My Prayer

MY PRAYER

author unknown

Let me not die before I've done for Thee
My earthly work, whatever it may be.
Call me not home with mission unfilled;
Let me not leave my space of ground untilled.

Impress this truth upon me--that not one

Can do my portion that I leave undone;

For each one in the vineyard has a spot

To labor on for life, and weary not.

I long to be an instrument of Thine,
To bid men at Thy table "Come and dine;"
To be a means one human soul to save
From the dark terrors of a hopeless grave.

Yet most I want a spirit of content
To work where'ere you wish my labor spent.
Whether at home, or in a stranger clime,
In days of joy or sorrow's sterner time;

I want a spirit happy to lie still,
Or by Thy power to do Thy holy will.
Let me not die before I've done for Thee
My earthly work, whatever it may be.

TASTE OF HOME commentary

Okay, if you read this blog for great intellectual and theological insights (insert chuckle), you might want to skip this post. It's only for those of us who like to cook.

I do not like TASTE OF HOME magazine anymore. I used to love it--The six days of the year when it arrived in my mailbox were red-letter days. I would savor the reading of it, stretching it out to make it last a couple of nights, or maybe indulging myself, letting the grading assignments for school wait, reading the entire thing cover to cover in one night. I loved it so much that I collected back issues on eBay, and have an entire set dating from 1993 onward in a back corner of my closet.

It's not that they've added advertising. The few ads spaced out amidst its content are not that offensive or obnoxious, and I understand that in today's business climate it was probably a necessity. It's not that the texture of the paper is different.

It's just that they've taken what used to be a truly grass-roots magazine and turned it into a slick magazine that is attempting to look like a grass-roots magazine.

If you'll read the editorial box near the front you'll see that it's no longer published by Reiman Publications; it's now published by Reader's Digest publications. Talk about a big switch from Greendale, Wisconsin, to a big-city approach! The list of executives is about three times as long as it used to be. It appears that though the content probably still originates out of Wisconsin, it's zipped to New York to be "polished up."

Now, there are a few folksy things about the early TASTE OF HOME editions that I don't miss. (The feature "Town Apetit" comes to mind.) But I liked having pictures of the cooks who submitted recipes included. I liked the feature where people would write in asking for help finding old obscure recipes that their grandmothers used to make. I liked the inclusion of original pictures taken by average people who submitted party themes, along with the staged pictures taken when those themes were featured in the magazine. I liked that the photographs of food, though very well done, still looked like photos taken for an average person's table, rather than the new, slightly blurred style that looks so, well, Madison Avenue-ish. (As do the new styles and sizes of fonts for the titles, cooks' names and locations, and actual recipes.)

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Previously, the "feel" of the magazine was that it was about cooking but also about cooks. Those stories about ladies (and men) from all over the country and Canada, and their cooking experiences, made me feel like I got to know these people. (That was why QUICK COOKING was never quite as appealing to me as TASTE OF HOME--it was mainly recipes and did not appeal to that enjoyment of stories of people.) Now, the attitude of the editors appears to be to include personal information and stories somewhat, but no longer included in the primary focus and intent of the magazine. And that is a serious omission in retaining the "flavor" of TASTE OF HOME.

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I know the older version won't come back. It's gone, a victim of its own success. But I feel like I've lost an old friend, and it seems like just another example of how homey things are being dismantled bit by bit in the name of progress and sophistication in today's society. And I really, really miss the former incarnation of what was once my favorite magazine.

Quirks

My friend Barbara at Stray Thoughts has tagged me for this "quirks" meme. I've got three weeks in the summer left; still some time to do this sort of thing! The only thing is. . .I don't really have a list of people to "tag," so may have to leave that part off. I know of a number of readers; I just haven't convinced most of them to start blogging yet! (You know who you are!!!!)

1) Link to the person who tagged me.
2) Mention the rules.
3) Tell six quirky, yet boring, unspectacular details about myself.
4) Tag 6 other bloggers by linking to them.
5) Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment that lets them know they’ve been tagged.

Okay, six quirky things:

1. This summer I have really enjoyed watching Andy Griffith reruns on Channel 4 at 12:30 and 2:00 every day. I even time my kitchen work to be out there during those times.

2. I can't go to sleep unless the covers are securely tucked in at the foot of the bed, and I have to have something heavier over my feet, like an extra blanket, more than just the bedspread or whatever blankets happen to be on the bed.

3. I try to keep the house reasonably neat, but my bedroom closet is a disaster, and no one in the house may comment or object--it is the one place where I can just let things collect. Call it my form of rebellion against having to be neat as a sign of conformity, maybe?!

4. I really enjoy swimming in the summer but the water has to be about the temperature of a tepid bath. None of that cold water for me.

5. I don't care for coffee in any form, but there is nothing better in the world than a warm chocolate chip cookie dunked in a glass of cold milk.

6. Every spring I get excited about growing flowers and a few vegetables; then if the plants don't do well pretty much on their own, I always get lax about watering them. . .and in weather like this, that means that they die.

And I tag my sister Rhoda at rk2 and anyone else who reads this who wants to try it!

Books & Bookcase, continued:

Several months ago I posted about the bookcase Mike had painted for me for my birthday. It really isn't as pink as it looks in these photos--it's a little darker than that. But here is the finished product filled with the books that I've had stored in my closet for a long time. And below: These are two things that are precious to me. On the left is my collection of Cherry Ames nurse books. I owned about three or four originally. When Mike and I had been dating for a few weeks, we visited Aunt Frances' store here in Anderson, the Bee Hive. She had about half a dozen of them, which I exclaimed over. Unbeknownst to me, she wrapped them up and Mike gave them to me later that night for a birthday present. Then, several years later, after Mike's dad found out that I liked Cherry Ames books, he put together a large quantity of them, finding them on some of his "ramblings," as a gift for me.

On the right are the two Hummel-style figurines that I painted in Aunt Louise and Aunt Hulda's basement in the '70s. Details about that experience will be another post someday.
Elisabeth Elliot books. Her writings were especially influential on me during the college years, and on through adulthood also. There are a couple of Tozer books on the right--he is powerful.
Loula Grace Erdman books. Don't really know how I got started on her. She wrote in the '40s and '50s, not particularly "Christian" fiction but all of her books have positive moral and Christian themes. She is particularly good at characterization, which I've always preferred in fiction more than plot.
And that is my bookcase!

Friday Misc.

**I forgot to mention: The best part of the lasagna recipe below is that you don't have to precook the noodles!

**The best deal of the "season" so far with all this buying for the library on ebay: 3 DVDs called Liberty Kids; the auction ended last night and I got them for a penny apiece! Somebody got stuck there. I fully expected the bid to go up as the auction wore on, and had entered a higher bid of about $5.00 apiece, but apparently nobody else wanted them.

**A new stab at jam-making: This is "blueberry-cherry-peach" jam. Not bad!

Spending Someone Else's Money

As the "academic supervisor" of the library at our school I get to order books in the summer every year. However, this year we are extremely limited in library $$ for that purpose as our budget is very tight. I do, however, have some cash on hand from fines and lost books during the year. So for the past week I have had a great time exploring eBay. I've been getting more DVDs this year as the elementary teachers will not have aides next year and this will be a help for rainy day recesses. Here are some of my finds:

1. WIND IN THE WILLOWS, 2 DVD set, $2.99
2. Animated versions of DAVID COPPERFIELD and HEIDI, $1.00 each
3. CHILDREN'S STORIES, 2 DVD set, $6.50. (These looked like good stories.)
4. Animated TOM SAWYER, $1.99
5. Animated ROB ROY, DON QUIXOTE, LAST OF THE MOHICANS, HANS BRINKER, and CAMELOT, $5.99 each
6. Several MODERN MARVELS DVDs from the History Channel--FIREWORKS is one, and CANDY (how it's made) is another.
7. and several Liberty's Kids DVDs still on auction--I just hope that somebody hasn't seen them and plans to bid high at the very end.

I've also gotten some good things for the Phys. Ed teachers as well as some science and lit. things. It's fun to spend money that's not my own! But, it's also fun to come up with good educational resources for the teachers for the fall.

A Great Recipe

I've never been much of a lasagna lover, or a very good lasagna maker for that matter. All that changed with the discovery of "Simple Sausage Lasagna" several months ago in TASTE OF HOME magazine. (recipe available by using the search feature here. The whole family likes it, and it makes plenty for leftovers also. Best of all, by setting the oven to run from 10:45 to 11:45, it's cooked and has had a few minutes to set up, by the time we get back from church. Then I just throw some corn in a pot, and throw some garlic bread in the oven to brown into toast. And we can eat within ten minutes of walking in the door!

An Opinion on Mission Trips

This article in the Washington Post was referenced by my blogging (and former teaching) friend Bet, discussing mission teams that go to the same place and are painting the same walls over and over! The article says that many are questioning the value of mission teams.

Now, I don't think that churches I've been a part of over the years would be doing work that didn't really need to be done. I do think, however, that mission teams need to be evaluated carefully. They seem to be the latest "fad" (if that is the best word) in Christian circles, and they may or may not be effective.

--Is the cost prohibitive? A large overseas mission team, say 30 people at $1200 apiece, would cost $36,000, and that's not counting probable subsidy from the sponsoring church. Is that the best use of missions money? Even with small teams driving to other parts of the U.S.--there is much, much money used up in transportation of people, when there is also much that can be done closer to home.

--Does taking care of a large group of people take away from the missionaries' time to actually pursue their work? It is very wearing. I am sure that an occasional team can be invigorating. But I read on one missionary's site that "It's time for mission team season," and it was obvious that she and her husband would have to devote much energy to the teams.

--Most of all: Is the age of the participants optimum? I've been on two teams, and the one to Haiti when I was 20 years old changed my life immensely. Never again would I look at Christianity without seeing it through a broader filter--one that was not limited to U.S. style of living and worship. Nor would I ever take material blessings for granted again--and that was greatly reinforced on a trip taken to Mexico when I was an adult.

College students are at a premium age to be helpful but also to take in the lessons of the mission field. But I'm not so sure that that is true with high school teams. Granted, there are some teenagers who benefit and are changed by the trip. Two high school sophomores from our school who went to China come to mind. But for many teens, a trip to a mission field is just an "extension of the action"--a glorified youth activity, so to speak. Oh, they have a wonderful time, and usually get emotionally worked up for awhile. But most aren't mature enough to really appreciate the opportunity that they've been given and the sacrifice that parents or others may have made so that they can make this trip. They want to go because it's the thing to do, because their friends are going, because it's exciting.

Mission trips can have a valuable place in the world of Christendom. However, they must be evaluated carefully, both before they are planned and after they take place, to minimize the cost, to make them as effective as possible, and to have the most valuable impact on the lives of those who go.

A Book Meme

My blogging friend Barbara at Stray Thoughts does a lot of memes. I usually don't because of time constraints; but this being summer and one that interests me, I am participating.

meme: n. A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.

1. Do you remember how you developed a love for reading? My parents were readers and read to us often. And I was one of those kids who, once phonics opened up the world of reading, I was hooked.

2. What are some books you read as a child? As an elementary age child: Nancy Drew, Cherry Ames, Dana Girls, and many other series books; The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett; many of the Moody Press fiction books for young people. I read the Little House series over and over into adulthood. Don't laugh, but I used to read encyclopedias just because they were interesting.

3. What is your favorite genre? Biographies and non-fiction. Very little Christian fiction interests me—most of it is pumped out too quickly and just doesn’t have the depth of characterization that makes fiction interesting.

4. Do you have a favorite novel? No. Lots are favorites. Since teaching literature for the past eight years, I’ve learned to appreciate several of the classics: Great Expectations (Dickens), To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee), Scarlet Letter (Hawthorne), The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald). I just re-read two Francena Arnold novels that have long been favorites: Not My Will and The Light in My Window. In my opinion just about every modern Christian fiction writer needs to read those two novels before writing another word.

5. Where do you usually read? In the La-Z-Boy in the den; or, if people are in there, I’ll read in the old La-Z-Boy in my bedroom. When I was a kid I read in the bathroom while my younger sisters were doing the dishes. You’d have to ask them about that.

6. When do you usually read? Whenever I have a chance.

7. Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time? Just depends.

8. Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction? Yes. If a novel is good I usually can’t put it down. Nonfiction is a little easier to put down and then pick back up.

9. Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library? I love to go to the public library and check out several good political books at a time. I also have access to the library at our school (it helps to be the supervisor) and often get books there. I don’t buy many books.

10. Do you keep most of the books you buy? If not, what do you do with them? I pass a lot on to our school library or put them in the Haven of Rest box. I hang on to collectibles and am starting a small collection of them. I’m not averse to flipping books on eBay.

11. If you have children, what are some of the favorite books you have shared with them? Were they some of the same ones you read as a child? I have fond memories of reading aloud to my kids. When Mary Lee was about three, we were reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe out loud, and after the description of someone coming through the forest on horses, I can still remember her breathlessly saying “The White Witch!!”

We read lots of Golden Books. They loved Uncle Arthur’s Bedtime Story Book. We read the Bedtime Nursery Story series by Emily Hunter. They also liked the Christopher Churchmouse stories. Andrew loved Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things that Go (by age two he could find Goldbug faster than any adult). There was a great series by Nick Butterworth and Mick Inkpen with several titles about parables Jesus told—they were delightfully illustrated and are combined in a book called Stories Jesus Told. I don’t believe it’s currently in print.

Oh, there are so many. The Happy Days series from Standard Publishing was like a Christian version of Golden Books, and most of them were very well done. My favorite to read aloud was I Wish I Wish by Elaine Watson.

Goodnight Moon (Margaret Wise Brown). The Little Engine that Could (Watty Piper). Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (Virginia Lee Burton). Blueberries for Sal and Make Way for Ducklings (Robert McCloskey). The Story About Ping (Marjorie Flack and Kurt Wiese). Corduroy (Don Freeman). If I were to go up in the attic I’d find a bunch more.

12. What are you reading now? I am trying to wade through A Tale of Two Cities (figure an English teacher ought to have read that one) and am currently looking for something else to start on!

13. Do you keep a TBR (to be read) list? No.

14. What’s next? Don’t really know. So much of my life is scheduled that I read on whims!

15. What books would you like to reread? Little Women and Little Men (Alcott). I’ve read them many times but still like to read and re-read them. A Garden to Keep by Jamie Langston Turner. Any of my Elisabeth Elliot books. Birds of Eastern and Central North America by Roger Tory Peterson. Evidence not Seen by Darlene Deibler Rose. This is just a sampling.

16. Who are your favorite authors? Jamie Langston Turner, Francena Arnold, Dorothy Martin (the old Peggy series by Moody Press), Doris Coffin Aldrich (wrote Musings of a Mother published by Moody Press in the '60s), Harper Lee. Loula Grace Erdman is an excellent author (she wrote fiction in the '50's)--I have most of her books. I’ll think of others after this is posted.

My son has become a lover of reading; my daughter has not. It’s hard to figure out what turns that light on.

Oh, I also can't do without news magazines and the daily newspaper!

"You're Not Home Yet"

This story was on a tape that Andrew had been playing while driving my car:

There is beautiful story about an old missionary named Samuel Morrison. He had been in Africa serving the Lord for 25 years, and he was being sent home to America due to age and illness. He traveled home on the same ocean liner on which President Theodore Roosevelt was returning after being on a safari for three weeks.

As the ship pulled into New York Harbor, it looked like all of America had turned out to welcome President Roosevelt home. The bands were playing, the flags were waving, the balloons were popping, and all the cameramen were there. When the gangway was put down to down to the dock and President Roosevelt stepped off of the ship, there was a thunderous ovation as everybody welcomed Mr. President home.

When Samuel Morrison stepped off of the ship onto that same gangway, nobody called his name. As he walked through the crowd there was nobody there to welcome him. He stood on the curb looking for a cab, and he said later that in his spirit he was complaining, saying something like this:

“God, Mr. Roosevelt has been in Africa for three weeks killing animals and the whole world turns out to welcome him home. I’ve been in Africa for 25 years serving you and there is nobody here to welcome me.”

And he said to his heart came that still small voice saying, “But my son, you’re not home yet.”