SATURDAY SALVE!

A Saturday salve to soothe the soul.

A timely surprise! A kind, tenderhearted gift. (Ephesians 4:32a)

Easily seen from my prayer chair! .

Beautiful from any view!

A smiling bouquet!

A remedy. Think offering sustaining strength as I pray for others! 

Soul soothing!

INTERCESSORY PRAYER

Heading back to prayer chair for friends--as NEEDS of others have been so great the last few weeks.

Many are surgeries & CANCER related---bone cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, but loss of a mother, loss of a grandchild, loss of hope for a return to the "norm" for caregivers as dementia steals the mind of their loved one. 

Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone--especially to those in the family of faith. (Galatians 6:10)

Friends Sam and Suzie traveled to Uganda to "do good" in Uganda, Lori went to Turkey, Michele went to Thailand, Crickett, Mary and Kellye to Nepal and JoAnn to inner city Memphis. All traveled to "do good" for others taking my prayers with them as they went.

Today, for me, "my doing good" only requires me to "travel" to my prayer chair. 

Intercessory Prayer. What a privilege both at home and abroad.

FELLOWSHIP SUNDAY!!

For most believers, every Sunday is a fellowship Sunday of sorts. Once or twice a year, our church gets together for BBQ, games and other activities on the grounds. Officially we "dub" this our "fellowship" Sunday, somewhat akin to dinner on the grounds of times gone by.

But, todays went beyond that! As I looked out over the sanctuary there was a sea of green!! Green in every spectrum. Even one of the young dads dedicating his infant son today wore green tennis shoes. Even Nancy, sweet friend in the faith, who was visiting with us today wore green as well!

Why green? One of the youngsters in our church is battling cancer, and as in similar cases, our congregation has stepped up to the plate! Unbeknownst to his parents, many in our "body" wore "Green for Griffin" whose young body has been invaded by leukemia. It was our way of saying to Griffin's family, We Got Your Back!" We're on your team!

So many scriptures whirred in my mind as we all prayed for this young man and his family. We are family---his family.

• So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. (Galatians 6:10)
• Continue steadfastly in prayer,  (Colossians 4:12)
• ....pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:16)
• Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1 Corinthians 5:11)
• How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity! (Psalm 133:1)
• May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, (Romans 15:5)
• Let brotherly love continue. (Hebrews 13:1)

Unity Prevailed----baby dedications, responsive readings of scripture, spontaneous baptisms, prayers and WEARING GREEN---lots of it!

One in the Spirit----that's what we celebrated this "Fellowship Sunday!

JOURNEYS

Words to count on during life's hardest journeys. His words!

God Never leaves us.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)

...for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear;  (Hebrews 13:5-6) 

God Goes before us.

The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, (Deuteronomy 1:30)

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

God is our rear guard.

Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, (Deuteronomy 31:8)

....for the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard. (Isaiah 52:12)

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. (Isaiah 58:8)

....and the household of faith wears BooBoo's T-shirt and prayerfully walks alongside her. (Galatians 6:10)

"Hos-pi-tal-i-TEA"

......Practice hospitality. (Romans 12:13, NIV)

Within the realm of Christianity, believers are called to hospitality. 

• Show hospitality to strangers. (Hebrews 13:2) 
• Share with the Lord's people. (Romans 12:13)
• Include one's family. (1 Timothy 5:8)
• Don't forsake friends. (Proverbs 27:10)

Some folks seem to have an uncanny ability for making others feel welcome. My Atlanta friends have that knack. Their home becomes my home. I am lavished with hospitality.

How does one know that she has been served a cuppa hospitali-TEA? 
She feels loved and special. 

And in my case, many "teas" were ready and waiting for my arrival.

Here a cuppa, there a cuppa, everywhere a cuppa cuppa.

"reciproci-TEA"

So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. (Galatians 6:10, NASB)

There was no agenda or requirement. No pre-arrangement. Just simple give and take among believers.

I stopped by to check on a friend and she offered me a cup of tea. Then another friend dropped by to bring her lunch. Then, said friend gave us both "imported" cookies, which she had received, via mail, from Marika, her daughter-in-law. We were all blessed.

Ah-h-h a warm cuppa on a cold day served with friendship to folks in the faith.

Just giving and receiving. Conversation and cookies shared by believers.
"Rciproci-TEA" at its finest!

opportuni-TEA

So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. (Galatians 6:10, NASB)

Today is "National Pie Day," according to yesterday's Commercial Appeal. This year the designated day, January 23, falls on a Thursday. That info certainly jogged my memory of a by-gone era. 

At our house 31 years ago, when daughter Molly was 3 yrs. old, we designated Thursdays as "our" pie day. Flexible hours, while teaching at the University during that time, worked well with our endeavor. Together we rolled & pinched pie dough, added various fillings and then delivered them to neighbors, newcomers, and folks who could use a lift, as well as Sunday School and Bible Study teachers.

One week our recipient was Molly's Community Bible Study Children's leader, "Miss" Pam. We, with people from all over the Memphis community, met at 2nd Pres. to hear the teaching of God's Word from Katherine Phillips. So.....not knowing where "Miss" Pam lived, Molly just took the pie to her at CBS.

Year's later, a board member of the Neighborhood School purchased one of Molly's village paintings from her "Contemporary Folk Art for the Soul" series for the inner city Christian school. Hanging the picture at the school Molly, the artist, & "Miss Pam," the board member, made the connection of baker and recipient----of a pie almost 30 years earlier. A blessing "unknowingly" reciprocated. 

My cuppa today is filled with opportuni-TEA to pour out a blessing to another in the household of faith. 

I think I'll bake a pie!

I did----HHS' Debbie J's famous Pecan Pie

Excerpts of Encouragement

7/8/10 Leaving soon for Hoptown to spend a couple of days with Daddy and then on to Nashville to meet up with Michèle. Ah-h-h, Michèle---my encourager extraordinaire. What a mentor! What an example of ministering to others.
Here’s a peek at some of her “notes” that encouraged me without sugarcoating my diagnosis----she knew what I would be facing and was willing to share her experiences.

From first e-mail
Know that you are supported by this stranger who has stood where you stand and made it through to the other side.

2nd note---Throughout this McJourney, I have known a peace that simply cannot be explained in human terms. I know from reading your blog, Dotsy, that you have a special connection with your Maker and I know that will serve you well in the months and weeks ahead... He is NEVER far.

Please know that I am praying for you even as I write. (M taught me to do this)

1/23/09 I'm more than happy to walk this road with you ….I know there's no such thing as a benign response to the C-word...

1/24/09 I know the trauma, the physical ache, of this kind of thing--despite the strongest possible sense that God is near. But I've also reached the other side now and been able to look back and see the blessings, the GOLDEN linings that I might have missed ….. .I know that faith does not spare us entirely from the very real fears and nervousness that come from living in a fallen world with an ailing body. Those fears, those sleepless nights and moments of near-panic, are not a condemnation of our spirituality, they are the expression of our humanity.
And if we somehow manage to continue to live in hope and joy in spite of them, that's a validation of the God whose comfort surpasses our very limited understanding. (A-men to that, Michèle)

2/2/10 I want to encourage you--exhort you!--to allow at least a handful of those who love you to see the full scope of your emotional response to this devastating blow. Or if you'd rather vent to a relative stranger who would NEVER condemn you for honest emotions, you can do so to me too.

I've discovered that in moments of gravest need, God uses flesh-and-blood angels to soothe and comfort. The road of my McJourney has been paved with the stepping stones of kindred believers and gentle strangers, and I pray the same will be true for you. (Oh, how true that was for me---the “land of the living” my, willing to be used by God, flesh and blood angels have blessed me and mine beyond measure.)
I know that God is here… (and so do I!)

Michèle sharing her own journey was the greatest comfort for me----God was (is) here. It is His hand I've felt on my back, warmed by late-day sun. It is His peace in my mind, soothed and unraveled by His answer to my prayer. It is His promise in my chest, loosening the stranglehold, with every deep breath, of that oppressive opaque uneasiness. He was the faint light growing deeper; the warm colors of beginnings, not the heavy cold hues of endings.

Michèle THOTS---I’m not saying that it will be easy if Mac takes his worst possible course. But it will be okay....Because God has made promises that transcend our physical experience..... life is already—filled with ..... loving and being loved, and unfathomable serenity.

This morning when I read this year old note from Michèle, I realized the depth of truth that her words held.
Dotsy, every time I think about you I simultaneously feel a tightening in my chest for the journey still ahead and a surge of praise for the way God is going to walk with you at every turn in the unpredictable road that will lead to your healing. I'm sure you can't even imagine it the nearly-physical reality of His presence yet, but you'll experience it in a breathtaking way, even amid the pain and sadness and anger and depression the journey might entail. He'll be there. So powerfully and so comfortingly. You'll be amazed.

I was indeed amazed and blessed by my MAC journey/dance, just like Michèle said I would be. Her encouragement was a big part of that.

Last fall Michèle wrote on one of her gorgeous handmade photo notes:
I think of you daily and pray already for your October surgery. God has been so good to you.….and he isn’t going to stop now! I consider myself honored to stand with you in prayer & spirit & even more blessed to call you friend. With much love ---and already looking forward to our next encounter.

Our next encounter---wow it will this weekend. Isn’t God good!! Maybe I can, in someway, encourage her---because that’s the way it’s suppose to be.

So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith (Galatians 6:10)

Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, (I Thessalonians 5:11)

Encouragement is a great way to “do good.”

Encouragement. Reciprocate, pass it forward---just do it. Strew your life’s path with excerpts of encouragement for others. You’ll be glad you did and so will they.

Friday Frame of Mind

2/26/10 If you’ve ever worked in an educational setting you understand that phrase. When you awaken, you know. You’re step is lighter. The sun is brighter, even if there isn’t any. Dressing is easier because “casual” has been purchased to support St. Jude. All and all one’s mood is pretty upbeat. Those moods based on circumstance can reflect a "Friday Frame of Mind" any day of the week especially when life hands you a little "ease." The facts of Friday that aren’t conditional, it’s always right before the weekend. That thought of 2 days off can make most anything tolerable. Circumstances shouldn’t so greatly affect one’s moods but they can, and often do, whether you work outside the home or not.

So, what can one do about it? Make the most of it!! If you’re feeling good, help someone else feel good. If you find yourself with a lifted spirit because it’s Friday or you are rested or you found a stash of money you had forgotten you hid, use your joy---spread it---do something for someone else’s circumstance that might make their day a little easier or a little brighter. If a friend is struggling with exercise, show up and walk with him or her, a dieting friend might appreciate a cup of tea and a Weight Watchers 1 point snack, a worried friend, who can talk your ear off, might need you to listen just one more time.
Live out the good news. Be a light. Encourage someone. Do good to all especially to those who are partners in the gospel.

But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," (Hebrews 3:13)

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:10)

The question is……will you share your “Friday Frame of Mind” while it is still “today” or do you have an excuse.