Fruit Loops

Ahoy, Mateys! This may come as a surprise to some of you, but I believe that Kansas (old, flat, dull and colorless Kansas), is the most beautiful state in the Union....anytime of the year.
   In winter, the rolling Flint Hills (mid-central part of the state) glisten with pristine snowfalls and even the dried out August hills are glorious in their starkness. When springtime touches Kansas, those same hills are ablaze with riotous splotches of wild flowers.
   Kansas really isn't flat, you know.
   But, nothing compares with my native Kansas at harvest time. From Emporia, to the border of Colorado, Kansas shows off her amazing bounty in "amber waves of grain." Her seemingly endless wheat fields do indeed resemble a sea of gold. And, as the ever-present Kansas wind blows across those millions of blades of grain, it is not hard to imagine ocean waves, rolling and sparkling with glistening shades of yellow.
   This week, as I traveled the wide loop from Kansas City to Hutchinson and back, it was easy to reflect on God's fruitful nature. Because of an extremely early Spring, with perfect weather condtions, there promises to be a bountiful harvest. After all, Kansas is the Wheat State. She is the Bread Basket of the Nation. And, to quote a long-gone Kansas educator........."Kansas is the Navel of the Nation."

Blessed Lord: Thank you for allowing us to witness your bounty. Remind us to be thankful, not only during the "harvests" of our lives, but also during the less than bountiful times.You give us Your best.
Your steadfast love and mercy endures forever.

"It's a small world, after all."

We often get adult students, at work, who are not literate in their native languages. Believe it or not, many adults in this world, have not had the opportunity to attend school and cannot read or write. Many folks in Asia, Africa, and in South America come as refugees and immigrants to America, totally illiterate. In my present job, I have encountered numerous people, more women than men, who are unable to write or read anything in the language they have spoken for all of their 40,60 or even 70 years. It is not unusual to give a woman a simple pencil and paper and watch her make marks on it.....in wonderment...for more than an hour at a time.
Last Thursday, one of our new students, who has been stuggling to write her name and who is clueless as far as any English(spoken or written)had a real "light-bulb" moment. Actually, I think it was more than that. I think it was a "God moment." Our student met a volunteer who was actually speaking to her, in a language that they both could understand.
I can't imagine how she must have felt. What a struggle it has been for her to try to understand our teachers and to make herself understood.

Dear God: Thank you for coming to class last week. Thank you for sending us that volunteer. You were with us in the face of our volunteer and we saw You in the face of our student. We saw You work a miracle.
Keep us open to Your miracles and open to doing Your work. Your steadfast love endures forever.

Watch it!

My morning commute takes me, not out on the freeway, but straight into the heart of the city on a major North/South street. This path gives me relatively speedy access to my destination in the inner city, but I do have to stop frequently.
My solitary commute, with its numerous stops, allows me to observe fellow travelers in their vehicles, and I am convinced that when we drive alone, we assume that we are invisable to everyone else on the road.
This morning I witnessed the following: three drivers eating; two women applying make-up; three folks on the phone; one guy getting dressed (or maybe undressed); and two people nose mining. Each driver was oblivious to anyone else on the road. OMGolly, why is that? Don't we realize that a car is essentially a glass box and not our own private world? TMI, people!
Don't do anything in your car that your mama would scold you about!!!!!!

All knowing and all seeing God, we know that we are never truly alone. You are always there with us...watching, guiding and loving. May we never forget that you are our constant co-pilot on our life commute.
Remind us to always think of others and to follow the path that you have shown us, through your example and Word.