Thursday, May 31, 2018

Hot Times in Houston.


Remember those snow days in Houston?

We had an unusual winter in 2018 with two snow days. 
The wet, white stuff doesn't last long. 
Two hours max and it was gone.  It was nice while we had it.

Now look at the outside temp today, May 31, 2018




We're having a hot time in the old HTown tonight.

The Astros won.
Their bats were hot.

I went to bed. Couldn't sleep. 
It was hot.

Hubby went to the bank today to take care of church business. Several people on the former approved list who take care of bank business are no longer with us. The officials said one of them had to be present to verify the two new names being added.

Hubby said, "Well, since they have all died, you'll have to call either heaven or hell to get them back up here. I'm pretty sure they all in heaven, but if you get a no answer, try the hot place."

Hahahaha. He got his hot point across.

Did you ever see that old move, 
"Some Like It Hot?"

Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemon
played in a comedy, but the movie had nothing to do with the outside temperature.

We use the expression hot and cool interchangeable at times.

The lady is hot.
The lady is cool.

Both expressions intend to convey a like for the lady.

God wants us to be on fire for Him.

He doesn't care for cold snowy people, cool, or lukewarm followers.

He likes fired up servants.

Are we winter or summer disciples?




Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Little is enough


Hymn lyrics by Kittie L. Suffield, 1924
  1. "Does the place you’re called to labor
    Seem so small and little known?
    It is great if God is in it,
    And He’ll not forget His own."

Refrain:
  • "Little is much when God is in it!
    Labor not for wealth or fame;
    There’s a crown, and you can win it,
    If you go in Jesus’ name."



The church we serve is small and it grows tinier day by day.  It used to look like this.  


It looks different today. If you drove by, you wouldn't recognize it as a church. The structure is changed. There is no steeple now.  Inside, we are the same. We are a sweet, country, church.  We are small, but we are family. Super, mega churches are great, too. The most important part of worship is worship. 


Like the structures in Greece, churches in our country are many. You may be confused where to go. What size? Which denomination?
Find your place.
Big or Little.
God is in it.

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Going Nowhere


I pass this lane to nowhere daily. The land is beautiful, the gate ornamental, the fence lovely, and the bleached path is an eye catcher.   But why is it there? I never see anyone on this path. The gates are always locked. No cattle roam behind it. The lane goes a few feet and literally stops.

It's a scenic wonder.

Pretty with no purpose.  At least none that I can see.

It cost the builder a large amount of money to construct.

I see so many possibilities that could exist behind the gate.

A beautiful home.

A cemetery. 

A tranquil, bicycle park.

A grand entrance to a ranch with horses or other animals.

The lane is too narrow for a car. What did the builder have in mind? Is he finished?  This spot has looked this way for years. Someone keeps it mowed. It looks inviting, but strangers can't get inside.

Are our lives like this?  God constructs us to be beautiful and gives us a path to follow. Do we take the path, or let it remain a lane going to nowhere? We work a little to keep the grass mowed, but we don't serve in other capacities? 

Like the path, our lives are short. Let's endeavor to build a longer path that leads to heaven. Let's bring many with us.








Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Father to the Rescue


We've been discussing Eve's sins and mistakes. Poor lady. She had her sins recorded for history, and now we talk about her. Wouldn't you just hate having your sins written down for all to see and discuss? Me too.

Eve talked too much, was an over eater, and that led to her downfall.

The good news is that God rescued her from shame and forgave her for failure. Oh, sure, she faced consequences, but she witnessed first-hand the resources of a faithful God. 

God isn’t Superman. He’s Super God. He knows our limitations and provides for us.

I was reminded of this yesterday.

As most of you know, our daughter is in an assisted living facility.  The residents are taken twice a month to Walmart to shop. You can’t believe how much they look forward to these outings, especially our daughter. During her well days, she was a gad-about, and she still loves to go places.

At 9:00 AM she called me in convulsive tears. “I can’t go.”

“Why”

“I have no money.”

The facility allows the family to put in $200.00 per month for personal toiletries and various, sundry other items. On this trip, she planned to buy me a Mother’s Day present and card.

Her sweet, little breaking heart in turn broke mine.

I’d been there the day before and had intended to ask the administrator if she needed money in her account. The lady was absent and I couldn’t learn our daughter's balance. Unfortunately, the administration doesn't notify the family when the account nears empty.
She loves Bluebell Moo-llennium ice cream and always buys it on her Walmart trips. I checked her freezer while I was there, and she had 3 half-gallons. I examined all her toiletries and she needed none.  She wanted to buy her mom a present. That’s all.  She probably required about $40.00 for what she had in mind. She had about $30 cash in her purse, but she forgets where it is.

Well……………! I asked a staffer if she could borrow money. NO. Not allowed. I called Walmart and HEB to see if I could buy her a gift card. They both said no. There’s been too much fraud over the phone with gift cards.

I called her back to remind her about the cash in her purse and to suggest she buy one item instead of two. The residents had already left for the trip. My daughter cried. So did I.

A few minutes later, her dad called from his business trip to Houston. He heard my tears and felt the tug of my heart.

He said, “I’ll go there right now. I’ll take her to lunch and then shopping. Tell her I'm coming and I'll be there in an hour."

I called my daughter, and her sadness turned to joy.  She said, “Getting to see my daddy is better than going on the bus with the others.”

“Yes,” I said, “All things work together for good to those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.

I saw an earthly father drop everything take care of his child yesterday. That’s the way God takes care of us. He is mindful of our needs. He often sends a representative to stand in for Him. Other times, He just does it Himself…one way or another, he hears and sees our tears. Sometimes we see Him working on our behalf, but often we don't. When we do, it bring us to our knees with reverence and admiration.

God, the Father took care of Eve in the garden, but He sent an earthy father yesterday to a heartbreaking daughter. My child is also His child.






Friday, May 4, 2018

Eve's Lessons




Way down south, here in Fulshear, Texas, it's gonna be warm. We won't have as much humidity as yesterday, but hey, we're 30 miles west of Houston. HTown is always muggy. If you are driving east to Houston from here, you can't tell when one town ends and another begins. I usually tell strangers I live in Houston. Most don't know where Fulshear is, but they know Houston.

Fulshear once was a small, country town. It's not anymore.  Things change, don't they?

Speaking of change, you never know what a day will bring, and often there's no way to prepare for it. when I see an ambulance driving hot, I pray.




Someone's life is changing as it goes by.

I've been writing about Eve. You know the one, Adam's wife?

We discovered two things about her in my previous posts. She talked too much and ate too much.

Now let's talk about clothes.

After she discovered she wasn't wearing any, she gathered fig leaves to make a dress. You'd have thought talking and eating too much would have been a lesson for her. Oops! Not so.

Well, the fig leaf experience caused her to learn several more lessons. 

1. You can't cover sin with fig leaves.

2. In the cool of the evening, fig leaves didn't provide enough warmth. Imagine Eve arguing with Adam. I can hear her now. "I sewed these fig leaves together, now quit hogging the cover."

3. When God asked her how she knew she didn't have clothes, she blamed someone else. Big mistake. She had no idea what childbirth pains were like, but she'd soon know.

Now here's an interesting tidbit. In spite of Eve's shifty ways, God provided her with a brand-new fur coat.

Even when we don't do right, God provides. He knows the changes are coming and He's prepared for them.

I doubt the animal who gave the fur coat felt gratitude for providing his sacrifice, but Eve did.




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