Fearless

Once, Jesus got into a boat with some of His followers. As they crossed a lake, they were caught in a sudden and ferocious storm. The Greek words Matthew used to describe the storm are megas seismos. Even without a history of Greek, I can follow the terminology. Megas is big. Very big. Seismic activity describes earthquakes. From what I could find, seismos is used thirteen other times in the New Testament and always translated earthquake. This was massive storm, big enough to unnerve seasoned fishermen.

Terrified, the disciples woke Jesus, most likely shouted to be heard above the noise of the waves and wind, and said, "Master, we are going to die!"

Jesus replied, "Why are you afraid?" 

Indeed. In the middle of a megas seismos storm, in a little boat, with water sweeping over the sides, with the crashing of the waves and the howling of the wind, with their very lives threatened. The Master was there and that made all the difference. 

Today, amid a tsunami of misinformation, scary statistics, canceled events, quarantines, and a worldwide crisis, Jesus asks, "Why are you afraid?"

Indeed. The Master is still with us and able to calm the storm. It isn't the storm we need to be afraid of. "This isn't eternal," my friend Sheryl Zeiset said. "God help us to fear the things that lethargize the soul more than that which can kill the body." 

Lift your eyes above the waves today, zero in on Jesus, and be fearless.

Picture sourced from Pixabay

C. S. Lewis Weighs In on the Coronavirus

Stores are emptied of hand sanitizer and toilet paper. Schools are closed. Events are canceled. Memes are made. Coronavirus is making the kind of history our great-grandchildren will read about in textbooks someday. 

I respect the warnings of our authorities and agree with taking precautions to protect the elderly and immunocompromised. But I also appreciate the balanced views Christians have been presenting, of quarantines providing quality family times, of God using this crisis to shake our view of normal into His view of normal.

Many years ago, C.S. Lewis wrote about living in uncertain days, and his words still hold truth for us--especially if his pint refers to a latte. I know this quote has been circulating recently, but I want to share it here in case you haven't seen it. 

In one way we think a great deal too much of the atomic bomb. “How are we to live in an atomic age?” I am tempted to reply: “Why, as you would have lived in the sixteenth century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat any night; or indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, an age of syphilis, an age of paralysis, an age of air raids, an age of railway accidents, an age of motor accidents.”

In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation. Believe me, dear sir or madam, you and all whom you love were already sentenced to death before the atomic bomb was invented: and quite a high percentage of us were going to die in unpleasant ways. We had, indeed, one very great advantage over our ancestors—anesthetics; but we have that still. It is perfectly ridiculous to go about whimpering and drawing long faces because the scientists have added one more chance of painful and premature death to a world which already bristled with such chances and in which death itself was not a chance at all, but a certainty.

This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.

— “On Living in an Atomic Age” (1948)  

Photo sourced from Pixabay

Repetition's Value

Life is a circle.

I haven’t kept track how many

times I have washed the same dishes or

mopped the same floors or laundered the same

clothes. I only know that I often wield my dishrag or

mop and almost daily I cram piles of dirty duds into my

hungry machine. Much of life as a stay-at-home mom feels

repetitive. Today I listened to my second grader recite identical

passages her brother memorized two years ago. Another child is

watching, biding his time until he is big enough to quote Beatitudes

and portions of the Psalms. I teach him the same lessons I instilled in
his siblings: Colors. Numbers. Please. Thanks. Kindness. Obedience.

I could find these endless cycles depressing. Empty or meaningless.

But then I remember that God does the same things, repeatedly.

His promise hangs on repetition: As long as earth remains, day

And night, snow and heat, summer and winter will continue.

Perhaps God created cycles to showcase His promises

and His dependable, enduring, stable character.

My cyclical life becomes my daily hint

of God Himself.

Snowmen for Lunch

In planning our snow-themed lunch, I looked on Pinterest for ideas and quickly decided I was out of my element. As a busy mama with limited time and abilities, our lunch needed to be Sara-friendly, meaning something that didn't demand much time, attention, or food artsy skills. 

Last year's craft became
this year's decor

I used to dream of doing a blue, white, and silver snowman-themed meal with food served from footed plates and with white lights and sparkly snowflake garlands for decor. But as the years passed, my dreams melted, and I finally purged my collection of blue plates when I needed elbow room and storage space more than I needed blue plates. So when a snowman lunch finally happened, it was a gaudy collide of color which was probably more fun for children anyway. 

Tiny red cups by the fork held
snowmen-shaped candies

A few cute signs made simple foods fit our theme.  

These are peanuts, by the way. I don't
purposely feed six children
chocolate covered coffee beans.

We invited friends to join us for lunch, and Gail brought darling snowman fruit kabobs, served in a hill of snow. 

I chose snowman-shaped pizzas as our main course and felt smart for substituting Alfredo sauce for pizza sauce. No bleeding snowmen for me! The crusts were cut from tortillas, the noses were wedges of pepperoni, and buttons and eyes were circles of olives.

After lunch, we made snowmen luminaries with Gail's endless craft supplies and excellent tutelage.

Isn't he snow cute?

Even the mess is artsy. I love it. 

Only one snowman has its candle lit
 in this picture but each one has a
battery operated tea light.

We enjoyed our snow-themed afternoon enough to do it again sometime. I can see my future self opening Pinterest just long enough to remember the reasons we stick to simplicity around here. Likely, I'll ask some friends to join us, tapping in on their creativity and energy. We will go away, like we did this year, warmed by friendship and snow-themed memories. 

What I Learned When I Read the Bible Chronologically in One Year

Words by Marlene Ruth Brubacher and posted with her permission. Image sourced from Pixabay.

In 2019, I decided that The Time Had Come to strike out alone for the far shore. My quest: to finally read the Bible through in one year. And to read it chronologically, following this plan I found online.

I did it.

Yes, sometimes I fell behind. It was a stiff schedule, and took time and determination. I had given my aunt Katherine permission to check up on me throughout the year; she didn’t often, but the accountability kept me going.

What did I learn?

I leaned I was dreadfully lazy. In the beginning of the year, reading three or four chapters a day sounded overwhelming. It wasn’t; I just had to grow some muscle. *

I learned that I was woefully ignorant about Biblical context. I thought I knew that you must always read surrounding verses. But there is a significant difference between studying Ephesians 2:14 in the context on verses 1-22, or reading the book of Ephesians in one gulp.

I learned that I was woefully ignorant about Biblical chronology. It’s why I had chosen that challenge, of course, but I lacked a big-picture view. At last, I feel like I understand how all the kings and prophets fit together, and where the book of Acts and the different epistles correlate.

I learned that the inexhaustible Bible is perfectly suited for a year’s reflections. I started on January 1, crisp and clean, and the Book opened with “In the beginning, God…”; I ended the eve of December 31, the end of the decade, with trumpets and glory and honour, with “Even so come, Lord Jesus”.

Will I do it again?

I hope so. Not this year; I’m ready for a different program. But someday I hope to repeat the challenge, the stretching, the growing. We’re poised at the brink of a new decade, and despite all the clever quips about 20/20 Vision, nothing will clear our sight like immersion in the Word.

*This is my personal testimony; I am not trying to shame anyone else. If you are an overwhelmed mom of five preschoolers, please know that as I have peace with God and with my fellowmen I am not trying to burden you with one more task. He sees you reaching for Him in the swirl of diapers and dishrags, and He meets you there.  

Meet the author: Marlene Ruth Brubacher lives among the mines and pines of northwestern ON where winters bring -45 C, and summers bring loons' yodels on sparkling lakes. She is a cleaner, baker, writer, and editor who thrives on coffee, poetry, and global friendships.

Our List of Fun Things to Do in December

This week the children and I made a list of things we want to do in December, a tradition we started several years ago. The entire month feels festive when you have something fun to look forward to almost every day. I try to keep our list simple so it isn't overwhelming or impossible to complete.

Sourced from Pixabay

I love working our way through the list almost as much as the children do. But my love for this tradition is partly because I think we are creating some of those we always moments Gwen Ellis introduces in her book, Simply Fun for Families. We always moments are family traditions that your children speak about with a fond we always. Here are some from my childhood: 

"We always had pancakes with real maple syrup on Saturday mornings."

"We always picked up earthworms in the garden to use as bait at Rice Lake."

"We always played games with my parents on Sunday afternoons."

Many we always memories are not elaborate, but even simple traditions add warmth and sparkle to family life. I want our home to be one of those warm, sparkly places the children want to return to, like my childhood home was for me.  

Things to Do in December
1. Set up our nativity scene

2. Make paper snowflakes

3. Make pancakes and serve them on our snowmen trays

4. Listen to our recording of Handel's Messiah while coloring seasonal pictures

5. Read aloud winter and Christmas-themed storybooks

6. Go Christmas caroling

7. Bake something for the neighbors

8. Send a family picture and letter to family and friends

9. Illustrate the birth of Jesus 
Some years we write and illustrate a book; other years we draw a series of pictures for the wall. 

10. Decorate a gingerbread house

11. Make a seasonal craft

12. Exchange regular mugs in the cupboard for winter ones and have hot chocolate and cookies

13. Go to Woodcrest Retreat's "Journey to Bethlehem" where the story of Jesus' birth is reenacted. 

14. Pray for Christians in persecuted areas of the world who cannot openly celebrate the birth of Jesus. 

15. Draw names and give that family member an act of service

16. Make melting snowmen out of whipped cream to go into hot chocolate
Side Note: Melting Snowmen are an adorable idea, though ours ended up looking more sinister than cute.

17. Decorate cookies with friends

18. Have a snowman-themed lunch

19. Watch Christmas song videos like How Should a King Come? and Angels From the Realms of Glory

20. Have a snowball fight, regardless of the weather
One year in Ghana, we collected trash paper for a month until we had enough wadded up papers for a snowball fight. The children and I had fun by ourselves--then we heard John return from an errand. When he opened the door, we leaped from our hiding places, shouting with laughter and bombarding him with snowballs. I think we surprised him.

Marked by Greatness: Greatest Surprise

I try to keep my eyes open for great moments in my life, but sometimes they sneak up on me and take me by surprise.

Sometimes sisters make you do crazy things like bake 400 whoopie pies in one day when you expected to do a fourth of that amount.

Some days sisters return from a shopping trip, telling you that a complete stranger walked up to them in Goodwill's parking lot and gave them stale, slightly soggy sandwiches, which they ate for lunch. (I am not making this up.) They lived to tell the story, but I have not recovered.

At other times, sisters give you one of the best birthday gifts of your life. 

I got a text at 7:00 one morning saying, "Don't eat breakfast."

Me: "Okay. Am I allowed to eat lunch and supper?"

Them, laughing: "Yes. Just not breakfast."

"Ah-ha!" I told John smugly. "They said earlier that they've been working on a birthday present for me. I'm guessing they are going to show up with the present and bring pastries to go with coffee."

I expedited my morning routine, even skipping coffee (and breakfast) so I and my house would be ready for guests.

But when my front door squeaked open, my niece walked in alone. I looked past her to see if the others were here. They weren't.

Felicity handed me an envelope that read, "OPEN NOW."

The card inside said:

The note on the back of the card told me to go to Laura's house and to bring along a writing project, if I wanted to. Ah, so brunch was at her house! How clever. Laura collects darling dishes and loves to set up pretty tea trays. I supposed I was a lucky recipient of a breakfast tray, complete with time alone which is a rarity for this homeschooling mom. I left my children in Felicity's capable hands and went for brunch.

Except Laura's house didn't smell like food. Both of my sisters sat there idly, talking small talk, and seeming in no hurry to brew coffee.

"Well, are you ready for your present?" they finally asked, grinning.

I was, by now being deeply curious.

They handed me a stack of numbered envelopes, tied together with ribbon. I was supposed to follow the instructions on the enclosed cards and adhere to the times listed on each one.

I entered the first address into my phone, not knowing whither I was going, and left.

Google Maps took me to Courtyard Café. When I arrived, I opened my next envelope and a gift card fell into my lap.

That gift card added extra warmth to my day because it meant

they had driven to the coffee shop with me in mind. 

My note said: 

"Relax with your book or project while you enjoy breakfast and coffee purchased with the gift card enclosed. Leave at 11:00. Go to 1930 Division Hwy, Ephrata, PA. 

When you arrive at the destination, open envelope #3." 

I loved my time alone in the coffee shop. I drank a latte, ate a lumberjack-sized burrito, and made progress on planning a creative writing class I'll be teaching. 

I noticed that my next destination was in the vicinity of our dentist, so I sent a text to my sisters saying, "I hope you girls know that getting my teeth cleaned does not rejuvenate me."

No need to worry. They gave me a gift certificate and an hour to shop at a bookstore.

If my excursion ended here, I would have gone home rejuvenated and happy. But the best was still coming: Griddle and Grind. 

I loaded my writing projects into my bag and walked down the sidewalk to the crêperie. The fall weather invigorated me, adding splendor to the day. Tilting my face upwards, I thanked God for my sisters. This was a wonderful birthday present.

Just when I neared the restaurant, a good-looking man stepped out from behind a tree and said, "May I join you for lunch?" 

I couldn't believe it. That morning, John took the lunch I packed for him, knowing all the while he would join me at Griddle and Grind.

He told me later that my look of surprise, followed by my obvious delight in seeing him warmed his heart all day. His presence warmed mine. 

Commemorative selfie

We shared coffee and crêpes (that is, I helped myself to his, still being full from breakfast), and we talked uninterrupted for an entire hour. It was marvelous.

Lemon Cheesecake Crepe. Delish!

Warmed clean through by an unexpected lunch date, I followed the course prescribed on my cards, spending several hours browsing Ephrata Reusit, Goodwill, and Scenic View Fabrics. Each envelope held cash and the instructions to buy myself birthday gifts.

When I returned home (with books and boots and fabric), my children bubbled over with stories of their fun day. Felicity brought along a crate of books and read so many stories that her voice was nearly hoarse. 

She also brought homemade bread and had a crockpot of soup on my counter, ready for supper.

Sisters. I recommend them. (And, no, mine aren't up for grabs.) 

I also recommend nieces. And birthdays. And Chili, Chicken, Corn Chowder, warm in the Crockpot. 

Chili, Chicken, Corn Chowder

1/4 cup oil

1 large onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 rib celery, finely chopped

2 cups frozen or canned corn

15 oz. great northern beans

1 cup cooked, diced chicken

4 oz. can green chilis

1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. oregano

Salt to taste

1 cup half-and-half

1. Saute onion, garlic, and celery in oil. Stir in corn, chicken and chilis. Saute for 1-2 minutes. 
2. Combine all ingredients, except half-and-half in slow cooker. 
3. Cover. Heat on Low 4 hours. 
4. Stir in half-and-half before serving. Do not boil, but heat cream through.