Cake...and it's many lessons.

My son and I were talking about college today, and we came up with a good analogy for what schooling would mean for him.  We decided that it was like cake.  I have been on a cake trip lately, but that is a different story all together.

The problem with cake, is that most of the time people want to know what kind it is before they will commit to having a piece.  If there are two types of cake, with one being labeled and the other unknown, more than likely people will go for the one that is named.  They may think the second cake looks really good, but not being sure of what it is, presents a gamble.  The cake that is labeled, is more of a sure thing.  It may not be better tasting than the cake that is unknown, but at least there is knowledge of a sort of what you are getting.

I told him that a college degree is kind of like that too.  In some respects it does not mean that you are better, smarter or more qualified for a particular job, but it does give a prospective employer a certain set of expectations that you should meet.   A certain base of English usage and math that you should be able to accomplish.  A set of experiences that you should have at least been exposed too.  

I think he found this encouraging.  A different way to look at school, so that instead of a pain, he sees it more as a stepping stone.  

Fighting fire with...peace.

Last week was hard.  My son fights forest fires, and the west is blowing up.  The fire that he is on is relatively close to our home, so there is a lot of tv coverage.  While I was appreciative of all of the people calling for prayer, the more I heard, the sadder I got.  It came to a head one day, and I told one of the ladies in my office I was pouting and why.  It was then that God reminded me of one of my favorite bible stories, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  In this story, three young Jewish men who have been taken from their home wind up in the service of the King.  While there, they served the King well, but they made sure that God was the one they truly honored.  Well that wasn't good enough for the King, and when they would not bow down to his statue, he decided to punish them by throwing them into a fire.  These young men decided to honor God whether he saved them from the fire or not, and in that is where I find my peace.  That my son's ultimate protection is in the middle of God's will.  These young men did the job that God had for them, and God kept them safe.  My son is doing the job God has gifted him for, and my trust is that God will keep him safe.  I do know that anything can happen in this world, but I am thankful for God and how He reminds me that He is in control.

Attitude.

Saturday morning was hard for me.  I have been feeling a little overwhelmed for the past few weeks with the life I have chosen to live.  I am trying to be the person I believe I was created to be, but sometimes I don't like it.  It is not easy.  Sometimes I want to eat the wrong thing or say what I think no matter what it is, or to just waste my money.  I know that would not make me happy for long, or help me achieve the goals I have set for myself.  Like I said, it is hard.    Back to Saturday....  It was going to be hot, and I don't mean the heat you sit by the pool and enjoy, it was the type of heat that melts brains.  Typically on Saturday morning, I make my weekly trek to the Wal Mart to do our grocery shopping.  I do this religiously, so that I can try and control our food costs.  It is one of those things that I have chosen to do for the benefit of our family budget.   I try not to be a martyr, but sometimes I don't believe that I am appreciated for my effort.  So I got up early, because I just do naturally, but I messed around before I decided to get going.  Now I wasn't worried about the heat, because I typically take my husbands car.  You see, my air conditioner in my van is not working.  Since I am saving up to buy a new car, I don't really care to fix it.  Even in the heat, it is not so bad because I only drive it to and from work.  That small trip only takes fifteen minutes and I can take the heat for that short a time when I drive home.  On Saturday though, I was looking forward to air conditioning.  I did not stop to think though that my husband had someplace to be that morning, and that he would be using his car.  When I realized that he would be taking his own vehicle, I was sorely irritated.  Even worse was the reason he needed his car.  He was going to play volleyball.  Really?  A game?  Did he not realize what I was doing?  I was going to go and carefully plan and execute a shopping trip for the benefit of our family.  I was doing this so that we all can be fed, have personal care products and stay within our budget.   All of this will eventually help us to pay off our debt, save money and retire with dignity.  Volleyball, really?  I told you I have to work hard to not be a martyr.

So I drove to the store, with the windows down suffering in the warmth.  I am not sure if the warmth was worse from the outside, or from the heat generated by my irritation.  I then drove into the parking lot looking for a good spot, and of course I could not find one.  One with a little shade, not too close to the building and preferably no one in the facing spot so I can drive right out when done.  Really?  Who has such precise requirements for a parking spot?  I guess I do.  Since the perfect spot was not available, I found an acceptable one, parked and got to shopping.  It was at that time that I realized that it was a day where everything was going wrong, and it was probably due to my attitude.  I really just wanted to have a nice day, and I knew I had to choose not to be irritated with my husband anymore.  So as I shopped, I plugged in my headphones and listened to some sermons.  There is a Pastor, Andy Stanley, that I will listen to a lot.  He is a great storyteller, and there is nothing I like better than a good story.  By the time I was ready to pay I was in a good mood and had pretty much left my irritation behind.  I found a line that was not very long, and was joined by some people behind me.  I started to load some groceries on the belt, but stopped when I noticed an older lady behind me.  She was using one of those walkers and had only about three items.  So I decided to let her go ahead of me and made some room on the conveyer so that she could put her items up ahead of mine.  She thanked me and said she would do something nice for me some day.  I just kind of laughed.  I don't know how she could, because I didn't even know her.  I told her though that she was helping me, because I needed to do something nice to combat my crankiness.  She laughed at my honesty, and said she should come home with me.  The problem, I told her, was that she would then have to put up with my family and they had already made my cranky.  It was then that she told me she had no one left.  Her husband and sisters had already passed on.  She only had a nephew to come by and help her out.  We continued to chat until she checked out, and it was at that time I realized how blessed I am.

While my family might irritate me at times, they also bring me such joy, they help teach me, they make me want to be better and they make me laugh.  Even if there are times that they make me crazy, they are mine.   I am sure this woman's family irritated her along the way, but since they are gone none of that matters anymore.  It was the way she talked, I knew she would take the good with the bad, if they were just back with her.  I felt blessed by talking to her, and I was thankful that my attitude had changed.  I thought about what would have happened if I had not let go of my irritation.  Would I have had the same type of meeting with this woman?  Would I have been on the receiving end of a blessing from her?  I don't know, but I am glad that God opened the door for our conversation.

My Big God Story

So Easter is over, and as I look back over the day and through the season of Lent, I realize how much encouragement means to me.  What helped me realize it so much, were the days that it seemed to escape me.  Those days were horrible, long and stressful.  It reminded me that my best encouragement comes from God.  I also learned that it works to it's fullest capacity when it is not hoarded, but allowed to flow through me, to other people.  So I wanted to share what encouraged me most during this time.  It is the words God gave me to share on Easter Sunday with our children's church.  I hope it encourages you, as it has encouraged me.

The big God story starts .... with God....and His amazing love.  Because of that love, God created a world, and in that world He put a garden. In this garden were so many wonderful things, animals, plants, water and trees.  Vegetables and fruits.....so many things that were good to eat.  And into this perfect garden, The Lord put a man and a woman.  They knew God.....they walked in the garden with Him.  But then there came a problem, and the man and woman disobeyed God and brought something wrong into that perfect garden.  It was sin.  Because of that, God knew He would not be able to live so perfectly with the people He created.  That the sin would grow and the punishment for that sin is death...the people separated from God.....never having that close relationship with Him again.   God did not like that.  He wanted to be close to the people He created.  So God had a plan to fix it.   God also knew He would have to wait for just the right time.    Until then more people were born, and through time, God called many of them to a special relationship with Him.  There was Noah, and Abraham, Moses and David.   And wonderful women that God used, like Rahab, Deborah and Ruth.  Prophets who spoke God's heart to the people like, Samuel, Jeremiah, Isaiah,  Then there was Malachi.  And after him there was 400 years of silence.  Then....at just the right time in God's story.....a baby was born.  He grew in wisdom and stature.  God was pleased with him.  And when God was ready.... Jesus began His work.  He started by telling the people about God's great love for us, and His plan to save us.

So many people listened to Jesus, they followed Him everywhere He went.  He taught them, and showed them God's love and mercy.  He healed those who were sick and was able to bring hope to so many.  He chose 12 disciples.  12 special friends, who traveled with him, helped Him and listened to His teaching.  Many people were hoping He would be the new king of Israel, that the hardship they lived under would be brought to an end, but Jesus knew that He was a king of a far bigger kingdom.

But there was a problem.  There were men who did not like Jesus. Some were the priests and men of importance in the temple.   Their hearts were hard....and they chose not  to  believe what Jesus said.  They were afraid that people would not listen to them any more, because they were listening to Jesus.  They thought He was stirring up trouble.   It was then that they decided to get rid of Jesus.

One evening Jesus and his friends, were in a garden in Gethsemane.  Jesus knew that the time had come for the next step in God's plan.  You see, Jesus knows the hearts of men.  Even the one's that wanted to kill him.  They came for him that night and arrested him.  They hurt him badly, beating him.  and while Jesus could have called down a thousand angels to free himself, he didn't.  Because God already knew what was going to happen, and Jesus knew this was all part of God's plan.  They took him and he was judged, they did not find him guilty, but they chose to crucify  Him anyway.  He hung on a cross, in so much pain, and there he died.  Later in the day a man named Joseph came and took his body down.  Cleaned Him and wrapped Him in linens.  He laid him in a tomb, and rolled a large stone in front of it.

Jesus friends were so scared.  They were so sad that their friend was dead.  They just didn't understand why?    What kind of plan was this?  But you see, it all went back to the garden.  That wrong that Adam and Eve let in, that sin.  Left to continue forever it would destroy the closeness that God wanted with me and you ....all of us.   So He sent Jesus, to take the punishment for my sin, and yours.  And in doing that, he paid the price for all people.  Everyone.  Now we can be as close to God as that first man and woman was.  By accepting Jesus, and in faith, by choosing to follow God.

You know there is more to this story though.  That was on Friday....a day of pain and sorrow.  But then came Sunday.  And on that day, some women came to the tomb.  They wanted to make sure that Jesus body had been well taken care of.  But when they got there they were surprised to find the tomb open.  The stone had been rolled away.  And when they looked inside, they could not believe their eyes.   Jesus body was not there.  He was gone.  They cried out in grief... "Who has taken The Lord?".  They thought someone had stolen His body.    It was then that they saw the angels.  An angel told the women that Jesus was not there.  That Jesus was alive.  The women were so excited,  they ran to the disciples, and When they told the disciples what had happened, they didn't believe them.  They thought the women were talking crazy...  But they went to the tomb and saw for themselves.  Jesus body was not there.  They left, so confused.  They still didn't know what was going on.  They didn't understand that Jesus is alive!!

Oh but they did find out later that night when Jesus came to them,  the disciples were amazed to see Him.  Over the next 40 days, Jesus appeared to many people.  He told the disciples they were to continue sharing the good news that we could be reconciled to God because of what Jesus had done.  He told them to tell all of the people in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and all over the world.  And that is just what they did.  They told people, and many believed.  And then those people told more people and even more believed.  They kept sharing the Good news of Jesus so much, that one day someone told me....and today in my part of the "big God story" I get to tell  you how much God loves all of you.  and how He wants to be a part of your lives forever.  You can be part of the big God story too.  By Faith.... believing, trusting and obeying God....through Jesus.  That is how you become a part of God's most wonderful....fantastic...."big God story".

Where is my piece?

I had so much fun this morning!!  I was doing some exploratory shopping for our bathroom redo before I headed to the WalMart for my weekly grocery shopping.  Since I was in a good mood and needed some coffee, I stopped at Panera for some breakfast.  As I sat down to eat my bagel, I looked around the room where I was sitting I saw a group of women occupying the corner.  There was about seven of them,  mostly older, with a couple who might have been more towards my age.  I continued to watch them as they chatted and passed around a phone looking at pictures.  It was then that I noticed they were all doing something, they were knitting.  Each one of them had needles and different colours of  yarn that they were working on.   I wondered what they were knitting, and who they were knitting for?  Was it for something in particular, or were they together to just visit while knitting?

As I was about to leave, one of the ladies got up and threw something away.  While she was passing by, I started a conversation with her.  She told me that a couple of them had started by knitting some prayer shawls, as they went to the same church.  She said that they expected that it would take about three months and that would be it, but that was five years ago.    Since then they have knitted more prayer shawls, scarves for our troops and even hats for babies.   The hats have been sent to Africa, Haiti and up to our children's hospital in Madera.  She said they were even going to start making some more for the new maternity wing at the hospital in town.

I loved seeing these women enjoying life.  Not only did they spend their time having fun together, but they were able to do something positive with their hobby.  She was really cute, telling me about all the knitted items they had given away.  She said that sometimes they would do something that was just for themselves, but "you know you can only have so much at home" was what she told me.  That made me laugh, as I remember all the items that my grandmother knitted that covered her home.  Or was it crochet?  I don't think I would know the difference?

It was encouraging to see their enjoyment of this little ministry.  They weren't changing the world, but what they were doing was important to each person who received their kind gifts.  It felt like an important lesson for me to see.  I think we are all worried about things we see in our world, but then we get bogged down by the enormity of it all.  These ladies knew how to do it right.   Like a large puzzle, they took a little piece where they could help and took care of it.  Makes me think that if they can do their part, I can do mine.  For me, that is encouraging!!

Like Family.....

So it was a little harder to find where encouragement was hiding this past week.  I had gone back to work after a week away, and it was hard to get into the swing of things.  It was also a hard week for me physically, as I seem to have been carrying a lot of stress.  So between my back and my head, I felt like I was in continual pain.  Instead of wanting to encourage, I myself felt pretty discouraged.  So I kept looking for encouragement this week, but found it to be pretty elusive.  

During the week, I sat down with my husband and watched a PBS special on "Italian Americans".  Being one myself, I was interested to watch the story of the Italian immigrants who started to come to this county in the late 1800's.  Those who came to America faced prejudice, racism and a hard life in the midst of the industrial revolution.  They came though, for a better life, and while it was a hard road, they travelled it with their families, community and their faith.       I totally enjoyed the program, but I was not really encouraged by it until Saturday.  That was when I took some time to study for our Sunday lesson.

As I read through the story of the ten lepers that Jesus heals, I was struck by the one who came back to thank him.  He was a Samaritan, a foreigner.  In the Bible account, he is the only one who comes back and gives praise to God.  It is interesting that the author of the story points out the difference of his nationality.  I believe that may speak to the prejudice in Jesus' own time.  It is the same prejudice that affected my forefathers, and the same prejudice I see affecting people today.  It was in that connection, that I heard the quiet whisper of encouragement.  

What was so encouraging was Jesus example.  Instead of bypassing those who were different, He chose to heal and forgive.   He did not pay attention to the prejudice of the day whether it was based on race, nationality, sin, religion or class.   Jesus looked past all these things to the actual person.  It was exciting, even liberating.  For me, it showed a freedom to ignore the classifications that society puts on people.  The freedom to treat everyone as if they were just like me, even if they don't seem like it.    That is the freedom that Jesus gives us.  To accept the foreigner as if he were family.

Better "Lent" than never.

I am a week late for the start of Lent, but I never said that I had to adhere to the rules that govern most people during this time period.  Heck, our church doesn't even celebrate Lent.  So here I am, a week late, but excited to see the things that God is doing.  While I thought about how I was going to celebrate this year, I was really torn.  You see, I do not typically give up anything for Lent, but instead try to add something of worth or strive to work on something that God has already impressed upon my heart.  So this year I was somewhat confused, I really could not pin down what was going to be my focus.  I thought about time and how I do a horrible job of managing the time I have when I am not working.  I will waste so much time just watching TV or surfing through Facebook or the internet.  Time that if I would just think about it, I would rather use for writing.

For me, writing is an act of worship.  I had actually said that to a couple of people this past week, and I truly believe it.  Then it hit me in the shower, that if writing is a form of worship and maybe even the best way I worship, I was really screwing up.  I hadn't really written anything in a long time.  So what did that say about my worship?  At this point, if I were Catholic, I would have to go to confession.  So maybe instead of time, my focus would be on writing.  I would flesh out my blog and make changes, add pictures and make it into one of those cool blogs that cool people do.  It was then that God reminded me, that I am less cool than I would like to think.   Well that blew that thought out of the water.  So as I tried to find my focus for Lent, I went to a "worship" night.  There was music, dancing, a few stories and some prayer.  It was really nice, but even more importantly, I think I found my focus.

While there I spoke with some women that I don't usually see during the week.  I was excited to see them, and spoke with both of them about some things that were happening in their lives.  Afterwards, both of these ladies spoke to me about how I had encouraged them that night.  Now, i do not take credit for that, because I know that it is a gift from God.  I mean really, my blood type is B+, even my blood is encouraging.  Maybe that was my focus for this Lent?  Encouragement.  Whether it was something I will write, or making contact by mail, email or phone, I can encourage those around me.  To do this I know I will be writing, and to write, I will need to use my time wisely.  And though my focus will be to encourage others, I know that through that God will use this time to encourage me.  And that is a payoff I cannot refuse!!