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Charm can mislead and beauty can fade.  The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the fear of God.  Proverbs 31:30  

They have been a wonderful encouragement to me as they have to you.  You must show your appreciation to those who serve so well.  1 Corinthians 16:18

A few months ago, Randy and I had the opportunity to visit my hometown church for a Ladies Night Out program.  As I was greeting old friends of mine and friends of Mama’s, a lady approached me with these words, “I loved your Mama, and I see so much of her in you that I just have to give you a big hug.  When I hug you, I feel like I am hugging her.”

That was so special to me because it conveys the specialties that Mama shared with so many others.  I began to wonder what had made our Mama so special to this sweet lady.  Did Mama make Mac and cheese for her?  Did she send her a card?  Did she sing at an important event in her life?   Did she visit with her in her store?  Was it just the way Mama had of showing love?

Every Mother has a specialty in the way she loves and teaches her children that is uniquely hers just like most women have a dish that they make that’s their specialty.  Mama’s dish specialty was Mac and cheese. She made it every Sunday when we were growing up for Sunday dinner, she made it every time we came home for a visit,  she made it for every church supper or luncheon,  she made and took it to those who were sick, she made and took it every time someone in the community lost a loved one.  It was so good that it just made everyone feel good.  It was a labor of love she shared. We took for granted how special she could make it, but now that she is no longer here, we would give anything for one more serving of her specialty.

She also had specialties as a mother, and she shared them with her girls, her grandchildren, and her great grand boys.   She was kind, loving, forgiving, smart, fun, joyful, a good listener, talented, humble, set a great example, planted seeds of good character, and loved Her Lord with all her heart.

Everyone has a mother whether it be a biological one, an adopted one, a foster one, one whom we love like a mother, or an important woman in our life.   Mothers have many specialties, but there are some I feel are the most important. The Moms I love are dependable, trustworthy, devoted, courageous, diligent, wise, loving, prayerful, never give up on their children, fair, faithful, and they go through life with grace.  In short, remarkable.

The Hebrew word, Chayil, when translated means strength, valor and in all ways excellent.  It goes on to include those who are dependable and above all love the Lord.  Those are the specialties of a Mother.

Happy Mother’s Day!

The mother is the one supreme asset of the national life.  Theodore Roosevelt

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Matthew 7:12

A neighbor is defined as one who lives close to you.  Recently, we had the opportunity to watch the movie, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?  the story of the life of Fred Rogers.  When our kids were growing up, Mister Rogers was on TV every afternoon, and it was usually quite popular with them.  The adults in the room thought it was a bit corny at the time,  but after seeing this movie, we were so wrong.  Mr. Rogers had it right.  The movie sheds a whole different light on him;  his background as an ordained minister, his strong Christian beliefs, and his desire to help children with positive reinforcement, self esteem and qualities of a good neighbor.

This movie begs the question, Who is your neighbor?  In the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus is asked the same question, and he responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan.  What qualities would Jesus consider worthy of being called a good neighbor?

When I picture this parable in my mind, I always remember the pictures in the Bible stories for children. It helps to set the scene.  The road from Jericho to Jerusalem is roughly 17 miles through rocky country and desert.  The road is winding, and it provides many places to encounter robbers and thieves along the way.  It was here that the traveler was robbed, beaten and left for dead on the side of the road.

Hypocritical clergymen ( a Priest and a Levite), see the injured man, and they not only pass him by, but also cross over to the other side of the road to avoid making contact with him.  They ignored the quality of faithfulness that was required of them, and they failed to exhibit the empathy required to be good neighbors.

The Samaritan on the other hand, showed mercy to the injured man.  The Samaritans were looked upon as outcasts and heretics by the Jews of this day.  In making the Samaritan the hero, Jesus illustrates how important showing mercy is no matter the bias we might feel as we strive to be good spiritual neighbors.

Finally, Jesus shows us that justice has been served here.  The priest and Levite were exposed for their unfaithfulness, the Samaritan was seen in the light of mercy, and the wounded man was restored through the kindness of the most unlikely man.

Everyone is our neighbor.  Jesus uses this story to illustrate to us that He wants us to be givers of love as well as recipients of love.  Always strive to keep the Golden Rule.  If others should fail, it is them, not us!

It is true.  The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.  Luke 24:34

It always amazes me how we seem to run into people we know in the most unexpected places.  One year we were vacationing with friends in Costa Rica at a very sparsely populated resort.  We were sitting out by the pool, got up to go swimming, and from across the pool, we heard, “Hey Randy”!  The next year, we were on a cruise ship on deck for the sailing when someone tapped us on the shoulder and said, “Hey Preacher, should I be worried about this cruise?”  As we say, “You just can’t take him anywhere.”  People can appear in the most unexpected places, and I always love the encounter.

After the resurrection, two disciples were walking to Emmaus which is about 7 miles from Jerusalem.  They were downcast and disheartened about the crucifixion of their Lord.  On their way, Jesus joined them, but they did not recognize him.  He encouraged them to tell of all they had witnessed, and still they did not know him.  They asked him to dinner, and it was only when he broke the bread and gave it to them that they realized it was their Lord.  When they recognized him, he disappeared.  Jesus turns up in the most unexpected places.

There have been and are still so many times when Jesus shows up in my unexpected places.   He shows up when I need strength to face trials, He shows up when I need comfort, He shows up when I need reassurance, He shows up when I need a friend, He shows up when I’m afraid, He shows up when I pray, and He shows up daily in the face of others.

The unexpected places was brought home to me in the early 70’s when my friend Sheryl and I were returning home from UGA.  We were late, and I was driving a little faster than I should have been.  Outside of Columbus on a two lane road as we topped a hill and headed down, there, on the side of the road, sat a Georgia State Patrolman.  We blew by him, and suddenly reality struck.  I looked at Sheryl, and she looked at me.  We said together, “We’ve got to turn around and go back.”  When we approached the scene of the crime, there he stood, outside the car now.  He had his hat on, his arms folded, ankles crossed, a giant of a man, and he was leaning on the car waiting for us.  You see, the patrolman was Sheryl’s Daddy, Mr. Ed, and he was waiting for us to come back because he knew we would.  He recognized us, and we recognized him.

We got out and approached him, heads down, eyes averted, waiting for the inevitable tongue lashing and consequences.  He didn’t do that, he treated us with grace and mercy!  He said, “Now girls, where are you going in such a hurry?  I am not gonna tell your Mamas, I am not going to chastise you, and I’m not gonna give you a ticket.  I think you may have learned your lesson. I’m just glad it was me here instead of someone else because you would be in deep trouble.”  Yep, to this day, I slow down when I come to that area of South Georgia because you never know what’s waiting on that road and over the hill.

Jesus waits for us while we find our way to recognizing Him.  He waits for us to repent and turn back to Him so he can forgive and restore us.  He wants us to rejoice in the Resurrection and recognize him as our Lord and Savior. We can find Him in the most unexpected places.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”  Tao Lzu

When I was growing up in my small town, we did an awful lot of walking. We walked because it was safe, parents liked you to be outside,  it wasn’t very far anywhere, and it was basically a kid’s only way to get where you would like to go. In my mind’s eye, I can still see every road (some of them were dirt), friends and relatives’ houses along the way, churches, and highways. It was a simple life and time, but every day was a journey somewhere.

Jesus also walked everywhere he went.  He walked the road to Jerusalem many times to attend festivals, weddings, and religious ceremonies.  He spent a lot of his ministry healing people there.  He cleansed the temple there, entered the city on the back of a donkey amid cheers on Palm Sunday, prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane outside the city, had the Last Supper in the Upper Room, had his trial there, He was crucified on Golgotha, and His ascension was also there. Every day was a journey toward His final destination.

Jesus lived a simple life.  He didn’t have a huge income, a home of His own, or the conveniences, luxuries or comforts of this world.  Rather, He experienced suffering and pain. The scriptures say that despite all this, “He had a great joy”.

His joy came from the deep relationship He had with His heavenly father. He had a dependence on His Father that left him feeling nourished, uplifted and content.  He had no need for the material things.

The lesson of Holy Week to me is that Jesus’ journey is our journey.  He walked every step of the way to the cross knowing every day what lay in store for him.  Sometimes we tend to believe that since Jesus suffered and died for us, we can eliminate all the challenges life brings and go straight to the head of the class.  It just doesn’t work that way.  Jesus laid out the footsteps, now we just need to walk in them.

Tomb, thou shalt not hold him longer;  Death is strong, but life is stronger;  Stronger than the dark, the light;  Stronger than the wrong, the right.               Faith and hope triumphant say, Christ will rise on Easter Day.  Phillips Brooks

These things I have spoken to you that my joy might be your joy, and that your joy might be made full.  John 15:11

Happy Easter!

God’s kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field.  That night, while the hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn. When the first green shoots appeared, and the grain began to grow, the thistles showed up, too.  Matthew 13:24-26

Not much in life hurts more and fills one with more anguish than an occasion when we feel as if we have been betrayed by a good friend or loved one.  It can come when you least expect it through gossip, disagreements, broken confidences, broken promises, jealousy, or other events in life.  Almost everyone has experienced betrayal.  At our house we like to call these folks, people who speak with a forked tongue.  We pray for them and for ourselves, ask forgiveness, and then, we dust the sand from our feet and move on.

Judas was a close disciple of Jesus, and for three years, they traveled together, lived together, and worked together.  Judas was treated as a confidential servant and friend.  Yet, in the end, Judas gave in to his temptation and committed the ultimate act of treachery – he sold out for money – what will you give me if I deliver Him to you?  Matt: 26:15  Rather than live and work for Christ, he betrayed our Lord for thirty pieces of silver, and he sealed it with a kiss.  The Judas kiss is described as an act appearing to show friendship which is actually harmful to the recipient.

Betrayal hurts in many ways, but the ones that seem to stand out are the ways that it can effect us emotionally.  It hurts our feelings as my Mama would say.  We can’t believe someone close to us would let us down. It is frustrating because in many cases there have been no outward signs or reasons for the betrayal.  It also makes us angry to realize that we have put our confidence in someone, and they don’t respect us enough to be deserving of our respect.

Many times we witness spiritual betrayal.  We see people desert the church, deceive other Christians, even deny Christ.  What should be our reaction to these who we see as betraying their faith?

Jesus used the parable of the wheat and the tares to deal with betrayal.  The farmhands asked,  ‘should we weed out the thistles?’  No, if you weed the thistles you’ll pull out the wheat too.  Let them grow together until harvest time.  Then, I’ll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and bind them to be put in the fire.  The wheat will be harvested and put in the barn.  Matthew 13:29-30.  This says to me that God will deal with the betrayer in His own way and at His appointed time.  He won’t sacrifice the good to deal with the bad.

Jesus knew that Judas would betray him, yet He showed grace to him. When I remember Judas, I think of him as a man who was haunted by his decision of betrayal so much that he went and hanged himself.  He couldn’t live with his betrayal. There are betrayers among us, and God allows them to exist here until He chooses to deal with them.  We live among thistles and wheat, and it’s our job to show grace to both.  Just as there are betrayers among us, there are angels here also.  Let’s choose to concentrate on the angels.

And now Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with boldness.  Acts 4:29

Spring is here and with it comes March Madness.  People have compiled their brackets of teams which map out how they think teams will be paired up for the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight and the Final Four.  Finally, we have our Final Four and are preparing for the Championship weekend.  Basketball season is long and uninteresting for me, but this time of year is different.  I love watching the games leading up to the Championship and of course, the big game!

My high school ladies basketball team was actually quite good, and although I didn’t play in an actual game, I was on the team for a short time. They won state for a couple of years in the late 60’s with a very talented team. How I loved to watch Jackie Lane make a hook shot!   Our coach, Mr. Malcolm, was a distinguished gentleman who was soft spoken, all business, an excellent coach, and all about the love of his girls.  He taught the fundamentals of basketball while encouraging morals, Christian beliefs, and teamwork.

One of his hard and fast rules was follow your shot.  In other words, when you shoot, don’t stand there, run toward the goal and hope if your shot misses, you can get the rebound.  During the years when I watched Rob play and now as I watch all the grand boys play, I enjoyed and still enjoy cheering on the teams.  My main criticism now a days is that the teams don’t follow their shot.  

Everyone looks at me oddly when I yell this out from the stands at the games. I didn’t see the problem, but I looked it up to see if it is indeed important, (maybe I made that up), but guess what?  It IS a fundamental.  This quote was included in a basketball website:  When working on your shooting don’t forget to follow your shot.  This is one of the most neglected fundamentals of basketball these days.  Don’t sit back and watch your shot like a spectator, go after it so that if you miss, you will have a chance to get the rebound and make another shot.  Follow it in.  copied

In life, we  can learn from this fundamental.  It takes a spirit of boldness to charge the basket after a shot to make sure you finish what you began.  The distinguishing marks of a good athlete and dedicated player lies here.  This player attempts great things for their team.  The New Testament speaks of a boldness or spirit that lies within the church.  This kind of faith attempts great things for God.

Sometimes a player thinks it’s easier to stand there and watch their shot just like Christians think it’s easier to stand back and watch others do the work of the Kingdom.  I think just the opposite is true.  It’s easier to move forward in bold faith than to err on the side of caution and timidity.

I’ll be watching for the players who follow their shot with courage and conviction.  I”ll also be praying that we, as Christians, will move forward in faith, boldness, and strength to accomplish great things for God.

You run a sad train, mister.  You take people away when they don’t want to go and won’t bring them back when they are ready.  Charles Anderson in Shenandoah

One of my favorite movies of all time, is Shenandoah.  I love all the characters, their close family, and I especially love the scene where the Anderson family stops a Union train to look among the Confederate prisoners bound for prison for their brother and son.  They found instead their son in law/brother in law and freed all the prisoners on the train.

There are so many different trains – passenger, freight, fast, slow – I love to hear the whistle blowing as it approaches stations along the way.  When I was a little girl, my PaPa took me on a train ride from Donalsonville to Iron City, a total of 5 miles!   I still remember how excited I was to this day.  I sat on his lap and watched the scenery go by from the window of the train (it’s not like it raced by in that five mile trip).  Normally the train went without stopping to Bainbridge twenty miles down the track,  but this day, they stopped to let us off and then started again.

Now, many places have hop on, hop off, buses and trains to make it easy to get where you are going.  One ticket and you can get off and get back on to continue your journey when you are ready.  You can start the trip when you want and stop when you choose.

The train of life provides us many opportunities to start and stop.  God has provided us with the ticket for the train, the chance to ride, and the means with which to enjoy it. We can hop on the train and start a new career, start reading the Bible, start doing for others, start praying, and basically start anything at anytime on the journey.

We can also hop off, and stop doing something harmful, stop hurting our loved ones, stop being self centered, stop a bad habit, stop complaining, and stay here until we are ready to continue.

Jesus has provided us with helpful tools for our trip.  He has given us a compass in the form of our conscience.  If we listen, we innately know what is right and wrong, and we know if we need to start or stop doing it.

He has also provided us a road map for referral on our trip. The road map is the Bible.  Sometimes we need to stop listening to what the world thinks, hop off the train, and go check out the road map.  Reaffirmed, we can then hop back on and start again.

Jesus has given us a personal guide in the form of the Holy Spirit.  We have only to ask, knock, seek and the Holy Spirit will make the journey plain as we travel.

God runs a train for sinners, hypocrites, young, old, rich, poor, men, women, children, and everything in between. During this time of Lent, maybe we should consider a train ride.  All we need to do is present our ticket and start the journey!

I come to the Garden alone; while the dew is still on the roses; and the voice I hear, falling on my ear; the Son of God discloses…and He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own.  And the joy we share as we tarry there; none other has ever known.   C. Austin Miles

In 2001, Houston First United Methodist Church came calling to see if Randy would be interested in coming to be their next minister.  They flew us out to look, and  our time was filled with what I call, “wining and dining.”  We met so many great folks, and it was a humbling experience.  The last night as we sat down for dinner at the country club, John said, let’s have the blessing.  Then he said, “By the way, everyone, if Randy and Diane come to be with us, you just need to know that Diane does not pray publicly!!”  Sadly, that’s true, but how’d he know that, and is that not oversharing?

There are so many folks who pray eloquently.  The fact is, I am not  eloquent with words in prayer; consequently,  I do my best praying when I am alone.  It is then that I can have a conversation with God rather than orate.  If you want to know about prayer, all you have to do is examine the life of Jesus.  It seems to me that although He prayed for others in crowds daily, when He truly had important decisions to make or when the pressures of His life increased, He went out to a mountainside, a garden or some quiet place to be alone with His Father.  The Bible says that Jesus “withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Luke 5:16

The Garden of Gethsemane has always reminded me of how intensely Jesus prayed and how much he relied on this time alone with His Father to get him through.  Spending time alone with God is the secret to feeling His power and strength.

Jesus always knew what we as Christians are slowly learning.  When we think we don’t have time to pray is the time we need to pray the most.  We don’t mind spending months planning a vacation, a reunion, a wedding, a dinner party, etc. yet amazingly, we don’t want to spend five minutes seeking God’s guidance.  God is always open to discussing things with us, but it takes two to have a conversation.

We don’t have to pray out loud in order for God to hear, just listen for God’s voice in everything we do, and He will direct our paths.

Everyone has sinned and fallen short of God’s glorious standard.  Romans 3:23

A couple of days ago after water aerobics class, I wandered into the lady’s sauna to warm up, and I stumbled into the most interesting conversation occurring among three ladies. It was really a vent session, but I got so caught up in it, that I sat down to listen.

The first lady, Linda, was complaining about her mother.  It seems that Linda never gets the thanks and respect she deserves from her mother for all the many ways she cares for her in any and all situations.  Maria jumped in to say that her husband loves his Mother, but Maria ends up doing all the caring for her, and she resents it.  Both of these ladies painted themselves as the perfect and deserving ones in these situations.

At this moment, Pat took the floor and said, “Ladies, I have to say this.  Three years ago my husband asked me if we could take his terminally ill mother into our home.  He didn’t insist, but he rather made it our decision.  She moved in, and we cared for her.  Then, with tears in her eyes, she said, that man loved his Mama so well.  He carried her in his arms at the end when she couldn’t move by herself.  Just seeing the love in his heart, earned my husband a whole lot of places of respect and love in my heart during that time.  She finished by saying, there’s not one of us who deserves all the riches and grace God gives us.  Not one.”  Wow!  What can one say to that?  She was exactly right.  None of us are perfect.

Silence was followed by wiping of tears, nodding of heads, and an Amen from me.  When we walked out, I stopped Pat to tell her how beautiful her words were to me.  I added, “None of us are perfect.”  She added to my thoughts by saying, “I am so glad my husband isn’t perfect because if he were, he wouldn’t want me.”  God truly placed Pat in our lives that day.

Although I have never had to care for a loved one single handedly, I watched my Mom and Dad care for their parents, I’ve seen other family members care for their loved ones, and recently, I’ve seen friends deal with caring for spouses and parents.  I’m sure they felt a lot of emotions during these times, but I never heard them be resentful.  It’s not about how imperfect those for whom we care are during this time, it’s about the grace we receive to help us be the best we can be to respect and love them.

As we prepare our hearts for the experience of Lent and Easter, I pray while None of us are perfect, no not one.  Romans 3:10,  we can strive to be worthy of the grace we receive to do our best each day.

This is the very perfection of man, to find out his own imperfections.  Augustine

Never let the fire in your heart go out.  Keep it alive.  Serve the Lord.            Romans 12:11

It only takes a spark to get a fire burning, and soon all those around will warm up in its glowing;  That’s how it is with God’s love..once you’ve experienced it, you spread your love to everyone; you want to pass it on.                Kurt Kaiser

Years ago when our family served the Calhoun First Methodist Church, we had an incident occur on Ash Wednesday.  The service was wrapping up, and Randy was at the altar speaking to those who had come to kneel in prayer.  The sanctuary was dark, and the candles were providing the only light.  It was quite a moving service.  The kids and I were sitting in the balcony, and as I looked down, I saw a strange thing.  Behind Randy there seemed to be a glow much like I would imagine the Holy Spirit.  The odd thing about it was, every time Randy moved – it moved.

As the glow got brighter, I realized that the sleeve of his robe was the source of the glow.  Just as I was making my way down to tell someone, I heard Randy say to a member, “Am I on fire?”  She nodded her head, yes, and he urgently said, “Well, please put me out.”  It turns out that a spark from the candle had ignited his robe.

It’s a fact that you can’t start a fire without a spark, and that it only takes a spark to get a fire burning.  As we begin this Lenten season, my prayer is that we all receive that spark which leads to a fire and that we are filled with the Holy Spirit.

When we acquire this spirit, we will have an intercessor, a helper, and receive gifts of the Spirit.  Usually, during the forty days of Lent, we speak of “giving up” something.  Another suggestion would be to “take on” the task of praying to be ignited so that we can pass it on to others who need the Holy Spirit.

Wouldn’t that be an amazing concept that we are so excited and on fire as Christians that we have to ask others to “please, put out our fire”?  We can be the sparks that ignite the fires all around us.

The good news about his story is that those of us in that community relived that moment, and it made that Lenten season more alive in all our hearts and minds as we sought to pass it on.