What If She'd Seen Jesus In My Yard?

Shortly before Christmas, I was surprised to find myself home alone. My mind raced with possibilities for this rare & unexpected time. Not long after the phone rang, I realized this was no accident. I spent hours on the phone with a woman intent on taking her own life. Unable to gather any family contacts, I called EMS when we were briefly disconnected. With contact re-established, I remained on the phone with her until help arrived.
To my delight she called the next evening for directions to our Bible study, but my hopes dwindled as the evening came & went without her. Over a week passed before I learned what happened that night. On her way here, a secular holiday display brought up pain & shame from her youth. She returned to her house to swallow the bottle of pills that would end her life. Thankfully she survived & the Lord worked on me through my rage, enabling me to see the log in my own eye. While the neighbors "never put Christ in Christmas," my garden remained yet unadorned as I hadn't "felt ready" for the holidays. That near-fateful evening, she had been in plain sight of the empty space where my nativity should have been set. Someone I barely knew had come seeking the Lord, but found Him not. Once again, the finger I point toward others returns to me. My Saviour (& the woman) forgive me, yet I am reminded of the saying, "one never knows who is watching".

Compared To....Who?

We had spoken of comparing ourselves to others. In doing so, we completely miss the point. Keeping up with the Jones' leads us far away from the mark for which we should be aiming. We cannot judge ourselves by what others do or find acceptable. We must only look to Christ to find out who *He* wants us to be.
After group,I stood in the church parking lot & gazed above the warehouse rooftops, watching as God began a spectacular show of light & hue. I stood watching Him paint the blue sky with lavender-grey clouds & spread a beautiful peach light across their bellies... I called out, "Wait ! You're missing the show ! He's just getting started!" People were calling out to one another as they climbed into their cars & left. How could they just ignore this? I walked across the parking lot & reached for my camera, but I never took a shot. Looking up, I realized from where most of the cars had been, the brilliance of His work was out of view. If they had remained where they were, they would have missed it entirely. It is easy to judge others with our own, limited vision but the closest we can come to seeing through their eyes is to try to see through His.

"..Much will Be Required..." *

In the time of Jesus, Roman law was final. When a Roman centurion was walking and came upon a non-Roman citizen, he could force a non-Roman to drop what he was doing and carry his load for one mile. What a tremendous burden and inconvenience !!! After having accomplished my work, I have been instructed to carry out the tasks assigned to others. It is frustrating, to say the least, infuriating at most. Not given to anger, I first sought the words of scripture for counsel.

In Matthew 5:41 Jesus said, "And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two". Is the Bible an outdated manuscript without relevance in the modern world? I would say this example puts an end to that argument.

* see Luke 12:48

Farewells and New Paths

Sadly, I must bid farewell to many students with whom I've grown deeply attached, over the past several years. I have watched them grow from timid, elementary children to young people preparing to enter high school.

As they go their own ways, I have a feeling that I am entrusting, "my babies" to strangers: their families. I will continue to see some of them, regularly and that is comforting. Some will stop by to visit, while others I will see occasionally around town. There is a magical bond formed through art that transcends the heart-felt, "How are you?" and "Are you still creating?" kind of catching up in these random encounters.

Creating alongside one another develops a unique and intimate closeness. A deep connection is forged when nurturing someone on their own artistic path. I discover new ways of seeing. I learn to see through their eyes, experiences and hearts. I watch young artists grow and encourage them along their own, unique path~and then, the time comes to set them free.
Now, I find myself wondering many things: Have I instilled in them a love for art and for creating ? Have I given them the skills they will need as individual artists? Did I encourage them enough? Will they continue to create, no matter the course their lives take? Is there a chance that, somehow, the magic will return or continue?

One can never be sure of the course our futures will take. We must cherish the moments we have and make the most of every encounter...We must open our hearts to genuine love & relationship. In this way, we allow ourselves to feel deeply and lean more heavily on our Heavenly Father. We learn to have faith in the promise that Jesus made in John 14:16, " I will pray the father and He will send the Comforter [Holy Spirit], that He may abide with you forever".

Miss Annie

Have you ever met someone and felt like you have known each other forever? Someone who instantly reached down into the depths of your heart and warmed your very soul? I ran into Miss Annie at the garden center and we hit it off immediately. She felt like family from the moment we met over a beautiful lily.
I firmly believe that God places people like this in our lives. Sometimes it is in a moment when we need some reassurance or companionship. Often, we don't know why the specific time for the encounter was chosen, but it truly feels ordained. The feeling is uplifting and lasting.



Perhaps we were chosen to encourage or be a companion to the other person. Hebrews 13: 2 says, "Do not forget to enter strangers, for by so doing some have entertained angels unaware." I don't know why we are blessed with "Miss Annie's" in our life. I do know that when we live a rushed life, we miss out on heaven-sent opportunities for companionship and warmth. I also know that Miss Annie was an angel to me in the time that we shared.

Please Don't Call Me "Religious"

Please don't call me "religious"...Religious people are the ones who crucified Christ. They continue to crucify Him today.
Folks in Jesus' time had gotten so caught up in the "Shalt nots" that they failed to love one another. That is why God sent Jesus, His Son. The vast majority of non-believing people I have met, were "raised Christian", and yet they do not know Christ. They have been so brain-washed by judgementalism that they do not know who Christ really was and IS.
If you want to get to know the REAL Jesus: who He was and is, why He came and what He is all about, PLEASE FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF. Start with the Book of John. If you want a quick biography, read the Book of Mark. John, Jesus' "beloved disciple" gives us a great understanding of who Christ really was.....Jesus hung out with sinners...prostitutes, thieves, working class stiffs....people on the edge & over the edge. Jesus spent most of his time talking about love and hope, putting others first, about forgiveness and new beginnings.....
What is your image of Christ? How do you represent Him? Do your daily words and actions align with your faith? Are you "religious"?

Shannon & Solomon's Seal

Up in the Maryland suburbs, these seem to be a nursery item. In my back yard and the surrounding forest, they grow wild. Over the last few weeks,

I have been watching them sprout, rise and open. Teardrop buds, which dangle in a line, under the luscious, sets of leaves are just now opening.

Solomon's Seal were first pointed out to me by my (step)daughter and each time I see them, I feel close to her. One of my heroes, she is uber-mom and all-around, amazing woman! When we need some odd sort of info, the saying around our home is, "Shannon will know". She is an awesome cook, gardener, homemaker , decorator and artist. She is loving, daring, playful, wise, adventurous and caring. If she sets her mind to it, I am certain she can accomplish ANYTHING she desires. When her 8 y.o. daughter had cancer, they were told the child's bowels would have to be removed. Shannon found that unacceptable and found a less life-altering, procedure being tried out in some exotic place like Fiji... Shannon convinced the doctor's to try it and it worked! She is now well into her nursing program, working towards being a pediatric, hem-onc nurse....What an amazing woman!!!
[I am having trouble getting images out of my camera, so pictures of them in bloom will have to wait until later].

Who Is My Neighbor?

Jesus sums up God's law with the command,
"You shall love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself". (Luke 10:27, see also Romans 13:9 & Leviticus 19:18). If I give to others all day, as a follower of Christ, am I entitled to take the evenings and weekends off? Can I ignore my neighbor because I have already filled my "good deed quota" for the day? I don't believe so. A lawyer asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?" (Luke 10:29). Jesus replies with the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 30-37). One of those who passes by is a Levitical priest. This tells me that no matter how holy or righteous one thinks they are, there is never a time to turn ones' back on a neighbor.
Jesus gave 3, primary instructions: Love God, love your neighbor, preach to all the world. Just before His ascension, He commissioned His followers to "go into all the world..." (Mark 16:15) or "nations..."(Matt 28:19-20) and preach the Gospel..." Perhaps some believe Jesus' instructions were multiple choice, but I believe they were all equally important.
I like the metaphor in this image. The open archway that God created into a garden of His creations where the light begins to shine. This is in stark contrast to those who are in the dark and strive to fence people out of their lives. How does your light shine in your every-day and every-moment walk towards the Kingdom? Do we ever get to retire?...Take some time off...? Not on this go-around. That comes later.