Thursday, August 27, 2020

The Ministry At Work

                           Everyday is a brand new day,
                           everyday is a journey.




Let love through all my conduct shine,
  An image fair, though faint, of Thine;
  Thus let me His disciple prove,
  Who came to manifest Thy love.
Simon Browne.



I am having so much fun with the Ministry! I feel energized, excited and refreshed whenever I start crocheting for others. I love what I do! Period. I have been so blessed with donations of yarn and it has been a great feeling to know the coffers are filled to the brim. That used to bring me so much anxiety, the uncertainty to provide every month.

Running a Ministry is so much work. People forget just how much one puts into it and basically they assume the wrong things. 
  1. Someone has to find the yarn for them to use.
  2. Someone has to arrange gatherings where the yarn can be distributed and finished items picked up.
  3. Someone has to wash all the finished pieces and fold them.
  4. Someone has to find a home for the finished pieces. 
  5. Someone has to package up the finished items.
  6. Someone has to mail them out.  
Yet, I love every minute of it. I wish I could do this full time.

In August, we will be celebrating seven years. During that time, there have been many changes to the Ministry, some good and some not. Once again, we are left with a whole new start in a new area. An area we are not very familiar and the biggest change of all, we are a Ministry of one! 

The Ministry will go on for as long as God allows it. He has been providing for our needs all these years. A change of scenery really doesn't alter anything, but the address. I am ready to see what this 7th. year will bring and all the things the Ministry will do for others in our communities. For all those who have helped support this Ministry with donations of yarn . . . .thank you. 

Have a blessed day evertyone. 

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

It's Pretty Rough Out There


                          Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.


We would fill the hours with the sweetest things,
If we had but a day:
We should drink alone at the purest springs,
In our upward way:
We should guide our wayward or wearied will,
By the clearest light:
We should keep our eyes on the heavenly hills,
If they lay in sight:
We should be from our clamorous selves set free,
To work and pray:
And be what the Father would have us to be,
If we had but a day.
—Margaret E. Sangster


Well, it's been pretty much a rough day, rough week, rough everything! I limped up the stairs to our place, my soles burning. When was the last time I felt like that? Ooh, many eons ago, back in the old days when my shift lasted 12 hours/ 6 days a week. 

I think I am just way too old to be working these kind of hours. The heart is willing, but the body is another thing! I will always participate and take full advantage whenever a golden opportunity to make more money towards my future goals. Having said all that, I am glad when they are over, lol. 

Sometimes I think the world is just plain getting meaner. The patience of men has worn thin and people don't want to wait for anything anymore. If there is a line with two people, tension fills the air. We want satisfaction right now.

You're probably wondering what all of the above is about, but you see, it has been written a few weeks before we moved. Honestly, the time does not even matter, because I could be describing this week. Life has become a lot tougher out there. Hatred. Meanness. Bigotry and racism run rampart. People react with vandalism and burning of Old Glory. More now than ever, people need something or someone and His name is Jesus. 

Oh, I could just see all the eyes rolling! What do you think it will take to change the hearts of men? Politicians? A new President? New Laws?

I am 55 years old and the same issues that politicians are advocating now, they have done ever since I was young. Your life will only change for the better when you follow the one capable  of doing so. If you haven't asked Him into your heart, do so today. You won't regret it. 

Have a blessed day everyone.

Monday, August 24, 2020

Burning The Candle At Both Ends

                                               Everyday is a brand new day,
                                               everyday is a journey.
               



As some rare perfume in a vase of clay
    Pervades it with a fragrance not its own,
  So, when Thou dwellest in a mortal soul,
    All Heaven's own sweetness seems around it thrown.
H. B. STOWE.



It comes as no surprise to anyone when I say I love busyness. I tend to burn the candle at both ends on a regular basis. It has to do with the satisfying feeling of being productive, living with a purpose in my life. I don't want to waste my life, this precious life that God has allowed me to live even longer than I expected. I am extremely privileged to have made it this far. Many, way too many, have died with cancer. Some of them have died much too young. I don't want to become a person who comes home from work and gripes about the unfairness of it all. I want to be a doer, not a complainer.

We are used to putting in quite a bit of work hours, rolling up our sleeves and getting down to work. When you want something in life, you work hard for it. You don't even mind the hours, the sweat and the many things one gives up as long as you know there will be a reward at the end. 

Well, for the past two months I have been concentrating solely on my Ministry. It has been wonderful to have the time to focus on what I love to do so much. All that time we spent working long hours and overtime has paid off. We are reaping the harvest and for that, we are extremely grateful. It was worth burning that candle at both ends.

Funny thing, my mom just said to me the other day that she cannot believe I can stay at home. For as long as she has known me, I have always worked whatever came available no matter the hours. Now, I may not do so in the new job when it comes, but I definitely will put in the extra hours into the Ministry. I love busyness no matter in what form it comes. 

Have a blessed day everyone. 

Thursday, August 20, 2020

All Of The Above

                              Everyday is a brand new day,
                              everyday is a journey.




O Lord, how happy should we be 
If we could cast our care on Thee, 
If we from self could rest; 
And feel at heart that One above, 
In perfect wisdom, perfect love, 
Is working for the best.
J. ANSTICE.

As women, we deny ourselves. We are such heavy duty nurturers that anything pertaining to our needs whether emotional, physical or spiritual, gets placed on the back burner. We place everyone else's needs before ours. That's who we are as mothers, sisters, daughters and women in Christ. 

So, because of all of that, gathering together as women can be difficult. Just ask any Bible group leader, Crafting group and even your local PTA. All of them will tell you that when it comes to women meetings of any sort, it can be sketchy when it comes to attendance. It has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of what that meeting is all about. Nothing.
It's all about priorities.

You know, scheduling and organization has been a struggle for me personally. I'm sure it has for others as well. Chasing time and trying to meet all the needs of others has been a role set aside for women. When we are faced with an overwhelming schedule, we have to prioritize what is more important. We have a way of taking care of others, but anything to do with us is not a priority at all. We can go to a Ladies meeting some other day or a Retreat is out of the question at this point. Maybe, just maybe, things will slow down in the Fall. 

Burnout is a real thing for women a.k.a. depression, unhappiness, negativity, loneliness. Women need other women. We need each other's companionship, encouragements, wisdom and laughter. We can keep adding more and more attributes to the list, but the fact remains that we deny ourselves all of the above all of the time.

I can be a big talker here, because I don't have any small children to take care of or a husband who needs me. I can afford to take care of my needs. My priorities are not as pressing as the average woman. I am free to do a lot of things whenever I want to do them. Not many women can say the same. It wasn't always like this, because there was a time I was that average woman, too. We all need to remember that we were in that place right along with them at one time or another. Encouragement, companionship, wisdom and laughter we can offer to them, especially during this time. 

Have a blessed day everyone. 



Saturday, August 15, 2020

Opening Our Heart

                                 Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.



Teach me your mood, O patient stars!
    Who climb each night the ancient sky,
  Leaving on space no shade, no scars,
    No trace of age, no fear to die.
R. W. EMERSON



I have always wanted to be able to hear God speaking to me. I didn't want to miss what He had to say to me. It's important to me, you know? 

When I was in the hospital the first time with my cancer, I knew there was something incredibly massive for me to learn there and I was in such a state worried that I wouldn't recognize it as it passed me by. Even then, I wasn't a full fledged Christian at that time, hearing God was important to me. I wouldn't even really call myself a baby Christian either, but the seed was planted and steadily growing. I opened my heart to a relationship a few years before that, but I wasn't as committed. 


I have learned over the years that it is something that takes time as we develop a relationship and as we study the Word of God. The more we learn, the better we become at discerning what is right for us in our life and what God is trying to convey to us.

I have also learned that we need to surrender completely our hearts and be willing to go on the road He sets for us. That is very difficult to do, this endurance thing. I should know since it felt at times like forever. Now, that I am where I am, I am very grateful. I appreciate this journey more, because I had to wait so long for it. 

I can now see the "why" that I have asked of Him. We don't see the entire picture, but He does and that's where we need to learn Faith along with trust.

Have a blessed day everyone.

Saturday, August 8, 2020

Living Alone

                                                    Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                    everyday is a journey.


Though today may not fulfill
all thy hopes have patience still
for perchance tomorrow's sun
sees thy happier days begun
P.Gerhardt

It is not good for men to be alone. I didn't listen to nor understand what that truly meant. God's path for me and I ignored it. I didn't value the Word of God back then and sort of did my own thing. After a failed attempt of being a couple, I gave it up opting to be single. 

Over the years, I could have married a few times, but once again I said no. Oh, I told myself that there was something wrong with them or it wasn't meant to be. Honestly? I don't think I really wanted to marry. I was swept away with romantic illusions in my youth and just as quickly woke up to reality. In my heart, I was done with the fantasy of relationships. 

I enjoy my own company and am never bored in any way. I look forward to having the place all to myself. When the sheltering in place order came, I couldn't be more delighted. I would finally have the time to get all the projects that have been languishing in a dark place in the closet finally finished. When I discovered that we were essential workers my heart sank and with it, the unfinished projects. 

Yet, I have found that during this covid19 pandemic, I miss many things involving people. I miss shopping without limits. I miss going through whatever aisle I wanted and actually stay there as long as desired. I miss taking care of the mundane things like the DMV where a live person can take care of my needs. There is nothing worse than dealing with technology and the many issues that come with it. We have no choice nowadays, but to do almost everything online. 

No human contact. No one to ask how was your day? I may enjoy being alone, but even I have to admit that I need other people in my life. I need that social interaction where the mundane turns into something exciting. We need to have someone to complain to, to share with common interests and definitely laugh about the fun stuff. 

Living alone may be awesome and inviting, but only for awhile. Sooner or later, the place just becomes too silent, too sterile and definitely too boring. 

Have a blessed day everyone.

Sunday, August 2, 2020

Just Share It: Daryll Strawberry


I cannot tell you how many hours I have spent bringing up past mistakes in my life and others, too. It's like the shame is greater than who we are now and we cannot shake it off. Why do we keep doing that to ourselves? Why can't we see ourselves the way God can? Why can't we believe in who we have become? Shame and defeat will break us if we allow it to take root in our mind. The following post says it much better than I ever could. Please enjoy.



Let It All Go
by Darryl Strawberry
I remember one morning, sitting on the sofa and looking around at all our boxes of stuff, the worn linoleum floor, that old couch, I just started crying. I felt like such a failure. I had failed at so much. Regardless of what I had achieved in the ballpark, all the fame I had and money I made, I felt that I was a complete loser as a man and a human being. No career, no money, no prospects. Nothing.

Tracy saw me crying and put her arms around me.

“What is it?” she asked, although I knew she knew.

“Look at me,” I said. “I’m Darryl Strawberry and I’m living in your parents’ basement. I can’t even rent us an apartment.”

“It's okay,” she said. “We don't have anything but each other. I don’t know how this is all going to work out, but I know it's all going to work out.”

But there was another problem. We were both dedicated to the church and the Word, but we were living in sin. We wanted to have our relationship right with God. It felt like we were starting off on the wrong foot, and neither of us wanted that.

Two people aren’t good together unless each of them is whole and strong. I needed to keep working on myself and getting myself right. Then Tracy and I could start out the proper way.

One day I asked God, “What is it? What is it you want from me?”

He said, “Walk away from everything.”

Oh man. That’s when I realized you better be careful what you ask God, because he doesn’t joke around in his answer.

“Give it all up?” I said.

Yes, God said. Let it all go. He told me I had to strip away everything from my life, all my habits, all my ways of thinking and acting, so that I could find out who I really was and what my purpose here was.

So I left Tracy again. We both knew I had to get myself right if we were ever going to have the kind of relationship we wanted.

I flew out to San Dimas and stayed with [my sister] Regina, in a bedroom in her apartment. She was going through an adjustment period in her own personal life, and had just moved into a new apartment with her kids. I helped her out with that. While she was at work, I looked after the kids. I loved my little nieces and nephews, and it was pure joy to be around them.

I spent six months there, working very hard on myself. For six months I lived like a monk in a cave. Regina and her kids were practically the only people I saw. I barely left my room except to go to church. I read and studied the Bible with the same sort of intense focus I used to devote to playing ball. I read until late at night, and then lay back with the Bible on my chest as I went to sleep, praying,
“Lord, let your word breathe inside of me.”

I surrendered to God. Surrender means doing a lot of things you don’t want to, and not doing a lot of things your desires tell you to. It means standing up to your daily responsibilities, even when you’re feeling so depressed you can barely drag yourself out of bed. And it means avoiding the people and places and habits that led you astray, no matter how badly you think you want that drink or whatever it is. It means, “I’m listening, Lord. I hear you, and I choose not to do those things anymore.”

I swore off all liquor, all drugs, and all sex. I’m not sure which one of those was the hardest. None of it was easy. I wasn’t used to going very many days without wanting a drink, drugs, or sex. I had gotten so used to thinking I needed all those things-needed them to fill the empty places inside me. We live in such a materialistic world. We think we need all these things around us to make us happy. The cars, the flat-screen TVs, the clothes, the bling, the drugs and alcohol. But now, when I put together six whole months of complete abstinence, I found that I didn't need any of them. When you strip all that away, you never miss it. There was no joy in it. God had to take it all away for me to realize that.

I had to teach myself how to pray again. Loving God and living dirty don’t mix. I had to relearn how to get on my knees and humble myself before God, ask his help. I pleaded with him, on my knees on the floor.
“God, please help me to do the right thing today. Please help me not to hurt anybody today. Please give me the strength to do right. Take anything you want from me. I don’t care about the money and fame and parties and success and women. I don’t care about anything anymore except my kids and my loved ones and being the best person I can be for them.”

Of course, God was right there and ready to hear me. Like I said, God has a lot of patience with us. He was there waiting for me while I went through all my wicked ways, knowing that the suffering I was causing myself with all that bad behavior would eventually be so severe that I’d turn away from it and come back to him.

God began to heal me. And he gave me the strength to face up to all the wicked things I’d done. I emerged from the fog of pain and confusion I’d been living in for so long. Away from everything and everyone, I was able for the first time to examine all the choices I had made, and the terrible consequences of them. The realization of how much pain and misery and destruction I’d caused the people who loved me fell on me like a ton of anvils. I had to look at it all and say, “I have no excuses anymore. My father is no excuse. My childhood is no excuse. My self-loathing is no excuse. None of that makes what I did okay. It’s not okay. I was responsible for my actions. The people I hurt are real.”

It was very hard, but I got over my bitterness and anger toward my father, my wives, the press – all the people I had blamed for my own bad behavior. I forced myself to step up like a man and accept responsibility for everything I’d done.

I’d like to say that God finally revealed the Truth to me in a blinding flash of light, but he doesn’t usually work that way. I didn't have a dramatic flash of revelation. It was more gradual. I just surrendered. All those years I’d been struggling, struggling, struggling. Hating myself and wondering why on earth God chose me. I had raged through my life like a hurricane. And now, by sitting quietly, studying, praying, purifying myself, I let the hurricane blow itself out.

I finally found myself, and God. This time, when God called, I didn’t run away and hide. I answered.
Have a blessed day everyone. 

Just Being Still

                                Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.   When thou hast thanked thy God For every blessing sent...