Can you see it?

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

Hebrews 11:1

When our son, Tony, was three years old, he came to me and said,

"I have a headache, Mom.  See it?  It hurts!  Can you see it, Mom?"

Truth be told, I couldn't see the headache but I certainly believed it was there.

There are so many things I can't see.
I can't see electricity, but I believe that when I flip a switch, electricity goes to the light bulb and there is light!
I can't see gravity, but I believe that if I trip, I will fall d-o-w-n.  

There are many things I can't see, but that doesn't mean they aren't there.

Faith.

Hope.

Love.

Hard to see, but they do exist.

Let us s-t-r-e-t-c-h today and believe a little more in the God who created us, 
in the God who sustains us.  
Let us grow in faith and trust and walk in confident hope.

Heavenly Father, increase in me Your gifts of faith, hope and love.  Open my eyes to see Your goodness and may I be a visual witness of Your love.  In the Name of Christ, Amen.

Joy in trusting

(This picture was taken on a sunny day at the nursing home where Fay had been a resident for several years already.  She was journeying through Alzheimers.)

"Whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he." Proverbs 16:20b  (or she  :-)

I would like to introduce you to one of the greatest mentors in my life.  Her name was Fay.  She was a dynamic lady, full of life and love with a faith as big as the all outdoors!  Her exuberance for daily living never dimmed even though the disease of Alzheimers did its very best to rob her of memory, judgment, abilities, dignity and life itself.  

Fay came to live at the nursing home when I was a chaplain and she blessed my life.  I can see her arms up in the air during hymn sings!  She would be praising God as we declared Him Savior and Lord through song.  She was the picture of devotion when it was time for prayer.  Her hands would be folded tightly and her head bowed in sincerity.  When I would read Scripture or share a message, her twinkling eyes would literally bounce with joy and often times she would shake her finger at me like "Yes, tell us more!" or "That's right!  Listen to what the Lord is saying!"  

One day after a time of worship on the Special Care Unit, Fay approached me with a look of uncharacteristic seriousness.  Her two hands gripped my shoulders as she looked deeply into my face.  And though her words were often times gibberish, this time her voice was clear and strong and the words were precise.  She said,

"I hope that you have lots of trouble in your life...."

Now that took me aback but Fay was not done speaking.

"because," she continued "then you will know more of God."

Profound.

The New Living Translation of the Bible translates Proverbs 16:20b this way:

"Those who trust in the Lord will be joyful."

That was Fay.  She was joyful.  
To me, joy is deeper than happy and Jesus says in the Gospel of John 15:11:

"I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

Fay was living her life and though Alzheimers had marred her life in so many ways, the joy of the Lord which was gifted to her through faith was not tarnished nor diminished in any way.  The Lord was with her, abiding within her and shining through her all the days of her earthly life.  

I do not have the answers on why people are bombarded in life with disease, disaster, turmoil and chaos.  Especially good people, people we love and cherish, people of faith.  But I do believe and it has been my experience that because of the strong witness of Fay and others like her (Steve, Ethel, Gladys, Dorothy, Charles, Bud, Elsie...oh, the list could go on and on), trusting in the Lord through the thick and thin of things allows joy to remain and grow, to sustain and strengthen through the battles knowing the Lord will be victorious and the victory will be ours!

Whatever battle you are facing today, trust in the Lord.  He is your Shelter, your Refuge.  He is faithful and strong.  He will protect and defend.  Stand in His Presence with confident hope and trust in the Lord.  Trust in the Lord. Open your arms wide!   And may His joy be yours, now and forevermore, Amen.

Worn and torn

Saturday, August 27

From "Daily LIght" the Bible Verse:
"..Uphold my steps in Your paths, that my footsteps may not slip." (Psalm 17:5)

And an excerpt from a prayer written by E. E. Violett, D.D. from Kansas City, MO for a prayer book written in 1916: 
"...constantly save us, Father, lest we should break down under the wear and tear of the world..."

The "wear and tear of the world" chips away at our heart, our mind, our body and our soul.  Fortunately, the Lord walks with us on our life journey every step of the way.  He doesn't just wait at the finish line or sends us a note that says "I'll catch up with you later."  No, He upholds our every step and journeys with us through the "wear and tear of the world."  

If you are feeling worn and torn today, please know the Lord cares.  
He cares deeply.  
May you know of His love and care this day.  
May you bask in His healing strength and sweet, sweet Spirit 
and become renewed and repaired, 

in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (+) Amen.

Still walking, feeling overwhelmed....

Psalm 142: 3  (NKJV)  "When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then You knew my path."

A portion of a prayer written for August 23 by Charles Wood, D.D. of Washington, D.C. and included in the book "God's Minute, A Book of 365 Daily Prayers Sixty Seconds Long for Home Worship" printed in 1916, prays as this:

"May all the duties of the day, 

however distasteful in themselves, 

become a delight 

as we hear Thy voice calling us to go forward 

fearlessly into the heart of them,

in the assurance that we shall find Thee waiting for us there,

ready to give us the strength we need."

I'm tempted to change the word "distasteful" into "unknown" since heading into the unknown of the day often makes me anxious or hesitant or conflicted or ...as you can see...quite a host of emotions, feelings and disjointed thoughts!  

Yet - God knows my path.  That's the bottom line.  God knows my path.  God knows.

"I Know Who Holds Tomorrow" is a wonderful Gospel song that reminds us that God knows. The first verse is:

"I don't know about tomorrow, I just live from day to day

I don't borrow from its sunshine, for its skies may turn to gray.

I don't worry o'er the future, for I know what Jesus said.

And today I'll walk beside Him, for He knows what is ahead...."

and verse three is my favorite:

"I don't know about tomorrow, it may bring me poverty.

But the One who feeds the sparrow, is the One who stands by me.

And the path that be my portion, may be through the flame or flood.

But His Presence goes before me, and I'm covered with His blood!"

CHORUS:  Many things about tomorrow, I don't seem to understand

But I know Who holds tomorrow, and I know Who holds my hand."

   
Feeling overwhelmed today?  May you find a peaceful assurance and strength in knowing and believing that God knows your path.  He does stand beside you.  He does want the best for you.  Be fearless.  Be not afraid.  For all that is unknown, God knows.  He will not abandon you, nor forsake you. 

Whatever path is your portion today, celebrate the fact that you are not alone.  God knows your path and has provided His Son to go the distance and be present to you with His unfailing Spirit.  

Now and forevermore, this is most certainly true!  Amen.

August 19, 2016 Walking, walking....

August 19, 2016   Walking, walking...

"..that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory." (1 Thessalonians 2:12)

"Walk as children of light...finding out what is acceptable to the Lord."  (Ephesians 5:8-11)


And the tour guide says:   "And we're walking, walking..."  
And Jesus says "Follow me."  

(Taken November 23, 2015 when son, Tony, and family came for a visit)

Walking, walking, walking.... Mark and I walk around Riverwind every morning.  We walk in the morning air which is sometimes muggy, sometimes fresh and crisp.  We take note of what is flowering, how clear the mountains look and make predictions about the weather based on the blueness of the sky.  We greet fellow morning walkers and always welcome the puppy dogs enjoying their morning walk.  It is a nice start to the morning.  Our initial aches and pains are allowed to evaporate as the muscles move and stretch.  The ol' heart pumps and the bloods flows and we praise and thank the Lord for this walk and the beginning of a new day.

The two Bible verses shared were from my morning devotion and I am reminded that our faith journey is an active thing.  Walking means moving and Jesus would have us walking with Him (as the beloved hymn declares "and He walk with me and He talks with me..")  as He moves with us through the days of our lives.  

And, as we walk, there are discoveries to be made.  We discover what is acceptable to the Lord.  What we are to be about is made more clear to us, revealed bit by bit.  For that, I am glad.  There are days, numerous days, that I am not sure what I am to be about.  I yearn to know clearly.  

Today I know clearly that I will continue to walk with confident hope and that the Lord will show me what needs to be known.  My trust is in Him. 

Myrtle Larson was a resident of Emmanuel Home where I served as chaplain.  She had a prayer written on a recipe card that was kept by her bedside.  She told me she prayed this prayer every morning.  When she passed away, the family blessed me with that handwritten prayer on the recipe card. 

 I continue the tradition:

"Thank You, Lord, for my sleep and wakening.  

Bless me in my understanding.

Keep my steps in Your pathway now.

Guide my thoughts in Your Words so holy.

When my time in this world is finished, take me, Lord, to abide with You."  Amen.

May your walk today be blessed from above and be a blessing to others.
And, we're walking, we're walking......

"Happy Birthday, Dad. Happy Birthday, George."

August 13, 2016

Happy birthday, Dad.  Happy Birthday, Uncle George.

Yes, 89 years ago twin boys were born in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota.  They were born to Clarence and Christina (Weik) Nettestad and were welcomed by two big brothers, Obert and Vernon.  The twins were named after their grandfathers, Ole and George.  They grew up on a farm in the Pelican Rapids area and attended school through the 8th grade which was an acceptable practice at the time.  They attended a delightful country Lutheran church just down the road, South Immanuel, where they were confirmed in the faith 

and later Ole (my Dad) and Betty Toso (my Mom) were married and Uncle George, of course, was the best man.

Ole and George joined the Army and signed up to take paratrooper training.  

They were stationed in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.  This paratrooper training was important to Dad as he was about to be married and taking paratrooper training increased his pay by an extra $30 a month.  Pretty good for the 1950s.  It seems like a "no brainer" until it is revealed that Ole was scared of heights!  Wow, what a husband won't do to provide for his family!  Fortunately, Ole and George first served between WWII and the Korean War so they were stateside for their service commitment.  Uncle George will "re-up" and make the Army his career.  Ole, however, will come back to Minnesota and become a business owner (The Crowbar in Sabin, Minnesota) and with his wife, Betty, raise their family of three girls: Vicki Lynn, Cheryl Renae and Kimberly Kay.

Ole dies at the age of 45 leaving behind a legacy of friendship and love.  When I remember my Dad, I remember how no one was ever a stranger to him.  New people were just friends he hadn't met yet.  No matter where we would visit, someone was bound to shout across the room or greet Dad on the street with a wide smile, an outstretched hand and a hearty "Hey, Ole!"  Dad had a great sense of humor, a compassionate heart and a Peter Pan complex - he just didn't want to grow up!  He loved playing tricks and pulling shenanigans!  It was hard to be mad at him.  He was too much fun!  Dad had an over sized stuffed gorilla named "Samuel."  Quite often, Dad would put Samuel in the front seat of his car and drive around.  You can only imagine the looks he would get!

One of my favorite memories of my Dad is spending time with him on his day off - Thursday.  It came to be called "Holy Ole Thursday."  In the summertime, because school was not in session, I would spend the afternoon with him.  Dad loved to put a big cooler in the trunk of the car and fill it with ice, beer and soda.  Then we would drive around the Minnesota farmlands and look for farmers out in their fields.  When Dad would spot a farmer driving a tractor or some other field equipment, he would find an approach and drive into the field.  Then he would open the trunk and sit on the bumper waiting for the farmer to make his round.  The farmer would invariably stop and get down from the tractor and come over.  Dad would offer him a refreshing cold drink while Dad would climb up in the tractor and make a round giving the farmer a much needed break.  I can still smell the sweet smell of soil as it was being tilled or the pungent smell of grain being harvested.  I would sit with the car door open, my feet dangling over the bench seat of the car as I sipped a Nesbitt orange soda watching my Dad make a round in the field.  It was a scene of peace, a feeling of kindness, a sense of everything being perfect in the world.  

Dad always wore black slacks, a white shirt with a bolo clip tie and at times a vest with black dress shoes...even on Holy Ole Thursdays.  I do not remember my Dad ever wearing jeans or a sweatshirt.  He did have a polo shirt - his bowling shirt, but otherwise it was a white cotton shirt that Mom would have to iron and starch with black dress slacks.  One grand harvest "Holy Ole Thursday," Dad and I were driving through the countryside and came around a corner where a very elderly man was "shocking" grain.  Shocking grain is the way wheat was harvested before combines.  The grain is cut with a scythe and then bundles are tied with twine and the bundles are tipped together to look like a teepee  or "shocks" so the grain can dry.  It is back breaking, hot miserable labor!  Dad shouted with delight at this "find!"  He barreled into the field, scrambled out of the car and ran to the man hollering "I haven't shocked grain in years!" Dad was absolutely delighted to be lifting the bundles and making shocks all over the little corner field!  I can only imagine what the farmer thought when he saw this man dressed in a white shirt and black slacks with black dress shoes running across the field, waving his arms with a huge smile on his face!   I remember sitting in the car waiting patiently not wanting to venture out into the stubbled field because I was barefoot.  So I just sat and watched Dad and the farmer tidy up the field of its scattered bundles before the farmer came to the car and enjoyed a refreshing drink from the stash in the trunk cooler.  

Dad's life wasn't very long in days, but it was large in living life.  He made a difference in many lives.  He invested himself in others.  He showed kindness and demonstrated friendship and he loved his family.  

My devotional prayer book shares this prayer written by Pastor Hugh R. Monro, (New York City, NY): "Gracious Lord....Help us to walk in the spirit of constant prayer, to increasingly delight in Thy Holy Word, to love one another and to have some part in bringing the Light of the Gospel to those in darkness.  In the midst of the confusion and stress of earth, may our souls rest in Thine own perfect calm, and may we be able to comfort those in trouble with the comfort wherewith we are comforted of God...."

I find comfort in Christ's words " “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am."  (John 14:1-3)

I am confident that my Dad is with the Lord right now, walking the heavenly realm, continuing to greet one and all and sharing his joyous spirit.  I'm not sure if shenanigans are allowed, but I'm confident I'll know all about it when my feet entered those pearly gates one day.  I know I'll hear "Hey, it's Ole's daughter!" and I, too, will be at home.

Happy birthday, Dad.  Happy birthday.

"O Perfect Love"

August 11, 2016

Today is a special day in the life of my family.  It was on a hot August Minnesota day that Ole E. Nettestad and Betty Delores Toso were united in marriage in South Immanuel Lutheran Church, rural Pelican Rapids, 1951.  My Dad wore his Army attire and my Mom wore a white wool jacket and skirt which was definitely not the best outfit in the sweltering heat!  There were red roses for a bouquet and the soloist sang "O Perfect Love," a standard wedding song in that era.  

O Perfect Love (words by Dorothy F. Gurney, 1858-1932)
O Perfect Love, all human thought transcending
Lowly we kneel in prayer before Your throne.
That theirs may be the love which knows no ending,
Whom You forevermore unite in one.

O Perfect Life, be now their full assurance
Of tender charity and steadfast faith
Of patient hope and quiet, brave endurance,
With childlike trust that fears no pain or death.

Grant them the joy which brightens earthly sorrow;
Grant them the peace which calms all earthly strife,
And to life's day the glorious unknown morrow
That dawns upon eternal love and life.

My parents were married a little over 21 years when my Dad died.  They had love but life wasn't perfect.  They had tender charity and hope which carried them over the earthly sorrows and strife.  There was joy sprinkled throughout their years, but mostly it was steadfast faith that brought them into the unknown morrow.

This summer Mark and I had the blessing of attending two weddings - one of family and one of friends.  Young people so full of dreams and energy, hope and love.  With sparkle in their eyes and arms quick to embrace and gather together all the good wishes, I think of them, too, this day.  Whatever the years may bring to them, may our Lord Jesus, O Perfect Love, guide them and sustain them.  May the vows and promises that were made - this summer and 65 summers ago - be treasured and kept.  

I am thankful that my parents were in love and in love they established their home.  They were young and full of dreams and energy, hope and love.  They, too, had sparkle in their eyes and arms quick to embrace.

A portion of a prayer from Pastor Edgar DeWitt Jones of Detroit Michigan reads
(God's Minute, a Book of 365 Daily Prayers Sixty Seconds Long for Home Worship, 1943):

"Blessed Lord of lives, we praise and glorify Thee for the light of another day with its promise of its love and ministry as well as the possibility it brings of struggle and heartache.  It is enough for us to know that we may have Thee for a constant Companion and ever present Friend.  
If Thou go with us, no way is too long or wearisome; 
no ascent too steep or perilous; 
no shock or surprise too sudden of painful 
for Thine is the love that will not let us go.  
Amidst the changing scenes of this world, may we pass in uncomplaining patience knowing that Thou art the same yesterday, today and forever...."

Jesus Christ is the same - yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

Thinking of weddings and marriage, husbands and wives, vows and promises today.  Thinking of "O Perfect Love" and the One who created Love.

Blessings,
Vicki

"The Lord is Faithful."

August 10, 2016
Well, I am finding out that being a blogger means I need to be blogging!  Funny how time slips away.  It really does.

In the morning I look forward to the Bible Verses from "Daily Light for Every Day" complied by Anne Graham Lotz.  The devotional was given to me years ago by one of the nurses that mentored me when I began serving as Chaplain at Emmanuel Nursing Home.  It has always blessed my heart that the nurses and caregivers at that nursing home were ministering in heartfelt ways with their varied skills to the residents making life better, so much better.  Amazing people are called to caregiving at a nursing home.  I was blessed to be in their midst for almost 20 years.  

Today's Bible verses  remind us that we are children of God.  Salt of the earth and shining like lights in dark places.  And all because "The Lord is faithful."  Yes, the Lord is faithful.  "The Lord is faithful, Who will establish you and guard you from the evil one." (2 Thessalonians 3:3)  "Now to Him Who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever, Amen."  (Jude 24-25) Yeah!  Makes you want to stand up and give a punch into the air!  The Lord is faithful.  

With that verse ringing in my heart, I go to another little book gifted to me from a family who appreciated the care their loved one received at the end of his long and illustrious life.  The book is called "God's Minute, A Book of 365 Daily Prayers Sixty Seconds Long for Home Worship."  It was printed in the USA in 1916, 1923 and then again in 1943 by the Universal Book and Bible House in Philadelphia.  365 pastors from all over the United States wrote one prayer to be used in this book.  The book was presented on Confirmation Day, May 20, 1951 from Pastor Irwin O. Jacobson of First Lutheran in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, to his confirmands.  It is a precious, priceless book of prayers.  

The prayer for August 10 is written by Pastor Harvey E. Cressman of Philadelphia, PA.  "Our God and Father, we give Thee thanks, that there is One who knows us and cares, and daily calls us to higher and better things.  

We humbly confess our short-comings and pray for They forgiveness 
wherein we have hesitated in the face of duty, 
or have been half-hearted in the pursuit of our tasks, 
or wilful in our own conceits.  
We thank Thee for another day in which we may make amends for our failures and meet the responsibilities of the new hour with fresh inspiration and courage.

We pray for the blessing of Thy presence through all the tangled pathway of years to come.  

Help us to commit ourselves afresh to Thy love and leading in the home, in our business, in our church and in all those relations which involve the happiness and well being of others as well as the peace of our own hearts.  Give us the courage to take our stand on the side of integrity and justice, of mercy and sacrifice in all of the righteous struggles of our day.  

MAY WE NEVER SETTLE DOWN TO TASKS BELOW OUR BEST ABILITIES AND BE SATISFIED.  THOU HAST CALLED US TO GREATER THINGS, may we not disappoint Thee, but press toward the mark of highest calling.  We offer this petition in the Jesus' Name, Amen."

Yes, The Lord is faithful.  Tangled though our life path may be, The Lord is faithful.  Challenging as the days may become, the Lord is faithful.  The Lord is faithful.  May that be my mantra this day.  Reminding myself that I am not alone.  I am not insignificant.  I am not abandoned.  The Lord is faithful.  And that gives me reason to hope, to love, to look forward to the day with open arms and an open heart.

Blessings on all the tangles in your life.  Call upon His Name and remember, the Lord is faithful!

Vicki