In the Letting Go

 

This poem originally appeared here one year ago.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. ~Ecclesiastes 3:1

Verdant leaf, once I was

One of many countless friends

Who waved and shouted glory

In the presence of the sun

Vibrant, filled with vigor

Waxing, no waning thoughts

In the season yet to come

Season here, my color fades

Shining green steeped in brown

There's not the strength to carry on

But in the letting go, I live

Because the promise of the One

Knows I have played my part

Amen!

Top Priority

 

Shiloh Community Church

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ~Matthew 6:33

He who has God and everything else has no more than he who has God only. ~C. S. Lewis

If someone asks you, what is your top priority in life, what would your answer be?  How do you think most people would respond when confronted with this inquiry?  The modern world in which we live is largely secular.  We are bombarded daily with messages from ads and commercials that we need this or that product to enhance our beauty, whiten our smiles, relieve our pain, achieve our worldly goals, get that promotion, drive the classiest car, reduce our weight, and the list could, and does, go on and on.

Christmas is right around the corner.  Sadly, instead of thoughtfully and lovingly preparing our hearts for the advent of Jesus as a babe in the manger, so many people are strung out like tangled Christmas lights as we prepare our homes for the perfect tree, perfect decorations, perfect meals, and perfect family gatherings in the offing.  We want to appear to be perfect in every way, don't we?

But the hard truth is none of us, even those deemed righteous by others, can ever be perfect.  Nor, were we meant to be.  Dare I say, we need to repeat the phrase, Jesus is the reason for the season, when life becomes hectic and we feel overwhelmed at the holidays.

The world tells us lies about who we are.  It says we're not enough.  We don't have enough.  

But God.

Our Father created us in His image.  Each one of us is unique and loved by Him.  In His gracious time, He sent His only Son not to punish, but to take all the slings and arrows we deserve upon Himself.  What does Jesus ask in return?  Place His Father at the top of our priority list, just as the tops of our Christmas trees often display a shining star symbolizing the great one that guided the wise men to Jesus so many years ago.

So, before the holidays catch you dashing and dancing around like frenzied reindeer, STOP!  Take a deep breath, or two or three.  Close your eyes.  Give prayers and praise to God for all His blessings and mercy in our lives.

If seeking God and His will is at the top of your priority list, all else will fall into place.

Amen!

Your Will Be Done

 

Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. ~Matthew 6:10

Seasons come and seasons go

Beyond control of human race

Now is the time for our embrace

Of God.  We need to know

His will for us as days progress

Descend with clarity, His way

Election nigh, so now we say

To Him, we won't shirk, regress

From Your presence, gifts you've given

To Your people who pray

As it is on earth and in heaven

May it come true in the one

Who honors You, Your plan, Your will

My Lord, we pray, be done.

Amen!

A Father's Love

 

But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing for ever and ever. ~Psalm 52:8

Next year will mark the 50th birthday of Danny's Martin acoustic guitar.  As you can tell by the wear and tear on the body, this instrument has been well loved and well played throughout its many years.  Danny's first real gig after graduating from high school was actually singing and playing in various hotel lounges, mostly throughout Florida.  His repertoire of songs from the '70s is vast, collected and saved in two giant-sized loose-leaf binders with plastic page protectors.

Some of you will recall how special his two boys, Giovanni and Nicco, made their dad's 70th birthday last December.  Not only did they gift him with a refurbished Gretsch electric guitar like the one he played while on the tour circuit, but also gave him a gorgeous set of gold strings for his Martin, which is the only guitar he plays at church.

Alas, just like any other strings, the gold ones wear out with use and must be replaced.

Danny can't bring himself to just throw them away, and comes up with the brilliant idea to use them, along with some old guitar picks and sheet music, to create a shadow box for each of his guys.  We make the trek to Michael's last week for the needed supplies, and these photos show the marvelous results.

Just as Nicco and Giovanni are as different as night and day, Danny makes each shadow box with a unique design.  Giovanni and his wife, Hope, are in town this past weekend, so he is the first to choose the one he prefers.  Honestly, it fits his personality perfectly!  Anyone want to take a guess as to which one he takes with him?  Go ahead!  There's no penalty for a wrong answer.

I've come to realize over the years we've been together that when Danny sets his mind to accomplishing a task or project, he is determined to finish it.  What a great quality that is!  And what he's done here for his boys will be a lasting reminder of the love he has for them in the past, in the now, and forever.

And this reminds me of how much our heavenly Father loves each one of us, uniquely and forever.

Amen!

My Best Face Forward

 

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. ~Proverbs 31:30

I have worn makeup for most of my adult life.  Not heavy, mind you, but enough so that I feel, when in public, I'm putting my best face forward.  Maybe, that sounds vain to some of you, but as my foundation contains sunscreen in it, and my skin is quite fair, it does afford me that extra protection from the harmful UV rays that tend to prematurely age one's skin, and possibly lead to skin cancer.

The interruption of my daily makeup routine happens during the pandemic.  Really, when half of your face is covered by and unseemly mask, and you aren't around strangers on a day to day basis, why bother?  I realize that I would only be wasting money by continuing to use it.  And Danny?  He is more than a good sport about the whole thing.  He'll tell me, honestly, that my wearing makeup doesn't affect the way he sees me, and I look as fine as when we met over twenty years ago.  Yes, ladies, he's a keeper!

But let's face (pun intended) the facts.  With every passing year, we are all growing older.  The suppleness of youthful skin, no matter how much care we give it, will eventually betray our age.  We can angst about wrinkles and crow's feet, but I prefer to look at them as badges of honor.  A life lived joyfully, with frequent smiles that involve a full facial expression, is destined to create this phenomenon over time.  And no amount of makeup can erase those.

Our outward charm and beauty cannot last, no matter what potions and remedies and snake-oil promises the advertisers would have us believe contain the fountain of youth.  True confession:  I've fallen for lots of them in the past, and guess what?  They don't work!  Oh, there might be a temporary benefit here or there, and if you know of one that you trust, please feel free to leave your info in the comment section.  

In the grand schemes of things, though, I do NOT want to be remembered because I wore fancy makeup.  I already know that I'm beautiful in God's eyes just as I am.  When the time comes for me to return home to Him, I hope and pray that the people most dear to me will remember me as a person whose heart beat for the Lord, and they could always see Jesus in everything I said and did while I was here on earth, loving them all.  Could there be a better legacy than that?

Yes, with or without makeup, may we all strive to put our best face forward for God and His glory.

Amen!

Welcome Home

 

Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." ~Matthew 9:37-38

It's that time of the year again!  Our church's annual pumpkin patch is up and running just in time for Halloween and all things autumn.  As this is the largest fund raiser we hold all year, we are hoping that a lot of folks will purchase pumpkins, gourds and goodies during the coming weeks.  The weather has turned sunny, dry and much cooler, and is predicted to stay that way for most of October.  I do hope that puts people in the mood to stop by our church and start decorating their homes and businesses.

These are just a few photos of this year's pumpkin patch, featuring even more pumpkins than we had last year.

We were most fortunate to have an entire baseball team, to which one of our high school church members belongs, volunteer to remove all the pumpkins our of their huge boxes and display them for us last Saturday.  Many in our congregation are older folks who are no longer able to do such physical labor.  God bless those young men with strong arms and backs, and a willingness to serve!

Danny and I count ourselves as part of the baby-boomer crowd.  Because of the health strains on us this year, we can only offer to help in the selling booth when we are both available.  Danny still doesn't feel confident in driving on his own, and I don't blame him.  Last year, I could come and go freely, but that's no longer the case.

Our congregation at Shiloh Community Church isn't large in size, but they're large in love.  My prayer is that those who visit to buy pumpkins will feel God's Holy Spirit through us, and decide to visit with us for church services and/or Bible studies that we offer throughout the year.  As Jesus tells us in Matthew's gospel, the harvest of hearts and minds is plentiful, but the workers are few.  May our presence in our community at this time of year turn both heads and hearts toward our true home in the Lord.  As our service bulletin declares each Sunday:

Amen!

Old Glory

 

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance. ~Psalm 33:12

Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.  It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. ~John Adams

I have always wanted to fly an American flag at our home.  There are so many neighbors who fly theirs proudly, day after day, here in Kennesaw, Georgia.  And when our patriotic holidays roll around?  The town, itself, displays flag after flag along main streets within the city limits.  It is a constant reminder of the precious freedoms our Founding Fathers envisioned for our nation almost 250 years ago.

We decide to order ours from a company in South Carolina.  I mean, really, does anyone want a flag that is NOT made in the USA?  I don't think so.  Since we have an outdoor camera that catches activity on our driveway and front deck, we have to be strategic about where to place it; the last thing we need is Danny's phone pinging endless alerts because a brisk breeze causes our flag to wave.  That would be counterproductive to the task the camera is supposed to reliably do.

The following photos detail the steps Danny takes to attach the flagpole below the camera's view and still be a witness to our belief in the values upon which our nation was founded.

In less than 30 minutes, Old Glory adorns our home, beckoning one and all to salute and honor her.  Long may our star-spangled banner wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And may the Lord continue to bless and keep us, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Amen!