Unexpected Blessings

One of our two cars has been out of commission all week. The belt wouldn't stay on for some reason. My husband had put it back on several times but it would just slip off when the van was driven. So, we parked it in the driveway and our other van became the family taxi. I would drop hubby off at work, drive to school for the day, return to pick him up from work in the evening and then he would pick our daughter up from working her late shift. We made it work because there was no other choice. A dear friend saw our need and said, "Maybe I could have [my husband] come over to take a look at it." And she did. He came Wednesday and discovered it was the harmonic balancer (which mean absolutely nothing to me except that it wouldn't keep the belt on...or our harmony was not balanced!) He said if we got the part and a new belt, he would fix it Saturday.

Fast forward to tonight. When hubby got off work, we needed to go get the part. I had printed out the paper with the information so I looked to see whether we needed to go to Auto Zone or Advance Auto Parts. Drew said, "It's the same price at both places." Knowing that they were both on the same road, I said, "But you have a rewards card for Auto Zone. We might as well go there." So, off we went.

We walked in and were the only customers in the store. We showed the paper to the gentleman and he gladly went and go the part and belt. He rang it up and it came to $92.00 with tax. The guy scanned Drew's rewards card and said, "You have $20.00 in rewards on your card. Would you like to use this towards your purchase?" Ummm...YES!!! I now know exactly why I knew we should go to Auto Zone and not advanced.

Not only are we blessed with amazing friends but God's guidance. Thank you, Lord!

Fix What's Broken

We live in a broken world. Broken cars, broken homes, broken dreams, broken people. Unfortunately, many of us don't realize we're broken. I happen to be one that realizes it. Now, I spend lots of time asking God to break me to mold me into what He wants me to be. Being broken to be made into what He wants is a good thing. But being broken and not asking to be fixed is a bad thing.

As I sat here watching Joyful Noise with Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton, I heard a song. It's a short song. The words repeat over and over. However, it's a song that should be every Christian's prayer. I know it's now my daily prayer. These simple words were written by Jennifer Hudson. Queen Latifah sang them beautifully. Jesus, fix me!

Fix me Jesus, fix me
Oh fix me, oh fix me, oh fix me
Fix me Jesus, fix me

Fix me for my home on high
Fix me Jesus, fix me
Fix me for the by and by
Fix me Jesus, fix me

Fix me for my starry crown
Fix me Jesus, fix me
Fix me for a higher ground
Fix me Jesus, fix me

Oh fix me, oh fix me, oh fix me
Fix me Jesus, fix me
Fix me Jesus, fix me
(Fix me Jesus)
Oh fix me

Just As I Am

Many of us have been singing this hymn of invitation for years. But have you really paid attention to all the words? Have you thought about what it means to truly come to Jesus "just as you are?" That's a scary thought. The good news is that o matter what kind of baggage you may be carrying, Jesus welcomes us in when we are humble enough to ask. Tired of trying to do things on your own? Finally realize you can't make it through life with Christ? Come to Jesus...just as you are!

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Hath broken every barrier down;
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, of that free love
The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
Here for a season, then above,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Lessons Learned on a Saturday

I took my parents to run some errands today. What started as an errand trip ended up being a really fun morning/early afternoon. We started at a local farm to get some fall decorations. I get to decorate my parents' front yard on Monday :) We went for coffee then to the grocery store. Sounds like a fairly boring day, right? Wrong! Here's what I learned today.

1. There is a "pumpkin" that is pink and looks like it has barnacles or peanut shells attached to it. It's called a Peanut Squash.

2. Watching people at Starbucks is fun. I saw an elderly gentleman doing his Bible study, a family that had just completed the Color Run, college students working on homework and a family from Pakistan (or somewhere around there) working on sight words with their Kindergarten student.

3. I learned that the motto "God is my Co-Pilot" really rubs me the wrong way. Folks, if He is your co-pilot, YOU'RE IN THE WRONG SEAT!!!!!

4. I met Melinda who works in the meat department at Meijer. She is from Poland. She moved here with her family 20 years ago but sends her kids to Poland every summer to visit family. I met a lady in the produce section who is expecting a baby any day. She is from Bosnia. Her Mom is here to be with her when the baby is born. Just saying hello to people around you may put a smile on their face. Take time to make someone's day a little brighter.

5. I learned that running into a childhood friend and her Mom after many years can be great! This lady was someone I thought was really my Aunt for many years. I still call her Aunt Joy. Her daughter and I were able to share memories from our childhood.

6. I learned that fall colors are simply stunning.

7. Most importantly, I learned that my parents can be tons of fun! It was nice to hear them laugh, see them smile and hear the say (multiple times) "I'm having so much fun!"

What a blessed day!

There Are Places...

There are places I've been that I'd like to go back to. There are places I wasn't crazy about the first time so I wouldn't waste my time to go back. Of course, there are also places I've never been but would love to go. Some I may never get to. Some I may. One of them, I know without a doubt I'll see.

I'd love to walk into my Grandparents' back door even just one more time. I'd love to hear my Grandma shouting, "They're here!!" as I come into the back breezeway. I'd love to walk down their long lane with my Aunt just one more time to get the mail. I'd love to go back to Orlando. No, not to go to Disney World. I am happy I can say I've been there. But that's not my kind of thing. However, I'd go back to Epcot in a heartbeat! I'd love to go back to Nashville, Tennessee. I'd love to go back to Gaither's studio in Alexandria, Indiana. I wouldn't mind going back to the east coast. I would welcome a trip back to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. I would love to go back to Brazil and see Cristo de Redentor and Pao de Azucar again. I'd love to stroll the artistically laid tile sidewalks and have a bowl of grape ice cream at Mistura Tropical. Some of these places I may get to go back to. Some can never be revisited.

I dream of going to London, Italy, and Germany. I would love to go to New York to eat in a little diner, see a show, see Lady Liberty and visit Times Square. A trip to Chicago again would be fun. I would love a trip to Great American Ball Park to see my Reds play. I'd like to see mountains. Some of these I may see and some I may not.

One place I know without a doubt I will see one day I'm told has gates made of pearls and streets made of gold. I've gotten that information from a pretty reliable source. I have people waiting for me there. I have things here to do still. I'm not planning on a trip in the near future. However, I know that when my Host is ready for me, He'll bring me there. Matthew 7:21 says, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." I am striving to live my life in the center of that will. I don't want to miss out on the plane-less flight to heaven when my time comes. I hope you won't miss that trip either!

Belonging

I had a sleepless night last night. Extreme shoulder pain coupled with the fact I was afraid I would miss all 3 of the alarms set to wake me up for work in the morning kept me tossing and turning. As I was turning on the invisible rotisserie, God placed this thought in my mind.

You know how it feels when you really feel like you're in the wrong place and don't belong there or with those people? I've felt that way. I'm sure we all have. You can feel that way at church, in your neighborhood, at a party, at work...I've felt it in most of those places. Sometimes it doesn't matter if you "belong" there or not. Sometimes you're not there for the people. But when you spend more of your waking hours someplace than anyplace else, it helps to feel like you belong. 

Last year I worked in a place where I felt like I didn't belong. Yes, I made a couple amazing friends and am thankful to continue those friendships. I loved each of my students dearly and miss them greatly! However, I truly never felt like I belonged. There were luncheons I wasn't included in, meetings I couldn't participate in, decisions made that I had no part in. The name tag on my mailbox was scrawled on a strip of paper rather than neatly typed and printed like everyone else had. I just really felt like I was not in the right place.

On June 10, I began a job that I thought would just last for the summer. However, the sense of belonging has been tremendous. The manager and assistant managers know me by name (and have since day1 - even without my name tag on!) I've been included in morning meetings, celebrations of milestones, etc. My presence at work is valued and I feel appreciated. They made it easy for me to decide to work part-time during the school year. 

There's another place I like to feel like I belong - and know for a fact I in fact do belong! That's in the family of God. The good news is, God chose me from the very beginning. He just waited patiently for me to choose Him as well. Even when I walked far from Him, He never let me go. He stayed there just waiting for me to come back. Yes, it feels good to feel like you belong in your church, your neighborhood, your place of employment. But feeling like you belong in the family of God is priceless!

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1a

Desert or Rose?

Today as I was watering the trees, shrubs and tropical plants in the lawn and garden center at Walmart, I noticed an unusual looking plant I hadn't noticed before. It was so unusual I just had to snap a picture of it. Then I looked at the name of it. It's called a "desert rose." Just seeing that name got me to thinking. *Please note: I do not profess to be a writer and certainly am not eloquent in my writing. However, I am capable of writing (or typing) out the thoughts that come to my mind. Here goes...

This plant has two words in its name. First is desert. Now, when I think of the word "desert," I think of dry, arid, barren, empty, lifeless. I thought how our life without Christ is dry, empty, lifeless. Yes, it may seem like you have a full and happy life. But without Christ, it's truly not as happy as it feels. In fact, it's going to lead to a torturous eternity.

The second word is rose. When I think of a rose, I think of beautiful, fragrant, fragile. When we accept Jesus into our hearts and commit to live our lives for Him, he makes our lives beautiful and fragrant. Now, I'm not saying life is perfect when we become Christians. He has promised anything but an easy road. However, following Him is totally worth it. Yes, our lives are also fragile because of sin that so easily ensnares us. Clinging close to Christ can protect us from that sin.

Thinking about the desert, I certainly don't think of roses. I think of cacti. However, when I put things into my Christian viewfinder, I realize that, even in the desert, roses can be found.

He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground in flowing springs. Psalm 107:35

God Doesn't Need Me

"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place...And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14

Yes, I said God doesn't need me. Yes, He will use me. However He doesn't NEED me. God can and will accomplish His goals with or without me. His work is not dependent upon me. However, if I make myself open to Him, He can and will work through me.

The choice is mine to make. God will never force or coerce a person into serving Him. While most of us aren't placed into "royal position" like Esther, God can place us in the factory, school, office, construction site, retail store, etc. for "such a time as this." It's worth it to be used by God!

God Speaks in Different Ways

This will be a short post. I realize I haven't posted in awhile but had something quick to share. We often think God only speaks in an audible voice. We get upset when He seems to be silent. Do you believe God can speak through a coffee cup? I do now.

My secret sister gave me a travel mug a couple weeks ago. I washed it and put it off to the side until I decided to switch cups. I happened to make that switch this week just to use a different cup for awhile. I knew it had some words on it but didn't pay much attention to it...until today.

I received a text that I'm not needed at the tutoring center this summer as I had planned. That may change, but for now I don't have a summer job. Strangely, this news didn't make me panic. I felt a deep sense of peace. Then I looked at my cup. It has a Bible verse on it. Here is the NIV version of it; The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him. Nahum 1:7. OK, Lord. I get it. I trust in You.

Look all around you. God may be speaking. Don't just listen. Read. Watch those around you. He may be speaking and you don't even know it.

Brenda

Seeing God in the Snowstorm

This morning started out quite normally. I got up, began getting ready for work, packed my lunch, made breakfast and prepared to head out the door. They were saying on the news that the roads were bad. But school was open so I needed to go to work. Off I went. The snow was thick on my car as I brushed it off to leave. I made it out of the driveway without any problem. I made it out to the highway just fine. I got just across the county line and hit ice. I began spinning. It all happened so quickly. As near as I can remember, I spun 360 degrees 2-3 times before ending up in the entrance of a parking lot on the opposite side of the road. When I tried to pull back out on to the road, I realized I was stuck. There was no getting out. The parking lot I was in is a business that's been closed for awhile so the lot hasn't been plowed. If anyone would have come to help push me out, they would have become stuck as well. My only choice was to call a tow truck. I made the call and was told it would be an hour before they could get a truck to me. I had no choice so I just sat and waited. While waiting, I saw at least 10 other cars that either slid off but were able to get going (because they didn't end up in that lot), spun around or fishtailed. It was brutal.

Now, how did I see God in all that? Here's how: 1) If I had slid off the other side, I would most likely have tipped over because the ground drops into a little ditch right there. 2) With all the other cars that slid, several on the same side where I was, no one hit my car. 3) I had just put gas in my car Monday so I could run the heat. 4) I had hot coffee with me to keep me warm also. 5) There was an accident right in front of me. I watched the car headed east hit about the same spot I did and start spinning. He was headed right towards me. From the east came a car that hit him and sent him spinning the other way. Again, my car and I escaped damage. 6) My tow truck driver arrived just about an hour after I called. I asked him if I could ride in the truck while he towed me home. He thought he was just pulling me out but was willing to tow my car back home (I was literally 2 minutes from home). In talking, he lives around the corner from us. He was on his way home from working all night. They asked him if he wanted to pull one more out since it was on his way home.

When I called my boss to tell her I was stuck and didn't know if I'd make it, I don't think she was too happy. But I had to do what was best for me. When I got home, I called her and told her I got towed out but that there was the accident blocking traffic. She said only one student came today and she was in another class for the day. She said to, "go home, take a deep breath and we'll see you tomorrow." I'm still shaking from my adventure but I'm so thankful for God's protection. Of course, I wasn't planning on paying to have a tow truck come. But the nice thing is, he didn't charge me any more for towing me home than it would have cost to just pull the car out. God knows what He's doing. He knew this was going to happen. And He knows where the money will come from to cover the tow bill.

Look for God in unexpected places. That's just where you'll find Him.

Brenda