Red Letter Words

Mondays are usually days that mean rest and reflection. God is doing so much on this earth today, every Sunday when we come together to worship Him and in serving whenever the need arises. The pace in the twenty-first century has definitely picked up! Miss one thing and you really miss big things!

I got the title for this blog when I was in church listening to P. Jeff bring his message. Can't do justice in telling you what the worship was like Sunday. Just tell you, be there to see and hear for yourself. Jesus Christ reigns! His power is present to meet our needs, every time! I began to write down words from Jeff's message and thought these words are so important for the Church today, in our ministry to our families and our serving everyday. So here are some important red letter words: moved, give, energy, heart, stewardship, created, Jehovah, gift, follower, worship, cheerful, warfare, possess, turmoil, tithing, rearrange, priorities, forgive, purpose, serve, multiply, leader, life, pray, wrestling.

Not one of the red letter words of Jesus are static (at rest). All are living, vibrant and creative. His words are rhema, so alive that we are changed when we let His words into our hearts. The important red letter words above will change your life if you believe. Every word is a doing word. That's who Christians are, we are doers! Every word above takes a personal decision to make a change and move in a new direction.

P. Jeff related the story of Jacob and the wrestling match he had with the Angel of the Lord. Jacob did not give up, he wrestled all night until he got what he wanted, blessing. His life was changed thereafter, even his name was changed to Israel. "Your name will no longer be Jacob, the man told him. From now on you will be called Israel because you have fought with God and with men and have won." Gen. 32:28. An open door for TRC to serve Asia has opened up. Through some missionary friends of P. Jeff and P. Melinda, we will be sending funds to dig wells for those who have no clean water.

Red letter phrases from Sundays message: "To be Christ-like, you must give." "Settle who the real owner is of all things." (Ps. 24:1). "Quench continues! Wells are going to be dug in Asia!" "Wrestle so we may believe." "God, make me a giver in this place."

Enter through the open door.

Michael and the Grace of God

I mentioned the unknown in the first blog about Mike. The unknown is that place of either wild and vain imaginations which lead to a dark pit of depression, OR it is the open door to the grace of God. We have a choice, one or the other. In His mercy, God led us to His grace. A much welcome late night twitter from a granddaughter came tonight with a message that she had read the blog about Mike. It was time to finish the story of Mike.

Mikey was a little boy that early on was a defender of the weak and anyone who seemed to be the under dog. Nothing seemed to hold him back when he helped someone, not even fear. As he grew older, sometimes that defensive mode got him in trouble, but a world in pain needs its defenders. We loved him for it.

One of the people he was defensive of was a young woman who was 21 years old. Her name was Mary and she lived in a nursing home. Every day in a wheel chair. She couldn't speak, but had a voice for yelling and when she yelled, her face showed pain and frustration. I think this was the motivation for Mike when we visited her. Our church had a ministry at this home and Mike loved going there. One Sunday we were on our way and Mike asked what he could do to make Mary feel better. He was 10 years old at the time. Had to think about that for awhile. We had plenty of people who layed hands on her and prayed for God to heal her, but I knew God had something else for Mike to do. He had just learned to stand on his hands, he did a great job at that, and his determination was very entertaining. So I suggested that he stand on his hands for Mary. His eyes lit up knowing he had something to help her feel better. We walked through the door of the nursing home and there she was, right by the front door. Mike greeted her and said he had something to show her. Mary wasn't screaming, just watching Mikey. First try, he gets up on his hands, legs straight up in the air and he just stood there, upside down. All of a sudden Mary began to clap her hands and give this funny laugh. Her whole demeanor had changed. Someone had stopped and focused on her. A little boy from the kingdom of God.

Mikey stood on his feet, red-faced and said, "did ya like that Mary?" And she clapped again. God's grace is so good. Many, many ways to serve in this world.

Life with Mike was one adventure after another. Our lifes mission was to love and keep him on the right track, and most days it worked. One day when over night it seemed, Mike was a young man of 6'3'' and 16 years old. In his 16 year old way, he let loose with a smart mouth toward me and I reached out and swatted him on the butt as he passed by. He looked and smiled at me and said, "mom, you hit like a marshmallow!" That got me fired up for sure. The swat hadn't work, what to do? No cell phones, XBox to deprive him of, and he wasn't that crazy about t.v. so the next best thing was the two month old can of whipped cream in the fridge. It had to be sour by then. Mike saw "the look" I gave him and started the retreat. By this time I had grabbed the old whipped cream and I got his whole body down on the floor because I knew where his tickle spot was, about the third rib down. It worked! I sprayed and I sprayed until air came out. His whole face was a mess of old cream.

Mike led an up and down life in his adulthood. Encouragement would work for awhile. He would come for prayer and how grateful we were for that. He stayed with a good job that had responsibilities but the next thing we knew, he had quit and got a job as a bouncer at a club in Seattle. We would hear from him occasionally by phone, letters. He always, always called me on mother's day and his birthday, August 19. Mike doesn't call me anymore since that last call.

Over the years, God sent His times of grace to heal. How good it is. The thing hanging over was the unknown. Is he dead, is he alive? The unknown is hell to live in. Here comes God's grace again and many times in between. He opened a giant door to The Rock Church in Monroe. Life hasn't been the same since then. We jumped into everything we could. God was healing many places in our hearts and we yielded one at a time.

About 2 or 3 years ago the unknown was creeping in again. The wondering. Would I ever get another call? Pastor Jeff would occasionally pray for wandering children. That told me there were other parents who knew how we felt. God's grace moves in marvelous ways. I had been in this place of the unknown for about a month this time and Pastor Melinda brought a message one night on how God communicates with us and she used the scripture from Jude about "the only wise God." Jude 25 NKJV. That phrase alone came like a bolt of light in my soul and I went somewhere with the Lord while He healed me. I knew, I knew, I knew (three times, Father, Son and Holy Spirit are involved in this one!) without a doubt that God knew where Mike was. In fact, God is omnipotent. He alone knows everything about Mike, now it's ok.

Years ago we dedicated Mike to Jesus and that's what we intent to live in. His grace is that unmerited favor when we know God truly does reign supreme. We could never in this world work that into our hearts, He did it by His grace.

Michael: The Early Years

Recently our third son Michael had a birthday, August 19. He was born in Anchorage, Alaska in 1965. That would make him 44 years old on this past birthday. We celebrated his life in quiet ways, but, we wern't able to have a birthday party because we don't know where Mike is, and we haven't known where he is since 1992. We spent a few years doing everything we could think of to find him, and always ran into a brick wall. For another few years we quietly lived with the unknown. God changed all that; living with the unknown, three years ago. I'll tell you that story a little later in the blog.

Mike was the fifth child of six. He was born three weeks early and picked a time to be born when his dad, Jim, was in the bush of Alaska working. He came into the world weighing 9 pounds and 9 ounces, 22 3/4" long, lots of dark hair like his dad. First thing I noticed about Mikey was his love of the attention he got from four older brothers and sister. Michael Lee Woods early on established his position in the birth order. He knew how to keep up with his older siblings, he could go sledding on the Mormon Hill behind our house. That was a kid named hill, just because it was owned by the Mormon church in our neighborhood. He could stand as long as the rest of them at Summit Lake to fish, even though his fishing line had gotten tangled up, he didn't care, he was with the crowd he called his family. Mike love going clam digging at Clam Gulch, until one day when he was three years old, he got stuck in the mud. The look on his
face told me he thought he was going to be in the muck forever. We got him free out of his boots and used the clam shovel to dig the boots out. Silt in Alaska is like gooey cement.

Our favorite place in Alaska is still Homer. Camping on Homer's Spit in those days was like being in the wilderness. Quiet. Just the sound of bald eagles and ocean water coming in. We had a canvas tent that fit all six of our kids and a cousin or two. I think we built the biggest bon fires on Homer's Spit ever! Mike like all of our kids, entered in with all kinds of energy. Then there were all those long daylight hours in the summer! The light always seemed to make up for the cool Alaska summer air. Freedom was going all night with activity, not once did the kids ever hear, "time for bed!" The first night we would clean a bunch of huge razor clams and make a big pot of clam chowder on the beach. Every child knew how to clean clams at some point in their lives. Work, then eat!

These are just a few of the early memories of Mike's life. Let's do this a little at a time.

When God Stirs

"I have riches and honor, as well as enduring wealth and justice." Proverbs 8:18

Sitting on my patio swing, enjoying the sun, the quiet and God's blessings. But I have to laugh out loud. Twitter has been going crazy the last few weeks, since "Night Out Against Crime". People are stirred up about serving!! It's like we have been to the pool of Siloam, meaning SENT!! (Found in John 9:1-41 The complete story). Jesus saw the blind man and declared that the works of God would be revealed in him. Jesus spit on the clay (that would be DNA) and places the mixture on the man's eyes and when he washes in the pool, he can see! His neighbors are astonished, they know him only as "the man who sat and begged". Yes, it is he, and now he is stirred with the command to go and tell everyone the wonders of God in his life. He doesn't stop telling the story, he who was once blind, now sees.

Blindness is the story of our lives before we met Jesus. Our meeting with the Son of God is the stirring that compels us to tell and tell and tell what He has done for us. The truth we tell will be rejected, mocked, distorted. It will make people angry, jealous and fearful. Some will revile us, and the name of Jesus, but some will listen and will see for the first time.

We bear the DNA of Christ in our lives. P. Travis and P. Jeff have both talked about this. Christ resides in us through the Holy Spirit and we need nothing more to be stirred in doing His will on this earth.

In this season of stirring let everyone of us lay aside everything that has hindered us from fully doing what God has called us to do. Pray for the sick, give generously to the God who daily gives generously to us, reject fear and have confidence in our faithful God. Stir your hearts today to give as much as you can for school supplies. If you walk in the parade you will never forget the happy faces of kids who will be ready to learn because you helped and gave! God's enduring wealth is for the benefit of His people to use, this has been my prayer this afternoon that His wealth will be poured out on His Church. We are not as the man who sat and begged, our God is the God who has enduring wealth! Not just earthly wealth, but spiritual wealth for our benefit!

This is the season giving, for serving. Do it with all your heart because you love Him.

Sauerkraut 2

No, I don't eat sauerkraut. No matter how it is served!

Sauerkraut

sau.er.kraut (sour'krout') chopped cabbage fermented in brine.

The one word title of this blog is sufficient. Sauerkraut. With the title comes the complete essence of the sauerkraut experience; limpness, pungent smell, after-taste and the wondering how long it would be before the next sauerkraut dinner. For fear it would be soon.

The experience of sauerkraut deserves a blog picture, but since I'm still having trouble attaching pictures to my blog, I'll do my best to describe this Old World delicacy in words. Too bad blog doesn't have smell capacity. Sauerkraut contains vinegar, cabbage, and brine. Brine is so salty it smells like ocean air when you are close to it. The key word in the definition is FERMENTED, thus, the descriptive prefix, sauer. This plentiful garden vegetable (equivalent today would be the zucchini) is then lovingly shredded into slaw-sized lengths and soaked in wooden barrels filled with brine for as long as possible.

Can't you just see the Old World ships coming over the sea with unnumbered wooden barrels of sauerkraut next to the barrels of dill pickles? Never mind the family heirlooms, the sauerkraut and pickles go over with us. They'll love it in America!!

Somehow, this German inspired dish made it over into the Norwegian culture, probably through marriage. In Rothsay, Minnesota where my brothers Larry, Bob and I spent our summers, the German Lutheran church was one block from the Norwegian Lutheran church. (They finally joined forces in the 21st. century). The Germans had their sauerkraut, the Norwegians our lutefisk. Lutefisk is the survivor fish of Norwegian culture and is worthy of a blog on its own. Let me write, I'm ever grateful to God for hardy Norwegians who figured out how to preserve the ever-plentiful cod in Norwegian waters to supplant the birch bark soup they made in tough farming times in the homeland. The Lord was their Provider.

The combination smells of lutefisk and sauerkraut at Christmas time in Rothsay must have been something as it hung in the icy winter air. This little town of 359 souls (still under 400 population today) all gathered at separate churches to enjoy their yearly feast. By the way, each church claimed Martin Luther as their own.

We Hamar Lutheran kids always knew there would be a table full of buttery, gelatinous lutefisk that moved like jello. We held our noses figuratively as we passed the lutefisk on the way to jello. Jello. The most inventive food group! The bowls danced and sparkled like rubies, emeralds, amethysts on the table. Next stop, lefse table!

Recently, we had our every decade meal with sauerkraut. It provided a very nice picture there on the grill. Perfectly seasoned bone-in pork chops, grilled to juicy perfection with a small clump (would that be klump in German?) of sauerkraut on the side. Just nothing like a happy husband having one of his favorite meals.

Possibilities for meals with sauerkraut are endless. Country pork ribs, sausage, hot dogs, pork chops, pork roast, etc. Sauerkraut is one of those veggies (really?) that your mom would say, "c'mon, try just a spoonful." The look told us it wasn't a friendly request. Lesson: be thankful for all things. Who knows, there may be a sugary jello later to make the fermented, salty taste go away.

Enjoy life whatever it brings.

Vision

Still thinking about vision. Doing errands, vision. Watering thirsty plants, vision. Making dinner plans, vision. Without vision, we perish. With vision, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Know how we, the Church, fight the warfare we see going on everyday in the world? Vision. We stay focused on vision and we do not remain in a place of fear, disappointment, mistrust or illusion. We fight the good fight of faith every day in the power and might of the Holy Spirit. We stay obedient to the word and call of our God with our whole hearts. We love the Lord our God with everything in us AND our neighbors as ourselves.

We have been in both places, without vision and with vision. Remember the dry land that Noah built the ark on? That's a visionless life, dry land. We first came to TRC in 2003 on Main Street. We have seen many since then just like us. Christians, yes. But so lost without vision. We were perishing. We were blessed with the goodness of God in our children and grandchildren, we had all that we needed in this life, but without vision. One of our grandchildren kept looking at us with his big, bright blue eyes and kept asking us to come to church, and we did. First invite came in 2003, and it kept coming. Pretty big vision at that time for a three year old huh? Thank you buddy for keeping the faith. God has huge plans for a young man who is faithful to His vision.

What we were looking for at the time was integrity. What we saw at TRC was the heart of integrity. A church that had the mind to press into the kingdom of God and be willing to pay the price. We all must count the cost of going to war, or building a tower. (Luke 14:27-33). TRC was showing us that all of us were going to finish this to the end and along the way we received ALL these other blessings. A church full of babies and children being brought up in the Lord..great work families!!! An awesome band that gives it all every Sunday to lead us in worship and praise. Pastors who pour out their hearts for God's people. A pastor in P. Jeff who preaches his heart out because he loves God and His people. Elders who are given to minister to the church without end. The authority in TRC has a great responsibility, watching over our eternal souls. They have willingly taken this charge. We are a blessed people!

When we knew integrity was in the heart of the church, didn't take long for two broken people to lock in. It was the praise and worship that broke any and all resistance we had. It was like the Holy Spirit came and melted our hearts. Jim grabbed my hand, (spiritual leader) and I knew everything would be ok when we started out on this journey at TRC.

First things first, start tithing!!! And never give up!!! Follow your heart in offerings too. That way, it's given to God and given in love. Next thing we did was take the newcomers class, couldn't wait to tell people we were members of TRC! We had already been baptized as adults, but if you haven't made that adult choice, check with the church on how you can prepare for the water baptism at Lake Tye this Sunday the 23rd, at 6PM. If you just want to come and observe, do that! It would be great to have you there. Next thing, since we already knew we had the gift of hospitality, we sent in a note on a card for volunteers to help with the Guest Services. God taught us a lot by watching Susan and Terry, love you guys.

If you are looking for acceptance, immerse yourself in God and the vision He has given to TRC. Know above all else, we are accepted in the Beloved (Eph. 1:6). You have a secure place in the vision, come on, take that leap of faith!! You'll never regret it. Vision is good for the soul, we can't live without it.

Good Stuff About Noah

One thing about Noah and many others in the Bible, they have made lasting impressions on people for thousands of years, and they are still encouraging in this 21st. century. Here is where you find good word on Noah: Gen. 5-9. The first act Noah did when they came off the ark is found in Gen.8:20. Matt. 24-39. Heb. 11:6-7. 2Peter 2:5. 1Peter 3: 18-20. I read these in the Amplified and Message Bibles.

"By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land..." Hebr. 11:7 , "And God spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness..." 2Peter 2:5. The vision begins on dry land, but the promise is coming! His covenant will always be fulfilled. Noah was a preacher of righteousness; both in word, and in demonstration. He never gave up. This is our calling!

Walked With God

"...Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God..." Gen. 6:8-9.
Noah is the second man said to have 'walked with God,' Enoch, Noah's great-grandfather being the first to have 'walked with God.' When I see them in heaven, I have questions for them!

Especially for Noah and what it was like to have such a building vision from the Lord. How long did it take you? What was it like working with pitch on the inside and outside of the ark? In all that time it took Noah to build the ark, did no one ever think, 'what if Noah is right?' Was there ever a doubt in man's thinking, maybe...? Noah, what was it like when God shut the door to the ark?

There was no room for wondering if this man of God was telling the truth because "The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time." Gen. 6:5 For the man who walked with God, his thoughts and inclinations are toward the Lord and the vision He has given him, all the time.

What would God do through His Church in this twenty-first century that had such a clear vision of what God plans? We would see and understand, commit to the vision and never look back. No matter what the cost, it would be done because God had given the vision. We know a couple that continues to come from out of town to TRC because of the vision they see. The Holy Spirit draws them; they see and they know it's God. They take the vision back to where they came from, but the people would have to see the vision too.

Vision is a planting of the Lord. When the seed is in the heart, you know you can do whatever God has given you to do, to complete the vision. I want the vision to be so great that the world has to see and know that God is at work today in 2009. I want the world to know it's the love we feel for the lost that compels us to do whatever we have to do. This is no small thing that the Lord is doing in the community of Monroe, it's HUGE!!!

Is He telling you to walk in the Monroe Days parade for the first time? Children at TRC need you. Guest services need volunteers who will make visitors feel welcome. Be a part of the vision by attending a Reach Team, and then go on and teach one too! People with hospitality in their hearts are a welcome sight at the front door of the church. You could do that! Do you love to praise and worship the Lord? Go for an audition! If you're like me, you'd rather not do it on the platform, so praise with all your heart with us in the worship center. Maybe you would love making a favorite drink for your favorite people at the coffee bar? Has God encouraged you? Then tell of it!! Do you love to pray, then ask about being on the prayer team. You fit in the body of Christ, and He has a place for you.

We have Noah and many others who were faithful to the vision God gave. It's always a big, costly vision with eternal results. If Noah can do it in his day, so can we. Make room for God's vision in your life. Your life will be turned upside down in the best way. What is your part in the vision at TRC? God has blessed you with gifts that fit just right in the Church. Don't delay another day, don't repeat another excuse, just do what God has already promised He will help you do. Whatever that role is, you are God's builder.

BQOTD

These are the best quotes of the day from Pastor Jeff's message on Erased. I know you had your favorite quotes too, twitter or text your best ones this week and remember to give credit to who said it! Here it is:

* "The Bible reads us!"

* "The Bible is a love letter from the Father."

* "Drink and eat! It's not a buffet that we pick and choose what we want."

* "He has already spoken the direction, we don't have to ask, it's go!"

* "Honor the authority in your life."

* "Work hard, give hard."

* "Release what God has given you."

* "Set a brand new day by being a giver."

* "The Bible is a love letter to affirm us."

* "The Bible is tender and tough."

* "I want the whole counsel of God."

* " His word is your freedom, baby!"

* "The Bible keeps me from stumbling morally."

Go through your notes again, read all the scriptures and recognize anew the place the Bible has in our lives. I read the Bible, I study the Bible because I want to know the Lord. What He did, what He said, what He plans. I believe the Bible because it has the power to change us every time we spend time reading and prayerfully considering where we fit. When I read of our early mothers and fathers in the Bible, God is telling me to be of courage in this spiritual warfare we are in. When I am weak, the Bible assures me. As P. Jeff said, "this [the Bible] is rich!"

Psalms 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

Thunder

Just read Psalms 18:13 and it clicked in a childhood memory for me. My brothers and I were spending the summer with Grandma and Grandpa at the farm in Rothsay, Minnesota and we were having one of those BIG thunder storms the mid-west is known for. Grandpa said, "Thunder is God's voice". Grandpa Amundson knew the Lord!!
When the thunder rolled over, it would shake the windows in the house. We were always relieved when the storm was overhead, because we knew it would be passing on to another county!

Walked With God

Wouldn't it be something to be known as a person of God who walked with Him? Those three words, "walked with God", are used to declare the kind of men that Enoch and Noah were. And only those two. Similar phrasing is used to describe others, like David, but these three words in one phrase were saved for two men in the Bible, both in the Old Testament.
The Hebrew word for walked is halak, meaning; behave continually, enter, exercise, forward, grow, lead, march, more and more, move self, be at the point, speedily, surely. The word 'halak' is from the root word, yalak. This word means to prosper, pursue and cause to run. A much deeper meaning than to be taking an occasional stroll with God, this is a constant walk with purpose. The kind that always has the goal in mind. Not just the goal, but also the love that compels us to walk with God. It's an enduring walk, the never-give-up walk.
Enoch was Noah's great-grandfather and because of his righteous walk, God "took him", that is, Enoch was translated to heaven without seeing death. The word Selah belongs here, pause and think of that! Think of the blessings to the generations because of the man Enoch. I think Enoch was fully aware in his evil time how important generations were (and are).
Enoch was a preacher and prophet to his generations. Just think, we have a record of what his prophesies were like in Jude 13-15!! There is very little else in scripture of this man, but when we know he walked with God, that's all we need in order to know what kind of man he was. Enoch's history can be found in Genesis 5:21-24.
Soon, the second part to the men who walked with God.

The Great Commission

One thing about our God, He knows how to challenge His people! With big stuff!! From the beginning laid out in the book of Genesis, it's one challenge after another. He's not a God who gives orders and then leaves us to figure it all out on our own; He gives us the blueprint in the manual, the Holy Bible.
The first big challenge He gives us when we become followers of Jesus is found in Matthew 10 and Matthew 28:16-20. GO ahead, take some time and read it all, it's very revealing.......
OK, now that you've done that, see where Jesus speaks to His disciples in Mt. 28:18-19, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven AND EARTH. Go therefore..." He pronounces victory even before we start!
As a new Christian in Alaska, the Great Commission was my big challenge. God had to help me overcome Norwegian culture to fulfill this challenge because talking openly and fully about something as personal as relationship with Jesus just wasn't done! Attend church, yes. Memorize Luther's Catecism and get confirmed, yes. Read the Bible and pray, yes. (We missed the part about the Great Commission!). The point is, when His revelation comes, we figure out we can do it. My first big challenge was my neighborhood, and in Spenard, Alaska it was all trailer court. Remember Rev. Iva Berry? She was the one who challenged me to overcome and "Go, Molly"! So, I did, one door after another, Bible in hand. It was very simple, "Hi, I'm your next door neighbor, Marlee Woods and I want to invite you to come to my church to see what Jesus is doing for people." There, I said it.
Did anyone come? NO, not one! But I kept after one especially. She never did come, but we had coffee together a few times. When the seed is given, God knows how to plant the seed and make it grow. I trust His word.
The challenge of the Great Commission is huge. It's the reason we are Christ followers. The last few days I've been praying and reading the story of God's great builder, Noah. What a beautiful word about God providing everything we need to do all He wants us to do. More study and praying to do, hope this week to publish the blog on Noah.
You can do this, I know you can. In Jesus name. He'll help you overcome all things. Even culture.

Large Love

Short and sweet. Luke 7:36-50. Pay close attention to all the details. Details are full of treasures. Woman comes to Jesus, burdened with large sin. Her heart has large repentance. She comes with her best offering. She is forgiven with the large love of the Savior.

His large love is ours.

Mentors 3

As I've thought about the blogs on mentors, it's been good to remember those people the Lord puts into our lives for His purpose. He sends those people at special times for specific reasons. I've even remembered those people from high school days who witnessed to me before I was saved. We are His ambassadors in this world, to the unsaved and to each other.
As the other two mentors, Helen Bolton was sent to our family for a purpose, and at the right time! We met Helen at the Nazarene church in Anchorage in the 6o's. She was one of those quiet people, but you knew the Lord had done a great work in her life. Helen had the qualities of the fruit of the Spirit in her life. She didn't say much, but when she did, there was a purpose. She became "auntie" to our growing family and she fit right in. She was the fun auntie who came along for the ride no matter what we were doing, whether it was helping around the house or camping with a family full of activity or quietly sitting around a campfire sharing life stories, Helen was there. One of my favorite pictures of Helen is when we were camping at Mt. McKinley, one of those cool summer Alaska days, always bring jackets when camping in Alaska!
Helen was not a complainer and if she thought she was hearing too much whining, she would let you know. We didn't know a whole lot about why she had begun attending our church, but we knew she had come from another church in town and she brought some pain with her. She was content to tell the Lord about that pain whatever it was, and we were content to love her just the way she was.
Helen was single when we knew her and she supported herself by cooking in restaurants. She really knew how to dress up caribou in the pan to hide most of the wild taste. She also had this late night indulgence when we camped called chile and cheese. Scrambled eggs, meat of your choice, onions, garlic, little bit of salsa, seasoning you feel like putting in (she did have this independent streak), diced green chilies and cheddar cheese. We still make it when we have a campfire.
One of my favorite attributes about Helen was her faithful heart. To the Lord first, to the Church, to friends. We never heard if she had any family, but I've always thought we were. When we are given loyal friends, they are a gift from the Lord. Cherish every one of them and count yourself blessed.
If these blogs have stirred something in you about mentors or mentoring, act on it soon. If you have a mentor, thank them today, if you don't have a mentor, pray and ask God for one and open your heart because He will answer your prayer.