and learn and love and change.  She's delightful!

Elise!

Elise is plumping up and changing daily.  She's becoming more and more interactive!

She's too cute! 

She gets my jokes!

She listens intently. 

She has great hair! 

And she puts up with Grandma Sue taking a LOT of photos!

New Family in the Neighborhood

I turned onto our street recently and nearly ran into this new family...

We are being warned that a lot of animals have been displaced by the fire and many will be moving down toward town.  I worry about the animals; I also worry about increasing interactions between humans and animals.  We occasionally have mountain lions show up in town and I'm expecting there will be more now.  This photo was taken this week, showing a bear escaping the fire.  I am sorry I can't credit the photographer.  It came to me via Facebook but I am unsure from whom it originated.

Can you see the bear in the bottom right corner?

It's just a reminder that this situation is not only hard on the people with property up there, but also for all the animals who lived there.

Sometimes It's the Small Things

My sister-in-law, Sue, recently gave me the sweetest gift.  She gave me a bowl.  Yes, a bowl.  It is such a pretty bowl!   She suggested I use it for chips, ice cream, cereal, whatever.  I absolutely love it!  She knew me well.

Do you have a special bowl, cup, glass or even silverware that just makes you a bit happier simply by using it?

Maybe just looking at it makes you a bit cheerier?

This bowl does that for me.

Thank you, Sue!

Fascinating in a Scary Sort of Way

I have to admit that when I am outside, I can't stop looking up at the fire.  It grew so quickly on Monday, it was frightening.  The winds have been crazy, which makes this a very dangerous fired.  Here are some of the photos I took yesterday.

As frightening as that looks, our home is not really in danger and I don't expect it will be.  However, I know a lot of people who's property is being threatened.  Yesterday at work I witnessed nurses and surgeons alike, doing their jobs with compassion, all the while wondering if their own property was being burned.  It takes a real professional to be able to set aside their personal concerns while doing their job.  I was impressed. 

Fire on the Mountain

Well, I've no more neighborhood fires to report but last evening, standing out on my deck, I was looking at this cloud.  I had kind of a dirty look.  That wouldn't be strange on a stormy day but yesterday was a clear day.

I moved to get a different view and then I knew; there's fire on the mountain!

I went for a little drive and took this photo.

We had a fire on our mountain a few years ago.  It was close enough to drop ashes in our yard and we could see the flames from our home.  This one is further away and the wind is not likely to bring it anywhere near us.  There are homes and cabins up there, though. 

Once again, I am so grateful to those who fight fire!  The slurry bombers were already at work.  The helicopter was making drops as well.  Again, just so grateful.

Confession and Forgiveness

Following is part of the most humbling yet meaningful parts of our church service.

Confession and Forgiveness

Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, 

all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: 

cleanse the thoughts of our hearts 

by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, 

that we may perfectly love you and 

worthily magnify your holy name, through 

Jesus Christ our Lord....

Most merciful God,

We confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves.  We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, 

by what we have done and 

by what we have left undone.  

We have not loved you with our whole heart; 

we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.  

For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.  Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, 

so that we may delight in your will 

and walk in your ways, 

to the glory of your holy name.  Amen.

 In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was 

given to die for us, and for his sake 

God forgives us all our sins.  

Now We Can Relax

Since he was a little guy I've noticed how well Sam reads people.  Sam is an observer of people and he figures them out, sometimes before they've figured themselves out.

Since the first of the 7 mysterious fires on our block, Sam has been telling me he had a feeling who was doing it.  His guess was an adolescent child who lives nearby.  I am sorry to say he was right again.  I wasn't surprised when I heard the news but I felt quite sad about it.

But, I am happy to say we feel we can relax a bit now.  Bode is showing us how to do that.

Aaaaah...

  One of my favorite things is to see

Mike with one or both of our granddaughters.

Elise is already quite comfortable with 

him, but she likely doesn't yet

realize he will be 

one of her 

very

favorite

people!

Get ready for good time fun, baby girl!

Again? And Again? And Again...?

I was home from work by mid--afternoon yesterday (one of the perks of leaving for work when others are still dreaming) and was just sitting down to pay some bills when I heard it again, the far-off sound  of sirens.  As they got closer I started getting nervous.  Sure enough.  They stopped two doors down from us.

Remember the fire in the front yard of our next-door-neighbors' home last week?  Well, apparently there was a fire in the backyard of the people on the other side of them.  I thought that made this the third yard fire on our block recently but a neighbor girl came out and told me it was the 7th!  All the fires were within 2 houses of our home!

I didn't go too close to take a photo for you all as I didn't want to be the creepy neighbor.  However, when one of our local news anchors arrived and actually interviewed the fire captain, Sam and I went close enough to listen  He confirmed there had been multiple fires and they were under investigation.  Yikes!

 So far the fires have all been small and quickly extinguished so it just seems kind of mysterious at this point.  Don't worry, though. We are on alert now and we are aware of the danger.  Now we have to assume these are arson fires and we aren't taking that lightly.  In fact, I think maybe I'd better go water the lawn a bit... and maybe the garage... and perhaps the deck... and maybe the whole house!

The Fine Art of Stubbornness

You may remember our friend, Allen.  He had a life-changing year I think about 9 years ago.  His life was turned upside down while he slept for 39 days!  When all was said and done he had a new heart and two artificial legs.  You can read his story in his own words here.

On Monday we received a phone call letting us know that Allen was in the emergency department after having experienced an accident at his home.  He'd expected to be enjoying a barbeque with his family but instead was in pain and waiting for a  surgeon.   When we went to be with him we knew he was really hurting, but he still managed to joke around with us.  Amazing.

Allen's accident occurred because he is a stubborn man, and I am saying that lovingly!  He was trying to do some things that he probably should've asked others to do.  That's Allen, though.  I expect that most who meet him don't realize he has someone else's heart and artificial legs.  That's because he doesn't let anything slow him down!  That same stubbornness that got him wounded this week is likely one of the qualities that has sustained him for the last 9 years.

Allen is a faithful reader of my blog so I'm using today's post as my get well card to him.  Allen, heal quickly and use that stubborn streak to surprise us all once again at your resiliency!

G E T   W E L L !

Why Does Jesus Love Us?

One of my favorite things to do on a day off is to hang out with my beautiful daughter and her beautiful daughters.  We like to search for treasures at a thrift store, buy froo-froo coffees, and just cross some errands off our lists.  Often we meet Mike and Sam at the mall for lunch to top off our morning.

The mundane becomes FUN when together.

I especially love Cordelia's input.  She's such a smart little person and she freely shares her interesting opinions and insights!  She also asks many, MANY questions!

Awhile back I rode along with Maria and her little girls while Maria did a few errands.  When Maria went into one store, Cordelia and I were singing in the vehicle to entertain ourselves.  Elise chose not to join in but I think she was appreciative of our music.  We were singing "Jesus Loves Me" when Cordy stopped me to ask, "Why does Jesus love us?"  I think I said something awesome like, "I don't know, but he does."  Yes, when put on the spot, I came up a bit short with my theological explanations.  Hey!  Don't criticize me!  I'm an RN, Mike is the theologian!

Although Cordy quickly moved on (she's not yet three you know), I kind of pondered that question for awhile.  It's actually a very good question.  Why does he love us?  We're really such a mess most of the time.  We're selfish.  We hurt each other.  We lose sight of what is most important.  Yet, we're much loved in spite of all that.

So, how would you have answered Cordelia?

Our Peaceful Floating Picnic

Are any of you doing anything fun this holiday week-end?  Did you go out of town or have week-end guests?

We've been pretty low-key ourselves but we did get to go floating on the river again.  I packed lunch for us and we had a floating picnic!  Yes, it is a little awkward to eat lunch in an inner tube, but so worth it!  We did have to use the oars more and work pretty hard at times because it was gusty.  Mostly, though, we just relaxed while watching the peaceful scenery go by.  The best part?  Three hours of having Mike all to myself!

A Word From Pastor Mike: "For You - Forever"

I asked my pastor husband, Mike, if I could occasionally share one of his sermons on my blog.  I brought it up enough times, he finally supplied me with some of his notes.  The following is from his sermon notes from two weeks ago.  It will be helpful to know that it is based on John 6:51-58 so I will insert that passage.  Oh, and I probably should warn you that he slips his quirky sense of humor into his sermons...

     ***************************************************************************

John 6:51-58 (NRSV)

John 6:51-58

⁵¹I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” ⁵²The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” ⁵³So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; ⁵⁵for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. ⁵⁶Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. ⁵⁷Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. ⁵⁸This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

     *********************************************************************************************

Now, from Mike's notes...

For You - Forever

This past week we were in Minnesota.  We toured the Mill City Museum in Minneapolis.  It was the former home of Gold Medal Flour.  Across the Mississippi River you could see the Pillsbury Flour Factory.

(note from Sue:  Remember, I forewarned you about Mike's sense of humor! The underlines words indicate parts he delivered with a bit of a distinct emphasis.)

While I was there I came across this obituary:  Veteran Pillsbury Spokesman, Pop-N-Fresh, died yesterday of a yeast infection.  Dozens of celebrities turned out for the funeral.  Among those seen were Aunt Jemima, the California Raisins, Hungry Jack, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies, and Skippy Peanut Butter.

Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy.  She said her friend "never realized how much he was kneaded."  (another note from Sue:  It's ok to groan.  I did.)  The church was piled high with flours (not a typo) from many friends.

Pop-N-Fresh rose quickly in show business but in his later life he had many turnovers.  He was not a very smart cookie as he wasted much of his dough on half-baked schemes.  Unfortunately many of his so called friends buttered him up for these failures.

Even though Pop-N-Fresh was a crusty old man, he was a roll model for millions.  Fresh is survived by his wife and two children  plus they have a bun in the oven.  The service was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.

(pause to regroup before the serious stuff)

Jesus said, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven."  In this reading Jesus seems to be all over the place.  Is he...

a) talking about communion?  "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life...abide in me and I in them" sure sounds like communion.

b) talking about the incarnation - God taking on flesh?  "I am the living bread that came down from heaven" sure sounds like that's true also.

c)  talking about his death for us?  "The bread that I give for the life of the world is my flesh."  That sure sounds like the cross to me.

This is the great thing about the Bible.  You can go into it as simply or as deeply as you want.  There is bread.  There is food for everyone.

What I was fascinated about in the text were the promises of eternal life.  

     (a) "Whoever eats this bread will live forever."  

     (b) "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life and I will raise them up on the
            last day."                  

     (c) "Whoever eats me will live because of me."
     (d) "The one who eats this bread will live forever."

These are promises for you about forever, about eternal life.  But what is eternal life?  When does it begin?  What does it look like?

Eternal Life

Sometimes it is helpful to describe something by saying what it is not...

A former professor of mine, Jim Nestingen, was in the newly formed country in South Sudan.  He told a story of what eternal life is not and what it is.  He told of a 10 year old girl.  Her older brother sold her to an older man who had lost his wife.  The brother needed money so he could be married.  Without getting too descriptive, we can safely say that this was not eternal life for a 10 year old girl.  As soon as she was old enough, she started having children.  Then, the old man died.  This meant that she would go up for sale as part of his estate.  She was bought by a church!  They redeemed her!  They set her free!  Eternal life started for her and she is now the pastor of the very congregation that set her free.  Jim Nestingen said there was so much joy on her lips that you couldn't help but get caught up in the dance of it!

It's interesting that in our gospel text today Jesus announces that he is the living bread come down from heaven and that whoever eats of this bread will live.  The response...grumbling.  How can this man do this?  Sometimes we make the Christian Faith too complicated or we get distracted.  Jesus puts it this way, the one who believes has eternal life.  What must we do to be saved?  Believe in the one who the Father sent.

This last week I got to listen to African Lutherans tell their story.  I got to see a Sudanese man be commissioned to go back to his country, where there is barely a government, few hospitals, school or churches and yet the church grows - and I wondered why.

And I think the reason is they have completely sold themselves out to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the love of God.

They aren't really concerned about the American dream, getting their kids to soccer games, or water skiing competitions.  Maybe extreme poverty keeps people dependent on God and thankful, even glad, for the few things they do have.

The good news is that God isn't really concerned about boundaries.  It isn't a Christian competition between continents - God loves sinners wherever they may be.

The Father sent the Son to be the Living Bread for all people - the one who feeds on this living bread has eternal life.  We feed on Jesus in daily prayer, weekly worship and reading the Bible daily.

When you come to communion you hear the words, "Body of Christ given for you" and "Blood of Christ shed for you."  It is a promise - for you - it's the living Christ within you.  It is eternal life for you.  Begin selling yourself out completely to God and enter the joy of eternal life.

Grandma, I saw a Ghost!

Cordelia, like most children, gets to occasionally watch cartoons.  I expect that is how she heard of ghosts.   Wherever she heard of ghosts, she  became a bit fascinated with the idea of them.   When a person is two-almost-three years old, fantasy and reality really blur together often so it isn't surprising that Cordelia is sometimes pretty sure there are ghosts around.

One Sunday, after church service, we were all standing around in our church while we visited with each other.  Cordelia was pretty wound up and was dancing and running around, having a happy time.  All of a sudden she ran up to me and declared, "Grandma, I saw a Ghost!"  THIS time I was quite pleased with myself for my prompt response.  I told her maybe it was the Holy Ghost!

After thinking about it awhile, Cordy asked me what she should say to the Holy Ghost if she saw him again.  I told her she should say, "Hi!"  OK, that may have been weird but I assured her the Holy Ghost is kind and good and watched out for her.  She then asked me what she should call him.  I suggested, "Holy".  That wasn't very creative I guess.

We don't talk about the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit is my preference) much.  We are told that the Holy Spirit is given to us as our helper while we are still here on Earth.  I wonder why we don't remember to seek help and comfort more often from the Holy Spirit.  Do you think of the Holy Spirit much?

Drama in the Neighborhood

Last night we had a little excitement in the neighborhood.  Mike was in at the church but Sam and I were home.  First, I thought I heard some hollering outside but saw nothing.  I muted the television but all was quiet.  The next thing Sam and I heard were far-off sirens.  Right then I had a strong feeling that those sirens were headed our way.  I was right!  The sirens stopped right next door.

It turns out that our neighbors had a small fire in their front yard.  They weren't home and we do not yet know why there was a fire.  It was really just a matter of  feet from our cars and our house. A row of dry trees line up between our house and their's.  It is great for privacy but certainly would have made powerful fuel.   Have I mentioned that Wyoming is in a drought?  It has been really, really dry around here.

The fire did not amount to much I guess.  It was out before I saw it.  The reason is this, a passing motorist took the time to care.  He or she saw it and called out for help (explaining the hollering I thought I heard).  The neighbor on the other side helped put out the fire before it became a big deal.  

I'm so very grateful to people who see a problem and do what they can to help.   I know there are people who would have just driven by, expecting someone else to handle the problem.   I don't know the name of the person alerting to the fire, but we are very appreciative.  I'm happy to be reporting just minor drama, nothing more.

I also want to give a shout out to all emergency services folks.  They walk into a lot of unknown situations on our behalf.  I am pretty sure we don't thank them enough.  If any of my readers are among our protectors, know that we are grateful!