Sour Grapes

Yesterday I went to the grocery store for just a few items.  It amazes me how that can multiply once you see what's on sale or what your hungry belly decides it will implode without.  I was instantly in a bad mood upon entering the store due to the insane amount of tourists/dipnetters in town that were clogging "my" store.  I tried to quickly gather the items on my list plus one (I only allow myself one item off my list, so I consider carefully!), and get to the long check out lines.

I was in the produce section when I was stopped in my tracks.  There she was: a woman in her late 50's or early 60's (old enough to know better) and not looking as though she was starving was helping herself to the apparent buffet of grapes.  I was horrified.  I blatantly stared and hoped she'd catch my eye and my expression of "Are you seriously eating those grapes of which you have not paid?".  I even thought in correct grammar!  Anyway, she never looked up at me and kept her focus on her sampling of the grapes.  She was talking to herself and muttering that she thought they tasted good!  Perhaps she would go ahead and actually pay for some.  I finally had to leave lest my rising anger would spill over and I would start pointing at her and yell "THIEF!  SHE'S STEALING GRAPES!  GET HER!"

Seriously.  I really wanted to start yelling.  I could not believe the brazenness of this woman to literally steal food in front of so many.  Apparently, I was not the only one who lacks the self-control to confront someone of their error in a positive manner as she wasn't stopped by anyone else.

As I drove home, I replayed that scene in a million different ways with my favorite being the time I posed as a police officer who was off duty.  That was fun!  Probably not what Jesus would have done, however.  I'd love to know what He would have done.  Hmmm.  He may have had some insights that I didn't.  Still, I was really angry about this woman's blatant disregard for what was right.  I couldn't shake it.  Didn't she realize how unsanitary it was, regardless of the whole fact that she was eating for free?  I couldn't sleep last night for the replay going on in my mind.

I finally asked myself why on earth was something so trivial bothering me so deeply?  I don't really know.

Then I wondered why the other injustices that go on in front of me, so much more with modern media, go without such a reaction.  Shouldn't the fact that little girls in the tent cities of Haiti are being raped every day make me more angry?  Shouldn't the fact that over 26,500 children will die just today from preventable diseases stemming from bad water, no food, or a mosquito bite make me sick to my stomach?  Why doesn't the knowledge that just now a 15 year old girl got kicked out of a Russian orphanage with little more than what was on her back and no hope of help from anyone but a member of a sex slave organization make me want to yell and scream?

Actually it does.  Sometimes.

One thing I just can't do anymore is to get emotionally upset at the injustices and then walk away.  Perhaps that was the best thing for me to do at the grocery store under the circumstances, though maybe I should have mentioned it to a manager, but I cannot walk away and just think about how wrong things can be.  I must do something.  It can be overwhelming to see statistics about what is happening in our world.  I've chosen to forget the statistics and focus on one.  There is one that can be helped by something I can do.  Just think if we all focused on just one.  Or two.  At least one at a time.  God doesn't expect us to do more than what He equips us to do.  If He equips us, we must obey and not walk away mumbling to ourselves how terrible "it" is.

Clothes for a Cause

Seriously, aren't these T's just great?  If you'd like one, and really who wouldn't, please go to my sister's blog and order!  A great T with proceeds to help an orphan-no-longer come home!  The proceeds will also help my sister's friend (her blog is here) with their adoption of siblings from Ethiopia.  Clothes for a cause.  No better coverings, I think.

Kids shirts $20, Adults $25

Pablo's Inspiration

A while back, we discovered that some friends of ours who are adopting, have a son who was doing something special.  He was 4 years old when he decided that he wanted to do something to help bring his brother/sister home.  He decided to make cards with his own fabulous style!  He named it Pablo Candy-Finger's Cards!  We were hooked.

We simply could not resist the very sweet drawings of a boy who was using his talents for Kingdom purposes.  He is now 5 and has some really diverse offerings.  I'd have shown more, but I already sent some!   We were still partial to the aliens.  Don't they just make you want to smile?!

His desire to act and do whatever he could to help has inspired us.  Pat is especially drawn to him, being an artist himself, and couldn't resist using his metal art to encourage young Pablo!  After receiving our order of Pablo Candy-Finger's Cards, Pat chose one of his favorites and went out to the shop.

Seriously - Isn't that alien just the cutest guy?!  (the one in the middle in case you couldn't tell!))

We love the inspiration that Pablo Candy-Fingers has given us to do whatever God has enabled us to do for His glory.  If a 4 year old can help orphans, so can you.  If you would like to see more of Pablo's work, check out his mom's blog.  I would encourage you to support Pablo Candy-Fingers as long as he is working and help them bring home the next member(s) of their family!

Simple Joys

Anyone who knows me knows that I find a huge amount of joy in flowers.  Not as much in the cut variety as the ones who slowly emerge and surprise you with the burst of color that only they give with patience and slight care.  Most people likely have these moments of excitement in March or April when their flowers are popping up.  I must wait until June to see the blooms and flush of colors.  This is when I begin my daily vigil of walking around my gardens to check on my "babies."

Every day I check on the flowers to monitor their growth, delight in their beauty, and praise their Maker.  I love how little I am involved in the perfection of my plants.  Each one is extremely different and wonderful.  I find such peace and joy in the flowers (planted and wild) that I don't wonder that God first put Adam and Eve in a Garden!

I have been struggling at times lately resting my spirit.  Everyday I see money exchanged for things that are fleeting when they could be used for much more.  I see myself doing it, and I don't know how to quell my uneasiness.  I still buy flowers or doughnuts or other things that are for a quick dose of temporary happiness.  I know there is a balance and I try not to feel too guilty, but there is clearly an awareness that is going on.  I have begun to equate the cost of these things with the loss of meals for a child or the lack of a day of school.  Spending one day at the hair salon for a cut, hi-lite, & brow wax could send a child to school with a uniform and provide them with 3 meals a day for 6 months.  This is why I haven't gone since November.

My regrowth is horrendous, but fortunately, I don't see it much!  I don't have new clothes, and mine are beginning to get a bit ratty and stained.  But I am clothed.  I don't have the cutest styles of flats/boots/sandals, but I have shoes.  I've had some moments of wanting newer coverings for myself, but then I remember that I have what I NEED.  More than I need, actually.

Spending a little time each day in view of what He created rests my soul.  I remember that I am on a journey that is not finished.  I remember the changes that we have made to more fully participate in His Kingdom and it excites me to keep changing.

I wonder if my Maker takes His moments to walk around, check His "babies," and watch each day how I grow.  I want to delight Him even more than His flowers delight me.

Father's Day

Father's Day has had mixed feelings for me for the last many years.  I've struggled with knowing how to honor my dad while being extremely angry at my parents divorce.  Not having children ourselves has kept me from focusing on any other than my own Dad.

This year God has worked on my heart.  My fabulous Bible Study group and I have been going through Experiencing God, and recently have been discussing the love relationship with our Heavenly Father.  I have discovered that this is not necessarily an easy concept to grasp.  I had no idea.  I didn't quite realize that having an earthly father who was hard, abusive, or mean could have such implications on our adult perceptions of God as our Father.  I discovered that fear is a major component of many people's obedience to God, because that is what they learned from their earthly fathers.

My dad was not like that with me.  Don't get me wrong, I have an enormous dad who stands 6'3" tall and to a child, that is giant.  He isn't large on the width factor, but being a farmer, he was (and is) plenty strong.  In fact, I think my dad is one of the strongest men I've ever known.  Anyway, he was a formidable force when I disobeyed, and he was our ultimate threat when we were kids:  "Oh yeah?  Well, I'll go tell Dad!"  And yet, I have many memories of having him come up to bed and read us our bedtime Bible stories, teaching us how to pray, slathering Vicks Vapor-rub on our ticklish necks if we were sick, and being our bucking bronco until we were faint with giggles.  I remember being unafraid to ask him hard spiritual questions even very young, and he never made me feel like I was silly as he tried to lead me to find answers.

My dad taught me what a love relationship with my Father could look like, if only in a human glimpse.  Dad is not a perfect example, but he showed me how a father can be loving and demand obedience all at the same time.  I feared my discipline when I disobeyed, but I never feared my dad.  I knew he loved me.  I have easily come to understand what a love relationship with my Father can be because of my dad's love for me.  This is not a small gift.  This is what every dad is responsible for in their children.  That is a huge responsibility.  It won't be done perfectly, but it can be done to our human extent!

I'm so thankful this Father's Day that I have a Dad who showed me a portion of God's love.

Beaded Hope ~ by Cathy Liggett

"When four women embark on a mission trip to South Africa, they all have selfish reasons for going.  What none of them expects is how profoundly their lives will be transformed by those they meet."

Four distinct women with four very different reasons for joining this trip are all moved beyond the momentary heart pangs we often feel when we hear the statistics that mean death for real people.  These women are not different than most that I've met or even me.  These are relatable women with lives that are less than perfect.  They all join to go on this mission trip to help women of South Africa begin a sustainable source of income, but invariably are served more than they serve.  Though the characters are fiction, one can certainly imagine the real circumstances that they face and imagine the faces of the previously known only by statistics.

One thing that I appreciated was that the author was able to bring perspective to the women's issues in comparing them with the women in S.A., but the women were still pressed to solve their problems.  The strength of the women in Africa gave the American women the realization that God was bigger than they realized, and He is their strength.

The story was well put together and had an easy flow that made me want to keep reading.  There was some predictability, but not so much as to feel like it was unrealistic.  It had a clear sense of the Spirit, but was not over-the-top, and even exposed some of the feelings those of us who grow up in church often have.  Again, it was very realistic.  It was not a "happily-ever-after" tale and shared the heartache of different levels of pain and how God leads them through it.  It is not heavy on theology or doctrine, so it's a light easy read.

I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.  One of the things that I particularly enjoyed was that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the novel will go to support the very real organization, Beaded Hope in South Africa.  I plan to donate to the organization since I received this book without cost from Tyndale Publishers.  A story that supports a worthy cause is definitely one to buy.  Please learn more at www.beadedhope.com.

Scared ~ by Tom Davis

If you want to read a fun, lighthearted story put this book on the back burner.  If you want to feel good about your life and the way you live in it, don't open a single page.  If you want to feel like you are doing enough and don't want a challenge or you enjoy your ignorance of what is going on to people in this world, don't even - wait; I dare you to read this book and remain as you are.

Tom Davis brings to life a fictional story that is all too real for far too many.  Seen through the eyes of a photojournalist, the horrors of poverty in Africa are revealed.  It's not a fairytale story where everyone gets everything they want, but it's a glimpse of truth set with the hope of God's salvation for the "least of these" as well as those with plenty.  The reality of what the character sees while on his assignment have an impact on him, as well as with me.  I felt as he did with eyes newly opened to see the real people, children with names, instead of statistical numbers representing those dying of starvation and AIDS every day.  It was heartbreaking and challenging.  It was a difficult book to read, not literally, but emotionally.  I couldn't put it down, but it wrenched my soul.

It is a call to those who have been given much.  In as much as I have been given financially, I could also use some of the complete faith and trust in Jesus that they have to share with me.  If you choose to read this book, realize that you will be challenged in the way you live your comfortable, safe life.

Scared is certainly a great book that I would recommend.  Just be ready for Jesus to speak to you!