Psalm 9, the Lord Reigns Forever

During David’s life, he knew much sorrow. Some from his own sin, and some which he did not deserve.

 

He did not always see God justly punishing his enemies in a hurry. Yet, he knew to praise God and tell of God’s wonder, even as he suffered.

 

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A psalm of David.

1: I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;

    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

2: I will be glad and rejoice in you;

    I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

3: My enemies turn back;

    they stumble and perish before you.

4: For you have upheld my right and my cause,

    sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.

5: You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;

    you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.

6: Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,

    you have uprooted their cities;

    even the memory of them has perished.

7: The Lord reigns forever;

    he has established his throne for judgment.

8: He rules the world in righteousness

    and judges the peoples with equity.

9: The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,

    a stronghold in times of trouble.

10: Those who know your name trust in you,

    for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

11: Sing the praises of the Lord, enthroned in Zion;

    proclaim among the nations what he has done.

12: For he who avenges blood remembers;

    he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.

13: Lord, see how my enemies persecute me!

    Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,

14: that I may declare your praises

    in the gates of Daughter Zion,

    and there rejoice in your salvation.

15: The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;

    their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.

16: The Lord is known by his acts of justice;

    the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.

17: The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,

    all the nations that forget God.

18: But God will never forget the needy;

    the hope of the afflicted will never perish.

19: Arise, Lord, do not let mortals triumph;

    let the nations be judged in your presence.

20: Strike them with terror, Lord;

    let the nations know they are only mortal.

 

Father God, we see so much sorrow and trouble around us. Sometimes in our own lives. Prod us always to seek you. Hold us close, Lord, and remind us of your constant care for us. 

Seven Around the Dinner Table, Again

Christmas 2017 was the last time my husband Murray and I and all five of our children were last together. This Monday, we were all seven able to get together for lunch. A comedy of errors? Of course.

 

This week, Rebecca came to Ohio to be in a friend’s wedding. The rest of the kids all live nearby here in Cleveland, so we made reservations to meet Rebecca for lunch in Columbus at 11:30.

 

We had plans to leave early enough we could stop along the way, maybe arrive early.

 

Murray first picked up Caleb and Sarah and dropped them off at home so he could be to the car rental by 8:00.

 

A few minutes after 8:00, he called me. His driver’s license was torn, and the people at the car rental agency said they were legally not able to accept that for identification. If he went to DMV right then and brought back a paper temporary license, that would be good enough.

 

No problem. He was close to DMV, not many people ahead of him, everything went smoothly. He was back at the car rental place by 8:40.

 

There were six of us traveling, plus Caleb’s guide dog Hammy, so we’d asked for a minivan. They’d had a minivan returned last night, but unfortunately, the person who dropped it off forgot to leave the keys. They were calling, trying to get the keys. Murray waited. Caleb and Sarah waited with Ping-Hwei and me at home. I called Benjamin several times, to give him a possible time to leave update.

 

No keys came in, so they finally gave Murray an SUV. When we picked up Benjamin and started the drive, Ping-Hwei asked, “Why are we going to Toledo?”

 

We just needed to turn around, and we were finally on the way.

 

Did we bicker? Very little. From past years, I can remember how loud our family always was. All the kids are adults now, and even Murray and I have mellowed some.

 

I did give them one mother-lecture though, saying they should be willing to stop listening to their music or books or whatever long enough to have a conversation with us. This was a family trip after all.

 

I was excited about a road trip. We usually listen to books, and I’d surprised Murray with an audio book of interviews and music with Paul Simon, Miracle and Wonder.

 

Unfortunately, my book player doesn’t have Bluetooth, and we’ve finally reached the time when the new car we rented didn’t have an auxiliary plug to connect to my player.

 

We did have some fun music to listen to though—Bob Dylan, John Denver, and a Christian singer we used to listen to when the kids were younger, Carman.

 

The music wasn’t loud, and Sarah had her earphones on—listening to “Phantom of the Opera,”—but suddenly she said, “Is that Carman?”

 

Besides gentle songs of worship, he also has many talking pieces with drama, and we were listening to “Satan: Bite the Dust.” Sarah said even with her music on, she heard “authorized, deputized,” and knew it was Carman.

 

Columbus is a large city. We knew that, but why didn’t we think that there might be trouble finding parking? Both Rebecca and we were finally able to park, several blocks apart, and we met in front of the restaurant. Murray said when he first saw Rebecca, he almost didn’t recognize her.

 

We’d been traveling for several hours—we finally sat down to eat at 1:00—so we needed a bathroom break. We walked downstairs to find the bathrooms, but, of course, the women’s was locked.

 

This will probably be the last time we’ll just have seven around the dinner table, since Rebecca is marrying Steve in April. Benjamin asked her if they fought like many couples do while planning the wedding. Rebecca said, “Yeah, I don’t even want to marry him anymore. I’m done with it.”

 

Then she said, “No, we hardly ever fight. I just tell him how he’s wrong, and he apologizes.” I asked if Rebecca would take her engagement ring off so I could look at it, and soon we were passing it around the table for everyone to see. Her birthstone is a sapphire, so it has a large sapphire surrounded by many small diamonds.

 

After lunch, we all walked to see Rebecca’s new car. Rebecca stopped a man walking down the street and asked if he’d take our picture. She said she trusted him, because he had a shirt on from OU, where she went to college.

 

Along the way we passed some scooters, which are popping up a lot these days. People can rent them, then just leave them parked anywhere. I asked to see one, because I didn’t know what they looked like.

 

Murray and Rebecca showed me one, and Rebecca suggested I try to climb on. I did, and wondered how in the world people can get their feet on such a small surface and trust that they’ll drive on it safely.

 

Rebecca got a 2020 car last year for a cheaper price, because it was scarred by hale. It’s a cute car, pretty small. Rebecca told me, “Her name is Haley, short for Hale Damage.”

 

On the drive home, Rebecca texted Sarah to say she should tell whichever boy who’d asked how many diamonds were on her ring that there were 38.

 

We drove through a downpour part of the way back, and when Murray stopped to get gas, Ping-Hwei asked, “Want me to show you how to use the gas cap?”

 

What all did we talk about at lunch?

 

Sarah told Rebecca about a music program Benjamin has written for the computer. We discussed the stock market, IRAs, and Bitcoins.

 

The kids talked about their jobs. Caleb said he’d go through more training this fall so he could do additional work. They talked about books they were reading, and Benjamin told about the book he’s writing.

 

Rebecca brought Sarah a coffee table book and magazine about her favorite music group, BTS.

 

We talked about fast cars and travel the kids have done—Airbnbs in Denver, when Rebecca went to school in Spain, roller coaster rides. About Benjamin’s adoption and his birth parents. About the smell of marijuana. About what a good dog Hammy was being in the restaurant.

 

Then one of my children asked another one a question I’m not going to repeat here today. But I can’t remember the last time I laughed as hard as I did at that moment.

 

I still felt so at home with this precious family God has gifted me with.

 

James 1: 17:

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 

Even More Salads From Kathy's Kitchen

I  got some great responses to my salad blob last week, and I decided to share them.

 

From my friend Nina:

 Salads are so good and one that has been my favorite is only as good with fresh summer garden produce.  Tomatoes and basil grow well in Tucson (though the tomatoes need some shade cloth) so I like lots of chopped, home grown tomatoes, fresh basil, pieces of fresh mozzarella with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Some salt and pepper.   

 

We have a tomato plant on the side of the house, growing out of the gravel.  It’s a tangled bunch of stems and it produces tiny tomatoes the size of a thumbnail.  Tiny, but delicious.  We do nothing to care for these wild type tomato plants and yet we can gather handfuls of these tiny gems for salads.  And plain lettuce and tomato salads are good too!

 

From my friend Sherri:

 

We make taco salads pretty often. They are quick to make.

 

Start by creating some type of taco meat. I usually brown ground beef and add my own seasonings. You could use a package of taco seasoning to make it easier. You could also make shredded chicken and season it for your protein. Once you have your protein, it is time to layer your salad.

 

Layer 1: crushed nacho cheese Doritos

Layer 2: chopped or shredded lettuce

Layer 3: taco meat

Layer 4: chopped tomatoes

Layer 5: shredded cheese

 

Top with sour cream, salsa, black olives as desired.

 

And here are two comments that were anonymous:

 

I don't have a favorite salad, but I can tell you about one that I ate way too much of back in the day: Jello mold salads. I've eaten them w/nuts, cranberries, mandarin oranges, and marshmallows. Sorry to say, if I see one at a potluck, it's probably the only thing I'll avoid. Sad but true! :)

 

And:

 

Here’s my go to salad recipe. Every time I bring it to someone’s house, they ask for the recipe.

 

Mandarin Orange Salad

 

Servings: 5

 

Ingredients

 

½ c vegetable oil (I use olive oil)

¼ c cider vinegar (Sometimes I use balsamic vinegar)

¼ c white sugar

2 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp salt

1 pinch ground black pepper

1.2 c sliced almonds (works with slivered almonds too)

¼ c white sugar

1 head leaf lettuce, rinsed, dried and torn

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 c chopped celery

1 (11-oz.) can mandarin orange segments, drained

 

Directions

 

1. In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the oil, vinegar, sugar, parsley, salt and pepper. Cover and shake well. Refrigerate until use.

 

2. In a medium saucepan over medium low heat, cook and stir the almonds and sugar until the sugar is melted and the almonds are coated. Remove from heat, cool, and break apart. Store at room temperature until ready to serve salad.

 

3. In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, celery, oranges, almonds and dressing until evenly coated. 

Summer Salad from Kathy's Kitchen

I got this recipe from Marilyn, who was my boss. We’re eating salads more often these days, and I’d love if you’d share favorite recipes with me.

 

Just reading this one makes my mouth water.

 

SEVEN LAYER SALAD,

 

Ingredients:

One head or bag of lettuce

One bag frozen peas (frozen or fresh broccoli can be substituted.)

One large onion chopped well

One pound of crisp bacon crumbled

One to two cups shredded mozzarella cheese

4 to 6 hard-boiled eggs sliced

one to two cups Miracle Whip

paprika

parmesan cheese

 

Directions:

Put lettuce in a large salad bowl.

Layer frozen peas on top of the lettuce

Layer onion on top of peas.

Layer bacon on top of onions.

Layer mozzarella cheese on top of bacon.

Layer sliced eggs on top of cheese

Spoon Miracle Whip over entire top of salad.

Sprinkle top with paprika and parmesan cheese.

For best results cover and refrigerate overnight.

Or cover and shake well. Or serve it up just as it is.