Hymn of the Month -- Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing with lyrics

Robert Robinson penned the words to this hymn 250 years ago.  He was born in Norfolk, England in 1735, to poor parents. His father died when he was eight, and his mother sent him to London at 14 to be apprenticed to a barber.  There he joined a street gang and got involved in drinking and gambling.  He and some members of his gang once plied a fortune teller with enough alcohol to get her to tell their fortunes for free.  She pointed at Robinson and told him that he would live to see his children and grandchildren.  Her words startled him and made him think about living a better life.

When he was 17 he gathered a group of hoodlums and went to an evangelistic meeting where George Whitfield was preaching.  Their plan was to heckle the preacher and interfere with the meeting, but Whitfield's words pierced his heart and set in motion a battle in his soul that would last three years.  When he finally surrendered his life to Christ he found forgiveness and peace.

He joined the Methodists and John Wesley later appointed him to the Calvinist Methodist Church in Norfolk as pastor.  It was while there that he composed this song for Pentecost Sunday in 1758.

There are lots of teenagers today whose stories are similar to Robinson's.  Living in a single parent home, barely scraping by financially (or maybe not), hanging out with other kids whose backgrounds are the same, getting into trouble.  They are on the streets of every community.  We see them, shake our heads, and comment on their sense of hopelessness.  Too bad, we say, as we drive past them.

But that's not how God sees them.

He who has known them from before they were even born (Psalm 139, Jeremiah 1:5), has His eye on each young person who struggles, whose home life is difficult, who hangs out on the streets, who seem so hopeless.  And He loves them and is intent on drawing them to Himself, just as He did Robert Robinson.  He knows their hearts, and He knows how to reach them.

What does He require of us?  He wants us to love them too.  He wants us to pray for them.  He wants us to open our hearts to them, to smile at them, to listen to them, to help them as we can.  He wants us to see them with His eyes.  He is as anxious to set people free from their hopelessness today as He has ever been.  And He is just as able.

Soaring with Eagles

New friendships formed

Our church was bursting at the seams on Saturday as we hosted the first ever Eagle Wings Thanksgiving Dinner.  With 160 dinner guests coming from all over the county and more than 100 volunteers cooking, serving, hosting tables, helping with parking, and caring for a myriad other details, the place was buzzing.

Eagle Wings serves the developmentally disabled adult population of Snohomish County.  As Executive Director, Kinder Smoots (whose wedding last month was a wonderful event) works with churches and other groups to provide annual events for our often overlooked neighbors.  With the addition of the Thanksgiving Dinner, there are now 19 events throughout the year sponsored by Eagle Wings.  Coming in December are three events -- the SeaFair Christmas Cruise, an evening at the Lights of Christmas, and the annual Christmas Celebration hosted by an area church.

The events fill up fast.  Once the invitation goes out the reservations always come quickly; in just three days we were up to capacity!

Saturday night was a time for reconnecting, good food and fellowship, and joy.  As guests entered, they received a name tag and sat down at one of the two photo booths to have a professional photo taken. Before they left for home, each guest was given his or her photo to display in the nice frame they had made as a craft project before the meal was served.  My friend Ginger ran into a woman she'd known at a church she attended 30 years ago.  It was a sweet reunion for them.  My son and his housemates and caregiver sat at the table I hosted.  So did Neal, the best man from Kinder and Jim's wedding last month.  It was a joy to get to talk to him and his sister, who drove from Kirkland so that he could be at the dinner.

I was so impressed with the food preparation and serving.  The delicious dinner -- turkey gravy served over mashed potatoes, green beans with onions and red peppers, strawberry jello, cranberry sauce,  dinner roll and slushies, and followed up with pumpkin pie -- was set before us by a host of servers who were thoughtful and efficient.  The organization required to provide and serve such a grand dinner for so many was impressive as well.

The worship team provided background music and also led us in song at the end of the meal.  When the singing began, I watched a young woman from the table closest to the back wall stand up in the aisle and raise her hands in joyful praise.  Soon she was right in front, joined by a number of others who sang and danced to the Lord.

I do hope the guests enjoyed the evening as much as the church family who got to participate in this wonderful evening did!

Kinder doing a Volunteer Training before the guests arrive

More volunteers

A happy guest

Ginger and one of the guests

"Let the serving begin!"

Crafts at the table and a video on the screen

Guests and volunteers worshipping

Do you want to know more about Eagle Wings?  Do you want to get involved in one of their ministries, or do you or a loved one have a special need and would like to included in Eagle Wings activities?  Be sure to check out their website.  Kinder would love to hear from you!

I Am Second: Chris Plekenpol - Army Captain, Iraq Veteran

The Monet Tea Set

My friend Lorie visited us over the weekend.  Thirty years ago we shared an apartment in Japan and have had a sweet friendship since that time.  Remembering my teapot collection, she brought me a lovely gift, an exquisite teapot/cup and saucer set.  It came in a beautiful box with Monet's Poppies on it, and inside was this delicate porcelain teapot that sits perfectly into the cup, with a matching saucer.  I love the fine china feel, the colors and beauty of the pieces, the way the hot tea steeping in the pot warms up the cup.  It was a loving, thoughtful gift and I appreciate it very much.

And if you come to my house for tea, I will serve you with my Monet Poppies tea set.

Snoqualmie Falls

Tom and I bundled up on Saturday morning and headed toward Preston, Fall City and Snoqualmie Falls.  We were in search of cheese, beautiful scenery, some photos of Snoqualmie Falls and lunch out.

We drove through farm country as we traveled Pioneer Highway from Stanwood to I-5, which we don't do often enough.  I should have had my camera ready, because, as beautiful as the sights were that we saw later in the day, nothing compared to the barns and fields bathed in sunlight and backed by colored trees that we passed in the fresh mid-morning.

Going south on I-5, we turned off at I-405 and then east onto I-90.  The cheese we buy, Greenbank Cheese, is made in Preston, just 15 miles down the road.  According to the internet they have a store and we were looking forward to doing a little shopping.  Alas, no cheese company at the address we found online, and no sign of them anywhere we went in Preston.  Oh, well, the day is young.  Let's move on.

Snoqualmie Falls is another seven miles, and I watched as we climbed higher and higher above the river gorge.  The falls were beautiful!  Next time we'll go later in the day, when the sun is further to the south and not shining in our eyes as we try to photograph the falls.  Still it was a spectacular sight to view this 268 foot waterfall spilling over the rocks.  I've read that, next to Mount Rainier, this is Washington State's most popular tourist attraction.

With well-built walkways and lookout points and native Northwest landscaping, the two-acre park is inviting.  The hiking trails, as I understand, will be closed until 2013.

Our biggest disappointment was that both our cameras gave us some trouble.  My camera's battery went dead and I didn't have a recharged replacement for it, and Tom's photos turned out quite grainy.  Still we were able to capture a few good photos.

On our way home we stopped at the Fall City Roadhouse where they heat up their biscuits on the grill (yummy) and serve food that continues steaming long after they bring it to the table!  Tom enjoyed the Hangtown Fry, featuring oysters, eggs, bacon and hash browns, and my Country Scramble was loaded with vegetables, including Yukon Gold potatoes, and topped with goat cheese.  I recommend the food and the service.

Next time you have out-of-town company, or the next time you just want an enjoyable trip that's not too far from home, why not head to Snoqualmie Falls!

Pick a Little, Talk a Little

We had a phenomenal apple crop this year.  It was our best ever, yet it was a total bust.

We've got this tree in the front, just beside the road, and this summer we noticed it had one little apple on it.  It's never borne an apple before, so we were quite excited.  Except for these little red berries that were growing on branches that intertwined with the apple tree, there was no other fruit to be found.  And this little apple was beautiful!  But one day, when we had our heads turned, something happened to our solo apple.  Was it one of the neighbor kids -- or some kind of wildlife -- that got our apple, or did the wind knock it off the tree?  I guess we'll never know.

So that made Heather's e-mail especially sweet.  She said, "Martha's got lots of fragrant, delicious apples that you can go pick.  Any takers?"  So Karen and I went to her house on Wednesday to pick.  We had a bucket and two baskets; Martha had the "apple pickers" and the trees.  We'd never used an apple picker before.  It is a long handle with a wire basket with a rake-like set of teeth around part of the the basket to pull the apples from the tree.  You can get several apples at a time, if you're careful.

The apples were firm and delicious, with snowy white flesh.  Great eating apples.  And now I'm singing that song from The Music Man, "Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little..."  I guess that's what friends do when they pick apples together!

Karen and our harvest of Martha's apples

A little art shot

Falling Short

Art by Patrick Slaven

For months I've been pondering the meaning of Romans 3:23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...  I always assumed it was talking about God's standard of expected behavior from His followers.  I would see myself, heels pressed against the wall while I stretched to my full height, hoping to be a little closer to the top of God's huge yardstick designed to measure my righteousness.  I saw this verse from a legal point of view, and I always fell short.

Charles Stanley says that we fall short of God's likeness.  This is falling short of God's standard, and even more. Created in God's likeness (Genesis 1:26), we fall short of it.  We are incapable of living up to all that God had in mind for us. We are sinners, we are fundamentally flawed!  

But there is hope!  It is found in Jesus Christ.

Here's how the Message Bible renders Romans 3:23 and 24:  Since we've compiled this long and sorry record as sinners...and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ. (emphasis mine)

Praise the Lord for the gift of Jesus Christ, who makes us righteous and qualifies us to experience the glory of God in our lives!