New Blog Page

 

This was my first entry on this new blog site and since then I’ve found a new publisher (but haven’t republished my book yet). I’ve tried to move this entry to a better spot, but can’t seem to accomplish that task, so thought I should update the entry.  This is updated in January of 2016.

My publisher is in a scandal.  Can you believe that?  I went to my blog page, which is housed within their system, and I kept reading “Firefox can’t find the server at janbonn.authorweblog.com.”  After an internet search, I discovered news on this scandal.  I’m certain I’ve lost my archived blog writing and if I need more copies of my book, a new publisher will be required.  Here is another lesson for the truth from Matthew 6:19-21:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

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Matthew 18:6-14

What is sin? Tom answers that question and more. Yet, I enjoyed the prelude discussion and the reminder that as a child of God, I should live in the moment.  Enjoy.

Matthew 18:1-6 Humility and Children

“Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:4

There was a three-year-old boy who kept tapping his sister during breakfast. The sister tells him to stop, but he continued to bump her with his hand. When his parents told him to stop hitting his sister, he exclaimed, “I not hitting her, I patting her.” Oh the joy of kids.

On Epiphany Sunday, we reflected about children and humility. My most memorable part of Sunday’s discussion is when someone reminded us that we, children of God, should be child-like, not childish. What child-like qualities should we possess? The children I know are trusting, forgiving, and worry free. Enjoy Tom’s sermon about children, humility, and how to be great in the kingdom of heaven.

Wednesday, January 9th gospel reading….FEAR

When life is stormy, are you focused on the bare branches or the beautiful sunrise?

“Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid! He got into the boat with them and the wind died down.” (Mark 6:50 and 51)

Today’s gospel reading is the same reading I read when we were told that Gabrielle couldn’t be Hilary’s stem cell donor. When my stomach lurched and my heart started to beat faster, I remembered that Jesus “meant to pass by them,” (Mark 6: 48) and got into the boat when he saw how frightened they were. Even though our storm of cancer was increasing and we were beginning to take on water, I knew that Jesus had climbed into our boat filled with fear. Jesus’ calming peace settled the storm. I knew if Jesus was with us, our boat would continue the float. We would not sink. ( Love, Jan book page 47)

What storm is shaking your boat of life? Job loss? Financial upheaval? Accidents? Relationship divisions? I would encourage you to invite Jesus to join you in your boat. He can calm any storm! Maybe the wind will still blow, but you’ll be amazed at the lack of water splashing over the sides.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for helping me to face my fears.

Epiphany 2019

Mina gave this Epiphany decoration to me around Christmas of 2003. She wrote on the card (which I’ve kept) “Jan, Just a little something for the season of rejoicing—May this be your best Christmas ever! Hugs, Mina” Every year it decorates a shelf during Christmas season.

“Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” Matthew 2:2

Yesterday we celebrated the Epiphany of the Lord. It was the twelfth day of Christmas. I never thought much about the twelve days of Christmas except when I sang the song about odd gifts of birds and dancers and twelve drummers drumming. Since we feast and exchange gifts on Christmas, I went looking for countries that give gifts on Epiphany. Apparently citizens all over Europe celebrate Epiphany. In Spain, the children get a few gifts on Christmas, but the real gift getting happens in remembering the Magi bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh to Jesus. It’s scary that these rich gifts were the beginning of a horrible massacre of baby boys. Who said the Christmas story was about silence and peace? Our children in the U.S. don’t hear about “the rest of the story”. Of course those wise men were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, the instigator of this bloodbath, or they may not have been able to return home. Instead they departed for their country by another way. After they left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,”Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” (Matthew 2:13) Jesus escapes this carnage to later fulfill God’s plan of rescuing our souls from death.

My pondering today is the word homage. It isn’t a word we use often. According to dictionary.com, synonyms for homage is honor, tribute, fidelity, loyalty, devotion. These magi or wise men on camels traveled a great distance to do homage. How do I give honor to Jesus? To give tribute? Loyalty? Devotion? Do I seek His wisdom? Are my opinions more important than His truth?

Help me Lord discern the difference between truth versus falsehood and seek your wisdom every day.

Promises, promises…. hunting promises

These are pictures from one of Tony’s many hunts. This hunt was from 2005 and is one of his favorites. The harvest of a grand bull elk was not the reason for this hunt being a favorite. I’m proud to say that Tony is an excellent, safe, thankful hunter and has provided meat for our table for many years. This hunt is one of Tony’s favorite because RE and his pack string came with him. Not only did he enjoy having the company of RE, but he felt the presence of Hilary and his brother Marty. He said it was a bitter-sweet hunt. When Hilary died in January of 2005, Marty said, “No more waiting. We can’t trust that tomorrow will come, so I’m going hunting with you in the fall.”  Marty died in June before the August hunt of a sudden heart attack. As Tony moved among the trees, he asked both of them to pray to our Lord Jesus about capturing a big bull. This hunt was truly a memory filled, favorite hunt.

 

“And this is the promise that he made us: eternal life.” I John 2:25

I’ve been thinking about promises lately. In particular, I’ve been reminded about a certain promise I made to a hair dresser in Klamath Falls many years ago. The short of it is I broke that promise. I don’t remember the name of the hair dresser or even the salon he worked at, but I’m thinking about my broken promise. What was the promise? He taught me how to cut Tony’s hair before we moved back to Eagle Valley. For payment of the hair cutting lesson, he wanted to come hunt on our property. I tried to explain that we didn’t have THAT much property, but I promised I’d let him know about hunting. After reading an article in the Baker City Herald titled “Never mind the calendar: June 20 a major holiday”, this broken promise has haunted me. (see article below) Then the above verse from yesterday’s readings has me thinking again as to why I broke this promise.

As I ponder this fault of mine, I wonder if this is the reason I’m astonished how Hannah could keep her promise of leaving Samuel with Eli when he was only three years old. (This story is found in the first chapter of I Samuel) I understand how Eve could get tricked into eating from the tree in the middle of the garden. I marvel how Mary was willing to be ridiculed or even stoned by agreeing to God’s plan for eternal life.

O Lord, I’m again aware of my many faults and this one of promises broken is bothering me. I realize that fear and lack of trusting you causes me many hurts. Thank you, Jesus, that you don’t break your promises or change your mind. Help me stay firm in my commitments to you and to my family and friends.

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I asked Jayson Jacoby, editor of the Baker City Herald, if I could post this article from the Friday, June 22 newspaper and he was kind enough to share it with you. I think you will enjoy his way with words, even if you’re not a hunter.

Christmas?

Overrated if you’re older than 13 or so.

Thanksgiving?

Too much turkey.

Easter? Halloween?

The candy is great, but it is possible to have too many bite-size Tootsie Rolls scattered around the kitchen.

No, for many people around here the greatest holiday, or at least the one that breeds the strongest sense of anticipation, is ignored by most calendars.

 It’s June 20, and it’s the day the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) announces whose stockings are stuffed with controlled hunt tags, and who got lumps of coal with the word “unsuccessful” etched in them.

The traditional way to reveal gifts, a process involving boxes and wrapping paper and strapping tape strong enough to suspend a 747, has in this case, as with so much else these days, been replaced with the less satisfying, but perhaps more dramatic for its immediacy, act of tapping a keyboard or swiping a finger across a glass screen.

What happened Wednesday illustrates how vital the event is for thousands of Oregon hunters.

I’m a hunter but not an especially rabid one. I had put in for two tags — one buck deer, one elk, both in the Lookout Mountain Unit — and I logged into ODFW’s website Wednesday morning to check my results.

Or, rather, I tried to log in.

The site was down.

Based on some Facebook comments I read, it seems that the digital delay was for some hunters akin to walking into the living room on Christmas morning and finding that somebody had stolen the presents and shoved the tree through the front window besides.

Only this was worse. 

The website went back online later in the day, after all the draw results were available.

Not that this mollified many hunters.

Having to wait was annoying, but after the draws were announced the hunters who didn’t get the tags they wanted took to Facebook to vent their spleens.

I understand the frustration (I got both of my tags, after being skunked last year). For many hunters June 20 isn’t merely a single day to look forward to, but the day that decides much of the rest of their year. Drawing a tag could mean weeks of scouting, assembling gear, arranging vacations and much else besides.

Little wonder, then, that June 20 provokes such excitement. It’s the day that bestows gifts that last for months. And the prospect of fresh venison to supplement the turkey.

Jesus if the fulfillment of prophecy

It was exciting to continue singing Christmas Carols today. Before Tom starting his remarks about Jesus being the fulfillment of prophecy, Jim shared Philippians 4:4-7 which caused us to think about these words of Christmas….rejoice, joy, and peace. Jim is trying to memorize these scriptures. I might join him. It would be good for my brain and I’d be pondering important truths about our Lord and King.

Enjoy Tom’s words:

Matthew 10: 34-39

How do we follow Christ? Is he our “all-in-all”? Do we love him most of all?

These are the thoughts that rambled through my head as I thought about these scriptures. Enjoy Tom’s remarks about these scripture.