words, anything you are willing to practice, you can do. The full quote is much funnier, with Ross saying: “That’s just baloney” to those who believe they don't have the talent to paint those “happy little trees”.
My point is, in both middle school and high school, I was told how good at math I was, but I really didn’t care about math that much. Music was my passion. However, when I auditioned for the Lionel Hampton School of Music at the University of Idaho, I didn’t make the cut. I had to enter without a declared major, take lessons from a graduate student, then audition again for the second semester. Along the way, I failed some of my core music classes, so I took them again. My saxophone professor made the comment that I showed I belonged by demonstrating my interest and persistence. I pursued my passion. I persisted even though it wasn’t easy and I achieved my goals. Will I be as persistent when God calls me or is that desire and persistence God’s calling? Does God provide natural talent, or is it the desire to pursue an interest that drives me? I think it is both, a life full of drawing our own happy little trees. In His Name, Tyler
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My mother loved having a flower garden. She had a rose garden and a mixed flower garden with dahlias, tulips, crocus, daffodils, bleeding hearts, daisies, snapdragons, geraniums, foxglove, gladiolas, zinnias, and iris. She also had lilac bushes, forsythias, and pussy willows. At Easter we would give her a pot of Easter Lilies to place on the fireplace, and on Mother’s Day we would give her a basket of flowers to hang out front. As she got older, she downsized to the duplex my brother owned and didn’t have the big garden. My sister-in-law gave her a large rose bush to have on her small back deck. I gave her a tub with dirt and seeds to plant a small garden for the deck. We gave Easter Lilies at Easter and a flower basket on Mother’s Day. The Easter Lilies came from Albertsons, but the Mother’s Day flower basket came from the flower basket sales at First Presbyterian. The first flower basket sale I remember was a fundraiser for GloryBea Preschool. It was named Glory after Lori Arthur Morman and Bea for the long-time nursery care provider Bea McDonald. Bill and I continued to buy flower baskets from the sale even after the preschool moved to another location and the Children and Family Mission Team took it on to raise funds for camp scholarships. Now Bill and I are on the C&F team, and we will be helping to sell flower baskets to benefit 1st Pres kids who want to go to Camp Spaulding or Camp Lutherhaven. We will also buy a basket to honor my mom and a basket for my own Mother’s Day. I will hang one out front and one out back. The baskets are filled with either geraniums (pink, red, or orange) or a mixed variety of colorful lovelies (million bells, petunias, etc.). They are gorgeous and long-lasting when carefully tended. You can purchase baskets for $40 each now through May 7th. There will be a table in Krueger Hall, or you can call the office to place your order. We encourage you to prepay for your flowers (either in-person or in our giving portal), but you can pay for your baskets when you pick them up. Pick-up is Wednesday, May 10th from 9 am - 3 pm either in the gym or in the back parking lot, depending on the weather. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. Song of Solomon 2:12 (ESV) In His Name, Teri
come again as the King of the Universe. But in the meantime let us be foot soldiers with peace as our armor, with love as our weapon. During this holy season in our church calendar I'm remembering each day these mantras, hymns and scriptures:
In His Name,
Kent
These are also the days when I feel especially grateful that Jesus is a part of my life. And the older I get, the more clarity I have about the impact his life and his sacrifices have meant to me personally. We all praise and recognize Jesus during Easter. We give thanks for his courage and for His unconditional love and then get back to the general business of our daily lives. However, in spite of this change of focus, Jesus is always there when we need Him. He doesn't give up on us just because we forget to spend time with Him. He is ever patient, ever true and ever loving of each of us, the flawed people of this world. My particular journey with Christ has been lifelong, but became even more real to me a couple of years ago. Life, it would seem, had thrown me a curve ball and, eventually, this would change me forever. I was enjoying the lovely warm weather in August of 2020. While watering my flowers, I slipped on the porch steps and fell, fracturing several ribs. As a health care provider, I knew that there wasn’t much to do for broken ribs, so I didn't seek medical attention right away. However, a few days later, I developed shortness of breath and had my son take me into the ER. I was barely conscious by the time we got to the hospital. It was found that in addition to four fractured ribs, I also had bilateral pneumonia. I was admitted to ICU, placed on a ventilator, and wasn’t expected to live. My family gathered from Oregon and Montana and awaited the end. Meanwhile, I was unaware of any of this. I was heavily sedated and in my own little world. I was having vivid dreams. Some were about people I knew and some were downright scary. However, the dream that kept recurring was the vision of a bright light and in the center of that light was the silhouette of a man. He was walking ahead of me and every now and then, he would turn around and look at me. He never motioned for me to follow him. He never spoke, but looking at him over and over gave me a sense of peace and relief from the nightmares. My fear was gone, because I knew in my heart that it was Jesus. A week later, I was taken off the ventilator. Most people who have been in my situation are never able to breathe on their own again. But I defied the odds and gradually over the next 24 hours slowly regained consciousness. The visions of the bright light were gone, and the first thing I saw was the beaming face of my youngest son. He was sitting at my bedside, holding my hand. He said, “Mom, you came back!” With the help of Jesus, that was indeed true! This experience changed my relationship with Christ, so when I was asked to write a piece about Holy Week, I wanted to share this story. I feel that Jesus was instrumental in my recovery and that this strengthened and confirmed my faith in Him. My hope for all of you during this most important week is for you to focus on your faith and place your trust in Jesus.
In His Name,
Ellen |
