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!!

Shalom

Not too ago I was watching a documentary about Israel and my curiosity was peaked when they spoke of Yom HaShoah, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day.  What I found so amazing about it, is that on that day in Israel, at 10:00 in the morning a siren sounds.  At that time, everything stops.  People driving in their cars stop and get out to stand next to their cars.  Everyone stands, and for two minutes they reflect on the death of six million of their people.  I was amazed, as even here in the United States, it is hard to get people to be quiet for a moment of silence, let alone a whole country doing it for two minutes.

In 2014, the date for Yom HaShoah was April 28th, which was yesterday.  I thought about it in the morning before work, and then again when I got home.  To do my own honoring of the day, I watched a documentary about a school in Tennessee and how they had chosen to teach about diversity.  Since the community is predominantly white and Christian, they chose the Holocaust because the Jewish people were very far removed from most of the people they knew.  They started by learning about the history of what happened, but were stumped by one question.  What does six million look like?  They could not wrap their minds around the astounding number of Jews murdered.  So they decided to collect paperclips to get a sense of what that might look like.  The project lasted a couple of years, and not only did the students learn, but even some of the adults.  I was moved to hear an assistant principal speak of how the project had opened his eyes to his own prejudices.  It was a wonderful story of people coming together, of survivors telling their stories,  of children genuinely learning and how an entire community worked together to set up their own memorial site.  When all was said and done, they had collected in the neighborhood of twenty nine million paper clips.  They had obtained a true German railcar, and brought it to Tennessee to house their collection and in doing so gave people a way to honor family and friends through each tiny paperclip.  

As I watched, I wondered about the unity that the siren brings.  Everyone of one accord, putting something bigger than themselves first.  While it did not go into the details, I was amazed by what this school in Tennessee was able to accomplish.  Really?  They brought a rail car from Germany!  That could not have been cheap, but people were so invested in the project that they were compelled to complete it and do it to the best of their abilities.  When they were finished, the school decided to not only honor the six million Jewish dead, but also the additional estimated five million killed by the Nazi's.  This was made up of various groups of people, including those with disabilities, homosexuals, gypsies, Polish and Soviet civilians and Soviet prisoner's of war.

I pray that today, those who remembered their dead are comforted.  I also ask God to continue to open our eyes and hearts, just like He did in this little town in Tennessee.

Happy Easter

I was slightly chastised the other day, as one of the ladies in my office asked why I had not written much during Lent.  It is because, I am an imperfect human, who sometimes finds it hardest to do what is best for themselves.  Although I thought a lot about my "fears" and "faith", I found it hard to put words to the page.  Plus, I am probably a little rebellious, and ignore what is truly important to me more often than not.

So here I am, Easter Sunday.  How did I do this Lent?  Were my fears conquered?  I wish.  I did learn a few things though that I thought I would share.  All fear is not bad.  Some of it comes from your brain before you even know what is happening.  That is the kind that will give you an awareness of people and surroundings.  That is the kind that will help you stay safe.

I am still very scared of heights, that did not change.   As my husband drove us both home from Yosemite down highway 41 earlier this month, I tried to look out over the expanse of trees around the curves, and it just didn't work.  When I did, I got light headed and my heart started to race, the physical sensation of the fear was so overpowering.  I only really looked once, and then after that kept my eyes on the road through the curves.  It was at that moment though that I realized that I could use what I had experienced.  Even if my fear was not gone, it was something that I could use in writing or storytelling in the future.

I also believe that the emotion of fear can be fed.  When I was young, I loved roller coasters and scary movies.  I watched them all, and because of that I believe that some of the fears that I have today were from seeds planted in my childhood.  Brain pathways and fear memories are all being studied, and while most of the information made my eyes cross, some implied that repeated exposure to fear could cause behavioral changes.  I believe it!!

All that being said, it is Easter Sunday and the season of Lent is over.  While I still have fears, I did set out to conquer fear that had been haunting me for a while.  I need to have a specific conversation, and while it has not happened yet, I do have an appointment for later this week.  God was good, and opened up an opportunity to make this happen.  While I still felt the physical reaction of the fear,  heart racing and hands shaking, first and foremost in my mind was the funny way that God had opened the door.  Since the fear was not the foremost thought in my mind, but God's sense of humor was, I guess it made it easier.  So while this is not the end of the story, I believe I have turned a page in my journey.  I am now taking it in faith that God will continue to make me laugh and see me through till the end of this chapter.

Time Flies...but am I having fun?

Tempus Fugit is a Latin  phrase that I had heard before, but only learned the definition of a few weeks ago.  I was going to write about how that all transpired and what it said to me, but I got bogged down in life and never got it done. I had written a whole blog post about it, but every time I went back to edit it, the words just fell flat.  So today I came back to revisit what I had written, and maybe look at it with fresh eyes.  I think I got so bogged down in writing the post and my inadequacy to put the correct words together, that I forgot to really listen to what God was saying to me in the first place.  

Per Wikipedia the definition is "time flees" or more commonly used, "time flies". It is a latin saying and "as such, it expresses concern that one's limited time is being consumed by nothing in particular or by something which may have little intrinsic substance importance or urgency".  The post I had written was all about the crazy way that God had communicated this information to me, but in my rush to write I ignored the message.   This month though, He is not letting me forget.  This month fear and time have collided.  

There is a conversation I would like to have, but  I had been putting off.   It is something that I feel is the next step in my journey, but I am afraid.  Since I am unable to take that next step, I am frozen in place.  So while I try to debate the soundness of that step, time is fleeing. Time is not waiting for me. It continues to march on, being spent as if it were money. And while I can make more money, I cannot make more time.  So now as I fear that time is fleeing, I also am feeling a new fear.  What are the ramifications of running out of time?  What if I am unable to move from my spot to take that next step?  What will I miss out on?  What will I lose?  

I am not sure what the answers are to thse questions, but one thing I am starting to wonder is what should I fear most?  Those unknown answers, or that next step that has me rooted to the spot.  I am not sure, but I am thinking that time is running out either way.