Monday, August 25, 2008

The Law of the Garbage Truck


I receive this story from a sweet friend of mine (Thanks Katy!) and wanted to pass it on. It certainly shares a great lesson! God Bless! (I couldn't resist adding the cartoon!)


The Law of the Garbage Truck

One day I hopped into a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was really friendly. So I asked, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!"

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck." He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, and wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that joy-filled people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets so..."Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't."

"Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you." 2 Corinthians 13:11

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Old Friends



Have you ever moved and left friends behind? The pain and heartache that occurs when leaving behind close friends can be devastating. I experienced that 8 years ago when we moved away from everyone we loved to venture into a new life 200 miles away from our home of 15 years.

The kids and I travelled those 200 miles, for five days to visit old friends. It's been a while since we were able to go and spend time with loved ones we left behind when we moved. What a treat to see three of my closest friends, spend the night in their homes and catch up on their lives. The scripture in Proverbs 17:17a says it best; "A friend loves at all times..." That was the gift awaiting us at each household.

It amazes me how true friendships grow deeper and closer with time. Yes, like fine wine (so I hear). I sat and listened to trials in their lives, shared challenges I have been facing, and laughed until I thought we would pee our pants. (you don't have to re-read that last line, I actually DID type that. Only close girlfriends would ever admit such a thing.). The Lord has blessed women with the ability to invest in one an others lives, despite time, distance, and even gray hair. I praise Him for knowing what we need and exactly when we need it.

I think good friends are like an old pair of worn, familiar slippers. It doesn't matter the season or the circumstances - the moment you slip them on you are covered in comfort. Thank you heavenly Father for giving us the gift of friendship! You always know how to bring a smile to our face!

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

The Heavens and the Earth

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers~
the moon and the stars you set in place... Psalm 8:3

Oh the wonders of God, our Creator! I recently was in awe, again, of God's majesty and power! I had just attended our evening Sunday service and watched a DVD talking about the intricacies of the heavens and earth. The DVD featured allot of very smart looking scientist (one even wore a white lab coat to accentuate his intelligence!) talking about the delicate balance of the earth’s axis, along with the core thickness of the earth’s crust. They told about the mysteries that lie in the star filled galaxy and how one can travel 500million light years and still not get to the end of the heavens. It was all very complicated and to be quite honest waaaaaaaay over my head. However, I did enjoy each fact given and every scientific insight shared. I was truly in awe at the wonder of our Creator.

Later that night Kevin and I loaded the kids up in the truck to go to the drive-in movie theater to see Wall-E. We filled the bed of the truck with blankets and sleeping bags, pillows, and snacks. Kevin finally found the "perfect" parking spot after three different attempts. We began preparing our sleeping bags and piling on the blankets as the temperatures were dropping that night. As we all settled in to watch the movie I couldn’t help but stare up at the night’s sky. WOW! The sight was unbelievable! Were there always this many stars in the sky? I asked myself. It was a beautiful and overwhelming portrait. I couldn’t imagine counting each one – there were so many. It was fascinating to look at the stars with the new perspective given through the DVD we had viewed at church. From under my blanket I quietly leaned over to Kevin and whispered “Pssst”, (he was engrossed in the movie at this point). When I finally got his attention I pointed up at the sky. It took him a minute to grasp what I was getting at, until I saw him smile. He too was taking in the wonder of it all.

The Psalms proclaims God's creation but the Psalmist goes deeper when he writes:

He counts the stars and calls them all by name. Psalm 147:4

If your feeling "small" and invisible today, I encourage you to go outside and look up at the night sky. As you look at the abundance of stars remember that the same God who created all of those is the same God that created you. Jut think... if He calls the stars by name how much more intimate is His knowledge of you? Dear friend, God sees you, He knows you, and He loves you!

Monday, August 4, 2008

HOPE India



ASHA (Hope) India


This blog is to update our ministry friends on the preparations for the October HOPE India mission trip. This is place for comments, prayer requests, and for our HOPE team to communicate.

We covet your prayers and support for this outreach!

God Bless!
Lonna

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Beary Legs



Our daughter Grace is a beautiful, rambunctious, and amazing girl! She returned from Bible Camp yesterday with stories of adventure and new friendships. She told us about the Bible stories she learned about and even had a few questions for us about the Holy Spirit and obedience.

We were thrilled about her excitement and experience at the camp. The next topic she broached was leg shaving? Our 8 year old daughter was asking us permission to shave her legs. What??!! What else were they teaching at Bible camp? I began to panic and I saw Kevin looking green around the gills. This was a conversation we thought we would have in several years-like when she was 20! When I composed my thoughts, I calmly asked Grace what brought this up? She told us that the girls in her cabin had noticed her hairy legs and told her she needed to shave them. Grace was completely un-phased by their comments as her brothers have sometimes joked about the “bear-y legs” God had given her. We have told her that she has an advantage in the winter months to stay warmer than the rest of us and have used it as an opportunity to share what God says about her in His Word. Psalm 139:13, 14 tells each of us; You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

After hearing about the comments from her bunk mates we understood her request. When I dug deeper Grace confided in me (with a big smile) that she really didn’t want to shave her legs. She liked her legs the way they were and she didn’t want to risk being cold next winter.