Hot and Sour Soup

Once again, not what it’s about. But the analogy stormed in. When we order Chinese, Steve always gets some. And the name of it always intrigued me. Because how can it be both? And yet, he assures me that it is.

And Christmas hits us in much the same way – exciting yet painful, sweet yet mournful, peaceful but stressful. Every year I live in anticipation of the season. Labor Day promises fall, which delivers the holidays. Then I get into it and I begin to remember the painful parts. And sometimes I’m even ready for it to be finished before it can get rolling.

I remember being twelve or thirteen and a powerful sadness settling over my Christmas. No, it had nothing to do with Santa – that was much earlier. It had to do with a realization that there were no real surprises left. Oh I could, and would, receive many wonderful gifts. But I think I had come to the understanding that stuff didn’t cut it, that there was really nothing I could receive that would bring lasting happiness.

I was a believer then, had been since I was a little girl and my faith was important to me. So I knew that I had the one thing in my life, Jesus, that would get me though anything. Perhaps it was that I now knew that Christmas was indeed meant to be lived thoughout the entire year and I also knew that it could not and would not be.

The irony for any woman who buys gifts, decorates, and bakes is that there will never be enough time to do it all and still sit for hours with friends and loved ones watching the Hallmark channel and munching home-baked cookies and candy. (Probably just as well.) Childhood tricks us. As children, we yearn for the day. And beginning two or three weeks in advance of the 25th, time slows to molasses. We believe it will never come.

Then we grow up and remember that feeling. And we want it back so we can fill it with made-for-tv Christmas movies and Kodak moments with family. I used to talk to my mom about my frustration and she would say, “Christmas is just a day.” And I would mentally call her Scrooge. Yet I have never known a less Scrooge-like person. She truly comes to mind when I read about the widow’s gift (Mark 12:42-44). She had so little; yet everything she received passed through her hands to someone else.

As I get older, I realize what she meant. Certainly, she intended the obvious that we need to practice our faith daily, year-round. But more than that, there is only so much cooking and celebrating we can do, can even tolerate, before it’s time to celebrate the day. And usually that season before comes with a mixture of nostalgia, excitement, pain of loss, loneliness, and joy. And once again, my Father understands exactly how I feel.

On that night so long ago, heaven must have surely been a place of mixed emotions. The angels must have experienced sadness as they bid farewell to their precious Jesus. Our Father probably felt great pride and joy as His Son left the glory of a throne, prepared to step into the skin of a tiny, defenseless baby. Yet He must also have grieved as the plan was set in motion to save us all by His ultimate death on a cross.

A strange Christmas greeting to you, I know. But I guess the message is, whatever you are going through as you read this, know that your Lord has felt it, understands it and feels it with you. Have a peaceful, joy-filled Merry Christmas!

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Shepherds Watch

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Luke 2:8-20

He awoke with a start. His scalp prickled the way it sometimes did when a wild animal lurked just outside the pen. He sat up quickly and rolled up the cloak on which he had laid his head. As he crept to the closest rock, he peered around the sheep pen and then remembered to let out his breath, aware that he had been holding it in. The sheep slept. The other shepherds leaned in toward the fire, laughing as they shared stories. All was well. As he strolled over to join the group, he chuckled as he rehearsed a tale he would share.

Without warning, a brilliant light pierced the darkness and a voice surrounded the shepherds and the sheep. He dropped to the ground and covered his head with his arms. The voice sounded like none he had ever heard; it was spellbinding, terrifying and yet reassuring and gentle. He trembled as he listened. The angel told the shepherds not to be afraid. The boy dared to look into this kind face that hovered just above the young men as he reached out his arms to them. He shared the joyful news of a Savior, born just that day in a small village nearby and wrapped in rags, sleeping where the animals were.

At once the sky was filled with angels brighter than the midday sun. Their song gave glory to God and peace to men because of His favor. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate so he could remember the sound. They sang as hundreds, but sounded as only one voice. They sang a sweet harmony but he could not hear the individual parts. He opened his eyes once again to see the glory and they were gone just as suddenly as the first one had appeared.

The shepherds sat wordless for several minutes. No one was willing to mention what he had just seen. Had the others seen it as well? Then as they began to look at one another; they shared a look of wonder and peace and excitement.

“Let’s go now! Let’s go find this Savior, this newly born baby. Who will stay with the sheep?” He and those whose watch was not due for a few hours set off through the darkness, feeling their way through the rocky landscape with their staffs. The darkness seemed even more intense because of the brightness of a few moments before. He traveled without speaking, trying to decide how his life might change as a result of this night, yet knowing it already had.

As they struggled up a rise that overlooked the small town of Bethlehem, he caught his breath and held it long for the second time that night. There in the sky a star shone with the same brilliance that he had seen when the angels came. He stopped and clinched his fists in trepidation. He knew that this baby must be someone powerful if the announcement of his birth was made in such a way. What right had he to impose himself in the birth celebration? He knew how he looked and smelled and he didn’t feel right about it somehow. Yet he sensed that his feet would keep moving one in front of the other no matter if he tried to stop them.

The light from the star made their journey down the incline a little easier and they followed the sounds of the animals in the stables set apart from the living quarters. As they approached the open door, a young woman looked up at them and smiled. She nodded at them as they crept forward to see the baby whom the angels said would change the world. His vision blurred as tears burned his eyes and he looked first at the peaceful mother and then the child. His feelings of inadequacy melted away and he knew that when he next laid his head on his cloak to sleep, he would rest in joy and peace.

It's Coming

I hear the wind chimes today – a little louder, more insistent and more constant. Their sweet tones take me to a place and time to come, fuzzy and almost unimaginable, yet very sure and real.

I am outside in my garden listening to the wind and the chimes. I work because my Father works, but today I am playing. I plant and enjoy my surroundings. The colors, the ones I used to know, are vivid and bright. The new ones dance in the heads of the flowers and on the wings of the birds.

I put my hand into the soil, rich, brown and warm, and feel for roots and rocks. As I pull it back, a roly poly bug and a fat spider sit on the back of my wrist. I smile at them, unafraid, and gently put them back into the cleared earth.

As I hear a muffled sound in the bushes, I look up to see a deer, soft, brown eyes twinkling at me. As she approaches, my coonhound – oh that it would be the same one – runs up to her to sniff curiously. She doesn’t run; she doesn’t even flinch. The dog licks her brown nose and she shakes her head. She moves over to let me give her a soft pat or two.

I hear a door close and someone calls out my new name. Smiling I get up and dust myself off. There stands my best friend, come to take me who knows where, to explore and discover this new earth of ours. I give him a hug and smile into his dark eyes, remembering the love and years and thanking God that we feel so strong and healthy.

It’s coming. I will be home. And it’s true and real.

Revelation 21:1, 3
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

Grateful for My Home

Our Pastor has been speaking on the Ten Commandments. We came to the last one today with “Thou shalt not covet.” He talked about the fact that coveting is a twisted desire – when we want something (or someone) so badly that it leads to discontent; when we want any one thing more than God; when it becomes “I would just be happy if…” and that answer is anyone or anything other than God.

It’s kind of funny because that whole contentment thing applies on so many levels, not just in being satisfied with what you have. I’ve taken this Sunday afternoon off, as I do every Sunday. I really regret that I did not start this practice until about five years ago. It is amazing how allowing myself this one day of total rest refreshes me so.

This afternoon I’ve been contemplating going to the Manning Restaurant tonight for our church celebration of Thanksgiving. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again, even though I just saw them this morning. It’s a blessing to be in a church where your fellow church members are truly your family.

Yet part of me also is looking forward to coming back home tonight, getting in my jammies and snuggling down into the bed. Then tomorrow I’ll spend most of the day in the kitchen cooking for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday week in Virginia with our family. I’m in a frenzy of excitement – simply can’t wait. Yet, I will be in a frenzy to return to our sweet home again. My mom used to call it wishing your life away.

I’m sure it’s the same with everyone – when you fly, don’t you see the trip out as a series of mileposts to get through? If I can just get checked in…if I can just get through security…we’ll board soon…we’re landing, if I can just get off this plane. And so it goes until we reach our destination and we begin to look forward (with dread or anticipation depending on where we are) to the trip home.

It’s not at all about being discontented. In fact it’s the opposite – it’s good wherever and whenever I am. Always looking forward to something, always waiting for it to be over so I can take a deep sigh and rest. And here’s the thing – it will be that way until I can finally return home, my true home.

So this is my very strange Thanksgiving post. Am I grateful? You betcha. For so many things – my faith, my husband, my children and grandchildren, my church, friends, South Carolina. But most of all because I have Jesus – and because of Him, I know where I’m going and that it will be good to be home.

2 Peter 3:13, 14; 2 Timothy 1:12b
But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him… I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

I'll Have a Green Christmas

Nope, you’re not even close. Hard to believe, but I’m not about to talk snow. I finally made one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make. This year we will be greening up Christmas with an artificial tree. The fact that our last few trees had curvy trunks encouraged my choice. Let me start way back.

Forty years ago Steve and I celebrated our first Christmas together in our own home. For the first two years of our married lives, we lived in a small cottage with three rooms and a bathroom. A large room across the back became our bedroom and den. I painted the paneled cabinet doors in the fairly large kitchen with a combination of yellow, orange and avocado enamel paint – it was the 70’s after all. Our tiny living room had space for only a small love seat and a drop-leaf table, closed and pushed against the wall.

Excited to decorate our home for our first Christmas, we drove to the Kroger store to check out the fresh trees there. That valuable lesson of “everything looks larger once you get it in the house” was one I learned the hard way. We found a beautiful tree with an amazingly large trunk. We paid for it in a fever pitch of excitement and Steve dragged it to the car – carrying was not an option. The tree was not going to fit either in our car or on the top of it. I called my Aunt Dorothy who rescued us in her station wagon.

Several strings of white lights, a new larger tree stand and dozens of blue ornaments later, Steve and I sat on the floor at the base of our tree, admiring our work. The sofa and table had been relocated to the den and kitchen. The tree was huge, beautiful and I was hooked. Then and there I made an unconscious decision that all our Christmas trees would push the boundaries of space and patience.

Over the years we sawed, cut off limbs, replaced bent tree stands and bought more lights; but our trees were always the focal point of our home from Thanksgiving until New Year’s Day.

Once the kids were able to walk, our most meaningful holiday tradition became going to the woods or to tree farms to get our tree. Every year found us on a horse- or tractor-pulled wagon riding out to fields of beautifully pruned Scotch pines or fir trees. And every year my insurance costs rose as I stood on chairs or step-ladders to lean precariously into the tree to decorate the top.

I remember the year our tradition began to go awry. The tree-gathering trip was as fun as always; but why, oh why did we not see that deep curve in the spine of our lovely Scotch pine? Somehow we managed to get it into the tree stand and keep it up through the holidays, but the trend was set.

By this time the kids were grown and we were trooping through the trees and playing hide-and-seek with kids and grandchildren. The next year our usual tree farm was “catching its breath” and closed for the year and we found another one online – the beginning of the end. We drove into the next county and piled out of the cars (by now we were transporting two trees) and into the fields. Nothing; there was nothing that appealed to us and I began to get an uneasy feeling that our tradition was leaving us. We separated and each family drove to lots to pick out trees.

That particular Christmas, the tree was so curvy (and at this point we were trying to watch for this!), it kept falling. We finally had to undecorate it and get another tree. The next year was pretty much a repeat and I was beginning to yearn for a tall, straight tree that I could count on standing.

The next year we had moved to South Carolina and were still in many boxes because we were having work done on the house. I bought a little live Norfolk Island pine and decorated it; but Christmas was not the same.

Over the spring and summer months of this past year, I have been struggling with the artificial tree decision. Today I ordered the tree and I’m excited! Because I believe we can see any circumstance through the glasses we choose to wear. And today, I’m wearing my “this will be a beautiful, tall, straight tree and you will never again have to struggle with lights” glasses. I could easily go the other direction with my mood but Steve and I have way too much to look forward to.

However, cautious optimism is the phrase of the day. Though I do have a nice, sturdy stepstool, I am getting older; and I ordered a 7 ½ foot tree. The way I see it, that was a compromise. We have cathedral ceilings and I could have gone for the 12 foot one.

Safe Travels, Deer

I hit a deer coming home from Bible study last Tuesday night. Or he hit me. I’m still not sure how it happened and, thankfully, the memory has pretty well faded away.

But let me tell you, that experience brought to the forefront yet one more time how precious friends are that you know you can count on. I was riding with Faye and, since I was pretty well hysterically crying and moaning, she spoke with the man who pulled up to see if I was all right. They determined that the deer was probably dead. I couldn’t bear to look. Faye quietly told me how to drive the rest of the way home, since I seemed to have forgotten where everything was on the car’s instrument panel.

As we pulled back onto the highway, I began to cry again, afraid that he was injured and would go off into the woods to suffer. I remembered that Tom is a hunter and went directly to his house. Again, since I was sobbing, Faye stepped in and went to the front door of a dark house to ask him if he would go and kill the deer if it was injured.

I dropped Faye off and somehow found my way home. Steve met me in the driveway and showed me where the front door of the house was. Later that night I got a call from Faye to let me know that they had not found the deer. I immediately assumed a conspiracy – everyone was hiding the truth from me to protect me. And that was fine. Somehow it got me through that first night.

The next morning I called Faye and Lynda and Tom to say thank you. I found out that Lynda and Tom on Tuesday night and then Faye the next morning had gone back and searched the ground, ditch and the woods for signs of the deer and/or blood. They found nothing and so I choose to believe that I simply stunned him and he got up and shook it off and trotted on home.

After making sure I was all right, Tom asked me what kind of shape the car was in. I told him the front left fender was dented in, but that was okay, because it now matched the front right fender where Steve had hit another deer almost a year ago. Tom made me aware that we have now bagged our limit. I started looking around and there are a lot of cars on the roads with bent doors and fenders. I believe we’re taking out more than the hunters!

All of which got me to thinking…and remembering. We used to watch “The West Wing”. One day a year, the president would open the White House to everyone who had any weird request or idea that they would like addressed. President “Jed” Bartlett would make his reluctant staff available to hear these bizarre demands.

Press Secretary C.J. Cregg was stuck in a room with a group who were concerned about the endangered wolves that had to migrate to Canada. They were certain that if the government would spend millions of dollars on a highway system for the wolves, they could save them. Asked how the wolves would know to use the highway, they said special signs could be made for them, much like the ones we have with the deer leaping.

That got me to thinking. I don’t really want to run for office. But I would be willing to raise some money – I don’t think it will take millions – to build some overpasses for these poor deer. Post some signs to guide them and let’s get them safely across our roads!

If you wish to contribute, please send a check (made out to me) at 11 North Lake Circle. Thank you for your support. Let get them safely home, shall we?

The Mad Dash

I see ladybugs, fireflies and crickets as God’s toys of the insect world. He must have been smiling when He created them. Ladybugs have those pretty red polka-dotted wings. Lightning bugs have rear ends that light up! And cricket gentlemen pursue their lady friends by serenading them with their back wings rubbed together. I grew up believing that it was their back legs and that was a much funnier mental picture.

Those are the only “friendly bugs” that don’t intimidate me, the only ones I’d be willing to touch. So I didn’t panic on that first cold night of fall when I raised the garage door to take out the trash and so many crickets came hopping through. They must have felt the warmth coming from beneath the door.

And I had to think of that mad frenzy that must take them over. Winter is coming. A killing season for those left out in the cold. A short life span of only one year drives them to seek warmth and safety.

We’ve not been made aware of our own life spans or how long we have until Jesus returns. We do know He’s coming “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet.” (1 Corinthians 15:52a) But we tend to put things off, delay telling our neighbor how Jesus has changed our life, ignore that damaged relationship with a family member. We don’t have a timeline to worry about, so we choose “tomorrow”.

Just like the crickets that make that frantic effort at the last minute to get into the warmth, so we would dash around trying to make up for lost time if we knew how little of it we have left. Why not take this day to begin to prepare for your long eternal life in this fleeting one?

1 Peter 1:13, Philippians 1:6
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

My Grown-Up Christmas Wish

Last night I had the Christmas dream again.

What woman doesn’t have an ideal Christmas vision with the house decorated beautifully, dozens of different kinds of cookies baked, fudge and divinity in pretty crystal dishes everywhere, and loads of gifts wrapped with coordinating paper under a massive nostalgic, overly lit up, yet oh-so-tasteful Christmas tree. Well behaved, well-dressed smiling family waiting on the couch for the perfect photo for the card. Am I letting my analyst side take over again?

Truly when I was a young mom I did have a dream about once a month without fail. Always, in the dream it was a couple of days before Christmas or Christmas Eve. I was usually crying, having realized that I had let it slip up on me once again. I was distressed because the tree was never decorated and I didn’t have gifts for everyone. But the real heartache lay in the sense that I had somehow failed to enjoy it. The season was already almost over and I had somehow come up short. And I would have to wait another whole year. I would wake up with a heavy heart and the sense that I had once again missed the boat somehow, even if it was mid-April or July.

In reality as I got older, I got better at the game. I was more organized. It was still stressful, but I was getting it done. The kids seemed happy with Christmas and, though I never seemed to have time enough to do everything I needed/wanted to do and just “enjoy”, my efforts succeeded. And the dream, while still disturbing, occurred less and less frequently. But, more important, when I did dream it, I woke up less sick at heart. I was somehow achieving what I needed to.

I never stopped to think about why I was having it. It seemed obvious to me that I had somehow put way too much pressure on myself to achieve this holiday perfection that was impossible to accomplish. I just figured I was doing it better somehow. The dream disappeared about ten years ago and I wasn’t sorry to see it leave.

So when I woke up this morning, heavy-hearted more that the dream was back than from the content, I began to try to figure out why. There were all the obvious reasons. The weather was cool and gray. I had been listening to my usual November Christmas carols and getting daily updates from ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas on Facebook.

I tried to remember the essence. The decorations were a piece of it but they didn’t seem that important. The overriding concern was that it was late on Christmas Eve, I couldn’t do any shopping and I had nothing to give my family.

Is it possible that it can be that obvious? That I honestly don’t believe I have anything left to give my children and my grandchildren? I don’t for a minute think that is so. I wonder if it’s not about the fact that I’m feeling the need to pass along more meaningful gifts – lasting gifts. I offered them my best – my faith – from the time they were small. But is there some other something that I need to give?

Ironically, it’s November 4th. I still have more than enough time to prepare. My hope – my wish – is that I can figure out what it is that I’m feeling the need to give and, more importantly, that I will have the courage to give it.

Watch out kids. It may not be a Wii Christmas. Sorry Steve, the Golf Warehouse may take me off their catalog list. Can I somehow wrap up peace, joy, humility, love, gentleness – some gift that keeps on giving? Then maybe this dream will have spoken to me for the last time.

The Wave

Nope, let’s set aside the sports arenas and coliseums for the moment. I’m talking about the “hey, I see you, how you doin’?” greeting. Because here in South Carolina there are nuances I didn’t learn in northern Virginia. Shades not of meaning, but of identification, especially in boats and golf carts.

The wave tells a lot about the person. Pretty much everyone does it. The degree to which they do it tells you not how glad they are to see you, but how they are feeling about life at the moment.

Let’s start at the top, the hang-out-the-window (or side of the cart) full arm wave and open-mouthed grin. Okay, I may have been a little off on this one. This one could also mean, “hey! I haven’t seen you in forever! Let’s do lunch!” Or the waver could simply be in love with life, glad to be here, want to share some happiness.

Next level down (I say “down” because who doesn’t like to receive the hang-out-the-window greeting?), is the arm-bent-at-the-elbow full wave. It’s almost the beauty queen wave without the full rotation. That one, along with a smile, says, “I see and acknowledge you. Hope you’re having a great day!”

Not quite so enthusiastic is the hand-never-leaves-the-top-of-the-steering-wheel full four-finger wave. I’m also not quite so enthusiastic about receiving that one. If you can’t take the trouble to lift your hand, why even bother at all? Sometimes a small smile comes with it but at that point I really don’t care. That one says, I know the drill and I’m simply following the rules.

Last, (or so I thought until this morning) is the lifted index finger. To me that one says, I’m too cool to acknowledge you except with the use of as few muscles as possible. That one is rarely accompanied by any change in facial expression at all. I usually don’t even respond to that one if I’m the wavee. If I’ve waved first, I’ve been known to track the driver down and stick my tongue out behind his back.

This morning, I encountered the bottom level. I was coming back to my house in the golf cart and I passed a man on a big John Deere. I lifted my hand (always) and waved. He stared at me in stony, unrelenting silence. His eyes said, “I know the rules. I choose not to play. And I’m hoping you get the message. I’m having a lousy day and/or life.”

Don’t you think sometimes God sees us the same way?

“Good morning Father! I’m here because I love You and I know You love me. Let’s spend some time together!” (Full body wave, big grin.)

“I don’t have any time to be with You, but I’ll work for You. And I’ll be in church. Count on that!” (Arm-bent-at-the-elbow full wave with a possible smile, depending on how I feel at the time.)

“I’ll tell people I go to church and I’ll go when I feel like it. But I need my personal time without You crowding me.” (Four-finger acknowledgement, no grin.)

“Could you just leave me alone? I’ll get back to You when I need You.” (least effort of all)

“I’m silent and miserable. Somebody help me.”

Dip and Glide

Let me just state up front that I ride. Upside down, loops, drops, spins, I love them all. But here I sit in my cabin, gently rocking back and forth and I’m a bit undone. I went up to breakfast and staggered so much that Steve had to lead me back down. Thankfully our cabin is in the center of the boat and the rocking is not quite so bad.

Steve can barely feel it. It’s a big ship; so the issue of rolling is not supposed to be as bad. It’s not like I’m green and leaning over the banister. I’m just disoriented. Having a bit of trouble walking and I’m not sure why I feel this so extremely. I’ve been on so many small boats and roared with pleasure at the rocking and bumping from other boats’ wakes.

But this feels as if my whole world is very gently sliding off-balance. And I’m confused by it.

Let me backtrack a bit. Yesterday after my post, we walked down to the Pike’s Market area in Seattle. What an experience! There was the usual tourist flotsam (in keeping with the nautical theme). However bright chili and pepper swags hung in bunches – not just the garlic braids and chili wreaths but long collections of multi-colored peppers of all kinds and sizes. And flowers, everywhere. Not just vendors and booths full of flowers but growing all along the edges of the stall roofs.

And the pastries and breads! And, of course, the fish. I guess we were too early in the morning for any fish-tossing, but that was just as well. Then with a respectful nod to coffee, we dashed into the original Starbucks. It had real character – worn, rustic and unadorned. My favorite, though, came as we walked back up the hill toward the hotel. We passed a coffee roaster that had one of its doors blocked off with huge hopsack bags of coffee beans piled high.

It IS all about the coffee in Seattle.

We got our things together and trooped downstairs at the hotel to grab a cab. I’m going to wander down a little trail for a minute. Let me tell you how clever my husband is and clever I am not. We decided that we would check three bags in at $23 a bag. We would carry on the last one which would be our overnight things for Seattle. I’m accustomed to carrying a purse and a computer on board a flight. All the things that I cannot take through security are really not an issue for me. So I packed what I would need for sundries that evening and for the trip.

You guessed it. I had included large bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, body spray, hair spray, etc. Our TSA agent thankfully was quite sweet and had a patient spirit. As she set aside what we could not take, I began to add them up and, as opposed to only $23 a bag, we were definitely coming out on the short end of this deal. But we were at the airport in Florence, South Carolina; so our car was only parked a short distance away. Off Steve went to deposit all our items in the car. I wasn’t losing them; but I would have to get them for the trip.

Here’s where Steve’s ingenuity comes in. On a Starbucks run, he discovered an IGA not far from the hotel and talked the checker into letting us come and buy a boxful of those items plus soft drinks and such, pay for them, and leave them. Once we had our cab and were on the way to the pier, we simply stopped in and picked them up!

There’s no need to be concerned about pages of more detail on our checking in, taking care of bags and such. It was handled in such an efficient way that in minutes we were upstairs by the gangplank waiting for boarding to begin. We had seen the ship from the street, but the boarding process between the loading area and the ship made my heart race. Too exciting.

Our cabin is much roomier that we anticipated and there are so many little cubbies! Space has definitely been optimized. Our balcony is plenty large enough for the table and two chairs and it is completely open, yet private. We spent the hours until the time when we were to cast off just exploring the ship.

They had opened the buffet on deck ten (read tenth floor) for early boarders. I got my first inkling of two shipboard facts. First, food – as much (actually way more) than you could possibly eat, any time, anywhere.

Second issue. Heights and an uneasy floor beneath my feet. Steve and I sat down on that first day and admired the view out the window. I looked down to adjust my chair and found that I was sitting on a glass disk ten floors above a rolling ocean! And so began my romance with shipboard disorientation. Who knew I’d feel the need to get on a tilt-a-whirl to get my equilibrium back in the right place? Which is why I found myself at breakfast the next morning staggering into my shipmates.

Next, the fear of food.

If I Had Another Life to Live...

…I would live it in Seattle.

We arrived at around 6:00 PM (9:00 PM EST) yesterday to a gray and rainy day. The standard in Seattle, I’m told. How wonderful is that? Those of you who know me really well know that this is my kind of weather. Nothing buoys my spirits like a gray mist.

The clouds hung low and a damp rain fell. We were exhausted, having been on travel since noon. People had been friendly, sweet and helpful the whole day and it definitely was not a hard travel day, just long.

But here’s the thing. We don’t travel that much anymore and I said several silent prayers that God would intervene on our behalf. As I phoned a dear friend and chatted for a bit, Steve stood with an airport cart and waited for luggage. He told me later, he just kept letting people in front of him because he had the cart and he didn’t want to get in their way.

Suddenly the short siren sounded and the belt started moving – on the next baggage area directly behind Steve! All he had to do was turn around and, pretty much, there came our bags. Ours were among the first dozen! The man standing next to Steve said, “Man! How did you DO that?”

We gathered our bags and trudged over to the elevators in search of ground transportation. We had not made shuttle reservations and needed to go downtown. We were aware this could be a serious issue. We asked information and found out about a shuttle service for the major hotels. There was no one in their little “caboose booth” but the woman told us we could just catch it and pay the driver.

Thing is, we didn’t know what we were looking for. And there were so many different kinds of shuttles. Suddenly, Steve made sure I was good with the luggage and bolted across the street. He came back grinning with two reservation tickets and said, “That’s it! C’mon.” He grabbed the luggage cart and away we went toward a small white van parked away from the rest – certainly not one we would have been looking for or even have noticed.

Steve had seen a woman come into the ticket booth The young man told us we had gotten the last two seats, loaded our luggage, and turned to inform the four people approaching that he was full.

I sat in the front seat and enjoyed the hills, the green and the fog. The Seattle skyline was partially covered in clouds and I was taken in. The city had San Francisco hills and so many trees! I have never seen a city with more green.

This morning Steve and I woke at 5:30 (8:30 EST) and I ventured out around 7:30. Buildings were half hidden in fog and everywhere there was the heavenly smell of coffee. It was like chocolate in Hershey, Pennsylvania! Not just on the street corners, the coffee stalls are everywhere!

I haven’t pulled out the camera yet – that’s for the cruise. I just wanted to give a nod to this lovely city. Probably should stop the entry now…it’s getting harder. It’s my third grande and my hands are shaking from the caffeine.

Directions Unplugged

When we moved to South Carolina, Manning in particular, we had to ask for directions a lot. Fond of mapquest.com and Google maps, I would say, “Just give me the address and I’ll go look it up.” The remainder of the conversation would go something like this:

“…and if you don’t know the number, just tell me the street name and I can find it online.”
“I don’t know the name of the street. But if you go to the Simpsons’ old plant place just after second water, that street just after it is the one.”
“I didn’t know the Simpsons, so I don’t know where their plant place was. And I don’t know what second water means.”
“Okay, once you go a piece past Lane’s … you know Lane’s?”
“Yes.”
“Well, that’s first water.”

And back and forth we’d go until I would finally have an idea where I was going. As a result, I learned no street names.

Yesterday someone asked me where I get my hair cut.

I said, “I don’t know the name of the street; but if you go toward town, when you get to where the old Walmart was, turn right. It’s down a ways on the left across from the fire station and a couple of doors down from The Dog House.”

Imagine my pleasure as it suddenly dawned on me. I am assimilated!

Bathed

I have mentioned before that cardinals are special to me. For me they are a true icon. Wait, before you go shaking your head and “tsk”ing at me, look it up. An icon can be something that represents God or Christ – an image, picture or representation of some sort. But it is also anything that draws our minds toward God.

And I’m sure my thing about cardinals comes as no surprise to God. In fact He has often drawn me to Him through these beautiful birds. We have a pair that live somewhere just out our back door. They are constant companions to each other and friends to us. I raised my kitchen blinds one day and there was the male, tucked in the corner, looking at me and saying, “This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)

I know their calls now and I look for them, as I seek Him as well. The funny thing is that, though the male is the really colorful and more beautiful of the pair (don’t get me started…), I have found myself drawn more and more to the female. She seems braver and more willing to visit with me. Of course, she also knows that the male is keeping a watchful eye on her.

Imagine my delight when I was sitting down to supper with Steve and I looked out and saw her on the crepe myrtle just outside the window. The sprinklers were spraying and she was in their direct path. And there she sat! Unmoving but quivering and shaking her feathers. She would relax until the next spray doused her. She was enjoying her bath but the flood was too much for her to take. She flew over to the gardenia and sat for a minute and then plunged back into the water.

Yeah, I know this one is too obvious. But that flood of cleansing water! And it’s so clean and so pure and so holy! And sometimes it’s just too much! Surely you’ve felt it. When you’ve been humble about something, and God Himself has lifted you up – you want to run and hide! It’s too much. When the pure joy of your salvation is overwhelming. It’s just too much and we’re torn between feeling inadequate and wanting to hide, and wanting to jump in and drown in it.

Acts 22:16; Psalm 51:7b; Isaiah 1:18
And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name… Wash me and I will be whiter than snow… “Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool….”

Ride on down the Highway

I had another sweet Virginia friend stop in yesterday to sit on my porch and drink a little sweet tea. I don’t flatter myself. I live on the 95 corridor; so the world does pass close to me and frequently enough. But can I just say how very much it means to me to be able to share my gentle world down here with my dear friends from up there?

Friendship is surely one of God’s kindest creations. I have books with nothing but sweet sentiments that could fill several blogs. But Christian friendship? Oh, that is the best. There is some common ground there that immediately turns us into a “cord of three strands”. We laugh and pray together and we both know that we hold the most important Person in history on the highest ground. And it’s always a rewarding time.

So this is a short one today. I just felt the need to say thanks, Donna, for a lively cart ride and to remind all my Virginia friends (and my Arkansas family) that we’re close to 95, easy to get to – until you leave the interstate at least – and there’s always a pitcher of tea waiting. You brighten my world. Only thing better would be to get you all together with my South Carolina friends. You would enrich each other; but I’ll see to that in Heaven.

Ecclesiastes 4:10, 12
If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

I Know He Was Praying

Super-creepy, yet kind of sweet. We became well-acquainted on the short trip. I hopped in the car and started moving slowly down the narrow streets of our community. I was headed into town to work in Vacation Bible School and I was running a little late. As I slowed to make the last turn, I looked left and then right and then at my driver’s side mirror. There he sat.

I’m not crazy about bugs; but I’m not totally freaked out by them either. I prepared myself to encounter them when I made the decision to move to a warm southern climate. So when I saw the dignified little praying mantis sitting on the top of my mirror, I just smiled at him and he smiled back. I sat at the stop sign for a moment to give him time to hop down. He declined.

So I made my turn and increased my speed to twenty-five. His little praying hands unclasped and started clutching for something to hold onto. I slowed down to give him one more chance to bail. He declined.

I left the plantation and revved my speed up to thirty-five. His feelers were flapping in the wind and I’m pretty sure that’s when the praying started. I had a hard time driving and watching him at the same time. If I had cared about him as much as I led him to believe, I would have stopped the car and helped him down. But I was late for VBS.

So I turned out onto the highway and upped the pace to fifty-five. Head down and battling the wind, he discovered that he could go under the lip of the mirror and hunker down a little. His legs managed to stay put but every part of his body was shuddering against the wind. Please understand, I felt terrible. But I was late for VBS.

I pulled into the parking lot and stopped the car. I said a little prayer and apology for my new friend. I knew he was dead and I was not looking forward to having to remove his frail little form.

To my complete delight, one long leg tentatively swung up onto the top of the mirror. Slowly he pulled himself back up on top. Then he began to groom himself! Now I don’t know what he was smoothing down – whether feathers, or scales, or gills. But he had something there to flatten out. Then he took each long leg in turn and stretched it as far as it would go to be sure everything was still working.

Then he once again settled in to pray and I left to go fix beanie weenies, a clear conscience with my own short prayer of thanks.

Is This How It Is?

On these hot, sticky summer days, only a short window of time opens between the blast of hot air that hits you when you go outside and the coming dark that brings the hoard of insects that swarm and buzz. You know the ones that make you go dancing across the yard flailing at your head with both hands and swatting at the backs of your uncovered legs.

But oh, the sweetness of that time just before sunset when the air lifts a bit and the breeze kicks up. You can almost imagine the comfort outside that you felt on those spring days before the furnace was lit.

Today Steve and a friend were going out to play nine holes of golf and I went along for the ride. To begin with, if you want to walk for exercise in this weather, you need to start by at least 7:30 AM; and if you need to know why I wasn’t on the street at that time, look for some of my older posts that explain my morning mentality. No, don’t bother. I can sum it up in two words – grouchy and incoherent.

Therefore at 7:00 tonight when Steve and his friend were meeting, I still had not exercised. So I took my book, a big bottle of water, and hit the cart paths on foot while they golfed. As I walked, I immersed myself in the breezes, the shade and the sheer beauty of my surroundings. I wanted so badly to praise God, but my Psalms memory is scant. I went over and over the few verses I do know and I mouthed song lyrics silently. The men were trying to golf after all.

After I had walked far enough to deserve some time on wheels, I settled in to ride the cart and read. I was taken by the fact that the air felt cool and the colors were so vivid. May I just take a moment and insert a good word for Eudora Welty? She's a southern author from Mississippi and her descriptions pick you up and set you down in whatever cotton field or big white country house she's inhabiting. I was deep in her book and I'm sure she's why I was so aware of my surroundings.

I needed to make a quick stop and we were behind our friend’s house. He suggested I go in and let his dog out to ride with us all.

As I came out of the house with the dog, our friend called and the dog went running across the course to meet him. The grass was an intense color of green and they looked so happy to see each other. And I couldn’t help but think of those stories I’ve heard of people who dream about seeing their loved ones in heaven running with their pets.

And as I watched the two men walking off the green talking and laughing, I was so aware of the presence of God that I began to cry. I was absorbed in this beautiful place with good people who were so completely enjoying the day. And, best of all, God was there in a palpable sense.

Heaven is not so very far away. We can get a sense of it when we just allow God to walk with us in the cool of the day.

Looking Out for Number 6,856,559,598

I wonder when it starts to flipflop. When we were children in Sunday school, we learned the lessons – Jesus loves me, do unto others as you would like for them to do to you, share, be kind, and don’t talk back. (I’m not sure that the last one is word for word Biblical except for honor your parents and respect those in authority, but we really heard it a lot.) And we got it! If you treated other people with kindness, they would do the same for you. And the world seemed right-side-up.

Then we went out to play and got chosen last in dodge ball. And we started to look at how our brothers and sisters and the neighborhood kids were faring. And we began to wonder if we had it as good as they did. Were we getting everything we needed? We entered school and our horizons broadened and we began to wonder “am I getting mine?” And slowly it began to tip.

Because this upside-down living that Jesus asks from us is often more about us than it is about Him. Let me explain.

I’ve mentioned John 3:30 before: “He must become greater; I must become less.” Jesus’ first and greatest commandment in Matthew, Mark and Luke is, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30) This one we know and we don’t argue with it! We struggle and forget and ask forgiveness, but it is there in our minds as something important and we completely agree with it.

The second commandment of Jesus is where we begin to war with the world. “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Mark 12:31) As myself? Are you kidding? I mean, I do love my family that much and I have friends, good friends, and well, most of the people I know from church. I love all of them and, most of the time, I am good to them and sometimes I think I love them as myself.

But really, that lady at the store that looks at me funny? Love her as much as myself? And the guy who cut me off in traffic and then lowered his window to scream at me? And the neighbor who keeps asking me to come over and help her decide where to move her shrubs?

And this thing is two-pronged! Not only am I supposed to love those people as much as I do myself (and they’re not that loveable), I'm also not supposed to care about what the world tells me is so important.

But the Home and Garden network is telling me that I’m supposed to care more about how my house is decorated! And Bravo is telling me that I am going to have to have a heap more money if I plan to be one of the Housewives of Clarendon County. Don’t you sometimes want to just scream at the world “am I invisible here?” All I have to do is turn on any tv channel and watch for fifteen minutes and it’s obvious I’m not measuring up.

The saying goes, “Jesus first, everybody else second (just so you know, that’s where the huge number came from), me third.” As I said, most of us don’t have a problem with the Jesus first concept. We get it and we try to do it. It’s the “everybody else second" piece of it that challenges us. Because the world says that if we aren’t looking out for ourselves, if we aren’t obsessed with how we look and what we have, we don’t belong.

If we follow Jesus in His commandment, we honestly are not of this world and we will never be completely comfortable here. But that has nothing to do with feeling at peace here. When I am wrapped up in “am I getting everything that is due me,” I am headed down a road that will leave me unsatisfied. But when I am concerned more with how to love someone else, I have the mind of Jesus and He is the Prince of Peace.

John 14:27
Peace I leave you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Futility Is Useless

I know of futility. According to the Random House Dictionary, it’s “the quality of being futile; ineffectiveness; uselessness.” American Heritage adds even more weight with “the quality of having no useful result, lack of importance of purpose.” I’m not preaching today. I’m trying to work out some issues in a public place. If you want to hang in, better grab a flyswatter.

As so often happens, I’m finding several sources combining to give me a message this week. You know how you study something in Sunday school and then the pastor preaches about it? Yeah, it’s like that. I’m preparing to lead a Bible study by Jennifer Rothschild called “Me, Myself & Lies”.

The lesson I was studying yesterday talks about “fact labels”. Some of the labels we give ourselves are subjective and may be true or not, e.g. friendly, funny, unlikable, popular, depending on who’s applying them. But we also have fact labels that are as they are and will probably not change, e.g. mom, daughter, senior, retired. It’s those last two that have been giving me fits over the past year and a few months. You see, even though they are facts, how we interpret them and apply them to our attitudes can change the way we face day-to-day life.

As most of you know (and many of you probably wish I’d finally be quiet about), I’ve struggled with layers of depression during this time. And if there was one word that I would apply, it would be “futility”. I don’t think I recognized that until recently. All I know is I worked and studied and worked some more, all the while feeling useless and without purpose. And I saw that also as laziness.

So yesterday afternoon, my lazy self is sitting down to study my Sunday school lesson. It’s about acting on faith and I’m planning to cruise right through since I know so much about faith, right? Yeah. God is so very patient with me. This week’s lesson was actually about acting on faith.

I’m “acting” in several ways. After much prayer, I have felt God’s leading in several areas including leading Bible studies and starting a mentoring ministry. I believe those are in His will for me and I am excited to do them. So why was I still feeling useless and lazy?

The lesson referred to Psalms 78:12-39 and discussed how the Lord had led the Israelites out of Egypt and rained down miracle after miracle on them to provide for their needs, often in response to their complaints. Finally “the wrath of God came against them, and slew the stoutest of them, and struck down the choice men of Israel (v. 31).” And still they sinned and did not believe.

Then I read verse 33 and God pulled out His highlighter and showed it to me again, big-time. “Therefore their days He consumed in futility, and their years in fear.” I wouldn’t say I have lived my last year in fear, but there has definitely been an element of hopelessness there. In this beautiful place, with these sweet and wonderful people, how is that even possible?

God has dealt with me over the last two days with that verse alone. Because you see, there is an element in my life where I have refused to believe Him. I say He wants me to write, He has even given me writing, and yet I have not moved forward in this area. The author of our study book talked about a decision she and her husband could not seem to make even though they had prayed over it for a while. They finally realized that God was asking them to step out in faith. I believe that is what He is asking of me.

I don’t know yet what that looks like. Perhaps I will push to get the things I have written published or perhaps I will get back into a project or two. I just know He intends for me to show Him that I believe He will deliver what I need to do this.

And just for my added amusement (I so love God’s sense of humor), I woke up yesterday morning with a crick in my neck, a slight twinge that worsened as the day progressed. By this morning, it was sore to the point that I could barely turn my head to the right. You guessed it. I had literally become a stiff-necked person.

Look! No Hands!

Know what I do when my mood starts to drop? I check my email! Because something in me always thinks that outside circumstances will intervene to save my day, will steer my life in the right direction without my even having to drive. Even when I’ve prayed about something and asked for help, first thing I usually do is go check the mail, check my email, or go look on Facebook. Not that I haven’t had miracle answers that came by email or snail mail. But usually my answer is to wait, keep hoping, keep praying, read scripture, get busy or some other process that involves me and not circumstances.

A new flip phone ad I saw the other day so completely plays into this. A guy is incredibly happy with his life because of his new girlfriend that he met at some store that he found on Facebook or some other networking site that he plugged into via his new flip phone. He now has this perfect life and all he had to do was buy the right phone!

Isn’t the thought of “fate” stepping in and changing our world an exciting prospect? It’s why so many movies are made with that story line. Look at “Serendipity”, “Sleepless in Seattle”, even – no especially – , “An Affair to Remember”. They all have a plotline, some element or key scene that depends on fate intervening in the characters' lives. That moment when eyes lock, a check arrives, an accident occurs, or a stranger approaches and lives change.

Sometimes it actually works! For years I surfed and looked for houses on my laptop, all over the place, not just in northern Virginia. And one day I decided to pursue lakes in South Carolina. I fell in love with a little house with lot of built-in bookshelves. And destiny - GOD - intervened and led us to that very house. Steve and I both know for certain that it was where we were meant to be. Every day just proves it more.

Here’s the flip side of all this. The way God wants us to live is exactly as I’ve described. No, not compulsively checking email every ten minutes or looking for our life changes on the internet. But giving up complete control. To Him.

He’s bigger, richer, smarter, more loving, and knows us better than we know ourselves! Plus He has these really great plans for our lives. Why then is it so hard to just let Him have control? It’s hard not to think of Him as too big (“Why would He care about my little worries and plans?”) or too small (“Sure, I believe, He will provide my needs today but this is my whole LIFE we’re talking about.”).

Truth is, He’s both big enough to handle our futures and caring enough to want to help us with every small detail. He loves to step in and turn our shoulders in the direction that is best for us. And because He adores and delights in us, we can trust Him completely. Plus He sees the big picture that we can’t see! Hands off the wheel and watch for the excitement of living life out of control!

Psalm 20:4; Psalm 33:10, 11, 13-15; Proverbs 16:9; Jeremiah 29:11
May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed…The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations…From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth—he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do…In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps…For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Cool, Clear Water

Summer heat brings it on, that always thirsty feeling. I’m trying to monitor what I spend those hot summer afternoons guzzling. The morning is pretty well set – two really huge cups of coffee with cream and sometimes sugary flavoring syrups. And we’re not messing with that, okay?

But after lunch is when the real thirst starts. I got an interesting email about Coke™ vs water. You may have seen it and the facts are startling:

75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.

Even mild dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 3%.

Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%., and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

There were also a number of pretty gross facts about Coke™, but I checked them out on Snopes and, thankfully, they were exaggerated. I’m glad because sometimes nothing but a cold Coke will do the trick, am I right? While I did not research each of the water facts, I did enough reading to know that they make sense.

When we’re thirsty, really thirsty, only water gets into our bodies and does its good work. I don’t think any of us will argue that fact. But what about drinking all the water we need to keep operating at an optimum level?

I’m sitting on the porch and I’m thinking, how will I do this? I could buy some Perrier™ or some flavored seltzer. But the bubbles are a whole other thing and not so good for me. I could buy some of those little flavor packets to put into my bottle of water.

Why not just drink the straight stuff, the pure, clean water? Isn’t this how we approach church and Bible study? “I wasn’t crazy about that message – why can the preacher not shake in a packet of ‘feel good’ and ‘abundant living’. I don’t want to just read the Bible – it’s boring. Why not add some sugar Bible study to liven it up?”

Not that there’s anything wrong with that! I love “feel good” and “abundant living” and a good Bible study energizes me and gets me moving in the right direction. But the water – the living water, the Good News – is just fine on its own. It gives me all the energy and peace I need when I remember to get my full amount every day.

Jeremiah 2:13; John 4:13, 14
My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water…Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Sometimes Faith Is about Nothing

I believe that God intends for me to write. And when I seriously consider the question (and seriously consider actually sitting down and spending time at the laptop), He usually confirms that for me. He did that again through a sweet friend this morning.

Actually opening a blank Word document when I have absolutely nothing, no thoughts, ideas or creativity at the front of my mind is a scary prospect. I say that I believe He wants me to write. But that means also that I must believe He will provide. I have nothing to offer here. Never did.

A couple of years ago, a friend and I felt led to write a devotional book together. While we didn’t finish it, we did each write about forty or so devotions as we were working toward that goal. It was an exciting time for each of us because it was such an exercise in faith and trust. Neither of us had written devotionals before and we had no thoughts out of the gate. We were literally just waiting each few days for God to give us something.

And He was so faithful to do just that. One of us would call the other one and say, “Guess what just happened? I found some crickets in my garage!” And out of those strange circumstances, God would give us some kind of message to share.

So here I sit with you. Waiting and trusting that He will provide. I am determined to post today, so grab some sweet tea because this may take a while. It is the first time I’ve done this with utterly nothing to go on. Usually I have at least seen a field of daisies or something to get me started. Well, Travis killed a spider this morning, but I’m not feeling any messages there.

But isn’t that sometimes the point? We have an issue or a relationship that requires what only God can give. We don’t have what it takes to fix it – we know this. So we read the Bible and we pray and we confer with friends. We say we will trust – we will have faith and be strong.

But the weeks stretching ahead – sometimes even the long hours of a single day – tell us by their very lack of activity, that this thing isn’t going to get solved soon. And we’re frustrated by the lack of control. If we could just DO something.

Wow. I left to go get a sandwich. And you, friends that you are, stuck with me. I looked throughout the house for some small token that would trigger something to help me bring this one home. And here I stand, hands still empty.

The process of writing (and life) sometimes requires that we toss the worries out the back door, settle into the rocker with a cup of coffee, and trust that this long, dry spell is God’s way of forcing us to get quiet and do some listening.

If this is your first trip to the back porch, welcome and believe me when I tell you this is a first. I don’t usually hang my empty screen out to dry in front of everyone. But today I feel like this “nothing” is the message. That the waiting is something we all do and the confident expectation that God will deliver is more important than the field of daisies.

Psalm 5:3; 27:14
In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

I Want It Now!

I belong to a certain generation. You know us. We’re the ones who walked to school in the snow – uphill – both ways. We love to comment on how our kids are behaving, how the government is going to the dogs and how disciplined we were as kids growing up.

Seriously, if we wanted something, we earned the money or saved our allowance. Nothing came easily; more important nothing came quick! We planned and we waited and we yearned. When we finally got the treasure, we appreciated it for a good little while.

This will not be a sermon about how young people today don’t appreciate what they have. Or how easy it is to get it. The desire to have it now affects each one of us. Immediacy is the name of the game. We missed that movie? On demand! Oh, I loved that song. Itunes! (Okay, this one is a particular issue for me these days. I have a new ipod and I’m concerned for our retirement income.) Food on the run? We’ll get you through the drive-thru in less than five minutes.

But what about the burdens we’ve been carrying for weeks, for months? Where is the answer?

We want what we want yesterday. Why is it not in our hands now? Why do I have to wait? This year, the message I’ve been getting loud and clear is that, if it is an issue that we have to deal with, Jesus has probably experienced it.

I heard an author/speaker, Lisa Harper, with whom I was unfamiliar at the Charleston Women of Joy conference this year. And what a pleasure to get to know her! I am reading her book, “untamed”, and getting to know the wild side of Jesus. She is one of those people to whom I particularly relate – seemingly slightly irreverent, but not really when you read the whole message. A little rebellious and totally in-your-face honest. She has a refreshing take on scripture and one of her chapters deals with Jesus’ temptation in the desert.

And as I read about it, it occurred to me that His final temptation was right down my alley. I’ve always thought, no big deal. Satan offered Him the world and He refused. Well certainly He did! He knew that He would get it anyway! But let’s break it apart a bit. Take a look at Matthew 4:8-10:

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Jesus knew the end of the story. He knew what He was facing. And here Satan was saying, “Listen, I’ll give it to you now. Just worship me. No death, no suffering, everything you want NOW.”

He knows what it feels like for us to wait – how hard it is when He asks us to just believe that He has it under control. We don’t know the end of the story; we don’t know the answer. But we do know that, even when Jesus knew, He waited. He’s been there and He doesn’t ask us to do anything He hasn’t done Himself.

Joyful

MercyMe sings this in their “I Can Only Imagine” lyrics:

I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine.

Like that’s a good thing! C’mon, you’ve thought it. How boring is this going to be? I’m grateful that Randy Alcorn has given me a bright and beautiful, Scripture-based picture of what I have to eagerly anticipate! But I’m sure it will include years and years, no, eons and eons, of praising God. And I just wasn’t sure I was up to it.

Before this weekend, that is. I attended a Women of Joy conference in Charleston with some friends. I’ve always loved good praise music and I love to sing. And of course I want to praise my Lord. But forever?

That was before I stood with thousands of other women praising God – clapping, singing, raising hands, dancing. Really acting foolish to anyone who didn’t understand what was going on and happened to look in off the street.

Can I just tell you that I was transported and wished it would continue for hours. Eternity? Yes, I believe so. I would have even been willing to skip meals for this! What does that tell you?

Our worship leader was Travis Cottrell and he and his band and singers did a wonderful job – as did our concert performers Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith. My girlfriends, if you have never attended a large women’s conference, it’s worth the price of admission just for the singing! I really believe it may be the closest we can get to heaven on this earth. Men, I’m sorry – I don’t know that you’ll be able to experience it unless you’re willing to brave 5000 women and more tears and emotion than you’ll encounter in a lifetime. I didn’t think so.

But I will tell you what I brought home with me. I intend to make it so much less about me and so much more about Him when I get the opportunity to sing from now on. I’ve heard of “losing yourself” in worship before and that has a new meaning for me now.

Psalm 30:11-12
You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Sand is Sand

I just returned from a week at Hilton Head with my brain unfuzzied yet one more time by ocean breezes…well, actually winds this week. Steve and I believe we need to get to the beach every few months or so to let the waves and the roar and the wind clear and blow out the space between our ears.

I sat in my fold-up chair (the kind that unfolds into four points for legs and collapses into a sling for easy carrying – wonderful invention) and let the sun work its magic. I have three positions for beach bumming and I alternate them every few minutes or so: nose in a book, head flung back and face to the sun, or eyes peeled for dolphin or those long undulating lines of pelicans searching for bait fish. I stay there until my skin feels crinkly and Steve pokes me and says “you’re done.”

The other day, though, as I sat and thought, it occurred to me that I always assume the beach changes to meet my mood. I closed my eyes and realized that I could have been at any age in my life or at pretty much any beach.

I was there with my teenaged daughter and her friends, giggling and watching for surfers. I treasured my first trip to the Outer Banks with Steve alone with no kids on an October week when the air was cool and I sat watching him fish. I cried one July as I watched a mom holding hands with her preteen daughter and thought about the young woman I had left at home alone for the first time, afraid that I had lost her for good. I watched my handsome son walk away and wondered if he knew how much I loved him. I stood in the waves with my grandkids and shrieked when a wave caught me by surprise. I walked with Steve on a Mother’s Day with tears in my eyes as I watched other happy families splashing in the surf.

Every time I go to the beach my circumstances, and usually my mood are different. And I just assume the beach changes with me. It doesn’t.

I have been so many different people during my life. And my God is faithful. He is the great I AM and never changes. Isn’t it a beautiful thing to have Someone we can count on to be there and to be the same no matter who we are when we approach Him?

I Samuel 15:29; Malachi 3:6; James 1:17; Deuteronomy 7:9;
He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man, that He should change His mind…I the LORD do not change…Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows…Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.

Whatever the Task

Certain verses conjure up strong memories for all of us – the old “standards” learned in Sunbeams (for the really ancient of us), GA’s, Acteens, Awanas. We hear them and, not only are they familiar to us, but they transport us to another place and time.

Familiarity can be a great thing, ranking right up there with tradition. But it can also have a negative connotation – suggesting boredom, staleness, taking for granted. I think sometimes we do this with those old verses we learned so long ago. So I was grateful this week when God gave me a fresh picture of one of my favorites.

Since we are retired military, we do our grocery shopping at Shaw Air Force Base. I suppose I’m not unique in that, when I see a jet take off, I get a thrilled clutch in the pit of my stomach. Most especially I love the noise. We were driving a block over from the airfield and I saw a…sorry folks, I don’t know my planes…fighter jet take off and bank a deep turn and head straight up into the sky. My heart did a flipflop but my attention was immediately diverted when Steve slowed to a stop for a young man in uniform carrying a bag of trash across the street to a dumpster.

Both men, the pilot and the man walking across the street, wore the same uniform (well not the identical uniform, but you get my drift). Both serve the same country and belong to the same branch of service. But their jobs that particular day were vastly different.

At once, I was sitting in a circle in my childhood church with my fellow sunbeams, surrounded by the flannel board and the pictures of the good Samaritan and of Jesus with the lamb across His shoulders. And we were saying our verse for the week. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” That sentiment became such a part of my everyday life that I usually forgot its message.

The entire verse is as follows:
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.” (Ecclesiastes 9:10)

I’m assuming our leader thought the verse in its entirety was both too long and too dark for us wee ones. But reexamined as an adult, I take both encouragement and motivation from it. It says I have this one chance to become more like Jesus. I have this one chance to do whatever I’m doing with enthusiasm and love.

So whether you’re teaching a circle of toddlers a powerful story lesson or wiping down their toys with disinfectant wipes, be encouraged! Do it with all you’ve got. Whether you’re watching a son or daughter walk down the graduation aisle with pride or changing yet one more set of sheets that have been messed up by a little one with an upset stomach, know that what you’re doing matters. We all serve the same loving Father and He expects the best we have to offer Him!

Three Little Words

Well this could be about anything! Going green, save the planet – “Paper or plastic?” It’s not an emotion; it’s a verb! – “I love you.” Dress to impress on that interview – “We’re hiring you!” Don’t forget to live in the moment – “Be here now.” You can be anything you want to be – “Act as if!”

"Thank you, God." Three simple words that have the power to change our attitudes and set our lives on the right road. Before you dismiss this one as a simple, gratitude-is-expected devotional, give some thought to a way of life that could be a great challenge.

You got that promotion? Thank you, God! The medical test came back negative? Thank you, Father! The report card isn’t quite as good as you expected. Thank you, God. Someone cuts you off in traffic? Thank you, God. It’s strep, after all, and you’ll have to cancel that vacation. Thank you? Your husband has been transferred to the west coast and you have to leave your life as you know and love it. Father? The call comes in the middle of the night. Thank…you…God.

Getting the idea? It’s easy when it’s easy. But what if we could make it a way of life? And I don’t mean a rote mantra we say because it’s habit. I mean an honest gratitude for each and every blessing and challenge that comes our way. Because when our first impulse is to turn a grateful face to God, the results continue to increase our faith.

Satan begins to realize we’re not an easy target. Our reliance on God is our only strength and we put our complete trust in Him. We aren’t going to let life’s little bumps run us to the shoulder of the road in defeat.

When we are thanking Him, we are put in a position of seeing the possibilities in every trial, the potential for growth. “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope (Romans 5:3,4).”

Finally, our immediate gratitude acknowledges that we know that He has a plan and He is in control. And isn’t His complete control the idea after all? Life is just better when the One who loves us most and knows us best is driving the car.

Eph 5:20
Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Fairly Blossoming

How can you not relish an event that welcomes you with a two-story inflatable vanilla soft-serve cone? County fair and carnival all rolled into one, this midway featured not tilt-a-whirls, home-grown sows or berry pies, but flowers, plants, tropicals and still more hanging flowers. Get a bunch of plant lovers together; add gorgeous flowers, good prices and kettle corn to the mix and you get a frenzy of excitement!

Friends drove me fifty miles away to Florence where the Southern Plant and Flower Festival was being held at the Pee Dee State Farmers Market. Just makes you smile, doesn’t it? We arrived not long after the opening hour, but the parking lots were already full and we were directed to the last row in a field. We got out of the van and started walking as fast as three “mature” women can walk without actually running. People were already loading up their cars and we were afraid they would sell out before we could even get started.

When we arrived at the ice cream cone, I realized I had nothing to worry about. I have never seen so many plants and flowers in one place. We slowed down to a reasonable walking pace and I began to chat with people on either side of me. Can I just make a personal observation here? That is not my normal inclination, but folks here are just so friendly, you can’t resist the urge to pass a little time with them as you walk along.

Beautiful hanging baskets swung in a warm breeze and palm trees nodded at a lazy pace. Ferns waiting to be hung on front porches stood in potted rows. Flowering bedding plants of every kind lined up and begged for attention. They were all there – tropicals, orchids, begonias, vincas, geraniums, banana trees, bamboo, petunias, Shasta daisies, impatiens and more kinds of ferns than I realized exist.

I stood for just a moment and savored the sheer gentle, nostalgic quality of the scene. Everyone pulled red wagons full of favorites and sweet southern voices good-naturedly complained about the early heat. An occasional squeal of excitement over a discovery was balanced by the rise and fall of quiet laughter as plant-loving friends met by surprise.

We pulled our three red wagons full of ferns and flowers back to the van and then made two more return trips. When the van could hold not even one more bedding plant, we made our way through the craft and food booths in the center of the farmers’ market. We talked ourselves out of handmade bird houses and sampled dip made with Willie’s Hog Dust. (Good stuff, by the way. I bought a bottle.)

Tired and dusty, we decided to grab lunch and head for home. We staked out a place at a picnic table and feasted on hot dogs, hamburgers, French fries and funnel cake. It was one of my favorite days in my new home state.

And I left with my head held high! I sailed right past the fried Snickers and Milky Way candy bars without stopping.

Greater Is He

Perhaps I am an attention hog. I try to be a quiet attention hog. I’ve always been hopeful that no one knows this, though now you all do. I need love, positive reinforcement, warm fuzzies.

The entertainment business has never intrigued me in the least. I have far too many flocks of butterflies in my innards for it to appeal. But I so love the lyrics to Chris Sligh’s “Empty Me” because they absolutely represent the lesson I most need to learn:

“Empty me of the selfishness inside, every vain ambition and the poison of my pride and any foolish thing my heart holds to, Lord, empty me of me so I can be filled with you.”

I’ve read my Bible and I’ve heard the Sunday school teacher. My intellect knows the lesson: God wants to be my source of all – every need, want and desire – and He will provide. He does His best work in my life when I am desperately seeking Him.

So why does my heart crave what I get from people? Why do I need to hear good things from my friends? Why do I forget to just keep taking it to Jesus for His loving attention?

This morning I was feeling particularly “needy”. And I was talking to Jesus about this very thing and asking His forgiveness for being so stubborn. And I sat down at the computer and I hit “send and receive” and I received a precious email that gave me what I needed and so much more.

This time at least I had the good sense to first of all thank and praise God for it. And I sat for a while and basked in the glow of feeling good. Then, guess what I did?

Of course. I began to think “who can I tell?” Because it wasn’t enough for me to feel good. I needed for someone else, not to feel good with me, but to reinforce and tell me how I deserved that email.

I struggle with pride. I’m quite open about it, but I always add “not that I think I’m better than anyone else! I just like attention.” But isn’t it all the same thing? Doesn’t it all boil down to putting me first? Doesn’t matter at that point whether I put Jesus or other people second because I’ve already messed up the order!

Two sweet friends shared a scripture with me this past weekend and, because God’s Word never returns void, it took! (I kept my email to myself) And for that same reason, I’ll share it with you.

John 3:30
He must become greater; I must become less.

Treasure

Revelation 21:18-21
The wall was made of jasper (green or red), and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire (dark blue), the third chalcedony (light blue), the fourth emerald (green), the fifth sardonyx (brown or black striped), the sixth carnelian (orange red), the seventh chrysolite (light green), the eighth beryl (aqua), the ninth topaz (green), the tenth chrysoprase (apple green), the eleventh jacinth (dark blue-gray), and the twelfth amethyst (purple). The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.
(Above parentheses are added to further describe precious stones. Resource: http://www.revelationcreation.com/html/GemsOfTheNewJerusalem.html )

On the surface, it does sound pretty – I’ll give you that. Truth is, I can’t really imagine the sheer opulence of it. Some things my mind likes to try to describe; this one I prefer to just smile and anticipate.

I will tell you though, that in general, jewels are not so much my thing. I do have some really beautiful pieces that Steve bought me several years ago when they were more important to me. And I do treasure them because he gave them to me.

But something Beth Moore said in one of her videos pulled out an old argument that I have had with myself in the past. She said that if she could just have five minutes with Jesus when she gets to heaven, she has some things to ask Him.

Let me lay some groundwork. I have wondered about this in the past. There are so many believers and only one Jesus. And I do not believe that He will appear to many of us at once, yet separately like so many copies. I may be wrong; but to me He is unique and truly “The One and Only” (again, courtesy of Beth Moore).

So let me throw out a thought to you. I have absolutely no Biblical basis for this. This is totally just my mind wondering, wishing. But perhaps it will motivate you the way it has me ever since it occurred to me.

Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” At this stage of my life, Jesus is my treasure – there is no other. Listen to what Matthew 10:41 and 42 have to say:

Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.

So let’s say I visit a woman who is widowed and lonely. And I do it with a true and pure heart, simply out of love for Jesus. And I earn a reward in heaven for it. If my Jesus handed me a beautiful gem, a reward He had kept just for me, I would certainly and absolutely treasure it. But what if…what if a visit to a lonely person earned me a visit from Jesus in heaven? No Biblical basis for my question – only me, thinking and wondering.

Would a visit from Jesus not be a powerful incentive to do His work here? I will tell you, the simple idea makes me want to leap out of my chair and get busy! A reward earned here on earth and spent sitting at the feet of Jesus in heaven where my Treasure is.

Matthew 25:37-40
Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

Bloom!

We are all straining forward – looking around the corner, checking the 10-day forecast on weather.com, opening the door at night to lean out and look at the stars. Spring…it’s so close and we’re so ready! We’ve begun hearing frogs and crickets across the lake and the birds know it’s the first day of spring.

Driving home from church today, I happened to glance at one of the many fields that we pass, as yet unplanted. And there in the middle of one brown, hay-strewn field were several bunches of daffodils, waving in the wind and cheering me.

The bumper stickers and little wooden plaques hang in Stuckeys and Cracker Barrel General Stores. “Grow where you are planted.” It occurs to me that many of us are planted right now in brown, hay-strewn fields. Or we have family or friends that live there.

To the person in the checkout line at Safeway or Walmart, we may be the only breath of spring, bunch of daffodils she will see today. We don’t have to be governed by our surroundings, circumstances or the people we meet. We have the freedom to reach out and take hold of the joy, love and peace that is available from the Holy Spirit. And to pass it on. Bloom where you are planted!

2 Corinthians 2:14-15
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

Active Waiting

I have no control over my life. I know this. This is not a “self-control” issue discussion. I’m talking about external situations in my life that frustrate me or that I want to manage.

That’s not so unusual, is it? It’s always easier to accept a part of our life if we can do something to "keep moving forward" if you've seen Meet the Robinsons, to feel a little bit proactive. But in truth, we mainly have one option – prayer. Sometimes God opens doors that allow us to act or to advise. But sometimes, He doesn’t. And that’s where I am in several areas of my life.

I get a daily scripture on igoogle. Some days it really speaks to me; other days I think yeah, I know. I’ve read this one hundreds of times. This morning’s verse was nice, but I didn’t catch my breath in amazement at the message.

So I went on over to Comcast where my old email account remains. Every day there I get a devotional from Today’s Christian Woman and the same story goes there. Some days it feels right; some days I think, yeah? Okay, so?

This morning before I read my devotional, I asked God to speak to me through the words or the scripture. I read the scripture from Isaiah, the one about mounting on wings like eagles? And I thought, that’s a nice scripture. I like that one but I know it. I’m not getting chill bumps. And I went to take my shower and get dressed.

I was going over the verse in my mind when I was stopped in my tracks. And I began to smile and shake my head. How many times have I read or quoted that verse? And where it says, “those who wait on the Lord”, I’ve just mentally glossed over and replaced the phrase with “those who love God,” “those who do their Bible study,” “those who pray,” etc.

And today God tapped me on the shoulder with that little word “wait”! Because that’s what He’s been asking me to do. So I looked up the meaning in Strong’s. And you know what? It doesn’t say “pray and then worry about it” or “sigh and resign yourself to discouragement.” It says, “to wait, look for, hope, expect, look eagerly for.”

I’ve heard “wait” from Him. But today, He let me know that if I continue to pray and to WAIT, He will strengthen me and keep me energized to continue believing He has a plan and He is in control. And I can be joyful and soar with the eagles!

Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Wrapped Up in Royalty

I don’t watch the Academy Award shows any more. I don’t know the movies or even who most of the stars are. And I have to watch myself to keep that from being a point of pride, “It’s so worldly!” Bad as going the other direction and immersing myself so completely in it all that I’m obsessed with knowing each and every detail. I’ve been there too.

But, as I enjoy doing on occasion, I’m taking this one somewhere else.

Because you’d better believe that on Monday morning I’m on the internet looking at the dresses. And the hairdos. The sheer pageantry of it all. Why does that stuff appeal to us so much?

In 1981 I woke my sweet four-year-old daughter out of a sound sleep at about 5:00 in the morning to come and watch the wedding of a princess. I told her it would probably be her only chance to see in real life what she loved in fairy tales. Cinderella, Snow White, every little girl has the dream and moms (and grandmothers especially) support it with dresses, crowns and books.

Where does it come from, this fascination with royalty? Little boys love to play knight, or at least some game with swords and lots of noisy ceremony. Big boys go to the Xbox and do the same thing.

We all love the pomp and circumstance, the music, the complete spectacle. I believe that it comes from deep inside. The Bible supports it, in fact. In his book, “Heaven”, Randy Alcorn tells us “Psalm 2 speaks of Christ ruling ‘with an iron scepter’ and dashing the nations to pieces ‘like pottery’ (v. 9), a reference to the Messiah’s return, judgment, and perhaps his millennial reign. But once we enter the new heavens and New Earth, there’s no iron rule or dashing to pieces, for there’s no more rebellion, sin, or death. The vanquishing of sin doesn’t mean the end of Christ’s rule. It means the end of his contested rule and the beginning of his eternally uncontested rule, when he will delegate earthly rule to his co-heirs.”

My current pastors often refer to Christ as King Jesus and I love that. I’m not sure why more don’t! He will return and there will most definitely be pomp and circumstance and kingly rule. If we believe that, really believe it, we have much to be excited about! How can we not look to the sky and with John say, “Amen. Come Lord Jesus (Rev. 22:20).”

Philippians 2:9-11
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Baby Steps

First really warm day – summer side of spring. Do you ever feel like opening all the windows, hauling all the furniture out into the yard and bringing in the water hose? Let ‘er rip! Because spring cleaning should be that way. I get in my mind that I’m ready to wipe down the walls, wash the windows, vacuum the pet hair off the furniture, clean the closets – you get the idea.

And it’s also Monday morning. I face the same thing each Monday. Fresh new week – time to change the sheets, make sure all the laundry’s caught up, plan menus, wet mop the floors, churn the butter, spin the wool, and on and on.

Fresh new season, fresh new week, fresh new day. It really doesn’t matter. Because no matter the circumstance, I will attempt more than I can accomplish. And by noon on Monday, I’m beginning to slow and I look back at what I’ve done and decide I’m ready for a little break. I also begin to realize that I’ll not be able to do what I expected to do on this one day. Discouragement sets in and, if I’m not careful, with that, inertia.

So I’ve learned to take baby steps. I adopted them a long time ago in my writing with the realization that to look at a whole new project is entirely too overwhelming. But if I can simply do these three, tiny tasks…

It works with housework. It works with goal-setting. And it works with my time with God. Because here’s the way that goes:

I’m going to read one chapter in the Old Testament and one in the New. And I’m doing those two Bible studies. And I need to read the book for book group. Oh! And I’ve got those other two books going. I need to memorize scripture but I can’t find that scripture journal and I’m not going to just start learning verses without a plan. And I’ll do all that, but I really shouldn’t start until my house is clean because someone may knock on my door….

And at the end of the day, I may look back and see that I never spent any real time with God. I talk to Him all through the day, but I mean good, real, quiet, quality time alone with Him.

At this point you’re saying, don’t talk to me. You’re retired. Your time is your own and your children are grown. I have responsibilities, small voices calling my name, a long commute, a boss who undermines all my efforts.

But I have an idea. One I plan to use myself. One little verse, first thing every morning – radical thought, maybe even before my coffee. And five minutes alone with a God who adores me and who waits to greet me as I start my day, who wants to shoulder any burdens I may have to carry. Lock yourself in the bathroom and turn on the shower if you need to. Stuff a towel along the bottom of the door so small fingers can’t reach under and plead with you. (Just make sure they’re safe before you go in.)

One baby step toward becoming more like Christ.

Hebrews 12:2, 3
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

If you use Igoogle as your home page, there are several gadgets for daily Bible verses. Just search in gadgets for “daily verse”. I like Bible Gateway’s Verse of the Day (NIV) because it doesn’t take much room. Only the verse address is there and then you click on a little plus sign to expand and show the text.