www.stainedglasspickup.com
“Be nice to your sister.” In the home of my youth, my mom spoke that command. Or she would say, “Be nice to your brother.” Niceties also belong in social etiquette.
A few days ago, the summer heat neared 100 degrees, and my car battery refused to start the engine. In a very crowded shopping strip with cars jammed together like sliced bread, I phoned two males in my family for advice.
Both out of town, one advised bumping the battery cables in case they were loose. The other advised calling a wrecker. Battery CPR did no good. I phoned a wrecker.
The sun beat down. Sweat beaded. With the car hood popped open, I avoided eye contact. I didn’t want anyone to think they had to stop and help in that heat. High humidity moistened my clothes but not my throat.
I waited in store-awning shade and watched shoppers jockeying for close-to-the-store parking spaces. My car was only three spaces from the sidewalk. Heat waves shimmered above the pavement. The car next to mine backed out, so I ran and stood in the vacant spot so the wrecker could conveniently pull alongside and use jumper cables.
But he was another six minutes arriving. Thirst mounted. More sweat dribbled. Where is the ozone layer when you need it? I hoisted my black umbrella over my head and politely turned away shoppers who tried to swing into the close-to-the store-vacant spot. Actually these were cousins. I read that all humans are kin by no more than a 50th cousin relationship.
At least 20 cousins drove by looking for that illusive close-parking. Nineteen were polite, courteous, and conversational, even asking if help was on the way. Thank you to all those 30th and 40th considerate cousins.
Then the exception to the rule rolled up. One person forgot her manners, pounded on her steering wheel, shook her head and fist and mouthed angry words from behind her rolled up windows in her air conditioned car.
Those 19 people who gave warm smiles equaled 19 cups of cold water to me. James, a follower of Jesus, wrote “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right” (2:8).
When any of us come upon someone experiencing trouble, we can add insult to injury or we can alleviate suffering. A smile, a kind word, or the loan of a cell phone may be all needed. Or we can choose to invest more.
We’re one big family. God narrows the family relations down to brothers and sisters when he calls us children. If someone needs help this steamy summer, remember, “Be nice to your sister.”
You may contact Cathy at www.stainedglasspickup.com
Friday, June 30, 2006
Friday, June 16, 2006
Heroes Memorial Garden
www.stainedglasspickup.com
The man-made waterfall spilled over the mountain’s edge and seemed to disappear into the Pacific Ocean. On a recent visit to Pepperdine University, Malibu, California, I spent a quiet half hour atop the highest point of the campus in the Heroes Memorial Garden, dedicated to the memory of freedom’s heroes and Thomas E. Burnett Jr., an alumnus of Pepperdine, who died on September 11, 2001 aboard United Flight 93.
The day my sister Sherry and I visited the memorial, the sun warmed the air to a perfect 68 degrees. Waist-high rock walls separate the garden into airy rooms, and a hilltop breeze rustled the branches of exotic plants. Placed throughout the garden are large inscribed rocks with quotes from past and present heroes. Their words ushered our thoughts.
On September 11, Thomas Burnett phoned his wife Deena four times within 30 minutes. During that half hour, the airline passengers suffered the grim realization that the hijackers on Flight 93 were on a suicide mission to attack national targets in the United States. In his third phone call to Deena, he said, “We have to do something. I’m putting a plan together.”
In the fourth and final phone call, Thomas Burnett said, “We’re waiting until we’re over a rural area. We’re going to take back the airplane.” Deena, a former Delta Airline flight attendant, responded in the exact words taught in training. “No! Sit down, be still, be quiet, and don’t draw attention to yourself!”
Her husband replied. “We can’t wait for the authorities. We can do it.” Accepting his decision, Deena asked what she could do; he said, “Pray, Deena, pray.”
Her final words to him were, “I love you.”
His final words to her: “Don’t worry. We’re going to do something.”
In speeches, Deena Burnett says about her beloved, “I want you to know, while he will be remembered as a hero, he was much more than that. He was a man of heartfelt compassion, deep convictions, love, and had a keen sense of right and wrong, and he believed that morals and values were not debatable. To have died with such honor and valor is befitting of my husband.”
She also says, “He was a loving husband and father who adored his three young girls. He worked hard, was respected by his colleagues, and, on a daily basis, practiced quiet acts of integrity, honesty, respect, and kindness toward those with whom he came in contact.
She goes on to encourage audiences to honor the heroes of Flight 93 by living each day true to their convictions. The following words from Deena Burnett are etched in stone in the Heroes Memorial Garden: Remember that heroes can give their lives all at one time, or they can give a little each day.
On this weekend of honoring fathers, I salute all the everyday heroes: the dad in Africa who carries his child out of a war torn region to a refugee camp; the corporate-working dad, who remains devoted to his wife and children; the dad who is now known as Grandpa; the dad who has made mistakes but seeks another opportunity with his wife and kids.
Etched in stone on the path leading out of the Heroes Memorial Garden are these words: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”
Dads who are heads of state, and dads who collect household garbage, you have our admiration. You are everyday heroes. You carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, and it does not go unnoticed.
You may contact Cathy at www.stainedglasspickup.com
To read more about Thomas E. Burnett Jr. Family Foundation visit http://www.tomburnettfoundation.org/
The man-made waterfall spilled over the mountain’s edge and seemed to disappear into the Pacific Ocean. On a recent visit to Pepperdine University, Malibu, California, I spent a quiet half hour atop the highest point of the campus in the Heroes Memorial Garden, dedicated to the memory of freedom’s heroes and Thomas E. Burnett Jr., an alumnus of Pepperdine, who died on September 11, 2001 aboard United Flight 93.
The day my sister Sherry and I visited the memorial, the sun warmed the air to a perfect 68 degrees. Waist-high rock walls separate the garden into airy rooms, and a hilltop breeze rustled the branches of exotic plants. Placed throughout the garden are large inscribed rocks with quotes from past and present heroes. Their words ushered our thoughts.
On September 11, Thomas Burnett phoned his wife Deena four times within 30 minutes. During that half hour, the airline passengers suffered the grim realization that the hijackers on Flight 93 were on a suicide mission to attack national targets in the United States. In his third phone call to Deena, he said, “We have to do something. I’m putting a plan together.”
In the fourth and final phone call, Thomas Burnett said, “We’re waiting until we’re over a rural area. We’re going to take back the airplane.” Deena, a former Delta Airline flight attendant, responded in the exact words taught in training. “No! Sit down, be still, be quiet, and don’t draw attention to yourself!”
Her husband replied. “We can’t wait for the authorities. We can do it.” Accepting his decision, Deena asked what she could do; he said, “Pray, Deena, pray.”
Her final words to him were, “I love you.”
His final words to her: “Don’t worry. We’re going to do something.”
In speeches, Deena Burnett says about her beloved, “I want you to know, while he will be remembered as a hero, he was much more than that. He was a man of heartfelt compassion, deep convictions, love, and had a keen sense of right and wrong, and he believed that morals and values were not debatable. To have died with such honor and valor is befitting of my husband.”
She also says, “He was a loving husband and father who adored his three young girls. He worked hard, was respected by his colleagues, and, on a daily basis, practiced quiet acts of integrity, honesty, respect, and kindness toward those with whom he came in contact.
She goes on to encourage audiences to honor the heroes of Flight 93 by living each day true to their convictions. The following words from Deena Burnett are etched in stone in the Heroes Memorial Garden: Remember that heroes can give their lives all at one time, or they can give a little each day.
On this weekend of honoring fathers, I salute all the everyday heroes: the dad in Africa who carries his child out of a war torn region to a refugee camp; the corporate-working dad, who remains devoted to his wife and children; the dad who is now known as Grandpa; the dad who has made mistakes but seeks another opportunity with his wife and kids.
Etched in stone on the path leading out of the Heroes Memorial Garden are these words: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”
Dads who are heads of state, and dads who collect household garbage, you have our admiration. You are everyday heroes. You carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, and it does not go unnoticed.
You may contact Cathy at www.stainedglasspickup.com
To read more about Thomas E. Burnett Jr. Family Foundation visit http://www.tomburnettfoundation.org/
Friday, June 09, 2006
Plunging into Possibilities
Order Cathy Messecar’s The Stained Glass Pickup, Glimpses of God’s Uncommon Wisdom at www.stainedglasspickup.com -- a hard back gift book, $10.99 or order by mail at P. O. Box 232, Montgomery, TX 77356
(S & H 3.00 -- Texans add .69 per book). Email orders to writecat@consolidated.net. Outside United States order from http://www.leafwoodpublishers.com/ or at www.amazon.com
What others are saying:
"Cathy Messecar finds temples wherever she goes: in a chapel on a
university campus, at her children's bedsides, in a church full of
rustling Bible pages... or on a bale of hay, in the cab of an
eighteen-wheeler, in the aisle of a grocery store. Like a long-ago
Teacher walking the dusty roads of Galilee, she can spot the outlines
of the sublime camouflaged by the ordinary. Her images will touch your
imagination; her words will touch your heart; her visions of eternity
will touch your soul." ---Thom Lemmons, co-winner of the 2006 Christy award for Christian fiction King’s Ransom
PLUNGING INTO POSSIBILITIES
Bread and water set off thoughts about faith. In The Message by Eugene Peterson, two phrases helped deepen my understanding and belief. First, in chapter 16, Jesus told his disciples to be careful of the “yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
The disciples witnessed Jesus supplying bread to thousands, but when Jesus mentioned yeast they thought he was reprimanding them for forgetting to buy bread. In the KJV and NIV, Jesus tagged their belief as “little faith.” Even though they witnessed bread miracles they were still bread-worriers. Peterson’s term for them is “runt believers.”
The second phrase is about Peter’s faith. He alone tried to walk on the water to Jesus, welterweight-faith but only Peter and Jesus did it. When he faltered and was up to his ankles in lake water, Jesus reached out his hand saying, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Peterson’s language says, “Faint-heart, what got into you?”
Is that the gentlest question you ever read? Jesus wasn’t angry about runt-faith. In both instances, he simply wanted his disciples to think into the realm of God’s possibilities.
God's plan for the church soars above our faint-hearts, above our imaginations, steering us to unimagined opportunities. Learning to pray beyond the sights we see and plunge into the possibilities of God's foresight is a faith journey.
In my past study of these scriptures, I made the mistake of spotlighting the “little faith,” the “runt believers,” the “faint-hearts.” The main character is the Savior supplying bread, standing on the water, giving lessons, fanning embers of faith, blowing on the coals of trust.
Jesus constantly taught and interpreted God to the disciples and by the end of their lives they had forest-fire faith. The message about the Christ was heard around the world because of their teaching.
How much do we want the world to hear about Jesus? Do we long for our friends, relatives or neighbors to see Jesus interpreted through our lives?
Whatever level of faith, God has granted you — dare to dream big. Pray big prayers and expect over-the-top results. God can do great things through folks who step out of the boat.
Plunge into his possibilities because even a faint-heart walked on water.
You may contact Cathy at www.stainedglasspickup.com
(S & H 3.00 -- Texans add .69 per book). Email orders to writecat@consolidated.net. Outside United States order from http://www.leafwoodpublishers.com/ or at www.amazon.com
What others are saying:
"Cathy Messecar finds temples wherever she goes: in a chapel on a
university campus, at her children's bedsides, in a church full of
rustling Bible pages... or on a bale of hay, in the cab of an
eighteen-wheeler, in the aisle of a grocery store. Like a long-ago
Teacher walking the dusty roads of Galilee, she can spot the outlines
of the sublime camouflaged by the ordinary. Her images will touch your
imagination; her words will touch your heart; her visions of eternity
will touch your soul." ---Thom Lemmons, co-winner of the 2006 Christy award for Christian fiction King’s Ransom
PLUNGING INTO POSSIBILITIES
Bread and water set off thoughts about faith. In The Message by Eugene Peterson, two phrases helped deepen my understanding and belief. First, in chapter 16, Jesus told his disciples to be careful of the “yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
The disciples witnessed Jesus supplying bread to thousands, but when Jesus mentioned yeast they thought he was reprimanding them for forgetting to buy bread. In the KJV and NIV, Jesus tagged their belief as “little faith.” Even though they witnessed bread miracles they were still bread-worriers. Peterson’s term for them is “runt believers.”
The second phrase is about Peter’s faith. He alone tried to walk on the water to Jesus, welterweight-faith but only Peter and Jesus did it. When he faltered and was up to his ankles in lake water, Jesus reached out his hand saying, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Peterson’s language says, “Faint-heart, what got into you?”
Is that the gentlest question you ever read? Jesus wasn’t angry about runt-faith. In both instances, he simply wanted his disciples to think into the realm of God’s possibilities.
God's plan for the church soars above our faint-hearts, above our imaginations, steering us to unimagined opportunities. Learning to pray beyond the sights we see and plunge into the possibilities of God's foresight is a faith journey.
In my past study of these scriptures, I made the mistake of spotlighting the “little faith,” the “runt believers,” the “faint-hearts.” The main character is the Savior supplying bread, standing on the water, giving lessons, fanning embers of faith, blowing on the coals of trust.
Jesus constantly taught and interpreted God to the disciples and by the end of their lives they had forest-fire faith. The message about the Christ was heard around the world because of their teaching.
How much do we want the world to hear about Jesus? Do we long for our friends, relatives or neighbors to see Jesus interpreted through our lives?
Whatever level of faith, God has granted you — dare to dream big. Pray big prayers and expect over-the-top results. God can do great things through folks who step out of the boat.
Plunge into his possibilities because even a faint-heart walked on water.
You may contact Cathy at www.stainedglasspickup.com
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Found 84 cents
I found 84 cents yesterday. In the daylight when I got out at the night deposit, because the funds I was depositing didn't immediately need posting, I saw change. Lots of dimes, nickels and pennies around and under my front driver-side tire.
Plenty of people were in line at the drive-up tellers. I didn't care that they were watching. I tell you, I was on my hands and knees scooping up those coins like a penniless pack rat. I even backed my car up a bit, so those few rubber bound coins under the tire could be retrieved.
Who loses that much change unless it's on purpose. Tacky little coins, heavy metal, weighing down the big bucks in our pockets. Just toss them away. Or maybe someone accidentally spilled their coin purse and didn't take the time to pick them up because they were in a trot, an unstoppable hurry.
In our culture, we often trade money for time. The benefactors: McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Dry Cleaner/Laundry? Can you think of other money exchanges you make, shoving that debit card into unfamiliar hands so you can gain time?
Are you the type who picks up a penny, or do you leave it for the next person (with good knees that don't crack and pop when they bend that low)?
Sometimes you have to stoop down for blessings.
Plenty of people were in line at the drive-up tellers. I didn't care that they were watching. I tell you, I was on my hands and knees scooping up those coins like a penniless pack rat. I even backed my car up a bit, so those few rubber bound coins under the tire could be retrieved.
Who loses that much change unless it's on purpose. Tacky little coins, heavy metal, weighing down the big bucks in our pockets. Just toss them away. Or maybe someone accidentally spilled their coin purse and didn't take the time to pick them up because they were in a trot, an unstoppable hurry.
In our culture, we often trade money for time. The benefactors: McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Dry Cleaner/Laundry? Can you think of other money exchanges you make, shoving that debit card into unfamiliar hands so you can gain time?
Are you the type who picks up a penny, or do you leave it for the next person (with good knees that don't crack and pop when they bend that low)?
Sometimes you have to stoop down for blessings.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Knocked Down, Not Out
Order Cathy Messecar’s The Stained Glass Pickup, Glimpses of God’s Uncommon Wisdom at www.stainedglasspickup.com -- a hard back gift book, $10.99 or order by mail at P. O. Box 232, Montgomery, TX 77356 (S & H 3.00 -- Texans add .69 per book). Email orders to writecat@consolidated.net Outside United States order from http://www.leafwoodpublishers.com/ or at www.amazon.com
What others are saying:
"Cathy Messecar finds temples wherever she goes: in a chapel on a university campus, at her children's bedsides, in a church full of rustling Bible pages... or on a bale of hay, in the cab of an eighteen-wheeler, in the aisle of a grocery store. Like a long-ago Teacher walking the dusty roads of Galilee, she can spot the outlines of the sublime camouflaged by the ordinary. Her images will touch your imagination; her words will touch your heart; her visions of eternity will touch your soul." ---Thom Lemmons, co-winner of the 2006 Christy award for Christian fiction King’s Ransom
Knocked Down, Not Out
Roy Alexander gives presentations about an atrocious boating accident that occurred on March 7, 1987, and he begins with a Bible quote. “I may be knocked down, but I am not knocked out” (2 Corinthians 4:8, J. B. Phillips Translation).
An ordinary fishing trip with a group of five coworkers almost cost Roy his life when a pipe dislodged from its mooring, crushing open his right front cerebral lobe.
After four months in the hospital, Roy lost a lot — his position as Associate Executive Director of Conroe’s Mental Health/Mental Retardation Agency, his company car, and his speaking engagements. His confidence waned. He worried if his wife Judy could still love him, if he could love himself.
Roy said the sunken state of his skull was a constant reminder of his altered life. “I would catch people’s eyes not connecting with mine, but with the sunken skull.” During a fifth surgery (cranial plasty), the right side of his skull was filled to match the left side.
On the same day Roy was injured at sea, friends surprised my husband, David, with a 40th birthday celebration. They stood in our hallway, all 30 of them, trying not to giggle. Unaware, David, in his pajamas, lay on our sofa watching a sitcom when people rushed into the den shouting, “Surprise!”
After Dave changed into jeans and rejoined his party, one of the guests shared about Roy’s accident. Party plans were laid aside. We huddled together, prayed for our Christian friend, his wife and son.
Our minister’s sermon the next morning centered on Psalm 8 and that God’s mind is full of his people. God is at the helm of the universe, but his thoughts are still full of our goings-on. On March 7, 1987, God had many things in his mind, but he was intimately aware of a boating accident, a birthday celebration, and whatever happened in your life on that day.
Roy, now resides in Lubbock, Texas, lives a full life, and has a passion for helping head injury patients regain skills and confidence. He recently addressed one such group. A favorite line from his speech: “God never sees any of us as failures; he only sees us as learners.”
At the end of his speech Roy returns to the foundation of his belief: God steers individual lives. Because of his convictions, Roy encourages others and with confidence says, “I may be knocked down, but I’m not knocked out.”
You may contact Cathy at www.stainedglasspickup.com
What others are saying:
"Cathy Messecar finds temples wherever she goes: in a chapel on a university campus, at her children's bedsides, in a church full of rustling Bible pages... or on a bale of hay, in the cab of an eighteen-wheeler, in the aisle of a grocery store. Like a long-ago Teacher walking the dusty roads of Galilee, she can spot the outlines of the sublime camouflaged by the ordinary. Her images will touch your imagination; her words will touch your heart; her visions of eternity will touch your soul." ---Thom Lemmons, co-winner of the 2006 Christy award for Christian fiction King’s Ransom
Knocked Down, Not Out
Roy Alexander gives presentations about an atrocious boating accident that occurred on March 7, 1987, and he begins with a Bible quote. “I may be knocked down, but I am not knocked out” (2 Corinthians 4:8, J. B. Phillips Translation).
An ordinary fishing trip with a group of five coworkers almost cost Roy his life when a pipe dislodged from its mooring, crushing open his right front cerebral lobe.
After four months in the hospital, Roy lost a lot — his position as Associate Executive Director of Conroe’s Mental Health/Mental Retardation Agency, his company car, and his speaking engagements. His confidence waned. He worried if his wife Judy could still love him, if he could love himself.
Roy said the sunken state of his skull was a constant reminder of his altered life. “I would catch people’s eyes not connecting with mine, but with the sunken skull.” During a fifth surgery (cranial plasty), the right side of his skull was filled to match the left side.
On the same day Roy was injured at sea, friends surprised my husband, David, with a 40th birthday celebration. They stood in our hallway, all 30 of them, trying not to giggle. Unaware, David, in his pajamas, lay on our sofa watching a sitcom when people rushed into the den shouting, “Surprise!”
After Dave changed into jeans and rejoined his party, one of the guests shared about Roy’s accident. Party plans were laid aside. We huddled together, prayed for our Christian friend, his wife and son.
Our minister’s sermon the next morning centered on Psalm 8 and that God’s mind is full of his people. God is at the helm of the universe, but his thoughts are still full of our goings-on. On March 7, 1987, God had many things in his mind, but he was intimately aware of a boating accident, a birthday celebration, and whatever happened in your life on that day.
Roy, now resides in Lubbock, Texas, lives a full life, and has a passion for helping head injury patients regain skills and confidence. He recently addressed one such group. A favorite line from his speech: “God never sees any of us as failures; he only sees us as learners.”
At the end of his speech Roy returns to the foundation of his belief: God steers individual lives. Because of his convictions, Roy encourages others and with confidence says, “I may be knocked down, but I’m not knocked out.”
You may contact Cathy at www.stainedglasspickup.com
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