Playing in the Street

Tires squealed and the blue Ford Fusion came to a halt as the young girl darted out in front of the car.  He came to a complete stop, leaving black skid marks in the road, successfully avoiding hitting the child.  I couldn't help but be startled as this took place right in front of me while I checked our mailbox at the end of the court.  The young lady driving jumped out to make sure the small child was all right, who by this time had run crying, frightened into her own mother's arms.  As the driver attempted to talk with the the child's mother, the young lady started yelling at her for almost hitting her daughter.  The driver then explained that she was going the speed limit and just didn't expect to see a child playing in the street.  The mother continued to yell and told the young child the driver was a bad, bad lady.  The woman just shook her head, got into her car, and left, as the woman yelled obscenities at the driver (in front of her daughter).  I walked back to my home asking myself, "Did that really just take place?"

Then, of course, I thought about MY parents.  I remember once when we were small, my sister crossed the street, which my siblings and I had all been taught NOT to do.  But she deliberately disobeyed.  And I remember my mother was very angry, and she scolded her, and my sister cried.  I remember, because I remember being sad for my sister.  But my mother scolded her because she loved her.  Had my sister been in the middle of the street, about to get hit by a car, and my mother yelled, "I don't want to offend you or anything, or hurt your feelings if you disagree with me or anything, but you are about to get killed by a car honey, but I love you!"   What kind of a parent would she have been?   But no, she scolded and corrected her FIRST in order to protect her, and THEN, she reminded her of her love.

God does the very same with us.  Often times, we don't enjoy the chastisement, the consequences of our decisions that we know are not good ones.  But He is a better parent than we will ever know how to or be capable of being, and He loves us enough to protect us, just like my mother protected my siblings and I, by setting rules, and by correcting us when we broke them.  It was all because she loved us.

Hebrews 12:6 says "For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child."

I am praying tonight that the young mother who yelled at the driver of that car, realizes she acted in haste.  I'm praying she loves her daughter enough to correct her when she needs to protect her, instead of allowing her to think that she is always right, and the other person always wrong.  That's a problem in society these days - No one wants to accept responsibility.  Sometimes, we need some direction, some correction, someone who cares about us to warn us that WE are about to get hit by a truck head-on!

I'm examining my own reactions tonight to some of the warnings I have received in the past.  I believe there is one person I need to call and say "Thank you" to - Whose warning I did not accept at the time, but later came to realize (through consequences), that she was right all along.  I had originally taken offense at her advice.  I found it harsh at the time, because I wanted my way.  But now, I realize she gave me that advice because she genuinely cared about me.  (Actually, I knew all along she cared about me.  I just wanted to do things MY way!).

And I also think I need to realize that some of the warnings that I give to people I care about, also will not be accepted, but that's okay too.  I'm not much different than they are with the Lord sometimes.  In fact, I think if we're honest with ourselves, we're all a little like that at times, wanting to do things OUR way, rather than trusting His plans, His way, His direction....

Thank you, Lord, for your patience with me, for your protection, your mercy, your grace, and for being a loving and protective Father.  Thank you for disciplining me and accepting me as your child!

A Divine Encounter (at Kroger!)

I want to tell you how intimately our God knows us, knows our heart aches, our dreams, our goals, our deepest desires, and our hurts.  And I want you to know that nothing is impossible for Him. He will arrange the most divine appointments to comfort us, if we seek Him.  I have story after story after story in my life alone, and have heard countless testimonies told by others as well.  But tonight, I want to tell you about a man named Sam, and an encounter that was arranged by God.

Sam's daughter, Michele, was my very dear friend.  In fact, we called each other "seesters."  We lived next door to each other, raised our children together, worked from home together, had coffee every morning together.....  You get the picture.  We were close.  

Well, Sam was Michele's Dad.  He was awesome.  He was kind, and sweet, and gentle, and he loved his daughter and his grandchildren and son-in-law more than anything in the world.  He also loved to golf.  Sam would very often come over to Michele's for coffee, (or "java") as she liked to call it.  She would knock on our common wall, and I'd run over to see Sam, have a cup of java with the two of them, and always a piece of fresh fruit.  Michele always had fresh fruit!

Sam would always tell me to "speak up!"    He was an artillery man in the Army and had lost much of his hearing.  We also exchanged many Army stories over the years!  He was always interested in the activities of his grandchildren.  He was such a proud father to Michele, and loved his grandchildren, and they loved him!  

My friend Michele became very sick one summer, and was soon diagnosed with cancer.  She immediately started treatment, and not long afterwards became quite sick.  I would ride my bike to the hospital to see Michele during the day, every day.  She laughed and made jokes, just like Michele, but I knew she was afraid.  I would often cry on my way home.  And I was worried about Sam.  She was his only child, and he loved her so.  I knew this would be very difficult for him.

During this time, I was confiding in my friend Sue, who was such a comfort to me, and I told her how sad Michele's dad would be if he lost his daughter.  Sue and Michele had never met.

Sue called me one afternoon, just a few days before Michcle would pass away.  She wanted to tell me that she had met a little old man in Kroger who, she just happened to strike up a conversation with.  Just about this time, I began to think of Michele's dad, Sam - He always shopped at Kroger. 

Then, Sue began to tell me that this gentleman was very sad, and shared with Sue that his daughter, Michele, was very sick and that he was very scared to lose her.  Sue went on to say that she offered to pray with him, which the little old man agreed to, and right there, in what I think I recall correctly as the ice cream aisle, she held the little old man's hands and prayed for him and his daughter, Michele.  She asked me, "By any chance, is your friend Michele's father's name, Sam?" 

"Yes!!!"   Oh my gosh!  You just prayed with Michele's Dad, Sam!

Only the Lord can arrange something like this.  Sam talked to everyone!   And Sue is just like Sam! (That is a MAJOR compliment!)   And Sue is not shy about praying for anyone - What a perfect person to cross paths with Sam!

Well, tonight I learned that Sam has passed away.  My heart is aching because I know his family has endured far more loss than anyone deserves to, in an especially short period of time, too.  But I can't help but grin as I imagine Sam golfing on the most lucious green he's ever seen, and drinking java with his favorite daughter, no doubt, with the best selection of fruit we've yet to imagine.  

Thank you, to my dear friend Sue Rober, who was a comfort to me when I was losing Michele. And thank you, for the comfort you brought to Sam, right in the middle of the ice cream aisle.  You are such an inspiration and example to all who know you, and especially to me!  

Never, ever be afraid or embarrassed to pray out loud when someone needs it.  Don't pass up opportunities to comfort someone or share a kind word.  And don't ever, ever under-estimate what divine encounters our God is able, willing and LONGING to orchestrate for you.  

Hebrews 13:2, says, "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing, some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it."

PAID IN FULL !

Many years ago during a very short assignment when I was in the Army, I loaned $800 to a "friend" who promised that she would pay me back before getting sent to her next duty station.  But as the date for her departure grew closer, it was becoming clear that she had no intention of paying me back.  I asked her repeatedly about when she was going to pay her debt, and her responses always made me feel horrible for asking, as she always expressed her disappointment in my doubt of our "friendship."   The very day of her departure, she wrote me a $25 check and promised that she would send me the rest upon arrival to her new assignment.

And in the memo line of that $25 check she wrote, "PAID IN FULL."

Naive, young, and trusting her, I promptly deposited the check at the bank.  Weeks passed by and I had to call her and ask where the money was, but none of my calls were answered or returned.  I finally went to my commanding officer, who referred me to the Army's Legal office.  

To make a long story short - By endorsing and cashing the check that had written on it, "PAID IN FULL," I had in fact acknowledged, that it was just that - PAID IN FULL.   She knew what she was doing, and I was unable to collect on the other $775.   For years, I just figured it was a lesson learned.  But now, I look back and learn a completely different lesson from it, and it has to do with the Easter Story. Here's why.......

When Jesus was on the Cross at Calvary, He said, "Tetelestai!" which in Greek means, "It is FINISHED!"  In other words, PAID IN FULL !

Jesus came down to earth, to live in an earthly body just like yours and mine.  He knew hunger, thirst, pain, heartache, and even betrayal!  In fact, He knew all of these things better than us.  He was beaten and crucified, and gave up His life for us at Calvary on the Cross.

But He did this because it was the ONLY way for you and I to be reconciled to the Father, and even ABLE to spend eternity in heaven.  He PAID THE PRICE!  There IS nothing else we must "do!" but believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, His sacrifice there at Calvary, confess that you are a sinner in need of His saving grace, and accept the FREE gift of Salvation!

Why do we want to keep trying to PAY our way into heaven?  Why?  Volunteering at the soup kitchen 8 days a week, going on mission trip after mission trip after mission trip, writing checks to our favorite charities, paying for services to be held for a specific person, doing good deeds, belonging to the right activities club, attending the right church.......  You canNOT do enough "good stuff" or even "be good enough" to EARN what Jesus did for you and for me.  He said it was paid in full, and He meant it.  He cannot "collect" our deeds as payments towards His free gift anymore than I could collect from the girl who took off with my money.  

Once the bank and the lawyer informed me that by there was NOTHING I could do to collect on that debt, I had to put it behind me.  That was 25 years ago, and I can PROMISE you, I have not spent even an hour trying to collect on that debt.  PAID IN FULL meant just that - PAID IN FULL!  Our good deeds should be a manifestation of a joyful heart, not as a good deed trying to EARN what we will NEVER have the means to pay for...  

It's time we started thinking like the bank.  PAID IN FULL means PAID IN FULL !!!

Hind Sight (I'm just rambling)...

My oldest son, Rory, is counting the months until his wedding, and until the day he starts his new married life.  My younger son, Ian, awaits (far more patiently than his mother), an acceptance letter to a university.  Potentially, both of my kids could move out at the end of the summer.

As I prepare for this (how exactly does one prepare for this?), I find myself hoping and praying so many things for them.  I'm praying that they make wiser choices than I did.  I'm praying they are better people than I am.  I'm praying they are better spouses and parents than I was.  I feel abundantly blessed in this life, I do - But I want even more for my kids.  And the odd thing, is that as I pray these prayers for them, I am realizing several things that I've had wrong for a long time.  But I'm also wondering - Am I the only one who sees clearly looking back, as if I have 20/20 vision? - But sees things blurred as I look into the future?  

But that's not all.  I'm learning that I am not quite as wise as I once thought I was....

We bring our babies home from the hospital and secretly and silently (perhaps), vow to them not to make the same mistakes OUR parents did.  We just know that we somehow are quite a bit wiser than they were.  We pick and choose the things we do and don't care for in our upbringing, our homes, our parents, our siblings, and then we not only use them as excuses for anything about us that is not quite right.... (rather than admit God needs to do a work in US!)  But we parent as if we somehow have the "updated" version of the Parent's Guidebook that God sends with the birth of each of our children.  (Please don't Google this book - It DOES NOT EXIST!)

Nah.  I'm discovering (yeah, maybe I'm a little slow) - I'm just as broken, imperfect, human, and in need of a Savior as my parents and my siblings....  If I really believed I was so wise, why then, would I be so afraid of passing on my imperfections to my sons!  

I think families would be a lot more "functional" if we recognized the human-ness in each other (AND ourselves), and started functioning from a "love" perspective rather than from a "loyalty" perspective.  There would be more forgiveness for SURE, loads more understanding (AND grace!), far fewer years lost in anger and resentment, and oodles and oodles of fun memories. 

Just sayin'.......

A "Re-Cap" of My Year 50's Bucket List

This time last year, I had no idea that I was going to start a 12-month bucket list, until my sister called me very early in the morning of my 50th birthday on April Fool's Day.  After this many years of April Fool's jokes, I don't believe anything anyone calls to tell me, especially at 6 a.m.

She giggled slyly as she asked me, "Now that you are 50, I just wondered, if you have scheduled your colonoscopy yet?"  And with all of the rebellious attitude I could muster up, I informed her sharply that a colonoscopy would NOT be something I would even consider in my 50th year of life.  We had a good laugh and a short chat before saying goodbye.  But then I sat there thinking, "What WILL I do differently, now that I am the big 5-0?"

A few minutes later, I found myself hand-writing a letter to my mother, thanking her for raising me and being my mom.  The following day, I decided to write a letter to my childhood friend, Bill, for his birthday.  He was struggling in a situation and was constantly amazing me with the godly way in which he was handling things.  April 3 I hand wrote my 3rd letter, and decided to continue each day for the month of April, writing a total of 30 letters in all!  Each letter told the recipient how much I admired them, and how they had impacted my life.  By the time April 30 arrived, I realized that I know some pretty neat folks!

By now, I had gotten the "bucket list" idea for the year.

Each month after that, I devoted to different activities, some meaningful and some just plain old fun!  A few of my "just for fun" activities included taking a semester of sign language at the local community college, and learning how to blow glass at an art gallery, which was a very, very fun day with a friend, and I brought home a few "creations" of my own!  I also took my very first ever "up north" in Michigan trip, visiting Traverse City, the Lelenau Peninsula, Sutton's Bay, and the Sleeping Bear Dunes.  I successfully climbed one of the dunes (yes, probably the smallest), and went to the Cherry Republic.  DEFINITELY one of the year's highlights!

Having always wanted to start a "laundromat ministry" I bravely walked into a laundromat one day and blessed someone with a bottle of detergent and a roll of quarters, which began a friendship, and during the months I was in sign language school, would stop on my school days and visit occasionally with the mom and her children while she and I would fold clothes and share stories about raising children and just life, in general.

In April I visited a friend in Atlanta and attended Passion City Church where one of our favorite pastors teaches from.  I not only got to visit Pastor Giglio's church with my friend, but I also had the opportunity to join one of their groups that was doing outreach with the Not For Sale Campaign and we went to downtown businesses to educate hotel, restaurant, and store owners about local human trafficking.  During another trip to Atlanta, I also visited Dr. Charles Stanley's Church and heard him preach in person.  These were another couple of highlights of my 50th year!

One month I wrote random notes to people to encourage them.  Sometimes they knew they were from me, other times not.  This was fun!  During another month, I was feeling guilty for the times I have left my grocery cart in the parking lot because it was just too cold to return it!  So, I devoted the month to stopping at random grocery stores, parking, and gathering up baskets and returning them to the store.  (And sometimes thanked the grocery cart boys with gift cards to Starbucks).  I am very good now about returning my baskets and not leaving them in the parking lot!

In February I wrote a letter each day to Rory and Holly, so that each day of the month they would have something special from me to read.  In March, I did the very same thing for Ian.

During this past month, divine intervention would arrange for my path to cross with someone I knew, but not very well.  And divine intervention would also have it that the two of us, each struggling with different worries, would make a commitment to pray together with each other at least once per day.  Today is March 27, and we have communicated daily and have not missed a day of prayer in 27 days.  We have become friends, prayer partners, encouragers to each other, and I have often wondered over the past few weeks why we waited so long to become such close friends.  It's a friendship I already cherish ;)

As I thought about how to "sum up" the year, I knew God would show me just how.  Yesterday morning, I met a friend for coffee at Starbucks.  We sat and enjoyed each other's company for two hours.  At one point, we couldn't help but notice, and laugh at, the fact that so many people were sitting at tables for two, but all alone, each of them with at least one form of communication technology.  One woman was skyping, others were typing, and one young man had two computers open.  But my friend and I sat facing each other, making eye-to-eye contact while we shared and enjoyed our time together.  Later in the day, I drove to a long-time friend's house, where we sat up in our flannel nightgowns until midnight watching movies.  (Her husband graciously joined us and tolerated the chick flicks we picked out).  This morning, we sat and had coffee and breakfast together, again, face to face.  No technological distractions.

Upon my return home, I cooked a couple of meals for my family and then retreated to my nightly bubble bath by candle light routine.  As I lay there, neck deep in bubbles, I looked around, and thought - Life is good.  Life is really, really good.  And, it has been a good, good 50th year.

God has blessed me with two awesome young men, Rory & Ian.  I'm getting the best daughter-in-law on the planet in a few months - Holly.  There are more people in my life whom I admire than I have stationary to write letters to.  The Lord has uniquely placed just the right people around me.  Some of them I see often, others just now and then.  But how often we see each other is no reflection on the amount I cherish each of the people in my life.  He has given me some very unique opportunities this past year.  I am absolutely over and abundantly blessed!

So, how will I spend year 51?  Well, aside from kicking the year off with a colonoscopy, the Lord is only beginning to give me ideas.....

Who's up for a hot air balloon ride?

Unhealthy Food & "Processed" Gospels

My son is getting married this fall, and the thought of what I will look like in the photos frightens me.  I've gained a lot of weight in the past 10 years, and it's embarrassing.  My knee is falling apart, I have constant back pain, and looking in the mirror, quite frankly, disappoints me every single day. It is a constant reminder of my failure at commitment to stick to a diet, to an exercise program, and to a new healthy way of living.  And the honest to God truth is, I'm lazy.  

It's been below zero for the past several months, and it takes too much effort to clean off the car, treck out into the snow and zero degrees to the gym for a swim, and it's much more comfortable cuddled on the couch watching my favorite TV shows.  

I'm a nurse, and I see the results of an unhealthy lifestyle every single time I go to work.  So "I didn't know" is not an excuse for me.  I stare at my Irish dance shoes, wishing I could put them back on, remembering when I could get through a two-hour intense aerobic dance lesson a couple of times a week, and competing against girls half my age (and winning)!  I'll never wear those shoes again, and only another Irish dancer understands the heartache of not being able to pound out one more treble reel on a good old hard wood floor.  Those days are over.  

But, thankfully, I can start all over.  In fact, I can start all over every single day.  I may not ever Irish dance (standing up) again, but like my Dad, my feet have never seemed to stop moving.  There are "eternal jigs and reels" running through my veins, and my feet are never still, even when sitting. And I can purchase different food, cook new meals, join a Weight Watcher support group, get more active (snow, snow, go away!), and develop a new healthy lifestyle.  It truly is, never too late.

So this morning, I made the first step.  I asked the expert some simple questions on where to start with developing a healthier lifestyle.  Yup, you guessed it - Google!  And here are some things that I read:

1) Eat whole foods, which have not been tampered with.  They should be straight from the farm - whole fruits and vegetables, whole grains, grass-fed and free-range meats, low fat dairy products, nuts and seeds without added salts.

(Right about at this point, a light bulb went off.  I KNOW how to do this.)

2) Refined sugar provides nothing but calories.  Just stick to the good, healthy foods, because refined sugar really has very little place in the eating clean plan.

3) Eat smaller meals throughout the day to rev up your metabolism and reduce the chance of eating something unhealthy.  You will never get hungry on this plan, or feel deprived with the need to eat something unhealthy.

4) Avoid processed foods:  Processed foods have a label, which means that there is more than one ingredient used to make that food.  Avoid putting these in your shopping basket.

WARNING!  WARNING!   Rabbit Trail .................

1) Eat whole foods, which have not been tampered with?  Sounds a lot to me like Proverbs 30:5-6, "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.  Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar."

2) Refined sugar really has very little place in the eating clean plan?  Sounds a lot like 2 Timothy 4:3-4, "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead, to suite their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn away from the truth and turn aside to myths."

3) Eat smaller meals throughout the day, so you will never go hungry or feel deprived, or want to eat something unhealthy?  Reminds me of Psalm 44:8, "In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever."

4) Avoid processed foods.  They have more than one ingredient used to make it.  Avoid even putting it in your shopping basket.  Titus 2:1 says, "You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine."    Hebrews 13:9 says, "Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings."

Years ago, I began to pray that the Lord would never, ever let me be deceived, that truth and lie would be so black and white obvious, that it would be undeniable to me.  He has been so faithful with me in doing so.  Sooo faithful.  So today, understanding my hunger to know the Truth about Christ and to only follow sound doctrine, He knew exactly how I would understand it, and He used His Word to teach me.  (Truly, an "I could've had a V8!" moment).

My health and my being overweight is a direct result of what I have allowed to go into my body, and also the lack of discipline in exercise.  

Our spiritual health (or lack of spiritual "healthiness"), is also a direct result of what we have allowed ourselves to ingest, and the lack of discipline in feeding ourselves ONLY Truth.  

But guess what!  I can start a diet over and over and over.  And we can begin seeking Truth and forgiveness every day too, because His mercies are new - every single day!

The Bible tells us over and over that we are to feed ourselves from His Word.  

Matthew 4:4 says, "It has been written, Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God."

Are you saved?  Have you been born again?  If you have, then you should have a hunger for God's Word and His Truth like you have never, ever had before.  That's what happens!  Just like Jeremiah 15:16 says, "When I discovered your words, I DEVOURED them.  They are my joy and my heart's DELIGHT, for I bear your name, O LORD God of Heaven's armies."

And if you are delighting yourself in God's Word, are you rejecting the "processed foods?"  The false gospels, the half-truth gospels, or are you nibbling on them just because they "taste good?"   God did give us a warning label!  (His Word!)  He said to rebuke doctrine that was not sound.

2 John 1:10-11 says, "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them.  Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work."

I'm so thankful today for my relationship with the Lord.  He knows me so well, that He knew exactly how to customize exactly how to teach me something.

So my commitment as March comes to an end, is to chase health with the same speed at which I currently chase Truth.  I've got friends who are already running alongside of me chasing Truth.  I'm asking each of you to cheer me on as I begin chasing health (yes, AGAIN!)

But I am also challenging YOU, to be courageous enough to seek the Truth!  and seek it despite the cost.  Yes, despite the cost!

See you at the finish line.

What Impresses You?

"He only had an 8th grade education.  He had no college degree.  He had no credentials after his name.  He wasn't famous.  He didn't invent or discover anything.  But yet, I find myself wanting to be just like him."

Those were the words spoken by someone at my Dad's funeral, the words that have stuck in my heart for many years following his death.  And each of the stories, whether they were silly or sweet, told of who "Peter Little Allan" was.  He was kind, genuine, soft-spoken, trustworthy, and charming.  He didn't talk about people poorly, or behind their backs.  He was ALWAYS willing to do just about anything for anyone.  Everyone who knew him, loved him.  He made everyone feel good, from his children, to the cashier at Meijers, the barber who cut his hair, and the guy who took his money at the gas station.  He was nice to people no matter who they were, or what their credentials or position were.  He treated everyone the same.

I remember those words spoken at Dad's funeral, mostly because they were spoken by someone who IS highly educated and who has many credentials after their name, but yet - they wanted to be like Dad.  And this, to me, spoke volumes of their character.  They wanted to be like my Dad.

Often since then I have thought about the things that impress us about people, the things that we admire the most about those we choose to surround ourselves with.  It's worth thinking about, and it's certainly even worth praying about.

2 Corinthian 4:18 says, "So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.  For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever."

We don't take our credentials and education with us when we leave this earth.  And our bank statements are worthless to us.  We don't show up with a portfolio full of "good works" that earns us a good standing in heaven.  The position we earned, the rank we achieved, how much money we have donated, or the number of nights a week we worked at the soup kitchen, how many Bible verses we have memorized, or how many mission trips we have attended - None of it will matter if our hearts are not right.

1 Corinthians 13:2 says, "If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing."

Love is what really matters in the end; how we treated people - all people, not only those we chose to surround ourselves with.  That's what I want to be impressed with in people.  And how Dad loved is only one of the things I most admire and miss about him.  It was his "eternal credentials" that mattered in the end!

Here's a challenge for all of us today - Ask yourself, and be honest with your answer.  What is it that impresses you with people?  Why are you surrounded by who you have chosen to surround yourself with? Is it because you are benefiting from their position? their rank?  their ability to bless you financially?  Is it because their credentials and education impress you?  Or is it because they remind you of Jesus and challenge you to strive to become a better person?

Father, help us to be honest with ourselves, and when we are not, please allow your Holy Spirit to convict us.  Change us.  Make us more like you!  In Jesus' name, Amen!