More lessons from little girls

I have spent a few evenings the last few weeks with my favorite little Burpeau gals. I love spending time with young children. They are so flexible and creative in their thinking. It takes a while to learn limitations and inhibitions. When children are so fresh from the hand of God their theology is centered on how they see Him. I think that is why Jesus advised us to have the faith of a little one. He knew they were clear in their thinking as it is done mostly from the heart.

A couple of weeks ago Julia was talking to the Lord in her bedtime prayers. She always starts with an old favorite.

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
I love guard me through the night,
wake me with the morning light.

Well after the prayer I pointed out the actual phrase is "Thy love guard me". I explained that the word Thy is an old fashioned fancy way of saying you. Now on to the original one of a kind Julia part of her prayer. She followed up her nightly recitation with this.

"Almighty Heavenly God, thanks for all the things you've been gaving us. Now can you give us what we need?"

When she had finished so told me "I like to call Him Heavenly God cause He's in heaven and He's God." I have got to admit she definitely has a point.

Tonight's unique offering was just as sweet. "Thank you God for going back to Heaven after you were Jesus down here, and thanks for leaving a part of you in my heart."

I have to admit, prayer time with Julia is better than many sermons.

Glad He left a part of Himself in my heart too.

-jene'

Is this love?

My morning meditation had me in I Corinthians today. Any student of the Bible will recognize this passage tells us much about love.

While I was reading the scripture, I reflected to a conversation I had with a friend earlier this week. She was sharing a story she heard over the lunch table at work from one of her friends. This woman was relaying her frustration in dealing with her family's apparent refusal to acknowledge her work for them. Evidently she is upset over their ability to keep things tidy and help her maintain the home. She has employed many methods to get them to help. She was sharing with the lunch crowd that she felt the effort she put forth was a gift of love for her family and she thought it was not being appreciated. She went on to say how much it hurt to have her love gift ignored.

As I was listening to the whole story one thought kept running through my brain. She obviously doesn't understand what love is. If you are truly expressing love you do so for the sheer joy of giving of yourself to another. The gift is it's own reward. That doesn't mean that you don't enjoy it when you get a positive reward. Everybody likes a pat on the back. It just shouldn't be the motivator for loving.

True love cares more for others than self, is pleased to bring others pleasure, is satisfied by meeting someone else's need.

The most distressing part of this whole story is the fact this woman works at a local church. Church is the place to learn the most about love. Accepting God's love for me causes me to share it with others. I am convinced if you allow God to fill you with His love you have no choice in sharing. You will be filled to overflowing and love should spill out of you onto everyone you encounter. The verses below are often quoted as being a description of the virtues of love. I don't think that is quite right. I find it to be a guide for expressing love. Notice how many of the identifiers of love contain verbs. Verbs connote action.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

I Corinthians 13 4-7
The Message

Later in the chapter we are told that we and our knowledge of God is incomplete but to hold on until we can be made Complete in Him.

But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation:

Trust steadily in God,

hope unswervingly,

love extravagantly.

And the best of the three is love.

I Corinthians 13:13
The Message

Seeking God's help to love as extravagantly as I can
-jene'

Losing sleep for a good cause

You would think that someone like myself who has great difficulty getting good sleep would not voluntarily give up that precious commodity. Not true. Early on Saturday morning after leaving Borders just after midnight I stayed awake on purpose to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in one night.

So what draws a forty-six year old woman to stay up all night and read a children's book? I have read all of the series and have spent a good deal of time talking with children about the lessons which can be learned from reading for a purpose. This latest offering has spurred many discussions. I would have to say that this is the hallmark of a successful book. I know many will call the Harry Potter series a success because of the revenue it has and continues to generate. I believe it is a success because of all the conversation and real thought it has engendered

Sleep is something which for me is fleeting at best. Having an impact on a child's life is the greatest. The trade off seems more than equitable, I lose some sleep but I get to chat with kids about what they feel and think.

just because

Every so often you have to do one of these things.

It's worth at least a chuckle.

You Are a Realist

You don't see the glass as half empty or half full. You see what's exactly in the glass. You never try to make a bad situation seem better than it is... But you also never sabotage any good things you have going on. You are brutally honest in your assessments of situations - and this always seems to help you cope.

Are You An Optimist or Pessimist?

Generous souls

Today was my last day to work for a week. I am taking some time off to celebrate my birthday. There have been a few times this year when I wondered if I would make it to this one. I have no great plans for the time off. I hope to get in some fun times like visiting museums and the zoo, but mostly hope to nap often.

I am blessed to work with several talented people. I have been following the works of one in particular. There is something about the way he makes use of his talent on the canvas that makes my heart sing. Today he showed just how generous his soul is as well. He gifted me one of his beautiful creations. As I looked at the piece I was overcome with how glorious it was. I turned to hug him and had to fight hard not to burst into tears. His art has always touched me, and his kindness is something I have long known, but today I learned just how giving he is.

I don't see how I could have had a better start to my vacation. No matter what else happens this week, today was a winner.

Thanks John for giving me so much of yourself. You are a treasure.

Profoundly thankful,

-jene'

Needs

I was taking a nap on Sunday and rolled over on the TV remote and turned it on. There was a televangelist on doing a fund raiser for his ministry. I was going to turn it off when I heard something that made me take notice. He said that it was important to give your seed offering to God if you wanted to reap the wealth the Lord has waiting for you. You should know I have no respect for David or Morris Cerullo. Both of them have been known for their exultation of the dollar rather than the Lord. For this they are both idiots. What makes me angrier than I can recall ever being is a statement he made during the program. David said "God only sees your seed, not your need." David wants you to send money to his ministry and says God will reward your giving to him.

This is so far from the truth that you would have to go to the edge of the known universe and it would still not be far enough. God knows and sees every need. There is nothing He is not aware of. I am grateful for this. There have been many nights of late that I am glad God is aware of my needs. He is the one thing making my life livable right now.

I guess my anger is based in my sadness that anyone who believes what this self serving nitwit has to say about the Lord. I comfort myself that God has withstood attacks from ding dongs for all of recorded history. The ding dongs come and go, but God is forever.

Now I am praying that the Cerullo family comes to know the true and mighty God and not the self fashioned image they are trying to make of Him. Boy are they in for a surprise.

Thankful for a God who more than meets my needs,

-jene

Help at hand

I talked with a friend today who is going through a rough time. The hard part is it seems like that is always the case for her. I've listened for years and at times feel like I am of no help to her. The only thing that encourages me is remembering her in my prayers each morning. As I spend time with the Spirit He hears my need to help her and He can do what I cannot.

Being a Christian does not get one a "get out of trouble free card". Being a Christian does give you all you will need to survive the trouble. This I have personal experience with. I am certain I would have been unable to make it to this point in my life without knowing God loves me. I know this because He sent Jesus to save me and the Holy Spirit to comfort and encourage me.

I have been trading emails the last month with a young man in Alaska. He has been asking me some tough questions. It all started with; "If the Holy Spirit is really part of God, what does He do?" With that query we began a bumpy journey through pneumatology. (Yes I had to look it up a few years ago) He is now delving into something many Christians never give a second thought. They accept the concept of a triune God but don't want to deal with what that means. Why is it so hard for someone who already claims to believe in God to believe in a fully functioning Trinity?

As odd as it may seem the the world is often doing more to search for wholeness in their spirituality than those of faith. I need more fingers than I have to count how many times I received a confused look when I asked a fellow believer how the Holy Spirit is working in their lives. Many concentrate on the gifts of the Spirit and never give the Giver another thought.

"If anyone loves me, he will carefully keep my word and my Father will love him—we'll move right into the neighborhood! Not loving me means not keeping my words. The message you are hearing isn't mine. It's the message of the Father who sent me. I'm telling you these things while I'm still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I'm leaving you well and whole. That's my parting gift to you. Peace. I don't leave you the way you're used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don't be upset. Don't be distraught. "

John 14 :24-27 The Message

I count on the peace, I listen for the voice to remind me of Christ's words and God's love. It's how I start my day. I know that whatever may happen after I leave my house, I grounded my day in what is True. This has eased my journey through life. If you are finding yourself with a need unmet ask for help from the Helper. I know He'll not fail.

Happy for the help,

-jene'

Darkness

This morning we had a big storm go through as I was trying to get to work. Nothing like taking a shower in the dark. Fortunately I know where everything is in the tub and on me so I did alright. I found myself chuckling in the shower as I replayed the scripture I read this morning in my head


Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16 The Message

Just an early morning reminder that my God is a God of humor and He likes to give me a reason to smile.

Out of the darkness,

jene'

Timing is everything

...or is it. My time this week seems to have gotten away from me. I accomplished some of my goals but others have fallen by the wayside. Several people needed me and my choice was to be there for them and to let go of my to do list. You might think this means I have changing priorities but really this isn't so. Goals are good, plans are necessary, but a soul needing love takes precedence over all. For when it comes time to total up my life's acheivements I'd rather list people helped than tasks completed.

One young girl I have been mentoring needed a face in the audience this week. She was so glad to see me and asked how I had found time to get to her school program. I told her that goals are important but friends are more so.

A friend has been blessed with a new job she is enjoying, but needed someone to cover her shift on her old job to make it happen. So a day off gets offered up to Jesus to help her out.

In both cases I feel the choice I made was the right one. My niece and I having been trading notes on facebook about what it means to show the love of Jesus to others. I want her to know that treating others needs as greater than your own is one way to do so. It's easy to talk about love, but hard to do.

Tiredly,

jene'

God's day

I leave aside my shoes
-my ambitions,
undo my watch
-my timetable,
take off my glasses
-my views,
unclip my pen
-my work,
put down my keys
-my security,
to be alone with you,
the only true God.

After being with you,
I take up my shoes
to walk in your ways,
strap on my watch,
to live in your time,
put on my glasses
to look at your world,
clip on my pen
to write up your thoughts,
pick up my keys
to open your doors.

Graham Kings


This was one of the poems I read this morning during my meditation and it made me aware of just how much everyday belongs to God. I am thankful to call Jesus my friend but I think I need to realize anew that all I am and all I have, is His.

I spent some time today with a couple of his best creations. A sweet older lady who has outlived her family and a young girl who hasn't any family who care for her. As I was listening to each I thanked God for placing me where I could be and feel His love for them. It's quite a kick and it made my day!

Joyfully,

jene'