So, we had a new roof put on in December, actually it was put on over the holidays, with about 14 days of work, give or take, from the 23rd of December to the 4th of January.

Guess what? The crew had to shovel snow off of the roof TWICE in order to put the new roof on. The old roof was 30 years old, and the sub roof was completely rotten in places.

High adventure in the freezing cold of Minnesota!

Well, needless to say, although the crew gave clean up the college try, I am out there now after snow melt picking up tons of trash, nails, ripped up shingles, and You-Name-It.

My gratitude for a new roof offsets my irritations.

I am so thankful for it.

The other had had hail damage, all sorts of issues. I am happy to be under a safer option now.

I don’t mind listening to the blue birds, the robins, and the frogs down in the pond either. It is good to be outdoors this time of year. We need the sunshine and fresh air. The peace heals my broken heart.

I do resent the pair of Canada geese that loudly announce their presence on the pond. They make a racket, for one, and they remind me of my soft heart—-

Canada geese mate for life. I have seen a grieving goose by a road-hit one too many times. They tend to stay and grieve for awhile, and I can’t take it.

I’ve always been tender toward animal behavior that shows loyalty or intelligence. This is one reason I look forward to the millenium so much. I cannot wait to enjoy God’s creatures there.

So, as this pair (which I am pretty sure was here last year) settles in to raise their goslings I am rudely reminded of my own loss.

You marry for life.

My parents are coming up on their 65th wedding anniversary. I had fully expected to make that event with my husband.

I’m not going to.

I will see him again, that is for sure. Right now I have to face a lonely outlook. I’m the goose by the side of the road. I’m looking a little lost. I’m trying to make sense of the situation.

Still.

I may honk a bit in frustration. That seems to be my modus operandi since Brian went to be with Jesus.

Life is hard.

I know it is good, but it is hard.

Come, Lord Jesus!

MARANATHA!

I have not been watching the news. It’s so depressing. I heard about the tanker that blocked the Suez canal. I hear about vaccine ids. I read about the reactions to vaccines.

For the most part I look out the window at the sun in the morning and immerse myself in the Scriptures and the fellowship of like-minded believers.

It takes courage to buck the world, but the joy in Jesus is worth it all.

I know that the divisions of this past year—-the scourge and politics— impacted all of us, some more than others.

I’m trying to see this in a positive light. Learn from my wrenching experience.

I have had the leitmotif of grief and loss overarching politics and the scourge. It gives perspective.

I do think you are absolutely crazy if you think mRNA is going to solve your problems. I think you have a death wish. Really. That is your decision, but I think you are nuts.

I will love you anyway.

I think you are absolutely out of your mind to like a president who has dementia. I think you are crazy to love socialism or communism. I think you have lost your marbles if you justify abortion in any way. (Even in vaccines)

I think you are out of it.

There’s the definition. We are not on the same page when you have submitted to the globalist agenda of being vaccinated.

We’re not in Kansas anymore. The elites have been tightening the noose gradually and indoctrinating the masses of sheep via the media, and too many people (that I know personally!) have bowed to the god of this world.

Thankfully my parents and my kids are still holding to a higher power.

Our days our numbered by God alone. Not a vaccine, not a disease, not war or crime. God alone.

Too many have lost that truth in their lives. Those who chose to bow to the elites and their agenda may have a reckoning of sorts. Jesus said, “Do not tempt the Lord Thy God.”

We all can make stupid decisions.

Better to trust the God who made our DNA, our genetic make-up.

I have seen the damage. I have also seen medical successes.

The trials for the current “vaccines” are over in January 2023. You are now an official experiment if you have been “vaccinated.” This mRNA injection is not a vaccine, per se, it is a nanoparticle containing messenger RNA to rewrite pathogens from your cells.

Just do a gnat’s eyelash of research.

I guess too many people are JUST LAZY.

(Sloth)

It IS easier to turn on the news and listen to the Spiel. Indoctrination is powerful.

The division that is happening is about to get Biblical: Wheat from Tares, Goats from Sheep, Good Seed from Bad.

Hunker down, fellow believers. Jesus will see us through this.

You don’t need a vaccine. Your immune system + ivermectin, or other prophylactics will do JUST FINE.

I had the scourge in March of 2020. I got my sense of smell back in September. I take Ivermectin every time I get a slight cough now. My immune system is handling the scourge pretty well.

My aged parents are also doing well minus any outside help.

I lived and worked in the petri dish of humanity, doing stranger’s laundry at the hotel—cleaning, etc. My immune system (with Jesus) has been enough.

I’m truly sorry for you if you have had the jab. I don’t relate to you on a deep level anymore because I know you have bowed to the gods of this world.

More division. More loss.

Those who are awake knew this was coming. It’s still heartbreaking to see it happen.

I think there are many people still clinging to this life more than the one to come.

For me, no compromise.

Maranatha!

One thing about Veggie Tales that I recall from listening to the song tape was the one about the water buffalo.

Everybody has a water buffalo—

There is always something that is in our thought process that we want to keep that doesn’t line up with the Word of God.

I know this. The process of stripping everything away from my life —husband, brother, dreams, plans, (the list goes on…)—has made me see the purity of God’s promises in a clearer light.

He will never leave me, nor forsake me.

I bet some of you think He is punishing me. I understand. I’ve asked the same question. Why did so much go crazy “wrong” over the last two years?

He’s refining me. Punishment? Perhaps. I am a sinner. I do not justify my sins at all. I know them, confess them, turn from them daily and seek God’s face to help me overcome.

I sin.

Jesus paid for my sin on the cross. I do not want to sin that grace may abound. I want to live a life that is pleasing to my God.

The refining fire is rather hot lately. Suffering is the name of the game. Why, Lord? How long?

How long?

I’ve held to some “water buffaloes” over the years. They are really hard to give up, even when Scripture contradicts them on the face.

For me the biggest one was evolution. I had to face that the creation account in Genesis was real and true. This evolution water buffalo, when pitched out, completely redefined my worldview.

I was a Christian, but my worldview was not Biblical.

Now I have a Biblical worldview and other water buffaloes are pretty obvious.

-Women pastors

-Marriage after divorce

-Divorce

-Critical Theory

-Sodomy

-Abortion

-Drunkeness

-Authority

Did I tap your water buffalo? Do you justify and cling to something on this list? You could probably come up with a whole list of water buffaloes that you see in other people. I find that my own are much easier to ignore than the ones I see in others. Did I step on your toes?

Believers are held to a different standard. Believers are at many different stages, the Holy Spirit moves in each believer to convict and strengthen, uphold and seal. No human brain can comprehend the transformation all at once.

I love those stories of addicts being filled with the Holy Spirit and completely forsaking the past! God is great.

I love Caryl Matrisciana’s story of her momentous conversion, the conviction of sin that dawned on her immediately. Powerful.

This Holy Spirit transformation is the most powerful, life-changing thing in our world. I know this.

We can fight it, cling to water buffaloes, be tempted —(You know those Seven Deadlies: Pride, Anger, Lust, Envy, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth) but the Holy Spirit ALWAYS offers a way out and forgiveness.

God’s great order is obvious to the believer. Don’t fight it. Don’t twist Scripture to justify your water buffalo.

I’m lifting my foot now.

Maranatha!

I am a musical person. My list of musical credentials are as follows:

Voice, piano, flute, guitar, pipe organ, recorder, harp, oboe (badly), viola (badly), and now I’ve got a Double Bass in the house which I am keeping for my friend who is moving away. Its deep voice gives me thrills when I pluck those strings.

My big things now are voice and flute. I play the piano as if it is a part of my breathing, but I’m no longer very good at it. I sight read everything. I make a pretty good substitute for the music program at my school.

I was the student band conductor in high school, and I love conducting the choirs at the Middle School and High School.

For my alto voice I have soloed in “The Messiah,” by Handel, and Benjamin Britton’s Ceremony of Carols. I sang in a girl’s group (Daughters of the King) back in high school with my friends. I’ve sung with several community choirs in Louisiana, Texas, and Iowa. I sang with the Northern Lights Chorale for 10 years, the Minnetonka Choral Society for 3 seasons.

I love to sing. I love music. I’ve been a church pianist, soloist, and choir member as I was able and asked.

I believe music is absolutely powerful, and that God made it to glorify Himself through our ability to make music.

I love the mathematical format, the symmetry, the harmony, and the emotional energy.

I know the power of praise music to dispel depression. I know the power of J.S. Bach to dispel mania. I’ve experienced that.

This year I have listened to Ola Gjeilo’s music almost every single day. His ponderous Norwegian background has genetically linked with my own Norwegian background—perhaps also the Swedish in me. I remember a thought from Isabella Rosselini about her Swedish days (dark) and her Italian days (light). I think there is a depth or heaviness to the Scandinavian background. Maybe it is the darkness of the winters.

His music soothes and speaks for me.

I needed it this year.

Sometimes my own grief was just a black mass in my chest. This music breathed for me.

I’m grateful to him for composing such healing music for grief for me. In particular I listened to the recording by Voces8, a song called “The Lake Isle.” That CD is wonderful. I can never be tired of it. I feel it is my spirit’s message.

It helps to know Brian and I shared our love for Gjeilo’s music! I feel it honors my late husband in a way when I listen to it. It is almost like being able to share the beauty with him while he enjoys heaven.

I think about heaven a lot when I’m listening to Gjeilo’s works. It’s heavenly.

When you see me weeping in the truck as I drive down the highway you will know that I am listening to Gjeilo.

It’s helping me.

(But please still say a prayer for me, because I need that!)

Maranatha!

It was just over two weeks ago when the phone rang at 6:00 am. That is something normal for substitute teachers, but this day I was surprised because the students are mostly distance learning on Fridays. It was a Friday.

It was my mom. My dad had had a medical emergency.

It turned out to be a stroke, and fairly mild, by all accounts.

Oh, how we thank the Father in Heaven!

These past two weeks have been a gradual acclimation to a new normal. My dad is doing his exercises faithfully, remembering to follow his protocol, and everyone is trying to adjust.

My dear brother came from New York and stayed with our parents night and day while the first adjustments became routine.

In the meantime I have adjusted my life to accommodate my dad’s needs.

I am not subbing, and I took a hiatus from my hotel job. I dropped my graduate studies for now. Basically I gave up my own schedule. I cannot think of anything that is still the same. Ed, Cheri, and I make sure someone is always backing up my mom with my dad’s needs. We have hired a good friend to be a nighttime backup for most nights.

Because my mom has a heart problem she absolutely needs her sleep, so nights are critical, restful ones.

I have felt the need for good sleep for quite some time. I can handle the days far better, the depression, the adrenaline better when I’ve slept. Bless Paul, our friend. He’s been wonderful.

So, life changes. I don’t know how long before my dad can be more mobile and back to a sort of normal. He’s 94, so it may never be quite like it was. He sure is getting better quickly, so I attribute that to God’s answered prayer.

You know, when you’ve been through so much you really wonder about God answering prayer. He does, even in the midst of hard times.

It’s a perspective thing.

We are not promised happiness, health, wealth, or anything of this earth. We are warned of hardship and trial, poverty and loss. Grief. That is the existence of the human being.

But we are promised joy in the midst of trouble.

Expectations are tricky things.

I wrote an essay on expectations in high school. I remember thinking about how damaging they are! When you have no expectations you really cannot be too disappointed in any circumstance.

I think that is the way we are supposed to live.

Our eyes need to be fixed on Jesus.

It is the time to announce that my Margaret decided to get married in January. I was left out of the entire thing, as I disapproved. I guess I expected things to go a little slower, a little more reasonably.

After dating a young man for one month she decided to marry him.

A very good and old friend played accomplice in the marriage, and left me out of the equation. I felt the loss keenly. I guess I should not have had any expectations about friendships and obligations.

I have learned to give them to the Lord.

I had to learn again to give them to the Lord.

May the Lord be glorified, even in my loss.

Again, for the 8 of you who read my blog regularly, you are the ones who know. Others have learned our news through different circumstances.

I really don’t know how to do life very well, but I’ll have to shore up my gains and cut my losses.

Brian is a loss to my life, now Margaret.

I’ve had loss. I know loss.

At the base of my well of loss is the Holy Spirit who knows my heart and soul. No one else can judge me! God alone, the merciful lover of my soul is my Redeemer and strength.

God is good. He is good all the time.

He allows these hardships to teach us, to draw us to Himself. Life may not turn out as you expected. Corgi Hollows knows this deeply.

What are my expectations?

Certainly they are not welcome here!

Better to get on the time wagon and see where it heads next.

I know the driver. I trust Him.

Maranatha!

(Can’t Wait!!!!!!) 🙂 🙂 🙂

I’m convinced of it. I believe that God enjoys the glory we give Him for his goodness and his greatness!

When we claim the honor in something that God clearly had a part in bringing about we rob Him of his glory.

God is great, and God is good. He is love and He is merciful. He is the righteous judge.

He has the power to overcome the physical limitations that we are aware of. He acts within and through his creation supernaturally.

Because of this I have utter confidence in His power to bring about the impossible!

I fully believe that Christ literally rose, was resurrected, from the dead 2,000 years back. This is something that goes beyond all mental understanding, all scientific knowledge!

Jesus was dead, for three days, and then he miraculously became alive again—-not just a spirit but a body—a physical body!

The Shroud of Turin bears a fascinating image that suggests an X-ray or radioactively imprinted miracle.

I happen to know that X-rays weren’t around much in 33 A.D..

I know a little history, ya know.

I don’t put anything past the supernatural world, but the Shroud of Turin seems to be one place were it intersected dimensions and left a lasting mark.

The shroud is dated to the time of Christ. The shroud is a piece of woven linen filled with pollen and seeds native to the Holy Land. Scientists can trace the actual path of the shroud, the map of where it has traveled over 2,000 years by analyzing the flora and fauna in the weave.

The shroud bears an image of a crucified man, it has blood stains, which have been tested for DNA.

The wounds of the man fully and completely match the wounds that Christ was reported to have had inflicted on Him while on the cross and before. The man wears a crown of thorns.

I believe, like others, that some type of energy burst imprinted the image of Christ on the cloth at the moment of Resurrection.

The shroud is mentioned in Scripture. It was clearly preserved by the early church, and held in high esteem. Those whom it passed on to also seemed aware of its origin. The Shroud was miraculously preserved through this time, even until now, when we have the joy of using modern science techniques to analyze and understand it better!

What a witness for this age.

Christ arose.

One time someone said that in order to identify with Christ, be saved, one must believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

That resurrection sure sticks in the craw of those who refuse to believe. There are “pastors” who do not believe in the resurrection.

They are the Sadducees of today, refusing to acknowledge the impossible becoming possible.

God gets the glory in Christ’s resurrection.

He alone deserves our praise.

Maranatha, Lord Jesus!

Many people are running after worldly, earthly success. Whether it is fame or fortune, love, fulfilled lusts and desires, satisfaction, security—all the things the mind and body are attracted to, we are in the race to “make it.”

God acknowledges this. He made many of these desires in our hearts and they can be disciplined for His good.

Disciplined desire.

He has promised to provide for our needs, and yet He allows suffering and hardship in each of our lives.

Where is the border between suffering and satisfaction?

Satan knows the appeal of success, and that may his first ploy in tearing the heart from truth.

If that doesn’t work (and it usually does) he may use a frontal attack.

Satan cannot win. He has already been defeated, so in light of that truth we can observe our daily lives with the perspective of the final outcome: eternal life.

It really isn’t about this life after all. It is about the next.

As I ponder the powers of this earth, the global monarchs of tech and wealth, I wonder if they see the fleetingness of this existence, especially compared to the one to come.

He that is faithful in little will be given much.

That is the goal of every Christ-follower.

Being faithful.

What much will be given will be in the life to come.

The life that exists for eternity.

Don’t mess up this one. Get your eternity settled before pursuing the lusts of this flesh here.

God may give you health and wealth, beauty and peace, success and love here on earth. He has given me all of that…

But it really isn’t about this life.

He is preparing us for His kingdom, for His service, for our new role as His own.

The prep is just beginning.

I am coming soon.

Jesus promised this, and He is King. Two thousand earth years to Jesus is a blink. He is coming soon.

In an effort to understand my daughters’ generation better, to relate to the hows and whys of their choices I spent time watching three “K-dramas.” I knew these were popular with my girls over the past few years. I understood that Korean drama was relatively innocent, high school stuff, far more wholesome than American culture television and media.

I didn’t bother to watch for myself.

But now I did. I watched the most popular ones (I think) and saw that they are indeed fairly innocent, that the heroes and heroines are morally good and the plot lines involved fashion and food. It is easy to get sucked into the beauty and the sweet.

The last one I watched (with Cherie) was one called “The King, Eternal Monarch.” Very lush, and an intriguing plot.

As I watched it I thought about the supernatural themes that reflected the promises of our Real Eternal King Jesus.

Not just sci-fi, rom-com, —-the truth is that Jesus IS coming, and He IS King.

Happy endings are for us, the believers.

This hope can give us the strength to “wait a little longer,” as the fictitious king in the K-drama implored his lady. I saw the imagery.

My King is coming. He promised.

My Jewish Carpenter King is coming.

Just wait a little longer.

Are you ready? Are you watching?

Wait.

Maranatha.

Like never before (and I’ve always struggled through March) I am weeping my days through this month.

God has given gentle temps these weeks, but the rains/sleets/snows have come per usual. I, too, have been weeping, and that is a sign that my shock has begun to wear off, as I was just numb for months. I weep like the sky.

Somehow I believe that this heaviness of spirit will once abate. One does not live without hope.

I heard recently from a source that the evil at the upper echelons of our world is waxing so great we’d be unable to comprehend it.

Knowing the spiritual forces of darkness are being restrained right now gives me comfort, but also it gives us a glimpse of that incredible power.

Greater is He who is In you, than he that is in the world.

Jesus wins.

The choice is always ours to pick the winner. Since we know the winner, it seems ridiculous to pick the loser.

I guess people won’t know without a preacher.

So, amidst my weeping I will continue to proclaim the message of salvation. Time is so short. Prophesied events are unfolding all around us and we must be aware of how little margin is left.

Repent. The kingdom of heaven is truly at hand. Weeping will not endure. Joy comes in the morning.

God wins.

Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you today. Commit your life in faith to Christ Jesus, believing He died for your sins on the cross and rose again the third day.

The resurrection is real. The supernatural is real.

God is real.

Get over your own limitations and choose life.

Maranatha!