In my home, I preferred to go bare foot until my arches gave way, and now I wear what my grandchildren call “granny shoes.” Hey, it’s better to wear “granny shoes” during the day than to have granny aches at night. My ancestry roots run back to the red dirt of Arkansas, so barefoot is simply what I prefer.

     In a women’s Bible class, the subject of bare feet came up. We were studying the life of Moses who was called at age 80 to lead the Israelites out of slavery. When the call came and at God’s command, Moses took off his shoes near a bush that had an internal fire set alight by God. Moses was at first hesitant to follow God’s calling, however his eventual following caused a deepening devotion to God and the Israelites.

The Bible also includes other barefoot moments. In innocence and purity, the first humans Adam and Eve were barefoot in the Garden of Eden (meaning delight). Much later, during the tabernacle and temple eras, the High Priests entered the Holy of Holies shoeless, anointed on their right ears, right thumbs, and right big toes, declaring that the whole man was set apart to serve God.

On the outskirts of Jericho, Joshua removed his shoes, instructed by an angel of the Lord to do so (Joshua 5:13-15). Hebrew mourning traditions included taking off shoes (Ezekiel 24:15-17). On the cross and barefoot, God rescued our High Priest Jesus from a world that spurned his purity. Jesus then re-entered holy heaven, the court of God, to plead our cases.

When my grandson Jack was eight-years-old and I talked about these barefoot moments in scripture, Jack said, “And we’re barefoot when we’re baptized” (our fellowship practices immersion). Why are these moments so significant in the lives of Bible heroes and us?

Intimate meetings, the baring of our souls to God (not just our feet)includes opportunities for God to ignite fires within – to ignite passions causing us to become his hands of help to the oppressed. Rick Warren spoke to 20,000 young people and asked them to hold up three fingers to form a “W”.  This sign signified “whatever, whenever, wherever” for the cause of Christ. Another speaker at the same event echoed the call of Jesus to learn the ways of mercy and justice. 

Even though Moses showed plenty of fear, he soon knew he was on the precipice of something startling and moving. When Moses allowed God to direct his life, that’s when God built a fire within.

Whatever. Whenever. Wherever. Take off your shoes, bare your soul in quiet moments this week, and watch for holy ground where God can inspire you to extend grace and mercy to others.

Index card verse for week 43: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

  

Jesus Longs to Befriend You

A Bible class teacher I know told about teaching prayer to preschoolers, kindergarteners, and first graders. Their Bible class system teaches through “centers,” meaning about 30 children divide into three groups, and the groups rotate during class time. This teacher had about 15 minutes to teach the same topic to groups of ten children each, and then they practiced praying.

            After teaching that prayer is “talking to God about what is on your heart,” she took prayer requests from the four to six year olds. She let them know they could bare their hearts, and she would pray every day for their concerns.

            First, pets were on their minds. Ashes the cat made the list. The dogs -- Sam, Happy, Bubba, Buddy and Bandit -- were covered in prayer that week, too. One other pet was AWOL. Each prayer request was accepted and treated with dignity. 

            Other boys and girls had noticed the suffering of people. A grandpa was in the hospital. A lonely neighbor had moved. Someone had a broken spine. One daughter said her daddy needed rest. Two children remembered recent deaths of grandmothers and a cousin. Still, other little ones requested prayers for moms and dads.

During the teaching segment, the teacher had explained different prayer postures. She told them about lying prostrate before God during especially trying or humbling times. One outgoing young man immediately threw himself on the carpeted floor and demonstrated for the more reserved students. She talked about kneeling to pray, and when the time came to pray, the teacher invited any children who wanted to kneel to do so. Each sweet child chose to join others in a circle and kneel in prayer.

We adults know that prayer is not a magic wand that we wave to get God to do things our way. We have embraced it as a humility-talk from a grown up child to Father, expressing thanksgivings, fears, needs, doubts, and praises. I’m reading and putting into practice the praying of the psalms and my teacher is Lynn Anderson, who recently wrote “Talking Back to God: Speaking your heart to God through the Psalms.” He says of that type of praying, “The Psalms are a place where contemporaries meet the ancients as we all try to account for the chaos, suffering, celebration, and lament we feel in our lives.”

For example, how often would this portion of a psalm speak about a place in life: “Listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping” (39:12)? If you experience a time of exuberant happiness, perhaps this would be appropriate praise: “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God” (40:3). Sometimes, even a single line from the psalms can become our prayer for months: “Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless” (108:12).

In the children’s prayer time, their requests and praises reached beyond themselves. Not one child asked a prayer for himself. I find that remarkable. When we pray, God helps us untangle from selfishness: “A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small package” (God’s Little Devotional Book).  Because of the nature of prayer, any time we pray we admit that we’re not good enough, bright enough, or bold enough to meet all the needs of life.

One of the wonderful things about prayer is its immediacy. We don’t have to be at a special place or it doesn’t have to occur at a special time of day. Prayer can occur anywhere and anytime—from a whale’s belly, from a cross, beside the Nile, in school, in the Temple, in a shopping line, on a battlefield, on a mountain, in a valley, or behind the wheel of a car.  

One of the surprising results of prayer is a growing knowledge of the holiness of God, the littleness of man, and a glorious friendship between the two. Need a best friend, one you can call on for help, simply sit with in silence, or tell them about your day? Try talking to Jesus. He longs to befriend you, and carry on a conversation for a long time.

 Index card verse for week 42: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Colossians 4:2).

     

Show, Don't Just Tell

The Montessori instructor placed her left hand on an open door and her right on the doorknob; she gently twisted it quietly closing the door. She had just told her adult audience that often parents “yell” at a child, “Don’t slam the door!” However, the parent often fails to show the child how to shut a door properly. I sat in that audience over 20 years ago and the gist of her message remains strong in my memory. Showing a child how to accomplish a task produces better results than simply telling a child. The lesson stuck: Show, don’t just tell.

                I participated in a teacher’s workshop, and one teacher wanted her students to “see” the Bible story of Zacchaeus and Jesus acted out. You remember the story, the short in stature and hands-deep-in other’s pockets Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was walking his way, and he quickly climbed a tree so he could see over the crowd and spot Jesus. Jesus knew the location of this wealthy, chief tax collector’s heart and that he was spiritually out-on-a-limb—a limb that would eventually snap unless he changed his cheating ways. Jesus looked up in the branches and said, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today” (Luke 19:1-10).

                Melody, a Bible schoolteacher asked her husband to dress up as Zacchaeus to help her act out the story. She played the part of Jesus with her Bible times robe and wig and beard. Knowing that her husband, Monty, was resourceful, she didn’t dictate how he dressed for the part. When Zacchaeus entered the room, Melody had difficulty keeping the story from turning into a comedy. Her husband fully carried out the characterization -- long robe, wig, and beard -- and he entered walking on his knees with large soft shoes penned to his jeaned-knees beneath his robe. Zacchaeus was indeed low down to the ground.

                Melody’s class listened to the text of Luke and saw why Zacchaeus needed to climb a tree to see Jesus. Melody demonstrated the message that Jesus’ love can change tall or short thieves. Show and tell worked well.

                  In writing courses, one of the main elements in writing fiction or non-fiction is to “Show, don’t tell.” A story written with action and dialog is more understandable and readable than one where a writer uses only narration and a passive voice. Today’s popular novelist write in this style:  Show, don’t tell.

                If you are a parent, you especially have learned the value of showing a child how to do something instead of simply giving a verbal command. People learn best when there are demonstrations and then opportunities to practice. My husband could tell me to change the oil in my vehicle, but believe me I’d need several lessons before that would even come close to happening correctly.

                God did that for us. He didn’t simply tell us what to do, but he sent a live demonstration in the person of Jesus Christ. He clothed God in flesh, and through divine help, Jesus showed us how to live a just, compassionate, and forgiving life. As I think back over the life of Jesus, I am encouraged to know he constantly patterned perfect behavior for those around him. He touched the sickest among the crowds. He forgave the vilest offenders. He accepted into his presence both the prostitute and political official. He rubbed shoulders with outcasts. In addition, he contributed no slander, no gossip – only truth.

                Many have found the right combination of showing Jesus to others as they gently teach and demonstrate his love through their active involvement in others’ lives. Know-it-all preaching rarely results in the softening of hearts. Recently, I spoke with a young Christian woman, part of a group who has moved into a troubled neighborhood on the East Coast, and she said to me, “We’re not preaching on the street corners. We’re just living among them and showing people a better way of life by loving and helping others like Jesus did.” 

                 Index card verse for week 41: “Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near”                                (Philippians 4:4-5).

Soul Droughts

Soul Droughts

        A glossy picture in a Christian magazine shows a young girl from a poorer nation, who splashes water onto her face from a trickling faucet. Her turban-wrapped hair, closed eyes, and lips parted in a smile show her joy as she takes a drink of life-giving water.

     A look of intense delight radiates from 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 Israelites’ water-needs when they traveled from Egypt through desert lands. Bible scholars number those exiting Egypt between 1.2 million and 2 million, plus sheep, chickens, dogs, and other animals needing water to survive.

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

     The story of the Israelites parched throats is in Exodus 17 and Numbers 20, but the measurable 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 small puddle thinking.

     God is not a trickle fountain, nor is he tight fisted with water supplies. Those desert travelers needed sufficient water. God’s moisture-starved pilgrims needed an extravagance of water, and that's just what God gave.

     The Israelites 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. I only had a tiny bit of Sprite with me. I didn’t have a hat to protect my head from the heat and didn’t have appropriate shoes for walking. After two miles of hiking, my thirst was extreme. Several cars passed but none offered a lift. Disheartened and dehydrated, I needed relief. The eventual savior-truck-driver dropped me off at a convenience store where I immediately bought a drink.

     Physical thirst is not the worst I've suffered. In our water-pampered nation, thirsts are easy to quench, but there are worse ways to dry up. In the October 2011 issue of “Christianity Today,” the article “Saving China’s Daughters” says that 500 women in China commit suicide every day traumatized by “gendercide and China’s one-child policy.” Tap water doesn't solve every thirst. Each person on earth needs living water whether they acknowledge the need or not.

      Every day people give up on living and sink further into depression, some choosing to take their own lives. Words from an old hymn state a truth. "There’s a fountain free tis for you and me. Let us haste, oh haste, to its brink. Tis the fount of love from the source above And He bids us all, freely drink.”

     We’re all in need of refreshment. Is anyone thirsty? An oasis waits. In the name of Jesus, share a cup of "living water" with the thirsty – and imagine their excitement when it reaches their souls.

     Index card verse for Week 40: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2).

    

The Ant and the Book Signing

The Ant and the Book Signing

Go ahead and call me an idiot. It’s okay. I’m not offended because more and more the title seems to fit.

            Do you want to hear why I’m giving you permission to do that? Last week, I spoke at Summit, Abilene Christian University’s Bible Lectureship, where they sponsor a variety of classes covering a large span of current topics. They host Bible teachers, authors, musicians, and community leaders who challenge Christians to live their calling in Christ, to endeavor to help the oppressed by halting sex trafficking, buying fair trade products, and remaining active in one’s community by caring for widows, orphans, and others who need a hand up. Students and thousands of visitors to the campus attend the sessions.

            In that setting, my publisher had scheduled several book signings for me. I have a system for signing books and it usually works. With three books published, I write a particular message for each of those books and underneath I sign my name. If I know the person, I write a more personal message. At one of those venues, a woman I’ve never met wanted me to sign her book. If asked to sign that particular book, I usually write, “Be a blessing, Page 106, Proverbs 17:17” and then I sign my name. Did I say I have a system and it normally works?  

            However, my plan didn’t work this past week when I was a few numbers off in my scripture reference. Heaven only knows who the book-buyer-woman was, and I do sincerely wish I could apologize for the scripture reference I accidentally wrote. That page number that I refer to when signing is to direct the reader to a story or recipe that I think is one of the better ones within the book. The story on page 106 is the one when close-friend Doris took up an offer of free turnip greens issued to both of us. Knowing I was very busy and couldn’t wash, drain, and de-sand them, she later surprised me with quarts and quarts of frozen ones. What a dedicated friend!

            I like that friendship story, and most people can relate to it. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times.” I don’t write out the actual words, just the numbers. It’s a general scripture, which could apply to many people and situations.

            At the exact moment I signed the woman’s book, the chosen Bible chapter and verse just wouldn’t surface in my mind. After a few seconds of delay, finally, my brain told me that the scripture reference that I usually write is Proverbs 6:6. The woman smiled happily, taking her signed book and moving on to the checkout line, and I greeted the next person.

            Later when the hubbub died down, I easily remembered that I’d written Proverbs 6:6 in the woman’s book. My brain also reminded me -- far too late -- that I usually write Proverbs 17:17.  To my horror, I wondered what words of wisdom were in Proverbs 6:6. I knew that somewhere in chapters 3 to 7 were some plain-talk descriptions about an adulteress. Naturally, all of the sudden my brain functions perfectly, reminding me of such descriptive phrases as, “Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.” Others quickly pop into my mind about the “immoral woman,” or the “adulteress who preys upon your very life,” or how a “prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread.”

            Why did my brain that’s been with me all these years desert me when most needed during the signing? When I realized just how BIG my mistake might be, worry began to gnaw at my peace.  Wondering what message is in Proverbs 6:6, I voiced my concerns to my traveling companion and sister, Sherry.

            “I think I’ve done something really stupid,” I said to her. I explained the number foul up and my fear that I might have called a Christian book buyer a trollop.

            My trusty sister whips out her Bible and says, “Why wait to find out. I’ll just see what it says.” She locates the verse, and I can see she’s reading silently to herself. She giggles and asks, “Are you sure those are the numbers you wrote.” I nod my head. “You’ll either hate yourself or think it’s funny.”

            I audibly groaned. Sister Sherry read aloud Proverbs 6:6, “Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider its ways and be wise!”

            “Oh, good grief,” I said. “Some poor woman is walking around wondering why on earth I judged her a sluggard!” Then I remember it could have been worse. I could have tagged her as a loose woman who drags her “prey down to the grave.” Thank you, Lord, for small ant-sized favors. This is a sweeping apology to that unnamed woman. In addition, I know she’s not the first I’ve offended with written words and she’s probably not the last, I apologize for any of my misspoken words or written words -- a bunch, I’ve no doubt.

            A sense of humor, a willingness to confess, and a willingness to forgive – life’s too short to sweat the fumbles. Next time the ball’s up in the air and my brain is disengaged, I just hope to pass along a smile and maybe a signature alone. And that will just have to do.

            Index Card Verse for Week 39: “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love” (Galatians 5:6).

You may contact Cathy at www.cathymessecar.com      

Little Things Bouy One's Spirit

Little things sometimes become powerful. The small moments in our lives often reassure us of God’s love, a family member’s, or a friend’s.

             As I look at the trees that line the creek near our home, I see them dying right before my eyes. Old oaks, stately pines, and a very old catalpa tree on our property to name only a few. We hope the trickle watering at night has been enough to keep the old live oak in our yard alive. I know that none of those trees really belongs to my family. I can’t determine their fate.  Indeed, they came up as saplings because of God’s design and they remain rooted in God’s soil, and he will water them when he wants. A small thing a raindrop, but its single vitality serves to nourish despite its smallness.

            Our land in South Texas is usually so well watered that it produces an abundance of mushrooms. I’m surprised we coast dwellers don’t have mushrooms growing in our lungs, since the air is so moist. Due to our historic drought, I will sorely miss the abundant splendor of morning glories blooming on the roadsides in Montgomery County – their vines climbing fences and roadway barricades.

            The morning glory’s heart shaped leaves and lavender blossoms have always been a favorite because they are September bloomers – pushing their delicate vines up through the ground even when high temperatures are still the norm. They arrive after dreadfully hot summers, but my search for them this fall has only brought sighting of a few stunted flowers, strugglers hearty enough to bloom beside cracks in the soil that could swallow them whole. A couple of tiny violet flowers, small things, but blooms during droughts always bring blessings.

            Even as grass crunches and breaks under each step of my foot, God’s ever nourishing earth disclosed something else this week.  A surprise lily dared the terrible heat, punching its lovely stem up through the dried earth producing floral trumpets.  Surprise lilies are just that. They most often bloom during hurricane season. They first grow broad leaves and about five days after these leaves wilt, a stem quickly pushes up through the ground producing the lilies.

            We live on an old home place, and I don’t know the network of old bulbs hiding beneath the soil; many have lain dormant for years. Suddenly, a resurrection takes place, and they surprise me by producing an array of color through no efforts of my own. God in his mercy provides a tiny but potent pleasure when he allows one to pop up overnight, a colorful reminder that he remains in control.

            My mother passed away over a recent hot record-breaking weekend.  As I washed the last clothes she wore and folded her socks and washcloths, I also folded little squares of fabric that helped to keep her hands busy over the last few years. You may remember when I told you about her dementia and shrinking interest in the world around her. Bedridden she could no longer read, write, or comprehend television. Family connections faded as well.

            I know many dementia patients pick at their covers, but there seemed to be more of a tailoring method as my mother, who could spend hours in a fabric store or at a pattern catalog, made exact pleats and smoothed them in place. Knowing her love of textiles, an idea was born to furnish her with quilt quarters, colorful pieces of seasonal cotton fabrics to occupy her hands and fill the years upon years of lying in bed and growing more frail. Quilt quarters, an insignificant thing, but I hope they brought her peace, and only God alone knows.

            Do you know someone who would benefit from telling them about the Talking Book Program (TBP), a division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) in Austin, Texas, and works with the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) in Washington, DC, a program administered by the Library of Congress?

            They bring the world of literature through the tiny dots of Braille and through audio to sightless worlds of the blind. They also broaden the borders of the disabled through lending and mailing books and the loan of audio playing devices as long as needed – one of their resources: “The Holy Bible” with both the old and new testaments (narrated by Alexander Scourby).

            This week, I pray that you watch for small but significant surprises brought to you by the Creator, and then make time to shine similarly into someone’s life. Pay the toll for the person behind. Show a genuine smile. Speak to a stranger (it’s okay for adults). Give a hug. Hand someone a flower. Truly listen to someone. Look into someone’s eyes. Small acts of kindness nurture others, and those deeds may become the dynamic catalysts to restore his or her hope.

            Index Card Verse for Week 38: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7).

            Contact Cathy at www.cathymessecar.com   

Pool of Mercy

Imagine you’re holding your newborn son. Perfect in every way. No treasure rivals a healthy child, but a few weeks later, an uneasy feeling invades. Your son turns his head toward sounds, but his eyes don’t focus on anything—not even your face.

To the parents and blind son of John 9, blindness became as familiar as daily bread. The son never saw a minnow or the faint yellow of fresh butter. The parents never witnessed his wonder at seeing a puppy or a lightning bolt.

By adulthood, darkness underwrote his world. He had no comprehension of light besides descriptive words. Around Jerusalem, the tentative man who had to feel his way around town was well known. Locals could tell any newcomer, “Oh, he’s been around for years -- blind since birth.”

One day, Jesus and his disciples passed near him. Jesus noticed the man and his disciples asked, “Who sinned, this man or his parents?”

            Perhaps the sightless man overheard Jesus’ answer. “Neither . . . this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life” (9:3). Jesus continued, “Night is coming, when no man can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (9:4-5).

            Jesus started the ball rolling, with mud balls, so that God would be displayed in the blind man’s life. Instead of immediate creation of sight, Jesus mixed a Sabbath-mud-and-saliva placebo, and smeared it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the pool of Siloam.”    

            Wherever the blind man was in Jerusalem, he obediently groped his way toward the pool. Did he encounter curious locals? Did hecklers ridicule his mud pack? Did brats jeer his stumbling walk or try to trip him? Did citizens pity him, thinking that both his mind and sight were now gone? Whatever he encountered, he pushed on to the pool of mercy.

            When he reached the water, did he kneel and dip his hands in the water? Or with abandon splash into the pool, dipping his head beneath the surface? Did he rise, flinging locks, shaking off droplets, wiping watery dirt from his face and eyes?

            With the soil of the earth washed away, his eyes opened. God met him there. Sweet sight. A spectrum of color. Adrenalin rush. Words and objects connected. For the first time, he had a live picture-dictionary of his vocabulary. 

            On that Sabbath, the blind man saw a mural—his parent’s faces, shimmering water, scowls from religious zealots, the synagogue. Yes, ugliness also treaded the boundaries of this healing. The Sabbath-Nazis aligned Jesus with sinners. Their anger stemmed from his claims to the title of Messiah and his so-called Sabbath offences.

            In the first slew of questions from the religious leaders, the healed man couldn’t identify Jesus. He’d never seen him. After more questions later that day, still without a face-to-face meeting, the man declared Jesus was a prophet.

Then he met Jesus. The sweetest Sabbath sighting of all.

Afterwards, cranky religious leaders asked further arbitrary questions of the healed man. He confirmed Jesus’ deity with his notable evidence-reply, “I was blind but now I see!”

The assignment given to Jesus remains our spiritual calling today: “To open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness” (Isaiah 42:6-7).

This Sunday is “National Back to Church Sunday.” A survey showed that most people would go with a friend to church if they were invited. And on Sunday evening at Buddy Moorehead Stadium the “Go Tell” revival, sponsored by over 30 area churches will kick off with multiple national speakers. Do you have at least one friend that might go with you to church or to the community revival? It’s a small thing to do, but when you invite them, you’re opening a door to light and God’s pool of mercy.   

Index card verse for week 37: “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow” (1 Corinthians 3:7).

            Contact Cathy www.cathymessecar.com

My column ten years ago on Sept 14, 2001

Ten years ago, Jim Fredricks (then religion editor) published my first newspaper column. Then, Reverend Gerald Kline wrote the regular column, but “The Courier” published guest columnist, too. Jim had approved several columns, I’d sent him, and had promised to run one when he had room. Then the tragic events of September 11 occurred. I sent Jim an email the next day and suggested one of the submitted columns would be appropriate should he choose to publish it that Friday. Jim, always generous, published the following column that Friday.

            That column is now part of one of my books, a devotional book, “The Stained Glass Pickup.” In memory of September 11, 2001, the fallen, and of all the love-thy-neighbor goodness of that day and in the months to follow, I share my first column from ten years ago, September 14,, 2001:

“If you really keep the royal law found in scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right” (James 2:8).

            When my daughter Sheryle was ten, we stopped at a fast food restaurant in Houston for lunch. The dining room was filled almost to capacity, but we found two seats next to the rest rooms. Near the end of our meal, a teenage male employee began rolling a janitorial bucket and mop toward the rest rooms. The worker, dressed in his uniform of gray trousers and gray and white striped shirt, steered the sloshy contents with the mop handle. Approaching the rear of the restaurant where we sat, the young man began having a seizure. He fell to the floor and knocked over the bucket of water.

            What could I do to help? The last time I witnessed someone having a seizure, several friends aided her with a substitute tongue depressor, to keep her from biting her tongue. I recalled that medical aid was now outdated.

            Everyone close by stopped eating. The boy continued to have what I guessed to be a grand mal seizure. Within seconds, another teenage employee yelled to the front, “John’s having another seizure!”

            At the first cry of alarm, a man stepped away from the crowded lunch counter and hurried toward the back. Dressed immaculately in a white shirt, gray flannel slacks, tie and textured jacket, he looked out of place in the casual,jeans-clad crowd. He calmly asked the other employee, “What’s his name?”

            “John,” the employee answered.

            On the floor, John’s muscles were racked by spasms, his teeth chattered, and his limbs jerked. The man moved the mop bucket away from John’s thrashing head to avoid him further injury. Then squatting, he placed one knee in the water, bent over John and said, “I’m a doctor, John. You’ll be okay.”

            Over and over he called John’s name. He gently coached and assured him, “John, relax. This will be over soon. John, you’re okay. Relax, John. This won’t last much longer.”

            Again and again he encouraged the writhing boy. Finally, John’s body, responding to internal signals and the soothing voice of the doctor, relaxed.

            The close quarters and activity had confined the other diners and us to our seats. Sheryle and I gathered our remaining food and tiptoed through the puddled water to leave. The last thing John needed was a gawking crowd.

            The picture of John and the physician remain vivid in my memory. One was in need of help, one was willing to step into the middle of things—in medias res— and extend compassion. My daughter and I witnessed the royal law that day when two pairs of gray trousers were soaked—one by circumstance, one by choice.

Index card verse for week 36: “We do not know what we ought to pray, but the Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (Romans 8:26).

Job Description

            Between Fairfield and Corsicana, Texas, my husband saw a highway paint crew at work. At the same time, he noticed a poor mutt that had met his demise in the middle of the road. The painters seemed oblivious to the carcass and sprayed a white stripe over the top of the dog. A similar picture circulates on the Internet with the caption, "Not In My Job Description."

            Any honest vocation comes with a guarantee from God: "That every man may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil -- this is the gift of God" (Ecclesiastes 3:13). It certainly does bring gratification to finish painting a room and arrange the furniture back in place. Or, contentment settles in when school papers are graded or the final jar of canned pickles vacuum-seals with a distinctive ping of the lid. Closing an auto’s hood after an oil change, grabbing a briefcase to leave work, or punching a time card can all signal that the workday is over. A sigh of relief may escape each worker signaling their eagerness for a bit of down time, a tasty meal at home, and a nights rest.

            The completion of work brings about satisfaction. Finishing work means that a must-do can be scratched off a to-do list for at least one day. A job finished. A job well done.  A gratifying accomplishment.

            Plenty of the current young generations have learned to work diligently. But some of the untrained have yet to experience the subsequent gift of satisfaction that accompanies hard work. A few parents see their job description as "activities director" instead of "work coordinator." I'll be the first to admit that Jack will indeed be a dull boy if he's all work and no play. However, for most children play comes naturally, but a learning process is involved in acquiring work skills. Blessed are the parents who recognize their role in this apprenticeship.

            Employers are always on the lookout for enthusiastic workers. And anyone possessing a passion for excellence in their field of work is highly marketable and in demand. It takes many different skills and talents to keep a community functioning, and any honorable profession is worthy of respect.

            John W. Gardner said: "The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity, and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because philosophy is an exalted activity, will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water."

            On this very hot September day, when you finally wipe the perspiration from your brow and get ready to shower and cool down, go ahead and eat a healthy meal and allow contentment to seep into your soul because you have worked well. Remember that God's job description includes gifting you with food, drink, and satisfaction as a return for your industrious labor.

            Index card verse for week 35: “And [God] is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else” (Acts 17:25).

            You may contact Cathy at www.cathymessecar.com

Kneeling in Prayer

 “Come let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.” Psalm 95:6-7

Two wives were mending trousers, each mending her preacher-husband’s pants. One said, “My poor James. He is so discouraged in his work. He’s thinking about resigning and finding a regular job. It seems nothing goes right for him.”

            The other wife said, “My husband says just the opposite. He is enthused. It seems like the Lord is closer to him than ever before.” A hushed silence fell as they continued to mend the trousers—one patching the seat and the other repairing the knees.

            My parents knelt with my sister and me at bedtime and we said goodnight to God, and we learned bowing by example. My mother often prayed on her knees through the day, too, behind a closed door. We lived in one of those houses that had an old fashioned key latch, with key hole. When she went in and closed the door, I peeked in and saw her kneeling in front of the toilet, hands clasped in prayer, no doubt pleading to make it through another day with her four little rascals.

            It's one of my most vivid memories of sneaking peeks at her through the keyhole of that old-fashioned doorplate, the kind unlocked by a skeleton key. God provided my mother with rest and re-creation and will also help any praying mother err on the side of sanity and love. My mother has a new home as of yesterday morning. Dad and three children were with her as she took her last breath. What a privilege to have been there at that moment and to have been her child.  

            The postures of prayer mentioned in the Bible are numerous — standing, lying face down on the ground, kneeling, hands lifted toward the heavens, eyes turned heavenward, and more. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he mentions his prayer posture, “I kneel before the Father” (3:14).

            Our culture is an ocean and several centuries removed from bowing before monarchs. A bow or curtsy indicated that the performer would defer to the person of higher rank, whether they wanted to or not. In private, when knees are bowed to God, there’s more involved than coerced obedience.

            A story of a father and son demonstrates forced compliance. Before seat belt laws, a traveling dad said to his pre-school son who was standing in the seat of their car, “Sit down, son.”

            The child didn’t sit down, but after several more verbal commands he did. Finally seated, the boy looked at his dad and said, “But I’m still standing on the inside.”

            In private, when knees are bent in prayer, it’s a voluntary act. When I was a teenager, I strayed from kneeling, but later on in life, I began praying on my knees again.

            The first few weeks of adopting that prayer pose were difficult. For me, it meant allowing God to look into all the rooms in my heart, including the locked ones that had skeleton keys.

            When kneeling, we’re physically closer to the earth, but somehow our hearts move to the courts of heaven. Try kneeling in prayer this week. Of course, you just might have to patch pant-knees but meanwhile God will be tailoring your life from above.

            Index card verse for week 34: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

            Contact Cathy at www.cathymessecar.com  

    

Storm Surge

Book Give Away August 31: Reply, Comment, or post to enter. You choose which of my books you want: A Still and Quiet Soul: Embracing Contentment, The Stained Glass Pickup (devotional), or A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts.

The boat rocked as waves slapped its wooden hull, and the men on board lunged with the craft, stances unsteady. Streaks of electricity split charcoal skies, and the men knew that it would take only one direct hit to the boat mast and they were going down. They might go down anyway because the small craft was nearly full of lake water.  

Beyond the boaters’ control, the stormy night had also spewed water into the hull. If a massive wave came along, no human strength could stop the boat from capsizing. Casting nets. Mending nets. Filleting fish – all that they could manage, but the roiling lake was beyond their control. The storm grabbed the fishermen’s imaginations and took them on a spin of terror.

The men clung to the boat’s rigging, hoping for the storm to abate, but the storm didn’t go away. Instead, their reasons for alarm increased when what seemed to be a ghost appeared above the water surface. They wanted the approaching phantom to disappear. Blinking water from their eyes, shaking their heads trying to clear their senses, they tried to banish the ghost from their vision.

Still, the supposed apparition didn’t go away, but instead drew closer and closer and finally spoke to them in a familiar voice -- the voice of Jesus. His soothing voice offered the first notion of hope when two words buoyed their spirits, “Take courage.”

 His presence and words seemed to say, “I’m here now. Cheer up. I’ve got enough courage to go around, and besides all that, watch as I control the fury of this storm.” After identifying himself to his disciples, Jesus again urged them “Don’t be afraid.” Then he simply climbed into their boat, and “the wind died down,” and they were completely amazed (Mark 6:50-51).

When the disciples thought they saw a ghost, they despaired even further. False spirits are at the root of creating doubts and fear, and fear over-clouds hope. Longtime preacher Charles Hodge says, “Fear is the darkroom where negativity is developed.”

In any coastal area, the term “storm surge” applies to the times that seawater takes up temporary residence on productive landmasses. Life can also resemble a coastline, and storm surges can arrive at any time, due to a bad health report, loss of a job, or trying relationships. Knowing that storm surges recede gives birth to hope.

Lyle Arakaki of Hawaii says that because of the time difference between the continental U.S, the NFL Monday Night Football game is actually played in mid-afternoon, but the local TV station delays broadcasting the taped game until 6:30 p. m.

Mr. Arakaki says that when his favorite team plays he’s too excited to wait until the television showing so he listens to the game, finds out the results and then watches the game in the evening. He said that influences how he views the game. When he sees his team fumble or throw an interception, it’s not a problem because he knows the outcome. During such times, he says to himself, “That’s bad, but it’s okay. In the end, we’ll win.”

When storms surge and we’re trying to find a plank to float on, it makes a difference when we know the outcome of all our troubles on this earth. The psalmist declared that when he cried out to God that God made him “bold and stouthearted” (138:3).

No matter what rumblings lurk in your near future, take a deep breath and exhale it in prayer. Jesus, the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow says, “Take courage from me.” In addition, one of his specialties is climbing into rocking boats and calming storms.

Index card verse for week 33: “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him” (Luke 8:25).

Contact Cathy at www.cathymessecar.com    

“Come away with me. . ."

“Come away with me by yourselves and get some rest.” These rank among my favorite things that Jesus said to his disciples. Probably every person has needed, at one time or another, to hear and practice those words. Especially now, disciples of Jesus experience refreshment when we set aside time for prayer, study of the Gospels, and meditation on how our Savior lived his daily life on earth.

            Get ready for a treat if you decide to read the Gospel of Mark. You will meet anew Jesus the Wonderful, the breathtaking Savior sent to redeem the entire world. You’ll also get a glimpse of the time frame of Jesus’ day-to-day ministry, when he went from one good work to another and didn’t grow weary. The book of Mark uses the terms “immediately,” “at once,” “without delay,” and “as soon as,” over 40 times.

            Those time references allow readers to realize that Jesus’ day was crowded with needy people much like some of ours’. The disciple Mark helps us to see the immediacy of the needs that surrounded Jesus, and that Jesus chose to lean on the Father, to fuel his teaching and compassion. New Testament writers tell us that Jesus was sometimes so busy there was no time to eat. Huge crowds pressed so close to him that he barely had room to move, and he even had to make special arrangements to have time alone with his disciples to train and teach them.

            The purpose of Mark’s gospel—written primarily to Gentile readers—proves by Jesus’ works that he was sent from God, and empowered over nature, demons, and illnesses. Mark also emphasizes the authority and miracles of Jesus rather than the teachings of Christ. Mark’s inspired writing technique—of relating mostly miracles—reminded me of God arming Moses with miracles to prove to the Egyptians that God ruled supreme.

            The word servant is only used seven times in the text of Mark, but the prevalent theme is captured in chapter 10:45 when Mark writes about Jesus that he came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as ransom for many.

             If I could rouse your interest in one area of Jesus’ life, I would encourage you to remember how he still interacts with you and life-supports you each day. I encourage you to daily offer a prayer of thanksgiving for Jesus’ intervention, rebuke, healing, or comfort. At the end of your day, think back over all the happenings and look for the moments when Jesus rescued, aided, or gave wisdom. Then think about Jesus’ life, stories about him and find one that correlates to your circumstances and pray remembering the old story and the your new experience. Christians know to pray through the name of Jesus, but so many times that phrase, In Jesus’ name,” can end up becoming trite or meaningless to us.  

            At the end of your day, freshen your walk with Jesus by really thinking about exactly how Jesus helped you throughout the day and end your prayers in that way. Here are a few examples of prayer endings: When you respond to accusations with silence instead of retaliating with unkind words, say thank you in the name of Jesus who stood silent before his captors, or when you choose to help someone instead of indulging in selfishness, give thanks through the name of Jesus who provided for a hungry crowd on a hillside.

            Our county suffers from a heat drought that can cause us to be hot, tired, and frustrated, but a well of living water will quench thirsts, nourish bodies, and replenish strength like no other, and his name is Jesus. The calendar may say August, but a day can bring a refilling through time spent with Jesus. Do you want to shiver with delight in August? Spend an hour or so reading the book of Mark. Underline your favorite verses, and memorize our scripture words for this week, an invitation from Jesus that will give you a breather and help you endure.

Index card verse for week 32: “Jesus said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest’” (Mark 6:31).

Basket Miracles

Winner of the July book drawing: a male reader from Springfield, MO. Book mailed out this week. A new drawing for August. You choose which book you would like to receive. Reply or post to enter.

Miracles in Baskets

“There are no miracles, of that I am sure” Pearl S. Buck wrote in “A Bridge for Passing.” Shocked by her words, I read further to see what she based her statement upon. Near the end of this column, I’ll share her explanation.

Baskets of miracles dot the pages of the Bible. I use the term “baskets” quite literally. The first basket miracle assisted in the rescue of a baby. Born into an enslaved family, this baby Moses would become the Hebrews’ savior. Centuries earlier, the Hebrews lived in freedom on Egyptian grazing lands, but when their population grew to staggering numbers, a domineering Pharaoh bound them into servitude.

Despite hundreds of years of harsh treatment and living conditions, the prolific Hebrews kept adding names to their family Bibles. Finally, the Pharaoh issued an edict that all male babies should be drowned in Nile River. At least one Hebrew mother kept the secret that she’d birthed a third child, a son. Prudent, she kept him hidden.

 In private, she wove a tiny bassinet of reeds and coated it with pitch. She placed her infant son inside, most likely christening the tiny boat with prayer. Then she launched the water-worthy vessel into the Nile, and guided by Divine current the baby drifted right into the path of an Egyptian princess and her entourage.

Discovered by royalty, the baby was named “Moses” because he was drawn “from the water.” Spared by God, Moses grew to read and write, tutored by the Egyptians. Later he would record the early history of mankind, from the beginning of the world through God’s law giving. One miracle in a basket.

Much later, when Jesus multiplied a few fish and loaves, there was a hearty catch of leftovers. Matthew 15:29-39 relates that the disciples gathered up seven basketsfuls of God-grown fish and God-baked bread. More baskets of miracles.

Even later, the apostle Paul encountered hostile religious leaders, who refused to listen to his message about the Jesus Christ. Their minds closed to any discussion of religious thought other than their tradition, they plotted to kill Paul. However, ingenious friends helped Paul escape at night by lowering him outside of the Damascus city walls. Another evil plan foiled, another miraculous escape aided by a basket.

The rescues of baby Moses and the adult Paul happened because God worked and kept them alive. Because of their leadership and teaching, others would also escape captivity. At God’s command, Moses led the Hebrews from Egypt. God-commissioned Paul preached to non-Jews, leading many to believe in the Christ.

By definition, a miracle is “an event that appears to be contrary to the laws of nature and is regarded as an act of God,” according to the Encarta World English Dictionary. When Pearl S. Buck wrote “There are no miracles, of that I am sure,” she followed with this explanation.

“If one walks on water and heals the sick and raises the dead to life again, it is not a matter of magic, but of knowing how to do it.” What we observe as extraordinary, the bypassing of the natural laws of the earth are no feat for God. Miracles are simply God’s natural work.  

A baby rescued through the use of a basket, a cancer patient healed, thousands fed from a pittance of food, a prodigal returned home, an apostle survived to tell the good news—all engineered from God’s blueprint—because He is able.

Index card scripture for week 31: Jesus said, “I have compassion for these people….I do not want to send them away hungry or they may collapse on the way” (Matthew 15:32).  

Forever Love

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FOREVER LOVE

In a tattered box at a garage sale, they lay, waiting to reveal century old secrets. Thumbing through a stack of miscellaneous items, I found two yellowed letters. Postmarked on November 17 and 18, 1908, two-cent stamps had provided passage from South Fairlee, Vermont to Bradford, Vermont.

                Later at home, I read the correspondence from “Ed” to “Miss Abbie B. Avery.” In Ed’s exquisite penmanship, his salutations were, “To My One True Love” and “My Dearest One.” I pieced portions of their romance together from his letters.

                Apparently, their affection had been concealed from friends and families because Ed addressed Abbie’s fears that the postmaster would become suspicious about their frequent letters. Ed wrote advising Abbie not to fret because soon they could announce their love to neighbors and friends.  Abbie kept an engagement ring hidden, too. The gold band a bit too large, Ed planned to have it cut down by a jeweler.

                Mixed in with Ed’s romantic musings were notations about everyday life, his coon dog, chopping wood, and a job “examination in N. Y. on December 8^th 9 A. M.” He was hoping to land the job and fund their new household. If he didn’t, Ed had alternate plans. He wanted Abbie as his wife.

                Ed informed her about a “sad errand,” singing a solo at his friend Frank’s funeral. Frank’s widow once said about her marriage, “I should prefer to be with Frank in the wilderness than in a palace with anyone else.”

                July’s the month when I tend to think more about courtship, romance, and marriage. My grandson Adam, at age four, had just learned about weddings and marriage, and he told us that one day he would marry a girl and “have true love.”

                True love. David and my wedding anniversary is today, July 29, forty-four years. We plan to take a few trips in the fall when the weather in our region of the country isn’t so hot and humid. I’ve often said, it should be against the law in south Texas to issue marriage licenses during July and August because later in life because later anniversaries come in the midst of heat waves. Odd, though, the weather wasn’t a factor in July of 1967 when we dove into matrimony. The war in Vietnam loomed. Dave had already been drafted. We had no doubt that he would find himself in that war torn country. Within a few months Uncle Sam confirmed our doubts.

                A favorite excerpt about weather and love comes from Ogden Nash’s Summer Serenade: “When shirt is wet and throat is dry, Look my darling, that’s July . . . Shall we postpone our love for weather: If we must melt, let’s melt together!”

                Perhaps Ed and Abbie married on a chilly day, near Christmas. In one closing he wrote, “I am enjoying life greatly . . . before long we shall both be happy . . . The hour of darkness approaches, and I will say good night, my love. Yours forever, Ed.”

                A forever love for Ed and Abbie — I hope it was so. I hope so for you, too.   

                Index card verse for week 30: “So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth” (Malachi 2:15).