HURRICANE AFTERMATH

9/1/10 HURRICANE EARL. A hurricane warning has been issued for the U.S. East Coast from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, to the Virginia state line. That was the weather headline when I opened CNN this morning.
It brought back beach camping memories from the summer of 1974. Following a ferry ride over from Ocracoke Island, where a seagull “pooped” on my head---I should have known that was not a very auspicious beginning----checking out the wild ponies on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, and frolicking on Kill Devil Hill, where the Wright brothers made their first flight, our troubles began.
Our transmission had “dropped” and we were “camped” in Rodanthe, NC at Cape Hatteras National Seashore when a similar warning came (the camp store manager came by shouting out the news, not exactly National Weather Service sirens). Every car left but ours---we had no working car.

We had to batten down the hatches and ride it out. That meant Larry pulling a concrete picnic table over to anchor our tent lines/stakes and fishing for our supper. My job was to fix food and tell stories to keep son Buddy, age 4, and Larry’s siblings, age 14 and 9, calm. No cell phones back then to call for help. I don’t remember that the “storm” had a name. Did they name hurricanes in the 70s? I do know we endured hurricane force winds even though the full landfall force was further up the coast. For sure those winds were something resembling a hurricane---especially in its aftermath and our emotional turmoil. With hurricanes, there’s always an aftermath.

Spiritual maturity would not have described us at that point in time but I guarantee I was praying. Hurricane prayers are very similar to fox hole prayers, I imagine.
Spiritually, what “we sow in the wind, we reap in the whirlwind.” (Hosea 8:7) A “harvesting what you plant analogy” with a somewhat negative connotation. I’m hoping that nowadays I am sowing more than fox hole or hurricane-type prayers.

By Friday, Hurricane Earl will be taking aim at the Outer Banks with strong winds, pounding waves and potential flooding problems. Result: lots of aftermath.

An insider joke with some dear friends has us calling our spouses Earl and Earline. We’ve been through a lot together in our years of marriage and know first hand what a whirlwind can do to a relationship. Especially one without prayer. Long ago we learned to sow in acceptance, forgiveness, humor, and love in order to avoid reaping a path of confusion, destruction, disorder and turbulence----the aftermath of wind/hurricane-type behavior.

Winnnowing

8/31/10 I need more winnowing in my life. How ‘bout you? Mine might not be a winnowing of good and evil but more of a winnowing of good for better or unnecessary for necessary even in the mundane tasks of writing and speaking. 

I’m often too verbose when it comes to both writing and speaking. I need to "cut to the chase" as I write and "get to the point" when I talk, by getting rid of so many details. Today as I spent more time in Psalm 1, I noticed the stark contrast of the one who prospers and the ungodly one. Psalm one compares the godly man (one who meditates on the word) to firmly planted trees nourished by water. The ungodly man is like the chaff---the useless part of the seed or grain that is left after the winnowing.

A woman in Joy Gill's India winnows (separates) the grain from the useless chaff as it blows away. 

In other parts of scripture we see the useless chaff scattered as it is wind/gale driven, wind blown, storm driven and angel chased. 2 Kings 19 gives a real analogy of chaff in the lives of Hezekiah’s people who had been invaded by the Assyrians: “Leaving their people dispirited, slumped shoulders, limp souls. Useless as weeds, fragile as grass, insubstantial as wind-blown chaff.” (v. 26, The Message) The chapter goes on to assure God's deliverance for His own glory---that His people might be the opposite of chaff. 

 People have their hearts as good ground, so that His word might strike root, and bring forth fruit in their lives as “they sink down roots and rise up fruits.” (v.30) 

Sounds like Psalm 1:3, doesn't it? Winnowing gets rid of the chaff and allows God’s fruit to “blossom” in all our lives. Allow the Lord to help you look closely into your life to help you recognize and rid yourself of the chaff, the undesirable parts. It might take a close examination but the winnowing will be worth it as it frees you from the superfluous or the unnecessary or maybe even the bad. 

Winnowing certainly needs to be a bigger part of my "life" vocabulary.

150 FLAVORS

8/30/10 This past weekend’s USA Today featured another one of their food lists ---“Great American Bites ” I love lists like that. Between USA Today’s “10 best places to……” and Southern Living, I have files full of ideas of places, mostly food related, to check out on our jaunts---it’s how we found Dinner Bell with lazy Susan style serving, in McComb MS, ruby reds (large shrimp) at King Neptunes in Orange Beach, yummy breakfast at the Pancake Pantry in Nashville and juicy In and Out burgers in CA. You get the idea!
Larry and I have mapped an entire trip to Florida in order to take in “restaurants,” a term used very loosely for some hole-in-the-wall places we’ve tried. So, this most recent article fascinated us because it listed the “best” ice cream parlor in each state and D.C. I begin checking off ones I/we had already tried. Alabama, check. Arkansas, check. Maine, check. Missouri, check. Then, I saw Mississippi’s winner, located just north of the Hernando town square on Highway 51. Hm-m-m. Guess who checked off the Velvet Cream on the way home from Batesville yesterday.
It was tasty---even the burger and onion rings were yum. But this milkshake mecca offered 150 flavors of ice cream type drinks, from concretes to slushes and everything in between.
These first 2 paragraphs illustrate the somewhat absurd lengths I go to in order to satisfy my “taste” buds and check a conquest off my list. It’s really kind of sad when I realize that I all too seldom go out of my way to find the perfect scripture---much less blend it with other scripture passages for a fulfilling experience.
There are 150 Psalms so I’ve decided to “taste” those over the next few weeks. Psalm 34:8 says, “O taste and see that the Lord is good;"...... But where do I start?
Maria, in the Sound of Music sang, “Let's start at the very beginning / A very good place to start”…..So, I’m going to select Psalm 1:1-2 and I’m going to blend in other cross references, listed in the outer edge column of my Bible, as parallel passages in order to get the full flavor. Today I’m even going to add memorization for meditation Monday---that way my selection will stay with me longer.
Just like the 150 flavors at the Velvet Cream, I may not be able to fully try all of them but I can take a lick at it. (bad pun, I know)

Batesville Bliss

8/29/30 My daughter tells me that I am "old school," though I’m not sure of her exact definition. If I am, I have a friend, Carolyn who is “old school” with me and that’s a real comfort. We are both small town girls; she still lives in one. We grew up with a sense of safety and security. Not sure if that was directly related to town size or just the era---probably a combination of both.
We both know how to burp our Tupperware®, (She recently replaced my green lettuce crisper for me.) We old school gals can stuff an egg with the best of them, have food splattered recipe cards that call for ingredients that no longer rest on grocery shelves and share great jello recipes with each other. (Hers are better.)
Growing up, for both of us, meant MYF on Sunday nights, church camps each summer and even Camp Junaluska (NC) in 1963---a fact we didn’t know until 40+ years later.
Today I got to spend a blissful day in her hometown of Batesville. I sat in the balcony pew of the First Methodist Church on Panola Ave in a sanctuary surrounded by familiar stained glass window scenes. Her twin grandsons, Chris and Matt were even acolytes. How serendipitous was that!!

I listened as she and 14 others in the handbell choir accompanied the hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” But my favorite was their rendition of “Lily of the Valley” with just the handbells. Ah, there’s just nothing better that a bell choir. I wonder if handbells are "old school" as well?

So much of the service from ritual to familiar and meaningful hymns was such a perfect fit for me today. Even scripture from I Samuel 12:23 that I once prayed for my brother Buddy was pertinent as now I once again have sensed that urgency---a desire to remember to not only pray faithfully for others but to teach them the good and right way as well.

It was indeed a blissful day for me because my friend is such a servant. She does so much for so many. She takes Luke 10:37 to heart. When Christ spoke of those who show mercy, He said, “Go and do likewise.” She’s not only an “old school” kind of gal but a “likewise” kind of girl as well. Therefore she is a blessing to many, me included.

I’ve decided that Molly must be using the term, “old school,” as an endearment of respect for a bygone era----more blissful in connotation than pejorative. At least it was for me today.

AUDACITY

8/28/10 Audacity…….. a word that I usually think of in a negative light, as in “bold as brass,” cheeky, “what nerve” and another word that is not exactly blog appropriate. But God…..this a.m. in one of my all time favorite My Utmost for His Highest entries allowed me to see/define audacity in a new way----a more positive light. And it was all about the appropriate boldness with which one can approach God. Audacity in prayer. Imagine that.

I am especially drawn to prayer on Saturday mornings but today I was restless and distracted by so many “looming” problems---longings, hurts, frustrations, questions, stressors. So I picked up my head then picked up “My Utmost” and was convicted that I have a choice---to nourish God’s life in me with prayer or starve that life. Not prayer as a means of getting for myself. (or maybe even for others) Prayer as a means of getting to know him. I need to come with the “splendid audacity of a child,” give God elbow room and allow prayer to change me.

Be yourself before God and present your problems, the things you know you have come to your wits' end over. As long as you are self-sufficient, you do not need to ask God for anything. (MUFHH, 8/28)

Audacious approach to asking is AAA in my thinking and triple A, in my mind, is a “rescue” logo. This morning I had the audacity to ask the Lord to rescue me from my self and to nourish His life within me.

#31

8/27/10 #31----tight end ----Houston High Mustangs

“Mrs. Liles, will you wear my jersey tomorrow?”

What a thrill! Once a year, for a special “Spirit Day,” each HHS football player asks his favorite teacher to wear his “gameday” jersey. WOW--to be chosen---not something that usually happens for an old librarian. An occasion to wash one’s hair for---even at 4:15 a.m.

His jersey represents that which is important to him. What a privilege. What an honor---to be a chosen one! “How cool is this” is the way our new art teacher, Amanda (#33) phrased it.

Wearing a player’s jersey is a way of carrying his banner. In biblical days, the Israelites carried the Lord’s banner into battle as an assurance of His presence. They held it high for all to see. (Isa. 18:3) The banner was a flag the victor could raise over his defeated foe. Whether we defeat Bolton tonight or not, all the “selected” teachers at HHS are pleased to represent a student athlete---to carry his banner. I know I am---especially since I have a faith connection with “my” tight end. We both carry the Lord’s banner.

During hall duty the comments have ranged from "nice dress, Ms L,” and "you’re sure dressed up,” to "Mrs. Liles you look like you’re steppin’ out.”

The short sleeves reach my elbow. The jersey hangs to my knees. The “tag” says 31---a perfect fit, don’t you think.

LEFTOVERS

8/24/10 Having just a finished supper of grilled chicken and a few fresh veggies with a leftover or two thrown in, I realized how blessed I am to have a hubby who will willingly eat leftovers. However, on occasion he will tease me for saving nothing more than a heaping spoonful to nosh on later. Those leftovers, my friends, are just for me. I might prepare a big meal but often the leftovers are mine alone---maybe they aren’t to Larry’s liking (a mess of turnip greens comes to mind) Those morsels might have taken considerable time to prepare and I can’t bear to throw them out. Sometimes I just want to relish that favorite familiar taste a little longer.
Believe it or not, that scenario is somewhat analogous of both my Bible study teaching/speaking and my blogging.

My April 26 talk at church was like that. I prepared for a long time---wrote recipe-type notes to guide my talk, “stewed” it around in my brain, pared it down several times to a 3 pt. outline and then served it to the audience---some of what I had written and other thoughts that were just “spices” thrown in at the last minute.
Afterwards, hubby asked me why I didn’t explain more in detail about cancer surgeries or tell them about my mouth being sewn shut for weeks on end, etc. He said several women had asked him questions and he wondered why I didn’t give more info. Well…..I didn’t know.

Often I don’t know what I’ll end up saying or for that matter typing. I have often fretted about it thinking that I was somehow missing the boat. But God had a long time BSF leader tell me that all the scripture and thought and prayer that go in to preparation prepares me and the hearts of the listeners, as God intends--what doesn’t get given is the leftovers that are just for me. She reminded me that when Jesus fed the 5,000 with just the 5 loaves and 2 fish, He prayed over it giving thanks and that after it was given to the multitudes, it was the disciples who picked up the broken pieces that were left over. The people got what they needed and the disciples got what they needed. (Matthew 14: 13-21)

I do hope my blog entries are feeding you. However, my journals and blog bytes, which overflow with leftovers---well, those are just for me.

E.G.O.

8/23/10 Edging God Out….that’s what our ego does. It puts self in the forefront. The more of self, the less of God….a “more of me less of Thee” concept. With this mentality that is so prevalent in a “ME first” / “watch out for # 1” society, problems abound. Why? We become our own god---thinking our purpose on earth is for our pleasure/happiness and comfort. But God says………….

You shall have no other gods before Me. (Deuteronomy 5:7)

To find true joy, change your purpose. Follow God’s word.

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:27)

Love God first, neighbor second and then self----it’s the way to live well---“dance” if you will!

Front porch sittin’

8/22/10 I need some good ole fashion front porch sittin'---that’s “southernspeak” for a retreat, or at least a break from the hurried/hectic life. I know that I’ve just had the summer off. (I’m reading those thoughts of readers who don’t get summer vacations.) But…..this summer has been the busiest that I can remember.
I’ve “retreated” before around town at the cloistered home of the Poor Clare nuns, St. Clare Monastery ,near Frayser and St. Columba Episcopal Retreat Center in Bartlett. I’ve even ventured eastward and attended vespers with friend Maureen (now deceased) at the St. Joseph's Abbey in MA, home of 80 Trappist monks, and spent a glorious fall weekend with JoLynn at The Cove. (Billy Graham Training Center) I now have the Abbey of Gethsemani, in KY on my bucket list, as a place for an unstructured silent retreat. A stretch for me to be sure, but one I yearn to try---just me and my Bible in the presence of the Lord, for His teachings.

Right now I don’t have the time or money for retreats---but as a girl who grew up front porch sittin’ on white painted gliders on South Virginia Street, watching life move as slowly as the people talked, I’m gonna carve out some front porch-type sittin’. I’ll just turn the phone off and sit in my prayer chair in my air-conditioned living room with my Bible and a front porch sittin’ attitude.

I think Jesus called it a closet.

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. (Matthew 6:6)

DELIGHT---FUL prospect

8/21/10 Damson Plums----just those 2 words from yesterday’s Felder Rushing’s “Southern Gardener” column in the CA brought delight to my thinking. Damson plums equate to damson preserves and no one took greater delight in making them and sharing them than did my mother. Dark plums bubbling and splattering as they simmered in her dented dutch oven on the back burner----what a smell! She would “put them up” in small Mason jars and give as birthday gifts to her Tuesday bridge club, all of whom delighted in the gift. Mother found delight in sharing lots of things; slips from her garden, her sweet and sour pickles and homemade mayonnaise. For the family we would delight in her Gigi biscuits and fried apples- ---frozen “go boxes,” of sorts. Quart jars of her custard to take home after Christmas were worth fighting for and nephew Bryan almost OD’d on his take. (Mother always made sure he got his share.)

He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. Psalm 18:19

What is this spacious place? What can it be but God, Himself----(Madam Guyton---Streams in the Desert, 8/21)

It delights me to ponder the truth that God delights “greatly” in me. (Zephaniah 3:17)

So how am I going to apply this info? How am I going to “Dare to Dance”? (D2D) Maybe I need to give up my “Debbie Downer” role and start “delighting” in doing for others.

Delight seems to be 2-edged---somewhat equal for the giver and the receiver. A “back attcha” type equation. (dg+ dr = D) Delightfully given plus delightfully received = total delight.