Angel in an Armchair.

My husband and I bought a home in a poor urban neighborhood. I would like to say we intentionally chose this neighborhood for it’s challenges and to experience the power of God through prayer. I would like to say that, but, the reality is, we are poor. It made sense. I would like to add that although the reason we moved here was financial; we held to the hope that we would experience God in this neighborhood, because we live here.
Six years ago homeless people ate apples from our tree, we had hopes to start a bible study, we prayed for this neighborhood, we prayed for it’s leaders and we prayed for safety. Then, on a hot august night, during the busiest time on the streets, the police conducted a drug raid in a house at the end of our block, shots were fired; and rumors started. Before sundown, a riot had begun, the police retreated, and the journalists who had come out to cover the story had locked themselves in a news van, while their other vehicle was in flames. We prayed that night too.
Since then, life has gotten very busy; my husband is in seminary full time, we are both working full time; and I am auditing classes at the seminary when it fits my schedule. I am still hopeful for the neighborhood, but I don’t pray nearly as much; but to my credit, I am committed to living here, although I hardly ever see my neighbors or walk outside alone. I have lost my sense of purpose. What am I doing here?
While auditing classes at the seminary, I took a class about angels and demons. I had no idea what to expect, but am definitely curious what the bible says about the spiritual realm. One of the books in the class is about angels. Some people believe we have angels watching over us, that we each have one angel or many angels. I paused while reading this book, and took some time to pray. Living with fear, it would be nice to believe that God has sent me an angel; and so... without serious intent, I ask “show me my angel”. However, just as suddenly as my request ends, I see, in my mind’s eye, an angel. I see a tall angel, very tall, maybe 7-8 foot tall, broad shoulders; with what I suspect to be a gorgeous wingspan that I can only imagine, because his wings are closed. This Giant of an angel is sitting on our living room chair which is entirely to small for him, his wings are arching over the back of the chair; his size is glorious. He is truly a warrior! But, he’s sitting on our living room chair, his elbows resting on his knees, and his cheeks resting in his open hands. He is a warrior angel and he is completely bored. He is bored out of his mind. This surprised me, but than I knew, “Of course he’s bored, I’m just sitting here reading a book”. Have I cooperated with God as it pertains to this neighborhood? Though faith-filled prayer is very powerful, prayer is NOT powerful if it is performed as an act of service one can do from the safe side of the walls. I was praying for our neighborhood as I was also retreating in fear. It was revealed to me then, how little I know of God’s great power and strength and the strength and power we have as His children. We ought to pray as heirs to the kingdom, not beggars for a sliver of kindness and safety. Since then, I have begun asking myself, what am I willing to wager on what I know of God’s character? What am I willing to bet? I can say that God is great, but if, AS I am saying this, I am also shrinking away in fear; than something is a lie. Either God is great and I don’t believe it enough to live boldly. Or, God is not great, and I just can’t seem to believe the lie.
Desperate to find confidence in God, I have begun to find my answers through the eyepiece of a telescope. Astronomy is something that inspires me greatly to love God; and as Teresa of Avilla says “whatever inspires you to love God, do that.” I have spent many nights at our local observatory under dark skies. It is an education in “God” to see galaxies that fill your eyepiece, a whirlpool of stars overhead, millions of ‘suns’ filling the sky; you can only be filled with great awe. I know that God holds this entire universe in balance with a word; how much more has He committed to see His intentions accomplished through my life? Just one willing person is all he requires, just one willing person in my neighborhood to see things from His perspective, and to love with His heart. Could I be that one? I think there is one angel that is hoping so.

Snickerdoodle Cake With Cinnamon Butter Cream

Recipe from cakecentral.com

Ingredients

• Cake:
  1 box white cake mix
  1 c whole milk
  1/2 c (1 stick) butter, melted
  3 large eggs
  1 t vanilla extract
  2 t ground cinnamon

  Cinnamon Buttercream:
  1 stick butter, room temperature
  3 3/4 c powdered sugar, sifted
  3-4 T milk
  1 t vanilla
  1 t cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 and prepare 2 8″ or 9″ pans.
1. With an electric mixer, combine cake mix, milk, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon. Once combined, scrape down sides of bowl and increase to medium speed to for 2-3 minutes or until well combined. Divide between prepared pans.
2. Bake approx. 27-30 min. Cakes will be golden brown and spring back when gently pressed.
3. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 min. then remove from pans and cool completely.
4. When cool fill and ice with cinnamon buttercream.
5. 
   
6. To make cinnamon buttercream:
7. Beat butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add cinnamon, vanilla, and 3 T of milk, and slowly add powdered sugar. After all powdered sugar is added, increase speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy. Add additional milk as necessary to get desired consistency.

8. You probably don’t want to know!

White Almond Sour Cream Cake

There has been many requests for this recipe so I thought I would post it for easy reference for everyone, it was orignially created by Rebecca Sutterby. This is the best white cake!! You have to try it!!! This recipe can easily be halved.
White Almond Sour Cream Cake (WASC)
Ingredients

* 2 boxes white cake mix
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teas. salt
8 egg whites
2 2/3 cups water
4 Tbls. vegetable oil
2 cups (16oz carton) sour cream
2 teaspoon clear vanilla flavor
2 teaspoons almond extract

Instructions

1. Mix all dry ingredients by hand using a whisk in a very large mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Bake at 325 degrees
2.
3.
4. ***One recipe makes: one 14″ round + one 6″ round
5. or one 16″ round
6. or one 12″ round + one 10″ round
7. or one 12×18″ sheet cake
8. or one 12″ round + one 8″ round + one 6″
9.
10. Half a recipe makes: two 8″ rounds
11. or two 6″ rounds + 6 cupcakes

Snickerdoodle Skull Cake

Chocolate Ganache

From allrecipies.com

"This is a rich, dark chocolate topping or decoration that has lots of uses. It can be whipped as filling or icing, or just poured over whatever cake you like."

Ingredients:

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped 1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)

Directions:

1.	Place the chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, watching very carefully because if it boils for a few seconds, it will boil out of the pot. When the cream has come to a boil, pour over the chopped chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Stir in the rum if desired.
2.	Allow the ganache to cool slightly before pouring over a cake. Start at the center of the cake and work outward. For a fluffy frosting or chocolate filling, allow it to cool until thick, then whip with a whisk until light and fluffy.

Second Cake

First Cake

Grandma's Moist Cake

From allrecipies.com

By: Patricia Taylor

"This very moist yellow cake recipe comes from my boyfriend's grandmother. We usually serve it with chocolate buttermilk icing."

Prep Time:
20 Min

Cook Time:
20 Min

Ready In:
40 Min

Original Recipe Yield 3 - 8 inch round layers

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 8 inch pans.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Combine the milk and vanilla, add alternately to the creamed mixture with the flour, ending with the flour. Mix only as much as necessary. Pour into the prepared pans.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cake will pull away from the sides of the pan slightly when done. Allow cakes to cool in the pans for a few minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 395 | Total Fat: 17.7g | Cholesterol: 114mg

Too 'dark' to sleep...

Mike and I stopped by Target a few weeks back to pick up a jar of cayenne pepper which we could not wait to open; and so we didn't even try. Mike promptly unscrewed the cap and ripped off the plastic-coated paper safety seal and handed the first piece to me. I was on the phone at the time and simply responded in obedience when Mike said "try it". I put it to my tongue and immediately regretted what I had done. I finished my phone call through "whistle" lips as I was trying to keep the winter air flowing over my tongue in my futile attempt at relief. I was starting a new heart healthy regime as suggested through a podcast I had heard the previous week; it sounded to me that cayenne pepper was so amazing it could raise the dead. One teaspoon administered during a heart attack will stop the attack immediately, it is also good for strokes. So... I am thinking, if it's good while you are having a heart attack, it must be better without one. We arrived home, but I was quickly revamping my strategy. I am not ACTUALLY having a heart attack, so 1/2 teaspoon should be good enough. I looked through the fridge to find the delivery system I should like to use and my eyes landed on my favorite cottage cheese. With some apprehension THIS time, the 1/2 teaspoon of pepper was piled onto the first spoonful. I would like to get this out of the way immediately, then cool my system with the remaining cottage cheese. I brought the first bite to my opened mouth and took a deep breath for courage, the cayenne pepper was aerasolized into my mouth and throat and I began to burn! If I turn back now... I can't turn back... I pulled this bite into my mouth and held it while I contemplated how best to force my body to take it in. Pushing it to the back of my mouth I swallowed hard only to realize then, that I had in fact made a pepper paste which stuck solidly to the roof of my mouth. Pulling my tongue repeatedly over the paste did nothing to remove it or alleviate the burning, so I reached into my mouth with my first two fingers and manually scraped it off and swallowed it in chunks. I searched through the kitchen to find something better for the burning and grabbed a banana which I held to my lips between bites. I was in pain. I chased my "meal" with a large gulp of maalox and called it a day.

I guess I won't be making this a regular routine, maybe I will carry the pepper with me for emergencies only... or perhaps I will drink my coffee with one low-dose aspirin?

The Stories are Moving... not emotionally but physically.

To the fraction of the 28 visitors I have had in the entire world who have ventured back to my site again... I am moving my stories to another page. I started "Manic Upswing" 3 years ago with the intent to write 'whatever', but I didn't really write. Now that I have actually started writing (and I use that term loosley... what I do could be more aptly described as 'slaughtering the english language') I have seen a pattern develop that I do not want to destroy. I write things down that are fun or interesting for me (the reason for this blog originally) and I write things down that I cherish and do not want to forget (what this blog has become). I do not want to confuse the two. The "cherished stories that I do not want to forget" will now be located at tjschellman.blogspot.com Clever, right? The random stuff will be at manic upswing. Why now?! When I hit 50 visitors (!) the momentum may just be TOO great to make any change in direction. I know that you, The 28, can endure this change with me. :>))) Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for reading and commenting!!! Seriously, hats off to you for listening to me blather on and on.

P.S. the new blog won't buzz, I promise.

I have transferred the stories to the new blog (a.k.a. 'Theology in Pictures') and added another story, "Clumsy Warrior". I have added "Silly Dream?" to manic upswing to reflect the new changes. Just a little taste of the wackiness to come. Please know: It's not that I think I am this "amazing writer" and am trying to make room for all the awesome greatness that I am about to produce... I just don't want people to waste their time reading posts only to find out that it was just a dream or an old philosophy paper or something else completely random. (Does that whet your whistle?!)

"Not Yet Titled"

There has to be rice somewhere in this house, Or barley! We have one large bag of nuts, some “Craisins,” and three frozen half-filled water bottles. “Pack ‘em! Just pack everything!” My hands were shaking as I was trying to make myself think straight. The perishables, we’ll just have to eat right away; and whatever else we can find, that we can keep for later, we will keep for later. We could be in Wisconsin in just a few hours, or maybe head up north; but without any supplies, we are in for hard times. We had no time to plan with friends and family. We were just barely able to make the time for Mike to go to the store to get what he could; but my specific request was rice and barley. We need rice and barley! We don’t even have the time now to think about water. I mean, I had plenty of time one year ago. I had plenty of time even six months ago, to plan for this trip. It was a trip I had suspected was coming, but only suspected it cyclically (or cynically,) with global changes, an economic scare or a toppling foreign power. I always wondered how this day would go down, and seriously, I never thought it would look like this. Just, what, six hours ago?

Six hours ago, Mike and I were at Lake Calhoun when the call came. I was sitting in the grass watching Mike as he skipped stones over the surface of the water, when I heard my name. Mike heard the same or something similar, not my name, but his, as he and I both looked in the same direction. If we were facing south, we would have been looking southeast, but I don’t know what direction we were facing. I only think in terms of south/southeast because that is the direction I point my telescope to see the planets as they come up over the horizon. The call was coming from THAT direction. Other people were looking as bewildered as I felt, as they packed their picnic things, or the things they brought to the park. Then we all started walking, all of us; all of those who had initially acknowledged the otherwise silent voice coming from the southeast direction, if indeed we were facing south. There was no pause for discussion, no quarreling couples who had to cut their afternoon short. There was only obedience. I can’t say that any of us were surprised, I certainly wasn’t… surprised? More, bewildered. This isn’t exactly how I thought it would happen. I thought I’d have more time to prepare, had certainly hoped I wouldn’t be walking on foot. The transportation plans I had assumed was to be airborne, taken up into the clouds in the “twinkling of an eye”. We walked along in silence, collecting more people as we walked, like a giant snowball forming spontaneously. We walked through the streets and more were being added to our number. No one had any questions for the person walking next to them, as knowledge had been deposited into each and every one of us. So, we walked. There was an audible volume to the mass minus the words, like an army, it was the sound of determination. I looked through the crowd for any familiar face, but other than that of my husbands’ I saw no one I knew. No idea what united us; except that we were walking together right now, going to the same place. Not knowing the destination, but without a doubt, knowing the direction. We walked through uptown, merging only with other travelers as they emerged from the neighborhoods. The neighbors winced when they passed the shade of the trees lining their residential streets and they stepped onto the city street where the sun was bearing down. This happened at most intersections, collecting a few more bewildered people as we walked. The largest group we encountered was a group of similar size when we entered downtown. The merge was not awkward. Everyone made room for the others, and without a missed step, we walked. However, it wasn’t until we cleared the skyscrapers that the final destination was made clear.

The Metrodome was the solitary building on a huge plot of land. Groups of people were filing in to the dome, and more people were coming from around the back, as if they had come from the neighborhoods on the Southside. I started to see some familiar faces, faces of my friends from church, coming in small groups of their own, small silent troops. As we all made our way down to the field, the silence broke as thousands of people began to chat with one another, surprised to see one another. I overheard a thousand conversations all talking about their similar invitation to come. Each called by name. A thousand conversations about what they were doing when the call came. As the last people trickled in and found a place to stand, silence moved over the crowd like a wave. The people moved to make way for the last man to step onto the Astroturf. Every eye was on this man who commanded all authority, who had the power to silence the crowd with his presence. This man with so much power stepped toward one stranger. She was a stranger to me, obviously not to Him. He whispered something into her ear, and she stepped away. The next stranger was spoken to and stepped away, and another. This continued for quite some time as each person was spoken to in private. This man was Jesus. What He had to say to each person made sense to them, but I was still waiting to hear what that was. Jesus walked up to Mike, leaned into his ear and said his piece. I struggled to hear the words, but it was only ever intended for Mike. I heard nothing, not even the slightest lisp that might come from an “s” sound. When Mike heard the message he walked away. He never acknowledged me, never told me where he was going; he just quietly and peacefully walked away. I was stunned, but I had no time to be indignant. Jesus put his hands on my shoulders, leaned into my ear and said “I will come back to you”. What?! Before I could ask Him what he meant, he was whispering in someone else’s ear. What was THAT?! I got back into the waiting crowd and in the most “Christian” way, I bullied my way to the front. Jesus smiled at my persistence but just shook his head “no”. Dejected, I walked away to an area where the crowd had thinned, but it was an area that gave me a better perspective of what was happening. I saw one group of people gathered at the far end of the field and I remembered seeing the face of the first stranger that Jesus had spoken to. There she was. Jesus had spoken to her, yet she was so sad. She wore a lifetime of sorrow in her eyes. There were no tears and no more bewilderment; just knowledge or perhaps more appropriately, acknowledgment.

I scanned that crowd for Mike, but could not find him. That is when I noticed the other group, in the stands. Waiting for their friends and family; or just catching up with friends they hadn’t seen in awhile. There was Mike, talking to some friends from seminary. He was smiling and chatting about Greek, I presumed. I looked again at the disparity between the two groups and realized this was the judgment, the separating of the goats and the sheep. If this was the judgment, than nothing is like I thought it would be; and I have been given some time to make sure I am right with God. I did not fear, I just prayed an honest prayer. Jesus returned to me, leaned into my ear and said “you’re in.” I made my way to the stands but I stopped before joining Mike. I turned to the crowd that I had noticed previously at the far end of the field and was filled with sadness. It just didn’t seem like anyone had enough time to get it “right”. Obviously some had, the group I was going to join had gotten it “right”? I looked to the group milling around in the stands, laughing and talking; and I wondered if they knew the significance of this moment. I wondered if they knew what was going on. As I looked to the field one last time I thought, “There, but for the grace of God go I”. What more could I say or think? I couldn’t bear to even imagine still being on the field waiting for judgment or worse still, finding my place with the people at the far end. I spotted Mike in the stands and ran up the stairs to join him. And, just as I had expected he was talking about Greek. I tried to call people’s attention to the importance of this moment, maybe have a time of reflection for those who did not make it; but people were gathering up their things and saying their goodbyes and filing out of the seating area. Mike and I had joined a few others on the stairs as we neared the concessions area and emptied into the large concrete hallway.

Instead of the dull gray coolness of concrete, our eyes were met with an explosion of color: deep reds, vibrant oranges, and my favorite color, the one that makes me happiest, kryptonite green. Really, all the colors were represented, but this was not heaven; it was a marketplace represented by every country, as far as I could tell. Ethnic wares, trinkets, pottery, jewelry and carpets were being sold from all over the world. Vendors were calling out to the crowds, but not us. The crowds they were calling out to were invisible crowds. Or, maybe WE were the invisible crowds? We would walk past a seller who looked through us, to bargain with someone at a distance. It felt so other-worldly. I was present, but didn’t belong. I stopped along the way to look at a simple pretty silver ring, and I thought about all the simple pretty silver rings I could never have again. I mourned the loss of this world with a sigh as I looked up from the display case. We were still physically HERE though, but… irrelevant. None of this was making sense. Shouldn’t we be gone by now, shouldn’t we be in heaven. If this isn’t heaven, then nothing is going according to plan and everything we thought we knew was wrong. I just couldn’t get this out of my head. I knew exactly what to do before. So, what do we do now? Do we run? Turn ourselves in? Go to work tomorrow as if nothing happened? I stepped to the edge of the hall to take it all in. This was no longer a place for us. The economic system we had seamlessly woven ourselves into and indebted ourselves to no longer belonged to us.

Then I saw something I hadn’t seen before. The man who sells the pretty silver rings leaned over his display case to rub my fingerprints from the glass; as he did, I saw something rise and hover behind him. He breathed on the glass and used the cuff of his shirt to polish; unaware of the thing behind him. What can I call this thing, besides “this thing”? This thing didn’t propel itself, it adhered itself to him. It didn’t move, it consumed. It didn’t make a noise, it created a vacuum. It had no agenda only malicious intent. Its form is really quite insignificant, so insignificant that I had never noticed it before. It was gun-metal gray, a sphere with 4 or 5 tentacles. What was jarring was not, as I said, its appearance but it its intension. This was no accident. I watched the man to see if he might respond to it, or be bothered by it; but instead he smiled at his reflection in the glass, checked his teeth and resumed his sales pitch. He waved his arms in the air, as if he were casting spells or taking flight, beckoning anyone, if they dare, to resist his pitch. I scanned the faces of others in the area to see if they had noticed this thing as well; but it was as if my eyes had been opened.

As I looked through the crowd I began seeing these things everywhere, in all the places I had not seen them before. Always adhering to someone’s side, or hovering over their shoulder. My mouth tasted sour and my saliva was warm, I felt sick to my stomach as I thought “I am not prepared for this”. I turned my back to the crowd, preferring instead to stare at a concrete wall so I could think. Maybe if I don’t see those things, maybe they won’t see me? I bowed my head and faced the wall, Think! Think! I implored myself. That was when I realized we had already received everything we needed for whatever lie ahead. We have eyes to see what we had not seen before. I don't know what will happen now, but I do know that we have all that we need. With a new confidence, I opened my eyes to see the city stretched out as far as I could see. Millions of spheres, one on every pedestrian, large spheres over buildings; Minneapolis had been infested. One short prayer of dread and realization, “Oh, God” as I took Mike’s hand and looked him in the eyes, “We need to run!”

Silly Dream?

There has to be rice somewhere in this house, Or barley! We have one large bag of nuts, some “Craisins,” and three frozen half-filled water bottles. “Pack ‘em! Just pack everything!” My hands were shaking as I was trying to make myself think straight. The perishables, we’ll just have to eat right away; and whatever else we can find, that we can keep for later, we will keep for later. We could be in Wisconsin in just a few hours, or maybe head up north; but without any supplies, we are in for hard times. We had no time to plan with friends and family. We were just barely able to make the time for Mike to go to the store to get what he could; but my specific request was rice and barley. We need rice and barley! We don’t even have the time now to think about water. I mean, I had plenty of time one year ago. I had plenty of time even six months ago, to plan for this trip. It was a trip I had suspected was coming, but only suspected it cyclically (or cynically,) with global changes, an economic scare or a toppling foreign power. I always wondered how this day would go down, and seriously, I never thought it would look like this. Just, what, six hours ago?

Six hours ago, Mike and I were at Lake Calhoun when the call came. I was sitting in the grass watching Mike as he skipped stones over the surface of the water, when I heard my name. Mike heard the same or something similar, not my name, but his, as he and I both looked in the same direction. If we were facing south, we would have been looking southeast, but I don’t know what direction we were facing. I only think in terms of south/southeast because that is the direction I point my telescope to see the planets as they come up over the horizon. The call was coming from THAT direction. Other people were looking as bewildered as I felt, as they packed their picnic things, or the things they brought to the park. Then we all started walking, all of us; all of those who had initially acknowledged the otherwise silent voice coming from the southeast direction, if indeed we were facing south. There was no pause for discussion, no quarreling couples who had to cut their afternoon short. There was only obedience. I can’t say that any of us were surprised, I certainly wasn’t… surprised? More, bewildered. This isn’t exactly how I thought it would happen. I thought I’d have more time to prepare, had certainly hoped I wouldn’t be walking on foot. The transportation plans I had assumed was to be airborne, taken up into the clouds in the “twinkling of an eye”. We walked along in silence, collecting more people as we walked, like a giant snowball forming spontaneously. We walked through the streets and more were being added to our number. No one had any questions for the person walking next to them, as knowledge had been deposited into each and every one of us. So, we walked. There was an audible volume to the mass minus the words, like an army, it was the sound of determination. I looked through the crowd for any familiar face, but other than that of my husbands’ I saw no one I knew. No idea what united us; except that we were walking together right now, going to the same place. Not knowing the destination, but without a doubt, knowing the direction. We walked through uptown, merging only with other travelers as they emerged from the neighborhoods. The neighbors winced when they passed the shade of the trees lining their residential streets and they stepped onto the city street where the sun was bearing down. This happened at most intersections, collecting a few more bewildered people as we walked. The largest group we encountered was a group of similar size when we entered downtown. The merge was not awkward. Everyone made room for the others, and without a missed step, we walked. However, it wasn’t until we cleared the skyscrapers that the final destination was made clear.

The Metrodome was the solitary building on a huge plot of land. Groups of people were filing in to the dome, and more people were coming from around the back, as if they had come from the neighborhoods on the Southside. I started to see some familiar faces, faces of my friends from church, coming in small groups of their own, small silent troops. As we all made our way down to the field, the silence broke as thousands of people began to chat with one another, surprised to see one another. I overheard a thousand conversations all talking about their similar invitation to come. Each called by name. A thousand conversations about what they were doing when the call came. As the last people trickled in and found a place to stand, silence moved over the crowd like a wave. The people moved to make way for the last man to step onto the Astroturf. Every eye was on this man who commanded all authority, who had the power to silence the crowd with his presence. This man with so much power stepped toward one stranger. She was a stranger to me, obviously not to Him. He whispered something into her ear, and she stepped away. The next stranger was spoken to and stepped away, and another. This continued for quite some time as each person was spoken to in private. This man was Jesus. What He had to say to each person made sense to them, but I was still waiting to hear what that was. Jesus walked up to Mike, leaned into his ear and said his piece. I struggled to hear the words, but it was only ever intended for Mike. I heard nothing, not even the slightest lisp that might come from an “s” sound. When Mike heard the message he walked away. He never acknowledged me, never told me where he was going; he just quietly and peacefully walked away. I was stunned, but I had no time to be indignant. Jesus put his hands on my shoulders, leaned into my ear and said “I will come back to you”. What?! Before I could ask Him what he meant, he was whispering in someone else’s ear. What was THAT?! I got back into the waiting crowd and in the most “Christian” way, I bullied my way to the front. Jesus smiled at my persistence but just shook his head “no”. Dejected, I walked away to an area where the crowd had thinned, but it was an area that gave me a better perspective of what was happening. I saw one group of people gathered at the far end of the field and I remembered seeing the face of the first stranger that Jesus had spoken to. There she was. Jesus had spoken to her, yet she was so sad. She wore a lifetime of sorrow in her eyes. There were no tears and no more bewilderment; just knowledge or perhaps more appropriately, acknowledgment.

I scanned that crowd for Mike, but could not find him. That is when I noticed the other group, in the stands. Waiting for their friends and family; or just catching up with friends they hadn’t seen in awhile. There was Mike, talking to some friends from seminary. He was smiling and chatting about Greek, I presumed. I looked again at the disparity between the two groups and realized this was the judgment, the separating of the goats and the sheep. If this was the judgment, than nothing is like I thought it would be; and I have been given some time to make sure I am right with God. I did not fear, I just prayed an honest prayer. Jesus returned to me, leaned into my ear and said “you’re in.” I made my way to the stands but I stopped before joining Mike. I turned to the crowd that I had noticed previously at the far end of the field and was filled with sadness. It just didn’t seem like anyone had enough time to get it “right”. Obviously some had, the group I was going to join had gotten it “right”? I looked to the group milling around in the stands, laughing and talking; and I wondered if they knew the significance of this moment. I wondered if they knew what was going on. As I looked to the field one last time I thought, “There, but for the grace of God go I”. What more could I say or think? I couldn’t bear to even imagine still being on the field waiting for judgment or worse still, finding my place with the people at the far end. I spotted Mike in the stands and ran up the stairs to join him. And, just as I had expected he was talking about Greek. I tried to call people’s attention to the importance of this moment, maybe have a time of reflection for those who did not make it; but people were gathering up their things and saying their goodbyes and filing out of the seating area. Mike and I had joined a few others on the stairs as we neared the concessions area and emptied into the large concrete hallway.

Instead of the dull gray coolness of concrete, our eyes were met with an explosion of color: deep reds, vibrant oranges, and my favorite color, the one that makes me happiest, kryptonite green. Really, all the colors were represented, but this was not heaven; it was a marketplace represented by every country, as far as I could tell. Ethnic wares, trinkets, pottery, jewelry and carpets were being sold from all over the world. Vendors were calling out to the crowds, but not us. The crowds they were calling out to were invisible crowds. Or, maybe WE were the invisible crowds? We would walk past a seller who looked through us, to bargain with someone at a distance. It felt so other-worldly. I was present, but didn’t belong. I stopped along the way to look at a simple pretty silver ring, and I thought about all the simple pretty silver rings I could never have again. I mourned the loss of this world with a sigh as I looked up from the display case. We were still physically HERE though, but… irrelevant. None of this was making sense. Shouldn’t we be gone by now, shouldn’t we be in heaven. If this isn’t heaven, then nothing is going according to plan and everything we thought we knew was wrong. I just couldn’t get this out of my head. I knew exactly what to do before. So, what do we do now? Do we run? Turn ourselves in? Go to work tomorrow as if nothing happened? I stepped to the edge of the hall to take it all in. This was no longer a place for us. The economic system we had seamlessly woven ourselves into and indebted ourselves to no longer belonged to us.

Then I saw something I hadn’t seen before. The man who sells the pretty silver rings leaned over his display case to rub my fingerprints from the glass; as he did, I saw something rise and hover behind him. He breathed on the glass and used the cuff of his shirt to polish; unaware of the thing behind him. What can I call this thing, besides “this thing”? This thing didn’t propel itself, it adhered itself to him. It didn’t move, it consumed. It didn’t make a noise, it created a vacuum. It had no agenda only malicious intent. Its form is really quite insignificant, so insignificant that I had never noticed it before. It was gun-metal gray, a sphere with 4 or 5 tentacles. What was jarring was not, as I said, its appearance but it its intension. This was no accident. I watched the man to see if he might respond to it, or be bothered by it; but instead he smiled at his reflection in the glass, checked his teeth and resumed his sales pitch. He waved his arms in the air, as if he were casting spells or taking flight, beckoning anyone, if they dare, to resist his pitch. I scanned the faces of others in the area to see if they had noticed this thing as well; but it was as if my eyes had been opened.

As I looked through the crowd I began seeing these things everywhere, in all the places I had not seen them before. Always adhering to someone’s side, or hovering over their shoulder. My mouth tasted sour and my saliva was warm, I felt sick to my stomach as I thought “I am not prepared for this”. I turned my back to the crowd, preferring instead to stare at a concrete wall so I could think. Maybe if I don’t see those things, maybe they won’t see me? I bowed my head and faced the wall, Think! Think! I implored myself. That was when I realized we had already received everything we needed for whatever lie ahead. We have eyes to see what we had not seen before. I don't know what will happen now, but I do know that we have all that we need. With a new confidence, I opened my eyes to see the city stretched out as far as I could see. Millions of spheres, one on every pedestrian, large spheres over buildings; Minneapolis had been infested. One short prayer of dread and realization, “Oh, God” as I took Mike’s hand and looked him in the eyes, “We need to run!”

Bigfoot (To Increase Search Engine Hits!)

Marietta had called me in for a chat. It could have been for any number of reasons. It could have been the time a friend and I had repeatedly lit the “special” candles, and blew them out, until the Dutch fire department showed up in response to the fire alarm we’d unintentionally set off. It could just as easily have been the time we had abused our privileges to the intercom system, whispering “question authority” through the speakers, as the European missions board met on site, over some very important issues. We were barely able to contain our laughter as we pushed the button; and in a breathy whisper, slowly issued our warning, grinding each syllable in our teeth QU-E-S-T-IO-N-AU-THOR-I-TY. We’d giggle, regain our composure, and start again. Until the leader of the European missions board came bursting into the lobby, rattling the glass as the doors slammed into the walls on either side. He was not laughing. I was SO afraid THAT night.
It easily could have been one of those times, or a long list of others; but it wasn’t. It was the time I had decided to break into the A/V room with this same friend and the aid of two missionary kids. Having grown tired of watching Princess Bride at every community movie night, we had determined to watch some of our own movie selections. We watched a western and maybe a horror movie? Yeah, we definitely watched a horror movie; the one I had picked out. Somehow word had gotten back to the base director, about what I had done, and what I had brought into this place. I was truly remorseful and embarrassed for my behavior. What I had done was disrespectful to everyone in the community. I apologized.
Later that morning, my school leader, Marietta, told me that we would be meeting to discuss this matter. I was filled with dread and embarrassment as I waited for her arrival. When she arrived; however, she did not say what I expected; instead she began with an observation “T.J. every time I see you make great strides toward God, you kick back; you refuse to go on, to take the next step. Why is that?” I thought back on my time at this school, and the time before that, and it was true. We talked about this at length. I discovered that what I feared was disappointment. I’ve always felt disappointed, believing that every gift from God would lead to sorrow. Seeing Him as “The Wishmaster” (not the movie we watched that night, by the way). As the story goes, whenever you wish for something, something or someone far more important will be taken from you. If you wish for a million dollars, you’ll get it - when a loved one’s life insurance policy is doled out, because that loved one is now dead. You have a million dollars, just what you wished for - kind of. Marietta asked me what I would ask for if I could have anything. She left the room so I could really give it some thought. When she returned, she asked what I wanted and we prayed. I told her, what I wanted most was to understand the cross. If I could have a glimpse of the cross, everything else would come into alignment and prioritize itself. I might have a different take on sin and have the courage to make the difficult decisions, if I only understood the cross. I also thought, if I pray for this, there is NO way it could turn out poorly, a win-win.
Later that same day, Marietta and I met in the lobby to go for pizza, as she had promised earlier in the school. She had identified me and two others as the “trouble-makers”, and she said that she would take us out for dinner, because she liked spending time with “trouble-makers”. Tonight happened to be my night. The walk to the tram was awkward, it is never nice to be seen in your sin; but it always seems harder the next time you meet, after the shame sets in. We rode the tram and got off at the square, where I was promised American style pizza. The square or plaza was packed with soccer fans and all the jumbo screens had been moved outdoors to accommodate the people who were there to cheer for their teams. Making our way to the restaurant, we entered and ordered our pizza. A group of men sat down at the table next to us. One of the men leaned over and began speaking to us in Dutch with a crude and drunken smile. Marietta spoke harsh Dutch words back to him. She would not translate anything that was said because it was, in her words, “not nice”. These men continued until they lost interest and left the restaurant, having never ordered a thing. Embarrassment now heaped on the shame I had carried in with me, we cut our dinner short and decided to go back to the base and call it a night. Again we walked through the busy square; the men, impossibly more drunk than they were at our first crossing. A number of them began yelling at us, leaning into our path as we tried to pass. Marietta grabbed my hand and held it tightly; taking tiny but very quick steps, she pulled me along. I could hear her chattering prayers. Then, as if in slow motion, I heard very clearly, heavy footsteps coming up from behind; slowly at first, but gaining speed. A heavy foot landed in the center of my back. A grown man had run up from behind and kicked me?! What in the world is going on?! What did I do to deserve this?! We caught the very next tram which would take us to central station, where we waited for our transfer. Then, while we waited, several transvestite prostitutes joined us in the shelter. It was so hard standing there, trying not to look them in the eyes; trying not to give any indication that I was interested in responding to them. They sensed discomfort and made a game as they laughed and pointed at me; but I still pretended not to notice the things they were doing just inches away from me. The moment we returned to the base, exasperated Marietta ran off in one direction, saying something about prayer. I later heard that she had called a group together to pray for us, and more specifically to pray for me as what I had experienced could only be described by her as a “spiritual attack”. She went her direction, and I went mine. I found a friend and walked with her down by the canal and told her the entire story. Told her how I got busted for the movie, and how I cried like a baby when I had to apologize. I told her how I had met with Marietta, and how she told me to ask for one thing from God; and finally, how my pizza night had gone so absurdly wrong, and how mean everyone was, and how gross I felt after being teased and kicked and insulted. To my surprise, she answered with such excitement, “That is amazing! You got a glimpse of the cross!” Immediately, I knew she was right, and somehow had known as this was occurring, that God had been present with me. This was a gift, an answer to prayer! I was not at all disappointed. To this day, I consider that to be the best answer to prayer I’ve ever received. I am not saying I’ve experienced the cross, or anything close to it, but I did get a glimpse, ever so slight, of a little bit of what Jesus may have felt as he walked with his cross to the place of the skull.

Waiting, Not Fading.

After an 18- hour train ride through Poland, having had nothing to eat but the flavoring packet from a package of noodles, I was exhausted and incredibly thirsty. Due to the language barrier, we hadn’t known there was no service on the train and that no potable water was available. I woke long after my travel partners had finished eating the uncooked noodles. Only the seasoning packet was left, so, partly out of hunger, but mostly intending to illustrate the natural results of their selfishness, I ate my packet of seasoning. I realized almost immediately that this was a point not worth making; but with great zeal, I finished the flavoring packet and licked the foil clean.
Arriving at the Frankfurt Airport that evening, we met up with another travel team from the same mission school that we were with. We had parted ways with them three months earlier at this same station when they had gone to Greece and we had gone to Poland. After greeting our friends, and addressing my thirst issues, I pulled out my sleeping bag, moved to the edge of the barren ticketing area, and settled in for a much needed nap. We had a night to spend in the Frankfurt airport before our flight left the following day. I slept until morning, when the warm sun shone through the glass walls and ceiling onto my face, waking me gently, the way nature tends to do. A small stretch in my sleeping bag, and my eyes began to open. In a state of confusion, I looked around and all I could see can only be described as a forest of legs, legs everywhere. And I could hear my friends snickering somewhere beyond the kneecaps. I made a quick assessment. Today was a busy day at the airport, and somehow I had been moved into the center of the check-in area. Ticketing lines were spiraling around me, bags were sliding across the floor past my ears, and I hadn’t woken, hadn’t even stirred during this mischievous displacement. I am a sound sleeper; I always have been.
Two years prior to joining this international mission school, I came to a saving knowledge of Jesus. I was in college, and in the winter of my second year, I was brought to the truth of how I had been living my life. I saw that I was in a place of rebellion, and rather than getting God’s attention, which is all I had ever hoped for, I was living in opposition to Him. I made the decision at that time to live intentionally for Him, to continue in my life to make decisions that would bring me into His will and to live a life worthy of His calling. I left school and moved back home in order to be with my family and to have some time to understand what God was calling me to. The time at home with my family was very hard and I was wondering if I had made the right decision in leaving college. I was knocking on doors, hoping to attend a mission school and it wasn’t coming to pass. The time grew increasingly dark; I was despairing of work at a menial job and just waiting for “the right time”. I had told God that I wouldn’t attend the mission school until I had my family’s blessing to go. Shortly after I had left college I had requested permission from them, and received, in no uncertain terms, “NO”. I continued to attend a local church, which was a great supporter of missions, and so this ache in my heart to go grew increasingly strong; but any indication that my family’s heart was changing was not there. My life was on hold and my hope deferred for an indefinite amount of time. During these times, I feel like I am walking a fine edge. Sometimes, it only takes a small trip or a slip of the foot and I find myself in a pit. This was one of those times. It was a time when it seemed I’d spent my whole life waiting. Waiting for something to come, waiting for direction, being frustrated with saying to God, “Here I am,” and hearing Him say, “Wait.”
One night is the same as another, and one day is like the one before, and then, something changes. Something happens, and it is unsolicited and something you know you need. I went to sleep one night; just simply went to sleep. I had a dream, and in this dream, a man approached me on the street and said, “Write this down.” I awoke in the morning, like I always did, but unlike most dreams, I remembered this one, vaguely. I was a blink away from either remembering or forgetting. “Write this down.” I was able to recall that much, but, write what down? Write what down!? I couldn’t remember. The more I tried, the further it escaped my recollection. Then I saw it; a slip of paper on my dresser. It must have been there the night before, but the scribbled handwriting on it had not been. I read, “Just as I have come that you may have eternal life; I have given Life, that you may Live!” Somehow, I had managed to obey from the depths of my deep sleep.
These words I have carried with me. I was created to be with God in heaven, but I was also created for Life to be lived abundantly here and now. Time permits us to see things in ourselves that we may otherwise be blinded to. If it were not for this time of waiting, I may not have known how easily I give up living a significant life. How easily I give up on the things that bring Joy. Even though I must wait, this is not permission to fade away. Shortly after receiving this word of encouragement, I prayed again with my pastor’s wife; she agreed with me that I should have the blessing of my family. That night, I went home and before I had finished my question, I had received a resounding “Yes”. Completely shocked, I clarified my question. Perhaps, there was a misunderstanding? I received a second Yes. One month later, I was packing my hatchback for the long drive cross-country; after three months of mission school, our team was heading out for Poland and one of the most amazing times of our lives.
I am still trying to understand what God has called me to, and I wonder if anyone ever really feels “grown up”. But as I am living and hopefully still continuing to move towards Him, I try to fill my life developing the gifts he has given, spending time doing what inspires me to love and worship Him, and to fully live the life I was created for. I don’t just sit around and wait to live, when there is much to learn and do in the meantime

At the Heart of Worship

Receiving numerous reprimands with a flash of the eyes, over the years I have learned to sing more quietly. I am not a strong singer and enjoyment during worship time at church had faded. It’s almost a requirement to sing well if you are a woman, to harmonize, to reach the high notes. On the rare occasion when we sing the songs with girl parts and boy parts, I have to join in with the boys. That’s the way I rock it.
Worship is very important, and it should be a lifestyle, a lifestyle of worship; Do all things as unto the Lord; whether it is working or playing, singing and praising, or dancing before the Lord. Lately, I have been trying something new, to praise God while I watch television. Now, this can be a bit tricky, and the activity itself requires that a certain standard be applied to the particular programs that I watch, PBS is usually pretty good, as are some of the science and nature channels. Lately, the cuttlefish, a relative to the squid found only around Australia and Indonesia has fascinated me. As my husband and I watched the cuttlefish swim, the colors on it’s backed rippled instantaneously with the changing environment. As he swam, he adapted. Next, the filmmakers brought us to a coral bed. Anxiously awaiting the arrival of the cuttlefish, the filmmaker disturbed the sand around the coral, and in a flash; the coral broke off and swam like death was near. This piece of coral fooled us; it was the cuttlefish! It had adapted not only in color, but exact shape as well. Sadly, the last we saw of the cuttlefish, was the greatest display of its adaptability. The scientists removed the fish from its natural environment and put it in an aquarium with a black and white checkered bottom. Mike and I waited in anticipation, as the colors on the cuttlefish’s back rippled in confusion, we continued to wait for a minute or two. The colors rippled over its body, then, faintly at first, we began to see a soft white square come to the surface of its skin, then with increasing boldness, and one hooray from me, one perfect white square sat solidly on the cuttlefish’s back. How can I not praise God for his genius and creativity! Time and time again, He gives us good reason to praise him.
A few years back, in the midst of my silent singing years, which, I should add, I am now trying to get beyond; I learned of another way I could praise God. I was attending a mission school; and every morning we began with an extended worship time, more singing. We met in a classroom with only an acoustic guitar, 30 women and 5 men; it was a fear I faced every day. We would sing and sing, pray and sing, sing some more, and then it was class time. This went on for three months. At the end of the school, the class had what is called a “love feast”; which was a time to eat together, share our experiences from the school, and just enjoy the time we had with one another. This year; however, we would have a time to give an offering to God. Whatever we wanted to offer, we would place at the foot of the cross, and later, under the dark of night, our offerings would be removed and burned. It was a chance for people to write down their fears, or struggles with sin, or whatever they may want to give to God. Immediately, when I heard this, my heart jumped for joy; I had never thought of this before, but here was an opportunity for me to give God a gift of something I was really good at; I could give Him the best gift I had. I would draw Him a picture. I immediately started preparing, and I knew just the picture I wanted to draw; it was a picture that had come to represent my special time alone with Jesus. It was just Jesus and me in a forest clearing, just being there together, no words exchanged. During the course of this school, I always thought of that picture and reminded myself of His safety and trustworthiness. I worked furiously on this drawing. I knew exactly how it should look, but unfortunately, I knew exactly how it should look, and this wasn’t it. I worked it and reworked it, crumpled some pages and started again. The morning of the love feast, I looked at my special gift, and was again humiliated by the gift I was giving God that night; I might as well be singing a solo. But I consoled myself, ‘it is about the heart’; and I had poured all of mine into it. Everything went a little slower that morning; I was really disappointed, but mostly ashamed of my gift. As I was getting ready though, I heard something in my spirit, more clearly than a mere thought I could have, “Give me your dreams and I will make them my promises.” I physically stopped what I was doing; the clarity and the precision of this message had startled me. I was stunned by what I was learning about God in this moment, what God truly wanted of me, and what I had been keeping from him all this time. I had always kept my dreams close, never able to really share this most intimate part of me, and it was that part of me that God wanted. I am sure God appreciated my efforts at drawing, and appreciated the heart that went into it, but he wanted to have the private dreams, those things that kept me going when I was despairing; He wanted to be the reason I kept going. I sat down, this time with a pen; there would be no erasing this page. I knew exactly what should be there: those things that kept me company at night when I couldn’t sleep, the places my mind always wandered to, and the things I thought about when my mind would drift away from prayer. I wrote my dreams on a sheet of paper, placed them in the envelope and asked God to take care of them. That night at the feast, we each got to say a little something about our offering if we had brought one, I said my piece and placed the envelope between the flowers that were at the foot of the cross. After the dinner was over, and people were milling around, blowing out the candles and picking up the plates; the woman who was in charge of the “burning” walked over to me with my envelope in hand. Recognizing the importance of this evening for me, she held out the envelope for me and asked if I would like to hang onto it, to remember the day. I know I must have smiled, because my immediate thought was, of course I would like to hang onto it, it is what I have always done, I have always held these dreams very tightly, but “No,” I told her. “You can burn them.” That was freedom. To be honest, I don’t remember what I wrote down, I didn’t give them to God to receive a promise, I did it because of what I had learned: that a true heart of worship is the one that gives of itself, the things it holds most dear. It is the God we serve that cherishes those things as well.

Has our Faith been made redundant?

We have isolated faith to the conversion experience, and so often that is the last we see of it. We have problems conveying this idea of faith to nonbelievers because we no longer have need of it.
My mother and I were talking about sharing our faith in the workplace. How do you have a workplace testimony? This is an all too familiar question. As we were talking though, I began to think of creative ways to share her faith with people, with a time limitation of 15 minutes per encounter; that is quite a limitation when you consider how fast relationship and trust actually develop. As I was thinking though, I thought of Paul and an illustration our pastor used of the handkerchiefs and the aprons that were taken to heal the sick; they were covered with sweat and dirt, and God was using them to do extraordinary miracles. Our pastor described a scene of Paul hard at work, making his tent, when he reaches for his sweat rag, it’s gone, again, it was the third sweat rag that day to disappear. That is a workplace testimony!
I dream of a day when the power of God and Who he is flows through our daily lives, a day when our faith is not so compartmentalized, a day when who God is and who we are because of Him is a seamless connection. That who He is can be communicated almost effortlessly as we are obedient. Today is not that day... but tomorrow could be.