The Wolfe Den

Pressure cooking is not something that is new to me.  I used to use one frequently when I was in the Army.  It was always a fantastic way to get tender meat and get dinner finished in a pinch.  The pressure cooker I was used to was the on the stove model that most people would run in fear from.  I grew up watching my dad with these models and learned all the safety that is required for these things.  Since I was very aware of the what NOT to do and how to respect this intense cooking process I was not fearful of the device. In recent years, I had not heard much along the lines of pressure cooking and had a hard time finding a decent and affordable cooker.  Then enter the new wave of electric pressure cookers. The price tag is a HEFTY one and is the biggest reason why I was apprehensive to get one.  I could not see how spending over a hundred dollars for a kitchen appliance was justifiable.  Once I found one on clearance at a...

When I was about 5 or 6 years old we moved to a new house.  The two houses were literally just a few blocks apart.  This was not the first time we had moved, but it was certainly the most memorable of all the moves because of the swing set.  My dad had a dilemma.  And if you ever put up a swing set you know the dilemma I am speaking of…how do you move this thing and put it back up again as simply as possible? I don’t know how long he contemplated a solution but he settled on the simplest one.  Don’t disassemble it. At this stage my father owned a pub and managed a club, so he knew that he had a resource! His bar flies! He rounded up four of them and promised them a pitcher of beer and a hot meal if they helped him move this swing set. Imagine the face of those living along those few blocks as four bar flies were walking down the street together, each carrying one leg of this massive metal swing set.  By the time they arrived at our ne...

Her first heat was called for first call. **did not hear it** Her first heat was called for second call.  **heard it and began climbing over other people in a crowded gym** We get to the swimmers line up area.  **her event is not lined there.** Asking people who seem to be ignoring me, where they are.  **finally get an answer and they are at the pool.** Get to the pool at the exact moment she is supposed to be on the block.  **rush to get her on and ready for the start** Buzzer goes off and in she goes.  **BREATHE** That was my first experience as a swim mom at a swim meet.  There is NOTHING in the world that prepared me for this moment of launch.   18 months ago we made the decision to put Sophie into private swim lessons.  She started swim lessons as an infant.  She took classes off and on until one day my husband and I realized that this was simply not working.  We sat down and looked at all the programs offered and...

One Sunday I was going to church to lead the women’s Sunday school class.  This was a DVD driven class and as a general rule I would screen the video before the class watched it so I could be prepared for the discussion questions.  Well, this one particular Sunday, I arrived and was setting up and realized that I left the DVD at home in my DVD player.  What I thought was a very seasoned Christian woman loudly and sarcastically exclaimed, ‘WELL THANK GOD WE NOW KNOW YOU ARE NOT PERFECT.’ This took me aback.  Later on I will understand that this temperament was to be expected from this individual.  But at the time it embarrassed me and stumbling through that class was one of the more difficult hours of my christian teaching experience. After the class, another woman, very sweet lady, gave me a piece of advice.  She said, “There will always be people like that, looking to find your faults and point them out to you like it is a reason to celebrate....

I ended my Saturday by having dinner with my dear friend tonight. She is brilliant. A self made biblical scholar who actually does her best to be a disciple of Christ. I admire her so much and her opinion and input is something I consider priceless.  After a much needed kick in the butt and a pat on the head from our time together I was drawn to pray.   I guess God finally recalculated my GPS because as soon as I said amen, I was drawn to a passage in scripture- "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs--beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people's bones and all sorts of impurity.” Matthew 23:27 I had to ask myself am I a whitewashed tomb? Short answer, sort of. I am trying. I can say that much. I am doing my best to follow God and do the basics. But I have been apprehensive to go that step further and do what I know God wants me to do. And God wants me to do it without...

Not all who wander are lost. That is what was ringing in my head as I was underscoring some discussion topics in Deuteronomy for a bible study discussion. It was causing me to reflect on how we do not hit our destinations because we do not let God lead and we neglect to do what he says. Then I finished the thought, Not all who wander are lost, they just want to argue over the directions or they want to be driven.   How often have you not trusted your GPS? Personally, it is more times than I can count.  On more than one occasion I have said, “That can’t be right.  This place is in an opposite direction,” and completely disregard the machine.  My other favorite is when I say, “That is near this other place I know how to get there!” and then I don’t even turn the machine on! If you know me you laugh at this because I have a terrible sense of direction.  Living in NKY it took me years to know the difference between 18 and 42. I had to always ask, is thi...

Between Sunday school and church services I get a few hours of God time :-)  That being said, I wish I could say that I really sat in the scripture from yesterday's sermon.  However, I did not.  I did continue along with the same school of thought the pastor took us on (preserve the things that matter). That school of thought, strangely, led me to thoughts of technology today. Around a decade ago social media and text messaging were non existent. Email was gaining popularity as a means of communication, however, most communication was still done by telephone and hand written letters.  Chances are, your main means of communication did not involve a send button. The evolution of communication has brought us to a point that we feel if we feel it or think it then the entire world must know of it.  We can broadcast it to the world instantly if we choose or we can simply "put someone in their place" with an email or text message. In other ...

I was watching a story yesterday on a cable channel on the staff of Moses.  The show itself was poppycock and the main driver of the thing was a complete hack, but none the less, it made me reflect yesterday on the discussion lesson from Sunday school this past week. We are finishing up the book of Daniel, using a Beth Moore study, and we are in the second half that deals with prophecy. Trying to decide which piece to pick up and discuss from such a big confusing mess was difficult, but I found myself focusing on the point of Moses' burial. So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord, and he buried him...... Deuteronomy 34:5-6a Wait??? The God buried Moses? Is that right?  I cross checked Beth Moore and sure enough, there it was.  It is amazing how something like that can escape us as significant.  But I assure you it is and there is a lesson for us today, as I found out. God buried Moses....

My bible is filled with notes and agape.  It is actually a journaling bible with spaces designed for writing in the margin.  This is important because I write down notes on sermons, bible studies and times of reflection.  Most of the time I date them and indicate why it was significant.  It is awesome to thumb through and find them and remember that moment and then see the outcome.  I stumbled across a passage this morning that I found impactful almost a year ago, it was the 5th of January last year.  My only note attached to this line was "answer to prayer on feeling lost."  A few things happened around this time that made me pretty bitter and made me questions my decision of a church home. I would be lying if I said that this is still not a struggle, even today. "'I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you.  Again, I will build you and you shall be built." Jeremiah 31:3-4 I had to seriou...

Discipline? Yep, you read that right! I am not talking about flogging or self mutilation.  I am talking about restraint and saying yes to only the right things. In a lot of my reflection my biggest issues in life and faith come down to lacking self discipline.  Drawing on my limited knowledge of John Wesley and the Methodist way, I really think there is some genius in having a "method" in regards to your spirituality and your life in general.  This year is probably going to be a struggle as I try to navigate this path, especially in the beginning as I seek a "method" that truly works for me.    With kids and a busy schedule I have had a hard time staying focused and centered in on the important things.  Many people have told me over the years to get up earlier and read scripture, enjoy quiet and sip a cup of coffee before the kids wake up.  It is not that I would scoff at that idea, I just did not see the practicality in it.  I felt ...

God has a poetic nature when he tries to get something across to us.  He uses people as metaphors and situations as a framework for a life script that could not even be improved by Shakespeare himself! You see, through my entire life things were stripped from me a little bit at a time.  By things I mean people, homes, friends, and more.  For the first part of my life I have had to face the demons in the lives of those around me as my mother had no apparent interest in me and took off and an alcoholic father who enjoyed womanizing about as much as he enjoyed his rotgut whiskey. As a child it is very hard not to internalize these things and not feel that you are the one to blame in some small way.  You ask yourself many questions like:  What did I do to make my mother leave me?  Am I the reason why my father drinks so much?  Should I expect men to treat me the way my dad treats other women?  If my mother did not want me then why would anyon...

On December 2, 2013 my grandmother, Nina Pilgrim, left his earth to be reunited with the love of her life.  They are living together for eternity in the arms of Jesus! We laid her to rest on December 7, 2013 in Virginia Beach VA. Here is the eulogy that I prepared for her funeral followed by two videos that shows pictures from her life on this earth, her online guestbook which you can read and sign, and her obituary in the newspaper in VA Beach. And to all those that prayed for my grandmother during her illness, those that sent flowers and our family and shared your memories, thank you for that blessing.    **************************************** As you read please click this link and play this song "Where Are You Christmas" By Faith Hill It was played at her funeral http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neDTNYlEWIo ********************************************** A Eulogy For Nina K. Pilgrim A Light In My Life By. Carolyn ...