STORMS…..

There was a pretty fierce storm that came through the other day. Pretty fierce for this area anyway.

My grandsons are here, and they were both intrigued, but also fearful of the sudden dark clouds that rolled in, the winds that started blowing, and the thunder that rumbled in the air.

I have to admit that I also, was intrigued, but fearful. I have never enjoyed thunder and lightning, and certainly did not enjoy the sudden change of the weather that made the whole day look so drastically different then how it started.

As the storm got bigger, the fear in the boys got bigger. None of us had any control over what was happening…..but we know the One who did. We gathered together and prayed. Prayed that He would control the degree of the storm, that He would be in control of where it went, how long it lasted and most important that we would not be afraid, knowing that truly HE CONTROLS THE STROMS!…….”even the wind and waves obey Him” Mk. 4:41

I am so thankful He is in control of the storms in my life. How else would I go on………He controls the intensity, how long it lasts, how hard the winds blow, how high the waves hit, how long the thunder rumbles, where the lightning hits……..

If I did not know that, the storms of life would have taken me with them long ago. I have to remember to gather together and pray and pray and pray…

STORYTIME

I want to tell you a little story. My adorable little boy came to me when he was about 7 years old and reported that he had volunteered our home for his class bird for the summer. Now you need to realize that those beautiful blue eyes, the infectious smile, the tender heart….we ended up with a tiny little zebra finch for the summer.

There was only one problem….my son had to be gone for several weeks out of the summer to visit his father. Guess who that leaves to care for “Thunderbird?”

Well, one beautiful summer day, I got this bright idea that I should clean the cage and have it all fixed up for the day my little boy came home. My first thought was “what do you do with the bird while you clean the cage?” I knew I could not put it in a sack….that was not an option. Then I had a BRILLIANT idea!!! I could put the bird under my laundry basket since it had holes in it like a bird cage…. Now I did not realize I should have measured the holes, in comparison to the size the bird “Thunderbird” needed to fly free.

Yep, before I knew it I had a bird flying around my house. Now, I don’t know about you, but I do not like the idea of having bird droppings in my house, let alone anywhere or everywhere in my house! I did not mention that the bird was also a little crippled in one wing, so would fly and land, fly and land, fly and land. I grabbed a dishtowel and proceeded to try to throw the towel over the bird when it landed. For being a crippled bird, it still was very fast!!!

After chasing it around most of the downstairs of the house, behind the TV, behind an end table, under the dining room table, throwing the towel the whole time to see if I could make it land; it finally made its’ escape……behind the piano.

Now you must understand, this is a piano from the 1800’s. We are talking an upright, huge piano. It takes 6 men to move it.  So, guess what? I have a bird behind my piano. It was chirping, then it was suddenly very quiet….How was I going to explain to my precious little boy that I caused his bird to have a heart attack behind the piano?

About that time, the phone rings, and I remember that I am supposed to meet my husband for lunch….15 minutes ago. After explaining to him what had gone on, he said that he would just come home for lunch. I proceeded to try to just inch the piano a bit out….no way, no how. I grabbed my broom and tried to scare the bird out….again…no way. Still, silence. I just new Thunderbird was probably dead behind my piano, and there was no way I was able going to get the bird out, let alone replace him. There was absolutely nothing I could do on my own. I was done trying, and I was laying in front of the piano with the broom in one hand and the towel in the other crying when my husband walked in the door. He sat down on the floor and held me and let me cry out my frustration (I am certain he was trying not to laugh at this circus, but was kind enough to not let me know that at the time.)

Have you ever felt like you had a bird behind your piano. Something that you needed to take care of and there is no way in the whole wide world you can do it by yourself? And, even if you found a way to scrape through the situation, it may come out in yucky pieces…:)

I have often looked back on that situation, and realized how many times in life I try to do life on my own, only to become frustrated, frazzled, and ready to give up. If I would stop and realize there is help. The scriptures say “…never will I leave you or forsake you” (Josh.1:5b) Wow, NEVER, NEVER, that is a long time…..just as ETERNITY  is a long time. I NEVER want to try to do life on my own….and know I will be ready for ETERNITY if I walk with Jesus. Even when I feel frazzled; life just has a way of doing that to us sometimes.

…..and for the bird….it was playing dead. As soon as my husband was able to inch the piano out it started to move, but not before I was able to throw the towel over it!

ANOTHER SHOCK…..

Wow, another friend went to be with the Lord a few days ago. It was a shock to all who knew him, and there will be a huge void in alot of lives. His ministry reached to so many. We do not grieve for him, we grieve because of the void in the lives he touched. But, we know that he is “home.” Now, in our eyes it looked like his work here on earth was not done, that he was reaching people that others could not…but God knows the number of our days, and there are no mistakes with God. HE HAS A PERFECT PLAN.

Let’s examine our lives and think about if God took us home today. I am not saying this as a harsh “what if” to make you squirm or have a pessimistic view; actually just the opposite! I want you to make each day count! Every tick of the clock is our life! Every breath we take is a precious gift that is ours to use to live to the fullest.

I want you to think about if you knew you only had a few more days left on earth. What would you do with your time? Would you make some relationships right? Would you write that letter you have been needing to write? Would you make that phone call? Would you talk to God about where He stands in your life?

Sunday is Easter. I went to a class Wednesday night that showed a video on the cross of Christ. The man that was speaking in the video said that when the king dies for the people, it doesn’t make a statement about the people, it makes a statement about the king. WOW! That really made me think. I don’t want it to get so that I forget what it says about Jesus; that He died for the people….the people that were asking for Him to be crucified.

Let’s take a few minutes to think about these things this Easter week-end. I want to make the most of my life, and the most of my death….all thanks to our King Jesus!

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Ok, now we have talked about distractions, we have talked about what you may or may not think about eternity, and we have talked about what we do with our days that we are given. Now what?
I have to tell you that I have been thinking alot about life and what we do with our lives. We (meaning family and friends) just celebrated my mom’s 90th birthday. Now, not everyone has the privilege of celebrating their parents 90th birthday, nor has the privilige of celebrating their own 90th birthday. At this point in my life, I can not even imagine celebrating my 90th birthday. My health is such that I can not imagine my body lasting that long….although that is not for me to decide. Psalm 139:13-16 lets me know clearly that our creator knows when and why I was formed and how long my life will be….WOW what a thought! By the way, that applies to you, too. I would like to challenge you to read that; in fact if you read it every day, it will change your mind set on if you are “feeling” important about your life. YOU WERE MEANT TO BE!!!
I have not always “felt” like I was “meant to be.” That may have come from several different reasons, not blaming anybody, but things are said as you are growing up, and things are done when you are growing up that make you wonder sometimes.
Well, I want to tell you that YOU ARE MEANT TO BE, AND YOU DO HAVE A PURPOSE AND YOU ARE MADE TO LIVE A LIFE OF PURPOSE NOW, AND HAVE BEEN MADE TO LIVE A LIFE ETERNALLY WITH THE LORD IN HEAVEN!!!!!
Do you believe that?
Whether you do or not, it is true.
Now, I happen to know that my mother of 90 years did not always “feel important.” If you would have been at her party, you would have seen all the people that she has touched with her life, and made a difference in lives in one way or another.
If we live to be 20, 50, or 90, we have the choice to do just that.
The most important thing we can do is affect people’s lives for eternity. Everyone has a destination….we do not just die, and that is it. You need to be sure.
My mom did take her children to church faithfully, where we did hear about Jesus, and make our decisions on our own about which path we were going to follow. I am thankful for that. What about you? It is not an excuse if someone did not take you to church or point you in the right direction, you have a choice now.  I am here to tell you, God loves you, He made you purposely, and He wants you to choose to be His child……for eternity!

Penny

DISTRACTIONS…

Do you realize how easy it is to get distracted from what is important today?
What is on your agenda today? Is is “just another day” or do you have something EXCITING happening today?
It is so easy to get distracted from what today is supposed to mean to us. What is today supposed to mean?
Psalm 118:24 says “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Are you? Am I?
Yesterday my daughter was telling me about working in her back yard. She said where they had cut down an apple tree that there were little sprigs popping up everywhere, it just would not give up. It made me think about if I am doing that or not. I want to be so diligent this day, that no matter what happens, even if I am “cut down” that I will keep popping up! I believe that if we keep our eyes on the fact that this day was made purposely by OUR CREATOR, that we can live this day purposfully!
I know it is so easy to just focus on “just making it through,” But, even in that, if we don’t get distracted that this day was given as a gift, we can rejoice in it, and know that God has a purpose for the day and for you and I being alive today!

Soooo, what are you doing with your day? I hope you have chosen wisely, as you have traded this day(which you will NEVER have another one like it) for whatever you are doing with it.

Have you thought about eternity today? If so, what brought it to your mind? I have thought alot about eternity this week.

First, I had some surgery. Every time I have had to go “under” , I always kind of wonder if I will wake up on earth, or in heaven! There really is no reason to think I would not make it through, but it is also good to know that we can not take any day for granted. 

Secondly, we had a friend go to heaven this week. I am sure that as he drove home he did not realize that he would not make it home, but end up “home”. I am sure that he would not choose to come back at this point because of the unfathomable things that await us when we belong to Jesus, but still, what a shock for those left behind. Do you think he made any difference in anybody’s life……I know he did.

Have you made any difference in anybody’s life today? Have you offered a smile, a word of encouragement, or even a “hi”. I know that we do not even remember how that may change someone’s day. It does mine. Especially when inside I am saying….” I did not ask for a day like this…..” Have you ever said that?

Again, about eternity;  “Life is about 10 percent how you make it….and 90 percent how you take it” (source unknown). Think about your eternity…..think about others’ eternity….remember we have today, that is why it is called the “present”.

Just a thought about eternity thinking…

“Eternity thinking,” that seems like almost one of those “super-spiritual” words. Is it really though? We all have an eternity to consider, (even if one chooses to not believe that there is not life after death, it does not change the fact that something happens when we are gone)

 

What are some of the views on what happens after death? Heaven for all no matter what, (that would be GREAT!!!); we return to the ground and that is it; reincarnation; we have our own planet to rule, (eeks, I have a hard time organizing my own life, let alone a planet…) soul sleep, and I am sure many others.

 

Whatever the case, there is the fact that no matter what you believe, your life is going to impact somebody, somehow, for good or bad. You will be remembered even for a little while by someone. What if someone bases a decision on your example? People watch, whether you know it or not, and whether we like it or not. In the next couple of entries that I make, I will give you some personal examples…. (good and bad). We are here for a purpose, there is a greater plan. BUT, what does that have to do with ETERNITY THINKING……What does eternity mean anyway? We will explore that in days to come.

 

 One thing we do know, one out of every one person dies. What if, just what if there is life after death. If you know that there is GREAT!! We are one step ahead of the game. If you are exploring that, FABULOUS! You have come to the right site!!!! And I am excited to walk a journey of why we are here with you!!!

Penny

Walking and Weeping

Last week I watched two people, a husband and wife, a couple, walk and weep at the same time. The circumstances surrounding their walking and weeping really don’t matter. Nor does it matter why I was witness to it.

In the five days since I viewed them, I have told some family and friends about it. I usually say something like this, “I know this sounds weird. But I saw these two people walking and weeping. At the same time. Like they were clutching each other and walking, but also weeping. I’ve never seen that before.” People I said this to would look at me like, “Okay so what’s so special about that.”  They have seen people walk. And they have seen people weep. As have I. But none had seen the two together. Nor did they think it would be remarkable if they did. I must find it quite remarkable because I keep telling people about it.

If I were going to critique their walking and weeping. I would say they were very successful at the weeping, but not so good at the walking. That’s probably why they were clutching each other so tightly. If you think I am trying to be flippant about the grief other people suffer, I’m not. Please don’t think I am.

As I watched them, I wondered would they even remember this walking and weeping. Would they comment later in life, “Remember that time we were so and so, to see such and such, and we were walking and weeping at the same time?” Probably not. But I know I will. Their story has a beginning, middle and end. The part I have shared with you is a very small slice of that day. And yet, a day, a year, a decade from now, when I remember that day, that event, that moment, it will be included in how their story impacted me.  

Okay, so…… so what? I know. I know. I should really not be caring so much about this. But I do. For a person who wants very little to do with any kind of weeping, much less combining it with any kind of walking, I find the idea of it very freeing. What else can I do while walking? But, more importantly, what else can I do while weeping? And why would I even want to do something else? Why would I even want to multi-task while crying? I guess I wouldn’t, but now that I know the option is available, I embrace it in it’s entirety.

Lynn

The Assignment

This was the assignment: Spend the evening of Sunday December 21^st impacting, touching, ministering to our community. We sat down as a family to creatively brainstorm on what to do.

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This is what we came up with: Find people who work outside (bell ringers, gas station attendants) and bring them hot cocoa and cookies and tell them that Jesus loves them.

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This is how it went: Youngest daughter and son were our production crew, preparing and packing drinks and snacks. Husband was our driver. Oldest daughter and I got out of the car, handed the target person their drink and cookies. I said to the person, “Jesus loves you.” Kelly said, “Have a merry Christmas.”

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This is what went wrong: Youngest daughter was not feeling well that Sunday night. So we moved it to Monday night. We did not get out the door with cocoa and cookies until 7:30pm. We could not find any bell ringers working anywhere. So we delivered to gas station attendants.

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This is what went right: Most of the people already knew that Jesus loves them. Or they were generally very appreciative of the warm drink and food.

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This is what we will do different next year:

Bell ringers stop working at 6pm. That’s why we could not find any of them. Know where the bell ringers are located and get to them sometime before 6pm.

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Make the cookies at least a week ahead of time. Then freeze them, to take and grab whenever the time is right.

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Don’t park beside the gas pumps, because as one disappointed attendant said, “So, does this mean you don’t want any gas?” We should have bought at least five dollars worth just to help him feel productive.

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This is what I learned about myself: I found it easier to say, “God loves you.” Instead of “Jesus loves you.” I found the name of Jesus sticking in my throat. Kind of like coughing up a furball. My politically-correct-influenced-brain thought it more appropriate to say God, rather then Jesus. I found this revelation about myself, startling and odd. People I know or whom I am building a relationship with, hear the name of Jesus slide easily out of my mouth. I, without even much thought, thank Him, acknowledge Him and even pray to Him, out loud, in the presence of believers and non-believers. His name is a spoken presence in many conversations, both personal and impersonal. Why could I not as easily say, “Jesus loves you” to a stranger? I don’t know. But, it is something I am praying and thinking about. I am looking for ways to challenge this unexpected behavior in my life. Can I say “Jesus loves you” to the grocery clerk, the mailman, the newspaper boy? I will try to. So, I am making it one of my goals to explore in this New Year, 2009.

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Lynn