thoughts on the news of the day: t-shirts

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            A little boy was dressing himself.  By mistake, he tried to put his head through the armhole of his T-shirt. “Mommy, I need help!” he called out frantically.  His mom rushed to help, but the little boy stubbornly refused to let go of the shirt, making it impossible for his mother to help. 

            We are like that sometimes. We tenaciously hold on to our old ideas about how something should be done.  We insist on having it our way without considering that there might be another way to handle a situation.  We treat God like the little boy treated his mommy.  We have our own plan and don’t want to consider that God might have a different plan for us.

            God has a plan for us.  God has a plan for each one of us.  “I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope,” is one of the most powerful scriptures in all of the bible.  How comforting to know that God is watching out for us, for our future and that our future has hope.

            Things may be in a turmoil for you right now.  You might be wondering, “What happens next?”  But don’t despair, God has a plan for your future.  It is a plan with hope and not for harm.  God is here with you and all is well.

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thoughts on the news of the day: plans

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            Want to make God laugh?  …… then, tell God your plans!

            This Sunday marks the last Sunday before Lent and it is traditionally the day when the story is told about Jesus going up the mountain and being “transfigured” into a bright being along with Moses and Elijah.  Turns out that Peter, James and John go along for the ride and plan to set up camp and hang out there for a while when they see the light and hear God’s voice.  Nice thought, but Jesus isn’t going for it.  Jesus sends all three of them back down the mountain. 

            Have you ever had a mountaintop experience?  By that I mean a time when you felt so close to God, when you were so aware spiritually, that you didn’t ever want to leave?  When that happens, we usually plan to stay in that mode and live there.  But it doesn’t happen.  God has another plan.  Usually we have to climb back down off the mountain and get busy once again with the work God has for us to do in the valley.  God has other plans for us, and they usually work out much better.

            Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to have a plan, to know where you are going, to see a path up ahead.  But planning is one thing, expecting results another.  My “plan” is to “plan” – but not plan results.  I leave the outcome up to God.  Well, most of the time.

            And still, sometimes, God laughs!

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thoughts on the news of the day: dollar stores

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            What’s a good deal and what’s not so good a deal at the Dollar Store?  An article on my internet server today says that party goods, greeting cards, seasonal holiday decorations and wrapping paper are good deals. But vitamins, school supplies and canned goods are not such good deals.  So I guess the idea here is to think of the Dollar Store as a big party supply warehouse!

            And speaking of parties, the party of all parties, at least in the south, is Mardi Gras, which happens this weekend.  Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday in French.  It is traditionally the day before Ash Wednesday each year.  History tells us that in the Middle Ages, the Lenten season, which begins on Ash Wednesday, was a time when sugar and all sorts of rich treats were given up.  People relied on a very sparse diet and fasted during the 40 days before Easter. So on the day before Lent began, they cleaned out their pantries of sugar, butter and any other tempting goodies and made all sorts of cakes, pancakes, etc.  They had parties to celebrate the ending of the Epiphany Season and the beginning of Lent. 

            Are you giving anything up for Lent?  I would like to say, as a Pastor-friend of mine has, that I am giving up 20 pounds of unwanted fat for Lent!  But I am not sure I am committed to that yet.  Maybe instead I will just give up trips to the Dollar Store for things I want but don’t really need!

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thoughts on the news of the day: maturity

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            Rebelliousness has seemed to cost Charlie Sheen almost everything he has.  Losing his role on the hit TV series, “Two and a Half Men” caused him to lash out and now he is very likely to lose his two twins in a custody battle. 

            It is not always bad, this rebelliousness idea.  Rebelling against oppression is usually an admirable thing to do.  Rebelling against unfair practices is also thought of as a good thing.  But rebelliousness when it is self destructive is not so good at all.

            There is a little kid in all of us who wants to be in charge.  This little kid wants to sit in the front seat and drive the bus, even though he isn’t tall enough to see through the windshield.  This little kid wants to sit at the grown ups’ table even though the chairs aren’t tall enough and phone books slide out from under her.  This little kid wants to cross the street even though traffic is buzzing past and he is not fast enough to go on his own. We all have a streak of rebelliousness still in us left over from our childhood.  It is up to us whether we take charge of that little kid or, like Charlie Sheen, let the little kid run the show. 

            Serenity is accepting the things we can’t change; courage is changing the things we can; and wisdom is knowing the difference.  Maybe maturity is all three.

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thoughts on the news of the day: mother earth

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            Another earthquake – this time in central Arkansas.  It registered at 4.7 and is the largest earthquake to affect the state in 35 years.  Hitting much closer to home than the larger one in Australia, this one has caught our attention, too.  It was the strongest of more than 800 quakes to strike the area since September of last year.  Researchers are studying whether there's a possible connection to the region's natural gas drilling industry but nevertheless, residents of the area have little control over the quakes.  One said, "It's Mother Earth. It's going to do what it's going to do. All we can do is wait for the big one and hope and pray it doesn't happen."

            Mother Earth is who we blame when we are stricken by a force of nature we can’t control.  We want to control everything.  We want to control the heat and the cold, the rain and the drought, the wind and the calm.  It’s probably one of the last things on earth we can’t control; or it’s one of an immeasurable list depending upon how you look at it.

            I like to think that we are pretty much powerless over everything in our world.  It’s much simpler that way.  If I am powerless, then I can give God the power, which is where it needs to be anyway.  I am not saying that gives us license to just give up.  We have our part to play; our work to do.  But we are powerless over much of our universe and that is where God takes over for us.  There is a God, we’re just not It.

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thoughts on the news of the day: prayer

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            “Something happens when people pray that doesn’t happen when people don’t pray.”  A friend of mine told me that a long time ago, and I believe that it is true.  It would be an understatement to say prayer changes things – it changes mostly people’s attitudes. 

            We have a tradition at our church on Sunday mornings where I come down from the chancel area and ask for the prayers of the people.  There were 7 people who asked for prayer for a loved one’s cancer yesterday.  Some of the people are folks I know pretty well, some I have never met.  But I believe that our prayers yesterday made a difference.  And I believe that our continued prayers will make a continual difference in their lives. 

            Mostly prayer changes our attitude.  It makes us aware that someone cares, is there for us and wants us to thrive.  It gives us hope and encouragement and sometimes gratitude.  It’s that old “attitude of gratitude” thing.

            I receive an email devotional from a pastor in Texas.  Today, he wrote that he would pray specifically for anyone who asked.  He committed to doing that for ten days.  I am not that brave, but I will pray for you if you let me know the nature of your need. In fact, I would consider it a privilege to pray for you.  All you have to do is ask …

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thoughts on the news of the day: academy awards

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            Used to be that the Academy Awards were the only show on television in which stars were recognized for their talent and their fame.  We faithfully watched them in late April wondering if our favorites would succeed in winning the golden statuette.  We even had Academy Awards parties, dressing up and serving fancy foods to mark the occasion.

            But nowadays, there are so many awards shows that the magic and the glamour of the Academy Awards has all but faded away.

            I still like watching them, though.  I like to see if I agree with the Academy on who was the best actor, who was the best director and who had the best picture.  The ladies still dress up in gorgeous gowns and even the guys are all spiffed up.   The acceptance speeches are interesting, too.  Some will always stand out in my mind, like Sally Field saying, “You like me, right now you like me!” 

            As a little girl, I always thanked my parents and my friends for supporting me when I dreamed of accepting the award.  And isn’t it pretty much everyone’s dream to be acknowledged and accepted for the achievements they have made in their lifetime? 

            So, today, why not give someone you love their own special award, like maybe Best Spouse, or Best Daughter or Best Parent?  How about Best Friend, Best Boss or even, maybe Best Pastor?  It doesn’t have to include a gold statuette, just a handshake or a hug acknowledging the fact that they enrich your life.  Say, “Thank you for being in my life” to someone you love today.

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