Have the Times Changed?

Being considered "worldly" came up for discussion at our house this week.It started with a post on Facebook that was meant to be funny, and turned into a large discussion with my kids and husband on the definition of the word and what Christians mean when they say something is "worldly".

What was considered "worldly" when I was growing up has certainly changed. Being a kid in the 60's and 70's I lived through a huge cultural revolution in our nation's history. There was a large upheaval in our nation of basic foundational principals that the previous generations adhered to. Women went out to work, burned their bras, and participated in sit-ins and marches. The Civil Rights movement sparked an entire segment of our population to stand up and be counted as never before in our nation's history. Teenagers got high, dropped out and protested in the streets over a war that they felt was not worthy to give their lives for. Young men burned their draft cards and questioned authority.

Music was changed by 4 young men from Britain. TV was changed by a young, unmarried career women that openly talked about sex and raised a baby alone. Movies started to have ratings since the language and content were considerably more adult than previously when they were filmed in black and white. Family restaurants added bars, and TV was as common as computers are today. The Internet changed the way we looked at the world and the information we received.

But Christians wanted to hold on to a higher standard. The old saying, "don't smoke nor drink nor chew~~ nor run with girls that do" was preached from the pulpit. Lines were drawn and long sermons preached about the evils of the world around us. My early years of being a Christian were filled with lists of things to do and not do to show the world you were a Christian. Outward signs were pushed to prove that we were unspotted by the world and its influences. Some things on the lists included:


Women did not wear pants.
No smoking
No drinking alcohol
No dining anywhere alcohol is served
No dances
No movies
Men did not have long hair
Women did not have short hair
Men did not wear jewelry
Women did not have piercings
Never ever have a tatoo
Men were clean shaven
No rock music
No gambling
No work or travel on Sundays--not even going out to eat
Never miss a  Sunday church service
No cussing
No chewing

The list in other churches included not driving a car with chrome or wearing bright colors such as red or orange. Shopping at stores like Entertain- mart or Cabbellas was frowned upon as being worldly. Dangling earrings and blue eye shadow were a definite no-no. And playing cards and poker chips were straight from the pit of hell. Sexy underwear and trendy shoes put you on the list. And dyed hair truly made you a goner. It seems alot of the rules were aimed at women and our ability to slip into the abyss if we did not have a set of rules in front of us to keep us straight. One girl I went to school with was not allowed to wear shiny patent leather shoes because they might reflect what she had on under her skirt..and therefor make her loose.

All that said, {and I am sure you could add to the list with your own experiences} we come to 2011 and wonder what is on the list today. Music---styles---movies---trends. They all come and go. Skirt lengths go up and down. Pants are worn by the female organist at church. Services are on Saturday nights now along with Sunday mornings to accommodate those who can't seem to get up early Sunday morning. Lots of wonderful Christians drink (not to excess) and play cards with friends on Friday nights. Grey hair is covered up and implants are put in. Tummys are tucked and Paul McCartney concerts are sold out. Drums are on the stage at church and electric guitars are a welcome part to many worship services. Some churches even have worship dancers---gasp!

Are all these things wrong? Do all the Christians that participate in any of the past taboo things have a problem with a "love of this world?' Can we really tell from the outside what relationship they have with the Lord? Is it a keeping of a list that keeps us holy and blameless before God.

A wise pastor friend of mine said~~" being worldly is when what we do is not for the Honor and Glory of God, to include but not be limited to going on vacation, drinking a soda, going to church, singing a hymn, or listening to JZ." I got the point.

God's glory is what we are to be busy with---not checking off a "not to do" list and feeling smug about our choices. That looks different for everyone I think. If it harms God's glory--we better think twice. But I am oh so sure I do not want to be the judge and jury for that decision for others. It will be a big enough job keeping on track myself.

So what does it look like for a Christian to be "worldly" in 2011. I am not making a list---or even giving you a once over to see if you measure up---but going to keep my eyes focused on Him and see where He wants me to go.

Recipe

Here is the recipe for my mothers' famous Funny Cake

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa (watch out for exploding lids if in high altitude):

Sift these first 3 ingredients together

Add:
2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 t. vanilla
2 t. vinegar
2/3 cup of veg. oil
2 cups of water

Mix all together   If in high altitude--add 2 T. of flour   Bake at 350 for 35 minutes

Cooking

My mother was a wonderful cook. She was the "meat and potatoes" kind of cook with good down home cooking that would stick to your ribs. She had numerous cookbooks all stuffed with handwritten recipes that she would get from a magazine or newspaper, or from one of her friends. She had a recipe box so full of recipes that it was hard to remove one 3x5 card without taking out a bunch of them at the same time. Everything was under the right category---Breads Desserts Meats. But the most wonderful category of all was the one labeled CAKES!

There were recipes galore under this category---and everyone of them was more delicious than the first. Texas Sheet Cake---Burnt Frosting Cake--Mayonnaise Cake--Fruit Cocktail Cake.Yum. But the one that was made most at our house was a simple little cake called Funny Cake. The name comes from the fact that when you see the list of ingredients, it seems a little funny that this would ever turn into a cake. But it does...oh my it does. Such a rich, chocolaty flavor that is so moist and tasty. We just loved it at our house.

With me moving from flat, sea level Illinois to the mountains of Colorado, some of my baking recipes needed a little tweaking. The mayonnaise cake did fine in the high altitude, as did the Texas sheet cake, but I always had trouble with the Funny cake.

Repeatedly I would try out the recipe and more times that not I would have a flop. But persistence paid off, as did a little research with the local cooking section in the newspaper, and I finally mastered the Funny Cake recipe. Each time I make it, the color is right, the texture is amazing, and it rises to just the right height in the pan. Now,all I have to watch out for is the cocoa that has to get used to the new altitude!

My Ladies

So I have this thing about chickens. I would say that my hens are my favorite pets by far in all my many years of having animals. They are smart, and sweet and give me little presents each day just because. They eat all of my kitchen leftovers and keep the grass trimmed all around their pen. The hens are loyal to their rooster and always follow his lead when he scratches up a tidbit of food or a fat, juicy worm in the chicken yard.

But now my roosters....they are a different story. I have two guys out there among the 18 hens. They are macho and cocky and they strut around the yard like they own everything in site. When we go into the pen to collect eggs or to feed them, we have to carry some kind of weapon in our hands to ward the little buggers off! We rarely make contact with them, just swing the club around and yell kind of loud. But the black rooster in the picture is a hard learn. He almost always goes for one of us, pecking or flying at us with his spurs~~an extra claw on the back of his leg that are used for fighting.

When I was younger, my kinda "rough around the edges" cousin took me to a cock fight in Southern Illinois where the good ole boys lived. The farmers would pit their roosters against each other for a fight and bet on the outcome. Some had razor blades tied on to their spurs, so the injuries were severe. It was awful. The winning rooster would leave with their owner's wallet bulging with winnings. The losers were usually dinner that night.

But I have to admit when that little rooster starts coming at me with his spurs flying, I consider how he would do with a few well positioned razor blades.

Fall cleaning

We had our first killing frost this week. It was very late in coming this year...we sometimes have had snow by now, so to still have the flowers blooming and the veg. garden still producing was a great thing. But I am ready to be done with the gardens for a little while.

Today I will clean out all of the old, dead geraniums that I planted this spring. They are all around the guest house in planters that my husband and boys built a few years back. The past two years I have planted bright red geraniums all around the house and they look so beautiful all year long...from a distance.

Geraniums are not the most beautiful flower close up. You can't put them in bouquets because they shatter and they don't have a very pretty scent. No one chooses a geranium nosegay to carry down the aisle at their wedding. They are just not that kind of flower. But plant them in a flower bed and give them a little room and lots of sunshine and water, and they will be one of the most rewarding flowers you will ever plant. They bloom ALL summer---and I do mean ALL. The colors get more brilliant as the weather gets cooler, and their green leaves are very smart looking next to their brightly colored blooms.

I will be sad to tear my geranium buddies out today, but I know their cousins will show up next spring ready to outdo their counterparts.

I will be placing about 200 daffodil and tulip bulbs in their place. Deep in the soil these little treasures will sleep, waiting for those first warm days of spring to awaken them. These flowers are such a miracle to me. If you have ever been to Colorado in the winter, you know how very cold it can get and just how very much snow we have...even in April and May. But right on cue, as if God whispers in their ears, those sweet little green shoots appear as the temperature rises and in a few days you will see the first flowers of the spring. Bright yellows and deep reds. I love them. Such a gift after a very long winter wait! 

I plant now in October for the promise I look forward to in May.

Sleep

Sleep is an elusive thing in my life. I don't know quiet what it is? My bedroom is calm and inviting. I have beautiful quilts keeping me warm and cozy and I even have a Percale pillowcase on my yummy feather pillow.I am tired when I retire, and I read a few minutes before my eyes start to droop. I fall asleep just fine...the problem is the staying asleep!

Most nights I don't sleep past 3am. Some nights I don't even make it till 1am. I wake up and look at the clock, sink back down between the covers, and try my hardest to fall back asleep. It is usually no use. I toss. I turn. I get up and visit the bathroom. But sleep does not return for me in my cozy little bed.

Years ago when this first started happening, I used to get up and get myself a cup of Sleep-time Tea, grab a warm afghan my mom made me, and pick up the book that I was reading at the time. I would head out to the quiet living room and read for hours at a time in the pre-dawn darkness. I read the entire Anne of Green Gables series that winter---right down to Anne's grandchildren. It was great...but I was so tired! I really just wanted to sleep.

Then I read in Ladies Home Journal that the worse thing you could do for insomnia was to GET OUT OF BED! You were suppose to lay there, and sleep would eventually come. NOT. Night after night the clock would say 3:00am...I was laying in the dark wondering when this magic of sleep would return, and Anne was having adventures without me.

Then someone suggested that maybe God was waking me up so I could pray or listen to something He was impressing on my heart. I wanted to tell that kind person that I was sure God knew I had 23 kids that would be waking up in a few hours for breakfast and school and that I was sure HE wanted me to have enough sleep so I did not strangle any of those kids because of sleep deprivation. But I did start to pray. I prayed for those kids. I did the VanWingerden Rosary as my Aunt Rose calls it. I would start with the oldest child and pray down the list of all the children. I would pray for general things like safety and health and also specific things like "Lord, I know that Justin has been lying to me about.....help me to catch him Lord in his lying." "I think that Susie is doing something wrong behind my back Lord....show me what!" You see I was being covert in my prayers---praying for kids to trip up so their sin would find them out!!!

Now don't get me wrong...my kids aren't that wicked...well not all of them. But I found the middle of the night to be the best time to unload to God my fears and suspicions about parenting. And most times I would fall asleep before I got to the bottom of the VW Rosary.

I had to switch that up after awhile cause the older kids were getting all the prayers and the "catch them in the act, Lord" while the younger ones were flying by under the radar!!I would fall asleep before I would get to their name on the list!  But it did seem to help me to fall back asleep...sometimes after a very long while..but at least for a little bit before the day would begin. I felt better when I got up after I had given to God all of my fears and concerns. And I would usually have some incite on what to do with a particular child.

I still have problems with sleep and after all these years, I have added to my list 14 grandkids, daughter and son in laws, and of course the 23 kids are still there. Just because you are grown and moved out does not mean you loose your place on the Rosary!

Being committed!

So----If I were to tell you that writing a blog takes commitment, would you believe me? If I were to tell you that the best intentions in the world will never get a blog written would you agree? If I were to tell you that I have the best intentions but no commitment, I know you would believe that! I have ended so many days these past few months with the nagging thought that I did not write in the blog again, and I should have. "I will do it in the morning!" was what I answered. "I promise!"

But a day would go by, then three and pretty soon it would be a week or two and nothing written. Nada---not nary a word. But today I found a moment of time, when I could sit here at the keyboard and write. And I can't really think of anything worth saying. Aaron Shust has a song that says "Give me words to speak, don't let my spirit sleep, cause I can't think of anything worth saying..." Life has been sad lately for many loved ones and friends, and I guess the weight of their sorrow is pushing hard on me. Nightmares have been my companion for the past few nights, and my thoughts have been consumed during the day with the burden these people carry and my part in sharing it with them. Sickness has visited our family for nearly a month and I am worn down by coughing and feeling miserable.

But I look out at the snow capped mountains and the beautiful fall colors and I have to smile and thank God for it all. It is such a comfort to see Him in the nature that surrounds me here in Colorado. Every day I am blessed to have a stunning view of Pikes Peak and the amazing Black Forest that surrounds our home. We have deer and squirrels and an occasional fox that visit us. The wildflowers in the meadow are so amazing.  A sign on my dining room wall says 'The Mountains Shall Bring Peace to the People' and how true that is for me. I do have peace even when I feel turmoil. I know who holds the future and I know I am in His hands. And in that I will rest.

And as for the blog---I will try to do better at writing more often and keeping you up to date. I always feel better after I have written...maybe that fact in itself will get me to do it on a more consistent basis.