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

Embrace the Spirit of Christmas

As we closed out Christmas day yesterday and I felt the depression I always feel when Christmas is over, a thought occurred to me. Why do we think we need a particular time of the year to be joyful, kind, caring, thoughtful, compassionate, etc? Why is it that this time of year people seem to think more about others than they do the rest of the year? Why do so many think that this is the only time of the year people need love? So I've made a decision. I'm going to hang on to the spirit of Christmas all year long. I'll let people know I care. I'll take a few minutes to actually listen for a person's answer to my question, "How are you?" I'll take time to ask a hurting friend how I can pray for them.

You may find my Christmas tree up a little longer than normal. You'll most likely find me wearing a pair of Christmas socks in April or using a Christmas mug in July. Does it really matter? No! I'll still stick to my no-buying-anything-Christmas-until-after-Thanksgiving thing. However, I won't hesitate to show my Christmas spirit the other 364 days of the year. So, Merry Day-After-Christmas! Keep that spirit alive. Christ didn't come to earth as a baby just for one day a year. So, why should we celebrate Him only on one day?

Brenda