Tag Archives: The Gospel

Swinging with the Hodgepodge

Our son, Josh, golfing at St. Michaels golf club in Scotland before we visited St. Andrews.  Our dear DIL, Laura is the photographer.

Since Joyce informed us that August is National Golf month, I’m adding some photos of some favorite golf shots involving our family.

It is Wednesday and time to post answers to Joyce’s weekly Hodgepodge questions.

1. August is National Golf month…do you play? Do you enjoy following golf? Have you ever been to a professional tournament? 

When our kids were in high school and I was part of the PTA, we raised money by serving at snack bars for a professional tournament in our town at the Inglewood Golf Club.

In 2024 while travelling in Scotland with Josh and Laura we toured one of the most famous Golf courses in the world, St. Andrews.

I don’t follow golf except for enjoying photos of our sons or nephew from the golf courses they enjoy a round of golf at. Just this past week our son, Josh, enjoyed a course in Otsego, New York. Josh and Laura traveled for a Baseball tournament that Laura’s brother and nephew were participants in at Cooperstown Dream Park.

Otsego Golf Club was established in 1894 and is one of America’s oldest courses. it is located on the shores of Otsego Lake and just nine miles from Cooperstown, NY.

In 1904 the club was taken over by Arthur Ryerson who as history tells traveled to St. Andrews golf course in his lifetime. Ryerson, traveling back from Great Britain, died heroically in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.

2. Astronaut Jim Lovell of Apollo 13 fame passed away this past Thursday. Are you interested in outer space and what’s happening today in terms of space exploration? If space travel became common in your lifetime would you go? How do you personally relate to the idea of exploring something vast and mysterious…does the idea excite you, intimidate you, or something else? 

I’m not leaving the earth until the Rapture occurs or until God calls me home. I do admire space travelers. I’ll stick to exploring less vast and mysterious places like abbeys and cathedrals and ancient towns.

3. Describe your communication style in three words. 

I might need 4 words. Better written than spoken. 

My spoken words can get jumbled and aren’t as clear to my intentions as my written words can be. I’m not a great verbal communicator.

Our present culture is so divided that I’m passive in my communication amongst those with certain ‘strong feelings’ about things that do not pertain to eternity. I’m amending what I said before here with the fact that although it is not politics that set the standard for salvation, there are moral issues in policies and laws that go against the Bible and will be a hindrance to peace with God. I do speak up about these issues that do matter and applaud others with a strong voice.  It does matter who you are spiritually.

I’ll still be bold in communicating things that matter eternally regardless of ‘feelings’. Every person in the human race has only two destinations eternally. The Bible is clear about these two destinations, heaven and hell.

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

Jesus Christ will return to this world in judgement. The only way to be saved from the eternal consequences of your sin is to enter through the narrow gate, repenting (turning from your sin) and calling on the Son of God who gave his life for you, taking the penalty for our sins.

There was one door into the ark that saved Noah and his family from the flood. Similarly, there is only one door that can save us from eternal judgement. Jesus Christ is that door. The Bible states that now is the day of salvation. If you have not already done so, will you turn from your sins and call on the risen Lord Jesus to save you?

By faith, enter the only door that leads to eternal life today. Here’s a link that gives life saving information.

4. Do you have a favorite cookbook?

I’ll have to toot my own horn and say that the cookbooks that I’m part of with the Mennonite girls are my favorites, Mennonite Girls Can Cook, Celebrations by Mennonite Girls Can Cook and Bread for the Journey.

A favorite celebrity chef?

Jamie Oliver and Ina Garten are two celebrity favorites and I’m happy to say I’ve met both of them in person. We met Jamie Oliver at one of his restaurants in London and I met Ina Garten at a book signing in Kirkland, Washington at Sur La Table.

Do you watch any cooking shows on TV? 

I do enjoy the Great British Baking Show but we do not have Netflix so I haven’t been able to watch it recently.

5. As a child did you have any back to school traditions? If so, did you carry on those same traditions with your own children? Do you have any back to school traditions you’ve started on your own? 

Growing up our back to school traditions involved new outfits and a new pair of shoes to wear for school. Our children were given the option to wear something new for back to school.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

More golfing favorites.

dave and daniel

Our son, Dan, golfing with our dear friend, David Dickinson (1950-2016), who shared his love of golf with his sons and our sons. This was the day before Dan and Jamie’s wedding, June of 2015. Dave died a year later.

dave and daniel2

Our boys golfing with Jamie Dickinson, Dave’s youngest son and a best friend to our boys. This was just a couple weeks ago.

I can take great joy in vicariously enjoying golf through our loved ones experiences.

“Hit em long and straight, boys!”

I went to play golf and tried to shoot my age, but I shot my weight instead. – Bob Hope

Remembrance Day (Veterans Day)

Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Today is Remembrance Day, Veteran’s Day in the U.S.A. We remember with gratitude those who have served us and those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedoms in this country and others.

Although we all hope for peace in our world we need to recognize that our greatest need is peace with God. The only way we will have peace with God is through his son, Jesus Christ, and the ultimate sacrifice He made for all of us when he paid the penalty for our sin on the cross. We pray that you will experience new life and peace with God through a new life in Jesus Christ. Is God calling you today? Why not respond and ask Him to forgive you for your sins and receive what Christ did for you on the cross? He will help you start a new life today.

Acts 4:12 (ESV) ~ And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Romans 1:16 (ESV) ~ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…

 

Being An Adult Hodgepodge

Joyce From This Side of the Pond has a fresh set of questions for us to ponder for Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1. Growing up, at what age did you think you’d become an adult? At what age did you actually become an adult? 

If I thought about it I didn’t call it being an adult. The older siblings in my family had some responsibilities that were adult like earlier in life. Our parents immigrated to the U.S. just after World War II, legally. Our mom never drove and our pop had to work hard to support a family with 8 children.  Sometimes my older sisters and I walked into town to pay bills in person with cash from our parents. We got ourselves to swimming lessons, the library, and to school. When I got my license there were times that I took my younger brothers to their baseball practices and games. When many of my friends were at senior prom, I was at my younger brother’s baseball game.  In my senior year of high school I had enough credits to graduate with morning classes. I found an afternoon job at a local company and got rides to and from work. I saved up for college with that job. I earned scholarships for most of my college costs. My older sister drove me to the University of Redlands for my freshman year and helped me settle in. We didn’t have and didn’t expect input from our parents on which college to go to. If they could they would help with college costs but mostly we paid our own way. We purchased our own cars and they were mostly used cars. After college I was able to finance my Volkswagen at a school credit union and when I paid that off, like an adult, I earned some good credit.

2.  What’s a favorite item you’ve bought this year?

At our church my area of service is the kitchen and the hospitality branch. We had some money left in the budget so I was able to purchase a coffee system that got plumbed and makes providing coffee at functions so much easier. Instead of those big old coffee pots that you have to fill with water, add the coffee in the baskets and plug in two hours before an event, we can now fill a basket with coffee grounds push the button on the new system and have 2.2liters of coffee in 5 minutes. Yes, and amen!

3. May 28th is National Hamburger Day…are you a fan? If so, how do you like yours? When was the last time you had a hamburger? Besides the backyard grill, what’s your favorite place to go for a burger? 

We do enjoy a good burger. We hadn’t had burgers for a long while but Saturday of Memorial weekend we had a good burger on the way home from shopping in Spokane. We enjoy the burgers at Masters Brew House in Deer Park. Their onion jam that you can have on a burger is delicious. Sorry to say we haven’t found a good burger in Colville. We have fond memories of In N Out burgers.

4.  How have your priorities changed over time? 

The closer I get to heaven the more concerned I am about friends and family and people in general who haven’t had their debt to God paid by Jesus Christ. We all have a debt of sin on our accounts. You can trust Christ who suffered and died and rose from the dead to provide that debt payment.  You need to ask forgiveness (repent) for your sin and put your faith in him and His sacrifice. What Jesus accomplished will pay your debt in full or you will have to pay that sin debt to God yourself in hell. Only Christ’s sacrifice provides the way. You can not earn it by being a ‘good’ person or a ‘religious’ person. It’s a no brainer to me. I’m getting too old to sugar coat this message. Heaven is real and Hell is real. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by Him.

5. What’s one thing on your June calendar you’re really looking forward to? 

The very last weekend in June our family of 10 will be enjoying time together in Walla Walla at a VRBO.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Our son gifted his dear bride a long weekend away over Memorial Weekend. He took time off of work and cared for our Grands while mommy was gone. We enjoyed feeding them a meal on Friday night of the weekend.

First corn on the cob this year!

Sharing the Light Hodgepodge

Collections from the past…

fairtier2

Some of my pewter collection with some silver napkin rings thrown in.

fairtier

Time for the first Wednesday Hodgepodge in March this year. Thank you, Joyce, for the questions.

1. Has March come in like a lion where you live? If not a lion then what animal would you use to describe the weather in your area this first week of March?

My post on Monday called it a Cat but that was a hasty evaluation. March came in like a schizophrenic feline. Sunday night the roads were treacherous with low visibility because of the snow storm that blew in, lionish. We were tucked nicely in our bed so we did not know about those conditions. We woke up to a nice white landscape, lamblike. That all melted and then on Tuesday morning we were surprised with 5 inches of new snow. By now that new snow has mostly melted away, too.

Does the weather affect your emotions? When did you last feel ‘under the weather’? 

Sunshine and blue skies definitely cheer me up and make me smile. I have been above the weather these days and not under it. If the electricity stays on and we can still drive into town the weather does not affect me emotionally. I could get cabin fever if things are so bad that I’m stuck at home for more than a couple of days.

2. Do you know what your name means? Does the meaning of your name fit with your personality? Do you like your name?

Ellen: Bright Shining Light. I hope I live up to my name. I can be outspoken and shine a light in dark places to expose how wrong they are only because I have the ‘Light of the World’ inside me.

My mother chose my name, which no other Russian immigrant relative named their child, because she was tired of everyone choosing the same names for their children. Examples of overused names; Vera, Kathy, Manya, Luba, Tanya and others. I didn’t come across another Ellen until high school. I didn’t appreciated being called, Ellen Watermelon or Helen. I’m Ellen with an E.

Gregory (my husband) means watchful, alert, watchman, vigilant.

We make a good team. 🙂

If you have children did you consider the meaning of their names before choosing them? 

We chose strong Biblical names for our sons and a historically strong name for our daughter. We did think about the meaning of their names.

3. It’s National Sauce Month…what’s your favorite sauce? Last thing you ate that used a sauce? 

We did have some good spaghetti sauce, tomato and basil, on Monday. My favorite sauce would be one with a little kick and some good layers of flavor, like in a great steak pie. 🙂

4. Something you’ve seen, tasted, done lately that you’d describe as ‘awesome sauce’? 

Despite the snow we have been seeing some signs of Spring. We saw our first Robin of the season on Monday which is always ‘awesome sauce’.

5. What kinds of things do you love to collect? 

Because of my age and space limitations, I have stopped collecting most things. I’d rather collect experiences.

In the past I’ve enjoyed collecting; Beatrix Potter Figurines, Napkin Rings, Tablecloths, Cloth Napkins, China, Dishes, Tea Cups, Pewter, Russian lacquer boxes, cake plates, chargers, goblets, creamers, anything blue and white in the dish world. OYE! Stop the madness!!

We also collect good books. We still look for our favorite authors on trips and in used bookstores, thrift stores. In England we look for books by Elizabeth Goudge, Dorothy Sayers, Spurgeon, Bunyun, Beatrix Potter and others.

We bought this book by Goudge in Chipping Campden in September of 2013. Goudge’s father was a reverend who taught at Cathedral schools. She lived in the shadows of Wells Cathedral and then her favorite, Ely Cathedral, close to Cambridge.

The inside cover of the book. We purchased this book for 5 pounds. We have several of the books she authored. This is one of my favorites.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Question 2 sent me on a great search about light. There are so many references to ‘light’ in the Bible. God created light at the very beginning of the world, Genesis 1.

Psalm 56:13: For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

Psalm 119:130: The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.

Isaiah 60:19: The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light, but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

John 8:12: Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Romans 13:12: The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Ephesians 5:8: for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

Colossians 1:13-14: He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Any light I reflect is because of Jesus and what he did on the cross for me. I’m a sinner who has been forgiven of my sins because of Christ’s sacrifice. God requires payment for our sins. Jesus made that payment. God accepts me because of Jesus, His perfect Son, taking my penalty. I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for me on the cross, rose from the dead, and is LORD. When I asked for forgiveness for my sins, He forgave me. He can and will forgive and save you, too.

Redemption ~ Hymn

 

Redemption

O wonderful words of the Gospel!
O wonderful message they bring,
Proclaiming a blessèd redemption
Thro’ Jesus, our Savior and king.

Refrain

Believe, oh, believe, in His mercy
That flows like a fountain so free;
Believe, and receive the redemption
He offers to you and to me.

He came from the throne of His glory,
And left the bright mansions above,
The world to redeem from its bondage;
So great His compassion and love.

Refrain

O come to this wonderful Savior,
Come, weary and sorrow oppressed;
Behold on the cross how He suffered,
That you in His kingdom might rest.

Refrain

There’s no other refuge but Jesus,
No shelter where lost ones may fly;
And now, while He’s tenderly calling:
O turn ye, for why will ye die?

Refrain

Words: Fanny Crosby, 1887.

The Time is Right

When I learned last August that one of my neighbors was given 3 short months to live I felt the urgency to share and knew this wasn’t a time for sugar coating. I feel the same about this time we are all finding ourselves in globally over the danger of COVID-19. Here’s what I wrote to her:

Dear ****,

Greg and I (Ellen) were so sorry to hear that you were given such a short time to live on this earth. We have prayed for you, especially that you can die in peace knowing you will spend eternity in heaven.

We believe in the one true God who made heaven and earth and all of us. We believe the Bible is the true Word of God. The Bible tells us about what Jesus did for us-

“Jesus Christ came into this world and did the greatest thing that will ever be done. As the perfect Son of God, He died in our place, absorbed the wrath of God, paid the penalty for sin, provided the righteousness of the law, and rose invincible from the dead–all in a vapor’s life of thirty three years.”

Jesus Christ wants a personal relationship with you. He wants to be your Savior. In order for Him to be your Savior you need to admit you are a sinner (need a Savior). Our sins separate us from God. God provided the way for us to be forgiven through Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross, paying for our sins. We cannot save ourselves. We need to come to Jesus personally and cry to Him to have mercy on us. When we ask He will forgive our sins.

God is in charge. “This then, is the gospel our Lord sends us forth to proclaim: That Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, humbled himself to die on our behalf. Thus He became the the sinless sacrifice to pay the penalty of our guilt. He rose from the dead to declare with power that He is Lord over all, and He offers eternal life freely to sinners who will surrender to Him in humble, repentant faith. This gospel promises nothing to the haughty rebel, but for broken, penitent sinners, it graciously offers everything that pertains to life and godliness.”

We pray that God will have mercy on you and draw you to Himself through forgiveness so that you can be born again.  It’s too late to sugar coat this message. Ask God to show you right now the truth of His Gospel and the way to eternal life.

With concern and hope for your eternity,

Ellen and Greg

Our neighbor left this earth in October of 2019.

We will all spend eternity somewhere. I’m grateful to be able to say I will spend it with my Savior. Do you know where you will spend eternity?

John 14: 1-4, 6 ~ “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going…Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”