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Living Stations of the Cross

Posted by eph21920 on March 27, 2015 in Faith, Jesus, Youth

Tonight I went to the church to pray and watch the high school youth portray the Stations of the Cross. The evening started with the music group singing one of my favorite songs, “Above All”, by Michael W. Smith. The lead singer had a wonderful voice and played the guitar. There was also a keyboard player, a bass guitarist, flute player, and additional singers. The majority of them were high school youth. They did many songs during the prayer time and it was beautiful. A group of about 12 high school youth acted the 15 “Station of the Cross” – a point in time during the condemnation and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. When the lights were out, the youth would get in position to depict each scene. Then the lights would come on and as we gazed upon the live tableau, a prayer and reflection was read. Songs were intermingled throughout. At their suggestion, I closed my eyes when the lights went off and meditated on the scene and prayer I just witnessed. I thought about how Christ chose to go through this agonizing death even though He could have stopped it any time. I thought about how much I have experienced His love and mercy. And I realized that He loves and is present to everyone in that church (and beyond) just as much as me. It was a lot to ponder. I also thought about all the Stations of the Cross presentations that I have seen and helped with over the years. There have been many different versions and many different youth participated. Most of those I know are young adults now, though a few are still in high school. They are in all different places in their faith journey. I prayed that each of them take their experience to heart and allow God into their lives a little bit more.

I Found God today in the faith and openness of young people, and in the realization of the grace that came from Jesus’ crucifixion.

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Be Still and Know That I am God

Posted by eph21920 on March 26, 2015 in Connected, Faith, Family, Prayer

Tonight I joined my prayer group, who is across the country, via speaker phone. Although it was not in person, it was still wonderful to connect. We each received a journal that we will use as we contemplate scripture together. The cover of the journal has the scripture, “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10. The words immediately penetrated my heart. I held this verse close to me a few years back when I was trying to figure out where God was leading me. The work I was doing for one church came to end along with a business partnership and personal relationships. It was difficult for me to “be still”. Something had to be done to correct all these things. But it was all bigger than me. It took an incredible amount of discipline, patience, and prayer to wait for the thing that God had for me. After almost a year, it was obvious what my next move should be. I took a job at another church. That blossomed into one of the most meaningful times of my life. I was surrounded by a caring, loving community and realized what “church” really means. I was able to minister to hundreds of youth and families. And my relationship with Jesus Christ exploded as I experienced His real presence, grace, and love. Now I find myself in a very different situation. I am blessed to be with my parents and have all my needs met, but sometimes find myself itching to be a part of a ministry. The truth is that I cannot do that and be available to my parents as they currently need. “Be still and know that I am God.” I will once again hang onto these words and trust that God will bless my work, my efforts, and my family. Interestingly, I read a fellow blogger’s recent post. He is in the hospital as they try to figure out what is wrong with him. He is struggling as he is so busy. I think most of us are on that same page. I sent him the scripture.

I Found God today in His words of faith, hope, and encouragement.

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A Near Miss

Posted by eph21920 on March 25, 2015 in Car, Grateful, Miracle

Tonight I went to meet some friends for dinner. On my route, I realized that I was making the same trip I did to work many years ago. I got to a certain place in the road and remembered a time when God took my breath away: One morning I was on my way to work after a very cold night. The roads were covered with ice and I was doing my best to remain calm. I drove a big pick-up truck at that time. As it was the typical morning commute, the roads were packed with cars. There was a semi truck with a large trailer right next to me. My turn approached and I made my way to the left turn lane. I knew it was slippery there, so I down shifted (yes – it was a stick shift). I let the clutch out slowly – or so I thought. As soon as I did, the truck started sliding. I no longer had any control and I figured this was going to be the end of me. Somehow, I slid sideways from the left hand turn lane across 3 lanes of traffic and headed for the ditch. I saw the ditch approaching and thought I would hit that sideways and the truck would roll over. But, instead the truck’s back end swung around. I finally stopped, back end in the ditch, front end facing the traffic that I somehow just managed to avoid. I could not believe what had just happened. I do not know where all the cars and semi truck went as I slid, or how the truck did not come in contact with anyone else. The ditch also had a guard rail and some cement block with a small opening in between. The opening is where I landed. To continue on my journey, I simply put the truck in 4-wheel drive and drove out of the ditch. I did a whole lot of praising God that day!

I Found God today in remembering a time when He truly kept me safe.

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Chasing Bunnies

Posted by eph21920 on March 24, 2015 in Dog, Faith

As the weather warms and Spring creeps in, there are many new sights outside. Crocus flowers are sprouting, the leaves from assorted bulbs are coming up, and the grass seems to get greener every time I look out. The birds are more vocal and the bunnies who live nearby are more active. My dog has noticed the rabbits too and is now completely obsessed with chasing them. In the morning, she can’t wait to get outside to their favorite spot. Sometimes the bunnies hold very still with their ears lying flat down, pretending to be a rock. Most of the time, if they do this, my dog will not see them. But once they move, that is it – the chase is on. Now, I do keep her on a leash, but I also do let her run after them for a bit. The Beagle in her kicks in and she barks and howls as best as her 14 year old voice will allow. This reminded me of a story I heard at church. There was an old man who lived in the desert and had an old dog. A rabbit ran by and caught the eye of the old hound who took off after it, barking and howling the whole time. Other dogs nearby heard the barking and howling and joined in the chase. But one by one, the other dogs became too hot and tired to continue and they headed home. This left only the old dog who was intent on catching that rabbit. What is the difference between them? The hound dog saw the rabbit – he knew it was there and he was not going to give it up. The other dogs simply joined in because of the noise and excitement. The deacon who told the story likened it to our faith life and pursuit of God. We may join in the chase because of the words and excitement from other people. But if we never actually encounter God, we tend to fall away. Once we experience Him and know He is there, we will not give up pursuing Him. How do we encounter God? In many different ways. We begin with an open mind and heart. We pray, read the Bible, meditate on His presence in world.

I Found God today in a story that I could relate to, and I will likely think of it every morning when we go out to chase the bunnies.

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Unexpected Package

Posted by eph21920 on March 23, 2015 in Family, Friends, Mail

Don’t you just love receiving packages? Today, there was a box waiting for me in the mail. It was addressed to both me and my mom. It was from one of the ladies in my prayer group many miles away. Inside the box was a card and journal for me. I have been attending the prayer group via video chat and our next meeting is coming up during the week. Evidently everyone will have a journal and we will be meditating on a specific scripture all together. I am really looking forward to that. The woman who sent the box made my mom a prayer shawl from the group. There are tassels made up of yarn on the 2 long ends of the shawl. Each piece of yarn on the tassel is knotted. As they were being knotted, there was a prayer said for my mom. Two tassels were left to complete. The card said they were for my dad and me to say some prayers as we knot the ends of the yarn. My mother was teary eyed as she read it out loud and wasn’t able to make it through to the end. It was such a caring, thoughtful thing to do.

I Found God today in an unexpected thoughtful gift of items and prayers.

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Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Posted by eph21920 on March 22, 2015 in Children, Family, Food, Tradition

When my mom was feeling well, she, my dad, and I would go to church and then out to brunch. As she continues to recover, I have been going to the early service and then my dad goes to the later one. This morning I decided to cook brunch and have it ready when my dad returned. The other day, my mom commented on how good chocolate chips would be in some bread that I made. I remembered that when my grand kids would spend the night at my house, the older one would make chocolate chip pancakes in the morning. It became a tradition. He was very good at it and we looked forward to it each time. It is beautiful how traditions – especially those involving food – are so meaningful. I shared this with my parents and decided to surprise them with the award winning pancakes this morning. Needless to say, they were a hit. My mom said she never had chocolate chip pancakes before and thought they were only for kids. We decided that my parents are going through their second childhood.

I Found God today in the loving memory of a tradition with my grandchildren and watching my parents enjoy it, and perhaps I will continue it in some way now.

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And It’s A . . .

Posted by eph21920 on March 21, 2015 in Answer, Baby, Connected, Family, Joy

I was so excited for the BIG REVEAL today! My parents and I connected via video chat to my grandson’s tablet. The connection was not very good and kept freezing, but it was fun to see everyone there. Then came the big moment. My daughter-in-law’s sister was the only one who knew the gender of the baby. She has a business making cupcakes, so she made a giant cupcake and frosted the middle with the correct color – either pink or blue. My daughter-in-law cut into the cupcake and all I heard was screaming for what seemed like an eternity. I could not tell what was happening or see the cupcake. I kept asking, “What is it? What is it?” Then I saw my daughter-in-law’s face and she was crying. I figured she would be crying no matter what, but knew that they wanted a girl in the worst way. There has not been a girl born on the paternal side for 7 generations! Finally I heard the words clearly, “It’s a girl!”. There were tears all around and I joined in the water works – some for the excitement, some because it is hard to be so far away. After all the excitement calmed down, I was able to talk with my son and his wife, and my other son and his girlfriend who were there to visit. I still can’t believe it and am looking forward to meeting her when she makes her way into our world.

I Found God today in the excitement of a new little girl coming into my life.

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A Growing Life

Posted by eph21920 on March 20, 2015 in Baby, Family, Life

My daughter in law went to the doctor today and had an ultrasound to see if they could determine the gender of the new little person growing in her womb. She sent me some pictures – which did not include the important parts. It is amazing to see the details of the baby – leg, feet, toes, arm, fingers, etc. I could see the progress from the photos a few weeks ago. Evidently, the technician could tell the gender of the baby. But my son and daughter in law did not find out. Instead, they had the information put into a sealed envelope and gave it to my daughter in law’s sister. She is putting together a “Big Reveal” party for her tomorrow. I hope to be able to video chat with them so my parents and I can feel like we are there!

I Found God today in being able to watch the miracle of a growing life inside the womb, and I can’t wait for tomorrow!

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Yahtzee

Posted by eph21920 on March 19, 2015 in Family, Healing, Sick

Two weeks ago today, my mom returned home from having a pacemaker put in. The night before we took her to the doctor for the heart problem, we were playing Yahtzee. My mom was having a hard time during the game keeping track of how many rolls she had and how to keep her score. She was completely unable to add up her score and said she was just exhausted. I had seen her very tired before, but this was more severe. It was the next morning that we became aware of the specific problem and got her to the doctor. Today she went back to the doctor for a follow up. We talked about the game and how difficult it was that night. The doctor suggested she try it again to see how much she has improved. So, we did. After a roll or 2, she was back in the swing of the game, fully able to discern what needed to be done, how to score, and adding in her head. It was truly a cause for celebration.

I Found God today in realizing the improvement of my mom’s health in a few short weeks.

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Contemplating Eternal Life

Posted by eph21920 on March 18, 2015 in Baby, Death, Eternity, Faith

This morning my mom read our daily meditation for Lent. It referred to the scripture John 5:17-30 in which Jesus talks about the dead being resurrected.

He says specifically, “… the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.”

The meditation suggested to take some time to ponder everlasting life, so we had quite a conversation at breakfast. We talked about how we are not looking forward to the dying process, but at the same time look forward to being in Heaven. We talked about the loved ones we have lost and how we will be with them all together all the time. Several people in the family have lost unborn children and we hope to meet them. And of course, we will be with God who is all loving. I feel God allows us to get a glimpse of Heaven every now and again to continue to give us hope. We remembered dreams that we had about our loved ones being in a wonderful place. At one point in time I heard a comparison of our life to that of an unborn baby. The baby relies completely upon it’s mother before it is born. Assuming the mother wants to give birth to the child, he or she is in a safe, comfortable, loving environment. It has all of it’s needs met and yet does not know the person who is providing for it. Then suddenly, labor begins and the baby has to go through the painful process of being born. Everything changes, it is thrust into a world of light and noise. But now the child gets to meet the one who loved him or her more than anything and is placed into the mother’s waiting, loving arms. And so it can be for us. Though it is difficult, we can rely on God to take care of our needs. He has promised to do so, and it has been my experience that the more we let go and allow God to take care of things, the more he does. He has brought me through many trials, pains, and struggles. And though I would like to stick around the earth a little while longer, I truly do look forward to being in God’s presence forever.

I Found God today in contemplating His promise of everlasting life.

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