GLOVES AND A HAT

Bill often prefaces his remarks with, “My mother would be rolling over in her grave.”  This conversation happens on Sundays and I usually agree with him.

“My mother would be rolling over in her grave,” begins hubby, “if she saw how we are dressed to go to church.”

And she probably is.  Going to church meant putting on your best dress, hose, dress shoes, a hat, and gloves.  It did not matter that she was headed to a small, rural church.  She dressed in the proper attire.  She would be shocked to see people going to church in jeans and shorts and, heaven forbid, no hat and gloves.

Then there is Sunday dinner (dinner being the noon meal, not to be confused with supper the evening meal).  Sunday dinner was meat, potatoes, and green beans, with a desert that was prepared Saturday and NOT touched until Sunday.  She would be shocked that we eat out most Sundays (eating out was a luxury back then), but would absolutely faint if she saw us eating grilled cheese and chips or a salad and left over pizza from the freezer.  Those would not be good enough for Sunday dinner.

Sunday is SUNDAY!! 

Yes, Sunday is SUNDAY and it should be a day of worship, but that worship should not be linked to anyone’s attire (I am not saying that anything goes.) or what is for Sunday dinner.  Jesus did not stop the poor woman, who gave two mites, from entering the synagogue.  I am sure many would stare at her and think she was not “properly dressed.”  We are to go before God with our best ... but the question is:  Our best what?

God does want our best.

“That’s right Mary.  I do want your best.”

You are reading over my shoulder aren’t you?  You want me to dress up for church?  You know I have never been a real dressy person.

“I do want your best, but it has nothing to do with clothes.  I want your best attitude.”

Best attitude?  I always have a good attitude.

“Really?  I want you to come to worship with the proper attitude, preferable a positive attitude.  When you come with a negative attitude, you will always leave with something to complain about.”

Positive attitude instead of negative attitude – okay.  What else?

“How about best footing?”

I need new shoes?

“No.  I want you to remember to keep your feet firmly planted on my foundation.  My foundation will make you stand strong when trials arrive.”

Is there anything else I need to bring with me on Sunday morning?

“Let me ask you a question:  Do you hear or do you listen?”

Is this a trick question?  Aren’t they the same?

“No they are not.  You often heard your mother, but did you always listen to her?  You don’t need to answer that.”

No, I do not need to.  You already know the answer.

“I want you to be the best listener.  You can hear the songs and sermon, but do you really listen?  Listening means comprehending what is heard.  A listener will comprehend.  Yes, I want you to give your best at listening.”

Do you have one more?  This blog will get really long if you give me everything I am supposed to do.

“I will give you two more.  I want you to be the best seeker.  Do you honor me by seeking my truth?  If you are the best seeker, you will find knowledge through the Word and gain wisdom.

Finally, I want you to be the best example.  It is easy to be an example for an hour or two on Sunday morning, when in the company of other believers, but what do people see when you walk out the church doors?  Are you an example of your faith on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday?  Can you stay strong clear to next Sunday?”

I have a question.

“You can ask, but the answer is no.  You cannot fulfill your “best obligation” by buying a dress, hose, heels, gloves, and a hat.”

Good to know.  And I will work on being a better example.

“Yes, especially the ..”

How about we keep the stuff I have to work on between you and me?

“Have a great day Mary.”

You too God

 RANDOM THOUGHTS

RANDOM THOUGHT ONE

The Pastor sent out the hymns to be used this Sunday and one of them I had not heard.  I listen to contemporary Christian music, but somehow missed Firm In The Faith, by John Burland.  The song can be found here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vncrehvy2w

As the song played, I heard wonderful phrases: 

• Planted firm in the faith
• Jesus, we are yours today
• We walk side by side together

but then, I heard:

            Your Cross it bears my name

NO!!!  I do not want to hear that.  I do not want to hear that my name is on the Cross.  That would mean … that would mean Jesus ---

YES!!!  I do want to hear that.  My name is on the Cross.  Jesus loved me so much, before I was even born and before I could commit my first sin that he died and arose so I could be forgiven. 

Now doesn’t that just beat all?  Yup!  My name is on the Cross. 

RANDOM THOUGHT TWO

Our first 2022 sweet corn was put on our plates this week.  Oh, nothing like a good ole roastnear (or for you northern people:  corn on the cob), with lots of butter and salt.  One bite and the butter would be dripping down your chin.  There are those that eat from one end of the cob to the other.  Some eat round and round.  And neat freaks cut the corn off and eat it with silverware.  I feel so sorry for those folks.  They have no idea what they are missing.  Corn stuck in your teeth.  At least three napkins to keep the butter wiped off the chin.  Nope, I want a roastnear!! 

Growing up, there were four of us kids.  We would sit at the picnic table, which was set with plates, at least two sticks of butter, and salt.  Then we would wait.  Mom would come out the door with a really big pan.  She would set the pan on the table and jump back.  Hands flew into that pan as if we were starving.  Ears were quickly placed on plates and the last one to get the butter – they pouted.  My mother was a wise women and the pan of corn always contained the correct number of ears.  There would be no, “She got one more ear than I did.”  What was so great about eating at the picnic table?  The dishes were rinsed as the table was hosed off and any kernel of corn that did not end up in a tummy ended up in the grass.  Remember the butter dripping down the chin?  The hose was usually turned on us kids next.  Know what?  We didn’t care. 

 RANDOM THOUGHT THREE

Once my mind travelled back to the corn, it has stayed there.  At least for a bit.  Today I told Pastor Larry about paying bills … back in the day.  Mom would put the bill and cash in an envelope and off I would go to town.  Off to town barefooted.  I hated wearing shoes.  Anyway, off I would go to the electric company, the phone company, and wherever else she sent me.  For all of this effort, I received – drum roll – 25 cents.  Yup.. a whole quarter.  But that quarter bought a crème horn at the bakery.  Oh, the taste --- was not quite what I remembered when I tried one as an adult.  I had forgotten how overly sweet they were.  Set my tongue on edge.  Sorta like eating a Twinkie.  A treat to a four year old.  Total gross to an adult.

RANDOM THOUGHT FOUR

I was going to stop at three but I am on a roll so will add one more.  If you have heard this, sorry.  You get to hear it again.  Fast forward from that barefooted girl walking all over town to a proud owner of a driver’s license.  “Mary, would you pay bills for me.  You can drive,” my mom said.  Well, what 16 year old is going to pass up an opportunity like that?  Off to town I went.  I parked the car.  I paid the bills.  I went home.

That is when my mother asked, “Did you forget something?”  I thought, shook my head no, and said, “No.  I paid all the bills.”

It was then that my mother, bless her heart, suggested I should look in the driveway.  I walked back to town, got in the car, and drove home.

Random thoughts:  The End

Have a blessed week.

THE POWER OF WORDS

Our Sunday School class is studying a book by Don Everts, God in the Flesh.  This is at least the third time I have read this book and the second time I have used it as a study.  Why this book?  What do I find so great about it?

Let’s start with the title of this week’s blog: The Power of Words.  Words are powerful and can cause unexpected emotions, strange actions, and give hope. 

We often tell our loved ones that we love them.  But the word love is thrown around and sometimes becomes something that is barely heard.  What would be the reaction if we said: “I cherish you.” “I respect you.” “I honor you.”  Ahh, “I cherish you.” would cause a person to take note.  Cherish - a word rarely heard - will make them realize you hold them in your heart. 

Some words cause instant fear: Cancer   Accident   Hopeless   Death  These words are frightening because they are things we cannot control.  There are words which will make you breathe a sigh of relief. 

• Cancer – survivor
• Accident – they are okay
• Hopeless – the situation is changing
• Death – everlasting life 

Yes, words have power and that is why the book, God in the Flesh, is so good.  This book will help you see Jesus in new ways.  Before the class started reading the book, I asked them to describe Jesus.  They came up with 61 words.  Every word was a word you have heard before.

• Teacher, Master, Baby, Poor
• Judge, Healer, Protector, Merciful
• Counselor, Performed Miracles, Risen

The class was later asked to describe the tools Satan uses to pull us away from God:

• Hobbies, Anger, Insecurity, Addictions
• Illness, Jobs, Money, Family, Friends
• Church, Outside activities, Doubt

As we study, they are to write down new words to describe Jesus.  We are just starting this but a few new descriptive words are beginning to appear:

• Rebel, Surprising, Unifying (both his friends and enemies)
• Amazing, Different, Intense, Determined

I love the new description of Jesus as rebel and surprising!  Jesus could defend his Father’s House by clearing out the money changers and also have such compassion for a mother whose son had died that He raised her son from the dead.  He could be off praying, when everyone was looking for him so he could continue teaching, healing, and casting out demons in their town, and he would tell the disciples they were going to go somewhere else.  He was determined!  He was determined to follow HIS agenda.

What words will the class come up with during the rest of the study?  I have no idea, but my goal is to get them to see Jesus as God in the Flesh.  To picture the what, where, why, and who of his actions.  To realize the impact Jesus made and not to keep him in a box defined by the standard descriptions, but to take that box and fill it with new descriptions.  Descriptions like rebel and surprising and intense presence.

Now, back to the words you use.  Is it time to look around you and find new words?  Instead of telling someone they look nice, what could you say?  (Be specific.  To show you really see them, comment on a lovely scarf or pin or tie.)  Instead of the God created a beautiful world, what could you say?  (Thank you for the refreshing breeze.)  Instead of describing your church as friendly with a good message, what could you say?  (You would like our church, we laugh.  We laugh a lot!)

Why is this even important?  Because when you quit using the old standard words everyone uses, you have to stop and take a deeper look.  And when you take a deep look, you see your loved ones, your friends, and the world in a whole new way.  And when you take a deep look at Jesus, you find a whole new vocabulary to describe him.

This week, look beneath the surface.  Look deep.  Use new words.  You might be surprised what you find and how people react.

MERRY GO ROUND

Some people will say Carousel and some Merry-Go-Round.  Sorta like tomato .. tomahto.  Or maybe not.  Carousels only have horses, white lights, and go counter-clockwise.  Merry-Go-Rounds have horses, other animals, and fictional characters, multicolored lights, and go clockwise.  The clockwise thing is mainly in the United Kingdom and Europe which figures since they cannot decide what side of the road to drive on.  They are different unless you go to the dictionary and then Merry-Go-Round is listed under carousel which could make them one and the same.

In 1883, a carousel was set up in Watch Hill, Rhode Island.  This carousel was made in 1867 by Andrew Christian and Charles W.F. Dare Company.  The horses were hung by rods and chains and it was called a flying horse carousel.  Because they were hung, as the carousel went around, the horses flew outward.  I am not sure this would be OSHA approved today.  A little kiddie might go flying off as they reached for the brass ring with a sword.  For some unknown reason, the people who set the carousel up, slipped away and left it there.  Today it is called – drum roll – the Watch Hill Carousel.

California seems to have a number of places where the young at heart can climb aboard and go twirling around.  Griffin Park, in Los Angeles, is home to a 1935 merry-go-round built by Spillman.  This four-abreast ride has 68 horses and two chariots.  If you are on the outside, you can try for a ring.  If you grab a lead ring, you had the fun of grabbing the ring.  If you grab a gold ring, you get a free ride.  Initially, rides cost 5¢ and increased to 25¢ in 1951.  They increased again in the 1980’s to 50¢ and are $2.00 today.

Not to be outdone by California, Sandusky, Ohio has a Merry-Go-Round Museum.  Mansfield, Ohio has a carrousel (fancy way of spelling) which is the first new, hand-carved carrousel to be built and operated in the United States since the 1930’s.  All 52 figures were designed, carved, and painted by Carousel Works of Mansfield.  There are 30 horses and 22 menagerie figures, including bears, ostriches, cats, rabbits, lion, tiger, zebra, and even a mythical hippocampus.  As the Stinson Pipe Organ plays, the inside animals go 3.71 mph and the outside animals go 6.77 mph.  I have seen this carousel and it is amazing in detail.  No, I did not ride it.  Seems they must have known I was coming and it was shut down for the day. 

Am I fascinated with Merry-Go-Rounds?  Yes and no.  I love to ride them, but not fascinated to the point of searching for one on our travels.  And I know I won’t be buying one for my back yard.  They cost anywhere from $8,000 to $400,000.  So why a blog on them? 

= = = = = = = = = = = =

If you have ever been in my Sunday School class, you will know that thoughts pop into my head and no one is ever sure   where they come from.  That is exactly what happened the other day.  The thought? 

You cannot grab the brass ring if you don’t get on the merry-go-round.

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.    

          Matthew 4:18-20

Simon and Andrew got on the merry-go-round.

(a certain woman with a flow of blood touched Jesus’ garment) And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”

And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” 

          Mark 5:30-31, 32-34

The woman got on the merry-go-round.

(a rich young ruler who has kept the commandments) “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”

Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack:  Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”

But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

          Mark 10: part of 17, 20-22

The rich young ruler did not get on the merry-go-round.

(Zacchaeus, chief tax collector, rich, and sitting in a sycamore tree)  And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”  So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.

Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my good to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” 

And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

          Luke 19:5-6, 7-10

Zacchaeus got on the merry-go-round.

Each of these examples made a choice.  Three were willing to reach for the brass ring and one walked away.  Three received everlasting life and one would never have his thirst quenched.

Jesus answered and said to her (the Samaritan woman), “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.  But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” 

        John 4:13-14

I don’t know about you, but I chose to get on the merry-go-round.  I want to ride the tiger on the outside.  The one going 6.77 mph.  And I am going to snag that brass ring!!! 

THE CHEF’S TABLE

I do enjoy going on a cruise.  And I enjoy partaking in the Chef’s Table.  Now, I am not a fancy person.  Anyone who knows me will agree with that.  We were informed the Chef’s Table was to be changed to the third night.  When the day was changed, it meant we would be at the Chef’s Table on … oh, no … Formal Night.  I did not even take clothes for formal night.  So I put on the best I had with me and our son did the same.  Off we went for a culinary experience.

We arrived at the meeting place, enjoyed a glass of champagne, met those we would share our evening with, and made our way to the dining room.  Other diners looked as we walked past.  I could hear them thinking, “I wonder where they are going.  They must be special.”  Or they could have been thinking, “Well, ain’t they special.”

I did not get a picture of all our dinner companions, but this will give you an idea of the table and shows the young Chinese couple studying here, a family from Florida, and not pictured was a family from Puerto Rico. 

For three hours we were very special.  We were treated like royalty.  Each course and wine paring was explained.  Each wine was swirled and tasted.  Each course, photographed prior to tasting.  The mix of people was perfect and conversation flowed as if we were old friends catching up on life.

The star of the evening —- no, not the wine —- was the bread.  I have never tasted such bread.  It literally melted in my mouth.

When a bite of bread was taken, conversation stopped.  Everyone’s eyes glazed over and shoulders relaxed.  It was like ….  Exquisite! Not one person was willing to share their bread.  No ‘here have a piece of mine’ was heard.

Five courses and dessert followed.  We were served Scallop Carpaccio …

and Smoked Tomato Soup.

 Course three was Maine Lobster Salad and course four was Roasted Branzino.

 As if we were not full enough, course five was Grilled Filet Mignon with truffle potato puree, asparagus and bordelaise sauce.  I am sure the poor chef cringed when I told him I wanted mine well done.  It was delicious!!!

And then DESSERT! How do you describe perfection? Of course the dessert contained one of the best foods ever —- peanut butter.  Peanut Butter Ganache Vairhona Chocolate Mousse and Salted Caramel Gelato, with a Salted Caramel Espresso Martini.

What fun to watch as the warm caramel melted the chocolate to reveal the middle.  Every bite was a sweet gift.

 Yes, for three hours, every person at the table was treated to the highest standard of culinary expertise and service.

Yes, for three hours, every person at the table was connected by conversation, food, and wine.

Yes, for three hours, every person at the table was special.  We were having an experience that would only happen once.  There would be other Chef’s Tables, on this ship and others, but the same mix of people, wine, and food would never happen again.  Absolutely, a once in a lifetime event.

As we finished and left the dining room, there were no diners to watch us.  No one to realize how special we were.  The staff was clearing tables and preparing them for the next day.  They did not realize how special we were.  They just wanted us to leave so they could finish their job.

To be a part of the Chef’s Table is a choice.  A choice we made.  A choice to be included in a unique group.  A choice to taste the best food and wine.  As we left, my thought was, “AND EVERY PERSON IN THE REST OF THE DINING ROOM HAD MISSED IT!”

————————

“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”  Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.  This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.  I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Matthew 26:26-29 NIV

You have been invited to join Jesus at a very special table:  The Communion Table.

It is your choice.

Will you join Jesus at this very special table?

Or will you miss it?