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These days I seem to spend a lot of time in the drive thru lane at the local credit union, taking money out instead of putting money in! But the nice thing about living in Cody is that even mundane tasks aren't quite so mundane when you have beautiful scenery to look at...I happened to have my camera in the truck yesterday, so I finished my banking and snapped this picture which I will title, "The View from the Drive Thru". Have a nice weekend! DLB
It has snowed, off and on, all last night and this morning. The wind is howling, and the temperature is in the 20's. So I occupied myself this morning by making a little Easter Egg tree out of an antique Clorox bottle...a touch of Spring for a blustery day.
While I whine a lot about the long winters in Wyoming, it isn't all bad. Last night I was tucked snug in bed, listening to the soundtrack of the movie "Little Women". My husband was sound asleep beside me, and the dogs were downstairs snoring peacefully in the library. I opened the shade and watched the bushes dance to the wind, and the snow pelt the window. There is something so comforting about being snug and cozy in bed, while the storm rages outside your window. And I thought to myself that winter...well, it ain't so bad! DLB
Painting on the side of the building that houses Seidel's Saddlery, on Main Street in Cody, Wyoming.
When you chart a new course for your life, the first step is figuring out where you want to go (see previous posts). In my last post I shared that I came up with seven new directions that I would like to pursue. After that, then what?
It came to me that the old adventurers, before sailing off to discover uncharted territory...had to chart their course in order to get there. How to do it? They planned their route between points of reference that remained stable, like the stars.
For the Christian, we chart our course according to the only stability we have in this changing world, and that is God's Word, the Bible. So I looked over the seven new directions that I wished to venture off in, to make sure that they were in line with God's commandments.
I realized that just because the seven new directions did not violate any of God's principles, did not necessarily mean that He wanted me to branch off in that direction. As Paul said,
"All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. (1 Corinthians 10:23).
In other words, these new directions may be good things in and of themselves, but not necessarily good for me AT THIS TIME in my life. God may have different purposes in mind for me. The only way to know for sure is to pray about the direction you wish to move toward, asking Him to reveal to you whether or not you are to pursue this. Some things are no brainers, that I don't need to pray about. For instance, one of my directions is to lead a more Christ centered life. I don't need to pray over whether or not this is appropriate for me, because 'this I know, for the Bible tells me so' (line stolen "Jesus Loves Me"). The other courses are not so clear.
I was reading about Jan Karon, author of the Mitford series of books ("At Home in Mitford" being the first...if you haven't read these books, you are in for a treat). Anyway, Jan was employed in advertising, and making good money. But she had a deep desire to be an author. So she began to pray, asking God what He wanted her to do, and how she was to accomplish it. She said that her prayer was not random, and that she prayed persistantly. After two years, she said that God spoke to her heart and said, "Go. And I will go with you."
What struck me about this was that she just didn't jump because it was something that she wanted to do. She took the time to pray it through until she got an answer.
Which is what I intend to do over each of my new directions as I chart my new course. The direction may be lawful, but may not be expedient...I need God's OK before I jump. I am tired of wasting time in my life, jumping into things that usually bring me to ruin, all because I did not take the time to see whether or not my direction was in line with God's direction.
So, there you have it. My thoughts on what to do if you wish to chart a new course for your life. I am now in the stage of praying through the directions I wish to pursue. It may take years to get an answer, or two minutes. Doesn't matter, all I know is that I will not move until I know FOR SURE that the direction I want to go in, is the same direction that God would have me go. I'll keep you posted! DLB
One of my favorite things about the Irma (the hotel in Cody that Buffalo Bill built for his daughter Irma) is the art work adorning the old walls. This painting of an elk bugling on a cliff is one of my favorites, located on the landing between the first and second floors.
In the post before the last one, I blogged about the stagnant rut I felt myself in, and how God whispered into my heart that it was time to chart a new course. That made sense to me...but where to start? I began to think about people that charted a new course, and all I could come up with was Christopher Columbus! I sort of visualized him sitting with a bunch of maps, in his velvet knickers and a cap with a feather jutting out of it, charting his course to the new world. I thought to myself...after prayer for guidance, what would be his first step?
And I decided that he couldn't chart a new course of direction, if he didn't know where he wanted to go!
So I got myself a notebook and jotted down a list of seven areas that I would either like to change about my life, or new directions that I would like to pursue at this particular stage in my life. I think often we get into ruts or stagnant periods because we simply don't bother to take the time to figure out the direction that God would have us go. As Proverbs 29:18 states:
"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he."
So, I had my list in my hot little hand, and asked God to show me the next step....DLB
I am interrupting my thoughts on "Charting A New Course" (see previous post), in order to wish all of you a happy St. Patrick's Day!
As far as I know, I don't have any Irish blood coursing through my veins, nor do I even know who St. Patrick was...but I am big on tradition. And our tradition is to order corn beef and cabbage from a local deli (my tradition is not to cook) and a specially decorated cake (all good traditions involve a cake of some sort) and eat our supper off of trays watching "The Quiet Man" on DVD.
"The Quiet Man" is a movie about an American man (John Wayne...can't get more American than him!) pursuing an Irish woman (Maureen O'Hara) in Ireland. It is a cheerful, lighthearted movie about Irish customs and people...we watch it every year and never get tired of it.
Even though it was in the upper 50's yesterday, it snowed last night and this morning...and I can't think of anything that I would rather do tonight then to curl up to a meal that I don't have to cook, and watch a movie that has become like an old friend.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!! DLB
It was morning, but from my bedroom window I could still see the moon loitering over the top of Cedar Mountain...
Are you in a rut? Not just the 'I need a few days of vacation' kind of rut, nor a 'when is winter going to end' kind of rut...but a real stagnant period kind of a rut. A serious rut.
Well, I am here to tell you that is just where I am! I am restless and lethargic, sort of like my whole life has a headache...which is the best way that I can describe it. Instead of taking this to the Lord, I just figured the feeling would go away. But it got worse, so finally I began to pray about it. (Why didn't I do that in the first place...remember the hymn "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" where we sing,
"O, what peace we often forfeit, O, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer).
So I prayed. And prayed. And finally...in the middle of the night, I was impressed with this simple question, "Why don't you chart a new course?"
A new course. That made sense. Remember the old poem that goes something like this...
"If you always do what you always did, you will always be where you always are." (Author unknown).
In other words, I am to begin to live my life in a different way. I asked God to show me how to go about doing this...and this is a work in progress. But in future blogs, I will share with you...what God shows me! DLB
It has been not much above zero here for the last couple of days...so I tried to 'spring up' my fireplace mantel to take my focus off the cold and the snow...
Speaking of Lent (post before last) I discovered a custom in England called 'Pancake Day', or Shrove Tuesday. This was the day before Ash Wednesday...a day of confession before entering the season of Lent. Since dairy products and eggs were traditionally forbidden during Lent, thrifty housewives would empty their larders of all offending items, and use them to whip up pancakes to be consumed before Lent began. Hence the name 'Pancake Day'.
They had their pancakes at the end of the meal, rolled up after sprinkling lemon juice and sugar on them. Sounds pretty tasty, doesn't it? More like a dessert instead of a breakfast treat. I have always loved old customs...but what's not to love about an old tradition that features thrift...and a pancake! DLB
When the wind blows in Wyoming, we all hunker down! These deer are no exception...probably tired of getting blown off their hooves, they found a wind break in front of the house of a neighbor...and there they sat until it was safe to emerge! DLB
As a child growing up in Virginia, we attended a Methodist church that my father helped found. Thinking back, I remember stained glass windows and the progression of the church calendar, the Protestant Liturgical Calendar, that focused on the life and ministry of Jesus. As a child, I loved following the seasons...the time of Advent and the Advent candles, the celebration of the birth of Jesus at Christmas, the dark time of Lent and Good Friday, and the glory of Easter and the beauty of the Resurrection.
When I look back on my childhood, I think that the reason the impact of the church calendar stayed with me all these years, was that it involved so many of the senses. I heard the specially selected readings from the Bible, I saw the different colors on the pulpit and communion table covers, I heard and loved the hymns appropriate to each season, I smelled the melting wax from the advent candles, the lilies at Easter and touched the palms on Palm Sunday. As young as I was, the impact of all of this was that I realized that these celebrations of the Christian faith were sacred times. Because so many of the senses were involved, the memory of that time didn't fade, but stayed with me.
Many years later, I committed my life to God by asking Jesus to abide in my heart. I began attending Baptist churches...and was surprised to find that they did not follow the church calendar--other than the celebration of Easter and Christmas. ( I since learned that some Baptist churches do follow the Western Protestant Liturgical Calendar, but not the churches around here). I am not sure why...probably something about it causes offense. (I was watching the Waltons on DVD last week, and they were decorating the church at Christmas, and the preacher said that some congregation members may take offense at the draping of pine...and the Walton boy said that you can always find some Baptist that will take offense at just about anything! I can say that with love because I am a Baptist!).
But a few years ago I began to organize my Christian walk around observing the seasons of the church calendar. I just sort of adapted it into a personal tool for growth in Christ. During Advent I read all the gospels up to the point of the birth of Christ. During Lent I read everything leading up to the Crucifixion. I follow the Lent practice of giving up something...this year it is time--I am setting aside extra time for prayer. I usually give up something that will draw me closer to God. Observing the time of Lent helps me to think about the suffering of Christ on the cross, just as Advent stirs me into thinking about how much God loved us to send his Son. Since I started doing this, I have noticed that I do a lot more reflection on the life of Jesus.
I have read that there is an increase in Protestant churches following the Western Liturgical Calendar. I can't answer the reason why different denominations do what they do...but I can say that our culture is becoming increasingly chaotic, everyone just too busy and overwhelmed by the too fast pace of daily life. We are also becoming increasingly secular...the children know Easter as the season of the Easter bunny and Christmas as a time for Santa...but not much time is spent anymore on the reflection for the real reasons for each celebration. When I follow the church calendar, I slow down the pace of my life, and reflect on the life of Christ. Maybe others are craving this in their lives, also. I am NOT advocating anyone else do this if they are not so inclined...I am just sharing something that was a tool for me for growth. The Bible says,
"So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:12).
One of the ways I personally number my days is to observe the Christian celebrations of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter and Pentecost. And there you have it folks, this Baptist's look at the Liturgical Calendar! DLB
Before Buffalo Bill even died, his birthday was celebrated once a year in Cody at the Buffalo Bill Birthday Ball. The week of the ball, a local club nails the Wolfville Hall boards to the front of the Cody Auditorium. I am thinking that Wolfville Hall was at one time a dancing and gambling establishment in the days when Buffalo Bill was alive, and they converted the Cody Auditorium into a facsimile of the place the week of Buffalo Bill's Birthday, but I am not sure of this. What I do know from reading is that the Ball used to be a boot stomping time...cowboys rode their horses into the auditorium, guns were drawn and shots were fired off at the ceiling, and brawls were seen at the bar.
I guess you can say that things got a little Western!
So the ball sort of became a thing of the past, until the Cody Knights of Columbus took it over in 1993. These days the Ball is somewhat tamer, (most years), and all the money taken in is given to local charities that have greatly benefited the lives of Cody citizens.
So there you have it folks, another slice of Cody history! DLB
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