Angels at IKEA

Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:1

It was just another task on the long list of things to be done. Going to get a TV stand to put on the gargantuan TV that came out of the Mother's house. So many tasks had preceded this one, that all days, for many days, had spilled over into one another. One day bleeds into the next in a seemingly never ending tasklist. It is a military type existence......Up on your feet, lace up your boots, be physically and mentally ready for whatever comes next.

She was running on empty, fumes of exhaustion left over from somewhere in time, when it all started. Through it all, she has kept her sense of humor and momentary lost her sanity. I have been helping out, holding her up.....praying her through it.

She was standing in the aisle of IKEA. Ready once again for a nervous breakdown because the tag on the TV stand didn't match the one on the display rack. Do you know how big IKEA is when you are exhausted? All the way back upstairs to the display, making sure she had the right tag...."Yep, there it is." All the way back down to the checkout. Again, error on the scan. Earlier she had led her Mom to a seat and told her to stay there until she came back.

Insert mental image here of elderly woman with Alzheimer's who walks extremely slow and gets turned around......a lot, in two floor big box IKEA. Another mental image of exhausted, stricken daughter with very large box that won't scan.....teetering on the edge.

Later she said, "I must have looked pretty bad, like I needed help......" She was standing glassy-eyed in the aisle staring again at the display, contemplating another long walk downstairs, when just then a kind angel appeared at her shoulder, "Can I help you, are you finding what you need?" What welcome words, they might as well have been coming straight from Heaven itself. He knew his job, he saw the mistake right away. He fixed the mess.

Ever had someone come and clean up the mess at a time when it seems all you have been doing lately is cleaning up messes? You never forget it.

All the while, she is hoping and praying her Mom stayed where she put her. She usually doesn't wander.....yet.

Then, another "angel" came when she wheeled the heavy box out into the parking lot. It was like he appeared from nowhere, she tells me later. She asks me if I sent him. She says, "I know you were praying. "

I said, "Yes, of course  I was."

Photo courtesy of http://thehalfwaypoint.net/2009/09/50-simple-ways-to-pay-it-forward/

Emptying Ourselves

Enjoy....don't forget to turn my playlist off!



Use my hands use my feet

To make Your kingdom come

To the corners of the earth

Until Your work is done

Faith without works is dead

On the cross Your blood was shed

So how could we not give it away so freely?

Leeland, sung by Brandon Heath

Thought this was a wonderful video. I had this song playing on my morning walk and I was thinking about how we spend most of our lives trying to fill ourselves, when actually we are called to empty ourselves for others. It is only with the help of God's Holy Spirit that we can do this without resentment and discouragement. It is not easy, but without Him it is truly impossible. And in the midst of it all He provides the strength and knowledge that nothing we do for Him is in vain.......That is His promise, and He will follow through when everyone else walks away.

"Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew19:26 

A Place of Refuge

How abundant are the good things

that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,

on those who take refuge in you.

In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from all human intrigues;

you keep them safe in your dwelling

from accusing tongues. Psalm 31:19,20

Ever been falsely accused of something? It hurts......Even though you know the truth, and the ones who love you best know. It still hurts. Especially if it is someone in your own family. Jesus knew all about that. His own brothers doubted Him. Those in His hometown did too."Isn't this the carpenter's son....." And He was God! If you are suffering from this heartache today, please turn it over to the One who truly does understand. He is the One, the only One who can heal from this particular wound that runs so deep.

Let the Balm of Gilead bind up your wounds today......be comforted.

He doesn't miss a trick.......

From heaven the LORD looks down

and sees all mankind;

from his dwelling place he watches

all who live on earth—

he who forms the hearts of all,

who considers everything they do. Psalm 33:13-15

Lord, I pray for those today who have been hurt by those who should be closest to them. You know this heartache well. Only You can heal these deep wounds. Bring them to a place of healing today and bind up their hearts with Your precious Balm of Gilead. Let them feel this warmth in their hearts today and let them be restored in You. Amen

Gratitude Still Intact

Shining behind everything this life can put us through is a fierce and undying gratitude because we know God has already given us much more than we deserve.

Sometimes the circumstances of life just tend to deflate you. Today, sitting in prayer I felt emptied out, emotionally and spiritually flat. I stuttered, I stammered, I stopped. The creative energy flow valve was shut off somehow. Caretaking does that. Sometimes taking care of someone else, can literally take the life right out of you.

But this is what is amazing about living the God centered life. Gratitude simply won't die. We know what we have been saved from.....everything that this life can throw at you can't make a dent in that.....not for very long anyway. Sometimes that surprises me. The unexpected hope that flowers despite everything blooms in the form of Gratitude.....

Seeking inspiration this morning, I opened the Word which never fails. I read

"As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, my God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
These things I remember as I pour out my soul:

The words, I remember stood out. Gratitude is all about remembering......We have a living gratitude for all that God has done for us that wells up within us even in the worst of circumstances.

By this I don't mean that we walk around with a fake smile all day, a false front that everyone sees through anyway. No, I mean that even if we are so mad we can spit nails one minute, there is something, rather Someone, that keeps us from going over the edge. Someone that holds us back from total despair. Someone that keeps us thankful at the end of the day, and hopeful at the start.

Satan was working on me this morning. At prayer, and then when I sat down to the computer and didn't see the pictures I had loaded. I shut everything down, slammed the laptop shut all the while......gratitude still intact, gratitude still intact....NOT. Then Elaine reminded me that she had set up two accounts, one for her and one for me. My little fit was wasted. They were there all the time! I sheepishly sat down to blog

Gratitude once again, intact.

Holding out and holding up.

My soul is downcast within me;

therefore I will remember you........Psalm 42:6

Continued good health, beautiful Arizona weather, blooming cactus, the gift of laughter through everything, encouragement from the Word, a best friend who appreciates everything I do, good food, enough money to pay bills, new computers that work, the blessing of good neighbors.....#688-698




picture taken in my  Mom's backyard

Lost and Found

"In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away!" Luke 15:7 New Living Translation

I posted earlier in the week about our resident Intel cat who greeted me in the parking lot at work on Wednesday, very displaced and perturbed. Her feeding station is all the way around the back of the building, but the landscapers had shown up and she got scared and fled. Seeing her like that bothered me, I wanted her back in her safe place, away from people who may not be too friendly to her. I saw fear in her eyes. I know she recognized my voice and wanted to trust me, but because she was disoriented and scared, she ran from me.

I contacted Steve, our resident Intel saint. He takes his dogs to hospitals and care homes to visit the shut-ins and does so much for the feral cat population at Intel. He has been known to come in on his days off to trap cats and take them to the vet for neutering....He was worried about "Mrs. Howell" too. I worked all week, but a bit distracted. Thinking of her scared there in the parking lot, wanting food.

Yesterday to my joy and relief, I heard her meow when I called. She had found her way back.......She was very happy to see me, as you can see in the photo.

I thought then......how in God's name do people live through it when their children are lost? I cannot begin to understand how they keep functioning among the living. How do they get up and go to work everyday, knowing they are out there somewhere. Lost.....scared.....confused, maybe trapped somewhere by something or someone they can't get away from? I can't imagine anything worse.

That's how God feels about us when we are lost to Him. Maybe it's you that needs to find your way back. Maybe you are out there somewhere far away from God. Away from love, safety, home. Maybe you just feel like you are......He wants you back. He longs for it. With every fiber of His Holy being. He sheds tears when we turn away, intent on going our own way, even for a moment. God-sized tears. Jesus came to bring you back.

Like the father of the prodigal son, He waits. He gazes out the window hopefully, longingly. He aches to see that lone figure upon the road. He aches for you.  And He will keep waiting until every minute of what we call time on this earth is up. 

And all of Heaven will rejoice. Welcome home!

I encourage you today to insert a name after this last line and pray that the individual you hold in your heart will come to the Lord and find out what it means to be truly home......I hold Curtis up today, Lord. He needs to find you. Amen

Butterflies and Caterpillars

 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:16,17

I was reading something  in a book titled, Classic Christianity by Bob George that struck a chord with me the other day. He was talking about how we walk around defeated because we have failed to recognize who we actually are in Christ. I think there is some truth to this. Sometimes in our efforts not to appear better than anyone else, we walk around like caterpillars instead of the butterflies we are. Who ever heard of a butterfly walking around in the dirt when they could easily fly, in fact, were made to fly?

It's a delicate balance. We want to be accessible, approachable, and still we have to be "in the world but not of it....."Jesus was the master at this.  He was equally as comfortable in His skin in the Temple or at the home of "tax collectors and sinners." Neither atmosphere changed who He was, and yet He made Himself approachable to Chief Priest and Prostitute alike.

While the Apostle Paul was fully aware that he wasn't exempt from falling into sin, and that many times he was unsuccessful in his efforts to do the right thing, he also never forgot who he was in Christ. He didn't live a defeated life! He didn't let his failures keep him from what He knew was sure victory at the end of the race! He kept his eyes on the prize.

We hold within us the power of Almighty God in the form of His Spirit........the same Spirit that moved across the waters before creation.....also the one who raised Jesus from the grave and broke the power of sin and death forever....That Spirit!

We should never forget what Jesus has saved us from, but we should also remember that when we rose up out of that water from Baptism, we became a new creation!

So enjoy your flight today......and as they say on every flight, feel free to move about the cabin.....

News from my little corner

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:2-4

What's going on in your little corner of the world? No doubt many things. Someone may ask you how you are, and you reply......"Fine." But you know you aren't. You know when someone is asking in passing....that they don't really want to know. But then there are those that when they ask, they look into your eyes and you know.....you really know, they really do care.

Sometimes all it takes is just the right person to ask and the dam breaks.

We all have things going on in our lives. Sometimes it really helps to hear about other's struggles and joys. It gets our mind off ourselves. So what is going on in your corner? Here is a little snippet of what is going on in mine:

An answered prayer from yesterday......My brother had a good talk with his boss, with whom he has had a very hard time lately. The talk was fruitful and ended well.

Old computer went where old computers go when they die. New computer came yesterday and now we have a HUGE monitor and very fast Internet. WOW, I must force myself to stay off of it!

Car went in to shop and what was supposed to be free warranty work turned into a broken belt which will cost over $500.00 count it all joy! I have a credit card I can use! All in all, it was a day that was a blessing. Elaine went with me and we made a day of it! As full time caregiver, she enjoyed the day of freedom and I am glad she spent it with me.

I am enjoying my new camera, though each day I learn more of what I don't know about the technical aspects of photography. I am also struggling with the Canon computer software. Got it to work last night, but all the pictures ended up on my desktop. I guess I saved it there inadvertantly??? I don't remember saving them there!

Elaine's garden is doing well. It is yielding fresh spinach like mad, and the tomatoes are exploding. Okra is coming up and so is the squash. I cooked a mountain of spinach night before last, and though a whole kettle didn't yield much, it was delicious! We also enjoyed some of our generous neighbor's home grown zucchini last night. Thanks, Bob and Eileen for sharing!

This morning as I made my way across the parking lot at work, the cat who I feed regularly as part of our spay and neuter program at Intel was meowing at me from under a shrub. She was very scared and upset. Her feeding station is all the way on the other side of the building. And it is a big factory. The landscapers must have been here. I have no idea how to get her back to where she belongs. I must leave her to her own cat resourcefulness in getting there.

Most of all, I continue to rejoice in God our Savior, for " in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." I can't imagine walking through life without His help!

Enough about me........How are things in your corner of the world? Please drop me a line or send me a prayer request and I will be happy to pray for you.