How do you like your eggs?

Johnny Montgomery was my best friend in high school.  I promise, promise, promise that he was NEVER my boyfriend.

However, one of the things that we could do for hours - was talk - on the phone or in our family kitchen -- sometimes until late at night.

One night stays in my memory.  Everyone in my family was asleep - upstairs.  We just kept talking - maybe about the Bible or what our plans were for our Youth for Christ Club or probably about my love life,

Suddenly, or so it seemed to me, my daddy was walking over to the kitchen cabinet and leaning down to pull out a frying pan -

"How do you like your eggs, Johnny?"

We still laugh about that moment.  I can assure you that Johnny left straight away. And many years later when my daddy lay dying, Johnny visited him, prayed for him, and they both remembered how special my friendship with him had been.

So, how do you like your eggs?

I love an omelet. I thought of that this week when I read "You cannot have an omelet unless you break the eggs." I'm not sure who to credit for those words.  I do know that I "get it".

It is the last day of 2016.  As i reflect on these 365 days that are now in my rear view mirror, I know there have been times when my eggs have been broken.

Our church was beginning a "shepherding program".  Would I participate?  Of course.  I love to hep others.  And then I realized that I have shepherding responsibilities in my own family.  I am my mother's shepherd.  HUM.  That decision freed me up to do something else - lead a Bible study for women.  We named the Bible study "Wonder Women" with a tag line - "Have you ever wondered what the Bible has to say to you?"  Those women have added so much to my life! They are like the combination of all the ingredients that would go into an omelet: a little ham, green pepper, onion, and lots of cheese.

The eggs got broken for me when I got a call that my services would no longer be needed at the home builder where I was working as a sales assistant.  I was most disappointed, for that position had been not only been fun, but it was what I thought to be my ticket to financial freedom.  Yeah right.  What in the world is "financial freedom"?

That news led me to the bank that holds my mortgage.  Friends had encouraged me to investigate refinancing at that same bank.  I thought there was no way. However, after many weeks and lots of work, this week my new loan was closed,

And in the meantime, the home builder called me.  Would I come back? Were they kidding?  I absolutely love the time I spend assisting the realtors, watching houses being built and then being there when families are given the keys to their new homes.

Neither of my examples is earth shattering.  I know that.  I've not lost anyone dear to me.  My financial status is acceptable for my lifestyle, my health is good.  I don't know what 2017 holds.  I do know that it is my prayer that whenever any of the eggs in my life get broken, I'll endeavor to know that those eggs can make an omelet.

"Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.  You will increase my honor and comfort me once more".  Isaiah 71:20-21

May your life be filled with enough sunshine

to make you appreciate the shadows

Doing what they always did

As Advent approached, I decided that I wanted to participate in some sort of daily meditation as a means to embrace the significance of this time in Christendom really.  I made a trip to my local Christian bookstore (Lifeway) and purchased A 28 Day Advent Devotional From Heaven, by A. W. Tozer.

I will be truthful.  I didn't really like it.  However, I read the appointed passage each day and when I was thinking of what I want to say I scanned the pages and found at least one sentence that I had underlined.   He wrote "how easy it might have been for God to have never shown us that He loved us" which is certainly what He did when He gave us His only Son.

That said, when I wasn't enjoying the aforementioned book, I found another.  And every day I have read from Waiting here for you, An Advent Journey of Hope, by Louie Giglio.   Fortunately, this one spoke to me.

Especially what I read today.

"On this night, shepherds were doing what they always did, keeping an eye on Bethlehems's sheep."

These ordinary men were most likely on the bottom line of an org. chart.  Maybe some had dreams of becoming a master shepherd but for the most part they were just tending sheep.  Not a very glamourous job for sure.  And Giglio points out that because of their profession, they were ceremoniously unclean - they couldn't go to the temple, even if they wanted to.

And yet, as they stood watch, something glorious happened.  An angel spoke - and then others sang - and then they went to Bethlehem.

They didn't need permission to go to the manger and they were privileged to see the Baby who had been born that night.If Jesus had been born in a mansion, they would not have been welcomed.

Sometimes my life seems very mundane.  It seems that others are having more fun, completing projects that have great value, being recognized.  Truth be told, I'd rather be one of the wise men.  I like bringing gifts.  Or I wouldn't have minded being an angel - or even the innkeeper.

Who wants to be a shepherd?

And yet when I look at the shepherds, recognizing that they were doing what they always did, I realize that what is important for me is to keep doing what I always do.  That's my plan for 2017.

May your life be filled with enough sunshine

to make you appreciate the shadows

The best gift

"You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving."

                                                                                            Amy Carmichael 

 (12/16/1867 - 1/18/1951)

We all have one - or two or three -

Favorite gifts I mean.

In the words of a song - "the best gift that I ever got, didn't really weigh a lot...the gift that drove me wild was a tiny newborn child".  That would have been true in my life in 1971 and in 1974.  Both of my girls were born just a few weeks before Christmas.  And then in 2002 - the alphabet blocks that Tray and Kristen presented our family with - B A B Y - spelled out another incredible gift.  My third grandchild would be born that next year.

Tray has always had a knack for giving.

When he was a little boy, he earned money to buy a waffle iron at a yard sale. When he was in college, he chose this train - something he knew I wanted when he was growing up, but never felt I could afford.  That was 20 years ago.

In 2014,  just before Christmas, I had a little "fender bender" that meant I was going to have a purchase another vehicle.  I remember that I remarked to Tray - "well, there goes your Christmas present".  I have taken the easy way out and given a monetary gift to Tray and his sisters for many years.  I did draw from my daddy's playbook however and found another pocket from which to get my children's gifts which I proudly put into three Christmas cards.  All the presents had been opened when Tray (as the family spokesperson)  gave me an envelope filled with the same bills that I had just given them.

We are approaching the fourth Sunday of Advent.

Which brings me back to the Amy Carmichael quote at the beginning of this blog. Born and raised in Ireland, Amy was the eldest of seven children who were brought up to love God and enjoy Him forever. When she was 22, she heard  Hudson Taylor, who founded the China Inland Mission speak about missionary life and determined that to be what God would have for her.  After a short time in Japan and Sri Lanka, she went to Bangalore, India where she ministered for the rest of her life. I have read that she spent 55 years in India without a furlough (the antiquated word used to describe "a time away from one's mission").  Her faith and love for God are in my mind beyond admirable.   When an injury confined her, she never quit ministering. With pen in hand, she shared challenging thoughts of the importance of serving the God she loved. The quote about loving and giving is one of my favorites.

As someone who likes to put my thoughts into words, sentences, paragraphs, etc, I can so identify and appreciate this "woman of faith."

And when I think of  "best gifts," they are the ones that come...with love.  After all, that's what God did.  He loved the world and gave His Son. . ." which makes the Christmas story as much about a cross as it is a manger.

May your life be filled with enough sunshine

to make you appreciate the shadows

I'm not lost

......I just don't know where I am.

Some of my friends don't like to go on adventures with me because when I am not sure where I am or how I am going to get to where we are going, I don't get upset.

At least that's the way it was until the last couple of days.

I was spending the day with my Naples family, relaxing some and taking care of a few errands.  One special task was to find a mail center and send four boxes of Letters for Luv canvases that my granddaughter Allie, had created.

Easy...except...I had a very difficult time finding a UPS store and I missed more than one turn.  Now I had thought this through.  I had done the research.  I knew where I was going.  Right.  Everything looked the same. And finally, though I didn't want to - I had to call my guru, my son in law, Wally.  He's a city planner.  He knows everything about highways.

By and by I found the place and although it was more expensive than we hoped, the packages are on their way.

You would think I learned my lesson.

My friend Deborah will not travel without an Atlas.  Did I need one?  Of course not.

The time for my return trip arrived.

I left Naples, made the first appropriate turn and then made a wrong one.  I needed gas, so I drove on. I wondered if there are gas stations in that part of the world. Once that was done, I thought I must be close to the Interstate, so I kept going.  The car's compass read north.  I just assumed I would run into Interstate 75,

An hour and 10 minutes later, I finally reached I75 in Ft Myers.  This part of my journey should have taken about 30 minutes.

Yes, I have directions on my phone.  I even have the ability to verbally ask for help and get a nice response.  But of course, as I finally realized I was asking for I95,  GRRRR,

And yes, I did stop for directions - and at all three places I was met by language barriers.

You have no idea how happy I was when I saw a sign that said I75 North.

With great relief, I made my way onto the highway and then I started thinking about what I had done.

I wondered did I learn anything?

I'll get an Atlas before I take another trip.  I'll also print a map of the area I am going to visit.

And do I find any spiritual truth in what happened?

John Newton said it best "I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind but now I see."  I'm pretty sure (and very grateful) that it was God's "grace that brought me safe thus far. . ." and that same grace led me home.

I've known about that grace my whole life and it's been real to me since I was a first grader and realized that although I was a good little girl (at least in my mind I was), I still needed to have a personal relationship with the reason we celebrate Christmas (and more than that Easter).  He is "the way, the truth and the life" and so I'm never really lost.

May your life be filled with enough sunshine

to make you appreciate the shadow