Author: SaxophoneWife

Go Ahead and Ask

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I just want to encourage you to do one thing today: ask God.

Ask Him for anything and everything. Ask Him for whatever it is you desire or need. Ask Him for the thing you would never admit to wanting, but long for desperately in your heart. Just ask Him. Go ahead!

Honestly, I feel really strongly about this. I really believe we ask too little of God, and try too hard to make things happen for ourselves. I’m not opposed to us trying to make things happen for ourselves, and sometimes that’s the way to do it, even as we pray for the Lord’s help in our doing.

However, too often we just don’t think God cares about our problems. We don’t think we deserve His help. We think, “Well, I got myself into this mess, so I have to get myself out.” Or, we think we can only ask for “holy” things. We think all kinds of messed up things, and it’s robbing us of so much joy, peace and relationship.

You see, for me, that’s what it all boils down to: my relationship with God. When I share my need with Him, I am letting Him into my life in a very intimate way. Instead of Him being God in Heaven, far away, a mystical figure with a booming voice, He becomes the ultimate father, my heavenly Father, who sits with His arm around my shoulder, letting me pour my heart out as He forgives, restores, and answers.

Often, people will say, “Well, but what if it isn’t God’s will?” Well, then He won’t give it to you! But, don’t be afraid to ask Him, because you aren’t sure. He isn’t going to judge you for not knowing if it’s His will; your asking is actually a step towards knowing definitively if it is His will, or not!

And, remember: He is A GOOD FATHER! He’s gives us good things, just because HE IS GOOD, and loves to give to His children. He also delights in our faith, and responds generously—we can trust Him!

We are deep in the Christmas season, and it’s a time when the Body of Christ celebrates together the gift of God’s Son, and the salvation Christ won on the cross for us. It is the greatest gift anyone has ever, and could ever, give. It’s impossible to really grasp the magnitude of it, you know? It’s like trying to grasp the size of the ocean or space. It’s a love too vast to understand with our little, human brains!

Yet, that is the gift God gave us all. Think about that. He gives it even without us asking. He offers it to us just as we are, messy and sinful and failed. The greatest gift of all, to miserable wretches! If God loves you so much that He would give you salvation, how can you even doubt He loves you enough to give you His will? To meet your needs? To provide out of His abundance? We don’t deserve Christ, and we sure don’t deserve new shoes, but we get to ask Him for both. Salvation is a guaranteed “Yes,” new shoes, well, they might be just one ask away, but you won’t know, if you don’t ask.

So, go ahead. Ask!

  1. When we ask God for anything, we are affirming our relationship with Him as a good, kind, and loving Father.  Matthew 7:11

  2. When we ask God to meet our needs, we are acknowledging Him as our Provider. Philippians 4:19

  3. When we ask God to heal our bodies, we are demonstrating our faith in the work of Christ on the cross, and the power of His shed blood. Isaiah 53:5

  4. When we ask God for the things we don’t think we deserve, we are declaring God’s unconditional love for us. Ephesians 3:20

  5. When we ask God to save us, we are confessing that we cannot save ourselves, and accepting the greatest gift ever given: God’s one and only Son, Jesus Christ. Romans 4:3-5

My Saturday Evening Post: 12/16/17

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Home alone for while. Baked some cookies for Doug’s meeting tonight. Spent too much time researching fudge and shortbread recipes. I can hear my phone telling me Doug is on his way home. Dinner is not ready, but he’s usually not ready to eat as soon as he gets home. That’s a good thing. I didn’t want tonight to be a late night, but I think it might turn out that way.

Oddly emotional week this week. Good and bad. Easy and hard. Some big concerns, but that’s OK. God is bigger. Overall, a demanding week. I have no complaints, but I am convicted: just not praying enough. That is my resolution for next week: pray more. I’ll let you know how I do.

No pictures today, because Dropbox is giving me grief. Oh, well. :/

 

My Saturday Evening Post: 12/9/17

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Lots of pictures and videos ahead. You have been warned! LOL

The Upstairs Neighbors* were out of town this week. They arrived back home early Saturday morning, and it was so good to hold them all in my arms. Lucy came home with a pretty bad cold that she shared with her Daddy. So, when Tim requested chicken soup, I offered to make it. Making broth is one of my favorite things.

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While I was cooking, I heard a sound that I had been missing this week. I sneakily slipped my phone into the bedroom and captured Doug and Lucy singing books. 

 

 

We had our first snow today. and it was mostly very nice. Grateful we had a cozy place to be, and glad we finished our Fall clean-up yesterday.  Can you believe my pansies are still alive? They are rather neglected, but still alive. I brought them to our enclosed porch. 

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My parsley was still alive, too.  Even covered in snow, it looked pretty healthy. I added some to the broth.

My 2017 garden in three pictures. I have so many pictures of my garden. I’m so grateful the Lord has given me this garden. It is such a kindness. 

I will say goodbye with lots of love, and share one more video. It is my sweet husband singing to the Lord. Yes, he is The Saxophone Player, but he has a few other talents. ❤

God is so good!
*Our daughter and her family live in the upstairs apartment—be still my heart!

Saturday Evening Post: 12/2/17

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Well, this has been an exciting week: our granddaughter celebrated her first birthday! There were sprinkles everywhere, and a pool full of happy children swimming with their daddies. My heart was full, too. I sat by the pool and just absorbed all the good “feels,” as Hannah used to say. The event reminded me of my dad swimming with my older sisters—and of me sitting it out with my Mom, or hugging the side of the pool. I was always afraid of the water. Lucy, however, is not afraid. She is brave and it was so nice to see her looking so natural. I suspect it won’t be long, before she is jumping in on her own.  Birthday Girl was pretty tired after swimming; I don’t think she managed to eat any cake.

 

Went to the remains of an estate this week. It was a very strange experience. I really felt like I was visiting the remains of my own home. She collected things that I have collected. Read books I’ve read. It was unsettling. I could easily imagine that if I had been here age, my basement would have probably looked exactly like hers. The realtor just wanted to get rid of stuff, so she would have given us anything we wanted. I just wanted a little table for my sewing machine. Found it. Found some unexpected items, too.

YELLOWSBIRDS TRAVEL CASE

This had very old stickers covering the logos, so all I knew was that it was a clean carry-on from the 1960’s—with ugly stickers. After I soaked the stickers off, I was excited to see it was for Northeast Airlines. I was also surprised. I didn’t know about their Yellowbirds—learned that thanks to Google. Anyway, if one can have a favorite airline, NE is mine. Did you know that Amelia Earhart co-founded Northeast Airlines? Me, neither! Not sure what I will do with it, but it might be a nice crocheting bag. Maybe, Lucy can use it for her dolls one day. I don’t know. I just saw it and knew she had held onto it a long time. I wasn’t going to let it go to the dump.

MINI-CHEST

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This is my favorite item. I just love little chests, little tables. I was very excited to find this. It is a missing a knob, but that’s an easy fix.

SEWING BOX

This, well, once again I just identified with this woman, and thought this was something that couldn’t go to the dump. It’s bits of her sewing kit, and I saw it and wanted to rescue it. I have my Mother’s and my Mother-in-Law’s sewing kits, too. I guess I’m kinda weird.

RED COFFEE SET

This is a lovely set of coffee cups, with a creamer and sugar bowl. It was in her basement, on a low shelf. She had other old China around that was very tempting (one of weaknesses), but this set was unique. The realtor told me there were four dinner plates upstairs in the same pattern. If I don’t use them, I will try to give them to someone who will.


So, this week s over, and it was pretty easy-going. I was glad to get to recover from the four big events of last week.  In case you missed it, I wrote about the Thanksgiving gifts on Thursday. Check it out.

God is so good, so kind! In the midst of all the turmoil in our world, it is important to remember that. It’s important to remember that God’s character is unchanging.

 “I have been young and now I am old.
And in all my years I have never seen
the Lord forsake a man who loves him;
nor have I seen the children
of the godly go hungry.”
Psalm 37:25 (TLB)

39 Cozy Miracles

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I lead a Bible study for the ladies at a shelter in Lynn. During out meeting the week before Thanksgiving, a little seed of hope dropped into my heart. I had been imagining what it would be like to be away from family and the comforts of home on Thanksgiving, and I couldn’t stand the feeling. I kept wishing I could do something to make their Thanksgiving better. I thought there were 24 residents; that wasn’t too many.

As I watered that little seed of hope with prayer, I began to believe that maybe I could come up with two dozen little gifts for the residents.  I knew I had no budget, but I did have some little gift bags. Anything is nicer if it’s packaged well.

I knew we had a Thanksgiving dinner at the Ladder House to pay for the following Monday, and I knew we only had $137.91 in the ministry account, and I knew there was absolutely no way I was going to make this happen myself, but that little seed of hope just kept growing. God could make a way!

I really was stumped for gift ideas, especially for things I could make out of thin air, so I did what I often do: I queried my Facebook friends for ideas.

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I got some great ideas from folks, but nothing close to a universal response. Time was ticking. On Sunday (Wednesday was my deadline) I learned that there were actually 37 residents, not 24. I won’t lie: panic struck. That was a lot more somethings to come up with, and I still didn’t know what those somethings were!

Capture

PAYPAL MIRACLE
Well, by Sunday we had received some donations via Paypal to cover the dinner costs. Praise God! But, the real miracle was that Paypal allowed the transfer of funds to our business account instantly. On the weekend! That just doesn’t happen. It normally takes two business days, but there it was in our account. That meant we could pay for dinner on Monday morning, and it meant I had at least part of the $137 for the gift bags.

Then, I received messages from three women friends, pledging funds towards the Thanksgiving gifts. I was NOT expecting that! God PROVIDED 100%, and leftover money is already designated for Christmas gifts for the residents. Stunning! 

WHAT WAS COZY?
So, I had a budget. I just needed a gift idea. A cozy gift idea. Well, my Mother always said you should give a gift you would want to receive. So, I asked myself what would be cozy to me, and I knew the answer immediately: a mug of something hot. Tea is my favorite, and it’s easy—all you need to enjoy it is hot water. I had a cozy gift!

Now, I just needed 37 mugs.

I had imagined going to a dollar store and finding all the mugs I needed, but I soon realized that in a residence with 37 people, each mug had to be unique. It wouldn’t do for two people to have the same mug in a house with shared kitchens. Though I had a budget, I wasn’t about to blow it on mugs. My sights were already set on those Christmas gifts. So, I decided each mug needed to cost no more than $1.00. This was going to be just a little bit challenging,

Monday we had the Ladder House Mission dinner to prepare for, but I popped into a discount store and found about 15 mugs. That left me Tuesday to find the rest, and that took the better part of the day. I confess I did end up spend a little over a buck for the final few mugs, but it was getting late—and, I was tired.

When I got home and set out all of the mugs, I had 39. I decided to prepare the extra two as insurance against any breakage that might happen in transit. It didn’t take long for Doug and I to assemble the gifts, and I was happy with the finished product. It looked cheerful—and, cozy—to my eyes. What do you think?

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Doug went with me to deliver all the goodies. We also brought a bunch of canned vegetables, paper products, and a sweet potato casserole to add to their Thanksgiving Dinner (one of the ladies coordinated the meal). A few men filed into the room when they saw Doug, so he stayed and we had a co-ed group. It was very nice. And, I was so grateful to know I was leaving little miracles behind when we left.  I can’t tell you what it meant to me.

A FINAL MIRACLE
So, I have one last work of God to share. When we got all the mugs into the house, none of them were broken. I asked my liaison at the house to confirm there were 37 residents. I was going to offer the extra two mugs to staff members.  Before I could say anything, though, she piped up and said, “Well, it was 37, but two more women showed up last night.” Two more women?  I almost cried. Can you believe it? It’s so like God. What kind of love is that, huh?

Oh. folks, will you just stop right now and say a prayer for the men and women at Great Hill? The spiritual need there is extreme. Each week, I hear something else that breaks my heart and leaves me all too aware of my shortcomings as a leader. (Will you pray for me, too?)

If you gave towards these ministry events this month, thank you so much. I wish I could give you a hug, and tell you face-to-face how your contribution made a difference for someone.

God bless you all!

Saturday Evening Post: 11/25/17

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Well, it’s a little late to call this Saturday Evening, but so it goes. It’s the end of a long day and a long week. I didn’t want to be up this late, but I allowed my hope in a lost cause to hijack three hours of my evening. Stupid mistake; I’ve fallen for that bait too many times. (Heavy sigh.) Maybe, that’s a lesson I won’t have to learn, again.

It has been a great week, though, and I cannot wait to tell you about it—I just can’t tell you about it now. Must get a bit of sleep.

God bless you. Be well. I’ll be back soon! ❤️

This cutie-pie doesn’t care for bibs, but she did enjoy her first Thanksgiving. Her first birthday party is tomorrow. So grateful!

He Thought It Was A Joke

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Tonight, we served Thanksgiving Dinner at The Ladder House. The men at the house are all under the jurisdiction of the county jail, but they have earned work release and are allowed to rent a room there. We host an NBF Discipleship Group there weekly, and from time to time we like to take them a meal. At the holidays, it’s especially nice to do something for the guys, because most of them won’t be with their families. This year, that something was a turkey dinner with all the fixings.

Below are some pictures from tonight. Many hands made the evening a success. In fact, things actually went better than they’ve ever gone. We thought we’d be dragging ourselves home close to midnight, but instead we were on our way home before 9:00! The blessing of God was so evident. He provided for the meal, He provided for the volunteers, and He even provided another woman to help serve. I didn’t expect to have anyone help me, but the Lord stirred her heart and she responded. He always knows what we need, doesn’t He?

Before I share the photos, I just have to tell you about Carlos. On Sunday night, Doug went to the Ladder House to post some flyers—just to be sure the men all knew about the dinner.

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Carlos told Pastor Kobe (a leader of the Discipleship Group at TLH) that when he saw the flyer he didn’t believe it. He thought it was a joke. He said, “Who would do that for us?”  It really blew my mind.  Tonight we may be nursing our aching bodies, but we’re also looking forward to the next thing the Lord has on our calendar. Getting to be His hands and feet is a privilege.

 

 

The Ladder House at night. This intersection has been known as “Crack Corner,” because of the number of crack houses in the area.
Things got a little congested, because there are limited power sources at TLH for plugging in Crock Pots.
After!
My friend, the God Send. She said, She made a mess of mashed potatoes and gravy, two pumpkin pies, and the best macaroons I’ve ever had. So grateful the Lord sent help! (Only included her smile for her privacy’s sake.)
Before…
Everyone seemed very happy with the meal! There was also a dessert table, but I forgot to get a picture of it.
A feast!
Note how long it took me to respond to her question. Six minutes! I couldn’t believe my eyes. “Is she offering to help? Or, does she think she has to drop things off? She can’t mean to go to the Ladder House herself. Is that what she means?” I honestly just decided to believe that maybe God was sending me help. Amazing God!

Happy Thanksgiving!

My Saturday Evening Post: 11.18.17

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THIRTEEN

This week we marked the anniversary of a life-changing decision we made in 2004.

HIM: Trust Me.
US: Oh, Lord, we do! We really do! And, we’re so excited! We can’t wait to dive into this new work You’ve given us to do.
HIM: Do you see that cliff?
US: Yes. Oh, yes, we see that! Should we stay away from that? Does it represent danger?
HIM: I want you to go to the edge.
US: Oh, OK.  We do see it, though. We can see it from here.
HIM: Go on.
US: (Holding hands) OK.
HIM: Go closer.
US: (Look questioningly at each other, than to the Lord) Um, we’re pretty close already.
HIM: Closer.
US: (To each other) He was pretty emphatic, huh? We better do it. (Gingerly step closer. To the Lord) We’re going.
HIM: Right to the edge.
US: We won’t fall?
(SILENCE)
US: Lord?
(SILENCE)
US: Is this close enough?
(SILENCE)
US: (Inching right to the edge) Are we there? Are we there? OH! Can’t look down. Can’t look down! (To the Lord) Oh, I don’t think we can go any closer, Lord.
HIM: You can stop. You did well.
US: (Greatly relieved) Oh, thank You, Lord. Can we move back now?
(SILENCE)
US: It’s really kinda scary here.
(SILENCE)
US: Winds kinda picking up. Can You hear it whistling? Kinda pushes against us.
(SILENCE)
US: (Nervous laughter) Ha, ha. Wouldn’t want to fall, right? Not before we can get this work done for You, right? Lord? The wind? You can hear it, right?
(SILENCE)
US: Maybe, He’s trying to teach us something, like, “Being missionaries is like living on the edge.” (To the Lord) Is that is, Lord? Are You trying to teach us this is what it will feel like to walk by faith? Like the end is near?
(SILENCE)
US: (Reassuringly) Yeah, that’s what’s going on here. Totally getting that lesson out of this: it’s going to be scary—even terrifying—sometimes, but we won’t fall. Right, Lord? We’re lear——
HIM: (Interrupting) Are you ready?
US: Well, um, yeah. We’re here. We’re doing this. We’ve put our house in storage. We’ve moved to the “hood.” We’re doing this. We’re all in, Lord!
(SILENCE)
US: Um. May we step away from the cliff now?
HIM: Trust Me. It’s easier from there.
US: Easier? What’s easier?
HIM: Jumping.
(SILENCE)
HIM: Go ahead, then.
(SILENCE)
HIM: Jump!

That’s exactly what it was like! I remember. I remember the moment I realized going to the edge wasn’t enough. It’s not what He was asking. He was asking us to take a flying leap of faith! Not kidding. It was crazy, but we knew we were hearing His voice, and that’s why we jumped.

And, it’s been a free fall ever since! A 13-year-long free fall, yet the Lord has kept us the whole time. Isn’t that remarkable? He’s amazing. We think we’re going to bang against a rock, we think a crash is imminent, but it never happens. Somehow, the Lord keeps us. I mean, the stories we could tell—I suspect some of them would horrify you, but it’s not by our wits and wisdom we are still here. It’s is strictly God, and that blows my mind!

May He alone be glorified!

CAN YOU RELATE?

“The best training is to learn to accept everything as it comes,
as from Him whom our soul loves. The tests are always
unexpected things, not great things that can be written up,
but the common little rubs of life, silly little nothings,
things you are ashamed of minding one scrap.”
Amy Carmichael

PEERS & FRIENDS

Been thinking about the difference between the two this week.  I’ve never thought about it before, so I don’t know what I think about it, yet. Thoughts? I would really love to hear some thoughts on this.

REMEMBRANCES

Three years ago, my mother-in-law passed away. Marlene’s name lives on with Lucy (she is Lucille Marlene), and I’m grateful for that. I will always be thankful for time I had with here in her last year, but I will always be sorry for the time I squandered. I did not know much about love in those days. Still learning. Not an excuse, just the truth. I deeply regret that failure.

PICTURES FROM MY WEEK

This is the Great Hill Shelter. I’ve recently begun a women’s Bible study here, and it’s become a delightful part of week. I love how God works.
This is my dear Lucy, who is standing all the time now. She is such a gift.
She somehow managed to call up the camera on my phone, so I decided to take our picture.
A typical night off for us. Snacks in bed and something innocuous on the computer. This happened to be a new cooking competition from Australia. We enjoyed it quite a lot!
I have loved Erma Bombeck since I was a little kid. This is an image I made today from one of her quotes that made me laugh out loud.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, AMERICA!
May God be glorified in this nation.

My Saturday Evening Post: 11.11.17

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  • Pride and jealousy make me sick and weary.
  • Lies and deceitfulness make me sicker and more weary.
  • Our health insurance in 2018 will be more than three times higher. Doug is going to make sure they have our income right. Even twice as much would be hard for the ministry to cover. We may have a hard decision before us. Will wait and see, for now.
  • I think my so-called smart phone, is making me a dumb person.
  • Doing the right thing is often a bloody fight.
  • I am sick of the wickedness on this earth. Yet, we are still only seeing the tip of the ice berg. How does God long suffer with us, when He sees it all?
  • Sometimes, I think that all the ministry anyone called to the ministry should do is just pray. Must pray more.
  • We are getting a taste of January weather this weekend. Pulled out the comforter. It’s the coziest thing we own. Pudge really likes it, too.
  • Pansy season lasted so long this year! I enjoy them so much. Pruning them is my best therapy, so I’ll miss them. There’s nothing to prune until May.
  • I have a print hanging on my bedroom. When I framed it, I didn’t leave the artist’s name visible. For about 20 years, I’ve wondered who created this painting that I love so much. Then, I got the bright idea to use Google’s Image Search. I found out that the artist is Eastman Johnson, a Mainer who also co-founded of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

 

PICTURES FROM MY WEEK

Hello, Winter. You’ve arrived a bit early.
The highlight of any day is getting to see Lucy.
Lucy, dressed for the cooler days. She didn’t really want to wear the hat, but once she was outside she didn’t mind it so much.
Comforter weather is here!
“The Girl I Left Behind” by Eastman Johnson
The Pudge is hard to photograph.

 

PANSIES ON PARADE: 2017

Last pansy portrait of the season.
It was a good summer.
Up close and personal.
This little parfait cup is a junk store find. It makes a pretty vase.
Flowers on my kitchen window sill are one of my favorite things.
Abundance!
I love the color contrasts.
From the peak of the season.
The color blows my mind.
Glamour shot.
A demure bloom.

My Saturday Evening Post: 11.4.17

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THE MUSCLES YOU NEED TO DRINK COFFEE
Not sure what they’re called, but I pulled them this week. Took Thursday night off, because my side hurt so much. Felt almost normal on Friday, but when I went to bed last night it was like, “Psyche! Just kidding!” This morning it felt worse than it had originally. So, this Saturday evening I am clutching a heating pad under my arm and reminding myself to breathe through the pain.

CONFETTI FOOD
Lucy’s first birthday party theme is confetti. I have been looking up food ideas. Fruit and vegetables are no-brainers. Anyone have any suggestions?

NO, HE WON’T BE NAMED LINUS
Hannah selected the name Isaac for a son years and years ago, and in March she will finally get to use it. That’s right folks. Baby #2 is a boy. We are very excited!

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HOW’D I DO?
My system didn’t fail me! There are more sticky notes on the right, than on the left; I feel considerably less stressed about what I still have to do; and I have a lot of hope for a good ending to this year.

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WHERE MY HISTORY LIVES
I love going up to my attic. My family makes fun of me, but every time I go up there I see something that makes my heart happy. I always tell myself I’m going to purge everything, but some things just keep being useful.

Case in point: I needed curtains for a window in the front entryway. This week, I remembered a set of curtains I had made in 1990! They fit the window and “decor” perfecly!

While I was up there, I found a picture my Mother loved. It’s a print my sister, Jill, gave her. I think it’s a nice addition, and I’m pretty sure Lucy’s going to like it.

I really do love old things, especially when they hold a bit of my history.

Come on in!