A Tale of Two Knives

I hate to throw things away.  I mean, I HATE to throw things away.  I was into recycling before it was even a movement.  Back then, I was “thrifty” or cheap, depending upon whom you consulted.  I have things from middle school, and when I was in middle school it was called Junior High.  Does that give you a clue?

Well, I have this knife.  I love this knife.  I’m not sure when I got this, but I know my Mom gave it me.  Where she got it and when, I can’t tell you but it is old.

It’s handle has knicks and dings, the wood is worn off where my hands have held it over the years.  It’s been a good knife and usually my go-to knife of choice.  However, over the years it has become dull at times unless I take the time to use the sharpener.  When I get it sharpened though, nothing is easier to use to cut through the thickest meat.

Over the holidays, I splurged at Williams & Sonoma and bought me this pretty red knife.  A red knife, it just caught my eye.  How pretty and it stays sharp. It even comes with its own matching cover.  I got ready to chop some veggies and grabbed, not my old standby knife, but the pretty red knife.  Guess what?  It was so sharp I was through in half the time.  Amazing.  I had gotten so used to the old one that I didn’t even notice how dull it had become.

The same is true of life.  How many things in my life have I allowed to become dull just because they are familiar?  Whether it be devotions with a new format, blogging with a new twist, reading with new vigor, home educating with a new resource or exploring guests to our church in a new light, the common sometimes needs to be refreshed and renewed.  I need to make sure that I have not allowed my life to become dull just because all is familiar.  Especially in my walk with Christ.  I need to find that “edge” to keep things sharp.

“Choosing to See” – I haven’t cried like that in a while!

I just finished “Choosing to See” by Mary Beth Chapman and what a blessing!  Her brutal honesty just touched me in a special way that I find hard to put into words.  My picture of what their life must be like and reality are just two different things.  She opens up about her own battles with clinical depression and the differences between her, the self-proclaimed Eoyore, married to Steven Curtis Chapman, the Tigger!  I couldn’t put this one down and haven’t cried like that over a book in quite some time.  I mean the runny nose, BIG tears type of crying.  Their tragedy and her struggles through it all just touched my heart beyond measure.  The outpouring of their Christian friends was a model to us all.  And, their ability to move forward day by day is a true testament to their faith in the one and only Christ!

After reading her book, I wondered who among us would dare to be so transparent?  Are we truly afraid to question God?  Can we see Him at work and trust in Him even when things don’t go our way?  What a story, what a God!

New Mexico Mission Trip-Bisti, NM

We started the day bright and early yesterday.  We left Farmingon for Bisti, the home of the Bennally family and the church.  We traveled somewhat paved roads into what seemed to be the wilderness, save for a few plants and natural gas facilities along the way.  Seems the Navajo have natural gas on their land but no rights to it.  We turned off onto a sandy road and waited a brief time for Brittany Bannally to meet us.  She is 14 and met us in her Suburban at the road.

I was amazed at the remoteness of the area.  They have been having unusual rains and the roads have all washed out.  The back window of the Bennally’s Suburban is broken out because all their other cars got stuck in the mud.  They tried to pull them out with a chain, the chain broke and busted the window.  We traveled the sandy roads, took a few turns and arrived at the church.  Everyone was so glad to see us arrive.

They have no running water so we had to bring our own.  The children and I primed and painted the siding on the new church building.  Chief Faber and Jeff used the ladder to get the high spots and the rest of us painted what we could reach.  Shasta, Taylon and Tru helped us the whole day.  They got all of it primed and almost the whole building painted before they ran out of paint.  They had much fun painting each other all day too.  We teased Lonnie, Chief Faber’s nephew, that he was turning to a white man.  He teased us back about needing sunscreen soon.

I got the opportunity to go into Farmington with Rhonda to the food bank.  Charlotte Laney went with us as well.  We made the drive and arrived at 1:00 pm, when they open.  There was already a line of people.  We went to the back and met with a wonderful lady that knew Rhonda well.  They take about anything they will give them.  We started out with 7 huge bags of cabbage.  When those were loaded, she asked us to come back in.  She then proceeded to give us three boxes of chips and some hot chocolate mix.  We loaded that and were asked to come back inside again.  This was repeated over and over, leaving us with cabbage, a case of bakery cakes and deli items, 6 cases of frozen meats, chips, hot chocolate mix, tomato juice and other various items.  They gave it all away to the people who came to the church service.

When we got back, I got to use my trailer backing skills to back the trailer between the fence gate.  It took me a few times to get the hang of it, but my horse trailer days eventually came back.  We then loaded up and went to find the cows.  We threw them onions, which I didn’t know they would eat.  All is free range so you might find them anywhere.  We had much fun trying out the community well and found the water from it is literally burning hot.  It comes from a volcano in the mountains and that is where everyone in the community goes to gather their drinking water.

We ended the evening with a wonderful dinner of Navajo Indian Tacos prepared by Leroy’s mother.  We then gathered for a service with the local people.  The children sang several songs for us and we visited with the people.  Chief Faber gave his testimony in Jicarilla Apache and then in English.  They asked Jeff to preach also.  He did, with a Navajo interpreter.  They were hilarious together.  I haven’t enjoyed a sermon like that in a while.  It was a treat!

After the service, we gave all the children backpacks with supplies and all the adults a goody bag of hygiene supplies.  Everyone liked them.  We finished the evening with everyone going around the church shaking everyone’s hand, something they do whether we are there or not.

The day was full of accomplishments as the men began and finished the playset.  The children got to play on it during the service.  We got many things done but spending time with the people here was the best!!  God is truly at work in a place so remote one feels they can’t possibly still be in the US.  Today, my family and Chief are going with Leroy to gather wood in Colorado.  What will God provide today?

New Mexico Mission Trip-To Farmington

Last night we had a fantastic bonfire at Chief Faber’s home.  He invited a couple that he told us were the first Christian Navajos he ever knew.  He actually lived with them for some time in his younger years.  They shared their testimony with us after our devotions.  It was so moving to hear their story of deliverance.  They shared the state of the church in Dolce and how many feel Christianity is the white man’s religion.  They are truly saints, living a life for the Lord in humility.

We enjoyed smores over the campfire and the kids enjoyed playing with Chief’s pet wolf.

McGraw - "Da Wolf"

Yes, he is a full blooded wolf.  He absolutely loved the children.

We started our day out with breakfast and devotions by the Stricklands as Tim celebrated his 65th birthday today.  Since the men finished the playset a day early, many of us loaded up and went for a half day of work at Spirit Lake with Chief Faber.  According to Chief, legend has it that a man showed up at the ceremonial celebrations at Spirit Lake many years ago.  He stayed with the people and worshiped with them.  At the end of their time together, the elders watched the man walk out into Spirit Lake and disappear.  Many years later, the same men were given a Bible with pictures.  Opening the Bible, the men saw a picture of Jesus in the Bible.  They said, “Why is this man in your Bible?  He was just with us at Spirit Lake.”  The picture was of Jesus.  Because of this, Chief said many of the Jicarilla Apache became Christians.

In three weeks, many of the Apache meet here for three days for a celebration.  It is somewhat like Rock Springs Camp Meeting but very rustic.  He wanted us to help him rebuild his camping area where they put up two tents and one tepee.

This was what we started with...

We tore the whole structure down and found out what recycling really means.  The chief had us rebuild it with the same trees and lumber by reusing the rusted wire and nails, which we had to hammer to straighten.  We spent most of the day and got the structure redone much to Chief’s liking.  When the ceremony begins, people go to the woods and gather greenery to put on top of their structures.  He said the colors are beautiful and promised to send us a picture of the ceremonial grounds when all the native people are there in celebration.

Mission Accomplished!

We headed back to the church for lunch and then headed on our way to Farmington, NM where we will be staying for the next few days.  Rhonda, Shasta,&  Brittany  Benally met us at the hotel.  We went to eat with them to an authentic New Mexican restaurant,  It was amazing!!   We enjoyed seeing them and hearing about our projects they have lined up for us.  Chief Faber and his nephew Lonny  came with us to Farmington.  We ended the night with a swim at the pool, hopefully wearing out the kids for nighttime!

I’m sooo excited about getting to the Rez tomorrow.  They have been having cars getting stuck so deep in mud that they can’t get them out.  Don’t tell our rental car company though!  It is dirt roads for miles and no running water at all.  The church is one of the only places with electricity.  It’s going to be amazing!

New Mexico Mission Trip Continued

Wow, yesterday was a packed day.  I would have posted Day 2, but the lady at our hotel kept telling me to get internet you must be by the lamp.  What lamp?  No one was able to figure that out.  I can tell you I checked out the lamps in our room well but no internet.

This morning over breakfast, Kelly said he got right on the internet.  How one might ask?  He asked her if the hotel had Wi-Fi.  She got him right on the ‘net.  Oh, well, lessons learned along the way.

Yesterday was a packed day.  We started out by visiting Calvary Church in Albuquerque, NM.  Some of you might have heard Skip Heitzig on 106.9.  This is his church and they have about 12,000 in service each week.

Current Series by Skip Heitzig

He was there and we all really enjoyed his message on teaching versus preaching.  My family went to the 8:00 service together, then I volunteered in their Children’s Church.  Jeff and the boys went to their youth service.  We got some great ideas and loved the laid back atmosphere.  Some of our team even enjoyed the service outside by the ponds, where they video cast the service.

We left afterwards and began our voyage to Dolce, NM with Chief Faber.  Kelly told us getting there was half the fun and, yes, he was right.  Five cars following each other can prove interesting at times but we made it by 5:00 pm New Mexico time (2 hours earlier than our time at home).

Breathtaking Scenery

We checked in and headed to the church for a cook-out with 55 people.  I really enjoyed meeting many of the local people.  They were friendly and shared their social ills with me, many of which are not much different than ours at home.

One of the men, Gary, shared with me his saddness that the youth do not appreciate what they have.  He said a new high school was built a little over a year ago but was already trashed.  He was sad that they take so much for granted.

Gary also shared with me that the graduation rate is around 28% here.  The year before, out of 100 students, only 14 graduated.  The tribe has decided that the people cannot get their payouts at 18 unless they have graduated.  He told me they are very mad but he thought it was a great decision.

Eating with the People in Dolce

He shared how Christ had delivered him from alcoholism 7 years ago and the depth of its hold on the people here.  He told me there are many 12 to 14 year olds here that have Sclerosis of the liver already.  There is no cure.

We concluded the evening with devotions and began early this morning.  The playground project is going along well, though finding a place without prairie dog holes was a job.  They are everywhere!

The playground is coming along.

All the children and youth helped Jeff and I clean the sanctuary.  We steam cleaned pew cushions and the dirt in the machine was black!  We gave all the pews a good washing with Murphy’s Oil Soap and cleaned all the windows.  I discovered a room of “stuff” and we threw away, cleaned up and organized it into a great playroom.  The other ladies sorted a whole room of clothes and toys into groupings and reboxed it all to go to the Rosebud Reservation.  The people of the church here actually go in missions to Rosebud to help them that have much less than they have.

We are truly being blessed by testimonies and the people here in Dulce.

Beautiful children of God

It is beautiful!  God is good…

More pics

New Mexico Mission Trip-Day 1

Well, we all got to New Mexico!!  Most of us met for devotions at the airport and then departed on different planes destined to Albuquerque, NM.  After many hours on the planes and in the airport waiting, my kids couldn’t wait to hit the pool.  They said it was freezing!!  Good, better to swim some laps.  Mom is ready for them to burn off some energy for sure:)

We met another mission trip from Pennsylvania headed this way in the Dallas/Fort Worth airport.  They are also from an United Methodist Church and were headed to a Methodist mission in New Mexico.  I sat beside one of their youth on the plane and found his story interesting.  He attended a church of 100 but met one of the youth from the other UM church that was taking the mission trip.  The youth asked him to go, though he lived one and a half hours away from their church.  He accepted the invite and there he was, flying all the way from Pennsylvania to New Mexico without really knowing anyone from their church.  What a testimony!!  I truly hope Christ moves in a big way in his life this week since he has already stepped out in such faith.

It is truly beautiful here in a different way.  The mountains…wow.  God’s glory is evident here!

Getting Back to the Basics-Techno Style!

2 BILLION MINUTES WITH THE BIBLE
You, and millions of other YouVersion users around the world, have spent more than two billion minutes with the Bible using YouVersion! That’s 38 centuries or 33 million hours in God’s word. More time engaging in Scripture…it’s why YouVersion is here, and you continue to break new ground doing just that. Way to go!

I recently received an email from the YouVersion team with a celebration of how many people are getting plugged into God’s Word.  What an exciting time to be a Christian.  We have more avenues to God’s Word than ever before and some people are jumping on the new technology.

Most of the studies out say that, though people are more connected than ever, they are more isolated than ever too.  How can this be?  An analogy goes like this:  People used to bowl in teams, now they bowl individually.  It is easy to misplace our need for fellowship with “techno relationships” and still not feel connected.  We have more cyber friends, but we suffer by not having the face to face contact we used to experience.

All this makes me even more excited to see the launching of Core Groups @ Denver UMC.  We will kick this ministry off on August 29th, but I am putting together an online sign-up form so you can actually give me an idea of when you want to meet, where you want to meet and some of your interests.  We will find most groups meeting monthly, though some might desire to meet more often.  We will form groups with people that have similar interests.  Centered around discipleship, this is a fantastic opportunity to get connected with others just like you.

Each meeting, groups will discuss questions posted on the website and available in print format coming from the sermon messages.  This will allow everyone within the church to be on the same page.

Just like YouVersion, an online bible study tool, can get many more people into God’s Word, I hope Core Groups will help establish discipleship groups that last.  Wherever you find yourself in your spiritual journey, whether walking or running, Core Groups will provide a way to get connected.   And, connection is important!

OK BP, We Common Americans can Figure This Out!!

Someone sent me this awesome video of a couple of common Americans who can solve the oil spill problem.  So, listen to a little American grassroots ingenuity will ya?  (Spoken with my best Southern drawl).

Next Car – The Swagger Wagon

Check it out:    I’m down with that!

Digital Nation – Fascinating to Understand our Children

PBS:  Frontline  Digital Nation

I found this mesmerizing!  As an immigrant to the digital nation, I am raising children who are natives.  How does this translate to their faith journey and to their education?