Falling to the ground

Have you ever received news so devastating that you felt it in your body and fell to the ground?  When my first husband died suddenly of a heart attack, I told my sons, and then called my parents, dreading to have to tell them.  My  sister, Laura, answered the phone and I told her that Doug was dead, expected her to break the news to my parents.  When she heard the news, she collapsed into a heap on the floor, dropping the phone, and mother had to pick up the phone.  This news was so shocking as to be felt in the body.

This was the kind of news Nehemiah received while in exile.  He had asked about Jerusalem and was told that the walls were in ruins and the people were not protected.  Here is how he told the story in Nehemiah 1:4, "When I heard these things, I sat down and wept.  For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven."

The hope here is in that last little phrase... "And prayed before the God of heaven."  When we are devastated, undone by something we cannot accept, we feel it in our body - everything in us cries, "NO, this cannot be!"  And we know in our gut that we cannot change it on our own.  Nehemiah, overcome with grief, cried out to Yahweh.

The Psalmist in Psalm 121 says, "I lift up my eyes to the hills - from where will my help come?  My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth."

A couple of weeks ago, I placed ashes on foreheads with these words, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."  Somber words to pronounce over folks you love.  Then I added a line, "Trust in God's grace!"  Cry out to God, especially for what we cannot do ourselves!

I am Thankful

I am thankful this morning for cooler temperatures and homemade sourdough bread just pulled from the oven, still warm.
I am thankful for good health and family, for work to do today, and neighbors walking by with pit bulls and brivado.  I am thankful for what is and what will be, for hope rising and joy bubbling.

Philippians 4:6 "Don't be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks."

What are you thankful for?

glass half full...or empty?

I remember a day, years ago, when all five of my sons were still kids at home.  On this particular day, it was overcast and foggy.  The air felt like 99.9% humidity, not the weather that inspires smiles and praise, for sure.  As I got the family ready for school, I was thinking about the horrible weather.  I was a school teacher at the time and I thought how miserable the children would be cooped up inside all day.  I fixed breakfast, yearning for a bright sunny day, anticipating my hair frizzing.  Helping my youngest son, Timmy, into his coat, I dreaded getting wet on our way out to the car.  When I was almost to the car, I realized Timmy had stopped.  I looked back to find this 5 year old, standing with hands stretched out, palms upward and his radiant, smiling face to sky to embrace the moisture.  He said, awestruck and filled with obvious delight, "Mom, it feels like the rainforest!"

"Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious, - the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse."  -Philippians 4:8

My hair did frizz a little that day, but I didn't care; I could see my son's expression in my mind and I smiled all day!  Meditate on the good, the beautiful!

After my husband and I had started a new diet, we went to eat at the Palace Cafe in Opelousas, La.  We carefully scoured the menu for something to order on our diet.  When the waitress put our plates down in from of us, Chris pointed to my plate and said, "Are you going to eat that?"

The waitress quipped back at him, "Mind your own plate."

Ha!  We both laughed over this many times, and of course, I liked her immediately!

Seems like Jesus said something about people who try to take a splinter out of their brother's eye while they had a log in their own eye.  Was he saying, "Mind your own plate!"?  Perhaps.

In Romans 14:12 (the Message Bible), Paul says, "so tend your own knitting - You have your hands full just taking care of your own life."

We are too often critical of others when we should be tending to our own life.

"Mind your own plate!"

On the First Day

On the First Day

We packed their bags and sent them off
with a prayer and wave goodbye.
All our upbeat platitudes wafted after them
like sheets on the clothesline on a windy day...
"Have a good day!"
"Make new friends - there will be lots to do!"
"You will love it there!
"It's a big adjustment, but you can do it!"
"They'll have everything you need!"
"Don't worry about a thing!"

We found ourselves alone at the end of the drive.
Walking slowly back inside, Worries attacked us
with a vengeance...
"What if they don't like it?" "It will be all new to them!"
"What if they don't speak up to voice their needs?"
"Will they be met with acceptance and love...
and can strangers see what treasures they are?"

Call me over-anxious, over-protective, a worrier at best,
but it's not easy leaving parents at Assisted Living,
on the first day.

Waiting for a Moonbow

Waiting For A Moonbow

We planned our trip around this moment -
the chance to see the "only moonbow in the Western Hemisphere".
Walking by flashlight down to the Falls,
standing at the railing with other watchers
-a congregation assembled in hope and expectation ...
-the moon was just right two days after full...
-and the sky was clear of clouds.
Inky people-shapes gathered in the dark, -slowly, cautiously
-standing in the cold, collecting mist on hair and faces ...

The Falls impressed with constant motion downward,
-thundering spray, cascading white caps,
-glistening in moonlight,
-deafening power unleashed.
Caught up in mesmerizing contemplation
Praising God of power and beauty.

The elusive moonbow?
What did I see? a cloudy shape of bow emerged
and wavered in the mist -
-for one brief instant I glimpsed colors in the bow-cloud-
-or did I? with a blink of the eye, it was just a cloudy shape again.
What did I see?

Perhaps a moonbow wasn't really the object of my mid-night vigil.
Maybe, just maybe, I took my stand in the long line of watchers,
waiters, seekers
to marvel and wonder
to worship the Creator & Sustainer.

-Jean Sanders, at Cumberland Falls, KY. 5/24/16

Now, That's a Hug!

Have you ever been hugged by a child happy to see you? - one of those so-happy-to-see-you-I-can't-contain-myself hugs!  They come running, all smiles, calling your name, and almost knock you down no matter how you brace yourself for the impact.  Then, they wrap those little arms all around your neck and hold on tight as if to never let you go.  Now, that's a hug!

You never forget a hug like that.  It nourishes your very soul.  Another special "hugger" I remember is from an older person in my family.  Marcia would hug and hold!  She would hug you and not let go until she had blessed you with a prayer, thanking God for you.  When she would finally let me go, I would think, "Now, that's a hug!"

In Mark 11:22 (MSG),  we read, "Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you."

We are too quick to embrace the world - too hesitant to embrace this God-life.  As a result we live with half an embrace - without the power to really live, thwarting our chance to live out loud, with the freedom that is ours only in our Creator God!  The thing is we decieve ourselves thinking we can embrace both this God-life and this world-life.  It cannot be done.  You get all the confusion, all the pain, all the anxiety, without any of the peace, joy, love, patience that come from the Spirit.

I choose this God-life - may I learn to embrace it!  I know that if I really embrace it, I must let go of other things I might embrace.  I want to run toward this God-life with all my strength, energy, exuberance, and hold on tight for all the blessings God would give. 

Mark 11:22 (MSG) "Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you'll get God's everything."  - Now, that's a hug!

 

Chia Seeds, Anyone?

It's that time of year again, well after the holidays, yet still close enough to the new year that folks still trying to live out resolutions.  Top on the list:  get healthy-lose weight.  I'm not the only one.  I know a healthy diet is important, but it is becoming more and more confusing.  I have one son on the Paleo diet - eating only what a cave man would eat -grain-fed beef, seeds and berries.  Pretty complicated.  I have several family members on the gluten free diet.  Others say eating regular fruits and vegetables are not enough, it needs to be organically raised.  Whew! 

I have heard several different experts suggest drinking a healthy breakfast shake, so I decided to try it.  Here's the recipe: almond milk or coconut milk, protein powder, kale or spinach leaves, fruit and/or berries, and chia seeds.  I have been drinking and even enjoying this concoction for a week without the chia seeds, found only at health food stores! Supposedly chia seeds are one of those super-foods.  Here are the benefits of chia seeds:

• Contain Highest Plant Source Of Omega-3 On The Planet!
• Heart Health ~ Mental Health & Digestive Health
• Proven To Reduce the "Bad" (LDL) Cholesterol
• Great For Diabetics & Effective For Treating Hyperglycemia.
• Contain More Antioxidants Than Blueberries.
• A Complete Protein With All 9 Amino-Acids.
• An Excellent Source Of Calcium, Magnesium & Iron.
• Chia Seeds Are 100% Natural, Raw, Non-GMO & Gluten-Free!

As I drink my shake, which would be healthier with chia seeds, I wonder what one super ingredient we're leaving out of our Christian lives.  Imagine we could put all the ingredients of the Christian life into a blender as a way of beginning the day.  What would that recipe look like?

·         Greens -Word of God - Bible reading (nourishing to the soul)

·         Milk -Prayer Time - will carry you through the day (pray without ceasing)

·         Fruit of the spirit - joy, peace, patience, etc.

·         Protein powder - faith

·         Chia Seeds ?

Chia Seeds -what is the ingredient is the super-food for Christians?  It is Love - love for God, love for others, love from God!  What's a health shake for Christians without the love of God?  Don't leave out any ingredients, but especially don't skip love.  "Love one another."  "These three things abide, but the greatest of these things is love."  "We love because God first loved us."  "They will know we are Christians by our love."

Here's to good health - body and soul!

I Wanna Be a Bluebird!

It has been so hot! Because of the drought, the main attraction for birds in our backyard has been the birdbath instead of the birdfeeder. We have enjoyed watching various birds come for a drink of water. It is always interesting which birds will allow others to drink with them and which ones commandeer the entire bath for themselves. Also, birds don’t all drink alike – some drink in a straightforward manner. I was watching a big woodpecker sitting on the side. He would come up over the side and get a drink and then raise his beak straight in the air to drink the water, and then go down for another sip.

But the real fun is watching them bathe. Some hop into the water and sit, like they just wanted to cool their feet awhile. Other species perch on the side for a time and then wade into the water cautiously, perhaps eventually dipping one wing at a time into the water, then fly off to preen on a nearby branch. What I wait for every evening is the bluebirds – young and old alike come together to bathe. We have had 7 at a time in the water. There is no dilly-dallying around with the bluebirds. They hop right in (or land in the water directly) and flap their wings - splashing with all their might! Water sprays everywhere and they splatter as if their life depends on it. When the first one is good and wet, the others on the side can stand it no longer and they join in with all the gusto they can muster! What fun! The whole bird bath is a blur of wings and water!

When I watch the bluebirds bathe, I am reminded of how we are to live as Christians. We are not to just get our feet wet in God’s love, but to jump right in. The scriptures say, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” Deuteronomy 6:5. We don’t halfway worship the Lord, but with all our hearts! God does not call us to serve just when there is a big push for missions, but all the time; it is how we live our lives – pouring ourselves out for others!

I think God is pleased when God sees us living this abundant life with all our hearts! Maybe even more pleased than I am when I watch bluebirds bathe!!! Don’t you?

Rain!

It is raining! It has been mighty dry around here… we are getting used to burn bans, and watering plants to keep them alive. At our house, Chris is the one who actually waters the plants outside. He does a great job, but when it is as dry as it has been, it is not easy to water enough to prevent the grass from turning brown. Last night, we noticed that although the big flower bed is still looking good and the herb garden is flourishing (both obviously getting enough water), the Ginger Lily planted way over in the corner is wilting. Even trying to get everything watered, it is easy to miss the one way in the corner!

And then this morning … RAIN!!! I stood out under the patio to watch the rain and smell the rain. I couldn’t help but think that all the plants are happy – the birds seem to be out playing in the rain, too! I noticed that all the grass was getting watered at the same time… ALL the grass, front and back, and the Ginger Lily was getting the same amount as the flowers and herbs! All at the same time – what a great watering system!

The bible says the rain falls on the just and the unjust. God’s love rains down on all of us, those close in and those way off in the corner – no one can hide from God and no one is outside of the love of God! What a great loving distributing system!

Here’s how the system works: God sent Jesus to show us God’s love! and now Jesus sent us… to shower God’s love on all people – ALL people! In the Great Commission from Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus states, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

So that’s the mission – a mission of love for ALL people!

Let it rain!

Four Eggs

A little bird built a nest in the wreath on our front door. We, the owners of the house, were relegated to the garage door entrance out of respect for our serendipitous guests. We peeked to see four perfect little eggs nestled, oh so securely, in the carefully woven home. A sign of new life – that’s what I love about Spring. The next time we peeked, the eggs had hatched and the mother bird was busy with the feeding schedule of newborns. Just a few days later, we found the wreath, the nest, and a multitude of feathers and debris sprawled on the cement doorstop. I don’t know if it was the wind, or the cat we’ve seen lurking around, but now there is no sign of that life. It is a reminder of how fragile life can be. We have had so many reminders of sadness, destruction, and death in the midst of Spring green and new growth this year – earthquakes, tsunamis’, nuclear threat, wars, and tornadoes. Life is always a balancing act.

Even while dealing with tragic loss, we as Easter people can claim a sober joy! The resurrection reminds us that death does not have the last word – God wins! Thanks be to God. The ever-present signs of darkness and death are reminders that life is a gift and we should not take it for granted. How we live this one life we are given matters.

“Only one life, twill soon be past;

Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

“Faith, hope, love abide… but the greatest of these is love.”

1 Corinthians 13:13

Back to School!

It’s September – Back to School time!

That means slowing down for School Zones. When those yellow lights are flashing in front of the North Highlands Elementary, we are to go no faster than 15 miles an hour and that is S.L.O.W.! - by anyone’s standards. It can be an inconvenience, especially when I am in a hurry (which is too much of the time!)

I’ve decided to let the slow down at the school zone be a call to prayer. I pray for the children and teachers, for the office workers, lunch room workers, janitors, bus drivers. I pray for the families of the children… for everyone who is learning and growing.

I wonder how our lives would change if every inconvenience and irritation were turned into something good in our lives … a call to prayer. The Bible tells us to “pray without ceasing”… maybe this is one way to do that!

On Packing

I love to travel on occasion, but I hate to pack. When I went to Annual Conference last month, I began packing the day before I left. I made lists; I pictured each outfit that I’d need; I had a big suitcase and hanging clothes. I loaded everything into the car. On the way there, I thought, “What have I forgotten?”

I remembered that I needed a few things at the store, so made a stop along the way. I wracked my brain again, going through imaginary checklists… “What have I forgotten?” I have a long history of forgetting things, because I HATE TO PACK!… “I have my cosmetic/toiletries bag.” (I remember the time I went to my sister’s without that bag and had to borrow everything from her.) “I have my shoes” … (On one trip, I had to wear the same shoes all week whether they matched or not.) “I have my hanging clothes.” (Once, at an overnight retreat at the Conference Center, I forgot my hanging clothes and had to put on the same clothes for the second day – ugh!) “I have my book bag.” (Yes, I’ve even been known to forget the books and files necessary for business meetings!) “I have my directions to locate the hotel.” “Okay, I have everything I need.” ……………….WRONG!

It wasn’t until I checked into the hotel and had changed for the Board of Ordained Ministry Meeting and Memorial Service for that evening before I realized that I was missing 3 jackets, 1 top, and a pair of slacks. Surely it’s in the car…………WRONG! – I checked twice. I had left one handful of hanging clothes still in the closet at home. I should have made one more trip! As it turned out, I didn’t really need those extra clothes – I managed just fine without them. Whew! No wonder my mother used to tell me that it was a good thing my head was screwed on tight, or I would forget that, too! Ha!

Are you a list maker? We have some important lists in the Bible…lists of the Patriarchs, genealogy lists, lists of spiritual gifts, and a list of fruit of the spirit. When I see a list, I think, “Ah, someone didn’t want to forget this!” The list of the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23 reminds us of all the ways we are growing in the Spirit… “Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control”. The good news is that the Spirit is keeping this list in mind, for it is a description of the Spirit. As we simply open ourselves to God, the Spirit will grow these fruit in us! This is the ongoing work of the Spirit. The Spirit does the packing! … in us, for us, for the world! Praise the Lord!

My First Trip to New York City

I recently went on a week's vacation to visit my son and daughter-in-law, Josh & Megan, in Rhode Island. They asked what I would like to see while I was there. Besides their apartment and work places, I wanted to see New York City - I had never been! And I always wanted to go. We saved the money for my oldest son to go with his art club in high school, but now, at last, it was my turn!

We spent 2 days in NYC - we walked, rode the subway, walked some more, rode on top of a tour bus, took the boat tour around the city (that's where I snapped the picture of the Statue of Liberty - my own photo, mind you!) We saved what I most wanted to see for last - the Metropolitan Museum of Art - wow!!! I loved every minute of the trip.

What surprised me most was how much of the city I already knew...we would be walking and I would see a building and I'd stop - "Wait a minute ... I know that building... it's the Plaza Hotel...THE PLAZA HOTEL!" and of course the even more well known Empire State Building, Rockefellow Plaza, etc, etc, etc. So many movies came to mind and books I'd read set in NYC. It didn't feel like my first trip at all - that was weird - I'd been there before - seen so much of it before. Only now I was emersed in it.

I wander if this is how heaven will be - "oh, yeah, I know this place - been here so many times - this Love is very familiar - I've been living in this Love for most of my life! this Love has been in me and now I'm emersed in Love!"

Mystery Solved

Mystery Solved!  

The bulbs were Spider Lily bulbs.  Someone told me they are sometimes called "Hurricane Lilies" - I can believe that!  

The bulbs sprouted right after Hurricane Gustav and then the blooms opened the day after Hurricane Ike came through!  How about that?  Look at that design - how intricate and symmetrical and beautiful.  

My art professor in college said that the best design is simply a copy of nature.  God is the great designer, the Creator!  We simply copy his art!  I've heard that copying is the best form of flattery.  Perhaps our 'creations' are praises of the Great Designer - I hope so.  

Would you believe I have more mystery bulbs? - around the same tree!  They have sprouted - looking very different from the lily sprouts.  mmm!  Stay posted for more discoveries!  So fun to have a new backyard to explore!

Mystery Bulbs

During the good soaking rain that we got from Hurricane Gustav last week, a circle of little white bulbs popped out of the ground circling the tree close to my back door. I thought that maybe the dirt had washed away with so much rain and I probably should cover them again – just a passing thought that did not lead to any action. To my surprise, yesterday when I woke up those bulbs had sprouted and shot up 4 inches overnight! Each sprout is a single stalk rising toward the sky with a bulge at the top.

What could it be? I thought most bulbs bloomed in the spring – were these bulbs confused, misguided? – Whatever they were, they were growing and about to bloom. They seemed to know what they were doing even if I didn’t have a clue! I asked others, hoping that someone could tell me what they are, but no one has given me an answer. Someone said, “You’ll just have to wait and see!”

I sent the photo of the sprouts out to my family. One daughter-in-law suggested spider-lilies, but my brother said that spider lilies have red stalks – these are green. At any rate, I should have an answer in another day at the rate they are growing.

In pondering my serendipitous sprouting bulbs, I am reminded of New Beginnings, not the Sunday School Class I visited Sunday, but the new beginnings we all have at different times at our lives – sometimes by choice and sometimes by a turn of events out of our control. I am at one of those times, beginning a new ministry in a new place - a new beginning – a sprouting bulb! I am captivated by the hope of new possibilities – what will it look like? What color will the final bloom be? – and most importantly, will God be pleased with what we do together?

Some of you may be at one of those ‘new beginnings’ times in your lives – what will the end result be? When there are more questions than answers, we turn to our faith – for we walk by faith and not by sight! Keep the faith! Keep the hope alive – the best is yet to be!

The first verse of the “Hymn of Promise” goes like this: “In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree; in cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free! In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be, unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.” That is so true of our lives, as we trust in God, we know that the outcome of the new beginnings is truly, “something God alone can see”.

Hummingbird Lessons

I hung a string of paper lanterns on the edge of the roof of the patio. They were in festive colors of yellow, orange, and green. Then I sat down to enjoy the backyard from the air-conditioned room inside. Almost immediately, a hummingbird flew in and commenced to pecking every one of those lanterns. Of course, he must have been looking for supper and finding only paper, flew away disappointed. Naturally, I was left with a sad feeling, like I had tricked him. So I quickly got a hummingbird feeder, filled it with good red juice, and hung it out. Again, I sat down to watch and within minutes, the hummingbird dashed in to give me one more chance. Finally, he got what he was looking for. Instead of flying back to his perch in the tree when he had drunk his fill, he flew directly at me and pecked once on the window separating us – as if to say, “Thanks, friend! That was good!”

Now before you get any ideas, I am not a bird-whisperer and I know I really don’t know what he was thinking! Still, the entire episode reminded me of how many times I am blessed by what someone does and I forget to say thanks. That happened in New Testament times as well. Remember the time Jesus healed ten lepers and only one came back to say thanks?

The hummingbird incident also illustrates the idea of “seek and you will find”! I think people who need the Lord and need a church family, are often pecking at other things that yield as much long-term satisfaction as paper lanterns. The question is, how do we Christians hang the feeder out where they will find it? How do we attract them so they will come and find what they so desperately need? If you have thoughts on this subject, I want to hear them!

My dog, Finny, and I love this view into the backyard. There's nothing like a new house to give you a new perspective on the world. I like watching the birds in the backyard. So far, I've seen cardinals, bluejays, blackbirds, wrens, and hummingbirds. This view will feed my soul!

The River Waits

The Mississippi River -
long, with lots of twists and turns.
Here in New Orleans, she is on her last leg of the journey.
Does she have regrets that she carries along like sludge -
the faster the current, the slower it takes
for the mud to settle and be left behind.
What about sorrows deeply held
and weighing down the water flow?

She's quiet, this river,
but she has stories to tell, treasures of wisdom.
The bushes, wild flowers, and grasses
crowd down to the bank to listen
and be watered from her wealth.
The birds and gulls hover and swoop down close
to be nourished for their own journey.
The river waits for them to come to her -
-for them to ask.
She waits silently.
Waiting, but moving, slowly and deliberately along . . .

You are the river.
I am the river.

New Shoes

Remember getting a new pair of shoes when you were a kid? I remember my mother taking all five of us to Boudoin’s Shoe Store on Main Street in Jennings. The tinkle of the little bell on the door announced our presence. We all got a turn to sit in the chair for Mr. Boudoin himself to measure our foot. Then we tried on shoes until we found the best pair. We always put our old shoes in the shoe box to carry home and wore our new shoes out of the store. We walked a little different, a little straighter, stood a little taller. When I took my five sons to buy new shoes, it was a completely different experience. No smell of leather when we entered the discount shoe store and no one to give us personal attention. While I tried shoes on one boy, the others ran the aisles. I left with a headache, but the boys felt the same way my siblings and I used to feel. They claimed they could jump higher and run faster with those new sneakers!

The apostle Paul must have been thinking of getting new sandals when he told the Ephesians, “As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.” (It is in the passage of putting on the whole armor of God in Ephesians 6.) How we need to hear the gospel of peace proclaimed in our world! In Isaiah 52:7 we read, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!”

Go out and share the good news of peace and salvation. As we were reminded at Easter, “Our God reigns!”