Made for Eternity

Day 3

Yesterday, we saw this sign on the trail when we were hiking at Devil’s Lake (which despite it’s name, is actually a beautiful demonstration of God’s creativity).

I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a moldy buttress before. . . but maybe you have?

On top of the world – my dear friend Julie & I 

As I learned in Photography class, this is what they mean by leading lines – I got photo-ed at the end of the hike. And no, it’s not a death wish.

Can’t forget the requisite band shot:

Bill, Mike, Jeff, Caroline, me (Julie was the photographer)

Such a fun fun time.

Onward.

This pretty much sums up my thoughts from yesterday:

Psalm 8 “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.  When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?  Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

Day 4

Today my most favorite (and, of course, only) sister Emily joined the ranks of high school graduates as as she received her diploma from Rift Valley Academy!

Congratulations, Em – I am so proud of you.

Psalms 126:3 “The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.”

Indeed!

Pete, Mom, Em, Dad, Daniel, Noah

Day 5

I remember my mom saying that the best part of a vacation is always the first day – ’cause you’re there and you still have it all in front of you. I’d add that another best part of any big event is the part that’s just a little bit before, too.

Seeing those Brewers tickets on the bookshelf a little bit before game day. Waiting on your supervisor to approve your final diagnostic report so you can sign it and put it in the file for good. Counting down the last few days until you see your family for the first time in years. Enjoying the confident assurance, the Blessed Hope, that at any moment you may be swept up to Heaven by Jesus himself.

I long for the fulfillment and the realization of my hopes and dreams. But something in me delights in the sweet anticipation, that lively feeling of “not-yet-but-it’s-a-comin’!”

Day 6

Funny how my sister sent me a quote that fit nicely with the Scripture passage I was thinking on today:

“There is as we are aware, a philosophy that denies the infinite.There is also a philosophy, classified as pathologic, that denies the sun. This philosophy is called blindness.” – Victor Hugo

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

I struggle very much with that. When something is so clear and so beautiful to me, I struggle with the fact that it is so repulsive and foolish to those I share it with. Lately, I’ve seen no “fruit” when witnessing. It’s been all stone walls and static.  Not that I’m surprised – as my pastor told me once, “Blind people don’t see very well, Katie.”

And not that the lack of encouraging responses from those who hear the Good News should in any way discourage me. My job is not to save people, to change their minds. My job is not to witness solely so that I can see the fruit. My job is to be a faithful ambassador, proclaiming the gospel of grace, leaving the convicting, the drawing, and the saving to the One who has opened the once-blind eyes of this particular sinner. 

Day 7

Further cementing my status in this world as a nerd (to go along with the Biblical truth that I’m also an alien!), I recently enthusiastically printed off the 28 page vocabulary list (9 font, usually 2-3 columns of words per page) that I need to study for the Speech-Language Pathology Praxis Exam I’ll be taking several months from mow.

I began the painstaking process of finding the correct definitions of these words. And it’s (dare I say it) . . . fun. Not always. It can get tedious after several hours. But I get a kick out of quizzing myself as I shuffle through my SLP dictionary or utilize one of my favorite websites, dictionary.com. I relish the jargon’s solid feel in my mind and throat and mouth, and the fact each term is a reminder of some class I’ve taken in the past 5 years. I like the variety and scope of the words, which mirrors the variety and scope of my field.

So, now I’m off to tackle some more vocab. Yeehaw!

. . . but not too much:

Ecclesiastes 12:10 But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.

Day 8

Just got back from spending a day at the Attorney General’s office in Madison.

OK, so it was only our yearly trek with the Funding Information Center to get foundations’ tax forms submitted to the AG that we had not found online. We worked well as a team, got to listen to lawyers discussing a case in the next cubicle, finished our task in good time, and had a lovely lunch of something I can’t pronounce properly at an Italian restaurant I can’t pronounce either. And we got back in plenty of time for the All-Star game tonight. Good Times.

Onward.

Philippians 1:27-28 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;  in no way alarmed by your opponents– which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.

Day 9 – single digits!

Abby, age 4, discussing the thrill of seeing the N.L. leader in home runs at a recent game:

“And Prince Fielder, he almost hit the ball all the way out of the garden!”

I hereby recommend we rename all places where baseball is played “gardens”. No more “ballpark”, “stadium”, “field”, “dome”, or any of those other terms which are often ridiculously preceded by corporate sponsorship. Baseball is a very idyllic game. “Garden” is a rather idyllic word. It’s a match made in Cooperstown. Hey, I know it might take a while to catch on.

Until it does, though, I personally will be meeting you down at The Garden by I-94 where we’ll catch the Brewers playing nine.

Onward.

My favorite verse of this hymn is the last one: “Freely bestowed” – Amen to that!

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.

Refrain

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.

Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.

Refrain

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
Whiter than snow you may be today.

Refrain

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?

Refrain

Day 10

This morning I woke up dry. Dry physically because the muggy heat had seemingly removed all moisture from me, and dry spiritually, longing for the living water from God’s Word. I’m glad it’s Sunday.

This morning’s message was from Phillipians 3 on knowing Christ. What really struck me was the part about “the fellowship of sharing in his suffering”, i.e. what is described in Isaiah 53. Here are four things Pastor noted:

1. Despised

2. Rejected

3. Man of Sorrows

4. Aquainted with grief

Quite the list . . . and this is what sharing in Christ’s sufferings may entail. I am grateful to live in a country where I probably need not fear death for sharing the gospel. Realizing what Jesus went through and relying on his strength can help me to face the minor persecutions of being mocked, whispered about behind my back, left out.

If my Lord was despised and rejected, should I expect anything less when sharing him? Man has not changed since Jesus lived on earth. Ridicule will happen. He will be with me.

Strangely, I don’t feel so dry anymore.

Day 11

In case you missed it (ha!), today is 07/07/07, aka this year’s Very Symmetrical Date (VSD) – seems like we’ve had a lot of these lately . . . because we have. In the middle and end of the century, it’s symmetry once a decade (2/2/22, 3/3/33, etc.), but at the start, we get them every year (01/01/01, 02/02/02, etc.).  2011, we’ll get four VSDs: 1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11,  and of course, the Most Symmetrical Date (MSD) of all – 11/11/11. It is the MSD because it has the maximum 6 numbers, and all are exactly the same number. Our last “yearly” VSD will occur on 12/12/12, after which we will once again be relegated to our decade-ly celebration of VSDs.

Ooohkay, that came out a little more nerdy than I meant it to.

Onward.

Ecclesiastes 9:10a “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.”

I always find things to do, but so often, I do them haphazardly and half-heartedly. I do them to do them, to get them done. I find this especially true when I am completeing a task that I really don’t want to do. This verse doesn’t differentiate between things I want to do and things I have to do.

It says, “Whatever.”

Day 12

One of the librarians brought this unusual snack in to work today. Never in my life had I thought, “Hmm, baked snap peas – now those would be a nice treat.” But this morning I learned that they are quite tasty (and addictive). If you ever come across any, try them. You won’t be disappointed.

I’ve always enjoyed it when people are innovative with food. The other day I read an article in the paper about  companies around here that are making strawberry and blueberry and apple bratwurst.

I mean, I know this is Wisconsin, but blueberry brats? What’ll they think of next?!

Onward.

These words speak for themselves. Enjoy and rest.

Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power,
Thou hast made me whole.

Refrain

Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.

O, how great Thy loving kindness,
Vaster, broader than the sea!
O, how marvelous Thy goodness,
Lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in Thee, Belovèd,
Know what wealth of grace is Thine,
Know Thy certainty of promise,
And have made it mine.

Refrain

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings:
Thine is love indeed!

Refrain

Ever lift Thy face upon me
As I work and wait for Thee;
Resting ’neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth’s dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father’s glory,
Sunshine of my Father’s face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting,
Fill me with Thy grace.

Refrain

Day 13

Matter-of-fact quote courtesy of my brother Daniel.

Currently my multi-tasking consists of typing this blog entry, watching the turnstiles for impending patrons, casting a worrying eye out the window toward the increasingly stormy sky, trying to answer the phone before the librarian can grab it at the other desk, answering questions about young adult fiction, and enviously (no, not really) peering over at the tech guy next to me playing with his brand-spanking new iPhone. Quite the impressive little ($500) gadget. He let me hold it. And he let me look up the weather on it. Oooh.

It’s 85 degrees. Guess I could’ve just stepped outside to find that out, huh?

Anyways, I suppose girls can multi-task. Thanks for the bit of insight, D-man.

Onward.

I’m reading through Ecclesiastes these days, which is a continual reminder of the fact that “nothing under the sun can satisfy a man made for eternity,” as Mr. Ironside wrote. Solomon went down all the world’s avenues trying to find fulfillment, but only ended up with “vanity”, with emptiness. 

I find that when my focus is on the eternal, I am so filled with peace and joy in the Lord that I enjoy the things of this earth more. However, when my focus is on the things of this earth, two things happen – I end up with that sinking empty feeling and I lose the joy of the eternal.

Day 14

It’s a beautiful Independence Day today. P’raps a little on the humid side, but sunny and warm. Tonight there’s to be a barbecue and fireworks (if we can find ’em).

It’s a nice relaxing way to celebrate freedom.

“Relaxing” is hardly the word one would use to describe that July day in Philadelphia back 231 years ago. Benjamin Franklin stated upon signing the Declaration, “We must all hang together or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.” Here in the 21st century, we must realize that they had no clue how the War was going to turn out. What the Signers did in affixing their signatures to the document was certainly bold, risky, and perhaps a little crazy.  After all, treason was a hanging offense.

But the War was won, and we are free, thanks to those many many “heroes proved in liberating strife, who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life!” as Katharine L. Bates put it so poetically.

Onward.

2 Corinthians 2:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

Have you experienced that freedom yet? You can live in the most free country on earth, yet still be chained up in the darkness of sin, on your way to hell, without God, without hope.

You can be free. You can have hope. You can know for certain that heaven waits on the other side of death. And it’s all because of Jesus Christ: He is God who became perfect Man, then offered up his life in your place. By dying, he  paid the penalty for sins, so that we could go free. He rose again and offers salvation from hell as a gift (no strings attached, no payment on our part!) to those who simply believe – trust that he took care of all our sins with his death.

If you “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ”, you will be saved. And today can truly be an Independence Day!

Day 15

Today is the 144th anniversary of the Union’s victory at the Battle of Gettysburg, which marked the turning point in the Civil War. If you never have, read The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara’s novel of that great battle. At the very least, watch the film version, Gettysburg. There’s some fictionalization, of course, but they tried stay as close to the actual events as possible. 1-3 July 1863 were some pretty amazing days in the history of these (still) United States.

Now for the great irony of the day, in keeping with the Civil War theme:

Union General John Sedgwick’s last words, regarding the Confederate sharpshooters at the Battle of Spotsylvania:

“They couldn’t hit an elephant from this dist–”

Onward.

I always get chills at this verse of the Battle Hymn of the Republic (written in 1861, hence the “die to make men free” line in the original).

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free;
[originally …let us die to make men free]
While God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.

Day 16

In a little warm-up to Independence Day on Wednesday, here’s what England’s King George III wrote in his journal on Thursday, 4 July 1776:

“Nothing much happened today.”

Onward.

One of my friends recently told me, “You can’t trust the Lord for someone else.” Sometimes when you have to confront another believer or have an uncomfortable conversation with them, it’s hard to know how they will react. What she was saying is that as you go into a difficult situation you are responsible for your own heart and attitude before the Lord. They, not you, are responsible for their’s.

That was one of the best communication reminders I’ve heard in a long time.

Day 17 – Happy July, finally!

A fun thing to do to entertain oneself is to watch people walking, especially taking note of  their arm-swinging styles. I know it sounds a little goofy, but try it. We all swing our arms when we walk – apparently it helps us with balance. Everyone has a different style.

That’s where it gets interesting.

Some people barely swing their arms, and walk kinda like robots. On the other end of the spectrum, you have the “flailers”. I passed a flailer on the way here. It wasn’t like he was purposely swinging his arms hard, like power-walkers do. It was just his natural walk, with his tan arms flying back and forth. I enjoyed his enthusiasm. Made me laugh a little.

Now, far be it from me to make fun of people for the way they walk. I’m not mocking – hey, my walk’s weird enough. I just like to notice the things we see all the time, but don’t really see.

So, next time you’re out people-watching, watch not how they walk, but how they swing their arms as they stroll along. If you’re like me, it’ll be like you’re people-watching for the first time.

Onward.

Proverbs 29:25 “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”

This verse is continually convicting to me, especially in the area of sharing the gospel. Often, too often, I have allowed the fear of man to snare me, to keep me from opening my mouth for fear of being ridiculed and rejected. I want to be safe, which is ironic, since the way to be safe, according to the last half of the verse, is to trust the Lord.

The best thing to do is to step out by faith in Jesus Christ, spread the good news of grace, and let the chips fall where they may.

Day 18

I’m wearing an apron that says, “Kiss the Cook”, having just completed, with my friend Julie, our first bridal shower. It was for Princess Caroline the Saved, as she is known by us, her humble maidservants. It was Julie’s idea to wear aprons – I feel very domestic at the present moment.

I was more of a help and a go-fer than anything – it was mostly Julie’s doing. She worked very hard to pull it off, and it was quite the success. A lovely time was had by all, especially the guest of honor.

I especially enjoyed the fact that each guest shared a favorite Bible verse along with their gift. My favorite from the batch:

Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

Amen.

Day 19

Yesterday as I was crossing the bridge between MU’s two libraries, I saw the sunset out the window. It was one of  God’s stellar paintings in the sky, the thick orange blankets of clouds contrasted by that brilliant blue that’s so hard to describe. Sillohuetted seagulls soared against the evening’s artwork.

I stopped. I caught my breath. I got teary-eyed at this sight that no artist on earth could even nearly replicate. One second, I was thinking about how tired I was and glad that it was only an hour until I got off work. The next, I couldn’t tear my eyes or my mind from the sunset.

It was another one of life’s beautiful interruptions.

I especially like the ones of those that are conversation-stoppers. You know, the ones where you’re driving along, chatting about this or that and all of the sudden, someone says, “Hey, look at the moon!” or “Wow – those clouds are awesome!” or “There’s a bald eagle on the side of the road!” And everyone gets quiet and just stares for a while. Yeah, I like that.

Moments like those are so needed – they take us out of the mundane and remind us of this spectacular world we live in, of our awesome God who created such things with great delight.

And often, all I can say is ,”Wow, Lord. That’s amazing. Thanks for doing that.”

Day 20

I just read in Newsweek that there will be about 100 million bloggers in the world by the end of the year. That’s kind of a lot. I’m quite new to this arena of expression (though after 123 – or is it 124? – straight days of posting my thoughts, it feels like I’ve been doing it forever), and am just beginning to realize what a tiny drop in the blogging bucket my corner of the internet is.

With all that out there, I’m glad you choose to come on over to “Made for Eternity” and read what I have to say – I really do have a lot of fun doing this. And since you have 100,000,000 blogs to choose from, thanks for picking this 1.

Onward.

Yesterday, I wrote about the verse in 1 Timothy regarding honoring those in authority. Then I promptly went out and (quite accidentally) did the opposite. Here’s the story:

I am finishing up a therapy summary report on one of my clients which involves a lot of emails and drafts back and forth between me and my supervisor. Last night I meant to start out an email with:

“Trying to make progress on C’s report”.

What I actually wrote:

“Try to make progress on C’s report.” (As in, “You better step on it!”, which is real honoring. Ha.)

I didn’t catch the mistake ’til this morning when I reread the email. I cringed and sent an apology. She was completely fine, and we had a good laugh at my error. I thought it especially humorous in light of what I’d been learning from Scripture.

So, I’m putting that experience in the category of “how not to fulfill this command”. Live and learn.

Day 21

This was Bonnie’s suggestion for today’s entry’s topic. So here we go.

A conversation between members of my family back in 2002, right after they had come from the dry coolness of Kijabe to the muggy summer of Pennsylvania:

Someone: “Boy, the humidity is bad today.”

Daniel: “What’s humidity?”

Noah: “It’s like water sitting in the air.”

That’s a pretty good description. And these are the days you really notice that water sitting in the air, sticking to your skin, making you sweaty again 5 minutes after your shower. Makes me grateful for a job in air-conditioned comfort, even if my mornings and nights are a bit on the soggy side.

Ah, summer.

Onward.

1 Timothy 6:1 “All who are under the yoke as slaves are to regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and our doctrine will not be spoken against.”

We aren’t slaves today, but the principle still applies, in school and on the job. “All honor”? That can be tough sometimes. I was very convicted when reading this verse – I’m very guilty of not always honoring those who are over me. I’ve had (as have all of us) professors or supervisors that have absolutely driven me up the wall and across the ceiling. Yet even these I am to consider worthy of honor because God has placed them over me. (I should add that currently I’m blessed with two terrific bosses.)

The point of this command is an extremely important one – that the name of God and our doctrine will not be spoken against. In other words – that our testimony for the gospel will not be ruined by our refusal to honor our authorities.

Day 22

Thanks to those of you who posted good news in response to yesterday’s entry. It truly is a refreshing thing.

Milwaukee’s news these days is filled with stories of a corrupt alderman, murder rates, and the Juneteenth violence. You can get discouraged really quickly hearing about that kind of stuff.

So even little bits of good news, like “Hooray – I don’t ever have to take math in college” or “school’s almost done” or “I found my ID card after I lost it and thought I’d have to pay $15 dollars to replace it” are welcome. Bigger news, like “only 22 days left until Philly airport” and “the mission team had a great trip to El Salvador and got back safely” is even better.

And the news that is best and most refreshing on this hot hazy humid afternoon is that I am truly loved with an everlasting love. Yes, I knew that already. But I always need the reminding.