Today, hear from the co-authors of A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts

A SCRAPBOOK OF CHRISTMAS FIRSTS

(Leafwood Publishers, October 2008)

A wonderful new gift book called A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts will soon be available. Today, I’ve invited the six coauthors to share their unique story of how they came together to publish this exciting book full of stories, recipes, tips for simplifying the holidays and so much more (click on bookcover to see the trailer!).

First, let me introduce Cathy Messecar, Leslie Wilson, Brenda Nixon, Trish Berg, Terra Hangen and Karen Robbins. Thank you for being here today, ladies.

Karen: Thank you for the invitation.

You are from three different areas of the country—Texas, California, and Ohio. How did you all meet?

Terra: We all six joined The Writers View, an online group for professional Christian writers. Trish and Brenda met in person in 2004 for lunch, I understand, and on 9/18/04, after reading a post Brenda sent to TWV, I sent an email to Brenda, asking if she would like to join with me and walk alongside each other, as a Barnabas group. Brenda said yes that same day, and suggested Trish too. Very quickly Cathy, Leslie and Karen joined in and our stalwart band of six was formed. Living in California, I was so happy to find 5 Barnabas writers in other states so we could bring together a wealth of different viewpoints and expertise

Brenda: Actually, We haven’t met. We’re all great colleagues and friends via the internet. Four years ago Terra and I formed a dyad to support each other as Christians who write in the secular markets. Along came Trish, Cathy, Karen, and Leslie (not necessarily in that order) and we formed a close knit bond of support, creative energy, and professional accountability.

Karen: I met Trish through an online forum called The Writers View and she invited me to join the group.

Trish: Although we belong to the same Yahoo writing group, we met one by one online. Eventually, the six of us decided that since we all write as Christians for a secular market through magazine articles and newspaper columns, we could support and encourage one another.

Leslie: Though we met virtually through The Writers View, I have been blessed to give and get hugs from Trish (at a MOPS conference), Cathy (in the area on business) and Karen (in town for a writers' conference). I can’t wait to meet Terra and Brenda face-to-face, though I feel as though I already know them!

How did you come up with the idea to do a book together?

Brenda: The book is Cathy’s brainchild. She mentioned the concept of telling stories of events that happened for the first time at Christmas and sharing holiday historical tidbits and recipes and each said, “If you need any help, let me know.” That offer morphed into each of us equally contributing and co-authoring A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts.

Trish: Yep, Cathy came up with the idea and the title, and asked us if we wanted to join her on this project. Of course, we said Yes!

Terra: Cathy mentioned the idea for a Christmas book to the group, and someone (I think it was Leslie) suggested that maybe our group could all write the book together. Cathy agreed to lead the way on the project. The earliest email I have on this is from 9/7/05, which shows that this has been a three year collaboration from idea to publication.

Karen: (Chuckling) Terra is a librarian and keeps our historical records by saving our e-mails.

Leslie: Actually, Terra, I wrote that comment (in a group e-mail) kind of tongue-in-cheek. Cathy, the ultra-sweet person she is, took my joking at face value and here we are. However, I believe God prompted the passion and ideas we all bring to the project and that He will do mighty things as a result of our collaboration!

Why did you decide on a Christmas theme?

Brenda: It was Cathy’s concept to write a book centering on Christmas.

Cathy: For several years, I’d been thinking about Christmas as a threshold to introduce Jesus to folks who aren’t familiar with him, and I love a simpler Christmas with the emphasis on family, friends and doing for others. I knew of some families who had experienced “firsts” at Christmas—reunions, losses, special surprises—and I wanted to collect those stories.

Terra: Cathy’s idea immediately resonated with me because Christmas books are “a way past watchful dragons,” as C. S. Lewis wrote. Many people won’t buy a book about being a Christian, but will buy a holiday and family fun book, thus the “past watchful dragons.” People who want to grow in their faith, and people who have no faith but celebrate Christmas will buy our book and hopefully be led to put the focus back on Christ for the holiday, and for their lives.

Leslie: Though Cathy birthed the idea, the rest of us quickly hopped on board. Not only is Christmas special to me—especially now that I have a family of my own—but also that particular holiday cries out to be simplified, to return to the meaningful aspects of celebration, and to lose some of the hype and commercialism.

Tell me a little about what is in A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts? What is your favorite part?

Cathy: I like that you can read one chapter in about 15 minutes and, with all the different suggestions, it feels like Christmas Eve. Makes you want to set up the nativity! Many of the suggestions for family activities can be adapted for any family get-together.

Karen: There are heartwarming stories about things that happened for the first time at Christmas. For instance, one of my stories is about the first Christmas with our adopted children. And the book is pretty. When I first saw the colorful pages and drawings, I fell in love with the illustrator’s work.

Brenda: I don’t have a favorite part – I love it all!

Terra: I like the way the parts are woven into a seamless whole, like a patchwork quilt, that is stronger and more beautiful than the parts.

Trish: It’s like everything you ever wanted to know about Christmas, all the best tips and recipes, and neat stories all wrapped up in this perfect little package.

Leslie: I love reading the special stories, hints, recipes—whatever—and imagining the precious family time that precipitated each moment. Plus, the book is gorgeous, beautifully printed, truly something to be proud of. And we are.

I’ve heard that the book is really a nice gift book; can you tell me a little about the format?

Cathy: Yes, it’s a hardbound book, full color interior. The layout makes it easy to read. It has a definite scrapbooky look on the interior. Different logos identify sections, such as an oilcloth-look Christmas stocking appears beside the “Stocking Stuffer Tradition” (help for connecting family members), and the “Cookie Canister” recipes are on a recipe card, and the back ground of “A Gift For You” is a gift box with bow. It’s a classy gift that they can be placed on a coffee table or in a guest bedroom during the holiday season.

Brenda: I like to describe it as a Starbuck’s sorta gift book. It’s high quality, crisp, and practical.

With six different personalities and areas of ministry, how did you manage to put this all together and still remain friends?

Karen: We pray a lot for each other and it helps that none of us have an over-inflated ego.

Cathy: There were no squabbles. Surely, we had differing opinions, but we knew that any of us could suggest an idea for this book and that each idea would get fair reviews from others. We actually voted on some aspects—everyone in favor say, “Aye.” If you’ve ever watched women at a Dutch treat luncheon when they divide up a meal ticket, it can be intense as they split the ticket down to the penny. As the project came together, I was in awe of my gracious coauthors, unselfish women who respect each other.
For some decisions, we did a round robin—things like book title and chapter titles and what categories to put into the book. Then, as compiler, I’d send out a list of needs to The Word Quilters, that’s what we call ourselves. For instance in a section we call “Peppermints for Little Ones” (hints for children’s activities), I’d put out a call, and the WQs sent in their hints, and then I put them into appropriate chapters.

Brenda: (Smiling) Are we still friends? Seriously, we each have our own platform, ministry, and family life, and those interests kept this project in perspective – it was important but not the only thing on our plates. No one was so enmeshed in this project that she campaigned for her own way. We never had a bitter disagreement or insistence to be “right.”

Terra: We are each other’s biggest cheerleaders.We offer support and ideas for our separate writing projects and for personal prayer requests. I love these ladies, and I have only met one of them in person. So far, Karen is the only one who has met each of us, and one day we hope to meet in person, in a circle of friendship and love.

Trish: I think we are all very flexible and forgiving. We do have a variety of personalities here, but God has worked amazing things through our little group.

Leslie: Though I have seven non-fiction projects in various stages of completion, I could not be more thankful that this is the one to reach publication first. I am truly blessed to have worked with these women, learned from them, watched as they’ve poured heart and soul into crafting a product that will impact lives for the Lord.

Where can my readers get a copy of SOCF?

Cathy: The coauthors will all have a supply, plus our publisher, Leafwood Publishers, will have plenty of copies and discounts for buying five or more. Or they can be ordered at most online stores or by your local bookstore.

Karen: And anyone who leaves a comment here can be entered in a drawing for a free book and a gift basket worth $200! For a list of its contents, check our blog, A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts. And while you're there, leave another comment and increase your chances of winning!

Tell me more about your blog.

Karen: We started our blog in July and it is accumulating a wealth of information about Christmas. Each of us posts one day a week following the theme for that week. Watch for new recipes, tips, ways to simplify, stories, etc., similar to what is in our book.

Leslie: Ooh, ooh, let me answer this one. I’m probably the newest to blogging among the group, but I LOVE it. I’ve enjoyed posting and receiving comments back from readers. What an amazing adventure having an online voice can be! This blog will focus on a different theme each week—anything from tips to avoid overeating during the holidays to how to give a guest room special touches—and expand on the material in the book. I think readers will get to know the authors’ individual personalities and connect on a more personal level. Plus, they get that many more ideas, information, inspiration (!) at no additional cost.

WQs: As an added bonus for inviting us to your blog, we’d like to pass along this Christmas tidbit to you and your readers:

Enjoy a blessed Christmas this year! And thanks for inviting us to share our book, A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts, with you.

STORM SURGES

The September book drawing will be for my new co-authored book: A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts ~ Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify Your Holiday
Send me an email writecat@consolidated.net or leave a comment to enter your name. Drawing will be held Sept. 30, 2008.

Check out the new Christmas blog inspired by this book, more contests for gift basket and books begins on Sept. 15th at blog:
http://scrapbookofchristmasfirsts.blogspot.com/

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The 1900 Hurricane hit Galveston, Texas with ferocity causing devastation to life and property. Survivors met with a night of terror on the 8th of September, the night when over 6,000 perished. With little warning, the storm swept into the Gulf and barged into an unprepared community. Homes and families splintered, some to never heal.

As Hurricane Ike approaches, I recall stories of courage and bravery recounted from that 108 year-old disaster. The uncanny date for it was September 8, 1900.

This week I spoke with author Janice Thompson who wrote a compelling novel about the 1900 storm, “Hurricane” (Cook Communications). Although out of print, a few copies are still available online. In her fiction, a few characters’ lives also had storm surges, undercurrents that battered their foundations.

When Janice and I spoke we talked about life rip tides. Janice said, “Everyone is shaped by storms.” We either prove strong or weak. We come through with better understanding or we may be robbed of momentum.

The Great Storm is considered this nation’s worst natural disaster. The Sisters of Charity ran a hospital and an orphanage several miles from what is now known as The Strand in Galveston, Texas. At the first sign of rising water the 10 sisters took a few supplies and 90 children to the second floor of the girl’s dormitory.

During the escapes to higher floors, to comfort and distract the children, they sang an old French hymn, “Queen of the Waves.” When forceful salt water rose to the third floor, each nun used pieces of clothes line to lash 6 to 8 children to their waist cinctures.

Afterwards, only three of the boys were saved by clinging to a tree. They finally made it to the high stacks of rubble in the main part of town to tell of the sisters’ bravery. When burials began, the children, some still lashed to nuns were buried together.

As I finish this column on Thursday A. M., Hurricane Ike is churning the Gulf of Mexico, nearing us, an unwelcome intruder. It looks like we’ll all have ample opportunities to rally and take care of our own and our neighbors, those close to our homes and those fleeing the Bay Area.

Some folk already have personal storms they’re battling, so during this weather crisis, be kinder than you need to be. It’s a good time to follow the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Each year, no matter where the Sisters of Charity are serving, foreign or in the Houston area, they sing “Queen of the Waves” on September 8th in memory of the courageous.

Take care, neighbors. May the greatest caregiver of all watch over this patch of his earth and sea. Be a blessing in a storm.

Generation Hand-Me-Downs-Sept 5

August Book Winner: Jane S. from Wasola, Missouri

The September book drawing will be for my new co-authored book: A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts ~ Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify Your Holiday
Send me an email writecat@consolidated.net or post a comment here to enter your name. Drawing will be held Sept. 30, 2008.

Check out the new Christmas blog inspired by this book, more contests for gift basket and books begins on Sept. 15th at blog:
http://scrapbookofchristmasfirsts.blogspot.com/

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I’m fast falling behind in my knowledge of technology; I'm seemingly stuck in the electric toaster and can opener generation. While I own a few of the newer gadgets, if operational skills were rated, I’d be on the tail end.

I want to buy a few more, but I don’t want to invest two college hours to learn how to turn them on and off. An iPod would be nice, but I’d prefer a grandma-version, storing only 50 tunes.

I’ve mastered the basics on my cell phone and use the camera feature, but my regular digital camera does a better job and doesn’t need film. Wonderful. Through trial and error, I triumphed to upload photos from its tiny disc onto my computer.

It’s obvious to younger members of my family that my techno skills are on the lower end of basic. I can’t even keep up with the coined lingo to describe all the new products. Another thing that I’m falling behind in is “savvy.”

My husband and I don’t watch that much television, but when we do, one of us usually tries to explain the commercials to the other one. And some of the commercials still “zoom, zoom, zoom” right over our heads.

To record a television program or add more memory to a computer, seek help from the thirty-ish age group or even younger, like a six-year-old. Folks past 50 do have admirable skills: we can help those younger because we have accumulated life experiences that can’t be uploaded from a computer. They’re transferred through human contact.

Paul wrote Titus telling him that reverent women should, “Train the younger women to love their husbands and children.” (Titus 2:5). Husbands don’t come with an owner’s manual, and wives aren’t factory programmed to love their husbands for 50 years. Husbands are commanded to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Marriage and family skills are often taught and caught from an older person.

A child needs constant attention, love, care, and disciplines to emerge a whole person, one who can pass along good parenting skills to the next generation. So far, there’s not a parenting machine that will introduce children to God, kiss them, change their diapers, and teach them social know-hows.

Younger families, you have great resources beyond devices -- mature older folk. They may save you from a few stumbles. Look to them. They are the real advances in this generation.

All our gadgets bring some help to life but genuine help is found in living breathing people. Older generations, you who have tried all the sugary cereals and are now into fiber brands, look out for the younger families. Come along side of them. Many are just beginning to open their boxes of Cheerios and they need your backing.

Hagar's Hope

Enter your name for a drawing of The Stained Glass Pickup by sending me an email at writecat@consolidated.net. Or leave a message here. Drawing will be held on Labor Day, Sept 1, 2008.

Check out the new Christmas blog inspired by the co-authors of A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts ~ Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify Your Holiday by Cathy Messecar, co-author
http://scrapbookofchristmasfirsts.blogspot.com/

Upcoming contests next month at this new site. Enter to win free books and a gift basket.

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Hagar’s Hope

It was a big mess that’s what it was. But God does some of his most saving work through lives in chaos. Here’s the background of the story: Sarai and Abram, although the ages of a great-grandma and great-grandpa, had no children. Most people long for an heir, and this old couple were no different. According to their customs, a barren wife could “allow” her husband to sleep with a designated servant in hopes of bringing an heir into the family.

The custom may as well have sent an engraved invitation for Jealousy and Envy to strut right on into a household. Sarai gave her Egyptian servant, Hagar, to her husband Abram in hopes she would bear a child, and Hagar did become pregnant, and along with the blossoming she grew a haughty spirit, too. Sarai blamed Abram for the whole situation saying, “You are responsible for the wrong I’m suffering.”

She went on to say, “I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she’s pregnant, she despises me.” Fingers began pointing in every direction. God doesn’t plaster prettiness over the mistakes and sins of Bible characters’ lives, so in Genesis chapter 16, there’s even more about the wrongs done in this household.

Abram, apparently not wanting to get involved in the outcome of this dispute between two women, told Sarai, “Your servant is in your hands, do whatever you think best.” Sarai didn’t exactly follow Abram’s advice about doing what was best because “Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her” (vs.6).

This riff between the two women widened and could not be leaped by etiquette or fairness. God knew Hagar planned to tuck up her robe and run away from this ugly situation, one over which, as a servant, she had no control. After she left, the angel of the Lord found her resting near a desert oasis. The message sent from God is intriguing, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” (Genesis16:8).

Hagar replied, “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai.” The angel told Hagar to go back to her mistress and submit to her, but he gave her a pocket of promises to think on as she walked back toward the feudal minefield. God’s sonogram allowed Hagar to know she’d bear a son, to be named Ishmael (God hears), and while he would be a warrior, his descendents would be innumerable.

At that desert place, that pivotal time in Hagar’s life, “She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me’” (vs.13).

Genesis chapter 16 has given me several “aha” moments, those insights that reveal a bit more about God, about life. One is this question that keeps arising throughout different Bible stories: Where have you come from? Where are you going? I’m amazed at how often that theme arises in Bible text – questions to be answered by everyone.

A comfort also revealed: God is intimately involved in lives. Hagar is addressed by her given name, her situation fully known, from her status in life to the gender of her unborn child. Another message is that sometimes the lessons God wants us to learn are in the middle of the muddle. Go back, Hagar. Did she really want to hear that?

Difficult times furnish teachings where softer moments may lack muscle. It started out as a big mess. That’s what it was, and to this day, there’s still messiness between the descendents of Isaac and Ishmael.

Even though situations may seem hopeless, when God sums up scenes, they do not look so barren, so much like a fruitless place. He often seats us by an oasis and gives us hope. Or as psalmist David later restated about God--He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.

Parents, Life Educators

A special thank you to all who wrote or commented about last week’s column. Your name was entered into the August drawing to be held on Sunday, the 31st.

It’s August, enter your name for a drawing of The Stained Glass Pickup by sending me an email at writecat@consolidated.net. Or leave a comment at the end of this post.

Check out the new Christmas blog inspired by the co-authors of A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts ~ Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify Your Holiday by Cathy Messecar, co-author here.

Upcoming contests next month at this new site. Enter to win free books and a gift basket.

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Granddaughter Natalie begins Kindergarten on Monday. While thinking about this new path for her, I recalled my son and daughter’s first trek into public school.

My son walked into his classroom, settled in, and charmed his way into his teacher’s heart. Three year’s later I ripped my dress hem from my daughter’s grasp as she held on tight, tears streaming down her face which caused a torrent of sad tears on mine.

If your tear ducts need exercise, peer into a Kindergarten hallway on opening day. Empathy will kick in when you see little ones, clinging to knees, reluctant to venture into new worlds.

By the time children start to school, they have received instruction for five years in their homes. Some homes get high marks and others get failing grades. A home-trained child who respects his neighbor is a delight in the public system. A psalmist encouraged a familial education based on love. “We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD” (Psalm 78:4).

These intentional stories about God are handed down so the “next generations would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children” (verse 6).

I overheard a rancher dad tell about driving his high school age daughter to school each day and praying aloud for her. My mind conceived a picture of a stained glass pickup puttering down the road and the gift that dad gave his daughter on school mornings.

I scurried kids off to school for over 25 years, counting the college years, and I recollect both frazzled and smooth mornings. Spilled milk, sticky pancake syrup, dawdling children, misplaced books, sick stomachs, a rattled mom or dad, and lots more can edge into morning routines.

Mishaps are reality, but a purposeful parent can be reality, too. On ill fated mornings, steering family around the chaos presents a loving precedent.

I recall a Kindergarten program, complete with foot lights, brightening only the stage. As children settled onto risers, many shaded their eyes and looked beyond the staged affair for their anchors in life.

Good teachers are better than best blessings, but parents are the ones honored with the task of equipping children with answers that will outlive school tests and diplomas.

The next time you stop behind an afternoon school bus and little kids get off, look at those eager faces. They are looking for their parents—the educators of their lives.

What's on Your Face?

July winner: Lynne L., New Mexico

It’s August, enter your name for a drawing of The Stained Glass Pickup by sending me an email at writecat@consolidated.net or leave a comment here
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What’s on Your Face?


President Thomas Jefferson, along with a group of men, contemplated crossing a swollen stream on horseback. After several successful crossings, a man waiting on foot near the banks waved at the President, thumbing a ride across. Jefferson happily gave him a lift.

Upon reaching dry ground on the other side of the roiling waters, one of the men asked the hitchhiker, "Tell me, why did you select the President of the United States to carry you across the river?"

Incredulous he said, "I didn’t know he was the President! All I know is that on some faces is written the answer ‘NO’ and on some the answer ‘YES’.”

Faces. When faces were given out, no one got to pick their own. Face-scapes are totally God’s choice, but the human wearer gets to do the cultivating, and smiles and grimaces make laugh and scowl tracks. With 98 muscles, faces reflect emotions, what we’re thinking and how we’re feeling -- anger, sadness, worry, fun, pain, disappointment, eagerness, fright, boredom or surprise.

Some folk have face blindness called prosopagnosia, from the Greek words “face” and “non-knowledge.” After a severe brain injury, a patient may not recognize family members. The medical profession has identified similar congenital disorders. Folk with face blindness recognize others through voice or characteristics, but their disability makes them unable to differentiate humans by facial features.

Most of us learn to “read” faces. In the Bible book of 1 Samuel, Abigail is described as having a pleasant face even though married to wicked Nabal, “[T]he woman was of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings” (1 Samuel 25:3 NAS).

God’s countenance (presence) is frequently mentioned the Bible. In Psalm 89, God’s righteousness, justice, ever present love and faithfulness are praised. The psalmist then says people who know the joy of the Lord get to walk “in the light” of his “countenance” (vs. 15).

This welcoming presence is seen when Jesus walked through Samaria. He stopped at a well to rest, and a Samaritan woman arrived to draw out water. In that era, men didn’t speak to women in public, especially Samaritans, but Jesus spoke to her and asked her for a drink. His receptive manner caused the woman to sing his praises and introduce Jesus to fellow villagers.

Countenance and demeanor “say” a lot. As Thomas Jefferson’s contemporary said, some faces say “No” and some say “Yes.” Wouldn’t it be nice, if disciples of Jesus could truly reflect the countenance of God?

A Christian’s face is like a doormat — in some way it ought to say, “Welcome.” What’s on your face?

My new co-authored book will be out in September, A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts ~ Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify Your Holiday. Check it out at http://ourchurch.com/member/c/Christmas_Sbook/ or check out our new blog where my co-authors and I post six days a week on different holiday topics, recipes, and we post many pictures of products or our families: http://scrapbookofchristmasfirsts.com/

Book Drawing next Thursday, July 31. Get your name in the “opportunity box.” Leave a comment here or email me at writecat@consolidated.net and I’ll enter your name for the July book drawing to win a copy of The Stained Glass Pickup.

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A glossy picture in a Christian magazine shows a young girl from a Third World country. With her hands, she is splashing water onto her face from a trickling faucet. Her hair is turban-wrapped, her eyes closed, her lips smile because she is refreshed by life-giving water.

A look of intense delight radiates her countenance. The caption reads, "She's tasting pure water for the first time. Imagine her excitement when it reaches her soul."

The photo reminded me of the Hebrews' drink-needs when they traveled from Egypt through desert lands. Bible scholars number the Hebrews exiting Egypt between 1.2 million and 2 million, plus sheep, chickens and dogs.

Later, when they grumbled about their thirsts, a rock became a fountain. I had imagined a garage-size rock, Moses striking it with his staff then a small stream of water emerging. But trickles don't assuage thousands upon thousands’ thirsts.

The story of the Hebrews' parched throats is found in Exodus 17 and Numbers 20. Quantitative details about the fresh water God supplied are in the Psalms: "Water as abundant as the seas" and water flowing down "like rivers" (78:15-16). When Moses struck the rock, "water gushed out, and streams flowed abundantly" (20).

Another psalm tells about the "God of Jacob, who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water" (Psalm 114:8). The additional information in the psalms deepened my puddle-thinking.

God is not a trickle fountain, nor is he tight fisted. Desert travelers need sufficient water. Moisture-starved pilgrims need abundance, an extravagance of water, and that's just what God gave.

The Hebrews also "drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:3). God kept their bodies alive with water while their spirits feasted on his presence.

Years ago on a country road, my vehicle broke down in 100-degree weather. After walking two miles, my thirst was extreme. Several cars passed but none offered a lift. Disheartened and thirsty, I needed relief. The eventual savior-truck-driver dropped me off at a convenience store. I had access to water again, just what I needed.

Physical thirst is not the worst thirst I've suffered. A need for liquid is usually easily met in my water-pampered culture, but there are worse ways to dry up. Tap water doesn't solve every thirst.

An old hymn lyric states a truth: "There's a fountain free." For dehydrated seekers, family or friends, an oasis is near. In the name of Jesus, a cup of "living water" can be shared – and imagine their excitement when it reaches their souls.

My new co-authored book will be out Sept. 1. Check it out here. http://ourchurch.com/member/c/Christmas_Sbook/ or go to http://scrapbookofchristmasfirsts.blogspot.com/

Book Drawing: Leave a comment here or email me at writecat@consolidated.net and I’ll enter your name for the July book drawing to win a copy of The Stained Glass Pickup.
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Fomites. They are everywhere. But what are they? A fomite is an inanimate object capable of transmitting diseases. The following, plus a whole bunch more, could be “carriers”: an escalator handrail, a doorknob, a piano keyboard or a tricycle.

Most of us come in contact with fomites each day with herds of germs on their surfaces. Now, if those pesky microorganisms would only bray or moo to let us know their presence that might help. Never mind. That’s a poor idea. All those germs emitting sounds might cause paranoia. That’s why God is God, and I’m just Cathy.

I heard that US currency has a fungicide in the paper to combat this passing of germs, but I couldn’t find any credible source to substantiate that. Sometimes I grow a bit obsessed about germs on a grocery cart handle but there are more infectious and dangerous things. One of those is a spirit of grumbling that can pollute a soul with peevishness.

Folks can get into the bad habit of complaining about nearly everything, sometimes causing friends to abandon and family to avoid the bellyacher. In an office, if a coworker inventories their gripes aloud, soon, the whole staff is whining unless a Mary Poppins is on the team, someone who can steer the mood.

Recently, I spent time with dear friend Jan Tickner, a former columnist for this newspaper, who wrote in this same space. I always gain insights from her even if it’s only her answer to my question. “How are you?”

Although her answer is customary, there is nothing stale about it. She answers, “I’m blessed.” We’ve had many, many heart-to-heart talks, and I know her answer conveys her outlook on life – to count the paved roads not the potholes.

In recent years, she gave me a bound booklet, she’d created for her “family and a few very close friends.” Inside are reflections over scriptures and insights gained from what Jan calls “one more lap around Mt. Sinai,” lessons God repeats until we “get it.”

In one devotional, she recalled the grumbling of the Hebrew people, who whined to God so much that he “gave them what they wanted but sent “leanness into their souls.” Bent on their complaining, they “despised the pleasant land” and “grumbled in their tents” (Psalm 106:24-25).

When I go to Jan’s tent, I do not hear grumbling. Instead, I hear about the latest victory or insight or lovely thing in her world. It’s not all rosy, but she chooses the scent of roses over the sting of the thorn.

One of her prayer requests is based on the lessons in Psalm 106, that God will give her a “fat soul and a lean body.”

We can’t avoid fomites, but we can avoid complaining. Instead, pass along bits and pieces about the good life—they come out naturally from the “fat souls,” who fill up at God’s well.

Advantageous Grower

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As I walked along the state road in front of our home picking up the weekend warriors’ trash, I noticed something unusual, a short pine sapling. Here’s some history about its growing spot.

We’ve had pine tree stumps in the front for some time. We cut one tree down about eight years ago after lightening hit it. That tree is the third in our yard to get bolted from above. My yard is a good place to not be when humid and cold air rumba. At midnight, one of those strikes occurred outside the bedroom window and the subsequent quake of the house chased off all sweet dreams.

When we cut down damaged trees, we left the stumps to rot down on their own, and they’ve just about melted away. My surprise find was in the middle of one of the rotting platforms — a one foot pine tree sapling is growing right where disaster took place.

Most likely, a tiny winged pine seed shook lose from an overhead pine cone (seeds grow under ovulate scales of pine cones). After the fertile seed broke free, it whirly-gigged down — around and around — until it landed on the stump, embedding itself securely enough to root and take hold.

In 2005, I wrote a similar column about a cactus in an oak tree. We saw it in Fredericksburg, Texas. Back then, I spoke with Hal Hollibaugh of Cactus Jungle in Berkeley, California, and he said most likely the prickly pear was “simply an advantageous grower.” Seeds sometimes germinate in odd places if they find enough nutrients.

I really like the horticultural term “advantageous grower.” It has kinship with the maxim, ”Bloom where you’re planted.” Imagine the bemoaning if the petite sapling were a complainer, whining about his foothold: Why couldn’t I grow among the St. Augustine grass like all the other giant pines in the yard? But if his roots had taken hold in the grass, he’d be long gone, mown down months ago.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said: "For everything you have missed, you have gained something else." Paul advised each Roman disciple, “Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.” He further encouraged, “Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him” (12:1-2, The Message).

What’s happening in your world? Any lightening strikes of late? Are your roots in plain days or difficult? Whatever the circumstances, the pine sapling is willing to teach its lesson—be an “advantageous grower.”

Loyalty

June Book Drawing Winner: Virginia B from Oregon.

My new co-authored book will be out Sept. 1. Check it out here. http://ourchurch.com/member/c/Christmas_Sbook/

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Loyalty

On the morning of July 4th, 2000, I fastened a Texas flag and an American flag into the pole brackets on my front porch. My two year old grandson, Jack, watched. I said, “Today is the United States’ birthday.”

Jack asked, “Will there be presents?”

Eight years later, his question haunts me. This country gives a lot—from the sea, the soil, and the government, and we enjoy specific freedoms. My toddler grandson planted an idea. Why not give back to the USA?

I know of a gift that each individual can give, even the poorest among us, one that can affect our culture and effect change like no other — the gift of loyalty. The virtue is not indigenous, but can be cultured.
Loyalty means faithfulness, devotion, trustworthiness, constancy, reliability, dependability — a Fourth of July picnic basket full of good characteristics. Just imagine the difference in government spending and dispersion if each law maker were truly trustworthy, looking out only for the citizens who voted them into office.

Envision the amount of revenue, to assist our citizens, if no one cheated on their taxes. Our friend Gail Curtis said about her dad, Leonard Martens, “When daddy did his taxes, he always added a little to his payment in case he’d forgotten something.” That’s the kind of loyalty and honesty I’m talking about, a high personal standard.

Picture the production level if every able bodied American worked with vigor, giving a full eight hours labor for eight hours of wages. What might happen in educational institutions, if teachers and students were all devoted to teaching and learning?

How might a family benefit if the husband and wife were committed to each other on paper and in person, and their children recognized them as dependable, constant? The family is the largest educational system in America, an important stage where loyalty can be modeled by adults.

Of course, the top model for loyalty is God whose rain falls on the just and the unjust (Matt. 5:45). God is constant and programmed the seasons to never falter “as long as the earth endures” (Gen. 8:22). God is faithful, dishes out hope. He is love.

Knowledgeable citizens have stressed that keeping freedoms and character compatible is a great challenge. A first step in not abusing freedoms is for each resident of the United States, citizen or alien, to check their loyalty quotient.

Today, sparklers glitter, children decorate bicycles, parades queue up, and watermelons chill in ice chips, American flags wave — all signs that it’s America’s birthday. From the Atlantic to the Pacific, citizens will enjoy city-wide bashes and backyard barbeques. Enjoy today and what you receive from the USA, and consider the thought provoking question: “Will there be presents?”

David and Goliath

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An Israelite father sent his young son David to a battlefield to check on his brothers who served there. As he arrived, home team soldiers formed ranks against the enemy.

A very rag-tag army, with only two swords, readied to fight oppressive Philistines. King Saul and his son alone had weapons because the oppressive Philistines didn’t allow blacksmith shops in Israel. Would I even crawl out of my tent to face an enemy if I only had a garden tool to defend country and self?

Despite Israel’s poor armory, soldiers left camp “shouting the war cry” (1 Samuel 17:20). David heard the rallying call and listened to stories about a defiant, tree-trunk giant, a champion Philistine who maligned God every day. Over nine feet tall, he’d bullied for 40 days, morning and evening.

David expected retaliation from his fellow Israelites, those brave soldiers he looked up to, but on that dewy morning, giant Goliath again bellowed threats and the entire army “ran from him in great fear” (1 Samuel 17:24).

Every day the same scene repeated itself. Israel’s soldiers gave battle whoops, thunderstorms making idle threats, but the army barometer read “low morale.” Who would rescue Israel?

That’s when Victory-Maker-God called a sturdy shepherd boy to carry out his purpose. David enlisted, and his bravery directed the soldiers back to their real champion against evil — God.

Although handy with a slingshot, the homemade tool and the shepherd boy’s skill were only a small part of the later success of routing enemies. David made a speech to Goliath that revealed his heart-set. He said, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty . . . whom you have defied.”

Goliath never ever taunted Israel again. His bravado fell with a thud, and God required Goliath to pay the wages for his sins. His enemy cohorts fled, too. On previous mornings, despite King Saul and all the Israelites being “dismayed and terrified” (17:11), the soldiers lined up and faced their enemies with homemade weapons and a battle cry.

Granted, not much changed, but they did show up each day. I think of the many people who get up each morning in poverty, sickness, or worse, and nothing ever seems to change. For those, remember that God sent a boy and a slingshot to shore up Israel’s faith in God. A seemingly small rescuer is often God’s way of helping out.

God is a courage grower. Whenever we face difficulties, he can change fear to faith and lift hope as a battlefield banner. God, of massive proportions, can rout doubt and our daily giants.

The Tree Trunk Marriage Counselor

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If laundry is taken down to a certain basement, watch your step. Be especially careful because a very large log is in the bowels of this house. This tree trunk, well it’s a marriage counselor.

When visiting a long time friend in Massachusetts, he gave us a tour of Cape Ann. As we drove past landscapes, seascapes and landmarks, our host Chris Larsen, told us tidbits of information about locales and locals.

As we passed one home, Chris said his grandmother and step-grandfather had lived there. Then Chris told us about the earlier marriage advice his granddad gave him. He invited Chris into the basement, and on the way said, “Always let the wife win.”

In the basement, to Chris’ surprise, sat a heavy log with spikes protruding. His granddad said whenever he felt marriage related frustrations, he retreated to pound a heavy-duty piece of metal into the log. “By the time you’re finished hammering in the spike your frustration is gone.”

It doesn’t take too long after wedding vows before irritants surface. For married couples who draw battle lines, things as small as a muddied kitchen floor or an over budget purchase can cause words and worse to be hurled.

A wise wife knows words can wound like arrows, and that “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). An astute man teaches his family forgiveness—he leads in charity.

When both parties yield to God’s love, it doesn’t matter if the couple met in Kindergarten or through a marriage broker. God’s lived-out love always trumps backgrounds and personalities. One man said he’d just like to go to sleep and let God create a wife for him. Yep, he knew it would cost him a rib.

With nearly 41 marriage years under the same roof, I recommend two loving habits to those who long to strengthen marriages: respect and common courtesies. Respect the contributions that each person brings to the relationship. No spousal belittling allowed in private, in public or behind backs.

Also, work common courtesies into every day: Thank you. You’re welcome. May I get you anything? Sure, I’ll scratch your back.

All problems have solutions, as a novice husband learned when he asked his new bride, “Now that we are married, do you think you will be able to live on my small income?"

"Of course, dearest, no trouble," she said. "But what will you live on?"

Maybe a trip to the hardware store is a good idea. Pick up the large bag of spikes.

Appreciate Dads

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My husband, David, told me about a very tired truck driver dad. Twelve at the time, David was with his dad at the Houston port to buy six barrels of molasses for their dairy farm. They were paying for their purchase inside an office where truck drivers came to finish their paperwork.

The trucking office would give each semi-truck driver a cold Coca Cola, in a thick green glass bottle. The cool drink helped offset the blistering summer heat and long waits to get loaded or unloaded. Drivers could drink it in the office or pay the bottle deposit and take the refreshing drink with them.

This particular driver had a wife and child in his truck. In 1959, the 18 wheelers were not what they are today. In 2008, some of the long haul trucks have luxury walk-in sleepers and the berths can transform into a sitting area. Now, trucks have power steering, air-ride seats, air conditioning and room to drive comfortably.

Truck cabs of yesteryear were small and rarely air conditioned. Just steering a truck around town on a humid Houston day might cause the toughest man to long for a different job. The single, cot-size sleep area could only be accessed by climbing through an opening between the cab and sleeper, the entry a bit larger than a welcome mat.

Back to the dad in the freight office, he asked if he could buy an additional Coke and then paid two bottle deposits. My husband, even as young as he was, noticed the driver’s weariness, perspiration, slumping shoulders. He then watched as the dad went to his truck and gave one cold drink to his wife and one to his child.

Too often we forget the hard work that dads do: the long hours, the sleepless nights when bills to grocer, doctor, repairmen and such don't match income. Their health may even be compromised so the wife and kids can live a more comfortable life. And for the most part they aren't whiners. They don't want hero awards. They just want respect and love from the ones they are honor bound to shield.

A Nomadic tribe says that a woman is the tent pole. If they are, then the men are the fabric that protects and holds it all together. They provide security and courage and literally lay down their lives daily for their families.

I have a very soft spot in my heart for labor intensive work that men do, whether they work at computers or at the helm of draglines digging gravel pits.

Give thanks for your dad. Remember most dads just want to be hugged and thanked for what they supply. And give them an additional kiss on the cheek for those extras, the times they handed their icy colas to you.

Many thanks, dads, and Happy Father’s Day.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow

May Winner of book drawing: Alta G. from Texas

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Coming in September: A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts
Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify the Holiday by coauthor Cathy Messecar.
Full color hardback gift book. Check out what others are saying about the book

"Fiddle deedee, I'll worry about that tomorrow," said Scarlett O’Hara, the heroine in Gone With the Wind. On that occasion she shoved her worries to the next calendar day, and she has many present day cousin-procrastinators, including me.

Procrastination means putting off a project until a later date, especially habitually doing so. Delaying decisions, avoiding messy activities or putting off confrontations is as common as sunrise for some folk, but strategists have developed helpful solutions.

Hypnotists claim they can de-procrastinate dawdlers. The Japanese developed psychological methods for dealing with the hesitant. Books and CDs offer self-help. But will habitual delayers follow through by buying the products, and then reading or listening? That’ll probably happen tomorrow, too.

Support groups exist for stallers. I imagine attending a meeting and feeling the warm welcome. "Hello, my name is Cathy, and I’m a procrastinator." These groups actually exist and sponsor preventive programs where the got-it-together folks mentor those lacking initiative.

Written centuries ago, wise Solomon’s advice is still relevant today, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might"(Ecclesiastes 9:10). The same verse in The Message is, "Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily!"

God’s system in the natural world is a good pattern to follow. The continual action of spring, summer, fall and winter keeps the earth recycling, aiding it to be more tidy and functional. Nature’s cycle of growth, producing, and rest is worthy of imitation. If any season skipped its timeslot, chaos would reign. Timeliness is important.

Most have experienced sheer joy after confronting a dreaded chore or problem. Cleaning out a garage, un-cluttering a file cabinet or ridding any homestead of debris puts the mind at ease. A more carefree spirit cloaks shoulders when relationships are righted or hard work produces debt reduction.

Tackling slothful habits is commendable. Closet cleaning, e-mail clear-out, house painting, eating healthier foods, exercising — are any of those on tomorrow’s list? Fred Brooks observed, "How does a project get to be a year behind schedule? One day at a time."

Put into practice the advice from Solomon. He said far-sighted folks will tackle tasks at hand. He knew that put-off projects have a built in growth hormone. They loom larger and larger in thought and reality.

Someone said, "At a steady rate, we procrastinate. I’ve only this to say—if tomorrow ever gets here, it’ll be a busy day!" Tomorrow or today? Task accomplished or snowballing frustration? Has anything been shoved to the bottom of the list for way too long? Today is perfect for sticking out your foot and tripping that old enemy Procrastination.

Ageless Light

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As one ages, there are benefits and drawbacks. Of course, one of the minuses is that bodies don’t look or work like they used to. Aging author Patsy Clairmont said younger friend Anita Renfro saw a bumper sticker on an old jalopy. She recommended that Patsy have a T-shirt made up with the same slogan: Honk if any parts fall off.

Art Linkletter, a TV host from yesteryears, said he asked a 100 year old woman the greatest advantage of aging. Her answer, “Not as much peer pressure.”

For me, one of the pluses of aging is longtime relationships with God and friends, folks who have known God a long time. If the ages were added together from the super senior Bible class I attend, there’d be several thousand years of wisdom and rubbing shoulders with God.

Pat S., a longtime friend (take notice, I didn’t say “old” friend) and I chatted about a favorite scripture of hers from Psalm 18. David wrote, “You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great” (35).

This Psalm with 50 verses is full of David’s glimpses of God. A notation about the Psalm tells that David sang the 50 stanza praise to God whenever God rescued him from his enemies. The first words in the song, “I love you, O LORD, my strength.”

Throughout the psalm, David’s timbre reflects God’s protection. God is referred to in metaphorical terms as a shield and stronghold, and he is portrayed as parting the heavens, coming down, and holding his children steady so that “ankles do not turn” (36).

David also depicts God as a designer of spacious places on earth—stretches of life, eases of mind without big stresses. I’ve been there—from oasis moments to days and weeks when peace reigns.

I aged numerically this week. When my dad phoned on my birthday, he reminded me that the hospital and doctor bill to get me into the world was only $90.00. I guess that pretty well dates me. I am antiquish.

Age drove over and left tread marks, and I’ve learned a few things. Crows feet don’t hurt. Spandex is good for saggy parts. Longtime friends are good for sagging spirits. Prune juice isn’t all that bad, and temper tantrums can happen at any age.

In Psalm 18, David also acknowledged God as a personal light source. “You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning.” Even though I don’t feel old, the mirror reflects the truth. The foundation and façade just aren’t what they used to be. I really don’t mind this spacious place of growing older—just as long as God keeps stooping to earth, trimming the wick and shining through.

Song Prayers-May 23

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Have you ever had one of those weeks when you heard from many friends who had sudden problems in health, circumstances or family? This week was one of those. Through the prayer requests, I learned a different way to pray and remember others.

When aiding another with comfort, I like to pass along a word from the Bible—some truth or faith builder that will give them confidence in God’s care. This week, the two scriptures that came to mind were Numbers 6:24-26 and Zephaniah 3:17.

In the book of Numbers there is a well known blessing given by God to the Hebrew priests, who in turn pronounced the same over the Israelites: “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

God said the blessing would net big results, “So, they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them” (vs. 27).

The other blessing was spoken by Prophet Zephaniah, who said to a discouraged people, “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing” (3:17).

In the past, songwriters adapted both of these scriptures into lyrics and set them to music. Have you experienced hearing a tune and then it stuck in your mind for days? That’s what I found happening with the two songs based on Numbers and Zephaniah scriptures.

When those recurring melodies surfaced while driving or sweeping, they became reminders to pray. While running errands or doing chores, I hummed the blessings or sang them aloud. The frequenting melodies triggered thoughts toward my needy friends, some in dire needs, both physical and spiritual.

Keeping other’s prayer requests in mind is sometimes difficult. Most of us have multiple incoming attention-stealers—cell phones, pagers, email, regular mail, 24 hour news. Or we may have health issues, long work hours, or stresses that drain our outward charitable thoughts. All of these can detract and derail good prayer intentions for others.

This week I still prayed in my usual ways, but some of my prayers were sung, asking God to bless Lynne, Brenda, Roland, Eric, Kristi, Leslie and others. I envision those prayers more like a pitch pipe, a starting note that prompted God, the real healer, the real singer to quiet these folks with his love.

Intervention

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In early April I presented at a women’s renewal for a church in Tennessee. My daughter accompanied me and the hosting women showed Smokey-mountain hospitality the entire weekend. The program included a question and answer session with me fielding the questions.

One of the questions revolved around the work of men in the church and how to inspire more men to be passionate about the cause of Christ, to step up to leadership in homes, community and church. My immediate response was inadequate. Actually it wasn’t much of a response, but more of a deferment.

If you’ve ever presented or taught an adult Bible class, you may have wrangled with afterthoughts of, Oh; I should have said this or that. Later contemplation and study usually reveals better answers.

After some thought, I recalled wise guidance given to me years ago about spiritual growth, whether men or women. As participants in the body of Christ, the church, we can encourage and teach, but true growth in Christ comes from the gardener Jesus, the vine keeper.

After he left earth, he sent the Comforter to the earth, the Holy Sprit. Some of the best advice to families, husbands, wives, or singles is that we cannot be the Holy Spirit to those around us.

No amount of nagging, coercion, whining or bribing will produce a godly person. Beside, it’s not God’s way. God helps us desire a closer relationship to him. As he loves us, and we experience that love, we long to know more about God and become his son or daughter. He sent Jesus to earth as a human so that we could actually “see” God interacting, loving his neighbors.

We all have flaws and worthy qualities. In any relationship where one person longs for the maturity of another, the very best thing that person can do is ask God to become a personal tutor. Someone said it this way, “It is a far better thing to talk to God about a man, than to talk to a man about God.”

James expressed it this way, “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed” (5:16, The Message).

Before we pray for the remaking of another, we also confess our shortcomings and ask for guidance, looking for knotty beamed lumber in our lives before we whisk broom sawdust out of someone else’s life.

What kind of relationships would be fostered if James’ words took root and flourished in each life? Families, businesses, schools, governments, each man and each woman could harvest bushel baskets of wholeness and healing.

Want to inspire someone to reach higher? Depend on Jesus and the Holy Spirit to intervene. Confess, share, ask forgiveness, pray for the other person and expect good returns on your prayer-planting.

Motherhood

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One of the bravest women mentioned in the Old Testament is the Hebrew mother of Moses, Jochebed. She lived under cruel taskmasters, her people enslaved for hundreds of years. When the slaves’ numbers grew, Egyptian officials feared that the slaves might join enemy forces and cause an uprising.

On the sly, Pharaoh wanted the Hebrew midwives to kill any male child at delivery. But the women feared God more than the king’s edict and refused. When questioned about their disobedience, they reported the vigorous Hebrew women had delivered by the time they reached the woman in labor.

Those midwives, who feared Jehovah and guided new life into the world, could not smother newly sanctioned breaths. So, the ruling dynasty gave an order to all his people, “Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile” (Exodus 1:22).

In those mean circumstances, Jochebed, whose name means “Jehovah-glorified,” delivered a son. Did her heart pound with fear when she delivered a son? Had she plotted to spare this baby? Did she expect the worse?

By the time Moses reached three months old, his mother had finalized her plans. She built a mini ark, made of papyrus reeds, coated inside and out with tar and pitch. By then, she had reached the limits of her protection.

Matthew Henry (1662-1714) says that often when “men are projecting ruin . . . God is preparing . . . salvation.”

The minute a child is born, a mother is born, too. All types of mothers have rocked cradles, the good, the bad, and the worse. But there’s nothing more heartwarming than a wholesome bond between mother and child. Sweetness exists in that relationship like no other.

No doubt Jochebed’s first few months with Moses were bittersweet. And one day, preparations made, Jochebed chose to place her infant son in the reeds near the bank of the Nile, post big sister Miriam as guard, and trust God to have a plan for a river, a floating bassinet and a beloved infant.

Some mothers will be able to embrace their children this Mother’s Day. Other women are separated by miles, while some mothers are separated by rifts. Moms, if you have a good relationship with your children, cherish the blessing.

If your relationship is strained, pray over them and, like Jochebed, place them in God’s hands — it may be time to put them in the boat. Remember, sometimes when we project ruin, God is planning salvation.

Happy Mother’s Day.

Under the Thorns

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Under the Thorns

If you live in the south and you hurry, you might find enough tasty wild dewberries to make pies or jams. For folk higher above sea level, who read this in other venues, you have a few weeks before the native berries in your areas ripen. I almost filled a two quart pail this morning and plan to berry pick again before the day is over.

My simple equipment is a light bucket, thin cotton gloves and a big stick. The “shoo” stick is just in case I see a snake because I’ve encountered them curled under vines when I poked my hand into their resting places.

I’m fascinated that under dense leaves and prickly thorns – the sweetest, most plump berries are found. Thorns and sweet berries don’t seem to complement each other, but maybe they do.

Job is a classic Bible example of hardship and healing. In domino-falling catastrophes, he lost his children, servants, possessions, position of honor, and his health.

In desperation, his wife asked, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!” (2:9). I have great sympathy for Mrs. Job because everything Job lost, she lost, too. While enduring the unimaginable pain of all her children passing, she also watched as illness caused her husband to become a living skeleton.

Then their friends pounced, accusing this godly man of committing some grave wrong. They assumed that a fate-gavel had sentenced him justly, but readers of Job’s whole story get to lift the leaves and thorny stems and find the hidden berries.

We know the beginning of the story when God allowed Job’s losses, and that scene somewhat explains “why” all the thorns. Also, we know Job’s epilogue, how God cast extreme kindness on every facet of Job and his wife’s later lives.

The text reveals that Job survived the pain with his faith in tact. Did Job have any idea how his story would traverse time in oral stories and finally in print, encouraging trillions-plus through the biblical narrative?

I certainly don’t long for spiritual growth diploma-ed from the school of trials, but I’ve experienced enough mild suffering to know that a bitter experience can teach lessons that mountains of candy-coated moments cannot.

In chapters 38-41, God asks Job many rhetorical questions, questions that reveal God’s creative hand and sovereignty. I adore Job’s response at the end of God’s recital, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.
Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (42:5-6).

After the thorny events of life almost killed him, God came near revealing himself to Job. God didn’t waste Job’s pain. Through Job’s suffering and intimate moments with God, he learned and we learn that God is always the sweetest find of all.

The Waiting Room

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Do you sit next to someone in a doctor’s waiting room? Probably depends on the visit, whether for a contagious cold or a broken toe. Seating choice may depend upon your personality. While some folk will talk to furniture, others prefer hermit-hood, a magazine and a lone chair in a corner.

Once in a doctor’s waiting room, a woman and I began a conversation. In her seventies and a native Texan, she’d lived in the Montgomery area all her life. I recognized a tender heart when she told how sorry she felt for dairy cows when newborn calves are taken away.

In our roving conversation, she reminisced about Sundays and her mother, who took her many children to church in a horse-drawn wagon. My waiting room companion recalled asking her mother why she always carried a “switch and a Bible” into the church house, but said her mother only “waggled” the switch to control her children’s antics.

When services grew long and children grew squirmy, her mother allowed each little one to traipse to the wagon, alone, for refreshment. When her turn came, she found treats under the springboard seat, a jug of water and home made tea cakes—warm as sunshine.

Another day, another waiting room, my Mom and I listened for her name to be called. On that winter day, it became obvious that the flu bug had made many house calls. As the coughing, sneezing, Kleenex-toting crowd gathered, the newbies scanned the room and chose seats.

Through mannerisms, they posted “No Vacancy” signs in their seating zones. Mom had a cold and I paid attention to her that day and didn’t make any new acquaintances either.

One of the reasons folks are drawn to Jesus, the Son of God, is his willingness to hear our stories—to come along side to commiserate, comfort or guide. He describes himself as a gentle teacher, humble in spirit, who knows how to give rest to burdened souls (Matthew 11:28-30).

Isn’t Jesus appealing? I want to sit next to him. We can take turns talking and listening, but I think listening will be most beneficial. The year 2008 finds our nation in a great big waiting room, running over with blessings and illnesses.

People of prayer can be the link between solutions and the mighty hand of God. National Prayer Day is May 1, next Thursday. Across this nation, communities will host public prayer. In my hometown the gathering is at Cedar Brake Park, Montgomery, TX, from noon until 12:30 p. m., organized by Lakeside Bible Church.

Whether you’re chatty or quiet, join your neighborhood prayer vigil next Thursday. You’ll hear a prayer or story of faithfulness that will refresh your life—like a jug of water and a tin of teacakes, warm as sunshine.

Solitude and Silence

April Book Drawing

Leave a comment here or email me at writecat@consolidated.net and I’ll enter your name for an April book drawing to win a copy of The Stained Glass Pickup.

I'm giving away a book each month this year.
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Thomas Merton calls solitude the most basic of the disciplines, saying, "True solitude cleanses the soul."

Do you prefer quiet atmosphere or noise? Does silence bother or soothe you? Most folks favor one or the other—incoming sounds or near-silence. I use the term near-silence because in homes, true silence is rare—electric appliances hum, houses creak, children make noise. Outdoors, crickets and frogs don’t seem to notice when I declare a moratorium on noise.

When my grandchildren come for a visit, I usually leave the TV off and clear the atmosphere for familial voices. Recently on such a day, three-year-old Jolie played with an acoustic youth guitar and requested paper and pen, saying, “I want to write you a song.”

Without intentional noise her imagination hummed. She drew ten sets of horizontal lines on the paper and placed many dots and squiggles on her scores. Her tune never soared off the page, but she played at “song” writing for half an hour.

If cartoons had been on the TV, would she have wanted to “write” her own song? Playtime without incoming rackets is a good thing, spurring thoughts to creativity. Children’s minds can be stimulated by play and parental guidance when other clamor is blocked.

Pediatrician Sherry Vincent suggests buying early childhood “silent” toys. Let kids learn to sing, beep, burp, and make truck engine sounds by observing the world around them. They really don’t need to hear sounds from toy-tutors. Good toys do exist, but many toy makers produce noise gadgets that rob children of thinking time, developing time, figuring things out time.

A “Reader’s Digest” article about robbing children of imagination says that up to 70% of toys point a child to a commercial site such as TV, movies or internet where writers have scripted play and interaction with make believe situations. And as we know, the dialogue and values presented may not revere God.

Orthodox Jewish families spend seven days each year in an outdoor makeshift shelter during the Feast of Booths. In temporary huts, they entertain guests, eat and even sleep. Their religious holiday removes them from home comforts to a temporary dwelling place, reminding them of the time when they wandered in the desert and God supplied their needs.

Quiet and solitude allow God room to work, to tug on the framework of our hearts, from the inside out. God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us (Ephesians 3:20 The Message)

Lack of silence and solitude is a growing problem in the adult world, too. Many adults prefer fake characters on a TV show to their own family members. Corded and wireless devices bring too much to our eyes and ears. Do we really need to know the mating habits of fish in the Caribbean Sea when we scarcely know our children’s best friends?

Instead of giving your family updated electronics, why not gift them with a quiet hour in your home—no electronics or incoming noise is allowed. Try it. Allow children and adults the opportunity to read, play quietly or be alone to mull over ideas.

They may resist at first, cause a really loud ruckus, but persist and nail down quiet time for your home. Family solitude and silence allows members to notice each other, and as Merton says—that alone-time may well cause some soul cleansing.

Do you have a quiet place in your home or outdoors where you relax and draw near to God?

The Kinfolk Tree

Book Drawing: Leave a comment here or email me at writecat@consolidated.net and I’ll enter your name for an April book drawing to win a copy of The Stained Glass Pickup.

Jimmy C. won the book last month. It’s in the mail, Jimmy.

If you enjoy the columns, please help me spread the word about them by forwarding them on to friends and family. Thanks, faithful readers!
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Gorgeous lime green color is decorating tree branches this spring as new leaves bud out on dead looking limbs and twigs. Within the year, crape myrtles will sprout pink chiffon frills and pecan trees yield another crop of nutmeats for chocolate chip cookies.

When Montgomery County mulberry trees beckon bluejays and squirrels to a one-course meal, I fondly remember Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918) and his famous poetry line, “Only God can make a tree.”

Trees also furnish “shade” blessings for humans and habitation for the birds and the bees. Although I’ve never actually stood in its shade, there’s another tree that especially fascinates me – the family tree. After the waters settled into the seas and mountains stretched their stony muscles skyward, this tree took root. A portion of dust and a few basic minerals were genetically engineered to begin the family tree.

Today, we humans live in the shadow of eons-old branch ancestors. Statisticians believe all humans are kin by no more than a 50th cousin relationship. All those 50th cousins are surely difficult to keep up with. It’s tough just keeping up with first and second cousins, Sonya in Zimbabwe, Dorothy in California and Jean in Houston.

God blessed humanity with physical families and also with the church family. When Paul wrote to the Ephesians he told them how every nationality could be one in Christ saying that Christ “himself is our peace” and that he “destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,” the old law. Paul went on to say that Christ is able to reconcile all to God “through the cross” (Ephesians 2:14-18). Those who come to Christ are “no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household” (4:19).

The church family is as varied as family trees -- many personalities, many races and many occupations. Family skeletons, yes, the church has some, but its design is to be a place of refuge just like physical families were meant to be. Often the church is referred to as “the body of Christ.”

Just as a physical body responds to commands from the head, the church has one head, Jesus Christ. The church is privileged to have a gentle leader and the genuine love of Jesus.

On a tree at Calvary, Jesus dissolved the relationships of family-tree-distant-cousins. Paul said, “We are God’s children” (Romans 8:16). In the church, discrimination is removed and fiftieth cousin relationships are dissolved. In the body of Christ, one of the best family trees, there are only brothers and sisters.

The Bread Basket

Book Drawing: Leave a comment here or email me at writecat@consolidated.net and I’ll enter your name for an April book drawing to win a copy of The Stained Glass Pickup.

If you enjoy the columns, please help me spread the word about them by forwarding them on to friends and family. Thanks, faithful readers!
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She kept coming into her own kitchen offering to help. The women who worked at her sink said, “Go sit down . . . get some rest.” She needed relief. Besides her job and running her household, her family had kept a vigil at bedside of a terminally ill parent.

Now, because of the parent’s death and funeral, her household “runneth over” with out-of-town extended family. She and her husband had little energy to expend. So, women from their church “commandeered” their kitchen and cooked for their large family.

Folks who share food join Christ in ministry. On one occasion in an isolated area, a hungry crowd numbering in the thousands gave Jesus’ disciples an opportunity to wait on tables.

Of course, this became a picnic on the ground not formal dining. Aware of the crowds’ hunger, Jesus said to his disciples, “You give them something to eat” (Mark 6:37). On that day, Jesus’ mission was at least threefold –- teaching the crowd, providing supper, and clothing his disciples with aprons for this no-charge event.

The Lord of Harvest had a storehouse full of fish and bread and his disciples became his middlemen, pantry workers in the food chain blessing.

This spring in the USA, folks who file an income tax return will receive a one time economic stimulus from the government. The government is counting on citizens’ greed or need. Some who receive a check will need to buy food. Others’ avarice will guide their spending.

If refunds aren’t a must have for food or other necessities, why not donate the money to a charity and let them stimulate the economy with their needed purchases. Food banks, orphanages or churches would love to boost the economy through your donations.

One of my pleasures is cooking for others. Whether it’s homemade sourdough bread, chicken and dumplings, lemon meringue pies, or old fashioned tea cakes, giving the gift of food is a really pleasant thing to do, in person or through donations.

In March of this year, the world population reached 6.6 billion. God gave us an abundant earth, a big bread basket, but many go hungry. God calls compassionate people to be the middle link in the food chain, the gap between God’s benevolent hand and the poor. Jesus’ words echo into 2008, “You give them something to eat.”

Grow in the Garden

Book Drawing: Leave a comment here or email me at writecat@consolidated.net and I’ll enter your name for a March book drawing to win a copy of The Stained Glass Pickup.

January of this year, my husband received three solicitations in the mail. They reminded both of us that life is marching on and leaving its boot tread.

One company wanted to sell him a burial policy. Another urged him to buy a Miracle Ear hearing aid, and the third recommended preordering a tombstone. Those purchases will no doubt be made some day, but for now, I’d rather invest my money and time in people and in personal growth than a chunk of marble with chiseled names.

We’re several years from even drawing social security and reminders are all around us that you’re not what you used to be. Growing older is inevitable, but even though the body declines, a person can be renewed in other ways.

In Susannah Seton’s book, Simple Pleasures of the Garden, she says, “The garden grows us.” As Easter approaches this year, I couldn’t shake her words out of my mind. The earth’s bounty wasn’t meant to only nourish us physically, to keep us “healthy” until we die.

This God-created planet, with food sources, air, water and beauty, is a great big garden where we were God supplies all we need to mature intellectually, morally, and emotionally. God intentionally planted us here creating a perfect environment for good growth. We can thrive here.

This is a lesson the women learned when they visited the garden-tomb of Jesus. While alive, he had given them visuals of a better life. He brought people back to life, to breathe again. He took a 12 year old girl’s hand and urged her back to this garden to grow some more (John 5:24).

On another day, a funeral procession wound toward the city limits. A widowed woman prepared to bury her son, but Jesus halted the makeshift bier and said to her, “Don’t cry” (Luke 7). He had resurrection plans, to give her son back, to give opportunity for growth in this earth-garden.

And Lazarus, who had been gone four whole days, Jesus called him from his tomb. He hobbled out still bound in strips of burial cloths. A stunned crowd saw life reborn, emerging in a cemetery.

The women at Jesus’ garden tomb expected to continue their mourning about decline and loss, but a surprise awaited them. They were greeted by angels not death. These messengers said, “He is risen. He is not here!”

Our spirits, the inner person, does not have to age. In Christ they are renewed every day. And it was near Jesus’ empty garden tomb, God further revealed his perfect plan of immortal life—no retirement, no graves, and no tombstones. And he calls us to grow because of the garden message, “He is risen.”

Happy Easter!

Light Always Wins

Book Drawing: Leave a comment here or email me at writecat@consolidated.net and I’ll enter your name for a March book drawing of The Stained Glass Pickup.

During the last week of Jesus’ life on earth, there are references in the gospels about darkness, both nighttime and an evil blackness. Historical documents also mention the three hours of unnatural darkness while Christ was on the cross, one even written by Pontius Pilate.
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The elements that came together and brought about the crucifixion of Jesus included folk with dark evil souls. Judas, one of Jesus’ closest companions, showed his true color. When Jesus and the disciples gathered for the last supper, the Master said, “One of you is going to betray me.” Startled by his announcement, the disciples wanted to know which one of them would do so. Jesus identified Judas as the betrayer.

“Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot . . ..As soon as Judas took the bread Satan entered into him” (John 13:26,27). Judas then left the upper room and the Apostle John closes the scene by writing, “And it was night.”

In Gethsemane, Judas assisted in identifying Jesus to the unruly crowd, and the Son of God was arrested under the cover of darkness. That night Jesus said to his captors, “Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns” (Luke 22:53).

The next day throughout a bright morning, Jesus hung on a cross, but then a solemn darkness settled over the earth at noon. Crucified about nine in the morning, Jesus was on the cross for six hours, and during the final three hours, an unnatural “darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining” (Luke 23:44).

Through correspondence, independent witnesses later corroborated that the sun didn’t illuminate the earth for three hours. Tertullian wrote to the Roman senator Proculus: “The light of day was withdrawn, when the sun at the very time was in his meridian blaze . . . you yourselves have the account of the world-portent still in your archives!”

Another account of the withdrawal of sunlight is in a report Pontius Pilate sent to Tiberius, emperor of Rome. “There was a darkness over the whole earth, the sun having been completely hidden, and the heaven appearing dark, so that the stars appeared.”

Pilate further wrote, “I suppose your reverence is not ignorant of, because in all the world they lighted lamps from the sixth hour until evening.” He also wrote “the moon, being like blood, did not shine the whole night, and yet she happened to be at the full.” The unusual darkness must have been unnerving, frightening. Did God clothe the cross in darkness because he couldn’t bear the world gawking any longer upon the suffering perfect Son?

On that long ago Sunday at dawn, when devoted women went to Jesus’ tomb an angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said” (28:1, 5, 6).

Centuries before Jesus came to earth, Isaiah prophesied: “The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” The refreshment of a clean start is the promise made at the empty tomb of Jesus.

From the cradle to the cross, read Jesus’ story. His total goodness has a way of shining into dark secrets and dispelling shadows. God draped darkness over the evil deeds of the cross, but Sunday dawned and Jesus rose from the dead, proving his power and giving us hope.

Light always wins. Light always overcomes darkness.

February-Book Winners

Congratulations! Winners of the February book drawing. A copy of The Stained Glass Pickup went to Jewell P. from Kentucky. Cindi and Kristi from, Oklahoma and Illinois won Multnomah’s donated copies of Rattled, Surviving Your Child’s First Year Without Losing Your Cool.

Book Drawing: Leave a comment at http://stainedglasspickup.blogspot.com/ or email me at writecat@consolidated.net and I’ll enter your name for a March book drawing to win a copy of The Stained Glass Pickup. Later this year, I’ll sponsor another contest to win A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts ~ Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify Your Holiday. A book I co-authored with several other writers.

The Olive Press

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, Sit here while I go over there and pray. Matthew 26:36

Luke wrote that Jesus and his disciples made regular trips to the Mount of Olives, a ridge running north and south of Jerusalem that’s 200 foot higher than the temple mound. The mountain received its name from the abundant olive groves. The word “gethsemane” is associated with the garden where Jesus prayed before his Crucifixion and where Judas betrayed him.

In Hebrew, the word “gethsemane” means olive press. Olive trees were of great importance to Judean economy and everyday life. Not only were olives eaten but the oil was used in lamps, as a preservative, and a lubricant for skin care.

Ray Vander Laan explains the long-ago process for extracting olive oil. “Whole olives were put into a circular stone basin in which a millstone sat.” An animal harnessed to the millstone walked in a circle rolling the stone and breaking the olives. “The cracked olives were scooped into burlap bags,” then the bags were stacked under “a huge stone column—a gethsemane.”

The enormous weight of the stone column pressed on the bags of olives forcing out the precious oil. The oil collected in a pit at the base of the gethsemane. It was near an olive press where Jesus agonized in prayer before his Crucifixion. His burden was great and it pressed down on him in such a manner that even God’s Son asked excuse from his mission.

During that evening, Jesus knelt and prayed several times, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” In great anguish, he prayed. The stress took a toll and weighed down, pressed upon, “his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:42, 44). That night, the enormity of the world’s sins bore down on him.

Another fact about aging olive trees is when the trunk thickens the leaves cannot give the nourishment the trunk needs to survive. The tree is then cut back to a stump, and that’s when a new shoot will appear.

God used this gardening example to say, “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse . . . . The spirit of the LORD will rest on him” (Isaiah 11:1, 2). The world never encountered anyone like this new green shoot, the Branch Jesus, who could give new life to a sinful world.

Although God often used common sights like olive trees and gardening to express spiritual messages, there was nothing common about his Son. Isaiah further wrote about him, “Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist” (11:5). Wholehearted devotion to God and us characterized the Son of God who prayed near a place we call Gethsemane.

Book Drawing on Leap Day

Book Drawing: Leave a comment here or email me writecat@consolidated.net and I’ll enter your name on this last day of February for this month's book drawing to win a copy of The Stained Glass Pickup.

Second book drawing: Multnomah Publishing sent me two copies of Rattled ~ Surviving the First Year of Motherhood Without Losing Your Cool. See the interview with Trish Berg at my blog, leave a comment and sign up for drawing.

I'll post first names and last initials of winners on Monday and contact you.

Cliff Dwelling

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you (Isaiah 26:3).

Most mornings my husband gets up very early, long before daylight, and I usually prepare a brown bag lunch for him. One morning, I decided to stay awake for an hour and finish leftover chores. Unloading the dishwasher and tidying up the house is not calculus, and my thoughts took a leave of absence from the mundane tasks.

I dwelled on the latest writing project. I toss a lot around in my brain before anything is actually pounded out on keyboard. Faded childhood memories surfaced and took on color and I toyed with words and conjured descriptive phrases.

Even though my brainwaves crashed against a distant shore, my hands were busy as I walked from room to room and tidied up. Floating back to reality, I looked down. I’d completely made up my bed—sheet corners tucked, pillows plumped and comforter in place. I like to consider myself industrious, but I had planned to rest a few more hours.

Often we find our minds drifting during familiar routines. It’s a common problem. That’s when I put the sugar bowl in the refrigerator, the milk in the pantry, the dog in the crib, the kid outside. The most disturbing time my mind walks off is when I’m spending time with God, through Bible study, prayer or meditation.

How can inattention be solved, especially during this important time? Clues can be found in a long ago meeting between Moses and God. Prior to their meeting, Moses made two requests of God: "Teach me your ways so that I may know you," and " . . . show me your glory."

God’s response: “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.”

From that encounter, I see two clues for staying focused: solitude and setting an appointment. Moses wanted to know God better, and God chose a quiet place near himself for the meeting—just God and Moses. The results were magnificent: On a mountain in a cliff, Moses glimpsed God.

Prearranging a quiet time-slot, moments alone with God is one of the best gifts we give ourselves. Our friends and family receive fringe benefits. Thoughtfulness, good character, compassion, kindness are all enhanced after meeting with the master teacher.

Life is busy and sometimes it feels like I-45 has been re-routed through our home. God is totally able to teach me on an interstate, but contemplating God on a freeway or a quiet country lane is as different as tornadoes and tranquility.

Life teases with a bouquet of distractions, but God longs for intimate meetings. Arrange quiet times with God, and watch for cliff blessings. Watch for God’s protective, covering and helping hand in life.

Book Drawing on Leap Day

Book Drawing: Leave a comment at any post or email me and I’ll enter your name for a February book drawing to win a copy of The Stained Glass Pickup.

Second book drawing: Multnomah Publishing sent me two copies of Rattled ~ Surviving the First Year of Motherhood Without Losing Your Cool. See the interview with Trish Berg at my blog, leave a comment and sign up for drawing.

Lent Prayers

One day during Lent, I prayed for these countries: Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tokelau Islands, Tonga, Tuzalu, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna Islands. By the time Palm Sunday arrived, I’d prayed for all the nations of the world. The excellent prayer guide Seek God for the City ~ Prayers of Biblical Hope from WayMakers was the impetus for those entreaties.

Whether your Christian fellowship participates or does not in the Lenten season, the setting aside for time of repentance and renewal is biblical. Besides the nations of the world, the prayer guide targeted different groups of people in communities: health care workers, broken families, men, military personnel, the sick, the unemployed, prisoners and their families, the physically disabled, youth, mothers, arts and entertainment, the depressed, those in nursing homes and substance abusers of drugs and alcohol.

After the 40 days, I felt more akin, in tune, yoked to Christ because my pleas and praise were not limited to the minority of people I know, but for this world as a whole and in part.

The guide helped me pray more comprehensive prayers than ever before. And, the very reasonable price of $3.00 sent me back for another guide this year. Even though we are already into the 40 days of Lent, I encourage readers to purchase a prayer guide to pray any 40 days of the year. After you’ve prayed through it, place it by a December 2008 calendar page, a reminder to purchase one for 2009.

WayMakers offers other prayer tools at nominal fees of $2.00 a pamphlet: What Would Jesus Pray, Light from My House, Prompts for Prayerwalkers, Blessings and Open My City. At their Web site find free PDF files of the 2008 Seek God for the City for children and in Spanish.

Each prayer ended with “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” And, one of my favorite lines from a petition welcoming Christ, “And may your mercy amaze us even more than miracles.” I found the Lent prayer guide to be one of the most helpful prayer tools. But overriding any tool is the knowledge that God hears and heeds the sincere—from the simplest to the most organized prayer, poorly worded or eloquently stated.

Through prayers, you can usher God’s help into your community and the world. During the 40 days of prayer it was such a blessing to lay gratitude, needs and burdens at the feet of God who has the power to intervene in global problems. Today, my prayer guide suggests praying for the news media, the poor and those without a shepherd. As I pray, my hope is based on the mercy of his hearing.

Note: Do you plan to do anything special on your "extra" day next week, Leap Day? If so, let me know, please. I'm collecting your suggestions for next Friday's column. Thanks, Cathy.

Book Drawing

Leave a comment at any of my posts, and I'll enter your name into a February drawing for a copy of The Stained Glass Pickup. Leave a comment at my interview with Trish Berg and Multnomah furnished two copies of Rattled ~ Surving Baby's First Year Without Losing Your Cool.

Thanks for stopping by...

Remembering to Forget Marriage Spills

Kristy Dykes tell a story about a husband who wanted to spruce up his cement patio and told his wife, “I'm going to be painting out here, so don't come out." But she forgot.

Later, she shoved the door open and knocked over a gallon of white paint. The husband had choices to make. He could have yelled, or said, “I told you so.”

He could have complained that he’d clearly informed her of his project or even brought up other times she’d forgotten things. The spill could have been incendiary.

However, this long married couple had experienced misfortunes before and had decided that when accidents occurred, they wouldn’t cast blame. They made a choice early in marrige to forgive and forget. Instead of a lecture or grudge, the husband chose to build a memory around the spilled paint and it became a witness to his love, not combustible blame-throwing.

When the husband looked down at the paint, he saw it had spread almost into a heart shape. With a few quick brush strokes he perfected the very large heart and let it dry. He later inscribed it with these words, “The heart of this house is my darling wife Jeanie.”

Instead of a lecture about carelessness, he chose to recognize and honor her role in their home. Some Eastern nomadic tribes refer to their wives as the tent pole. The one that holds it all together. Apparently the painter cherished his wife and her contributions and he forgave and forgot.

“Forgive & Forget” are good inscription words for the inside of wedding bands. I’m reminded of something I read about Clara Barton, who founded the American Red Cross.

A friend reminded her of a vicious act that someone had committed against her. The friend could see that Ms. Barton didn’t seem to recall the malicious behavior and asked, “Don’t you remember it?”

“No,” Ms. Barton replied, “I distinctly remember forgetting.”

Solomon said, there is a “time to keep and a time to throw away” (Ecclesiastes 3:6). Marriages shouldn’t become throw-aways, but a lot of the day-to-day components should. Upsets and mishaps will happen, but whether we bank them in a grudge vault or set them out with the trash is a persoanl choice.

This week love your spouse with all your heart, and remember to forget.

Free books

Multnomah sent me two free copies of Rattled as give-aways. Leave a comment, and I'll enter your name into a drawing to win a copy. Tell your friends to drop by and read Trish's interview. I'm a grandmother and reading the book to review on Amazon. Good, honest, faith-filled, down-to-earth stuff for Moms of all ages.

My favorite line so far page 89, "Even though your baby doesn't come with an instruction manual, you get something better: God is right beside you, whispering motherhood into your soul."

Oh, and I really like the "Food for Thought" Sidebar (easily spotted on the pages because a baby bottle accompanies the wisdom). It's full of helpful, motivating stats. Did you know the average person received nearly 50,000 pieces of mail in a lifetime? I wonder how many trees that equates to?