Christmas is love

I got another mass email today. It contained another urban legend even though the contents declared it to be fact. It told me, as a Christian, how I was to think and act. The very thoughts and actions in direct opposition to the message and teaching of the Bible.

Rather than respond, I reacted. I wrote what I thought and felt. It is interesting to me that this email came in just after I finished reading a Dan Pearce (Single Dad Laughing) blog. (I encourage you to read it too). It has become a You Tube video that a diverse group of people are posting or liking on Facebook. I was obviously moved by Dan’s thoughts. And I like to think I was honest in sharing my convictions too.

As you read my response, I encourage you to be the love of Christ this Christmas season to everyone – not just those live like you, who agree with you, who look like you, who believe like you, who speak the same language as you, who vote like you, or who cheer for the same team as you. Give the gift of grace to everyone you can. Love will abound and it will truly be Christmas!

And so I wrote: this is an urban legend that has been circulating for years! In the season when we celebrate the greatest love gift in the world - please choose to give the gift of love to all others, building them up and showing them what "the greatest of these is love" actually is (or should be) like today!

What if all the Obama haters, or haters of anyone different from you, did what scripture calls for and prayed for their leaders? No matter who or what you are against - if you spend as much time praying for someone as you do criticizing or tearing them down or spreading falsehoods against them - guess who just might change? Yes, they might - but so might you!

The Kingdom was not built on hatred but on love! How do we know we are Christians - by our love! Show it to someone today! I don't apologize for being on my "soap box" - I am so tired of divisive, negative attitudes when that is not what we are commanded or expected to be or do!

 

If I want things to be different - I have to be the difference! What about you?

Dog Elbow

I figured it out! For several months I have been bothered by pain and weakness in my right arm. It seemed to be centered in my elbow and affected my ability to open the passenger door of a car, throw a ball for Katie, or pluck something down from an overhead shelf. I kept putting off going to a doctor because I have spent more than enough time this year in or under diagnostic equipment.

Last weekend we bought some saddle bags for Katie. Recently our vet suggested she could shed a few pounds and we knew Caesar Milan said dogs need to “work,” so after adding some hand weights to each bag, we strapped it on Katie, and off we went for a walk. It was a miracle! Katie was a perfect walking companion. She did not need to be told “heel” or “side.” She was there! Finally a human was the pack leader.

After several days of walking Katie with her saddle bags I began to notice that my arm was not sore! I could throw. I could open car doors. I could reach above my head. And then I realized I was recovering from “Dog Elbow.” Without being pulled by a strong dog for an hour or more a day, the muscles were returning to their normal. What a relief!

And then this morning Katie and I set out on a walk sans saddle bags. Oh my! It was back to “stop,” “back,” and “side.” It took much longer than I was growing accustomed to for us to cover even a few blocks. And then it dawned on me . . .

When it comes to my walk with God, how often am I just like a dog who is determined to be the pack leader? I am so confident that I know the best way to get where I want to go that I try to drag even God along with me. Ouch! My thoughts began to wander to times when God was trying to tell me “side.” And to what I know to be true – life is best lived with God in the lead. I am going to work to be a better follower. Will you join me?

Symbol or Decoration?

She was an attractive woman who appeared to be of retirement age.  Underneath her tailored fall jacket she wore a black tee shirt embossed with a stylized cross that appeared to be created out of rhinestones. I thought about a question Ruth Bell Graham asked a women she encountered once on the Great Wall of China; her cross necklace seemingly out of place. “Symbol or decoration?”

I knew the answer for the woman before me in the exceptionally long checkout line. Her name tag identified her as a volunteer. Along with a teacher and several other volunteers she was chaperoning a trip to Big Lots for a class of adolescent special needs students.

Her gentle voice, patience, and caring nature communicated to me that her cross was a symbol. She was living the Great Commandment.

I held the door for her to exit with one student holding her hand and two more next to her – one young man gently pushing the wheelchair of a classmate. I smiled and thanked her for what she does. She returned the smile, thanked me, and commented: “There’s nothing else I’d rather be doing!”

Loving your neighbor in action!

I was stopped at a traffic light on my way to church last Sunday and before the light turned green a dragonfly flew into my field of vision. For several miles she stayed right in front of me almost as though she were guiding my driving. What made this so interesting is that fact there has been road construction on this intersection for quite some time and as of that morning the lanes had been changed. Rather than distract me, the dragonfly helped me focus more clearly and ease safely through the intersection to continue my journey.

I thought of unexpected travelers on our life’s journey with us. I thought of those we need to pay closer attention to … ones we might ordinarily dismiss and being “in the way” or a distraction.

And then I thought too how easily I could have been distracted by the intricacies of the dragonfly – like how her wings moved or the incandescent colors on her body. She could have so captivated my attention that I did not pay attention to the light changing or where I was driving. How differently my drive to church could have been!

My encounter with the dragonfly illustrated to me the importance of the choices in our lives. I choose to follow the dragonfly rather than be distracted by her. Who do I choose to follow? Why? What choices do I make that distract me from the journey God has me on? Which ones keep me on the journey?

WOW! There are so many choices we make every day that have the potential to guide us on our journey or just as easily derail us. And just like the dragonfly encounter, sometimes we have to make split-second choices. Even the smallest ones have life-changing implications.

I’ve been paying more attention to the people and the little things in life since the dragonfly. I think there is a reason she caught my attention and started me thinking about leaders and choices and my journey. I don’t know when I’ll know why she flew in front of me when she did, but I am certain I will be glad she did!

As an avid photographer I always grieve over lost photo ops. Today I missed a grand one. As I inched my way forward in unexpected midday bumper-to-bumper traffic I crested a hill to see the cause of the delay. There was twisted metal strewn across the road, a wrecker, and several vehicles with flashing lights.

Trying not to be the rubber-necker whose behavior I so dislike, I tried to ease through the blocked intersection without looking. But, I looked. I saw a young female driver in the gentle embrace of a burly Police officer. Her sobs were visible. The comfort he was offering her was palatable.

Where was my camera? I had it with me this morning. Why didn’t I have it with me now? But I didn’t. So instead of lamenting my lapse in judgment for leaving the camera on my desk, I allowed myself to really see what was going on.
The car I assume belonged to the young girl was on a flat bed wrecker. The impact had been on the driver’s side. Had her car been equipped with airbags they would have deployed. I am not an insurance claims adjuster but I feel certain her car will be totaled. No wonder she was frightened and crying!

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Police officer hug a victim except on television. But he was being stalwart despite the near triple-digit heat and the horns being honked by angry driver delayed in the accident clean up.

And then I thought back to a prayer I had prayed earlier in the morning. A precious sister in Christ was hurting. My reaching out to touch was via telephone. In my prayer I asked God to allow her to feel God’s loving arms around her. What I saw between the Police officer and the accident victim was what I had prayed for my friend!

God’s loving arms around us. How often we need to feel God’s closeness! What comfort and strength there is from that assurance of God’s protection and love. Stop and feel God’s arms around you. Now, who can you hug in return?

There’s a garden growing in our back yard! I haven’t seen it yet, but I believe it’s there. The soil has been being prepared for some time and Sunday the seeds were planted. Then God watered the yard and it was good. Any day now a study of the area, even from a second story window observation, is going to reveal our summer veggies coming to life.

This is only the second time I have had anything to do with a garden (other than literally eating the fruits from my grandparent’s labors) and this time is going to be different! The first time I was a Miami-raised girl planted in a Midwestern state where our home was at the intersection of four corn fields. Burning my trash in a barrel and canning were new to me. So was gardening. But this southern-bred girl wanted some okra and no one around us had any idea what to do with it so they did not plant it nor did the stores offer it for sale.

Friends offered to give us several rows of their tilled garden. The excitement was palatable! A garden – our very own home-grown produce. So, with eager anticipation, we planted okra and for the life of me I cannot remember what else.

We planted it and left it there. The garden plot was several miles away from our house and the ole adage out of sight, out of mind characterized our care of the plants. We had checked on them to be sure the seeds had sprouted. But we had never watered them. We trusted our friends to do that since they owned the land and surely cared for their garden since it was a significant source of their food. And we never weeded or removed insects who obviously liked this new varietal in their territory.

I do not remember how long it was after we planted the seeds that our friends gently suggested we might want to check on our garden. WOW! We did it! Good sized okra plants … and better sized weeds. To our dismay it was hard to distinguish the too. We harvested a handful of pods from the dying plants before leaving to return home disappointed.

Now I know how absurd our actions were! We had to be willing to work for what we wanted. This year is going to be different. I know that if I want those freshly-picked veggies then I have to care for the plants that will produce them. If I expect something from nothing that is what I will get.

Our walk with God is the same way. If we are not committed to spending time with God, in studying the Bible, with other believers, in ministry and service, and in worship, then we cannot expect to grow in our understanding of God. Time is the perfect growth agent. How much are you willing to give to grow your relationship with God?

Timing is indeed everything! Lee Ann and I have dreamed of the day we can own enough property to provide a loving home to rescued cats and dogs. Today I wondered if the time had come with benefit only of love and a fenced in yard. Allow me to tell you about Annie Parker and what God is asking you and me.

If you’ve seen the movie “Up” then perhaps the interjection “squirrel” has become a part of your vocabulary too! Well this week we’ve said “squirrel” quite a bit in the church that houses our office. One (we hope it’s just one) furry friend found its way inside and has been scampering the halls since Monday. Yesterday a humane trap was set and within a few hours the visitor had taken the peanut butter bait and wanted o-u-t! Two of us took him to the nearby city park to release him.

As we entered the park I noticed a small scruffy dog near the road. Its once white coat was gray and although it didn’t look malnourished I sensed it was homeless. We released the squirrel and didn’t see the dog again. We didn’t see the dog but I did again this morning… on a bridge on a busy street literally stopping traffic.

I allowed the cars around me and the now wet, red-mud colored dog (it rained all night) to stop me from at least trying to get the dog in the car. But a picture of the, I assume, abandoned dog stayed in my mind. I talked with Lee Ann not long after the sighting and I told her about the dog. When I started crying just thinking about him I headed her admonition to do something.

I called our vet for advice and to be sure they could see the dog, found a soft cloth, and headed out for my first animal rescue. By the time I traveled the two miles to the last place I had seen the dog I had named it Annie Parker … Annie for Orphan Annie if it turned out to be a girl and Parker for finding it in the park if it turned out to be a boy.

I slowly drove and walked around the area but no dog. I called as best I could (I am sure anyone hearing me had to laugh since I am accustomed to calling cats!). Discouraged I was about to drive out of the park when I felt an urging to go back to one area again. I did and there was Annie Parker! She/he was not glad to see me. I did all the things I thought I should to lure the dog to me but A.P turned tail and ran deep into the woods. At the break in the trees where she/he dashed in I saw three bowls – evidence someone else cares about the dog with no home.

The story of the lost sheep came to mind as I drove, dogless, out of the park. The good shepherd left the entire flock to seek out the one lost sheep. One is valuable … especially to God. So I said a prayer that God would protect Annie Parker and I vowed to keep coming back to see if I could befriend A.P. to the point of providing safety and a home.

Where are the lost “sheep” around you and me? The cats, dogs, little people, old people, families …. Even one is important to God. How do we let them know they matter to us and God?