Michelle Ule's Blog, page 13

Kayaking and a Different Perspective

I took kayaking lessons recently for the first time. My, what a different perspective I got of a place I’ve loved for 23 years!

I’ve been walking around a local lake in a chain of parks (city, regional, state) not far from my house.

It’s a jewel of a park system our city is proud to have.

For me, it’s been the spot of extraordinary answers to prayer, peace, friendship-building, and the place where my beloved dog died on a final walk.

The large lake in the middle–which we always walked around–is a place of beauty.

I’ve walked past it hundreds of times now, and often thought, I should take kayaking lessons and go out on the water.

It’s taken me twenty years, but this summer, finally, I did!

Why take kayaking lessons?

Kayaking looks like beauty in motion to me.

How complicated can it be?

Getting into the boat looks like the hardest part.

You launch–somehow–dip in your paddle, and slip away from the shore.

No noise, smooth movement through the water. You have time to ponder and admire without distractions.

As a gift, I treated three relatives to a class with me. Our ages ranged across three generations from me to a tween with two clever women in between.

While the two clever women had paddled kayaks before (one down the Sabalos River in Nicaragua through ferocious fish and the other around this very lake), none of us knew any techniques.

So, the young man and the young woman from the county recreation department taught us.

What did I learn?

How to get into the kayak gracefully was the first trick!

Fortunately, I was wearing sandals that can go in and out of the water without worry, so that enabled me to “gracefully” step into the boat.

WIth a push, I went into the lake, laughing all the way.

The paddle was the hardest part to manage.

With “blades” on both sides of a metal pole, I had to learn the rocking back and forth movement to push the small craft through the water.

By thinking of it as a graceful dip into first one side, then the other, I began to get the hang of it.

It was both harder and simpler than I expected, and I was so pleased when the craft smoothly responded and I went FORWARD!

But, what about perspective?

I’ve seen this lake in all types of weather, in all four seasons, always from the path.

I’ve looked down on it, across it, from the shore, behind the reeds, countless times.

Lake at duskIn the winter mistWhen the weeds threaten

It’s always been a place for reflection, vigorous walking, and absorbing conversation, pauses to peer at where bird watchers pointed, and pure joy.

Rain or shine.

But that Saturday while kayaking, I discovered a bird sanctuary island in the middle, saw the growing weeds which threatened, and paused to wonder about bubbles! (As in, what’s sending up bubbles?)

The threatening weeds.Bubbles? From what?Yes, the lake’s got swans.

It didn’t take long to feel comfortable in the water–though I still have some issues “backing up.”

But, I felt triumphant when I paddled right through a group of mean-spirited Canadian Geese (who used to torment my blind dog when we walked the lake).

(They, of course, didn’t care if I paddled between them.)

No noise as I paddled, despite all the people I could see walking the path.

It’s a no-noise lake, so the few boats we saw didn’t have their outboard motors in the water.

Our class of a dozen fanned out across the northern part of the lake, poked into the reeds, startled a few turtles, watched serene ducks floating, and even laughed at upended ducks hunting fish.

We finished well.

What do I think of kayaking?

We all agreed we’d happily do it again.

I found it serene, easy, pleasant, and just a lovely way to spend a few hours on a Saturday morning.

The tween enjoyed herself with a nod.

The adventuring woman who kayaked down the Sabalos River is happy she now knows how to turn quickly.

My other relative enjoyed being out on the water.

And now, one of my walking partners is interested in giving it a try, too.

I loved learning about kayaking at the local lake.

Tweetables

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How Moody Influenced the Cowmans

D. L. Moody influenced the Cowmans long before they founded the Oriental Missionary Society

As I wrote Lettie Cowman’s biography, Overflowing Faith, I ran into Moody’s influence in several places.

On Lettie and Charles, for sure, but also on one of the most influencial men in their lives: Juji Nakada.

Mostly, though, it was the ministry of his church and hymnal.

First through a hymnal

Lettie and Charles Cowman moved to Chicago in 1892 when Charles took a managerial job at Western Union.

A fashionable Lettie 1892. (OMS Archives)

The year of the Chicago World’s Fair was an exciting time in the windy city, and the fashionable young Cowmans thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

While the hard working ambitious Charles worked long hours overseeing the line between Chicago and New York, Lettie enjoyed taking piano lessons, attending teas, lecturures, and dress fitting. She played the roll of a wealthy young matron without batting an eye.

The Cowmans loved opera, and one fall day, a postcard arrived in the mail advertising a former opera singer giving a “chalk talk.”

Intrigued, the musical Lettie attended–and there heard the Gospel for the first time.

She returned night after night until she realized her need for a Savior and joined others at the altar rail.

To the horror and consternation of her husband, Lettie returned home to report, “I have found the Lord tonight. From now on, I’m going to serve the Lord.”

(You can read more about Charles’ reponse here).

Within weeks, Lettie threw away all her secular piano music and all her novels. As she wrote:

“A Moody and Sankey hymnal took its new place on the piano; the autobiographies of Finney, Hester Ann Rogers, Wesley’s Sermons, Plain Account, and such books took their new places in our library.”

From then on, Lettie played and sang hymns and Christian music, opera no longer.

The Moody Church

The Cowmans lived a dozen blocks from Moody’s 600-member Chicago Avenue Church, and Lettie promptly joined. (It was renamed the Moody Church after Dwight L. Moody’s 1899 death).

Impressed by what she learned, Lettie soon began to spend hours in prayer and in studying her Bible.

The Moody Church often featured well-known international speakers, and both Cowmans loved the services.

Chicago’s Moody Church circa 1890 (Wikimedia Commons)

All those men influenced Lettie’s faith and she quoted them in her devotional Streams in the Desert. (The numbers of times quoted are listed after their names in paranetheses).

Among the guest speakers were F. B. Meyer (20), Andrew Murray (4 times), A. B. Simpson (29), and the church’s pastor at the time, R. A. Torrey. (For the record, the other frequently quoted writer in Streams in the Desert is Charles Spurgeon–at 28 mentions).

Their faith grew under the teachings of many wise preachers and it was there on an 1897 Sunday, that they introduced themselves to a Japanese man sitting in front of them: Juji Nakada.

The Moody Bible Institute and Juji Nakada

Earlier that year, Nakada wrote to D. L. Moody himself, asking for spiritual guidance as he sought a deeper relationship with God.

Moody wrote back, inviting him to attend the Moody Bible Institute–which is why he met the Cowmans.

The Cowmans and the Chicago Telegrapher Band supported Nakada during his training.

And from that year of taking classes, Nakada formed a deep friendship eventually leading to the 1901 founding of the Oriental Missionary Society.

Did they know D. L. Moody?

It’s hard to say.

Lettie and Charles attended the church he founded and also the Moody Bible institute.

From that church, their spiritual lives exploded and they learned much about the Bible, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

Certainly Nakada corresponded with him–and traveled halfway around the world to learn more.

D. L. Moody died not long after Nakada traveled to Chicago, and two years before the Cowmans went to Japan.

All three took away ideas from the Moody Bible Institute.

And all three later turned up (along with Oswald Chambers) at God’s Bible School in Cincinatti.

Moody’s influence, along with others, propelled them to found the Oriental Missionary Society (OMS).

It’s still going strong today.

Well done, D. L. Moody.

Tweetables

D. L. Moody and his influence on one international mission. Click to Tweet

How D. L. Moody inspired a mission in Japan–and around the world. Click to Tweet

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Is it a Sin, Transgression, or Iniquity?

Is there a difference between sin, transgression, and iniquity?

Aren’t they the same thing?

The words seemingly are used interchangeably in the Bible.

But when you dig, particularly into the Hebrew words, a different picture emerges.

(If the subject bothers you, feel free to return to these recent posts: preschoolers or cats.)

Definitions: Sin, Transgression, and Iniquity

Let’s look at the Hebrew definitions of these three words.

Hebrew Sin:

or chattacth {khat-tawth’}; from 02398; an offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness), and its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, or expiation; also (concretely) an offender:–punishment (of sin), purifying(-fication for sin).

Strong’s Concordance 2403

Hebrew Transgression:

from 04603; treachery, i.e. sin:–falsehood, grievously, sore, transgression, trespass, × very.

06586: a revolt (national, moral, or religious); rebellion, sin.

Strong’s Concordance 06586

Hebrew Iniquity:

or oavown (2 Kings 07:9; Psalm 51:5 (07)) {aw-vone’}; from 05753; perversity, i.e. (moral) evil:–twistedness, fault, iniquity, mischief, punishment (of iniquity), sin.

Strong’s Concordance 5771

(As a side note, author Christopher Yuan explained that the Chinese word for “sin” is “crime.”)

How does sin different from transgression?

While sin is an offense against moral or religious law, transgression is a form of sin–with a different motivation.

Sin involves fault, but doesn’t always mean an individual made a conscious decision to commit a sin.

Transgression, on the other hand, is a deliberate decision to revolt, to disobey, to be rebellious.

Which is the sin? Or is it a transgression?
(Photo by Priscilla Du Preez; Unsplash)

When a person transgresses, s/he knows what they are doing, knows it’s wrong, but does it anyway.

(You’ll notice sin is part of transgression’s definition, but transgression is not exactly part of sin’s definition).

Various versions of the word sin (as defined above), appear 486 times in the Bible, and basically means “to miss the mark.”

That implies someone is trying to behave, but makes a mistake and slips up–comes close but not close enough.

Transgression, on the other hand, is a premeditated decision. (Used 86 times in the ESV translation.)

The individual knew what was wrong, didn’t care, and did it anyway–no matter what anyone thought or what happened to them as a result.

It’s a willful choice–the Bible’s Samson is a good example.

Samson knew his actions were wrong and that they violated Biblical and personal promises. He did what he wanted anyway.

Transgression also suggests someone choosing to walk close to “the line” of acceptable behavior and then (whether “accidentally” or not) stepping over it.

It’s one thing if a person slips up and tells a “white lie,” (sin) while it’s something else if they plan to deceive you and don’t care what you think, or what happens as a result (transgression).

Where does iniquity fall into this?

Iniquity is taking another, bigger, step in the wrong direction. In the English Standard translation, it’s used 156 times.

A Biblical example comes from Micah 2:1:

Woe to those who devise iniquity,
And work out [plan] evil on their beds!
At morning light they practice it,
Because it is in the power of their hand.

Micah 2:1 NKJV

It’s perverse. It’s deliberately wicked.

Iniquity implies witchcraft or gross injustice. It’s manipulative–and can affect the lives of even the decendants of those who practice it.

Iniquity makes an innocent person recoil in horror, ‘How could anyone do such a terrible thing?”

“Twistedness” is part of iniquity’s definition.

(Biblical references worth considering about iniquity are found in Exodus 20: 4-6; Deuteronomy 5:8-10; Exodus 34:6-7; Acts 8:23.)

Which one is the worst?

While there’s no sliding scale among the three, iniquity involves a cold-hearted choice without the slightest desire for repentance. It also doesn’t care who gets hurt–including innocent relatives and descendents.

Michelangelo: Adam and Eve sent from the Garden of Eden because of sin—or was it transgression?
(Wikimedia Commons)Does the difference matter?

Sin is sin in God’s eyes. He hates all of it.

(“Mortal” and “venial” sins are not found in Scripture, there’s no sin that’s better or worse than another.)

When we choose to sin, we step away from God–usually to focus on our own desires.

It causes a separation from God. Transgression puts distance between others.

Iniquity damages our souls in a grotesque way, as well as the people against whom we commit the iniquity.

Not to mention those who are forced to clean up the mess or live with the consequences.

There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.

Proverbs 6:16-19 ESV

What can you do about sin, transgression, and iniquity in your life?

The Bible is clear. Sin is an offense against God.

As David said, “against you, you only, have I sinned, oh God.”

Photo by Taras Chernus (Unsplash)

The Lord’s Prayer asks God to “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

He also provides good news, no matter the variety of sin:

 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 

 But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:8-9 ESV

Jesus died on the cross to save sinners–people who commit sin, transgression, and/or iniquity.

Does Jesus care what type of sin we commit?

No questions asked. He looks at our hearts and forgives–if we ask.

David, again:

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits,
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
    who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit,
    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

Psalm 103: 2-4

Tweetables

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Mosaics in Israel and Everyday Life.

I loved seeing mosaics in Israel.

Israel was a rocky, stony place for many years–though once it was a land flowing in milk and honey.

(Author Doug Hershey does a fine job of showing the contrasts in his two books)

In 2023, the mosaics in Israel charmed me, time and again, no matter where they turned up.

Which was everywhere: in both ancient locales and in everyday life.

One researcher claims more than 7000 ancient mosaics dot the landscape.

What are mosaics?

A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small pieces of colored stone, glass, or ceramic, held in place by mortar, and covering a surface. 

Made of small stones, they work well for floors. The first mosaics date to 3000 BC.

The Romans introduced mosaics in Israel about the time of Herod the Great, obviously using the material at hand.

Wealthy worshippers often hired mosaic artists to portray Bible stories in early churches.

(The stories can be from both Old Testament and New. Here’s a story about Samson depicted in a mosaic.).

Patrons typically paid artists well. In early Roman times, a mosaic team manager earned 150 dinars a day. (A ship’s carpenter earned only 60 dinars. A live chicken cost 30 dinars.)

Because they’re made of durable materials, many have lasted for . . . 5000 years!

What do they depict?

A variety of things. Here are samples of what I personally saw (and photographed–note the foot on the left).

I took this photo in Jericho, but a Google lens search tells me it’s a copy of a Byzantine mosaic floor map in Jordan.

It wasn’t far from the mosaic explanation below (which must be more modern since it’s in English!) and the traditional “Tree of Life” mosaic.

You hated to step on artwork whenever it was placed!

Beit She’an

Traveling on a tour was a new experience for us. We’ve always been independent travelers and I’m usually the one who plots the trip.

But for the Israel visit, while I knew where we were going, I didn’t pay close attention to details. All we had to do was get up in the morning, get dressed, eat breakfast, and arrive at the bus on time.

I knew we’d learn more when we arrived and took our tour.

Even so, I was surprised at Beit She’an.

Located several kilometers south of the Sea of Galilee, I marveled at what I took to be Roman fixtures.

They were, but then someone casually asked. “Where’s the wall where the Philistines hung King Saul and his sons’ bodies?”

(Red arrow is points to the wall’s ruins).

The ancient site also had plenty of mosaics!

More Modern Mosaics in Israel

What’s worked well in the past, also works in the present.

We saw mosaic maps inlaid in walkways pointing us in the right direction.

Walking through Jerusalem’s old town in the art district, I saw mosaic store fronts

In Bethlehem, we followed a mosaic map from the Basilica of the Nativity to the Grotto of the Virgin Mary.

(You could tell it was modern since the words were in English!)

What difference did it make?

The modern depictions were charming.

The ancient mosaics?

Astonishing.

People walked on those stone artworks in antiquity–and you can still admire their work.

Artists also used mosaic to depict traditional sites.

I particularly liked this one–at the basilica (church built over a religious site) where Jesus . . . did what?

The images are the clue.

Tweetables

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Stepping on and reflecting on mosaics in Israel. Click to Tweet

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Persecuted, yet Jesus is Always With Believers.

Our church is currently reading the Persecuted Bible in a Year from Voice of the Martyrs.

I’ve never used a “read the Bible in one year” plan before.

It’s been interesting.

I’ve used my own Bible plan in the past: a chapter from the Old Testament, a psalm, a chapter from the New Testament.

Since I like to read the notes at the bottom of the Bible, it takes me longer than a year to read through the whole book. I use three bookmarks.

The Persecuted Bible in a Year, so far, features an often lengthy passage from the Old Testament (sometimes more than one chapter), a section of a Psalm, a short passage from Proverbs, and a New Testatament scene.

In this particular version’s format, each day’s reading has a header with the date (handy for keeping track of reading progress).

Those headers include a two-four sentence story of a believer persecuted for their faith.

That means, I begin by praying for a persecuted individual before reading the Bible passages.

What have I noticed about the persecuted believers?

The same thing I saw in God is Red.

Persecuted believers–no matter where in the world they lived, nor what they suffered–clung to one concept.

“Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 18:20 ESV).

Jesus is not the only one who said that. God himself made the same guarantee–some 100 times in the Bible.

The February 24 reading provided a unique, yet typical, story:

I read something like this and I slump back in my chair.

How could I possibly do that?

Where does the strength come from?

You know–from the Lord–or, to paraphrase Eric Liddel in Chariots of Fire and Psalm 75:6: “ For promotion and power come from nowhere on earth, but only from God.” 

But, we also rely on Mark 13:10-12:

The gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.  And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.” 

Mark 13:10-12

I am awed by my brothers and sisters living in such difficult circumstances.

So, I pray.

The effects of the church to read the same passages each day?

Our pastor gave out 100 copies of the Persecuted Bible in a Year. I didn’t want to own yet another Bible, and this one in the New Living Translation (NLT).

But, I like to change the Bible versions I read every decade or so, and I figured this one would match everyone else.

Available here

(My husband picked up a pamphlet with the readings–and stayed in his own Bible).

This translation isn’t as rigorous, shall we say, as my English Standard Version (ESV) or the version from a decade ago, the New King James (NKJV).

But reading familiar scriptures from a different text, makes things stand out I’d normally read past.

Not to mention the discipline of having to read Leviticus . . .

It’s been a long time. I’m surprised by the implication of what I’m reading.

I always ask the Holy Spirit to show me what I need to see from a particular text.

Today in Numbers was the answer to the question I’d asked five minutes before.

Got to love how the Holy Spirit convicts with a “regular” Bible reading, don’t you?

But, with the whole congregation reading the same sections, my Bible study ladies often relate what they read that morning or over the last few days to our text.

(We’re in Job right now. His time period was even earlier than Leviticus and Numbers!)

In my Sunday school class, where the topic rotates by the guest speaker, one teacher just uses the week’s reading. Lots of questions get asked–and answered.

My thoughts on the persecuted

Many mornings I feel gutted when I read their stories.

Some go to their death in the confidence they won’t be forsaken.

And as in God is Red, they cling to Jesus as the only way to eternal life.

They’ll be with him in Paradise soon.

I honor their faith.

I pray for them–and for myself.

And, I thank God for a Bible whose teachings will not return void.

No matter which version.

Thanks be to God.

Tweetables

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Lessons learned from a church reading a Bible-in-a-Year. Click to Tweet

(Top photo by James Coleman; Unsplash)

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Two Devotionals Born Out of Grief

The two best-known devotionals of the 20th century were born out of grief.

Lettie Cowman compiled Streams in the Desert as she endured her husband Charles Cowman’s slow dying. She published the devotional in 1924, the year Charles died.

Perhaps inspired by Lettie’s sucess with Streams in the Desert, Biddy Chambers published My Utmost for His Highest in 1927–ten years after her husband died.

To honor their husbands, Lettie and Biddy published their work with the men’s names on the devotional covers.

“Mrs. Chas Cowman,” wrote Streams in the Desert.

Biddy didn’t even add the “Mrs.” My Utmost for His Highest’s author has always been Oswald Chambers.

How were the devotionals born out of grief?

In Lettie’s case, she spent the seven years prior to publishing Streams in the Desert combing Los Angeles used bookstores. Grieving because her husband’s desperate pleas for healing did not happen, she sought anything that would distract him.

As a result, the readings were positive and tended to focus on God’s goodness.

What else could she do to encourage Charles?

(Other than pray and sing hymns which Lettie for hours each day).

Endpage of Lettie’s Bible with notes. (OMS Archives)

Biddy had seven years to mourn Oswald’s 1917 death in Egypt, where they served at a YMCA camp during WWI.

She was busy in the years following the war as she tried to reestablish a life in England. She had a daughter Kathleen, born in 1913, to raise. Friends found their new lives and often went overseas as missionaries.

Times were hard. She didn’t often complain.

But occasionally, grief slipped from under her stiff upper lip.

A few months after her husband’s death, Biddy succumbed jaundice. She couldn’t think clearly. It felt like a massive brain fog.

Fortunately, friends sent her away to recover, but her illness may have been the result of not taking as much time to grieve as she should have.

Grief focused both women.

Indeed, in later years, Lettie turned to her own devotional for encouragement when blindness descended.

How are the books alike?

Neither book is specifically centered on grief. Both devotionals focus on God.

Each day’s reading begins with a headline verse from the Bible. The subsequent spiritual response is associated with the verse.

Lettie’s readings tend to the folksy, using stories, poems, and quotations from others.

bit.ly/OverflowingFaith

Biddy used excerpts from teachings her husband gave at League of Prayer meetings, the Bible Training College, or at Zeitoun camp speaking to soldiers.

She weaves excerpts from up to four different talks into a unified whole amplifying the Scripture passage.

It’s truly a masterpiece of compilation and editing.

Both devotionals center on the Word of God and end with a point–though not every reading is born out of grief.

Nearly one hundred years after Streams in the Desert arrived on the scene, the readings still speak to hearts.

Nearly nine-seven years after My Utmost for His Highest appeared, the readings often speak to the mind.

Personally, Streams often makes me smile. Utmost challenges me and often leaves me confounded–or at least convicted!

After years of getting to know the two authors, I think if I turned to Lettie to ask about the reading, she’d laugh and volunteer to play a hymn on the piano!

As to Biddy?

She’d smile her usual enigmatic smile. I can almost hear her say, “Why don’t you brood on the reading and see what God says to you?”

Thanks, Biddy.

I’d love to.

After I’m done singing with Lettie.

Were they really born out of grief?

The widows’ two devotionals were born out of grief in the sense they achieved fame after Charles and Oswald died.

But, Streams in the Desert and My Utmost for His Highest also were the products of two womens’ lively faiths that steadfastly chose to believe God, no matter what befell them.

As their biographer, I learned a lot from reading the devotionals, and by examining the lives and times that produced them.

I love them both.

How about you?

Tweetables

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1000 Blog Posts and Counting

I’ve now published 1000 blog posts–and counting.

In truth, I’ve written more than that. Some books are no longer for sale, so I’ve deleted their related blog posts.

I began writing posts for this site in December 2010. (I wrote my first blog post for Books & Such when they began publishing a blog circa 2009).

That’s a lot of posts.

It’s even more words.

Indeed, probably close to 800,000 words.

Or, the equivalent of 8 historical novels.

16 memoirs/biographies/regular novels.

40 novellas.

Hmmm. I might have earned some money if I’d written the books instead.

Why write blog posts?

At the time I began my professional writing career in 2010, the “common” advice was to write a blog to generate interest in an author’s writing.

I loved the idea.

As a college student, I wrote for the UCLA Daily Bruin. I was regular reporter with no particular beat. Eventually, I became a city editor for the college paper, which may seem minor, except UCLA’s daily circulation was more than 20,000 copies.

Not me, but close. Maybe we did have notebooks in the Dark Ages! (Wikimedia Commons)

Several of my fellow Bruin writers went on to become successful journalists at the LA Times and at NBC News.

Obviously, it was an excellent training ground back in the Dark Ages when we took notes with a chisel on stone. (That was a joke. I held a narrow pad of paper in my hand and wrote with a pen)

But I loved the idea of simply writing a column.

(For a year I wrote “Crime and Punishment”–which detailed what you would expect. Several friends complained I only wrote about crime, never any punishment. Without a car, I couldn’t drive to the court hearings–except once for a rape trial.)

Letters, magazine stories, a family history. All of it written like a column of short vignettes.

Finally, technology caught up with my yearning to write.

So, here’s my blog.

It allows me to examine and celebrate subjects I’m interested in.

That pretty much boils down to Bible-related themes, travel, books, material I write, stories about family matters, and the news things that happen to me all the time.

Thanks for reading.

But which of the 1000 blog posts are the most read?

Here are the top 10:

What is an Intercessor? Are You One? (Published April 9, 2019)

Whatever Happened to Kathleen Chambers? (September 1, 2017)

Why Did Oswald Chambers Die So Young? (July 30, 2013)

What Angel Visited the Apostle Paul? (June 14, 2016)

What Belongs in a Modern Hope Chest? (February 28, 2017)

Was it Really Well with the Spafford’s Souls? (January 3, 2014)

How Do We Handle Mom’s Old Yearbooks? (September 3, 2013)

How to Understand My Umost for His Highest? (February 3, 2015)

The Intercessor Life: Joy, or Work for the Prayer-er? (June 22, 2021)

Mud & Trenches: Abounding WWI Horror (May 6, 2016)

Do readers like what I post?

Ah, there’s the most important question.

Am I writing interesting stories you enjoy reading?

Please comment–or send me an email–to tell me.

Perhaps you’ve got a question or two you’d like me to examine for the next 1000 blog posts?

As long as the computer and my fingers (plus my mind, of course) work, I’ll keep writing.

Thanks for reading.

And blessings to you all.

Tweetables

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Pilgrims in Israel: Visitors through the Ages

Yes, we were pilgrims in Israel.

But we weren’t the only ones.

No surprise, folks have been traveling to Israel for millenium.

Among the most important and therefore famous one was probably Helena—Emperor Constantine’s mother. She was busy.

But then, so were we!

(Helena marked Christian spots, built basilicas, and purchased relics. We admired her work.)

Other famous visitors include Mark Twain (1860s), Napoleon (1810ish), Margery Kempe (1415), and Alexander the Great (300s)

Of personal interest to me? Biddy Chambers (1919) and Lettie Cowman (1912).

They all traveled to Israel and left changed.

I did, too.

Why pilgrims in Israel? Isn’t there anywhere else to visit?

Pilgrims are people on pilgrimages.

What are pilgrimages?

A pilgrimage is a journey undertaken for a religious motive. Although some pilgrims have wandered continuously with no fixed destination, pilgrims more commonly seek a specific place that has been sanctified by association with a divinity or other holy personage.

The institution of pilgrimage is evident in all world religions and was also important in the pagan religions of ancient Greece and Rome.

Britannica

St Helena on a coin; an early pilgrim to Israel. (Wikimedia Commons)

In our case, we went to Israel because, as the daughter of a geographer, I realized I needed to see where the hills were with my eyes–not by reading a book.

I was shocked to learn the Sea of Galilee is small enough you can see to the other side (widest spot: 8 miles; longest spot: 10 miles). People would have been able to see where Jesus went after he sailed across the lake.

It put the Bible stories into context.

Even now, nine months after our return, I picture where I stood when I hear Bible stories.

I’ll never hear the Upper Room story in Acts without picturing the church I attended in an upper room overlooking the Temple Mount.

When Jesus visits Sidon, the map opens in my mind and I can picture him trodding the hills of upper Judea.

I love how Jesus lived in a specific time and place–and I got to visit it years later.

Glory.

Others, however, weren’t exactly religious pilgrims to Israel.

Mark Twain traveled on a tour led by Henry Ward Beecher, and out of that excursion came his book Innocents Abroad. (Ultimately the best selling book he wrote in his lifetime.)

He had a specific idea in mind for his book: “This book is a record of a pleasure trip. . . . I have written at least honestly, whether wisely or not.”

Twain maintained a reporter’s sensibility, but dropped it briefly at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher:

He looks at all these places with interest ([throughout Israel], but with the same conviction he felt . . . that there was nothing genuine about them, and that they are imaginary holy places created by the monks. But the place of the Crucificion affects him differently. He fully believes that he is looking upon the very spot where the Saviour gave up his life.”

Innocents Abroad p. 322

The Grotto of the Nativity from Innocents Abroad. (Wikimedia Commons)

Other 19th century writers who described their trips include Hermon Melville (Moby Dick) and US President Ulysses S. Grant.

Melville’s 1857 visit (Clarel: A Poem and Pilgrimage in the Holy Land), left him dismayed at the poor condition of sites associated with Christian history.

Traveling on a world tour in 1878, “Grant was unimpressed by Jerusalem’s holy relics and agreed with Twain’s assessment, regarding them as “side-shows” and “unseemly impostures.”

Biddy Chambers and Lettie Cowman visit Israel

Biddy Chambers’ 1919 visit to Israel came at the end of her four year service with the YMCA at Zeitoun, Egypt.

Along with her seven year-old daughter Kathleen, she took a train north to Israel to visit the Holy Land.

Biddy commented on the sober remains from the recently ended war–armament, and burned vehicles still cluttered the roadsides. Biddy and Kathleen toured Jerusalem for nearly a week seeing all the traditional tourist sites.

In 1919, Biddy thought the Church of the Holy Sepulchre beautiful and astonishing. Kathleen dipped her toes into the Pool of Siloam and pronounced herself, “healed.”

Shortly after their return to Egypt, they sailed home for England, content they’d seen all they needed to see.

Lettie Cowman, on the other hand, stopped in and out of Israel seemingly whenever she traveled past. (The first time she and her husband sailed through the Suez Canal, Oswald Chambers traveled with them).

I’m wearing the hat. Church of the Nativity grotto.

Over the years, Lettie met Streams in the Desert fans, Indian missionaries, and numerous important people while staying near Jerusalem.

The point of being a pilgrims in Israel?

To honor our religious heritage, and as I’ve written before, to put our faith into historic fact.

Christianity (and Judaism) are the only world religions that do that.

Jesus was a real person who walked the earth.

Biblical archaeology constantly turns up “proofs” that King David lived, Solomon was king, and the Jerico walls really did come tumbling down in an usual way.

I loved my entire time there.

And, even Mark Twain found a few ways to enjoy himself as well!

Tweetables

Why be a pilgrim in Israel? Click to Tweet

Pilgrims and tourists to Israel through the ages. Click to Tweet

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How to be Significant like Biddy and Lettie

What does it mean to be significant?

I’m speaking at a conference this week in Louisville: the Significance Luncheon.

It’s designed for seniors, but it works for any age.

As the Southeast Christian Church hosts like to point out: “in the middle of the word significance are letters spelling I CAN.“

I love that observation.

They believe you’re never too old to do things of importance–particularly for the Kingdom of God.

I don’t believe you’re ever too young to do significant things for the Kingdom of God.

Using events from Biddy Chambers’ and Lettie Cowman’s lives, I explained how.

How to be significant in someone else’s life

Let me count the ways both Biddy Chambers and Lettie Cowman changed people’s lives!

Not everyone is going to write a ground-breaking devotional still being ready nearly a century later.

Food and a smile!
(Photo by Caju Gomes; Unsplash)

(Nor should we. As King Solomon commented, “Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.” Ecclesiastes 12:12)

But there are simple ways to make a difference.

Here are a handful of suggestions that work with any age.

Cook a mealKnit a scarfHelp in a church settingShelve books at the librarySay hello to starngersKeep a smile on your face.Open doors for others.Let agitated folks go ahead of you in line.

Tailgators upset me until one day the thought came (is that you, Holy Spirit?) “maybe they’re in a hurry because someone is sick?”

I pulled over when it was safe and let them go by.

I do it all the time, now. (Though, there was that time the agitated driver zipped past me, sped around the curve and then drove off a cliff . . .)*

Biddy Chambers’ significant ministries

Okay, she compiled and put together all of Oswald Chambers’ books–especially My Utmost for His Highest.

But that wasn’t her whole life.

You can see Biddy’s intense look.
(Wheaton Archives)

She practiced what I called, “the ministry of Interuption.”

Whenever someone came to her door, she dropped whatever she was doing (usually typing), invited them in, made tea, and listened while they poured our their hearts.

Her usual (significant) response when, depleted, the petitioners ended their stories?

“We give all this to you, Lord. Amen.”

She also held her ministry (making of books) lightly. Like her husband, she believed when a ministry ended, it needed to end.

Scurrying around trying to raise money to keep a ministry going–no matter how significant it was during it’s initial momentum–was a bad idea. (Which is why she and Oswald turned down endowments for their Bible Training College.)

How was Lettie Cowman’s personal life significant?

Sure, Lettie helped found an international missionary organization and kept it running through the Depression and WWI, not to mention the Every Creature Campaign.

But Lettie’s personal interests in others affected many, many people.

Lettie’s tea set was a gift from
Madam Chiang Kai Shek. (OMS)

Like her friend Biddy, Lettie took time to enjoy tea with people all over the world.

When things were worrisome in the ministry (like when she visited Shanghai during the Chinese Civil War), she sat at a piano singing and playing hymns with her entire soul.

It greatly encouraged the missionaries living there.

She loved visiting OMS missionaries around the world and usually brought gifts for the hardworking missionary women. Lettie liked to bring fabric, encouraging words, buy a new hat, or just content herself and listen to the women’s hearts.

She loved them like a mother.

Similar ways Biddy and Lettie ministered

Both women gave away the books they produced. Lettie carried copies of Streams in the Desert on all her trips and handed them off to anyone interested.

Biddy refused to take any pay for producing her husband’s books (starting immediately after his death). She lived in poverty for many years to ensure anyone who needed My Utmost for His Highest could have a copy–often from her hands.

Both women poured the royalties from their devotionals back into ministry.

They both knew to hear a need and then patiently pray and wait for God’s direction.

Glory came from their listening skills

They wrote many letters, paid attention to the needs of those around them, and listened–over and over again.

We can all benefit from following their examples–and provide significant actions to those around us.

No matter how old or young we are.

Here’s a fuller list.

Please–feel free to add other ideas in the comments.

Simple-Ways-to-Add-Significance-to-Someone-1Download

Tweetables

Simple ways to be significant in someone else’s life. Click to Tweet

How Lettie Cowman and Biddy Chambers treated friends with significance. Click to Tweet

*No t a total cliff–his car missed the real cliff and ended in a cow pasture, about 10 feet below the road. Nothing hurt except maybe his pride–and my self-righteousness, of course. (Repented!)

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A Beach’s Blessing

A beach’s blessing comes in many forms.

After months of busyness culminating in a four-day conference, I felt exhausted.

Tired in mind, body, and soul.

My husband wisely reminded me I needed a day or two off.

So, after the Savannah conference, we went to Tybee Beach, Georgia.

Ah.

I needed that.

Did it have to be the beach?

While I am a native of Southern California–and grew up three miles from the shore–I’ve never been a beach babe.

We often visited the beach, but the Southern California waters are cold.

The water’s warm in Georgia.

Besides, I just needed to “defrag” my brain and do nothing.

Tybee Beach’s blessing was all I had to do was sit and stare.

So, I did.

And nature helped by being simply glorious–both mornings.

What else happened?

Nothing.

That was the point.

We sat in lounge chairs under a striped umbrella. I watched waves roll in and out.

People strolled past.

Children dashed in and out of the surf. A parasailor flew past.

Ships slowly crossed the horizon.

I read a chapter in my book.

Closed my eyes, listened to the waves, felt the breeze, and relaxed.

Exactly what I needed.

Or, as Anne Morrow Lindbergh explained in Gift from the Sea:

The beach is not the place to work; to read, write or think.

I should have remembered that from other years . . .

No reading, no writing, no thoughts even–at least, not at first. . . . Patience, patience, patience, is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith.

One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach–waiting for the gift from the sea.

Gift from the Sea; pages 15-17

Ending the day

The beach’s blessing–gorgeous weather–didn’t end at the shore.

We went for a cruise to spot dolphins. (Click on link to see video).

They obliged.

Another evening, another beach’s blessing

Three days later, we walked another beach, this time at sunset further north.

We weren’t far from where Anne Morrow Lindbergh lived.

While still tired, I could savor this Connecticut beach without a word because my husband and a friend shared a robust conversation.

Sometimes I added a word or two.

Mostly, I breathed in the beach scent, strained to hear bird calls, and just feel the moment.

I could examine colorful rocks, ponder the diving birds, admire the tall grasses, and say nothing.

I still needed that.

We strolled a quiet empty beach where small waves curled onto the shore and terns dove into the Sound for fish.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh: “One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can only collect a few. One moon shell is more impressive than three. There is only one moon in the sky.”

I limited myself to three small stones–one orange and two speckled granite,

Anne Morrow Lindbergh: “I walked far down the beach, soothed by the rhythm of the waves . . . the wind and mist from the spray on my hair.”

Then we climbed the soft sand and returned to the house.

Honestly, those two days at the beach lulled my soul back to something that felt normal for the first time in months.

A beach’s blessing is always special, but that extended weekend I got two.

Amen.

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Quiet, calm, and beautiful: a beach’s blessing for a tired soul. Click to Tweet

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