Today you can read German, even if you don't understand it. #crazytech

Because my family history is Mennonite and their main language was German, (or more specifically it's a dialect called low german) there are a number of good old german books in my library. They came from both sides of my family history.

(Side note, my family history came from Stebbendorf, West Prussia. Then they were invited by Catherine the Great to what at that time was Russia, what is today known as Zaporizhzhia. Yes, that Zaporizhzhia.)

...Anywayyyyyy...

Today I was looking at a german book on my shelf and I wanted to see what it was about, so I pulled out my google translator app. My oh my how this technology has grown in such a short time.

Translated from the book, “Touching events and remarkable prayer experiences”

Death just a sleep. 

Mrs Mattie Campbell recounts the blessed death of her sister which occurred last May. Although spiritually dead for a long time in her life, just before her death, by the grace of God, such a change came over her that she passed away peacefully. Mrs

Campbell tells: At Sunday school this afternoon I suddenly got the message: Emma is dying, hurry up, "if you want to see her alive again!" My poor sister! We had played together in youth, yes we had dreamed of future happiness together! Of a future where anything but sorrow and misery would get in our way. She was healthy and rosy, full of cheerfulness and lust that not even the seriousness of life could drive away. I had overwhelmed her, healthy and well, only five days ago. But, alas, just in the hour when one does not suspect it, death rages! On the way to her we met the family doctor, his serious expression showed us that there was no hope. May she live until evening," he said. We hurried on and my prayer and supplication was: "D, dear Father in heaven, just let me talk to her so that I can find out how her soul is doing!" The poor mother greeted me at the door with tears in her eyes. Ask her how her soul is!" she said, through sobs. I entered the room and saw many friends. I laid my hand on the old, damp forehead of the dying sister. She knew me and said to me, in her old, friendly way. I slowly and softly began to sing the song that we

used to sing together so often: Jesus Is my confidence." Anxiously, I watched every feature of her rapidly changing face. A blissful, peaceful smile showed that she understood the words. I bent over her and she whispered, God has always been good to us, dear sister. He has always comforted me in my illness." D, how I thanked God, in my heart and my lips cried out: God be praised!" She knew she was going to die, and spoke of the long sweet sleep she would sleep until the Day of Resurrection. She firmly believed that. She called the friends and acquaintances present and asked them in earnest words to meet her in heaven with her families who were entrusted to her care. So she lay still and content and awaited the laid slumber that only the laid trumpet will one day disturb. "Listen!" she called softly, I hear heavenly music! don't you hear me too? and I see a door in front of me!" - Is the door open?" asked the mother. We all listened. Yes, it's wide open?" - "Can you see inside?" Her face beamed as she answered: Yes, I can see inside, it's a beautiful place; it is heaven. - I see shapes of people, in white clothes, many, yes, a large crowd! And then she said, "D, there's Papa too!" then after a while she gave exact decrees about her burial. After she had said goodbye to everyone, she called out: "Come on, oh Lord, I'm ready now! Come and take my spirit - it hurts me so much!"- She closed her eyes and lips and in a few moments, it was hers soul entered through the open door of heaven. I led the weeping mother, the only thing I had left from my youth, out of the room where I died."

-Earnest Christian.

Using My Words

I’m not highly trained in writing and unlike a good friend I don’t have a degree in English. He is my go to for the proper use of apostrophes and semicolons and such. But I still search my public writings to see if I used lose or loose as I tend to use one in place of the other frequently.

I began to write in this space in 2002 and the discipline required to do that turned out to be quite a good thing in my life. I gained a lot of practice working with words, exploring them, playing with them, just enjoying them and the power they carried to communicate. It was a very fulfilling time.

As a result over the years I received more and more invitations to write for publications. Our local city paper was open to publish any article I would write. Denominational magazines would invite me to prepare articles for them. I was able to sell a few pieces, even to a national newspaper, which puffed me up considerably.

I always wondered if I had a book in me, and then I would read a book written by some fellow which would convince me once again that there were too many books in the world already. I didn’t want to add to the book noise out there and the thought of another tree giving its life so that an inexperienced writer wannabe could fulfil some sort of unrealistic dream, well that filled me with dread.

So I write here, and occasionally on other online places. I write sermons and church constitution changes. Brochure information and signs, motions and the like. I write letters of release, letters of reference, and simply letters to others. It’s a part of my work here now. It’s good challenging work, but not always inspiring.

So when I am invited to write for magazines etc. I usually am quick to say yes to the challenge.

This photo is the result of my recent invitation to write. The topic was how we as people of faith, can bloom where we are planted. (The July/August 2020 copy of the Recorder) It was a good challenge this summer and my live in editor (Lauralea ever since college) helped it read even better.

It’s still an enjoyable exercise and a wonderful discipline for me and there are still things to say. So for now we carry on.

In Search of Scotland

At supper tonight Micah asked me like he usually does, what did I do today? I usually then take the opportunity to list the items of my day, some of the people, some of the stories of the day like I'm trying to convince myself that the amount of work that I did was superhuman and normal.
:)

Today my answer was more along the lines of I don't really want to revisit the whole day, so I don't want to answer.

I think its just due to an emotionally demanding day after an emotionally demanding week.

We had a friend stay for night last night who drives in occasionally from a good distance away for some good talk and Spiritual Direction and care sorts of things, so this morning we had a great conversation about things. It was good and awesome and God was there and it made me smile.

Earlier in the morning I was up and praying for a friend who was going in to surgery today and just asking God to provide for her and care for her as she went through the tough process of going under the knife. Word came back that it was all good for her. Thank you father.

Noon hour got me into the office to help with the bulletin and various administrative duties, then I raced home to head into town for a dicy counselling situation in the afternoon. That was a very tough conversation, but God was there too. We talked for a couple hours and it really was good and hopeful.

I stopped and got some water and headed for home, getting here around 5 pm.

The stories this week were one after another of struggling families, personal sicknesses, people changing work, very sick children, some wanting to follow Jesus, and on and on. There were a few times this week that I crawled into God's presence and begged for help. That I couldn't hear another difficult story and could he carry things please?

To that end, the results of the week were delightful, gracious, hopeful and for me, satisfying work done faithfully. God was in the week, in the stories and leading the way.


I keep trying to get back to my fun reading, In Search of Scotland, in my efforts to take care of myself. Maybe tomorrow night, after we tackle the Sunday plans I'll find a bit of roooom to reeeeead. Before then I'm going to need a sermon and I know that Marc my "Associate" has been working on some plans for the day already.

But I for one am ready to put this week behind me.
See you Sunday.

100 Days on Holy Island

There are six books out there somewhere that I ordered from amazon.ca and they are suppose to be on their way here with UPS but the UPS guy, Kevin, has not found his way to The Field yet. Thankfully one of the books I ordered came via the good old fashioned postal system.

100 Days on Holy Island seems to be about a writer who plunked himself down on Lindisfarne Island, otherwise known as Holy Island, for 100 days in the winter of 2000.

The writing is a bit jagged but he writes mostly about what life is like for an outsider moving there. It's a good travelogue so far, and the tension between the "God Squad" on the island and the "Regular Islanders" is an interesting mix of characters.

I'm just a few pages in but I'm enjoying it a good deal. And so far it seems like the religious types have been treating Peter Mortimer well.

Bring on the rest of the book.

Alphabet Of Grace - Frederick Buechner

This is the kind of book you want to simply soak in.

It is classic Buechner who, as I understand it, created this book from a series of lectures he gave which inspired him to explore different forms of writing.

One of the many good quotes:

"Prince Oblonsky, newly awake and sitting on the edge of the sofa in his study, asks "What's to be done?" And the answer that life gives is: live in the needs of the day. What's to be done? Do what you need most to do this day and what is most needed of you. Where your feet take you today is who you are. Guide thou my feet. O Thou invisible, manifest thyself, clack-clack, in this visible day."

First half better than the second.

3.5 out of 5

For those of you trying to get a children's book published

Dr. Seuss' first book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was rejected 27 times before he stepped into an office elevator and bumped into an old friend who happened to be working at a publishing house.

The Pastor as Spiritual Guide - Howard Rice

Wow. Where has this book been hiding.

The way Mr. Rice explores the recent history of Pastoral ministry and calls us back to the simple basics of being Spiritual Guides for the church fits exactly with who I always wanted to be as a pastor. It's like finally I've found a pastoral ministry book that makes sense to me in deep ways.

4/5 but only because I don't hand out 5's.

:)

Group Spiritual Direction: Community for discernment - Rose Mary Doughtery

Practical insights into leading Spiritual Direction in groups.

Possibly Thee book on this theme. Many other authors reference this work.

4/5

Spiritual Direction in context - Nick Wagner

A good collection of essays on themes pertaining to Spiritual Direction.

4/5

Care of mind Care of spirit - Gerald G. May

highlighting the unique differences between Spiritual Direction and psychiatric dimensions of spiritual direction.

2/5

For corsework.

The Writing Life

I’ve learned a great deal about writers and the writing life when I have taken time to watch Book Television. (I can’t believe I just wrote that sentence.)

Especially the program called “The Writing Life” in which different authors, many somewhat introverted just like me, tell how, where and when they write and how they deal with the difficulties of writing.

Anyway, now you know another deep dark secret about me, yes I watch Book Television.

But the other writing life visual that I enjoy is seeing where writers like to do their writing. What stimulates them, what hides them away, what does their writing space look like.

And last night as I was thinking about this again I remembered a post Jordon had done about the places writers write. He had caught an article in The Guardian which showed the writing places of some better known writers.

I went back and found the link and looked again at the places people write.

You know how some people look at food and go, ooh and aah, or some people look at new houses and go ooh and aah? For that matter, you can fill in your own blank over what makes you go ooh and aah. But that’s what I do when I look at these writing rooms. I ooh and aah and wish and dream.

 

Raymond Briggs. A bit too cluttered for me, but the breathtaking view…

 

Martin Amis. A quiet private space with leaves covering the windowed ceiling.

 

Colm Toibin. Cave like, surrounded by books with a clear writing space and good lamp.

 

Yeah. Lots to ooh and aah over, and dream and think about.

The Verse Book of a Homely Woman

Within my House

First, there's the entrance, narrow, and so small,
The hat-stand seems to fill the tiny hall;
That staircase, too, has such an awkward bend,
The carpet rucks, and rises up on end!
Then, all the rooms are cramped and close together;
And there's a musty smell in rainy weather.
Yes, and it makes the daily work go hard
To have the only tap across a yard.
These creaking doors, these draughts, this battered paint,
Would try, I think, the temper of a saint,

How often had I railed against these things,
With envies, and with bitter murmurings
For spacious rooms, and sunny garden plots!
Until one day,
Washing the breakfast dishes, so I think,
I paused a moment in my work to pray;
And then and there
All life seemed suddenly made new and fair;
For, like the Psalmist's dove among the pots
(Those endless pots, that filled the tiny sink!),
My spirit found her wings.

"Lord" (thus I prayed), "it matters not at all
That my poor home is ill-arranged and small:
I, not the house, am straitened; Lord, 'tis I!
Enlarge my foolish heart, that by-and-by
I may look up with such a radiant face
Thou shalt have glory even in this place.
And when I trip, or stumble unawares
In carrying water up these awkward stairs,
Then keep me sweet, and teach me day by day
To tread with patience Thy appointed way.
As for the house . . . . Lord, let it be my part
To walk within it with a perfect heart."

THE VERSE-BOOK OF A HOMELY WOMAN
BY FAY INCHFAWN
[Elizabeth Rebecca Ward]

The Art of Christian Listening - Thomas N. Hart

A great tool for Spiritual Direction.

Good insights into discernment processes and how to help with repeated walls directees come up against.

A great resource to have on hand.

A Summer’s Diary - David Wilbourne

An inspiring read of a country vicar.

Very good, I loved it.

Addiction and Grace: Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions - Gerald G.

Very good book.

One of the best I've read, as a pastor.

He gets past some of the contemporary cliches and brings the Spirit into the discussion.

Keeper.

Paper Money - Ken Follett

Good, not great.

An Airplane read.

Spiritual Direction: Beyond the Beginnings - Janet K. Ruffing

Hmmm.

For class.

The Practice of Spiritual Direction - William A. Barry & William J. Connolly

Foundational for Spiritual Direction.

Keeper

The Gift of Being Yourself - David Benner

For class.

A keeper.

Surrender To Love - David Benner

For Class.