Nancy’s Kitchen

Our nephew, Richard Ivy, was injured in Baghdad this week from a car bomb.  He was hit by a piece of burning flesh.  His sergeant got a concussion from a flying rib.  I cannot imagine the emotional impact of realizing that the “shrapnel” was not metal, but human.  We are thankful they are still with us.  We are thankful that they are bravely doing their work and keeping the aggressors away from our shores.

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Richard and I drove out of the driveway this morning at 10:30. We drove away from Portsmouth, VA and arrived in Charlotte, NC at 4:30 p.m. We’re driving my little red 1999 Miata and pulling a little trailer (designed to be pulled by a motorcycle). What a sight! We’re headed to a YWAM (Youth With a Mission) base near Tyler, TX. My previous post has a link to the newsletter introducing you to what I’ll be doing.

We had no trouble keeping up with traffic, and made 26 1/2 mpg, but we did have to adjust our speed to the resonance of the road and the trailer to keep the ride smoooth and not choppy like a small boat in a rough sea. Did you know that cement and asphalt road surfaces have different frequencies? It was a good day. Richard had me driving … “It’s your trip, you should drive.” So I did. I am tired. Tomorrow he will be doing some of the driving!! 5 hours was enough for me! We almost made it all the way to Charlotte on one tank of gas, but not quite. We filled up in Asheboro, NC. We thought about getting off I-85 at exit 311 and going to see the house Richard’s mom and dad built, but we were tired and eager to get to our hotel.

Tonight we will have dinner with old friends, Chip and Donna Smith, and their sons, Ford and William.

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Now I must tell you that adventures, while exciting, are not always pleasant. As my friend, Kathleen Dillard once said, …just picture Indiana Jones and his archeological adventures! lions, snakes, bad guys… OK, I hope I’ll NOT run into any of those, but I will be encountering text-books, classrooms, new roommates, and overseas travel. These will be very good, but also can be very taxing.

What is this new adventure? I’m glad you asked!! Here’s my first newsletter, New Year, New Adventure.  (You may have to click twice - once on this link, and once on the same link on the next page that comes up.  Sorry - I’m not a programmer.)

Do read my newsletter and check back here often for updates! Comments and questions are welcome (click on “Comments”).

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Today I ran across a meditation in my notebook from March of 1996. I think this is a result of some discussion with my friend, Walt Wissinger. For me, it is God’s message to me, and perhaps to you, too. It is as fresh to me today as it was back when I wrote it. May you receive blessing and wisdom and understanding as you read on and ponder these words. Thank you for allowing me to share my heart with you.

Psalm 37 – “Rest,” “Do not Fret”

Verse 1 “Do not fret because of evil-doers, …be not envious of wrong-doers.” Verse 3 “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.” Verse 4 “Delight yourself in the Lord” Verse 5 “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.” Verse 7 “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of…” Verse 8 “Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret, it leads only to evil doing.” Verse 27 “Depart from evil and do good.” Verse 34 “Wait for the Lord, and keep His way…”

Fretting and God’s Answer to Frustration

Fretting is meditating upon a matter in a negative way. It often has to do with a matter that is at least partially out of my control. It also involves a degree of anger, whether in as low a degree as frustration, or as high a degree as rage. This lack of my own control over a matter produces frustration (which may escalate to full-blown rage) and consequently evil-doing. It is this process which Psalm 37 addresses.

Meditating negatively (fretting) leads me to lose Godly perspective and concentrate progressively more intensely on the negative, therefore seeing the matter as hopeless or disastrous (evidenced often by panic) unless I become integrally involved in the solution. This premature involvement is called “taking matters into my own hands,” and this is precisely what the Scripture implies is “evil-doing.” This is because evil-doing is the natural result of the negative energy produced by fretting. Therefore, the person enacting his own solution will often resort to violence (physical, emotional, or verbal) against someone or something.

Again, there are varying degrees of violent reaction. The degree of violence may range from wishful thoughts of harm toward someone or something to outright physical destruction of property or person, including murder and suicide. This is why Jesus says that to hate in my heart is equal to murder. Both are the sinful result of not trusting a matter to God for His judgment or solution. Psalm 37 repeatedly explains that God will indeed act on my behalf, and even what those actions will be.

A not-so-obvious result of fretting, because it appears to be positive action, is an intense, take-command attitude. However, if my positive action issues out of the fretting, the negative side will become apparent as people and things “get in my way” or “slow me down” or “don’t cooperate” with my self-made solution.

An underlying problem here presents the need to constantly keep my perspective, my mind on God. Because this is an imperfect world, impacted as it is by sin, people and situations will inevitably present themselves as impediments to a solution even to God’s solutions. If I resort to finding my own solution, i.e., “figuring it out,” the results will always go in the negative direction, leading to evil-doing.

Psalm 37 also tells me when offended or frustrated, what I am to do about it, which is first and foremost to not fret, and to trust God and do good. It is the turning over of a matter to God, and sealing that transaction by doing good, that enables me to gain and maintain God’s perspective on the matter, and thereby cease from anger and avoid evil-doing.

How do I turn a matter over to God? The most effective and direct way I’ve found is to “Stop, Look, and Listen.” “Jesus!” I say, “Please help me see this person and this situation from Your Perspective.” Then I “look” again, and listen to Jesus’ words to me about it. These words come as a quiet voice in my mind, or a sense in my heart, or a Bible verse. How do I know if it is “God and not my own thoughts?” The answer will always be consistent with God’s character as revealed throughout the Bible. The quick and easy answer is the revelation of a new feeling in my heart, a new, positive perspective, a new way of seeing. I call it “seeing with God’s eyes.” So now I finish with this thought… Am I fretting? STOP! LOOK! LISTEN! Jesus is always near. “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.”

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The Christmas Season brings all the old arguments as to whether there really was a Jesus. U.S. World and News Report this season has a cover story saying Jesus was a good teacher but not a savior. Each Christmas we face these affronts. SO WHAT! Why get excited or angry. It doesn’t change the truth or diminish what God has done. Smile…say Merry Christmas…you’re right!

I am saying these things to help me to remember; it is not what people say but what we know is truth. “I am the way, the TRUTH and the life.” We know the TRUTH. His name is Jesus.

As a Christmas letter from Nancy and me, I felt it necessary to get my own thinking straight first. Approaching 60 in January, things look different than they did at 40 or 50. In the last two years Nancy has traveled 10’s of thousands of miles to tell others of what she knows…the TRUTH. In May, Nancy left for two weeks of ministry to the Gypsies again. Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey were the countries she visited. She was back to see friends she had made the year before. But this year’s trip was different. She went to pray for and touch the people this year. The excitement of a mission trip was replaced with the heart of Jesus for the Gypsies.

September found us in the air for 18 hours as we flew to Johannesburg, South Africa. For two weeks we worked with a mission that served the poor of the poor. Nancy served AIDS patients as they died. We worked with children who were orphaned by AIDS. I installed water pipe, a kitchen sink and cabinets. We collected and distributed food, preached, sang, set up chess tournaments, served food, washed dishes and were happy to sit at night with a cappuccino, visiting with our hosts.

The Ivy boys are still being boys. Steve got a new job with GoDaddy.com in Scottsdale Arizona. Jodi went back to work part-time with ISEC, a high-end construction materials supplier. It is a great situation, she leaves after Adelina leaves for school and gets home before the bus arrives in the afternoon.

NOW… a good story. I got to play with Adelina twice this year! As you may know she is deaf. Last January she received a cochlear implant. Now she is speaking!!! We had a ball. Steve told her to stop speaking with her mouth full while we were there. She was obedient but immediately continued in sign language…very smart girl!

My other love is Julia, is Sean’s oldest. This jewel has stolen my heart. We have had a few dates, McDonalds and Chucky Cheese. We talk on the phone and sit close during Veggie Tale movies. The only difficulty with this relationship is Andrew and Jesse. Like good little brothers they watch over their sister to be sure Grandpa doesn’t overdo his time with her. These boys are BOYS! Growling noises, guns, Spiderman, the works. They are GREAT! (No prejudice here!)

Oh…Sean and Amy live with my grandchildren and they are doing fine. ☺ Amy is Educational Director at the Sylvan Learning Center, and Sean is assistant-assistant manager at a Games store in addition to his normal fare of 3-D animation, creation, and architectural rendering free-lance projects! They’re doing a great job of juggling schedules so the kids can stay home and not go to day care!

Bob and Suzy are in Fairfax, Virginia. They were in Zambia this summer preparing a video CD for a ministry there. Bob had the good fortune to fly in an ultra-light over Victoria Falls. Bob celebrated his 30th birthday this summer and invited me to the party…at 13,000 feet! He led a contingent of three on a tandem parachute jump. I WANT TO DO IT AGAIN!!! It was great…thanks Bob. (Oh…Nancy was in Romania so she couldn’t say no.)

These few things let you know we are alive but the events that took place this year cannot be covered in this short letter. Our lives have been full with family, missions, church, work, and volunteer activities. Nancy made dresses for the orphans we visited, has been involved in the church worship team and trying to keep Richard out of trouble. Richard has been writing for a small newspaper in Massachusetts called “The Parents Pages”.

In summary we have tried to live closer to what is in our hearts, walk out what we profess to believe, fight the daily problems, grow closer together and seek God to understand what we cannot on our own know. This year we are going to Bob and Suzy’s for Christmas. We have no tree and no window decorations or lights. Nancy did put out the Crèche, the one we have had for 35 years thanks to my mom, the “Reason for the Season”. May you be blessed this Christmas, may you enjoy your families and may you clearly understand the Truth of Christmas.

The pdf version with photos is here:  The Ivy’s Christmas Letter 2007.

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