A Matter of Time

I love the idea of being able to straddle two centuries. Having lived the majority of my life in the previous century, in addition, I knew several relatives well who were born in the late 1800’s—my maternal grandmother and grandfather and their siblings, as well as my fraternal grandmother who was born in 1875. Oh yes—there was my mother’s fraternal grandfather, whom I also knew as a child. He was born during the Civil War and died when I was nine or ten.

What brought this all to mind was realizing that my mother-in-law, Ann Suter Diehl, was born 100 years ago this coming May.

As many of you know, the concept of time travel fascinates me. I don’t foresee me engaging in that, literally,  but having known people who lived 100 or more years ago and knowing some details of how they lived ,gives me an inkling of what time travel would be like.

To add to my interest, my next writing project is based on my great-great grandmother’s life. She died in 1921 so my mother didn’t even get a chance to know her, but her husband wrote a short autobiographical sketch about him and his family, so I am becoming acquainted with these folks. Traveling back through time, I will get to know them and imagine their emotions as they embraced joyful times and faced death and poverty.

It would be fascinating to talk to these relatives from long ago and see what advice they would have for us in this century. The physical changes on our planet would astound them—jet planes, cell phones, computers. But judging from the lessons we can glean from studying the Bible whose characters lived and died long before my family members of two centuries ago, the temperament of human beings has not changed.

So I’m guessing my ancestors’ words of wisdom would echo that of Jesus (as they were mostly People of the Book)—Love God with all your strength and lovingly accept yourself so you can lovingly accept those around you.

Flex or Flux?

My older son and I were texting each other a few mornings ago and as he lives in Ft. Worth and I live in NE Nevada, the comments turned to the weather. On this particular day, Ft. Worth was enduring a very chilly 25 degrees at noon while Elko was at 36 degrees and climbing—not the norm. (FB posts from the Midwest that day reported ice, snow and school closings).

He wrote something to the effect that it seemed the general idea of specific seasons he’d been taught in school as a kid no longer had any validity. I replied with a J that Ft Worth still had a longer growing season than Elko but I had to agree with him in principle.

When I was a youngster, we still did see definite seasons the dates of which we could depend upon. But the atmosphere of planet Earth has changed immensely since those days, and if we take time to think about it, it may seem disconcerting.

The fact that our world is in a constant of flux or flex—physically, politically and spiritually when most of us have looked at life on planet Earth as a stable entity, can be downright scary.

I looked up “flex” and “flux” in my fifty-plus year-old dictionary and it seems the meanings of these two words haven’t changed between then and now. The American College Dictionary from 1962 states that flex means to bend and flux means continuous change so both of these words can fit our topic.

Life's frightening moments are the times we need to get our focus back on God and away from our circumstances. He is ALWAYS there and He NEVER changes. He puts our feet on bedrock so we have a firm foundation in Him. He’s our shield and He shelters us with His widespread wings of refuge.

His security is always available whether the storms we are enduring are atmospheric or emotional, physical or spiritual. In other words, don't worry. Enjoy throwing snowballs if you live in Kentucky and have fun playing golf if you live in Nevada.

Welcome!

It’s such a great feeling to go to a family member’s home or that of a good friend’s and as you ring the doorbell or knock on the door, you are welcomed with a hug and urged, “Come on in.”

You are directed to a comfortable place to sit, probably given a hot drink or a cold one, depending on the weather, and you pick up where you left off the last time you visited. You are comfortable, feeling “at home. You belong here at this spot, at this time. You are welcomed.

I just finished reading Luke 9 :10-17 where the Twelve have returned to report to Jesus what they had experienced after He had sent them out, empowered  to heal and preach the Good News. He led them to a quiet place in the hills above Bethsaida to debrief further.

Somehow the crowds discovered where He was and converged on Jesus and His disciples. Here is what I had never before noticed in this particular Gospel passage.

Luke say, “He welcomed them.” (meaning this uninvited crowd of people). Jesus didn’t say, “I’m busy here with My men. Come back tomorrow.” He must have told them to sit down and get comfortable for Luke writes that Jesus then taught them about the Kingdom of God and healed all those who were sick.

The remainder of the passage tells of the miracle of feeding 5000 men plus their wives and children using five loaves and two fishes. But you can read that awesome story for yourself.

I love the welcoming compassion I see in Jesus in Luke’s account. Jesus still welcomes us today. When someone decides to surrender their life to Christ, He welcomes them into His family. When someone passes through death’s door who belongs to Christ, He welcomes them to their new home in heaven.

This is especially meaningful to me and others who have lost friends and family members. Three dear brothers in Christ have recently taken up new homes in heaven and I love the idea of Jesus welcoming each of His boys into that mansion He had ready for them (see John 14:2)

What an awesome Lord we serve, who never tires of welcoming His children home.

What If…?

Yes, I know worrying about “what if” something happens, etc. is definitely counter-productive. In fact, Jesus reminds us in Matthew, chapter 6, about the reasons we don’t need to worry, weighing ourselves down with anxious thoughts.

This blog post is about a non-anxious type of “what if.” I read a quote by Albert Einstein recently that piqued my interest. He believed that our idea of Time segmented into Past, Present, and Future is an artificial one—that Time, instead, is a vast continuum. With that in mind, I pose the question: what if we could travel back and forth in what we label the Past and the Future?

The reason Einstein’s quote so interested me is because I have been fascinated with  the topic of time travel for many years. Apparently, many other fiction writers have also found the idea intriguing. For instance, Diana Gabaldon wrote the “Outlander” series with her main character moving from post WWII Scotland to the time of Bonnie Prince Charlie and Culloden (and other eras). She utilizes a boulder in an ancient stone circle--a crack in Time-- to transport her characters. Randy Ingermanson, a physicist/ Christian fiction writer, uses “worm holes” to transport his characters back to the time of Paul, the Apostle in Roman Palestine.

Actually, I can see my fascination with time travel exhibiting itself in an interest in historical characters, starting with Biblical characters, such as the women mentioned in the Gospels and most recently in delving into the character of Deborah, the Old Testament judge

My next journey “in time” will involve going back to the Civil War era and imagining what my great-great grandmother might have experienced as she watched her love go off to war. That was just the beginning of a very eventful life for her and I truly anticipate getting to know this kinswoman. I have no letters of hers and only one indistinct picture of her in a group. It is amazing, however, to see how much information can be obtained from reading family obituaries as well as newspaper clippings of the day plus studying the current events during that period.

All of this to say, I am being granted the gift of “time travel” by obtaining answers to my “what if” questions during the time I study. Of course, the time travel is in my mind, but perhaps that is what time travel is all about???

Since the Bible tells us a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day to God, I would nominate Jesus as the ultimate time traveler.

I would love to hear your thoughts and comments regarding this concept.

The Long Tomorrow

No pictures with this post, but I have been reading a fascinating book by Randy Alcorn entitled, Heaven. He has written many books both fiction and non-fiction, has been a pastor, and is the founder of Eternal Perspective Ministries, a teaching ministry.

The Long Tomorrow is a phrase Alcorn borrowed from AW Tozer, a great writer in the mid-twentieth century, which describes our life after death. That thought can be frightening to some, but it’s a thought that needs to be dealt with before one stares Eternity in the face. And of course, none of us knows when that might occur, since only God knows our expiration date.

For those of us who presently look forward to Heaven, the idea of being reunited with loved ones who beat us there, in addition to the awesome gift of seeing Jesus Who made our presence there possible, is beyond comforting, However, I have to admit, Heaven seemed like a fairly vague concept until I read Alcorn’s book. Besides the topics I mention here, Alcorn discusses many others and the last half of his book lists questions (and his answers) that readers have sent him—all very thought-provoking.

Granted, there is a lot we don’t know about this next address we’re traveling to, but there’s a surprising amount the Bible does tell us and it’s fascinating to be able to access those scriptures in one place which is what Alcorn enables his readers to do.

In case you are not into harp playing or singing in a choir, according to Alcorn, “Fear not, Heaven will definitely never be boring.” Our Creator has given us personalities, talents, and skills and there’s no reason He won’t continue having us use them—minus the curse of the Sin Factor. I found that encouraging despite the fact that I do love to make music (or have, in the past).

Will we know our loved ones in Heaven? Alcorn thinks so because the Bible says “We will be known as we are known.”He also reminds us of how Christ was instantly recognized by the Eleven after He was resurrected from the dead.

For anyone who has not firmly nailed down where you will be spending your “long tomorrow,” I urge you to not waste any more time. Jesus paid the price for your sin debt on that Roman cross 2000 years ago and His gift of your salvation is as valid today as it was to the thief being crucified beside Him. He begged, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”  Jesus assured him that he would be with Him in Paradise. 

A simple affirmation of believing that Christ is God’s Son, who died for your sins and in your place and arose, conquering sin and death and surrendering your life to Him—that will guarantee your “long tomorrow” to be in Heaven with Him.

That will truly be Glory.

A Letter to My Friends

I remember writing letters as a child and always starting out after the greeting: How are you? I am fine. :)

That’s a bit of what this post will be as I see I haven’t written a post since July. Yikes! However, my life has progressed onward, joyfully.

My cousin and her husband came to Elko all the way from Illinois via Texas at the end of July. I did so appreciate them taking the time and making the effort to do so. I got to share the beauty of Lamoille Canyon and the fascinating

Gidget, Pat and Peggy

exhibits of the California Trail Center with them.

Stan and Peggy

August saw a delightful weekend at a local (as in the foothills of the Rubies) Christian Retreat Center enjoying a spiritual re –charge via great presentations and God’s spectacular creation. 

Cowboys Rest is located at the former Sherman Stage Stop. The Retreat offers options of sleeping in a cabin, sleeping in a covered wagon, sleeping in a teepee or really roughing it and sleeping at the lodge with indoor bathrooms/showers:). 

My friends and I slept in a teepee, up close and personal to nature, albeit on a bed. Really glad the snakes from the pond didn’t wander up our way. (Sorry, I can't find my picture of our teepee.)

The first part of September saw another book birthed—at least in e-book form. I’m hoping the paperback edition of Debra/Deborah will be available from Amazon by the end of next week. Stay tuned on FaceBook for the actual announcemen.

Mid-September found me in Ft. Worth to help son Jeffrey celebrate his birthday. Saw a couple of Tiny Houses that a local university had built and visited the Botanical Gardens. It was fun to re-connect

with Jeff and his friends.  

 

The end of September included a trip to Reno and a great visit with friends who used to live in Elko—Roy and Nancy graciously housed me in their lovely home and I got to meet their delightful grandchildren who live up the street from them.

October was nose to the grindstone month working on getting Debra/Deborah into print. My first proof copy looked good but as I read the text aloud, agains! I found many changes needed and a few errors. Those corrected, the next proof copy has been ordered. And that brings this “letter” to a close.

How are you? (Doing well, I hope.)

I am fine.

Blessings,

Pat

A Tribute to My Sons

I just completed another year of life and both my sons were on hand to help me celebrate. Jeff took a week of vacation to come back to Elko, and although we did manage to get a lot of NetFlix viewing accomplished as well as eating more than we should have, Jeff re-contoured the front yard, and both boys worked at putting up guttering in strategic spots in the front and back of my house.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are some pictures of my wonderful sons and the great birthday week they gave me.

Birthday Bouquet from the boys

                Jeff pruned the

                 lilac bushes in

                 the back yard.

                                

KFC picnic at Lamoille Park

               Checking out the

                creek at the trail

                head in Lamoille

                 Canyon.

                 We find a snow

                    patch for Jeff

                    less than a mile

                     up the trail and

                    he was able to

                    make a snowball

                    on July 2!

Jeff and Brian prepping gutter lengths

 Before and After  -- A once weedy,

graveled

front

yard--

Thanks,

 Jeff

 

Men at work!!!

 I now have guttering and
two down spouts in the back


One down spout in front with guttering along the garage & partial house front.

On July 14 three years ago Dean graduated to Heaven. I am so blessed with the legacy he left—two sons who obviously love their mom. Thank you, Jeff and Brian and thank You, Lord!