Christmas Cards and Letters

     Christmas Cards.  Every year I try to come up with something new and different involving family photos and a newsletter.  I've actually been scolded for leaving out that newsletter as it apparently is usually good for a laugh or two.  But it's different this year.  After spending much of my 'free' time the last two months with a dear woman who didn't have much time left on this earth, I was blessed and brokenhearted to be with her as she took her final journey Home last Sunday night.  So our newsletter took on a whole new meaning this year.

Christmas 2015

Hello Everyone.  Well.  I started this letter and then was unable to finish it for a few days.  As many of you know my husband's mom has been very ill.  Last night she went home to be with the Lord.  So, this letter is not going to be the usual letter that tells about trips and jobs and our accomplishments this past year.  It’s going to be about things I/we’ve learned this past year because that‘s more of what is on my mind today.

Say ‘I love you’ often.    You can never say it often enough.  Even if you don’t feel it at the time, say it.  Before you know it, you’ll start feeling it and believing it and doing it.  You seriously never know when it will be the last time you get to tell someone that you love them.

Truly be thankful for what you have.  We’ve lived in our house for 22 years and just recently I realized it is home.  I can’t imagine living anywhere else.    It’s where the dishwasher doesn’t always work right and the pool turns green way too often.  Where sinks get stopped up and the garage door gets stuck.  And it’s where our Christmas tree stands in the corner.   Where we find comfort.   Where we can be ourselves and know it’s ok.

Just because someone doesn’t eat like you, think like you, believe like you or look like you doesn’t mean they are wrong.  Learn from those around you.  Even if you don’t agree with them it will help you know more about yourself. 

Don’t let your circumstances get you down.  We pray and ask God to fix things.  Then when things start falling apart even worse, we blame Him or don’t think He’s answering our prayers.  Thing is, He’s answering.  And when things are falling apart, more than likely they are actually coming into place.  Just wait.  Trust Him.

Pride.  Ugh.  Pride.  It divides.  It separates.  It brings unforgiveness which leads to bitterness which never leads to anything good.  So nip it in the bud!

And last, back to love.  Never be afraid to love.  Don’t worry about being loved back.  Just love.  Love never fails.  Love never gives up.  Love.

    So that's basically what our friends and family will be receiving from us this week.  No talk about trips to the beach or job changes or graduations.  Just words from a blessed and broken heart.  Mine.  

Senior Moments

     "November 29, 2015.  The last day of November.  2015?!?!  It's 2017!  They got it wrong!"  This is what I heard recently as an otherwise happy senior sat down to read the Sunday paper.  I'm not sure why she thought November 29th was the last day of November and I have absolutely no clue why she thought it was 2017.  But she didn't seem to let it bother her too long.  Once she got passed the date being wrong on the newspaper, she continued catching up on the local news.  Senior moments.
     Just what is a 'senior' anyway?  If you go by the typical bank, anyone age 50 or over can open a 'senior' account.  That 50th birthday also brings mail.  AARP mail.  When I turned 50 and got that mail, I promptly took the contents they had sent me to read, wrote a note on it letting them know I didn't want their propaganda, put it in their return envelope and sent it back to them.  I just really don't think 50 means you are a senior. 
     Turning 'this age' has brought on some issues though.  One of those------readers.  Not what you would call a fashion statement for sure. And I'm very glad that I can get them at the dollar store because I seem to need at least one pair in every room.  Recently I had put my readers down by a plaque that read "Great is Thy Faithfulness".  When I looked up, the readers were magnifying "Thy".  Now how amazing is that!  Our God was magnified as a result of me getting older!  Guess we could call that a pretty good senior moment.
     Today I talked to a man who turned 90 years old yesterday.  He was very proud of that fact.  He told me that his wife was only 88.  He was quick to add that she didn't look it!  Awwwwwww.........  After 70 years of marriage he was still head over heels in love with her.  He told me how he only remembered having one fight with her and during that fight she threw a new bar of soap at him.  He said the bar of soap was hard but she missed!  He had no idea what that argument had been about.  Today he was concerned about taking care of his wife.  After 70 years he was still fulfilling his role as a husband.  It was so romantic it absolutely made my day!
     Sitting in church recently, my eyes met the eyes of a 104 year old lady.  She smiled slightly and I smiled back.  Not that was a senior moment!  Listening the saintly voices sing "I'll Fly Away", "Do Lord", "How Great Thou Art" and watching the longing on their faces as they sing about their Savior and their home in Heaven.  Watching them smile and hold up their index fingers as they sing "This little light of mine.  I'm gonna let it shine!"  I'm very much learning to appreciate 'Senior Moments'. 
     
    

I Ate Dessert

     Yes, it's true.  In fact, right now I'm finishing off a small piece of cherry pie, one of pumpkin pie, some sweet potato casserole and cheese cake.  Not sure, but I don't think I've really eaten dessert since July when we were on vacation.
     But it's Thanksgiving.  And my feet hurt.  Pretty sure I logged 15-16 hours of cooking in the last two days and loved every minute of it!  With 'dinner' time set at 1 PM today, I was still in my pajamas just 20 minutes prior to that.  Hair was a mess and I had on no makeup.  Pretty much everyone pitched in as it was crunch time!
     One o'clock and it was show time!  As our guests arrived, Pippa the Pomeranian couldn't have been more excited.  Jumping up and down and reminding me of the donkey in the Shrek movie saying "Pick me! Pick me!"  I grabbed her and held her while the blessing was said and people got their food.  She finally had to go play in the backyard so we could eat in peace.
     23 pound turkey.  About 100 hot rolls.  Thanksgiving Dinner with all the trimmings.  Aunt Nadine's baked beans.  Mom Pum's sweet potato casserole.  Memories.  Memories of Thanksgivings when I was a kid and we would gather at my dad's parents' house.  The table would be full of all the traditional foods and favorites.  The blessing would be said and Papaw would fill his plate first.  He would sit down at the head of the table----the only person usually to actually sit at the table because there was no room for eating due to the abundant amount of food----and enjoy his meal complete with his cherry Kool-Aid as the rest of us circled the table, and him, filling our plates.  After dinner came the most exciting part to me.  Time to draw names for Christmas!
     After my paternal grandparents were gone, we would gather at mom's.  My grandma, Mom Pum, would always bring my two favorite dishes----chocolate chess pie and sweet potato casserole.  My brother and brother-in-law and I would fight over that chocolate chess pie!  All of us claimed it was made for just us.  So Mom Pum or mom started making two so the three of us would be sure to have enough.
     A few years ago I decided to start our own traditions with Thanksgiving.  I absolutely love cooking our Thanksgiving meal.  And I've learned to be flexible as we never seem to know if we will have just us or many more or if we will eat at home or at a fire station like last year.  This year we ate at home.  And it was nice.  But I need to tell you what happened about 6 weeks ago.
     We had just received some not so great news and were processing it when I received yet another blow.  As I walked across the lobby of the bank where I work, a new customer looked up at me.  I walked over to greet him.  He told me that one of my favorite customers was going to die that day.  She had been sick for just a few months but it was her time.  He then handed me an envelope that read "Dinner on me, Polly".  I began to sob as I saw the $100 bill inside.  He hugged me and said he was fulfilling her deathbed wishes.  But how could someone care that much about me that they would think of me as they were dying?
     I pondered over the next couple of weeks about how to spend the $100 on dinner and decided it would buy either our family Thanksgiving or Christmas meal.  Last week I attended Polly's memorial service.  My new friend, her neighbor who had brought me that special gift, spoke of how Polly had requested that he and his wife look after her special needs son after she was gone.  She wasn't even sick when she asked them.  And that was last Thanksgiving.  I knew at that moment that Polly was buying our family Thanksgiving Dinner this year.
     As I cooked our meal the last couple of days I thought of Thanksgivings past.  Of family and friends, old and new.  I thought of Polly's last Thanksgiving and how no one had any idea she would be in Heaven this soon.  And I thought about how precious time is.  How we need to take in all that God has blessed us with and not just skim over the top.  Really live.  And occasionally, eat dessert. 

That Was Sooooo Funny! I Think......Wait......I'm Not Sure. It Was Funny Right?

     Okay I have a confession.  Or maybe it's a diagnosis.  I'm not really sure.  Anyway, sometimes I think I'm missing my funny gene.  Or maybe my funny bone is broken.  Or my sense of humor has allergies.  I just don't know.  But I can tell you that what I think is funny, often other people don't.  And my family would be glad to tell you that what they consider funny is often met by a blank look by me and despair by them because I often just don't get it.
     Many is the time I have been on the wrong side of a joke.  Take, for example, when I was about 19 or 20.  I worked in a bank and drove 15 miles over a mountain to and from work every day of the week.  One evening I came home to what I expected to be a routine night.  Now I suppose, since I mentioned driving 15 miles and over a mountain, you do realize I grew up way out in the country.  At night it is very dark out there.  It's great for star gazing or hiding.  But that's about it.
     Anyway, that night I went to bed.  Each family member, I assumed, was tucked in for the night.  Then a light started flashing in my window.  I shared a room with my sister and asked her if she saw the light.  She didn't.  I jumped out of my bed and turned on the room light.  My mother came down the hall with an absolutely evil look in her eyes.  No one seemed to know anything about the light flashing in my window.  Everyone indicated that I had lost my mind!  I began to try to figure out how to escape to my car and drive away from this twilight zone nightmare I was in.  Then they broke.  They admitted to working all day to set up a light that was controlled by my brother around the other side of the house.  My parents and siblings were all in on it.  Not funny.  At least not to me back then.  And even now I just don't get the humor in it even one little bit.
     Often times things I consider fun, others consider a bit odd.  For example, this summer's vacation was spent primarily at a beach with rather calm, clear water.  It was easy to find sea shells on the bottom  in the sand and I discovered that I could actually skim the flat ones across the top of the ocean.  Easily spotting where the shells sank, I would wade through the water, pick up the shells again, and see how many times I could skip those shells back the other direction.
     While I found this activity quite entertaining, at one point it was asked if I didn't 'drink'.  Considering this a compliment that it was noted that I was having a good time without alcohol being involved, I congratulated myself on that achievement.  Then it hit me.  My idea of having fun may have appeared more to others like I had been partaking too much from a bottle, glass or some other form of intoxicant!  Oh well.  I'm pretty sure I was having fun anyway.
     This past weekend was a classic example of the crazy circumstances I can get involved in that, I'm sure, others might think funny but I consider serious.  After I had spent a good part of Saturday holding our Pippa the Pomeranian so that she wouldn't 'help' the repairmen who were at our house most of the day, one of our sons noticed a tiny white dog running up the busy street right beside our house.  Well, when Pippa sneaks the opportunity to run out of the front door, run is just what she does.  It has taken several neighbors, friends and family to catch her at times.  So when our son told me he saw that helpless little dog running down the street,  of course I encouraged him to go to the rescue!
     Using Pippa on a leash as 'bait', he went down the street to try to lure in the little lost guy.  Instead he was met with growling!  He brought Pippa back home and I then ran down the street calling the puppy.  Cars where stopping.  Brakes were tested to the fullest as I ran down the street after this unknown little helpless guy.  One passer by turned around in his truck, stopped and put on his hazard lights in the street as he attempted to help me catch what he assumed to be my dog.
     Over the next 15 minutes or so, my son and I ran across streets, down allies, through yards and wherever we could to try to rescue this poor little scared puppy, all the time afraid he was going to get hit by a car right in front of us.  I finally gave up and called animal control as I ran across the street another time.  Then it happened.  No, the dog didn't get hit but a car and neither did I.  But with the help of a man who stepped quickly out of a car, we had the puppy cornered.  My son reached down and grabbed the little fellow.  All of about 6 pounds of dog turned quickly, bared his teeth and angrily bit my son on the index finger!
     I sent my son home to clean his wound as I continued chasing that little monster.  Calling animal control as I ran back across the street again, I was advised not to corner the beast.  Too late.  He stood against the fence of a house of someone I didn't know and I wasn't letting him out of my sight.  In fact, I enlisted the help of several people who were outside in that neighborhood to help me guard the little white terror.  He sat there tired and falling asleep as we stood in a semi-circle a good 20 foot distance just to be on the safe side.  I explained to my new friends what had been happening up to that point and how this ferocious beast had bitten my son.  They, like the person who answered the phone when I called animal control, asked "How old is your son?" 
     Then another man and his little boy walked up trying to see what the attraction was.  He commented that he thought we must have an anaconda cornered or something.  I explained what had happened and how we couldn't let the dog get away because he had bitten my son.  He asked "How old is your son?" 
     Animal control showed up.  The dog was safely in the cage on the truck.  A report had to be filed.  And, just like everyone else, the officer asked "How old is your son?"  Well, he's almost 21.  Okay.  So I guess that was kinda funny. 
    

Perspective

     Perspective:  A particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.   Viewpoint.  Standpoint.  Position.
     The World Series just ended and I enjoyed watching parts of it.  However, the last game, perhaps the most important game, I forgot about.  In fact, I fell asleep in front of the TV watching a Christmas movie.  I absolutely love Christmas movies but lots of people would sooner clean the gutters as have to endure such.  That's their viewpoint.  Standpoint.  Position.  Perspective.
     But back to the World Series.  While watching the playoffs this year, something hit me.  No, not a foul ball.  And yes, it's a game.  Yes, these guys are having a good time.  But it's also their job.  Their way to provide for their families.  And how well they do determines just how well they can provide for their families.  Ever wonder if, when that batter is standing at the plate, he's thinking about the new home he will be able to afford for his wife and kids?  Yes, I know.  He gets paid a ton of money.  But he also gives up most of his year for the game.  Plus he can't go out in public and be anonymous like you and I.  Anyway, that was my perspective on the game of baseball this year.
     Winter.  It's coming whether we are ready for it or not.  I've pretty much always taken the viewpoint that we can't do anything about the weather so we might as well enjoy it.  I usually enjoy the snow in the winter and the sunshine in the summer.  However, I must admit this year that I am not looking forward to winter nearly as much as I usually do.  Don't know why.  But that's my perspective. 
     Some like football.  Some think it's way to violent.  Perspective.  Some like opera.  Some would rather have a tooth pulled as to endure it.  Perspective.
     Some people enjoy sunsets.  Then there are those who can't get enough of the starry skies.  Personally, I love sunsets and an occasional sunrise although, from my perspective, sunrises come way to early in the morning.  And while I can kinda tell what time of the day it is by where the sun is, I am forever looking up at night and, even though I think it's beautiful, wondering just how the moon ended up in a different place from night to night.  From my perspective, it takes a lot more remembering to think about the stars and moon and where they should be than it does to just look up and enjoy them. 
     Seriously though.  Let's think about this.  Eternity.  There are those who have the perspective, viewpoint, standpoint, position that it doesn't really matter.  That living for God is a waste of time.  That they know better than God and don't have to follow His Word or accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord.  They use His Name as a 'by word' or slang and live according to their own 'rules'.  
     Then there are those who have realized truth.  They know they can't survive with Him.  They understand that they are not perfect but have the promise of eternal life because they believe in Him.  They know He died for them.  They know He is the only way to eternal life.  They've asked for His forgiveness and received it. 
     Yes, those are two different perspectives.  Widely different perspectives.  But one day, at name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father!  (Philippians 2:10-11.) 
     What is your perspective about Him right now?  Your viewpoint?  Your standpoint?  Your position?  Because, on that day, everyone, absolutely everyone, will have the same perspective, viewpoint, standpoint and position.  Jesus Christ is Lord.  Why not take that perspective today? 
     His perspective?  He loves you.  He died for you.  He's waiting for you.  He sees you through eyes of love.  That's His perspective. 
     
     
    
    
    

Bravo!

     "Bravo!  Bravo!"  Wait.....what?  We had attended the symphony before but somehow had missed hearing this.  Scattered throughout the auditorium though, amidst the applause and accompanied by the standing ovation, "Bravo!  Bravo!"  We couldn't help but chuckle as we left the event.  It just wasn't what we were used to hearing at the end of a performance!
     But let me back up just a bit.  And then I may just fast forward.  Kinda the way I drive too.  Anyway, last week I was given two free tickets to the local symphony.  Having attended once before and being absolutely blown away, I jumped at the chance to go again.  Especially free!  But after a crazy week, spending Saturday night at the symphony was a relief topped off with some guilt for not being at the side of someone who had needed our extra help a good portion of the week.  But we tried to relax and enjoy. 
     We are a musical family of sorts.  Nothing like the Osmonds or the Jacksons (sorry.....I'm old and don't know if there are any more current musical families at the moment) but we all love music and have sang some pretty mean harmonies in the car.  Some of us are more knowledgeable than others about the mechanics and technical aspects of music but we all can enjoy a good concert.  Expecting to do just that, I and my chosen 'date' settled in our seats that night to enjoy the music and relax.
     While enjoyment and relaxation were definitely a part of the evening, we are also people watchers and we found ourselves doing just that.  This crowd was a bit different though.  As the first half was music previously never heard before, written by a composer who attended the event even, it was written to depict the time right after WWII.  And I can easily say that it was not at all what we expected.  The audience was dotted with older men but we didn't put the whole thing together at first.  We just watched them. 
     At one point during the concert, WWII Veterans were asked to stand up.  I was amazed at the number of men (and at least one woman) who stood up.  Yes they stood slowly.  Some had help getting up.  And included was the elderly gentleman we had seen exit and return....twice.  His seat was near the front and his leaving the auditorium involved him actually being in the spotlight as he would slowly climb the steps near his seat.  "Poor man!" I thought!  "How embarrassing!" "But when I get to be that age, I won't care who sees me leave to go to the restroom either".  Yeah, that's the thought I concluded with.
     Now it's time to do that fast forward thing......to yesterday.  When I came home from work, the movie "Unbroken" was on.  I asked what it was about and was told, in brief, it was about an Olympic runner who was in WWII and didn't get to run because the Olympics were in Japan and cancelled.  Instead, he was in a Japanese prison camp and treated horribly.
     Thanks to modern technology, I quickly researched this man.  Louis Zamperini.  And then I cried.  Normally not wanting to watch anything dark or even remotely sad, I sat glued to the screen, crying as I watched for the deeper meaning of the whole thing.
     Mr. Zamperini, and others, remained 'unbroken' during a series of events that most of us would have given up near the start.  As I watched the movie, I would look back at his picture on my phone.  The light that shown in his eyes in his 90s was amazing.  Beatings that were so inhumane.......yet he remained unbroken.  I literally would watch the movie and then look back at his picture on my phone and cry.
     As I read on about Mr. Zamperini, something touched my heart deep inside.  After the war was over he suffered, as many do, with PTSD.  He drank to forget his past and had nightmares about what he wanted to do to those who tortured him.  Then his wife asked him to attend a Billy Graham Crusade.  His life changed forever when he met Jesus Christ.  The anger was gone.  It was replaced by forgiveness.  He received forgiveness from the Lord.  He gave forgiveness to those who had treated him so horribly.
     At almost 81 years of age, in 1998, Mr. Zamperini ran a leg in the Olympic Torch relay in Nagano, Japan not far from where he had been held as a POW.  He attempted to meet with the most brutal of his captors from the war but his tormentor refused to see him.  As I read this and watched perhaps the most brutal torment scene of the movie, I couldn't help but think how Jesus forgives us.  No matter what we do, He forgives.  And I thought about how, as Mr. Zamperini's character in the movie looked directly into the eyes of his torturer,  he didn't give up.  He faced him.
     The courage of Louis Zamperini.  The unbrokeness.  The determination.  The faith.  The forgiveness.  That's where the bravo belongs.  Yes the symphony was good.  Really, really good!  And hours of hard work went into that performance.  But Louis Zamperini and others like him who fought the fight for our freedom.  Who teach us to forgive.  That's where the bravo belongs. 
    

When Pride Melts Away

When pride melts away.
When the heart turns to flesh.
When peace comes to reside.
When turmoil has been sent on its way.

When the whirlwind stops.
When the sun starts to shine.
When the birds start to sing.
When you can finally breathe.

Holding you down all this time.
Didn't even know it was there.
Hardened heart, hardened eyes.
It was just a part of everyday life.

But today you are free!
Was it really that simple?
A prayer for forgiveness
And now it's all gone!

Your heart can now feel.
Your eyes can now see.
Now a hug touches your soul.
Now real beauty is there for you to behold.

Was it there all along?
Was pride's darkness in the way?
Now light shines through!
Suddenly life is new for you!

When pride melts away.
When the heart is flesh, not stone.
When we ask His forgiveness.
When we give Him our all.

That's when His blessings
Are finally realized.
Blessings that were so close all along.
Just waiting for pride to melt away.......

One Breath Away From Repentance

One breath away from repentance.
One step away from regret.
This moment defines you
Today and now on.
Choose carefully, my friend.
This chance too soon is gone.

"I'm sorry, Dear Lord.
Please forgive me today."
This is the choice you know you should make.
It won't be easy but you won't be alone.
He gave you His word
And He will never lead you wrong.

"One more time won't matter.
I'm sure I'll have lots of fun."
Then one time leads to another and another.
And you're deeper in sin and regret.
If only you'd chosen more wisely.
But you were not ready yet.

You go through life
Either in obedience or
Choosing to rebel.
Knowing that, either way,
Each choice you make
Helps or hurts someone every day.

Fast forward and it's time for your judgement.
It could be now or it could be in years.
Which way did you choose?
What will He say
When He surveys what you chose to do?

Did you ask His forgiveness,
Let His blood wash you clean
And then did you earn a 'well done'?
Or did you continue in sin
Thinking you knew what was best
And earn damnation instead of rest?

Did pride and selfishness cloud your vision?
Did His light finally shine through?
How dark does your life need to get
Before you see?
He's right there where He's always been
And He's wanting to forgive you.

He tries to get your attention.
With open eyes you can see,
His love and forgiveness is at every turn.
It will cost you nothing to be free.
He did it for you out of love.
With His life He paid for it all.

One breath away from repentance.
One step away from regret.
He stands there waiting to change your life,
Offering you abundance  now and forever.
With His whole life He loves and adores you.
With arms wide open He waits....for you.

Verse 4

     The congregation is singing in worship.  The words seem to flow as wonderful old hymns rise to the ceiling and echo around the walls.  Then it happens.  The Worship Leader says "verse 5".  But wait.  We just sang verse 3.  What happened to verse 4?  Poor verse 4.  More often than not it gets left out. 
     Now this is not a new phenomenon.  In fact I remember the same thing happening when I was a child.  But why?  Why verse 4?  Was the author struggling during the writing of that verse so it doesn't really make sense?  Does it say something wrong?   Is there an unwritten code somewhere that says verse 4 in a song of 5 verses or more always gets left out?
     Actually I think the reason is about time.  In an effort to sing more songs, a verse (or two if the song has 6 or more) is left out.  But why verse 4?  Why not start at verse 2 or leave off the last verse? 
     While this may not seem important, please hear me out.  As usual, I'm pretty sure there is a method to my madness. Let's look at one of the most beautiful and loved hymns of all time.
     Amazing Grace.  Most of us could sing a good deal of that song even if it had been years since we heard it.  But what about verse 4?  "The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures." 
     To get the whole idea here,  lets start with a little history.  Written by John Newton, who had been a slave trader and not a Christian prior to writing these words, he wrote verse 1 after being on a ship during a violent storm.  The conditions were so severe that he called out to God for mercy.  That marked his spiritual conversion.  While his boat was being repaired, he wrote that first verse.  "Amazing grace!  How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!  I once was lost but now I'm found.  Was blind but now I see." 
     That just reminded me of when the disciples and Jesus were on a boat and a horrible storm arose.  The disciples were afraid.  But Jesus was asleep.  They woke Him, thinking He didn't even care since He was asleep.  But Jesus stood up and commanded the wind "Be quiet!"  To the waves He said "Be still!" The wind and the waves obeyed Him.  Now I don't know if John Newton had heard this story before he called out to God on that stormy night, but even if he hadn't, he did the same thing as the disciples.  He spoke to God.
     Back to verse 4.  I find it interesting that John Newton wrote the first verse in 1748 but the rest was written much later for a New Year's Day sermon in 1773.  And Newton actually ended his then poem "Amazing Grace" with verse 4.  Verse 5 was written by someone else and added in 1790.  Now I'm not down playing the impact of the words in verse 5.  It beautifully describes what our reward will be like someday.  But what message was John Newton wanting to get across with verse 4 and what blessing are we missing by leaving it out?
     Beginning with a verse of repentance and realizing how unworthy we are and then followed by a verse describing how we are not only saved by grace but grow and live by God's grace, Newton then wrote verse 3.  Perhaps Newton was still thinking back to that fateful night when he first believed like he mentioned in verse 2 when he penned "Thro' many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; Tis grace that brought me safe this far, And grace will lead me home."  Newton knew that he lived, every day, covered in the grace of God.
     And that forgotten verse that just takes up too much time to sing (a huge 34.93 seconds according to my calculations) was perhaps what John Newton meant to be the summation of what God's grace meant to him.  "The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be, as long as life endures."  Newton knew that, according to God's Word, his future was secure.  And it was secure because of God's Amazing Grace. 
     What is your verse 4?  What are you leaving out because you just don't think there is enough time?  Think about the words in verse 4.  The verse that often gets left out because of 'time'.   For me, I'm thinking of my verse 4.  In fact I think I have several of them.  And it's time I stop leaving them out.  They are there for a reason.  And I just suspect, like verse 4 in  Amazing Grace, a blessing will be attached when I just make time for my very own verse 4.

Sweet!

     "Kind words are like honey--sweet to the taste and good for your health." (Proverbs 16:24)  Awwww.  Isn't that just a really nice idea?  You say kind words and they taste sweet like honey.  And not only are they sweet to the speaker, they are sweet to the hearer!
      Oh!  And another thought!  Have you ever had allergy issues?  Well did you know that eating honey that was made in your own geographical region can actually help control those allergies?  You know what that made me think of?  "Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances." (Proverbs 25:11)
     Now you may be thinking I'm a little off my rocker about now.  But just think for a minute.  Local honey, honey from the right place, can make you healthier.  That means that honey from another region, while it might be sweet, probably isn't going to make you well.  Okay so now let's think about that in terms of words.  If we say something in the wrong place at the wrong time, even if it's sweet, well it's just not a good idea and doesn't help a thing.  But saying the right words at the right time are like a beautiful ornament of golden apples in a silver setting.....shiny and something to treasure.
     "Never eat more honey than you need; too much may make you vomit." (Proverbs 25:16)  Wait a minute.  Didn't we just read that honey was good for our health?  So now, still in Proverbs, we're reading that it can make us sick!  So, if we put it in terms of words like we just read, is this saying that too many good or 'sweet' words can make us sick?
     Consider this.  A 50 year old woman answers the phone at work.  On the other end, a 20 year old is calling for some information but is constantly referring to  the 50 year old as honey, sweetie.....you get the idea.  By the time the phone call ends, the 50 year old will probably be sick of all the 'sweet talk' and have to wipe the honey off the phone before hanging it up or the next call might get a bit sticky.  Besides the fact that the 20 year old carried on way too much in a effort to be nice but really was disrespectful.
     Or how about someone who 'sugar coats'?  Those words may sound good at first.  But what about when you bite into that, what appears to be sugar cookie, and find there was a worm in the middle?
     So just what is our lesson here?  My thoughts go back to part of a song I learned as a child..... "Oh be careful little mouth what you say.  Oh be careful little mouth what you say!"  Remember that one?   One day we will be held accountable for our words (Matthew 12:36).  With that in mind, I hope you have a sweet day!  But not 'too' sweet. :)

I Laughed Off All of My Mascara

     This has been a wild couple of weeks.  With school starting back up and temperatures getting cooler (a high of anything less than 90 in August is cool in our neck of the woods), well times they are a changin'.  New jobs.  New classes.  And kids who were kids in July seem more grown up now that August is almost over.
     Unfortunately, in the midst of all these changes, I'm dizzy.  Not from all the changes swirling around me but from some goofy diagnosis I was given almost a year ago.  You see, about every five or six months it hits me.  Out of the blue, I simply turn my head and suddenly my world is spinning.  So, when I was reading this week before retiring for the evening, I looked to the left and felt my world turn upside down.
     Walking is quite a chore right now.  I couldn't walk a straight line to save my life!  While I may take 4, 5 or maybe even 6 steps with nothing happening, all of the sudden with no warning, all or part of my brain seems to flip upside down, spin the opposite direction I am looking or just feel plain old gooshy.  I find myself grabbing furniture, walls or whoever is standing near me when that tilt-a-whirl starts spinning in my head.
     Now driving is a different story.  As long as I'm looking straight ahead and not looking around, I'm ok driving.  But turning my head at an intersection watching for traffic, oh boy.   While the phone companies often remind us not to text and drive, so far I haven't been told not to have a swimmy head and drive.  But I wouldn't be surprised that command is coming next.
     The first couple of times I had this issue, there was a level of fear mixed with embarrassment.  I even went through medical testing including a CT scan that revealed that, yes, despite what my family thinks, there is a brain in there and it appears normal.  I'm trying, this third time in just under a year, to deal with this and keep plugging along.  I get the usual jokes...."hey mom.....do we need to get you a life alert?"  "Hey mom.....do you need a walker with tennis balls on the legs?  Maybe we can get one with a horn."  Co-workers hold up their hands and grin as they ask how many fingers they are holding up.  And some even offer to be my legs and deliver to and from my desk. 
     In the middle of this brain tornado, something absolutely hilarious happened yesterday.  Well at least I considered it hilarious.  I was at work and trying to discretely text one of our sons.  He had sang at a funeral yesterday and I was asking how it went.  I tried to text back that I was sure the family appreciated what he did.  Now I'm not one to proofread my texts.  I figure texts are for convenience and I'm often in a hurry so whoever I am texting can figure out what I really mean. 
     Anyway, while texting with my phone under my desk, I sent a message to our youngest son that read "I sure they appreciated you."  He responded with "I same".  Of course I responded with "Huh".  His reply, "More bad grammar/omitted words" followed by a smiley face.  So I responded with "Oh" followed by "Well I'm at work and am trying to hide". 
     While I continued working, I noticed my phone received a text as it sat hiding under my desk.  That dear son had sent a group message to our family where he had taken a screen shot of my "Well I'm at work and am trying to hide" comment and added "Someone might need to go check on mom.  Something seems to be going down at the bank."
     Yes, I laughed so hard I laughed off all my mascara.  And not only could I not walk a straight line, trying to explain to my co-workers why I was laughing and crying to the point I couldn't speak, well it was just almost too much to deal with at once.
     Did anyone in the group text check on me?  Yes!  I did get another text asking if I was okay.  It was so sweet but made me laugh, and cry, even more.  The moral of this story?  Well I'm not sure there is one.  Except that maybe, if you see someone trying to walk a straight line and they can't, they may just be dizzy.  Or, if your mom is working at a bank and texts you that she's hiding, she may just be trying to not get caught texting at work, not hiding from someone in a ski mask with a fake gun in their pocket and a bag to carry out money.  :)

Majestic......Or Just Call Me August

     Majestic.  An adjective.  Grand, magnificent, impressive, superb, kingly, royal, princely, imposing, imperial, noble, splendid, elevated, awesome, dignified, regal, stately, monumental, sublime, lofty, august.  Wait.  What?  August?!?!?!?!
     Earlier this week our 1 1/2 year old Pomeranian Pippa was sitting on the bed.  Our middle son commented that she looked 'majestic'.  He uses lots of big words and is smarter than I could ever hope to be.  When he said she looked majestic though, I thought I knew what it meant. 
     Majestic.  The word just keeps popping up in my mind.  Psalm 8 and the Keith Green song "Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth" plays over and over in the background of my thoughts.  Then I saw a random picture of the Majestic Theatre.  So what's the deal with this word?
     That brings me back to this first paragraph.  I decided to look it up.  Majestic.  I get it that it means grand, magnificent, impressive and pretty much every other word used to define 'majestic'.  Majesty.  Worship His Majesty.  Unto Jesus be all glory, honor and praise!  Jesus is our King.  The word 'majesty' or 'majestic' fits.
     Tall trees are described as being majestic.  Sunsets, sunrises, rainbows.  Yep.  We could go on and on.  But one word used to define 'majestic' really surprised me. 
     August.  Maybe it's because my birthday is in August.  We have an anniversary in August and a son who was born in August.  In fact we have several family members with August birthdays.  August is an important month to us but just what does it mean?  It's the eighth month of the year.  School starts in August.  Peridot is the birthstone. August is hot.  Where we live the grass is often brown and crunchy in August.  So just how does August define Majestic?
     Well of course, like I looked up 'Majestic', I looked up the definition of 'August'.  And some of what I found didn't surprise me.  You know.  The usual stuff about the eight month and Augustus Caesar and all that.  But something else I found surprised me. 
     August, as an adjective, is defined as dignified or imposing; of noble birth or high rank;  inspiring reverence or admiration; of supreme dignity or grandeur; majestic.  Of befitting a lord; "heir to a lordly fortune".
     August.  While I never thought of myself as majestic and I doubt I (or anyone else for that matter) will ever describe me as such, I kinda think there are some things about being described as 'August' that I  like.  Consider this:  As a child of God, we are 'august'.  We are 'heirs to a lordly fortune'.  We inherit the Kingdom of Heaven! 
     As children of the King, we are of noble birth. August.  Because of the blood of Jesus, royal blood that covers our sins, we are of the most Majestic of royal bloodlines!  Our purpose is to inspire reverence and admiration....not for ourselves but for our Lord. 
     August.  Yeah........just call me 'August'. 
    

Churches

     Over the last few months I've been doing something a little different.  Well at least it's different for me.  I guess you could say, while I consider my faith the center of my life, unfortunately there was an almost legalistic side to it.  And that's something that, when it finally hit me right between the eyes, I knew needed to change.  So, with much prayer and consideration, I chose to leave the church I had attended for over 15 years and start visiting other churches.
     Beginning on Easter Sunday, my journey began.  Some weeks I new several days in advance just were I would be worshiping that Sunday morning.  Some weeks I didn't know until shortly before time to leave home.  I must say that I have been surprised some days at the destinations God has chosen for my worship time.  And, I also admit to staying home a few times when I was exhausted.  Another surprise was that I didn't really feel guilty on those Sundays I rested....overcoming the legalistic part of my faith just a little I guess.
     Growing up in a small community church where practically everyone was related had it's advantages I suppose.  And attending a very large church that even broadcasts services on TV can also have it's advantages.   I tend to prefer getting lost in the crowd when attending a new church and that's something you can usually do in a larger congregation.   But these smaller churches.  Oh my.  Everyone knows if you're a visitor.  And I've found myself in smaller churches most Sundays lately.
     I've had the privilege these last few months of listening to some amazing music more on the contemporary side and got to enjoy worshiping with old hymns like I grew up with.  Funny thing.....one little church even had the same old hymnals we had at Mt Moriah Community Church way back in the 1970s! 
     Men with theological doctorates.  Men who didn't graduate high school.  Those who are career ministers.  And those who work other jobs and just preach because they love the Lord.  I've heard the Word presented from them all.  But I guess the one that stands out the most lately is the one who, if I understood correctly, didn't graduate High School. 
     The tiny church was one I had passed by several thousand times over the year.  I had wondered about the congregation and noticed that there seldom seemed to be many cars there on Sunday mornings.  The first time I attended this little church it was absolutely pouring down rain and we even had flood warnings.  The faithful few would have maybe filled two pews had they all sat together.  Actually, maybe one pew would be a better estimate. 
     The following is part of what I gleaned from that sermon.
     Childlike faith.  Believing God just like we believed and trusted our parents when we were little kids.  Planting faith and allowing it to grow instead of placing it on a shelf and only using it occasionally.  Being thankful you have 3 tires with air in them when you have a flat and only one spare.  James 1:2-3 "My brothers and sisters, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure." Count it all joy. 
     James 1:4 "Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."  Trust God, don't argue with Him.  You'll lose every time.  V5 "But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all."  Seek His face.
     First know Him as Savior.  Then know that the ones who are used the most are the ones bruised the most.  Wow.  What an amazing thought!  His Word gives us all we need to know to live and be used by Him, which should be our desire.
     2 Peter 1:3-9 "God's divine power has given us everything we need to live a truly religious life through our knowledge of the one who called us to share in His own glory and goodness.  In this way He has given us the very great and precious gifts He promised, so that by means of these gifts you may escape from the destructive lust that is in the world, and may come to share the divine nature.  For this very reason do your best to add goodness to your faith; to your goodness add knowledge; to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add endurance; to your endurance add godliness; to your godliness add Christian affection; and to your Christian affection add love.  These are the qualities you need, and if you have them in abundance, they will make you active and effective in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But those who do not have them are so short-sighted that they cannot see and have forgotten that they have been purified from their past sins."
     Today I am so thankful for the freedom to worship the One True God.  And I'm thankful to have the opportunity to get to know brothers and sisters in Christ who love and worship Him.  I think, just maybe, we are more alike than we ever realized.  Do you know Him?  Would you like to?
    
    

Exhausted....No Excuse

     I am beyond the point of being exhausted.  Drowning in work.  Two family cars with issues....that we know of.  Have the pool open but still not working just right.  Laundry.  Dishes.  Are we having a plumbing issue now?  Was that something burning?  Oh no.  The dog just ate an ink pen and has ink all over her paws as she walks through the house!  Everything seems to be spinning. 
    Let's go back to Sunday.  During a sermon on freedom, the subject was Paul and Silas and their imprisonment.  (Acts 16) Seems they cast out demons in the name of Jesus from a young girl who's owners were using her to tell fortunes for profit.  Made the owners mad of course.  The girl was happy.  But those guys were furious.  So they made up a bunch of bunk about Paul and Silas and had them thrown into prison. 
     Now I've never been in prison except when we went as a youth group to have a church service for some inmates at a minimum security prison an hour or two from our church.  It was definitely not a place I would want to stay for long.  But it was clean.  Lights were bright.  Inmates were obviously well fed.  But that's not how it was for Paul and Silas.  When they were in prison they were in stocks.  Locked in.  Deep in a dungeon.  Nasty.  Wet.  Smelly.  All freedom was taken away.  But they didn't complain.  Instead they sang praises to God. And the other prisoners were listening to them.
     Then something huge happened.  At midnight God caused an earthquake!  All the doors to the prison opened.  All the chains were unfastened.  Every prisoner was free.  But not one of them left.  They did the right thing.  The guard was amazed.  He knew it had to be God.  There was no other explanation.  His response?  He asked what he must do to be saved.  All he had to do was believe on Jesus and he would be saved.....he and his family.  And that's exactly what happened that night.  
     The guard had seen there was something different about Paul and Silas.  The other prisoners had seen there was something different about Paul and Silas.  It was Jesus. 
     There are so many lessons in this little story.  Paul and Silas praised God even though they were beaten and imprisoned for doing nothing wrong.  In pain and not knowing what would be done to them next, they praised God.  And others watched them.  They preached more gospel as prisoners than most of us preach in freedom. 
     Way back in Genesis 50:20 Joseph told his brothers that what they meant for evil, God used for good.  While I was thinking about Paul and Silas and how their imprisonment turned out, I couldn't help but think about Joseph. About how God took what was done by his brothers out of obedience to the devil and used it for good to save Israel and Egypt.      
     Here were Paul and Silas, in prison for something they didn't do.  Like Joseph.   But they didn't give up.  They didn't compromise their beliefs.  They praised God.  Just like Joseph. 
     What the devil means for evil, God WILL use for good.  If we let Him.  If we stay true to His Word.  Boy, I'm exhausted.  But that's no excuse.  Like Paul and Silas I must represent my Savior. And if Paul and Silas and Joseph can see that God will use their horrible circumstances for good, I think I need to do the same in my not so horrible circumstances.  My challenge for tomorrow.......  and no excuses.  

Chasing Rainbows

     The waiter had just brought our meal when the storm hit.  The lights flickered.  The wind blew.  And more diners came in soaking wet.  Not exactly how we had planned to spend our Friday evening, but my daughter and I had a good time anyway.  Of course that meant running out in the pouring rain as we left but we laughed and it kind of became an adventure. 
     As she drove us home, the sun started coming out and I knew what would be happening next.  Being a long time fan of rainbows, I began looking all around. I have to say her enthusiasm wasn't quite the same as mine, but she did a great job with her part as driver while I scoped out the skies. 
     Then I saw it.  The colors were beginning just outside the back driver's side window.  Not sure which direction it was but I know it wasn't the west because that's where the sun was working towards going down. 

     I'm afraid this is almost a sickness with me.  My family and friends have always humored me.  And this was no exception.  I snapped pictures and danced in my seat with excitement as my daughter drove home. 

   Just before arriving home, the rainbow became full!  I couldn't wait to jump out and start taking more pictures.  In fact, I kinda got told I unbuckled my seat belt a little too soon......  But what was I supposed to do?  It was amazing!

     I took picture after picture, none of which did this wonder justice.  The colors were absolutely brilliant.  Running out in the pouring rain after dinner was certainly worth this.  Perfect timing.  God's timing.  Just like the other rainbows we've seen lately.  (See "The Wisdom to Know the Difference" )       Many many years ago I declared the rainbow my favorite color.  Not every color of the rainbow.  But the actual rainbow.  Sometimes I have trouble making up my mind and saying a rainbow was my favorite color.....well it made my life a lot less stressful back then!  My favorite color has changed a few times since those high school days but I still consider a rainbow right up there as one of my favorite colors.
     But a rainbow is not just a color or colors.  And that's something I have loved explaining over the years.  A rainbow represents God's covenant that He, after destroying the earth with the flood back in Noah's day, would never destroy the whole earth like that again.  In Genesis 9 God said a rainbow would always remind Him of His promise.
     So, like God's covenant with man, a rainbow has always reminded me of a covenant.  A promise.  It is a representation made by God.  Not by man.  I don't want to know how it is made scientifically.  I don't need to know.  I just need to know it was made by my God.  It's in Genesis.  It's even in Revelation.  And I'm pretty sure I will be chasing rainbows even when I'm really old.....and not just the old that my kids think I am now. 

     So the next time you see a rainbow, I hope you are filled with wonder.  I hope you are filled with awe at our amazing God.  I hope you think of how He always keeps His promises.  And I hope you fell like a kid just like I do and enjoy every second of the beauty!

The Wisdom to Know the Difference

     "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."  The Serenity Prayer.  Anyone who hasn't heard it?  But did you know that is only part of it?  The prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr actually reads:

"God give us grace to accept with serenity

the things that cannot be changed,

Courage to change the things which should be changed,

and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,

Enjoying one moment at a time,

Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,

Taking, as Jesus did,

This sinful world as it is,

Not as I would have it,

Trusting that You will make all things right,

If I surrender to Your will,

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,

And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen."

     Yesterday the Serenity Prayer, the one we've all heard a thousand times, kept sneaking into my head.  Well it didn't exactly sneak.  It would kinda just jump up loudly at times.  And, for the first time ever, I realized what it was saying.  After doing a little research and finding the original today, I am now certain that I get it.  I finally get it.

     There are things we absolutely cannot change.  The weather for example.  People complain whether it's cold, hot, sunny, raining.  Doesn't matter.  Somebody is going to have a negative comment about the weather.  I came to the conclusion long ago that there is absolutely nothing we can do to change the weather and complaining about it certainly doesn't help.  So we might as well accept it and deal with whatever the day may bring weatherwise.  Accept it with grace and be calm---serene---about it.

     What can we change then?  Our attitude about the weather!  In fact, if you think about it,  our attitude is pretty much all we can control.  Oh we try to control our lives.  We think we control our lives.  But in the end God is really the one in control.  Proverbs 16:9 tells us "You may make your plans, but God directs your actions".  Verse one of that same chapter says "We may make our plans, but God has the last word."  

     Our real choice, like the Serenity Prayer says, is trusting God will make all things right if we surrender to Him.  Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace.  Ever pray for something?  I mean really pray for something?  Then when things started looking worse you got so mad at God that you thought He must be mad at you or ignoring you or punishing you?  

     Like I said earlier, we can't change the weather but we can change our attitude about it.  Same with waiting for God to answer our prayers.  If we give Him our lives, every situation in our lives, He promises to work all things for our good!  (Romans 8:28)  There is a reason for the storm.  A reason for the sun.  And a reason for the timing of each.  

     Now that's not to say that life is always going to be difficult in order for us to have an answered prayer.  An example of that would be what I was greeted with this morning.  A lesson reminding me of what I learned yesterday.  (You know.....the wisdom to know what we can and can't change....the weather.  And how our attitude about the weather is something we can change and that's wisdom.)  

     Our 1 1/2 year old pomeranian Pippa tends to wake up about the same time every morning.  She stands in the hallway by our door and makes odd noises that often sound like "momma", letting me know she wants to go outside.  Somehow no one else ever hears her.  But she always manages to wake me.  I tried to ignore her this morning but it didn't work.  So I got up.  However, as soon as I opened the bedroom door, she walked back into her 'brother's' room and hopped up on his bed, deciding she didn't need out after all.  I quickly, and not too happily, scooped her up and carried her outside, letting her know all the way that I wasn't enjoying this and if she thought she was going to wake me up, and then go back to sleep herself, she had another think coming.  

     As I opened the door I set Pippa down on the deck so she could run out and do her business.  Not sure why I stepped outside because there was just a little bit of light rain falling as the sunrise greeted me from the east.  But I did.  And then I looked towards the west where I saw a beautiful rainbow!  It took my breath!  I could not believe what I was seeing!

     I quickly ran back in to get my iPad so I could take pictures but none of the pictures even came close to doing it justice.  A second rainbow appeared above it and the colors seemed to be repeating under it as well.  I took picture after picture and sat in awe as it faded away and then re-appeared.  No storm.  No dark sky.  Just a beautiful reminder of God's covenant. 
     The lessons I've learned from this?  1.  The wisdom to know the difference has been right there for me all along and I've been using it without even realizing it.  2.  Sometimes God blesses us with a rainbow after the storm and sometimes He blesses us with a rainbow just because He loves us. 

I May Get Arrested the Next Time I Take a Walk

     Walking, as a form of exercise, is something I started doing over two years ago.  I kinda got bored at just walking though.  So I tried running and I really liked that.  The competitor in me kept trying to go faster and faster and farther and farther.  But then my knees started not enjoying the running so much.  So it was back to walking.
     Because of the extra hours I've been putting in at work lately and just plan ole exhaustion, I haven't taken many walks.  Didn't think anyone noticed except me.  Then my husband came home one night last week and told me that the 'boys' at a certain fire station near our house had asked about me.  Well what he said was that they wanted to know why his miniature wife hadn't been running by lately.  Miniature wife?  Yeah apparently he thought that sounded better than 'little woman'. I still don't know exactly what they said but I do think it's funny that they've noticed!
     Always wishing I could draw or paint and never having that ability or talent, I became interested in photography.  In fact, my photography is scattered throughout our house.   A couple of months ago I started something new for me.  I take the pictures and then add Scripture to them, praying that God will use them to bless just one person as I share.  

     Like this for example.  I actually took a photo of hydrangeas for sale at Sam's Club!  I've started running out of flowers at home so I take pictures of flowers, clouds or just about anything else that catches my eye.
     Well, here's where the getting arrested part just might happen.  Because I get a little bored just walking, and because I see potential art work everywhere in God's creation (actually it already IS artwork....God's artwork.  He just lets me borrow it), I started taking pictures on my walks.  And I've found myself taking pictures of people's mailbox flowers! 

     Now, so far, no one has said anything.  And I'm hoping they recognize me by now and know I'm harmless.  But what if..........  I've imagined the police car suddenly following me as I happily stroll down the streets of our neighborhood, pausing at mailboxes and snapping a few photos!   The blue lights come on and I'm ordered to put my hands above my head and drop my cell phone!

     Would I really be able to explain this?  Hopefully they will let me go with just a smile and drive off thinking how nice it is that I am using these pictures to inspire others.  But if not, I hope they at least let me fix my hair and makeup before they take my mug shot.
    
    

Love is Just a Game

     Love is just a gaaaaaame.....  Can you hear it now?  If you were around in the late 70's to early 80's you know what I'm talking about.  There was a time, I admit, that I listened to country music.  And Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers just happened to be one of my favorites back then. 
    But is love really just a game?  I don't think so.  In fact I know it's not.  God created love.  God IS love.  Love is patient and kind.  It's not jealous or conceited or proud.  It's not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable.  Love keeps no record of wrongs.  Love is not happy with evil but is happy with the truth.  And Love never gives up no matter what.
     I will be the first to admit I can be very competitive.  I want to win.  Always.  But I've learned that, thinking of a person as a prize is just not right.  And it's definitely not love.  It's not a game.  At all.
     When God created man He realized man needed a helper.  Another person to spend time with.  To work with.  To love.  So He created woman.  And He created marriage.  Marriage between one man and one woman was His plan.  Covenant.  Yeah, that was and is God's idea.
     Not only is marriage a good thing God created between one man and one woman, it's also the way He describes His love for us.  Jesus is the groom.  The church is the bride.  The groom loves the bride so much that He gave His very life for her.  And the bride has an attitude of respect and obedience for her Groom.
     How could we think that love is just a game when God takes it so seriously?  There is no escape clause from love and marriage.  God commands us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  Can you image what life would be like if people actually did that?
     He also commands that a man love his wife and a wife respect her husband. (Ephesians 5)  Not always easy.  But always worth it.  And because marriage was created by God, endorsed by God, and the very beginning  of another creation of God....the family....the devil doesn't like it.  So many people give up.  They throw in the towel.  But there really isn't an escape clause as so many believe.  Once you're married, you're married for life.  Matthew 19:6 is Jesus speaking and He says "So they are no longer two, but one.  No human being must separate, then, what God has joined together."  Marriage is sacred.
     So, because marriage and family is so important to God, it's important to the devil to destroy it.  And life is hard. Sometimes bad things happen and life feels absolutely impossible.  But what is impossible with humans is more than possible with God. There is absolutely nothing that is impossible with God.
    Is love a game?  To the devil it is.  He seeks to destroy marriages and families.  He wants us to become bitter.  It's his goal to destroy every family.  Especially families he knows God has special plans for.  But here's the deal.  To God, marriage and family is serious business.  Love is serious business.  And anyone who seeks to destroy it goes up against our Almighty God.  No argument or trying to reason away does any good.  If it's contrary to the Word, it's sin and straight from the devil.  God is always right.  And He doesn't take kindly to anyone who tries to declare something right that is not only wrong but against His Word.
     So where do you find yourself today?  Have you made mistakes?  Have you treated love like a game and people like prizes?  People aren't prizes.  And that's not love.   If we are treating someone like a prize, we don't really love them.
     Who do you love?  Do you really want what's best for them? Love encourages others to live for the Lord. Love  encourages them to read the Word.  The Word tells us in Proverbs 10:29 that "The Lord protects honest people, but destroys those who do wrong."  I don't want to be destroyed.  I don't want you to be destroyed.  Trust Him today and know true love.  And remember that love is not just a game.  The only way to win is according to God's Word.  Will you start doing that today?