...just a thought

Quilt of Holes

2008-03-05T09:13:00.013-05:00

This is beautiful...Enjoy.

The images above are amazing but the print is sometimes difficult to read.

As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with all the other souls. Before each of us laid our lives like the squares of a quilt in many piles; an angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life. But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes. Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in every day life. I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all. I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened.

My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air. Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth. The others rose; each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been. My angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise. My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn't had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life, and laughter. But there had also been trials of illness, and wealth, I had to start over many times. I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully, each time offering it up to God in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me.

And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it was.I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light. An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with wide eyes. Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes, creating an image, the face of Christ. Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, "Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you."

May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through!

God determines who walks into your life....it's up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.

This is Pete

2008-02-26T06:32:00.002-05:00

This is the story of Pete by Chris Elrod

This is Pete

Pete has smoked since he was teenager.

Pete struggled most of his life with alcohol.

Pete used to shoot people when he’d get angry.

Pete spent 15 years behind bars.

Pete has cancer…a bunch of cancer.

Pete has been given only a few months to live.

Pete has a tattoo on his leg that says “Hell Bound”.

Pete won’t be going there.

Pete came to know Jesus two weeks ago.

Pete was baptized today.

Matthew 18:12-24
"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.

Today God is happy that Pete has been found. Today I thank God for Pete.

The Ultimate Gift...a must see movie

2008-02-04T15:10:00.000-05:00

This is an incredible movie. It is so amazing when someone realizes the true meaning up life, love and happiness.

Something different was something amazing!

2008-02-03T15:24:00.000-05:00

Our "getting back to the basics" evening was amazing. Wow, what a difference to be without t.v., computer, telephone and lights. Although we were in the same city, same community and same home, I felt completely disconnected from the world around us...and it was a welcomed change. Although I spend the majority of my days intentionally trying to connect with others on any level, I find it funny that when I do the exact opposite, it brings me just as much joy. Life is all about balance. There is a time and place for everything.

The very early morning is "my" time for me. I love getting up early and either working out, reading my Bible or both. From the time I leave the house in the morning, I am continuously interacting with others and I love it. But at the end of my work day, it's time for my family. From the time we have dinner together, do homework etc, and until we go to bed, this is "our" time. Sometimes depending on our life circumstances, we may need more of one thing and less of another. Last Thursday evening I felt as though I needed something more than just being with my girls...I needed to really be with them. As soon as we elminated the "stuff" around us, there was more focus on just "us". And time really slowed down. I absolutely loved it. I could have an evening like this a few times a week.

"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”... H. Jackson Brown

Intersting quote...It's not how much or how little time we have...but what we choose to do with it. Time is a fragile gift.

Trying something different

2008-01-28T12:24:00.000-05:00

Some of my favorite memories as a child was when we lost electricity during a snow storm. We would light my great grandmother's old oil lamps and some candles. My mother would take out a puzzle and we would sit around the table doing a puzzle by the light of the oil lamp. Time seemed to slow down and everything was so quiet. So this week my girls and I are going to try something different. On Thursday we are not going to have any t.v., computer, telephone, or even lights on. The girls will do homework either by candle light or lamp light. We will have dinner by candle light and we will spend the evening reading or playing board games. I am so excited that I feel like I'm getting ready for a mini vacation. And I am so happy that my girls agreed to try it, especially my teenage daughter...ok, well maybe I had to bribe her just a little bit :)

With the days passing so quickly, there are times when you just need to get back to the basics. I'll let you know how it goes!

Letters To God

2008-01-15T11:48:00.001-05:00

I was watching a t.v. show early this morning. One I hadn't seen before. It was called Letters To God.

The host brings children into the studio to read the letters they have written to God voicing their questions, hopes, dreams, and concerns. Today they were talking about being rich and being poor. It's so interesting to see that children have some of the same concerns that we do. It was wonderful to listen to their thoughts and ideas but one little boy's response was simply wonderful. They were talking about how some people have so much and then some have so little. His response to this was... "God created everything...then people made it uneven."

Wow...how true

Being Obedient

2007-12-22T10:08:00.000-05:00

It's so important to be obedient and the more you listen, the easier it is to hear Him. I think it's easy to question what we feel God is telling us to do. Partly because we try to understand why and we try to see our role in particular situations. But I believe that so many times when God has a purpose for using us, it has absolutely nothing to do with us but everything to do with the person or people on the receiving end. It's kind of selfish of us to think that we can "choose" not be obedient, especially when it involves others.

We shouldn’t be obedient because we see it as a "good deed" or because we will worry about what God will think of us. If we choose not to listen to God and not be obedient, we might miss out on planting a seed in someone’s life or extending the fruit of the Spirit. We might miss out on an opportunity to extend to others what Jesus so graciously and unconditionally extends to us.

We need to be obedient always and we don’t need to understand why or what God calls us to do. We are not skilled to understand. And many times we will never see the outcome or end result but after our part is complete, it just doesn't matter...we did what God called us to do and that is all that matters.

We need to trust and have faith in God's perfect plan and know that if He has chosen us, it’s because He knows that we are perfect and capable for what He’s called us to do.

He is the truth and the way and we need to be obedient simply because God has spoken.

We can all rise above

2007-12-21T19:17:00.000-05:00

Whatever our situation or circumstance, God can bring us through and we can rise above it. God knows how capable we are and He wants us to know how capable we are.
When we are faced with challenges and problems, He doesn't want us to be constantly just "talking about" our problems. This just breathes life into our them and allows our problems to grow. But God "does" want us to talk about our problems if we are coming together with others in His name to talk "to" and not "about" the problem.

When we face our circumstances and look to find solutions and release them to God, we are taking immediate action to rid ourselves of any negative strongholds our situations have on our daily lives. We are acknowledging that our circumstances don't define who we are. And because they don't define who we are, we know that we may find ourselves in unwanted and unpleasant circumstances but through it all we can remain pleasant. By allowing our emotions to be dictated by our circumstances, we are already accepting defeat. But by remaining true to our faith, joy and peace, half the battle has already been fought. We have already started to overcome and rise above everything that comes our way.

Giving, giving and more giving

2007-12-16T22:36:00.000-05:00

I believe giving to others is beautiful and is how we are meant to do life. Why is giving beautiful? Because in giving we lose sight of ourselves and become "others focused."

When our hands and our hearts that hold our love, our compassion and even our possessions, are so tightly closed to giving and sharing, then they are also closed to receiving...closed to receiving blessings from God. It is truly all about stewardship and not ownership. Everything we have and are blessed with, is all thanks to God. Everything comes to us from Him and is not ours to keep but God's to share. And if we had compassion like Jesus did during His earthly ministries, then we would see the heart of people and not only see, but our compassion would urge us take action. We would want to give anything that was needed, whether it be our possessions, our time, kindness, and especially love, to make a situation better or help someone feel better.

We are all able to give in some capacity or another. What we are able to give is determined by what we have been blessed with. What gifts, talents, or finanical blessings God has bestowed upon us. However, just because we are able to give, Lord help us, we are not all willing. Willingness comes from the heart. Willingness comes from an internal need and desire to want to give based on a heart full of love and compassion to do so. Jesus was more than able to offer an abundance of love mercy, grace, compassion and healing. Where would we be today if He wasn't "willing"?
He is just as "willing" as He is "able". And with a true heart for God, we should be "willing" as well.

"You have not truly given until you’ve given to someone who will never be able to repay you."

Being Selfless...truly selfless

2007-12-12T19:13:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! Welcome to my blog. For my first post, I wanted to share a truly wonderful story with you. Have some tissue ready. This will certainly tug at your heartstrings but WOW, an amazing and inspiring read.

In Brooklyn, New York, Chush is a school that caters to learning-disabled children. Some children remain in Chush for their entire school career, while others can be mainstreamed into conventional schools. At a Chush fund-raising dinner, the father of a Chush child delivered a speech that will never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he cried out, "Where is the perfection in my son Shay? Everything God does is done with perfection. But my child cannot understand things as other children do. My child cannot remember facts and figures as other children do. Where is God's perfection?" The audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father's anguish, and stilled by the piercing query. "I believe," the father answered, "that, when God brings a child like this into the world, the perfection that he seeks is in the way people react to this child." He then told the following story about his son Shay:

One afternoon Shay and his father walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they will let me play?" Shay's father knew that his son was not at all athletic and that most boys would not want him on their team. But he also understood that his son's being chosen to play would give him a comfortable sense of belonging. He approached one of the boys in the field and asked if Shay could play.
The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said "We are losing by six runs, and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team, and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning."
Shay's father was ecstatic as Shay smiled broadly. Shay was told to put on a glove and go out to play short center field. In the bottom of the eighth inning Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the bottom of the ninth inning they scored again. Now they had two outs and the bases loaded with the potential winning run on base. Shay was the batter up. Would the team actually let Shay bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that it was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, let alone hit with it. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved up a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay should at least be able to make contact.
The first pitch came, and Shay swung clumsily and missed. One of Shay's teammates came up to Shay, and together they held the bat and faced the pitcher, waiting for the next pitch. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shay.
As the pitch came in, Shay and his teammate swung at the ball, and together they hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out, and that would have ended the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond the first baseman's reach. Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first; run to first." Never in his life had Shay run to first. He scampered down the baseline wide-eyed and startled. By the time he reached first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman, who would tag out Shay, who was still running. But the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions were, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman's head.
Everyone yelled, "Run to second; run to second." Shay ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases toward home. As Shay reached second base, the opposing short stop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third." As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams ran behind him screaming, "Shay, run home!"
Shay ran home, stepped on home plate, and all eighteen boys lifted him on their shoulders and made him the hero because he had just hit a grand slam and won the game for his team.

"That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "those eighteen boys reached the level of God's perfection."
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I love that story! A single act of selflessness is the greatest gift we can give someone and it has the power to transform lives. Imagine the impact of living a selfless life.