Monday, April 30, 2012

I Just MIGHT Do That

When we say we might do something,
we probably aren't going to do it.


We're not interested,
but we don't want to be totally honest.


We don't want to hurt feelings,
so we let people down easily by first making them think we
might
do something asked, but in reality it won't happen.


Friend, "So, why don't you come to our son's concert this weekend,
he's playing the kazoo in a comb band with other homeschoolers."
You, "Oh, really, that's this Friday?  I just might do that."

Not.



 Friend, "You should totally color your hair blue
and shave a circle in the middle on the top.  It would look so darling on you!"
You, "Ya' know, that sounds pretty cute.  I might do that."
Not.



We distractedly accept their advice, offers, and opinions,
and relieve the pressure by saying
"I might."

C'mon, admit it. 
You're never going to do it.

We need to be careful we don't impose English definitions
and American applications into words when we read the Bible.


We don't use the word
might
the same way the Lord does.


Psalm 119:11  Your word have I hid in mine heart,
that I might not sin against thee.
Psalm 119:71  It is good for me that I have been afflicted;
that I might learn thy statutes.
Psalm 119:101  I have refrained my feet from every evil way,
that I might keep thy word.
Psalm 119:148  My eyes prevent the night watches,
that I might meditate in your word.


When it comes to God's Word,
might
isn't an escape route, to get outta' something you don't wanna' do,
it's a plan of attack to accomplish what you need to do.
It's an outcome for obedience.


I'm not a Greek scholar  because I can't  remember all the English words and rules as old age leaks information out of my brain as fast as it enters.
But, in Hebrew might isn't a word, it's a tense combined with other words.

In verse 71 "might learn" is the primitive root "lamad"  defined "learn"
 and  the imperfect tense Qal.
The imperfect expresses an action, process or condition which is incomplete,
and it has a wide range of meaning.

OK, that mumbo-jumbo above driving ya' crazy? 
Read this article, it says it better.


Or, ya' wanna' hear it in red-neck language?
Try this on for size.

Might
means "live in the state of."

Apply it to those verses.

Powerful, huh?


This new definition
might
change your life as you read the Word.
Ya' know might as in
"you'll be living in the state of having your life changed"
as you read the Scriptures.
That might happen.
"You'll be living in the state of that happening."

Thursday, April 26, 2012

What's For Dinner?

The same  question haunts me daily.

No matter how many loads of laundry I've washed,
how many weeds I've pulled,
how many errands I've done,
it's never enough.
There's always demand for one more task in my day.

I could swim the seven seas,
scale Mountwashmore,
and cross off 29 things on my To-Do List.

Still the question buzzes in my ear
like a Kamikaze mosquito who comes out of hiding
after the bedroom light is extinguished.

Sometimes,the demands of life are so great,
I actually get annoyed when this
survival-of-the-fittest question is asked.


Remember, I'm the one who wishes the Wonka pill was real?
You can read about it here.

As if breakfast and lunch weren't enough,
even though the kids often make their own,
they always gotta' ask
"What's for dinner?"


It's not that I don't wanna' feed my kids,
it's not that we are poverty-stricken and
need to beg for food from the starving kids in Africa.

Most of the time I just can't come up with any idears.

Nothing sounds good,
nothing sounds easy.

Then one day I heard giggling in the kitchen.


Like handwriting on the wall,
I received my answer.

She looks so delicious,
 we might have to make this again.

***********

(Please don't panic.
No children were hurt or abused
in the writing of this blog.
A mommy trying to carry an adorably chubby baby
and a large gleaming kettle upstairs at the same time,
merely simplified her life.)

(Blue words are links to past blogs,
just in case you were too busy trying to figger'
out what to make for dinner to notice.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Does Jesus Care?

Does Jesus Care?
 
Does Jesus care when my heart is pained
Too deeply for mirth or song,
As the burdens press, and the cares distress,
And the way grows weary and long?
Refrain 
 Oh, yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary
I know my Savior cares.
 

Does Jesus care when I’ve said “goodbye”
To the dearest on earth to me,
And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks,
Is it aught to Him? Does He see?

**********

A believer doesn't say
"goodbye"

to another believer who dies.
We aren't parted forever,
only for a season.
We will have all eternity together.

I prefer the French goodbye
"au revoir",
 until we meet again.


Yesterday,  I attended a funeral  with 500-600 people
honoring the life of a woman who was taken too quickly
and too soon for our feeble hearts.

By faith, we seek to trust the Lord, His ways and His plans,
but the spirit is willing and the flesh is weak.

This was a hard "av revoir" to say.

An adored and adoring wife,



an amazing and honored mother,
an excited new grandmother,
friend and confidante to innumerable people,
Lori Horn
fell in death and landed at the feet of Jesus.


All there were longing for one more of her amazing smiles,
one more of her comfort-giving hugs,
one more of her life-impacting spiritual insights,
one more of her snappy jokes,
one more of her thoughtful deeds of service.

You could even meet eyes with Lori across the room and be affected.

She had a presence that was such a light,
 many lives are experiencing a black-out.

But, if this sister knew I was glorifying her,
she would turn my thoughts to Jesus,
and gently encourage me to give Him glory.


Her death brought her to worship at His feet,
I know she would long for her death to cause us
to worship at His feet.

By faith, we choose to accept the sovereignty of God,
and choose to believe this Jeremiah 29:11 plan is for our good.

Until our feeble hearts totally grasp this plan,
and we learn to live without this faithful servant of the Lord, 
I'm thankful
Jesus Cares.
I'm  thankful He collects our tears in bottles,
intercedes with sighs too deep for words,
and holds us eternally in the palm of His hands.
 
Au revoir,
dear sister.
Your faithful testimony and example will cheer our path
until we join you at the feet of Jesus. 

**********
 
 
(Click on her name above to read the obituary and find out more about her life of faith.  
Please pray for those family members left behind.)
 

Friday, April 20, 2012

New Beginning for the Innocent Man

In the Scriptures,
8
is the number of new beginnings.


Eight people entered into the ark by faith.
I Peter 3:20
"while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is,
eight souls, were saved through water."


The firstborn was to be given to God on the 8th day (Exodus 22:29-30).


 In Genesis 17:12 instructions were given to circumcise on the 8th day.
Circumcision of the flesh foreshadowed the circumcision of the heart
through faith in Christ. (Colossians 2:11-13)

We have a new beginning in our lives, as well.

The Honorable Judge M. gave an 18 year sentence,
8 incarcerated,
10 on strict probation.

It is a harsh sentence,
especially for an Innocent Man.
Although the judge spent 45 minutes talking about the Innocent Man's
good character, based on his  his lack of ANY police record,
no drug or alcohol abuse, many letters written to the judge in his favor,
he had to stand on the jury's guilty verdict and give the time demanded the crime.

The Innocent Man called tonight.
He had some tears,
but mostly resolve to stand firm in the Lord.
He is determined to be a good testimony,
to continue to be faithful in prayer
for those he loves dearly outside the prison walls,
and not waste his
8 years.
He misses his loved ones so much and we know
how much his family will have changed in those years.
He will miss Graduations and weddings and babies.
He will miss picnics and vacations and family squabbles.


Eight years is a long, long, long time.

It's a very long time.

But it is the time the Lord chose;
the number
8
is the number of new beginnings.

We will continue to walk by faith,
trusting in the plan the Lord reveals little by little.

We choose to believe
 God is sovereign.

We choose to walk the next
8 long years
by faith.











Seeing Jesus in Melted Candles

People who love candles,
burn candles in every room.

People who burn candles in every room,
spill wax in every room.

I've removed wax from carpeting,
clothing,
table runners,
table cloths
and even hair.

The hair was challenging.

Just in case you haven't become an expert in wax removal,
and not from the ears,
I thought I'd share my technique.




First, look at mess.
Cry softly.
Vow to never buy candles again.


Scrape the wax off with a paring knife.
Make sure you dispose of wax properly, or you'll be repeating these steps.


When there is nothing left to scrape, turn on iron to medium, dry heat.

Place paper towel UNDER the wax spot and OVER the wax spot.
Hold iron over spot for about 20 seconds.



The towel will absorb the wax. 
Keep repeating, but rotate paper towel so you always are using a clean piece.

Be careful to not let it seep through to your ironing board cover.

When you don't think you are removing any more wax,
wash in hot water.  I used oxy on the spots, too.

Good thing I have this technique perfected,
I need this technique often.

Just the other day a brand new pink table runner
gracing a brand new white lace tablecloth
was initiated into our family with blue wax.
I'm still on the scraping stage with those.

An older, godly man has always told us that
Jesus is in every verse of the Bible.
I believe that.

I also believe we can see Jesus in everything around us.

How do I see Jesus in melted candles?

It illustrates agony and suffering.


 Psalm 22:14
I am poured out like water,
And all My bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It has melted within Me.


Doesn't this accurately describe how we feel
when our hearts are overcome with sorrows and trials?


written about our Savior before He suffered.
Of this Psalm William MacDonald says,
"Approach this Psalm with the utmost solemnity and reverence,
because you have probably never stood on holier ground before."


Like wax on linens,
our heart spills out sorrow and pain.

Whenever our sufferings overtake us,
we must remember His sufferings.
That's where it all started.

The melting flames of tribulation
 cause physical and spiritual anguish
and seem too great to endure.
We may cry out,
"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

He hasn't forsaken us.
He forsook His only beloved Son for us.
His Son promised to never leave us or forsake us.

The purpose of His heartache on the cross was soul-winning.
So is ours.
Pour out that melted, suffering heart,
as an offering back to the Lord.
Let it spill all over the world for eternal glory.





Thursday, April 19, 2012

Praying for the Innocent Man

I haven't updated for awhile about the
Innocent Man.
He has now been in jail for three months.
His sentencing is Friday, April 20th.
The parole officer who did the pre-sentencing investigation (PSI)
recommended 13-16 years.
That was a punch in the gut.

He is doing well, spending his days praying, reading the Bible,
singing hymns, reading books, exercising and witnessing.
He has had moments of weakness, but days of strength.


After reading about the stages of grief,  I diagnosed myself at Stage 4.



4. "DEPRESSION", REFLECTION, LONELINESS-

Just when your friends may think you should be getting on with your life,
a long period of sad reflection will likely overtake you.
This is a normal stage of grief,
so do not be "talked out of it" by well-meaning outsiders.
Encouragement from others is not helpful to you during this stage of grieving.

During this time,
you finally realize the true magnitude of your loss,
and it depresses you.
You may isolate yourself on purpose,
reflect on things you did with your lost one,
and focus on memories of the past.
You may sense feelings of emptiness or despair.

***

Last week when the Innocent Man called from jail,
using one of his $5 for 15 minute calling cards,
he asked how I was doing.
I hesitated.
He pressed.
I wept.
I admitted.
It's hard to grasp the Lord's will sometimes,
especially when it means an innocent person going to jail,
possibly for a long time.

The next Saturday during visiting hours,
 when he can see 4 people for 15 minutes,
he asked the believers to call me and encourage me.
They did.
The theory on stage 4 is that encouragement doesn't work,
they're wrong.
It always works.

Tonight I received an email from a believer from
the fellowship the Innocent Man attended the year before his verdict.
Read the edited exerpt below.

************************

Just wanted to tell you how you were all  remembered tonight in our prayer meeting. During the prayer request/announcement time,  parts of the email and letter that we received from the Innocent Man yesterday were read.

Then a brother read Psalm 145...
it is all wonderful, the second half of it just seemed to fit and is so comforting.
Every brother that prayed, prayed about the sentencing on Friday.
It was so obvious the Innocent Man was on everyone's heart
as all the prayers went up for him and the family.
After the prayers, another brother said that it was so obvious that we are all occupied with the Innocent Man and asked that we sing hymn 209
 with his perspective and as a prayer for him....

 Our times are in Thy hand
Father we wish them there;
Our life, our soul, our all, we leave
Entirely to Thy care.

Our times are in Thy hand,
Whatever they may be,
Pleasing or painful dark or bright,
As best may seem to Thee.

Our times are in Thy hand;
Why should we doubt or fear?
A Father's hand will never cause
His child a needless tear.

Our times are in thy hand;
Jesus once crucified,
Now leads His own with tender care,
Our Shepherd, Guard and Guide.

Our times are in Thy hand;
Christ is our Advocate;
No creature power from love divine
Our souls can separate.

Our times are in thy hand,
We'd always trust in Thee,
Till we have left this weary land,
And all Thy glory see.
Please know that so many prayers are being offered up on your behalf...
I told the Innocent Man in an email this morning that I use Isaiah 41:10
when I feel like I have to talk myself down off a wall
 and just say it over and over to myself:

 
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed,
for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

************************
My blogging family has been a great source of strength,
help, encouragement and prayer during the past 16 months.

We are approaching the next major step,
the sentencing.

Please pray for the Innocent Man,
the lawyers, The Honorable Judge M., and the families involved.

I am so indebted to you all who
comment, pray, and send me emails.

Thank you.

Please.....
keep praying...

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Lesson Learned from Bubba's Coffee Bean Business

My grandson Brayden is amazing.
He's affectionately called Bubba,
'cuz ya' know, every Redneck family,
even ones transplanted into a  metropolitan world,
hasta' hava'  Bubba.

Bubba decided that since he lived in Seattle,
birthplace of coffee,
he needed to make some coffee.

His recipe was.....

unique...

Take Gwamma's antique coffee grinder
off the shelf where it was displayed.
(How in the world did a two year old know what that contraption was for?)

Unscrew all the lids from her vintage shakers
and pour all the salt and pepper into the top.



Put the contraption back together and grind.



Keep grinding.



If it gets a little hard to turn the handle,
stick out your tongue.

It weally, weally, weally helps.



Open the little drawer and evaluate the grade of your coffee.



Make the lopsided pirate face if you are disappointed
salt and pepper didn't grind into coffee.


Of course, we are all mature enough to know
that apart from a miracle,
no matter how much you grind,
salt and pepper cannot become coffee.

But, Bubba had an idea.
Bubba had ambition.
Bubba tried to make a dream come true.

Contrary to 1981 LHS senior class motto,
what he dreamed,
couldn't be achieved.
No amount of
grinding and grimacing
could help the elements overcome their natural state.

I am a realist.

In sixth grade, I had a teacher who challenged me to
achieve a higher academic standard.
He asked me to read
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
and discuss the literary value with him.
As much as I wanted to please my teacher,
I coudn't match his enthusiasm for the book.
I hated it.
It wasn't real.

I knew a seagull couldn't soar like an eagle,
no matter how hard he tried. 

Even as a child,
I was frustrated with the human reasoning
that the mind could overcome physical impossibilities.



Of course, we all need hope,
but I longed for a realistic hope.
Why waste time wishing for something that could never happen?


 
When I began reading the Bible,
the Lord gave me the perfect solution for those
aspirations to attain high and lofty goals.


 

Luke 1:37
For with God nothing shall be impossible.


 
Ah-ha!
Instead of just dreaming about impossibilities,
I learned to pray.
It would be the power of the Lord that would
teach me to fly like an eagle,
not my stubborn determination or my wild aspirations.

Right now, I am facing several tribulations;
 situations that seem impossible with human reasoning.

I am the salt and pepper in the grinder of the world.
With prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit,
all the grinding and grimacing
will overcome my natural state.

When the grinding is done,
and the little drawer is open,
we will see what the Lord has created
from the salt and pepper.

I am a realistic.

It really could turn out to be coffee.




Or at least gold.