The Hey You Lady

I get lots of notes and letters. Nowadays a lot is through electronic media - e-mail, Facebook, text messages, and the like. Some is from the US Postal Service, but not as much anymore. And every now and then I'll have something handed to me in person - usually in the form of a memo at work. For the most part these correspondences don't mean much, other than reminding me of something that's expected of me, or someone asking for money, or a blanket "have a nice day" that's sent to God knows how many people. In my lifetime, I think I've received only two letters that have really meant anything to me. The first one was given to me at a retreat my senior year in high school. All the stude nts at the retreat were given a letter from their parents. Mine was from my mother, about t hree pages, typed on a manual Olivetti typewriter (I'm old ... personal computers were no t ar oun d then). The letter talked about all the times she hugged me, from the day I was...

There's growing up "poor," and then there's growing up "po'." My family wasn't financially wealthy, but we were not po' either. We didn't have closets full of new clothes off the rack. Mom sewed a lot for us, and I had my fair share of hand-me-down's (even though I'm the oldest daughter). I think if we were po' we would have seen third-generation hand-me-downs of clothes that were home-made to begin with that were church rummage sale rejects. Not exactly the best - or even the best of what's left. Now, THAT'S po'! But even if we were that po' I would have still felt blessed. Sure, I'd wonder if I'd ever get to go to dance classes or play in a soccer league like the "rich kids" at school. But at the end of the day, being blessed is not about what can be seen or about what money can provide. I can't speak for families of the kids I grew up with, but our home was full of blessings. We didn't...

If you found out that a high-profile celebrity were to come to your home, what would you do? I think the first thing I would want to know is How much time do I have to prepare. Then I'd spread the word, hoping some of my friends would join the party. Let's say that this mega-star is Jesus Christ himself. "Honey, set an extra place at the table tonight. Jesus is coming." "I hope the Son of God likes pot roast. What kind of wine should I serve?" "I think just water will be fine." That exchange reminds me of the story of Martha and Mary, when Jesus came to their home. Martha was preoccupied with being the first-century Martha Stewart. Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus, taking in everything He said. Martha irritated that she was doing all the work. She was caught up in the preparation that she forgot to take time to enjoy her guest! How do you view Jesus' return to earth? For those that don't know Jesus' love and forgiveness, they may v...

Saturday morning Dreary gray sky, Gentle showers Why am I out of bed, Outside the sanctuary of my comforter? My husband shouts -- "OH MY GOD! GET THE CAMERA!" I panic - Suddenly Alert - Adrenaline Pumping Jammie-clad, without my Fuzzy Slippers Standing cold feet on concrete Under the safety of the roof of my front porch We marvel at the wonder Of brilliant colors Reaching down from heaven And the End of the Rainbow -- The Pot of Gold -- Slides smoothly into my neighbor's chimney

There's a sign on the bulletin board outside the Youth Director's office at my church. It reads, "No PerfectPeople Allowed." Now there may be some who read that sign that may be mildly obsessive-compulsive that insist there is a typographical error in that sign. But they are mistaken. The "error" is intentional, in which case it is no error at all. How perfect is that? Everyone makes mistakes. Believe it or not, I even have made them myself. One I seem to make over and over is to send an email that says "Here is the link to ..." or "Here's the picture of ..." and I'll forget to include the link or the file attachment. How embarrassing. Especially if it's an email to someone like my boss's boss. Not only do I not look good, my immediate boss looks foolish as well for hiring me in the first place. But I take comfort in this: No one gains any level of success without making their fair share of mistakes. But it isn't s...

When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me." They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, "Surely not I, Lord?" --Matthew 26:20-22 Do you think you have it in you to hurt the ones you love the most? I mean hurt them de e pl y enough to where they may never bring themselves to forgive you? A while back a good friend of mine found out that her husband had cheated on her after nearly 15 years of being married. As I walked with her through her tsunami of emotions she told of how she found out, how wounded she felt, how she wanted to move forward. Of course she was going to address the issue with him. (She never "confronts problems" ... she "addresses issues.") I asked her what she planned on doing, assuring her that I would always be there for her, no matter what her decision. What she said next took me a little bit by s...

A few weeks ago I posted about my Epiphany word for 2008 - Compassion . Since then I have noticed that word working its way into my life more so this year than last. The ladies in my online Bible study group two Saturdays ago challenged and prayed for each other that we would step out of our comfort zone and respond to opportunities that God presents to us to show His love. This past Saturday one of the group members mentioned that she was unaware of a need that she could have responded to, simply because the person in need did not make the need known to her. Now, I realize that God's plan could have been to fill the need in the way that it was filled, but her point was that we do not make our needs known to others who could at least be praying for us. My pastor gave a sermon today on " Unquenchable Compassion ." The words that stood out most to me in his message were "Everyone we come into contact with needs us to show compassion." (OK, maybe not his exact wo...