Encountering the Character and Goodness of God in All of Life....and in Children's Literature

So who really is this Jesus I've followed for over 50 years? And what does He have to do with all my health problems, disappointments, challenges, and setbacks? His love is relentless, constant. His goodness is greater than all my stumbling steps. Romans 8 says that nothing can separate me from His love. Song of Solomon says that "His love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away. If one were to give all the wealth of one’s house for love, it would be utterly scorned." That's my story and my life today.

It has been a continuous unfolding revelation to know Him and learn more about Him. Every day reveals new depths of His character and goodness in the midst of the nitty and gritty of my life. In the 80's and 90's Dow taught us about God's nature and character and His trustworthiness and constancy and all His amazing attributes. Then in the late nineties and early 2000s, God allowed me the privilege of studying and learning more about His character as it relates to life today, and as it is revealed in children's literature. This learning turned into a study about how to share God's character and life with children and teachers.

The more I studied God's Word, the more I encountered how He loves me as I am. I began to know the depths of His love better, to learn to never put a period where God puts a comma. And not to put a comma where there is none. I think I'm still learning this. But His goodness, kindness, compassion and forgiveness are constant. So what else did I learn about this Jesus I love and who loves me? God revealed His character in Exodus 34:6-7 when Moses asked to see God's glory and the Lord answered by telling Moses who He is:

"The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out,
“Yahweh! The Lord! the God of compassion and mercy!
I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.
I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty."

I wanted to know more about how these traits of God Himself affected all of life, so my heart began a study of how some of these character traits were realized in award winning children's books. The traits selected came from the passage above.

To do this expansive study, I needed others to help, so a gang of half dozen amazing women came together to help out. We began meeting regularly to read and evaluate all the Newbery award winning books (almost 80 books at that time) to see what character traits we could find. The gang included Nadia Mitchell, Deeder Yanity, me, Darlene Wasserman, Betsy Keyes and Julia Chamberlain-Solecki. We had great discussions and times together. And what we found was very interesting. Read on!

The seven positive traits we identified for book evaluation were: compassion, respect, loyalty, courage, self-discipline, responsibility, justice. and forgiveness. The negative ones were: harshness, intolerance, self-indulgence, cowardice, bitterness, unreliability, and betrayal. Can you guess the most frequently found ones? Respect and loyalty were the most frequent positive ones and forgiveness the one we hardly found at all. Intolerance and cowardice were the most negative traits found and betrayal was the least frequent one.

Doing this study, with its accompanying two grants, meant there were funds for Dr. Dow Robinson to come and provide instruction on how to recognize these traits in literature, and how to implement them in our lives and i the lives of children. It was a rich time for all of us. Then we tried it out in several classrooms around the country and found that with some simple instructions, the kids quickly learned to pick out the traits in children's literature. We also discovered that this strategy could be applied to television viewing, movies and the media. Fascinating and interesting. Dow later wrote a book on who God is and how these traits were revealed through His Self-revealed Names. Cultivating the Presence of the Living God through His Self-Revealed Names.

Here are some of the great people who came and helped us dialog and learn more about God's character in children's literature. The gang included Brian and Kathy Emmet who came all the way from Boston to join us, along with some of my grad and undergrad students. It was a rich time with people we dearly love.

How grateful I am for His unfailing love. You see, even at this point in life, with so much blessing, I struggled with the demands of academia and its time expectations along with
my desire to draw closer and spend more time with God Himself, to hear His voice above the cries all around me.

2-26-99: “Free me, Father, from the demands of grants, to hear you. My heart says nothing else is important but all around me is the push to perform. Teach me the way of the heart, to rest in you.”

8-19-99: alone at the cabin Ledge Edge, New Hampshire (Brian and Kathy's generous sharing):

"TIME. Thank you for time to sit and listen and reflect without distraction. Time is such a grand and big thing. Yet I worry about my small portion of it. One day, 1000 years; 1000 years, one day. This moment is what matters--this moment to touch, connect and be with You, O Lord. What could be more important in time? Time is one portion of your nature that you share with us, so how I respond to time is in part how I respond to you. You can hold time still, or fast forward, to reveal Yourself, if I but release my constraints and time conflicts. Teach me, train me, change me, capture me, to sit in your time and be touched by You."

Dow and Lois visited Dow Lake in Athens while they were with us. We loved that we had a beautiful Lake named Dow close by for them to enjoy.

Back to the future--last week I asked my 12 year old twin grandson, Isaac William Lin, if he would draw me a picture with these characteristics of God and he drew this remarkable picture. I love the star that points to Jesus' birth, the worshipers, and the sheep is cute too! Now he's working on individual pictures of each trait for another project.

Psalm 73:28: But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

New Year, New Blog

This will be my last blog posting for Diary of a Nomad, for now. I want to spend more time reflecting on His goodness and gaining more hope and strength for the future. Instead of continuing my blog musings on the next twenty or so years, I will post our annual family newsletters for the last almost 20 years, always full of photos and news of the year's events. God is so good in every encounter and event of life, Jesus is the only God who is always good, and gives hope for today and the future, and my heart belongs to Him.

So, in order to more fully reflect on God's goodness, I'm starting a new blog, Conversations with My Heavenly Father or Prayers by a Daughter, Friend, and Beloved. These include my prayers to Him and His Responses to me. This new blog will include almost 20 years of written records of how Jesus has spoken hope into my broken reality. These talks with my Heavenly Father, about all the things that were happening daily, are an expression of my heart that goes deeper than any recounting in my previous writings. There are conversations about hopes, fears, disappointments, joys, and many topics that my Father and I have discussed over the years. I hope to begin these postings in February after Jenny's (major) surgery on January 19. If you want to continue and read more, you can find this new blog at: lealconversationswithmyheavenlyfather.blogspot.com.

Here's a song that always strengthens my heart for each leg of the journey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWXcRVZWTb8

In Christ alone my hope is found.
He is my light, my strength, my song.....
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His Hand….
til He returns, or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.

Photo Journal of Treasures Close to My Heart: Surrounded by a Great Company of Amazing People

Can Anyone Have Too Many Friends? I have been so blessed with MANY friends. You can never have too many friends! I know because if you are reading this, then you are one of them. The late 90's and early 2000s had many treasured friends, family, students and colleagues with whom we spent memorable times together.

The Company of Those Who Fear Your Name

Psalm 61:5: You have given me the heritage of those who fear your Name. Some of these include treasured friends who have walked with us over many years, shared heartaches and tears. During these years we had the privilege of visits with them. Here are some pictures of these treasures.

My friend and constant prayer warrior Catherine Eldridge. There are not words to express my gratitude to Him for how she has stood with me in prayer.

 Bill's first boss back in the US after our years abroad, Mary Fleming, who became an unexpected joy for the journey.

Good friend from my childhood on, Marilyn Petersen Kirshberger. She was one of the first people to talk deeply with me about Jesus and help me find my way to Him.

Students and Friends Who Became Family

One of the privileges faculty have is to travel and make literacy presentations in many parts of the country, and the world. I loved to take my students, both grad and undergrad, to conferences.

Here's one example of some undergrads and me at at children's literature conference in Columbus, Ohio: Clint, Julia, Diana and Sarah. They are all doing amazing things today....from being a principal to authoring a children's book, now published and ready for readers.

I was very partial to my PhD students because  I worked so closely with them through thick and thin. They came from so many nations. Those in the photo below represented the Jordan, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and of course the US.

Also, I was also very partial to my Bible study gals. Each year after our partnership ended its term (and they were no longer my students), I invited them to come to our home the next year for a Bible study. How we enjoyed great discussions during our times together to learn what it means to be a follower for Jesus and a woman of God today.

 

I have to include another photo of Laura and me here too, though she left this earth too early because of liver cancer. She is still much missed.

Then there are the students I taught in elementary school, many of whom read this blog! Besides the joy of teaching my own nephews, David and Daniel Hazelton, for several years, I had the joy of teaching Emily (Sallee) Owen from first through third grade. She now has many children of her own and continues to be a joy. She loves to write and has written many books and letters. She now writes letters on hearts.

Plus there are long time friends and next door neighbors Steve and Joan Safran. We spent many happy hours playing games like Dictionary, sharing holidays, food, and Bear, plus long, delicious discussions over meals.

Treasured Places

A place can be a treasure as well. I'm going to mention three now briefly, though they deserve more space than this.

Nancy and I took a visit to my roots, growing up in the mid-Illinois farmland, as well as Chicago. My sister and I made a memorable trip to our remaining relatives there, Ken and Leota Huff .
 
We also found the tombstones for my grandma and grandpa there in Somonauk. You might remember my grandpa died when my mom was three, and my grandma died when I was three -- right before my sister was born. My grandpa was a Lincoln and descendant from Abraham Lincoln's uncle.

My grandma opened a boarding house during WWI after my grandpa died. It was right on this corner, in this building, in Somonauk, Illinois.

My Aunt Catherine also had a shop in Somonauk. She would let Nancy and me come and pick pretty things out to take home.

 
The most beautiful and memorable place on earth for me is Israel. I could write a book about this, but here are just a couple photos. The one of Bill and me is in Capernaum and the second with Dow and Lois above the city of Jerusalem. I was deeply aware of the Presence of the Living God everywhere I went in this country. I'd go back here in a heartbeat if I had the chance.

Another treasured place....I will never forget our home on the ridge overlooking miles and miles of southeast Ohio. Our deck saw it all ... the deer, the snow, the wild and amazing beauty.

 

Much Loved Family

A visit from my sister is always special. Here Jenny is with cousin Anna, and below, I'm on our deck with Nancy, my favorite little sister ("fls" in our correspondence!) and of course our favorite dog Bear. Notice how he sneaks into so many photos.

We often hosted Bill's Dad, all the way from California.

 

When Bill's father turned 90, we had a birthday bash in California that included lots of his family (some that we had never met), lots of people from his church, and lots of people from the assisted living place where he lived. It was a grand celebration. Jonathan came with us; Jenny was out of the country.

We enjoyed times with Bill's sister Mary Ellen and her husband Al. Al has gone ahead of us to be with the Lord, as has Bill's dad.

So here's the last collection of family pics from this time period. I'll let you figure out who's who. The only clue is that the first one below has two daughters with us: Jenny and Stephanie. The one of Jonathan in grad garb is one of his 3 OU graduations. Enjoy!

 

In the Furnace of Transformation God Gives Us Grace and Hope to Go On

Can it really be six months since my last blog entry? Even though this blog is going to focus on life back in 1999-2000, I think the title given is most appropriate for the last six months of 2017. Between my liver duct episodes, which are leading up to a major surgery called hepaticohejunostomy, and Jenny's surgery, followed hours after by a heart attack, it has been a year of many unexpected events and God's goodness in saving our lives. After Jenny's surgery event, there was the discovery that she has pheochromosytoma, which requires heart medication presently and an upcoming surgery Jan. 19, 2018, to remove the tumor and affected adrenal gland. All this has been a furnace of transformation in many ways. Here's a pic of my beloved daughter and me about ten days after her surgery. And now it's Christmas, and my heart is full of gratefulness to God. He has drawn near and given us the grace to go on, and hope for the future. He has given us the joy of His love invading earth 2000 years ago and our hearts now.

Back to 1999-2000. While I'm mostly relying on photos along with a few diary entries, I also have precious memories of wonderful people and friends.

For me, decisions have always been hard ... and often very painful. Along with the struggles and hard things, the points of yielding were not easy. All the points of pulling back and letting go were accomplished because of who God is and how He showed His goodness in each event. Each event was a love gift. And, of course, they are now behind me..... But the years of 1999-2000 gave me more in the furnace of transformation that went deep into my soul.

The decision to do or not to do things is hard for me. It always has been. So what made this year so hard? Much of it centered around my work with the schools, teachers and kids, and one in particular: Chauncey Elementary School. Many times I struggled with the decision to go on directing this wonderful work, or leave this pressures and furnace of transformation.  On the one hand, we were very successful in what we were doing. On the other hand, we became the target for much criticism. If felt all targeted toward me, though I realize now it was not. But here's what I learned during this time: I don't need to be relevant, spectacular or powerful. He is so much more and I have everything that I need in Him.

Here I was challenged on so many fronts. Ours was a literacy partnership, which had been in my heart for years. I loved putting this together but it meant our OU students had to take extra courses in reading assessment and remediation. They came away with a reading endorsement so they could help children they teach become better readers and writers. It gave them an edge in getting jobs and we always seemed to get outstanding students who applied to be part of our partnership.

But there was much conflict was around the partnership, with Chauncey and with my collaboration with dearly loved Laura Frederiksen, my friend, and Chauncey's first grade teacher, school coordinator, and liaison to OU. She was an outstanding friend and leader. One one day Laura, who was not a follower of Jesus, had come to my house for lunch and to plan for a conference we were going to speak at about our partnership. At lunch, I prayed and thanked God for "the work You've given us to do." As Laura was leaving, she said most sincerely, "I like that, "the work you've given us to do." And it truly was the work He gave us to do together for almost 10 years before she died of liver cancer.

During the pressures it became clear that I was too self-focused, considering myself instead of seeing things from Father's perspective. Our friend Paul Petrie teaches that we must view circumstances through the lens of God's goodness and not God's goodness through the circumstances. See God first and the rest will become clearer. But you will see how selfish I was (still am), as I sought to find a way through what felt like an island of loneliness. I found the Lord taking me to the Cross, rearranging, stripping, tearing, emptying all that I hoped for in this life. I felt so empty, so much like my insides were being removed, shaken and redistributed so I no longer knew anything of who I am apart from His daughter.

The furnace felt like emptiness with all being burned away. My journal that year kept using the words "stripped" and "empty" over and over," and the Lord said to give thanks in the darkness and weariness, that He was good and would complete His good work.

Below are a few excerpts from my personal prayer journal during this year.

9/27: When all around me gives way...when all those who made commitments to me to work together, fail....when there is more to do than can humanly be done----I will praise your Name. It is enough. You are good and I will wait for You. You are the first and last, the living One, the One who was dead and is alive forever, the One who holds the keys to death and Hades. I worship you.


10/8: Oh, Lord, it is a time of yielding up my desires here in Athens for friends, for colleagues without spite, for a job that is fun and rewarding, for a church home and Bible study group that is encouraging, nourishing, and worshipful--for my limited understanding of doing Your will. I don't see blessing on anything outward we're doing, and see only my areas of weakness and failure. I give thanks for your gifts of Bill, Jenny, Dow and Lois. I ask for and choose life--to be content without the above, to stop looking for these and be content with Your love and what You've already given me to do. May all I do be intertwined with worship and rest, content with Your Love.

During this time, Bill and I began our rest-aways to Amish country, disconnected from phones, TVs and computers--something we try to do regularly now. And then winter came with beautiful white, clean snow. It washed the countryside and my weary soul. During these years, and many more to come, we found friendship, fellowship and community with the people at the Lancaster Covenant church. I wrote in my journal how grateful I was for "the love of Dennis and Dee Coll and Frank and Millie Dawson, for how they shared God's Presence in worship." And now Frank and Millie's only daughter, Tacee Puttick, is one of my close friends living right here in Columbus!


During this year Bill continued deep in the midst of his PhD program in computer science at Ohio State. And he experienced some pretty severe depression. He was put on medication that made him become a different person--so happy he was hard to live with! He finally went off it and I gratefully got my Bill back. His happiness now was real, but different than the medicated kind.

There are also so many good things that happened this year, so many treasured friends, that I'll save much of it for the next photo journal blog entry. But one of the best trips we made during this year was to visit our daughter doing an internship in Paris, and then drive up to have time with dear friends Paul and Rebecca Petrie, in Genval, Belgium. There's a beautiful lake out the window to the left.

Our times together were always full of love and encouragement on our journeys in the Lord. We didn't know that a year later Rebecca would fall down their stairs and have her life dramatically changed. You can read about this in the book we later helped her write and edit: Falling into His Grace: the Power of a Life Laid Down

The Norman Gang --All Life's Journeys End at the Foot of the Cross

We've known some amazing people in our life time. Some we have journeyed with for decades. They are our spiritual family. How can I not talk about these dear friends who don't give up on us and continue to encourage us? Quite a few have traveled ahead to our Home in Heaven, being with the One we all love the most.

For now, let me show you pictures of some of them when we were all a bit younger! We were called the "Wild, Wild West", sometimes "Dow's RATs" (Robinson's Apostolic Team). How we have laughed and cried together and helped carry each other's concerns. We did know how to party, didn't we?!? In the one photo we are all singing to Lois she is laughing, then she is doing her own skit.

All these I've mentioned and shown have been to the cross and yielded their lives to the Creator, King, and Completer. You know who you are. Some of you I will get to see very soon when we travel to see Lois, and Mary, and Jonee, and more of the gang. We hope to also see Bill's sister Mary Ellen in Tulsa.

These all know that it doesn't matter who you are or what you believe. Jesus will be there, either way at the end of their life. They all know that Jesus has met them and continues with them on this journey to the end of history. Yes, there is an end. The end? It's an amazing place. Yes, it ends at the foot of the cross. Either now, in this life, you choose to come to the cross or when you die you will come to the foot of the cross and before the One who created you.

From the cross to the cradle of heaven is where I'm heading. This summer I've prepared a summer camp for our grandsons, allowing them to create their own country. They had to identify where it is located on a map (they each had to use an iPad or other device for many activities) and describe the land from different perspectives. They each named their country (Isicle, was Isaac's Torcheckssia was Ethan's, and SPela was Joshua's) and drew and described the people, animals, houses, dress, and food. They invented their own language for how they talk (hooray for my linguistics background!). Sports, music, art were all a part.The government of this country was described and set up, and so much more (developing laws of the land!) Here are a few photos of our time together last week, along with friend and high school science teacher, Beth Eddy. She is dressed in Jamaican style, me in Nepali, and Joshua has on a Nepali men's cap.

So why do I tell you this now? Because I also told them about another country, one created by my Heavenly Father. It too has a name and location. There are people who live there who eat and drink and have fun together. They wear clothes, and talk with each other. There is so much described in the Bible about this country of Heaven. Using the source book of the Bible along with Randy Alcorn's book describing what the Bible says about Heaven, we put together a big picture of Heaven. It should be a great adventure! We knew how to party then, and we will party even more in the Country of His Eternal Creation. (If anyone's interested, I'll be happy to send you the curriculum via email--and some of their answers too!)

Thursday, the 22nd, it was the twins' 12th birthday, so we had to have food and cake, of course!. Here's a photo of them with Grandpa helping to light their candles.

Postscript: I just found a prayer dairy from 1999 while we were at Ledgedge in New Hampshire.

8-19-99: Time. Thank you for time to sit and listen and reflect without distraction. Time is such a grand and big thing. Yet I worry about my small portion of it. One day, 1000 years; 1000 years, one day. This moment is what matters--this moment to touch, connect and be with You, O Lord. What could be important in time? Time is one portion of your nature that you share with us, so how I respond to time is in part how I respond to you. You can hold time still, or fast forward, to reveal Yourself, if I but release my constraints and time conflicts. Teach me, train me, change me, capture me, to sit in your time and be touched by You.