Buzz!

Buzz! Buzz!… The distinct sound, buzz of bees and wasps, alerts us to danger. We avoid them at all costs. To most, a sting brings temporary discomfort; to those with allergic reactions, stings can be deadly. I remember,  my Mom using a home remedy; she applied mud to my bites. The combination, of my mother’s love and mud pacts, made everything all right.

My father-in-law, an outdoors man, had no fear of snakes. He tossed them through the air with ease. Yet, he had a deep fear of bees and wasps. My husband has stored away the memory of that trait in his  mind. It was not a weakness in his daddy. He may have experienced painful bites by a swarm of flying insects, or witnessed a merciless attack to someone he loved.

God, in His infinite mercy, has removed the sting of death! “Death has been swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:54b-57 HCS)!” Listen…He has silenced the Buzz!

Father of the Fatherless

It’s sad but true; many moms are serving in dual roles, as mother and father. Divorce happens. Some fathers, though outside of the home, are supportive and involved. The numbers of those who simply walk away, abandoning their children, is staggering. Fatherless children, confused and hurt, face many challenges throughout life.

Feelings of insecurity and trust issues are common. Having no good role model for a father of their own, they often repeat the mistakes of the past generation. As a result, their children suffer; once again, mom has to carry the sole responsibility of parenting. There is hope. The cycle of failure can be broken. We must place our trust in the Father of the fatherless.

“A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation. God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land (Psalms 68:5-6 NKJ).” God’s word comforts those who feel lonely and unloved.  If mom shoulders the entire load, the Everlasting Father waits to lift her burden.

PB&J Are Here to Stay!

Moms, do not feel intimidated in the kitchen. True, it may be hard at times to please your husband. If he compares your cooking to his mother’s,  I pity you. Making your children happy is often much simpler. Their favorite foods might not be high in nutritional value; yet, if you work in healthier choices, you cut down conflict, and cut back time slaving over a stove. Fix sandwiches; pb&j are here to stay!

Pb&j is sweet, high in protein, and you can make it in a snap. Moms, take the time you saved, find a quiet place, and seek rr&j.  Rest, renewal, and Jesus sweetens our spirits, plus energizes and empowers us to carry out our calling. Jesus knew the importance of rest. He urged his disciples to find time for relaxation. “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest (Mark 6:31b NIV).” Get out of the kitchen and into the closet!

“Bread”

   Do you remember the quartet from the 1970s, Bread?  Led by David Gates, this soft rock band released one chart-topping hit after another: Make It With You, It Don’t Matter to Me, Diary, Baby I’m a-Want You, Lost Without Your Love, etc. 

 

These guys made a career out of mournful, pull-at-the-heartstrings ballads.  I know.  I bought every album Bread released.  Not exactly a bright move for a teen who’d just been dumped by her boyfriend.  But I learned something from the experience.  Tender lyrics and beautiful orchestration aside, David Gates and company could put me in a blue funk for days.  Until I had an epiphany (aka: a “Duh moment.”).  For a melancholy like me, “Bread” was toxic. 

 

IBM was right: G.I.-G.O.  Computerese for Garbage In, Garbage Out.  Not that all Bread tunes are garbage, but sentimental, emotional lyrics dripping with enough sugar to land me in a diabetic coma was a poor choice for me.  So I got rid of ’em.  Fast.

 

What about you?

 

What do you listen to?  Watch on TV, the theater, or bring home from Blockbuster? What and who do you tune into?  What books do you read?  Why?  

 

IBM was right.  But the concept didn’t begin in Silicon Valley.  God’s Word puts it this way:  “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”  (Proverbs 4:23, to cite just one verse on the subject.)  

 

When it comes to true Bread, there’s only One.

 

by Kristine Lowder

Seeing Stars

Are you seeing stars? Often when someone takes a severe blow to the head, or if feeling faint, they describe the incident as seeing stars. That is something we would all like to avoid. Yet, on this July 4^th, we should gladly see stars, stripes and celebrate!

America is a grand place to live and I am proud to call it home; yet, I know my real dwelling place awaits me. “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you (John 14:2 HCS).”  

He is preparing an eternal home place for you and me. The One who hung the stars in place wants us to be with Him and is personally setting everything in place, awaiting our arrival. Today I will salute the stars and stripes. In heaven, I will bow before my Savior.

“First… and Last?”

   Well.  That was a First.

 

Out with my faithful canine companion, Eve, on our morning walk the other day, I saw something I’ve never seen before. 

 

We’re chugging down the street, minding our own business when Chicken Little shows up.  Well, not quite.  It was actually a sparrow.  Whap!  The bird fell out of the sky. No warning, no squawking, no ruffled feathers.  He just dropped out of the sky like a ton of bricks.  A soundless thud.  Dead as a doornail.

 

I’ve no idea what Eve thought – she’s pretty unflappable – but Matthew 10:29-31 flew into my head:

 

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.  And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”  (NIV)

 

Talk about attentive!  This hits home when you’ve just moseyed past a “dead doornail.”  I’ll never look at a sparrow quite the same way again.

 

Kristine Lowder

 

 

 

Ballerina

My choice of dolls revealed inner levels of desire and maturity. There were many bald diaper clad baby dolls with open mouths for insertion of bottles. I wrapped them in receiving blankets, pretending to feed and burp them. My parents gifts of doll cribs and carriages were places I bedded them down for naps or a good night’s sleep. I wanted to marry one day and be a real mommy.

Nannette was a large bride doll with big beautiful eyes and a head of curly brunette hair. Dressed in a white bridal gown she had no need of diapers or baby bottles. I was growing up and my choice of dolls revealed changes I did not even realize. I have a snapshot in my family album of my last doll. At the age of ten or eleven Mom & Dad filled my Christmas wish. I found a ballerina doll under our tree.

My ballerina was dressed in attire for a formal ballet. From head to toe, she was a dancer! Her hair was styled in a bun and she wore satin pink ballet shoes upon delicate feet. She was no dolly; no, she was a dream come true. I could pose her or twirl her around and proudly positioned her in the middle of my bed as a decoration in the bedroom.

David proudly and passionately danced unto the Lord. “And David was dancing before the Lord with all His might, and David was wearing a linen ephod (2 Samuel 6:14 NAS).” He moved his feet as instruments of praise and rejoicing. He could not stand still! There were no cheering crowds with shouts of Bravo. He heard his rapid heart beats instead,  Hosanna!