Pediatric puppets

To watch God work is such a thrill.  All giddy and giggly, I feel like a little kid.  And to realize this thrill is available to us all is another excitement all its own.  Recently I’ve made 2 trips to the hospital with a friend to share puppets and music.  The whole idea for puppets began almost a year ago.  Adding ukulele, harmonica, percussion eggs, and a tambourine felt almost natural, following on a first request for soothing music, maybe flute, in the NICU.  Lots of playful sounds for young interaction.  Sometimes wondering if this mix would actually fit with any therapy textbook, I trust the Lord ultimately to tailor our tasks.  And the string of conversations to make all this happen has involved some waiting time.  But then one volunteer coordinator at one hospital called another volunteer coordinator at another hospital, and soon came song and music suggestions from friends and YouTube and some books about making puppets.  Not too long ago I realized the Lord supplying me with fabric, jewelry, craft items, even socks, mostly free as friends cleaned out their closets, leaving me to purchase only occasional small pieces.  The musical instruments the Lord supplied me over the years, even receiving some as gifts.  Then came days like New Year’s Eve when I was tempted, “Why am I making puppets?  I don’t even have a definite place to use them.”  Yet I kept praying and constructing them in faith.  And now I load my pull-cart to tote everything into the hospital to meet these precious children.  We meet a little girl who smiles to name one puppet Albert.  Two young sisters find inspiration in the ukulele to tell us about their older sister's music.  Two different playrooms resonate with our traveling percussion sounds, and we learn the flute eases the heart rate of a little girl in ICU.  All this while the puppets dance and sing and welcome their new puppeteers.  Simply awe-inspiring of the Lord.  At times we feel just goofy with glee.  And we eagerly await our next trip down the hospital hallways.  May He give us fresh eyes for recognizing the thrill of each new blessing.

Jesus, my car mechanic

Gasp!  What happened?  “Lord, help!”  In the middle of traffic, in the middle of lunch rush, with no extra time on the way to work, my car died.  In its tenth year, this sweet old Accord that’s been so reliable had a hiccup.  I pleaded, “Lord, let this car start again.”  And it did.  “Lord, may You keep this car running, so I won’t be late for work.”  And He took me onto the highway for 10 miles with no more stops and not even a hint of any problem.  I exited toward a Wal-Mart with plenty of empty parking spaces, and my lungs finally exhaled.  Not the ideal spot for leaving the car overnight, but it proved safe while my theatre director and I traveled to Houston.  Actually if someone tried to steal the car, I figured it probably wouldn’t start, so there wasn’t too much worry.  The greater fear had been keeping the car from stalling out again.  Psalm 34:4 says, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”  And in this sudden panic, He did deliver me.  I love Him for that.  In writing this, I asked Him to be your Deliverer too.  In whatever situation might leave you panicked, may you be mindful of Him.  May you call to Him as Savior and Deliverer and the only One who gives peace within the storm.

Primero's birth

Is there anything beyond the Lord’s reach?  Anything too far gone that He cannot transform?  It’s been interesting to watch Him use some old scraps around our house recently.  Old pieces of red, pink, and black felt from my kids’ elementary days.  A pair of nice, cozy socks I somehow never wore.  Skeins of green, red, and yellow yarn, and multiple shades of blue and brown.  A small Styrofoam ball whose reason for being in our house nobody can remember.  And my Grandma Elsie’s “E” pin and 2 of her dressy, old-timey hats in different textures of black.  What a peculiar assortment of things, some of which sat idle for more than 10 years.  Yet then came the idea—the surprising idea—to make puppets.  And tossing into this mix is the awareness that I’ve never felt very craftsy.  So I’m wondering, how do you make a puppet?  And where’s the remedial course for not-very-craftsy people like me?  YouTube's been a wonderful help.  Library books too.  In November I took my first try at pushing layers of yarn through the sewing machine, and to my amazement it worked just like the YouTube demo.  So in December I sewed my first red toupee for my first puppet, whom I’m calling Primero.  According to a free pattern online, I ventured into cutting ½” foam to form Primero’s head, using contact cement to glue the notches together.  His skin formed from some gray remnant fabric at Hancock’s, and that old Styrofoam ball helped bring his eyes to life.  My point is that when the Lord gives the idea, He carries it through to fruition.  And still a key ingredient here is why.  Why make puppets?  So far I sense they’re for children in the hospital and maybe church as well.  The details I’m still sorting, but there’s been joy already in stepping into the idea.  And the Lord has sent encouragement through others as I’ve kept praying.  Philippians 1:6 says, “. . . he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  God works in us and through us and in even the most unlikely circumstances.  He takes all kinds of scraps and constructs them into something beautiful.  He takes the scrappiest of people and recreates them to have hearts of joy.  And so I ask, have you experienced the joy of knowing Him?  As long as we’re on this earth, it’s never too late.

Nuggets of wisdom—literally

How does a tray of chicken nuggets make anyone so happy?  Here’s what happened.  December is a different kind of month for our family.  As jobs have varying pay rates, December tends to bring us a more plentiful paycheck.  And while more money can be a good thing, it can also set up a struggle.  What is the right way to handle this extra money?  It’s the age-old man-versus-God tug-of-war.  Man's selfishness.  God's selflessness.  Malachi 3 tells of the same predicament centuries ago.  God explained that when people don't tithe, they're stealing.  When they don't return 10 percent to the Lord, they're robbing Him, and consequently a curse came upon the nation.  Yet if they would change their ways and bring the whole tithe to the storehouse, He would bestow blessing so immense they wouldn’t have room to hold it.  And that’s why I write today—to tell of the Lord’s faithfulness in not letting us wallow.  Pressing us through our battle, He put a pen in my hand and etched out a check, and our tithe for the extra income came to fruition. And very quickly He bestowed another blessing. My husband told me about an email we received from Chick-fil-A offering a free tray of chicken nuggets.  Now the word tray implies a large quantity, so we were prepared it might be a misprint.  Either way, big tray or small box, we decided to go.  Soon the cashier hands me a tray of yummy chicken nuggets large enough to feed 8 people, and our eyes must have ogled and our feet must have frolicked in blessing.  That’s $24 of chicken that cost us nothing but the tenacity to press through temptation.  And why would the Lord use Chick-fil-A?  Maybe because it’s one of my favorites.  A tangible illustration of His faithfulness to provide when we follow His word.  God’s grace fed us that day.  More scrumptious than ever, those nuggets warmed my heart.

Sweet Treats

Know anyone looking for a job?  Maybe looking to change jobs?  Here’s a story.  My friends sold their house in California and moved to Texas.  Needing new work, they wondered about transplanting their fire extinguisher business, but then an uncle mentioned selling ice cream.  So they bought an ice cream truck online and later signed a 6-month lease to open an ice cream shoppe neighboring a thrift store, a church, and an Alcoholics Anonymous office.  The truck and the shoppe worked hand in hand, with children buying from the truck receiving an invitation to eat pizza and study the Bible at the shoppe.  Studies began in the summer at 7 PM, initially attracting 4 kids, then growing to host 8, with most ranging in age from 10 to 13.  And my friends loved it.  They loved the children, and they loved the teaching, all the while focusing on honoring the Lord rather than making money.  And indeed the Lord took care of them, supplying income as they had sought and supplying joy that overflowed in every direction.  One mom said, “Thank you for teaching my daughter the Bible.  I thought she’d learn about God in church, but no, it happened through our ice cream vendor.”  One neighbor from the Alcoholics Anonymous office stopped by the shoppe, being grateful to find someone willing to listen, and in turn my friends took pleasure in offering to accompany this lady to church.  But alongside blessings, there came heartache too.  One of the neighborhood boys stopped coming to study because he was removed from his parents to go live with a foster family.  And as sadness set in for my friends, they were grateful all the more to have shared at least a short time with the boy.  As they look back on this whole endeavor with ice cream, they remember it being born from the desire to experience the Lord.  And experience Him they certainly did, even when obstacles appeared.  My sweet friend who is the wife in this story grew up in Mexico, and at first she didn’t feel confident in her use of English to communicate with the ice cream customers, yet she found such delight in watching the Lord navigate the details.  In Isaiah 41:10, God comforts His people, saying, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  And may we each step out in complete confidence of the Lord's ability to provide on our account.

Jesus, my gift-buyer

Is any experience with God any bigger or smaller than another?  Today I submit for you to judge.  And you should know this story causes great sigh within me.  It involves something regularly unraveling my every nerve.  The culprit is gift-buying.  Gift-giving brings joy, but so often before the giving, I’ve already endured the trial of buying.  Whether shopping at a mall, or buying from an individual artisan, or purchasing ingredients in order to make by my own hand—somehow I so easily encounter this hollow feeling.  Even buying for those I love dearly, this void of ideas evidences so predictably.  Recently I pleaded, “Lord, help me.  Show me a birthday gift for my husband.”  Soon I entered a Half Price Books parking lot, at first thinking I was there for paper birthday plates.  I debated, “But Half Price doesn’t sell plates, do they?”  Still I pulled open the store door.  Sure enough, the cashier says they don’t sell party supplies, but I resolved to look around since I was already there.  In the electronics section I see earbuds.  Amazement speaks, “Oh, wow, he’s been talking about new earbuds.  These’ll be great.”  But wait a minute.  Which kind?  Which color?  And there my heart sinks because it recognizes the lethal indecisiveness that’s about to set in.  And how thankful I become for the Lord's quick reminder to ask Him to choose the earbuds, so I don’t waste all afternoon vacillating between color and style.  Then I drive home.  Party time comes, and I realize something else.  As my husband gleefully unwraps the earbuds, he says, “You even got the straight kind!”  And bewilderment must have shown on my face.  He points to our old purple earbuds with the cords that dangle too close, and within me a new height of thankfulness blossoms to realize how the Lord guided my hand to select these earbuds without my even knowing about straight cord options.  Yes, He rescued me again.  And I don’t want to assign any size or weight to this blessing.  Just as the Lord rescued me from a rainy, muddy mess in Mexico, just as He rescued me on a deserted road in Israel, now He rescues me in America in the mire of my shopping.  And this shopping is not necessarily any less of a mess.  Our fears reveal in different settings.  Our weaknesses show at different times.  The message here is that the Lord rescues us over and over—whatever the deficiency, whatever the plea.  In 2 Peter 2:9, we read, “. . . the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials . . .”  The chapter gives historical examples of the Lord rescuing, such as with Noah.  And still today the Lord rescues.  He loves His children.  He hears.  He listens.  And with each rescue, my love for Him grows.

Abscessed

How does heroin use lead to an abscess?  This man told me that’s what put him in the hospital.  “The doctor told me it’s probably because I share needles,” he reported rather matter-of-factly, though our conversation became far more than factual.  For a 28-year-old I’d known only 5 minutes, he divulged his story quite openly.  “I don’t want to go back,” he continued, “and I really don’t know much about praying.  And I’m still fighting the withdrawals.”  Yet he spoke clearly and seemed so grateful for someone to listen.  “My buddy’s got abscesses on his chest, and I told him it’s because of our needles.”  And as this man in the hospital bed pleaded with emotion, I spoke into his eyes, “Do you know how much Jesus loves you?”  His eyes veered away, perhaps feeling a weight of blessing.  No matter the battle, whether drugs or other, Jesus’ power can conquer.  He offers us rest, telling us it’s only when we choose against Him that we cannot enter that rest.  Hebrews 3:19 reads, “So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.”  Today this man’s story inspired me because he was already looking upward.  Jesus can save him from his drug battle and ultimately all his battles, yet each of us faces the same choice to ask the Lord into our heart as Savior.  Today the man allowed me to give him a small Gideons Bible.  And I am so happy to continue praying on his behalf.

Languages of an Israeli morning

Danish, Dutch, Russian, and English.  Each morning we prayed together, the languages evidenced God’s presence across the different lands.  My husband and I stayed in a house in Israel that hosted volunteers from around the world.  We all sought the Lord.  We all shared purpose in serving survivors of the Holocaust.  We all found our horizons broadened in being together.  Yet back home, each of us would tend to view God in more finite terms.  Americans think of God in terms of American experiences.  Europeans think of God according to European experiences.  Tendency is pretty much the same for everybody everywhere.  Only when we experience someone else’s way of living, perhaps only when our geography changes, do we step out of our narrow thought.  Yet our God is big.  Actually He’s beyond big.  Revelation 5:9 speaks of the Lamb whose blood purchased men from every tribe, language, people, and nation.  Just imagine the beauty of having all the world’s languages represented in one room.  Even knowing just our 4 languages in Israel brought a weight of blessing.  Christ’s death and resurrection were for love of people of every language.  Our God is everywhere.

Greetings from Israel

Hello, Everybody!  I missed you while we were in Israel.  Ours was a trip to serve Holocaust survivors, and oh how the Lord blessed all around.  When people meet, when countries meet, you never know what will happen exactly.  To visit these precious survivors just melted my heart.  Hearing their stories, looking into their eyes, I felt my streams of tears turning into rivers.  I asked our Russian translator to convey that these tears were not in sadness but in joy of sitting in their homes and realizing the Lord bringing this call to Israel to fruition.  Connecting through music and receiving their prayer requests simply showered blessing that my body couldn’t contain.  And delivering quilted gifts that our American friends lovingly sewed brought new humility.  To say the scope of God’s work is vast is an understatement.  For this occasion, He orchestrated people from Denmark, Siberia, Holland, and America to all arrive the same country, the same city, the same street at the same time.  And we’re humbled again to see how He’s using this one trip to impact co-workers, friends, and family.  He weaves emotion and thought and inclines the heart, all to bring blessing that ripples out to touch so many.  Our God is big.  And so I pray that you tell of the experiences He gives you.  May your stories brighten the days of those you meet.  Jesus said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19)

Conference neighbor with a smile

When is a conference not just a conference?  Last month I lived out the answer to that question.  Part of my job with theatre is to work conferences occasionally.  Our conference floors have the typical vendors, booths, and lots of passersby.  While hosting our booth, we meet the neighboring booths.  On this day we had a lady next-door with such a welcoming smile, and she appeared so easy to talk to.  I initiated, “Hello.  I’m Linda," and noticing she sold books, I leaned in to see her variety of children’s titles.  I asked about her company, and she asked about mine, and in the course of 30 minutes, we discovered some experiences in common.  We’d both changed jobs a lot, which led me to comment, “The Lord has taken me to some jobs I never knew I’d have.”  The words spilled from my mouth as a simple statement of fact, though afterward I wondered, would she say we had God in common?  She explained her family's rather peculiar reactions to some of her jobs, and I shared, “I’ve prayed my way through so many new roles, from teaching school to working with Boy Scouts, then to theatre, and a lot of volunteer positions along the way.”  Really a fun dialogue with her, with all kinds of laughter.  Yet never did she remark or show any facial expression regarding the Lord.  Neither to agree nor to disagree.  Neither regarding prayer.  All the same, I loved her being our booth neighbor.  I loved sharing God’s name with her.  And that’s why this conference was more than a conference.  With the Lord, anything and everything can be more than it seems.  Conference + God = Blessing.