Strong, Intellingent, Not Fuzzy

I've always loved the strong intelligent women in my life, starting with Mother, Grannie, and Aunt Cleo.  Then came Viola Teacher, who taught me more than music. Next was a microbiology undergrad prof.

In grad school I chose a man for my microbiology research advisor.  He was fine until he fell out of political favor at the uni, leaving me in limbo. Finally, a new genetics prof, whose adopted son was my high school student, pushed me and the school to move on my degree.  She and another woman got me my M.S.  I had worked for the  Dean of grad studies and been so in awe of her power that I messed up EVERY phone msg I took for her.  She signed my diploma anyway.

One of my  pastors is a fine Bible teacher, pianist, and knitter.  She keeps challenging me to do better, like every other strong intelligent woman in my life has done.

These are not warm fuzzy relationships, but extremely important and I thank God for every one.

It's Pentecost

Hallelujah!Holy Spirit fill us!  Happy Birthday Church!

Spring Sewing

Here are some quick photos of dresses I've made recently. They are for night wear, working around the house and sometimes errands out. Since I often do errands while wearing slacks and blouses for the gym, they won't often be worn out. The prettier ones might go out for coffee on Sunday.

A Further Consequence of Writing to Freeman Dyson

Several decades ago I read Freeman Dyson's book, The Greening of the Universe, wrote him a letter, and he wrote back, much to the delight of the physics dept. at the local uni. Since then, I've been away, then back here, and every time my retired physics prof sees me he mentions that letter from Freeman Dyson. Remember this for later.

For some time I've tried to witness of Jesus Christ daily at the nearby McDonald's, which is also close to the local uni. Some things happened recently that discouraged me, so I hadn't tried for a few days. No one seemed like the right one to whom to witness. Last night I asked some prayer warriors to ask Father to get the witnessing thing going again.

Walked into an almost empty McD's. Greeted some retirees I knew to be Christians, including physics prof and wife, etc. Sat and knitted and prayed. One lone student (the group to whom I witness) entered. He didn't seem to be the one. Couldn't not approach him (This is kind of how I know whom to approach.) Yes, he's a student. Yes, I'm welcome to talk, yes, he believes, in God, in Jesus,loves Jesus, tell friends about Jesus (really? I wondered). I said I was very interested in witnessing to nonbelievers and asked how he did so.

Well, he respected their decision if they said they didn't believe. Didn't this mean they would go to hell? Shrug I just happened to have a book of John in my bag and Jn 14:6 says "...no man cometh to the Father but by Me." Didn't that sound like they would go to hell? He seemed impressed and I said it put a burden on my heart for nonbelievers.

Then Dr. Brill, retired physics prof, appeared, and told me about another book by Freeman Dyson, whom he described to the student as a Nobel laureate. Then he told the student about the letter (remember?), which Dr. Brill said made me famous (locally for about 5 seconds in the physics dept.) The student was quite impressed. Dr. Brill, a fine physics and Sunday school teacher, went off, the student enthusiastically accepted a book of John with an athletictic cover, and I left McD's with my senior coffee, thanking God. Maybe another recruiter was recruited. I like to think that the Dyson letter story kept it out of the "crazy old woman quotes Bible" category in the student's head.

You can get Books of John from the Pocket Testament League.

Happy 2012

Don't you just love new beginnings?

The False Gospel of the Loophole

In McDonald's this morning I had a very interesting and disturbing conversation with a 20 year old young man, x. He attends church and considers himself a Christian, even thinking of accepting a job as a youth pastor that has been offered him. I agree with him that he is not yet spiritually mature enough for the position.

When we got around to John 14:6
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me

x said that there must be some loophole. God isn't a punishing god. I allowed as how that if we don't believe in Jesus we're going to hell. Yes, he said, but Jesus is always smiling, always giving people the thumbs up.


Read the Bible and believe it.

Yeah, but...

Why did Jesus weep over Jerusalem?

Romans 3:23

English Standard Version (ESV)

²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

I weep over my Japanese friends to whom I did not witness, and pray the Lord God to send a better witness to them.PLEASE LORD!

THERE IS NO LOOPHOLE.

TV or not TV?

We haven't owned a working tv in a long time. When I want news coverage, I find it on the net. Then, people I admire talked about netflix tv. I tried it for 18 days. I knit faster in another room with better lighting. I feel feelings I don't want to feel when Paladin charms the ladies. Men who wear black are dangerous, even if they went to West Point and make babies laugh.Netflix doesn't
have the old Perry Mason or Bonanza.

18 days is enough. At 20 it would be a habit.