What is that?

   
     “What in the world is that behind us?” My friend Lynda’s husband Alan asked that as we were traveling along I-40. We were on our way to a Smokies Game when Alan saw something strange in the rear view mirror. Of course, everybody in car turned around to look. What we saw is in the picture below. We took pictures of it with our cell phones. I think it made the driver mad, but what do you expect when you’re driving on an interstate with a large moose head duck taped to the back of your small car?
     I sent the picture to several people and most of them had no idea what it was. Many of them thought it was a giant boot or cast attached to the small car. Since my husband does taxidermy, it was obvious to me that it was a moose head. But then again, I’m used to seeing dead animals attached to things. Seeing that moose head was a unique experience to say the least.


“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIV).
     “One and only” is how Jesus is described in the above translation. The King James Version uses the term “begotten.” Both terms mean special, unusual, and unique; just like Jesus. There is no one or nothing else like Him. Man cannot create anything that can even come close to comparing to Him and His love.
     As in my above example, some people did not recognize the moose head in the picture since it was so different. There are many today who cannot or will not recognize Jesus and his “uniqueness.” If only people could get past what the world has taught them to see Jesus as He really is. Now that would be an experience they would never forget!

 

SNOT!

     There’s only one thing that I like about snot: everybody has it. It’s a great equalizer. From Prince William to the child at day care, we all have snot, but unlike the day care child, you probably won’t see Prince Williams’. So why am I talking about snot?
     When I was a child in Sunday school, I learned the Lord’s Prayer. I was so proud of myself that I couldn’t wait to recite it to my mother. I’m glad I did or I would have been so embarrassed if somebody else had heard me. Instead of saying, “lead us not into temptation”, I was saying “lead us SNOT into temptation.”

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”
Proverbs 3:5 (NIV)
      Remember, I was a small child. I did think it was weird to put the word “snot” in a prayer, but that’s what I thought I was hearing. Like all the other humans on the planet, I made a mistake. No matter how hard we try or how good our intentions, we mess up. All of us! God knows this better than anybody. That’s why he commands us to Trust Him and not what we think we know. Chances are we are wrong! But guess what? He never is. And that’s nothing to blow your nose at!

 

Yum! Yum!

To say that I love chocolate is like saying the sun is a little hot.   Thanks to my sweet-tooth, Hershey Pennsylvania is on my “Got to go to” list.  I told my husband Tim I wanted to spend a weekend there and tour the Hershey factory.  Unfortunately for me, Tim wasn’t too keen on the idea.  Dread is the look I would describe that came across his face.

“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”  Psalm 119:103(NIV)

          Reading and studying the bible should not be a daily task.  It’s not something to mark off of our “To do” list and go on to the next chore.  As Christians, God’s words should be our desire and pleasure. We should savor His words as much as we savor a flavorful desert or a special treat.  Instead of your waist expanding, you’ll expand your faith. 

          That doesn’t mean you still can’t enjoy chocolate. J

 

Playball!

Some of my favorite words are: “Play ball!”  I played softball for years.  To this day my favorite smell is grape bubblegum and infield dirt.  I played second base and one of my responsibilities was to relay the ball from the outfield to home plate to stop a runner from scoring.  How did I do this?  I honed that baby in as fast and as hard as I could.

 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

          Did you notice the first word, “Cast?”   It means to throw or toss.  God isn’t telling us to hand Him our worries, but to throw them at Him.  Why?  Think about it.  As soon as I threw the softball to home plate, it was gone.  I couldn’t get the ball back if I tried.  It was beyond my reach.  When you hand somebody something, you have the chance to snatch it back.  But when you toss something, you can’t do that.  It’s gone.

          God doesn’t want us to take our problems back.  He doesn’t want us to be anxious or worried.  So throw your problems to Him.  He won’t miss! 

Mr. Spock

Mr. Spock

 I’ll admit it.  My favorite alien is Mr. Spock.  Who doesn’t like those pointy ears or his ability to do the Vulcan nerve pinch?  Alf is my next favorite.  I loved the episode where he had to fight a giant cockroach.  It was hilarious.  As for E.T., he was okay.  I didn’t cry when he died in the movie.  I’m sitting in the theater, listening to all the sniffles, and I’m thinking,  “It’s just a puppet!” 

None of the aliens were real anyway.  Mr. Spock was portrayed by a real person, Leonard Nimoy, but the character of Mr. Spock was as fictional as the other aliens.   I guess the question should be do real aliens exists?  The answer is yes, and they walk among us!

“Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.  Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 1 Peter 2:11-12 (NIV).

Did you think I meant extra-terrestrial aliens? The Amplified Bible translation uses the term aliens instead of foreigners.  None the less, we as Christians are the “foreigners” or “aliens” addressed in this passage.  Once we become believers in Christ, we have a new home and a new purpose.  This sinful world is only a temporary stop on our eternal journey.  But while we are here, we still have to deal and live with the sin and temptation all around us.  We are to behave in a Godly manner and not succumb to worldly ways.  By doing this, we are to be example to the lost so they too will become aliens in this world.

I’m gonna beam out of here y’all.  Live long and pray often!!

Blast Off!

          I’m sure most of you know that I am a space cadet.  I can’t help it; that’s the way God made me to be.  A few years ago we were visiting relatives in Florida when there was a Space Shuttle launch.  I don’t know about you, but I miss those.

          We watched the launch from Jetty Park.  Where Sara and I were standing, we could see the Assembly building.  It took the sound from the blast off a few seconds to reach us, but when it did, it was AWESOME.  Sara was standing right beside me and we had to scream at the top of our lungs to even be able barely hear each other.  It wasn’t just a roar.  I could hear the crackle of the fire within the roar.  It was AWESOME.  Did I say that already?  And I saw more of the huge fire tail than I saw of the Space Shuttle.  It had a glow like I’ve never seen.  It’s almost hard to describe its intensity. 

“You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.” Nehemiah 9:6 (NIV)

           I was awestruck at man’s accomplishment, but what was that compared to God’s.  He’s the One who hand made the galaxies, black holes, stars, planets, moons, meteors, asteroids, and everything else in the universe. And He alone governs the laws of physics that control them.  And yet, He still cares about what happens in my life.  Now that’s truly AWESOME.

By the way, “Apollo 13” has a great launch scene!

Locked Out!

            Have you ever felt stupid?  Most of us have on occasion.  Tim and I felt stupid when we recently locked ourselves out of our house.   Here’s the funny part, it happened during a severe thunderstorm.  I stepped outside to tell Sara goodbye when I noticed the ominous storm clouds.  Tim stepped outside too and left the door cracked.  There was a big puff of wind and the door was blown shut. Somehow it had been locked and Sara had just driven off.  All the cells phones and keys were inside and there we were standing outside in the middle of a tempest. 

            Tim climbed the back deck, but the deck door was locked.  I didn’t want him to risk climbing back down, so I walked on a busy road during a thunderstorm to the subdivision next door.  A neighbor was kind enough to lend her cell phone to call Sara.  I was so grateful and embarrassed at the same time.

I wasn’t sure what verses to use.  When I looked up deliverance, I saw many reverences to facing war or persecution from enemies.  Fortunately, those didn’t apply.  I also found verses about pestulance and being in need.  Fortunately, those didn’t apply either. 

“The Lord will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” Psalm 121:7-8 (NIV)

God is always watching over us.  Whether we are in a war or standing out in the middle of a storm, God is there and we can rely on His promises.   

Here’s another lesson I learned: you might want to hide a spare key out in the yard somewhere.