The glow from the rising sun reflecting on the bright orange and yellow Maple leaves actually hurts my eyes in the mornings these days. It is kind of shocking but in a wonderful way. The walls opposite the windows have look as if they are painted a pale orange but they are just tan. One wouldn't think it possible but, honestly, the colors are so vibrant and the light so strong that it literally hurts my eyes to look at them! ...and yet I cannot stop myself from gazing at them. There are so many different colors ranging from plain old green to brick red with everything brilliant in between; lime green, mustard yellow, lemon yellow, melon, salmon, chartreuse, red, magenta...and more...so many more colors. My artistic mind wants a name for every blend of green/yellow, yellow/orange I don't have the color-vocabulary to define them. The contrast with the near-black branches adds to the beauty. It is breathtaking.
Suddenly it occurs to me that ..God is an artist! a creator of beauty for pure enjoyment, his and mine. He has given me this lovely creation outside my bedroom window. I start my autumn days knowing God is real and he is here.
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God painted last fall, too, but I didn't notice it 'til night. Sometimes it's not with my eyes that I see his creations. Does God give us these gifts of beauty because we need them or do we just notice them when we need them? Either way, I praise the God that created life and love and hope. amen.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Andy was home from college for Mid-Term break and asked if he could talk at the Wednesday night worship. Andy has opened his heart to this group of Jr and Sr High school students before and is well-loved and respected among them. I blogged about that very special night . I hope you caught that one.
He rose to speak. Andy is popular and well liked but apparently it wasn't always so. He began by telling the kids what he was like in Junior High. He had been an angry young man. He was defensive. He struggled with his life and even made a suicide attempt. He was in high school by the time he moved to Kearney and he felt accepted right away. I don’t know where he lived before or why his family moved here but they did. He found a fresh start here.
His life here was good. People liked him and he became one of the popular kids while he lived his faith out loud. It was well known that he was a Christian. He was elected Homecoming King by the vote of his peers. Kids wanted to hang out with him. He had the kind of countenance that pulled people to him…kind and nonjudgmental.
Underneath his outward happiness though he struggled with the thoughts that he was not worthy of all his peer admiration. He also had to resist the temptation to believe all the wonderful things that were said about him. He knew he was a sinner. He said it is hard when everyone is telling you how great you are all the time. You have to be careful with that kind of input. You have to walk a fine line. It’s hard work.
He graduated and went to college and guess what. No one was feeding him those wonderful words anymore. No one thought he was a great kid, no one even noticed him anymore. He was nothing. No one cared. What a shock! He had been getting his human strokes all along and suddenly that well went dry.
He said he started reverting to his old Jr. High thoughts. All the anger and resentment came flooding back. He was overwhelmed, as college freshman often are.
One day he noticed that between classes all the kids were in their own little worlds, with head phones on or their cell phones stuck to ears. He decided to use the time as a time for prayer and conversation with God. He began to recover… refocus… renew.
The kids listened quietly as Andy spoke. He was kind of rambling, confiding things that were surprising and disturbing and finally uplifting. There was much for them to think about. I am sure it never occurs to most of them that popular kids struggle, worry and hurt, too. Could this good-looking, kind and funny young man ever have hurt enough to want to end his life? Could this spiritual and confident guy ever be angry at the world…at God? Are we all vulnerable to these feelings? How can we get through it? How can God help us?
Andy didn’t really have answers other than sometimes you just have to turn to God and trust him. Keep your eyes upon Jesus in all situations and never doubt what he can do for you if you believe! Life isn’t easy for anyone. We all struggle with our own demons. It was an important “heads up”.
Matthew 14:22-31
He rose to speak. Andy is popular and well liked but apparently it wasn't always so. He began by telling the kids what he was like in Junior High. He had been an angry young man. He was defensive. He struggled with his life and even made a suicide attempt. He was in high school by the time he moved to Kearney and he felt accepted right away. I don’t know where he lived before or why his family moved here but they did. He found a fresh start here.
His life here was good. People liked him and he became one of the popular kids while he lived his faith out loud. It was well known that he was a Christian. He was elected Homecoming King by the vote of his peers. Kids wanted to hang out with him. He had the kind of countenance that pulled people to him…kind and nonjudgmental.
Underneath his outward happiness though he struggled with the thoughts that he was not worthy of all his peer admiration. He also had to resist the temptation to believe all the wonderful things that were said about him. He knew he was a sinner. He said it is hard when everyone is telling you how great you are all the time. You have to be careful with that kind of input. You have to walk a fine line. It’s hard work.
He graduated and went to college and guess what. No one was feeding him those wonderful words anymore. No one thought he was a great kid, no one even noticed him anymore. He was nothing. No one cared. What a shock! He had been getting his human strokes all along and suddenly that well went dry.
He said he started reverting to his old Jr. High thoughts. All the anger and resentment came flooding back. He was overwhelmed, as college freshman often are.
One day he noticed that between classes all the kids were in their own little worlds, with head phones on or their cell phones stuck to ears. He decided to use the time as a time for prayer and conversation with God. He began to recover… refocus… renew.
The kids listened quietly as Andy spoke. He was kind of rambling, confiding things that were surprising and disturbing and finally uplifting. There was much for them to think about. I am sure it never occurs to most of them that popular kids struggle, worry and hurt, too. Could this good-looking, kind and funny young man ever have hurt enough to want to end his life? Could this spiritual and confident guy ever be angry at the world…at God? Are we all vulnerable to these feelings? How can we get through it? How can God help us?
Andy didn’t really have answers other than sometimes you just have to turn to God and trust him. Keep your eyes upon Jesus in all situations and never doubt what he can do for you if you believe! Life isn’t easy for anyone. We all struggle with our own demons. It was an important “heads up”.
Matthew 14:22-31
Sunday, October 22, 2006
The 30 Hour Famine is over. Everyone survived it and I heard no complaining this time! The kids were focused and very, very busy. We kept our minds off of our empty bellies. Our kids live in an affluent community where the kids seldom go longer than 2 or 3 hours without a snack, a stop at Sonic or the Quik Mart. 30 hours seemed like an eternity to many of them. They were encouraged, when they were feeling hungry to say aloud "God is good" as a reminder that God has given them soooo much. Those nearby are to respond with "All the time" to let them feel a little moral support. They understood that this is about awareness and learning and raising funds for World Vision's hunger relief programs. They raised over $4,000.
The fundraising was kicked off Saturday night by a Rally at the local park. Free popcorn and music. They pulled together a band that played wonderfully and did two skits as well as a very moving clip from the World Vision promo DVD.
Thursday morning the "famine" began. Around 40 kids from ages 11 to 18 were divided up into tribes for the many activities. Some of them were also given a "disability" that one might have when suffering from hunger. Some wore heavy backpacks to signify the extra burden when one is weak from true hunger and malnourishment. They spent several hours building shelters from mud huts and thatch huts to carboard boxes, to shelters made from plastic and scrap wood scavenged from dumpsters and work sites. They collected canned goods door to door for the Food Pantry and there were many other opportunities for serving. There was a Bible study and lots of games that focused on understanding what those living in Africa might be going through. They had time to journal after each activity.
One group went to Hillside Ministries which provides housing and budget counseling for 90 days for homeless people that have jobs, while they get back on their feet. They did odd jobs such as rake leaves, weeding, trimming and setting up a new swing set.
A group went to the Harvesters warehouse and helped there. They were amazed by the volume of food provided to the hungry right in Kansas City. Another group went to Feed the Need and sorted though mountains of used clothing. Several kids went to the Good Samaritan Center and painted their basement.
The group that most came back with the most stories was the one that went to reStart downtown. It was a daytime homeless shelter. People were coming and going...homeless people. Lots of men but some women and children and families. Some of the kids were a bit afraid, some were uncomfortable, they had never seen homeless people in real life. Someone asked them if they had any socks. It was enlightening indeed.
All of the groups had their eyes opened. They are not often exposed to people who are truly in deep need. It was good for all of us. It made us more compassionate. It made us truly count our own blessings. It made us recognize the responsibility that comes with our many gifts.
As the end grew near they participated in a beautiful Praise Worship service. They laid their "burdens" (disability) at the foot of the cross. The heavy backpacks and blindfolds and leg slplints were piled there as each child recognized what God can do and what we can do through God. The service ended with communion.
A feast was provided by church members for the kids to break the fast. Food never tasted so good. Part of that feeling was, well, we were hungry, but we were also gratefully aware of the fact that we were feasting while others are starving.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
The 911 call came in... a domestic violence call. The officer pulled up to the house just as a little red car quickly pulled out. The officer followed and it was soon apparent that the car was fleeing, so the officer gave chase. Out through the North side of town they sped, through the winding rural roads and through the local State Park. They exited the park at high speeds right onto the road where it would all end...the road I live on. My road. For twelve minutes it was all a fun car chase.
They exited the park and came out onto a straight away. The little red car gathered speed as it raced toward the state highway with the police car in pursuit. It flew across the highway without stopping at the stop sign. The people in the red pickup truck never saw what hit them...in fact they never saw anything again on this earth.
The wreckage was horrific...the Pickup split in two pieces. The little red car? All that was left was red vehicle debris; truck and car all mingled into a mangled mess. Four lives ended instantly that day. So many more lives were forever changed: The families and coworkers of the dead. The woman who made that original 911 call. The witnesses to the crash and those that came to rescue the unrescuable. Those that came upon the wreckage realizing...it could have been them if the timing had been just a few minutes later. The officer who himself was devastated by what happened. He had followed policy but had he done the right thing?
Four small town communities all agonized over the senselessness of it all: the town nearest where the wreck occured, the town where the 911 call originated (my town), the town where the people in the truck were employeed (heading back to work after a job), the town where the young men in the red car lived (the driver had several outstanding traffic violations).
The big city sent up its' news reporter'd to add to the controversy and hurt. The police cruiser's video cam recorded it all and the crash was seen by all on the local news and on the internet.
There is lots of anger, lots of fingerpointing, lots of guilt, lots of pain. There is sorrow, there is remorse, there is blame, there is fear. There are so many questions... so many "whys?" that can't be answered by anyone.
It is definitely a wake up call in so many ways. There are people that blame God when bad stuff happens and there are those who turn to God in the same circumstance. There are lots of people that think that this kind of thing is God's plan but I know God let's us all make choices...even bad ones. I know his plan for us can be messed up by bad choices, even the bad choices of other people.
Yes, he could intervene on our behalf and prevent the bad stuff. I know that he does this sometimes and sometimes he doesn't. I believe that God knows better than we do about what is best. I don't know why that is. Sometimes that is hard to take, though.
I also know that God makes something good out of every bad thing, but we might be in too deeply into our pain to see it. It may not be possible to be seen from where we are. The benefit may be somewhere else to someone else. We have to trust.
Only one sports team can win the game but both believe they should win. The loser can say "I should have won" and be bitter and blame the coach or the ref or the sun in his eyes or the wind or the injuries or they can learn from the loss and move on and work harder and be better and be stronger. The next time they can win even with the sun in their eyes and the wind in their face and a bad call by the ref.
We hate wake up calls but we need them. It takes us off of automatic, at least for awhile. It stops us taking life for granted. It makes us value our time here and love better and live better and do more good. We need wake up calls. Don't hit that snooze button. Wake up!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
James 4:14-17
You don't even know what your life tomorrow will be! You are like a puff of smoke, which appears for a moment and then disappears. What you should say is this: "If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that." But now you are proud, and you boast; all such boasting is wrong. So then, if we do not do the good we know we should do, we are guilty of sin.
They exited the park and came out onto a straight away. The little red car gathered speed as it raced toward the state highway with the police car in pursuit. It flew across the highway without stopping at the stop sign. The people in the red pickup truck never saw what hit them...in fact they never saw anything again on this earth.
The wreckage was horrific...the Pickup split in two pieces. The little red car? All that was left was red vehicle debris; truck and car all mingled into a mangled mess. Four lives ended instantly that day. So many more lives were forever changed: The families and coworkers of the dead. The woman who made that original 911 call. The witnesses to the crash and those that came to rescue the unrescuable. Those that came upon the wreckage realizing...it could have been them if the timing had been just a few minutes later. The officer who himself was devastated by what happened. He had followed policy but had he done the right thing?
Four small town communities all agonized over the senselessness of it all: the town nearest where the wreck occured, the town where the 911 call originated (my town), the town where the people in the truck were employeed (heading back to work after a job), the town where the young men in the red car lived (the driver had several outstanding traffic violations).
The big city sent up its' news reporter'd to add to the controversy and hurt. The police cruiser's video cam recorded it all and the crash was seen by all on the local news and on the internet.
There is lots of anger, lots of fingerpointing, lots of guilt, lots of pain. There is sorrow, there is remorse, there is blame, there is fear. There are so many questions... so many "whys?" that can't be answered by anyone.
It is definitely a wake up call in so many ways. There are people that blame God when bad stuff happens and there are those who turn to God in the same circumstance. There are lots of people that think that this kind of thing is God's plan but I know God let's us all make choices...even bad ones. I know his plan for us can be messed up by bad choices, even the bad choices of other people.
Yes, he could intervene on our behalf and prevent the bad stuff. I know that he does this sometimes and sometimes he doesn't. I believe that God knows better than we do about what is best. I don't know why that is. Sometimes that is hard to take, though.
I also know that God makes something good out of every bad thing, but we might be in too deeply into our pain to see it. It may not be possible to be seen from where we are. The benefit may be somewhere else to someone else. We have to trust.
Only one sports team can win the game but both believe they should win. The loser can say "I should have won" and be bitter and blame the coach or the ref or the sun in his eyes or the wind or the injuries or they can learn from the loss and move on and work harder and be better and be stronger. The next time they can win even with the sun in their eyes and the wind in their face and a bad call by the ref.
We hate wake up calls but we need them. It takes us off of automatic, at least for awhile. It stops us taking life for granted. It makes us value our time here and love better and live better and do more good. We need wake up calls. Don't hit that snooze button. Wake up!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
James 4:14-17
You don't even know what your life tomorrow will be! You are like a puff of smoke, which appears for a moment and then disappears. What you should say is this: "If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that." But now you are proud, and you boast; all such boasting is wrong. So then, if we do not do the good we know we should do, we are guilty of sin.
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