IT’S FRIDAY

I do not like Good Friday.  I do not want to hear the crowd shout, “Crucify him.”   I do not want to picture Jesus being beaten.  I do not want to watch him carry the cross.  I do not want to hear the hammer strike the nails nor imagine the pain.  I do not want to see Jesus taken down from the cross and placed in a tomb.  

I do not like Good Friday.  Good Friday does not feel so good.  Good Friday hurts my heart.  

Friday is hard!  But Sunday… Sunday is coming and I like Sunday. 

It’s Friday, But Sundays Coming!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-0XUo2HcnMw&feature=youtu.be

THE LIST

 

The last two Tuesdays I have taken our pastor to the hospital to have procedures done.  No big deal.  I had those Tuesdays free and I have no problem waiting.   Hospitals don’t bother me.  I can handle the smells and ….  Let’s just say, I have sat through operations for our daughter and grandkids.  I knew I would get along just fine.

 

When I picked up Pastor Larry the first time, he did something that surprised me.  When he got in the car and we were ready to go, he handed me a list.  Then he said, “If I don’t make it, start at the top and make these four calls.”  What….  Don’t make it….  Call these people.  I realized the easy part of that day was driving and waiting.  The list in my pocket was very heavy.  Heavy with responsibility.

 

I am an organized person and when I was in the hospital with our daughter, I had her list of medications, previous surgeries, how she responds to anesthesia, and a list of phone numbers.  I was prepared.  When the surgeries were for grandkids, I was support and their mother had all those lists.

 

THE LIST

 

The list Pastor Larry handed me made me think about lists and documents we all need.  We need to be prepared.  Our loved ones need to be prepared.  How do we do that?  What do we need?

 

NOTE:  The everyone and we means exactly that.  These items are a must for each of us and are not age related.  They are not only for old people.  Also, make sure these documents are where they can be found and that the people involved have copies.  If you travel, be sure to have your medical directive and healthcare power of attorney with you. 

 

WILL:  Everyone needs a will.  EVERYONE.  You might think you don’t have enough money or property to need a will.  A question for all parents of young children:  Do you know where your children will be placed if both parents die?  You might think they will go to your parents or a sibling or your best friend has agreed to welcome them into their home.  That does not always happen.  You need this in a will.  A will also makes it possible to give a certain item to a certain person and directs where all the stuff you have accumulated will go.

 

MEDICAL DIRECTIVE AND HEALTHCARE POWER OF ATTORNEY:  (Check to see if these can be combined.)  Please know I am not trying to be morbid, but you MUST have a medical directive.  This will make sure your wishes on end of life decisions are written out.  You need to name people who can make decisions when/if you are unable to make them.  You need to make it easier if/when hard decisions need to be made.

 

POWER OF ATTORNEY:  “But I don’t want to give someone the power to use my money!  They could take all my money or sell my home.”  This is often what people say or think.  Like it or not, someone needs to be able to take care of your day to day business when you are not able.  Someone needs to be able to pay your bills.  This person is usually your spouse, a parent, a child, or a sibling.  If there is no family member to assume this responsibility, it can be a very good friend or an attorney. 

 

DOCUMENTS:  Where is mom’s birth certificate?  Where is dad’s social security card?  Did my friend have funeral arrangements made?  Where do I start?  Being an administrator, guardian or the person who finds themselves with a big responsibility needs to know where to find your documents.  Bottom line:  Someone needs to know where to find your legal documents. 

 

https://www.fdic.gov/news/events/affordable/hcachecklist.pdf is a good link for documents that might be needed.

 

DISCLAIMER: This is NOT legal advice but these are things EVERYONE needs to do and in no way is this a complete list.

 

THE END

 I kept thinking all week of what to write a blog on.  Pastor Larry was sure I could find a blog out of driving him to the hospital for a procedure.  I thought about that and imagined starting it with him snoring loudly in recovery.  News Flash:  He did not snore once!  I was drawing a blank and decided to look back and rediscovered this blog from March 31, 2017.

COMING SOON -- EASTER

What an exciting time:  EASTER!! 

The baby grew up!  Mary’s little boy is no longer little and it is time for him to complete his journey on earth.  Can you imagine making sure every teeny-tiny detail leading up to Passover, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection was in place?  The entrance into the city meant the colt had to be in one exact location and someone had to have all those palm branches ready to hand out.  The room for the Passover could not have been reserved through TripAdvisor.  Judas.  The soldiers.  The cock had to be ready to crow on cue.  Details.  Details.

We know so much and we know so little.  Easter is a time of great sorrow and great joy.  It is a time completely told beforehand but not understood by those closest to Jesus.  Easter draws upon emotions from complete and utter despair to hope.

Yes.  What an exciting time:  EASTER!!  But there has always been something I could not figure out.  WHY DID THE DISCIPLES NOT GET IT?

How could they not understand?  My goodness, Jesus told them.  They heard it with their own ears.  They spent hours, months, and years walking beside him.  Listening to him.  Learning from him.  They saw him heal.  They healed through his name.  They ate with him.  They prayed with him.  They were his disciples.  He chose them.

How could they not understand?  How could Judas betray him?  How could Peter deny him?  How could…  How could…

I will tell you that I would have understood!  I would not have betrayed Jesus!  I would not have hidden and lied about knowing him!

“Mary.”

“Yes, God.  Am I in trouble again?”

“No.  OK.  Just a bit.”  (He chuckled when he said that so I knew the 2X4 was coming out.  You know.  The one he uses to get my attention.)

“Mary, do you understand all of My Word?  You know:  the Bible.  Do you understand it completely?  Every word?  Every syllable?”

“No, but…”

“There is no ‘but’ here.  Your answer is no.  And that is okay.  You are learning.  You are, after many years, beginning to put it all together.  You are digging deep.  But, face it child, you have it right there in front of you to go over again and again and again.  Did the disciples have that?”

“No, but…”

“There is no ‘but’ here.  They did not!  You were going to say, ‘but they had Jesus himself.’ weren’t you?  They did and they learned so much.  They were good disciples.  I love every one of them.”

“How could they not understand?  How could Peter deny Jesus?”

“They were afraid.  How would you feel if all of a sudden the Trinity was taken away from you?  You have the Bible.  What if you no longer had that?  What if you could no longer feel the Holy Spirit in you?  What if you could not have the forgiveness of the Cross?  What if you could not pray?  What..”

“I would be afraid.  I would feel lost.  I would feel abandoned.  I would not understand.  I would hide.”

“My child, the disciples did learn and they wrote it down for you.  They wrote it down so you would know the truth.  So you would have hope.  So you would have faith.  Eternal life.  The disciples did understand.  They spread the Gospel from one believer to another to another to another.  Do you understand now?”

“Beginning to.  The disciples were chosen by Jesus but they were also human.  They had their support – Jesus – taken from them and they were afraid.  I guess the answer to my question is they did know.”

“Shall I put the 2 X 4 down for now?”

“Yes, please.  But keep it handy.  I am sure you will be getting it out again shortly.”

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

Can you imagine making sure every teeny-tiny detail leading up to Passover, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection was in place?  Every detail – even how the disciples reacted so they could “therefore go.”

 

 THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

A number of years ago, the church we attended had three services.  An upcoming event meant I needed to make an announcement at each service.  I was headed to first service, listening to the radio, and going over what I was to say.  Normal drive.  Not much traffic.  About 8:10 AM.  Then the news came on and they reported on a truck driver in California. 

A truck driver?  My dad had been a truck driver before he died so, anytime news involved a truck driver, I listened. 

The news began with saying there had been an accident in a tunnel.  One of the vehicles was a semi.  The driver did not survive and I said a prayer for his family.

“You have to tell.” I couldn’t shake those words.  “You have to tell.  Someone needs to hear this.” Tell who? Really, tell what? Tell about the accident.  All I knew was that a man died.  Someone I didn’t know… “You have to tell.” Tell who? Tell when? “You have to tell.” Those words would not go away.

First service: Nothing.  Sunday School: Nothing.  Second Service: This is the service we attend and Bill asked me, “Are you alright? You seem a bit on edge.” I told him yes and I would explain later.  But still, nothing.  Third Service: This was a modified service.  Only the basics for the 20 or so that were not early risers and those that had small children who found the timing better.  The service was about over, the minister was ready to say the closing prayer, and I knew it was time. 

Of course, the minister got that deer in the headlight look when I stood up and said I had something to say.  I started by saying, “I do not know why I am to tell this and I do not know who needs to hear this, but I want to tell you about a trucker and a tunnel.” I told them about a trucker, just doing his job, entering a tunnel and never coming out. 

We hear about the light at the end of the tunnel, but, on this day, for this trucker, there was no light at the end of the tunnel.  And I wondered if he was a believer.  I told them that if he was not, he was lost.  I told them that if they were not believers, now was the time before it was too late.  And I sat down.  The pastor prayed.  I left.

On that morning, finally during third service, my job was to tell and that is what I did.  So I left.  Did anyone stay and talk with the minister? When I walked out the door, I did not know.  I had done my part.  I told.  I talked with the minister a few days later and he said someone had stayed until everyone was gone.  (Notice until everyone left.)  One person was to hear about the trucker and that one person heard.

We do not know who needs to hear or what they need to hear.  Although it is all the same story, one person might be saved because they hear why Jesus lived and one person might be saved because they hear why Jesus died.  We need to tell so the light at the end of the tunnel is there for everyone.

<   <   <   >   >   >

Since this is the Easter season, I felt I should tie this in some way.  The obvious choices are

• Jesus is the light
• Jesus is the savior
• Jesus died for our sins

BUT — don’t ya love it when I put in a BUT — the tie to Easter comes after the tomb was empty.

“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.  When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.  Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.””

   Matthew 28:16-20 NIV

There it is! The tie in!

GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES — in plain English:   GO AND TELL!

 

COMMUNION

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

We take Communion the first Sunday of each month.  I do not take it lightly.  I do not allow it to become a habit instead of an honor.  When I hold the bread and the cup, I realize my sins are real and my salvation has come at a price.

Communion does not require a huge production.  It does not need a stage to be set or music to be played to enhance a mood.  Communion can be taken with others or alone on a snowy night …

We lived in Michigan and attended a Methodist Church.  It was Christmas Eve and there was no formal service that year.  The church was open.  Yes, open.  Unlocked.  Anyone could enter.  The church was open and Communion was available to any who entered.  This Communion has never left my heart and was the most memorable Communion I have ever taken.

The kids were finally asleep.  Christmas gifts were ready for the next morning.  Bill stayed home.  It was 10:30 PM and I headed to church.  It was snowing.  The church was empty when I arrived.  When I opened the door to the sanctuary, the lights were dim.  As I walked down the aisle, my spirit calmed.  It seemed like each step left a care or worry behind.  My focus was on one thing: A small table holding the Bread and the Cup.

I sat down and talked to God.  I thanked God for sending HIS SON.  I thanked God for the hope … trust … mercy …forgiveness.  I took the Bread and the Wine sometime.  I cannot tell you when.  Time seemed to stand still as I sat in that church … on a snowy Christmas Eve … with the lights turned low enough I could see, but dim enough to keep me from seeing anything but the table.  Eventually I stood up, walked out, and went home.

I do not take Communion lightly and on that night, my Communion was as true and honest as it was the night Jesus served the disciples.  On that night, I wept as I took broken bread.  On that night, I took the cup and rejoiced a risen Christ.

And someday I will drink from the fruit of the vine with Jesus in His Father’s kingdom.

 SPRING FORWARD, FALL BACK

Sunday, March 12, Hawaii and most of Arizona, where common sense prevails, will not use precious time changing the time on clocks and watches.  If I counted right, we will change the time on 22 clocks, watches, timers, devices, and vehicles.  What a waste of time!!!  Everyone says follow the science.  News Flash!!!  You can call it Daylight Savings Time, but there are only so many hours of daylight and messing with the small hand or a digital number will not make one bit of difference.

This got me to wondering what other stupid laws are on the books.  Without googling, I already know the answer: WAY TOO MANY!!  I googled anyway.  Did you know that, in Alaska, you cannot —- get ready —- wake a sleeping bear to take a selfie?  If you are a pickle producer, in Connecticut, make sure your pickles bounce.  Yes, the state ordinance says that a real pickle should bounce when dropped from the height of one foot.

Want to be kind and surprise a friend or neighbor with a pizza or other food delivered straight to their home?  Better think twice if you live in Louisiana.  You could be fined $500 or be thrown in the slammer for six months!  This is considered harassment.  Thinking about food — if you are in Claremont, New Hampshire, do not — I repeat — do not consume alcoholic beverages or have a picnic in a cemetery.  Continuing with another food law, if you want some good, like grandma made, fried chicken, do not steal a feathered fowl in Rhode Island.  They take stealing chickens very seriously and you shall (not could, but shall) be punished by imprisonment for not more than five years or a $500 fine or both.

I am glad I do not live in Philadelphia.  All businesses are required to pay a one-time $300 license fee or $50 annually to operate in the city.  Recently the law was extended to include bloggers.

How are we supposed to know all these laws?  How are we to obey all these laws?  I am sure the Israelites felt the same way.  Leviticus is full of laws.  Some make sense and I particularly like Leviticus 19:32.  Some do not, such as Leviticus 19:27.  Some sorta make sense.  I sew and understand Leviticus 19:19.  Sewing two kinds of material does not always work.

The Old Testament is full of God’s laws and they were hard to keep.  The priests used their power and continued to add to God’s laws.  That means a double dose of you shall and you shall nots.  Confusion!  How can a person keep every law?  The truth is simple:  We cannot.  Try as we might, we mess up.  We break the laws of man and we break the laws of God.  We have no hope of ever being a 100% law abiding person.  No hope… No hope …

We will never be a 100% law abiding person, BUT we do have hope!  We do have a way!

Jesus Christ fulfilled the Prophets in that, in His first coming alone, He fulfilled hundreds of prophecies concerning Himself (e.g., Matthew 1:22; 13:35; John 19:36; Luke 24:44). Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law in at least two ways: as a teacher and as a doer.  He taught people to obey the Law (Matthew 22:35–40; Mark 1:44), and He obeyed the Law Himself (John 8:46; 1 Peter 2:22).  In living a perfect life, Jesus fulfilled the moral laws; in His sacrificial death, Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial laws.  Christ came not to destroy the old religious system but to build upon it; He came to finish the Old Covenant and establish the New.   

Taken from https://www.gotquestions.org/abolish-fulfill-law.html

Jesus was speaking in Matthew 5:17 and declared that he did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets.  He told us that he came to fulfill them.  Jesus fulfilled the law for us!

Now isn’t that just the best news you have heard today?

 EASTER — ARE YOU READY?

Christmas takes a lot of preparation. Decorate the whole house..inside and out. Shopping can be a real hassle. Next comes a trip to the grocery store to get supplies to make cookies, candy, and plum pudding. Followed by another trip to purchase supplies for Christmas dinner!!! Then it is all done in reverse. Dinner is over and the kitchen has to be cleaned. Leftover sweets are boxed up. Wrapping paper is put back in the corner of the closet. And, with a deep sigh, the taking down of the decorations …inside and out.. begins.

Yes, Christmas takes a lot of preparation. Easter on the other hand is easy. Set out an Easter bunny. Color a few eggs. Buy a new outfit. Stick the ham in the oven. And, after Easter, put the bunny away. 

Or is there more to it?

We want to celebrate Christmas. We picture Mary peacefully riding that donkey. Angels and heavenly hosts singing. Shepherds heading to the stable. Hey, who doesn’t want to see a new baby? Yes, we want to celebrate Christmas and we want to cherish the birth of Jesus from the moment the angel tells Mary that she is blessed. But Easter is different. 

We want to picture Jesus riding the colt and hear the shouts of Hosanna. We want to picture Jesus breaking the bread and holding the cup. We want to celebrate a risen Savior. We want to skip over the other parts. We do not want to think of Jesus standing condemned. We do not want to picture Jesus being beaten and forced to carry the Cross. We do not want to witness Jesus hanging on the Cross. We do not want to see him die. We do not want to watch as he is put into the tomb. We want to skip over those parts. 

But we cannot skip those parts because they are the Easter Story!!! Those parts are our salvation. Those parts are our hope. Jesus took our sins. And then Jesus gave us the way to have eternal life.

Easter asks a question: Are you ready? 

Easter asks a question that only you can answer: Do you know the way?

Get ready for Easter. Set out the bunny. Color a few eggs. Buy a new outfit. Put the ham in the oven. 

But don’t forget. You have two questions to answer: Are you ready and do you know the way?

 HOW CAN YOU NOT

Driving to an appointment, I heard the song, How Can You Not, by Leanna Crawford.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70JD5YTemJc

Part of the lyrics are:

I see the sun rise

…a million stars

…hear the birds

How can you not see God

In every little thing, in every little moment?

I have often wondered how anyone can look around and not realize this world was created by a loving God.  As the song states, we see God in the sunrise, the stars, and when we hear a bird.  Although, I think the bird singing at 5:00 AM is the devil trying to annoy me.

Often, we see something over and over until we no longer see it as a gift from God.  We walk by a tree or a rose bush or a stream and only see a tree, a rose, or flowing water. 

It is the chorus that got my attention.  IN EVERY LITTLE THING!  IN EVERY LITTLE MOMENT!  And isn’t that where we see God?  The little things that aren’t so little and the little moments that last a lifetime.

I remember the first time I felt a baby kick.  I swear that baby was trying to kick its way out.  (It was a boy, but back then you had to wait and see what popped out.)  It was such a normal thing when the little hand of a baby grasped my finger.  That first kick and the feel of a baby’s hand holding mine may be normal, everyday happenings, but they are not little things!  They are in my heart forever. 

The second pregnancy did not hold the wonder of the first.  I knew what was going to happen and I waited for the first kick.  Except the kick never came.  This baby was doing hands to feet exercises.  This time the morning sickness came when I got home from work and started to fix supper.  But then we met her and looked into her eyes and held her.  Normal, everyday happenings, but these were not a little thing.  And once again I saw God.

Over the years, I have found God in the so many little moments.  I remember God being present in a little church, when I turned down the aisle and saw Bill.  I remember the first time I saw the ocean, the Rocky Mountains, eating an orange right off the tree, and delivering a calf.  I can close my eyes and see my grandmother’s home and trying to read the Bible to her when she no longer could read. 

At the time, many things seem like part of life.  Nothing special.  Nothing unusual.  Just normal day to day stuff.  UNTIL we realize God is in every little thing, in every little moment.

Psalm 104 has 35 verses for you to read.  The cliff notes:

• God uses light, the heavens, water, clouds, wind, and flames
• God set the earth on its foundation and made springs … grass … trees … high mountains …the moon … birds and animals … the sun … the sea teaming with creatures … man
• We will sing to the LORD … praise … meditate …rejoice

God is all around us.  God is in every little thing, in every little moment.  How can you not see God?

And, sadly, way too many people miss Him.

A HOTEL FOR BOOK LOVERS

At one magical instant in your early childhood, the page of a book – that string of confused, alien ciphers – shivered into meaning.  Words spoke to you, gave up their secrets; at that moment, whole universes opened.  You became, irrevocably, a reader.  Alberto Manguel, A History of Reading.

I love to read and remember the books, with blue covers, on the shelves of the middle school library.  I started with the first one and read through the series of biographies.  I flew with Amelia Earhart, researched with Madam Curie, and blazed a trail with Daniel Boone.  Agatha Christie taught me detective skills and Harry Potter ignited my imagination.  Books have taken me to countries I will never visit.  I can have one book beside the bed, one beside the couch, and read one while cooking.  And keep each story straight.  Yes, I love to read.

My sister, also an avid reader, said, “It is too bad we cannot find a hotel which caters to readers.  Instead of sitting beside a pool, we could find a cozy nook….and have trays of cheese, crackers, and fancy sandwiches quietly delivered to our nook….and of course glasses of wine.  Now, that would be a vacation!”

This got me to wondering if there are hotels like this and off to google I went.  There are hotels which cater to book lovers!  The ones I found would require boarding a plane and having a passport.  But, I was determined!  Surely I had missed something.  And there it was.  Just what I was looking for:  The Bookshop Hotel.

The website drew me in.  Located in a small town.  In a really old building.  With nooks and comfortable chairs.  Every afternoon at 12:30, there is a book reading, on the green,.  Still no address!  What website would not have an address and phone number!  Talk about poor marketing!  Then I saw a link to their Facebook page.  Surely, the information would be found there. 

The Bookshop Hotel page was full of pictures of the quaint houses scattered around Lily Hollow.  Finally, the name of the town.  Maybe this was a test.  You had to follow leads, with true determination, to find booking information.  Only then would you be considered a true lover of books and worthy of a stay.

I searched and saw the names of many books:  The River of No Return, The Fifth Avenue Story Society, Ink and Bone, A Place to Hang the Moon, The Adventures of Mr. Toad, Peter and Wendy, and on, and on, and on.  Was I ever going to find an address?

The answer is no.  You see, I was searching so hard for a hotel that catered to book lovers that I failed to detect one small detail – Agatha Christie would not be proud of me – The Bookshop Hotel is NOT a hotel.  It is a BOOK!!!  A book now on my Kindle.

There is a lesson here.  When searching for something, be sure of where the search is leading you.  Are you headed to a place of fiction or a place of reality?

While you ponder that last sentence, I will be reading a book.  A book titled The Bookshop Hotel.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

I have not done random thoughts lately, so here goes –

I love to work jigsaw puzzles, but I wonder about something.  Exactly what prompted someone to look at a picture and decide to cut it into pieces so they could put the pieces back together? 

And what parent, of a very bored child, decided to put words into all sorts of straight lines, diagonal lines, upside down, and backwards, filling in all the blank spaces with odd letters, and calling it word search.  Then they handed it to their very bored child and said, “Here.  Find this list of words.”  Of course, that idea has resulted in their becoming rich by putting them in books and online.  Why is it always someone else that comes up with a marketable idea?  Why didn’t I get uncomfortable, at a little league game, and create a chair-in-a-bag?

Thinking about games – Why did they call the game SORRY?  Admit it.  No one is every sorry when they send someone back to home.

A morning without coffee is a morning you would not want to spend with me.  The sunshine is beautiful today.  Lunch with friends is time well spent.  Even when that friend reminds me about getting stopped for speeding, and ……..

I enjoy quiet time, but sometimes quiet can be very loud.

There is still snow on the ground and it was very cold the other morning when I saw a robin.  I wonder if the robin thought, “Did I look at the calendar wrong?”

How am I officially the shortest person in our family?  I still get teased that, after buying a new mattress (much ticker than a mattress used to be), I had three inches cut off the legs of the bed.  If you are shaking your head and thinking I am stretching the truth, I am telling the whole truth!

I love to read, but if the book hasn’t hooked me the end of the first chapter (sometimes by the end of the second page) I am done.  It goes back.

And the amount of work I get done depends on how good a book is or how many pieces are left in a puzzle.

That brings me back to the beginning:  jigsaw puzzles.  Which makes me think of reading the Bible.  Sometimes it seems like a jigsaw puzzle.  How do the pieces/stories fit together?  Where do I find answers?  Why did they use that word?  When would the disciples finally understand?  Who is Crispus?  (General index, random pick, with eyes closed.) 

Reading the Bible is like working a jigsaw puzzle.  As you read, you understand how one story fits with other stories.  BUT, unlike a jigsaw puzzle which eventually comes together, reading the Bible is an unending journey.  A journey worth taking and you might even find Crispus. (Hint:  Acts 18:8)

 As I write this, the snow is coming down and the people in the know say we could get 8-12”.  Don’t ya love the word could?  I think the forecasters use could to give them an out when the predicted snowfall does not happen.  The same holds true for the possible tornado or storm.  To be fair, sometimes they are right and making people aware, of the possibility of what could happen, can save lives.

The trouble is people quit paying attention.  The news flash says a tornado is headed your way.  The first time, you get in a safe room.  No tornado.  The second time, you watch out the window.  No tornado.  The third time, you sit on the porch and watch the clouds.  No tornado.  The fourth time … you pay no attention and keep on watching the movie.  The most you might do for a snow storm is help empty the shelves of milk and bread.

We quit paying attention to the warnings.  The problem with this is that IF a snowstorm or a tornado really happens, we will not be prepared and it could be too late. 

Life is full of could, might, and possible.  Life is full of not paying attention because could, might, and possible did not happen.  Life is full of suddenly realizing we should have paid attention.  We realize it can be too late.

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.  That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.  Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

 

So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

 

     Matthew 24:36-41, 44

Life is full of could, might, and possible.  Go back and look at the scripture.  Do you find even one could, might, or possible?  Or do you find the absolute certain words will be and would happen?

Do not sit on your porch and watch for the Son of Man to return.  Live your life as if it will happen the very next second.  Celebrate the falling snow and see how it decorates the trees and makes the landscape look clean and pure.  Call your spouse, your parents, your children, and your friends to tell them they are valuable.  Work to the best of your ability and be honest and trustworthy.  Be compassionate and share with those less fortunate.  And at dark, lay your head down, place your cares and worries into God’s hands, and rest.

 RUTH

 Our Sunday School Class has been studying the Book of Ruth.  Most of us have read this book, maybe even more than once.  Why wouldn’t we enjoy this book?  There are –

• Trials:  drought, death, living among strangers
• Decisions:  stay or go, consequences of each
• Journeys:  return to roots
• New Beginnings:  faith, family, new love, and a baby

 Ruth could be a Hallmark movie --- until ---

Reading Ruth and teaching Ruth are two different things.  Of course, we can read the notes in the Bible, but, as the teacher, I had to dig deeper.  I wondered how this book was studied by those of the Jewish faith.  What lessons did they learn?  Was this more than a love story?

I found exactly what I needed at  https://torah.org/  I searched Ruth and began reading.  Could I learn more about Naomi and Ruth?  Could I figure out why these four chapters were included in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible)?  Well, yes I could learn more!  I read.  I made notes.  I was prepared to expand on those chapters.  And the study of Ruth began.

Was the class excited about finding out that Elimelek fled the famine and abandoned his extended family and friends instead of helping them with his wealth and crops?  Did they realize Ruth was the daughter of a king and her people worshipped Chemosh, a god that demanded human sacrifice?  Did they understand the process Boaz had to follow to marry Ruth?

Did they see the continuing of the bloodline that Lot walked away from?  And, the biggie, did they see that Ruth is a story of redemption?

The class will finish the Book of Ruth in the next couple of weeks and I hope we will all realize the story of Ruth is our story.

Like Elimelek, we often walk away from those we could help with our excess of blessings.  Like Naomi, when we feel empty, we realize we want to go home -- back to our foundation, family, and friends.  Like Ruth, we realize we are worshipping the wrong gods and turn toward the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

Yes, the Book of Ruth is a beautiful love story as we see Boaz and Ruth fall in love.  But this story is so much more.

Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

Obed the father of Jesse,

and Jesse the father of King David.

Matthew 1:5-6

The story of Ruth is a beautiful love story, but it surpasses the love of a man for a woman.  This story is about the great-great-grandmother of David and the future birth of a very special baby.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.

I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

Revelation 22:16

 A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE

One fall Bill and I were leaving Yellowstone National Park and were told the buffalo were congregating at the east exit.  I was so excited, because we were headed that direction and I love buffalo.  There was only one small glitch.  This meant we went out the northeast entrance instead of the east entrance.  The east entrance leads to a nice drive to Cody.  The northeast entrance ….  A couple of things you need to know.  Many areas out west do not have internet service.  The towns do, but not when you get on the back roads.  Back and side roads are closed by a determined date.  They do not wait for the snow to start before they close roads and stop service until next spring.

Bill asked, “Mary can we get to Cody if we go out the northeast entrance?  It isn’t like you haven’t seen buffalo today.”

Grabbing my iPad and the atlas (Yes, I still use an atlas.) I found where we were and where we wanted to go.  “Of course we can get to Cody.  The quickest road has been closed for the winter, but this other road is open.  No problem,” I replied.  We saw the buffalo and headed out the northeast entrance. 

As we drove, I kept checking the atlas and the iPad.  Bill was thrilled that the road was two lane and paved.  I honestly cannot remember the exact roads we took but we ended up on Wyoming 296/Chief Joseph Highway.  The iPad had lost service so I relied on the atlas.  It looked like there were a few curves, but nothing Bill would be uncomfortable driving.

After a while, I told Bill, “I think that is the last of the curves.  Looks like the road gets straighter.”  Then, out there in the middle of nowhere, the iPad had service.  I opened the map.  Enlarged the area we were approaching and gasped.  It all depends on your perspective.  From the atlas to the iPad, my perspective changed.  The atlas looked pretty good.  The iPad told a different story.  I remember telling Bill, “You know how I said we were out of the curves?”  A glare came from the person behind the wheel as he said, “And …”

I calmly told Bill, “You know how a child draws when they are learning to hold a pencil?  I believe they used one of those drawing to design this road.  We are not out of the curves.”

It all depends on your perspective.  The big picture looked good.  It was not until we got on that section of road that we realized how curvy it was. 

 

BUT, as I think about the roads we have been on, this one was a piece of cake.  Look at the Beartooth Highway.  We were on that one time.

A really interesting drive happened when we left Apache Junction. 

We started on a very nice, two lane, blacktopped road.  The two lanes turned into a wide, paved one lane.  The wide, paved, one lane turned into a narrow, dirt road.  A curvy!! dirt road.  What a blast we had.  Well, I was having a blast.  It all depends on your perspective.  Bill had a death grip on the steering wheel and, whenever we met other brave souls, he had to find a place to pull over so they could pass. 

  

Oh, memories.  Bill will tell you that I do not know how to find a nice, straight road to travel.  I tell him to loosen up and grab ahold of the wheel.  We are in for a ride!!!!!!

Besides – when I looked at the pictures in the atlas, the roads did not look so bad.  It was only when we got on the road that we realized it was not quite what we thought.

BUT isn’t this how we get off the path God has ready for us?  We are keeping on the path.  Having a jolly good time and then, right along the path is another way to go.  It looks really neat.  It is all tree lined and so inviting.  We cannot see very far down the way, but how bad can it be?  And when our perspective of the other way to go finally comes into focus, Satan laughs.

Moral of all this:  Be sure and have a true perspective of where you are headed.

 I AM A JIGSAW PUZZLE

My mother worked jigsaw puzzles.  There was rarely a time she didn’t have a puzzle started.  Putting together jigsaw puzzles has rules.  Rule 1:  Border first.  Rule 2:  It is okay to say you will only be a minute, when you know you will stand there and search till you find the piece that should jump right out at you.  Rule 3:  You never put the last piece in someone else’s puzzle without asking permission.

I am my mother’s daughter.  Sorta.  I agree with rules two and three.  Rule one might apply to a kid’s puzzle or a 300 piece puzzle, but – and my mother is spinning in her grave – I no longer put the border together first.  Those pieces go back into the box, until I have room on the table or until the rest of the puzzle is put together.  This started when puzzles increased to 1,000 pieces and larger.  A 1,000 piece puzzle barely fits on my card table and a 2,000 piece puzzle had to be worked in sections and assembled on the dining room table.  Even if I don’t put the border together first, I am my mother’s daughter.  I love to work jigsaw puzzles.

I am a jigsaw puzzle.  My life is being assembled one piece at a time.  It is a mix of bright, beautiful colors and dark, scary colors I wish weren’t there.  Words and pictures appear as I am assembled.  In the middle is a baby.  Darn, I was a cute kid.  From there pictures appear of family, good times and bad.  Then another face appears and I remember the joy of finding true love.  Children.  Friends.  Illness.  Death.  Work.  Moving.  Travel.  Church.  Swirls of color surrounding each as I aged and learned and moved forward or struggled and stayed in one place too long. 

When I see my puzzle, I realize there is one constant presence visible in each piece. 

You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.

Acts 2:28

A puzzle has an end.  The border will come out of the box, the last piece will be placed, and the puzzle will be complete.  BUT, the puzzle, of my life, does not have a border.  My puzzle will continue to expand and grow as pieces are added.  Some pieces will be bright and beautiful.  Some will be dark and scary.  No matter what, the presence of God will continue to be visible in each piece.