#1~THE SHAPING OF MY FAITH

Vignette: I was born in Puebla, Puebla Mexico, where my parents, Loren and Betty Ediger were pioneer missionaries.
My family moved to Zaptitlan shortly after birth, spending my toddler years there.  
My pre-school other days living in another small remote village, Cuautempan, Puebla.  I was given the name, Rebecca Joy, fondly known as "Becky" to my family and friends.

 Who am I, Lord God . . . that you have brought me this far?” —1 Chronicles 17:16

We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. —2 Chronicles 20:12

However, nothing has shaped my faith more than that Sunday we set foot onto Grace Community Church 43 years ago and counting.

That first Sunday was phenomenal.  The teaching felt as if we were drinking from a fire hydrant, soaking so much of God's Words.

  I had never seen so many open Bibles and notebooks or heard the loud rustling of turning pages.  The sermon went so fast, a mile a minute and was deep.  The Scripture just opened up and was my first introduction to Bible exposition.

It was overwhelminly wonderful.  That Sunday we went hoping to be fed but left with a lot to chew on.
Although I had previously gotten Biblical training at MU, I was struck by my lack of Biblical literacy and expository teaching.

This next month, our pastor, will have been ours for 50 years. 

"Marinating our minds in Scripture keeps us sane."~ ? 

GOOD BYE 2018, HELLO 2019

"Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on." ~Hal Borland

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas.  Now with the traditional feasts behind us, I am excited to make fresh memories with you.
Blog traffic took a nose dive the past two months but hey, readers, we did it! We survived and thrived the year.

 Another year is almost gone and a joy filled one awaits.  So let's be honest, sometimes those of us who exude joy can be downright annoying at times.

  Beyond the midnight ball drop and the fire works begins another year.  Where has 2018 gone?  How can it be possible that 2019 is around the corner?

Pastor Rick

Twelve new months and 365 new chances to redeem the time God has given us. 

Cultivate JOY and focus on your walk with God.  Eternity is a long time to be wrong.

"Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:15,16

Twelve months to decorate the year with treasured memories and memorable days, yes, and joy too, Lord willing.

Friends/Family since 1975

I appreciate all the good things that this past year has given me and anticipate those yet to come. 

I am grateful for the beautiful moments I have experienced in the last 365 days  that wouldn’t have been quite the same without all of the special people in my life, YOU!
This New Year's goal is to walk the corridors of joy and praise, to emulate the love and warmth you all have shown me.
Many of you made this past year so special for me.

Mother/Daughter

I'd like to thank those of you who have lifted me up and delivered encouraging words and those of you who thought you didn't but did.

2018 Annual Christmas get-together

 Tim Keller has said that “It is people without resources who know best the lavishness of God’s love.”
SURPRISE!

BFF's

So as we begin to journey into this next year, let's consider a few things.
SLOW DOWN!  Find joy in the moments.

Holding on to God's Word

  The older I get, the faster time appears to accelerate.

AD/Dementia Support Group

LISTEN to the call of joy, the beauties in life and those little gifts.  Consider the purpose that grounds our lives.

The Smiths

Familiarize the mind with joy.

The Ledwells

Expect God to walk with you.  Point all your arrows in the right direction.
 I thank God for the miracle of getting me through last year.

A Class act

I saw some bad days and I saw some good days so I suppose I am all right.

With an amazing Lady

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

"Joy is the ability to rise above circumstances and failed expectations to realign with a deeper purpose and fresh perspective." ~Anon

Learning from God's Word together~EWG

One of my favorite songs:

"The sun comes up

My favorite receptionist

It's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass
And whatever lies before me
Let me be singing
When the evening comes" ~Matt Redman lyrics

10,000 REASONS  

CHRISTMAS 2018, video

Some times I wish I could skip the holidays but seeing them through a child's eyes makes it all worthwhile.

Some memories are bitter-sweet.  They are happy to recall but sad  because some of those times don't exist anymore.  Children grow up and loved ones depart.  Life has to keep moving and flowing.  No one should stay stuck in time although there are moments of traditions we enjoy.
A most touching video of the season: THE CHOSEN THE CHOSENClick here.

THE GHOST OF  CHRISTMAS MEMORIES PAST Click here
MY CHILDHOOD CHRISTMAS MEMORIES Click here

REACTING OR RESPONDING?

"Between Stimulus and Response There Is a Space. In That Space Is Our Power To Choose Our Response." ~Viktor E. Frankl, a concentration camp survivor during the Holocaust.)

Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. Viktor E. Frankl
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/viktor_e_frankl_160380

Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. Viktor E. Frankl
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/viktor_e_frankl_160380

Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. Viktor E. Frankl
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/viktor_e_frankl_160380

Essential to editing my life, is up grading or deleting some of the patterns that at one time or another were used for survival and belonging.

The trouble is that as time goes on we grow and change.

  Those past patterns may have been useful at one time.

The way I see things may not necessarily be the way things are.  So based on this perspective I find that reacting has been one of my basic problems in life and I need to amp up the responding.
You see reacting is me-centered.  It's easy.  Responding is hard.  It involves empathy, compassion, and insight.  Reacting sets me up to react in a way that does not represent a child of God.

"Reacting is hasty. Reacting is rushed, uncalculated and often done without proper thought. In anger, in fear. It’s misunderstood, misused. It’s impossible to express how you truly feel in a single sentence, or meme..(or emojis). Its even worse if you’re just sharing for the sake of it, especially if it turns out the source matter is false."

"Responding takes time. Time to review & digest the situation, to understand both it and how it affects you. It also allows you to add context to your statements so that others can learn and appreciate the situation, rather than just click a button with a thumbs-up symbol and throw it aside. Let them know why their attention is needed, rather than just demanding it."

  Scripture advocates responding over reacting.
 In fact, the ability to respond is the mark of a wise person.

 Take a look at these examples:

^"... take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,"  (James 1:19
 
“Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” (Proverbs 19:11)

“A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself.” (Proverbs 11:17)
“Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” (Proverbs 16:32)
“It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.” (Proverbs 20:3)
“A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.” (Proverbs 18:2)

"... for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks."  Luke 6:45

 Mr. Schoof likes to get me a poinsettia every year at this time.  As he hands it to me he says, "Happy anniversary, happy birthday, and any other happy occasion that comes to mind."  My first reaction, although silent was, "Salmon color?", "I don't like the color."  "Did they not have other colors?"  I had never noticed this color before.
  My favorite color are the deep maroon, red ones.  Well, I would like to say that outwardly, I responded, however, it took much restraint to overpower those silent reactions.
 I will enjoy this until it is relegated to a spot outside after the season and eventually join all of our other green thumb less failures.
 

WHY FIT IN?

---

"the course of true love never did run smooth" William Shakespeare

There is something about forcing my brain to come up with, pull up, out what’s important to me.

Milestones invite reflection and I’ve been thinking about how my marriage has worked out and what nuggets of wisdom I have gleaned these past 43 years.  What has made our relationship last?  Those years just didn’t happen!

They say, “A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.”
So, who in the dickens am I married to?  How did I become a wife to someone who is wired differently?  I fell in love!  I must of seen past everyone’s interpretation and blindness of “LOVE”.
Our story started and I fell for him because he was different and every person uniquely reflects the beauty and glory of God.  It is important to understand that we all have a type of brain organization we are born with and some of us have different operating systems for those brains.  It was out of God’s goodness that we happened to fall in love with each other before spending too much time together.
While we experience the grandeur of the world God has placed us in, we all experience life in different ways.
Each year has brought me an ever-growing understanding of the complexities of our marriage package.
Looking into the history of our relationship recaptures the glimmers of what brought us together.  As I think about our imperfections that make our marriage challenging, yet beautiful, regardless, we are here to glorify God.  If we are fearfully and wonderfully made, if a little differently made then it is to focus on God not our expectations.

Oh, the heart aches, I could have saved had I known then what I know now.

PIT FALLS IN MY MARRIAGE:

>For years I figured that my husband should just know and pick up on clues to my desires.  He didn’t have a clue.  I discovered that if I wanted him to know, I would have to tell him.
>I chose to choose my battles wisely.
>Many times, I had to allow natural consequences to kick in even though it was an inconvenience or seemed illogical.
>It is not my job to nag ad nauseam on grounds I do not own.

>Learning not to panic when hitting the rough patches of difficult terrain.
 "But those who marry will face many troubles in this life..." I Cor.7:28

HAVE SCREWY NATURE OF TRIALS GOTTEN TO YOU?

"As you do not know the path of the wind,
    or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,

    the Maker of all things." ~Ecclesiastes 11:5


 We all have stories and encounters.  While we experience the grandeur of the world God has placed us in, many of us will trek through difficult terrain as we walk the rocky road of life.  You may have had many dashed hopes.  You may have memories of churning waters that have made up your life.
You may have the heart ache that could have been spared had we not known the storm clouds brewing or spared had we known years ago.  I find myself in the already and the not yet to come.  I find myself wondering why couldn't others have been more understanding.
I find it distressing that some people just don't get it.   "Be more normal!" they scream in an inaudible way of which I am guilty of.
A thankful heart takes the sting and screwy nature out of life's trials.  God's presence is grounds for gratefulness.  He sustains me and tightly holds me and cares for me.

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). ~Matt.1:23

"...And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” ~Matt.28:20

As I look forward to ending this year and beginning a new year, the most valuable lesson I have learned is that sometimes, well most of the time that changing expectations will transform perspective.  

Imperfections, human quirks and errors make marriage most challenging equal to exasperation.

However, Get it!  We are here to glorify God!

  To focus on the Lord! 

Please don't let your relationships "look like a nuclear winter."

#3 DEAR MR. SCOOOOOF: 43 Yrs.!

“Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord?"  ~Exodus 4:11 

 Reinhold Niebuhr’s prayer,

"God grant me the serenity (faith, love and wisdom)
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference."

"Marriage is vulnerable because it is an intimate union between two sinners."  ~Jennifer Smith, author
 

My Dear Mr. Scooooof;

Last time I checked, you WERE still my husband.   I am no longer the wife of your youth but still the wife of your not-so-youth.
  I am still the mother of your children and the grandmother of your grandchildren.
The passing of another year together is approaching.  We will be entering into another one, together.  What an accumulation of irreplaceable time. It will be a reminder of our commitment

I have had a front row seat in your life.  I at times reluctantly rejoice in what God has given you, me.

Yep, the simple fact we are two very distinct individuals expressing life and love in a language neither of us has mastered, yet.
A deep appreciation often escapes me.  My list of changes, ever changes.  These changes reminds me of all the hats you have worn throughout the years.  You carried a lot.  We frequently test the limits of our love.
Mental and emotional stamina have escaped us at times as well as living in an understanding way.  I still have a lot of growing to do.  My quest for survival has revealed how selfish I have been.
I am much more worse at times.  I have not always been a kind wife, a steadfast wife, or a very compassionate friend.

We will never win "Couple of The Year."  The "happy couple" is an illusion anyway. At least for us. Being married is a worthy adventure.  I refuse to compare ourselves to others.  Ours is unique, special and weird.

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

Perhaps you remember the first lines to one of Charles Dickens famous books, The Tale of Two cities.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." 

Was I blessed because I was suitably built for it?  My feelings remain a mystery to you not because I have not shared them but because you are hard wired in a unique way.
I fight the urge of wandering thoughts, imagining what I have missed while watching other seemingly happy couples.
Social media can be very deceiving.
It's difficult, I can get in the flesh quickly thinking that forgetful, distracted, thoughtless, disorganized, zoned out, is selfish.

I'm sorry for doing such a poor job of caring and throwing so many careless words at you.
Well, regardless, one thing is sure.  You're mine, you love me, we support each other in our own hard wired way.

"She's Mine!"

  Forgive me for trying to "fix" you.  You are not broken, God made you.  I totally get it now, the tendency to understand me will be illusive.
Gratitude sets my perspective.
I may never be who I really want and desire you to be but our identity does not change who we are in Christ.  Sanctification is a process. It never ends.
I am blessed by stealing glances of an open Bible in your hands in the early morning.

Forgive me for not rejoicing in your passions.  Forgive me for the harsh words when followed into the kitchen to prepare a meal, asking questions provokes great frustration.
There are many days I feel weary and inadequate for the job as your wife.
I appreciate all the precious milestones and cannot imagine life without you.

  After years of living without making sense of some things comes the "Aha" moments, more clarity.
It's going to be okay.
  I better get sturdier sneakers, tighten my belt, and sharpen my sword skills.  (Ephesians 6:10-18)
Sincerely,
Mrs. Scooooof

PSALM 139:

13 For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.

SHAPED BY AD-VER-SI-TIES

As Dumas wrote in his novel, The Count of Monte Cristo:

“Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes.” – Alexandre Dumas

 "If thou faint in the day of adversity thy strength is small" (Proverbs 24:10).

I don't like adversities!
Isn't it somewhat perplexing to consider oneself blessed when going through a trial?
  The blessed part is that in the midst of trials, I have survived.

  I have thrived!  The other blessed part is that sense of God's presence and strength through it's storms.

My life time has been full of those blessed moments, those moments that have a way of ambushing, those hours that seem so long, those days that seem endless, those months filled with difficult situations, those years of life taking on many strange experiences and struggles and trying to make sense of challenging, chaotic, turbulent occasions.

TOILET TROUBLES

 The last thing on my mind was shopping, however, my husband whooed me into going with him to Lowe's.

So, when you are replacing an old toilet, there is so much to have to do before the purchase.  Toilets come in round and elongated and other features I won't discuss.
We found ourselves wandering up and down the plumbing isle, looking for the toilet we found on line that was discounted.  We found ourselves standing in front of the toilet display trying to figure out which one.
 We searched high and low but found not a one that met that description yet store inventory showed eighteen available.  Not that we needed 18.

Not to be deterred, we began searching for a sales associate who could provide some assistance.
This large, burly man appears out of nowhere from the plumbing fixtures isle, clueless.  He goes through all the same motions we had just completed and determines that the 18 toilets must still be on the pallet in the warehouse.  He tells us it will take 30 min.
I set my phone alarm and look for a nice quiet place to sit amongst the patio furniture in the garden department.
30 minutes later, I saunter back to the toilet displays isle, only to find out our toilet is not ready for take out, yet.

So, we made ourselves comfortable in twin soft chairs in the "make your kitchen dream" dept., facing the lighting fixture department when a loud voice calls out "You're toilet has arrived!"

Mission Accomplished