Surreal

Learners Dictionary describes surreal as being “very strange or unusual : having the quality of a dream.”  There  have been very few times in my life when I had a surreal moment.  I remember holding my newborn babies close to me, loosening the swaddling and pulling out their tiny hands and feet. I don’t know if it is the responsibility, the life changes or how much you love them, but it was a surreal moment with each child.

When our daughter was two she had her first asthma attack.  By the time she was five the wheezing was constant and the attacks were day and night.  We knew this was not a disease she would out grow and according to the specialist, she made the top ten list for the worst asthma cases in Oklahoma. Worse asthma is not the top ten list you want your name on!

The fall of 2010 I had a surreal moment.  This time like the previous I was at the hospital.  But instead of looking at my baby I was looking at my adult daughter on life support.  She had had an asthma attack, this attack hit fast and furious.  As I was standing over her I could hear the Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. of the ventilator.  My mind was blank except for the words “My grace is sufficient, My grace is sufficient, My grace is sufficient.“  Over and over, “My grace is sufficient.”

The next morning I was in the ICU waiting room when I received a call from my son in law; the ventilator had been removed and my daughter was breathing on her own.  As I sat with her, in a low raspy voice she told me what she saw and why she came back.  (It’s a story for another day.)  She was released the following day. 

There is really no medical reason she is alive or that she has lived this long.  It is only by God’s unmerited favor, which is His grace and it is always sufficient.

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”  2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV

Sing Sing Sing

It's hard to wish your week away when you sing - sing - sing. 


Have a great Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday!!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llZKgt-1TlQ&feature=related


This is the very day God acted—  let's celebrate and be festive!
   Psalms 118:24, The Message.

Too Busy?

There is a hot dog commercial which makes me laugh every time I see it.  Dad comes home from work; each kid and mom is in a different room on some kind of electronic device.  Dad looks from room to room, no one notices.  He then goes to the breaker box and shuts the electricity off.   As the kid runs out to dad and ask what is going on, dad offers him a hot dog off the grill. 

It reminds me of when I worked for a utility company and disconnected electric.  One morning a lady came in and asked to speak to the person responsible for disconnecting her electric.  I asked her name and started the process of getting information to prepare myself to answer all kinds of questions when she said, “Thank you.”  Needless to say I was taken by surprise.  She continued to explain life had gotten so busy she simple had forgotten to pay her bill.  Not having electric forced her and her husband to sit down to dinner without the TV or any other distractions and actually have a conversation.  She paid her bill and thanked me again then left. 

It took disconnecting the electric for her to realize that life had gotten so busy, she was disconnecting from what life is about.  I will have to admit I am guilty.  

I recently learned a saying, for every wrong thing you say yes to, there is a right thing you are saying no to.   I know I didn’t repeat it exactly, but you get the jest.  It reminds me of the story of Mary and Martha.  Martha was so busy preparing for Jesus, she forgot Jesus. 

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?  Tell her to help me!”   “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42.   

Be careful and don't forget Jesus.

This morning I was speaking to a young insurance agent in town.  I was telling him it was Woo Hoo Wednesday!  Well, since most people view insurance as a neccessary evil, I thought I would post some humorous excuses which have been given after accidents.  This is dedicated to all my insurance friends.  Enjoy!! (jokes came from: http://www.einsuranceprofessional.com/jokes.html)

Excuses for accidents: 

The indirect cause of this accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.

 I was on the way to the doctor with rear end trouble when my universal joint gave way causing me to have an accident.

I was minding my own business when a pedestrian hit me and went under my car!

Coming home, I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don't have.

I had been driving for forty years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had an accident.

The telephone pole was approaching. I was attempting to swerve out of the way when I struck the front end.

Enjoy a song from Chris Rice, Cartoon Song. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCCbtHsucaw

Have a great day!!!

Repurpose

re·pur·pose /riˈpɚpəs/ verb

re·pur·pos·es; re·pur·posed; re·pur·pos·ing

[+ obj] : to change (something) so that it can be used for a different purpose  http://www.learnersdictionary.com

The sun was shining and the outdoor thermostat reading was below 90.  Considering the last few weeks in Oklahoma, below 100 degrees is good, 80’s is something to celebrate.  So off I went, two blocks from my house was a huge garage sale.  Of course, it was perfect weather to mosey around someone’s yard and dig through their stuff.

I found an ice bucket, like the ones in a room at a hotel, but this one’s cover is coming off the lid.  (Actually, I think this bucket is for wine.  But at my house if a 2 liter of coke doesn’t fit, it’s for ice. )  Then I found a faded lamp shade and some small plastic trays for drawers.  I dug in my pocket and I had a one dollar bill which is quickly accepted by the home owner.

Excited about my finds I return home, grab my scrap fabric and begin the process of repurposing the new (to me) ice bucket.  The old outer fabric is dingy or faded; I’m not sure which one, it could be both.  The bamboo handle along with the little bamboo knob on the lid is still in good condition, I can keep them.  But everything else will have to be carefully stripped away and then beautiful new fabric will be applied. 

While my mind was whirling with ideas of what to do with this bucket and how to do it, I thought of how God has done the same thing with me.  He repurposed me!

 When I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, he carefully started cutting away at my old dingy habits, words and thoughts.  He then started the process of replacing them with new beautiful habits, words and thoughts.  He has repurposed me to His purpose…. from what the world, Satan, others, and even I had purposed me to be.  

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!      2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

R.I.P.

Labor Day has got me out of whack; I all most missed Woo Hoo Wednesday.  I found the joke below at http://www.jokesclean.com

Clean Joke - R.I.P.

When I was a young minister, a funeral director asked me to hold a grave side service for a homeless man with no family or friends. The funeral was to be at a cemetery way out in the country. This was a new cemetery and this man was the first to be laid to rest there.

I was not familiar with the area and became lost. Being a typical man, of course, I did not ask for directions. I finally found the cemetery about an hour late. The back hoe was there and the crew was eating their lunch. The hearse was nowhere to be seen.

I apologized to the workers for being late. As I looked into the open grave, I saw the vault lid already in place. I told the workers I would not keep them long, but that this was the proper thing to do. The workers, still eating their lunch, gathered around the opening.
I was young and enthusiastic and poured out my heart and soul as I preached. The workers joined in with, "Praise the Lord," "Amen," and "Glory!" I got so into the service that I preached and preached and preached, from Genesis to The Revelation.

When the service was over, I said a prayer and walked to my car. As I opened the door, I heard one of the workers say, "I never saw anything like that before and I've been putting in septic systems for twenty years."

Enjoy the rest of your week.
Trena