George Carlin did one of his stand-up comedy skits on “stuff.” It was hilarious!
He talks about how everyone has their own “little pile of stuff” and how people always have to have it safe. So, “when you leave your house, you gotta lock it up. Wouldn’t want somebody to come by and take some of your stuff, ‘cause they always take the good stuff! They don’t bother with that crap you’re saving. Ain’t nobody interested in your fourth-grade arithmetic papers, National Geographics, commemorative plates, your prize collection of Navajo underwear; they’re not interested. They just want the good stuff; the shiny stuff; the electronic stuff. So when you get right down to it, your house is nothing more than a place to keep your stuff…while you go out and get…more stuff.”
I remember when we moved from Troy to St. Jacob. We were moving from a house that had 3500 square feet to a house that had 1125 square feet. The barn is 1175 square feet. We had to sell a bunch of our “stuff” before we could move into the new house because there was no way it would fit.
When we lived in the old house, I bought a huge oak dining room set from my sister in law when she got divorced because she wanted to see it stay in the family. She vowed to buy it back whenever and if she ever got remarried. She got remarried and bought herself a brand new cherry dining room set. The oak dining room set was “old stuff.” Our new house had no dining room so we had to sell it, but it went to a young couple just weeks away from getting married. So I was happy that some of my “stuff” was going to a good home.
It’s amazing how men and women look at their stuff quite differently. I left a kitchen that was huge and had a big island all the teenagers hung out at to move to a home that the kitchen was the size of a pantry. In fact, it is now a pantry. I had to get rid of a lot of kitchen stuff to fit into the new place. My husband got a barn and a garage for his stuff. The day we moved in, he kept telling those that helped us move where to put HIS stuff then would turn to me and ask where I wanted my JUNK to go. His stuff was stuff … my stuff was junk! Interesting!
Some of my stuff got put into the rafters of the barn and I haven’t seen it in 8 years. It was really important stuff, too! But, for the life of me, I can’t tell you what the stuff is.
One year for Easter, when all the grandkids were young, I set up an art area in my kitchen for all the kids to sponge paint tee shirts. My sister-in-laws were appalled! They couldn’t believe I would let these kids use paint in my house. The kitchen floor was linoleum and the paints were water based paints so it really wasn’t a big deal. It’s just “stuff.” Stuff that can be cleaned or replaced. The kids had such a great time and I still have several of those tee shirts with their names and the date on them. I have always wanted people to feel comfortable in and around my stuff.
I have heard people wonder out loud what stuff they would grab on their way out of a burning house. Of course there are things that can not be replaced easily like family photos or the family Bible, but it all is just stuff in God’s eyes.
Jesus puts it very simply, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasure upon earth where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where you treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:19-21.
Now that’s GOOD STUFF!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Weeds!
When our girls were younger, we took “driving” vacations across the country. For about 5 years we packed for every weather condition, got to the end of our street, opened up an atlas and we took turns each year throwing something at the atlas and that was where we went for vacation. One year we went to Canada because our youngest daughter threw her chewed gum at the atlas and that’s where it landed.
I finally got tired of driving around until two in the morning looking for a hotel room and started planning our vacations and making reservations-like normal people.
We had one of those big, gas-guzzling vans that had a sofa that made into a bed, a VCR so we could watch movies and a built-in cooler for water and juice. Because my husband drove a lot for his job, I usually did the majority of the driving. The television, unfortunately, was right behind the driver’s head. That really stunk because Jerry and the girls watched every Three Stooges ever filmed, National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation” and “Animal House.” Can you tell who chose the movies?
The girls especially loved the Three Stooges. They knew all the dialog to each and every one of the tapes we had. I wasn’t a fan of their violent behavior, but they were pretty funny.
There was one skit that the girls and my husband especially liked and still performs. Moe, Curly and Larry are in the kitchen wrestling with an artichoke without much success. Curly is ready to give up on the whole idea when Moe asks him what he ate as a child and Curly said, “Weeds!” For some reason, this skit would make our girls crack up laughing every time.
I was thinking about that skit as I was cutting our grass last week. We are surrounded by farmland and all the farmers are preparing the land for crops. The farmer to the south of us has the most beautiful crop of purple flowers you would ever want to see. I thought he planted these flowers on purpose. Then I found out that these beautiful purple flowers are weeds and the farmers fight quite hard to eliminate them.
Wikipedia.com says that “A weed, in a general sense, is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-made settings such as gardens, lawns or agricultural areas. Generally, a weed is a plant in an undesired place.”
I have about two hours on the mower so I have a lot of time to think. Some would say, maybe too much! As I looked at those beautiful plants that the farmers were working so hard to get rid of, it occurred to me that those weeds were a lot like sin. Sin is definitely “unwanted” and ends up in “an undesired place”-our lives.
It reminds me that sin is sometimes disguised as something that is pretty and good for us. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between a weed and a good plant. Take for example, Dandelions. They are classified as a weed and yet people make wine out of them and children make wishes on their seeds blowing in the wind. Who would think that is bad? How often do you think sin is disguised as something perfectly acceptable and harmless?
There are a lot of buzz words out there these days such as “tolerance” and “choice.” I suppose it depends on what you are “choosing” to be “tolerant” of. Scripture makes it pretty clear what God will and will not choose to tolerate. He does not try to “pretty it up” and disguise it as something it is not.
Once a sin becomes an acceptable behavior, it spreads like a weed. It begins to blur the line. If everyone else thinks it’s okay, it must be okay.
The best place to look and see if something is okay or not, is the Bible. Paul tells us in Romans 14:23, “…whatever is not from faith is sin.”
I suppose you could look at the Bible as a great WEEDeater!
I finally got tired of driving around until two in the morning looking for a hotel room and started planning our vacations and making reservations-like normal people.
We had one of those big, gas-guzzling vans that had a sofa that made into a bed, a VCR so we could watch movies and a built-in cooler for water and juice. Because my husband drove a lot for his job, I usually did the majority of the driving. The television, unfortunately, was right behind the driver’s head. That really stunk because Jerry and the girls watched every Three Stooges ever filmed, National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation” and “Animal House.” Can you tell who chose the movies?
The girls especially loved the Three Stooges. They knew all the dialog to each and every one of the tapes we had. I wasn’t a fan of their violent behavior, but they were pretty funny.
There was one skit that the girls and my husband especially liked and still performs. Moe, Curly and Larry are in the kitchen wrestling with an artichoke without much success. Curly is ready to give up on the whole idea when Moe asks him what he ate as a child and Curly said, “Weeds!” For some reason, this skit would make our girls crack up laughing every time.
I was thinking about that skit as I was cutting our grass last week. We are surrounded by farmland and all the farmers are preparing the land for crops. The farmer to the south of us has the most beautiful crop of purple flowers you would ever want to see. I thought he planted these flowers on purpose. Then I found out that these beautiful purple flowers are weeds and the farmers fight quite hard to eliminate them.
Wikipedia.com says that “A weed, in a general sense, is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-made settings such as gardens, lawns or agricultural areas. Generally, a weed is a plant in an undesired place.”
I have about two hours on the mower so I have a lot of time to think. Some would say, maybe too much! As I looked at those beautiful plants that the farmers were working so hard to get rid of, it occurred to me that those weeds were a lot like sin. Sin is definitely “unwanted” and ends up in “an undesired place”-our lives.
It reminds me that sin is sometimes disguised as something that is pretty and good for us. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between a weed and a good plant. Take for example, Dandelions. They are classified as a weed and yet people make wine out of them and children make wishes on their seeds blowing in the wind. Who would think that is bad? How often do you think sin is disguised as something perfectly acceptable and harmless?
There are a lot of buzz words out there these days such as “tolerance” and “choice.” I suppose it depends on what you are “choosing” to be “tolerant” of. Scripture makes it pretty clear what God will and will not choose to tolerate. He does not try to “pretty it up” and disguise it as something it is not.
Once a sin becomes an acceptable behavior, it spreads like a weed. It begins to blur the line. If everyone else thinks it’s okay, it must be okay.
The best place to look and see if something is okay or not, is the Bible. Paul tells us in Romans 14:23, “…whatever is not from faith is sin.”
I suppose you could look at the Bible as a great WEEDeater!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
HE Is Risen!
When my daughters were in pre-school and grade school we got stuck with several homeless guinea pigs, hamsters, frogs and turtles. Every time someone brought some cute animal into the pre-school or grade school, the teachers didn’t have the heart to tell them “no”, but these animals needed to go somewhere else for the holidays and during the summer months when school was out.
One year the pre-school was given a guinea pig on a Friday and by Monday morning there were two of them! That took some special explaining to the pre-schoolers.
So, once the baby was weaned from his mother we took him home to live in an aquarium in my daughter’s room. We got the standard promise of “I’ll take care of him. You won’t have to do a thing.” Wish I had a dollar for every time I heard that one!
“Cuddles” lived with us in my daughter’s room for about 3 years. She kept leaving a light and a fan on for him when she would leave for school and that made my husband see kilowatt hours going round and round in his head. In order to keep peace, one day I turned off the fan and the light and left the guinea pig in his aquarium. What I didn’t realize was that my husband had turned off the air conditioner and opened all the windows in the house except my daughter’s bedroom. Needless to say, Cuddles didn’t make it.
I felt absolutely horrible. I blamed myself and had to explain to the girls what happened.
We had to make a coffin for him out of a shoe box with a silk pillow and blanket. Both of my daughters had a little something they wanted to say at the service and they sprinkled in some scripture liberally taken out of context. It was a lovely service and several of the neighborhood kids were there to pay their respects. We buried Cuddles under the Weeping Willow tree half way between the tree and our pool. The girls thought that was very appropriate. They could still be close to him when they were swimming.
We never really knew why our willow tree grew so quickly until one of our neighbors told us that they thrive on lots of water. We backwashed the pool every couple of days and let out gallons of water that went toward the tree so it never lacked water.
One summer day the girls and several neighborhood kids came running into the house yelling something. All I heard was, “He has risen just like Lazarus and Jesus!” I asked them who had risen and their unanimous response was, “Cuddles!”
I went outside to see what had the girls so upset and there was Cuddles’ casket, or what was left of it, floating on top of the ground where a puddle of water had formed from the pool to the willow tree. My youngest daughter kept yelling, “See, he is risen just like Jesus!”
We had to take the children into the house and do some explaining. As much as my heart broke for my daughters because they thought they had another chance with Cuddles, I was so excited that they paid attention to the Biblical stories they were taught in school. They understood and accepted Jesus rising from the dead.
Well, needless to say, we had to have another funeral and several more talks on the difference between Cuddles and Jesus. Oh, to have that child-like faith!
Jesus recognized how complete and unwavering the faith of a child is. Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3-4
Jesus is a Man of His Word. He promised He would rise from His grave to live again-and He did! When the women went to Jesus’ grave they were greeted by an angel that said, “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said.” Matthew 28:6
He IS risen…He is risen INDEED!
One year the pre-school was given a guinea pig on a Friday and by Monday morning there were two of them! That took some special explaining to the pre-schoolers.
So, once the baby was weaned from his mother we took him home to live in an aquarium in my daughter’s room. We got the standard promise of “I’ll take care of him. You won’t have to do a thing.” Wish I had a dollar for every time I heard that one!
“Cuddles” lived with us in my daughter’s room for about 3 years. She kept leaving a light and a fan on for him when she would leave for school and that made my husband see kilowatt hours going round and round in his head. In order to keep peace, one day I turned off the fan and the light and left the guinea pig in his aquarium. What I didn’t realize was that my husband had turned off the air conditioner and opened all the windows in the house except my daughter’s bedroom. Needless to say, Cuddles didn’t make it.
I felt absolutely horrible. I blamed myself and had to explain to the girls what happened.
We had to make a coffin for him out of a shoe box with a silk pillow and blanket. Both of my daughters had a little something they wanted to say at the service and they sprinkled in some scripture liberally taken out of context. It was a lovely service and several of the neighborhood kids were there to pay their respects. We buried Cuddles under the Weeping Willow tree half way between the tree and our pool. The girls thought that was very appropriate. They could still be close to him when they were swimming.
We never really knew why our willow tree grew so quickly until one of our neighbors told us that they thrive on lots of water. We backwashed the pool every couple of days and let out gallons of water that went toward the tree so it never lacked water.
One summer day the girls and several neighborhood kids came running into the house yelling something. All I heard was, “He has risen just like Lazarus and Jesus!” I asked them who had risen and their unanimous response was, “Cuddles!”
I went outside to see what had the girls so upset and there was Cuddles’ casket, or what was left of it, floating on top of the ground where a puddle of water had formed from the pool to the willow tree. My youngest daughter kept yelling, “See, he is risen just like Jesus!”
We had to take the children into the house and do some explaining. As much as my heart broke for my daughters because they thought they had another chance with Cuddles, I was so excited that they paid attention to the Biblical stories they were taught in school. They understood and accepted Jesus rising from the dead.
Well, needless to say, we had to have another funeral and several more talks on the difference between Cuddles and Jesus. Oh, to have that child-like faith!
Jesus recognized how complete and unwavering the faith of a child is. Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3-4
Jesus is a Man of His Word. He promised He would rise from His grave to live again-and He did! When the women went to Jesus’ grave they were greeted by an angel that said, “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said.” Matthew 28:6
He IS risen…He is risen INDEED!
MEN-O-Pause........................
MEN-O-Pause…
Last week I talked my husband and another couple into going to see “Menopause-The Musical.” My husband was a really good sport. There were two words in that title he never thought he would find entertaining-“menopause” and “musical.”
There were four women in this play that sang and danced for an hour and a half without any intermissions. They all looked too young to know what they were singing about, but the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s styled songs were very accurate.
There were more women than men at the play, but you saw every head nodding at one time or another in agreement with one of the poignant songs.
One actress sang a sultry “We’re Having a Heat Wave, A Tropical Heat Wave”, then another sang the old Bee Gee’s favorite “Night Sweats”, I mean “Night Fever!”
As the cast discussed how tired they were because of this particular season of their life, they went into full chorus with “Puff, My God, I’m Draggin’.”
As the play went on to explore the many personalities of women in menopause, the actors sang, “The Great Pretender.” Then, discussing the various pills they consumed to dig themselves out of depression, they sang “A New Attitude.”
There were a couple of women sitting behind us making observations about how men should be more understanding and, somehow, are responsible for this female malady. They also were contemplating how many words have “men” in them such as “menopause, mental illness, menstrual cramps, menacing and meningitis. They further observed that it appears that all problems begin with “men!” I’m sure there are many men who believe all problems of this world begin with women.
Take, for example, the story of Adam and Eve. They were given a beautiful, lush environment to live in with everything they needed. Within all this beauty, they had only one rule-do not eat from the
“tree of knowledge.” Genesis 2:9, 16-17.
Eve, obviously, was not a fan of rules much because she was told by a snake that it would be okay to eat from that tree even though her Creator told her not to. Eve made a conscious decision to be disobedient to God and justified it by believing God really didn’t mean what He said. That concept created a whole other world of future problems for men and women.
And, when confronted by God, what did Adam do? He did the most logical thing-he blamed the woman! When God confronted the woman, she blamed the slimy snake. Neither of them wanted to accept responsibility for their own actions.
Can you imagine how bad Eve felt after she figured out how bad this decision was? God had provided everything she needed in her life. She didn’t have to do anything but enjoy it. She realized she was naked and tried to hide from God, but He is the Creator, He knows everything about everything. This probably was the beginning of women having negative body image issues.
I’m not sure why God gave us that “free will” stuff because it usually gets me into trouble. Unfortunately, I know myself well enough to know that I would have done the same thing Eve did. I know that I can justify to myself that God isn’t paying attention or that He really didn’t mean what He said in scripture, He was only making suggestions.
Part of my daily devotions is that God will just take over for me. I know that I can be my own worst enemy. He knows that, too, and loves me in spite of myself! That gives me the faith I need to live my life.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
David advises us, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in men.” Psalm 118:8
Now THAT will make you take PAUSE!
Last week I talked my husband and another couple into going to see “Menopause-The Musical.” My husband was a really good sport. There were two words in that title he never thought he would find entertaining-“menopause” and “musical.”
There were four women in this play that sang and danced for an hour and a half without any intermissions. They all looked too young to know what they were singing about, but the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s styled songs were very accurate.
There were more women than men at the play, but you saw every head nodding at one time or another in agreement with one of the poignant songs.
One actress sang a sultry “We’re Having a Heat Wave, A Tropical Heat Wave”, then another sang the old Bee Gee’s favorite “Night Sweats”, I mean “Night Fever!”
As the cast discussed how tired they were because of this particular season of their life, they went into full chorus with “Puff, My God, I’m Draggin’.”
As the play went on to explore the many personalities of women in menopause, the actors sang, “The Great Pretender.” Then, discussing the various pills they consumed to dig themselves out of depression, they sang “A New Attitude.”
There were a couple of women sitting behind us making observations about how men should be more understanding and, somehow, are responsible for this female malady. They also were contemplating how many words have “men” in them such as “menopause, mental illness, menstrual cramps, menacing and meningitis. They further observed that it appears that all problems begin with “men!” I’m sure there are many men who believe all problems of this world begin with women.
Take, for example, the story of Adam and Eve. They were given a beautiful, lush environment to live in with everything they needed. Within all this beauty, they had only one rule-do not eat from the
“tree of knowledge.” Genesis 2:9, 16-17.
Eve, obviously, was not a fan of rules much because she was told by a snake that it would be okay to eat from that tree even though her Creator told her not to. Eve made a conscious decision to be disobedient to God and justified it by believing God really didn’t mean what He said. That concept created a whole other world of future problems for men and women.
And, when confronted by God, what did Adam do? He did the most logical thing-he blamed the woman! When God confronted the woman, she blamed the slimy snake. Neither of them wanted to accept responsibility for their own actions.
Can you imagine how bad Eve felt after she figured out how bad this decision was? God had provided everything she needed in her life. She didn’t have to do anything but enjoy it. She realized she was naked and tried to hide from God, but He is the Creator, He knows everything about everything. This probably was the beginning of women having negative body image issues.
I’m not sure why God gave us that “free will” stuff because it usually gets me into trouble. Unfortunately, I know myself well enough to know that I would have done the same thing Eve did. I know that I can justify to myself that God isn’t paying attention or that He really didn’t mean what He said in scripture, He was only making suggestions.
Part of my daily devotions is that God will just take over for me. I know that I can be my own worst enemy. He knows that, too, and loves me in spite of myself! That gives me the faith I need to live my life.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
David advises us, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in men.” Psalm 118:8
Now THAT will make you take PAUSE!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Are You A Blooper?
There are those who would say I am a walking blooper! My staff at the coffeehouse caught many a faux pas on the chalkboard as well as in the weekly newsletters.
My most memorable blooper had to be on one of the newsletters I sent out to over 500 people announcing the graduation and musical recital for one of my employees. I learned the very valuable lesson concerning trust in spell check and the importance of one little letter. I left out the “i” in the word recital as I invited our customers to join us that evening. So, it read, “Please join us at Johnny’s (not his real name, but he knows who he is-and so do 500 people!) senior rectal.” I got many responses, including a response from that young man. It was nice to know people actually read the newsletter!
One day, a few of the local police officers were leaving the coffeehouse and cheerfully I said to them, “Be careful and go service our community!” My staff let me know there may be a different way to take that comment.
Some of my favorite bloopers are in church bulletins. You know that the intent of the meaning is always pure, but sometimes things get a little twisted.
For example, a church in Indiana posted this in their bulletin: “The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday morning.” I bet the pastor had a lot of responses to that one!
In an effort to make younger couples feel more comfortable attending services, one church posted this in their bulletin: “For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.”
I’m sure that the pastor of this church felt greatly appreciated after this bulletin announcement: “During the absence of our pastor, we enjoyed the rare privilege of hearing a good sermon when J.F. Stubbs supplied our pulpit.”
This bulletin item will give you the confidence you need to bring a covered dish for the church potluck: “Potluck supper; prayer and medication to follow.”
If you are looking for a little compassion and sympathy, you may re-think trying this church after reading their bulletin: “Don’t let worry kill you off-let the church help!”
Now, this is a friendly church: “Pastor is on vacation. Massages can be given to the church secretary.”
On a church bulletin in Minnesota: “GOD IS GOOD, Dr. Hargreaves is better!”
This bulletin announcement will make you show up on time to church: “Ushers will eat latecomers.”
If confidence is an issue for you, this church bulletin may not be helpful: “The Low Self-Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 to 8:30 p.m. Please use the back door.”
This church gives us something to add to our prayer list: “Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our church and community.”
The author of this comment in a bulletin could be the folks that sit in the pew behind me: “Hymn 47: Hark! An Awful Voice Is Sounding.”
Bloopers, or blunders, are what can happen when human beings are in charge. Over the years, we have seen many people in the media make bloopers. A blooper is a mistake that someone makes unintentionally. The Bible was divinely inspired so you don’t have to worry about any “bloopers”.
David tells us in Psalm 12: 6, “The words of the Lord are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.”
Lent is a great time to re-familiarize yourself with God’s Word. If you spent 5 minutes a day reading your Bible, you would be amazed how differently you will look at your world.
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
No, no bloopers there!
My most memorable blooper had to be on one of the newsletters I sent out to over 500 people announcing the graduation and musical recital for one of my employees. I learned the very valuable lesson concerning trust in spell check and the importance of one little letter. I left out the “i” in the word recital as I invited our customers to join us that evening. So, it read, “Please join us at Johnny’s (not his real name, but he knows who he is-and so do 500 people!) senior rectal.” I got many responses, including a response from that young man. It was nice to know people actually read the newsletter!
One day, a few of the local police officers were leaving the coffeehouse and cheerfully I said to them, “Be careful and go service our community!” My staff let me know there may be a different way to take that comment.
Some of my favorite bloopers are in church bulletins. You know that the intent of the meaning is always pure, but sometimes things get a little twisted.
For example, a church in Indiana posted this in their bulletin: “The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday morning.” I bet the pastor had a lot of responses to that one!
In an effort to make younger couples feel more comfortable attending services, one church posted this in their bulletin: “For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.”
I’m sure that the pastor of this church felt greatly appreciated after this bulletin announcement: “During the absence of our pastor, we enjoyed the rare privilege of hearing a good sermon when J.F. Stubbs supplied our pulpit.”
This bulletin item will give you the confidence you need to bring a covered dish for the church potluck: “Potluck supper; prayer and medication to follow.”
If you are looking for a little compassion and sympathy, you may re-think trying this church after reading their bulletin: “Don’t let worry kill you off-let the church help!”
Now, this is a friendly church: “Pastor is on vacation. Massages can be given to the church secretary.”
On a church bulletin in Minnesota: “GOD IS GOOD, Dr. Hargreaves is better!”
This bulletin announcement will make you show up on time to church: “Ushers will eat latecomers.”
If confidence is an issue for you, this church bulletin may not be helpful: “The Low Self-Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 to 8:30 p.m. Please use the back door.”
This church gives us something to add to our prayer list: “Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our church and community.”
The author of this comment in a bulletin could be the folks that sit in the pew behind me: “Hymn 47: Hark! An Awful Voice Is Sounding.”
Bloopers, or blunders, are what can happen when human beings are in charge. Over the years, we have seen many people in the media make bloopers. A blooper is a mistake that someone makes unintentionally. The Bible was divinely inspired so you don’t have to worry about any “bloopers”.
David tells us in Psalm 12: 6, “The words of the Lord are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.”
Lent is a great time to re-familiarize yourself with God’s Word. If you spent 5 minutes a day reading your Bible, you would be amazed how differently you will look at your world.
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
No, no bloopers there!
The Hokey Pokey…Is That Really What It’s All About?
Okay, can you tell I have been spending a lot of time with a 7-month old baby? I must sing the “Hokey Pokey” song about 20 times a day. The sad thing is, I can barely remember the words to the other nursery rhymes so I usually make up words. My granddaughter doesn’t know any different.
Some of the nursery rhymes, like “Rock A Bye Baby”, has depressing words in it. “When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall. And down will come baby cradle and all.” Really? That’s a pretty scary image.
Then, of course, there is poor little Jack and pitiful little Jill. Someone sent them up a “hill to fetch a pail of water.” Why would anyone send two small children to “fetch” water? Then, the horrific fall where Jack “broke his crown” (whatever that is) and then silly Jill “came tumbling after” him. More “falling.”
My granddaughter has a piano that plays several nursery songs and one of them is “London Bridge” which is apparently in disarray because it is…”falling down.” Again, with the “falling” thing!
I went to www.rhymes.org to look up words to some of the old rhymes I could not remember and it is quite interesting. This website gives you not only the words, but the story behind each rhyme. It appears that most of our childhood nursery rhymes were based on tragedies mostly in England during the 15th and 16th centuries.
We all grew up with these stories and told them to our children without really thinking about the words or the origins of these well known rhymes. There certainly was no harm done and we should read and sing with our children and grandchildren. But, one day, for some reason, I got to thinking about the end of the “Hokey Pokey” song…”that’s what it’s all about!”
Then, one Sunday afternoon, my husband and I were out driving around looking at houses and neighborhoods in hopes of finding something that would be less work than our 10 acres, and we saw a new subdivision for the “50 and over” group of people. Well, that is us!
They had two open models to take a look at so we did. They were beautiful homes with every modern convenience anyone would ever want. These homes were on little postage stamp sized lots so you could throw a rock into your neighbor’s living room window (not that I would ever do that!), but the association took care of all the grass cutting and weed eating. Now you have my husband’s attention!
When we left, the nice lady gave us a brochure and it said, “Put more life into your living. That’s what it’s all about!” All these years, I thought the “Hokey Pokey” was what it was all about! How wrong could I be?
It did, however, get me to thinking about what life is all about. It would certainly make life easier for us if someone else did all the outside yard work and maintenance, but they had a lot of rules. I’m not much of a fan of too many rules. One of the rules for the community was that they would not let you put a swingset in your yard for your grandchildren because it would not fit in with the landscape or atmosphere for a “senior community.” Right now, a swingset and the joy of my grandchild and future grandchildren are very much in my atmosphere.
It is very important in this season of my life to spend every moment I can with my husband, children and grandchildren. This is my calling…for this season. As we all know, seasons change.
God has blessed me with so much love in my life that my heart is full and that makes me want to share this knowledge. You can, too! We are given this concept by God in I John 4:7, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and every one who loves is born of God and knows God.”
Now, THAT’S what it’s all about!
Okay, can you tell I have been spending a lot of time with a 7-month old baby? I must sing the “Hokey Pokey” song about 20 times a day. The sad thing is, I can barely remember the words to the other nursery rhymes so I usually make up words. My granddaughter doesn’t know any different.
Some of the nursery rhymes, like “Rock A Bye Baby”, has depressing words in it. “When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall. And down will come baby cradle and all.” Really? That’s a pretty scary image.
Then, of course, there is poor little Jack and pitiful little Jill. Someone sent them up a “hill to fetch a pail of water.” Why would anyone send two small children to “fetch” water? Then, the horrific fall where Jack “broke his crown” (whatever that is) and then silly Jill “came tumbling after” him. More “falling.”
My granddaughter has a piano that plays several nursery songs and one of them is “London Bridge” which is apparently in disarray because it is…”falling down.” Again, with the “falling” thing!
I went to www.rhymes.org to look up words to some of the old rhymes I could not remember and it is quite interesting. This website gives you not only the words, but the story behind each rhyme. It appears that most of our childhood nursery rhymes were based on tragedies mostly in England during the 15th and 16th centuries.
We all grew up with these stories and told them to our children without really thinking about the words or the origins of these well known rhymes. There certainly was no harm done and we should read and sing with our children and grandchildren. But, one day, for some reason, I got to thinking about the end of the “Hokey Pokey” song…”that’s what it’s all about!”
Then, one Sunday afternoon, my husband and I were out driving around looking at houses and neighborhoods in hopes of finding something that would be less work than our 10 acres, and we saw a new subdivision for the “50 and over” group of people. Well, that is us!
They had two open models to take a look at so we did. They were beautiful homes with every modern convenience anyone would ever want. These homes were on little postage stamp sized lots so you could throw a rock into your neighbor’s living room window (not that I would ever do that!), but the association took care of all the grass cutting and weed eating. Now you have my husband’s attention!
When we left, the nice lady gave us a brochure and it said, “Put more life into your living. That’s what it’s all about!” All these years, I thought the “Hokey Pokey” was what it was all about! How wrong could I be?
It did, however, get me to thinking about what life is all about. It would certainly make life easier for us if someone else did all the outside yard work and maintenance, but they had a lot of rules. I’m not much of a fan of too many rules. One of the rules for the community was that they would not let you put a swingset in your yard for your grandchildren because it would not fit in with the landscape or atmosphere for a “senior community.” Right now, a swingset and the joy of my grandchild and future grandchildren are very much in my atmosphere.
It is very important in this season of my life to spend every moment I can with my husband, children and grandchildren. This is my calling…for this season. As we all know, seasons change.
God has blessed me with so much love in my life that my heart is full and that makes me want to share this knowledge. You can, too! We are given this concept by God in I John 4:7, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and every one who loves is born of God and knows God.”
Now, THAT’S what it’s all about!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Got GPS?
Those who know me, especially my husband and daughters, know that I am geographically challenged. That’s a really nice way of saying that I don’t know my left from my north!
Years ago, I worked in real estate and decided that I was the worst real estate agent that ever existed. Not only did I talk people out of buying houses if they could not afford them, I would have to have them drive themselves so I could follow them.
Oh, I always printed off maps from Mapquest or Google maps, but they had different names for roads than what was on the signs sometimes. So, that confused me even more.
My poor husband bought me many gadgets to tell me where I was going. This was before GPS was affordable and available.
One time he bought me a thing that fit on my dash and I had to plug it into the accessory outlet. It showed north, south, east and west, but one day it said 120 degrees. I was so sure that this thing was junk that I called my husband and told him there was no way it could be 120 degrees outside, it was only 72! He asked me if I had ever heard of longitude and latitude! Of course, I had. What did that have to with anything?
My daughter gets so annoyed with me every time we go to St. Louis to the airport because I still can not remember if we take 170 north or 170 south. I am never sure what I am north or south of.
Part of the reason I have no memory of direction is because if I am driving, I always have someone in the car who pays attention. If I am the passenger, the driver is there to always pay attention. I am enjoying the scenery or the conversation. Besides, I always get to where I am going. It may not be in the direction or time frame my loved ones would choose, but I always get there!
The irony of this is that I love to take vacations across the country and I am usually the primary driver. But, if I am not the driver, I am the navigator and I really can read a map. If you are on a driving vacation you can take your time and enjoy the scenery.
If you are one of those people that take vacations by car and have a specific itinerary and time frames for the things you want to do, then you should not go on vacation with me. God put me on this earth to randomly stop and smell the roses. God also gave me a husband that needs to be reminded to smell the roses. But, my husband does know his left from his north. That’s why God put us together!
I have spent almost 54 years trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up. I seem to forget that God already has a path laid out for me. I just wish that there was a billboard on Hwy. 64 somewhere telling me what that is.
David reminds us of God’s promise in Psalm 16:11, “Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; In Thy presence is fullness of joy; In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever.”
Sometimes, I think we all get in our own way. I know that I can be my own worst enemy at sabotaging my path. I either put unnecessary obstacles in my own way or I perceive there are obstacles that don’t exist.
It is very comforting to know that God has the most updated GPS for us, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105
So, the next time you are feeling a little lost, let your Bible open up to you a whole new world of GPS. You could learn your left from your north!
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