Entertaining Angels

It was a mild and inviting summer evening in Atlanta so my sister and her daughter decided to enjoy dinner in a charming patio area outside a quaint café. They were enjoying  dinner in a music-filled courtyard while waiting for my great-niece and a friend who were attending a concert just several blocks away.

As they were eating, they were approached by a homeless couple. The woman said, “We are hungry.” My sister explained that she had no cash on hand, but insisted they join them for dinner. The patio was filled with 40-50 people who were clearly puzzled when seeing the new, shabbily dressed visitors take a seat. The manager began heading toward the table with a bewildered look, but my niece waved him off. My sister then requested menus for the two guests that were joining them. The gentlemen insisted that the restaurant was too pricy and that an entire meal at Subway was less than $6.00. After some persuasion, my sister ensured them that it was fine and to order whatever they would like. She was a little tight with funds on her debit card, but my sister never made it known, instead she focused on enjoying the company of the two strangers.

The couple explained that they were from Biloxi and moved to Atlanta where they now reside in places he renovates when he is fortunate enough to get work and in abandoned buildings when he is not. They apologized if they smelled, but bathing is not always an option when living on the streets. They talked about the commonality of their faith and before leaving said that they knew they would all meet again in heaven. They repeatedly thanked my sister and niece, said their goodbyes and left with a bag of leftovers.

After a fashion my sister asked for her check. The waitress returned saying, “The bill had been paid in full because someone had seen you bless the lives of the destitute twosome and wanted to return the blessing.” I believe this is an example of what Jesus was telling us when he said, “Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands—all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the same one that God will use for you"  (Luke 6:38 GNB).

Michele

Izzy's Babies

We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7

Izzy's babies at 4 weeks and fully weaned!

Izzy is my oldest daughter’s dog who recently delivered four adorable pups. When they were two weeks old, she came down with a staph infection and was no longer able to feed them. My daughter is in medical school and just a few short weeks from taking step one of her board tests. Ten to twelve hour days of studying leaves little time to bottle feed puppies. Therefore, my husband and I helped. We brought the cute little guys and gal to our house along with their mom. Since she could not nurse, they were separated by a crate. Izzy couldn’t quite understand the complexity of the situation or why we took over, leaving her to watch; but with full faith she allowed us to take care of her little ones.

As a mother, I can empathize with Izzy’s struggle in not understanding this situation that was completely out of her control. A year and half ago my daughter was diagnosed with Graves Disease. At just the time she was about to catch her breath and get the disease under control, she began to experience some symptoms that didn’t match up with thyroid disease. After several months of being referred from one doctor to the next, she was diagnosed with a second, more serious autoimmune disease-Rheumatoid Arthritis. 

I have been overwhelmed and perplexed regarding this situation. My first thought was, why not me, I’m older… My second thought was, why not someone that is doing nothing to better society, even causing damage to others. Finally, I realized that these “why” thoughts led one place…A DEAD END.

 I completely understood Izzy and her state of confusion, but I also learned from her as well. While she was perplexed, she also displayed full faith in an unexplainable force more powerful than her own— the caring hands of humans. She somehow trusted that we were there to help her and her family. As I watched, I realized that this is exactly what God expects from me with my children. Trust that His almighty, unexplainable power is there to take care of them, to love and guard them. Hopefully I have learned a lesson from man’s best friend and will graciously step aside like Izzy and trust my little ones to the caring hands of God.

Michele 

In His Image

^{Genesis 1:27 (NIV)}

So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

 I am currently taking a class on Catholic Social Thought. I was really dreading the idea of reading a lot of documents written by dead Popes. But instead, I am enjoying it and it has made me more aware of the importance of each and every person. The fact that we are each created in the image of God is an incredible concept—one that I failed to take serious until recently. I believe understanding the importance of this idea is helping me view people in a different light.

I was in line at Starbucks on Saturday standing behind a group of five teenagers. Two of the boys appeared to be of a European descent, another boy was probably from the Middle East as well as one of the girls. The young lady standing directly in front of me appeared to be of an Asian background. They were having a good time and seemed to be truly enjoying the company of each other. There appeared to be no judgment between them, just friendships… kids being kids. It is funny how children can teach adults so much if they are willing to observe and learn.

Another incident occurred at Ransom Café—a restaurant where you pay what you can.  It was near closing time and a nice gentlemen name Vance came in and asked if we had any groceries left.  We pulled together some food and fixed him a plate to go since the kitchen was closing.  As I was cleaning the front area, he grabbed a table near me. We seemed to hit it off immediately. He started telling me how people really aren’t that different. He cuts yards for a living and he began to tell me how some people that have a lot of material possessions treat him like he is less. He then said, “Ya know there is nothing wrong with having a lot stuff, but when you treat another person less than human because they don’t have much, that is where the problem begins.” And then he said, “Ya know Bill Gates probably wakes up with a back ache just like me and we all have to deal with disease and death, we really aren’t that different.” 

And to that I say, Indeed we are not, let’s start acting like it!

Michele

The Giants

“We should attack and take the land; we are strong enough to conquer it” (Numbers 13:30b, GNB).

Have you ever considered that GIANTS ARE REAL? They are not something you dream up. No they are problems, pains, pressures and negative self talk. They distract, detour and consume us.

A couple of weeks ago, the Giants took center stage in my life.  I attended a volunteer dinner for Ransom Café. It was a great dinner with talks that focused on the accomplishments achieved by this ministry over the past year. This is an incredible outreach that continues to grow, aiding and assisting many. Instead of leaving this dinner inspired, I left depressed. I looked at my small life and minimal accomplishments for the Kingdom of God and felt sick.

This mind set has actually consumed me for several weeks now. Then I realized that this is exactly what the enemy wants. Like the Israelites I am approaching the Promise Land, yet I am letting the Giants of my mind tell me how impossible it is to overcome the obstacles. These Giants are telling me how useless I am and how little I do for God.

 It has been a somewhat paralyzing state, but today I am going to face those Giants by letting them know that my God is so much bigger than mere giants. I may never accomplish the things that many of my brothers and sisters in Christ do, but I refuse to let the giants win. I am shaking them off and saying quit draining me and distracting me from everything God intends for me to be and do for HIM.

Michele

Lost In the Static

…Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:1b-2a NIV).

As I sloshed through the melting snow and looked at the individuals busily crossing block after block, I wondered how these people were able to keep a focus on God in this hectic environment. This was my fourth day in New York City and the constant static seemed to put me in a state of numbness. As I returned to the hotel, I wondered how in just four short days my relationship with God had drifted so far from where it was just earlier that week.

 On Tuesday night, my cousin who lives alone in New York called to tell us that she was scheduled for major emergency, open-heart surgery set for Thursday morning. My brother, sister and several cousins hurriedly booked flights and headed to New York to accompany her. When we first arrived, we were concerned that the surgery may be more than her overall health conditions could withstand. The initial report was promising and she seemed to improve daily. Then we were faced with two winter storms that were headed our way with concerns of a major blizzard.  It seemed that from the very second we arrived, one thing after another was consuming our thoughts and time.

As I made my way back through the constant noise, I continued to think about the close relationship with God that I had so enjoyed over the past few months.  I had spent the last three months engrossed in the scriptures as I had been researching and writing a Bible Study. It was clear to me that staying in the word of God is crucial. We talk with God through prayer, but our answers are often given to us through the Scriptures. Sometimes we feel like God is MIA, when in reality we have allowed the static of the world to consume our time and thoughts instead of His powerful words.

Michele

Keeping It Shut

 Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise; When he shutteth his lips, he is esteemed as prudent (Proverbs 17:28 ASV).

I had been reading the story of Nabal, Abigail and David from the book of I Samuel. I was in awe over the wisdom Abigail displayed on two different occasions when dealing with her bad-tempered husband Nabal.  At one point, her household was in great danger of attack from David and his army of 600 men. This was due to the arrogant and ill-mannered response of Nabal when David was need of his hospitality and assistance. Abigail did something I often fail to do—she kept her mouth shut and chose to wait until a later time to approach Nabal. In the meantime, she addressed the issue with David using both grace and humility.

After I completed reading and studying the passage, I called my husband as I was in route to meet my sister for our Wednesday night walk. While walking, my sister and I catch up with the day-to-day happenings in our lives. I told her that I felt a bit bad because I had just gotten off the phone with my husband and once again approached him about our financial struggles and changes needed in our business. He asked me to wait and address it when he returned from out of town. He said, “I need to focus on the positive in order to acquire the two sales I am currently trying to make.”  I obviously picked an inopportune time to bring up this sensitive issue.

As we continued walking, my sister told me how each Saturday she asked everyone in her household to help her with the weekly menu, but generally gets very little response. So she does the best she can in her menu planning. She continued telling me how she cooked some quesadillas the other night and when her husband arrived home he said, “Don’t give me any of those.”  She wanted to respond, but instead she said nothing, continued cooking, set the table and told everyone to come eat. Her husband came to the table, ate what she cooked and never said a word.

 Prior to the conversation with my husband, I had written these words to ponder, “Sometimes not opening our mouth shows much wisdom.” I read it, I wrote it, but I did not practice it. My sister on the other hand, did!  She wasn’t dealing with an army of 600 like Abigail, but sometimes when trying to cook and please a variety of people and taste buds; it feels like you’re dealing with an army of 800! When the potential for confrontation arose, she made the wise choice and kept her mouth shut. 

We are told of the value of keeping our mouths shut in the book of Proverbs. It says, Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise; When he shutteth his lips, he is esteemed as prudent (17:28 ASV).   Maybe I failed on this occasion, but if I continue to surround myself with good examples like Abigail and my sister, then I’m bound to get it right eventually!  

Michele 

Unrecognized Hero

She opens her mouth in wisdom, and on her tongue is kindly counsel. Proverbs 31:26 NAB

I paid particular attention to the documentary that played repeatedly this week on the life and movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I was surprised to learn that such a large number of people, from various backgrounds, played roles in paving the way to the Civil Rights Movement that changed so many lives. I began to reminisce about the stories my mother and her siblings shared about the life of one individual who quietly played a role in this happening.

  She raised her children during the Great Depression and her life was a difficult one with little money and few luxuries. She had to wash clothes in a creek, cut wood for the stove and fireplace. She cooked meat and pork that she often had to slaughter herself.  She plowed, planted, and had to cook and can enough food to last through the winter months. She did all of this with little help from my grandfather, who for many years had a severe drinking problem. 

 

Even with her consuming schedule, Grandma Leslie was always willing to help others outside of her family, such as nearby neighbors. Prior to the Civil Rights Movement and long before whites and blacks socially interacted, grandma brought food to a black community near her home. She also made sure that the families of the small community of Mauvilla were warm in the winter months. When family members died, she was there to offer her sympathy and home cooked meats, vegetables and desserts. As a child, my mother recalled attending a funeral with Grandma and being the only white people in attendance.

I never heard my grandmother comment one way or another about her appearance or any one else’s. She had a way of looking beyond the human body into one’s soul. She did what she did, because she genuinely loved people. Her life had a long-lasting effect on everyone that met her and while her name does not appear in any of the history books, it is certain to be found in the book that really matters…The Book of Life.

Michele

The Chase

 I said in my mind, Come now, I will prove you with mirth and test you with pleasure; so have a good time [enjoy pleasure]. But this also was vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility)! Ecclesiastes 2:1 AMP

 In the movie Smokey and the Bandit, Jackie Gleason stars as the cantankerous Sheriff Buford T. Justice. He spends the majority of the movie on a high-speed chase after Burt Reynolds who plays the role of the cool and debonair Bandit. I have always admired the Sheriff’s passionate perseverance and his determination to catch the Bandit. I will never forget this famous line where he says, “I’ll chase you in hot-pursuit to the ends of the earth.”    

“Chase” is an interesting term. It is the name and theme of a Bible study written by Jennie Allen* that our group is starting tonight.  As I looked over the introductory section, one of the first questions is, “what do you chase?” I thought for a long time about what I have been chasing for 52 years. Then I decided to look at each decade and analyze it:

1-10     Friendships, good family relations, a good time…

Teens   Friendships, love, a good time…

20’s     Education, career, a family, a good time…

30’s     Family life, financial stability and then some, comfort, a good time…

40’s     Family life, financial stability and then some, comfort, a good time...

It looks like the common denominator is a good time?   The truth is, I never wanted to be a stick-in-the-mud, but one day I got a glance from another angle. I was in my late forties when a friend and I were planning a trip (another good time) and she made a comment that caused me to re-think my current course. We were discussing a possible cruise with some mutual friends. She said, “I don’t think we want to go with them, they are religious and not fun like us.” I remember that this comment haunted me and while I didn’t make immediate changes, it was the start of a new, exciting chase. I came to realize that the only way to find a lasting good time is by chasing God.

 I have a long way to go in this new chase, but my prayer is to meet my maker and have Him say, “I loved your passion and determination in your hot-pursuit to chase Me to the ends of the earth.”

Michele

*Jennieallen.com/blog

Wait, Wait, Wait

 Pray continually (I Thessalonians 5:17 NIV).

 Have you ever watched people as you stand in line at a convenience store or post office? Many people sigh with much impatience; others are consumed by whatever intrigues them on their cell phones.   Have you by any chance glanced at folks while you wait at traffic lights?  Some are listening to music, another looking in the mirror, while others are checking their email or text messages.

Waiting, waiting, waiting… it is a bothersome part of life. An article I recently read, “How Do You Spend Your Life” offers some interesting statistics. If you live to the age of 60, the average person will spend 5 years waiting for such things as traffic lights to turn or delays in lines at the bank or grocery store.*  Now that is a lot of waiting!

A friend sent me a text message this morning about something she read that relates to our wait time. It is written by Ashley Kappel from the Daily Guidepost and says, “Remind me Lord, that fifteen minutes in traffic, on hold or in any line is simply a Guilt-Free excuse to spend time with YOU.”

At the beginning of each year we consider New Year’s resolutions to make changes in our lives such as: losing weight, eating better, exercising, watching less television, etc. I realized that I have never considered making changes to the time I am forced to waste while I wait.  So this year I am going to make a change in my “wait time,” by converting it to prayer time. I believe that this small change in 2013 to my one month of wait time can make a monumental difference in my life.  I might not be thinner in 2014, but what I once considered as annoying delays in my busy schedule will hopefully transform to divine blessings instead.

Michele

 *   www.live-adventuously.com/how-do-you-spend-your-life