A New Season in the Light

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love  

Ephesians 1:3-4.  ESV

It has been four years since my last post!  It is easy to say that time and life just got away from me and try to use that an an excuse.  But there are no excuses to make up for poor manners so I apologize for being out of touch and yes, life just got very busy and full of changes and  blogging and social media were not always the methods of reflection and sharing we wanted. (I say we because The Lord still is with me and I TRY to listen to His wisdom but when I don't, He has me covered!)

I wanted to communicate once again in this new season of my life and thought to develop a new blog with a new title, etc.  My sweet daughter-in-law has always encouraged me and said I should just continue as it was all done well, just ended too soon!  I looked to my introduction posting and yes indeed, all of it is still true!   So, same title, same person, a few changes, but it's still me, Jeannee Marker,  Jesus is My Savior, My Redeemer, My King, My Healer, My Teacher, My Comforter, and my BFF (Best Friend Forever) and he lives in me.  I strive to walk my life daily in His Light therefore, this blog will continue to reflect that as I share my daily life events and meditations.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have been very interested and busy doing some genealogical background searches these past three years or so.   There is a lot of wonderful information that the Lord has shown me about who I am and where I fit in this world. I am wanting to share more about that in the future and I probably will. Right now I bring it up because I do see patterns in my family emerging into the big picture in what I have found so far.  This kind of interest in ancestors is probably more interesting to those of us getting older and reflecting on our lives and relationships.  I think the experiences of life and relationships gives us more connection to those of past generations.  It just is more interesting because we can make those connections to our own experiences.

I had a grandfather who was an ordained pastor of a small pentecostal organization in Los Angeles, but who had been raised since birth by Baptist parents, very strongly committed and devout Baptist family.  To this day, that large family remains strongly Baptist and Christian.   Grandpa was born in 1901.  My grandfather Milton Bustamante accepted Jesus as a young boy and by age 12 he was already teaching Sunday School.   In his very early adulthood he became baptized in the Holy Spirit and then became a member of the Assemblies of God, which according to wikipedia, originated from the Pentecostal revival of the early 20th century.  This revival led to the founding of the Assemblies of God in the United States in 1914.  Grandpa was more of an itinerant preacher, although he did pastor a church in Hawthorne for a few years.  Probably more of the Assistant Pastor, but to me he was The Pastor!  Milton is my maternal grandfather.

On the paternal side I also had an uncle who pastored a church in Los Angeles for many, many years. Another uncle was not a pastor but spent countless hours working for his church and doing things,   giving time and funds to orphanages in Mexico and never failed to talking to anyone about Jesus.

Well I share this because I do come three generations before me of Christian leaders.  According to one single line on my maternal great grandmother's side came some of the original founders of the New Mexico, many named and known colonizers and captains sent to the colonize New Spain, and descendants leading back to Iberian Peninsula Royal Thrones, as well as French, Italian and British nobility.  I'm back to the Crusades of the 900's now and wondering what else I might find.
My DNA shows no traces of Jewish bloodlines for me, however, many of my cousins (today) who have done this show traces of Jewish DNA.  Obviously I am a real Gentile since some of my ancestors appear to have lived in Jerusalem for about four generations and yet I have to traces.  Well, that was almost 1100 years ago so I may have just skipped those traces.  My sister and I have, without a doubt, the same parents and therefore almost the exact DNA, but not quite.  We got our own collection from all the DNA available in our genealogy, but not identical!  That is one of the many ways we know that God makes us unique and special.

Every individual one of those ancestors had a role to play in the history of our world.  He or she was given a role for the time and place in which they lived.  Whether they liked or wanted that role, whether they chose it or simply were obedient to the calling they were given, they lived it.  I see then that I too have been given a calling for my time.  It is not the same as my grandfather's calling, because I serve God in a different time and place.  These past four years have now moved me into a new season with new adventures and work to do for my Lord and Savior.  I am no longer a young woman, but still have many very useful years left.  Until my dying breath, I will continue to love and serve my Lord and develop the close intimacy he so desires us to have.

Archbishop Taylor and Rev. Bertha Jean Rodriguez Marker 

Glen Sturdivan, my good friend and Brother in Christ was also ordained that day!

Here we are with my son Daniel and Daughter Sara.

This photo was from dinner the night before, but my sister Delilah and JR Ball came for the ceremony as well.  

My treasures, Ella, Rachel and Sammy Marker with their Grandma Jeannee.

On December 12, 2015, I ordained a Priest in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, by The Most Rev. Bruce W. Taylor, Archbishop and Primate of The Anglo-Catholic Fellowship.  And what do you think, my Apostolic Succession can be traced back to to St Peter.  Another lineage to be inspired by in this season.  As you can see from the photos, it was a very special occasion and my most loved ones were there and small family were there!  

In this new season of my life I have answered a new calling.  I did move to the Merced, CA area to be closer to my grandchildren.  Grand motherhood is a calling!  I am an adjunct instructor for Fresno Pacific University, my Alma mater, where I teach a Teacher Education methods class in English Language Learner Instruction..  That is a calling I have had for a long time lived out in a formal way. I have lots of friends and live in a senior community now, where I have bible studies and listen to many who call on me for comfort, counsel and prayer and healing prayers.  Add to that traveling to join with my Anglo-Catholic Fellowship group, in Oxnard and Lemoore, and visiting churches and having some at home prayer and worship services, and you can see the new calling is underway.  I love walking in God's light and just listening and living as he leads me.  It is always an adventure, full of love and peace, and always joyful.

Come back and visit soon!

Walking in the Light on a Saturday Morning

It has been a while since I last blogged.  I am just busier than I ever imagined when I retired from a regular teaching job and yet I am a blessed, happy daughter of God who loves her life.  It might be hard to imagine what I do with my time that makes me feel so happy and fulfilled.  The title of this blog is Walking in the Light because that is what I do.  I simply want to share how it is that a person like me Walks in the Light.

Are your Saturday’s free days for you like they often appear to be for me?  You know, a day to catch up with correcting papers, or when a student, writing papers or maybe catching up on housework, washing, or perhaps resting.  Often they were days of social obligations.  Occasionally that is still the case for me, but let me share a recent Saturday which I did not plan or have anything to do with the planning.  I just the responded to a call to be present and ready.

On Saturday, March 3rd, a Spanish Women's Aglow group had their meeting at Christ Church.  If you are not familiar with Women's Aglow, it is a  charismatic international organization of women who gather one Saturday per month from different denominational churches (not exclusively but mostly charismatic protestant churches) to listen to a Gospel filled message and to praise and sing to the Lord, in addition to lots of prayers.  Women come closer to the Lord at these events and it is indeed a ministry to the needs of women. 

I had previously only attended one such meeting but it was an English Women's Aglow.  I believe this Spanish Aglow is the first one being formed locally or perhaps in California, anyway, my understanding is that in Spanish it is rare.  This was the second one held at Christ Church and I was anxious to attend since I missed the previous one due to a prior commitment.  I heard that in February there had been a wonderful turnout of about 30 and the Holy Spirit really fell in the church and most of the women were really touched and even slain in the Spirit. 

The morning began with a gathering for coffee and delicious pan dulce after which we gathered in the church. 

I was just amazed as women continued to file into the pews.  What beautiful women were gathering, well dressed, bright eyed and ready to meet Jesus.  By the end of the service there had been about 80 women in the church.  80 women singing and praising and praying and ministering to one another. 


There was a long session of glorious worship music and some very intense intercessory prayers for the state of the world and the many nations of the world.

The music group came from a church in Visalia and the speaker was a pastor's wife from the Visalia area.    As I listened to her speak, I was so impressed with her personal testimonial message and how the Lord used it to touch some of the most essential concerns of Hispanic women living in our society.  She admitted that the message she had intended to present was changed by the Holy Spirit once she arrived earlier in the morning.  It was such an anointed message that many women came forward for prayers so that they could also turn over some of those same kinds of concerns to the Lord.  The message centered on the fact that whatever we have lived through in our past or are living through in our present lives, things that can seem overwhelming and painful, that the Lord is there to pick us up and liberate us from the pain and shame of sin and suffering.  And that liberation and grace thereby gives us right and power to be his daughters.  Also that we are being called upon in this age to become his power warriors, alongside our brothers, meaning the men in the church. 

The anointing of this service was so powerful that I know you would not have to understand a word of Spanish to be blessed by its power.    There was one woman who was interceding in the back the whole time until the message was delivered.  She told us that she did not speak Spanish so one lady began to interpret the message for her on the spot.  It was great!

I am attaching a little video I took with my iPhone so you can see the music and the women.  It is not the best because I was stuck in the back row due to my current handicap.  I had foot surgery again and my right foot is in a cast.  But you will get the idea. 

Let me also say, I was so blessed and the Holy Spirit filled me in such a powerful way that I had not felt for a couple of months.  Needless to say, it was a wonderful way to spend a half day on Saturday, full of healing, glowing and basking in the Light of the Lord. 

He also sent me a message, "When your foot is healed you too will dance in the Spirit with me."  What a loving promise, what a joy for me to hear and know.   I know that when we join Him on the heavenly side of the Kingdom, I will be a dancer but to know I will be able to dance on this side of the Kingdom is awesome!   Spanish Women's Aglow will continue to meet here on the first Saturday of each month at 9:00 AM and lasts until about l PM.  It includes a coffee time and ends with lunch!  Join us!

The Magic of Ephemera

I have a new hobby these past few months.  It's an on-line shop on ETSY.com called MarkerMemories.  It all started when we were brainstorming ideas on how to raise funds for our outreach community food distribution project called God's Breadbox.  I wrote about that project a few blogs ago.  The CEO of God's Breadbox had a large number of Rockwell collectable plates and figurines, as well as few other collectable plates that were left after the passing of a family member.  She wanted to donate them for sale to raise funds for God's Breadbox but having no time or patience or knowledge about how to sell them, we decided to let me take on the project.  That is how MarkerMemories was born!  www.etsy.com/shop/MarkerMemories 

MarkerMemories is a vintage shop and whenever I sell an item that came from the donations earmarked for God's Breadbox, that  amount goes to God's Breadbox.  Other item's proceeds  will go towards the expense of running the shop, because there are small costs involved or sometime to replenish the shop.  We are not talking big bucks here, but it is a fun hobby and I am learning a lot.  I spend lots of time reserching values on-line in various places so I am becoming more and more computer literate.  I also get a little extra exercise walking around second hand shops and yard sales looking for prospective items to place in the shop.  I have had some good and some poor experiences but it is always fun and a learning experience.  Guess what, it also gives me opportunity to talk to fellow shoppers and staff in the places I visit and let the Lord's light shine around as we talk!  I love talking to people.

Today, I learned the meaning of a word I had seen, one I kind of knew the meaning of, but I had never really checked out the definition which means I would never use the word on my own.  Now I own it.  Ephemera.

The World English Dictionary says in it's second definition of the word Ephemera that it is "something transitory or short-lived." The third definition is directly related to my new use of the word, (functioning as plural) a class of collectable items not originally intended to last for more than a short time, such as tickets, posters, postcards, or labels.

I have drawers and boxes full of potential ephemera but I doubt much of it is worth selling! However, here is a photo of my first listing.

Yes indeed these are those wonderful tickets from the Magic Kingdom of the 1970's.  Two adult ticket books printed in 1975 and one child's book printed in 1978.  I actually think I remember finding these in my father's old desk and at the time I could not throw them away and stuck them in a box.  I started remembering old Disneyland visits, including my very first one when it  opened in Anaheim.  I was about 10 years old.  But I remember it because it was so exciting.  There is a very cool photo of the castle in Fantasey land from the very first year.  It looks exactly as I remember it and that photo could be of our visit, except I don't know the people in it.   You can find it at this link and this blog has lots of other information as well.

The back covers of the child's book, the bottom one in the photo, has Teresa's name written on it.  Teresa is my niece so obviously if it was in Grandpa Felix's desk, it originally had been purchased for her.  Funny thing, only 3 tickets were used from her book.  The two adult books are from an earlier time in the 70's so they were probably not from the same trip. 

So for all of you neat folks that throw everything away once it's usefulness seems past, just know, these ticket books now go for up to around $50.  The ones in from the 60's and 50's even more.  No, I priced them very reasonably. 

I wonder what else I will find in these boxes and drawers? 



 

http://vintagedisneylandtickets.blogspot.com/

Pictures are Worth Months of Words!

I started this blog before the end of the year and I was feeling like I needed to reconnect with those who have been such good friends and faithful readers of my first few posts.  But once again, I got too busy with all the goings on of the Season.  I do hope you had a very loving and Spirit-filled Christmas and brought in the New Year with gusto! 

Once our Diocesan Convention was over, a new Bishop installed, my trip to Toronto completed, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and the end of 2011, here and gone, I realized there would never be a way to catch up.  So here are a few photos to catch up up! 

Here is a photo of our New Bishop, Rt. Rev. Eric V. Menees and his adorable family, Florence, Sebastian and Milagro.  Surely you can tell which is the bishop! 

November, 2011  Daniel is holding Ella and Elana is holding Rachel. 

Grandma Jeannee is just in the middle of everything where she belongs!

I just love this photo of Baby Princess Rachel and Big Sister Ella reading and learning to love books with their Mommie.  I spent one week in Toronto and had a restful, peaceful, and loving time with my grandchildren and their parents!  I am so proud of all of them.  It is not easy to be Seminarians away from home and poor as church mice!  I believe they often share their quarters with mice, but that is another story!

As you can see, Sara got to visit Toronto shortly after I did and took this terrific photo of Rachel ready for travel out of doors.  My grandchildren just love Auntie Sara because she is so much fun.

Can you see why I think I am a most blessed woman with wonderful children and grandchildren like these?  Each one a pearl, each one a treasure, each one is God's Creation and Blessing. 



Thanksgiving Dinner with the Orr family was wonderful and we had so much to share and be thankful for this year.
Sara and I were so blessed to dine with them in Clovis.  We visited with the "Toronto Markers" on the Video Camara after dinner and it helped make up for missing them.



These are this year's Christ Church Christmas Pagent Performers!  A wonderful and fun

group of kids who told and portrayed the story of Jesus's Birth in Bethlehem. 

The following week, on the Friday before Christmas Day, a wonderful team of volunteers, assisted the Anglican Church Women with the distribution of food baskets and gifts to sixteen families in Lemoore.

As you can see the food was in great quantity and quality.  There were gifts for the children and not pictured here were the bicycles that were given away as well.  Lots and lots of them, donated and refurbished by inmates in Coalinga.  The joy and gratitude on the faces of needy families always brings more blessings and joy to the hearts of the volunteers. 

On Christmas Eve, Sara and I cozied around the fireplace and exchanged gifts, read cards and drank Brandy.  That is a kind of Grandma Marker (this one, not the old one) tradition for Christmas Eve. 

 Phil and I used to share a glass of Drambuie in the old days, but those days are gone.  Wish I had a photo of those days at Christmastime.  But I share this photo with you that my sister recently sent which I believe was taken outside St. James,Cathedral.  Don't we look colorful and joyful?  I see mischief in his eyes!

The week after Christmas is always a little difficult.  I can keep as busy a possible but I can't help but think about how much we miss Phil.  This year Sara and I took off to spend Christmas Day and the following day at the Coast.  We went to San Luis Obispo, spent the night, visited the Mission next Day, then drove to Pismo.  We ate lunch at the Splash Cafe - yes we ate Clam Chowder in a bread bowl - yes it was the greatest I ever ate! 

Although I did have dinner with good friends on Christmas Eve, I went home quite early and fell asleep.   I had been sad the couple of days before but now I awoke refreshed.  I was to preach on January 1, 2012, Feast Day of the Holy Name and was so full of joy because The Lord impressed on me that 2012 is a wonderful year.  I have no major resolutions made other than to be joyful, pray and love those he sends my way and make sure I continue to walk in the light of the Lord.  He  is my king, my savior, my Lord, and my constant companion.  I await the precious day when I will be reunited with all my loved ones and most especially when I will be able to live praising God and in peace and freedom. 

Thank you for stopping in to read this blog today.  I did not even begin to list the things like bible studies, prayer team or intercessory , food distribution with God's Breadbox and many other things that kept us busy this season, but suffice to say, that as in your life, I do keep busy, busier than when I was employed full time.  I have plans for sharing some inspired thoughts or stories with you this year and I plan to include some book reports, this year.   I hope you will come by again! I send you my love and blessings and Feliz Ano Nuevo.

Persecution of the Faithful

I am posting this blog because for three weeks I have had this prophetic dream on my mind.  The Lord has impressed on me that I must share it......and I have dragged my fingers away from the computer in resistance.  I have orally shared it with some folks, and first of all I sought out some with prophetic giftings for help in interpreting what it may mean.  Today I will share this dream because after praying I sincerely believe I am supposed to share it with those who will listen.

In the dream, I was standing outdoors with someone very close to me, but who was standing behind me.  I was comfortable and secure and never had fear.  This person I believe was Christ and we were observing the scene together.  We were not in the U.S. but I think in Israel, although all I saw was this huge airfield, I simply sensed it was Israel.  A plane landed in front of us and I believe we were facing the East.  The plane was being unloaded in front of us and contained huge packages of clear plastic through which we could see bodies.  The dead bodies had been cut up very carefully, but sliced in chunks, like huge tuna fish packages.  They were not recognizable in their cut up state, but each had the name of the person whose parts were contained within.  I knew they were missionaries and my first thought was, "Oh my, the war has really started!"  Persecution of the Christians, the Faithful Christians has begun.  I actually recognized a couple of names and the bodies were of missionaries from the East and Africa.  It was troubling and so sad.  Looking at the bodies was sad perhaps because I had the impression it was not unexpected and I was calm. 

We did not speak with words, but we were thinking alike and awed by the sadness.  Then another plane came from the West.  It came from the Americas.  We turned around to see that once again, bodies were being unloaded and once again they were cut up neatly and precisely and filleted like fish.  Again names were written on strips stuck to the plastic bags in which they were delivered.  But this time the names were of many clergy that I know or have known personally.  A couple were at one time local to our diocese but have been called to serve elsewhere.  Their names and their wives names were stuck on their bags.  Then I began to recognize others who are closer to home and all of them  were clergy,  some with spouse's names.  This was more stressful to see, but once again, I was not afraid, only filled with compassion and sadness.  We did not scream or cry for them because it was only their bodies we saw, knowing their Spirits had continued onto the other side of the Kingdom. 

Some of the thoughts that were going through my mind in the dream included that there would be more, that we were being persecuted, much like in the Holocost round-ups of the Jews and that terrorists were involved.  That this was expected was on my mind, that it was sad and horrible, was on my mind, but that these were the remains of the faithful was most clear. 

In analyzing and praying over this dream I feel I need to share that the names of those I recognized was not for the purpose of thinking that is how they will personally end up in chunks!  No, I believe it was to point out that the faithful leadership, the shepherds, the apostles so to speak, will be attacked and are attacked first and most severly.  You will remember that except for St. John, all of the apostles died martyrs. 

My role in this dream was as that of an observer, an intercessor.  That seems to be my usual role in these dreams.  I will tell you this, since I had this dream, I have taken on my intercessory prayers with more compassion and depth.  I have been drawn to spend more time in prayer for our Christian family, for our clergy, for all missionaries, and especially for those who are sufferinig persecution.  My eyes are wet almost all the time now. 

I hope that sharing this prophetic dream with you will have an effect on you as well.  I believe we are being told that if we have the heart and the ears to hear, we will prepare and be ready.  Stand firm in your faith because as you know, the last battles are already started.

Amen

In Defense of Telenovelas

For those of you who do not know what a telenovela is, let me begin by explaining that it is a Spanish television version of a soap opera.  There are many going on all day long on any of a variety of Spanish television stations here in the U.S.  They don't continue on for years, like American soaps do, they usually end in about 3 months or so.  Sometimes the story is a historical novela with lovely costumes and settings but whether the story is set in the past or modern times, they always have the same underlying themes.

There is always a conflict between the rich priviledged class and the poor working class.  The main romance in the story always takes one character from each class, making love all the more complicated!  There is always an extremely evil person, or several evil persons, but one or two are the most evil person you may think you have ever seen.  Evil is motivated by selfishness in the extreme and the evil person will go to any extreme to get what they want, deceit and murder topping the list.  To me, some of the evil characters have been written as the embodiment of Satan himself.  It takes a really good actor to pull it off.  Some actors are just so good at being so evil.

Of course, there is always a sweet demure female and an extremely good looking male in leading roles.  Oh yes, there is also a great cast of characters who take you on lots of little side stories so that you get to know each one's strengths and weaknesses.  Pretty soon these characters will begin to seem like real people who have now entered into your circle of acquaintances.  There are some women who just are so good at crying that I usually see them in the role of a woman who suffers and cries quite a bit.  Recently I saw an article about the telenovelas that spoke about how now the male actors are expected to show more emotion and tears.  I had just been noticing that myself and wondered about it.  I suppose it is because today we want men to be more sensitive and show emotion, even tears.  The entire story is always full of misunderstandings and jumping to conclusions, just like in real life.  The human condition is universal and multicultural, and it is always the same, regardless of historical time frame. 

Often a priest will be a main character and in all stories, there is always reference to church, or frequent visits to a Virgin of Guadalupe shrine for prayers and petitions.  The stories always involve family complications of life.  The strength of the family is always emphasized and often really wonderful unity is around someone being hurt or falling gravely ill.  There are always frequent hospital scenes.  There are always mothers, grandmother and grandfather characters, many of whom are full of wisdom and advice that they give to the other characters in the story.  The one I am watching right now has a lovely heavy set grandmother, so full of kindness and wisdom, who is actually falling in love with a wise grandfather type.  They are so cute!  Gives me hope! 

The novelas have some very good purposes.  I know, I get lots of teasing and flack for watching at least one novela, but they helped me learn quite a bit.  First of all, it challenges me to understand Spanish better.  Often I learn new words and through the context I learn how they might be used.  My mom and I used to compare notes on what we were watching.  Second, I get to see what is perceived as traditional Hispanic lifestyle and family dynamics, something I can relate to from when I was a child.  My life with my own immediate family was a blend of Marker/Rodriguez, kind of German/Mexican?  We used to laugh and say that our family culture was Californian Multi-cultural and quite normal for our time.  But seriously, if you have many Hispanic families around you and who are your friends, knowing what the Hispanic culture is like is a benefit. 

In spite of all the worldliness and sexy, worldly themes in these novelas, they still reflect the culture.  I don't like many of them because they are too young, too worldly, but I just love the romantic ones like the ones I described above.   Children in Spanish speaking homes often see novelas.  You might think that is terrible TV for them, but are English TV shows teaching better morals and values?  I doubt it.  But they are watching with their parents, which is a nice thing and it too will help them retain their Spanish language.  I once actually used the novela to explain some literary features to some "totally bored" 5th graders.  I asked them how many saw a certain novela, lots of hands went up and their eyes got huge when they discovered I watched it too.  We then returned to the topic we were looking at, "climax."  I was so pleased, they got it and it "was now fun."

So there you have it!  I watch novelas because I like studying the humans, I feel I improve my Spanish and also learn to understand more dialects and different accents, I love good romance stories and I like historical novels.  I like the passion with which each character is developed and if I don't like a story, if it is too offensive in some way, I can just click it off or choose another.  By the way, I record each one on my DVR, just in case you call me or I have to attend to something, I can go back and catch up!!  Technology is on my side.

Blessings, Jeannee