SABBATH SNAPSHOT : legali-TEA

Through all of his bestselling books, faithful fans of John Grisham's legal thrillers tend to esteem all of them. I am more of a reluctant Grisham reader and when his first books started becoming very predictable, I slowed down with his books. The Litigators in 2011 held my interest but

one of my favorites was far from a courtroom drama. I liked Playing for Pizza about football in Italy---maybe it was because of all the mouthwatering descriptions of Italian food.

This past week's read, Sycamore Row, was a result of an e-Audio book available from the public library for last weekend's road trip to my 50th class reunion in Kentucky,

Though I can languish with law research and lengthy litigation, much of this was helped by the reader, who was excellent. If I had been reading from the book, I might have done some scanning. Like most of Grisham's books which I have read, this one has some profanity.This one also had a lot of racial tension with references and a few of the characters from his previous story of retribution and justice, 1998's A Time to Kill, namely Clanton, MS attorney, Jake Brigance.

The plot: A wealthy white man hangs himself in a very deliberate and planned fashion. There is no question about his death, but there are a lot of questions about his estate. Days before his suicide, he changed his will, cut off his children and grandchildren and left the bulk of his estate to his black housekeeper/nurse. So begins a rather long story.

Maybe not Grisham at his finest but his die-hard fans will like it.

Autumn TEA-reats

And he changeth the times and the seasons: (Daniel 2:21, KJV)

....and aren't I glad for seasonal changes. Cold and heat. Seedtime and harvest.

Ah-h-h.....harvest means autumn and all its colors. One of the crowning glories of God's creation.

These fall days I am thankful for:

• Cool temps. Long sleeves coming out of storage.
• Tea with hints of cinnamon.
• Brilliant color for "leaf peepers."
• Fresh greens. Crisp apples. YUM! 
• Pumpkins on doorsteps.
• Fall sports. Football on TV. Soccer games for grands.
• Warm cuppas.

This morning I was grateful for holding my daughter's warm cuppa, needing a sweatshirt for my grandson's soccer game and the distraction from losing once again,.....

.....as a dragonfly took up residence on my purse strap. Owen loved it. Score forgotten.*

*Pop-Pop, a competitive sort, probably didn't forget.

Beau-TEA-ful Blossoms

and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD,....
(Exodus 16:7, NASB)

I know this verse goes on to talk about grumbling but these words jumped off the page after my Thursday morning walk with Ellen. Passing my next-door-neighbor's house, as we winded down from our walk, we were both in awe of the blossoms on the vine covering her mailbox!
Morning Glories---in more ways than one!

Each day, I have a "morning cuppa" and then because I live next door to Master Gardener Lynda, I also have my "morning blossom." There is always something blooming at her house. What a great neighbor to have. What a blessing!

Yesterday's "morning blossom" was a Flying Saucer variety, which really stood out to me in the midst of her Grandpa Ott's & those heavenly rich blues.

Such "morning blossom" views sweeten my "morning cuppa" All the sweeter yesterday because I got to share it with a dear friend. GLORY! 

In-TEA-macy of Marriage

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. (Psalm 31:9, ESV)

Sometimes there seems to be no cuppa to serve, no words to say....in the darkest times of grief. Losing a spouse is such a time. Prayers. Comfort foods. Words of comfort. Nothing assuages the grief like being there for them.

They feasted on love; every mode of it---solemn and merry, romantic and realistic, sometimes as dramatic as a thunderstorm, sometimes comfortable and unemphatic as putting on your soft slippers. (C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed)

Melody and Ronnie had such a marriage....filled with love! 

Commi-TEA-ment to Ministry

But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don't be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you. (2 Timothy 4:5, NLT)

How does one know if she is fully carrying out her God given ministry? She just keeps loving Him and serving Him by loving and serving others.

Sometimes ministry goes beyond one's street to meet someone at her point of need elsewhere in the community. The cuppa minis-TEA-ry might look a little different at each turn but if one seeks to bless those whom God has put in her path, even 45+ years ago,  she will serve them on their terms, according to their needs and their desires.

A cuppa minis-TEA-ry might be sweet, iced and served with 2 slices of lemon if one really seeks to serve another according to the recipient's pleasure. Whatever it takes. Whatever it looks like. Pleasing others in the household of faith pleases Him.**

**This blog was written early today as a result of a hospital visit yesterday. This afternoon I received a call from that long-time friend and sister in Christ, Melody. Her hubby died this afternoon. Such a shock. More ministry is needed for this "young" widow---young enough to have been rice girl at our '69 wedding. I don't know where to begin except on my knees seeking His mercy, comfort and guidance.

A Local Cuppa Minis-TEA-ry

and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, (Acts 17:26, NASB)

Continuing to ponder, "How does one "bloom where planted?"...spiritually, that is. Since God has determined that at this time I will live in Memphis, TN in Eastwood Manor area, specifically at 1152, then I know that I am here in this locality for ministry.

How does one do that? Minister in their neighborhood? 

In a nutshell, "Be open to others." (notes from Allen Bible Church 9/14/14)

• OPEN EYES--observe needs--see as God sees
• OPEN EARS--listen with all ears and you'll find commonalities
• OPEN HANDS--be receptive & responsive to both give & receive help when needed
• OPEN LIVES--be relational, move toward them, feel compassion and share life's moments

Jesus came and dwelt among us; (John 1:14) or as Eugene Peterson describes, "He moved into the neighborhood." That's where He ministered. We should do the same.

Next time you serve a cuppa fill it with minis-TEA-ry for your neighborhood friends.

Timelessness of God's Word : Essential guide for all humani-TEA

Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. (Psalm 90:2, NIV)

Dusting the console cabinet in the den, I reset my Pap's Illinois railroad pocket watch for the umpteenth time. It's stemwound and though it's old, it still works----for awhile. Actually, it would probably continue to work if I would continue to rewind it. The watch's timekeeping is dependent on my efforts, because it does not plug-in to any source. It is such a picture to me of my own inability to be consistent in my spiritual timekeeping. If I'm not "plugged in" to the word of the One who is my source of power and hope, my hope for spiritual growth is stymied.

The Bible is by no means a book just of the past. It contains a timeless message of hope. Hope for the day and hope for the future. God, the author of the Bible, (2 Timothy 3:16) is timeless and wishes to share eternity with the people who love Him.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

God's truth is always relevant. Even, many of God’s promises recorded in the Bible are relevant for all times.

God's Word is timeless (Psalm 119:89) and therefore the Bible is still humanity’s most essential guide.

SABBATH SNAPSHOT : hometown partiali-TEA

Lisa Patton's "Dixie" series books are not exactly "high-brow" literature. Chick-lit might be a more appropriate label. But....folks who grew up in Memphis, will find lots of references to places they once frequented, Justine's, being one. Readers with an Ole Miss connection, will find that Patton has her finger on the pulse of tailgating in "The Grove" as football fans gather early for the Rebels traditional "Walk Through the Grove" 2 hours before kick-off the 3rd book in the series.!

Patton also puts a little south in the mouth of her characters, that folks north of the Mason-Dixon might have a little trouble interpreting. 

For a fluff, predictable read, Patton keeps it clean, which is rare these days. In Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor-easter, (#1) protagonist Leelee Satterfield, is a southern belle in who more than once has to draw on her southern grit, while maintaining her manners when her life seems to go awry at an inn in Vermont.  Yankee Doodle Dixie's (#2) rating is not quite as high as her debut book & finds LeeLee back in Memphis. Southern as a Second Language (#3) has LeeLee and her girls with Kissie, who raise her and continues to "watch out for her" as LeeLee frequents more places in Memphis----Central BBBQ, Rachel's Flowers and St. John's Episcopal to name a few. 

Ms Patton grew up in Memphis and now lives in Franklin, so she knows her subject. So if your drawn to an easy read set in Memphis with flashbacks to the 60s as well as more recent times, these books might fit your bill. 

Commi-TEA-ment

No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. (2 Timothy 2:4, NASB)

Week 7's topic for our Heart to Heart Bible Study in 2 Timothy, is "Be committed." I am the scheduled teacher for that session. Once I got past taking that "phrase" a little too personally, envisioning an Alzheimer play-day type setting, my next step also proved personally difficult.

The first direction was: Write "below" a favorite version of 2 Timothy 4:2 to commit to memory.

That alone took days as I kept trying different versions on for my "spiritual size." I wanted the one that fit my heart just right since memorization these days is not my strong point. I never even went to the questions segment of the lesson because I knew I wouldn't be teaching it for another 6-7 weeks.

After the trouble of committing to a favorite version, I realized that I had transposed my numbers and was seeking to memorize the wrong verse.

How like me! I really do need to "be committed" to the home.

But God had used those translations of 2 Timothy 2:4---very NEEDFUL ---as once again I was getting caught up in the minutia of daily life. Those tyrannical urgencies that drive the "already driven" to distraction. I needed to "be committed" to the Lord, my commanding officer. Committed to pleasing Him! Not spinning my wheels in busyness and wasting time.

Maybe I do need to be committed to a facilit-TEA with a memory unit, but if I do end up there, I hope they allow me daily cuppas of  commi-TEA-ment to the One true God. My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as I take to preachin'! (2 Timothy 2:4)

Veloci-TEA Continued, Rationale Considered, at-TEA-ributes Concluded

When You said, "Seek My face," my heart said to You, "Your face, O LORD, I shall seek." (Psalm 27:8, NASB)

Run to God's Word. That's always the right "speedy" decision. What takes some contemplation is what you do with it once you get there.

Reading God's Word just for the sake of reading God's word has merit. Searching God's word for answers to questions is a worthy pursuit as well. Yet, lately I have been convicted that God's word, at its best, is as an impetus and aid in worship.

I had just typed this and then I opened an email from Mary B. 

Have you read Women of the Word by Jan Wilkin? Cathy C. mentioned something from it in her BSF lecture Monday night.  She said that the author challenged her readers to study the Bible  to worship God, not to see what you can get for yourself from it. 

Hm-m-m sounds like all that's been on my heart lately. It's a "how-to book about studying the Bible with both heart and mind. I think I need to "check it out." Certainly I know how to use veloci-TEA to my advantage when it comes to acquiring a book. 

I hope this one will equip me to engage God’s Word in a way that "trains my mind and transforms my heart" as the book blurb indicates. Then, I will be able to wholeheartedly answer the question,

"Am I a God-worshipper or a Bible-worshipper?"

I need to fill my cuppa with at-TEA-ributes of God, that I might love the person and not the object as I speedily turn to Him.