Along The Way

In the New Testament, it is recorded that Jesus often met the needs of people along the way.  Some examples are talking to a Samaritan woman at the well, calling Zachaeus to come down from the tree, turning water to wine at a wedding, healing a Centurion’s servant, calming the storm when in a boat on the Sea of Galilee and healing a blind beggar. 

In our Wednesday night Bible study about The Tangible Kingdom, we discussed what the world’s general perception if of Christians and agreed we are perceived to be judgmental, hypocritical, self-righteous generally annoying.  This is certainly not the way God wants Christians to be as we see from the following verses:

Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children:  And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.  Ephesians 5:1-2

Jesus went out to where the people were.  He did not sit in the temple all day.  As Christians, we need to show we love God by loving people in our everyday lives and make the gospel of Christ real by showing His love to them by our actions.  Two weeks ago, our Wednesday night Bible study group went to a local park and picked up trash.  Instead of sitting in the church talking, we went out into the community to do something helpful outside of our church. 

I am a task-oriented person but am learning to look at interruptions in my routine or schedule as God-given opportunities to be a blessing to others.  Although this may seem like a little thing, it is huge for me.  Here are a few examples that came up recently:  

On the bus that week, instead of burying my nose in my book, I actually talked to a woman sharing my experience with Cancer and convincing her she definitely should get a mammogram. 

As I was walking outside on break reading a book one day, a woman came up to me asking for directions to the library which I gladly gave her.

On my morning walk to the bus stop one day, one of my neighbors showed me her yard had been torn up by a skunk.  We had that same thing happen to us last fall so I told her we used Grub-X to get rid of the grubs.  I had just recently come across another solution which I shared with her:  place some cucumbers in an aluminum pie tin and place it in the yard.  It makes a scent that the grubs do not like so they leave.

How can Christians change the world’s perception?  By imitating Christ by going out into our world and meeting needs of others.  Make some non-Christian friends and leave the judging to God.  Ask God to give you an opportunity to be a blessing to someone along the way today.

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Surprises From Some Super Boys That Made My Day!

Sunday was the last week with this particular group of 5th grade boys in my Sunday School class. Every year, promotion is bitter sweet. It thrills my soul to see my classes make some spiritual progress during the year and I always enjoy teaching Sunday School.  I usually get attached to my classes and wish I could keep them another year. This year was no exception.

I began teaching Sunday School when I graduated from high school in 1971 and taught for something like 35 years--with only a few years off along the way.  My first class was a fun group of 3rd grade boys who gave me the teaching bug!  I have taught grades 3-12 in Sunday School over the years and up until now, always liked the Jr. High classes best  However, This last class of 5th grade boys was the best I ever had and that's saying a lot because I have had many good classes. They were a very special group in that most were regular attenders, they all got along great, they were very open and eager to participate, willing to accept challenges, eager to learn; therefore, a pleasure to teach.   Over half completed the Dare To Be A Daniel evangelism course geared to Jr. Highers during the summer.  I am so proud of them!

We had some fun socials but Sunday, I was blown away when I received gifts and thank you notes from several of the boys. This was a first for me!

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Teaching Sunday School Is Such A Blessing!

I love teaching Sunday School, especially when I have such cooperative kids! For the summer our fifth graders are using “Dare To Be A Daniel” curriculum that focuses on purposing to obey God, preparing to be used by God, picking Godly friends for support, and pointing others to Jesus. In this series there are a lot of “challenges” to do through the week and supplemental videos and games to view online at www.daretobeadaniel.com.

This is the third year I am using this and the first two years I it was like pulling teeth to get the boys to do the at-home stuff. As a teacher, I try to improve on lessons I’ve previously taught and learn from previous experiences. One of the things I tried this year is to compile all the handouts into a manual they can take home and am thrilled that they are bringing it back each week. This way if they miss, they can still stay caught up.

Last week the challenge was to spend time alone with God each day in prayer and scripture reading. I look forward to them beginning to share with each other the “daily specials” they found in God’s Word during the week. The challenge was to write down when your prayed or read the Bible during the week, trying to do it every day. Several are really making an effort to do the challenges and go online this year. I always do things along with my class and on this particular challenge, I was surprised to see how often through the day I do actually have one-on-one time with God. We also have nine verses to memorize and again, this class is really doing a good job as a whole keeping up with this. Of course, I already know them all, but it is a good review.

Sometimes classes go as planned and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes I am passionate about the lesson and sometimes I am not. Last week was a “perfect class.” Everything went as planned, the time flew by for all of us and the boys had things to share, and we had fun. We started in the jungle room on the floor sharing what we did through the week and played a fun Hollywood Square version of Tic-Tac-Toe to make the point that things become easier if we prepare ahead, memorize things and practice them.

With it being a beautiful day outside and having only seven boys there, we spent the Bible Study time outside in our church courtyard around a table. I love when we get to go outside during class and so do the boys! (I remember having devotions outside when I attended Beulah Beach camp as a kid and it was my favorite thing about camp! Sports was second.) We went back inside to watch a short DVD clip about training ahead and compared it to taking time to train spiritually by getting into God’s Word each day. I look forward to see how the boys did this week.

Here’s a challenge for you—try keeping an appointment with just God and you each day, spending time talking to him, pouring your heart out in prayer and reading the Bible so He can speak to you. Write down the times you spend with God through the day and the verses you read along with what you learned. By doing this, you will get to know God better! Feel free to share a “daily special” you found in the comments here. Let’s encourage each other!

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10 Things That Make Me Smile When I Am Not Happy (writer's workshop)

 





1. Petting my cats.

2. Petting my dog.

3. Coming across a good review of my book, “My Funny Dad, Harry” or learning that someone else purchased it.

4. Seeing a pretty sunrise.

5. Watching a funny TV show like Mary Tyler Moore, McHale’s Navy, Hogan’s Heroes or Everybody Loves Raymond.

6. Getting a very nice comment on my blog or a nice email like this one:.

Kathy has left a new comment on your post "Thanks, Bumbles, For This Commenting Award!":

Thanks so much Karen. See, this is why you're so amazing. You're always giving thanks for people and things. You are so selfless, despite the challenges you're facing right now. And that's why people like to come to your blog. Your devotion to your readers is clear.

I like your blog because it's a comfortable place to visit and you always have something fun and interesting going on here. I don't know how you post so often, as Daisy and others do. I saw your post idea post yesterday and may need to give it a try. I'm still struggling a bit.

Anyway, I wanted to say I admire you as a blogger and thank you for including me here.

7. Coming across a funny blog post at Jodi's Journey, “The Junk Drawer,” “Comedy Plus,” “Mama’s Losin’ It,” “Daisy, the Curly Cat,” or “I'm Living Proof That God Has a Sense of Humor.”

8. Going for a walk on a beautiful day.

9. Getting a nice surprise that I had no idea was coming—like a surprise gift or a special treat.

10.  Counting all my blessings and praising the Lord.

This post is in response to Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop prompt: Write a list of 10 things that are sure to put a smile on your face when you are not happy.


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God's At Work In Our Daily Lives--What A Week!

Sometimes problems can be blessings as I discovered last week. When problems arise, we need to ask "What is God trying to teach me through this?" Here are three examples:

WEDNESDAY: No Bible Study Tonight

This has been one unusual week for us. I was looking forward to starting my new Bible Study at church on "The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace when the snow came at rush hour. My husband called when he got home 20 minutes later than usual to tell me how bad the roads were. I knew he didn't want me going out to church. He told me it would probably be canceled and I should call the church to make sure they were still having it before going.

Having started reading the book, I read about how our husbands should be our first ministry. That's right, even above Bible studies! I also had just finished reading how important it is to show respect for our husbands by being submissive to them and that being submissive is a good thing. God has placed the husband over the wife for the wife's protection. So, naturally, when I was talking with Gerard on the phone, in the back of my mind, these words kept coming up.

I called the church as he suggested and found that it was still on. I asked the church secretary to give Nora the message that I wouldn't be there tonight because my husband didn't want me to go and I was being an "excellent wife." I knew she'd understand. As it turned out, my bus was very late and running very slow. I got home at 7:15 and the Bible Study started at 7 p.m. It took me two hours and 15 minutes to get home from work. Even though I felt bad I missed the first discussion on this book, I had peace about it because I knew in my heart that I honored my husband and did the right thing. Getting home that late just made it much easier to accept. God is good!

THURSDAY: When The Lens Pops Out, It's Time For New Glasses

It was in single digits today, extremely cold out with snow all over. When I was having my morning devotions, I heard my husband yell, "Oh NO!" I came down to find that his lens popped out of his glasses. He stuck it back in. However, after taking the garbage out and scraping the ice off his car, he noticed it was out again when he came inside. He was very upset and was determined to go to work anyway.

Again, what I had just read in "The Excellent Wife" popped into my head. Be a "Suitable helper" to your husband. Tha is my calling. So, I gently begged him not do drive with only one lens and said I'd go look for it at least. He ate while I took the flashlight and looked in the snow where he had walked while asking God to please help me find it. Well, I didnt find it.

I gave Gerard two suggestions: (1) I would take off work too and we would go get him new glasses today and he could go in later if he wanted to; or (2) he could ride to work with his boss who lives just a few house up the street and wear his sunglasses all day and go get new ones for him that evening. I was glad he had calmed down enough to choose the first option.

He got new glasses and I didn't have to wait for the bus on this frigid cold day. We both went to workout during the afternoon rather than having to go out at night. He didn't go into work because it was well into the afternoon before the glasses were ready. At least he got them the same day though and said he can see better now. Things seem bigger!

Perhaps this was God's way of getting us to finally spend the money for his new glasses. Fortunately, he had the prescription he got just last summer so he didn't need an eye appointment. I thank God that it happened at the beginning of the day rather than when he was at work or driving. What a blessing!

FRIDAY: Frozen Pipes--Plumber To The Rescue

When I went to give the cats fresh water from our bathroom off the den, no cold water came out, just the hot. This happened before and after a few tries it worked, so I tried again . . . and again . . . and again. Ooops, I'm thinking, oh no. It must be frozen. I hope our pipes don't break. I called our regular plumber (we seem to have plumbing problems often) and he confirmed my fear. He said there's nothing he can do until someone gets home, but he would come tonight if it still wasn't working.

When Gerard got home from work, he called the plumber and he arrived just after I got in. The bad news is that we need to get our attic which contains our upstairs pipes insulated this spring, but the good news is that our pipes didn't break. He just turned off the water going up there so it wouldn't happen again and said when we want it back on to call him and he'd come over and get it back on for us. We can easily manage without using that bathroom for a couple months.

Praise God he watches out for us and for once, I did something right!