The best is yet to come

There’s an old story about an elderly woman who was told by her physician that she probably wouldn’t live much longer. Soon there after, she called in her family to discuss her funeral arrangements. They talked about how the service would be, where she would be buried, what kind of casket would be used, etc. As the conversation was winding down, the woman remarked, “There’s one thing that’s very important: I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.” Her children were understandably puzzled by that remark, and one of them couldn’t contain his curiosity. “Mom,” he said, “what are you talking about?” “I remember eating with my family when I was a young girl,” the woman began, “Each of us would help clear away the dishes. Every once in a while, mom would tell us, ‘Save your fork!’ We children knew what that meant. It meant that mom had fixed us a pie or a cake or some sort of treat. When she said ‘Save your fork!’, that meant the best was yet to come. So I want to be buried with a fork in my hand, for the best is yet to come!” This is a great story that I found that I thought you might enjoy

I wish you were My little girl

I found this article and I wanted to share it with you Mary Ann Bird, in her memoir entitled The Whisper Test, tells of the power of words of acceptance in her own life. She was born with multiple birth defects: deaf in one ear, a cleft palate, a disfigured face, a crooked nose, lopsided feet. As a child, Mary Ann suffered not only these physical impairments but also the emotional damage inflicted by other children. “Oh, Mary Ann,” her classmates would say, “what happened to your lip?” “I cut it on a piece of glass,” she would lie. One of her worst experiences at school, she reported, was the day of the annual hearing test. The teacher would call each child to her desk, and the child would cover first one ear, and then the other. The teacher would whisper something to the child like “The sky is blue” or “You have new shoes.” This was “the whisper test”; if the teacher’s phrase was heard and repeated, the child passed the test. To avoid the humiliation of failure, Mary Ann always would cheat on the test, secretly cupping her hand over her one good ear so that she still could hear what the teacher said. One year Mary Ann was in the class of Miss Leonard, one of the most beloved and popular teachers in the school. Every student, including Mary Ann, wanted to be noticed by her, wanted to be her pet. Then came the day of the dreaded hearing test. When her turn came, Mary Ann was called to the teacher’s desk. As Mary Ann cupped her hand over her good ear, Miss Leonard leaned forward to whisper. “I waited for those words,” Mary Ann wrote, “that God must have put into her mouth, those seven words that changed my life.” Miss Leonard did not say to Mary Ann, “The sky is blue” or “You have new shoes.” What she whispered was, “I wish you were my little girl.” In Him J. Tom Washburn

Mercy

Mercy is defined as the gift of compassion.
Have you ever put together a list of "acts of compassion"?
Here is a little taste.

Chose to overlook some careless words by others.
Mow someones yard that is having a hard time.
Visit a widow
Visit an orphan child and make them feel special.
Eat with someone not in the "In" crowd.
Sit with someone who seems all alone.
Invite a new person to join in with you.
Get on your knees and talk to a child.
Listen.
Forgive a debt.
Send a gift to someone you know is having a hard time.
Lend a hand.
Give something to a person in need.
Try to leave a gift anonymously.
Pray for those who hurt you.
Give a ride.
Read to a child.
Share.
Surprise someone with kindness.

Show compassion (mercy) to others because God has continually shown His mercy to you.
listen to what Peter says:
1 Peter 2:12
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
NIV
Now start your list.
In Him
J. Tom Washburn

Passports and Borders

As I was travelling in the plane the other day, I noticed there were no lines on the earth that distinguished states and countries like there are on my map. Those lines on my map seem important to me, they define my identity. Those lines tell me if I am a Texan or an Okie, those lines determine my nationality, those lines seem so important that surely you should be able to see them from the sky, from the heavens. As I looked from the plane, the only lines I could see were those created from years of erosion and and the power of creation.
How often do we draw artificial lines? How often do we restrict our vision? How often do we receive our identity from an artificial location?
We need the lofty view of heaven, we need to see with God's eyes. The gospel is not limited to my town, my state, or even my country. The gospel is meant for His world, the world that was made without lines, without passports. His gospel was meant to be shared with the rich and the poor, the dark and the light, the male and the female, the young and the old, the healthy and the sick, the good and the bad, the lost.
Don't get caught up in the lie of the lines on the map. Those lines may be good for taxing, but they should not hold us back from sharing.
In Him
J. Tom Washburn

The World Keeps On Changing

It was nice when I was little. I knew my dad was better than your dad. I knew there would be food on the table every evening at 5:30. I knew, no matter what, that as long as my dad was there I was going to be ok.
Now that I am older, my dad has gone to be with my Father and while some things have changed, some things will never change. I know my Father is great and worthy of praise. I know my Father knows my needs and cares for me. I know my Father is with me, no matter what and at the end of this life, He will welcome me home.
In Him
J. Tom Washburn

“Us and Them” Something to think about.

In Your Health Al Hinman writes:
“A spotless kitchen may harbor as many bacteria as a less tidy one, says a surprising new finding from the University of Arizona, in Tucson. That’s because the most germ-laden object in a kitchen is often the sponge. Researchers tested sponges and dishrags collected from five hundred kitchens across the U.S. and found that as many as one out of five contained salmonella bacteria. Almost two thirds had as least some other bacteria that, when ingested, could make people ill.”
Some attempts to cleanse can cause more harm than good. So it is when a pharisaical attitude prevails. Condemnation, self-righteousness, and judgmentalism are the salmonella of the soul.
Gal 6:1-2
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (NIV)
Just something to think about.
In Him
J. Tom Washburn

EVERYTHING TO GOD IN PRAYER

Last Sunday at the Brownwood Skilled Nursing devotional, we sang an old song that has a great message.
What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!
These words, written by Joseph M. Scriven in 1855, have a great message and I have been moved to meditate on them several times since that devotional.
How often do I see prayer as a Christian obligation instead of an intimate privilege? How often do I hurry in and hurry out of my prayers? How often do I wring my hands in worry instead of folding them in prayer?
Jesus said in Matt 11:28-29
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” NIV
In Him
J. Tom Washburn

Set your desires

Over and over in scripture we are given instruction on how to reach our eternal destination with God. (Col 3:2)"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Matt 6:33)"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Heb 12:2)"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,".
As a new driver discovers that the car tends to go where they are looking, so our lives tend to go in the direction our eyes (heart) are looking. What is it that you are longing for? What is it you have set your sites on? What is so important to you that you can not keep it to yourself? Does Jesus ever make it to your list?
When Peter was walking on the water, he took his eyes off of the Christ and he began to sink.
In this world full of sin, if we take our eyes off of the Christ, we will sink.
So let us set our minds, seek His kingdom and fix our eyes on the only one who gives the victory, Jesus Christ.
In Him
J. Tom Washburn