Thankful for Positive People

"Forgiveness is unlocking the door to set someone free and realizing you were the prisoner!" Max Lucado

I am very thankful today for all the people in my life who have been positive. From my earliest memories I can recall hearing my Mom sing in the mornings, up early before anyone else, starting the day in a good mood. We never had to worry about approaching her......I realize now, what an incredible gift that is. My best friend says they never dared approach their Mom unless she had her two cups of coffee in the morning.

Both her parents continually saw the worst in everything and everybody. Unfortunately, they still do. She never felt like she could share anything with them. Whatever she did was met with either cynicism or criticism! The amazing thing is, she remembers always waking up in a good mood. Even her Mom says, "You were always a happy kid."

No matter what is going on in her life, she always has a smile and a word of encouragement for others. And these days, there is much in her life that would keep her in bed all day. I am in awe of that.

All my life I have been surrounded with people whe have made the choice to face each day with hope, gratitude and expectation. They know that every day is a good day simply because they get another chance! I am realizing this is not the case for many many people.....How rich I am, how blessed! In turn, the best way I can repay God is to give that gift to others.....I pray that I will, with God's grace.

The best thing I can do to honor God today is to wake up positive. No matter the circumstances!

So today I salute all of you positive people out there.....You know who you are!

Tomorrow I hope to have some photos to share. Since my computer crashed, I haven't been able to get them to transfer from my computer to blogger very effectively.

Until then, I am continuing the Gratitude Count in my heart's tally today along with Ann and many others. May the Lord bless you and make His face to shine on you today....Lori

Deader than Dead

Ding dong my Dell is dead......

Everyone knows the blue error screen that comes up. You know the windows one that encourages you to hit an option to restart and reload and hopefully get everything back up and running the way it was before.

Then there is the black screen of death, the land of no recovery. That's where mine is now. No service will be held. The new one is already on it's way. The laptop, thankfully, is serving as temporary stand-in until it gets here. It is doing a fine job, but it is a bit unfamiliar since I don't use it as much.

How dead is dead? When someone is dead you know it. There is no doubt. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave, he had already been in there for 4 days. In fact, after Jesus heard that he was sick, he stayed where he was for an extra 2 days. Jesus knew that he would die, of course. He just wanted Lazarus to be very, very dead by the time he got there, so that the doubters would have no room to argue that he really wasn't dead, after all.

The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died. So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.” John 11:12-14

Of course, by the time they got there he was indeed dead. Martha was concerned about how bad it would smell when Jesus told them to roll away the stone, yet she and her sister believed that Jesus could do it. They knew who He was.

Many of the Jews there believed that Jesus was the Messiah after they witnessed this miracle, this man who had command over death itself. However, many of the Jewish leaders were concerned and deeply troubled at this because they thought it meant certain destruction of the religious hierarchy they had constructed for themselves. They thought it meant death to them as a people, instead Jesus was trying to bring them life.

From that point on, they sought to kill Jesus. Not only that, they wanted to kill Lazarus as well! Imagine, having been raised back to life, hopping out of the grave bound in stinking grave clothes, only to find out that somebody was plotting your death......

It always amazes me, this account in John. It amazes me that someone could see a miracle like that and not only not believe, but be so threatened that they would seek to stamp out Jesus, who was the very embodiment of the God that they thought they so sincerely believed. He was right in front of them and yet they still couldn't bring themselves to believe, despite the many miracles they witnessed day after day.

Some people think that all religions are the same, but here lies the HUGE difference that makes Christianity stand out from all the rest:

Buddha, Confucius, Mohammad, Gandhi, L. Ron Hubbard, to name a few.......All Deader than Dead.

Jesus is alive. He rose from the dead on the third day and He intercedes for us today at the right hand of the Father, and is alive within us in the form of His Holy Spirit, who testifies to this truth.

It's All About the Light

 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12

Taking great pictures is all about the light. Finding it, chasing it, capturing it. And not just any light either, the right light. I am finding with my photos that either I don't have enough light or I have too much. Once in a while I get it right on the money, and at this point it is a fluke when I do because I don't know what I am doing.....yet. Right now I am trying to figure out how to get just the right amount of light in pictures I take at sunset, so they don't look washed out. 

Jesus talked a lot about light. In fact, He was the light. When we find Him we find everything. We don't have to chase Him, because He already made the first move. He died so that we could find it, find Him. The Bible says in John 1:4: 

 "In him was life, and that life was the light of men."

I am so glad I don't have to run all over the place to find Him. He is right here with me at all times........When life comes crashing in, I can go to a quiet place and find Him. And when I can't get to that quiet place, I feel the stillness of His Spirit in my soul. I carry Him around and He allows it, wants it.

That blows my mind.

And He leads me places.......Sometimes He leads me walking. The other day while I was mulling over everything in my photo book, trying to make sense of it all and get my brain to work, I went out for a short walk around the park. I sensed Him saying, "See what you would have missed if you hadn't come out here?"

Taking a walk is like letting the light in.......but only if you open your eyes to what He wants to show you. I confess, sometimes I have walked and been so upset I haven't seen a thing.

But I don't like walks like that, I want the other kind.

Peace in Him, Lori

photo courtesy of public domain pictures

Where we came from

“ Do not remember the former things,

Nor consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new thing,

Now it shall spring forth;

Shall you not know it?

I will even make a road in the wilderness

And rivers in the desert." Isaiah  43:18,19

Yesterday I was listening to Glen Beck and he was talking about how we as a nation are in danger of forgetting where we came from, losing our ideals as a country. Those are not his words, but were the gist of what he was talking about. You hear all kinds of talk today about how America is no longer a Christian nation. We have kicked God out of every public arena possible in the name of the first Amendment, which actually was written to protect religion, not limit its expression. But that is another topic.

I don't know if we could call ourselves a Christian nation any longer, but I do know this. All over this great nation today, there are people gathering for Bible Studies, holding hands around a table, sharing their concerns about their families, work, praying over everything that is in their heart, and sharing their love for God. And not just a few. Thousands upon thousands. All through the week and not just on Sundays. They don't just call themselves Christians, they courageously live what they believe until it hurts.

This is what my relatives came to America for. They came with hope flaming in their hearts for that freedom, not only to work and make a life for themselves, but to believe and practice without fear. I like to imagine what they felt when they saw the first glimpse of Ellis Island......and our Lady Liberty. Maybe the sun was shining on her, maybe it was dark, but there is no doubt that they saw something in her that our modern eyes could never see.

My Grandmother came over from Russia and almost died on the ship when she was 6 months old. Many years later she met my Grandfather and they bought land in North Dakota. They worked from sun up to sun down. Sometimes my Grandmother took over for my Grandfather at the plow, in place of the beast of burden. And they suffered a great tragedy. Their sweet little Annie was accidentally shot by a foster child at two years of age. My dear Grandfather left the rifle out only once. I believe he took that guilt with him to the grave. When they left for California, they left their farm and all the animals, most of whom they named.

They left Annie's grave too.

When they got to California, my Grandmother's relatives didn't treat her very well. They gave her all the jobs nobody else wanted to do. When my Aunt and Uncle came, they lived in a chicken coop in back of the house. These were strong people, people of character.

They persevered, went to church, raised their families, and eventually started a successful business.

They didn't believe anyone owed them anything. They knew they would have to sacrifice to get what they wanted. They knew the importance of waiting.....patience. Personal sacrifice.

And they knew that every blessing they received came straight from the Almighty Hand of God.

It is those ideals that I feel America and many Americans are in danger of losing, and not just our youth.

Would anyone you know endure harsh treatment from relatives and live in a chicken coop now? Would I?

It is what I am pondering today.

A few photos.......

These were taken at twilight in Micke Grove Park, Lodi California, where I grew up.......it was just my Dad and I running around, looking for good shots. It was a good evening and a precious memory of just the two of us.

As I walked around in the quiet of twilight, I thought of other times there when I was a kid. Going to the zoo and even then, feeling bad for the little grey fox that paced endlessly.  And years later, evenings spent running there with my then boyfriend. Good memories all......

My Dad, sitting with "The Reader" Downtown

There is something comforting about walking streets you have walked for years.......that familiar bump in the sidewalk, that alleyway with other shops you remember from before.....

And finally, the tree where I lost my first lens cap. Three trips to different stores came up empty. My Dad has taken it upon himself to look for it ever since. It has become a personal challenge to find it.....

I have so much to learn about this camera.........and photography in general. I would be grateful for any tips from you pros!

Peace and blessing to you this day, Lori

Patience

This.......plus......this

Will hopefully result in some photos, as soon as I can manage to read the manual and get them loaded on the computer......

With prayers and some reading, I hope to have them up here soon.

Thank you for being patient. I sure had a blast with this camera, my first real grown up camera.


Now if I can just learn to use it!

"For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance." Romans 8: 24, 25

Joining Ann and all others in continuing the Gratitude Count today, among those I count as precious in my bouquet of memories brought back from home are these......

Being able to join my family in church for the first Easter in a long, long time. The first song raised the roof and the little impatient one sat through the whole service......that was a miracle in itself. She was enthralled by the large woman in purple with a streak of purple in her hair that belted out an incredible song.

Taking pictures with my Dad, just he and I, walking downtown, riding around town finding just the right light at twilight.....

Conversations with dear friends.......

Seeing my sixth grade teacher whom I hadn't seen in years......I was amazed she knew me right away!

Dyeing Easter eggs that for some reason turned out only two colors......the glitter made it work.

Enjoying time with Mom, holding her hand and going to a Christian Women's Luncheon with her.....the bonus was I won the doorprize she wanted and I happily gave it to her. That was a God thing!

Going to breakfast with my brother and seeing my Arizona neighbor there.....a pleasant surprise!

A special answered prayer.......

And then coming back to my Arizona home is always a wonderful thing, I appreciate so much the sacrifice it took just now for me to go. What a wonderful friend I have.......#679-687

The Ultimate Happy Ending

There is something in us that wants happy endings. Just consider how many watched the recent marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton. I have to admit, I was one of them. We watch because we hope that the end of the story will be just as beautiful as the beginning.

Easter is the ultimate happy ending. Indeed, it is because of Easter and the Resurrection that we can go through anything this life has to dish up. And sometimes as we all know, things happen to very good people that are just not fair. I was reflecting on this as I finished the book of Job today.

If we do not find ourselves in the midst of something we consider extremely unfair, then we know someone who is. It is the lament we hear over and over again, the refrain of our times......"It's just not fair." I can count about 5 people right off the top who I can say this about. You know the kind I mean, good honest people who follow the rules and do the right thing. They work hard.....love God and their neighbor, sacrifice for others and life just seems to dump on them.

When I was back home my Mom told me of her friend, Yvonne. A hard working woman who works as a checker in the local market, Yvonne is struggling to raise the two kids still at home. She has to leave a 12 and 15 year old alone after school because she has to work. She worries because they are starting to give her grief by rebelling. Her husband left her and offers no financial help, though he is very well off. He sees them every now and them and plies them with expensive gifts and then they ask their Mom why they can't have this or that at home. She recently wanted to buy her older daughter a TV set and was going to use her tax return to do it. Then she got a letter informing her that there was a mistake in her refund and she actually owed more than the amount she was getting back.

But Yvonne will be alright.....She would be the first to tell you because she knows the Lord is able. She knows the tomb was empty that day. She has the hope of the resurrection. Because of that, we are able! We know the ending of the story and it's a good one.

Job knew it too........

And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then all his brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the LORD had brought upon him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold.

If you are going through hardship today, remember Easter. You can rejoice because He is not in the tomb anymore, He is here with you......There is an ending to our story that holds tremendous hope, and because of this, we can go on. We can it make it because we know what Job figured out.

God is in control, and the ultimate victory is ours in Him.