WINTER FUNNIES
I know this is kind of gross, but I thought it was pretty funny.
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WINTER FUNNIES
I’m seriously considering setting up such an enterprise. Everyone in my neck of the woods is getting quite sick of winter.
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LIGHT IN MY EYES
I’m getting started late this morning. Usually our dog Gage is tugging on an arm or leg in hot pursuit of getting outdoors by 5 AM, but for some reason he let us sleep this morning. Maybe he knows we need it, or maybe he’s getting to a point in life where he needs more sleep too. Whatever the reason, I’m grateful to have had a few extra winks.
As I sit here in front of my laptop, the sun is streaming in through my otherwise darkened blinds. At this time of the year, that golden orb is a welcome sight. It pierces through the crystal atmosphere, creating diamonds across an alabaster landscape. Sometimes the light can be irritating as I try to come up with an idea for this morning’s post. It cuts through my vision and even leaves me slightly blinded by its presence.
In late January, the sun is beginning to move closer us and its power is incredible. The warmth slices through the hanging glasslike stalactites turning them into little puddles on the ground. They will soon succumb to the evening cold and refreeze for another day. The glow of the sun also gives us hope that winter will soon end – that there is a new beginning, new life and promise of warm walks in the summer heat.
For a couple more months, we face the reality that we will undoubtedly see another blizzard or two. March is generally our snowiest month. Our bones and muscles will have to wait for a while to be exposed to the warmth of summer, but that glimmer of light shining through my window this morning is enough to warm my heart. In this world, we often need artificial light to make us aware of our surroundings in the dark. In a world of darkness, we need the true Light, which never goes out, to set us on the path to heaven.
Jesus is the Light of the World. Through Him, we can identify the darkness of sin. Through Him, we have a way out. Through His death and resurrection, we’re promised an eternity where there will be no more need for light, because God is our all sufficient lumination.
Sometimes light can be a nuisance – especially when we need rest, but at the same time, our sin needs to be identified, so we realize how much we need a Savior. Our sin puts us in darkness. Our Savior provides the necessary light to lead us out of it. Bring on the Sonshine.
Posted in Christian daily devotion, Uncategorized
Tagged Hope, Inspiration, Jesus, light in darkness
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IT’S NEVER TOO LATE
RERUN FROM JANUARY 28, 2016
I often wonder if I’d have the courage to make a complete change in the direction of my life. Am I too old to start a new career? For most people in my age range, the thought of such a drastic change would be food for a heart attack. By this time I should be settled in my ways – enjoying my senior moments with grace – give up.
Unlike most of those in my generation, I’ve continued to work – out of necessity, but also out of love for what I do. I feel I’ve been blessed being able to do this for the past 35 years and at the same time give back some of the good things that were given to me during my life.
When it comes to making change, I’ve always been a sissy. I like structure. I enjoy staying in the same place – not making waves – feeling safe. On the other hand, I have a sense of adventure that’s hidden deep inside me just dying to wiggle its way out. Maybe it’s time for a change.
I could be a greeter at WalMart. I love being with people. How about finding a cure for cancer or some other hideous disease? I always wanted to join the circus when I was a child. There might be a place for me in social work, brain surgery or professional sports. OK, I’m getting carried away. If I were 30 years younger some of those things might still be possible, but who knows? I might live for another 30 years!
Change isn’t so bad and it’s never to late to start something new. If I’m ever going to do something different it has to be now. I’m going to do it.
Yes, I’ll do it! I’m going to be a rock star!
A TALE OF TWO CITIES
Yesterday was the beginning of a ten day celebration of Super Bowl LII (or 52 if you aren’t a throwback to ancient Rome.) Yet even today, in “civilized” society, we have taken to celebrating just about everything. Minneapolis is the site of this year’s Super Bowl and even though the home team is sadly not participating, the city and state will reap the monetary benefits of this gala event.
Our convention center has been turned into the Super Bowl Experience, where young and old will participate in their own games. The Nicollet Mall (usually considered the main street in downtown Minneapolis will be the venue for specialty acts and lots of shopping opportunities for residents of the city as well as visitors from other states. There is even a zip line that carries you across the width of the Mississippi River. It is gigantic for the state of Minnesota and will create tremendous revenue and notoriety.
Back in ancient Rome, a couple thousand years ago, similar sporting activities were the fare of the day. When I looked up gladiators, I came upon this tidbit:
“Gladiator games offered their sponsors extravagantly expensive but effective opportunities for self-promotion, and gave their clients and potential voters exciting entertainment at little or no cost to themselves. Gladiators became big business for trainers and owners, for politicians on the make and those who had reached the top and wished to stay there.”
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it. The sponsors today, come up with quirky ads that often leave us enjoying the content of the ad more than the product. Unheard of amounts of money will be won and lost. Scammers will abound and the proverbial snake oil salesman will definitely show his ugly face.
It’s interesting that time doesn’t alter our thinking much, does it? Today, our modern day gladiators receive exorbitant salaries for getting their heads butted in, but their careers are usually short lived. In Roman times, some would receive their freedom in payment. Others would sacrifice their lives in exchange for the roar of the crowd. Our games today are also expensive productions designed to line the pockets of many individuals, while genuine sports enthusiasts are willing to pay ridiculous prices for tickets, clothing, trinkets and fleeting enjoyment.
I am happy that my state is hosting this year’s Super Bowl. I’m also concerned about who is going to clean up the streets when it’s all over and done – how much crime will occur during the next ten days – how much money will be lost in frivolous spending – will we have one of our notorious cold snaps, putting a damper on the whole thing? In the frozen state of Minnesota anything can happen, but we certainly know how to stay warm here.
Whether your plans include attending the Super Bowl this year, or if you stay home and view it on a recently purchased big screen TV, you can be sure that contests like this will continue through the end of time. It’s in our nature to be part of a winning team or to make a buck off of it.
Of course I’m being a bit cynical today, but bear with me. The Green Bay Packers will don their cheese heads, the Vikings will sing their Nordic swan songs and life will go on, and as Scarlet O’Hara so aptly put it – “Tomorrow is another day.” We will survive and this too shall pass.
HE TOOK MY PLACE
ORIGINAL ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER©
You walked the path of life for me – You suffered for my loss.
You sacrificed Your own dear Son, upon an ugly cross.
You did this for a worm like me, You gave to me your best
Now I can walk that road to You and in Your arms find rest.
I don’t deserve this precious gift. I don’t deserve Your love.
I’ve spat upon this Son of Yours who came from Heaven above.
I’ve scorned Him as did men of old. The scourge I laid on Him.
The nails that pinned Him to the tree, were placed there with my sin.
The story didn’t end that day. It just began, you see.
For Jesus, Christ, the Son of God, returned to life for me.
The flesh that once was bruised and scorned and broken now is whole.
He conquered death – He rose again – He saved my dying soul.
WORKS OF ART
MY HUSBAND PAUL DOING A PLEIN AIR DEMONSTRATION IN THE PARK LAST SUMMER
I’m blessed to be married to an artist. I knew it way back in a high school art class. All the students were going to try three dimensional art, by pouring plaster of Paris into milk cartons, letting it harden and then chiseling the block of plaster into something recognizable.
Paul had his own designated area, behind a plastic curtain which would prevent the flying granite from hitting the rest of the students. He donned his safety classes and began to carve a masterpiece from a cornerstone of an old, demolished building. His love for art carried him to the Art Institute of Chicago and the Layton School of Art in Milwaukee.
Most people think artists just happen- they require no training – they’re simply endowed with talent. Lots of folks believe it’s a nice hobby, but certainly not something that you can make a living at. They don’t realize that artists like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci served as apprentices at a young age. They along with other artists went through the process of learning their craft. Of course they had an inborn talent for art, but it had to be nurtured and taught to them as well.
Paul went on to learn the process of printing as an apprentice for his first job. He learned how to key line and paste up ads when he worked for an art studio. Those ancient ways of doing things are now done totally by computer. He succeeded as a creative director at a few agencies until he formed his own company. He continued to learn, to think outside the box and be educated in the art of business. Today he’s been able to sell an occasional painting from time to time. He also spent years providing works of sculpture for homes and businesses in our home state.
When you think about it, we’re all works of art. God has created us with the most amazing bodies – bones and muscles that have the ability to lift more than we should – vital organs that keep us breathing and sustaining us. We have the capacity to be warned by our brain when something is wrong somewhere else in the body. Everything has been designed perfectly. Even when things break down, we can be assured that God is taking care of us.
We might consider ourselves to be a blank canvas, just waiting to be turned into a masterpiece. We could perceive ourselves as a hunk of clay, being punched and manipulated against our own will to be made perfect by the Master Artist. While we’re going through the tough times, we’re being restructured, remolded, revived. God doesn’t make mistakes. Our sin has caused His handiwork to be tarnished, broken and dead.
Still, because He loves us so much, He won’t stand still for that. He made it possible for us to survive death and destruction in hell. His plan was in place, even before man fell into sin. He knew we’d fall, but He had a remedy for our failure, before we crashed.
When we’re born, the canvas may be blank, but God has a plan for our lives. He worked it out before we even came into the world. There’s no earthly artist like that. He alone is the Creator who makes all things right again for those who trust and believe in Him.
Posted in Christian daily devotion, Uncategorized
Tagged FAITH, God, God's creation, Human body, Jesus, masterpiece, Salvation
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PLEIN AIR INSIDE
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ORIGINAL ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER©
Some days you have to paint inside, unless you’re made of steel,
The weather doesn’t coincide, the wind chill makes you reel,
Inside the studio you hide, until your fingers heal,
Your paint will gently slip and slide, at least it won’t congeal,
The colors that you’ve specified, will fill the color wheel,
Your finished product will abide, and you’ll maintain your zeal.
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Tagged Art & Poetry by Paul & Kathy Boecher, plein air painting, warmth
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JULIE’S FRIDAY YODA WISDOM
KNOW THIS I DO WITH ASSURANCE CONFIDENT.
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WINTER/SEMI-SPRING FUNNIES
In keeping with an optimistic spirit, I am looking forward to spring, yet I realistically know we have at least two more months of winter up hear in the tundra.
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OPPOSITE DAY
I love checking out the weird and wacky holidays listed on the internet. It seems I can always find a story in this useless information. I know, I have to find something else to occupy my time, right? Anyway, today is Opposite Day – a day probably invented by kids, because everything we say or do is the opposite of all that.
In other words, I am really Batman. Actually I’m Batman’s grandmother, but for today, I’m Batman. I also love spinach and oysters. I’m not afraid to walk the plank. I’m living on the edge every moment of my life and I have the energy of ten thousand monkeys. In addition to that, I can leap tall buildings in a single bound. I’ve been known to fend of an army of giant ants. I’m willing to walk down the Nicollet Mall wearing a cheese head and Green Bay Packer sweatshirt.
You get the picture. Where do people come up with these silly holidays? It must be a very creative mind, sitting in an igloo in Siberia with nothing else to do. I imagine his name is Peggy and he also serves as a customer service rep for a credit card company. Peggy has a crew of penguins who serve has his back up team and the go from igloo to igloo delivering hot pizzas.
I’m all for creativity. I’m a writer – or so I think I am. Actually I’m the King of France.
WHAT WE LEAVE BEHIND
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” Winston Churchill
What is your legacy? Do you have a great fortune to leave your children? Will you be thought well of when you die? What will you be remembered for? Have you accomplished great things in your life? Did you make an impact on others by your good deeds? Were you always thinking of others and putting them first? Be honest now. When that final day of judgment comes, what is your defense going to be?
Will you stand before the throne of God and say, “I deserve to go to heaven because I led a good life.” or “I thought of others and gave to charities when I had the money to do so. Doesn’t that count for something?” The day of reckoning is coming soon. Are we prepared for that day?
In Matthew 25, Jesus talks about that day and how to prepare for it. His parable of the ten virgins showed the importance of being ready for the coming of the bridegroom. The parable of the talents talks about using the master’s talents with wisdom. He wraps it up by talking about the king who bases judgment on what his servants did for others without even knowing it. Our deeds are a small part of our Christian walk, because they are result of what Christ has done for us. We do for others, in gratitude for the blessings given us through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
When the sheep and goats are separated on that final day, God will make His judgment based not on what we’ve accomplished – not our good deeds – not our charity towards others – not our pure hearts or minds – but on the price paid for our ransom. That price was the holy precious blood of His only begotten Son. This was God’s plan from the beginning. His love endures forever and when we learn to trust in Him for everything, He gives us the gift of eternal life. He will also make our life here on earth a blessing to others. In the end, God wins and so do we.
Posted in Christian daily devotion, Uncategorized
Tagged encouragemen, end times, Eternal Life, God's blessings, judgment
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WINTER FUNNIES
It’s tough living in the Midwest in the winter, but I sure wouldn’t to be close to all the back and forth in Washington, DC at this time of year either.
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WHAT GOOD DOES IT DO TO WORRY?
My maternal grandmother was the strongest woman I’ve ever known. She had to bury five of her children, care for her husband who suffered two debilitating strokes and finally put him in the ground as well. She always maintained a positive attitude even though her heart was breaking.
She grew up on the plains of Montana in a typical pioneering family. They used buffalo chips to get a fire started, washed their clothes in a nearby stream, cut wood and worked hard for everything they had. Eventually she married a farmer, who hated farming. Instead he would hire others to tend to the land and cows as he worked for the power company constructing lines that would carry electricity to the rural communities. She never complained about having to feed seven children and a group of farm hands. She’d rise at the crack of dawn, punch down and knead the bread dough for the noon meal, and set it into pans for baking. She’d then head for the barn to milk the cows.
Her hair was as white as snow. I think it must’ve turned white early in her life. Grandma braided it each morning and tied it on top of her head. Her eyes were as blue as the sky and her face looked like a road map, with deeply weathered skin. In spite of all the trials in her life, she kept that pioneer spirit of perseverance.
I’ve been told by my husband that I worry too much. I often look ahead and wonder how we’ll be able to pay the bills each month. I fret over aches and pains that send my mind into a tizzy – thinking I may be suffering from a terminal disease. I worry that my kids are alright (even though they’re all grown and have families of their own.) I often find myself insecure and lacking self confidence – even though I’ve spent a lifetime encouraging others to be courageous.
Worry is really a waste of energy and time. The things we worry about, we have no control over. Looking back at the things that have caused me the most angst in my life, proves to me that I wasn’t in charge of any of it. God has always been there to lift me when I’ve fallen. He’s given me courage I didn’t know I had. He’s provided for every need throughout my life, even when I didn’t know if we’d have enough to get by for the days ahead.
When I became an adult, I asked my grandma what kept her going through all her difficulties. She told me she never really thought about it, she just did it. God gave her the necessary strength to survive through trial after trial. She also said when things got really bad, she would go out into the woods and just soak in God’s creation and thank Him for another day.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1Thessolians 5:16-18
Posted in Christian Devotions and Reflection, Uncategorized
Tagged Anxiety, FAITH, Inspiration, thanksgiving, Worry
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