It's been too long

Hi there again...

It has simply been too long since I've been here... shame on me. And I am not going to whine about why. You all know why. Time. Work. Family.

Christmas was wonderful - we set the table for 21 people, and every seat was taken! And on the 27th, we flew out to Hurghada, Egypt, to relax and celebrate Hasse's 40th birthday! While we were there, Teresa turned 12 (being born New Years Eve), and for her birthday we sailed on the Red Sea, she snorkeled with her fther and older sister, and we were so lucky to see dolphins! They really put on a wonderful show for us and jumped out of the water, and swam bellyside up.

Now the somewhat mundane life has us back in the treadmill, but we're treadmillin' away! Hasse and I have decided to try for a marathon in May... I know he will finish it, as he already has 5 marathons in the sack, but this will be my first - and probably my last! Currently, my training is good, my time is fine, and I'm still not injured. But slightly worried...

Please come back for updates everynow and then, I will try to spend more time putting thoughts on string!

Thanksgiving

 The Americans are celebrating thanksgiving today. Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October, and although I am neither Canadian nor American, I am going out to eat a thanksgiving dinner with good friends tonight.

I know that my beautiful, American friend, Lauren, will ask us all what we are thankful for.

Here's my list:

I am thankful first of all for my Lord and Saviour. The fact that He died for me will never cease to amaze me. His grace has been sufficient for me in the past, and it will continue to be so in the future.

I am thankful for my wonderful family - my husband whom I love more than I can express. He takes care of me in every way possible.
I love our 3 daughters, all beautiful and sweet and giving us less to worry about than could have been expected.
I love our extended family - every niece and nephew, every aunt and uncle.

I am thankful for good friends - both close and far away, friends who have supported me, encouraged me and sometimes even lifted me up in prayer when I really needed it - often before I even knew to ask!

I am thankful for having a job - although I moan and whine about it. Considering the number of unemployed teachers, I am thankful that I still have my job.
And least, but not last, I am thankful for my church family. They challenge me, support me and continually love me. I am a blessed woman.








Check out Lauren's blog (if you dare) on: www.ladaisi.blogspot.com

It's tough being a woman

... that's the subtitle to a Bible study on Esther, by Beth Moore. I would love to do a real study on it sometime, but right now, I am just breezing through it, sniffing up whatever stands out and seems to call to me.

And yes it IS tough being a woman, but I really don't like whining. Whining will get you no where in my book. I tend to be the "suck it up" type of woman, but time and time again, I fall into the whining pit myself.

I honestly think that being alive is tough. Being a human is tough. Whatever path you are on, life will be tough on you every now and then. And tha't why a study on Esther could come in handy. It could be enlightening to hear from some else how they got through tough times. And believe me, Esther knew tough times.

So far, the study has talked to me about standing in the shadow of other women - how hard that can be, trying to live up to someone elses standards and merits. And it dawned on me slowly that often, I stand in the fictive shadow of others. I never ask about their expectations, I just assume that I know what they expect of me. I assume that others expect me to be like so-and-so, but I never ask if that is true.

What a sorry burden I put on myself, and I have a feeling I am not the only one to do this. Take a minute or two to reflect on this... whose shadow are you in? Is it real or just based on your own assumptions?

Dejlige efterårsting - Things I love about autumn!

Regn på min rude
Rain on the window

Græskar og de flotte, orange farver
Pumpkins and their beautiful colour

Paraplyer - især de med farver!
Umbrellas - especially the colourful ones.

Varm kakao - hot chocolate

Kastanjer - chestnuts

Stearinlys - candles

Bagte æbler med marcipan - baked apples with marcipan

Æbletærte - applepie!

Dampende varm kaffe - steaming coffee. 

God ild i brændeovnen - a good fire.

Midnight thoughts

I'm doing it again. The house is quiet, the kids tucked in, and I really ought to be sleeping. But my man is out of town, and my head is churning thoughts like my life depended on it! So here I am - awake. Writing in the early hours of the coming night. Trying to straighten out my hyperactive mind.

I had a conversation the other day that brought a drop of clarity and a glimmer of hope to me. I spoke with a women whom I know to be an ordained priest, but frustrated with what she defines as the "closed-box thinking" of the state church, she now works different projects and found time to see me. I am really glad she did.
It's no secret I have been down the last few weeks, feeling somewhat suffocated by my work situation and feeling a lack of recognition for what I honestly feel is good work on my part. So I sought out this particular woman because I had a hunch that she would know what to ask me about.
And she did.

...what I really long for, is for my life to be more 

than a desire to follow in the footsteps of Christ. 

And during our conversation, it once again dawned on me, that what I really long for, is for my life to be more than a desire to follow in the footsteps of Christ. That I still think of making a difference in the world as a matter of finding the right calling. It suddenly became so clear to me, that if Jesus was to physically set foot in my workplace, he wouldn't struggle with the same emotions as I do. He wouldn't really care about rules and regulations and following procedures. He would look at the children and their parents and see their needs - and he would start meeting those needs! He would act instead of placing himself in a position of holy waiting - like I so often do, as I think many of us do! We believe we must act, but only when God says go... but in reality, God sad go about 2000 years ago, as Jesus drew his last breath on the cross.

I want my life to be like this:  reaching out as naturally as breathing. Bringing healing like I was fetching a cup of water. Offering prayer like I was administering ointments or placing bandaids over playground battle wounds. And I long to be in a place where I don't have to worry about rules and regulations, so I am still scanning the job adds, hoping to come across a job where making a difference concurrently will enable me to bring home a paycheck.
Why?
Beacuse I am still a mother with responibilities, bills and wishlists. Because in my neck of the woods, I cannot afford to leave the breadwinning to my husband and join the too-small corps of volunteers. So, that's my challenge for the next while.

Now it's time to turn off my computer, turn off the lights and the thoughts in my head. I need to sleep. Tomorrow brings with it what ever it will, and I need to be ready.

"We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek." Hebrews 6:18-20


I have run to God for my life, time and time again. I have turned to him innumerable times, and I will continue to do so for the rest of my life.
A Finnish friend of mine just wrote an e-mail to me today, explaining some difficulties the Finns are experiencing right now, both in the Christian body as a whole, but also on a more personal level. "There's a battle going on..." she wrote.
I have to agree. I feel the throes of spiritual warfare around me. I am aware that I am a threat to the powers of darkness around me. I have declared my dependency on God, my loyalty and devotion to Him. But I have hope in Christ. I have a future in Christ, and nothing can take that away from me! I have an unbreakable spiritual lifeline - or an anchor, as the Danish translation says - that holds me fast when the waves around me start breaking. 
Jesus is my hope. Jesus is my saviour. He's my healer and my comforter. He's the solid rock on which I stand. I derive my value from him, I found my identity on what His word says about me. I know I was longed for, wished for and planned.


What is Jesus to you? If you don't know him on a personal level, I invite you to ask Him to reveal himself to you. Let Him show you all that he is, and let him be your unbreakable spiritual lifeline!

...and I will fall at your feet and worship you here...

I just wanted to share this beautiful song with you. We sang it at a women's conference I recently attended. It was beautiful!