"To every thing there is a season....."

Every morning on my way to work, I encounter a "traffic circle". I think another word for this type of configuration is a "round about". Anyway, whatever you choose to call it, it appears to be confusing to most everyone who drives into it.
I can only think of two of these type of traffic patterns in the whole Kansas City area. We mid-westerners, of course, are more accustomed to four-way stops, traffic lights and left-turn arrrows than we are with "traffic circles".
We just don't seem to know how they work! Are you supposed to use your turn signal or not? I tried using mine a couple of times, but it didn't seem to matter. There is absolutely no way to tell the direction an on-coming car will go.
And, it seems that people are confused about how and when to yield. Most of the time I just sit in my lane, until all traffic, in any direction is long gone. I think it's better than getting whacked by the car you thought was going to turn.

Hence that old saying........She who hesitates, doesn't get tossed!

Patient God. We are waiting for you to come this advent season. Good things do come to those who wait. You are so patient with us, as you listen to our wants and hear our demands. Why is it so hard for us to be accepting and patient? Why can't we listen more and talk less?
Guide us and teach us to be the people you truly want us to be.

"WE GATHER TOGETHER"

Today, my friends and I gave away Thanksgiving Dinner to nearly 1500 families. That's 1500 turkeys, 1500 pies, 1500 dozen eggs, 1500 boxes of margarine, 1500 cans of green beans, 1500 boxes of stuffing and mashed potatoes, 1500 cans of cranberries sauce, and more.
And, you know what? 1500 families may have gotten a couple of bags of groceries, but, my friends and I got much more out of the experience than a traditional holiday meal.
We had the opportunity to see God in the eyes of those families. We saw humbleness, gratitude and joy in the eyes and smiles of those families. We saw dignity and pride, because they will be able to prepare and feed their family and friends in their own homes. For the people who came through our Operation Thanksgiving line today, I am truly grateful.
Okay, I'm exhausted, but I am truly grateful.

"Lord of all, to thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise." This is the best holiday of all. Thank you God for being with us through the good and the bad. We are survivors because you stand with us.

A is for ................

It's been a long, long, very long time, since I needed to draw on my Pre-school teaching skills. But, this week I was asked to fill in for an absent day-care worker at the mission.
I was just fine in the "diaper-change" arena. I excelled (this is my opinion, of course) in the "let's share the toys" category. However, I was a little rusty in "finger play and sing-along" instruction.
My first sing-along selection was " The Grand old Duke of York". It used to be so easy to get up and down from those "blessed little folk chairs". OMGolly, that was 40 years ago! Then I struggled through "My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean" (You jump up every time you say a B word).
Okay, Okay, I was panting by then!
My next shot was "finger play". Breathlessly, I attempted those. The kids, all 7 of them, were looking at me rather strangely by then. They were probably thinking, "Who is this crazy old lady, what in the name of Dora is she doing, and why is she bothering us?"
Egad. I could be a great-grandma! When did that happen????


Good God. Thank you for the stages of life. I love being my age. What a joy it is to remember being young and not having to be there any more.
The memories are great. The blessings of age are truly wonderful.

I've been Mugged!!!!!!!

Don't call the hospital or send flowers. The "Mug" project has been successful.
A couple of months ago, I sent out an email request to my United Methodist Women friends, throughout the state. I asked them to search through their kitchen cabinets, for a few underused coffee mugs. Our clients at the mission like to drink coffee, you see, but the thought and cost of
Styrofoam cups seemed like such a waste. And, everybody could use a little extra space in their cabinets.
"Don't mail them", I said. Just box them up and somehow they will find their way to my door. I was aiming for 200 mugs. Carol brought about sixty, from a gathering in Columbia. Mary brought some from Springfield. Annette collected a bunch from south Kansas City, and Carol, from Kearney, is bringing more by today. I have those 200 mugs. They have come from everywhere.
God works in mysterious ways. All of my contributors have been in mission to those in need of God's goodness.
Thank you all very much.

In this season of Thanksgiving, our emotions run near the surface. We are indeed thankful for our many blessings. We have experienced emotional and physical want, and we know that you can provide us with everything that we truly need.
Dear God, open our eyes and our hearts.

We the people......

Tonight, I had the opportunity to lead a small class in citizenship. My four students were all women immigrants, coming from 4 different African nations. My task was to instruct them in the "100 questions". My first task was to learn what the "100 questions" actually is or maybe it's are!
Well, it seems in order to become a citizen, one of the requirements is to be able to answer 10 randomly chosen questions from a published list of "100 questions". A prospective citizen must know all 100 questions and answers in order to answer 10. Well, actually you can miss four out of 10, and still pass that part of the test.
So, the questions we covered tonight were: 1) What is the supreme law of the land? 2) What does The Constitution do? 3) What are the first three words of The Constitution?
Do you know the answers to those questions?
My students are eager to learn. They thanked me over and over as they left the room tonight. I am awed by the responsibility.

God of all nations. I wonder if you laugh at our attempts to form a "more perfect union". You have created a perfect universe. It is our arrogance that has messed it up. WE lift you up as our creator and we have been given so much. We honor you and we seek to do your will. Bless us in our humble endeavors.

" And The Word was Made Life"

This week's sermon was entitled " The Conversion", but up on the requisite (today's society can read, but their hearing is questionable) three video screens was the word "Conversation". Someone had messed up, big time.

The pastor's message was a fine example of touching on tithing (it's that time of year, you know) as the final conversion in a Christian's life. By the way, our current pastor does a great job of delivery and his theology, in my opinion, is right on.

But, one word posted ( center, left and right, in giant letters) throughout the sermon, and another word in the preaching, was confusing. What's was the right word. Was it conversion or conversation?

Here is what I concluded. (Take note of my alliteration skill.) The two common words are not contradictory. They complement each other. As we grow in our Christian life, we choose to hold many conversations with God. We question, we praise, we accept, and we pray. All of these conversations contribute to our personal conversions.

Dear God: Call us into your community of Christ. We are in continual awe of your power and might.
Allow us to cling to you, O Lord, as we constantly struggle through our daily living. You are our salvation and our strength.

Once Upon a Time.......

Our oldest son came back to Kansas City for his 20th High School Reunion, this past weekend. He was nervous about reuniting with old friends that he hadn't seen, face to face, in 20 years. And,just like mom and dad told him he would, he had a really great time.
Reunions are an interesting concept. We all know that we can't go back 20,30 or even 50 years, to the time when we were young and relatively unblemished by the trials of everyday life. And truthfully, most of us really wouldn't want to revisit that yesteryear. (Just try to name ten truly happy teenagers!) However, we continue to go back to high schools or hometowns, on occassion, perhaps hoping to catch a glimpse of our youth, of the "good old days". But, fun as they are, reunions are over after a day or two, and we must return to the present.

Ageless God. We thank you for the ups and downs of life. We thank you for the experiences, good and bad that have made us what we have become. Because God, you are good and you have been there with us always. You are our constant throughout all of our years. You have blessed us with the past AND the present.