Banana Split Cake

How does the Lord speak to us?  In this case, very simply in the form of a recurring thought.  Regarding my neighbor, the thought was to take her some dessert one afternoon.  Just gather one spatula and one plate, and deliver one slice of cake down the street.  A privilege indeed, yet a gesture I have overlooked at times.  A smile greeted me in my neighbor's driveway, and a dose of  her laughter made the occasion so sweet.  James 1:27 tells us to look after the needs of those who are widowed, yet by one slice of Banana Split Cake, I could testify also to the enormous blessing bestowed upon us when we give. . . Our Lord is very much alive and wonderfully communicating with us.

A medical thing

Real life.  Unexpected things.  On Saturday night, I noticed a skin discoloration.  I looked at it again and again, almost in disbelief.  The color had darkened, the size had extended, and it was itchy.  And my mind began to spin.  The word cancer had entered my brain.  I remember my hands thrusting to the sides of my head.  Panic shook my head side to side. . . Now I look back to realize how quickly and unexpectedly the mind can be overtaken with fear.  On Saturday, a first thought was to want to see a doctor immediately.  But the Lord blessed me with presence of mind.  More than a doctor, I needed the Lord.  The Lord is our ultimate healer.  He may choose to use a human doctor to bring about healing, but ultimately the Lord is in charge. . . I find peace now in knowing He was with me Saturday night.  In my panic, He gently bent my knees to pray.  And as I wait to see a doctor tomorrow, I want to rest in the Lord first.

Not too many Christians

“I need work,” she said.  One morning last week, bundled in layers from head to toe to keep warm, a lady commented as we waited for our buses.  I responded, “I’ve been in your spot.  When I have a problem, I ask God to provide.  He has supplied our family with money.”  She added, “You don’t meet too many Christians these days.” . . . Right there.  That comment.  There’s a person in this world who hasn’t recognized too many Christians lately. . . Ephesians 6:19-20 reminds me.  Ask the Lord to keep us alert to open windows for conversation.  With the lady last week, the Lord gave opportunity to talk about Him and His church.  And when the Lord orchestrates people, it’s exciting.

Money

Sometimes I’d rather not think about money.  My mind can wander when I think of recent layoffs.  I wonder if our workplaces will close their doors and how the Lord might provide us income.  Will the Lord change my part-time work into full-time somewhere new?  Will some of our volunteering connections lead to paid work?  Don’t know.  Yet I smile to remember when the Lord has amazed us financially.  Once He spoke through a friend to quickly lead me to a new teaching job.  Another time, He provided a lump sum suddenly for unused sick leave.  He has increased college scholarships for our family.  He has mailed us an unexpected check for an overage in our escrow account.  Remembering the blessings gives me a boost.  The Lord never leaves us alone.  And, really, money is not a bad subject.  It has been at the center of some of my favorite stories of God.

Pure Jesus

A photo of a Santa hat.  A list of suggested amounts of cash.  “Holiday tip guide,” the headline read.  Then the TV lady said Christmas was about decorating.  And then there was the song playing overhead about sleigh bells and snow.  And still there is the steady stream of news reports concerning families’ crippling financial debt due to excessive purchases.  Ugh.  Sometimes I enjoy regular days more than holidays.  At Christmastime, the misguided aspects of our world seem to magnify, and I need to step away from it all.  So when intercoms sing about Jack Frost and chestnuts roasting, and when retail customers cram doorways and trample each other, and when choir programs highlight cute, little, red-nosed Rudolph instead of Jesus’ birth, I seek the Lord to impart His purity.  Matthew 1-2.  Luke 2.  They take me to Jesus.  It is for all our misguided notions that He came to this earth.

Among languages

If someone invited you to an event conducted in an unfamiliar language, would you go?  Perhaps Italian, or Japanese, or German? . . . I once saw a man exit a worship service because it was in Spanish instead of the English he presumed.  A bystander told the man Jesus would be present either way, whether the people spoke in English or Spanish, but the man would not stay . . . Regarding this, the Lord continues to teach me.  I speak, read, write, and pray primarily in English.  Yet when I worship the Lord with my Spanish congregation, even while I don’t understand every word humanly spoken in Spanish, I sense His presence as well.  Romans 8:26 talks about the Holy Spirit communicating with “groans that words cannot express.”  And I am thankful for the Lord and His unlimited ways of relating to us.  He transcends our human languages. 

The unforeseen

I once directed a youth group that seemed to minister to a particular mom even more than her young son.  I once was hired to teach English but sometimes found the task was more about prayer than any details of the English language.  I once directed a children’s choir on the assumption I would work with kids but soon realized how the Lord was blessing the adults.  I once taught English to a friend from another country but soon saw that the whole scenario included opportunity to acquaint this friend with the Lord.  God has opened doors for numerous positions based on an initial job skill, but in time He has shown His bigger purpose has been about relationships through that job.  Labels don’t tell whole stories.  I figure in actuality the Lord is stacking the blessings far higher than we can imagine.  Yet for us to tap into God’s bigger picture even the slightest bit is enough to thrill the heart and send us floating on joy.

From 40 to 32 . . .

“Only 32 hours?”  I was a little anxious.  It wasn’t the first time we’d dealt with a reduced workload.  We wouldn’t have 40 hours of work anymore, but we would still have income.  But then I remembered something.  A young friend had asked us to come to his house to test his new recording software.  He had requested a weekday, which at the time seemed unlikely.  But now with our 32-hour workweek, we did have an available weekday.  I made a phone call, set a date, and marked the calendar.  And, oh, how the day was blessed.  Playing the oboe required full breath, consequently cleansing me of anxiety.  All of my air poured into the horn.  Anxiety could steal none of my energy because every ounce of it was blossoming into a resonance that soon brought tears to my eyes.  Vibrato seemed to reach into all the nooks and crannies and bring joy to the full extent of my heart.  It was a transformation that I loved.  An experience I love to relive.  The Lord at work once again.

The weekday schedule

Decision time.  I felt surrounded by loose ends.  Work, Bible study group, music, exercise, writing.  It was the weekday scenario that left me uncertain.  Having prayed for days and weeks, still sensing no definite pull in any particular direction, I opted to stay where I was.  In the coming months, we saw my husband’s full-time job hold in place, which allowed for my part-time work.  The Lord so sweetly led our small Bible study group through some tender moments.  Some weekend opportunities for music arose, consequently easing the weekday concern.  A new writing idea came into play, which made me all the more appreciative for my part-time, rather than full-time, job.  And my exercise class experienced a new development, which has led me to pray all over again for how the Lord would schedule my time this next semester.  It was a matter of trust, and indeed His unseen hand was leading.  Psalm 121 says He will not let our feet slip. 

On the streets

“I was waving to my mom down there,” the girl told me, as she returned to our bench at the bus stop.  “My son is sick, and my mom is bringing him.  We’re headed to the hospital.” . . . We discussed her 5-year-old’s extended fever and lack of food and water.  She wasn’t frantic, but she knew her son’s body was very weak.  Here an opportunity to pray fell in my lap.  I was excited.  On a street corner near downtown, the Lord had orchestrated a meeting of two strangers who soon came to have prayer in common. . . . May the Lord thrill your heart to see His orchestration on the streets where you walk.