Birthday Reflections

I learned in Bible class once that you could divide the life of Moses into 3 40-year parts. His first 40 years were spent in Egypt, the next 40 years he was a shepherd, and he spent his last 40 years with the Israelites wondering around in the desert.

It seems like my life can be divided up into thirds too. The first 20 years I was a kid. The next 20 was spent having and raising kids of my own. And now, as a 40-something grown-up, I'm enjoying life in a new way. I have the freedom to be and do pretty much anything my conscience, aging body, and pocketbook will allow.

The one who said, "Life begins at 40," wasn't kidding. This is a great time in my life. Not that the first 40 years weren't, but I'm finding a peace and contentment and, as Susan Ann likes to call it, an attitude of gratitude that has blessed and surprised me as I age. Growing old isn't such a bad thing. I think the older I get, the better I get. I don't say that to brag. I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for lots of hard lessons learned along the way. I still have a lot to learn, (Proverbs 10:19, Proverbs 11:2, Micah 6:8 and Colossians 3:23 to name a few) but here's what I've figured out about life so far.

1. God is everything. (That's why He calls himself, "I AM.")
2. Everything happens for a reason.
3. Begin every day and every task with mediation on God’s Word and prayer, and all will be well.
4. Less is more.
5. The secret of contentment: Focus on the positive... what you have instead of what you wish you had; where you are instead of where you wish you were; who you are instead of who you wish you were.
6. Rejoice always! God loves you.

I feel like there should be 7, but I can't think of another one to put there. Maybe I will over the next 20 years. Or maybe one of you can add number 7!

And now, a few pictures…one from each of the phases of my life thus far...

1967
 (I'm the one on Dad's lap.)

1995

2011

Hallelujah!

I have always loved to sing. Walking home from school, doing chores around the farm, listening to LP’s on the living room floor… I spent my childhood singing my heart out.

As soon as I was old enough, I joined any and every choir I could. I was voted most dedicated choir member in high school, and was our college choir’s alto section leader.

Singing was my life. Still, I was not offended or surprised when my college voice instructor told me, “You do not have a soloist’s voice.” I knew my voice was made for singing in a choir, and that suited me just fine. I’ll never forget the first time I felt the joy of singing faith-centered music hand-in-hand with faith-filled brothers and sisters in Christ in the Bethany Lutheran College Choir. It wasn’t just notes. It was so much more. A prayer. A holy offering to the Lord. A taste of heaven. The ultimate.

Or was it?

One day during rehearsal for a small singing group I was in, our director made this statement: “Someday each of you will most likely direct a church choir.” I do not remember why he said it, or what he said next. All I remember thinking was, “Really! Direct? Me? What would that be like? To stand in front of a group of singers, and not join them in song, but lead them in song?” I wasn’t sure, but I wanted to find out.

But how could I? I wasn’t a music major. I wasn’t an anything major. Bethany was a two-year college in those days, and I ended up graduating with an Associate of Arts degree. You can’t do much with an Associate of Arts degree, so I got married. Then came baby number one, followed by baby number two, and babies number three and four. But even through those Mommy years, I still sang in church choirs. And that dream of one day directing never left me.

Then came the summer of 1997. Our church choir director was stepping down, and I knew they were looking for his replacement. Was this my chance? Was I ready? I didn’t know. So I asked the one who knows everything. I got down on my knees and prayed, and prayed, and prayed. I prayed so much I wondered if God was sick of me. But then I remembered the parable of the persistent neighbor (See Luke 11:5-8) and I prayed some more.

Perhaps you’re wondering why I didn’t just call the Pastor and tell him I wanted to direct. Well, I thought about it. Believe me. But I figured if God thought it was time, he’d make it happen. And you know what, he didn’t. The elders asked someone else to do it. That was hard, but looking back, I thank and praise him for that. I would have made a mess of things there. I can see that now.

Fast-forward to 2009. My friend Ron was director of the Southwest Area Lutheran Chorale, and was looking for another person to share those duties. Again, I went to the Lord in prayer. Is this my time? Then one Sunday morning, I went up to Ron and asked him. “I don’t know if this is a crazy idea, but do you think I could try directing this year, just a few songs?”

“I don’t think that’s crazy at all,” he replied, and I my heart rejoiced.

The following spring I directed 3 songs for the Chorale. The experience was about twice as hard as I thought it would be, and about 10 times as wonderful!

This year I’m directing the Chorale again. I have pretty much the second half the concert, 7 songs. Those 7 songs are twice as hard as the 3 I did last year, but I think I’m enjoying it 100 times as much. I’m less nervous this year, and better able to listen to what’s going on, and discern what needs to be done to get the best out of “my” choir. I wouldn’t say I’m an excellent director, but I’m getting there.

I also think the Chorale is getting used to me, and trusting me more, and that’s huge. I have a book called “A Novice’s Guide to Directing the Church Choir.” In it, the author talks about building a “rapport” with your choir. I think that’s just a fancy word for them getting used to you. Trust me, I know my personality takes some getting used to! But God has blessed me with this opportunity to do what I love in service to him and his people. I’m humbled, honored, and thrilled beyond words. And I’m so, so, grateful to the members of the Chorale for coming to practices, taking my direction, and especially for encouraging me along the way. You guys are the best!

And now I’d like to invite you to come to our concerts this Sunday, April 10^th. I’ve posted the times and locations below, but get this - You don’t even have to fill your gas tanks to join us! Our concert at 7:00 pm is being live streamed from the St. John’s, Sleepy Eye website. Just go to this site www.stjohnsse.com and click on the live worship link.

I hope you can make it, if not physically, then on-line. Join with us as we sing God’s praise, Hallelujah!

IMPORTANT NOTE: I’ve written a lot in this blog about me and my journey from singer, to choir-member, to director. But I hope you see the bigger picture here. It’s not about me. It’s about what God has done for me. Not only has he adopted me into the family of believers and filled my heart with joy, he’s letting me use the gifts he has given me to express that joy in song, along with my brothers and sisters in Christ. What a blessing that is!

ADDITIONAL NOTE: Another huge blessing to the Chorale, and both Jim and me, is our very gifted and dedicated accompanist. This is her third year playing piano for the Chorale, and she does an amazing job! She comes to every rehearsal, and puts in hours and hours of practicing at home as well to get ready for these concerts. She is a special gal, and I’m not just saying that because she’s my baby number three. Thanks, Danica! We couldn’t do it without you!

ONE LAST NOTE: When we were selecting our songs for this year’s concert, I kept bumping into the Hallelujah Chorus. I heard it on the radio, on the internet. It was everywhere. I took it as a sign from above, and suggested we add it to our list. No one voted it down, so it’s the last song I direct, our big finish. The only thing more moving to me than singing that piece, is directing it.

Hallelujah! And he shall reign forever and ever. Hallelujah!

Southwest Area Lutheran Chorale Concerts

April 10, 2011

Zion Lutheran in Morton, MN 2:30 pm

St. John Lutheran in Sleepy Eye, MN 7:00 pm

Spring Cleaning

Last week OMG became a word. I find that disturbing.

Not that texting shortcuts are making their way into our speech. That's bound to happen. What I am concerned about is the use of this new word, as well as the original phrase it comes from, in our casual conversations.

I'm sure many of my readers think I'm getting worked up over nothing. Most people don't think of OMG as swearing. It's just something people say to express surprise. It doesn't mean anything, so what's the big deal?

It may not be a big deal to us, but it is a big deal to God. So much so, that he even made a commandment about it. Right after, "You shall have no other gods," and a few before, "You shall not kill," the Lord of all creation commands us, "Do not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain." Remember that one?

Yeah. It's a big deal to him. And if it's a big deal to God, I think it should be a big deal to us too. Hence...this blog.

Still, I know many of you out there use the phrase. And maybe right about now you're feeling a bit perturbed with me for bringing it up. I understand. No one likes to be lectured. But before you exit my blog please do me one favor and read on. I have a few tips for you that may actually help.

Tip number one: Try bringing in a new phrase into your personal repertoire of exclamations to replace OMG.
Here are a few suggestions:
Oldies but Goodies:
Leapin' Lizards!
Fiddlesticks!
Hot Diggety!
From Cartoons:
Suffering Succotash! (Sylvester the Cat)
Wowsers! (Inspector Gadget)
Hey! Hey! Hey! (Fat Albert)
Too old school? Try these...
Snap!
ACK
w00t

Or be an original and make up your own. Everyone's vocabulary can use a little freshening up from time to time. Give it a try.

Tip number two: If you do slip and you hear the Lord's name used without thought, let it be a reminder to think of him! For example. You come home and find someone has left your front door wide open. Before you know it, you hear, "Oh my God!" escape from your lips. Quickly follow it with, "Please help me to forgive whoever forgot to close the door, and please don't let there be anything wild in there waiting for me. In your Holy Name I pray. Amen." Simple.

Tip number three: When texting, try smileys. I love smileys and use them often .

:( says a lot.

So does :0 or ;D

And don't underestimate the power of running exclamation points. See!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Very effective.

And so I encourage you to celebrate spring with a fresh, new, God-pleasing vocabulary. You'll be glad you did, and so will the Lord!

ttfn

(If you don't know what ttfn means, google it!)

Interesting note: According to Wikipedia, google became a word in 2009, and was first used by Gary Page, founder of Google, in 1998. Since then, Google has asked people not to use google, unless they are referring specifically to searching with the Google search engine. They don't want the word to become generic, like the words Kleenex, and Frisbee. Anyways, I thought it was interesting.

Linette Writes About Writing

Hello, Readers.

This week I’m going to write about writing.

I like to write. But you know that. I write blogs each week, so I must like to do it. Otherwise why would I? (The answer to that question will soon be revealed. Read on!)

I also like to write stories. If you read my blog a few weeks ago, you know that too. I’m working on a novel…or trying to. I also enjoy writing letters, emails, promo ads for work… pretty much anything.

Whenever I write, or whenever anyone writes, it’s important for them to know who their audience is.

For example, when I write a letter to my mom, I figure Mom’s the one who’ll read it, of course. But I also know she’ll probably let Dad look at it too. It’s a good thing for me to keep in mind.

Or when I write an ad, the first thing I need to know is - who’s this for? Am I trying to get students to shop the Bookstore, or are we trying to appeal to a wider customer base? The words I use, as well as the length, style and subject matter depend on the answers to those questions.

But when I write in my journal, as I do each morning, I can write whatever I want, any way I want. Why? Because other than the Lord who sees all, I know no one else is going to read it but me. And I don’t care if my penmanship is a mess, or if I misspell words. And I certainly don’t have to worry that what I say is too emotional, too trivial, too blunt, or too deep. I can, and do, write about anything. Writing without an audience to worry about is a joy.

Ramona Czer wrote a book about journal writing I really like. It’s called The Tablet of my Heart – Journal Writing for Spiritual Growth. (If you are at all interested in journaling but don’t know how to start, I encourage you to get a copy of this book.) In it she lists 7 reasons to keep a Journal:

1. KEEP A JOURNAL IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND YOUR UNIQUUE THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS

2. KEEP A JOURNAL IF YOU WANT TO LEARN TO PRAY HONESTLY AND COMPLETELY.

3. KEEP A JOURNAL IF YOU WANT TO EXERCISE YOUR POWERS OF OBSERVATION.

4. KEEP A JOURNAL IF YOU HAVE STRONG EMOTIONS YOU NEED TO WORK THROUGH.

5. KEEP A JOURNAL IF YOU NEED TO DISCOVER YOUR GOALS AND MAKE PLANS TO PURSUE THEM.

6. KEEP A JOURNAL IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A RICH MEMENTO TO PASS ON TO YOUR DESCENDANTS.

7. KEEP A JOURNAL IF YOU HOPE TO WRITE SOMEDAY FOR OTHERS.

Six of those fit me perfectly. However, I decided a while ago that the 6^th one, KEEP A JOURNAL IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A RICH MEMENTO TO PASS ON TO YOUR DESCENDANTS, wouldn’t work for me. I’d roll over in my grave if any of my descendants got a hold of my journals after I was gone!

Certainly, I will save them, and reread them when I’m feeling nostalgic. I may refer back to them, and even incorporate parts of them into other things I write. But it’s better if they are not shared with all of humanity. No. That’s what my blog is for.

Which brings me to why I blog. Just as my letters to Mom are for Mom (and Dad), and the ads I write at work are for our customers, my blogs are actually a gift I hope to give my grand kids one day; “a rich memento to pass down to my descendants.”

You see, a few years ago I really thought a lot about what I should be writing and why. I know I’m not a phenomenal writer. If I ever finish my novel, it might be entertaining to some, but it won’t win any Pulitzer Prizes. I don’t hold any illusions about that. But I do love to write. And I believe that my love of writing, and whatever ability I have as a writer, are from above. It’s a gift. And as with all gifts, it’s my responsibility not to waste it, but to figure out how best to use it.

I finally decided, after much deliberation, that I wanted to write something I could pass down to my grandchildren, and maybe even their children, and so on, and so on, as long as anyone cared what old Gramma Nettie had to say. At first I called this collection of short musings, Letters from Grandma. I began with the intention to write one letter a month. But as is often the case, great intentions don’t carry you too far. I soon realized the deadline for completing my magnum opus was a bit far off. I don’t even have any grand kids yet. And even if I did, it’ll be years, maybe even decades, before they’re old enough to care to read my collection of stories, advice, and ramblings. With a deadline like that, procrastination soon set in. I needed something to spur me on.

So I formed a writer’s group. I’d been in one before, years ago, and it was extremely helpful. But it was hard to find people to join it. I got a few interested individuals, and we had a couple of meetings, but eventually even those people became too busy, and my writer’s group was no more.

Then one morning, without much thought, I typed “blog” in the search box on my computer screen. One of the ladies in my short-lived writer’s group said she had a blog. I wondered if having one of my own would help motivate me to write. Within an hour this site was up and running. I was a blogger, just like that.

My goal was to post once a week, and except for the last week in December when I took a little Christmas vacation, I’ve kept it. But that doesn’t really surprise me. I like to write, remember? What surprises me is that… wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles… people are reading my blog! I honestly didn’t expect that. And whenever it happens and people mention it or post a comment, I’m just amazed. Not only am I a blogger, I’m a blogger with followers. Who’dah thunk?

But, I still want this blog to be a gift to my descendants. It’s for them…my future grandsons and granddaughters. They may just be a figment of my imagination now, but I trust they’ll arrive one day. And when they grow up, and they’re old enough, I’ll give a copy of this blog and all the others to them… in a big fat 3-ring binder…or more likely, on a high-tech flash drive of some sort. However it’s delivered, I hope they’ll treasure it, as much as I treasure them, because I know I will.

That doesn’t mean you, my friend, family member, or stranger from 2011, can’t read and enjoy my blogs too. I’m glad you are. I’m thrilled, actually. Cuz, you know what? Journaling without an audience is a joy, but writing to an audience is even better.

Thanks for reading.

Walls, Boulders, and Wings

Oprah Winfrey has a column in her magazine she calls, “What I Know For Sure,” where she asks successful people to share their wisdom by completing that sentence. If I were ever considered a successful person by the editors at “O” and were asked to complete that sentence I think I’d say something like this:

What I know for sure is that we do not walk through this life alone. There is a wise and loving God who is ready, willing and able to show us his good pleasing and perfect will for our lives.

Do those words sound familiar? They come from one of my favorite chapters of the Bible, Romans 12.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

It’s taken me a while, but I think I’ve figured how to do that... how to test and approve what God’s will is. I use a method I like to call walls, boulders and wings.

Walls – I have a very active imagination. Ideas are forever popping up in my head. So when an idea comes to me I generally go for it. But sometimes my ideas are not in line with God’s plan for me. And God shows me this by putting a wall in my way. Here’s an example. A few years back I was thinking of joining a choir that meets in Mankato. I went to one of their concerts, talked to the director, and was all set to try out. Then I found out they rehearse on Tuesday nights. Tuesday nights we have hand-bell practice. That was a wall for me. Sure, I was a bit disappointed, but not too much. I figured it was God’s way of showing me he didn’t really want me to be in that choir after all, and I was okay with that. Who am I to question God’s will?

Boulders – Boulders may look a bit like walls when you first come to them, but there are ways to get around (or climb over, or dig under, or drill through) a boulder. For lack of a better example, let me tell you what we had for lunch yesterday. I was going to make barbecued chicken and fries. I preheated the oven and threw in some frozen french fries. Then I took a couple of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut them into bite-sized pieces, and fried them up. When it came time to add the barbeque sauce, I hit a boulder. We were out. Hummm. Now what? Well, I used to make a stir fry with chicken and green peppers that was pretty good. I had a few green peppers in the fridge, so I chopped some up and threw them in the pan. But my old stir fry recipe was never all that exciting. I wondered if a little teriyaki sauce might be nice. It was worth a try. Just as I was about to put that in, I remembered what Sara Evers once told me about corn starch; that it helps make a gravy in stir fries. Even though I had a box of corn starch in the cupboard for years, I’d never once used it for cooking. (I only got it to make oobleck. The video at the end of this blog will show you what oobleck is.) So I sprinkled a little corn starch in the pan, and then added the teriyaki. By the time the fries were done I had created a brand new dish that even my 16-yr. old son declared was “pretty good,” high praise coming from him. The meal was a hit, and it was only because of those boulders which sent me in a new and unexpected direction. To God be the Glory!

Wings – If you’ve ever ended up in a good place without really knowing how you got there, that’s the way it is when God picks you up in his wings and carries you. Things just sort of happen the way they were supposed to happen. You might hear something on the radio that gets you thinking, or bump into someone who tells you something that plants a seed in your head. The ways and means God uses are beyond my comprehension, but what God ordains always happens, and it’s always good.

As active as my imagination is, it’s no match for God’s will. The Bible describes God as being able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine. Immeasurably more! What an exciting road we are on. So don’t get down when you stub your toe on that boulder. Figure out how to get around it. And if that boulder turns out to be a wall, rejoice! God’s will is being revealed to you. His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

ONE VERY IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL NOTE: I can’t write a blog (or an article for “O” magazine) about the way God guides us through life without mentioning two critical components: faith and prayer. My walls, boulders, and wings method will only work if you know without a doubt that you have a Lord and Savior, and look to His Word as your number one authority on who he is and where he’ll take you. Secondly, enjoying frequent, if not constant dialog with your Lord through prayer is essential to following God’s will for your life. What a privilege to say “Thy will be done,” and know that it will!

And now, a cute little video about corn starch suspension, also known as "oobleck."