Month: January 2017

“A friend loves at all times.”  Proverbs 17:17

I had a surprise visit from my long time friend, Stella, the other day.  We met and bonded in Calhoun, in 1983.  We were across the street neighbors with children and different problems, and we needed each other.  Since both of us are from South Georgia, we had no problem relating to each other in everything from growing up years to peanuts and cotton.  She is my spiritual Sister, and no matter when we see each other, we are able to take right up from where we were last time we talked.

Tom, a friend in water aerobics calls these kinds of people “Secret Sistas” ( his pronunciation, not mine). I love his thoughts.  His wife is legally blind, and he takes care of her, but he says that without these “Sistas”, she would have no support group.  “These Sistas understand her, and she can share anything with them,” he says.  They also send cards, tapes, cd’s, etc. anonymously to cheer his wife – thus the name, “Secret Sistas”.

I am fortunate in my life to have those “sistas”.  These are friends with whom I can laugh, cry, gossip, sip some wine, vacation, go out to lunch, and so many other things.  They are there when you celebrate and there when you cry.  Two of these “Sistas” showed up at my house the morning my Mama died.  They walked right upstairs where I was dazedly packing just to hug me and tell me they loved me.  That meant more to me than I can say!

I am fortunate to have two biological sisters with whom I can share life with its blessings and its challenges.  It is such a blessing to know that I can count on them during good times and bad.  We’ve had more occasions than normal lately to lean on each other, and I am thankful for those memories and times we share in addition to the support we offer each other.

Sisters and “Sistas” come into your life to be God’s angels sent to walk through this world with you.  I am so thankful that God has blessed me with both!  If you are reading this, then you are a special “Sista” to me!  Thank you!

“Say to wisdom, ‘you are my sister,’ and call insight your intimate friend.”  Proverbs 7:4

“Wherever you are going, God has already been there and paved the way for you.”  Deut. 31:8

I have a first cousin, Jack, who is exactly 7 days older than me.  We grew up blocks apart, had birthday celebrations together, vacations together, and generally were each other’s best friend during our growing up years.

Jack played quarterback on our high school football team. Our friends, Andy, Joe, and Bo were wide receivers and running backs respectively. Gary played on the line.  These guys taught me the rules of the game, the penalties and what they mean, the positions of the players, and they basically helped me understand why they loved it and taught me to love it as well.  I’m a pretty good football fan because of them.

Randy played center on his high school football team and now Cooper, our 10 year old grandson, is following in his footsteps.  Cooper is the center for his team, and nobody gets past that big guy!  He has a good friend who is a running back, and they always support each other.

I used to laugh at Gary as he would relive calls that the announcer made during the game.  It seems that all the glory always goes to the ones who score the touchdown, make the big run, or catch that pass.  Gary always said, “I’d like to see Bo, Andy, or Joe make those plays without us guys on the line to clear the way for them!”  I guess he paraphrased the quote by Knute Rochne, “Those four horsemen would not get very far without those seven mules in front.”

That statement has a lot of meaning for me. I wonder where we would be without those in life who went ahead of us to clear the way.  In the game of football as in the game of life, there are those who celebrate great accomplishments by pointing at themselves and forget all those who have sacrificed on their behalf.  Nobody does it by themselves.

I can always spot a smart quarterback, receiver, fullback, or kicker when they thank the people on the line after a great play!  If they don’t have your back, you are in trouble.

Likewise, the smart people in this world always thank and respect those who have come before to build what they now enjoy!  Just like those linemen – never forget those who have your back!

As I cheer for the Falcons tomorrow and look forward to the Super Bowl, I lift up “the line”.  Rise Up!

“With upright heart, the shepherd led them and guided them with his skillful hand.”  Psalm 78:72

As we celebrate the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday today and look to the inauguration of our 45th President at the end of this week, my mind turns to what it means to lead and what makes a good leader.

Webster defines leading as, “to go before or with; to show the way.”  Since Randy is such a cowboy fan, I equate this definition to the “scout or point rider” in the Old West. This person would go ahead of the others to look for trouble, find the best path to take, find the best stopping places, look for water, etc.  The rest of the wagon train, cattle drive, or whoever was following could go no faster or make no more progress than he allowed.

I liken Martin Luther King and many others in our past history to a scout. These leaders see the dream, the vision, and they inspire others to follow, but they lead through example.  You would always see Dr. King right in there with his followers not expecting them to do something he wouldn’t do.  That makes all the difference to me.  If a leader can’t stand tall and stick his or her neck out, then why should the followers be expected to do so?

I know many great leaders in our world, country, state, county, city, church, and the list goes on.  The ones I will follow are the ones who lead with courage, conviction, perseverance, strength, faith, and example.

Our grandson, Mason, is a perfect example to me of what it means to be a leader.  He has so much energy, laughter, willingness to dream, and vision. He might be 8, but he is already leading.  If you need him for a project, he is there – ready to help and even offer suggestions as to how it should be done.  He leads with no complaints and gets it done!  Sometimes I am sure his teachers wish he would not lead with such enthusiasm!

As we begin this new phase in our country, I can’t say what kind of leader we have for sure, but I can say that he doesn’t mind putting himself out there.  I can only pray for our nation and our world as I support our country.  We certainly need leaders who don’t lead from behind but by example.

As Lewis Grizzard once said, “If you ain’t the lead dog, the scenery never changes.”

“Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.  Practice hospitality.”  Romans 12:13

In 1974, Randy was assigned to his first “job” in the ministry as the associate pastor of Dalton First United Methodist Church.  We moved into a darling parsonage on Dug Gap Road and began ministry there.

The house was nestled at the bottom of a steep, curvy hill with a huge tree near the road by the mailbox and a creek running through the front yard. There was an ugly chain link fence around the side of the house by the road, and a gate which you could close once your car was in the open air garage.  I remember wondering why on earth that would be necessary? That little tidbit of information would become clear to us.

One night a few weeks after we moved in as we were sitting in our little den, we heard the screeching of tires, saw lights coming fast, and a huge crash!  We looked at each other in horror and ran to the garage door!  A car had hit the huge tree, the hood was crushed and smoking, and two people were struggling to get out.  Randy was the first there, and as he brought the two into the kitchen, I dialed (yes dialed) for help.  The gentleman was bleeding from his head, and the woman’s arm had an unusual bend at the wrist.  They were both in shock, so when the man pulled back his hair and asked Randy if it was bad, I almost fainted!  It was very bad!

Thus began the Mickler first aid station!  This event happened every time it rained, sleeted, someone took the hill too fast, or anything in between. We stocked the house with first aid supplies, had the wrecker and EMT service on stand by, and prepared ourselves for the inevitable.  It got to be such an event that soon our neighbors and friends would come down to spend the evening and help out. Several times the men helped to pull a car out of the creek in front of the house, and I learned to never clean the house if rain was predicted.  We became the first area of care these people received, and we wanted it to be as positive as it could be.

As we met all kinds of different people, we had a chance to minister to them in a small way.  Some joined our church, some came back by with a thank you, and some did nothing.  How they reacted didn’t matter, it was how WE felt.  From this small experience, we learned the value of reaching out to those in need, and a heart for Missions began.  I think that’s what Jesus meant when He said, “practice hospitality.”

“Others may do a greater work, but you have your part to do; And no one in all God’s heritage can do it so well as you.”  Streams in the Desert

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by; and that has made all the difference.”  Robert Frost

I had the chance to visit Gibbs Gardens in Ball Ground a while ago.  It is truly a beautiful place. There are many paths which lead all around the property, and you may choose yours.  As my friends and I stood in front of the divergent paths, it was easy to see the ones most frequently traveled.  The ground in these paths was packed down and easy to walk, the foliage along the path was trimmed but a little beaten down, and people were along the way taking photos and talking.  All the paths would wind up leading to the same place (the gift shop), but you were free to choose yours.

As I pack up Christmas decorations and ponder the new year that is upon us, I find myself thinking of the path I should take this year.  It is not my habit to make resolutions because I usually wind up breaking them pretty quickly, so this year, I am taking a new approach.  I am looking at different paths for the year.

My first path will be one of staying positive because with “God all things are possible.”  It’s easy these days to take the highly traveled negative path, but it is much healthier to take the positive one.  I’ve heard it said that you should always take the path less traveled because it is not crowded.

My second path will be one of purpose.  Each day needs to have a purpose, and it is up to me to make sure that not a day goes by that I don’t accomplish something good in a positive way.

Gratitude will be the third path.  As I thank God for each blessing in my life, I unconsciously give up negative thoughts and things which are beyond my control.

As I quote David, “make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths” (Ps. 25:4), I will believe the promise that the Lord will continually guide me.

Happy New Year!