Old Pictures - New Memories

Kaitlyn

Morgan, Courtney and Zach

Dennis and Cody

Lamar, Marla and Me at Lamar and Crystal's wedding

Do you ever wonder? What's the point of all these pictures? This afternoon Brenda retrieved a box of old photos from storage to begin the arduous task of sorting what must be thousands of pictures and placing them in albums. For anyone just starting out...trust me when I tell you that now would be a good time to place photos in an album, digital or otherwise. Better than waiting till you have boxes and boxes. Lots of fun spending the afternoon laughing and recalling with fond memories the people we've met and how we and our families have changed in the past 20 years. Without these pictures we would be left to what our memories can recall but with them we have many otherwise forgotten details. So if you're tempted, don't stop taking pictures. There are no regrets of having too many, just in not having enough.

Mourning - Private or Public?

I just returned from an Amish funeral and have some thoughts that I'm processing...my siblings and I have had an ongoing conversation about what will transpire when our parents pass on. In the Amish tradition, after the sermon(s) at the funeral there is one final viewing of the deceased but as everyone files past the coffin, they proceed back to their seats instead of exiting. I have always told my siblings that when the time comes we will ask for privacy in the final moments with our parents instead of doing so publicly. Now as I observed my closest friend saying his final farewell to his Dad, I had to wonder if there isn't some real value in mourning in community. Privacy would seem much more comfortable; less of a spectacle but perhaps for those of us in the audience, there is some sense of raw emotional compassion that is evoked in these times of grief that draws us closer into community with the grieving. The reverse may be true for those mourning the loss of their loved one as well. I don't know, maybe it doesn't really matter one way or the other...I thought my mind was made up about this topic, now I'm not so sure...any thoughts from those with experience?

BEER AND MAYO

Found this story on my laptop...stored there for the next time I needed to be reminded...maybe you need the reminder too ~

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 beers.  A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.  When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.  He then asked the students if the jar was full.    They agreed that it was.  The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.  The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.  He then asked the students again if the jar was full.  They agreed it was.  The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.  Of course, the sand filled up everything else.   He asked once more if the jar was full.   The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'  The professor then produced two beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.  The students laughed.  'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.  The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.  The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.. The sand is everything else---the small stuff.  'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.  The same goes for life.  If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.  Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.  Spend time with your children.   Spend time with your parents.   Visit with grandparents.  Take time to get medical checkups.  Take your spouse out to dinner.  Play another 18..  There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.  Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter.  Set your priorities.  The rest is just sand.   One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented.    The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.'  The beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers with a friend. 

LIFE ISN'T ABOUT WAITING FOR THE STORM TO PASS... ...IT'S LEARNING HOW TO DANCE IN THE RAIN 

a walk in the park

On a recent Sunday morning when the wind was particularly cold and blustery and the recent friendliness of warm Indian summer sunshine had been replaced by a strong north wind that forced my hands deeper into my much too thin fall jacket; I walked with a cluttered mind down a gravel path at a local park. As I walked my mind and heart began clearing up a bit and I remembered that when my life in Christ was brand new and I was really a fish out of my water, I would find solace and reassurance and the Holy Spirit would find me...where I was walking this Sunday morning. And now this morning, as I started connecting with my surroundings, my eye found some of the most incredible visuals and I had a sense that I was to see beyond myself and my own "stuff" and see the trees despite the forest and so I tried and I think I did, I am...

Now as I'm posting this it seems that the life and death photo is a scene that has been oft repeated in my life. Something (effort, dream...) comes to fruition but then it dies or dramatically changes...it all seems dead...or perhaps it's when my "self" dies...then, upon closer inspection...there is life, there is green among the browns and life more abundantly than I first assumed.

Confidence

I woke up early this morning, tried to go back to sleep but couldn't...so despite my grogginess, I began to think and hear and as often happens in the early morning, I seemed to hear God softly speaking to me...words of encouragement for you. He doesn't intend for you to be anxious about your future...we live in a frail, battered world where accidents happen and people get hurt...where what appears to be a left turn actually straightens our course...be confident in knowing that despite our best efforts sometimes it's not enough. But Jesus is. Enough. I'm asking Him to continue to guide your incredibly bright future...follow where He leads you.

Laura

Just got word that one of my most favorite people ever is now in the presence of Jesus. Laura Garber was probably one of the most "saintly" people that I have ever known. Her kindness and ability to encourage were unmatched. But this morning her desire to be with her Savior has been fulfilled. Thank you, Laura for your encouraging words, your faithful example of Godliness and for loving and living well.

Clarity

What is it about the mystery of God's presence that keeps me asking for more? Why does the unexplained happen and then remain unexplained? Is my heart open? Are my eyes seeing? Do you believe that the Spirit of God manifests himself physically? What if someone walked up to you and during your conversation, her hand began to shake uncontrollably and the Holy Spirit began to minister to you as she laid that hand on your chest as she prays over you? What would that mean to you or how would you react? Would you chalk it up to "weird" experience? I was tempted to but couldn't. I guess what I did was accept the experience as confirmation that recent decisions were indeed taking me in the right direction and that for sure, as the song by Geoff Moore so beautifully says, Jesus knows my name and he knows my every thought.

And then in one of my previous posts I mentioned a retreat that I was going on...now "post retreat" I have reflected many times on the experience of being with a group of men that I really didn't know and how the Spirit of God, I believe, used these men to minister to me at a time when uncertainty and questioning seemed to plague me. For the record, I am not accustomed to being in settings where prophetic words are spoken with such clarity and additionally, I can be a healthy/unhealthy skeptic...there were a number of things spoken over me but as I recall them, the one that most deeply affected me were the words "Father wants you to know He is well pleased with you". They were just a few words but these words were like a healing balm washing over me. I chose to accept those words and realized afresh that Jesus loves me (this I know?) Yes, I know again.

As I've recounted this experience, I've argued with myself and on one hand I want to say that my faith is rather simple...that I'm relying on an emotional response and on the other hand, I would say that Jesus said unless our faith is like that of a child we will not enter the kingdom of heaven. I know this doesn't undermine the importance of discernment and wisdom, (which is where I am most comfortable), but there seems to be a time for embracing my faith with the simplicity of a child and saying yes to the supernatural acts of God; saying yes to allowing Jesus to fill every nook and cranny of my being. Today, I'm saying yes more frequently and with greater urgency.