tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80226225304079922272024-03-05T21:09:16.585-05:00Lost and FoundKeys. Marbles. Words. Answers.
I'm always looking for something.Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.comBlogger235125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-19965990576796421162020-02-13T16:13:00.000-05:002020-03-31T16:14:11.057-04:00Then God said 'Go"<br />
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s
been a little over six months now since this world lost Donald Herndon. I
didn’t know Donald very well. Mostly, I knew of him because of the Brice W.
Herndon and Sons Funeral Chapels and Crematory. I know Donald’s reputation for handling
death and dying gracefully and professionally for generations of people in our
community. While the major responsibility of his mortuary business was
navigating the tasks and logistics associated with death, it was his particular
care for life that I will never forget. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In
the year prior to Donald’s death my husband, Scott, and I had come through a
difficult season that helped us realize that the very thing we had devoted our
lives to for years was no longer returning the favor. We had begun to gasp and
choke on the smoke from the fire that had previously fueled our purpose. We
kept waiting for God to move, but soon realized that God was waiting on us to
move. So, we grieved over what once was and stepped away from the heat. It was
time to let go. It was time to go.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-themecolor: text1;">We were reminded that God has a
strong record of telling people to go. </span><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">The first account of <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">God</span> speaking the word <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">go</span>
is in Genesis 7 when He told Noah to go into the ark. God told Abram to go to
the land He would show him. God told Moses to go and bring the Israelites out
of Egypt. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jesus spoke it often. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Go</span>, sell everything you have and give
to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me.” Mark
10:21<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Go</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your faith has healed you.” Mark 10:52<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Now, <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">go</span>.
Call your husband and come back.” John 4:16<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Go into all the world…” Mark 16:15<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Noah. Abraham. Moses. The rich young ruler. The blind man.
The Samaritan woman. The disciples. Scott and Nancy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go. Just go. I will show you. I will show up
for you. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">We thought our going would take us far away. As it turned
out, we didn’t have to take very many steps, j<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">ust one big one</span>. </span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;">Less than a
month after taking that step, Donald Herndon reached out, offered
encouragement, and provided the next stepping stone. He offered Scott a job and
told him it would be an honor to have him working at the funeral home. </span><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">With that, Scott and I both felt like
the air was clearing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A year later, Scott participated in
Donald’s funeral. The sanctuary was full, a bagpiper led the processional and
recessional, a robed choir sang Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus. There was congregational
singing. An Episcopal Rector led the service from the Book of Common Prayer. A
Baptist Minister preached a sermon. Happy memories were shared that brought
smiles and laughter. Words about heaven were spoken with both assurance and
hope. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;">Donald’s daughter, Allison, sang “Holy
Ground.” When her sweet voice sang the lyrics “We are standing in His presence
on holy ground…,” it ushered in one of those miraculous moments that is hard to
express in words. I began to sense that, at last, my going had ceased, </span></span><span class="woj"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">at<span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"> least
temporarily. I was finally standing still. So still, in fact, that I couldn’t
move because I didn’t want to push away the presence I felt surrounding me. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="woj"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the sermon, Scott sang the Lord’s
Prayer. I’ve heard him sing it many times and he’s proven over and over that he
can do it well. It had been an emotional and exhausting few days and I was
concerned that it might take a toll on his voice. As he began to sing, my face
fell to my hands and tears flooded my eyes. With every measure, Scott’s voice
grew larger and more powerful as it filled the sanctuary. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Honestly, I had never heard Scott sing like
that before</span>. My heart knew that the all-powerful authority in heaven and
earth was there and I was undone. I understood some of what Isaiah felt when he
said he “saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of
his robe filled the temple” (Isaiah 6).<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Scott got home later that night, I
told him, “Honey, I have NEVER heard you sing like that.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He looked back at me with his own tears welling
up, and said, “I haven’t either.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few days later when he could finally
talk about it he said that it was almost like someone else was singing. Indeed.
The Holy Spirit showed up to fill the sanctuary and He used Scott’s voice to do
it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I couldn’t help but take that personally, as if the presence
of God was there just for me. I say that because Donald’s memorial service took
place in the very sanctuary where, just a year before, our calling had grown
faint and our vision had grown dim. The <span class="woj">once shaky ground
became holy.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="woj"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, months later, people still ask
Scott about his singing that day. I wasn’t the only one. The presence of the
Holy Spirit showed up for all of us. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted
up and His train filling the temple, he heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom
shall I send, and who will go for us?” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Isaiah responded “Here am I; send me!” <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then God said, “Go…” <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><a href="https://walterborolive.com/stories/then-god-said-go-faith,31536?" target="_blank">This was originally posted February 13, 2020 by The Press and Standard</a></i></b></span></span></div>
<br />Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-19253185252640698942019-07-18T16:07:00.000-04:002020-03-31T16:07:46.872-04:00The Pecan Trees: The seeds we plant matter<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My father was born in Soperton, Georgia in the 1920’s.
Soperton is a small, rural town located in Southeast Georgia. His family left
Soperton when he was a teenager, moving to Jacksonville, Florida where he met
and married my mother. My two sisters and I were born in Jacksonville.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As children, when we took family vacations we never slept in
hotels or visited theme parks. Instead, we always stayed with extended family whom
we likely hadn’t seen since the summer before when we made that same trek from
Jacksonville to Soperton.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Often our summer “vacations” were scheduled around Thigpen
family reunions. Dozens of cousins would gather at the Soperton town clubhouse.
There were long rows of tables filled with everyone’s tastiest pot luck. There
was a much food as there was laughter and chatter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every summer when we made that trip, or any other time of
the year we found ourselves traveling to see relatives near Soperton, my dad
had one particular stop he always had to make. It was a grove of pecan trees.
It’s been years ago now, but the last time I saw those trees they were probably
75 feet tall and almost as wide as they were tall. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We’d drive by those trees and my dad would tell us how he planted
each one as a seedling. We would all marvel at how huge those trees were and
how much they must have grown since they were first nestled in the ground
graciously and evenly spaced in straight, diagonal rows. My dad was drawn to that
grove of trees, as if the limbs waved longingly at him from a distance, signaling
him to come closer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Those trees were probably at least 30 years old or more by
the time Dad was taking us to see them. I don’t know what was really going
through his mind when he made his pilgrimages to those trees, but I do know he
never missed an opportunity to visit them. It’s as if they were part of the
family too. They were products of his hard work and effort. It was no longer
his charge to care for them, but he still cared about them. Years later, he still
wanted to see them flourish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seeing those pecan trees fully grown and producing crops was
satisfying not only to my father, but to every one of us traveling the road
with him. If we made the trip later in the fall, we may have even stopped to
pick up a handful of nuts. The memory puts a smile on my face and a longing in
my heart. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Trees, seeds, plants, branches, crops, harvests, and all
kinds of agriculture are frequent topics in the Bible. There are mentions of
trees in the Garden of Eden, onions in Egypt, hyssop at the Passover,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zacchaeus’ climb up a sycamore, a withering
fig tree, the ark constructed with acacia wood, palms covering the roadway to
Jerusalem, and cypress and cedar trees that may have been used in making a
cross.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How long does it take for an entire forest (enough to build
an ark) of acacia trees to grow to strong enough to be construction
worthy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many years prior would they
have been planted? What about Zacchaeus’ sycamore?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or the Jerusalem palms? Or the wood for the
cross? Who else but God could make the harvest timing ripe for the task needed?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beyond Eden, someone on this earth planted the onions,
hyssop, palms and other plants and trees used for purposes in the entire
biblical narrative. Whoever planted and/or cared for those trees likely had no
idea God would use them to tell His story. They may have been like my dad, even
if they had moved on after planting, still stopping by to pay a visit when
they’re in town, telling his children how dirty he got digging the holes for
them, being amazed at what God has done with it since then. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The seeds we plant matter. I need to be better about
following my dad’s example by being more deliberate and attentive rather than randomly
dropping one or two here or scattering a handful over there. I also need to
follow my Heavenly Father’s example. He has a vision for every seed and the
patience to see it grow into the very thing He meant it for. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blessed is the one who
does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners
take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of
the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is
like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in
season and whose leaf does not wither -- whatever they do prospers. Psalm 1:1-3<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="https://walterborolive.com/stories/the-pecan-trees-the-seeds-we-plant-matter-faith,20896?" target="_blank">This was originally posted July 18, 2019 by The Press and Standard</a></b></span></o:p></i></div>
<br />Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-81100414139649389152019-06-27T15:50:00.000-04:002020-03-31T15:51:53.879-04:00Moving on is scary<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We’ve made it through another graduation season and a whole
new group of young adults has been promoted to the next phase of life. Moving
on is exciting, exhilarating, and scary. Some of these graduates know where
they’re going, what they want to do, and have it all planned out. Others can’t
see quite that far down the road, but they can see the next step and are eager
to take it. There are also some who still need a little more time to let the
fog clear. I think it’s that last group that helped initiate the gap year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The gap year is apparently a trend now. Students take a year
off between high school and college, or between college and graduate school, or
maybe even between graduate school and starting a career-related job. In fact,
it is such a trend now that some schools and travel companies even offer gap
year programs. These gap year programs involve things like international travel
and focus on cultural experiences. The goal is an education beyond academics,
and to help provide rest and focus for the upcoming challenge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I graduated from college a long time ago, but the last
twelve months turned out to be a gap year for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t planned. It just happened. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It started when burglars broke into our house. That day we
were robbed of not only precious treasures, but also the vision of what we
thought our future looked like in that house. We were safe but changed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That unexpected incident then seemed to open up the floodgates
for a succession of several other rapid fire trauma-filled, grief-filled, and
tragedy-filled life-changing events over the next several months. The framework
of the life we had built became murky and muddy in the months of deluge. We
lost friends, we lost things, we lost money. There were gaps in almost every
area of our life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because of all the gaps, I had to work to refocus on what
was important. I stopped doing most of the things that filled up my days and
gave me a sense of purpose and accomplishment. I stopped going. I stopped
volunteering. I stopped writing. I just stopped. I, too, needed time for the
fog to clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I quit, but God never did.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I kept getting reminders. Things like devotional emails,
social media posts, podcasts, almost anything I was listening to or reading
eventually brought me around to the same verse of scripture: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Therefore, my brothers and sisters,<sup> </sup>make every
effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things,
you will never stumble,<b><sup> </sup></b>and you will receive a rich
welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter
1:10-11 NIV<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I certainly felt like my calling was in question and needed
a new and fresh confirmation. I was, however, a little unsure about how to
“make every effort” to confirm that new calling, especially since I’d quit all
those purpose-affirming activities. I wanted to get busy, but I just couldn’t
bring myself to get back in the game. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The longer I remained still and quiet, the clearer it
became… it is not up to me to confirm my own calling. That’s God’s
responsibility. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In verse 3 of that same chapter of 1 Peter it says that “His
divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our
knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and
goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious
promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nothing I have or do will confirm my calling like His divine
power, glory, and goodness can and will. My contribution is to simply get to
know Him. Getting to know Him is discovering that “He is before all things, and
in him all things hold together.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Colossians 1:17<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes it takes the dust cloud of a difficult
circumstance (or several) to see God’s character more clearly. It’s what made
me be able to say that my heart aches, but I still have joy. I am poor, but
still have spiritual riches to share. I own nothing, but yet have everything.
(2 Corinthians 6:10).<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He’s standing in the gaps, filling them with His divine
power, glory, and goodness, holding everything together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s my confirmation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://walterborolive.com/stories/moving-on-is-scary-exciting-and-exhilarating-faith,20987?" target="_blank">This was originally posted June 27, 2019 on The Press and Standard site.</a></span></i></b></div>
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<br />Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-11728236621657236922018-03-08T15:31:00.000-05:002020-03-31T15:32:20.639-04:00A simple concept that's not always easy<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A couple of months ago, Scott and I blazed through the first
two seasons, all 20 episodes, of The Crown on Netflix. Once we got started with
it, it was hard to turn it off. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One episode in particular (Season 2, Episode 6) has been
lingering with me. In it, Queen Elizabeth meets Billy Graham. In light of Rev.
Graham’s recent death, it’s been on my mind even more so. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Queen Elizabeth was struggling to forgive her uncle, the
Duke of Windsor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’d only been Queen
for a couple of years. Twenty years earlier, her uncle left Britain at the
behest of the government due to his reasons for abdicating the throne less than
a year into his reign. (Her father then became king, which is how she
eventually ended up with the crown). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Duke of Windsor was seeking to return to Britain. He
needed the approval of Queen Elizabeth, the Sovereign, to do so. She struggled
with the decision because she had been made aware of some German diplomatic
papers that were uncovered at the end of World War II. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These files apparently provided incriminating
evidence of the Duke of Windsor’s sympathetic association with F<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">ϋ</span>hrer Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. The British
government had tried to suppress the documents, but their release was
inevitable. She had great affection for her uncle, but also great disdain for
his treasonous behavior that threatened their entire country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That apparently was around the same time Billy Graham and
Queen Elizabeth became friends. Rev. Graham had been holding evangelistic
crusades in London and she sought him out as counsel on forgiveness. She asked
him, “Are there any circumstances where one can be a good Christian and yet not
forgive?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She couldn’t bring herself to forgive her uncle and queried Rev.
Graham about it. In their conversation Rev. Graham reminded her that no one is
beneath forgiveness and that even Jesus, while he was dying on a cross, asked
God to forgive those who had hung him there to die. Finally, he told her, “The
solution for not being able to forgive: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>one asks for forgiveness one self, humbly and
sincerely. And, prays for those one cannot forgive.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That’s what I couldn’t stop thinking about. Forgiveness is Christ’s
example. Not being able to forgive someone who has wronged me is something I
need to ask forgiveness for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not forgiving
someone who has wronged me makes me guilty too, and therefore in need of
forgiveness. The good news is that God promises that He will always offer it
when we ask.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will
forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While the subject of forgiveness was still in the forefront
of my thoughts, I read the testimony of Rachael Denhollander, a former USA
Gymnastics Team member and sexual assault victim, regarding team doctor Larry Nassar
who is accused of sexually abusing more than 250 young girls over several
decades. Rachael, too, spoke of forgiveness as she directed her words to her
abuser, “And that is what makes the gospel of Christ so sweet. Because it
extends grace and hope and mercy where none should be found. And it will be
there for you. I pray you experience the soul crushing weight of guilt so you
may someday experience true repentance and true forgiveness from God, which you
need far more than forgiveness from me -- though I extend that to you as well.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Bible is pretty clear on the subject: “For if you forgive other
people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive
you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not
forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14-15<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s a simple concept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simple,
yes, but not always easy. It’s humbling and embarrassing to ask for forgiveness
when you mess up. It can be even more agonizing when you’re the one that needs
to extend forgiveness to a criminal, an abuser, or a traitor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We recently had an invasion of our home and privacy. Thankfully,
we were not home at the time, but every single piece of gold jewelry that we
owned (that we weren’t wearing at the time) was stolen. No single piece was
extremely valuable, but collectively it was all worth more than our homeowners
insurance would cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every necklace,
ring, and pendant had been a gift. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Because of the sentimental attachment to the jewelry, my
feelings were really hurt. They still are. It took me a couple of weeks before
I actually got angry about it and when I finally did, I took it out on everyone
around me. I was not a happy person to be around and regretfully, showed little
evidence of forgiveness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now I find myself thinking about what I would say if I ever
come face to face with the person that smashed my door in and stole my jewelry.
I can’t, yet, say for sure what words I would use, but following the advice of
Rev. Billy Graham, I’m praying for forgiveness. I’m praying for the burglar. I’m
praying that both of us will know that merely for the asking, “In him we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance
with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.” Ephesians
1:7 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’ll be praying that because, “Blessed is the one who
perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will
receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love
him.” James 1:12<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our sins are forgiven because of the riches of God’s grace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That’s the crowning glory I want reigning in my life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="https://walterborolive.com/stories/a-simple-concept-thats-not-always-easy-faith-the-press-and-standard,24136?" target="_blank">This was originally posted on The Press and Standard site</a></i></span></div>
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<br />Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-3881145862292691462018-02-05T15:48:00.000-05:002018-02-13T15:49:17.489-05:00How to move forward when you just need to sit down<span style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scott and I have been members of the congregation at First Baptist Church Walterboro for 21 years. In one of our first Sunday morning worship services at First Baptist all those years ago, Scott sang a solo. He sang with a split-track CD as accompaniment instead of the piano or organ. The split track enables the sound operator to keep the volume up on the instrumental accompaniment while at the same time silencing the recorded voices singing the demo. This was new and unfamiliar technology for First Baptist at that time. We know this because Scott ended up singing “Somebody’s Prayin’,” right along with Ricky Skaggs’ voice at full volume all the way through the entire song that morning.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;">We laugh about it now because we made it past that learning curve and have serpentined our way around many others. Just last month we used accompaniment tracks from a CD, a flash drive and an iPhone all in the same worship service and managed to do it without any demo voices being heard, also while projecting visual images on a screen. But what about next Sunday? We have a desire to be on top of it all, but it’s a challenge to keep up with the latest technology and music.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;">In the last 21 years, First Baptist has had three pastors and will soon be searching for a fourth. All three of the previous pastors came for the same purpose, but each one was completely different in how they carried it out. We yearn for more and better with each new pastor. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that yearning. I do think, however, that maybe we unjustly assign the responsibility for it to the man instead of to God.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;">Churches have always had a challenge keeping up with technology, leadership styles, sermon topic trends, musical preferences, community service missions and human need causes. Some make the stride better than others, but even those that do will eventually lag behind somewhere. The reason: humans. I agree with the adage, “If you’re standing still, you’re falling behind,” but sometimes, because I am human, I just need to sit down for a bit.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;">Hal West is currently serving as transitional pastor for First Baptist Walterboro. Hal was pastor of First Baptist Church in Moncks Corner for much of his life’s ministry. After his retirement as a full time pastor, he began working as a consultant to other churches that were in transitional situations. Hal has come to Walterboro to help First Baptist in the transition not only to the next pastor, but to the future life and mission of the church as a whole.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;">In one of his first sermons here, Hal began to address how we as a church will face the future; how individual lives will play an important part in the direction and influence First Baptist will have on our community. Churches (which, by the way, are made up of humans), regardless of whether they are traditional or contemporary, seem to like the way they do their own things. Usually it’s a mix of doing something different from every other church along with just enough of recognizable familiarity to offer comfort. Hal’s sermon encouraged us not to lose the meaning of our traditions, but to carefully be aware that sameness is not sacred. He compared doing the same thing we’ve always done to an old shoe. It’s a favorite, it’s so comfortable, it’s the first thing we reach for especially at the end of a tiring week, but it’s worn out.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;">We love that old shoe, but we long for new and shiny. We want both, but wearing two different shoes will make walking awkward and </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;">probably affect our balance. How do we update yet still remain a vehicle that represents the solid rock of Jesus Christ? How do I keep moving forward when I just need to sit down?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;">I found an answer in scripture. Here it is: Go ahead, sit down, and while you’re there, take off BOTH shoes. God told Moses to take off his shoes because he was standing on holy ground (Exodus 3:5).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;">The shoes don’t matter. Worshipping God does.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;">Worshipping God means trusting Him for the future. If I do that, I don’t need to keep striving to keep up with the latest whatever. God will take care of it.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;">I am human and humans are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). In that act of creation, God set eternity in the hearts of man (Ecclesiastes 3:11). I’m not sure I have the words to explain that, but I know how it feels. Longing — it feels like longing. The longing I have for more and better is about Him, not about songs, technology, instruments, sermons, flowers, candles, the time of day or anything else we utilize. None of that should ever be an excuse to not worship God.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;">The design of this longing was never meant to be satisfied by anything in this world. Having that longing satisfied will not look like the world, at all. Maybe our worship shouldn’t either.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;">“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God —t his is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;">Offering our true and proper worship is not always easy. There are so many human expectations and distractions. But, somebody’s prayin’ for us.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b;">“Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Romans 8:34</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">This was originally posted February 4, 2018 on <a href="http://walterborolive.com/2018/02/how-to-move-forward-when-you-just-need-to-sit-down-faith-the-press-and-standard/" target="_blank">The Press and Standard site</a></span></i></span>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-67992312471729683902017-12-24T13:08:00.000-05:002018-01-08T13:08:41.320-05:00Life's struggles offer us opportunities<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At our house, we often quote memorable
lines from movies to emphasize our feelings about something. One that we repeat
a good bit is from a scene in The Help where Aibileen Clark confronts Hilly
Hollbrook about attempting to appear superior to everyone else, which usually
involves trying to control everything and everyone around her. Aibileen asks
her, “Ain’t you tired, Miss Hilly? Ain’t you tired?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ain’t you tired? We say that a lot at our
house. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes. Yes, I am. ‘Tis the season for being
tired and worn out.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We learned in early autumn that my husband,
Scott, needed some major surgery. Specifically, a craniotomy to remove a benign
brain lesion. It wasn’t an emergency, but he was encouraged to have it done
before it developed into a more urgent situation. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It took a while to get it scheduled but we
were finally given a November surgery date. The doctor told us to expect a few
days in the hospital and a least a month of recovery at home. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We made preparations and did as much as we
could before the surgery. We were praying for and expecting a positive outcome
and recovery, but we still reserved a margin of time afterwards to deal with
any uncertainties. We cleared our calendars for November and December. Any
Thanksgiving and Christmas activities would be decided upon based on how Scott
felt at the time. It was a relief, and a
little disappointing too.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we began to let those around us know what was going on, a
good friend asked Scott, “How do you keep from getting mad at God?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He asked that because this wasn’t Scott’s first craniotomy.
Or his second. This would be number three. I asked the neurosurgeon if he had
ever performed this same surgery three times on any one patient before. He
shook his head, no. Only God knows why Scott would have to endure having the
grey matter of his brain seeing the light of day three times. I can understand
wanting to question God about it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m also tempted to consider and weigh in with something
about living an upright life, trying to avoid sinful behavior, attempting to do
good and serve God. Someone who lives that way doesn’t really deserve having to
do this <i>three</i> times, do they?
Wouldn’t just once be enough?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When you experience something more than once, you gain
experience, but you also develop perspective. Having been side by side to this
event three times now, I’ve come to believe that God sees each and every one of
these kinds of human struggles as opportunities for Him to prove His love and
faithfulness to us. And ours to Him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We’re now on the other side of that third surgery and so
far, the recovery has been positive. Any new perspective I’ve gained this time
is related to how close God is in the midst of times like this. I could hardly
whisper a word or blink my eyes without recognizing something or someone that reminded
me of God’s love and care. Those reminders would still have been there
regardless of any pathology results.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Besides movie quotes, we also sometimes quote Bible verses
around our house to emphasize a particular sentiment. The verse I’ve been
repeating a lot lately? It’s Job 16:7a. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Surely, God, you have worn me out...” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know how you feel, Job. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Job had five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and
three thousand camels stolen from him on the very same day all seven thousand of
his sheep were killed along with all ten of his children. Then he woke up the
next day with a debilitating skin condition. Job was one of the good guys who
feared God and shunned evil. Still, there probably wasn’t any other man on
earth at the time that had experienced so much trouble and loss in such a short
amount of time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Job’s wife tried to convince him that death would be better
than living in this misery. He responded by asking her if we should only accept
good things from God, and not trouble as well. Job was worn out, but still
clinging to God in spite of the trouble.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If we live in the world, there will be trouble. Jesus spoke
those very words to his disciples just before he was arrested, tortured, and
killed. Trouble indeed. Not even Jesus escaped it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But then, in the same breath that Jesus said there would be
trouble, he finished by saying, “But take heart! I have overcome the
world.” John 16:32<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overcome the world. It’s what He was born to do. This year
I’m more grateful than ever to celebrate the birthday of the One that overcomes
the trouble in this world and brings peace to all of us that are worn out from
it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to
those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://walterborolive.com/2017/12/lifes-struggles-offer-us-opportunities-faith-the-press-and-standard/" target="_blank"><br /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://walterborolive.com/2017/12/lifes-struggles-offer-us-opportunities-faith-the-press-and-standard/" target="_blank">This was originally posted by The Press and Standard December 24, 2017</a></span></i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-44266520886676499752017-12-24T12:57:00.000-05:002018-01-08T12:57:42.525-05:00Life's Struggles Offer Us Opportunities<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At our house, we often quote memorable
lines from movies to emphasize our feelings about something. One that we repeat
a good bit is from a scene in The Help where Aibileen Clark confronts Hilly
Hollbrook about attempting to appear superior to everyone else, which usually
involves trying to control everything and everyone around her. Aibileen asks
her, “Ain’t you tired, Miss Hilly? Ain’t you tired?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ain’t you tired? We say that a lot at our
house. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes. Yes, I am. ‘Tis the season for being
tired and worn out.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We learned in early autumn that my husband,
Scott, needed some major surgery. Specifically, a craniotomy to remove a benign
brain lesion. It wasn’t an emergency, but he was encouraged to have it done
before it developed into a more urgent situation. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It took a while to get it scheduled but we
were finally given a November surgery date. The doctor told us to expect a few
days in the hospital and a least a month of recovery at home. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We made preparations and did as much as we
could before the surgery. We were praying for and expecting a positive outcome
and recovery, but we still reserved a margin of time afterwards to deal with
any uncertainties. We cleared our calendars for November and December. Any
Thanksgiving and Christmas activities would be decided upon based on how Scott
felt at the time. It was a relief, and a
little disappointing too.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we began to let those around us know what was going on, a
good friend asked Scott, “How do you keep from getting mad at God?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He asked that because this wasn’t Scott’s first craniotomy.
Or his second. This would be number three. I asked the neurosurgeon if he had
ever performed this same surgery three times on any one patient before. He
shook his head, no. Only God knows why Scott would have to endure having the
grey matter of his brain seeing the light of day three times. I can understand
wanting to question God about it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m also tempted to consider and weigh in with something
about living an upright life, trying to avoid sinful behavior, attempting to do
good and serve God. Someone who lives that way doesn’t really deserve having to
do this <i>three</i> times, do they?
Wouldn’t just once be enough?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When you experience something more than once, you gain
experience, but you also develop perspective. Having been side by side to this
event three times now, I’ve come to believe that God sees each and every one of
these kinds of human struggles as opportunities for Him to prove His love and
faithfulness to us. And ours to Him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We’re now on the other side of that third surgery and so
far, the recovery has been positive. Any new perspective I’ve gained this time
is related to how close God is in the midst of times like this. I could hardly
whisper a word or blink my eyes without recognizing something or someone that reminded
me of God’s love and care. Those reminders would still have been there
regardless of any pathology results.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Besides movie quotes, we also sometimes quote Bible verses
around our house to emphasize a particular sentiment. The verse I’ve been
repeating a lot lately? It’s Job 16:7a.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Surely, God, you have worn me out...” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know how you feel, Job. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Job had five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and
three thousand camels stolen from him on the very same day all seven thousand of
his sheep were killed along with all ten of his children. Then he woke up the
next day with a debilitating skin condition. Job was one of the good guys who
feared God and shunned evil. Still, there probably wasn’t any other man on
earth at the time that had experienced so much trouble and loss in such a short
amount of time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Job’s wife tried to convince him that death would be better
than living in this misery. He responded by asking her if we should only accept
good things from God, and not trouble as well. Job was worn out, but still
clinging to God in spite of the trouble.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If we live in the world, there will be trouble. Jesus spoke
those very words to his disciples just before he was arrested, tortured, and
killed. Trouble indeed. Not even Jesus escaped it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But then, in the same breath that Jesus said there would be
trouble, he finished by saying, “But take heart! I have overcome the
world.” John 16:32<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overcome the world. It’s what He was born to do. This year
I’m more grateful than ever to celebrate the birthday of the One that overcomes
the trouble in this world and brings peace to all of us that are worn out from
it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to
those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>The was originally posted by <a href="http://walterborolive.com/2017/12/lifes-struggles-offer-us-opportunities-faith-the-press-and-standard/" target="_blank">The Press and Standard</a>, December 24, 2017</i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-55434013011277447832017-10-22T12:49:00.000-04:002018-01-08T13:11:37.436-05:00God works in mysterious ways<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">About a year and a half ago, I attended a week-long
conference in North Carolina. I went alone. There must have been about 400 other
people at the conference. I didn’t know a single one of them. It was a little
overwhelming, but the mountains were beautiful and the conference schedule kept
me busy from daybreak to sunset.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Towards the end of the week, I made my way through the
serving line of the conference center cafeteria for lunch, then carried my tray
out into the dining room. Still not completely comfortable but pressing on, I
looked around for an empty chair and some smiling faces among the strangers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I sat down at a table with four or five women I’d never met. We all were wearing conference name tags but
still introduced ourselves. We chatted about conference speakers and the delicious
desserts. Then we went a little further with the personal identifications
asking questions like, “So, where are you from?” and “What do you do?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the midst of those get-to-know-you pleasantries, Lindsey
Brackett, a young woman from Georgia, said she was writing a novel. The
conversation went on around the table. When I answered the “where are you from”
question, I probably responded with something like “a small town near Charleston.”
In a crowd of strangers somewhere other than South Carolina, I’m inclined to
broaden my geographical whereabouts in hopes of finding some general
recognition for this part of the state. Lindsey piped up and asked, “What small
town?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just as soon as the word ‘Walterboro’ came out of my mouth,
Lindsey’s face lit up. It turns out, the setting for the novel she was working
on was none other than Colleton County. We spent the rest of that lunch hour
chirping about familiar people and places in Walterboro and Edisto. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of the 400 strangers who came from all over the country for
the conference, how did I end up at an 8-seat table with someone writing a
novel set in Colleton County? I don’t think it was just a coincidence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The novel Lindsey was working on was inspired by her own
family vacations to Edisto Beach. Lindsey’s mother once lived in Walterboro, as
did her maternal grandparents. As a child, Lindsey made trips to Walterboro and
Edisto for family visits. She drew from her own personal experience as she
created this beautiful work of fiction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lindsey’s novel,<i> Still
Waters</i>, was published and released on September 8 this year. Chapter 1 of
the book begins with repercussions from Hurricane Katrina thwarting life plans
of one of the main characters, Cora Anne. The storm threw her life off course
and she ended up at Edisto with her grandmother for the summer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The crushing memory of a tragic childhood event kept Cora
Anne from being at peace with her family and at Edisto. The memory of that
event also included a white capped ocean and dark skies. That storm, too,
altered the direction of Cora Anne’s life long before the winds and waves of
Hurricane Katrina ever stirred.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, how does a book that seems to have somewhat of a storm
theme end up with a title like <i>Still
Waters</i>? The book cover hints at it with a depiction of the sentinel tree at
Botany Bay. Weathering storms often takes its toll, but what’s left standing in
the aftermath is the calm, still water that brings the peace of being able to
claim survival. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The day that <i>Still
Waters </i>released, Lindsey was busy doing all the promotional things authors
do on release day. That same day, Colleton County began preparing for Hurricane
Irma. Irma’s path changed several times before Edisto Beach took on the high tidal
surge a couple of days later. Edisto weathered the storm, but the Botany Bay
sentinel tree became a casualty claimed by Irma. The landscape there was
changed forever. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Was it a coincidence that a fictional book about facing the
storms in life was released within days of an actual storm hitting the very
setting of the novel? I don’t think so, and here’s why: “<span class="text">For in him all things were
created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones
or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him
and for him.</span> <span class="text">He is before all things, and in him all
things hold together.” Colossians 1:16-17.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text">These things that some people might
attribute to coincidence, I </span>tend to see as confirmation that the Creator
of human life holds us close. He knows every detail. He puts people in my path
that have a story I need to hear. He allows storms in my life so that the
clutter and dead wood will be washed away. He never lets go even when there’s
nothing else left. <span class="text"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lindsey said it so eloquently, “And this is why I write. Because
no matter how the storms change us, when I tell a story, I can remember how
things were and they can live again. It's in the looking back we find the
lessons for moving forward.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The God who was, and is, and is to come, holds us together
through it all. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>The was originally posted by<a href="http://walterborolive.com/2017/10/god-works-in-mysterious-ways-faith-the-press-and-standard/" target="_blank"> The Press and Standard</a> October 22, 2017</i></span></div>
Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-64635978363087544752017-10-14T12:36:00.000-04:002018-01-08T12:37:03.163-05:00Still Waters - An Edisto Story<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXqk5BsRPaZC-qTYkYP3RTlchZ_3xJcMTU8-dGuDpxWcsMcgt1PCkJKypBLRo5EuKdcZHVY8Mhnf9JOytp_kHdzWoIIIb8tx7zVnJIDu0KEnmPQjWCyHCd9lnW6qYqBHCa3wGpNM1lcfk/s1600/Still+Waters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXqk5BsRPaZC-qTYkYP3RTlchZ_3xJcMTU8-dGuDpxWcsMcgt1PCkJKypBLRo5EuKdcZHVY8Mhnf9JOytp_kHdzWoIIIb8tx7zVnJIDu0KEnmPQjWCyHCd9lnW6qYqBHCa3wGpNM1lcfk/s200/Still+Waters.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was in the 1940s when young Alice Rayle made a wrong turn
and ended up lost on the back roads of Colleton County. She eventually saw a
stranger and stopped to ask for directions back to Walterboro. That stranger
who knew the way home was Travis Malcolm Beeson. The intersection of those two
lives put them on the same path, headed in the same direction, for the rest of
their lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They married and raised three children; Lynne, Gayle, and
Travis Jr. Alice was a Colleton County Extension Agent and eventually a teacher.
Travis Malcolm, known by his friends and family as Tom, was a World War II and
Korean War veteran and a forester with the South Carolina Forestry Commission. Together
they worked hard on their tobacco farm. Every August when the tobacco harvest
was complete, the family would head to Edisto Beach to rest and revel in the
undulation of the seasons and the tides. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alice’s wrong turn and the wave of lives that flowed from it
are the inspiration for <i>Still Waters</i>,
a contemporary southern novel written by her granddaughter, Lindsey P. Brackett.
<i>Still Waters</i> released September 8,
2017 by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Still Waters</i> is
Lindsey’s debut novel. She first started to cultivate the storyline over ten
years ago. She began to jot down ideas and make mental notes. Even as marriage,
children, work, and life required more of her time and attention, she still
held to the hope that the book would one day become a published reality. Her
motivation came from unexpected places like reading <i>Twilight </i>books with seventh students. She also had a beloved family
member who frequently asked her, “Have you written that book yet?” That family member died before the book was
finished and became an impetus for Lindsey to see it through to completion.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alice Rayle Beeson died unexpectedly when Lindsey was just
ten years old. Lindsey explains, “Much of the story of <i>Still Waters</i> was motivated by the ‘what if she’d lived’ scenario.
What would she have been like for me to experience as an adult?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That what-if idea became the fictional grandmother
character, Nan, in <i>Still Waters. </i>The
story centers on Nan’s granddaughter, Cora Anne, a recent college graduate
wrestling with having her own life plans waylaid and facing the seemingly
undesirable, albeit temporary, path her family persuades her to follow. Cora
Anne resists because of a tragic memory and years of subsequent guilt.
Tennessee Watson, Cora Anne’s childhood friend, and Nan both want to help Cora
Anne move beyond it, letting go of the guilt and preserving the love that has
always been there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The most significant character in <i>Still Waters</i> is not a person, but a place— Edisto Beach. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lindsey, who has cherished childhood memories of summer days
on Edisto Beach with her grandmother, says, “Edisto for me is such a place of
restoration. I always feel kind of revived in my soul after I’ve been there
because I truly make a conscious decision to set everything else aside. What
keeps Edisto this way is the people who love it.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From the very first thought of writing a novel, Lindsey knew
it would be set at Edisto. That sense of restoration from Edisto is what helped
develop the characters and the story. Lindsey said, “I knew I wanted Edisto to
be what heals Cora Anne, not because she fell in love.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvw2SyxA9eQtvvjzlqqamvm9cCaFQHczVXIFznsLYuOZ5pekEzwVkbEJU682pwixLK3ZM34dYus0L9fO46Qm64eVFVgBBtnEKBlRtf8vu99Io-Z_p4FrRjm5ENfKCIvplgknDvRmc97Vk/s1600/lindsey-bracket.family-copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="360" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvw2SyxA9eQtvvjzlqqamvm9cCaFQHczVXIFznsLYuOZ5pekEzwVkbEJU682pwixLK3ZM34dYus0L9fO46Qm64eVFVgBBtnEKBlRtf8vu99Io-Z_p4FrRjm5ENfKCIvplgknDvRmc97Vk/s200/lindsey-bracket.family-copy.jpg" width="132" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lindsey is an award-winning writer and is currently a
general editor with Firefly Southern Fiction, an imprint of Lighthouse
Publishing of the Carolinas. She has published articles and short stories in
several print and online publications including <i>Thriving Family, Country Extra, HomeLife, Northeast Georgia Living,
Splickety Magazine, Spark Magazine, </i>and <i>Southern
Writers Magazine. </i>She also writes a column for several North Georgia
newspapers, where she and her family live. She blogs at lindseybrackett.com. <i>Still
Waters</i> has been endorsed by Hope C. Clark, author of <i>The Edisto Island Mysteries</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lindsey will be in Walterboro Thursday, October 19, 6 – 8 PM,
at the Colleton County Memorial Library. She will be available to sign books
and talk about her Colleton County family history. The event is free and open
to the public. She will have copies of <i>Still Waters </i>available for a $15
purchase.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lindsey is also scheduled for book signing at the Edisto
Island Bookstore Saturday, October 21, 3 – 5 PM. This is also a free event and
open to the public. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A portion of the proceeds from <i>Still Waters </i>book sales in the month of October will be donated to
relief for recent hurricane victims. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>This was originally posted on <a href="http://walterborolive.com/2017/10/still-waters-an-edisto-story-news-the-press-and-standard/" target="_blank">The Press and Standard </a>website Oct. 14, 2017</i></span></div>
Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-76986812592022530662017-08-27T12:20:00.000-04:002018-01-08T12:22:15.974-05:00The sun stood still<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Last week,
prior to the recent solar eclipse, I found myself in a discussion about all the
hype surrounding that event. Parties were planned. Travelers from other states
made arrangements to come and be in the direct path of the eclipse. There were
signs on the interstates that flashed warnings about high traffic expected on
the day of the eclipse. People scrambled
for the special glasses. Schools and
business gave notice that they would close early. The culmination of all this
preparation would be merely looking up at the sky off and on for about an hour,
then waiting for two minutes of darkness to pass. At the time it seemed a
little over the top.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In that
discussion, we wondered about the last time humans celebrated sun-gazing with
such enthusiasm. I thought about the Bible story where God made the sun stand
still. Joshua was leading the Israelites toward their promised land and they
found themselves facing not just one army, but five different armies that had
joined forces to try an stop them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">God led
Joshua and the Israelite army in defeating the massive Amorite army. As their
enemies fled, a storm blew in and the heavens hurled down large hailstones on
them. Many of the enemy soldiers died from being pummeled by these enormous
hailstones. There must have been some heavy-duty clouds in the sky that day. I
think they must have been some very selective clouds too because it seems that
only the Amorite army lost soldiers by the hand of those hailstones. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The sun came
out after that ugly storm. Those that weren’t pounded by hail were now clear
targets, but it was still five armies against one. Settling the score over the
land ownership might take some time. Joshua looked to the heavens and asked God
to help. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">God’s
response: “The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down
about a full day.” (Joshua 10:13) The Creator of heaven and earth made the sun
hold its breath and hang in place another full day just so humans would have
enough daylight to be able to lay claim on the land that He had promised them.
He did it without affecting life on earth or causing early onset global
warming.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I’m sure
they were all looking up to the sky that day. Some with wonder. Some with fear.
None of them could control it but all were affected by it. It was the heavens
that declared the glory of God and the skies that proclaimed the work of God’s
hands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Thanks to
our 2017 technology, we were able to see the eclipsed crescent sun through our
magic glasses. We stood looking up to the heavens. Just a few minutes before the moon was
directly in front of the sun, we were blessed with a last minute thunderstorm. The
clouds rolled in. It was no longer the sun that kept us looking upward, but
instead the flashes of lightning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Later that
day, as we were driving down Robertson Boulevard, we saw the biggest and
brightest double rainbow in the eastern sky. It was then that I realized that
God had been showing off for us all day long. He made the moon move directly in
front of the sun. He could have chosen another path for it, but He didn’t. It was
perfect precision. His voice boomed in the thunder. His smile flashed in the
lightning. His promise and love for human beings and was reflected in the color
spectrum of the rainbow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> The sun standing still, the rainbow, the solar
eclipse, all are God’s way of saying he loves us and will fight for us. Look up
and see for yourself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">“Do you not
know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the
ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no
one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the
weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but
those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings
like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 40:28-31</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>This article was originally published in The Press and Standard, August 25, 2017</i></span></div>
Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-44089695809789677362017-08-06T16:00:00.000-04:002017-08-23T16:01:27.381-04:00Jesus knows who I am, even if no one else does<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Last month there was a story in the news about a baby born
in British Columbia, Canada. The child was not born in a medical facility and
therefore did not receive an official gender designation or a birth
certificate. The news article I read only mentioned one parent. The parent
identifies as non-binary transgender, which is neither male or female, or maybe
it’s both. I’m not really sure. Anyway, the parent wants the child, named
Searyl, to develop and decide for themselves what gender they identify with. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Identifying pronouns was another thing the news article
tried to explain. This new parent refers to the baby as “they.” I am so
confused. The parent didn’t want the baby to be labeled as “he” or “she” and as
I understand it, the preferred pronoun for the baby is “they”, which to me is
plural, but there is only one baby. If this keeps up, we’re going to need some
entirely new words because the old ones are only confusing me more. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I hope that somehow this child will be able to find “their”
true self, but I am not sure how “they" will be able to reach a decision
on gender identity without any cultural influence at all. It’s not a neutral
world. If it were, there would be a lot less to argue about in congress. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Recognizing personal identity is often difficult even when
the lines and pronouns are clear. There are some details that I might think are
clear markers for my identity, but then other people may see me and never
associate those characteristics with me at all. My name is one of those things.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For several years after moving to Walterboro, I got called
Jan a lot. Jan was the pastor’s wife. If it wasn’t Jan, it was Mrs. Scott.
Scott is my husband’s name. Mrs. Scott is neither my first name or my last
name.<span> </span>Just to make matters more
perplexing, Scott is my husband’s middle name. His first name is Timothy, but
I’ve never heard anyone call him that. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s not just names that give us identity. Often, it’s what
we do and where we go. Earlier today as Scott and I walked out of the Cracker
Barrel and joked about wanting to know when awards night was because we want to
be present to pick up our trophy for being the most frequent diners there. Some
of the servers there know what kind of salad dressing Scott likes. They know we
both like the Wednesday broccoli cheddar chicken special. They don’t know that
we’re also working on a frequent diner prize at Subway too.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The one thing that’s common in both of those examples is the
relationship to my husband. The people at church who couldn’t remember my first
name still associated me with him. The Cracker Barrell cashiers do the same
thing. My identity is often defined by my relationships.<span> </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Psalm 51:5 offers a description on my identity too, “for I
was born a sinner.” Many of the New Testament books written by the Apostle Paul
include multiple mentions of my sinful nature. I was born with it. We all were.
None of us can help that we were born that way, but the truth is, we do need
help with it. We cannot fix it ourselves. The only way to change our identity
as a sinner is with a relationship. More specifically, a relationship with the
only one that can take the sinner moniker from us and carry it himself. Jesus. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Isaiah 43:1 says, “<span class="text">Do not fear, for I have
redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”<span> </span></span>He knows my name. He calls me by it.
He’s not going to call me Jan. He might even call my husband Timothy. He knows
our names and who we are. Our identities are not in question with Him. He calls
us all into a relationship. He wants a relationship with us so that we will no
longer be identified as sinners, no matter what pronoun we prefer. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The was originally published August 6, 2017 on <a href="http://walterborolive.com/2017/08/jesus-knows-who-i-am-even-when-no-one-else-does-faith-the-press-and-standard/" target="_blank">The Press and Standard website</a>. </span></i></span></span></div>
Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-25539143541298126192017-07-23T15:45:00.000-04:002017-08-23T15:48:50.400-04:00What does adoption mean to an adult?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="3oh-">Cats and dogs were not something that were
a part of our household when I was a child. We just weren’t a family that did
pets. My husband’s family was the complete opposite. With them, there was
always a dog around. Scott still remembers each one with affectionate
familiarity. He’s talked about them enough through the years that even though I
never met them, I know who he’s talking about when he mentions names like Champ
or Mickey. Scott has always loved his animals.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="3oh-">Earlier this year Scott found himself face
to face with a stray cat that had been injured and it broke his heart. The
bloody eye of this cat was so dark you couldn’t even see its outline in the
black fur. After several attempts and with a little help from his friends, Scott
was finally able to trap the poor thing and take her to the veterinarian. Afterwards,
we kept her in our bathroom for several days while we administered medicine. She
was improving, then one day she was acting funny. We wondered if her infection
had spread or if she’d developed some other medical issue as a result of the
initial trauma. Well, surprise! The next morning when I peeked in the bathroom
to check on her, she was not alone. There were three tiny kittens in the sink
with her. </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="3oh-">We had no idea she was pregnant. The veterinarian
hadn’t said anything about it either. All we could think was, “what do we do
now?” We finally resolved that she and her new litter needed to stay in our
bathroom until she’d weaned the kittens, which turned out to be eight weeks of
four felines in that bathroom.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="3oh-">I, being the never-had-a-pet child, was a
little overwhelmed. Scott fell in love with those little fur babies immediately, so it was hard for him when all
three kittens were adopted into wonderful and happy forever homes. We knew,
however, that adoption was best for all the humans and the kittens.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="3oh-">Sometime during these kitten-filled weeks,
Scott took a couple of days to go with his father and sister to begin cleaning
out his childhood home in the upstate. They unloaded the attic and went through
boxes in storage buildings out back. He brought back some adorable baby
pictures, reminders of his childhood, and thoughts about his own adoption. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="3oh-">He was adopted by the Davises when he was
29 days old. He’s always considered Lloyd and Lois his real mom and dad and has
always loved them as such. Just like I know the stories of Mickey and Champ,
I’m also reminded of the story about how excited Lois was the day she received
the call at work that there was a baby boy in Charleston that was now was hers.
This week marks the tenth anniversary of Lois’ death. Birth, adoption, life and
death are the things that have been on all our minds lately. I am so thankful
to have become part of a family that loves and accepts, as their own, others
that were originally born to other mothers. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="3oh-">God set the example for this kind of
choice, acceptance, and love. In Ephesians, the apostle Paul declares praise to
God for loving us and choosing us. He goes on to explain that God made a
decision to adopt us, even before we were born. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="3oh-">Child adoptions these days involve
attorneys. There must be legal documents outlining stipulations, bearing proper
signatures, and filings with the appropriate agencies. The benefit of going
through all that effort, beyond bringing a new child home, is that you now have
proof. It eliminates most of the uncertainties of where home is. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="3oh-">Of course God didn’t have to use an
attorney for our adoption, but it did cost Him something. God is perfect and
sinless, and therefore we humans, who are not perfect or sinless, wouldn’t be
able to live with God without some kind of mediation. So, God sends his
perfect, sinless son, Jesus, to earth. Jesus then takes on all our sin and it
kills him, but Jesus overcomes death. The thing that would have kept us from
living with God has been eliminated. The adoption is final. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="3oh-">What does adoption mean to an adult? We’ve
pretty much figured out how to eat and bathe on our own by now. We’ve learned
how to read and walk. We don’t need parents for that anymore. Instead, the things that would make a
difference in an adopted adult’s life are things like love, belonging, and
inheritance. I think those are the things God wants us to know we already
possess.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="3oh-">As an adult, however, we have a choice in
letting ourselves be adopted. Choosing to allow God to be our father means
believing that all the effort He went through to have us close to Him was worth
it. It means that everything that’s His will become ours. It means we believe “he
chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in
his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus
Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious
grace, which he has freely given us in the one he loves. In him we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the
riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.” (Ephesians 1:4-7)</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="3oh-">To the praise of His glorious grace,
indeed. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="3oh-"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This was originally published July 23, 2017 on <a href="http://walterborolive.com/2017/07/what-does-adoption-mean-to-an-adult-faith-the-press-and-standard/" target="_blank">The Press and Standard website.</a> </i></span></span></span></span></div>
Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-20731294077415825312017-07-10T15:17:00.000-04:002017-08-23T15:49:07.047-04:00There is one word that will never be wrong<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I recently read
an article posted online and I now have no recollection of what it was about.
It was followed by several comments from different readers. One of the
responses posted distracted me from pondering any further on the article
itself. I’m assuming the commenter was trying to express that the article had
helped her see things from a new perspective. I think she meant to say that she
had gained insight from the article, but instead she used the word incite. It
sounds the same, but means something completely different. One is internal understanding,
the other is external action.<br /><br />Not too many
days after being incited about insight, I read a social media post where a
commenter stated he was going to be a paw bearer at a funeral. Not a
pallbearer, but a paw bearer. Maybe I’m clueless about some unusual kind of paw
related ritual or tradition, so can someone please tell me what kind of paws
you bring to a funeral?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />One day I drove
over to pick up my husband for lunch. I parked outside of his office and sent
him a one-word text, “Here.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I assumed
he would know from that text that I was outside waiting on him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t realize until after I hit send that
I must have made a typo because the autocorrect feature on my phone changed
“Here” to “Jerry.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My husband wondered
who in the world Jerry was. I did too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />On another
lunchtime adventure, I went through a fast food drive-thru and ordered a
hamburger. The voice coming out of the speaker box asked me to repeat my order.
The second time I spoke slowly and a little louder. Then I made my way up to the
window, gave the cashier exact change, took my paper sack, and drove away.
Later I read the printed receipt and realized what might have caused the
order-taker to need the order repeated. The receipt showed that I had not ordered
a hamburger, but rather, a cheeseburger without cheese. Instead of one word for
what it actually is, it seems I ordered something that took three words to
explain what it is not. It’s the same sandwich, but the words that describe it
are apparently different depending on whether you’re making it or eating it.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />When I sit
down in front of my computer to write a column, I always try to rely on
inspiration from God as I type the words and sentences. Sometimes it comes long
before I sit down to type. Other times I stare at a blank page on the screen for
longer than I want to admit. Perhaps I need to rely on God for more than just
inspiration because in the end, my spelling and grammar always need to be
corrected. I always read what I’ve written several times before I show it to
anyone. The first time I read over something I’ve written, I correct spelling
errors. The second time I read it, I correct spelling errors again. The third
time I read over it, I’m still correcting spelling errors and maybe some
grammar. Then I give it to someone else to read and they find errors that I
have to correct. Chances are probably pretty good that even when I submit
something I’ve written and reread several times, the editor will still find and
correct errors.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />The point of
all this business about words is that we all get them wrong sometimes. Words
are important and because of that, using the wrong ones can be frustrating and
embarrassing. But there is one word that will never be wrong. John’s gospel
says that this Word became flesh and dwelt among us and that his glory is full
of grace and truth as the one and only Son of God. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />Imagine
that. The perfect Word is always right here with us. This Word has been here
since the beginning, with God. Everything was created through this Word. Then,
God gave this Word, his one and only Son, to us so that everyone who believes
in him will not perish, but will have eternal life. That’s the only Word we can
trust to be faithful and true. It’s the Word that has insight on every need
there is, the Word that autocorrect will never change, the Word that knows your
name, the Word that knows the difference between a hamburger and a cheeseburger
because they were probably His idea. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Word is Jesus. <br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The was originally published June 10, 2017 on <a href="http://walterborolive.com/2017/06/there-is-one-word-that-will-never-be-wrong-faith-the-press-and-standard/" target="_blank">The Press and Standard website</a>. </i></span></span></span></div>
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<![endif]-->Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-9189519399744660352017-05-14T15:34:00.000-04:002017-08-23T15:49:13.742-04:00You may have direty underwear, but there's still time<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Adults have done everything imaginable to make the
transition from diapers to underwear attractive to toddlers. We grownups have
come to believe that images of Disney princesses and super heroes printed on
the tiny undergarments will somehow entice little people not to soil them.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Somewhere along the way we lose the delight in having
cartoon characters on our unmentionables. Adult sizes do come in colors, but I
think that probably the majority of adult sized underwear bought and sold today
is white. I know that’s true at my house.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We recently had an issue with a washing machine full of
white laundry. Some of the items were mine, but the majority of it belonged to
my husband. Nearly a dozen pairs of his underwear and almost as many
undershirts were ruined by tainted water. The garments were dirtier at the end
of the wash cycle than they were before they were loaded into the washer. Even
after several washings, the rusty brown stains were still there.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don’t know of anyone that would deliberately choose to
wear dirty underwear. It’s icky and gross. I guess that’s why I can’t seem to
get the picture of that load of laundry out of my head. It’s also the reason something
caught my eye recently as I thumbed through a new Bible. I was looking for a specific
verse and got a little sidetracked. I attribute my distraction to the large
print, a feature I haven’t had before. The phrase that caught my eye: Linen Underwear.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yes, linen underwear really is a topic in the Bible. I
stumbled on it in the thirteenth chapter in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah.
Some translations use words like loincloth, waistband, or sash to describe it,
but the meaning of all of them is that it is an undergarment worn next to your
skin, not an outer layer. It’s the piece of intimate clothing that is closest
to you. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jeremiah was a prophet who lived around 600 B.C. His
assignment as prophet was to warn the people of Judah that the doom of entire
nations was about to be sealed. Years before, the people of Judah had been
given the gift of land promised to them by God himself. They had not honored
God with that gift, so God allowed it to be taken away from them, but not
without warning. God sent them that warning through Jeremiah and a story about
dirty underwear.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">God told Jeremiah to buy some new linen underwear and wear
it. Jeremiah did as requested.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then God told Jeremiah to take off the underwear and hide it
under a rock near the Euphrates river. Again,
Jeremiah complied.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sometime later God told Jeremiah to go back and get the underwear.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had to pause here and think about that scene for a minute.
It seems to me that any piece of earth near a river is going to be not just
dirty, but also wet. Muddy, in other words. So, when Jeremiah went to retrieve
the underwear, it had been under a rock in a damp, dirty spot for quite a
while. Can you imagine what it must have looked like when he pulled it out from
under that rock? Nasty. Nobody wants that.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That was the message God was trying to convey to the
people. God was trying to show them that
they were like the dirty underwear. Once, they were intimately close to God,
but then they wandered away from that closeness. The longer they stayed away
from God, the dirtier they got. Eventually, if they stayed away long enough they
would be so filthy and deeply stained that they wouldn’t be good for anything. He
wanted them to hear this story because he wanted them to recognize that living
away from God is like living under a muddy rock, but there was still time to
come clean. The warning was that there was a limit to how long they could drag
this out. The decision was up to them.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I try hard to stay out from under muddy rocks, but my
laundry basket is never completely empty. There’s always something that needs washing,
so I frequently make my way back to God and ask him to make me clean again. It’s
hard to admit sometimes and difficult to find the right words. Thankfully, the
Psalmist David said it better than I ever could:</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“<span class="text">Be gracious to me, God, according to your
faithful love; according to your abundant compassion, </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text">blot out my rebellion. Completely wash away my guilt and
cleanse me from my sin…Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and
I will be whiter than snow…God, create a clean heart for me </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text">and renew a steadfast<sup> </sup>spirit within me. Do not
banish me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.</span> <span class="text">Restore the joy of your salvation to me, and sustain me by giving me
a willing spirit.” Psalm 51</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text">The good news is, he always does. <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This was originally published May 114, 2017 on <a href="http://walterborolive.com/2017/05/you-may-have-dirty-underwear-but-theres-still-time-faith-the-press-and-standard/" target="_blank">The Press and Standard website</a>. </i></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
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<![endif]-->Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-52023752857083377242017-04-16T12:47:00.000-04:002017-04-28T12:47:43.543-04:00Be grateful for life's thorns<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">My childhood was spent in the
bright lights of a major metropolitan area. Every couple of years or so, we
would make the trek to my father’s rural roots in middle Georgia to visit
extended family. Those trips were always an adventure for this little city
girl, because the way and pace of life there were so different from my own.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">One of those trips included a visit
to my great-uncle’s farm. Besides getting up close and personal with cows and
watching young men in dirty overalls fill a barn with curtains of tobacco, we
also picked blackberries. It was a hot summer day and I was wearing shorts. We
were all happily filling our buckets with berries when someone in front of me
moved quickly, causing a bush to whip back against my bare leg. One by one, the
thorns on the branch that blew back bit into my skin from ankle to knee. The
barbs dug into my flesh and wouldn’t let go as blood trickled out around each
pierced point of entry. I felt
paralyzed, too afraid to move for fear of further injury. Eventually my father
came to my rescue and slowly, one by one, pulled out each thorn. I have no recollection of ever eating the
berries, but even all these years later I haven’t forgotten the sight of those
thorns in my leg, the blood, or the pain.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Can you imagine a world without
thorns? It started out that way — thornless. Then, Adam did the one thing God
told him not to do and, as a result, the ground was cursed with thorns and
thistles (Genesis 3:17-19). Thorns are the blemish on God’s perfect paradise.
From the moment when Adam disobediently ate from the forbidden tree, thorns
became the reminder of sin and how it completely changed the landscape for
every single human being ever to walk on this earth. Sin separates us from God
and his perfect paradise.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The next human on record
encountering thorns is Moses. Moses murdered a man and left town to escape the
repercussions. He was an experienced sinner and other people knew it. That’s
painful on many levels (don’t ask me how I know). Moses was still living with
the pain of his past when he came face to face with a ‘hassәnәh’ (Exodus 3).
The original Hebrew word ‘hassәnәh’ is translated as a thorny bush. This thorny
bush was on fire, but it stayed green, never charring. The voice calling out to
Moses from that fiery, thorny bush was the same one that Adam heard curse the
ground with thorns. Moses’ eyes saw sizzling thorns but his ears heard God’s
voice telling him to lead the Israelites out of slavery and into the Promised
Land. He said it was a land flowing with milk and honey. Can you hear the hope
of paradise coming through the pain of the curse?</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It wouldn’t be the last time God
showed up in the midst of the flesh-piercing curse.</span></span></span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">“Then Pilate took Jesus and had him
flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his
head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again,
saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.” John 19:1-3</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jesus suffered being beaten and
then, the thorny exemplification of sin pierced his forehead as he, too, was
killed. All of it was an act of total and perfect obedience to God. His
obedience in taking on the thorns of this world is what bushhogged that path for
you and me. It is the ultimate message of deliverance for us.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Have I been disobedient? Have I
eaten from the wrong tree? Have I killed
somebody? Maybe not physically, but what
about with my words? Maybe. Absolutely. Whatever I’ve done to place myself
close enough for the thorns of this world to grab me and try to take me down,
God has provided a way back to Him. It doesn’t mean I’m not going to get hurt
or that I’m not going to bleed.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">That day in the field of
blackberries, the thorns clinging to my leg got my attention. I was suddenly
aware of the danger surrounding me and never more grateful for a loving father
who would gently take them from me. It was a reminder that the thing that
brings you down just might be the very thing God shows up in with his message
of deliverance and redemption.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This was originally published April 16, 2017 on the <a href="http://walterborolive.com/2017/04/be-grateful-for-lifes-thorns-faith-the-press-and-standard/" target="_blank">Press a</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://walterborolive.com/2017/04/be-grateful-for-lifes-thorns-faith-the-press-and-standard/" target="_blank">nd Standard</a> site.</span></span></span></i></span></span><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: blue;"><i> </i></span></span></span></b></span></span></div>
Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-64544717160850425722017-03-26T12:41:00.000-04:002017-04-28T12:42:27.232-04:00I am the resurrection and the life<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have recently been participating in a women’s Bible study
at Bedon Baptist Church. I am not a member of that church, but that didn’t
matter to the precious ladies there. They have welcomed me as one of their own,
and I am so grateful for their love and care.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We’re using a study book written by Lysa TerKeurst titled
“Finding I Am.” It’s a six-week study that guides us through specific scripture
readings each week and poses questions about personal application of those
verses. We meet together weekly to talk about it. The focus of the specific
scripture readings are the situations and circumstances when Jesus started a
sentence with the words “I Am.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“I am the bread of life.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>John 6:35</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“I am the light of the world.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John 8:12</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“I am the good shepherd.” John 10:11</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last week we studied John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and
the life.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The circumstance that caused
Jesus to make this “I am” statement was the death of Lazarus. Lazarus and his
sisters, Mary and Martha, were good friends of Jesus. The scripture says that
Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Both Mary and Martha were obviously
grieved over the death of their brother and were missing the presence of their
friend, Jesus. Jesus was out of town at the time and didn’t get back until days
later.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In our study workbook, we were prompted to consider a time
when someone we loved died too soon. That wound is still fresh for me. I was
devastated just a few months ago when my college roommate and lifelong friend,
Lynne, died much too soon.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lynne was diagnosed with cancer four years prior. The
struggle seemed manageable the first three years. The fourth year was hard. In
one of the last conversations I had with Lynne shortly before her death, she
told me that she still firmly believed Jesus had the power to heal her here on
this earth. She believed that physical healing was absolutely something Jesus
could do. However, she told me that at this point, she no longer wanted him to
heal her physically. She said she didn’t want Jesus to heal her because she
didn’t want to have to go through the four-year dying process all over again
some time later down the road. Once was enough.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The story of Lazarus came up in that same conversation with
Lynne. We talked about how Jesus did make his way back to Mary and Martha’s
house and that he called for Lazarus to come out of the tomb where his body had
been rotting for four days. Miraculously, Lazarus came alive again walked out
of the tomb.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jesus told Martha, before it actually happened, that Lazarus
would rise again. Martha didn’t quite catch Jesus’ context because she
responded that she knew it would happen someday when it was the end of the
world as we know it. Jesus wanted her to know that she didn’t have to wait
until then to see new life. She could experience it that very day.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he
who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and
believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?’ ”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Her sister Mary and some other friends showed up with their
own disbelief about Jesus’ immediate power to give life. Jesus loved this
family. They were his people. They stood next to him, hugged him, spoke face to
face with him, ate meals with him; yet they still had difficulty grasping the
hope that Jesus could give them. This brought Jesus to tears.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lynne and I also talked about Jesus’ weeping. The people
closest to him didn’t believe in him — then there was poor, dead Lazarus. There
was plenty to cry about. Maybe Jesus cried because he felt the same way about
Lazarus that Lynne did about herself. Yes, he could heal Lazarus, but then
Lazarus would have to suffer through death again later. Surely, once should be
enough.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lynne believed. She believed that heaven now would be better
than suffering through the dying process again later. I can’t imagine what
Lazarus must have thought when he was told he’d have to leave heaven to go back
to earth for a little while.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not long after Lazarus’ mournful wake and subsequent
miraculous awakening, Jesus faced his own death here on earth. Unlike Lazarus,
once was enough for Jesus. It was enough for all of us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He is the resurrection. He is life. Believing that allows us
to live even after we die.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to
face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and
He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those
who are waiting for Him.” Hebrews 9:27-28</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This was originally posted March 26, 2017 on <a href="http://walterborolive.com/2017/03/i-am-the-resurrection-and-the-life-faith-the-press-and-standard/" target="_blank">The Press and Standard</a> site.</i></span></span></span></div>
Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-43316694050334887462017-03-22T10:17:00.000-04:002017-03-22T10:17:27.621-04:00Wait…what just happened?<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In June 2016, the United Kingdom passed a referendum to exit
the European Union. That Brexit event stunned much of the world. We just
weren’t expecting that to happen.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then there was the American presidential election in
November. If you went to bed early that evening, you likely were surprised by
the results the next morning. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Large numbers of football fans thought the Atlanta Falcons
were going to bring home the Super Bowl LI trophy in February 2017. The New
England Patriots never held the lead throughout the entire game, but won the
whole shebang over the Falcons in the first-time-ever Super Bowl overtime.
Shocking, I know.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The wrong envelope was handed to Warren Beatty and then Faye
Dunaway read “La La Land” as the winner of the Best Picture at the Oscar Awards
ceremony. Only “La La Land” wasn’t the winner, “Moonlight” was. What in the
world? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Has anyone else seen the chickens pecking around down near
the curve on Wichman Street? I saw them earlier this week and thought to myself,
“Well, that’s odd.” For a brief moment I wondered if I had taken a wrong turn
somewhere down the road. It might make sense on dirt road out in the country,
but on a paved road in town?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is this
really happening?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Later that same chicken-sighting day, I hurried home after
work to do a few chores before heading back out to church for choir rehearsal.
In the half an hour that I was home, I gathered up the trash and rolled the bin
out to the street, tended to the cat, sorted the laundry and tossed a large
load of whites in the washing machine. I added the detergent, turned the knob
to start it, and then headed out the door.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A couple of hours later that evening when I returned home, I
opened the lid to the washing machine to find that the laundry that was white when
I put it in was now brown. Wait. What? How bizarre. It was completely the
opposite picture of what I expected to see when I opened the lid. I was so
confused.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After some investigating I learned that the fire department
had been flushing fire hydrants earlier in the day which resulted in some kind
of sediment in the water lines. Who knew?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At least it’s one peculiar incident, in a string of many, thankfully with
an explanation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Teenage Joseph had been waking up as his father’s favored
son, over eleven other brothers, his entire life. He must have woken up with
that what-in-the-world-just-happened confusion the day after his brothers threw
him in a dry well and then sold him into slavery. Although he was prone to wild
and crazy dreams, this is new slavery reality was something he probably never
dreamed would happen to him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Joseph made the most of his slave days. He worked hard and was
good at his job, so much so that he was given charge of the entire household of
a government official. He probably felt that stinging tase of confusion again
when he was accused of making the moves on the official’s wife and was unjustly
thrown into prison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First a pit, now
prison, both of which he ever expected and both because other people wanted
what he had. He was smart, handsome, skillful, and adept.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He met some other dreamers in prison who were, eventually, his
get out of jail free card. Upon his release he again made the most of it, was
successful at his work and again ended up in charge. I imagine his knack for dreams
helped him envision how things should be done.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yet, in all his wildest dreams he probably never thought
he’d actually see his brothers again, but years later they showed up and they
were hungry. Wait, what? The same brothers that sold Joseph into slavery now
wanted Joseph to feed them. In the end, Joseph was able to take care of his
brothers and their families and had the grace to tell them, “You intended to
harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the
saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The number of circumstances that cause me to be stunned,
startled, surprised, flabbergasted, taken aback, confused, dumbfounded,
astonished, or whatever words you want to use, seem to be piling up these days.
Sometimes I find an explanation, but for the most part I find myself still
shaking my head wondering what in the world is happening in our world.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I tend to associate the good things that happen as blessings
from God, but it may not always be the good things that give us what we need.
There were a whole string of nearly unbelievable negative circumstances that
Joseph faced. In the end he realized that God used all of them to help not only
him, but many others as well. More specifically, not merely helping but
actually saving their lives. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I may never know why or how, but based on Joseph’s
experience, I believe that God can make something good out of all the
craziness. God can use it to save lives, maybe even my own. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The was originally posted March 19, 2017 on the <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://walterborolive.com/2017/03/wait-what-just-happened-faith-the-press-and-standard/" target="_blank">Press </a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://walterborolive.com/2017/03/wait-what-just-happened-faith-the-press-and-standard/" target="_blank">and Standard website</a>.</span></span> </span></i></span></span></div>
Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-72491598544656527442017-02-26T10:38:00.000-05:002017-03-07T10:41:01.355-05:00How to deal with it and keep on moving<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A few months ago I kept complaining about pain in my left foot. It
wasn’t a constant pain. It mostly hurt when I walked and the longer I
walked, the more it hurt. There were certain shoes I could wear that
eased the pain, but unfortunately those athletic shoes didn’t go with
everything in my wardrobe, nor were they appropriate for some of the
places I needed to go on a regular basis, like work. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I
finally made an appointment with a doctor and the x-ray confirmed that I
had a couple of fractures in my fifth metatarsal bone. I have no idea
when or how it happened, but was glad to finally know what the problem
was. I left the doctor’s office that day with a pneumatic orthopedic
boot on my left foot. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Walking in the boot was a little
awkward at first. The bottom of it is not flat on the ground. It rests
on a small ball so that your foot rocks on it when you walk. It also
raises your height a couple of inches, so one of the first things I had
to do was to buy a new pair (you can’t buy just one shoe) of shoes for
my other healthy foot so that it would be the same distance from the
ground as the booted one. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It took a few days and little
practice to get used to wearing and walking in that boot and to get to
the point where I wasn’t constantly aware of it. The longer I wore it
the more I began to realize how much better my foot felt when it was in
that boot. The other thing that happened was that it caused me to meet
some wonderfully interesting people. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whenever I was out
and about in that boot, it became a topic of discussion with people
everywhere. I ended up in several wonderful conversations with total
strangers who asked about it or joked about what my husband must look
like after that kick. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I was wearing that boot, I
noticed a lot of other people wearing similar contraptions. I don't know
if it was the peak season for foot injuries or if being in one made me
more sensitive to them, but orthopedic booted feet were everywhere. I
found myself drawn into conversations with most of the wearers whose
path I crossed. They were conversations I would not have had otherwise
and often went beyond anything foot related. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A little
pain, injury, and inconvenience put me in a position to consider my
steps more carefully and see things from a different perspective. I have
always thought my short, stubby feet and bulbous, crooked toes were
ugly. I’ve envied others with long, straight toes and slender feet. This
whole metatarsal fracture and orthopedic boot experience reminded me,
however, that function is way more important than appearance. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My
fractured state took me places I’d never been and put me face to face
with people who likely felt their own pain as they acknowledged mine.
The thing that resonated between me and other sufferers was not injury
details, but instead how we’ve managed to deal with it and keep moving. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That’s
the example Jesus left. He suffered pain, injury, and agony on this
earth, obviously much worse than mine, but there was purpose in it. That
purpose was for us. That purpose gives us hope to move forward with the
good news that it is possible to get beyond the suffering. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No
matter what the injury, the good news is this, “Everyone who calls on
the name of the Lord will be saved.” That is hope worth sharing, even in
conversations with strangers. The bonus for ogre-footed people like me,
as it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good
news!” (Romans 10) </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“For to this you have been called,
because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that
you might follow in his steps.” 1 Peter 2:21 </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This was originally posted February 26, 2017 on The Press and Standard website </i></span></span></span>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-53718904235667021272017-01-08T17:05:00.000-05:002017-02-21T17:06:06.165-05:00Hello 2017. I'm glad you're here<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hello, 2017. I’m so glad you’re here. I have a lot of hope
for you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It seems I’m always thankful when December 31 rolls around.
Every year I celebrate New Year’s Eve by being grateful that the struggles and
challenges of the year are over and done with and that I’ve been given another
chance. This past year was no exception. The bookends of my 2016 were the death
of my mother in January and then the death of Lynne, my longtime best friend
and college roommate, at Thanksgiving. The absence of two of the most
influential women in my life made for a different kind of Christmas and changes
my outlook for the days to come. Looking back at the days in between those losses,
the activities and emotions that kept me spinning throughout were of hurricane
force. The hurt was a true reminder that I was very much alive and they were
not.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Both Mom and Lynne made it known to all those around them
that they had placed their faith in Jesus for whatever happens after death. I
have confidence that they saw His face the very minute they left this world
because of this: “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are
at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by
sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body
and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our
aim to please him” (2 Corinthians 5:6-9).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Heaven truly is a wonderful place because Jesus is there, but also
because Mom and Lynne are there too.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, I am of good courage. I love Jesus too. Following the
leadership and example of these women, I walk by faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I walk, but my steps may not always be
steady. Some of the paths I was forced to walk in 2016 were not what I would
have chosen and therefore, I was resentful. Angry. Hurt. I’m sure there were
days when I let it show. I probably spoke harshly to someone I loved or was
snippy to someone I didn’t even know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
may have ignored your need because I was too wrapped up in selfishly nursing my
own wounds. I didn’t try to hide my ugliness.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Looking back, I realize how desperately I need a savior, the
Savior, to make it all right. I deserve so much worse than the beautiful life
that I have.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">John’s gospel recounts the story of Jesus’ death, burial and
resurrection. He records Jesus’ first post-resurrection encounter with Mary
Magdalene. Jesus tells her not to cling to him because he hasn’t been to His
father yet.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m not a theologian, but to me that means Jesus didn’t
immediately go to heaven when he died. He was absent from his human body, but
not present in heaven. Where did he spend that weekend between death and
resurrection?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I believe he made the deliberate choice to go down the
deepest, darkest, debris-strewn path of my own personal sin and suffering. He
voluntarily experienced the death that all humans, regardless of their belief
in the afterlife, know is the final enemy of this world. He made it there and
back and lives to tell about it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He did it so I won’t have to. He did it so that I can face
2017 with hope and courage even though I will be without my mother and my
friend. He did it because, “the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his
mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your
faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in
him.’” Lamentations 3:22-24.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Welcome, 2017. I’m looking forward to living and telling
about it too.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This was originally posted January 8, 2017 on <a href="http://walterborolive.com/2017/01/29198/" target="_blank">The Press and Statndard</a> website</i></span></span></span></div>
Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-56978182342367836752016-12-25T16:50:00.000-05:002017-02-21T16:51:07.800-05:00The God who never sleeps was an infant in their arms<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s been something every day for the last month. Holiday
luncheons, Christmas programs, rehearsals and practices leading up to those
programs, shopping for those in need and getting the gifts wrapped and to the
drop off site by the deadline, staff dinner parties, work receptions, and
everything else in between. The hustle and bustle of it all is part of what
adds excitement to this season.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Doing so much more than you normally do can also wear you
down and out. I succumbed to the exhaustion pretty early this year. By Dec.
3rd, I had chills, fever, congestion, and everything that goes with it. Since
then, it has managed to stay with me in some form or another.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A couple of days ago it was late in the day and I was the
only one in the building at work. It was quiet inside and dreary outside. I
wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t concentrate on anything because my eyelids
were so heavy. I may or may not have put my head down on my desk and taken a
five-minute nap.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I just wanted to sleep. I needed the rest but I kept putting
it off and moving it to the bottom of the to-do list. I’m old enough to know
that humans can’t do what they need to do without sleep. The truth is, I’m not
a very good sleeper. I’m a light sleeper and will allow any little distraction
to keep me awake. Often the distractions are in my head. If there’s something
that I need to do, I lie in bed thinking about it until I can get up and do
something about it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Usually my lack of rest or sleep can in some way be tied to
worry or fear. There’s worry that I won’t meet the deadline, fear that I might
let someone down if I don’t show up or measure up, and it goes on and on. All
throughout the Bible there are verses that encourage us not to fear, not to
worry, and instead, to rest. I think I need to go back and re-read some of
those verses.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help
come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let
your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps
Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is
your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the
moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and
forevermore.” Psalm 121</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My rest is found right there in verse 3: “He who keeps you will not slumber.” God never sleeps. He never sleeps so that I
can. I need to quit trying to do what only God can do.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Many Christmas carols sound like lullabies. “Away In a
Manger” and “Silent Night” are good examples. They encourage us to consider the
birth of Jesus, to think about how he came to earth as an infant.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When an infant is born in the world today, establishing a
sleeping routine is important. Parents are proud and relieved when their baby
finally sleeps through the night, or at least several consecutive hours.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How was it for Mary and Joseph? The God who never sleeps was
an infant in their arms. Mary and Joseph, as newborn parents do, surely wanted
to eliminate distractions and encourage his slumber. Jesus, who had never slept
before, could hear Mary and Joseph singing cradlesongs not long after his
birth. Wouldn’t that be a little awkward? Awkward enough to cause me to lose
some sleep.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jesus’ birth was only the beginning of the story. His life
on earth, His death and His resurrection have shown us that He became one of us
so that we could become like Him. He traded never having to sleep with fighting
for time to rest, at least temporarily. Because of that, we can know that He
knows firsthand how hard it is to be us.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being
born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by
becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God
has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and
under the earth, and every tongue
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians
2:7-10</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, He speaks with authority when He says, “Come to me, all
who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our help does come from Him. He will keep our lives, for
this time forth and forever more. That’s Christmas.</span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">This was originally posted December 25, 2016 on <a href="http://walterborolive.com/2016/12/god-never-sleeps-infant-arms-faith-press-standard/" target="_blank">The Press and Standard </a>website </span></i></span></span></span></div>
Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-87781198356273896132016-12-19T15:54:00.001-05:002016-12-19T15:54:41.381-05:00The angels have never stopped singing<style>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">‘Tis
the season for singing! I like and listen to a lot of new music, but when it
comes to Christmas, there’s something about traditional carols that resonate
with my soul. The whole story of Christmas comes from the ancient text of
scripture, so in this case, it seems to me that old is good.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">I
sing with the Voices of Colleton Community Choir. We started practicing in
August for the two presentations that were offered the first week in
December.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you prepare for the
weekly rehearsals and listen to recordings of the music throughout the week,
you know how it’s supposed to sound. Sometimes in rehearsals, it just doesn’t
make it up to the “how it’s supposed to sound” standard. The basses and tenors
drag the tempo, the high sopranos are flat, and everything else is the alto’s
fault. In a full program of nine or ten songs, there always seems to be one
particular song that trips us up. This year’s program was no different.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
night of the first performance arrived. Before it began, I took my place in the
center of the choir loft among the 65 other singers. I silently prayed that no
matter what we sang, especially on that troublesome song, that the audience
would hear only the voices of angels. Not that our voices would sound like
angels, but that actual angel voices would be joining us, singing over and
above us. Certainly their voices would get it right. They have been singing
God’s praises longer than anyone.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Angel
voices have been heard on earth by human ears before. The shepherds heard an
angel voice say, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that
will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David
a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Several
traditional carols mention angels singing in the lyrics.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hark!
The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the new born King.’”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Silent
night, holy night, wondrous star, lend thy light; with the angels let us sing
Alleluia to our King; Christ our Savior is born.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
words of those carols are centered on the night in Bethlehem when Jesus was
born. But what about today?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you and
I still hear angel voices?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Edmund
Sears must have wondered the same thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In 1849, he penned the words to a poem that became “It Came Upon a
Midnight Clear.” It’s a Christmas carol about angels singing, but not solely
about the first Christmas night when Jesus was born. Most of it focuses on the
era in which it was written.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We
rarely ever sing them today, but based on the second, third, and fourth verses,
Mr. Sears must have longed to hear the angels singing:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yet
with the woes of sin and strife the world has suffered long, beneath the angel
strain have rolled two thousand years of wrong: And man, at war with man, hears
not the love song which they bring: O hush the noise, ye men of strife, and
hear the angels sing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“All
ye, beneath life’s crushing load, whose forms are bending low, who toil along
the climbing way with painful steps and slow; Look now! For glad and golden
hours come swiftly on the wing; Oh rest beside the weary road and hear the
angels sing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“For
lo! the days are hastening on, by prophet bards foretold, when with the
ever-circling years comes round the age of gold; When peace shall over all the
earth its ancient splendors fling, and the whole world give back the song which
now the angels sing.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">When
these words were written 167 years ago, America had been at war with Mexico.
Zachary Taylor’s heroic efforts in that conflict catapulted him reluctantly
into the presidency. There was a lot of noise in 1849 that distracted the world
from the voices of angels.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Simply
update the usage of the words “ye” and “lo” in those verses and you might think
they were written about 2016. We’ve suffered long this election year — we’re
still at war with each other about rights, the load of healthcare and education
can be crushing. There have been many large decibel words spewed in 2016.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">I
don’t think the angels have ever stopped singing. I think they’ve been singing
since before Jesus was born. We’re so busy making noise ourselves that we miss
it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">As
the Voices of Colleton Community Choir sang about the good news of great joy, I
tried to listen for the angel voices I’d prayed for. I realized that angels did
not join us in singing. What really happened was that we joined the angels in
their glorious song of old. We proclaimed with the angels, “Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
message that came clear that night: Peace on the earth and good will to men
will come from heaven’s all gracious King.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">This was originally posted December 18, 2016 on <a href="http://walterborolive.com/2016/12/angels-never-stopped-singing-faith-press-standard/" target="_blank">www.walterborolive.com </a></span></i></span></span></span></div>
Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-79049117268732439062016-12-04T15:49:00.000-05:002016-12-19T15:56:46.772-05:00Sometimes it takes getting on your knees to see all the dirt clearly<style>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Several years ago one of the ladies at church gave me a
Ziploc bag of Amish Friendship Bread “starter.” She beamed and clucked about
all the different varieties she had made. Some with peaches, some with nuts,
coconut, bananas, and a variety of other yummies. I could tell she had been
having a fun with this bread (actually, to me it’s more like cake).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the record, I am not a baker. The extent of my baking
skills ends with canned biscuits and Martha White muffin mix packets. This
woman’s joy, however, was contagious so I took the Ziploc bag with gratitude
and high hopes for that same kind of joy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The starter is supposed to stay in the bag for 10 days.
During that time, there are certain days you’re supposed to add more
ingredients. The other days you simply knead the bag. On day 10, you mix in
some more ingredients, then measure out four more starter bags to give your
friends. With the mixture that is left, you add more ingredients and then bake
it. Voila, delicious bread (aka cake).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With the busyness of life, I lost track of where I was in
the 10-day cycle for the bag she gave me. I couldn’t remember if I was on an
add-ingredient day or a knead day. I finally gave up and threw it in the
garbage. I was a little embarrassed and defeated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hoped the friend who shared it with me had
forgotten about it too.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The next time I saw her, she asked about it and I had to
come clean. She was still excited about the whole project and very gracious,
offering to bring me another starter bag. Which she did, only this time she
brought it to me on Day 9. All I had to do was bake it the next day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That next day was busy and I didn’t get started on the
baking process until late in the day, but I wasn’t going to bed until this
bread was warm and toasty. I hurried through the pre-bake steps and saved the
cleanup until it was in the oven.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As it baked, I washed the mixing bowls and measuring cups
and wiped down the counter. Then I noticed a drip of batter on the lower
cabinet, so I bent down to reach it. Once I bent down, I noticed some flour on
the floor. I got down on my knees with a Clorox wipe to get the flour up off
the floor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I knelt there on my knees, I saw a few coffee ground
specks that had fallen to the floor who knows when. On my knees, I saw a dried
up drip of who-knows-what staining the white cabinet door under my sink. On my
knees, I noticed tiny crumbs collecting in the corners of the floor that I
couldn’t see when I was standing upright. On my knees, I saw the dust and dirt
on the baseboards under the cabinets. On my knees, I saw the nasty dirt stains
on my floor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On my knees.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That’s when it dawned on me. Sometimes it takes getting on
my knees to really see my own dirt clearly. All the stuff that’s messed up
about my life, all the bad choices I’ve made, the responsibilities and
opportunities I’ve ignored, failures due to my own stupidity, all the stuff I
want to hide — when I get on my knees before Jesus, He shows me these things
more clearly than ever before. He brings them to my attention to remind me that
what I need to do about them is simply admit they are mine. Then give them to Him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I get on my knees before Jesus, my perspective changes.
Not only do I see how big my pile of dirt is, I also see that great big pile as
a measurement of the amount of forgiveness He has for me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I can’t see it that clearly when I’m standing on my own two
feet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Only on my knees.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him
the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This was originally posted December 4, 2016 on <a href="http://walterborolive.com/2016/12/sometimes-takes-getting-knees-see-dirt-clearly-faith-press-standard/" target="_blank">www.walterborolive.com</a></span></i></span></span></div>
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Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-79583097820603707372016-11-21T16:05:00.002-05:002016-11-21T16:05:24.823-05:00Hope for our country is an individual responsibility<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It was a special time and he was a
special child. His parents did not take their responsibility lightly when they
welcomed their son into the world. As the boy grew, his parents trained and
educated him in strict disciplines.</span></span></div>
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His body grew strong. He was careful about what he ate. He never drank wine. He
developed mental sharpness; his quick wit and complex thought processes were
evidence of that.</span></span></div>
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When he was older, he married a woman from another country.</span></span></div>
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He wasn’t always completely honest about his behavior. At times he spoke using
words that made people wonder what on earth he was thinking.</span></span></div>
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He had quite a reputation in and out of town. When people talked about him,
they probably never failed to mention his unwieldy long hair.</span></span></div>
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His strength and power led him into great wealth and successful leadership
positions. It also continued to be a force his enemies had to reckon with.
Sometimes he used very unconventional means to deal with those enemies, some
of them harsh and hurtful.</span></span></div>
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He sometimes reacted in anger to negative situations. Such anger led to a
scandal that was the demise of his marriage. After that, he enjoyed the intimate
company of women that he never intended to marry.</span></span></div>
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There were crowds of people who wanted to be like him. There were also throngs
of people who wanted to destroy him.</span></span></div>
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Those are just some highlights of his life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
No, it’s not a story of any current political figure. It’s a 3,000-year-old
story from the Old Testament book of Judges. It’s Samson. He was a leader and
judge in Israel for 20 years, around 1080 BC.</span></span></div>
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How did it turn out for Samson? What is the rest of the story? Is it relative
to us today?</span></span></div>
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I’m not sure we should make direct comparisons between Biblical leaders of
ancient Israel and leaders of America today. I do, however, think that the same
God that was sovereign during those ancient times is still sovereign today.
Trying to identify the Samsons and Delilahs in my life and in the news today
makes me the center of the story. But, the Bible is not about me. I need to
read the Bible and look for where God is in the story. What did God do with
those people? That is what’s relative today. Now, what can God do with these
people that have been elected to office in America in 2016?</span></span></div>
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Samson was a flawed man. The list of indiscretions was long. Samson didn’t
always walk in step with the plan that God had for his life from the very
beginning. At times, it seemed Samson was doing the complete opposite of what
God wanted him to do. What does God do with that?</span></span></div>
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Samson was eventually captured, tortured and imprisoned by the Philistines,
people who were enemies of God. They were enemies because they worshiped a
man-made god and treated cruelly the people God had specifically chosen to
carry out His plan of salvation for the entire world.</span></span></div>
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In the end, Samson, in his shackles, called out to God. God heard Samson’s plea
and used Samson to destroy the Philistine leaders, all 3,000 of them all at
once. In the fray, Samson also lost his life. The real story is that God showed
up and defeated the enemies. It’s worth noting that He did it in a way that no
one expected.</span></span></div>
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How can God use the leaders today? I’m not sure, but it will probably be
in a way that I won’t see coming. I am confident, however, that God will show
up. Based on stories I’ve read in the Bible, He seems to show up when it
appears that there is no hope left. When He shows up, His enemies will be
defeated.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
That is our hope. That hope is our responsibility.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Colossians
1:27</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Originally posted November 20, 2016 at <a href="http://walterborolive.com/2016/11/hope-country-individual-responsibility-faith-press-standard/" target="_blank">www.walterborolive.com </a></i></span></span></span></span></div>
Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-27349206962749303712016-11-15T16:17:00.001-05:002016-11-15T16:17:32.673-05:00Merry Thanksmas, Y'all<span class="text"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Merry
Thanksmas, y’all. Halloween is only a memory now and we’re headlong into that
conglomerated holiday season that rides in on the Mayflower and out with
jingling sleigh bells. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">As
holidays go, I like Thanksgiving. There just seems to be more time to actually
take a holiday, maybe because it’s always a four day weekend. Even though I
enjoy Thanksgiving, I’m already thinking about Christmas. I don’t think I’m the
only one in that boat. A stroll through most any retail establishment is proof.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">When
I was a little girl, this is the time of year my mother began repeating, “If
your room is not clean, Santa won’t stop here.” There were probably other
behavior modification persuasion tactics Mom used, but that’s the one I
remember. It was time to be on our best behavior. If I wasn’t already, it was
time to be a good girl so that good things would come to me on Christmas Eve. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">My
mother also often quoted the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem that begins with, “There
was a little girl, who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good she was very, very good, and when she was bad she was
horrid.” </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The
rest of that poem goes on to talk about the little girl doing something
annoying like jumping on the bed. Her mother was not happy about it. I guess my
mother could relate.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">I
suppose I always wanted to hear, “You’re a good girl!”</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">We’ve
all made a lot of assessments about good or not good based on performance. I do
it to myself quite frequently. If I finish a project before a deadline or
without any errors, then I’m pleased with myself. It makes me feel pretty good
and boosts my confidence on the next project. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">If
someone does something really well, like kicking a 50-yard field goal and
making the extra point, we want to stand up and cheer. When we manage to stay
on the bench the entire game and not get our uniform dirty, nobody wants to
yell “Woo hoo, good job!” about that. I think most of us spend more days on the
bench than we do kicking field goals. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Sometimes
it’s hard to feel good about myself if I haven’t done anything that warrants an
accolade with the word “good” in it. There are days when I don’t get a single
thing accomplished. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The
gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are filled with stories about Jesus
doing marvelous good things like giving sight to blind people, healing long
term illnesses, making lame legs able to withstand bodyweight again, calming
storms, and making dead people alive again. He performed miracle after miracle.
All good.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">There’s
no way I can live up to all that good. Thankfully, my performance is not the
basis for God’s love for me. Jesus performing miracles is not the reason God
loved him.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus
heard God say, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew
3:17). The significant thing about that is when and where Jesus was when he
heard it. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus
was standing in the Jordan River, just emerging from the water after being
baptized, when he heard his Father affirm that he had done well and was loved.
At that point Jesus had not even turned water into wine. Not a single miracle.
Yet, God was telling him, “Good job, Son. I love you.” The one thing Jesus had
done that day was acknowledge he was there to fulfill the righteous plan of his
Father. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">It’s
the same for us. We cannot earn God’s satisfaction or love. We get those things
when we rest in His plan, rest in His activity, and rest in His performance.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Frankly,
I could use the rest this Thanksmas. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span class="text"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Originally posted November 13, 2016 at <a href="http://walterborolive.com/2016/11/merry-thanksmas-yall-get-ready-celebrate-faith-press-standard/" target="_blank">www.walterborolive.com</a></span></span></i></span>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022622530407992227.post-65779660549821126142016-11-08T12:16:00.002-05:002016-11-15T16:18:17.855-05:00I have hope there is something better<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Misogyny. It is not included
among the most used words of my vocabulary. My usage of it has been so
infrequent that when I got ready to type it, I had to look it up to verify the
spelling. Prior to this year, I don’t think I’d ever seen it in a media
headline. Now, almost every news outlet has covered it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Looking it up in the online dictionary confirmed the definition of
misogyny as a hatred for and prejudice against women. I get it. I understand why it’s in the headlines. It’s
an ugly and awful thing, especially when it’s used in a sexual context. I believe
things that degrade females, like pornography and sex trafficking, are
deplorable. Granted there are marginalized males in those situations too, but
the majority of the victims are female. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some of the people talking about misogyny are dismissing it as typical
male behavior. Others are declaring war against it. Considering our given time
in the history of the human race, we’ve come a long way in human and cultural
development. However, it’s 2016 and we’re still using the word misogyny. That means
there are people who still believe that women should be treated with honor and
respect simply because they are women. It also means that there are people who
don’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before news stories included the word misogyny, they included words
like transgender bathrooms. In just a few months, the headlines went from
dismissing gender roles to crying foul when one of those roles was disrespected.
I think these topics were ushered into our headlines because of the upcoming
presidential election. I may not c use the word misogyny much, but the words
confused and perplexed swirl around often when the topic of the election comes
up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don’t know, really, what the outcome of this election, either way,
will mean for me as a woman. I don’t know what state the United States will be
in this time next year. I can speculate but I can’t know for sure until we’re
there. But, I do know this: Whatever we, as Americans, have done that’s led us
to where we are now as a nation, confused and perplexed, I simply don’t want to
do that anymore. I want something better. I have hope that there is something
better, something good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My hope, however, is not in Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. One of
them will be president, but neither of them has the power to save us. Only God
can do that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their
plans come to nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose
hope is in the Lord their God. He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea,
and everything in them— he remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of
the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the
Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the
Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the
fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.” Psalm
146:3-9<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not only do our presidential candidates lack the power to save us, neither
of them can do what God has called me to do. Even if they wanted to. Even if I
wanted them to. It is my responsibility and mine alone. The way I see it, it
would be futile to expect an office of the earthly government to make God’s
work a priority. God’s directive to care for the world is to Christians, not
government. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As a Christian, He’s called me to be the good in the world, share the
good news. How?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="text"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what
does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk
humbly<sup> </sup>with your God.” Micah 6:8</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span class="text"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Originally posted November 6, 2016 on <a href="http://walterborolive.com/2016/11/hope-something-better-something-good-faith-press-standard/" target="_blank">www.walterborolive.com</a>.</i></span></span></div>
Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05927110296068030855noreply@blogger.com0