Are You Turned On?

I read on Jacquie's blog today that Tierce Green preached a sermon that reminded her of this: Jesus wants us to be a light in this world, not a light in a warehouse somewhere waiting to go to Heaven someday. Do you not just love that?

This follows right along with my thoughts I posted here about mission. Jesus was not a passive man. He certainly took time apart to pray and fast and to seek direction from his father, but most of his time was spent with people, talking or feeding or healing or telling stories or even raising them from the dead. He was constantly on the move from one place to another, trying to get the message to all that He could. As much as He taught He also healed and ministered to his flock. Somewhere in the things He did are things for each one of us to do.

Maybe it's in the feeding - cooking a meal or two or twenty, washing the dishes or sweeping the floor after others have been fed, buying the food or delivering it to the kitchen. Maybe it's in the healing...body, mind and spirit. Hospitals and nursing homes and in-home care need lots of workers, paid and unpaid. Shut-ins need visits. Those who are sick need visits and errands run and grass mowed and prescriptions picked up. Maybe it's in the ministering to others - listening to stories of childhood (that we all need to share with someone as we get older!) or of old hurts or of hopes and dreams. Calling on those who are housebound or lonely or isolated just to say someone cares, teaching Sunday School or leading a youth group are needs everywhere. Or maybe it's just leading a life that provides a Christian role model for friends and family and neighbors - attending church regularly, reading and studying the Bible, helping out others where possible.

The important thing is to be doing...be active...be heading in the right direction. Jesus wasn't passive; neither should we be. Being a Christian isn't a stopping place; it's a starting place.

To be a light in this world you have to be turned on and being turned on is a conscious decision each one of us has to make. Where is your switch...off? on? somewhere in between?

One Thousand Blessings - Day Ten

296. Home
297. Friends who help you clean your house
298. Unexpected cool weather when you're expecting hot days
299. Grandchildren excited about new band instruments
300. Warm cookies and cold milk
301. Finding most of the pants in your closet are too big
302. Face to face visits with my children
303. Neighbors who rescue your boat when it breaks loose and you're not at home
304. Babies when they learn to squeal
305. Videos of babies squealing...and squealing...and squealing and knowing their parents are loving every minute of it even though it goes on and on and on
306. Bleach that makes my white clothes white
307. Saleswomen who are honest and tell you when something doesn't flatter you
308. Shark Steam Mops
309. Angel wing begonias
310. Fried catfish
311. Stitching with friends
312. Walks in your own neighborhood
313. Seeing flowers growing in unexpected places
314. Having a grandchild run and jump in your arms when they see you coming
315. Hearing one of your grownup children answer your question even when you both know they don't have to and you're being nosy
316. Days that are cool enough for you to have the air conditioner off in the car and just have the vents open
317. Faraway friends who make you a pillowcase with hunky cowboys on them - and even a cowgirl one for your husband - and mail them to you as a surprise
318. Bible verses that you've read before but never understood when they suddenly make sense
319. Hearing God say, "Follow my path" and then seeing the path clearly
320. Recycling
321. Lamplight
322. Soft blankets
323. Candles that smell delicious
324. The view out my kitchen window
325. African violets
326. A gazebo in a shaded yard
327. Luminaries at Christmas
328. Autumn decorations
329. Pumpkin cooked most any way at all
330. Pecan Pie
331. Lean Cuisines (especially after the pecan pie!)
332. Seeing the joy on people's faces as they arrive here at the mission
333. The smell of coffee in the early morning
334. Seeing a horse race across a field
335. Snow
336. A roaring fire when it's cold outside
337. Jigsaw puzzles on the computer
338. Puppies
339. The sound of waves hitting the shore
340. The Maine coastline
341. Leaves in the fall when they change color

Mission

A couple of weeks ago our pastor talked about mission – oh, I’ve heard it mentioned a time or two in other sermons :) but for some reason this one stayed with me triggering thoughts of the word itself and what it means on a personal basis. The preacher said his first mission is to get to Heaven someday and I suppose that should be the mission of us all. When I looked it up in the dictionary (yes, some of us still do that!) it said this: 1) assigned task…a special task given to a person or group to carry out 2) calling…an objective or task that somebody believes it is his or her duty to carry out or to which he or she attaches special importance and devotes special care. It had a couple of other definitions, including a space vehicle’s trip, but I’m pretty sure that one isn’t for me!

In Luke 9:51 we are told that Jesus “set His face toward Jerusalem.” Or, depending on the version, “Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” Either way we are assured that Jesus knew His mission and with great determination and even greater courage began the final steps of His journey to that goal. Unlike you and me, who rarely know what lies at the end of our journey, He knew….He knew it would include pain and degradation and death. But he set forth anyway.

I don’t think my mission in this life includes the things Jesus endured, thank goodness. However, I don’t know for sure exactly what my mission is. I know some things it has been though. And I think I even know when it began. It started when I was 5 years old and the neighbors took me to church where they told me that Jesus loves me…and I believed them. It continued when God reached down, took me by the hand, and said, “this is the man I want you to marry.” That was nearly 46 years ago and I am convinced no marriage lasts that long without God showing us the grace it takes to maintain that kind of relationship. For a time my mission was to raise children. In looking back I’m like any mother who wonders if she did anything right….I see everything I did wrong and I cry over the missed opportunities to have been better at it. But when the time came to let them go it was ok because I knew He was moving me on to other things. For a part of my life I worked with high school kids in a variety of positions and without God’s hand pushing me into college at the age of 35 that would never have happened. I don’t know which kid, or maybe even multiple kids, He wanted me to touch but when it was time to let go of that He let me know that too.

Now I’m in a place where I’m serving Him in a different way than I ever dreamed, but serving Him is the thread that has tied all of my life jobs/missions/goals together. Lately I’ve read on several blogs about women who feel themselves being led in a “different direction.” Direction is just another word for mission and I’ve said all of the above so that I can say to you….serving Him is the mission, is the direction. When you’re serving Him, you’re in the mission field no matter where you are. It’s only in how you serve Him that you have to make a choice. You can serve Him beautifully as a stay-at-home Mom protecting and loving on one of God’s creations (or however many children He sends you!). You’re in the mission field right at home. You can serve Him where you work every day by showing His love and concern and joy to those around you. You’re in the mission field at your work place. You can serve Him by being the best wife you can be, not the perfect wife :) but a good wife. You can serve Him by going to a mission in a foreign country and spreading His word, or by fostering children in your home, or by driving a truck across the country. Serve Him where you are and if He wants you to change direction, rest assured He will make your path clear. Set your face toward Jerusalem and you will find your direction.

Home Again, Home Again.....and One Thousand Blessings - Day Nine

We have a week off and, of course, made the drive north to visit our home and our children. I was excited to be going home after three months but also a bit tearful at leaving what has come to feel like home at the mission. Not tearful enough to miss this opportunity though!

My very good friend Connie came down as soon as I got home, despite the fact that it was 7:00 p.m., and helped me dust and vacuum. You can't imagine how dusty things can get in 3 months! Isn't that just the best friend ever...to come help me clean? Of course visiting while cleaning works great. :)

Getting back in our home church was wonderful and so was the couple of hours I spent with quilting friends yesterday morning. We've gotten to see both our daughters and Friday we'll get to visit with our son and his family. And Sunday we'll be headed back south to work for another month.

Every day I'm seeing and thinking of more things I am thankful for - blessings God has made possible for us. Here are a few more....



257. Jeans that really fit
258. Children who want to ask the blessing even in a group of people they don't know
259. Aunt Annie's Pretzels - especially the cinnamon ones
260. Pedometers that work
261. Men whistling while they work
262. Walking by a room and seeing people praying in the middle of the day
263. Bad jokes told by good friends
264. Finding the exact fabric you're looking for and having it be on sale
265. Pictures of grandchildren on the first day of school
266. Texts from granddaughters who are nervous about the first day of school
267. Anyone with a good voice singing Amazing Grace
268. Praise music
269. Fresh waxed floors
270. The view out my bedroom window at home
271. Blog posts that touch my heart
272. The scent of rain
273. Rearranging furniture
274. Hearing my husband snore as he naps in the next room
275. Free books for my Kindle
276. Learning a new say to applique
277. Having someone add themselves to my "Followers" list
278. Taking the last few stitches on the binding of a quilt
279. Movie theaters in the afternoon when there are only a few people there
280. Seeing ROTC kids marching in formation on the practice field at school
281. Singing The Star Spangled Banner at football games
282. Little girls' purses
283. Flashlights when the electricity goes off
284. Small town churches
285. Old ladies with hats on in church
286. The sound of water running over rocks
287. Really good sweet iced tea
288. Coconut cream pie
289. Autumn
290. Friday
291. Thursday evening vespers
292. Church friends
293. Sewing rooms
294. E Books
295. Grandchildren who always kiss me hello and goodbye

One Thousand Blessings - Day Eight

235. Maybelline Falsies Mascara
236. Biscuits and Gravy
237. Unexpected gifts from friends that come in the mail
238. Old cars that still run good
239. Rings that belonged to my parents that I now wear
240. Plants that survive despite my neglect
241. Christmas music
242. Popcorn
243. Cotton Candy
244. Peel and stick envelopes
245. My God Is Mighty To Save (song)
246. Emotions
247. Plastic rugs - those things that your rolling desk chair rolls over so well
248. Straight pins and safety pins
249. Pony tail holders
250. Gas stations with clean bathrooms
251. Hooded sweatshirts
252. Mechanical pencils
253. Ivy
254. Button down collar shirts
255. A cool breeze on a hot day
256. Showers

An Open Letter To Spammers

For some reason I have been inundated with spam e-mail messages for the last month. I'm sure I did something I shouldn't have done - went to a website that grabbed my address, printed a coupon from somewhere that sent my address somewhere, you get the picture. So I'm writing the following letter and maybe I'll just hit reply, paste this letter in the message and send it back to the spammer. Think it would help?

Dear Sir or Madam:
1. No thank you, I do not wish to join your dating service. I have been married for nearly 46 years now and so far, so good. My husband prefers that I not date anyone but him and, frankly, I wouldn't like to go to the trouble to train another man. It was hard enough the first time.
2. No thank you, I do not want Viagra. I am a female and that medication is not designed for me. Besides, who in their right mind would buy medication from an unknown person somewhere in an unheard of country for such a personal area of their lives. Unless they secretly have a death wish.
3. No thank you, I do not want new kitchen cabinets. The ones I have may be old but it hurts my feelings when you hint that they are worn out, dilapidated, and need replacing. They might not be new but they work very well and are perfectly servicable. I'm old too and I hope no one is planning to replace me just because of that.
4. No thank you, I do not need any Asian girlfriends. It has nothing to do with their being Asian, by the way. It's just that all my girlfriends are quilters and we already have our own group.
5. No thank you, I do not want to send you my social security number, my bank account number or my telephone number. To be perfectly honest I no longer remember all those numbers and would have to ask my husband for them. And he doesn't act nice when I do that. He seems to think we do not need the 5 million dollars you so kindly offered us. If it were only me I'd certainly consider it because I can never get enough fabric and that 5 million dollars would help with my I-really-need-that-fabric list.
6. No thank you, I do not wish to return to college, even if you're sure I could get government aid. First of all, I have a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, and 27 post graduate hours and that's enough for me. Secondly, I'm afraid if I went back to school someone would expect me to go to work when I graduated (again) and I don't plan to return to the work force. And last, but certainly not least, if the government gave me aid they would witout a doubt want something in return - like more taxes, loan payments more than my income or a few years in the Peace Corp. And I don't like the sound of any of those options.
7. No thank you, I do not want you to cut any trees in my yard. I have lots of trees and I love every one of them. I love some more than others but it's not like I'm their mother and have to love them all the same. I confess I have favorites. The dogwoods. They're definitely my favorites. The oaks follow close behind though. And even though my husband says ugly words when the sweet gum trees drop their gumballs I love them too - they give really good shade. Now I do have some cedar bushes and some hedge that I might consider allowing you to take a power saw to if you can guarantee that they wouldn't just grow back.
8. No thank you, I do not wish to claim the free airline ticket you have offered. Can I be honest here? I've never heard of that airline and when I tried to google it, nothing came up. If it's so new that it's not on Google I feel sure I should wait until it's at least made a flight or two. The maiden voyage doesn't hold any appeal for me. And if you meant Southwest Airlines when you said Sttthwst Airlines, I checked and they don't fly to Zimbabwe.
9. No thank you, I do not wish to change cable providers. It's not that I like the cable provider I currently have because I barely know them. But since we already get 275 sports channels, and I hate sports, adding another 137 sports channels makes me want to throw something myself.
10. No thank you, I do not wish to claim my inheritance from a distant relative that I've never heard of but am lucky to have. I appreciate the urgency of your message and applaud the fact that you are trying to be confidential but since I know all of my relatives (though there are a few I'd prefer not claim) any attempt on my part to receive this inheritance would result in a frowny face from God and I'd rather not have that happen.
11. No thank you. This is a generic no thank you to anyone I have missed. Rest assured it was not intentional and I would never have rejected you outright or hurt your feelings if I could help it. But I am wearing the delete button out on my computer and I'm pretty sure they won't just replace that one button at the computer hospital. Please cease and desist all communications with me unless I e-mail you first. Then feel free to either hit reply or delete at your pleasure.
Respectfully,
Your spam receiver