Friday, June 22, 2018

Plan B

Joel meets with a few colleagues on a Thursday morning once a month.  He has been a part of this group of pastors from North Iowa since we moved here 22 years ago.  They come together to share, discuss, and enjoy each other's company over morning coffee and lunch.

This month they were going to meet at the big park here in town.  Joel offered to bring the coffee and rolls, and hold the shelter until everyone arrived.  And then the rain came.  Again.  It rained all night and continued in the morning.  A Plan B was needed. so we welcomed the group to our home.

We are celebrating our 50th anniversary next weekend.  The plan is to have it at our home, with family and a few friends joining our celebration.  A tent canopy in the back yard with table and chairs is on the agenda along with some good food and fellowship.  There is just one thing we cannot control............the weather.  And the weather does not look good.  The forecast is consistently telling us it will be 91 degrees with chance of rain and a lot of humidity.  A Plan B is needed, so we put one into place.

Joel, who loves nature, was a bit bummed by the Plan B for his group, and we are a bit bummed by the necessity for a Plan B for our wedding anniversary, but remembering that it is not the location that is so important, it is the time together with those we love and care about.

On a much more serious note, our youngest daughter went in for same day surgery and ended up in the CCU with seizures that started after surgery.  She was kept intubated and sedated through the day and night.  Then today she was doing really well when the seizures started again.  An MRI and EEG ruled out any brain disorder or tumor.  She was diagnosed with pseudo-seizures, and thankfully does not have epilepsy.  She will be taking anti-seizure meds and making some changes in her life.   This was definitely a really big Plan B.

How often in life do we need a plan B?   I think we can all name a few.   Life seems to be what happens while we are making other plans.  What we hold on to is the knowledge that God walks with us through every Plan B.  The big ones and the little ones.  We hold our plans loosely and pray for God to guide our way, trusting He is with us.  Our Plan B's are no surprise to him.  He is there to work out all things for good.  His plans are for good and not for evil.  That is what we remember. 

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

The Shofar's Message


For the past few months Holy Spirit has been guiding me concerning spiritual warfare.  It began in April during a time when we asked Jesus what kind of armor He wanted to give us.  For myself I immediately saw an angel pick up a shofar (a ram's horn) and hand it to me.  I was confused on what it meant but when I looked up information on the shofar, I discovered it was used to battle in the spirit realm, to confuse the enemy, and also for worship and praise.  Our question and God's answer put me on a path that continues today.

In May as I meditated I saw before me a huge angel possibly 9ft. tall.  He looked fierce, wearing a type of armor.  He had what looked like to be 4 wings.  I heard him pull a sword from the sheath at his waist.  Then I heard Jesus say, "You need to take this seriously."  I asked Him, "Take what seriously"?  I then heard the word, "warfare".  I replied, "I'm so weary of warfare."  I immediately saw hundreds of angels~ some on foot and some on horseback.  They were behind the 9 ft. angel. I felt the need to ask "What do I need to do?"  I heard the word, "DECLARE".  Immediately I heard the shofar and then saw one in my hand.  I saw myself lift it up high and turned to face the opposing army. They were on horseback and foot, wearing dark gray slate armor with their faces covered.   Each step we took forward caused the enemy's army to take a step back.

Then in early June I asked God to let us see in the spirit realm and immediately I saw the 9 ft. angel again.  He had 6 wings that were spread out.  He had a chiseled and very serious face, piercing eyes, although I don't remember the color.  He also had reddish blond hair.  There was a radiant light streaming behind him.  I heard, "I am here for you.  I am assigned to you.  I am fighting for you. I am with you always."  I said again, "I am weary of fighting" and he replied, "This is a war."  I then noticed I was wearing shoes of "peace" that I have seen in past visions, and Joel was standing beside me.  I saw a trumpet being blown and I heard it, but it sounded like a shofar.   I asked, "What do you want us to do?" and God laughed.  He said, "Don't ask questions, just focus on this."  We each were given a trumpet, handed to us the way surgical instruments are given to surgeons...precise and firm.  We then walked ahead with the trumpets,  blowing them.  We heard shofar sounds and then took a step.  Then again the shofar sound and took another step.  We were told again, "Declare.  Declare the works of the Lord."

In 2 Chronicles Jehoshaphat was told to send his worshipers and singers out ahead of the soldiers who were going to be fighting a number of armies.  He was obedient and his worshipers and singers went out ahead of the army.  As they did so, the opposing armies turned on each other and all died.  Worship and praise can be a weapon of warfare.  I'm thinking, so can declarations and praise for God's goodness in our lives.

Just this week I was re-reading what I had written about these visual experiences and I felt strongly that God wanted me to share these with the public again as a prophetic word for others, not just ourselves.  I have prayed and asked about it as I usually only "get" what I see for us, but He seems to want His people who are "weary of warfare" to know that He is with you always.  He is here for you.  His angels are assigned to you.  Encamped around you.   And what is warfare?  Sickness, disease, anxiety, financial difficulties, anything that seems like an uphill battle. He is fighting with you and for you.  . Victory will be yours.  Declare His goodness.  Declare all the times He has healed you.  Declare and give thanks for His promises, especially the ones He has spoken over your life.  Yes, worship and praise, declaring the goodness of the Lord.

Sunday, June 17, 2018

A Father Heart

Matt, Joel and Mark

Today is Father's Day and there is not one of us breathing air that does not have a father in their lives, present or past.  Many are fortunate enough to have a father that brings a smile to their face and warm memories to their heart.  Included in that list would be my favorite columnist, Sharon Randall.  Today she wrote about "the fathers I have loved."  which certainly got me thinking about the fathers I have loved too.

On Friday Joel and I were discussing this day.  Joel's dad died when he was 16 and my father when I was 6.  For Joel, he has many memories to rely on that define who his father was.  For me, I think about when Joel and I married and his mom told me that his dad had always desired for Joel to be a pastor.  He prayed about it and even kept him from doing more of the farm work, in the hope he would see his prayers answered.  Joel's mom requested that I not tell Joel this until he made his own decision.  I kept that promise and even though I never met his dad, I loved him for his father heart.

My memories of my dad come from other people, as my own are tucked away in my subconscious somewhere.  According to my sisters, my dad was a fun, loving man who doted on his "girls".   We know he had "gypsy blood" and was always on the move.  My sister Jan went to 14 schools.  I had moved 9 times and lived in 5 states by the time I was 7.  My memories of those years are definitely foggy, but when I was 11 I had the privilege of having my brother-in-law Dick "father" me.  He was a steady man who cared deeply about his family and blessed me with a father's love once again.

There are many in our world who do not have good memories when they think about their dads, but hopefully that changes when they think about other men in their lives who have nurtured them.   We also look up to our heavenly Father who loves us beyond our comprehension.  His Perfect Love is waiting for us all.

My hubby, struggles with Father's Day.  He has a deep love for his children and is so grateful for the fine adults they have become.......but........  Even so, he sees his flaws as a parent and wishes he could have a few do-overs.  Don't we all.   Having a father and being a father is never perfect for sure.

Yet, this day, we honor fathers.  I am so proud of Joel and his father heart.  I am so proud of our sons Matt and Mark and the fathers they are.  We feel so thankful for our two son-in-laws and the fine men and fathers they are.  Parenthood is not for the faint of heart, but it does come from the heart.  It is a gift, fatherhood.  Treasure it, embrace, it, and keep opening your hearts to it, and always remembering to look up and give thanks to Papa God who fathers us all.


Thursday, June 14, 2018

Walking Through Mud



Preparing for our 50th has at times been frustrating enough to make a person "lose their religion".  Well, not really of course but the quest to get our front porch and back deck power washed and stained has been a challenge.   First of all, so much rain and so many days of it.  Joel actually put tarps up Monday night to try to keep the porch dry with the plan that he would stain on Wednesday.  Tuesday night I watched him taking the tarps back down and asked him what he was doing since it was going to rain again!  He had checked the weather channel and they said clear skies, but sure enough last night it started to drizzle so out he went again to attempt to cover the railing with tarps.  (It sticks out a bit from the porch roof.)

He had purchased the stain beforehand so at about 11 Wednesday morning he started to stain the railing only to discover that the stain was one of those solid color stains?  Say what?   He had purchased the wrong kind.........so he decided to buy a different stain at the local hardware store, but he came up with nothing.  So, off he went back to Sherman Williams to see about an actual stain.  Twenty minutes and much frustration later he left that store empty handed and headed way across our little micro city to Menard's.  He finally found what he was looking for and arrived home 4 hours after he began the task of staining our porch.  At 9:30 pm he came in the house and announced it was finished!

I was little help at all, basically encouraging him as I watched the weather all night.  I once went out to tell him that our storm free night was turning into another rain event by 8:45 pm.  I asked him if he wanted to "look at the radar" and he replied "No!"  He just kept staining away at endless rails and then the floor of the porch.  He kept thinking, God will hold the rain off until I get things done.  And God graced him with that desire.  He finished staining, put the tarps back up (with a nail gun in hand) and cleaned up, finishing just as the rain began to fall.

With 6 hours of bending, dipping, and knee walking behind him, Joel was pretty achy and stiff.  I took coconut oil and added Frankicsense and Lavender essential oils to it, rubbed it all over his back, shoulders and upper arms and off to bed he went.  He woke up today feeling pretty good and we had a good laugh over the mud walking drama to stain one little porch!  And today?  I am looking out the window at a very nice freshly stained porch, although the view is not very spectacular since the tarps are still up!  Just in case................

Sometimes it seems like we have to walk through mud to get things done.  One step forward and two steps back.  It takes perseverance to keep moving forward, whether it is while staining a porch or much more important things in life.  Our circumstances can be complicated as life or the ol' enemy gets in the way with some form of resistance.  But with persistence, hard work, prayer, and God coming in to save the day, we can get it done, and it will be worth it!

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

A Porch To Be Swept



I was reading my favorite columnist, Sharon Randall, yesterday as she talked about their upcoming move to California from Vegas.  Retirement and the grandchildren were calling them back "home" to CA.  In her column spoke about the rituals she performed to get comfortable in new place of residence, whether an apartment, a trailer, or a house.  It got me thinking about all our moves and what each place meant to us.

We have moved 20 times, with 14 of those being major moves to new towns, several states, and one third world country.  We have lived in tiny apartments in both a basement and upstairs of a house, we have lived in an air stream trailer,  duplexes, parsonages, and houses rented and owned.  Packing up and changing locations has been a major part of our marriage.

I think moving can be fun and exciting, but it is also stressful. Starting over can be challenging.  When we were first married we had a built in community in the Air Force and then after seminary in the ministry.  People waiting to welcome us, people who were on the same journey as us, or those awaiting the arrival of a new pastor and family to love on.  For 35 years in ministry, God led us and the people welcomed us.

Unpacking was always an adventure. Finding the right rooms for the family, the right place for things we held dear.  One of the first things I always did was to put up the wall hangings.  You would think they would go up last, but, for me, I took comfort in knowing that those pictures and paintings, many with an emotional attachment, had their rightful place on the walls.  They helped make each house a home.

Our friends who are now full time RV'ers have a house on wheels.  Their location will change periodically except for winters in Tucson.  What they treasure is compact now, with what fits in their movable space.  Their RV has become their home.  The familiar within will be a comfort I expect, as each adventure takes them somewhere new.

Sharon Randall wrote that one of the ways she feels "at home" in a new place is to go out and "sweep the porch", something she and her family in North Carolina have done for generations.  It brought up to me the importance of a porch for us.  Decks are more popular than ever, but I have noticed that many houses also have porches.  When we added a porch to the front of our house 10 years ago, it not only changed the look of our home, but it changed us inside.  We love "porch time".  In the sun or rain we are protected from the weather and yet able to get outdoors.  I am not sure I would want to live without a porch again.  It soothes my soul.

Life often redefines where we call home.  In Randall's column she stated that a home is a place where you offer hospitality.  Where you put your feet on the couch and your coffee on the table, turning your TV up too loud.  It is a place of peace where you welcome family and friends.  I can only nod in agreement with her wise words.  And hopefully it is a place for your hopes and dreams, your memories, and even a porch to be swept.

Saturday, June 9, 2018

Saturday's Scribbles: "Forest Therapy"

Appalachian Trail

While watching CBS Morning news, I saw a segment on what is called "Forest Therapy" .  It described people who take guided walking tours into the woods, to sit in the silence and alleviate stress. This form of therapy is based on a Japanese study that revealed how important it is for people to stay in touch with nature.  In Japan it is called "forest bathing".  The study stated that chemicals released by trees, foliage, etc. actually releases stress in our bodies.  Amazing.

The past couple of days we have been able to have the doors and windows open, and as I enjoyed the solitude, I could not help but hear our resident wren serenade us from her wren house Joel has hanging from the tree in our backyard.  As I listened to her song, I also noticed the wind blowing through our Maple.  It made me smile.  Wind, trees, and wrens.  A nice way to de-stress from any distress.

When Joel rides bike he loves to ride where he can take in the smells, sounds, and sights of nature.  The greens are so vivid during spring and summer in Iowa, and earthy smells come from the planted fields.   Nature has always been a place where God speaks to him.

It does not surprise me that a scientific study is telling us that nature itself releases chemicals to help people relax and be still.  As Creator God formed all this beauty, He had a plan and purpose for everything.  Isn't it just like our loving God to use nature to help His people.  I love it.

I miss being out in nature.  I am not brave enough to walk where ticks trod...........and I have to avoid the sun right now due to the vit. D drama and other things.  But where there is a will there is a way.  You know that porch we build 10 years ago?  It is a wonderful place to spend a late evening...........taking in nature from a comfy chair.  And night time walks are actually kind of romantic.  (wink).

One of our daughters and her family live miles from town.  I love to sit on their porch where in the silence nature has it's own voice and peace reigns in the midst of it.  It is almost tangible, the quiet.  Sometimes I wake early and sneak downstairs to the porch, where I can feel my muscles relax and anxiety drain away.  Besides forest therapy there is a country therapy too.  Nothing like it.

A relaxing country view

Joel and I like to live in houses near the edge of town.  We are blessed to have our present home near a river and corn and hay fields.  The place where we live deer walk through on a daily basis.  Raccoons sometimes can be seen and coyotes heard.  Rabbits and squirrels scurry around and ducks, wrens, robins, cardinals, and hummers grace our presence with an occasional goldfinch thrown into the mix.  Country without gravel roads.  Our kind of living.

Thinking back on the forest therapy segment we saw yesterday, I find it fascinating and a bit of a wake up call for we humans.  It is important to take care of the earth God has created for us,  We have been entrusted with the responsibility to care for it and it seems when we spend time with nature, we care for our bodies too.   My thought is that we have this gift of nature to embrace for our own well being while doing what we can to preserve it for our grandchildren.......our great grands and beyond so they, too, can enjoy a little "forest therapy".

Thursday, June 7, 2018

This Journey

Early one Sunday morning I saw a quote from the movie, "Hidden Figures" that caught my attention.

                      "This is a God-ordained miracle!" 

As Joel finishes his book, working with an editor/author/columnist, his story is at the forefront of my mind.  A miracle it certainly was that early January winter morning over six years ago.  Miracles are the microwave- instant, blow-your-mind events where diseases leave, legs grow, minds clear, strength returns immediately.  Joel definitely had one of "those kinds" of healing experiences.

Most people who pray for healing see it come as a slow cooker type of process.  Some symptoms may leave right away and others take time to leave the body.  That has been the way most healing came for me. Like a slow cooker.  And in the past 2 years healing has come from surgery, radiation, and medication.  The white coat/stethoscope types have been used by God to bring help and healing. Another way healing comes is thought of as the "final" type of healing that comes when we die.  No doubt about it, we will walk in divine healing in Heaven.  I have learned that each of us hold our own beliefs regarding this somewhat controversial topic of healing miracles being available for all.

This past winter was a one step forward and two back type of process for seeing healing in both our bodies. For the first time in six years Joel had a concern that has came up.  God actually forewarned me concerning it.  I woke at 4 a.m. one morning hearing God say, "You need to pray scriptures over Joel's body."  I barely grasped what He was saying before I went back to sleep.  I told Joel what had occurred the next day but we did not know what to pray for until the week when Joel shared that his hand/thumb were hurting.  Hurting so much that he did not want me to touch it. I prayed for him and the pain got worse..........and then the hand swelled up!  When resistance comes into play we believe there is a spiritual component to it.  We prayed again before bed and Joel declared it would be gone by morning.  It was!  Yet..........

The pain left his hand and moved to his shoulder and then his hips.  He ended up sleeping in the recliner off and on during night hours as we continued to pray..........forgetting what God had told me in the wee hours of the morning.  When I remembered God's wake up call, we began to pray scriptures over Joel as God had told me to do.  "It is written..........God said I will give you back your health and heal your wounds".....It is written........Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.  Indeed, fear God and stay away from evil.  Then you will have health for your body and strength for your bones."  It is written...............

The pain is much less now, gone some days...slowly things are changing as we declare and pray.  We don't understand the why of God's instructions, but we speak from a place of obedience.

What about those who pray or are prayed for and symptoms continue to speak loudly?  For myself I have had to come to a place where I believe God wants us well, just like we see in the Bible where Jesus healed all who came to Him no matter what.  Our experiences at times do not erase what God's Word tells us ~by His stripes we are healed.  Miracles and healing continue to become reality. 

Don't you just love to hear about a miracle?!  An over the top, amazing, how can this be true miracle?  Our God does love to do what looks to be impossible with our human eyes.  We loooooove anything to do with miracles and healing.

I recently listened to a sermon by Pastor Eric Johnson at Bethel church in CA.  He spoke about people who have a deep passion for something God has placed on their hearts.  They study it, talk about in endlessly, declare it, live and breathe it.  The passion for the subject becomes so important to them that it is kinda becomes annoying to other people. Ummmm  been there.

Joel and I get that.  Our passion for healing and Holy Spirit is often over the top and our main topic of conversation.  We study it, speak it, declare it, live and breathe it.  It can be annoying to others.  Yep.  I have to say, though, that I pray it never lessens, our desire for more healing and more of Holy Spirit for ourselves and others.  I believe when God healed us of Lyme He placed on our hearts an assignment to do just what we are doing........studying, learning, declaring, and growing in the gifts of healing and the Presence of Holy Spirit.   I think  He would nix the annoying others part, but still expect us to please Him and not people.  It goes along with His command to "keep rocking the boat".  It has not always been easy, this journey, but we pray we continue to grow and learn.  We pray that we experience more healing and Holy Spirit  for ourselves and for others.  One of my favorite things is to hear someone tell their stories and to hear the words, "It is a miracle!'  I'm so glad God placed us on this journey. So grateful.

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Who Knows Where The Time Goes


It was 50 years ago, in 1968 that our lives changed dramatically.  We were married June 30th of that year after we graduated from Golden Valley Lutheran College, significant in so many ways, but not the only event that occurred for us.  It was a time of change for our country, for the world.  It is the year that Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were both murdered.  It was a tumultuous time.

And here were are 50 years later.  The legacy of King and Kennedy live on and still shape us so many years later.  Who knows where the time goes........

And here we are, 50 years later and soon to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary.  We are no longer the 20 and 22 year old kids who stood before family and friends saying "I do".  We are seasoned people in the autumn season of our lives.  Who knows where the time goes............

We can all look at events in our lives and question the passing of time. Whether births, deaths, graduations, marriages, we hold them dear and ponder.  Our son Kevin would have been 39 on June 1st.  He died when a virus attacked his heart causing congestive heart failure.  It has been 13 1/2 years since that early morning phone call waking us.  His then toddler son will soon be 16 now.  Who knows where the time goes...............

It feels like our grands were just born and yet we are watching them walk into college and high school doors, with the youngest two leaving single digit birthdays behind.  Who knows where the time goes............

Joel and I are now in our 7th decade of life.  We both are healthier than we were in our early 60's but we cannot look in the mirror without pondering where we are now.  Who knows where the time goes...........

It is no secret that we cannot hold time back.  No matter how many wrinkle creams, fad diets, exercise regimes, or surgeries people invest in to look and feel young.....we cannot hold time back.  We can only hold gently each sunrise and sunset, using the hours in-between to live a life worth living, embracing what is important, letting go of that which is not.

What do we hold precious?  What dreams do we still have tucked in the corner of our hearts?  What do we fill the hours between sunrise and sunset with?  Can we embrace the mundane and the precious, enjoying what makes up our lives.....because.......truly........who know where the time goes!



Friday, June 1, 2018

The Gift of Laughter

Papa with Abbi enjoying a laugh


There is nothing I enjoy more than hearing my husband laugh.........unless it is when we have a good laugh together.  Nehemiah 8:10 is a verse that fits well for Joel.  "The joy of the Lord is my strength".  Along with that is the verse in Proverbs 17....."A joyful heart is good medicine."

Many years ago now, I read a book by Henry Nouwen in which he shared how he was healed from a sickness that had kept him hospitalized.  While laying in bed he watched hours of one of his favorite TV shows, "The Three Stooges".  He was in terrible pain, but he would watch.........and laugh......and eventually the pain subsided, the sickness left, and he was healed.  He believed laughter truly was good medicine for his body and soul.

The Bible tells us to rejoice.  We are created to do so, to enjoy life!  I knew  a woman from one of our congregations who lived with terrible arthritis pain. It would take over an hour for her to just get dressed in the mornings.  But that special lady always had a smile on her face.  You could hear her laughing with joy as she celebrated life, one day and even at times one hour at a time.

There are days and even seasons when Joel and I intentionally turn on a show that will make us laugh.  Netflix has quite a few old shows and Frasier is one that will get us chuckling.  During the long days of winter this year we often tuned in before bed, seeking a good belly laugh.  Another one that does it for us is M.A.S.H.  Laughter is good medicine.

Jan and Renee having a good laugh

If you sit back and imagine your child or grandchild giggling with sheer joy, it can't help but bring a smile to your face, can it?!  I expect God feels the same way when we, His children, giggle and laugh in sheer joy for life.  We were created to rejoice.

Unfortunately we don't often hear much laughter during worship.  Last week though, Joel filled in at two Lutheran churches in far Northest Iowa.  Joel and Lance, the pastor there,  have a friendly rivalry going.  Lance is in the Army with the guard and Joel spent 8 years in the Air Force so they often kid each other about which is better.  When Joel went to services this past Sunday Lance had actually put a picture on the Worship screen of a dirty, old, toothless man in a beat up Fedora and put beneath it the caption,  "Pastor Joel Dahlen"! The people cracked up and so did Joel.  After church one woman said to Joel, "Lance taught us how to laugh in church."  What a great gift to give someone.  The gift of laughter.  Joel loves to have "Holy Hilarity" Sunday every year where people share stories and appropriate jokes to "laugh at the devil".  Several churches participate in this yearly event.  Joel has also been known to skip out of church and even ride his recumbent bike down the aisle.  I am sure God just shakes His head, chuckles, and says, "Yes, that's my boy!"

Our friend, Linda, often puts something funny on Facebook that will make Joel and I both laugh out loud.  She knows how important it is to have joy while walking through this life.

How do you bring joy and laughter into your life?  What makes you smile?  As we open our hearts to all that God has in store for us, including joy, let's remember that laughter is good medicine.  We all can use a little of that!