GAMES

I love to play games.  I wonder how many of you know the game Parcheesi.  Or Uncle Wiggily.  Growing up, we played both of these.  My parents played Canasta and everyone played Euchre.  The card game Pinochle was popular.  Of course, there was Bingo and Checkers.  One game I never enjoyed was Monopoly.

My grandkids loved Candy Land, Pay Day, and Life.  When young, our granddaughter got Candy Land ready to play.  She assured me that she had it set up right and she was going to give me the honor of going first.  I drew and went maybe three spaces.  She drew and went to Queen Frostine.  I drew again and landed on Gooey Gumdrop.  She drew and landed two squares from home.  I did not draw yellow.  She drew and won the game.  Of course, she had set the draws up.  The best part was watching her try to keep a straight face.

Pay Day, the old version, was a favorite of the grandboys.  They would grab that game as they came in the door.  They knew how to set up the bank.  The knew exactly how much money each player received to begin the game.  That game was set up before they even told us hi.  Coats came off and, I swear, the trumpets sounded and the royal announcer proclaimed, “Let the game begin.”  The game might last an hour, a day, or a whole weekend.

My favorite game is Sorry.  And it is played with much love, as that mean grandgirl and mean grandboys, would look me in the eye, lay a Sorry card down, take my piece, put it back at start, and say, with sarcasm and a shake of the head, “S..o..r..r..y!”  Believe me, they were not sorry.  I could drip sarcasm and shake my head with the best of them.  There is no feeling like drawing a Sorry card and sending someone back to Start, just as they are ready to get in the safety zone.  We also made-up new ways to play the game.  Yup, Sorry is my favorite game.

Now, poor hubby did not play games.  Growing up with older parents and no siblings, he just did not play games.  No games - until I finally wore him down and he agreed to play one game of Quiddler.  We have played two games of Quiddler almost every night since then.  At first, I won almost every game and am proud of Bill’s stick-to-itness.  He hung in there.  He got better.  Now he wins, but I still win the most games.  The grandkids ask me if I let him win.  I replied, “Did I ever let you win?”  For some odd reason, they all cheer for grandpa to win.

I am going to tell you something that you will not believe.  I love to play games, but do not care if I win or lose.  It is the playing, the trash talking, the “in your face”  moves, and being with others that I enjoy.  Except for one game and that game I play to win.

 

LIFE is not really a game because LIFE is real.  It cannot be taken apart, put back into a box, and returned to the shelf.  The moves we make have consequences.  The moves of those around us impact our lives.  When playing a game trash talking is fun, but stabs and leaves scars in LIFE.  Winning at all cost might declare you a success by the standards of the world, but, in LIFE, can cost you your soul.  Sitting back and doing nothing may feel safe, but you will miss out on the wonders and the blessings of LIFE.  Unlike a board game where you roll dice to determine your next move, LIFE’s moves require wisdom.

LIFE is about being with fellow believers who also have the same goal.  It is about learning the rules and applying them to your actions and how you treat others.  It is about making one move and then another and then another.  Each move getting you one breath closer to eternal life.  LIFE is about winning.

Remember two things:

YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Therefore, since I am surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let me throw off everything that hinders me and the sin that so easily entangles me.  And let me run with perseverance the race marked out for me, fixing my eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Hebrews 12:1 and part of 2 - made personal

 WE KNOW THE ENDING.  WE WIN THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.

For the Lord my God is the one who goes with me to fight for me against my enemies to give me victory.

Deuteronomy 20:4 - made personal

THREAD

I am sure you will get tired of the “I am packing” blogs, but hang in there with me.  I had Bill get some totes out of my closet.  One is full of doilies.  He asked, “What are you ever going to do with all those doilies?”  I showed him some I had pulled out and told him those could go to the Thrift Store.  They were ones I had bought here or there.  “But what about those?” he asked, as he nodded at the still almost full container.

“These are special.”  I touched the doilies made with white thread, red thread, gold thread, and pink thread.  Those doilies are made from threads that …

“What color thread would you like your teacher’s doily to be?” mom asked.  We stood there, looking at all the colors.  Each year, in elementary school, my teacher received a handmade doily.  I picked the color and mom crocheted a gift.

“I have some thread that needs wound into a ball,” grandma would say.  I would be all excited because I made a whole nickel to wind that skein of thread.  Hey, don’t sneeze at a nickel.  Back then five pennies would buy a lot of candy! Out would come the chair that the skein fit on.  I would fold the paper wrapper, which had been around the thread, into a sorta circle.  Taking the end of the thread, I would wrap and wrap and wrap.  My fingers would get tired.  I would begin to think this was a lot of work for five cents.  And then, all of the thread was in a ball.  Ready for grandma to use.

Rabbit trail:  I was going to insert a picture of someone winding thread and had to laugh.  There are videos on how to do this.  Videos!  What happened to common sense?  I knew how to wind thread into a ball as a kid.  The skein fit over the arms of that one chair, you made a small ball with that wrapper, and you kept going around and around until the thread was wound into a ball.  My goodness, it is not rocket science.  Videos!  What is this world coming to?

Back to thread.  “Why am I keeping all of these?” I said as I touched those doilies.  “It is all about the thread.  My mom or my grandma has touched each of these.  Skein after skein.  Ball of thread after ball of thread.  And I can see my grandma, sitting silently, crocheting another doily that she would give away.  I can see my mom, counting stitches and keeping us kids under control, as she made an armchair set.  (Don’t laugh.  It was/is a thing.  Look it up.)  Each with thread wrapped around their finger, as thread became a piece of art that would sit under a lamp or a vase or a clock.  Or given to an elementary school teacher.  Or given to a granddaughter/daughter who would one day say, “I am keeping these because the thread has been touched by either my grandma or my mom.  It is all about the thread.  Thread that ties generations together.”

Thread that ties generations together.  Sorta like the Word of God.

Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.

Your faithfulness continues through all generations;

Psalms 119:89-part of 90

PSALM 100

I keep some hints back for those times when Thursday seems to sneak up on me.  This is one of those weeks.  At the top of the list was the question:  Who must approve of us to make us happy?  Following that was a quotation by Wayne Dyer:  If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.  Hummmm.  Nope.  Neither seemed to fit the fast-approaching time to post my blog.  On down the list I went.  No.  Hmmmm, maybe.  Sorta.  YES – Bingo.

PSALM 100

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.  This is rather fitting.  This Monday, maybe not all the earth, but the corner of the earth I am in will be watching an eclipse of the sun.  What an event this is because, if the weather cooperates, will see a total eclipse. 

Worship the LORD with gladness;  You know, the opposite of grouchy, grumpy, aggravated, upset, frowning, or having an unforgiving heart.  

come before him with joyful songs.  Joyful songs that are delightful, glad, happy, and thankful.  No songs that are sad, wretched, or full of calamity.

Know that the LORD is God.  Well, duh.  Who else do you know who could create the world in such a way that a total eclipse would pass over Indiana on April 8, 2024, just so I could see it?

It is he who make us, and we are his;  Psalm 139 is my favorite Psalm.  We are wonderfully made.  Knit in our mother’s womb.  God did that.  He created us.  He created you.  Proclaim (to declare publicly, insistently, proudly, defiantly) these words:  I am a child of God.  Say it again with your head held high and your hand raised toward heaven:  I am a child of God.  One more time, but quietly, almost a whisper, reverently:  I am a child of God.

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.  We are not alone!!!  Remember that when you are by yourself and feel forgotten.  We are not along.  You.  Me.  WE are his people!  WE are his sheep and we feed on His Word.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;  Sometimes life can hold more than a bit of troubles, but even in our trials and troubles, we can find things to be thankful for.  How valuable is a kind word, a friend’s smile, a loved one finally getting rest, or a cup of morning coffee.  Do you ever wonder where his courts are?  Does this mean heaven?  Does this mean church?  Or maybe this means our world.  Give praise when the fish are biting.  Give praise when the storm breaks.  What the heck.  Just give praise all the time.  God will love it.

give thanks to him and praise his name.  This is easy.  I praise you and give thanks for the children you created that discovered medications that ease our pain and heal our bodies.  For those that you created to be teachers.  And truck drivers.  And farmers.  And …….

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;  Forever!!  This does not say for a week or a month or a year or 100 years or 100,000 years.  It says FOREVER and that is a very long time.  In other words, our LORD’s love never ends. 

his faithfulness continues through all generations.  What this does not say is that our faithfulness continues through all generations.  We can all look at our families and find those that do not believe.  BUT I can look at my family and see our Lord’s faithfulness in the lives of my grandmother, mother, and daughter.  Generations.

Psalm 100.  Only 5 verses.  An easy read that is full of joy.

 

 

 Matthew 28:2, 6-7, 12-13

“There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.“

”He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.  Come and see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.  There you will see him.’  Now I have told you.”  When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ ”

LIES

The guards did not want to admit they were so afraid they passed out.  They did not want to admit they did not know what happened to Jesus’ body.  So, they lied.  The chief priests and elders made the decision to continue that lie.  Satan smiled as first 30 pieces of silver and now a large sum of money caused men to sin.  Lies.  Oh, and how easy it is to make humans believe a lie.

Satan knows when a believer is vulnerable.  A believer overhears something that makes them wonder.  Satan has found the gap he is looking for.  He begins to whisper words like NO HOPE or HOW DO YOU KNOW or ARE YOU SURE.  Then he begins to lie.  How easy it is to replace the truth.  One small lie and then another until the lie seems to make sense.  Quickly the lie spreads.  Quickly the truth is forgotten.

Our son-in-law and I were having one of our conversations.  This time about Satan and how Satan can corrupt anything.  He makes simple things confusing.  I asked what is the biggest lie Satan uses today and Jon’s answer was where we came from, eternal life, and how we get there.

BUT, it was the answer he received from a 20 year old friend that shows how tricky Satan can be.  He answered, “Satan’s best trick was convincing the world and this generation that even he doesn’t exist.  Let alone God.  He’s devious that is for sure.”

Satan’s power comes from lies.  If Satan can get people to believe the first small lie, he will get them to believe the next and the next.

And the lie will make sense and the truth will be forgotten.

Matthew 28:15

“So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.  And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.”

SERIES RECAP

Change happens.  Are you willing to allow the actions of one man to impact your life?

Jesus offered the disciples the job of a lifetime.  Are you willing to accept his call to “follow me”?

A Son obeyed his Father and died to save you from your sins.  Do you accept this gift of forgiveness?

Sometimes we wear blinders and cannot see.  Have your eyes been opened?  Can you see Jesus?

Have the lies of Satan made you question the Truth of God? Do you believe?

Easter is early this year - March 31.  Are you ready?

IN AN INSTANT

We have a friend who told Bill, “Life can change in an instant.” His instant was finding out he has cancer. The word cancer changes life after life after life. Other words do the same thing: stroke, heart attack, and on and on and on.

But no one expects a ship to destroy a bridge. To change lives in an instant. A mother will not hear the word, “I love you mom.” A father will not be able to tell their child, “I am proud of you.” A spouse, a child, a sibling, a friend will now have an empty space in their hearts and in their lives. Laughter will not be heard. No glass of wine shared. No tender kiss. No story read at bedtime. It all changed in just an instant.

What would you do if you knew you only had an instant to live. If you knew that at some point in your day you would die? Would that information change how you lived your last day? Would you look deeper into the eyes of those you love? Would you cherish one more breakfast before your children went off to school? Would you make a call? Would you?

And isn’t that the question? Would you? Would you change the way you had planned to spend your day? Would you realize your priorities were wrong? Would you beg for one more day? One more minute? One more instant?

Life can change in an instant. Would you be secure in your faith and trust and know you would have eternal life on the other side of the instant?

 If your answer is no, look around. How can you deny there is a God? Look at a flower. Look at the sky. Look at the ocean or a mountain. Look at the human body. This did not happen in a big bang and you did not come from pond scum. God created you. He created you with a desire to know and trust Him. He created you with a desire to find the love that fills the empty part of your soul. If you have spent your life denying God, you can change! You can confess your sins and accept Jesus as your Savior. And when you do this, the other side of an instant is glorious and Jesus is waiting to welcome you home.

We must be ready because we never know when our final instant comes. It might come, in the middle of the night, crossing a bridge.

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I offer prayers of sympathy and support for all those that were killed or injured in the Baltimore bridge collapse.  I offer prayers of gratitude for all who helped rescue those injured and who will recover those who died.

 LOST

Have you ever looked for something and couldn’t find it? You can remember the last time you used it. When you were done, you put it back in the correct location. Except, no matter how many times you open the drawer, nothing. It is not there! If I am honest, 99.9% of the time I can find anything in our home.

Now, not to male bash, but hubby can lose something and look and look and look. Finally, he will tell me what he is looking for. And just like that, I see it lying there. Right in front of his eyes, but he could not see it. I guess new eyes were needed.

Mary was weeping. The tomb was empty. She could not find Jesus. He was not there! She saw the angels. (Notice the men did not see the angels, but we will let them off the hook. Maybe the angels were not there when they looked and entered the tomb.) Not only were the angels sitting there, they spoke to Mary and asked why she was weeping. After telling them that the body of Jesus had been taken away, she turned around. And there stood…. the gardener. At least that is what Mary thought. Jesus was still missing.

Jesus spoke her name and she recognized his voice. Mary’s eyes were opened because the sheep recognized the Shepherd’s voice. With new eyes, she saw Jesus.

Being afraid of the Jews, the disciples were not out seeking Jesus. They were in a room with the doors shut. If a grave cannot hold Jesus, a door doesn’t stand a chance. Just like that, Jesus was before them and showed them his hands and his side. With new eyes, they saw him!

Do you have new eyes? Can you see Jesus as you go through your days and nights? Can you see him in your sisters and brothers at church? Can you see him in the unexpected help that comes when you need it? Can you see him as he gives you just the right words to say or deed to do? Can you see him?

Easter is early this year - March 31. Are you ready?

 IT IS TIME

 This is not going to be easy to write, but …..

 Grandma lived with us in the winter. We had indoor plumbing. I loved my grandma, but it was time. The call came in the middle of the night. Mother quickly dressed and was waiting on my dad to get dressed. It seemed like he was moving in slow motion. As a teenager, I wanted to shout, “She is ready to go to her mother. Stop stalling.” They finally left for the hospital. As an adult, I realize dad was not stalling. He knew grandma was already dead and he was giving the hospital time to prepare the body. She lived for the day she would go home and now her faith had been rewarded.

 The death of my father was sudden. With no warning, a brain aneurysm burst and he was in a coma for three days. My prayer was that us kids would make it home before he died. We did, we saw him, and then took mom home to rest. Once again, our family gathered, in the early hours of the morning. It was time. Dad was not a church goer and I was not sure if he was a believer. We didn’t talk about this at home. Oh, us kids were sent to church, but no parent went with us. Dad was a trucker and the “talk to them where they are” chaplain knew my dad. He said he was a man of family and faith. Those words gave me the assurance that I would see my dad again.

My mother was a very young 87. She was a very old 89. Her body was wearing out and she broke a hip. Instead of living in her apartment, we moved her into a nursing home. We honestly thought she would live a few more years. Instead it was a few months. During those months, I made a lot of four hour .. four hours each way … trips to see her. And then I got a call. It was early evening. The nurse tried to get her to hang on until my sister got there. She only lived ten minutes away. My mother shook her head and it was time. Mother told her tired earthly body goodbye and walked, standing straight and with new strength, into heaven. I think God put some weeds in a corner of the garden just for her to pull.

God had a plan to save us from our sins. On that Friday, it was time. And a Son, obeyed the Father, and gave his life for me! And a Son, obeyed the Father, and gave his life for you.

Easter is early this year - March 31. Are you ready?