Hertzler Doings-Dec. 6-12, 2010

Mon.-Day at home to rest, tidy up, write, and cook. Watched 'Just call me Claus'. It's interesting how 'the Christmas spirit' portrayed in the movies is much like the Spirit of Jesus-giving, loving, helping. I am thankful that I had time to make sugar cookie dough and icing to prepare for art on Thursday. I am thankful that Phil was able to hand in his fire paper work today. It's hard to believe how much it would cost to replace everything we had in the shop. I am thankful for the hope and the promise that God will work out everything for good.

Tues.-Shopped before going to school. Bought some things to make Christmas cookies. I asked each of our children to give me an idea of the type of Christmas cookies they'd like to have during this season. I found a new sugar cookie recipe that takes butter and 10x sugar and oil and regular sugar all in the same batter. It's so good. For music today, I let each child give a request or two of any song they'd like to sing or perform. Most of them chose fun songs from the red book. Every class chose 'Rubber Ducky'. Now I can't get it out of my head. The 5/6 graders wanted to sing the 3/4 song-"Busy Little Bethlehem" and the Select Choir's song-"African Noel." We played fun games like 'freeze dance', 'hokey pokey', musical chairs, and the older kids wanted to play with playdough while they listened to celtic music. All of the kids were on the wild side but that is normal. They always think that Christmas vacation has started as soon as the program is under their belts. One of the older boys asked if he could sing the grinch song and I tell you what. I'd put him up against the original singer anytime. He was fantastic! I laughed harder at the kids today than I have any day before. My throat, neck, and head hurt from laughing so hard. When we got home, my bed was loaded with all kinds of stuff. Everything 'in the way' had been put on the bed. Freeman had built shelves in the bedroom and also the back room. It's great. But I had better get to work if we are going to sleep in our bed tonight. Sometimes, things get alot messier before they get tidier, but that's the way it goes. Michael has passed out an unbelievable amount of Cutco cards on college campuses the past two days. Over 10,000 cards handed out at the three local L colleges. His manager just called and left him know that his office is being blown away by calls in response to those cards. Mike and Philip's friends are here tonight. I didn't see them but it's nice to know they are here.

I am thankful that although I keep singing 'Baby, it's cold outside,' our house is warm because of the wood stove and because of Phil's consistent love. I am thankful the select choir can figure out things so quickly. Today, seven of them sang a 4 part round. Pretty impressive. I am thankful for the traditional Christmas parties thrown by the Jones/Guilds families and the Grunert family and how it makes us feel at home to be invited year after year.

Wed.-Sat-highlights. Life is speeding along. K/1 students discovered a familiar song in 'The Nutcracker.' They wanted to hear 'The Marche' over and over again because they said it was played in the Tom and Jerry cartoons. The little K/1 boys wanted to add black sheep to their white sheep art picture. One little boy drew six shepherds-one for each sheep. I made cookies in the school kitchen on Thursday while playing Charlotte Church's Christmas album. I wore the apron Lindsay made me. Mr. S. came in for early lunch and he said, "You're in heaven, aren't you?" Teachers and students got to sample little snippets of sugar cookies as they went by. The second graders had seven cookies each to decorate. Mrs. Jones came in at my invitation to see the beautiful cookies. She decorated a snowman for her little granddaughter, who later ate off its head and licked off the icing. One little boy in the class needed his friend to scratch his back for him and she obliged. She said, 'There's nothing worse than an itchy back," and Mrs. Jones said, "I have to agree with you.' One little boy decided to give six of his cookies to his older brother for his birthday. He was so excited to have a gift to give. He decorated some paper and wrapped up his box of cookies. He wrote a note that said, "Happy Birthday...You are the best big brother in the whole world." His spirit of generosity spread to the others and by the end of the class period, all of the boxes were wrapped with paper and some with ribbon and they all had happy plans to give their cookies to their families. On Friday eve. we went to see Freeman perform in 'My Big Fat Greek Christmas Wedding.' We picked up Kate and took her along. Freeman did so well. He had eight different costume changes. What a great singer and actor he is. On Sat., I got the first layer of clutter cleaned up in the back room and our bedroom and got things off the floor and up on the new shelves, or in the trash, or out of the house. We went to the Jones/Guild party in the eve. Phil worked outside all day, demolishing part of the barn and getting things ready to build a shop. Now it looks like we've had a fire AND a tornado. But it's ok. We are both going through a time of being unattached. We are giving it all up, laying it on the altar. God, what do you want us to do? Where do you want us to live? Where should we be involved? Who should we love? How shall we live? It feels like our hands are open and not holding on to anything, but we are probably holding on to more than we think. God knows the future. He knows what will be necessary for life and godliness. Everything else is extra. Gil came to go turkey hunting with Philip. It feels so natural for him to be sitting at our table. They didn't get any but they had fun.
I am thankful for a day at home to work.
I am thankful the joy of watching Freeman, Missi, Dee and others perform. Missi got Phil's first laugh of the night.
I am thankful that Michael helped Phil vaccinate all of the cows.
I am thankful that Philip took Susan to see 'Voyage of the Dawn Treador' along with Michael, Chace, and Erik, I think.

Sunday-Woke up early and started organizing the wash and grocery list. Got Phil to wake up Susan at 6:30 to get ready for school. I began telling Phil about my schedule for the week and something he said made me realize that it was Sunday and not Monday. How wonderful! We told Susan to go back to bed. She thought it was Monday too. She confessed that she was still not that happy with me when we were playing Dutch Blitz in the evening. First Sunday I've been in church for over a month. It was good to see everyone. We sat back with the Bantons and I got to hold little Adi and make up for some lost time over this too busy season. Pastor Frank reviewed the spiritual disciplines that he's been preaching on. The bottom line and the top line, before spiritual disciplines even begin, is the truth of the authority of God's word. If we start picking apart the authority of the Word then who's the boss? We have to be a lover of the Word of God. All of the disciplines come back to the Word of God. The three other disciplines he touched on were giving, faith, and food. Giving: Where our treasure is, there are heart is. Faith: Without faith it is impossible to please God. Food: Fasting. These three things-finances, faith, and food-are the three main building blocks of the spiritual disciplines.
Jesus took it for granted that we would fast. "When you fast...pray."
Scripture-Isaiah 58-What sort of fast does God want from us?
It is not a selfish fast about our needs. It is letting go of the craving for food and desiring God instead. If we are truly fasting, we will care for our neighbors. The closer we get to Him, the more we will see what He sees and hear what He hears. There are 22 promises regarding fasting. Here are a few of them. Freedom-free those who are wrongly imprisoned and bound by pain. Free those in the church body who have had 'the locusts' steal from them. It means we ourselves are set free from the oppression of a besetting sin. We are set free from cancelled sin. Freedom also from injustices and things that are illegally done against us. Freedom from the oppression of the fear of man and trying to please others ahead of God. Freedom from the past mistakes we have made and freedom from the words others have said to us that have bound us. Fasting will deliver us and others from these kinds of bondages. If we are willing to share, then our light will shine in the darkness and our darkness will be as noonday, and there will be no shadow. We will have guidance and be like a well watered garden. We will be called a Rebuilder of Walls and Homes and a Restorer of Streets to Dwell in.
In Isaiah 61, Isaiah prophesied about the coming Messiah who would be anointed to preach good tidings to the poor and heal the broken hearted, who would proclaim liberty to the captives and set them free, to comfort those who mourn and console them, to give them beauty for ashes and rebuild what was destroyed. In Luke 4, after Jesus had fasted for 40 days in the wilderness and was tempted of the devil, He went to the temple and read those very words from Isaiah, and then He said, "This day is this Scripture fulfilled." The anointing on Jesus' life is much like the prophesy spoken over the church in Isaiah 58. The anointing on our lives that will take place when we fast and pray like God wants us to fast and pray will bear the same kind of fruit that the anointing on Jesus produced. Do we love Him enough to fast and pray and draw so close to Him that He gives us His heart that moves with compassion to comfort, set free, and deliver those around us? ~~~~
It's not about us. It's about Him. He loves His bride and He wants His bride to minister to each other the love and deliverance He has for us. He wants us to receive the full ministry of Jesus from each other which is recorded in Is. 61. We receive it from Him and each other for freedom's sake. The church is for God to reveal His manifold wisdom to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. The church is for God to reveal His glory through.
I think, when we love people like Jesus loves people, we will notice those who are missing in our midst; we will notice those who are struggling. Not only will we notice, but we will check in with them and see if they are all right. We will help fill up their emptiness with our love and our listening. People will feel safe to be honest about how they are and not feel like they have to keep up a cheerful facade in order to be loved.
And when the sheep who believe in God feel safe and cared for, they will then bring others who need to know the love of God, in to a place where there is truth, love, and unity, and together, we will grow into a holy temple of God fit for His glory. ~~~~

I am thankful for the opportunity to be back at church and for the good word and warm hugs and for the understanding that fasting and prayer and the other spiritual disciplines should be foundational in our lives in order for us to 'handle' the revival that will occur when we practice these spiritual disciplines. I am thankful for a day at home on the easy chair, watching 007 and clicking to another movie when it comes to certain scenes. I am thankful that Erik is here, spending the day with Philip, and that Michael, Chace, and Travis went for a day trip on the Blue Ridge parkway, where they got stuck in traffic due to an accident because of the snow. I am thankful for Susan's hysterical laughter as I write this and Phil's chuckle. I think he is threatening to tickle her and just the threat is enough to get her going. Oh, I hear that she started it by tickling his knees-a fatal mistake.