Our Unplanned Friday, June 3, 2011

Our Unplanned Friday

Dear Ones, thought I’d take few minutes this afternoon and share with you some of the in creditable things that God has done recently in Sherry’s life. As most of you know Sherry was adopted as a baby and after 911 she made an effort to discover her birth mother and possibly any siblings she may have. Her results were bitter sweet, but mostly sweet. Her birth mother had passed away in 1991, but in this search she discovered her birth mother’s obituary which revealed one half sister and two half brothers. I was delighted when she immediately phoned me and shared this good news. This was a subject we had discussed often in our growing-up years. I was almost as excited as she was to get in contact with these three siblings she had always longed to find.

Since that discovery, almost 10 years ago, she and her sister, Janis, have stayed in touch and have had several visits through the years. Also, in touch with both brothers, Buddy and Mike. She always told me that since I didn’t have any brothers or sisters, that if she ever found that she did, she’d share them with me. She’s my true friend, because that’s exactly what she has done. What a blessing for me. She is still praising God for emails and internet to help make her search successful.

Last Friday, June 3rd, Sherry enjoyed the company of her entire family as they gathered together for the very first time. We can’t even refer to this gathering as a “Reunion”, but maybe it is better referred to as a “Union”. That bond between these four beautiful children was finally accomplished. I was so very privileged to witness this blessed gathering. One thing that was most clear was this was a “God Thing”, not of our making, but of His will as the pieces for this special day began to fall together Thursday afternoon and then see the reality on Friday afternoon. My eyes fill with tears right now as I reflect on watching these four try to take in all that they were feeling as they were finally together.

Those present were Buddy (69), Janis (66), Mike (64) and Sherry (63); others present were Zora (Buddy’s wife), Lilly (Mike’s wife), Richard (Sherry’s husband), Jennifer & Justin (Mike & Lilly’s oldest daughter and her husband), Chandra & Coy (Sherry’s daughter and her boyfriend) and me. We all loved seeing Chandra and Jennifer discover they were cousins.

Sherry continues to hang tough, although her jaw pain is what seems to be most uncomfortable for her. Hospice plans to help her arrange for that area to be radiated in hopes it will shrink the tumor and lessen her pain. As she explains, she will go off hospice just while she undergoes these radiation treatments and then go back to the hospice care.

Just go to Picasa.com and download the file to establish a Picasa account to view these pictures if you don’t have one. You can view these pictures or download the entire file or only the ones you want to save. Thanks to all of you that have reached out to Sherry. You have encouraged her beyond measure.

I’ll keep all of you posted on how the radiation goes. Please continue to lift her up in your prayers. I love how God chooses to answer, last Friday was good example!

"A Glimpse of Heaven"

Did you know you can get a glimpse of Heaven while still here on Earth? Well, I did Sunday night! Let me tell you how it happened.

Sunday night I was privileged to attend what was termed a “Preach Fest” at our church. Each preacher was allowed 10 minutes to bring a message. These men were told to bring their best – and so they did! It was exciting as that hour was molded truly by God himself. There were preachers of a different race, but all of the same Spirit. Now I ask you, “How Cool Is That?” There were soft spoken preachers and loud preachers and one or two in between. Yes Sir, there was a lot of Amen-ing going on. Praise the Lord for such Unity of the Body. It would be hard to stay quiet in a setting such as this! One preacher even brought his own choir. It was mostly a black choir with lots of excitement. Right in the middle of his message the music director with this choir began to play the keyboard and that seemed to really pump this preacher up to preach harder. It was quiet an experience!

It was clear the message that God was wanting us to see, hear and experience – was Heaven is Real and it will be inhabited by many “Christians” from various ways of worshipping. I just say “wow”, bring it on God. Let me love my brothers and sisters in the Lord in ways that make You smile. I know Father God that you were smiling that night as you looked down on our little gathering and You saw with Your eyes the sweetness and love flowing up to You. You are Lord of lords. You fill us with Your Grace that we can worship You and You alone in Truth & Thanksgiving. Several times I heard it preached that night that only what we do for Your Son, Jesus will matter. Thank you Father for such an opportunity as that night when we were shown just a little glimpse of Heaven and what eternity with You will be like.

In Your Precious Son, Jesus I thank You over and over again.

The Missing Wedding Ring

“Oh No, Honey, have you seen my wedding band?” Those were the words I heard last night just as we were getting ready for bed. I remembered it being on the end table along with his other ring Sunday afternoon. The gold makes his finger itch when our allergies are raging, so he had removed both rings and left them on the end table.

Monday arrived and so did the grandchildren. Can you imagine how fascinating little 3 & 7 yr. old girls find jewelry to be? Well, I do and as we searched before retiring, I knew in my heart that it had become an object of play and perhaps had been tucked away somewhere else in the house. Our searching continued this morning, but to no avail. We were both thinking that surely it would show up, but when we had both exhausted all the typical places it may have been placed, I began to think, well it’s really lost this time, but I’ll ask God for some help if it could be found.

As I settled down this afternoon with a good book, our phone rang and it was our precious daughter-in-law asking if Papa’s ring was misplaced. God is good! She had surprisingly found Papa’s ring in the 3-yr olds little purse. The purse had been carried home and casually tossed on her bed. Then as mom was making her bed the purse fell between the bed and wall. As she removed it from its hiding place and tossed it to the floor to finish making the bed, the ring popped out onto the floor. Oh My, whose ring is this she asked, as the 3-yr old replied. “It’s Daddy’s”. No Honey, it’s not Daddy’s, I think it might belong to Papa. Tonight when we met and I retrieved the ring, that sweet little face, with those great big eyes looked at me in the most sincere way and said. “Grandma, I’m sorry”. All is well in our household once again, thanks to God and His way of helping us in our dilemmas. We serve an awesome God that takes away confusion and restores order in our lives.

I praise God for all He does for me daily. Like the song says, “Without Him I Would be Nothing”!

Sometimes Serving God is Tough

I am one of those folks that want to always think the best of someone whenever possible, so why is this happening to me? Since becoming a Christian, I’ve always been taught that if we have talents we should use them to glorify the Lord. We should not hide them under a bushel; we should let our light shine and also our talents. If we let our light shine and use our talents in a way to glorify the Master it will be another way we can serve Him, our Lord and Savior.

For Vacation Bible School (VBS) this year I offered to shoot some video clips, edit, and deliver to our church staff in final form on a DVD so that it might be a better record of what our program was like for 2010 with the hope that it would be used to show our fellowship of how God used His resources to reach His little children in our area. I asked ahead of time of my pastor and music director to make sure I would not be stepping on someone else’s area of responsibility during VBS. All was agreeable. I had great joy in shooting the actual footage along with a few stills that were incorporated into the final effort. I had learned that Thursday night would be “Parents Night” and I was excited about all that I had been able to accomplish by long hours at my computer on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. My pastor took the time Thursday morning to view the DVD I had handed him. I was delighted when he made a special effort to thank me in the most sincere terms and praised me for my talents and efforts. My heart began to sing and as I thought of the computer glitches I had experienced the night before trying to get a copy burned. It was God and prayer that got me through. I praise God for His help and I still do.

I looked forward to Thursday night with great anticipation of how my efforts in the DVD would be perceived and prayed that those watching would feel the same as my sweet pastor and would find it to be a blessing. Thursday night arrived and the moment came when suddenly I realize that it was not my video that was about to be shown, but instead it would be just a power-point CD with a few pictures hastily collected, under exposed and out of focus showing a few of the preceding days at VBS that would be used. A young mother in our church had taken these pictures and declared herself to me on the first day as the “Expert”. She had informed me that she was a graphics designer and that it was her job as photographer and if anything was shown on Sunday, it would be her pictures that would be used and that my DVD might be used on Thursday evening. I was okay with that, I was not trying to take her “job” or be in any competition, I just wanted to share my talents of video since no one had offered or was doing that for our church. Now it was becoming clear, it would be her pictures that were being used both on Thursday evening and both worship services on Sunday. She had been exactly right and my efforts had been dismissed.

I have learned an invaluable lesson this week. Even though I had asked ahead of time, to avoid anyone’s feelings from being hurt and not to trample on someone else’s perceived importance, Satan is alive and well. And even though it was my pastor that was so pleased with my efforts, he did not make the final decision as to which CD or DVD would be used during parent’s night or our worship services. I would be untruthful if I told you I was not hurt, because I was hurt and sad and heart-sick. As I search for answers as to what it is that God is teaching me through this experience, I find I must be still and wait for His still small voice to speak to me. I ask why – why did she speak to me in a way to “steal my joy”? Why be hurtful, why break my spirit of just only wanting to serve? Oh Lord, forgive me should I have ever caused a brother or sister to stumble. Forgive me Lord for the times I may have flaunted my youth and made an older brother or sister feel less than they really were, when they were only aching to serve You. Maybe that is what You are teaching me after so long a time. May I look deep inside for my shortcomings and may I always look up to You for answers and understanding.

By the way, the video I made was shown in the nursery area on a flat screen T.V. The children’s director, whom I didn’t even know when VBS started, has told me many times over during the past few days how much she loved the DVD and is asking for additional copies. Again, thank you Lord for reminding me all things happens by Your hand and in Your time! Amen.

Sunshine in My Heart

It may be a cloudy dreary day outside, but I’m having a great sunshiny day in my heart! I’ve just returned home from the last session of a Women’s Bible study I’ve been attending at 2nd Baptist that was lead by Pam Thompson on “Free to be a Godly Wife”. Thanks Sharyn for inviting me to attend the sessions. Pam has a way of ministering to women of all ages, but these last few classes were so richly filled with His truths for those of us that have been married a while. So many gems she shared that gave me deeper insight and understanding of things that I could do better in my own married. I can hardly wait until the Fall when Pam will be teaching again on Wednesday mornings. If you live in the Katy area, please join me this Fall when it starts again (9:45 am) at 2nd Baptist!

"Boating Day"

For those of you that don’t know, today is “Boating Day”! At least that’s what our 3 year old granddaughter thought we were saying as we buckled her in her car seat and headed to our local precinct to “VOTE”. I can certainly see how she thought we were headed out for a beautiful day of boating, since that’s what she understood we were saying. She soon realized that “boating” must mean something else.

She stayed Velcro’d to me as we entered the nearby Jr. High School to cast our votes in the Primary. She was polite and smiled at the polling officials as they checked in Grandpa and me to receive our instructions as to our next station and be directed to our assigned booth to cast our ballots. I was glad she was being so nice and quiet since this whole atmosphere of voting (“boating”) was a new experience for her. The polling officials tried to engage her in conversation and give her a stamp on her hand, but refused politely (she was having none of that).

She held my hand softly as I read the names and made my choices. The ballot was long and it took a little longer than usual to make it through 5 pages of names. She let go of my hand but stayed close-by. I was thinking as we left the precinct, how good it was to expose a little one so young to our right as citizens of these precious United States of America what it means to vote and elect those people that we most trust and feel in our hearts will run our government in accordance with God’s will. If we don’t vote and protect our right as a Citizen of these United States of America we have plenty of examples on the news each evening of countries that have surrendered those rights, or have never fought to gain them. Something to think about, then PRAY about.

My "Love Necklace"

Have you ever received a “Love Necklace”? I did today and I want to share my thoughts. Birthdays come and go each year, but this one seems beyond ordinary, not taken for granted, not just another day, but one that my best friend wanted, with all the love and caring she could manage, to be a birthday I would remember. You see we have been life-long friends, since she was 7 and me, 8. That in itself is a treasure that few ever experience. This year our times together have taken on a deeper meaning than ever before, because she is battling cancer.

We both grew up as only children. Had we had sisters and brothers, I’m sure our love for one another would not have grown the way it has through too many years to count. We didn’t have siblings in the growing up years, only each other. So you see, we’ve always considered ourselves as sisters. God blessed us both early on with a deep love and care for one another so that as we grew, we would know what sisterly love was like. We didn’t have to have natural sisters explain their relationship with one another, we knew and understood from the beginning.

We met for lunch today at a local restaurant where she greeted me with her contagious smile and cheerful spirit! All the while, she is right in the middle of her third round of chemo treatments. There she was today looking terrific, smiling, head held high, holding a present for me along with probably the most beautiful card I have ever read pinned in her own hand writing with sentiments reflecting her heart and her love for me. Yes, it made me cry as I read; so many thoughts rushed through my head. I was well aware of the important moments we were about to share. Inside the little bag she carried was my “love necklace” that she had made with her own two hands (absolutely gorgeous). I know the pain and suffering she endures on a daily basis and to think that she had done this for me made my heart smile as my eyes once again filled with tears. Now I tell you, that is true sisterly love.

I have never been close to anyone that has ever been this sick, but at the same time I can’t help but rejoice each time we are together because I see such a change in her. The change I see is a heart change. We talk of our Lord and Savior openly and freely. She is encouraged and understands that it is her Faith in our Lord Jesus that gives her the strength to fight; and by Him and Him alone, she takes her next breath. We are both praising God for what He is doing in her life and the testimony He has given her to share with others. We don’t know what lies ahead and if her life will be spared a little longer. That is certainly something none of us will ever know; but what we do know, is that we will be sisters in the Lord forever and we will sing those songs as we did as children in the backseats of our parents cars. We will sing songs together praising God as He gently holds us in His loving arms forever and forever. Until then, I will wear my “love necklace” and may it serve as a reminder to me to tell the story of how God changes lives, starting with my best friend.