Visiting Scott Territory

Not too long ago, we were invited to lunch in the Scott home. Our car is always greeted in the driveway by one or two smiling faces.  (They have nine children.)  Others came for a backyard swim and much fun.  The Scotts live in the country (meaning they have critters - wild and domestic - inside and out)...life at its best. Needless to say, we had a great time with them all.

Shortly after we arrived, an unwanted visitor was eliminated from the scene.  See, that's what happens when you show up uninvited.  Moral of the story: Don't eat the cats' food.

I took these spider pictures as I stood behind Tommy and leaned over him.  Notice Hannah backed up when Daniel took the lid off.

The welcome mat is always out for anyone who shows up at the door. They are gracious hosts and God's love is evident on each face.  Right now, Paul (no. 7) is in my Sunday School class.  So far this year, I have learned what kinds of snakes live in the desert, how to scare my mom while camping, and what to do if my boat ever springs a leak.
(Hopefully he has learned a little, too.)

Whatever lives in there will likely be bait for a fish someday.

Smelling Roses

Favorite quotes often get repeated.  "Stop and smell the roses" is one, meaning one should slow down his pace of life and see the world around him.  It's good advice, but seldom heeded.  Sounds great, though.
It's very hard to make ourselves slow down for anything, much less smelling roses.  Sometimes we need someone else to help us. Tommy and I have been married almost 45 years.  Somewhere along the way, he taught me how to really love and I taught him to smell roses - valuable lessons for us both.  His pace around the track where we walk is more determined than mine. So, he yields his gait and we talk and notice...stuff.  The object of the verb here varies with each day.
Yesterday I noticed horses.  Tommy was not with me so I texted my pictures to him and we shared the moment.  One of the horses was rolling on the ground, scratching his back, his eyes covered with a cloth.  A big ditch lay between us, but when I called to them, they came to the fence.  What I would have given for an apple.  I felt like National Velvet.

Lying on his right side.

Lying on his left side.

..and here they come!

Well, hello!

The next time I was in the park, I noticed two very cute guys playing football.  I stopped and took some pictures.  This taking notice thing is working for me. (Wink!)

Demands of life dictate the pace at which we run.  In our quests to live lives pleasing to the Lord, if we look to the left and the right, we will see we are not alone.  Paul gives us wisdom for the journey:
1 Thessalonians 5:11-14  Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 

Isaiah 40

I was speaking this week with a woman who is struggling with cancer and for the moment, all is at an uneasy standstill concerning her illness.  Sometimes when things go quiet, our faith grows stronger because we lean more on the Lord and His will for our futures.  Nothing is certain...except that God is sitting on His throne, sovereign over all, for our good and His glory.
She quoted from Isaiah 40: vv. 7-8 "The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass.  The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever."
Surely the people are grass. And so we are.  It just so happened - (hmm, how many times have I said that?) - that today my bible reading was Isaiah 40 and when I read the words she had spoken to me just two nights ago, I attached her name to them.  She is like grass.  I am like grass, and so are you.
Chapter 40 goes on to speak of His greatness and power.
Of the rulers of the earth He says:

v. 24 "Scarcely are the planted, scarcely sown,

scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,

when he blows on them, and they wither, 

and the tempest carries them off like stubble."

(therefore, I will not worry about this year's election.)

Just when we think God does not see us or we feel 'disregarded' by Him, vv. 28 - 31 are written to encourage us:

 "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.  

 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.  

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;  

but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40 is a wonderful, sweet reminder of Who God is and who we are.  We are all grass.  We will all wither.  It is God who does the blowing away and the renewing when we wait on Him.  None of us knows the number of our days, but we can be sure they are numbered.  
In the meamtime, I want to be like my friend who sees herself as grass, in service to the Creator Who never grows weary giving us the power to press on.

The Man of Sorrows Had a Part

My grandmother kept a little black notebook of quotes - handwritten and random according to author.  I found it in a shoebox the other day.  She had written this to me dated November 15, 1968.  I was fifteen then and probably in need of some encouragement. -
The Christian is not one who has gone all the way with Christ. None of us has.  The Christian is one who has found the right road.  - Charles L. Allen
I now know that I would never have found that road on my own. Christ loved me to it and I am so very grateful that my grandmother demonstrated this great Love to me throughout her life.

Henry Drummond - "Unless a man undertakes more than he can possibly do, he will never do all he can."

"Never tell a young person that anything cannot be done.  God may have been waiting centuries for someone ignorant enough of the impossible to do that very thing." (unknown, at least to her)


Where high the heavenly temple stands,
the house of God not made with hands,
a great High Priest our nature wears,
the Guardian of mankind appears.

He, who for men their surety stood,
and poured on earth his precious blood,
pursues in heaven his mighty plan,
the Savior and the Friend of man.

Though now ascended up on high,
he bends on earth a brother's eye;
partaker of the human name,
he knows the frailty of our frame.

Our fellow-sufferer yet retains
a fellow feeling of our pains;
and still remembers in the skies
his tears, his agonies and cries.

In every pang that rends the heart
the Man of Sorrows had a part;
he sympathizes with our grief,
and to the sufferer sends relief.

With boldness therefore at the throne
let us make all our sorrows known;
and ask the aid of heavenly power
to help us in the evil hour.

Michael Bruce

The words underlined are the only lines of this song she had written in her book.  I just typed them in and these lyrics popped up. How beautiful to be reminded in such a lovely way that Christ has a part in all of the pain we go through. He knows and understands. He lives it with us.
I know I inherited my love of writing and all things creative from my grandmother. Her loving nature and giving spirit came from Christ and I pray those qualities for myself as well. She faithfully read scripture each day without fail. I am thankful for her testimony lived with and without words.

Challengers

Do you have someone in your life that challenges you to always do your best, accomplish the goals you set, or accept the unwanted changes you are facing?  I have several friends that challenge me without even knowing it by their examples.  Others can bring out the best in us for many reasons: competition, praise, recognition - or maybe just to see them smile in approval.
As Tommy and I were walking this evening, I mentioned I was tired and did not feel like keeping our usual quick pace, but wanted more of an upbeat mosey around the track.  As soon as I voiced my desire to slow down, I quickened my pace.  Sometimes I am my best challenger.
Just when my decision is made to lighten my work load, I look for things to do.  What is that?  My youth has passed - except in my head - and age steals from me what is needed to do as much as before and yet saying "uncle" goes against my grain.
Maybe, just maybe the best is yet to come.  I can only hope and pray that the joy ahead of me will surpass what is behind.  God promises us new mercies each day, along with His grace and ability to bring Him glory.
I am not sure what these days/months/years will look like, but they will be dull over my dead body. I challenge myself each time we walk to speak to someone else.  Tonight it was a group of guys and girls playing basketball and two children on the playground with parents watching from their backyard.  This walking is taking on a new meaning.  Life is full of opportunities to make a difference. That is my plan - to make a difference for Christ every day.
Once we make up our minds to yield our energies to His work, He does the rest. Life is very good.

Walking in the Park

Tommy and I are trying to take walks each evening in the park down the street. The city built a walking track there some years ago, but up until now we have managed to ignore it.  We have both been feeling our ages and are in need of better joint movement, so we are putting forth the effort. Some days I walk alone and I am getting to know my neighborhood a little better...and where the dogs live.
A half block from the park is a house that reminds me of the one in "To Kill a Mockingbird" where Boo Radley lived.  The bushes near the house are overgrown and cover the windows giving an uninviting look.  A bench swing sits in the yard, empty and mossy from neglect.  It looks as if no one lives there despite the truck in the driveway. No sign in the yard indicating it is vacant and for sale. There is a something sad about it, though...as if the caretaker just doesn't care anymore.  I am dreaming up a scenario for sure.

Even the tree has a knot hole in it where Boo would hide treasures for the kids.

Further up from there is a tree with a knotty root system that defies explanation so I took a picture. It looks like an underground snake with no head or tail as if it belongs in a children's book.

Every tree is beautiful to me and the ones in the park look pretty against the sky.  Traffic borders one stretch of my walk and I don't like walking on that side, but needs must and I make my way down that trail a little quicker than the others.

 As I approach my house, a tree in our own yard weaves its own highway against the sky.  I think it's lovely and quite a puzzle to try and trace each branch to its origin.  Enjoy!