Priorities of the Sand and Sun.

There are times when you can look back at a single moment in time and realize that it shaped and helped define the rest of your life.

I had one of those moments when I was 17.  At that time I was consumed with two things: a certain baseball player and going to the beach.  We went to the beach on a regular basis in our house. Most every weekend and holiday involved the salt and the sand more often that not.

We loved the beach. The water, the sand, the chairs in the sand, and everything else that goes along with a great day.  The seaside, for us, became a place of soul-soothing moments that we grew to crave. There is still no other place like it.

On a particular Saturday morning, we packed up and headed to our happy place for the day.  We would go early in the morning and stay until the late afternoon.  We lathered ourselves with sunscreen  baby oil...horrors upon horrors...and waited the day out.  We didn't wear hats or sunglasses. Who needed them?

The next morning upon getting out of bed, I looked in the mirror and saw fire-engine red skin and very swollen eyes. Well, I knew I couldn't go to church looking like this, so I proceeded to find my mother and discuss this matter with her.  In our house, church wasn't on the optional activities list. It was always a given that we were going and normally I was ready. Not that day, though. It would be a tad bit embarrassing to walk in SS looking like that.

I found her and began my tale of woe."Look at me," I said. "I just can't go to church this morning.". I was sure I would receive the grace and mercy of a totally understanding mother. However what I got was, " Oh, you are going to church." She then proceeded to tell me that it was the Lord's day and that her worship of Him was the most important thing in her life. Even more important than me.

Insert my life-defining moment.  My mother's worship of God came first and foremost. She didn't always get it right, but she knew where the Anchor was.  I learned that day my mother loved me so much that in that teachable moment she put my priorities where they should be.  To her dying day, I am convinced that my mother  never stopped worshipping her Savior.

I want to be like her when I grow up.

Happy Birthday, Mom. We miss you.

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You,  for You, O Lord have not forsaken those who seek you.    Psalm 9:10

Reflections on Haiti

To say that we had a "good trip" to Haiti would be like saying, "I had a good day"....too generic.

So here is my list of things we saw, heard and experienced:

The airline we flew needs to check their thermostat. However, we didn't remember that the cold air was the last bit of coolness we would be a part of for a week. Hindsight is always 20/20.

My luggage which looked fine as I waved it good bye in Ft. Lauderdale came to me in Haiti beat up and filthy.

Port au Prince---what else can you say about no traffic rules, horns blaring, smells that haven't a name, wandering animals and people bathing, washing and "what can't be mentioned" in the same puddle of water.  Not to mention all the devastation from the earthquake.

Our first sight of Christianville was telling. We were anticipating such joy and happiness. And that is exactly what we received. The hospitality there was welcoming.

Mrs. Sue is a modern day Mother Theresa, or as Noah called her "Sister Theresa". For him to recognize  that was insightful for his 11 yrs, and he is absolutely correct. Any woman who moves to a 4th world country, saves children and uses her life savings to do it, along with God's leading deserves the title. She is a straight-talking, no non-sense kind of woman that children and adults love.  She has my respect and unending love for what she is giving her life for.

Christianville is a 25 acre ministry that is doing amazing things for the Lord and His work.  They are making a huge difference in their area and the people that live there.

Rats and tarantulas run freely.

The children we were with all have their own stories that would astound you, yet they all love with a heart that is open to everyone.

Of course, the two reasons we went: John and Betchina. My heart was meshed with theirs immediately. It was as if they were always ours... (I say "ours"...but I mean Clint and Jennifer's..I think :))...for their whole lives. I found there is no distinction of the heart. They belong with this family. Their hugs and smiles just seem to fit.

We had a room with three beds and a bathroom light that worked only in the daytime, a cold shower and a tin roof that when it rained sounded like we were being run over by a train, but our accommodations were very pleasant. When you are in Haiti you find out just  how spoiled and picky that you really are. The Lord seems to say, "Ha! I've been telling you all along" in those moments. I hope I listened.

The next time I go to the doctor and have to wait, I won't grumble about it. We went to a clinic that had a tent full of people sitting and waiting in the heat and I suspect it was an all day affair.

Worshipping with those you don't speak the same language with is, without sounding weird, a pure joy.  When you are worshipping in song and the only words you recognize are "Jesu" and "Papa",  you know that somewhere in the lyrics they worship the same God you do.  Anytime the song mentions "Jesus and Lord" you can count on hearts turned towards heaven. We also had Squirrely, the dog join us in worship that morning. He needed Jesus, too. :)

We took a walk to a near-by village where a well is in the center of it and people were bringing 5 gallon buckets to fill it up. There were little stands set up selling everything from Lotto tickets to mango's on the side.  Children ran freely, houses were being worked on and life went on in a world that we know very little about.

All this and more happened while we were gone. We spent seven days in a place almost completely opposite than where we live and yet, in many ways it was very much the same.  They are people trying to make a living, feed their families and get by. They want more for their children than what they have and do what they need to so it can happen.  They love Jesus...probably in a deeper way than we do.

My first born, the oldest Treasure and I left our homes and went to a small place in the sea and saw that God was working in very miraculous ways, in big ways.  I seemed to see things clearer there. I'm asking God for that same kind of clarity now that we are home.

May our eyes and hearts be open to see where God is working and to join Him in what He is doing.  I'll be going back soon to this island....and my heart is yearning already.

Mwen p'ap kite nou pou kont nou

Mwen p'ap kite nou pou kont nou

I will not leave you as orphans...John 14:18



Tomorrow begins a journey. It has been a long time coming and greatly anticipated.  In the wee hours of the morning, three generations will leave this land that we call home and fly to an island in the sea.  Waiting there are two children, whose names will soon change. I'm very sure that when our feet touch that ground our hearts will be eagerly waiting for moment we see the two that we are longing to hug.  God has granted us this time.  May we not waste one second.

Remembering....

Seconds  turn to minutes. Minutes turn into days and days into months.  Before we could blink, a year has passed, and our hearts are still remembering with thankfulness.

He is still the "Birthday present she couldn't return"

A good day with G'ma

She loved these.....

and the great grands .....

and most of all these. 

We are thankful we were hers and she was ours. And we are better for it.

New friend, New Hero

Yesterday I met a new friend. We only had conversation for a total time of 35 minutes, but in that small amount of minutes and seconds, she has changed my outlook on life. She came to the volleyball game and found herself, not having had the time to get to an ATM, without the means to enter. She had never been to the gym we use and didn't realize those necessities were not available. My husband, the fixer, noticed that she was sitting outside and went to question. She told him her plight and he fixed it. They began to converse. I arrived late, and came to greet him. He introduced me, said, "Listen to her story" and went inside.

And I listened in silence. She is a teacher. She was in her elementary classroom on that tragic 9/11 in New York City, one and a half blocks from the Twin Towers. She began telling me what it was like to hear the initial explosion. The building rocked, windows were blown, children and adults were terrorized.  The horror, the smell and the sounds, parents who worked all over the city arriving in 20 minutes screaming for their children while the world outside their classroom was marked and changed forever.  Even 11 years later she was overcome with emotion as she talked and graciously answered my "20 questions". I was struck with the fear, and yet such resolve in her words. She gave God all the credit for her escape that day. She, herself, had to wait until all the children were with their families, then tried her best to get to hers. 

Her memories and recollections are forever etched in my mind. I can't get over some things she told me. As she talked, I realized that in a very real way this was an actual hero of one of the most horrific days our nation has ever experienced, watched and read about.  And I was honored to be in her presence. Her sense of God on that day was what got her through.

Now, she is a teacher.  Now, she still has some fear. Her family moved out of the city very soon after that.  She told me she still hasn't been able to bring herself to go back and visit the memorial site. She would like to...just hasn't yet. It's still so real.  She says that every morning when her students stand to say the Pledge of Allegiance that you can bet they are standing straight and tall and honoring this great country. She has no patience with anyone that downplays and degrades our military, police officers and firemen. You see, she saw them in action, coming to get her. As the ash blew down the streets like a wave of smoke, she watched them go into the towers, and she watched them picking up the wounded on the streets. She was a first hand witness to the greatness of what our country stands for...and she doesn't tolerate criticism of them.  She is still so overcome when Memorial Day, Veterans Day and the 9/11 Anniversary comes around that she "falls apart"..as she says.


From my new friends testimony and life story I have learned and been reminded of this:

*God is in control in the chaos of our lives.
*Even on the darkest of days, we can praise Him.
*Even when we don't feel like it or don't want to, we can praise Him.
*Our Heavenly Father can make something precious from devastation.
*God wins, every time.


With the election coming up, I was reminded of this verse:

Let every individual be obedient to those who rule over him; for no one is a ruler except by God's permission, and our present rulers have had their rank and power assigned to them by Him.

Romans 13:1


We don't need to get ourselves worked up about what is going to happen. God already knows. In fact, He has ordained it. Are we willing to suffer through whatever it takes to bring revival to our land? God is to be praised in every moment, good and bad in our lives. That's how we show Him to our world. He is worthy. He is worthy. He is worthy.

Sitting on a bench outside, a true hero of the faith reminded me that God is worth everything we go through. We are here to make Him known.

It's His story, not ours.

 



For Love of the Stuff

I love coffee. I'm not someone who grew up drinking coffee, though. Actually, when my mom would drink it, I thought it smelled bad and wanted nothing to do with it. My love affair with the java began in Bible study..as God intended (grin).  We were studying II Timothy 4..with GW, my favorite.. that cold evening in January. The discussion began with what Paul would have been going through in that dark, damp jail cell and the conditions he was forced to endure. We got to the passage that begins in verses 11-13:

"Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry. And Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come---and the BOOKS (my emphasis), especially the parchments."

With the phrase, "bring the cloak" I began to envision the temperature and I found myself getting cold. I went into the kitchen where only coffee was available. Because of being cold, I gave in to need for something warm and fixed my very first cup of coffee. It was loaded with cream and sugar and warmed my soul. I was hooked. I felt like a grown-up as I left church that evening. And so began my obsession with the dark brew that makes everything better for me. Ever since that day, I can't do Bible study without coffee right beside me. Rustling pages and the aroma of the coffee pot just go together.



I say all that to say this: It has been 14 days since my last cup of coffee. Our HS Girls Bible classes are participating in the 40 Day Challenge that goes along with See You at the Pole.  It's quite involved with different activities for the duration of the 40 days. And as good teachers, we are participating also. One of the things we were asked to do was fast from something in the time period.  We were to pray and ask God what it would be and declare it at the commissioning service.  I prayed, God answered, I prayed again, God didn't say anything, I begged, I pleaded, and still God didn't answer. He reminded me He had already given the answer. I threw myself on the altar and begged for mercy as I gave in to His desire. One of the things I believed I couldn't do without, God asked me to give up...for 40 days.

I also asked , "Lord, do You know it's October and Pumpkin Spice Latte time?"

And again...Holy silence.

So, now I drink water in the mornings and evenings. Now I make the coffee for our women's Bible study and don't drink it. Now I only smell it in the kitchen at work. And it's ok...God is growing me in ways I never been through before. His still small voice is heard a little more clearly.  He is showing me that what I think I need, I don't. I only need Him. He is sufficient for all my wants, needs and desires.

I still love the stuff. It comforts me.

But I love God more.


"Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable."      Psalm 145:2-3



A Prayer to Finish Well

The Bible says:

   * Do not be anxious about anything...Philiipians 4

   * He gives strength to the weary and increases the power
      of the weak...Isaiah 40

  * No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.   Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace...Hebrews 12

   * All athletes are disciplined in their training....So I run with purpose in every step.  I am not just shadow boxing...
      I Corinthians 9


I am counting on all of these truths and more. This weekend I will be running in a local 5K. It's a first for me and today my mind is saying, "What were you thinking?".  I'm really just a "wanna be" runner. I admire the ones who can run like the wind, as some would say. The Olympics seemed to spur on my desire to participate in this area of the sports world, and frankly, I just wanted to give it a shot.

I live within a family that lives and breathes the sports arena.  If they don't play, they watch it. If they don't watch it, they still can converse about it from the almighty ESPN viewpoint. And when the sports world becomes their occupation, that puts everything on another level. This has been the only time I have been able to consider myself a "part of their world".

In getting ready for this day, I've learned a few things:

1. My respect for those who are true athletes has risen.
2. I have discovered that I am undisciplined .
3. It doesn't take long for my body to cry out in pain.
4. When I run I can totally zone out for a while.
5. I hear Jeff Galloway's voice in my sleep.
                        and
6. I have the desire to give this everything I have.

I have been waiting for that Eric Liddell moment...you know the one, "When I run, I feel God's pleasure." It hasn't happened yet. Maybe it never will. Maybe I will get that sense when I have to run up the hill tomorrow. Or not. I don't really know what will happen. George Halas once said,                " Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it."

I want to give my best. I want to finish well,,,or really, just finish. I want to think like Paul, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.." Whatever happens tomorrow, I want to honor God.

My prayer and promise:

But those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings as eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31

Dear Lord, please don't let me faint. :)