Saturday, May 28, 2011

"Live Like You Were Dying"

In the past few days,our area has experienced some of the most horrific weather imaginable. Everyone I speak to has personal ties to the numerous tornadoes, windstorms and floods that have hit us so hard this Spring. With our instant media sources we have been bombarded with photos of before and after views of the devastation. We have been talking of nothing else.
Lives have been changed in a matter of seconds. People, their homes, and businesses were fine and then, in the blink of an eye, everything is gone. The stories of loss are so moving. A simple afternoon trip to WalMart, and dozens of lives are lost forever.
Everyone affected by the storms needs our prayers and our support. Lots of churches and organizations are participating in relief projects. We can all join in the effort to help the victims.
And, it might just be a good idea to hug on your own loved ones just a little more. Life is so fragile and precious. We take our blessings for granted.

God. We believe that you are the one constant in our lives. We ask for physical, emotional and spiritual healing for all of your people. Help us to be strong. Help us to be the best that we can be during our time on Earth. Show us how to be a truly loving and thankful people.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

A Wrinkle in Time

Recently, I viewed a picture of myself taken at age 11 or 12. Well, most of us have photos of ourselves at that age, however, I had never seen the particular photo before. I found it in a book published about my hometown. Never even knew that such a photo existed.
Wow! Seeing it brought back some really sweet memories. There I stand, frozen in time, in a glass window front above the main street in my home town. I'm the ninth little Girl Scout from the left, singing Christmas Carols. All of us are in our uniforms. It's a black and white photo (we're talking the nineteen fifties here, after all), but I can recall the green uniforms, green socks and yellow neck scarves.
I remember the names of almost all of my fellow scouts. The point is, I had forgotten all about doing the caroling on Broadway, all those years ago. It was a big deal then, but it had slipped from my memory.

Gracious Lord. In your wisdom, you have made us imperfect. Our memories are selective. We don't like remembering the unhappy pictures. But, sometimes all we can do is remember the sad and bad pictures. We forget about the good pictures. Thank you for helping us, against our natures, to recall the good pictures.

(I'll try to get this photo posted.)

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Now you see it........ Now you don't.

Yesterday, I needed to go to a county office on a car licensing issue. The person who waited on me had a BIBLE, visible on his desk. What a great idea! Put your faith right out there for every one to see. This clerk wanted people, that he deals with every day, to know that he is a Christian. We are known by our trappings, for sure.
I once worked for a man (not very long, PTL)who had a calendar of naked women on his desk. It was pretty obvious what kind of creep he was. He made everyone who dealt with him really uncomfortable.
So, look around your workspace. What can your visitors and co-workers determine about you from that desktop, kitchen counter, computer station or whatever you call work?

Good God, thank you for eyes. Sometimes what we are looking for is right there in plain sight. A Bible may be only a collection of papers with words on them. But, to me it's a collection of words and stories that help me make decisions on how to live.
I want people to know Whose I am.
I know that I am far from the best Christian, walking and talking today, but with YOUR help, You can show me how to live.

Monday, May 2, 2011

1, 2, 3, go.......

I've been doing a lot of counting recently. During a recent "Volunteer Recognition Week", I handed out small beaded ropes to our volunteers. The explanation attached to these small gifts was one that came from one of my many crocheting activity books. Seems like most major religions use beaded objects for prayer count, etc. So, I reasoned why not give these little things out and suggest that my volunteers use them to "count" their blessings.
The volunteers accepted the gifts, and maybe we'll have a few more thankful folk in the world.
I have also been using a counting trick as a means to speed up my "falling asleep" at night. Here's what you do. Pick any large even number. Now concentrate on subtracting three from that number..then three more....etc. It puts me to sleep right away.
Now, maybe this only works for mathematically challenged people. But, I suggest you try it.

God. Our blessings are countless and our worries amount to nothing. Keep our eyes on the future. Looking back does none of us any good. Help us to focus on what is to come. Thank you, God, for your guidance and assurance. Amen.