What am I doing!

Our Vacation Vignette
Title: “What am I Doing !”

Early on our motorcycle trip of 4,613 miles, I fought with an enemy many of us are familiar with. On and off for the first few days of the trip I would all of a sudden be VERY aware that there was NOTHING to my left, right, or above my head. I was VERY aware that the pavement under my feet was swiftly moving and there was nothing physically to protect me should we go down. It is a paralyzing thought to be on this moving bike with the full knowledge that if you went down, your skin would be scraping against the pavement. I began to envision a car coming at us, or a deer dashing out. I envisioned the bike going down and almost felt myself smashing and becoming one with the pavement. The thoughts began to multiply as my fear overtook me, and then.... I came to my senses. I started quoting a familiar verse that has helped me in many fearful situations over my life. I repeated the verse over and over until a wonderful peace swept over me and the spirit of fear was gone. I can honestly tell you that I did not have one moment of fear on the way home! Thank YOU Lord!

2 Timothy 1:7 “God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Shadows!

Our Vacation Vignette
Title: “Shadows”

During our motorcycle trip of 4,613 miles, I found ways to entertain myself. In a car I could read a book, take a nap, or work on a computer project, but those are not options on a motorcycle. Therefore, I do a lot of looking around at the beautiful scenery, a lot of thinking and mega uninterrupted prayer time. But in the mornings I was entertained as I watched shadows. First of all, we had a shadow riding beside us for many miles – there we were in flat black moving along silently on the pavement below. What caught my attention was when a Semi Truck would whiz by. His shadow would totally cover us. His shadow slammed into us and totally engulfed us with his dark likeness. I was amused as this occurred time after time. I was immediately reminded of Psalm 23. Death will not destroy the Believer, we will only be smacked by the SHADOW of death, then enter into the presence of our LORD. I also noticed at noon, the shadows were still there, but not easily seen because the sun was overhead. The shadow was UNDER each vehicle. I thought how neat that was. When we are aligned with Jesus, all of our SHADOWS are UNDER our feet, in the name of Jesus!

Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me...”

No Escape!

Our Vacation Vignette
Title: “NO ESCAPE!”

Amid the 4,613 miles I sat quietly behind my husband on our Goldwing, I was able to enjoy A LOT of wonderful scenery. I saw numerous cattle farms and fields of horses. I saw houses small and large. I especially liked the big southern houses with their wrap around porch, complete with empty rocking chairs waiting to be occupied by weary bodies in the cool of the evening. I saw and smelled many kinds of trees and flowers as we road by gardens and lawns perfectly groomed. I saw mountains and valleys, windy, steep, narrow roads, as well as roads where the Semi trucks made me hold onto my helmet when they passed by. But the one thing I could not escape all 4,613 miles was myself! My reflection was CONSTANTLY in the back of Ken’s helmet. Sometimes I would just look at myself and have a mental talk with myself. That is oh so true in life....no matter where we go, we cannot escape from our self. I am so glad that I have become my own friend. I am comfortable in my skin and who I am in Christ. But it was not always so. I challenge you to learn to be comfortable with who you are.......even if it means you need some changes.
Galations 2:20 I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.”

JOYFUL Nursing Home Ministry

GOD blesses me and our entire team each week as we hold "Church" in a local nursing home. We can go in there tired (as we are all senior citizens whose bodies call for afternoon naps), depressed, physically in pain, or any other condition and it is amazing how these things disappear during this ministry!

We have been doing this ministry for FOUR years....every Sunday...and it continues to be pure JOY. I often think, I would like to be a chaplain of a Nursing Home were I can get even More involved in their lives, but for now.......THIS is a blessing.

Today's lesson was on Genesis 40. This is where Joseph is in prison, and he interprets the Butler's and the Baker's dream. I dressed up two of our helpers for the visuals. It was alot of fun!

We do alot of things that are fun......and I am so thankful that the LORD opened this ministry for us. It is not a chore, it is all JOY.

Husband raised the dead!

My husband amazes me. He is so very talented. We had been thinking about each of us getting a puppet to add to the Nursing Home Ministry. Our Puppet team (Ed and Anne Kelm), go North for the summer and the residents miss them.

As we were walking around the Classic Car show in the Downtown Circle, I looked in a window of a store and they had a generous display of 28 inch full bodied puppets. Ken opened the door. We walked around and around looking at all the puppets. They had clown puppets, girl puppets with different color hair, boy puppets with different color hair, sculpted puppets dressed in motorycle clothes, and puppets dressed as brides, doctors, pirates etc. We walked around and around wondering if any of these puppets would be suited for us.

THEN my husband put his arm in one, and IMMEDIATELY the puppet came to life! My husband changed voices and he talked with this puppet as if he had known him for years. It was truly remarkable! He had chosen the Grandpa puppet.

His decision helped me to know which puppet I should get. I certainly needed the Grandma, so we are a couple. This will be sweet as we minister in a Nursing Home every Sunday afternoon. The winter puppet team has young children puppets, so in the Summer the change to senior citizens will be good.

We left the store with Ken's puppet in his hand, and together they finished walking among the classic cars. Someone even took a picture of them. He was so comical!

The store owner said he would have to order the grandma and it will be here in a few days.

Now we need to find CD - Christian music........song by old folks instead of children!

ANYWAY, the point is.......our lives are basically without meaning and purpose until the day we receive Christ. When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, we become NEW CREATIONS! We truly know what it means to live. So much like the visual I saw before my very eyes tonight. One minute the puppet was lifeless amid many other lifeless puppets, and the next minute he is full of life and personality......and he will be used of the LORD.

[Anyone have any unused puppets, send them our way! Hubby is good with marinettes too :)]

GATOR Encounter!

My husband and I TRY and take Monday as OUR day. It is our day of TOGETHERNESS. You might call it: OUR DATE DAY. We like to jump on our motorcycle and head somewhere just to be together and enjoy FLorida. Well yesterday's date had some EXCITEMENT.

On our way back from our DATE DAY (the beach in Fort Pierce), we had a scary encounter. As we were traveling along at the speed limit (on our motorcycle) Ken pointed ahead. There was a HUGE alligator starting to cross the road in front of us. His HUGE head and front "legs" were already past the white line into our lane. So we slowed down. We could not cross to the left lane because that is where he was heading.......we could not run INTO him....and we could not go behind him as a huge part of him was still off the shoulder. So we slowed down in our right lane and contemplated what to do.

IN THE MEANTIME, a semi truck driver had come up behind us, in our lane, did not notice that we slowed down....and didnt see the alligator (which was probably no threat to him, as it was to our bike). He was barreling down on us. I mean he was VERY close.

The truck driver FINALLY did SEE us and he went over to the farthest extent of the right lane to avoid us.

Apparently the alligator SAW the truck, opened his mouth wide and did a U-turn back off the road, so we were able to go over to the left lane and let the truck barrel through.

It was THEN he saw the alligator and figured it out. He then slowed down as he too probably realized what could have happened.

When we were side by side, we (Ken and I on our motorcycle, and the truck driver) all smiled and held out hearts as we each understood the danger we had all been in.

GOD PROTECTED US and we thank HIM.

Other than that, it was a GREAT day of togetherness.

Mother's Day

As a mother, I am well aware of the pain Mother's Day can bring. Most of us, mothers, are aware of the cards with the amazing Hallmark words of love and devotion that go way past the reality of life. As much as wordy Hallmark cards are painful, we also know the pain of when our children forget to send a card of any kind. People may ask, "Did you hear from your children?" Mother's Day can be a very lonely day, a refective day, a painful day.......unless you are still blessed to gather around the table with your children. Those days are precious memories.

As a Counselor, I am well aware of the pain that Mother's Day brings to those dear women who will never be able to carry a child, or have lost a child. That kind of pain is accentuated as crafts are done in schools and sunday schools for children to bring their moms. Accentuated at mother and daughter events. It is a painful time. I have known ladies who stay home from Church on Mother's Day because it is so painful when the Pastor has all the mothers stand to honor them.

As one whose mom went to Glory this year, I am now aware what it is like to no longer have a mother to honor on this day. I regret the times when I flippantly bought her a card, just because it was mother's Day. I didn't want her to get a card from my sister and not me. I had the honor of going through her scrapbooks after her death, and SAW how she SAVED each card over the years. Mother's day will no doubt have tears for me this year, as I still terribly miss my mom. My tears will join the many thousands who for one reason or another will cry on the day we call Mother's Day.

As a Pastor's wife, I see our Church filled with elderly women who week after week sit alone in their pews. Their children do not attend here, or anywhere. Just yesterday a lady was sharing about how much that hurts her. Her son KNOWS she can no longer drive herself to Church, and yet he didn't even come to visit her, let alone offer to drive her to the Church she LOVED to attend. He may indeed give her a Mother's Day card, but driving her to Church would have meant alot more to her.

I made an insert to put into our bulletin this week. It is an invitation that our widows can give to their children as a special invite to Church on Mother's Day. It may not be successful, but we are always trying to strengthen family relationships, as well as to draw people to God.

If you are a woman......I applaud you and want you to know that you are a wonderful woman because you are created in the image of God! He has a great purpose for your life. You have a great future ahead of you, as you seek HIS will for your life.