Flecks in the paint

Be patient.  Don’t touch.  If a little fleck flies into the paint, just leave it alone.  Later when the cabinet door is all dry, the fleck lifts out in a snap.  We’re using oil-based paint for our kitchen cabinets.  Too many times already, I’ve tried to fix a spot and felt that dreaded drag of the brush.  But today we had warm weather, and I lined up 7 new doors.  A new batch.  A new outlook.  My mission:  Don’t try to touch up.  Let the imperfections sit.  It’s much easier to touch up after the main coat dries.  It’s kind of like life.  Every fleck of discomfort we want to fix.  Every unknown we want to figure out right then.  But sometimes it’s good to wait.  See what God has in store.  Ask Him to give wisdom and show what to do.  Isaiah 30:18 says, “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for him!”  May we remember He can have good reason for those flecks to sit a while.  He might incorporate those flecks into a new and beautiful blessing.

Sickly haircut

It can happen in the humdrum part of life.  Even when you’re sick.  Somehow when we’re least expecting it, God shows us new purpose.  Case in point, I recently walked into Supercuts.  Having been stuck at home for 4 days with allergy problems, I finally ventured out.  Just happy to see the outside world, I sought simply a haircut.  But then the stylist asks the question, “So how did you get into theatre?”  And right there I paused, realizing I needed to drum up energy in order to answer.  While she’d first asked only what my job was, now I needed to explain.  Actually more than just needing to do this, I honestly wanted to retell the story.  And as adrenaline started to move, I knew the Lord supplied it.  The heaviness of my eyes lifted.  My posture straightened.  I sensed Him rejuvenating me in order to fulfill this call.  I began to recount the story about the summer the Lord kept speaking to me about theatre, and in the mirror I could see the stylist smiling.  It truly was a grand occasion of the Lord bringing to pass what I didn’t know was possible.  And on top of the allergies and the fatigue, I’d been frustrated with a new diet my doctor had given, yet none of that was hindering this moment for the sake of the stylist.  First Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”  So when we're depleted, we look to the Lord to supply.  He is our preparation, giving meaning to every new moment.  For you and me both, a visit anywhere can be much more than what we think.  A trip to the doctor’s office can be more than medical.  A trip to the school or the bank or the dentist can be occasion for the Lord to open a door for us to share the name of Christ there.  So may He keep us aware.  May He give us joy in seeing and hearing and sensing the circumstances He orchestrates. We all need His inspiration.

Playing the Palace

How does a small town host blessings so bountiful?  We arrived on a Monday and found the Palace staff so welcoming and kind.  Situating sound equipment and unloading props and costumes was much less a burden because of how friendly and helpful they were.  Playing piano would be a new role for me on this trip, and in asking the Lord to lead me through, I soon saw Him using this sweet setting to help ease my nerves.  With the piano staying at the edge of the stage, I loved seeing up-close how intently children interacted with the whole performance, answering the story characters and pursuing the chase.  I heard their depth of laughter as if sitting in the seat next to them.  And I love to remember this little boy who threw his jacket over this face when he laughed so hard!  Even when children exited toward their buses, new amazement came for how they recited our songs with hand motions and all.  What a blessed 6 performances.  Simply my heart runneth over.  But how does this blessing in smallness happen when most of our world looks more toward the big lights and the big stage?  It’s the presence of the Lord showing up as He sees fit.  Maybe I've never heard anyone speak of Corsicana, Texas, as a hotly sought vacation spot.  Yet the Lord decided to bless us here, and we loved it.  What a pleasure to ask my fellow performers to join me in thanking Him.  Jesus says in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  Such utter contentment we find nowhere else.  May He satisfy your heart today.

Wedding table

The voice mail said, “Linda, call me, please.”  So I did.  And what I received was a precious invitation to play oboe at a friend’s wedding.  Entirely elated, I accepted.  Feeling immensely blessed, I replied, “Yes, we’ll be there.”  Yet there were more blessings to come.  After the wedding ceremony, we enjoyed dinner with others in the party, and as we meandered through topics of job, food, and travel, I soon found my heart fluttering.  One lady posed, “What do we do when my husband retires?”  Then her husband chimed in, saying he didn’t want to sit around retired and doing nothing.  And as the comment seemed to fit, I added, “The Lord is always at work.  He has roles for us.  Just ask Him what to do.”  A statement so simple, really.  But it’s crucial to remember that not every household speaks the name of the Lord.  And in that moment of my heart fluttering, maybe it was nervousness creeping in, or maybe temptation to discourage the speaking of His name.  Nevertheless I had options to weigh and a decision to make.  How will these people respond?  Do I risk any adverse reaction?  Do I follow through, or do I bow out?  Philippians 2:9-10 tells about Jesus, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  So I determine to not fear people's reactions.  May we trust the Lord to pattern our steps.  May we love people enough to be willing to share the name of Christ.  May we each press through our fluttering.

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.