Time has gotten the better of me, so I'm just going to share a few things that brought recent smiles and even a few belly laughs this week.  Thanks to those of you who provided my material; you'll know who you are if you read this! 

-Said mother to preadolescent daughter, "Have we had "the talk" yet?"  Daughter responds, "You mean the one about republicans and democrats?"

-Said father to magic years daughter, "And what would you like to be when you grow up?"  And sweet daughter replies, "A BUTTERFLY!"

-Said friend to me after her little cotton candy ball of canine peed on me, "Oh, I'm glad it was you."

-The little girl visiting in my office was showing me how high she could count...126, 127, 128, 129, 120-10, 120-11...

-Oops. It's Wednesday, not Thursday-- after texting "Good luck" to my hubby for his Thursday eve championship soccer game.

-Me: "I've never really watched the Veggie Tales." Friend: "Oh, it's like Christian Monty Python for children."

 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Proverbs 17:22 (KJV for my friend Val) 
Thanks, Friends! You help keep my heart merry!

From joyful palm branches to darkness and pain, our service on Sunday marks the beginning of Passion Week.  We remember. We confess. We cry out.  Lord, have mercy on us.  The 10:15am service will be scripture and music with Brother Nelson leading us in this time of reflection on the valley of sorrow and pain our Jesus walked.

This Sunday is the conclusion of our 9am elective classes. After Easter we will resume our regularly scheduled programming.
On Easter Sunday there will be an early service at 8am led by the senior high youth followed by a 9am brunch.  Our Resurrection service will begin at 10:15.

Please continue to pray for Craig, Anthony, and others who are undergoing treatments for cancer. 

Have you seen the Hunger Games?  What do you think of it?  Am I a loser or confident since I went to a matinee alone? ha!

My prayer for today: Creator God, wrap your loving arms and blanket of comforting light around each one today.  Place a hedge of protection around those in danger's path.  Grant courage and strength as each faces the trials and challenges of life.  Let your Peace which transcends all understanding rest upon us through your Spirit,  and pour out from us as a healing balm to our wounded and needy neighbors. Come Kingdom of God. Be done will of God, on earth as it is in heaven.  In Jesus name. Amen.

Without question or doubt, you are loved by God, and  I love you too!

Love and Light,
carol

Always remember who you are, whose you are, where you are going, and what you believe because it does make a difference! Oh, and don't forget to attend a church of your choice this weekend!" JD

Do you see what I see?




There's at least one buck left in the woods!

 

Preening Mourning Dove



How many birds do you see?



Do you see this little feathered "leaf?"



I've noticed something. Living in the woods and experiencing the creatures, trees, shrubs, flowers, insects, and arachnids on a daily basis, I've learned to see more easily those camouflaged critters that blend so well with their surroundings. Years ago before moving to the timber, Cliff and I were hiking a trail with another couple one of whom was an experienced hunter.  At one point in our walk, he paused and said, "There's a deer over in that brush."  Only with Don's help, did I actually see her. "How do you do that? How did you spot her when she blended in so well?"  He explained how with practice, desire, and experience your eyes distinguish the incongruous lateral lines, curves, and shadows. You learn to see from a different, deeper perspective.

"Vision Correction" is what Brother Mick has titled his message for Sunday with the primary scripture passage being John 12:20-33.  In his pre-sermon notes, Mick says, "Spirituality is finding the balance between seeing things 'as they are,' and 'as they can be.'"  From what perspective are we seeing one another? Creation?

Electives will continue at 9am and the worship service begins at 10:15am.

Play Ball! Ridgeview will again be having a softball team.  If you're interested in joining the team, contact Jason or Rich.  The season opener is April 9.  My, how time is flying!

Heidi is still collecting recipes for the church cookbook until this Sunday.  Be sure to submit your favorite!

Here is the link for the Ridgeview site where you can check the bulletin and the many happenings. http://www.ridgeviewmennonite.net/

Congratulations going out to Jul and Tyler! :)

Please continue to be in prayer for Anthony, Craig, Mim, and others who are facing challenging health issues.  Strength! Hope! Light! Healing! Peace!

My prayer for today:  Great Divine, write your commands on our hearts. Let us love you and love our neighbors.  Let us respond to one another as we see each other made in your image.  Wrap our dear ones who are suffering illness in your healing light and love.  Grant peace and hope to those caught in the vicious and ugly jaws of violence and hatred.  Come Kingdom of God. Be done, will of God, here on earth as it is in heaven. In the name of Jesus. AMEN.

Without question and doubt, you are loved by God, and I love you too!

Love and Light,

carol

Always remember who you are, whose you are, where you are going, and what you believe because it does make a difference! Oh, and don't forget to attend a church of your choice this weekend!" JD

Snake on the Lane

"Mom, Dad, there's a big snake on the lane!" Back in the late spring of 2004 our eldest was walking the dog when she came across a serpent  in the middle of our stone lane. It was about 36 inches long, alive but barely moving. The evening was cool but not cold, and I was surprised at the reptile's sluggishness, but I confess to knowing little to nothing about the habits of these creatures. I also wasn't sure of the variety, but we had seen a number of the same patterned snakes before and were fairly sure it was a milksnake.

Having grown up on a farm, my dad had instilled in me a respect and care for these creatures that can cause fear and trembling in some, teaching that they helped rid the farm of rodents. As long as it wasn't inside of my house, or snakes on a plane,and it wasn't poisonous, which I didn't think it was, I would be a protector rather than a "grab the shovel and chop it up person" which I would have had to ask Cliff to do, because I wouldn't have been able to bring myself to kill it. Fretting that it might be run over if it stayed where it was, much to the chagrin of my family, I donned a glove and moved it to the edge of the woods along the lane.  For the next three days it remained in this pile of dead leaves, barely moving, but it began laying eggs!  If you look closely at these photos, you may be able to see the 4-5" sections which look really dull and grayish next to the normal bright,shiny segments.  I assume this was a visual of the contractions.   (If there are any herpetologists out there, amateur or professional, that can verify and clarify my surmising, I would appreciate it.) She laid only 3 eggs which were about 1 1/2" long, rectangular with rounded edges, and leathery rather than hard-shelled. The eggs were later consumed by insects; the snake disappeared.

"Something About Snakes" is the title Brother Mick is giving his message on Sunday at 10:15am at Ridgeview as he recounts the story of the children of Israel in Numbers 21:4-9 http://bible.oremus.org/who because of their complaints and grumbling were bitten by venomous snakes.  God heard their cries, and instructed Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole saying that if anyone bitten would gaze at the snake on a pole, he would live. This is one of those Old Testament stories that has me saying, "God did WHAT?!" John makes reference to this event in John 3:14-15:  "And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him will have eternal life."  Are we grumblers about our lives or do we offer thanks and praise in all circumstances?

Our electives continue with the International lesson, The Heart of Mennonite Worship taught by Brother Mick, and chapters 7 The practice of living with purpose/ 8 The practice of saying no from An Altar in the World facilitated by me.  Please join us at 9am!  Attending the previous sessions of any of these classes is not necessary to be a participant this week.

I talked to Craig Stoltzfus who is back home in Minnesota last night.  Craig spent some months with his Lancaster county grandparents last fall, and he enlivened our Upper Room conversations with thoughtfulness and insights. Check out his blog and read some of them! http://cas-ementions.blogspot.com/ Craig will be seeing an oncologist today as a  mass was discovered in his abdomen.  As a toddler, Craig was treated for cancer, so there is concern of a recurrence.   Please pray for Craig as this testing is done.  I will keep you posted.  As always, I was truly blessed by my conversation with this young man.

For details of all the happenings, check out the bulletin on the website at: http://www.ridgeviewmennonite.net/

My prayer for today:  Creator God, you bring refreshment, re-creation, and reconciliation to all the earth. Thank you.  Some of us have really tough stuff going on in our lives; open our eyes to see that you are in it with us; open our ears to hear your voice of direction to us; open our hearts to feel your care for us.  Use us, Lord, to be your loving hands and feet as we journey with others.  Grant Craig the assurance and peace of your healing presence.Come Kingdom of God. Be done, will of God, on earth as it is in heaven.  In Jesus name. Amen. 

Without question or doubt, you are loved by God, and I love you too!

Love and Light,

Carol

Always remember who you are, whose you are, where you are going, and what you believe because it does make a difference! Oh, and don't forget to attend a church of your choice this weekend!" JD

Spittle foamed at the corner of his mouth while his eyes blinked like hummingbird wings. Laughing at nothing and everything, he joined our small group of mostly teens walking through the park. This man didn't need a kite to fly; he was already in the sky. O Lord, what did I get us into this time?

This was the last night of our challenging week Vive el Llamado!-Live the Call! at the 2007 Mennonite Convention in San Jose, CA where Pat, Arnie, and I along with a small group of high schoolers had been stretched and challenged to take seriously the call to follow Jesus. We had gotten pizza and had an entire pie leftover.  "Should we give this to the men who sleep in the park?" I asked.
So we crossed the street to the small area where every night a men's dormitory appeared. Some of the occupants took slices, while others weren't hungry.  We inadvertently awakened the tall, gangly man who was now tagging our group, bellowing uproariously, and naming Arnie "Coach."  I was suddenly overwhelmed with the foolishness of going to the park and risking the safety of these teens in my care.  "Kiteman" didn't say or do anything threatening, but his behavior unnerved me.  Much more than feeling good because we gave some homeless people pizza, the realization that truly following Christ  means stepping into unknown and even unsafe territory. Are we really ready to "live the call" if it means going into the park at night? Are we truly ready to sign up for this?

Brother Mick's message this week is called, "Foolishness" based on the text in I Corinthians 1: 18-25. The servant leadership and counter-cultural way of Jesus so upset the religion, culture, and politics around him that he allowed himself to be led to the cross.  http://bible.oremus.org/

Please join us for this third Sunday in Lent.

Electives continue during the 9-10am education hour.  In the 1990 hall Brother Mick will be sharing a study called, "The Heart of Mennonite Worship."  The International lesson will be taught by someone.... and I'll be facilitating discussion on Barbara Taylor Brown's book An Altar in the World, chapters 4 and 5 in the King's Daughters classroom.

Wednesday, March 14 is the final "Family Night Activities" with dinner beginning at 6:15p.  The youngsters will have their carnival; remember those days? The adults will be discussing "Caring as Community in Times of Loss" led by Brothers Mick and Nelson. 
http://www.ridgeviewmennonite.net/
If you are one of those people who enjoy scrapbooking or looking through photos, on Wednesday, March 21 at 6:30pm, people will be gathering to work on albums for the 50th anniversary celebration (which is on June 10.)

Last evening five of us visited Albert and Frances at Manor Care. Frances was having a really good evening, was alert and talkative.  Sharing her famous Italian gravy recipe, we listened, Heidi recorded, and Albert prompted, as Frances talked nonstop for at least 20 minutes describing the ingredients and process while her small hands formed the meatballs in the air.  Heidi is hoping to put the recipe into a format that will work for  Ridgeview's 50th Anniversary Cookbook.  From authentic Italian cooking (we also heard from Frances the shortcomings of Rachel Ray!) to traditional PA Dutch cooking, this collection is sure to be the best!  Send me your recipes asap so that we can get them into the cookbook. Yes, these cookbooks will be available for anyone to purchase! :)

My prayer for today:  The heavens declare your glory, O God, and the skies proclaim the work of your hands.  You are our Rock and our Redeemer.  In your life, Jesus, you showed us a way to live that is counter to the world's way of selfishness, exploitation, violence, and power.  Grant us courage and strength to respond to the world in sharing, loving, peaceful, life giving ways. Some of us or our loved ones are hurting physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually today-- cover us with your light and love; fill us with your healing and hope. As we struggle with joblessness, illness, pain, and loneliness, remind us that you never leave us nor forsake us.  Thank you, Compassionate God.  Come Kingdom of God. Be done will of God, here on earth as it is in heaven.  In Jesus name. Amen.

Without question or doubt, you are loved by God, and I love you too!
Love and Light,
Carol

Always remember who you are, whose you are, where you are going, and what you believe because it does make a difference! Oh, and don't forget to attend a church of your choice this weekend!" JD

I don't remember the time of year, but I recall being in the kitchen with my dad and my younger sister in our Illinois country home when the first small bang occurred.  What was going on?  We ran to the window and heard another bottle rocket pop in the night sky near our house.  Now, you must understand, we lived on a gravel road with only 3 other houses.  This was an intentional "call out."  My dad began to grin. "You know, I have a whole drawer full of that stuff. Should we answer that?" 

Dad went to his stash and pulled out bottle rockets and other things that go boom, and the three of us headed outside.  For the next fifteen minutes we exchanged sky sprinkles and pops with some of our fun-loving neighbors thus a page in the infamous feud between the "Getzlemans and the Yahyeemans" was created.
Memories awakened of my Illinois neighbors today as I learned that Mom Phyllis is in the hospital. These now rarely seen friends are a meaningful part of my life story and are tucked in a special pocket of my heart.  Love and prayers for you, dear friends!

The focus statement in this week's bulletin reads, "We give up everything to follow Jesus and in turn gain everything--as Abraham and Sarah did when they accepted God's generous covenant and committed themselves to a walk of faith. How can we, too, sign on to the journey, following the footsteps of our ancestors in faith and responding to God's initiating call to let go of our lives for the sake of the gospel?"  Following, walking, journeying, this week Sister Joanne Dietzel will share a message she is calling "Is Anything Too Difficult for God?"  Our sister will draw our attention to the story of Sarah and her journey in signing on with God. 
There are lots of events happening at Ridgeview, so here is a peek at this week's bulletin for all the news.  http://www.ridgeviewmennonite.net/bulletins/current.pdf

I certainly want to highlight the Amish Turkey Dinner. (Tynea, did you see this??) :) The senior high youth with the help of Theresa, chef extraordinaire, will be preparing the annual Amish Wedding Feast, which is our best fundraiser.  I hope you can join us immediately after the service.

Anthony is home recovering from his surgery.  Let's keep praying for him and his family in this challenging journey.

I hope that for those of you who have spring break this week, you find refreshment and renewal and experience God's presence in new ways.

Mim has surgery next week-- praying, praying!

As we prepare to celebrate Ridgeview's 50th anniversary, we are putting together a cookbook of  our favorite recipes.  Would you like to submit one?  The deadline is March 25.

My prayer today:  Compassionate God, you invite us to join you on life's journey so that we don't have to travel alone.  Never do you leave us nor forsake us.Heb. 13:5  Help us to understand how wide, how long, how high, and deep is your love for us.Eph 3:18   As your love grows in us, our fears diminish-- our fears of circumstances, strangers, death, failure... Grant us courage, Lord, to trust you today.  Wrap us in your light and love that we are filled with the healing and hope that comes from you. Come Kingdom of God. Be done will of God, on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus Name. AMEN. 

Without question or doubt, you are loved by God, and I love you too!
Love and light,
Carol

Always remember who you are, whose you are, where you are going, and what you believe because it does make a difference! Oh, and don't forget to attend a church of your choice this weekend!" JD