Friday December 11 2015  I’M STILL THE SAME ME

Well, I was all settled to watch the end of a movie last night (already past my bedtime) when my husband brought a message up to me that my son sent to us both.  I don’t carry my phone around with me so I miss most messages when they come.  Our son was reminding me that I was watching the boys the next day (which is now today).  When I watch the boys I leave the house about 6:00 a.m. so must be up by 5:00 a.m.  Oops!  I had it down for next Friday, not today.  Gulp!  I sure am glad he reminded me.  I don’t know how I could have put it on my calendar incorrectly, but since I know myself, I can believe I did it.  So, there went my movie watching since I had to get right to bed to get up so early.  The best laid plans…but, I did finish the tail end of one movie that I had started the day before, so I still had the opportunity to see part of a Christmas movie yesterday.

Today’s plans were put on the shelf, but it was not imperative that we do what we had planned to do so everything worked out just fine.  Here I am, enjoying a wonderful time with Xander.  So far we have dropped Zachariah off at school, eaten breakfast, played a game, worked out a beautiful deign on the Lite-Brite, and we are now watching a short little video (for kids).  Xander is thoroughly absorbed and doesn’t even realize that grandma, sitting with him, is typing on her computer.  Multi-tasking.  Hey, I can still do it!  That in itself is amazing.

Yesterday I had an interesting conversation with a lady at the gym.  I asked her, what did aging surprise you with?  She responded quickly and candidly.  Here is Joan’s response:

“My name is Joan and I’ll be turning 76 in a month.  It wasn’t until I read something, somewhere, in the last month that said, “the younger old age is up to 74 and then middle old age…I’ve never thought of myself as old age until I read that and it’s hard to deal with at this point.”

I then asked Joan what gift has old age given her?  She responded:  “Well, I’d have to think about that for a while”.  She continued a few second later with “What has age given me?  That’s an interesting question.  It has given me a perspective to look back at my kids and family and then see what I would do over again.”

I asked since she can’t do it over again what does she do?  “Pray”, she said and then continued, “The older I get the more accepting I can be of some of the mistakes of one of my children.” 

I found Joan’s comments to be very enlightening.  She is a beautiful woman married to a handsome man, both still traveling and working out at the gym and recognizably part of the “older” generation, just as I am.  Yet, in all these years she has never thought of herself as being “OLD”!  I am impressed!  Perhaps that is why she is still vital and alive and active.  She has not let society put her in a box nor taken on the label of old!  Nor has she put herself into the old age box!  I hope I can keep that same attitude for many years yet to come.  As I have said before, inside I am just simply “the me” I have always been.  It is only the packaging that others look at and fail to see who I, and many other older people, really are.  Thank you Joan for your candor and insight as to how you view life.  It is awesome!

 

WHO AM I FROM THE INSIDE OUT?

By Kathleen Martens

December 11, 2015

 

The little girl

On her first day of school?

Or the he volatile adolescent

Who thinks she so cool?

 

What do I see when I view the mirror?

A teenager, primping for prom?

Or the young bride

Who again respects her mom?

 

When I think back in memory

What age is sought?

Am I the young mother

With two little tots?

 

I am the same me deep inside

No thought of wrinkles or gray

Age did not seem to have any bearing

I just merrily went on my way.

 

And now I look back

And see how quickly time flew

And all those identities

I have lived through.

 

So who am I now

That my body shows age?

Shall I be put on the shelf?

Or become a great sage?

 

The question is

What do others see?

Do they see an old lady

When they look at me?

 

It matters not what other perceive

The same you still lives inside.

A word of wisdom, take care of your house

That long life will continually thrive.

 

See yourself from the inside out

Care not an iota what others think

For they too, will someday be old

And then, you can be tickled pink!

 

A little tongue in cheek, so to say.  I guess I have some control over what I write, but sometimes the words just come how they are meant to be.

This blog will be an early release as I have plenty to keep me busy when I arrive home this evening. 

Have a wonderful rest of the day.  It is only 12:37 p.m. Central time.  A lot of the day left to live.  And when we wake up tomorrow we’ll all be one day older.  I’m just glad when I wake up!

God bless all of you.

 

 

 

 

Thursday December 10 2015  GOD IS

A long day, a full tummy, and a dark evening, all make for wanting to snuggle up on the couch and read a good Christmas story.  Or better yet, perhaps watch a Christmas movie.  So far each day in December I have attempted to watch a movie.  Some day I have only made it part way through a movie, but at least I watched part of it.  Tonight I hope to finish the movie I started last night.  So at least one of my goals is partially coming true on some days.  A half of a movie is better than none!  I’ve had several people ask me about this goal so I thought I would mention it here.

I want to tell you a little bit about last night.  When I sat down to write my blog it seemed as if my mind was blank.  After writing part of the blog I realized my mind really was blank.  So I set out to do it again.  It seemed as if the door was just shut on my writing anything worthwhile.  I asked God to help me and last night’s blog was born.  I know it wasn’t Pulitzer Prize material, but I felt satisfied as I pushed the button to publish.  I’ve had favorable comments on last night’s writing and for that I thank those who sent emails. 

I had almost given up on writing anything last evening because I felt depleted and physically spent from being so busy and active during the day.  I looked at the blank screen and decided this was a commitment to myself to write and so with determination, I told myself that I could do anything I set my mind to, even if I was depleted, so to speak.  It taught me something I’d like to share with you.  As I look back over my life I realized there were many times along the way that it would have been so much easier to just give up what I was trying to accomplish and turn my time and interest toward something else.  But I pushed through.  And those are the times that have been the most gratifying, and proved to open up other opportunities to succeed in areas I never dreamed possible.  That is how I felt about yesterday.  I decided to not give up, and I realized that it is often the most difficult situations that are the stepping stones which make it possible to open new doorways for future success.  So, when things get rough and seem insurmountable, do not give up.  Keep trying until you overcome it.  You may be surprised where it will lead.

Sometimes I write simply due to the self-discipline of doing so.  Sometimes I write because I have something heavy on my heart that I want to share.  Sometimes to just tell about what I experienced.   Sometimes I do it just for fun to see where the first sentence will take me, sort of like exploring an unknown path.  Other times I do it hoping I will touch a chord in someone’s life and make a difference in their life for the better.   And, I do it because I want to stretch myself and become a better writer.   As I look back over the blogs from the past several months I believe I have made strides toward that goal.  That is a satisfying feeling.  But most of all, I said I would do it and I am doing it.  I do not plan to do a blog forever, but as long as I see results that I am touching people’s lives and giving them new ideas to think about, I will continue for the time being.  Thanks for your comments. 

My husband and I discussed this earlier and he looked at me and simply said, “You are a paradox.”  I asked him, “Why?”  He replied, “Well, in one way you are trying to STRETCH yourself and in another way you are trying to SHRINK yourself”.  I hope I’m doing the stretching part better than I am doing the shrinking part.  My pants are tight around the waist!  It was one of those comments of his that made me laugh.

This morning in my quiet time I wrote a very short poem but it came with a lot of thought.  I’m reading the book “KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY” by A.W. Tozer and this is what I wrote after chapter three.

 

GOD IS

By Kathleen Martens

December 10, 2015

 

GOD IS LOVE.

It is not what He has,

But the way He is.

 

GOD IS MAJESTY.

Not in description

But in reality.

 

GOD IS GLORY.

Timeless Being,

The perfect story.

 

GOD IS MYSTERY

Beyond Comprehension.

GOD IS.

 

Since today’s poem is so short I have also added the one below written earlier this year.

 

WITH NEW EYES

By Kathleen Martens

July 23, 2015

 

The road we travel most

Is sometimes seen the least.

Take time to see with new eyes

Upon what there is to feast.

 

You may find it interesting

To see things you’ve never seen,

You may be surprised

How your vision is so keen.

 

See again as a child

Full of wonder and awe

When everything was always new

Not quite certain what you saw.

 

When you look with new eyes

Be ready to receive

All that God desires for you

Just because you believe.

 

Believe there is always beauty

To be seen in this darkening place,

And do not be in such a hurry

But slow down your rapid pace.

 

Open the eyes of your heart

For there is so much God wants to share.

And be thankful that you can see

By His creation how much He cares.

 

I just want you to know that when I invoke the name of God, I do so in Holy Reverence.

So, good night and GOD BLESS YOU!

 

Wednesday December 9 2015  NEVER LET YESTERDAY USE UP TODAY

 

I just wrote part of my blog, read it, and hit the delete button.  It just wasn’t going where I wanted it to go and I think the problem was, I didn’t really know where I wanted it to go.  So I am back at square one because I thought of a quote I read this morning and it made me think of the Calendar Wisdom for today which is what I titled today’s missive.

We are Costco members.  Each month we receive a Costco Connection magazine in the mail.  I never read them until just the last two or three months.  I know their primary purpose is to use them as ads for their products, but they have quite an interesting way of going about their sales pitch.  I find a reoccurring theme each month of the magazine highlighting people’s lives who have product in the store which is for sale.  For example, in September’s issue there was an article about a woman who is an author, and you guessed it, her book is on the Costco shelves.  And of course she just happens to be a Costco member.  The article tells about the author’s life, what caused her to write the book, and then talks about the book and its attributes.  The story is interesting, the author has an exciting life, and of course I want to buy the book.  I say all of that to say, if you haven’t read the little magazine you may want to do so because it is very informative and very interesting.  It talks about the farms where the cheeses come from, healthy food resources, education about other products and interesting facts of where and how our food is produced that we purchase from Costco.

I especially found the article about the book and its author quite informative.  I have not read the book, I do not own the book, and I probably won’t read the book until it hits the library shelves.  So I am not an extended ad for Costco.  But, I did like one of the quotes the author put in the magazine.  The author is Brene Brown and she wrote RISING STRONG.  I don’t really know anything about the book except what is spoken of in the magazine.  But the one thing I will share is the quote I liked, “LET GO OF WHO YOU THINK YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE; EMBRACE WHO YOU ARE.” 

So after writing the quote above my curiosity was peeked and I had to have a “look-see” into her website.  I listened to a twenty minutes talk about her research discoveries regarding guilt, shame and vulnerability.  Much too long to go into here, but if you are interested, you can go to brenebrown.com and listen to one of her “TED” speeches.  It was quite interesting.  She pretty much hit it on the head as to how those three situations in life influence the behaviors of our society. 

So, not only did I read an interesting advertising magazine, I also became a bit more educated in some of the research that is going on behind the scenes in this big country of ours.  I hope her book hits the library soon.  I would like to read it.

I don’t know how many of you experience guilt, shame or vulnerability, but I know I have been plagued with all three in the past.  It took a spiritual healing for me to regain my ability to “EMBRACE WHO I AM”.  When it happened it was an amazing experience!  Since that time I am truly a different person with a different mentality.  Am I still vulnerable at times?  Yes.  But, just as Brene Brown sees vulnerability as being a strength, rather than a weakness, so do I.  My strength comes from my God and I believe He gives me the courage to put myself in vulnerable situations so that I can grow.  For example, just writing this blog on a daily basis is a great vulnerability for me.  I am putting myself on the line, opening myself up for criticism, the possibility of making mistakes, using incorrect grammar, misspelling words, or just not making any sense at all.  But I do it anyway.  Each time I write a poem, creating something from nothing, I am vulnerable.  Yet, I am willing to risk it because, like her quote, I have let go of what I thought I was supposed to be, and embrace daily who I am.  Do I make mistakes?  You bet I do.  The difference is, I am willing to pick myself up, go forward, and then try again.  I do not need to perform for anyone.  I do what I do because I enjoy it, or I want to stretch myself, or to be creative.  All the while, knowing that I seek God’s direction first, live by the commands He has set before me, and loving myself, so I in turn can love others.  It is God who has taken away the guilt and shame and given me the courage to be vulnerable so that I can accomplish that which He has set before me.  It was because God forgave me of my sins that I no longer have the guilt.  God replaced my shame with the knowledge that I am His beloved child, reborn into His kingdom of righteousness.  And, I am vulnerable as a person when I step out to tell others of His love, and that His forgiveness is also available to them.  But, never is it considered a weakness to do that which God has instructed in His word for His children to do.  I am called to do His will.  My strength comes from him so I need not fear.

Brene Brown’s video was informative, however the most important fact is to realize that God has already taken care of our guilt and shame.  Even when we step into a vulnerable situation, God is by our side, and will give us the strength and courage to do what He has called us to do.  It is when we “embrace who we are” as a child of God, that we can become who we were created to be.

 

BORN TO LIVE WITH GOD

By Kathleen Martens

December 9, 2015

 

I am a child in this world

On the pathway of life.

Sometimes I hit the wall,

Live in turmoil and strife.

 

At times I’ve even wondered

What does the future hold?

As I struggle through the dessert

Without being bold.

 

My heart would seem so heavy

Burdened with shame and guilt.

My soul sometimes felt withered

And just seemed to wilt.

 

Until the day I found

The answer to life’s quest

Written in the Book of life,

Written without jest.

 

No matter how mired

In life’s sin and trials,

God is always with me

To help me through the miles.

 

He gave His Son as a sacrifice

To cover all my sins.

And what I must ask of him,

In my heart, please come in.

 

And when I ask, He enters

When I have faith to believe. 

Then he will abide in me

And I His spirit receives.

 

He cleansed me of all guilt,

And took away my shame.

He told me I am His,

And called me by name.

 

I am His beloved child,

Born to live with God.

And He lives within me,

While others may think it odd.

 

No more shame or guilt

Lies active in my soul.

Rather, I have peace and joy

Which is redemption’s goal.

 

The following is the best wisdom I could ever impart:

When I look back over my life I realize during the time I was filled with guilt and shame it robbed me of a lot of joy and peace.  In essence, my guilt and shame from the past used up a lot of my “todays”.  When I no longer carried that guilt and shame, my todays were opened to joy and peace and so much more.  Now, when somethings happens, I take it to the Lord, give it to Him, and leave it there.  No longer do I let yesterday’s mistakes or sin rob me of today.  I ask for forgiveness and my guilt and shame no longer tag along, robbing me of who I am.  All I must do is to remember just who I am, A CHILD OF GOD!  And daily I thank God for sending His son to die on the cross for my salvation.

Have a great day tomorrow!

Good night and God bless you.  If you have never asked Jesus to come into your heart, you can do so right now.   It will make your tomorrow even better!

 

 

Tuesday December 8 2015  “THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY”

Somehow God brings the exact books into my life at the perfect time that I need them.  “THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY” by A.W. Tozer is the one I refer to at present.  Tozer was an avid writer, pastor, and student of the Bible.  Many of his books were actually published long after he died.  Many of the books are compilations of his sermons and other teachings.  He was born in 1897 and died in 1963.  Here is a quote from a website about his life:

“Among the more than 60 books that bear his name, most of which were compiled after his death from sermons he preached and articles he wrote, at least two are regarded as Christian classics: The Pursuit of God and The Knowledge of the Holy. Many of his books impress on the reader the possibility and necessity for a deeper relationship with God.”

“THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY” is the book I am reading at present.  It is the first book I have read by him.  I plan to search for more.  I have only read the first two chapters but from just what I have read I challenge you to see if you can get a copy and study it closely.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the first two chapters do not make a life changing difference in your life.  Those two chapters stirred my spirit to the point that I just crave to go deeper in the book to discover a new understanding of who God is.  His writing is amazingly simple to follow, yet profound in what it says.  I just wanted to share this bit of news with you in case any of you are interested in a closer, more intimate relationship with God.

Here is the poem I wrote after my chapter study this morning.  Tomorrow I plan to study the same chapter again because there was just too much for me to digest all at once.

 

IN THE SACRED PLACE

By Kathleen Martens

December 8, 2015

 

I am here Lord,

Come and be with me

That this day I may learn

More and more of thee.

 

That in this private hour

With you in adoring silence

My heart is filled with peace.

Safe from worldly violence.

 

And I experience wonder

Of the magnificence of my King

And worship and adore You

As my spirit sings.

 

Just to know You,

And who You are,

The King of heaven and glory,

Life’s Bright and Shining Star.

 

Lord give me awareness

Of the holiness you wear.

That I am still and know my God

As my time with You I share.

 

Let not me entertain

Lowly thoughts of You,

But conceive deep in my heart

All that You imbue.

 

Show me just what to believe

When my thoughts dwell on Your story,

That I never underestimate

The power of Your glory.

 

That I will learn to worship You

Perfectly as You deserve.

That in mind, body, and spirit,

My worship I will not conserve.

 

Let me not imagine

Thoughts of You that are not true.

Open my eyes to Who You Are

So Your truth I may ensue.

 

In my heart I can’t comprehend,

Or am I able to frame,

Just exactly Who You Are,

No face to match Your name.

 

For You are more mighty

Than what I can conceive.

And Your name, though secret

It is through faith that I believe.

 

For when my heart burns

And for God is full of desire,

It is then the gift of the Holy Spirit

Fills me with Holy Ghost fire!

 

And though I cannot see or touch

The God in whom I believe,

In the sacred places of my heart

His loving voice I do receive.

 

This is a low key week and I hope it stays that way.  We are trying to allow our bodies to heal, to get much needed rest from a combined work period of 96 years.  We have both worked all these years and they total the grand sum of 96 years.  It will take a bit of rest to catch up.

Slowly little things are being accomplished around the house and after the first of the year we hope to make a lot of headway.  Today Dave packed up five trash can sized bags with his over-sized clothes, and that is after already giving away several other bags that size.  I plan to drop these off at St. Vincent’s tomorrow.  The others we gave to the homeless shelter. 

Dave made up for the lost time of yesterday.  He felt better so he sat in a chair and replaced three doorknobs.  Slowly but surely we are replacing all the knobs in our house to lever style because my hands no longer easily manipulate the round doorknobs.  We have a lot of doors in our house and so we have been doing them a few at a time so it is not so overwhelming for both time and expense.

My closets are the next challenge.  That will be a big job.  My elbow is not quite ready for that task just yet.  Dave will help me when he is well.  As we sort through THINGS, we are finding items we long ago forgot about.  And I have a feeling we’ll be finding a lot more of those kinds of THINGS before this house is emptied out.  I know the job will be tedious and long, but to me, it is also an adventure.  It will be interesting, fun, and sometimes amazing to see what crops up.

I read a book about a man (true story) who decided to sell every single item in his apartment, take the money from the items, and then go visit each place on the map where the items were purchased so he could meet the person who bought it.  He sold through E-Bay and finally was left with a totally empty dwelling.  He took off on his odyssey around the world to meet everyone, and for the most part stayed in their homes with them.  I think that was one of the criteria attached to buying the item.  He sold everything except for the clothes on his back.  That included partially opened boxes of cereal and food stuff from his refrigerator as well as his trash cans and the trash in them. The book was filled with the pictures of what he sold, and next to the item he included a picture of him and the person who purchased it, holding the item (another criteria at purchase). He included a short bio of who, why they purchased it and where they lived.  This man went to many different countries and it took quite a while to do the trip but I don’t remember just how long it took him.  I just looked it up on life to see if I could find him.  I found others who had sold off all their belongings but for other reasons.  I could not find his story online but I did read the hard copy book. I do not remember the title but I gave it to my son and he may still have it.

I tried to get Dave to sell our things but he would rather just donate them.  He doesn’t like to advertise on Craig’s list because he doesn’t want to draw attention to where our neighborhood is.  We are sort of out of the way from the mainstream and a bit isolated.  He said you just don’t know who you may be attracting to your door.  I think he is wise.  So we will donate what we can’t find a home for. 

Well, I am not getting anything accomplished sitting here writing so I will close and try to see part of a movie tonight.  No time today.  I am at least seeing part of a Christmas movie each day.  Maybe I will get through them all before Christmas 2016.

Good night and God bless you.  Remember, think about looking into reading some of A.W. Tozer’s works if you are not yet acquainted with his writings.  As far as I am concerned I can never read too many books!

P.S.  I just called my son and the name of the book about the man selling the contents of his apartment is “ALL MY LIFE FOR SALE” by John D. Freyer.

 

 

Monday December 7 2015  THE POWER OF WORDS

Just a short time to write this evening as it is Movie Night!  Movie night is quite new to me.  We have a friend from church that has been asking us for well over a year to come to his home and enjoy a movie night once a week.  It is not always on the same night of the week.  I have been unable to do so due to my schedule, work, time needed for other tasks, travel, as well as a host of other causes that hampered me.  The movie that we watch must be at least 50 years or older.  We have only attended two such nights so far.  Dave only one of the two.  Well, it looks like I’ll be going alone again this week because Dave has had a pretty rough day in the healing department.  He is feeling the fight going on in his abdomen.  So I plan to attend alone this week.  I actually look forward to it.  We are currently watching movies starring Jean Arthur.  At least I think that is the actress’s last name.  I must leave in 15 minutes.

So I’ll just talk about a couple of words today.  The first word is DIFFERENT.  It is a word someone used to describe me.  I emailed back and told her I didn’t feel any different from other people.  I’m just me and feel very normal.  So she writes back and uses the word UNIQUE to describe me.  After looking both definitions up in the Thesaurus I decided I rather liked the UNIQUE definition.  What I have figured out is that each individual person have their own meanings of certain words.  “Different” I thought of as maybe nerdy or weird or unacceptable among the crowd.  Actually Different means: “dissimilar, diverse, unalike, changed, altered, and not the same”.  Okay, after reading the synonyms I deduced it was okay to be any of those.  Not a big deal.  Then when I looked up the synonyms of “Unique” I even liked it better.  Unique synonyms are: “sole, single, exclusive, exceptional, inimitable, distinctive, matchless, and irreplaceable”.  Well that definition sort of fluffed my feathers a bit, sort of in the good way like a peacock fanning his tail.  If only, any, or all of those were true about me I might just grow a tail like a peacock.  But, I took the description as a compliment.  Who wouldn’t want to be exclusive, exceptional, inimitable, distinctive matchless and irreplaceable?  It wouldn’t even be too bad to be the sole or single one of a kind either.  Then I really would be DIFFERENT!  Thank you VFM for your kind words.  I think I now understand what you mean. 

I believe that UNIQUE would be a word in which we could describe most people.  Everyone has that special something that makes them, them.  Even identical twins are unique from each other regardless how identical they may appear on the outside.  I give credit to God for giving each of us our own special uniqueness, one of a kind stature.  Just remember how powerful your words are to those who hear them.  And it doesn’t have to be words describing them.  The things we say often leave deep impressions on others that can help change their lives for the better.  And sometimes do more damage than we ever thought imaginable.  Especially when spoken to children.  I just remembered a poem I wrote in the past about words.  I must leave very soon so my poem from the past will replace the poem I usually take time to write each evening.

 

Be Careful Little Mouth What You Say

By Kathleen Martens

April 12, 2013

 

Never under estimate

The ears of little ones,

Never assume they do not listen

While playing and having fun.

 

Children are like sponges

Absorbing all that is around,

Your words may someday haunt you

Returning with swift rebound.

 

Never speak in a room

About little one who’s there,

Though seemingly disinterested

Their hearts do really care.

 

Use your words carefully

And give praise where praise is due.

Make your comments positive,

Expectations are carried through.

 

Do not plant negative thoughts

About what they’ve already done.

Rather speak of all the good

Of your little ones.

 

Positive expectations

Go far in creating goals.

Set the minds on what is good

In those happy impressionable souls.

 

Say with love what you expect.

Speak of their hopes and plans

With encouragement and guidance,

Rather than behavior ban.

 

Children do what you do,

The words you say they believe.

Give them positive words of wisdom

And help them truth to see.

 

They are an example

Of the walk you walk.

And their mouths will speak

Of the talk you talk.

 

This is just a short blog but I wanted to leave you with some of my words.  I hope you enjoy the poem and take it to heart.

Good night and God bless you!

P.S.  IF ANYONE EVER TELLS YOU THAT YOU ARE DIFFERENT OR UNIQUE, TAKE IT AS A COMPLIMENT!

 

 

 

Sunday Sabbath  December 6 2015  EVERYDAY IS CHRISTMAS IN MY HEART

When I walked into the house after seeing the Christmas Pageant at the State Capitol I told Dave, “The Pageant always gets me into the spirit of Christmas”.  And then I retracted that sentence to say, “Actually, I feel like I have Christmas in my heart every day because I know Jesus is alive in me”.  And when I go to hear and view the story of Christmas all over again, and hear the singing, as I sing the words in my heart as the choirs sing, it somehow prepares me for the festivities in the days ahead.  We do so little in regards to decorating and gift swapping that we don’t really get caught up in the merchandising aspect of the “Holiday”.  Rather, it is more about worshiping and rejoicing over the fact that we are celebrating Christ’s Birth.  I wonder how many who celebrate Christmas really understand exactly what purpose Jesus had for being born?

I am including a poem here that I wrote four years ago about the reason Jesus came to earth as a baby.  As you read continue each line until you come to either a comma or period.  Often the entire thought takes up more than one line in a stanza.  I hope it will be easy to read and understand in the way it was written.

 

Born to Die So We Could Live

Kathleen Martens

November 29, 2011

 

God knows the beginning and the end,

And from the beginning he had a plan.

His ultimate desire to be man’s friend,

But walking with God in the garden was changed by man.

 

Sin entered the world—God planned ahead

That His Son would be the image of the Invisible God.

Without redemption man was dead,

So God gave His Son to change the odds.

 

He came as a Baby—vulnerable and alone,

In a temporary shelter—He brought hope to the world.

A king born without a throne,

No diadem or riches unfurled.

 

Just a Babe in Mary’s arms,

With a destiny—God’s divine plan

To provide escape from sin’s harm,

To provide redemption for all man.

 

To walk in humbleness—Jesus came as a baby

And God was please to have His fullness dwell in His Son.

Who Christ was, there was no doubt or maybe

That it was He, God’s appointed one.

 

Born to die—to redeem all who hear His voice,

He who is before all things and in whom all things hold together,

Not all who hear accept redemption’s choice

As some do not choose with God to tether.

 

So as you worship the birth we celebrate each year

Realize the reason that He came.

He came so that forever with us He is near,

And all we must do is call out His name.

 

He came as a babe so we could be set free.

Became our Savior in whom we confide,

We were reconciled to God by Christ’s death on the tree

And forever with Him we can choose to abide.

 

He was born so we might live

What a gift—He did give.

 

 

I have included some photos below this blog that I took this evening.  I hope you enjoy them.  Dave and I (especially me) enjoy the performance when we attend.  It was especially amazing this year as the choirs did an exceptionally beautiful presentation.  There is a huge choir that stands at the front (in the dark), and there is another choir with voices echoing the main choir.  The hidden choir is on the third floor.  It was quite crowded.  There are a few chairs for the elderly and infirmed and the rest of the crowd stands.  It is only 45 minutes long so it is not too difficult to stand for that length of time.  

It has been six weeks since Dave’s surgery.  The next two weeks are the crucial weeks for hernia healing.  He had two different foreign objects placed in his incision area.   His surgery was done through a large incision entrance above where the hernia was located.  He has the normal mesh that is used and his mesh was sewn in.  Often it is just placed over the herniated area and it will heal just fine.  Before he had the mesh inserted there was another object put in place that opened up once it was inserted and then supports the hernia.  I guess it depends on location and severity of the damaged area.  His surgery required this second step.  The doctor said that at six weeks the area would become quite inflamed and the body would start rejecting it.  This is the time that he must not do anything that would stress the area.  He was given strict orders to not bend at the waist very often, no vacuuming, no emptying the bottom level of the dishwasher or taking clothes out of the clothes dryer.  I think he liked those instructions! (I’m smiling).  He still tires a bit more quickly than he used to and takes little rests throughout the day.  Even with all that, he still does more than he should.  He is very helpful around the house and it is difficult for him to remember to not over do.  Oh yes, he went with me to the gym the other day so he could weigh.  He has lost a total of 67 pounds.  It is coming off a bit slower at present due to his lack of exercise.  He actually looks forward to getting back to the gym and working back up to a full workout.  That won’t happen until January.

Oh, by the way, while at the Capitol I checked to see if Anne Gaylor’s sign was still up about keeping church and state separate and it was there.  I had to search for it.  It was in an obscure location this year.  It wasn’t the first thing you saw as you walked up to the Christmas tree like it has been in years past.  That was kind of nice.

 

SO THAT WE MIGHT HAVE LIFE

By Kathleen Martens

December 6, 2015

 

Oh Lord, what joy in my heart

When I hear the choirs sing

About your birth so long ago

And the love that You bring.

 

Just a Babe in swaddling clothes

Born to save mankind.

Yet so many have not heard,

Your truth they’ve yet to find.

 

Thank you Holy Father above

For giving your only Son,

To redeem the sins of man,

Your Child, the perfect One.

 

He Himself was willing to die

That I someday would be with Him.

For He is the light of the world

That never will grow dim.

 

So when I think of Baby Jesus,

I too remember He suffered and died.

Just so my sins would be forgiven,

He was willing to be crucified.

 

And through that suffering there is hope

For every single woman and man.

That someday in eternity

With Jesus, by Your throne we’ll stand.

 

Wishing you a joyous time of celebrating the King of Kings who was born so you might have life, eternal life.

Good night.