Love Comes Softly

Recently, I was browsing in the video store and came upon this series of movies based on novels written by Christian author, Janette Oke. I had read the novels many years ago and enjoyed the stories, so I promptly rented the four videos and watched them over the next few days.

Amazon's Description: A woman’s dream to forge a new life for herself on the great American plains becomes a test of her pioneering spirit, her inner strength, and her undying faith. It was Marty Claridge’s dream to build her new life on the frontier with her husband. But when the courageous pioneer woman is suddenly widowed, she’s offered a new opportunity – to marry a widower in a marriage of convenience that leads to unexpected love.
Directed by Michael Landon, Jr., Love Comes Softly is based on the best-selling series of novels from Janette Oke, which has sold over 30 million copies. Love Comes Softly has aired on the Hallmark Channel, garnering record setting ratings.

I liked the movies. They are stories of faith and love, cleanly written and portrayed. One reviewer says, "Love Comes Softly, based on the popular Christian novel by Janette Oke, is a romance, but Landon carefully avoids any bodice-ripping histrionics. Problems get solved perhaps a little too easily, but the movie is cleanly written, pleasantly understated, and respectful to its characters. For many viewers, Love Comes Softly will be a welcome change from overheated secular love stories."

The other movies in the series include, Love's Enduring Promise, Love's Long Journey, and Love's Abiding Joy.

Appreciation Dinner

Every October, our little congregation does a "Pastor Appreciation Dinner" along with Thanksgiving. This year, the leadership decided to do a "Congregation Appreciation Dinner", with the leadership team preparing, serving, and doing cleanup for the congregation. There are four of us putting on a spaghetti dinner for about 60 people tomorrow night.

I've enjoyed the preparation this week. Yesterday, I made 3 large pots of spaghetti sauce, which is now sitting in my fridge, the flavours blending together nicely. Over the course of 3 days, I've been baking chocolate chip cookies, lemon bars, chocolate chip/peanut butter cookie bars, and banana bread ~ and tasting a little of each along the way. :)
Tomorrow afternoon we'll meet at the church to set up and decorate tables, and prepare the salad, garlic bread and spaghetti. We've ordered (but I don't think they're going to arrive in time) appreciation gifts ~ mugs that are inscribed with, "Thank you for your servant heart" on one side and a Scripture verse (I can't remember which one) on the other side.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow. The dinner will be nice, but I'm looking forward to the comraderie of working together with the others to put on the dinner. They're wonderful people to work with. We make a good team.

Unsettled

Last year and the year before, I spent a lot of time on my computer; a lot of time online. But in the past several months I haven't been online very much, and some days ~ sometimes several days ~ I don't turn my computer on at all. I don't know why the change, and whether this is a temporary season or a permanent change. I seem to be doing a lot more reading instead, which I suppose could be a good thing. Except that I have the feeling that for me, right now, reading is more of a stress-relief than pure enjoyment.

At the moment, I still don't have a clear picture in my mind of what I want my blog to be. I don't really want to journal my daily life and events. I think I'd rather write more regarding things I'm thinking about. But to be honest, right now I don't really feel like writing much about those things, either. I guess this blog will be a variety of types of posts ~ or maybe none at all ~ for awhile, until I get settled what I'm doing with it.

Love must be sincere.

Romans 12:9 says, "Love must be sincere." Recently, I've seen several demonstrations of insincere love. Insincere love on the surface looks like love and sounds like love, but it doesn't feel like love to the recipient of this 'love'. What I've seen demonstrated was a mean spirit, manipulation and control, masked in a cloak of "niceness". The actions looked good, the words sounded good, but the spirit behind it was not good. It was not love. And the result is a tearing down of trust and relationship, rather than a growing mutual love and respect.


I want to love sincerely. I don't want to hurt anyone with an insincere love. I want the love I demonstrate to others to be real. I want to love the way God loves, with the kind of love described in 1 Corinthians 13...


4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

The only way I can consistently love like this is with God's love. It's His Spirit in me that can love others with a sincere love, consistently. I need to get myself out of the way and let Him love through me. And for me, that's not always easy.

Whatever happened to commitment?

One of the things I'm finding the most difficult about being the mother of grown children is the changing of partners that takes place in the lives of my kids. Years ago a couple married, had children and stayed together until death parted them. Good or bad, that's the way it was. While that wasn't always the happiest state to be in, it was a commitment that was honoured.

Today, it is not uncommon for people to change partners, with or without marriage. Commitment doesn't mean the same thing as it did way back when. "I promise to be faithful to you for as long as I love you," is not commitment. When the feelings wear off and challenges arise in the relationship, it's easier to say goodbye than stay and work it through.

Some couples seem to think that they are the only ones affected by these changing relationships. But in reality, the extended family is affected, as well. When one of our kids brings a partner into the family, my husband and I receive that person with open arms. We accept them, get to know them, grow to love them, and consider them part of our family.

When that relationship breaks up, our hearts are grieved because of the love we have for both our child and the former partner. While our first loyalty lies with our own child, we still love the former partner as a member of our own family. We experience a loss when they can no longer be a part of our lives.

I'm finding my heart reluctant to so readily accept a new partner of my child's as I once was. The disappointment and loss make it difficult to want to open my heart up as freely as I've done. A part of me is now held in reserve, safeguarded against the grief.

And that, in itself, is a loss.

Dear deer

There are three young deer resting in my yard. That isn't unusual for here. Deer in town and in our yards is a common occurrence, some might even say 'nuisance'. And yes, they do leave messes and they do eat my flowers. But they are such pretty animals and having them laying in my yard, resting, brings such a sense of peace to my surroundings. After living in the hectic city for so many years, there's something soothing about being this close to the 'great outdoors' and its wildlife. Pretty tame wildlife, I admit. But soothing, nonetheless.

That doesn't happen here, does it?

BOIL WATER ADVISORY. City works crews were going door-to-door today delivering notices to all homes and businesses in town. Seems a contamination has been discovered. "E coli" was the unconfirmed rumour. Nevertheless, we're being advised to boil all our water: drinking water, water used for washing dishes, brushing teeth, washing fruits and vegetables. In other words, any water that would potentially go into the mouth. This advisory is in effect until further notice.

It's interesting to me. It takes an event like this — a temporary lack of something I take for granted — to make me appreciate how blessed we are to live in this country. We have so much — I have so much, compared to so many others around the world.

Thank You, Lord, for safe, clean water. Forgive me that my first reaction was to complain about the inconvenience. May each inconvenience only serve to strengthen my gratitude for Your goodness and the blessings I take for granted.