For those of you who read both this blog and my husband's devotional, "The Special of the Day. . . From the Orange Moon Cafe," you will have noticed Friday we both wrote about the same topic, a man we had met the day before named Alfred.
The parallel blog posts are interesting. They were written about the same topic. They were written at the same time. We were both sitting on opposite ends of the same couch in the same room as we typed our respective posts. But neither of us knew the subject of the other's blogs until later in the day when we were running errands and Glen mentioned having written about Alfred.
"I wrote about him, too!" I immediately thought of people who might read both posts, thinking we had coordinated our efforts, but that was not the case. We had not coordinated our thoughts, but Someone else had coordinated our inspiration.
We have seen things like this happen over and over again throughout the years, especially in various services we perform. Perhaps someone will be scheduled to sing a song and will unknowingly choose one that fits perfectly with the speaker's topic. Often in our Tuesday services, I will read one of my blog posts and the post I have read will seem to underscore the words that Glen later shares.
This coordination is not random or coincidence, it is the working of Holy Spirit in and through our lives. He lives in and through us and when we submit ourselves to His leading, He can coordinate the efforts of His children and dovetail them together to meet His needs. I could say that Glen and I both writing on the same topic was the result of "great minds thinking alike," but I would rather say it is the result of two minds being led by the One Great Mind.
. . .an extension of the Orange Moon Cafe
Monday, May 13, 2013
Friday, May 10, 2013
Alfred and Gracie
Sometimes in life you have moments where you know you are have just been blessed. Such is the case when you are in the presence of either Alfred or Gracie.
Gracie is a little seven-year-old with the face of a cherub and a head full of bright red hair. She has a boundless smile and matching curiosity Gracie came to our Bible study with her mother for a while. Determined to hug everyone in the room at least once as soon as she entered the room, she was immediately designated the "minister of hugs."
Gracie didn't have the usual standoffishness many school-age children develop because Gracie has Down's Syndrome. She is sweet-natured, out-going and loving to everyone. Everyone gets a hug and a beautiful Gracie smile. Her perpetual state of innocence keeps her in a perpetual state of loving.
The same seems to be true of Alfred, although I have only met him once. As we were leaving the nursing care facility where we do services throughout the week, Alfred had just been wheeled outside by his caregiver to enjoy the beautiful spring day. Alfred is an adult, but his spirit and smile had the same childlike lovingkindness as Gracie's. Immediately upon seeing us, he stretched out his hand in greeting, told us his name and asked us ours.
"God bless you," was his response and then he offered us both a hug which we were not foolish enough to refuse. Joy and peace and love radiated from his tender face and it was as if the sun had decided to glow from the center of his wheelchair.
As we walked away, I told Glen that Alfred and Gracie remind me of the beautiful people humans actually could be. He said that they reminded him of the beautiful people the Lord is changing us into.
I know there are some who would quickly toss those like Alfred and Gracie aside, considering them to be damaged and worthless, but I have to tell you there is more worth in one of Gracie's hugs or a moment of conversation with Alfred than there is an hours discourse with many learned and education people of the world.
Gracie is a little seven-year-old with the face of a cherub and a head full of bright red hair. She has a boundless smile and matching curiosity Gracie came to our Bible study with her mother for a while. Determined to hug everyone in the room at least once as soon as she entered the room, she was immediately designated the "minister of hugs."
Gracie didn't have the usual standoffishness many school-age children develop because Gracie has Down's Syndrome. She is sweet-natured, out-going and loving to everyone. Everyone gets a hug and a beautiful Gracie smile. Her perpetual state of innocence keeps her in a perpetual state of loving.
The same seems to be true of Alfred, although I have only met him once. As we were leaving the nursing care facility where we do services throughout the week, Alfred had just been wheeled outside by his caregiver to enjoy the beautiful spring day. Alfred is an adult, but his spirit and smile had the same childlike lovingkindness as Gracie's. Immediately upon seeing us, he stretched out his hand in greeting, told us his name and asked us ours.
"God bless you," was his response and then he offered us both a hug which we were not foolish enough to refuse. Joy and peace and love radiated from his tender face and it was as if the sun had decided to glow from the center of his wheelchair.
As we walked away, I told Glen that Alfred and Gracie remind me of the beautiful people humans actually could be. He said that they reminded him of the beautiful people the Lord is changing us into.
I know there are some who would quickly toss those like Alfred and Gracie aside, considering them to be damaged and worthless, but I have to tell you there is more worth in one of Gracie's hugs or a moment of conversation with Alfred than there is an hours discourse with many learned and education people of the world.
"But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty."
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Great Days Ahead
(Thanks to my sister for today's inspiration.)
I have managed to spend more than my share of time in cemeteries, though not doing what you might think. I don't really go to "visit" graves of people I have known. In fact, I rarely go to a cemetery to see the grave of an ancestor.
I do go to a local cemetery frequently, however, to locate and mark graves for military memorial services. Finding these graves are often very difficult as the grids of the cemetery plots don't match the more randomly placed actual tombstones. I commented to the cemetery director this year that some of the people we look for seem to "get up and move" from year to year, because we have such a hard time locating the tombstones each year.
The truth of the matter is that at some point many of the bodies in those graves will "get up and move:"
One day the Lord will return and those who know Him, who are His children, will either be resurrected ("O grave, where is thy sting?") or will be raptured from this life ("O death, where is thy victory?") and together we shall meet our Lord in the air.
When the sights and sounds, the shoutings and tumults of this life cry out to us that all is hopeless, let us remember we have the One Blessed Hope, and let us rest in His ever faithfulness. There are great days ahead. . .
I have managed to spend more than my share of time in cemeteries, though not doing what you might think. I don't really go to "visit" graves of people I have known. In fact, I rarely go to a cemetery to see the grave of an ancestor.
I do go to a local cemetery frequently, however, to locate and mark graves for military memorial services. Finding these graves are often very difficult as the grids of the cemetery plots don't match the more randomly placed actual tombstones. I commented to the cemetery director this year that some of the people we look for seem to "get up and move" from year to year, because we have such a hard time locating the tombstones each year.
The truth of the matter is that at some point many of the bodies in those graves will "get up and move:"
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord," (I Thessalonians 4: 16,17.)
One day the Lord will return and those who know Him, who are His children, will either be resurrected ("O grave, where is thy sting?") or will be raptured from this life ("O death, where is thy victory?") and together we shall meet our Lord in the air.
When the sights and sounds, the shoutings and tumults of this life cry out to us that all is hopeless, let us remember we have the One Blessed Hope, and let us rest in His ever faithfulness. There are great days ahead. . .
Welcome Home Children
by Vonda Beerman
A great day is coming
Heaven's gates will open wide
and all who love the Lord will enter in
To join with their loved ones
Who in Jesus Christ have died
Their eternal life in heaven will begin
And the Lord himself will greet us
Oh what joy will fill that day
When with the voice of the proudest father
He'll look at us and say
Welcome home children this is the place I've prepared for you
Welcome home children now that your work on earth is through
Welcome home children ye who have followed so faithfully
Welcome home children, Welcome home children!
Here where I am you shall always be, Forever rejoicing with me!
Friday, May 3, 2013
"Think on these things. . ."
The human mind is an incredibly amazing thing, capable of so much more than we even begin to realize. I think we often underestimate the effect of our thoughts upon our ultimate actions. In actuality, thoughts are the parents of our actions. It is rare that actions occur without some form of preceding thought .
That being the case, our minds are a place we should guard very carefully. Yet, how often have I been guilty of just letting my mind run free? Just letting it flit about to whatever thought it may want to light upon at the moment?
The Apostle Paul warned us that our battles in this life are not " against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places," (Ephesians 6:12.) We wrestle in the mind, and in the spirit, not with our hands and arms. The feet will follow where the mind is thinking, and the actions will be physical signs of what has been floating around in the brain. "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:" (Proverbs 23:7.)
So just how do we guard our thoughts? How do we keep that most secret area of our person safe? First, we pray, as did King David, for the Lord to search our hearts and know our thoughts:
That being the case, our minds are a place we should guard very carefully. Yet, how often have I been guilty of just letting my mind run free? Just letting it flit about to whatever thought it may want to light upon at the moment?
The Apostle Paul warned us that our battles in this life are not " against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places," (Ephesians 6:12.) We wrestle in the mind, and in the spirit, not with our hands and arms. The feet will follow where the mind is thinking, and the actions will be physical signs of what has been floating around in the brain. "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:" (Proverbs 23:7.)
So just how do we guard our thoughts? How do we keep that most secret area of our person safe? First, we pray, as did King David, for the Lord to search our hearts and know our thoughts:
"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting," (Psalm 139: 23, 24.)
Then we make the conscious choice to think on the right things, to point our thoughts to the things which are edifying, encouraging and comforting:
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8
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