DO YOU GIVE BACK WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN?

FINALLY,  the papers have been signed and I am now the proud owner of my second craftsman bungalow circa 1917.  HOPEFULLY--until they drag me to the nursing home or the funeral home--I am DONE moving!  Although, I am something of an expert in the process--it has REALLY gotten old!  The signing on my end went smoothly---I am organized--to a fault--if nothing else.  The signing on the other end--NOT SO SMOOTHLY.  

The previous owners had already left town and were signing their part remotely--NO PROBLEM.  The problem was----they had my funds---they had my signature---I had NO keys.  The realtor representing the former owner had dropped the ball and there were NO keys at the closing AND no representative for them.  NOW--I have done this enough that your bodily presence is not required, BUT what is required are the keys to MY house.  

I have the beginning of a line of contractors showing up the next morning bright and early and I have no way to get into the house.  My sweet realtor, God love her, had a solution, BUT, sadly, the longer I stewed on this---the more irked I became.  It was CERTAINLY no fault of my realtor, but she got to hear my displeasure.  Remember us talking about deferred anger--THIS is a classic case.  BUT, shame on me, she got to hear all about what I thought of her fellow realtor.  It was NOT pretty.

Problem was solved by my realtor---but I then began to feel the shame of how I had acted.  For someone who has had a WHOLE LOT OF GRACE heaped upon their head, I was NOT really extending much grace--in fact was extending a lot of angst.  I had not considered perhaps the realtor had a personal conflict for the day, perhaps she forgot I needed keys, perhaps she thought the owner had conveyed the keys to someone---there are many possibilities of things which could have happened.  I did not give any benefit of doubt--but instead jumped on her case without hesitation.  I am sorry---I have apologized to my realtor--for she was the one who got to hear all about it.  AND--in the grand scheme of things---small potatoes for me on not having the keys.  SO NOW--I am off to meet the attic guy--to talk about insulation.  Hopefully I can have a kinder--gentler forbearance in all my negotiations with the crews to come.  In the meantime--I volunteer to be your example of how NOT to respond or react when things are not lining up exactly the way you planned.  I CAN DO BETTER!  When grace has been given, we are charged to extend grace to others.

"If one has a complaint against another,

forgiving each other;

as the Lord has forgiven you,

so you also must forgive."

Colossians 3:13

SUMMER SESSION #10- WATER, COOL WATER

Go Back to the first summer session post and you will discover the theme for most of us in Louisiana in the hot summer time.  Cool-Clean--WATER

 

That brought back this memory of a song from LONG ago.  You are very welcome for getting that melody stuck in your head.  We spend a great deal of time here in the sweltering South trying to stay cool.  We talked about that in that first post.  Some of the sure fire remedies involved water.  Pools, Beaches, Lakes,  Splash Pads, Water Parks, Wading Pools, Running Through Sprinklers, Slip and Slides and one of my favorites that deep creek with swing hanging from a tall tree.  One of the water treats young, old and in between can enjoy is the summer storm.  

Living 300 miles from the Gulf, the summer air currents often bring us a pop up storm as the water vapor builds in the atmosphere.  OH, how I love to sit and watch these storms roll in--night or day-makes no difference.  The kids enjoy running and playing in the rain and puddles--as long as there is no lightning involved.

Those storms can roll in quickly and dissipate even quicker.  You never know if it will be ten drops of rain or an all day deluge, but we are usually thankful for the water.  Nothing waters the yards, trees, bushes, and other greenery like a nice shower.  A slow steady rain, which usually comes with a low, makes for a great time to read and perhaps take a short nap. 

After the rain has faded into the horizon, we are left with one of two things- a slight cooling of temperature or the makings of a regional sauna.  You must experience 90 degree temperatures with 90 % humidity to really understand how hot it is.  You walk out your door and immediately break out in a sweat.  The air is literally heavy feeling--if you are exercising you cannot get a good breath.   The air conditioners are straining to keep us cool as we hunker down in hopes of staying cool.  It is a tall task--well into October.

OH, But then there is always the promise of the shower from the heavens.  The cooling effect---even if short lived--of the cloud given shade and the cool of the rain.  A reprieve from the oppressiveness we live with.

Life can be oppressive--sometimes for long stretches.  One of the sure fire remedies is the quiet still times in the presence of God.  The assurance of His presence---even when the discomfort of stresses weigh us down.  There is the promise of His grace raining down upon us.  Gentle--Tender Grace.

8 “You heavens above, rain down my righteousness;

 let the clouds shower it down.

 Let the earth open wide,

 let salvation spring up,

 let righteousness flourish with it;

 I, the LORD, have created it."

Isaiah 45:8

CARD CARRYING CRAZY

 When you are in the business world for years, you have stories stored away to share.  Today's story comes from decades ago and the one who gave me this laugh---he is gone on.  I had MANY characters as clients (I suppose characters attract characters), but this one ALWAYS made me laugh.  He had a business and dropped by to visit every month when he brought his "stuff" to the office.  One such visit, he told me he was "Card Carrying Crazy" which excused him from a lot of trouble.  I laughed and told him we were all crazy.  He then whipped out his billfold and produced a card proving his craziness.  YEARS ago he had what we then called a "nervous breakdown" and was hospitalized to recover.  Somehow he convinced whoever was in charge to give him a card saying he had been hospitalized in this psychiatric facility and was released.  For ONCE, I was speechless.  He told me this certified he was certifiable.  WHO could argue?  A nervous giggle might have escaped, but I did not know what to say.  Congratulations---I am sorry---how wonderful---tell me more ---good for you.  What in the world do you say?  You say little--listen carefully--and acknowledge  the secret that is being shared does not change how you regard the teller.

 

A sweet friend loaned me a book recently that I thought I would slowly read and ponder.  She warned me it was not easy to read.  It is FILLED with wisdom and things to ponder.  I am still reading and I am certain more blogs will come from it.

 One of the first things I garnered is how we all want to be seen and heard.  We have talked before about the invisible among us.  You might ask--how could anyone be invisible?  We look right through them and never even acknowledge their existence.  This in effect makes them invisible. 

Why would my client produce this card and tell me this story?  He wanted my acknowledgement of those gut wrenching days he survived.  He wanted me to know the pain of having to check out of the world for a time to recover when he was pushed over the ledge.  He wanted me to hear him.  He was waiting and watching for my reaction---for you see he also had a degree of shame associated with that time.  (The book I am reading also deals with shame)  Would I still acknowledge him, treat him the same once the truth was out of the bag.  He could not forgive himself, he could not leave that shame behind, our relationship could go no further until he knew how I would react to his history.  Would I still enjoy his good company, would I still laugh at his jokes,---would I still respect him?  BIG questions which come with sharing our truths.

The author of the book has a chapter titled "Dis-grace".  It is filled with stories such as the one I told above of our fellow man wanting to be acknowledged.  As our relationship with The Father deepens we begin to realize he really loves us "NO MATTER WHAT".  We are human and have limitations on our love.  I have fallen out of love with someone before---my love has limitations.  What's that old saying, "Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me."  I am not sure I am capable of loving someone no matter what --perhaps my children if anyone has that limitless love from me.  BUT---God loves us --no matter what.  WOW!  I will sum it all up with this quote from the book ~

"The 'no matter whatness' of God dissolves the toxicity of shame and fills us with tender mercy."

PRAISE GOD!

"For I am sure that neither death nor life,

nor angels

 nor rulers,

nor things present

nor things to come,

nor powers, 

nor height nor depth,

nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us from the 

love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:38-39

AMAZING GRACE

 

I read this book found HERE this past summer on family vacation.   I have read several of the books written by this author.  Always short and easy to read, I found this one filled with profound truths.  When I finish a book and have not just one, but several topics to write on, it is a good book!

Of course the main theme is grace and most of the book deals with the need we have to extend grace in our lives.  It addresses how difficult extending grace can sometimes be.  The ladies at The Well and I were recently discussing grace and forgiveness.  The argument came up that there are times when others are not sorry for their sins against us and perhaps do not even deserve forgiveness.  We want to hold on to that hate and bitterness in an effort to punish those who have wronged us.  The truth of the matter is that the only one being punished is the one holding on to the anger.  We wear the mantle of bitterness as a reminder of how wronged we have been and it wraps us tightly in the choking hold of hate.

The main character is staying with a holocaust survivor who tells his story to the man, who is firmly holding on to the bitterness of a great wrong which was done to him.  The death camp survivor told him when he fell in love after the war, the woman would not marry him.  When he asked why, she told him, "Because you are like them (the Nazi's)"  He immediately strongly protested that was not so and her reply, "Their hate for you (Jews) - your hate for them, there is no difference. "   A kick in the stomach for all of us who might hold onto our grievances.  When we refuse to forgive and hold on to our hate, we are not better than the one who injured us.  Stop and think that over and consider if you are holding on to some unresolved anger.

The author gives the only path to being able to let go and truly forgive.  He first had to tell God why he was so angry and confess to his unforgiveness and inability to let it go.  We have to want to let go.  Then when God hears our truth, He will give us the ability to forgive and leave it in the past.  The last step--though it sounds like the hardest step, is not.  We go to the one needing forgiveness and tell them we have forgiven them.  They do not have to accept our forgiveness.  That is not up to us.  We only have to say the words, "I forgive you."  THAT signifies you have REALLY let go of your bitterness. (I really understand how difficult this is and sometimes, because of circumstance, impossible.)

Yes, I have written about this quite a lot.  It is so important-vital in the walk with Christ.  Perhaps one of the most important things we can ever do.  Forgive--extend grace and then enjoy the freedom of those actions.  One of the greatest truths I have finally learned is we cannot erase our memories, but we can leave the pain in the past.  We can live in the freedom of having extended grace to enjoy the full benefit of the grace bestowed upon us.  Live in joy and leave the bitterness behind.

"Do not judge and you will not be judged.

Do not condemn, and your will not be condemned.

Forgive and you will be forgiven."

Luke 6:37

OUT OF THE BLUE

I get epiphanies about a topic to post on  at the strangest times.  You already know about my middle of the night musing.  Today's post came to me in a flash from out of nowhere, while out walking the Wonder Dog early one morning.  We were across the street looking for rabbit trails, completely alone  and a bolt out of the blue hit me.  NOW, if you believe things pop in our minds out of the blue, we need to talk!

Here's the thing about grace ~ until you reach down and forgive someone who you really do not want to forgive, who really does not deserve to be forgiven, who really sinned against you, who does not really care if you forgive them or not  ~ Who really does not even give you a second thought  ~  You do not really understand about grace.  Let that sink in.  

I will never forget the report about the ten children shot, five of whom died in the Amish one room school house in 2006.  The world was puzzled and taken back when the Amish community extended grace to the family of the shooter.  HOW could you forgive this man?  How could you extend sympathy to his family?  How astonishing was it for this community who were in deep grief themselves, to somehow find the ability to not only forgive the shooter, but extend help to his family?  Read this story HERE for an account years later.  Take particular note of "Decisional Forgiveness" and doing the emotional work after making the conscious decision.  

Until we are able to take the step of obedience and forgive those who have sinned against us, we do not really understand what God has done for us through Jesus.  We just cannot really GET IT until we have stepped up and forgiven those who do not deserve our forgiveness.  It can be a tough pill to swallow, to say the least.  The Amish lived out how we should first decide we will forgive and then allow God to lead us through the process.

Here is one of the truths I have garnered from the subject of forgiveness.  I was the one who really was set free by extending grace--not necessarily the one who sinned against me.  It was a huge boulder removed from my shoulders that I did not even realize how it had weighed me down.  That is all I have to say on the subject---that is enough.  Roll that around in your thoughts today and let me know what you think.

"Forgive anyone who offends you.

Remember the Lord forgave you,

so you must forgive others."

Colossians 3:13

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THE WORD THAT ENDS OUR WEEK

 A trusted, loyal, faithful, and beloved friend stopped by your house with a gift in their hand.  The gift was completely unexpected and certainly you had done nothing to deserve.  The friend holds the gift in their hands and tells you -

"All you have to do is take the gift, unwrap the gift, and enjoy the gift always."

For the life of you, you cannot understand what you have done to warrant this beautiful gift.  The truth is you do not deserve the gift, but the giver is lovingly offering it anyway.  How great the depth of the love of such a friend.

It seems far too easy to merely take the gift.  There has to be more to it.  Why would anyone so generously offer you such?  It is difficult to comprehend the why's, but you are reminded ~ all you have to do is accept the gift.

With some question still in your mind, you accept the gift and slowly unwrap it.  Inside you find etched upon the sands of time ~ one word ~

You have been handed the gift of eternal life through the grace of Our Savior without deserving it and with no strings attached.  All you have to do is accept what you have been offered ~ the beautiful gift of life eternal with The Father.

My sweet neighbor and friend here in the hood sent this word.  Amazingly it was not one of the very first words sent in.  I began to ponder why?  Could there be some truth in us taking this beautiful gift for granted?  Living in the Deep South and, surrounded by like minded Believers a great deal of the time, have we become numb to the magnificence of this glorious gift we have been given?  Do we stop to ponder that one of the  very core beliefs of Christianity is GRACE?  Do we forget the cost of this precious gift?  Do we take for granted what was done for us so that God could offer us this gift?

I will leave this blog brief today, though I could write pages about this word.  Instead I leave you with these questions ~

Do you stop and consider the great cost of this most precious gift daily?

Is your door always open to the Giver of the Gift and is He welcome in your heart?

Do you remember your unworthiness to receive this gift?

Are you thankful for this deep, generous, faithful and abiding love which made the gift possible?

Do you remember the grace that was poured upon you so that you could always be in the presence of The Father?

"For it is by grace you have been saved,

through faith~

and this is not from yourselves.

it is the gift of God."

Ephesians 2:8

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ROLL OF THE DICE

 PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT-if you have not signed up to be a blog subscriber, today would be a great day to get that accomplished!  Right side of the page--at the top. 

After a LONG hiatus during the pandemic shut down (none of us are spring chickens), we finally got the Friday night game group together on Saturday night.  Is it just me, or does it seem many things have changed since the virus rolled into town?

One paragraph and I have strayed from the subject.😖  We have one of the players who now has significant vision issues.  Playing Mexican Train ~ our old standby is no longer an option.  The dominoes are not large and the dots are not only multi colored, but small.  We are searching for a viable substitute game and enjoying the good company in the midst of the search.

We seem to have found one substitute in a game my daughter introduced me to ~

Oh DEAR, I told the players it was CLR---my BAD!  (Hey, I had the letters correct--wrong order, but correct)  At any rate, this game involves a little gambling.  Well in all truthfulness, it is all about gambling.  The trick is finding a limit on the wagers which we can all live with.  Our group finally decided on betting quarters with a four game limit.  Since you bet three of whatever currency you decide upon,  you will know from the get go what the limit on your losses for the evening will be.  There is NO bottomless pot.  It is a fun game with lots of quarter changing hands over the course of the game.  The winner is the last person to hold at least one quarter in front of them.  That lucky person gets the pot (which is all of the quarters everyone started with).  It is a lot of fun with loads of laughter.  Of COURSE--there is no skill involved--it is all blind luck.  At the end of the evening after four games, I was $3 poorer.  So much for my plans to add to my retirement account.

The biggest obstacle of the game is deciding upon the currency of the evening.  #1 Daughter learned by playing with $1 bills.  They played 3 games with 8 players, so the winning pot will hold $24 at the most.  Multiply that by the 8 players of their evening and if you won all 3 games you could come away with $72.  BUT you put $9 into those three pots, so you actually won $63.  HEY, I could make a math word problem out of this!  #1 told me the friend who taught her would play one game with 3-$5 bills as your bet.  Eight players--$15 each for the one pot--you could win $120 minus your $15 ante--$105.  The winnings go up with the potential risk.  You could also be out $15.  As a post script after writing this, #1 Daughter told me the last time they played they had 14 players--$42 pot for the lucky winner with a mere $3 bet!  The money changes hands over and over and the pot slowly grows as the game continues.  Laughter, moaning & groaning & lots of smack talk are a side benefit!

Luck and risk tolerance seem to be the name of this game.  How much can you afford to lose without suffering?  How good is your luck?  If I had walked away from the game wondering how I would buy groceries for the week, I definitely exceeded my risk tolerance.  Luck is just that luck.  Oxford tells us luck is good things which happen to us by chance, not because of your own efforts or abilities.  

HMMMM ~ luck sounds a great deal like grace.  Grace is the free and unmerited favor of God as shown through the sacrifice of Jesus so that we might have life.  There is one distinct difference in luck and grace.  Luck rains on the just and unjust alike.  Grace is available to only those who ask for it.  This game of dice is all about luck--luck which comes or goes without reason.  Grace, while also free, is only available to those who ask for it.  You can't get luck by asking the dice to bring you luck or spitting on the them or holding your mouth in a certain way.  (Side note--I DO NOT play with dice spitters!) You can be assured of receiving the free and unmerited favor of God by praying to receive it.  The one sure bet in life will always be Jesus!

"For it is by grace you have been saved,

through faith~

and this is not from ourselves,

it is a gift of God."

Ephesians 2:8

FIRST ---GET NAKED

Peeked your curiosity with that title did I not?

The little grands LOVE to play dress up.  They can transport themselves into all kinds of fantasies by just putting on the uniform for any particular character---super heroes---policeman---fireman---construction workers--doctors---soldiers---cowboys---astronauts-You NAME IT--they can become that very thing by taking off their clothes---and putting on the uniform or suit of the person they desire to be.  They then assume the role and actually act and become the very character they are dressed to portray.  Something as simple as putting on different clothes totally transforms them.

In our study of Colossians in the Women's Bible Study, God shows us how we must FIRST take off---the clothes of the world--"sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language" .  The grave clothes of the world. The clothes which mark us as "Of The World" and conform us to it.

Once we have stripped the world from us---or once we are naked--then it is time to put on the uniform of Christ--"Compassion, Kindness, Humility, Gentleness/Meekness, Patience/Long-suffering, Forbearance, Forgiveness, and Love."  We put on the clothes which are identical to those which Christ wore. Our grace clothes are patterned after Christ's own clothing.

When you rise each and every morning, you make a conscious decision which set of clothing you are going to wear that day. Each person you encounter during the day will recognize you because of the uniform you have chosen to wear for the day.  Will they see you coming and know you have your grave clothes on, or will the aura that shines around your very being mark you as having on the uniform of grace?  We all come into the world naked--what clothes will you be wearing when you leave this world?  I pray that my grace clothes will become my uniform of the day-each and every day--clothed in grace.

 BECAUSE I am thankful for all the blessings that God rains upon me daily, I looked and was open for the opportunity for Him to use me today, it did not happen, or so I thought, while spending the afternoon with #3 and then I remembered perhaps the respite for his mother of one of her three was an act of kindness while a blessing for me.  His Plan

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved,

clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."

Colossians 3:12

GRACE UPON GRACE

I must admit---though I am looking for the joy---trying--REALLY trying to find the hope for today---it is not always easy and I get stuck in the pit of despair--the narcissistic pool of grief.  The whispering in my ear tells me your efforts are for naught---no one cares--no one is listening--give it all up.

Then--God---in His infinite good grace---once again pours out his love over me---and gives me a glimpse of how He is using me for His good pleasure and to give Him great glory.  An email, a message, a text will come with the encouragement and reminder of how God has used the words He gave me that day to encourage someone He loves dearly.

I sent a copy of "The Book" to a dear friend that leads a divorce care group.  The whispering in my ear tells me writing it all down was an exercise in futility and who will ever read or care what was my answer to the depths of grief.  She sends me an email with a story of having the book in her purse to read while getting a pedicure--a spur of the moment pedicure.  She drives to three nail parlors before finally finding one open.  A friend of hers is there and tells her she needs to tell her about her own marriage tragedy.  As she relates the story, the friend with the book is prompted to share it with her.  God has orchestrated a beautiful pouring out of grace.  Why did I think to mail the friend a copy of the book?  Why was she prompted to get a pedicure where she does not usually go?  Why was her friend at the same place?  Why was she prompted to share her story?  Why was "The Book" shared on the spur of a moment--without even knowing what it contained?   A LOT of why's---but there is no doubt in my mind---God is raining down grace upon grace to those who are searching--seeking His perfect plan--all to give Him full glory.

Today I am thankful and filled with joy for time after time

that He has shown Grace upon Grace.

"Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, 'Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.'" 

John 7:38

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IT IS ALL GREEK!

It makes me tingle all the way to my toes--to see how God is teaching me.  The intricacies of His plans-and the seemingly simpleness of it all playing out makes my head spin.  He is a MIGHTY GOD---and I am awe-struck as His plans for me are revealed.  

Do you remember my encouragement to read this book?  I started this book weeks ago-

It is beautifully written--with words wrapped in prose like circles all reminding us to give Thanks----Eucharisteo---the Greek word for thanks.  The book is a  challenge to write down all those gifts in our lives and worlds for which we are thankful.  A book that I have slowly read and chewed upon as I have delighted in the description of Thanksgiving for even the mundane.  A long and slow digestion of the beauty and joy in our lives.

I am attending a women's Bible study here in Fort Worth.  This study is based upon the concept of BSF---an in depth probing and dissection of The Word--an exploration of the rich - deep texture of God's very being as revealed to us in 
His divine revelation to His beloved.

Today's word included the lesson of the Greek meaning of two basic words which we cling to in the revealed word of God:

Grace - Charis

Joy - Chara

Look back at the Greek word for Thanks--and notice the root of the word--Charis or Chara-------Grace and Joy are embedded in the midst of Thanksgiving.

My quest at this time in my life is for joy---the joy which is found when experiencing the grace that has been lavished upon me. In the midst of all this reminder of the Grace and Joy in my life--I give Thanks---Eucharisteo.

"Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."

Psalm 106:1

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