Singing in Heaven....and Texas too!

I came straight from work to play with my favorite gals tonight while their mom and dad are working at the school charity event. I had brought everything to make pizza. They love to get their hands into the dough and really enjoy kneading.

After dinner I was washing the dishes when Sara came running into the kitchen with Julia racing in right after her. Sara was smiling so hard she was about to burst her face. She said "Nené, guess what just happened in the living room! " Before I could even draw a breath, she rushed on. " I helped Julia to say a prayer to ask Jesus to live in her heart and now she’ll go to heaven with us someday! " Julia was beaming and said " I asked Sara to help so I could say the right things. " Well of course this meant stopping the dishes right then so we could talk about everything.

I can tell you it was about 20 minutes of the purest joy I will ever find this side of heaven. It was also a relief to have a serious talk of a happy nature. During dinner we had already dealt with: who’s a stranger, why do people die, why are some people hungry, who made angels, and why did satan want to leave heaven. After fielding all of those, living for Jesus is a very welcome respite.

Later before bed we all spent some time together singing, doing Tai Chi, and meditating. We were all in close quarters in Julia’s bed for thankful time. Anyone can say something they are thankful for and the thanks run the gamut from the touching to the silly. My heart soared when Sara said " I am thankful Julia now has Jesus, and I am glad I could help."

Me too, Sara, this is the best thing you will ever do.

-jené

Uncommon Graces

I have gotten to where I dread the political season. It makes me weary and my heart hurts. I spend much of it saddened, frustrated and confused. I know I am not alone in this.

Where I may find myself alone is in the cause for these reactions. It's not the endless political posturing by the candidates, it's not the various slants to the reporting, it's not even dissatisfaction with the candidates themselves. It comes from those "well-meaning Christians" who wish to spread their often impatient and frequently rude comments. Harsh words and unpleasant jokes run rife through the season. It seems disaproval of someone must be done with a hostile attitude.


Six years ago an old beau who is now a priest sent me a book in which I found someone to share my view. (the whole beau to priest story is for another blog) He sent me Uncommon Graces: Christlike responses to a hostile world by John Vawter. He helps us to remember the grace of gentleness, attentiveness, loyalty, candor, mercy, kindness, and repentance.


During this season of political mayhem intolerant spirits abound. When did it become accepted by people of faith to be so mean spirited to those who disagree with them? I receive emails with unflattering jokes, hateful and deriding words all in an effort to sway me not to vote for the ungodly candidate. One thing I have learned is you cannot expect "Godless" people to behave in a Godly manner. Lately I have wondered just how "Godly" people differ.


The only way anyone can see God in us is for us to reflect His love and grace. Notice I said His love and grace. Sometimes it is hard to feel loving or gracious to those around us. The marvelous thing is we can ask the Spirit to fill us with the love and compassion we might lack. We don't have to be perfect and do this all ourselves. I am convinced anyone who tries to love on their own will fail. True love comes from God. He is it's author. Unless you allow His love to channel through you, all you have is a pale pitiful offering. No one can share a grace they have not taken into their own heart. At least this has been my experience.

When I was in my twenties I knew well of God. Knew all the right words to say to my Christian friends, read all the right books and did all the right things. Somewhere along the way I had forgotten that being a Christian means a wondrous love affair with the Lord. I thought that by growing up I would have to leave the intimacy I had found in my teens years behind because it was a childish way to work my faith. I had forgotten that I don't work out my faith, the Spirit works it out in me. By limiting my relationship with God to the confines of my mind I failed. Failed miserably in sharing His love with others. Failed superbly in finding joy for myself. And failed my brothers and sisters in Christ by stepping out of sync with their fellowship.


As I struggle with the sadness at the vindictiveness of the season I try to remember that sometimes even those who assert they know Christ still don't know Jesus. They too have confined God to their minds and kept Him from their hearts. I ask God to help me to remember to share His love because they might need His Son. Thankfully I had friends who loved me enough to tell me they saw no evidence of Christ in me. I'm grateful to them for doing so, I'm thankful the Spirit was still with me to show me how to open my heart again.

Tonight is the start of Lent. We celebrate Ash Wednesday to bring our hearts to repentance. A chance to tally up whatever is wrong in you and bring it to the One who can forgive and make it right. The Psalm I started the day with was Psalm 51. I like to say it's a favorite but truthfully I 'd be hard pressed to find one that isn't.

Generous in love—God, give grace!
Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.
Scrub away my guilt,
soak out my sins in your laundry.
I know how bad I've been;
my sins are staring me down.
You're the One I've violated,
and you've seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil.
You have all the facts before you;
whatever you decide about me is fair.
I've been out of step with you for a long time,
in the wrong since before I was born.
What you're after is truth from the inside out.
Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.
Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean,
scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.
Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,
set these once-broken bones to dancing.
Don't look too close for blemishes,
give me a clean bill of health.
God, make a fresh start in me,
shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don't throw me out with the trash,
or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
put a fresh wind in my sails!
Give me a job teaching rebels your ways
so the lost can find their way home.
Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
and I'll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.
Unbutton my lips, dear God;
I'll let loose with your praise.
Going through the motions doesn't please you,
a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
don't for a moment escape God's notice.

Psalm 51:1-17
The Message

I pray that wherever you find yourself this Lenten season you will be open to reflecting God's grace.

-jené

all blogged out

I have found myself uninspired to post. It is true the past months have been difficult but that alone hasn't stopped me. I have kept in touch with those close to my heart by phone, email, walks in the park and lots of hugs and prayers . I guess I have been overwhelmed by the feelings of futility found when I read other blogposts. I mostly read blogs of faith, with a smattering of the arts, politics and science.

I enjoy reading some of my friends blogs because they are willing to share of themselves. They give me their insight, encouragement, and life lessons learned freely. They are people who make their faith central to their life. Because I see the way they share their love for the Lord with those around them, I know they are not just "cyberspace" Christians. You know what I mean, posting long entries about God's grace but no evidence of the same in the way they live. They only have "Christian " friends and never place themselves outside their comfort zone.

They use the safety of solitude to project a version of themselves they want the world to see. They go on and on about what God is teaching them. Yet when you look at their lives you would be hard pressed to find them living those lessons. I find my self saddened and falling into despair. How can someone who knows of my amazing God keep that knowledge out of their hearts?

My philosophy teacher and I used to go round and round on this issue. He used to assert that knowledge leads to enlightenment. I believe unless that knowledge is lodged in your heart and effects change in how you live, it is just useless noise. At this point in my life where every action requires much effort, I just don't have time for the noise. I have finally realized that even when those I care for cannot make the heart connection, there is nothing I can do. They have to be open to God working in their lives.

What I can do is pray that God will change their hearts. That I will continue to do.

So I need to decide if this effort is worthwhile. If so many can blog so eloquently and accomplish nothing, why bother?

On the flip side I get so much from quite a few blogs. I have some great friends who are very generous in sharing what Christ is doing in their lives. I would miss that. I love being able to read entries from my nieces and nephews and find out what is current in their lives.

So what nugget of truth can I share with you from what God has been teaching me. I need to be open to sharing with all in my life, that part is easy. The next is hard, there will always be people in our lives that we care for who do not want to share. Whatever their reasons they want to hold us at arm's length, seeming to be close but stopping short of a meaningful relationship. Until God changes their hearts and they welcome us in, we can do nothing.

This has been a real struggle for me. It has taken me many years to realize this. I am thankful God is patient with me. He knows just how hard this has been for me to accept.

I still haven't decided about the whole " to blog or not to blog" issue. I only have so much I can do and it seems more important to me to place my energies in to face to face relationships. I have been working at a balancing of my life in all areas. I believe this issue will balance itself out as well.

Remember

On this day remember,
in the midst of a fantastic horror,
many gave so freely,
that others might live.

Remember their sacrifice and rejoice.

grateful,

jene'

"It was a dark and stormy night..."

I can clearly remember the first time I read A Wrinkle in Time . I remember getting lost in the journey through the folds of time (A.K.A terrasects) in the search for Dr. Murray. The strange way Mrs Whatsist, Mrs Who and Mrs Which appeared.

I remember being enthralled in finding myself in such a fantastical universe. It was not until I read the book a second time at 14 that I understood all the Madeline L'Engle had to say. I truly cannot overcome Evil without my Father. Love can solve any problem. Great Light will sacrifice itself to conquer darkness.

As I grew up reading scripture I thought nothing out of place in finding verses being quoted by the main characters. It was for this reason her books were challenged. There were also those who disliked her inclusion of Buddha and Ghandi being listed along with Jesus as those who fought darkness on earth.

This story and all of her other writings hold a special place in my heart. I learned from her. I learned girls can be the "Hero" and be brave and bold. I learned that love does not make you weak, it makes you strong. I learned that questioning and reasoning are good things if they lead to understanding.

I will always be grateful for that.

-jene'

P.S. Mrs Who taught me to love Shakespeare

Waiting tables

Lord. take me where you want me to go;
Let me meet who you want me to meet;
Tell me what you want me to say;
and Keep me out of your way.

Father Mychal Judge


I stumbled across this prayer earlier this year. It says better than I ever could the desire of my heart. I love being open to God placing me where I can show His love to everyone. So many times people think sharing God's love with the world is something done only by missionaries in foreign countries.

Still, if you think about it, all those who follow Jesus are part of His Kingdom. So wherever you are on this earth, you are in a foreign country. You are a visitor from God's Kingdom to the world. You are the ambassador to everyone around you. Do you represent your Kingdom well? Do the people you meet know you are from afar? Do they know your Kingdom's benefits? Can you share with them your prime product?

I have had the opportunity of late to find myself with a lot of time to meditate on this. I love the fact that there are many I know I can be a tour guide for. I can share with them the love I have for my Kingdom and why it is the greatest place to belong to.

I have been reloading music onto my MP3 player lately and one old song from Take 6 seems to say just how I feel about sharing God's love.

The Best stuff in the world cafe

Time for lunch, my stomach said
I left the office to get fed
I had dined at every place on Main
My appetite was ripe for change.
And there stood this old restaurant
I had never seen before
And a stranger in an apron
Came bursting through the door and said

Welcome to the best stuff in the world today cafe
We are all believers in a better way
We were served as customers not so long ago
Now we are all waiters, thought you ought to know

Then the waiter said to me
"Everything we serve is free"
And when he saw that I was full of doubt
He shoved the best stuff in my mouth.
The food was so fantastic, man
I could not stay in my seat
I jumped up from the table
And dragged a stranger off the street
And said:

Welcome to the best stuff in the world today cafe
We are all believers in a better way
We were served as customers not so long ago
Now we are all waiters, thought you ought to know.

And if you're inclined to take the time
To show your gratitude
Then serve somebody else today
Like I've done for you.

Pretty soon the business went berserk
And all the people left their work
In every case because they took the time to serve
They each got more than they deserved.
The pantry soon was empty
And all that we could find
Was some simple bread and wine
But the people stood in line to say:

Welcome to the best stuff in the world today cafe
We are all believers in a better way
We were served as customers not so long ago
Now we are all waiters, thought you ought to know

So know you know the way I learned
That once the tables have been turned
It's just not enough to have your fill
Tip the waitress, pay the bill
When you can serve the banquet
That the world's so hungry for
So grab an waiter's apron
And see who's at the door And say:

Welcome to the best stuff in the world today cafe
We are all believers in a better way
We were served as customers not so long ago
Now we are all waiters, thought you ought to know.

When I first heard it it really touched my heart. It was so true. If you have been to the banquet you feel compelled to share it with everyone. It isn't enough to just feast at the banquet and let the rest of the world starve. If you can, you missed the gift of the banquet. You had dinner, you didn't find the feast.

The other night a grand friend and I were sharing dinner. We talked about being open to the people God places in your life. We shared our concern about several mutual friends who surround themselves only with Christians. How can they be happy when there is no one in their life they can pass along God's love to?

Glad to serve at the banquet table and staying out of God's way,

jene'

Job description

Over the last two weeks my three favorite Burpeau gals have come to spend the night. They each came alone and for the two younger ones it was their first time to spend the night away from home on their own. With each visit little gems of wisdom were left behind. They all came together on Sara's night over.

We watched the Prince of Egypt. She knew the story of Moses but had not seen the film before. When the scene with God asking Moses to return to Egypt was on she had loads of questions. How does the bush burn and not burn up at the same time? Why did God choose that bush instead of any others? Why should Moses go back to Egypt, couldn't God just free the people on His own? Why did Moses argue with God? Why didn't he just go the first time God told him to?

I answered the questions briefly during the film but they came up for discussion later as we were getting ready for bed. She asked me what was the thing that meant the most to me from the story of Moses. I told her the thing that impacted me the most was God's response each time Moses gave a reason why he couldn't do what God asked of him. While God told him of the many miracles He would have Moses perform, His first and repeated answer was " I will go with you."

I told Sara God does the same thing for us. Whenever God asks us to do something it does not matter if we are good at it or not. God goes with us and He can use anyone to accomplish His work. I told her our goal for life should be doing what God wants us to. She then wanted to know how we can know what God wants us to do.

I swallowed a chuckle and told her there were some things we can know for certain God wants us to do. I explained Jesus had left us some rather detailed instructions which we could consider to be our job description. He told us to love God with all of our being and to love others as ourselves.

Jesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them."

Matthew 22:37-40
The Message

I explained this is something everyone can do and know that it is what God wants them to do. Just to forestall any further questions I told her that God always goes with us and helps us to do the things he asks.

She is young enough to not let external limitations keep her from doing what needs to be done. You will find many older Christians who come up with a variety or reasons why they cannot do a particular task.

Common replies includes :

"That's not one of my spiritual gifts."

"I am uncomfortable _____________" (fill in the blank with serving, talking, witnessing, teaching Sunday school, meeting strangers)

"I don't have the skills to do that job."

"I don't feel the Lord is calling me that way." N.B. The Lord always calls you to love and share His love, that's a given

"I am not that kind of person, I just can't do that."

For all of these excuses there is but one answer. It is the same one God gave Moses.

"I am going with you."

I told Sara the saddest thing on earth is how many people who call themselves Christian who never read the job description.

working at it,

jene'

Hope of a promise

Walker Joseph, you are the hope of a promise .

You who were so new from the Hand of God.

Who returned to the Father as quickly as you came.

You were a gift which celebrated your parents’ love.

They cherished and adored you.

You have grandparents who longed to spoil you.

You have aunts and uncles who eagerly awaited the chance to make you laugh.

You were to be welcomed to a large extensive family.

That family, Walker Joseph, is made up of many who are also part of the family of God.

Because of that, we are assured we will get to know you someday.

For now you wait with the Father in Heaven.

Because His Son Jesus made it possible,

our future will lead us to Heaven too.

There we will finally be together again.

That is the hope we all know will be fulfilled.

Until then,

missing you,

your cousin jene’

Heartbreaking

This morning my cousin gave birth to a stillborn son. There is nothing I can say or do for her that will take away her heartbreak. I sent a message that just says " I love you."

She doesn't need me to help her make sense of this. There is no way to do so. When horrible things happen you just have to hold on to the love you can find and pray you'll be able to survive.

Thankfully, while it may be hard for her to believe so today, she knows God loves her too.

Please keep Drew and Carolyn in your prayers. They will need them.

Sadly,

jene'

A right nice chuckle

A friend from Derbyshire sent me this, he loves to make me laugh.