Silver Lining

For a while now I've had to limit the news I watch on T.V. I used to watch the local news twice each evening until it finally dawned on me they are both same. Same song second verse. Double trouble. 

For years I've wondered why the news programs don't share good information along with the bad. After all, odds are someone has done something good worth noting that could serve to boost our hope in mankind. Besides, wouldn't logic dictate that a combination of good versus evil is that sweet and salty mix sure to draw more viewers? I always thought so, but who am I?

Well apparently I am not alone and a lot of people are craving to see the silver lining around the dark clouds of world events. NBC Nightly News has made it a habit to shine a spot light on positive things people are doing to help others amidst these troubling times. They call it "Making a Difference" and each evening, at the end of the program, they share stories of hope and compassion from all around the country. It's a perfect way to end the news.

For instance, there is the anonymous shopper who put $50 in an envelop and began passing it down the grocery line. Instructions on the envelop told the reader to either use the money if needed or pass it on down the line. Some shoppers actually added money to the kitty before passing it on. 

Then there is the cafe' in Denver, Colorado, that asks their patrons to pay for their meal if they can and if they cannot, it's on the house. This story has spurred viewers from all over the country to donate money to this establishment.

And then there's the man who loves ice skating so much he wants to share his passion with area children. He buys old used ice skates from garage sales and thrift shops, then stores them in his garage. He's collected a wide assortment of sizes and colors in order to give them to children who cannot afford to buy their own. His story has prompted viewers to donate their own used skates, many of which are in perfect condition.

Lastly, who can forget the man who donates his time and money to transporting cancer patients to their appointments and therapy. Oh, how it warms my heart to hear these stories of good people doing good things in a world where evil appears to prevail. People like you and me close as the person standing next to us in the grocery line.

I don't know about you but I need hope. Just a little goes a long way and when it comes to hearing bad news at every turn, it's imperative for me to top it off with something good, otherwise I find myself wanting to shrivel up and die. That's why when I listen to the news I pray. I pray for the victims of horrible crimes, criminals themselves, and the ripple effect these evil deeds causes. I praise God for working His good in the midst of all that is bad and strive to keep my heart and mind steadfast on the truth that He is faithful in all He says and does. He knew all these things would transpire before the foundation of the earth and He has a plan; a plan that will forever prevail. For me this is just the hope I need to carry me through these dark and trying times. I also plant His word in my heart and recite it back to Him. Here are just a few.

Strength

Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." 

Patience

Daniel 10:12 "Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia."

Perseverence

Luke 9:51 "As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem." 

Dedication

Hosea  2:16, 19-20 “In that day,” declares the LORD, “you will call me ‘my husband’; you will no longer call me ‘my master.’ 19 I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. 20 I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD."

What do you do to stay afloat? Feel free to share your favorite scripture or good deed you've seen or done lately. Like a good case of the flu it's sure to lift the hearts of others; just the kind of epidemic we need in the world today.

Want a Special Sister?

When I was a little girl the women of my church had a program called Secret Sisters where all ladies who wanted to participate would put their names in a hat and have a drawing. The name you drew was the person you'd secretly send cards or small gifts to in order to brighten their day. It was always fun to have a secret sister, but you never found who she was until everyone's identity was reveals months later at the end of the program. 

I always thought how great it would be to know the lady you were paired up with in order to better get to know her through your time together, which prompted me to start the Special Sister program in our women's Sunday school class. Ladies who want to participate fill out a Special Sister Information Sheet with information about their family, occupation, favorite foods, hobbies etc. After I receive all the sheets I pray over the stack asking the Lord to pair the women. Once paired up, I mail each lady her new sister's information sheet. From then on out the women have four months to acknowledge, encourage, and pray for the person God has place in their life. It's a wonderful way to gain a new friend and prayer warrior.

Now, I'm curious. Do you have a similar program for the ladies in your church. If so, please share. I'd love to hear about it. If you would like to know how to start a Special Sister program in your class let me know and I'll be happy to help you get started. 

Oh, that reminds me. I have to get a birthday card for my special sister, Dana. Gotta run. 

The $5 Dollar Mom

Ever find a blog you love so much that you immediately add it to your bookmark bar? Well I just stumbled upon yet another creative and helpful blog that I'm happy to share with you. 

Erin, the $5 dollar mom, has a blog dedicated to $5 dinners. She's cute as a bug's ear and her bio is not only fun but inspiring. As one who missed the blessing of being born with the culinary gene in tact, I struggle at meal time. The simpler the better and I kid you not, my favorite cookbook is "5-Ingredient Slow Cooking" by Better Homes. I bought it at the checkout stand for $3.99 and love it. I need no more than five ingredients and can assemble it in the morning when I have more energy and forget it. Come dinner time, when I'm hungry and tired, all we need to do is lift the lid and dive in. That's my idea of preparing a meal.

What I like about $5 Dinner.com is how Erin shares her love and talent for thrifty meals, all for the benefit of those like myself who might be a bit challenged in the kitchen. And even though I may not be a kitchen wizard, I am always open to allowing someone like Erin infect me with their passion. I too like a good challenge, so making a meal for $5 is icing on the cake.  

Go visit Erin and tell me what you think. Her blog page is one that will be on my computer screen much of the time. I've never been one to let go of a good tutor very easily. Perhaps she can make mealtime a little easier for you too!

Woodeewoo!

Finally. It's over and everyone has a good home and praise be to the Lord! If you recall our son's dog, Lyla, delivered nine puppies here in our home Thanksgiving morning. They were all healthy, strong, and beautiful, but oh the task of finding nine good homes. What were the odds? We found fabulous homes for six right off the bat, but three still remained. Drew took them back home with him and he worked his tail off caring for them in his tiny little apartment. Out numbered and overwhelmed at times he once told me he just couldn't take it any more. But sure as shootin' each time he felt like giving up, he'd invariably muster up more strength and perseverance, refusing to give them to anything less than the best of homes. 

This week he released the last two sleek black Labrador girls, Rosie and Toostie. They will be together in their new home on acreage near our home here in Kansas City. God is so good and I praise Him for hearing and answering my prayers. I can't tell you how many times I prayed for them, in fact, I made it a habit to hold each pup several times a day and pray for God to guide that pup to its intended home. They were all so sweet and loving. What a waste it would have been for any to not be allowed to bless a home with their companionship. 

Drew, you did a fabulous job. I admire your tenacity and courage to not take the easy way out. You took in one stray dog and wound up with ten. Mercy sakes alive. Who could have ever known. Bless your sweet heart. Many homes are blessed because of you. Ours has been especially blessed. Your father and I are proud to call you our son. You'll be a great daddy one day.

A Walk in the Park

Yesterday was such a gorgeous day we loaded up the dogs and headed off to the park. Ecclesiastes is such a frisbee lover that we knew we could allow him to run free. He never takes his eye off the his favorite toy and as long as that disc is in his sights he sticks to us like glue.

Whenever we go out with the dogs people often approach us asking to pet one or both of them. Some people are attracted to Cocoa Bean because he's a puppy, while others want Ecclesi because he is so large and beautiful. 

Today we met a woman accompanied by two young Down's Syndrome ladies. One of the girls only wanted to watch the dogs and had no desire to pet either one of them. The other gal, however, absolutely loved both. She let Cocoa drown her with kisses on several occasions and threw Ecclesi's frisbee over and over. It warmed our hearts to see Ecclesi's gentle nature as he allowed her to pet him and carefully obeyed each of her commands to sit, wait, and shake hands. (Of course she was holding his frisbee.) It was truly a blessing to watch the girls interact with our dogs and I couldn't help but thank God for enriching our lives with the beauty of His creation.

"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen..."  Romans 1:20a

Peter Piper Picked A Pepper

Seriously. Is this not the biggest bell pepper you've ever seen? The clerk at the checkout said he had to count the peppers twice because he thought there had to be more than three in the bag. Then, we laughed about them being on steroids. The only thing that beat their size was the price. 88 cents a piece. What a find.

As I stared at these red beauties I began to fancy the idea of omelets for breakfast. Just the thought of eggs, melted cheese, and these crunchy red bits with coffee and toast on the side and I was had. So, I filled the veggie bag to the brim. I couldn't even tie the top. They were too big.  

Oh and it felt a bit odd leaving the store too. Five inches of snow on the ground and I'm buying humongous peppers that look like I plucked em fresh from of the Promised Land. Peter Piper eat your heart out.

"Carried to the Table"

Music by Leeland

Song: Carried to the Table

CD: Sound of Melodies

Got Snow?

Ya! We got snow. Five inches to be exact. 

Music by Jon McLaughlin

Song: Perfect 

CD: Indiana 

Memories

I remember...

1. A time when if you’d call a person on the phone you didn’t have to ask them where they were.

2. When gas station attendants pumped your gas, washed your windshield, and gave you a piece of bubble gum for coming in.

3. The lunch ladies wheeled a water cart through the grade school giving us each a cup of water to keep us hydrated on hot school days.

4. The smell of Pink Pearl erasers permeating the air as I practiced writing my spelling words.

5. When bottled water was only for Hollywood stars. (For that matter I remember when even movie stars didn’t drink from bottles.)

6. Green stamps were given out at grocery stores and you could buy nearly anything with them. Man that was fun.

7. There were only three channels on TV and you needed rabbit ears and tin foil to see them.

8. In order to look up a word you had to grab the dictionary from the top shelf of the living room.

9. The smell of burnt toast in the morning. I love overdone toast still today. I don’t think mom’s toaster worked well.

10. The little transistor radios we three kids received for Christmas one year. They were tan, about the size of a single size cereal box, and had a round station dial we’d scroll through endlessly.

11. My white patton leather Easter shoes in 5th grade. They had a huge square buckle on the top and blocky 2” inch heels. I resembled a Pilgrim.

12. The first fast food drive thru in our area called “Shutes.” They literally shot the food to you through a vacuum system, like the banks today. There was one glitch however. It jostled your order with such force that your drink would invariably arrived with the lid popped off and your drink spilled to high heavens. Needless to say it didn’t last long. Note: people still hand us our food today.

13. Watching McDonald’s employees make French fries in the side window of the building under the big golden arches. It was our Friday night treat.

I could go on and on as I trace the cobwebs of my mind. It's fun to think back into my childhood. There are so many fond memories of things past and now I'm curious. What fun memories pass through your mind as you reminisce? Perhaps like me you will have trouble keeping the list short. But, who's counting. List away. I'd love for you to share. 

Let's "Face" It

It wasn't but one year ago I had absolutely no idea what it meant to blog. I was encouraged to dive in but hadn't a clue how deep the waters where or where it would lead. 

As an obedient and curious chap, I muddled my way along until one day blogging clicked. Today I love the OLM blog as if it were my child. I feed it regularly, clothe it in the best attire I can afford, nurture it with the word of God, and share it with everyone I know. My blog is now my comfort zone.

Then, as life would have it, along came another modern marvel someone challenged me to learn. This time it was Facebook. "Oh you just have to join. It's great networking and every one does it" she said.  Like two old fogies Jimmy and I became curious about what the whoopla was all about, so a couple of months ago we began dipping our toes in this new body of water. We filled out our profile and began fiddling with all the features. I'd poke him and he'd poke me, even though neither of us felt a thing. We started inviting a few friends and soon our friends list began to grow and grow and grow. Friends from church, friends far away, and friends from long ago. Just two days ago my best friend from high school contacted me through Facebook and once again I was utterly amazed. 

We still have lots to learn. Jimmy and I have never figured out how to effectively poke each other. If we do it has to be literal. Nonetheless, I can assure you these two boomers will master the art of Facebook if it's the last thing we do. 

 

So tell me now...are you on Facebook? If not give it a try. Fiddle with the features and poke your best bud. (If you succeed tell me how you did it.) Look up a long lost friend and catch up on what's going on in their lives. Pray for one another, join a group, and let your light shine. You have a lot to offer and others will be blessed. Dive in and enjoy!

Remembering God's Word

1st and 15th Siesta Scripture Memory Team!

Your Two Scents

Each week OLM provides a video devotion designed to help you dig deeper into God's word. After filming 32 videos on topics I have a particular passion for, I'd like to open the forum up to you!

Is there a particular topic, person, verse, or event of the Bible you would like to learn more about?  If so, I encourage you to leave a comment on this post and offer your suggestion. If by chance the topic is personal feel free to select the "anonymous" option in the comment section. The point is not who asked the question but finding answers. Remember, whatever question you may have, no matter how odd it may seem, is being asked by others. Nothing is new under the sun, that includes questions you may have.

So have at it ladies. Ask away. The floor is yours. We will prayerfully consider each and every entry and look forward to hearing what's on your mind!

Online Lessons Available Now

Hi ladies! Through the Olive Leaf Ministries I am pleased to present a new feature available to you and all your friends. Now, free of charge, you can join me as I teach class Sunday mornings, speak to mothers of preschoolers (MOPs) and all other speaking engagements the Lord sees fit to send me. Best of all you can listen at your leisure and from the comfort of your own home or office. 

Each lesson comes with a printable outline so you can follow along and take notes with the group. Isn't modern technology the cat's meow? As my mother would say, "Handier than a pocket on a shirt." 

So there you have it. No cost, no fuss, and no travel. In spirit we can meet together and dig deeper into the matchless word of God to learn more about Him. No matter how you look at it it's a mighty good deal. Join me now!

Click here to visit OLM's online lessons.

Our Struggles Are Not Necessarily Weakness

Little 8 year old Grant went home to be with the Lord last Friday, February 6th. We will be attending his funeral this Saturday, Valentine's Day. 

His parents have made it clear this day will not be a day of grief for their beloved child is with his, and our, Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Instead, this day of love will be a day of celebration. In fact we've been asked not to wear black, but rather one of Grant's favorite colors such as green (for frogs) or pink (his secret favorite color.) How cute is that! I plan to wear pink, which happens to be my fave as well, and bring along one of Dani's fuzzy stuffed green frogs. 

Please pray for this special family as we honor this young life that touched so many of our own. Little Grant may have lost the battle with this unknown muscle disease, but he won the war over sin and death thanks to Christ and His work on the cross.

"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, 

yet forfeit his soul?" Mark 8:36

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, 

for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Mark 10:14b

A Healthy Heart

Come Tour Kansas City!

The weather is gorgeous in Kansas City so I'm gonna take you on a tour of the town. Put on your walking shoes, grab your dog if you have one, and let's head on out. There is plenty of room and Jimmy and I'll pay for the gas.

(Click on pictures to enlarge.)

Nelson-Atkins Museum

Ecclesiastes and Cocoa Bean 

enjoyed the tour too.

Museum front lawn.

It's vast and beautiful.

Nancy with a "birdie" on her shoulder.

Liberty Memorial

View of Union Station from the Liberty Memorial

Continue tour below...

Come Tour Kansas City! (cont.)

Country Club Plaza

A great place to eat and shop.

Water way along the Plaza

We had a great day out and I'm glad you could tag along. Hope you are enjoying nice weather in your town as spring of 2009 taps at the door.

Have a great weekend. See you Monday.

A Good Night's Sleep

Just got up and realized it was 6:37 am and Cocoa Bean has slept all night long. He still refuses to stay in his crate at night, but he's doing great in bed with us, so we'll take what we can get. I think we are making progress.

Mercy Not Sacrifice

Welcome ladies and happy Monday! Today I felt like offering a written devotion as opposed to one on video, a video sabbatical of sorts. Since God’s word never goes out and comes back void, it doesn’t matter how it is presented.

The Holy Scripture never ceases to amaze me. The tiniest most obscure passage or word can prompt a divine revelation and Hosea 6:6 is one such passage,

“For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, 

and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.”

These words pack a powerful punch to my heart, because it aches with great grief right now. Grief over lost independence that all parents expect when their children grow up. Since Dani’s Autism has made it so Jimmy and I will be her caregivers for the rest of our lives, the reality of never gaining my freedom later in life weighs heavy on my soul. As of late, for some reason, my heart has been groaning more than usual.

This passage in Hosea, however, does well to set my sails in the right direction and I meditate on it day and night. It reveals the deep things of God by telling us He prefers, or is drawn toward, a heart that is full of kindness for others and love for Him. Far more than any amount of hard work we could ever do in His name, He would rather we show our love for Him by being merciful toward others. This convicts me beyond measure as it exposes the sin within my heart that desires to work for Him more than show mercy. Fretting and brewing over how much I could do for Christ if only I didn’t bear this heavy burden, I place work for God above mercy. It’s a subtle trap many of us fall in to. Just ask King Saul who knows from first-hand experience.

“But I did obey the LORD,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal.” 22 But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:20-22

Ladies, our primary responsibilities in life are to fear God, keep His commands, and show mercy. We must never put work for God above Him and His command, even though work may appear to be the more valuable option. Mercy is vital because without it we become critical, impatient, selfish, and judgmental, all the things that lead us away from the heart of God. May we heed the words of the prophet and choose mercy over sacrifice for it is in essence the only true offering God desires.