Thanking God for YOU

There has been a plethora of thankfulness filling the web waves this week. I, too, wanted to start this day by pausing to reflect. I've been thinking about the themes I've seen others post: gratitude, thankfulness, gratefulness, attitude. The discussions usually include a form of the word "choice" such as, "Thankfulness is choosing to have a grateful attitude."

For the past few weeks I've chosen to post daily gratitudes on my fb wall. It has been a tremendous exercise which has truly affected my attitude. I shouldn't keep this idea exclusively for November. I think the word "blessed" is so overused in America and the church. But it is the only word I can think of to use today. I am truly blessed. Above and beyond.

My day's agenda is to decorate my house for Christmas then devour a Thanksgiving meal this evening at the home of friends. I wish I could see all the people I love today and wish them all a HUGE Thanksgiving wish and let them know how thankful and blessed I am to have them in my life. Instead I'll settle for wishing you, my small but faithful blog audience, a very wonderful day of giving thanks. May you choose to be thankful the remaining 364 days of the year as well.

A Lesson in Perspective

The past few months God has been poking and prodding. The messages? Do something beyond yourself, get out of your bubble, use your time, use your gifts, you have too much, you are under-utilizing what I've given you. At MOPS I shared this journey that I've been on and how I've been convicted in these areas. But I admitted to the moms that I hadn't found that "thing" yet...what God was specifically calling me to do.

I think I discovered it today.

There is an organization in my neighborhood that assists families in need. I can actually walk to it (or bike to it!). I've known about it for years and tell people about it and have even dropped off donations when I've cleaned out my closets. But I've never gone IN to volunteer. Until today.

In the basement they house their food pantry. It was an organizer's paradise! They already have a great system in place and are running things very efficiently. But with the two seasons of giving approaching, they were inundated with food donations today. I set to work. Too much detail to go into here. That's not the point of this post (I'll share info with you if you want to know).

I spent 2.5 hrs in my element. I felt like it was only an hour. They actually had to MAKE me leave because they were closing but I didn't want to stop. While there, several families arrived and were given food. I saw need. I saw gratefulness. I saw mercy. I saw care. I saw appreciation. I saw giving. I saw selflessness. I saw Jesus.

I came home and turned on the Food Network. Ironic, I know. As I merged back into my way of life I began seeing things through different eyes. I saw excess. I saw want. I saw waste. I saw extravagance. I saw frills. I saw selfishness. I saw me.

This incredible lesson in perspective emerged. How much different would my life be if I spent more time with those who have less rather than those who have more? Years ago a friend told me that when the Parade of Homes was scheduled in his town (a tour of incredibly beautiful mansions in your area) instead of attending the Parade, he would take his family on a drive through the poorest section of a nearby city. Wow! Talk about perspective! But I could totally see his point. I attended a Parade of Homes once and I found myself wanting MORE. Wish I had that, go out and buy this, I need that, etc. It was sickening. What if I saw how those who have so much less than I lived? Instead of wanting more, I'd be embarrassed at how much I already have.

Perspective. Who you hang around really does affect you.

I can't wait to go back to NESAP tomorrow. And Wednesday. Wish they were open on Thanksgiving.

Almost One!

Copy and Paste

I write for a read-thru-the-Bible-in-a-year blog here. Today's post was so convicting to me I thought I'd duplicate it here.

Scripture:

"I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them." (Acts 26:9-11 NIV)

Observation:

I'm not sure I ever realized the full extent of Paul's bloody past. Traveling from synagogue to synagogue looking for Christians to kill? Going to foreign cities with the intent to murder? He definitely was passionate about his cause. It sounds like he wouldn't let anything hold him back.

Therefore, his conversion was all the more incredible. How could a person do a complete 180 so quickly? One day he's slaughtering Christians, the next day he's championing them. Now that's unheard of transformation! Something so completely impossible to do with our limited human capacity. This had to be a supernatural, divine change of heart.

Application:

I think that we spend a lot of time "waiting" for transformation... depending on a "process" that takes time. We talk about baby steps and "time heals" and a gradual learning process. How many times have I heard and even said, "It's a process. Take one step at a time and God will teach you." I know all those have been tested and proven and I've personally experienced areas of healing through slow painful processes. So, yes, they're tried and true. And sometimes they work.

But why don't we ever expect complete, instant transformations? If God could instantly turn a cold blooded murder into a passionate cause for Christ, can't He do similar 180s today? Can't He remove my addictions instantly? Can't He heal my illness completely with no residual symptoms? Have we limited God? Maybe we expect too little. Maybe we ask for too little. Maybe we've become so accustomed and comfortbable with "the process" that we've neglected the Provider. Maybe we don't want to be transformed.

Prayer:

God, You are a God of miracles. You can breathe life back into a dead man. You could destroy this entire planet with a word if You willed. You are powerful. Yet I don't expect Your power in my life. I don't ask for Your miracles. I settle for human ways instead of expecting Your supernatural power to transform me. I'm sorry, God, for not permitting Your power to change me and thus be a testimony to Your greatness. Show me areas today that only Your incredible transforming power can change in me. Amen.

simply spoken (that would be me)

Catalyzed

Some of our staff attend this conference yesterday. Here are some of my main take-aways:

• How do we exist in the tension between staying current and staying committed to a vision that is being effective?
• Overactive management is a momentum stopper. Managing to sameness and predictability stifles momentum.
• Don't fund mediocrity. "Is this a significant improvement over what we've done before?"
• We can reach more by doing fewer things well.
• Find someone one or two steps ahead of you and learn how they THINK, not what they do.
• What have we fallen in love with that's really not as effective as it used to be?
  
• Over time, sustaining the model can become the mission.
  
• Date your program, marry your mission.
• "If we got kicked out and the board brought in a new CEO, what would he or she do? Why shouldn't we walk out the door, come back in and do it ourselves?" - Only the Paranoid Survive by Andy Grove.

Be Careful What You're Thankful For

At a friend's suggestion (it's going around on facebook), I've been posting something that I'm thankful for each day during the month of November.

This morning I saw a man standing in the rain as he removed his laundry from a clothesline. I decided that today's post should be "I'm thankful for my washer and dryer."

I'm sure you've guess where this is going. I came home, sorted three loads and got started. I just went down to remove the "dry" load only to discover it sitting in the dryer still wet. The dryer runs but the tub doesn't rotate. I now have two loads of wet clothes sitting in my basement. Which, btw, are needed before church tonight!

I hope that guy is thankful for his clothesline.

Not My Normal Friday

I had a very important medical appointment scheduled for 9:4o this morning and the Dr's office is about an hour away. I woke with a migraine, downed 2 Excedrin Migraine, dragged myself to get ready and left by 8:45. So far, so "good."

I got out to Rt 30 and got stuck behind a flatbed truck. One of the features that I love about the new Rt 3o traffic circles is that they are two lanes wide. So as the truck and I approached the circle I considered passing it. But I decided there was no real reason to...he wasn't driving too slowly and I wasn't running late. So I let him merge in front of me and continued to follow him on Rt 30.

About a half a mile later, it happened. The truck and I came to a ridge at a top of a hill and the cars in front of us had, unknown to us, slammed on their brakes for some reason. There was nothing we could do. The truck slammed on its brakes sending smoke and rubber flying as it crashed into a small white car. I slammed on my brakes, sending the contents of my car flying forward. As the truck swerved to the right into a lawn, I swerved to the left to miss both vehicles. An oncoming car had already swerved onto the shoulder so I had room to pass through and avoid the entire accident. Unbelievable! On the lawn where the truck landed were two little girls screaming their heads off as they were chasing the cause of the accident...

Yes, their stray dachshund donning a green coat was darting back and forth in traffic. Not kidding.

I pulled over to make sure everyone was alright and to wait for the police so I could offer to be a witness. The girls caught their dog and ran to their house. I never saw them again. I waited for about 15 minutes but when the police still hadn't arrived I told the men involved that I really needed to go. I left them my name and number if needed but I never got a call.

I got in my car, checked my phone and discovered a sweet message from a friend saying she was thinking about me (thanks, friend!). I headed to my appointment knowing I was now going to be cutting it close. As I replayed the accident in my mind (with my headache now raging) it dawned on me. If I had passed that truck at the traffic circle, I would have been the one to rear end the white car and I mostly likely would have been hit by the truck from behind. There was no way the truck could have stopped in time to avoid hitting me. I would have been sandwiched between the white car and the truck. Now I was shaking.

I turned onto Rt 91 and got stuck behind a John Deere tractor. Good grief. He turned shortly.

I approached Rt 32 in Gamber and a cop was following me. Now I had to drive slowly! Time to call the Dr's office. I explained, they understood and told me to take my time.

On Rt 32 in Howard Co I sat in construction...not moving. By this time I had "given up"...there was nothing I could do, everything was out of my control so I might as well be calm about it all.

I arrived only 15 minutes late.
I survived the medical procedure.
And I lived another day to tell about it.

And I'm still not a dog-lover.

Vacation, October '09

Disclaimer: Kathleen took these photos (except for the one blurry fishermen one which is from my phone).


The view from "our" house at sunset.







A day at Assateague Island:


Ocean City, MD. Have you ever seen it so deserted?! We rode out onto a fishing pier.




We really DID bike a lot. Just didn't get pics!