SCATTERED

Evy down with the mumps 1953

Now in the olden days we did not have vaccines to prevent mumps, measles,  rubella, or chicken pox. When we came down with any of these illnesses we stayed home and waited to get better.  

In my memory I recall having either mumps or measles and being confined to our bedroom.  I must not have felt badly because I pressed my face against the window screen and watched the kids play in our back yard.  Suddenly the screen let go and I ended up on my nose in the dead grass under the window.  Also, I faintly remember Dad carrying Evy on his shoulders during one of these childhood diseases. So of course during these times of illness we didn't attend school or church.  

1971-- Chris caught the mumps while on a elementary school photo assignment for the Spokane Daily Chronicle

Now today we have coronavirus in our area of the U.S.  We don't know where it came from.  We do know that it is highly contagious  for the elderly and those with underlying health problems.  So far there have been over 3000 deaths worldwide.  Even though this number is lower that the number who die of influenza, for which we have vaccines, the CDC are asking us in this area to avoid large crowds.  

What does this mean for the Church?  Either we continue to meet or we meet in smaller groups.  In Acts 8 the Christians chose to scatter-- Acts 8:4 "Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word." Proverbs 27: 12 says "The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it."  We have prayed and asked God for wisdom.  I choose to preach the Word from home by writing a blog! Maybe others will invite family, friends, or the neighbors over, for a Bible study. 

God will use this complication for His glory and for good for those who love Him.  

GLORY

Photo by Chris

It's almost spring around here.  The crocus and daffodils have sprouted, and the family tulip farms are about to open to the public.  I look around this beautiful America and know that our Creator has endowed us with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  I wonder why many people in the United States are walking away from their faith, while many in countries like Africa, Iran, and China are finding Jesus.  A sermon by Peter Hubbard, pastor of North Hills Community church in Greenville, South Carolina, gave me some answers.  Here is what he said:

"Let me illustrate this with a little Jonathan Edwards. Edwards talked about the difference between common virtue and true virtue. Common virtue is not all bad. It helps make society livable. It’s why most people aren’t axe murderers, because there’s a certain fear and pride that drive us. We don’t want to be viewed as horrible. We don’t want to face any social consequences. So, we generally keep the big rules. And again, that’s not all bad. That’s part of the way a society can survive. But if that’s the only motivation, fear and pride is the primary motivation, that is why some people who have been in church for 30 years suddenly go off the wagon. They start sleeping around or commit some horrible crime or some upstanding member of society starts doing things where everybody’s like, “Whoa, he was the nicest guy. How could he do that?” It’s because of this. The same (Keller points this out.), the same fear and pride that drove him to be an upstanding citizen is the same fear and pride, in a different context when pressure is on, that drove him to do something horrible. Because the self-glory that drove all of that was never severed, never transformed.

The difference between that kind of common virtue and what Edwards calls true virtue is explained here. Edwards asked the question, “What is then true virtue?” And this is Tim Keller’s paraphrase of Edwards explanation.

“It is when you are honest, not because it profits you or makes you feel better, but because you are smitten with the beauty of the God who is all truth and sincerity and faithfulness. It is when you come to love truth-telling [and I would say truth-living] not for your sake, but for God’s sake, and its own sake. That kind of motivation can only grow in someone deeply touched by God’s grace.”

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love [did you see that] and your faithfulness!” There is a love that God germinates in our hearts for something bigger than our own comfort or our own reputation or our own cell phone. It goes deeper than the circumstances and getting what we want and changes us from the inside out.

So, a couple of quick questions for us to wrestle with. What is the pressure you feel right now? How are you being tempted to relieve that pressure? Perhaps sleeping with Hagar, like Abraham trying to relieve the pressure by finding his own solution to the problem. And what would the opposite of that look like? What does it look like to seek the glory and goodness of God right in the midst of the pressure?"
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What this says to me, in other words, those who have been changed by God from the inside out, live for God's glory, and not for their own glory.  They dwell on the magnificent glory of God and meditate on His laws.  They focus on His commands and precepts through prayer, Bible study, and fellowship with the Church.  The Church is the remnant who live for God's glory and not for their own glory.  In tough times they trust God and in good times they trust God.  Their life is hidden in Christ.  As my friend Nan used to say, "It's Trusting not Trying."

Larnelle Harris – The Strength Of The Lord Lyrics

Sometimes life seems like words and music
That can't quite become a song.
So we cry inside, and we try it again
And wonder what could be wrong.
But, when we turn to the Lord at the end of ourselves
Like we've done a time or two before
We find His truth is the same
As it has always been
We'll never need more
Chorus:
It's not in trying But in trusting
It's not in running But in resting
Not in wondering But in praying
That we find the strength of the Lord
(2 times)

He's all we need
For our every need
We never need be alone
Still He'll let us go if we choose to
To live life on our own
Then the only good
That will ever be said
Of the pains we find ourselves in
There are places to gain
The wisdom to say
I'll never leave Him again

Chorus (2 times)

Not in wondering
But in praying
That we find the strength of the Lord

GOD USES CRACKED POTS

This beautiful new hymn on You Tube makes me think of several things.  When John the Baptist said in John 3:30, " He must increase, but I must decrease,” he was saying that everything he said and did was to point to Jesus.  In other words-- Christ be all.  Also, I noticed a cracked pot in the animations on the screen.  This illustrates that God uses weak vessels. My favorite lyrics are at the end--  "until every tribe and tongue can sing may Christ be all."

Grace Worship gives this explanation of their work --  "Before Jesus went to the cross, he prayed that His church would be one (John 17). We desire to write songs that advance this mission. By pulling from the rich heritage of Christian hymnody and integrating the culturally-sensitive church songs of today, we hope to make much of Jesus’ unifying mission through music that equips the church for worship across generations. Whether a church accents a past generation or a current one -- whether the label is formal or informal -- Jesus has not forsaken any in his church. These songs aim to celebrate that unifying gospel message. Every story and generation matters, because each represents unique ways in which God is displaying his glory through his Body and Spirit. We hope these songs point you to Jesus, help you understand and commune with Him often, and offer opportunities for you to stand beside your brothers and sisters of all ages and backgrounds in joyful, united praise."

A MERRY HEART

The above You Tube is from the movie "You Can't Take It With You."  Reminds Chris of my family.  Davy and Wayne did like to blow things up and I liked to dance.  Most everyone played an instrument. Evy was 1st chair in the school band.

I always knew that our family was a little bit different from other families.  Our mom knew that we were all perfect and would never make poor choices.  Family life was freewheeling with few boundaries or rules.  Promises were never kept-- such as we will have a chicken dinner tonight--  but the dinner turns out to be hot dogs instead.  (They must have found a good sale.)

My dad would do things such as take the bridesmaids for his brother, Ernest's, wedding out for ice cream, and show up late for the wedding rehearsal.  He never wore a watch.  Things just fell into place in an easy manner. 

One summer our family was all loaded into our VW Microbus for a trip from Alexandria to Spokane.  Grandma and Grandpa S. started to get worried after we had been on the road 15 days.  Uncle Hollis predicted that we had gone by way of Texas.  Sure enough we had.

L to R-- Mom, me, Jay,Davy,Evy, Dad. I think this was the Nash Rambler Mom and Jay drove to Spokane one year.  Wayne must have been asleep when the picture was taken.

Life was not stressful at our house.  I felt free to borrow our dining room chairs for a play we put on at the high school.  My mom did object to the paint we got on one of the chairs though.  

I don't remember any disagreements with my siblings.  I did hear that when Wayne was two he became irritated with Davy's teasing one day and decided that he was going to hit him.  Davy ran into our folk's bedroom and locked the door.  Wayne sat outside the door.  Davy tattled to Mom that Wayne was going to hit him.  Mom chose not to get involved.  Davy climbed out the bedroom window to escape.  (Davy says it was the upstairs bathroom he locked himself in to and he climbed out that window.  He said Evy played 1st chair music but sat in second chair.)

So we lived Proverbs 17:22 in those days-- "A cheerful heart is good medicine."

A GOOD SLEEPER

Cousin Stewart 1932

I remember shoe boxes full of correspondence Grandma Isabel and Grandpa Claude had received and saved over the years.  They kept them neatly in one of their basement rooms at 2811 Lamonte in Spokane.   My mom preserved many of them.  

Uncle Jay, Grandpa Claude's brother, was married to Aunt Anne.  In Aunt Anne's letters many family traits are revealed.  One such letter from Aunt Anne to Grandma Isabel was written just after Uncle Jay's and Aunt Anne's son, Stewart, was born, and Grandpa's and Uncle Jay's mother, Sarah, had just died.  She mentions how their sister, Grace, would be so lonesome now after losing her mother. Aunt Anne writes how Stewart, as a new born, would not wake up to eat.  She had to wake him up or he would never eat.  I experienced this same thing with our son.  He was a good sleeper.  Here is the letter:

 My dad referred to himself as a slow sleeper.  I got the impression that this meant that he was good at sleeping.  My dad did not appear to have any dementia so maybe being good at sleeping prevents brain deterioration. 

Now back to Stewart.  Stewart and his wife and three boys lived in Hartford, Conn. when we visited them in 1960.  I thought they were a good looking bunch and tried to talk the oldest, John, into coming down to Alexandria and taking me to my Senior Prom.  No such luck.  I believe John never married.  The next brother Jim moved to North Carolina and that is where Stewart lived when he passed away.  

I'm attaching a news clipping about Stewart's visit to Spokane in 1936:

J.C. BROWN AND COMPANY PHOTOS

Grain barge passing through Snake River, Idaho locks. Photo by Chris.

We now have 199 photos for sale on Getty Images.  Most photos were taken by Chris, but some were taken by me, daughter Heather, and daughter-in-law Jessica.  If you would like to see our portfolio click here.

IN TIMES OF TROUBLE PUT ON A SILLY HAT

Moms in Prayer -- Donna, Me, Joyce celebrating Joyce's birthday

Cousins celebrating our birthdays at Loon Lake.  Danny, Dorothy, me, Kathy, Charlie

"Where did that truck go?" I say.   You might ask, "What truck?" "The one that just hit me," I reply.  

No, a truck did not hit me but I felt like one had.  The stress of financial problems, difficult people, house, children, and on top of that chronic pain; every muscle in my body hurt.  The fibromyalgia pain caused adrenaline and stress hormones to surge through my body.  Calm down I told myself.  Exercise I told myself.  Get the good endorphins going. But no I was not going to be able to do this on my own.  I had been to pain clinics, physical therapy, naturopaths, and every other treatment.  What I needed was God's peace in my life.

Prayer was the only answer.  My friends in my Moms in Prayer group prayed for me.  The prayer chain at church prayed for me. I read through the Bible and claimed God's promises in prayer.  Finally I asked God to cause the stings and barbs that pricked me each day to roll off my back like water off of a duck's back.  My daughter told me to ignore the negative things some people said to me.  It worked.  I began to have peace.

Some other things I would do to combat the negative thoughts in my mind are these ---I would go into a toy store and read through Mary Engelbreits calendar sayings.  I'd stop at the perfume samples in the drug store and smell each one.  I'd listen to my favorite music.  Bird listening and watching outside my window would bring joy to my heart.  I started collecting cards with pictures of two chairs on a beach, overlooking water.  I imagined myself sitting in one of those chairs.  And yes, I would wear silly hats. We know that God has provided every good thing and He wants us to enjoy them.  (Ecclesiastes 5: 19 Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God.)

I'm still not peaceful all the time but I'm more peaceful now than in the past.  Here are the Psalms I pray back to God.

But you, O Lord, do not be far off!  O you my help, come quickly to my aid!  (Psalm 22:19)  Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation! (Psalm 38:22)

Be pleased, O Lord to deliver me!  O Lord, make haste to help me!  (Psalm 40:13)

You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God! (Psalm 40:17)

Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me! (Psalm 70:1)

But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God!  You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay! (Psalm 70:5)

O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! (Psalm 71:12)

O Lord, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you! (Psalm 141:1)