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Minute Mediatations~8

7 Jun

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

                                              

REST…

What gives you the most rest in your life? Is it just a good night’s sleep?

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Is it vegging in front of the TV after work?

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Is it sleeping in that lawn chair after a hard day’s work?

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Is it doing something other than work?

Fred and I have often agreed that, doing something different from your normal work day is a type of rest for your body and mind.

When I was working for a company in Virginia, one of my six (count them….SIX) bosses was a young man, very skilled in finance. It was a small company, and he was tasked to do a lot of things for the company. In his office, directly across the room from his desk, was a very large picture of a mountain scene, complete with snow, ski lift, and a bunch of skiers swooping down the mountain side. Snow skiing was his passion. I understood that, in a very stressful day, he had only to look at that picture for a few minutes, visualize himself in that picture-setting, and have a moment of rest.

Have you ever “rested” in the Lord? Have you ever just let yourself know that God is in complete control of whatever situation you find yourself in, and sit back, relax, and REST in God’s capable hands? WOW! Talk about rest!! That’s the ultimate.

My brother, Bill, wrote about this one time. Here’s what he said:

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I’ve written about God’s perfect timing before, and it still stands. It’s when we can allow God to have complete control of our lives that we experience true rest. The peace that comes with that rest is the best and most refreshing we will ever have. And if we wait upon the Lord, we will see that, indeed, His timing is perfect…and so is our REST in Him.

I am grateful.

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Comparisons-helpful or damaging

5 Jun

From My Heart
Louise Gibson

Louise Gibson

When we compare, we want to be the best or have the best.
The paradox of “fit in and stand out”.
Comparison is the thief of happiness.
Acceptance of our self and others is what life is all about.

Be kind to yourself.
Accept yourself for who and what you are.
It will relieve that inner strife.
In God’s eyes, you are already a star.

Take time for creativity.
It’s important to your well being, don’t you see.
Is achieving and competing truly deserving
of all your attention and energy?

Have you made achieving too important
and creativity as no longer of value?
Re-think your priorities, be kind to yourself
You will be a much more contented You.

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The King and his Walls

4 Jun

A Generous Helping

There once lived a king of a small but beautiful castle. He had everything a king could want – a beautiful queen, lovely princesses, bountiful land, friends and plentiful resources. He was also quite proud of his walls. He had built them sufficiently high and strong so they could withstand attack but not so foreboding that they repelled callers of good repute.

Near his castle were other industrious kings, all working toward the common good of the people and the land. These small kingdoms lived in relative peace save the occasional border dispute – always quickly solved with diplomacy and understanding. To the north lay a massive kingdom that ruled the entire known world. It was long-rumored that this land was perfect and its people well-loved. Inside that castle was a good and great king who treated the lesser kings with abundant mercy. Although this king had the power to easily…

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Minute Meditations~7

31 May

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

                                                

POSSESSIONS…

What is your most prized possession?

Your car?

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Your house?

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An instrument you’ve scrimped and saved for, for so long you wondered whether or not you would ever be able to afford it?

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That big-screen TV?

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That stereo system? That computer? That ipad or iphone?

What about a pet? Is that considered a “possession” to you?

How did you feel after you acquired that prized possession? Did the possessing of it complete your life, like you thought it would? Or were you “let down” now that you had it in hand?

My brother, Bill, wrote about a woman who desired something – something she considered more than life itself:

4In acquiring those prized possessions, if we consider how that possession can be used to God’s glory, then we can use it – “give it back to God” – and know that we have fulfilled God’s desire for us in that instance. We can give God the opportunity to bless us with our use of the possession.

The “essence” of this thought is that, what God gives still belongs to Him – to be used for His glory.

I had never thought about my possessions in that light. God really DOES want to give us the best, and to bless us with it.

WOW!

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The Art of Stillness

29 May

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

Louise Gibson

Nature has a voice-
Just listen—truly listen!
But to truly listen,
You must be still.

Stillness is important to your life.
It will set you free from tension,
and will set you free from strife.

A farmer remarked he never looked up
until his barn burned down.
He was amazed by the beauty of nature
when he finally looked around.

Treasure your “alone time”
That is when you plan and reason.
Get in tune with God and nature,
regardless of the season.

solitude on the beach

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Who washed the pot?

28 May

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

I'm a winner

Wednesday I read a blog I follow, Life in Portsong by Mark Myers. He wrote about his military life and drinking coffee from a metal cup. He hated the taste! His story opened a flood of memories.

I come from a long line of coffee drinkers. I had coffee with my breakfast as a child, of course it had a lot of milk in it. stove top coffee potMy parents made the coffee on top of the stove in an aluminum percolator. The rich aroma of coffee gently bubbling is one of those things you don’t forget.

As my aunts and uncles retired, they would come down to visit my parents in Florida during the winter. I treasure the evenings we all sat around the kitchen table sipping coffee, telling jokes and laughing at stories from their growing up days. They loved to laugh. One thing that could pause the fun was a bad cup of coffee. All it took was one sip and someone would say, “who washed the coffee pot?” You see, as Mark mentions in his blog, coffee in a metal container tastes better if you don’t wash it after every use. I believe it is called “seasoning”. You might think it would make the coffee bitter, but it never did. It gave it a deeper flavor.

It seems I like my friends to be seasoned too.  Because they carry the residue of their life experience and walk with Christ, they are rich with knowledge, love and compassion. There isn’t anything more pleasant that spending with seasoned friends and family.

How about you? Did you grow up being told to not wash the coffee pot with soap?

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The Space Race Begins~Part 1

27 May

A Slice of Life
Bill Lites

Bill Red Spot Plane

I have always been interested in aviation. I grew up during the WWII years, when aviation technology was on the increase. I’m sure my parents bought me toys that were popular with other kids during those years. Thus, as can be seen in the photos below, those toys may have had a lot to do with how I perceived aviation.

Along with that, you might remember the blog I wrote about my “Parachute Man,” who got lost on the front bumper of a car when I was about 5 years old. That incident and my recent meeting with a real WWII paratrooper (Bob Bearden) at an airshow in Texas, remind me of how aviation has been an important thread running through my entire life’s experiences.

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And then came the “Big Event”, when I was 6 years old, and took my first ride in a real airplane. That life changing event took place in 1945, when I flew with my family in an American Airlines DC-3 from Dallas, TX to our new home in Albuquerque, NM. That one airplane ride hooked me on airplanes from then on! I remember reading about other people who credit their first airplane ride as the catalyst for their aviation career. I can truly say, that was true for me too.

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During my grade school years, I started building small wooden model airplanes that I hung from my bedroom ceiling or placed on stands to sit on my desk. My parents bought me an electric train set one Christmas, but the interest in model trains didn’t last long and I was soon back to building model airplanes.

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Next came flying rubber band models made of balsa wood sticks and tissue paper. Not being satisfied with the limitations of the rubber band models, by the time I got to high school, I had started building and U-Controlled flying models airplanes. That hobby shared much of my time with auto engine mechanics.

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By the time I finished my tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, my love of “Everything Aviation” had pretty much helped me decide to become an aircraft mechanic. However, unbeknownst to me, my involvement in the “Space Race” actually would start in 1958, when I enrolled in my first Mechanical Engineering class at Northrop Institute of Technology (NIT), in Inglewood, CA. I had intended to attend NIT to take their Aircraft & Engine (A&E) course to become a certified aircraft mechanic, but the registrar had other ideas.

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He talked me into taking their Aircraft Maintenance Engineering course which would give me a Mechanical Engineering degree and an A&E license, and of course, more money for the college. But, before I finished all my courses at NIT, the direction of my life’s career changed, and I would kind of segue away fromthe A&E mechanic job. Now my plan was to be a “Liaison Engineer” in one of the many aviation companies, there in the Los Angeles area, where I would coordinate engineering drawings with the manufacturing department for incorporation into the finished product.

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However, the A&E Schooling did help me get a part-time job at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in 1960 servicing aircraft for local commuter airlines. I loved that job. Some of the activities I performed for these airlines consisted of adding fuel and oil to airplanes for turn-a-round flights, as well as towing planes to the overnight parking areas when needed. What a thrill that was, as it required communicating with the airport’s control tower on the airplane’s radio.

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—–To Be Continued—–

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The Bank Robbery~Part 4

26 May

Guest Post

Norma Rowe

Norma head shot

We came out of the bank in two or three groups and were taken, in unmarked police cars, to Parker Center, the LAPD main office in downtown L.A. I couldn’t believe what I saw when we came out of the bank, traffic had been detoured and there were policemen and FBI agents all over the street, and on the rooftops. The market across the street had been evacuated and of course, news people were everywhere. As soon as we got to Parker Center, they let use the phone to call our families.

Thank God, my parents didn’t find out until it was over – a friend of my mother’s came to our home and said, “I wanted to come and keep you company in such a moment as this.” That’s how they found out about the robbery. My Dad rushed down to the bank but when he got there it was over, though still crowded and he wasn’t allowed to get close to the bank. Fortunately, a bank customer who knew my father told him, “Norma is all right, they were all taken downtown.” At least they didn’t have to go through the ordeal of knowing I was in danger.

We all had to give statements but mine was the longest because I had been the most involved. I was taken to a small room where two detectives recorded everything I said. One of them took me back to the bank after we finished. At that time, the bank was full of FBI agents, Loss & Investigations Department personnel, and top bank management. I talked to some of the people I knew for a few minutes. They were lightening things up kidding me because a puppy had somehow got inside the bank and left a deposit under my desk. One of the bank officers I knew well said “I knew you had to be scared….but, were you ‘that scared?’ (Referring to the “deposit” under my desk.)

I put my things away, got my purse, and left the bank. As soon as I walked out, a news reporter and his cameraman wanted to ask me questions, but we had been told not to give out statements. The bank gave us the next day off from work. As a “consolation prize,” a good customer and friend of our manager who had just bought a houseboat treated us all, as well as our spouses or boyfriends, to a day-trip to Catalina Island. We all laughed afterwards saying, “Haven’t we suffered enough already?” The trip was meant for good but the ocean was so rough that most everybody, including me, got seasick. We enjoyed the day on Catalina Island, though.

Days later, it was determined by an autopsy that the perpetrator had shot him and that he was on drugs at the time of the robbery.

Although so many years have gone by I still remember every single detail, especially how God strengthened and shielded me and was true to His promise that “nothing was going to happen to me. Praise His Holy Name!

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In Good Hands

22 May

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

Louise Gibson

The phrase, “In Good Hands”
is meant to mean “competency, safety, or care”.
Since the 1300s, seven centuries later,
we hear the words everywhere.

Even in a popular song,
“He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”,
and in an insurance company’s slogan,
“With “us” You’re in good hands”.

As good as the hands of highly skilled people are,
can they compare with the hands of God
in terms of comfort, skill, or safety?
(God doesn’t have hands, of course,
but “the hand of God” is mentioned
fifteen times in scripture, usually
as a reference to His power and authority.)

Isn’t that what we hope for
when we are in a difficult circumstance?
Don’t we want someone with power and authority
to step in and meet our need?

That is likely what Peter had in mind
when he wrote that “we should cast all our cares
upon God since God cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7).

I am going to put my hand in the hand
of the Man who stilled the waters,
and I’m going to look to Him who calmed the sea.
I’m going to trust the One who took my sins upon Himself
And laid down His life for you and me.

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Serendipities, Synchronicities, and Miracles

18 May

My Take

DiVoran LItes

Author, Poet and ArtistSerendipity means an unexpectedly happy experience, and to me synchronicity means a happy coincidence. My own definition of miracle contains both, but I always attribute a large or a small miracle to a loving Heavenly Father.

Last Thursday evening, I went to a local elementary school to see my young friend, Janicia, dance in a playlet about bullying. As I walked into the rapidly filling cafeteria, I searched every row of tables for Janicia’s family and for my art friend, Lanie Tan and her daughter Misa. I looked at every face, but saw no one I knew.

I found a seat down front with enough room for me and one or two others. As I started to sit down, I looked out the big window and there was Lanie looking in, waving, and throwing kisses. I pointed to the empty seat and she nodded with enthusiasm. Almost immediately, she was there beside me. I didn’t know where the other family was going to sit, but I relaxed humming, “God will find a way, when there seems to be no way.”

Misa was somewhere else in the building with friends and Lanie and I had a good chat. Lanie was wearing a mask because she had a cold and didn’t want to spread germs. We got into our talk and then she had to leave because a coughing fit came on.

In a couple of minutes, Janicia’s mother came in carrying their eight-months-old baby, Dee-Dee, and a big diaper bag. She plopped the baby on my lap and there she sat perfectly satisfied, looking around with big brown eyes, good as gold.

On stage, Janicia wore a t-shirt that said, “Girl Power.” The play was about bullying. The man who arranged it does that at schools to increase awareness.

After the performance, the children had hot-dogs and we waited for the drawing for a new computer. By this time, Janicia, her mom, her dad, and her four-year-old brother, Bobby had gathered. Lanie, and Misa, plus Misa’s three friends and the elderly gentleman who is guardian to one of them sat facing each other. We managed to include everyone in a pleasant conversation.

Suddenly, it was time for the drawing. Misa sat next to me with her tickets and I asked if she was going to win something. She nodded yes. I happened to be looking at the ticket closest to me and saw that Misa’s first number matched the called one, then the second, the third, the fourth — all matched.

Lanie told Misa that if they won the computer they would give it away. The reader read the last number, it matched, too. “I won!” Misa said. Her mother shook her head not believing it. I nodded mine, yes.

All evening God was casting serendipities, synchronicities, and miracles around like falling stars. The lady who won the computer on the second go-around indicated that she really needed it. People who knew each other got together, others, once strangers happened to gather and feel at home with each other. It was like a party.

Sometimes, I can hardly wait to see what God will do next. I do know that he loves to do jobs and activities with us and He enjoys seeing His children enjoying each other’s company, the biggest miracle of all.

I John 4:7-8

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