Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
                                                                                          ~Matthew 6:26

Help Yourself to a Cup of Coffee

A group of alumni, all highly established in their respective careers, got together for a visit with their old university professor.

The conversation soon turned to complaints about the endless stress of work and life in general.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an eclectic assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal - some plain, some expensive, some quite exquisite.

Quietly he told them to help themselves to some fresh coffee.

When each of his former students had a cup of coffee in hand, the old professor quietly cleared his throat and began to patiently address the small gathering.

"You may have noticed that all of the nicer looking cups were
taken up first, leaving behind the plainer and cheaper ones. While it is only natural for you to want only the best for yourselves, this is actually the source of much of your stress-related problems."

He continued: "Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In fact, the cup merely disguises or dresses up what we drink. What each of you really wanted was coffee, not a cup, but you instinctively went for the best cups. Then you began eyeing each others' cups.

"Now consider this: Life is coffee. Jobs, money, and position in society are merely cups. They are just tools to shape and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not truly define nor change the quality of the life we live.

Often, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee that God has provided us. God brews the coffee, but He does not supply the cups. Enjoy your coffee!"

The happiest people don't have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have...

Giving Up to Gain

Has God ever asked you to give up anything in your life? I know He's asked me. Giving up on anything is difficult,  especially when you feel like you've invested love and energy into what God is asking you to step away from.  


I was the member of a website full of supportive, intelligent moms. For several years I logged in daily. I'd have my daughters watch a cartoon so I could catch up on so and so's operation and read about  Ms. girlfriend's current marital problems. A modern age soap opera.  Not to mention, I could lay my own problems out there for these wise women to help me figure out. Any time I had a situation, I would turn to my website. Fully knowing God would have the answer...but feeling "the ladies" online could answer it more quickly. I know, I know.....*insert eyeroll*.

I dove so deeply into these women's lives. Women I'd never met. Meanwhile, giving less attention to my own life and the one's around me in flesh and blood. 


Ever so gently and slowly, God weened me away from that website. I pulled and whined at every corner, for months and months. "These are my friends God! Why does it matter? What harm is it doing?" And when you ask God, He'll show you. He gave me a task. Stay off the website for one week (If I chose). I did. When the week was up, I realized how much more time I had to get things done. And my oldest daughter said, "Mom, we see you so much more now!" Yikes! Reality check.  Still, God wasn't done. 


I decided to wait another week. Two weeks had gone by since I'd contacted my internet friends (that truly needed my guidance and presence daily, mind you.) Two weeks, and not one of them had noticed I was gone. I stayed away longer, same result.


Kindly, God was showing me, this wasn't my family. This wasn't where my time and attention was supposed to be focused.   God helped me see clearly and shut a door. It wasn't a bad place, it just wasn't the best God had planned for my life.


We simply have to trust God's plan. Sometimes we have to surrender something that seems good, to gain something much better. 

What have I gained, you may ask? More family time. A cleaner home. Less stress and unneccessary drama. A closer walk with God.  

So, maybe it's time to ask yourself (better yet, ask God);
What is it I have to give up, so I can gain? 

Strange Is Strange

Strange is Strange
    
Every third Friday we play cards with family members whom\are not concerned about unnatural realms.  They have strange activities that continue to do "Stuff".  From floating things and dropping them...to furniture moving. We plead the blood over us when we go there.  We have never witnessed these strange happening; nor do we wish to! 

Special Diamonds In The Rough

Grandchildren are special indiviual diamonds in the rough.  The way they think, the way they show love.  One will just come up and say I love you. One will draw you a picture. One has a smile with such shine it melts your heart. One may shyly say I love you Grandma. They 're my rainbows, and my rays of sunshines. They are my diamonds in the rough.

Seeing In The Dark

Wise Words to Remember

  Sending our seven year old daughter to a birthday party at a friend's home, seemed innocent enough. However, when my husband and I went to put her to bed that night, we realized different.


   "Keep the lights on Mom! I'm scared!" She'd never been afraid of the dark before so we questioned her.


   It turned out that at the party, someone decided to tell ghost stories, took the children downstairs in the dark, and showed them "real ghosts" in a mirror. Convincing all of the kids the home was haunted.


   I grabbed my Bible and began reading her verses on God's protection and having no fear. Being encouraged, she got out her Post-It notes and began writing verses and her interpretations of them, then placed them around her room. 


  With her verses all around, she felt peace and said, "Okay mom, you can turn off the lights now." As quickly as I did, I heard, "Wait! Now I can't see my verses!"  After laughing, I remembered, this is why we not only need to have His Word written on our Post-It's, but on our hearts. Only then can we have courage and peace in the dark. 


  

I was teaching first grade in the American school on a U.S Navy base in Edzell, Scotland.  Down through the years, I have had some amazing messes in my classroom, but none so colossal as the one I am about to relate here...and this one wasn’t even my fault.

Our students received weekly lessons in Scottish culture and history from a delightful and much-loved Scottish man, whom we shall call Mr. V.  He was an excellent teacher, but, at the time, lacked the experience necessary to foresee all the ramifications of turning one’s back on some first graders.

This happened back in the days when, to show a film, you had to erect a wobbly screen and load a reel of film into a 16mm projector that worked only half of the time.  While Mr. V. turned his attention to the rattly projector, three of my first grade girls inched their way under the projector screen and out of sight behind it where they discovered the paint closet...!

Now, here is where I may have to shoulder a little of the blame in this saga, because some of the contents of this closet should have been placed out of children’s reach.  That much I admit!  

These three little girls raided that closet like demented monkeys.  They pulled out can after can of powdered tempera paint and sprinkled it liberally about.  Then they spied, lurking ominously on the shelf, a crusted can of varnish.  Somehow, they managed to pry the lid off the offending can and pour it into the powdery lumps already festooning the sink and walls.  They stood there, unnoticed, working their evil magic for 20 minutes while Mr. V. went about his merry way in the darkened room, blissfully unaware of the events unfolding behind the screen.  

When I finally reentered the room, the smell of the varnish alerted me that All Was Not Well!  I peeked behind the screen and was treated to the sight of three little paint covered girls.  Their hands were gloved with gooey clumps of varnish and powdered paint.  The walls, windows and sink were spread with great, sagging blobs of the stuff.

The girls were bundled down to the school nurse for Major Cleanup Duty.  During lunch, Mr. V and I tackled the mess.  

My fervent hope is that these three little scientists/artists grew up to have inquisitive little explorers just...like...them.  Ha!

Being a scientist comes naturally to small children.  We can't help but love them as they sometimes cause disasters and havoc in this process of learning about the world.  

I don't think we ever stop learning about our world.  I am so glad that God loves us, in spite of the havoc and disasters we as adults sometimes cause.  We are all just learners and explorers as we go through life...no matter how old we are!

imnrtist@gmail.com

God Translates Banker-ese

Usually I am fairly confident in everyday events, but today found me facing a banker and going through the process of remortgaging my house, which, for me is almost as daunting as jumping out of an airplane. As usual, I forgot to pray before embarking on this endeavor, so there I was, shooting up a last-minute emergency 'Help me, God' prayer! The banker was absolutely speaking in tongues! ...financial tongues with indecipherable words that might spell doom if I should happen to misunderstand. I knew that I would be signing on a dotted line for something today, and I had better know for what!

Right after the prayer left my lips, I was suddenly able to take a deep breath and feel a sense of calm spreading over me. The banker's scrawl of figures swam into an order I could understand, and his jabberwocky started to make sense. I did go ahead and sign on the dotted line.

This week's assignments

Two out of our group did their assignment and posted blogs this week. 

1,000 bonus points each, ladies!

Solid Teaching



What happens when you don't follow solid teaching of God's  Word? Let's see...      Matthew 7:26 But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:                                           

Everyday Item

Finding an everyday item that relates to a Bible verse was easy to find, difficult to narrow down! Once you start searching, several items begin to inspire words of wisdom through the Word. Which, made this an eye opening assignment. (Thank you Mary Alice and Cheryl!) Ultimately, I chose my car key. As we reach for our keys each day, we can find comfort and courage, knowing the Lord our God is with us WHEREVER we go. We can never travel too far or be out of His reach.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
~Joshua 1:9

First blog

Having fun learning to blog! Hi ladies! And Hi friends of Mary Alice in England! We're not eating. ;)

Tuesday Night Blogger

Hello!!  I'm blogging!!
So there is hope, just have faith!!!!!!!!!

Inspiration from everyday items

Women's Connection met tonight, and Mary Alice led us in an exercise to find inspiration in things found lying around the house. Here, Carla is showing us her thoughts on a rubber band.