A White Plastic Spoon

I have a brother in prison.  There.  I said it...with his permission.  I asked if I could write about him on my blog and he said, "Well, I am here and there is no denying it and it is no secret so, yes you can."
My brother is a Christian.  I say that upfront, because what I will share has everything to do with Christ.  He has been transferred three times in the past few months and is now at his final destination until his release in a few years.
Tommy and I went to see him last Saturday.  I know I have written about prisons before, but not concerning him.  He said that when they first moved him, they gave him a white plastic spoon and told him not to lose it because he would not get another.  At that time, he was in isolation for his protection and received his meals alone in his cell. He would look at the spoon and say, "Well, Lord, at least I have a spoon."  It made him grateful.
When they transferred him again, he packed it away, not because he thought he might not get another one, but because it had become a symbol to him.  At the next prison transfer station, they gave him a Styrofoam cup and told him not to lose it or he would have no other.  He looked at his cup and his spoon and said, "Well, Lord, now I have a cup and a spoon.  Thank You."  The cup did not survive the next move, but the spoon is still in his possession.
I say all of that to say this: God is teaching my brother about who he is and Who He is. This current prison is a working farm.  They even can their produce.  Every prisoner has a job and my brother's job is to get the leftovers from each meal (1500 men) and mash them down into food for the pigs.  It is the dirtiest, messiest job in the unit.  He said he has never worked so hard in his life. Someone told him that he could be moved to a lighter duty because of his age and he said, "No, I want to do this"...because he gets to be outside and see the sun go down.  He is grateful for an outside job.
Please do not misunderstand me.  My brother is not in prison undeservedly, but only a loving and merciful God would stay by the side of a guilty man readying pigs' slop for five hours a day in order to sustain him.  Only a good God would teach him to be truly grateful for a plastic spoon.  These are lessons my brother said he would not have learned had he not been where he is.
God is faithful to His children.  We can praise His holy name.  He is always with us, drawing us closer to Himself...even when we find ourselves with the pigs as the prodigal son did.
Luke 15:21-24   And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate. 
Philippians 1:6  And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 
God will finish the work He started.

What Seaweed?

Last Monday, Shannon and I took the kids to Galveston, which was on that day covered in seaweed.  I don't think any of us cared. If you drive east along the seawall, you will find a free beach...meaning they are not kept up as much as the ones where you pay to park.
The seaweed was like a sponge to walk on and tangled in the mess were little white shells that Bella and I crushed with our fingers. They were so fragile and delicate, hidden in the mass of brown, but I failed to capture that moment.
It did not take Ivy long to join the beach club this time.  What she once hated became a love to her.  The pictures say it all.  How can anyone not love beaches?

What seaweed?

Being sunshine.

Be Someone's Sunshine

Stress happens to all of us.  Sometimes it comes in multiple births...not that I would ever give birth to stress...unless of course it comes in the form of a human being. Okay, I have birthed a stresser or two...but I love those stress makers.
I am starting a new saying: "A stressless life is a boring life."  Think it will fly?  Me neither.
Stress robs.  It steals my time, energy, joy.  Actually, after staring at those words, it is time, energy, and joy that kill stress.  The very thing that it takes from me are the weapons I need to fight back.  That and friendship.
Today I wandered out alone - in this great big world -  to Hobby Lobby to pick up supplies for Vacation Bible School and then ventured next door to Mardel's.  I had no idea what I was looking for, but I found myself on the bargain book aisle. Nope, nothing there...until a cover caught my eye.  It was a thin hardback.  I grabbed it and sat down at a nearby table.  I read the first and last sections and I smiled, even laughed out loud alittle....but mostly just smiled.  I did not know the author and as I am careful not to endorse anyone without some investigation, I googled her.  Angela Thomas.  Pastor's wife...with a history and some opinions, but nothing I would run from...plus I loved this book.  "Be The Sunshine - Share The Light And Spread The Joy".  Be the sunshine. I picked up several copies of this three dollar book that had brought encouragement to my soul.  As I was checking out, someone came beside me and gave me a hug.  It was my dear friend Marcy.  Wow God.  How did she know where to find me? (She wasn't looking for me, but God knew.)  I am in this store maybe twice a year and here comes one of my major sources of encouragement.  God, You are so amazingly good to me.  Really.
We went to La Madeleine's for lunch and sat for an hour.  We have been friends for 40 years.  God sent me sunshine today.
On the flipside of saying that stress robs...it is also the fertilizer that makes us stronger.  I think fertilizer is an appropriate word for stress, don't you?  It isn't very pleasant, but when added at the right time, it produces something beautiful or tasteful or useful...like a shade tree on a hot day.
Let me be someone's sunshine - a reflection of You, Lord - every day.  It will take time, energy, and joy so I better hang on to those.
Matthew 5:14-16  "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 
Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

As Those Who Have No Hope

Sometimes life gets heavy.  I know you know what I am talking about.  Burdens that weigh the heart and find it wanting.  No one ever said that life would be easy, but God said He would never leave us alone.
John 16:33   "...In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." 
My tribulation is a certainty...His having overcome the world is also a certainty - one I can trust.  He tells me to take heart, so I will.
1 Thessalonians 4:13  But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 
Here he speaks of the grief that accompanies death, but I believe it applies to any grief you might experience. If you know the Lord, then you have hope.  This hope should cause us not to grieve as those that do not know Him.
Romans 8:38 -39  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  
Do not allow life's circumstances to dictate your behavior.  Life is just hard sometimes.  There is no way to avoid it.  How will you respond?
Romans 12:21  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 
So let us press on, weary traveler.  Let us take our rest in His word which is full of goodness and peace.
Matthew 11:28-30  "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." 

It's Tulip Time in Orange City

We will soon travel many miles to see my son Luke, his wife YuJueng, their daughter Mae, and dog Flag.  It has been almost a year since I last saw them.  That is too long.  Luke recently sent me this picture of Mae.  It is tulip festival time in Orange City, a Dutch reformed town in northwestern Iowa.  They have windmills, wooden shoes, and blonde hair.

Those tulips are real, as is the little Dutch girl, Mae.

Just wanted to share with you.  No, they do not dress like this all the time.  Just in May - cuz it's Tulip Festival time!  I am glad that we Texans don't do things like that. You know - wear hats, and boots, and carry guns.  Right.

A Little Post Africa Trip To Galveston

The water was so blue!

I am a happy girl.

Evidence of a previous traveler...or two.

Us again.  I want to capture this day and weather.

Seaweed was everywhere on the 'free' beaches.

Looks as good as the water in the Caribbean.

We had lunch at the Shrimp Hut on 39th and O avenue.  I wish the water looked like this all the time....but the truth is this is RARE.

Thank you, Lord that we could enjoy it.

Tonight I went through the Africa pix - all 600 plus and picked the best ones for viewing at church on Sunday afternoon.  I narrowed it down to a mere 181.  But I must say, this tops them all.  Tommy is feeding him from his lips.

While You Were Away...I Grew Up

Dear Tommy,
You will come home today.  I will be so happy to see you.
While you were away, I grew up.  I grew stronger.  My time with God was sweeter as I prayed for you to be effective in a strange land for His glory and kingdom.  It isn't that I don't pray for you when you are here. I do.  But then you come home every day and we have our evenings together, even if we are busy. This was different.  We have not been apart this long since you were in the Navy and that was 42 years ago.  So yes, it was different.
God put me in a situation where you were unreachable on the very day I needed you most.  He planned that.  His word says His grace is sufficient.  He promised that He is with me always. My heart and eyes were towards Him and His faithfulness and mercy made me stronger.  So often, I pass my worries and cares to you, knowing you will handle them. This time, He removed you from the equation and forced me to look only unto Him...and my faith grew. He alone sustained me.
Though I have not seen you yet, I know you will be changed by all that happened in Africa.  I am changed by what happened here, too.
2 Corinthians 4:6-10  For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 
Today I went to the funeral of a man who spent time in our home when our boys were in high school and college.  My mind was flooded with memories of of these kids who came and went through our front door like a swarm of bees looking for a hive.  Some of them were there and they hugged and greeted me.  How did we get to be this age? How did these kids become mommies and daddies?
Life is so very short.  What we do matters.  Every day matters. If we could only remember that. So, today I will pick you up at the airport and our journey will be one again.  Praising God for these days apart...but never alone. xoxoxo