Fall 2020

 Since my studies have taken up most of my time since the semester began I've had little time to do anything else. 

Getting the house ready for winter without Brian has been a challenge. All the things he used to take care of have fallen to me, and since his expertise was legendary I have had to rely on friends and family to help me out instead, and they have been wonderful.

I cannot list everything here, but believe me, things have been fixed, readied, and organized by very special and generous friends. I am blessed. 

One thing that Brian and I were discussing on our way out to New Hampshire was the need to replace our 30 year old roof. We've had hail damage and weather these past few years and it was necessary to "bite the bullet" and fix things. Part of the repair was getting the old brick chimney repaired before it fell down. It's still in use, just needing new mortar. 

In the process our chimney repairman found bats living contentedly in the space. Long story short, they are now seeking shelter for winter, and we've had four bats flying around in the house these past two days. I heard another one about 5:00 am this morning, but I wasn't able to locate it. 

It's alarming to have them swooping at you suddenly!

I'm trying to figure out how to lure them to a better home. The kids have been catching and releasing...

I'm not sure the bats are willing to leave. 

I can attest that I am willing to leave this old earth for that bridal feast with Jesus! And yet there are things about this life that hold us. 

The beauty of the leaves this September, such color and artistry! God made such a wondrous creation! 

Our children, grandchildren, so dear and precious. Are they believers? Will they "fly" with us? 

How about our families? Have they made that transaction with Christ to save their souls? 

As I see those around me struggling with politics and philosophy, theology and doctrine I am comforted that God is ALWAYS in control. 

My faith dictates certain absolutes, and I have grown into my understanding gradually over 50 years. We all must be patient with our dear ones as they, too, become more like Christ. 

We must extend our patience with ourselves to others. 

I learn this lesson daily. This is a hard lesson for me, so God must continually teach me. 

I have a professor now who calls himself a "post-modernist." Apparently he was a pastor for awhile. I gather that he has completely rejected his erstwhile belief system: his tongue spouts the language of demons.

As I listen to the foul words (every other minute, for about 3 hours each lecture) I wonder about his experiences. What drove him to reject Christ? What was the pivotal point where he found he could not be a pastor anymore? 

How does one love such a person? 

How does one respond and interact with him? 

Is it my duty to help him? 

I ask these questions. Since I am always keen about evangelism and missions I look for ways to engage people in PRODUCTIVE conversation. (I despise witless spouting of theological philosophy!) I wonder if it is even worth it to pursue or question some of the things my professor believes. 

Do I want to graduate? 

I know I am on enemy territory with my studies. I am reminded of this each time I open one of my textbooks. My studies are primarily centered on globalism and political science. I cannot avoid the devil's influence in these arenas. 

Lately I have had less of an ability to concentrate, primarily because of grief and distraction, but probably also because of age. I'm an old woman now, and things don't come to me as easily as they once did. Fighting this spiritual battle with my education is interesting to me, but is it fruitless?

Should I just quit? I don't fit in. 

As a conservative leaning voter, politics has always interested me. I don't watch the globalist media. I know better. (If you are watching television be aware that you cannot help be somewhat brainwashed.)

The media lies. All the time. Brian used to say that everything the media says is a lie, including "and" and "the."

In election years that is absolutely true.

I have never been a fan of Donald Trump. I've always said that he is the judgment America deserved after the apostasy of Obama. 

One thing we MUST acknowledge: he is playing the role of the world leader leading up to the global kingdom of Antichrist. He is promoting pro-life agendas, pro-Israel actions, and he is friendly to people of the Christian faith.

Hate him however you will, but he is infinitely better than the Democrat candidate. Infinitely. 

God is working out His plans. Whether Biden or Trump this year, God reigns. Believers can hope that there is more time in this precious world, more sympathy for those of us who are first believers in Jesus, and secondly citizens of our countries---but if the communist/socialist crackdown comes (as the Nazis/fascist crackdown in Germany leading up to WWII) we must be willing to accept God's sovereign plan. We can resist, just as Bonhoeffer did, and suffer the consequences, but we will ultimately see the demise of our life as we know it. 

Socialism does that. 

Biden is a socialist. Marxism has permeated the church through the World Council of Churches and the Frankfurt School. The Jim Wallaces and Tony Campolos, the councils that seek to define and draw away from the authority of Scripture and the (detestable!) Fundamentals of the faith.

Oh, yes, Satan is crafty. He had me thinking the Fundamentals of the faith were old fashioned and archaic. I wanted to be a cool evangelical for many years. It's cool to be cool.

It's cool to be integrated. It's cool to be inclusive. It's cool to fudge on the absolutes of truth. It's cool to be diverse. Truth is whatever you want it to be. God is whomever you want him to be. Let's all hold hands and sing Kumby-ya. 

Ya, I did that. That's clearly what my professor did, too, and look where he is. 

I'm thankful that I had a come to Jesus moment while home schooling my kids. I actually started to believe Scripture on its face. I stopped trying to make it fit into the current evangelical shibboleth. 

What a transformation. It made all the difference. 

Is it God's word or not? Is it for me or not? Is it right? Is it true? Must I doctor it to believe it? Can I study it and compare and see how it fits together? 

For me those answers are now clear. 

I doubt that they are for many people. My poor professor. I'd like to believe he was once saved. 

What drove him to reject truth for subjectivity? 

Perhaps we'll know by the end of the semester. 

For now I'll just quietly write my papers and read my textbooks, school myself in the studies of globalism and political trends. 

I do think about things.

Meanwhile at Corgi Hollows the garden yellows, two birthdays this week: Ed and Cheri. Our Abigail is here to make birthday honey cakes, and also costumes for our special day in October. (She's amazing.) We are all in great anticipation of Margaret's return to Minnesota. At her farm in New Hampshire they have had major freezing already! The season of produce ends early. 

Our squashes need to be harvested. I think there are at least a dozen down by the compost pile. The raspberries are ripening for an early October harvest. We've had about four perfect pumpkins so far. I made pumpkin bars and they were pretty good. 

The woodchuck (groundhog) grows fat and bold out by the wood pile. Today he was especially so, coming close to the house, stuffing his mouth with acorns and other yard delicacies. I hate to take the .22 and shoot him, but can I let him destroy our shed?? He disappears when we go out there. We see him every morning and evening, and sometimes during the day. He's huge. That is why we think he's a he. 

Pray for us as we battle the bats. I tend to scream. The kids are heroes. I just want to hunker down and live in peace with the critters, but we must address the issues, be they bats, hornets, woodchucks or coyotes. These are the joys of living in the country. 

Pray for me as I battle my intellectual foes. I just want to finish, now. 

Pray for us as we grieve and process the reality of losing our husband, father, and friend. The shock is wearing off and the truth of our reality is daily becoming more poignant. 

I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Life is hard. 

Come Lord Jesus! 

Maranatha!