The End of the Line

As anyone who has ever read this blog (all four of you) know I have "abandoned" ship. In another words, I have moved on. I created the blog to be in touch with my friends and family in the Canada and the US. With the popularity of Facebook, this blog became superfluous. Instead of being fun, it became tedious for me. So although I stopped writing on the blog over one year ago, I thought I owed you at least a good-bye. I will leave the blog up for a sometime yet, as I hope to somehow save it as kind of a diary of the years 2004-2011. Eventually, however, I will take it down when I get everything organized. I am currently designing a blog, in Portuguese, about home life. Basically it will be suggestions and recipes for making homemade things and even some practical suggestions for living better. I am not sure when I'll ever get it up and going, but it reflects some new interests of mine. As ever, I am constantly changing, redesigning myself, and finding new interests. For now, however, just look for me on Facebook. See you 'round the net. And thanks for reading my blog!

Catch up

When I get behind on my blog, then I just don’t want to write anymore because there is a lot to say, or on the other hand, there is nothing to say which is why I didn’t write in the first place. So I decided to simply make bullet points and do some catch-up.

• Can’t show you the art projects I am working on, because they are a surprise for someone and I don’t want them to see the drawings, but they turned out quite well, despite the fact that working with pastels does pretty horrible things to my health. I am buying some pastel pencils that produce less dust and hoping I can work with them, but the soft pastels may well be all in the past for me.
• We have had some terrific worship services this month, as we emphasize worship during the month of June. Several of our choirs, as well as our orchestra have had anniversaries, and made special presentations. I have been greatly edified by their music in addition to some really inspiring sermons by my husband, especially as the one on Job. A good reminder of the sovereignty of God.
• We have had very cool weather since May and I have been one very happy camper. We haven’t had to use air conditioning for two months now. My electricity bill is also very happy. In addition, my plants have grown famously and look so healthy. If you look at the right corner, you can see my orchid has blooms, so for the second year in a row I am going to have gloriously beautiful purple orchid flowers. At the upper left is my ginger plant and I think I’ll be harvesting my rhizomes in October. At the bottom center is “boldo” which is a very bitter herb, that is popular for making a tea that helps with digestion. It was a tiny thing with one or two leaves just a month ago. Next month we hope to plant some garlic and onions and other herbs. I am also hoping to find a lemon tree to put out on the bedroom balcony.
• If you remember my Peggy and beanstalk entry, I have now harvested my 21 beans. Hardly enough to eat, but I plan on planting them and then growing more. Just for the fun of it.
• Last Sunday I led the junior’s worship, probably the first time in 15 years or so that I worked with junior age children. I have given up children’s work for a lot of reasons, principally the energy that it requires. I find if I get overtired my whole body aches terribly. Sunday, however, I found the experience fun and invigorating. I spent almost the whole week working on it however because I am (1) a perfectionist and (2) out of practice.
• Although I have read several books, I don’t really have any recommendations. I didn’t finish a couple of them, as I just lost interest. Definitely not a recommendation! I actually did read, avidly, one book, and although very well written and good story, I was disappointed with attitude (that much reflects our current culture) of acceptance. The book was “Minding Frankie” by Maeve Binchy. It’s definitely a feel good story and a very good read, however.
• My back is MUCH better and that’s a huge relief. I am even back to exercising, albeit at home with Leslie Sansone, since I suspect that it was my weight lifting that set off all the back problems in the first place. When I get back from vacation, I plan on starting Pilates which should help with my posture and consequently my back.
• I continue “on course” in my memorization of the Sermon on the Mount in Portuguese. I am arriving toward the end of chapter six. It’s a continuing challenge, as I am not only memorizing the text and learning Portuguese as well. Besides being very edifying spiritually, it is also bettering my Portuguese! I should have done this years ago.
• I finished the book of Nehemiah in my English Bible study and have begun Colossenses  which would be Colossians if you speak English (I no speaka da good Engalish no more). I really love preparing these lessons and how exciting it is to share God’s Word revealed. My class is growing and I look forward to every Sunday with them. I always thought Beth Moore was odd when she called her students “beloved”, but I now understand that, as those who participate in my Bible study really have become my own beloved.
• Vacation is coming! In just five more days we are ON vacation. I hope, but won’t promise that I will, keep you posted on our vacation. We will be returning to Hawaii, but this time to Maui to participate in a leadership conference at the Haggai Institute. There is lots and lots to do to get ready for vacation, so now that you are all caught up, I’ll be ending this blog entry. Ta-ta!

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Or, “Birds of a Feather Flock Together”. This is a really old expression in the English language. To my surprise, something very similar to this expression appeared in the apocryphal book “Ecclesasiticus 27:9” in the original King James Version of the Bible. I didn’t even realize that the KJV included the Apocrypha! The expression was “The birds will resort vnto their like, so will truth returne vnto them that practise in her.”

I don’t need to belabor the meaning, for you understand it. I chose this expression to talk about language and my love of words. I don’t mean mere verbiage, but words, expressions and putting those together to say what you mean and what you think and what you feel in a very precise way.

How we speak is a reflection of who we are, thus the concept of like attracting like. I am convinced that sloppy grammar and speech (of which I am guilty) is a reflection of a careless mind. By careless, I mean simply not paying enough attention, thinking that it doesn’t matter how you speak. It’s the content that matters, not the form. In the forefront of debate in Brazil right now, is a new grammar book that says just this. It advocates the concept that you don’t need to worry about verbal agreement or other such niceties. The important thing is that you are understood, not that you are correct. There is some truth to that. If you tell someone you hate him, it doesn’t matter if you flat out say “I hate you” or you say “My heart overflows with odious sentiment toward your person.” You have said the same thing. On the other hand, if we constantly clutter our language with imprecise expressions, with incorrect grammar and even more “earthy” or “street” talk, we reveal a mind that thinks in those ways.

If, however, we take the time to craft our words, expressing ourselves with precision and beauty, we have honored our listeners by our effort. We also are showing that our minds are not lazy. Certainly, to say “I ain’t a gonna do it”, has it’s place, is very graphic, and we may chose to use that expression in a deliberate way to make a point. Still, they are not beautifully crafted words. Do not tell me beauty is in the eye of the beholder! I know each person has their own taste, but I am no post-modern thinker who accepts there is no absolute standard for beauty. A person may enjoy listening to gangster rap, and even love it, but there is nothing beautiful about degrading women or glorifying violence with that disgusting language. It may be called art, but it is not more beautiful than those art displays of dirty toilets.

That reinforces what I am trying to say here. The way we talk expresses what is in our hearts and minds. If we talk about women in disgusting terms, then we are saying women are disgusting. If we continually use bathroom words, then our minds are concentrated on… well you get it.

I used to love the contemporary translations of the Bible, like the Good News Bible, but I have grown to appreciate the richness of the more traditional translations, like the ESV. Although I honor the King James Version and its rich contribution to our language, it has too many problems to make it viable for me. Speaking of which, if you haven’t already visited the site “The King’s English” celebrating how much the KJV has contributed to the English language, you really must. It is a wonderful site with devotions that speak to my heart. You can click on my link, or on my sidebar.

How I appreciate a preacher or speaker who not only thinks about what they are going to say, but the words they will use to do so. So often our modern preachers have chosen to use slang, curse words and bad grammar to exposit God’s Word. If their listeners don’t deserve better, God’s Word certainly does. I do not accept any excuses for the laziness of preachers who make excuses for dumbing down God’s Word to make it palatable to people. We should be provoking growth, not “comfort”. I am not talking about being so erudite no one knows what you mean (because in fact that is easy to do and is also a form on mental laziness), but I am talking about providing beauty in your speech. It takes work, study and effort. Perhaps that is too much to ask, but I don’t think so. At times I have envied those I have considered to be gifted in expression, but at this point I know they weren’t born that way. A few years ago I couldn’t draw anything, but after much work I can produce something that is somewhat pleasing. It took a lot of work to get that point. I believe if I put out the same effort in my writing and speaking, I could also improve my “beauty-quotient” in that area as well.

At the risk of boring you, I wanto to close by sharing the words of my favorite poem, “God’s Grandeur”by my favorite poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins. You can watch it on this video.

Even if you don’t get what he is saying, and admittedly that takes a little work, your ears will be delighted with the sounds. To me, this is English at it’s very, very best. I do believe poetry is meant to first fall on our ears so that it doesn’t fall flat on our hearts. After hearing, then we can chew around on it for a while. If you just want to look at images and the words together, I offer this video. This poem never ceases to move me with its beauty and its meaning. I am so grateful for the Holy Spirit that continues to hover over our very “bent” world!

Purple, green, yellow and other colors

I have to write fast, or rather think fast tonight. By my own rules I only have about another 30 minutes before I have to turn off the computer. Why is that? Because if I continue to mess with computer programs after 10PM, my sleep comes with difficulty and is disturbed. These days I do about everything I can to preserve the quality of my sleep. Last night I slept for about 6 hours or so without waking and that is a great victory.

I have been working intensely on the computer since returning from the dentist. Well, I had to do something I enjoyed after enduring more than two hours in that horrible chair. My jaws always ache afterwards. I decided to try and manipulate an image I hope to paint. It’s a lovely photo my sister sent of an iris. For painting purposes, however, it’s a little too centered. I also have no joy in contemplating painting grass, plus it needs a background that makes the iris pop. So I wanted to figure out how I could work the image in photoshop to look at how I could crop and work with colors. It took a while to do that. (Translated, I am very slow at figuring out how to use photoshop. Remember? I am still learning the stupid--- oh I mean intelligent  --- program. I am not senile. As I know I used that joke before, but I still feel the same way.)

At any rate, here is one of the results. Don’t worry, I won’t be using this dull green background. I just couldn’t figure out how to get exactly the color I did want. I even tried reversing the photo, but I do think it looks better in it’s original position. I realize the flower looks like it’s floating in space, but that’s easily resolved with a much darker background. What’s interesting to see is that the same flower looks like a different color in the different background. Color theory is fascinating. In fact, it’s rather a branch of physics and philosophy. Someday I may understand something about color theory. Here in a few minutes when I am well off to bed, I plan on reading one of my watercolor books to help me think more about color and backgrounds. You never knew painting was so complex did you?

This morning when I thought of writing on my blog, I planned on writing about how much I love words. I do love words, but it’s really too late and I am too tired to share my thoughts about language and words. It deserves more than I can give to it in the next few minutes, but I do promise to write about that tomorrow, because I’ve been thinking about the subject so much lately. I’ve been impacted greatly by a website that talks about the influence of the King James Version Bible on all of our speech. You do know that we are currently celebrating 400 years of the King James Bible, right? But that is a post for another day. It will be less colorful, but no less a thing of beauty!

My work is done

I don’t need to go into details, because I’ve done it before, so I won’t bore with the process of doing a watercolor, as shown in the photo to the left. My teacher was not well today, so I worked at home and finished the painting. She probably would have helped me finished it off better, but I wanted to be done with it. I am really pleased with it, but in general I like most of what I do. Mostly because I am still amazed, after three years of studying art, that I can produce anything that looks like something. I like the use of pink and green, although I personally don’t care for those colors. This is not a painting I would frame for myself. I especially like the play of light and the darks in the background. Gabi, my teacher says, I work better when I do my own “interpretation” and don’t try to copy someone else’s work. I think she is right. I am always happier with the result. This is definitely my own work. I did not try to make a faithful reproduction of the photo, but rather do a watercolor that looks like a watercolor and not like a photo. In the beginning I didn’t enjoy working on it because I didn’t like the colors or the frilliness of the iris. I really am a tulip person. But in the end, the pink iris won me over! I am not sure if I will be starting something new before my vacation at the end of the month. I may concentrate on finishing some things I’ve started.

Before I allowed myself the privilege of painting, I finished a job I started yesterday. As I have watched the TV show about hoarders, I am horrified and sometimes fear junk taking over my house. I am not a terrible accumulator, for I am able to throw things out. I try to discipline myself to do so constantly. Nevertheless, things do get away from me. Before I know it, everything is junky. I am forever cleaning drawers and in about a week they are a mess again. This week I tackled the laundry area. I don’t understand how the area where I wash clothes and have cleaning supplies gets so filthy. It was gross. So I pitched old cleaning supplies, and empty bottles heartlessly. I threw out a couple of old appliances that don’t work anymore, for as they have sat around for longer than a year without being repaired, I know I won’t do so anymore. I consolidated bags and sacks and threw out boxes. Why don’t I just throw these things out from the beginning? I even persuaded my husband to pitch some stuff. If I have a slight tendency, he has a strong one to accumulate things. Today, however, he even helped me carry out some stuff and that made me so happy. Now our laundry area almost sparkles. Well, that would be an exaggeration, but it looks like we have twice as much space and it’s a more pleasant area now. So my work in that area is done for now. I have reminded myself I need to be continually on guard against acquiring too many things and against hanging on to things I no longer need. In fact, if there are so many things I no longer need, I probably shouldn’t have gotten them in the first place. I am trying hard to learn to live with less. Never an easy lesson for me.

Looks like my work is also done here, as I also need to learn to work with less words. Gotta keep it simple. In everything.

What a Great Weekend!

It was just packed full of emotions. Saturday was the installation (induction) service of the ex-youth minister from our current church. He was assuming the full pastorate of our former church (where João pastored for 15 years before we went to Canada). João really didn’t have a hand in him being invited, other than the fact, he suggested his name, along with others, to preach in the church while they were without a pastor. It was a sad day and I mourned his loss for our church. We loved both he and his wife so much and our team was just perfectly complete. On the other hand, I had to be joyful for him, as we did sense his strong calling to be a full time pastor. Plus we still love Cascadura so much, we wanted the best for them and they have suffered through the last two pastorates.  The worship service was wonderful, with João preaching a very exhortative sermon about churches caring for their pastors. Afterwards, there was a reception, of course and I think it’s been a long time since I’ve given and gotten so many hugs. There were tons of people there from our current church and of course I knew most everyone from Cascadura. When we got in around midnight, we were very tired puppies.

Sunday morning the Campbellsville University Chorale helped lead in worship. Their conductor is a Brazilian, as were several members. They performed 9 pieces, all executed beautifully. My ears were very pleased with all they heard. In order to facilitate their participation in the worship, we prepared a bulletin in English and I translated the sermon. I am out of practice and so at first I was rather stiff, but then both João and I freed ourselves. The congregational singing was so enthusiastic, and the scripture readings all dovetailed to make an exciting and moving worship service. We had lunch at the church with the choir, and enjoyed meeting some of the faculty members and talking to the young people.

We had time to get in some rest and turn around and go back to hear some interesting missionaries before worship. Our home mission board started a ministry in São Paulo in a downtown part of the city called “Crack-o-land”. In other words, it is the area where crack is sold and bought and smoked. The missionaries have had amazing success and are doing a good work. A group of former crack users and other young people are here in training in Rio to begin the same ministry here, not far from our church. During our evening worship, they sang and shared as well. It is amazing to look at those lives and see how far they have come, all by God’s grace. It truly was amazing. After worship, our young adult choir had soup and sandwiches and desserts, so we enjoyed a nice time of fellowship.

It was all grand and I really was quite “full” by Sunday night. I am tired on this Monday morning, but a good tired. Fulfilled and tired. I love weekends like this.

That was Yucky

They say oatmeal sticks to your ribs, and it must, because it sure doesn’t stick to my stomach! I have been making oatmeal at night in the slow cooker and it’s delicious the next morning, but about two hours later I am hungry again.

Yesterday morning I was sitting on the couch eating my oatmeal when I crunched down on a piece of clove.Yuck. My mouth was almost anesthetized. But in the slow cooker, you need to use whole spices, so I had put in a vanilla bean,a cinnamon stick and whole cloves. The oatmeal was so hot and creamy that I had a hard time fishing them all out. Since I was too lazy to get up, I kept eating and carefully picking out the cloves. They were in my left hand, resting on the couch. As she often does, Mia came around sniffing. She loves milk products, but with her sensitive tummy I don’t let her eat people food. This time, however, I wasn’t worried, since it was only the scent of milk and butter on my finger. She was quicker than I am and she gobbled up a clove. I didn’t see that one coming.

I nearly died laughing when she spit it out faster than I did. She stopped and stared at it like it was an ET. I am certain she had never tasted a clove before. I am also certain she will never taste one again. Her expression was priceless. This picture doesn’t quite catch it, but she definitely communicated the yuckiness of cloves.