Notebook, Tape and Scissors

My granddaughter was over and she got out a notebook I had bought at the beginning of the school season.  Her momma and her aunties are long past school age but I still can't resist the bargain prices for notebooks at that time of year.   There is nothing like a fresh blank page.  It just calls to me.  This one was the last one left, orange in color.  It was left last because I don't really like orange. So I had used the others colors first. Like red, who doesn't like red.  Or soothing blue.  So peaceful  You can write in a blue notebook.  

But I digress.  Bekki had gotten the notebook cause she needed paper.  I almost didn't let her use it.  Last one and all.  I sometimes battle with a mentality I don't fully understand.  I wasn't brought up in the Depression  Era but I worry we won't have enough.  But I caught myself and let her have it easily.  Before I knew it she wanted tape, and then scissors.  She quietly played and talked to herself most of the day.  She cut and assembled  long stripes of paper to put across the doorway.  Not sure why she did but I had to explain that blocking the bathroom doorway was a bad idea when your grandparents both take diuretics for high blood pressure.  She relented.  She made Valentine scenes to go with the big Valentine posters we had up.  There were little people holding hands in love and lots of hearts.  Next she said the notebook was her journal and instead of writing in it, she drew about 10 pages of pictures.  She carefully described what each one was to me.  In case I didn't understand.  

But my favorite was the bird.  She showed me how to make it.  You fold the page accordion style then unfold and crunch it up real good, then you shape and mold it into a bird shape.  And it really looks like a bird. So seriously she explained it all to me.  She had an exotic whimsical name she had grabbed out of her fertile imagination.  Then of course, since the bird  was a house bird, she needed a bird cage.  More long stripes of paper where assembled.  After a few minutes voila!  She had a home worthy of any majestic canary or parrot.  I'm not sure just which kind of house bird she was.  But she did sit on your finger.  And she flew and danced about the room, helping Bekki with some story she had in her head.  Then we needed a friend for her and the whole process was repeated.  The second bird took flight and we lost her but we still have the other sweet bird resting in her cage. Tired I imagine from her day's activities. 

By the end of the day a good time was had by all.  Well, except maybe Poppa who wanted peace and quiet.  Sometimes you have to jump a little on the couch to fly your bird or get up on the love seat to attach her cage to the hanging picture thingy.  And just like a bird, our Bekki sure can chatter.  But all and all a fun time was had.  And just to think it was with just a thirty cent notebook, a roll of tape, a pair of scissors and an imagination straight from God.   



As I was telling this story it reminded me of something I heard.   If we open our hand, God will fill it. Like the story in the Bible of Elijah and the raven.   Don't remember it?  Elijah was a prophet and he was told by God to tell King Ahab that because of his worshiping idols there wouldn't be any rain.  Ahab got very angry so God told Elijah to go hide by the Brook Cherith.  He had water to drink.  But what to do about food?  Well, God told him ravens would bring him food morning and night.  He raised his hand and the raven would drop meat in his hand.  God provided for him.



Also the story of David and the slingshot comes to mind.  ( I listened in Sunday School)  There young David was facing a giant that all the mighty warriors were afraid of and what did he have?  A mere slingshot.  But him and God overcame the giant.  

Do you have a need?  Open your hand, will not our God provide? Have faith. Rest in God.  He has all the answers you need.  He is right there with you.  Be still and listen.  Learn to let Him guide you.   Be filled with His Spirit and He will show you that often you already have what you need to finish your journey.  We run here and there, to and fro.  Searching.  Searching.  Missing that He is right there with us.  And we forget or don't really grasp that  with Him nothing is impossible.  

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  Phillippians  4:13


So like Bekki, what do you have in your hands, your home, your mind, your heart, your life that can make this a good day, even a beautiful day? Shine out and live well today.  Open your heart and mind and BELIEVE for your need to be supplied!!!

Be Mindful

So teach us to number our days; that we may gain a heart of wisdom.  Psalms 90:12

We are "spending" our days, on what? Like currency we are "spending".  Will we go bankrupt? What exactly are we "spending" our days on? What elusive thing or person or position are we chasing? Are we seeking happiness in the wrong places? Approval of others?  What do we "spend our time on?   

I know some of those questions are redundant but that was me just letting my mind go and think and that came to me.  Here is some more....Are we purposeful in our "spending"? or haphazardly pulled by the next drama? the next emergency? the next loud voice demanding your time?

Can you go a single day media-naked? Can you eat a meal without being available to phone, text, tweet, insta-gram, etc? 

The urgent.  Is it really that urgent? And is your mind stuffed to the gills with trivialities? It was cute to know your friend's cousin's grandson got his first tooth. But do you really have space in your brain for all this?  I'm already distracted  enough I don't know about you but I need to pick and mindfully chose what goes in my brain.  I need a media detox time maybe even a few days.  

And yes, I realize the irony of you reading this on a media devise.  

Let's step back.  Let's pray and be led by the Holy Spirit.  Decide. Chose. Be mindful. Don't just flow with someone else's agenda. Stop and follow the plan, the agenda the Lord has for each of us. 

And just for the record this post is directed mostly at myself but I thought others could use it to. 

Going Home

Going home!  As a child that meant home to Tennessee.  Long before Amy Grant's song, Tennessee and Tennessee at Christmas were the promise land, the ultimate destination.  At that time my grandmas,my grandpa, my cousins, my aunts and uncles, my family was there.  Love and smiles and acceptance were  there.  I belonged!  Hugs and warmth awaited me there.  The memories still warm my heart.

There was always the dream of returning to Tennessee.  My dad's dream, my mom's hope was to return "home".  Well, dad came home in a box.Dream fulfilled but not in a good way.  But 20 years ago mom and my family returned to begin our "life in Tennessee".  And we have never looked back.  This is the place where we belong.  Paul and I have moved more times than we usually mention.  North Dakota, all over Michigan, Cleveland, Tennessee, 5 places in Indiana.  And never did we feel so settled, such a sense of belonging.  The hills embrace us. The crisp, fresh mountain air greets us.  Nature sings a country lullaby to us.

But after 20 years I forget that my childhood prayers, my family's longing to go home has happened.  I live out my Daddy's dream.  I'm here! But sometimes I'm unaware.  Sometimes I forget.  And often I am totally unthankful.  You can't be thankful if you forget where you have come from.  I've lived in apartments, in the city, in really big cities Chicago, Detroit and Indianapolis.  I've lived in houses, duplexes.  I've lived in tiny towns: Walton, IN, New Baltimore, MI (when it was pretty tiny).  But now I live in the country on the land my dad bought with the intention to retire to. The house he had built.  And I forget.

But at times like this morning I remember.  And it thrills my heart.  My little girl heart, full of dreams of what could be, is thrilled.  I live near my cousin Helen.  I live by rolling hills not flat city streets.  I see nature everywhere.  I saw a fox the other day and she saw me. I don't have a neighbor too close for comfort but Mrs. Philips who was my childhood neighbor for the very, very short time we once tried to live in Tennessee when I was 5 to 7.  I walk on the land my Daddy, who is 30 plus years gone now walked on and labored over.  I'm home!  Down home!  It's a wondrous thing when I think about it, when I remember that God has answered our prayers, our wishes, our longings.

You know I also long for another home.  An eternal home.  Where my father has gone, where my grandparents have gone  A place more beautiful than Tennessee.  In fact, it makes Tennessee pale in comparison.  And now I have more family members there than I do even in Tennessee.  And some day I will go there.  And I will be thrilled and I imagine I won't forget that I have had that dream fulfilled after I've been there for a long time.

 I hope you long to go there too.  I pray you will join me there.  It will be peaceful and beautiful and joyous.  Just like Daddy kept the dream alive for my family "to move home".  I want to start you thinking or remind you of going home......someday.

Bekki learned the song and told me it has a big yard and we can play football.  Come on let's go!  Let's go Home!

My Grands

Grands are the best!  I have two right now.  Bekki and Jack.  Bekki comes to visit every Saturday and spends the night. I look forward to it every week.  If I could wish a wonderful thing for you I would wish you would have grands as grand as mine.







 Of course, this Nonna thinks mine are the grandest of them all.

The Peter Show

I have a boy on my bus who has a lot of issues.  One day I had to tell him this isn't the Peter Show! (Named changed because of privacy laws). He is so used to being in control everywhere he goes.  He throws fits and has outburst when things don't go his way.  He wants all the attention.  He wants it his way, right now!  He does at times stomp on the floor in anger, lash out, scream etc. He has a melt down often.  All because he wants "his way".

 I got to thinking about this.  How many Christians are this way?  Do we want control?  Do we want "our" way?  Are we angry because things aren't going the way we want?  Do we go around and around, insisting on trying again a way that doesn't work?  Are we like Peter insisting on the "Donna Show"  or insert your name the  "         Show"?  Really we need to have each day be the Jesus Show.  

We also have been taught another thing at my job.  If a child has his hand gripped around something like the handle to hold to go up the stairs to get on the bus, we have a method to loosen his grip.  You "peal" his or her hand off the object.  You start with the pinky finger and work up to the pointer finger than the thumb.   You start with the weakest and "peal" the grip till its broken free.   Maybe this is what we need to have done.  We need to let the Lord "peal" our hands off the control lever of our lives.  Maybe we have to let him start with the little things and work up to totally letting go of our need to control what we really can't control anyway.  

It's funny and sad that we believe we have real control of our lives.  Like Peter who thinks he controls the world, we think we control our corner of the world.  Peter is, I think, ten.  I imagine he has been in control since he first threw a fit as an infant.  It's been the "Peter Show" that long.   How long has it been your show instead of the Jesus Show?   When, oh when, will we let him peal our tight grip free?   You know Peter just wants peace and freedom to live happily.   We can only have happiness, joy, peace when we let the Prince of Peace have control.  Peter has been in control badly for about 10 years with terrible results.  How long have you been in control?  5 years?  10 years? 20 years?  How long will you choose to stomp your foot and scream and yell "It's not fair!"?
 
I've started the process toward freedom but I have areas I'm still learning how to let Jesus control and Donna to just rest and follow His lead.  I hope you will join me in the journey of the "Jesus Show" today. Just like its the best thing for Peter to not be in control.  It's the best thing for us to not be in control.  Really!