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“There is only one way to see things until someone shows us how to look at them with different eyes.”  Pablo Picasso

Recently, I spoke with an instructor in my exercise class about a very interesting tatoo he has on the inside of his arm.  It is a huge eye with different colors.  As we talked about it, he told me about its origin.  It seems that his son has Asperger’s Syndrome, and he talked about how hard it is for others to see the world as his son sees it.

Asperger’s is a form of Autism, and although it has several characteristics, inability to interact socially, repetitive behavior, and limited interests are a few.  Usually a person with this condition is very high functioning with intelligence reaching a whole different spectrum. The movie, A Beautiful Mind  comes to my mind as an example of such a person.  This is the case with “Bob’s” son.

During my years in the classroom, several of us teachers had occasion to teach a few of these special children, but at that time, research had just begun to study the condition and its implications.  We loved them, but we couldn’t always see the world through their eyes, so I empathize with “Bob” and his struggle.

“Bob” talked about how difficult his son’s childhood years had been, and he admitted that it had taken years for him to deal with his son’s condition.  His son is now 22, living on his own, and successful with his life.  “Bob” lamented the fact that he had not known how to accept his son and see the world through his eyes.  The tattoo is his way of letting everyone know that just because someone acts or looks differently does not mean they are not worthy of your love and respect.  They can show you a whole new world if you take the time to listen.  He says he loves for people to notice his tattoo so he can tell his story and how he celebrates his son and the world through his eyes.

As I pondered this, I thought about the many times I wear a cross.  This symbol should be a sign to all who see it that Christ sees each of us and our value.  I pray that each of us can look at each other with different eyes as we incorporate compassion and love.

“For God sees not as man sees, for men looketh on the outside appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”                                             I Samuel 16:7

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”  Psalm 119:.105

“Even if our path in life is rocky, rough and uneven, it doesn’t take away the grandeur and beauty that awaits us at every step along the way.”  Judy Belmont

We recently returned from a trip to Sedona!  This place was on my bucketlist, and although I was skeptical that any place could be so beautiful, I was overwhelmed to actually see it!  The Red Rocks are a wonder, and the beauty is surpassed only by the peacefulness they generate in your mind and soul.

Although we were expecting to do a little walking- maybe a short hike, this kind of hiking was not in my agenda.  The trails are rocky, winding, and steep.  Each step must be carefully taken as the trails are also narrow, and the drop off is significant!!

A guide went before us on one of the hikes, and attacked the hike with confidence, familiarity, and gusto!  I, on the other hand, found myself concentrating on each step because I did not possess these same qualities.  He skillfully led us while pointing out steep places and critter point sightings as we slowly but purposely followed him up the mountain.  We didn’t know we were climbing to the top!  What a reward to see the grandeur below!

As I thought about this experience, I suddenly realized the wisdom of our guide.  He knew we would be hesitant to follow, he knew we would encounter some rough patches, he knew the way would be steep, but he also knew the grandeur and beauty which awaited us!  I think that’s the way God looks at our paths here on earth.  He knows the trials we will face, the problems that will arise, but if we follow Him, he also knows the crown which awaits when we reach the top!!

“Don’t confuse your path with your destination.  The path may be rocky now, but it is going to lead you to amazing places.”  Lessons Learned

“Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”  Proverbs 16:24

There are few things I like better than honey, and I especially love Bit-O-Honey candy chews! This year as Randy and I have visited churches in the area, I was fortunate to attend a service where the minister passed out Bit-O- Honey chews as a “take away”.  YUM – I will never forget that message!!

The scripture above equates gracious words to honey for the soul, and it is so true!  As a teacher, the golden rule of parent conferences was, “Say three positive things about the child before you mention any of the negative things you might be dying to say.”  Keeping this rule in mind, most teachers always try to speak graciously of children in their class which usually leads the parents to be more open to any suggestions. This is not always easy – I know, I’ve been on both sides of the table as a parent and a teacher.

This same rule should go for coaches, parents, friends, enemies, and everyone in between.  It’s just as easy to speak gracious words as it is to speak hurtful ones or words spoken in anger. There is a huge power in words and the way they are spoken.  John Maxwell said, “People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.”

I don’t know a single person who can’t benefit from hearing gracious words about themselves, their career, or their children.  “Have you lost weight?” is one of my favorites!  I also love, “Your grandchildren are so handsome!” – “Retirement is agreeing with you!” – “We miss you so much!” – “Good job!” – “It was great to see you!”  – “We love you!” -just to name a few!  The old saying is so true, “You can catch more flies with honey.”  Bit-O-Honeys” are a great way to remember!!

The Bible says that Jesus will recognize us for our love for each other.  I would think He would also recognize gracious words spoken to each other!

“Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.”  John 7:24

I take an aqua fit class almost every day, and the people in that class have become friends as well as acquaintances.  We tend to habitually group ourselves into our own end of the pool, and although, we welcome new people, sometimes we scrutinize them as well.

Enter “Don”, a strange gentleman who kept to himself, never spoke to others, and chewed gum like crazy!  We began to wonder if there was something wrong with him mentally – maybe the effects of a stroke, or a social disorder of some kind.  He was a loner in a “sea” of conversation and activity.  In the beginning I said “hello” everyday, but he only nodded his head in reply, so I quit speaking.

Slowly, he began to smile at us, say good morning, and eventually say a few words.  He must have talked to someone because he knew my name, Randy’s name, and our church background.  He began to ask me to ask Randy for his opinion on some Biblical questions.  I reported the answers during class, he nodded his head, and gave me the next question.

Last week during class, I watched as “Don” got out of the water, sat on the steps for a few minutes, then left to go to the dressing room.  No one went to see about him, and in a few minutes I saw him leave the club.  I couldn’t get the incident out of my mind.

He came back two days later, and while he was sitting on the steps of the pool, I went over and sat down beside him.  I asked, “When you left the other day, were you sick?”  He thought for minute, and then said, “I have cancer.  I take a shot every three months as treatment, but the side effects are brutal.  I have hot flashes, dizzy spells, and deep depression.  The other day, I was having a dizzy spell and needed to sit until it passed.” Then, he said, “Thank you for asking.”

In that moment, I knew that I had horribly misjudged another person.  I labeled him “strange” and “weird”, but he was really just a person dealing with his own problems in his own way.  Many of the “strange” days were depression days.  I did exactly what we as Christians are taught not to do. I had formed an opinion without bothering to know the person.  This was a Godly reminder for me!

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”             Harper Lee

“It is in the pauses – the rests, the spaces in between – that meaning is made and that holiness is felt.”  Rabbi Evan Moffic

Nowadays we keep so busy there’s hardly a pause or space in our day. Moffic says that “that’s not the way God created us or the world.  God worked, then rested.  God created, then paused…thus our Sabbath is the day when we can marvel at the beauty of the world God created.  It is the day we enjoy what the ancient sages called ‘a taste of heaven’.  It is a day when we stop thinking about the what of life and remind ourselves of the why of life.”

In years past, Sunday or the Sabbath, was set aside for worship, rest, and family time.  It was a day when stores were closed, people dressed up for church, and the atmosphere was restful and relaxed – a chance to pause and reflect.  It was a little “taste of heaven”.

Now, I see little league teams practicing first thing on Sunday morning, sports take center stage, stores are open every day, and people drop into church on their way somewhere else.  Sunday or the Sabbath is just another day.  We are missing that “taste of heaven.”

This year is the 16th anniversary of 911.  I remember exactly where I was when that tragedy occurred, and the sense of helplessness I felt.  As Americans, we paused that day and in the days immediately following to honor those who lost their lives in the towers, in the plane crash, and those brave emergency respondents.  We, as a church and people everywhere came together to pause and pray to ask God’s blessings and intervention in this tragedy. We needed a little “taste of heaven.”

These past two weeks, we have paused and waited  helplessly to see the damage Harvey and Irma would invoke on the country.  We’ve taken a pause from our political differences and drawn together to pray for and support those who have lost so much in these natural disasters.  When we pause to come to the aid of another, we experience that “taste of heaven.”

As we pause to remember 911 and continue to pray for the victims of the storm, God is working in His world.  Sometimes God does His greatest work during the pauses of our life.

Isaiah 29:9  “Pause and wonder.”

“The game of life is a lot like football.  You have to tackle your problems, block your fears, and score your points when you get the opportunity.” Lewis Grizzard

Football season is now upon us, and I must say it’s welcomed with great anticipation here! Georgia has a win under their belt, and we have many more weeks of excitement to come!

This year, two of our grandsons are also on the gridiron, but they are in different places and they play different positions.  While watching them play, I realized Lewis Grizzard is right, football is a lot like life.

Cooper, our ten year old, plays center for the Buford Wolves.  His position makes me think of the anchor that we need in our lives.  He is a big boy, smart, and nobody gets past him!  I also love that until he hikes that ball, nothing else can happen in that game!

Mason, our eight year old, plays anywhere on the field for his team!  His positions make me think of a sparkplug or motivator that we need in our life.  He is a live wire, and even if he is not in the game, he is out there motivating others just being there!

In our lives, we also need encouragers, and I love how both boys encourage their teammates before, during and after games.  Friends are there when the game is over, so it’s a great idea to be there for them all the time.

As Christians, I look at the Bible as our anchor.  We have so much conflict, tragedy, and upheaval in our world today.  If you are anchored, you are held firmly in place.  The world is changing, but God’s truth as stated in the Bible has not changed.

I look at disciples of Christ as the motivators.  We motivate people around us each day by living a life that exemplifies our faith by our actions as well as our words.

We are all supposed to be encouragers of each other.  We are not to be critical of our fellow Christians, but rather, we should be there to encourage and not judge. We might not always agree, but it is up to us to be there for each other to support and encourage.

“The Lord your God is in your midst; a warrior who gives victory.”  Zephania 3:7

Coop is #44 and Mason is the blonde scoring the TD!

“The loving kindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him; who keep His commandments.”  Psalm 103:17-18

A friend was telling us a story of two men-one, his dad; the other, his uncle. When he was a boy, his uncle would always ride around the block looking for a parking meter with time left on it.  His dad, in contrast, would always find an empty meter, park, and when he left would fill it up for the next person.  His uncle lived on borrowed time, while his dad paid the price for someone else!

In the movie, Going in Style, three retirees who have lost their pension begin to count up how many years they have left on earth.  They do this because they plan to rob a bank and “borrow” the amount of cash they feel they are due!  They don’t want to take too much, but they don’t want to have to rob the bank again if they take too little!  They were “borrowing” from the bank what they thought was owed them.  When I think about it, all of us are living on borrowed time, and we really are not promised or owed anything other than today.  We can’t count up how much we might need to live because we don’t know.

This past Sunday, Randy and I returned to Bowdon First United Methodist for homecoming.  It was like turning back the clock for us.  As I looked around at the pews, I could visualize where everyone sat on Sunday morning when we served there.  Now there are different faces in some of the pews where friends sat.  Some of those faces are of their children, grandchildren, even great grandchildren.

These folks who were missing are like the dad in the story above.  They filled empty meters for those who would come after them – they paid the price for someone else!  This is how the kingdom of God advances.  We live for Jesus the time we are given and don’t worry about the time we have left.

“I will thank God for the day and the moment I have.”  Jim Valvano

“Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace can be found in silence.”  The Desirata

I like to start my day on my back porch when the weather permits.  When I first begin my devotional time, it is usually silent except for the hum of the neighbor’s air conditioner.  Slowly, the noise of the day begins to creep in – first a dog barking, then a car going by, next a blower, and pretty soon noise has overtaken the silence.  This time every day is set aside for solitude, but the world and life happen to interrupt.

Over the years, I have learned the difference between silence and solitude. Silence is defined as “the absence of sound” while solitude is defined as “being alone.”  Silence demands solitude.  As we wait quietly before God, the spiritual ear becomes trained to hear His voice.

In our world today, nobody seems to enjoy silence.  The television is on even when no one is in the room, cell phones interrupt our quiet times constantly, Alexa is ready to talk first thing in the morning, exercise classes blare music to pump you up, car trips are filled with audio books, and stores play music continuously.

This week the buzz was all about the solar eclipse, and even though it wasn’t as total as I had expected, it was still incredible.  The strange thing was as we sat in our yard awaiting the eclipse, there was an unusual and comforting silence.  No one was driving, walking, talking, and there were only the birds singing their night time song.  We watched in silence as the reflection of the eclipse danced around the shadows revealing the crescents of the eclipse.  God speaks in silence, and Monday He assured me that He is still there and still in control.  I take a lot of comfort in that silent assurance.

Remember,  “silence can never be misquoted”.  selected

“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever.”   Psalm 107:1

I was shopping in Trader Joe’s the other day, and as I passed the food sampling station, the man behind the counter reminded of a life lesson.  A little boy came running up to the counter and said, “Give me some.”  The man immediately moved back the sample he was holding out and said, “What’s the magic word?”  The little boy was visibly perplexed and said, “I don’t know, just give me some.”  “No,” said the man, “not until you give me the magic word, and the word is ‘please’.”  The little boy said, “Well, ok, ‘please'”.  As the gentleman handed him the sample, he said, “Now, you need to say ‘thank you'”. “OK, thank you,” said the little boy as he took the sample,” but I need one for my brother, so ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ for him too.”

The first thing I thought as he ran away was, “Where is his Mom and why has she never taught him his manners?”  The second thought I had was how easy it is to say the words but not really understand or attach meaning to the words.  I grew up saying the magic words- please, thank you, yes m’am, no sir – and I say them out of habit.  We were taught our manners from day one, and our parents would be embarrassed if we didn’t use them.

One of my pet peeves is asking a child a question and having him or her respond with “what” or answering my question with “yeah” or “no”.  It might be politically incorrect to request that they answer politely, but it is my opinion that a little dose of manners is good for them!

Yet, sometimes when I pray, I forget to use my manners.  I ask for blessings in my life which I don’t deserve, I ask for forgiveness when I am slow to forgive others, I ask for peace when I neglect quiet time with God, I ask for love when I am unlovely, and so many other things.  I forget to use the “please” word on a daily basis in my spiritual life.

I also forget to say “thank you” which is the most important of the two “Magic Words”.  It is so easy to forget when prayers are answered, blessings are abundant, peace flows like a river, or love is abounding to say a simple “thank you” to God for His blessings and His goodness. Sometimes  I need to be reminded of these two “magic words”.

“I just thank God for all of His blessings.”  James Brown

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

“There are big ships, and small ships, but the best ship is Friendship.”  Robert the cruise director

During the years of our ministry, Randy and I have been fortunate to meet and love so many friends.  These are folks that are always there no matter the circumstances- they would do anything for you and vice versa.  These people are always honest with you and loyal to you no matter the situation.

In 1975 while serving in Dalton, we were awakened around 5 in the morning during a horrific thunderstorm by our friend and neighbor, Sam. A huge creek ran in front of both our houses, and it seems the rain had carried his bridge downstream.  “Randy,” he yelled, “run out to your front yard and see if you can grab my bridge – I’m on my way.”  They did it!  No questions – just I’ll be there!

During our first appointment in Newborn from 1976 to 1978, the summer of 1977 was extremely dry – so dry that rats (cat size ones) would gnaw the screen of our porch trying to get to our dog’s water.  We tried everything to rid ourselves of these awful pests.  One night about dusk, Randy abandoned logic and decided to shoot them as they went about their nightly ritual.  I was in the kitchen when I heard two things pretty close together – a shot and the phone ringing. Sammy, our back door neighbor (a lawyer and now a judge), said one sentence after I said hello, “Diane, I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m coming and I’m bringing my gun, tell Randy not to shoot!”  No questions – just I’ll be there!

We moved to Bowdon in June of 1978 and were expecting our second child in July.  We had met people there, but in July we were still relatively the new folks!  The morning we had to go to the hospital, Randy called our new friend, Sherrod, to ask if she could keep Rob until my Mama got there.  She said, “Of course.”  I didn’t know until sometime later that she was hosting a luncheon that day, but she didn’t hesitate!  No questions – just I’ll be there!

When I think of friends, so many names leap to my mind.  I can still see a group of men who were first church members at Mt. Bethel, then lifelong friends.  They guided, advised, and loved us!  We depended on them for honesty and guidance.  We would never have built such a ministry without them.  No questions, just I’ll be there!

If you know us, you know that when we call or text with the one word “help”, don’t hesitate, just come!  No questions, just I’ll be there!  We will always do the same if it’s humanly possible.

C.S. Lewis said, “Friendship has no survival value; rather it gives value to survival.”  How could we survive without our friends?  God bless all our friends!