Month: May 2022

Our lives are made up of moments.  When we reminisce, we often remember notable moments.  For example, thinking back to my earliest memories, I remember being at home with my mom while my brothers were in school.  During that time, we did many things together.  But a memory that stands out in my mind is the day that my brothers’ pet lizard escaped from their bedroom and ended up in the kitchen.  My mom and I were at the dining room table where we would often spend time so I could color, practice my alphabet, or such like things while she drank her tea.  There was a swinging door between the dining room and kitchen.  This particular morning, my mom pushed the door open to go into the kitchen but froze in her tracks because she saw the lizard in the middle of the kitchen floor.  She gasped loudly and let the door swing shut.  She thought for a minute then got a box and a book.  She went into the kitchen, put the box upside down over the lizard and the book on top of the box.  And that was where the lizard stayed until my brothers got home from school.  I can’t tell you everything that my mom and I did back then, but that moment is a vivid memory.  I bet if I could ask my mom, she would tell a different story about that moment because of her perspective.  And that’s okay.

Our moments are uniquely our own just like our memories.  You have probably observed times when someone else’s memory of a shared experience is different than yours.  That is because moments are personally perceived and therefore uniquely remembered.  Our past moments become our memories; and our perceptions are flavored by a concoction of our memories.  Special occasions are moments that highlight our memories.  Extraordinary or overwhelming events are moments that stand out in our minds.  Life-changing moments are usually deeply etched in our memories.  And all of these make us unique. 

Think about the moment that you got saved.  Salvation is not only a distinctive moment for each of us; it also brings unique deliverance because no two lives are exactly the same. I can’t specify the moment that I got saved, but I can tell you about the moment that I knew beyond any doubt that I was born again.  One evening while reading my Bible, I felt an oppressive presence around me.  I didn’t know many scriptures at the time, but I had read the verse that says, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Philippians 2:10).  So, I commanded that the presence leave in the name of Jesus Christ, and it disappeared immediately.  That moment changed my life because I knew that I had the power of God inside me.  It changed the way I thought about my life and the way that I wanted to live it.  It opened the door to a new life, a very different life from the one that I had been heading toward. 

That moment also changed the way I thought about other moments in my life.  It began to show me that I could cherish good memories and refute bad ones.  That moment allowed me to appreciate my past but not be constrained by it.  It showed me that my past was in the past, and that I could live today in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. (Galatians 5:1) 

Of course, that moment didn’t automatically change my life.  I had to continue working to learn God’s Word and believe It.  And that is an ongoing daily process.  But isn’t it marvelous to have the freedom to choose what thoughts we keep in our minds and what ones we put away from us?  Not everybody knows that they can renew their minds.  They are haunted by their past and uncertain of their future.  We who know the Good News can surely help them by taking a moment to speak God’s Word to them.

All the moments of our lives contribute to who we are.  Being born again brings momentous change to our lives, but we may still be saddled with moments from the past that try to tear us down.  We need not be in bondage to any of them.  We can live without regrets.  We can succeed today where we failed before.  We can determine to not let the hurtful things of the past drag us into reliving their pain.  We can view our past as merely a steppingstone to get us where we are today.  And we can be thankful for what we’ve learned on our journey.  If we aren’t happy where we are at this moment, we can continue to learn, grow, and change so we can make tomorrow better.  Being a Christian is truly a wonderful life. 

And if all of that isn’t enough, we still have a moment to look forward to.  A moment that will change life as we know it forever.  A moment that will make every past moment inconsequential.  That moment is described in the first letter to the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 15:52

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

This will be the moment when the Lord comes back to gather us together unto him.  It will be the moment that all born again Christians will meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17).  I often picture this moment and the celebration that will follow.  What rejoicing there will be!!  What a glorious family reunion!!  Talk about a moment, this will be a MOMENT!!  This moment is a guaranteed victory for each and every one of us. Whether our lives are messy or neat, all will be made perfect at this moment!  None of the trappings of this life will matter after this moment.  And this moment could occur at any time. 

This life is short. Forget the painful past and reach forth to the fabulous future that God has prepared for us.  Remember always, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye…” might happen today! 

Note to my readers:  I pray for you to have many beautiful moments in your life now and I look forward to seeing you at our great family reunion!  Thanks for reading! 

When I was a little girl, we had ONE television (TV) in our house, and its picture was in black and white.  It was a big square box full of wires and glass tubes of varying sizes.  I remember my dad having to open the back of the box routinely to replace those tubes. Television stations stopped broadcasting every night around midnight, and there was no TV remote.  We used to joke that the youngest kid was the TV remote because they were usually the ones who had to get up, go to the TV and turn the channel dial.  (I know this because it was my job for a while!)  Another job that the ’TV remote’ often had was adjusting the rabbit ears.  In those days, there was neither cable nor satellite dish. Instead, there was a two-pronged antenna that sat on top of the TV like a rabbit’s ears.  From time to time it would need to be adjusted so it could better receive the broadcast signal.  The adjustor would have to stand on the side of the TV and move the prongs around while others would observe the picture quality and direct the adjustment.  And if that didn’t work well enough, aluminum foil would be scrunched onto the tips of the ears for better reception.

Another interesting phenomenon of having only ONE television was that there could be only one show on at any given time.  Granted, there was a limited selection of shows back then, but it still required family cooperation.  In our house it was simple.  Dad watched what he wanted to watch in the evenings.  And at other times, we kids watched what we wanted to watch as long as it met with Mom’s approval.  The family watched TV together in the evenings even though the shows were Dad’s choice.  We didn’t mind for the most part because the programming was family-friendly anyway.  And for me, it was always a treat because I could stay up past my bedtime. 

All of this may sound archaic to my younger readers, but it was an uncomplicated lifestyle.  It was all we knew, and we were satisfied with it.  There were plenty of other activities to pursue so our entertainment was not limited to what was on TV.  We read books, played games, built puzzles, did crafts, and played OUTSIDE!  We did many activities as a family. 

I say all this because TV is a good example of how things have changed in my lifetime alone. I often heard from my parents how different life was when they were young, but I really didn’t pay attention.  However, comparing my youth with the youth of today, I see many changes, and not all of them seem to be for the better.  I understand now what my parents were trying to tell me. 

Of course, not embracing change labels me as “old fashioned”, but that designation doesn’t bother me because I am rather old fashioned.  I like antiques and old photos.  I appreciate the wisdom of age.  I respect my elders.  And I admire the ingenuity, workmanship, and accomplishments of the past.  However, I do embrace some change.  I love that I can type on a computer that automatically corrects my spelling.  I love that I can post this online for people from many different places to read.  I love that I can video chat with my children and grandchildren who live far away.  But this kind of progress can also have negative side effects. 

For instance, I have all my family’s and friends’ contact information on my phone.  For the convenience of pushing a single button to call people, I have forgotten everyone’s phone numbers.  I used to know many of them by heart, but I lost that skill because I chose convenience.  I recently wrote my family’s and friends’ phone numbers in my journal so I wouldn’t be totally lost if something happened to my phone.  But the only number that I can recite without looking at my list is my husband’s. 

Our Friday night routine is going out to dinner, often at the same restaurant.  As we relax with a drink and a meal, I see families out to dinner also, who all are individually looking at their phones – even the babies in highchairs!   I don’t see those families having lively conversation or cheerful interactions. Sometimes they barely acknowledge the server.  This does not seem like positive progress to me.

With respect to TV, what was a periodic source of entertainment when I was a kid, has become the hub of our agendas.  Most homes now have multiple TVs, and they are often turned on more than they are off.  In addition, many have other devices as sources of entertainment as well, (gaming consoles, tablets, laptops etc.).  Don’t get me wrong, I like watching TV as much as the next person – I could sit all day and watch movies and I’m a sucker for online solitaire!  But I see a loss of family interaction and the introduction of too much unsavory information as being side effects of this electronic invasion.

 Of course, not all TV shows are bad, nor are all video games or internet sources of information.  But we must be cautious.  We must always consider the origin of the information, the validity of the information and the impact of the information on our minds.  Do we really need to know about deadly acts?  Do we need to see sexual exploits?  Almost all of us would scream “NO” to this kind of information, but it’s out there and accessible.  Not that these things are new, (there is nothing new under the sun), but this information is readily available for anyone to observe – even our children and grandchildren.  Remember also that even the innocuous information we receive from the world may have ulterior motives behind it. 

Now, I am not calling for some kind of government restriction or censorship.  And I’m not saying we should get rid of all our electronic devices.  I’m simply encouraging all of us to guard our own minds and protect our children from driving too fast down the information highway.  Everything that we receive into our minds has an effect on us.  If the majority of what we receive comes from worldly sources, our thoughts will be worldly.  And those are the thoughts that can tear us down.  But if our thoughts are centered on God’s Word, we will have positive Godly thoughts that build us up and set us free from the burdens of this world.  We can decide what information we keep and what we throw out.  God’s Word is the standard for that determination.  But if the influx of worldly information is too weighty, that task becomes more difficult. 

We as Christian parents and grandparents try our best to keep our families tight and our surroundings positive.  We fight for the Word of God in our own minds and in our family’s lives as well. We know that this is a daily battle, and we know that God is always on our side to support us, to defend us and to supply all of need.  We know that God says we are more than conquerors and that we can put on His armor. 

(Romans 8:37 and Ephesians 6:11)

There is nothing wrong with enjoying a TV show, surfing the internet, or playing video games.  But beware of possible side effects and forget not all the benefits of God. 

Note to my readers:  Family time is some of the best time you can have!  Thanks for reading! 

Having just celebrated our granddaughter’s graduation from college, the word, “milestone” came to mind. 

The use of milestones goes back to the Roman Empire where they installed obelisk style mile markers along the Appian Way.  Their purpose was to help travelers know that they were on the right path and to judge how far they had travelled.  I find that interesting in light of how we use the word today.  We have special celebrations for milestone birthdays and anniversaries.  We recognize milestone achievements.  We remember milestone events. 

Graduating from college is definitely one of life’s milestones.  It marks the distance that has been already traveled and illuminates the path to new opportunities.  Graduates can breathe a sigh of relief when we see how far they’ve come, and they can look forward to the vista of exciting adventures ahead.

Picture yourself on a long road trip.  You know before you leave what is entailed – the mileage involved, and the estimated time needed to get where you’re going.  But even with that information, while you are enroute, it can become tedious or tiresome.  You can get anxious or discouraged.  On such trips, I often play games with my mind to break the monotony. For instance, I look for road signs and note the milage to the furthest town listed.  Then when I reach that town, I feel a sense of accomplishment.  I have arrived at a milestone.  And each additional milestone brings me closer to my goal.

Life can be like a long road trip.  The milestones we pass herald our successes along the way.  The milestones ahead give us incentive to keep going.   Milestones can be cause for celebration because they mark our victories.  We can look forward to reaching them and we can appreciate them as they’re accomplished.

Any road we travel (literal or figurative) has smooth stretches and rough patches.  Reaching a milestone rewards our endurance and encourages our perseverance.  Milestones are achievement markers that we can steer toward and applaud passing.  Milestones commemorate accomplishments and call us to future endeavors.

Not all milestones are as noteworthy as getting a college degree, nor are they as modest as reaching a town on the map, but milestones can play a meaningful role in our lives.  We have milestone birthdays that can change our outlook on life.  Think about turning 21.  What about turning 90?  Two very different attitudes about life!  Think about milestone events – getting a new job or having a baby.  These kinds of milestones can make big changes in our daily activities.   All diets utilize milestones to promote success.  And arduous tasks often incorporate milestone steps along the way for encouragement.

Of course, the most significant milestone anyone achieves is getting born again.  Talk about a change!  Getting saved changes everything for the better forever!   Being saved even helps us to achieve other milestones in our lives.  God provides for our every need.  He can smooth out the rough patches, break the tedium and enable our success.  With God on our side, no challenge is insurmountable.  He wants to see His children triumph. 

So, congratulations to all the graduates of 2022.  “The future is as bright as the promises of God.”

Note to my readers:  Cheers to your milestone achievements and to many more to come! Thanks for reading! 

Last year at this time I reminisced about my mom and grandmothers.  After all, Mother’s Day is supposed to stir those kinds of thoughts and it generally does for me.  I’m thankful to have had my mom and grandmothers in my life and my mind is full of wonderful memories of them.  But this year, I thought I’d talk about another mother who has been a positive influence on me; and that is my sister.

My sister is twelve years older than I.  She got married when she was very young and moved away from home when I was only 5.  This provided a unique relationship for us.  She was not only my sister, but she was also like my mom because she was a “grown-up” while I was still just a kid.    

My sister and her husband moved into an apartment that was not far from my elementary school.  I remember walking up the hill after school to visit her.  They lived on the fourth floor with no elevator.  Of course that didn’t mean much to me as a kid, but they had their first child while living there.  So, as an adult, I can certainly appreciate the impact of climbing all those stairs during pregnancy and carrying basket after basket of laundry (including cloth diapers) up and down from the basement, which was technically 5 flights of stairs.  But my sister did it.  And at that tender age, she managed to be a good wife and mother in a less than conducive environment. 

When they moved into their first house, I occasionally visited on the weekends.  It was a like a home away from home for me.  There was structure, but there was also an element of freedom not found with mom and dad.  During their time living in that house, their second child was born, another beautiful baby girl. 

I have good memories of that house.  One day while helping her with the chores, I asked my sister where babies came from.  She told me that they came from seeds of love in our minds.  That answer satisfied me at the time, but for a year or so, I thought I had seeds in my head. 

Another vivid memory I have is learning to ride my bike in their basement.  I didn’t have a bicycle until I was 10 and I thought it would be very embarrassing to be seen outside learning to ride a bike at that age.  So I taught myself in their basement riding back and forth around the boiler. 

My sister and her family moved to their second house and life was good until one day her husband was seriously injured in a boating accident.  I was around 12 and didn’t grasp the severity of the situation at that time, but I knew that there was grave concern about the future of my sister’s family.  During their father’s lengthy hospital stay, the two girls lived with us.  Of course, being a 12 year-old, all I could think about was how those little girls followed me everywhere I went.  (If you read my last post, you’ll see that I hadn’t quite learned to be unselfish yet!)  However, one of my favorite memories of that time was my brother and I playing hide and seek with the girls.  When they would hide and we would come to seek them, the older one would say things like, “Don’t look behind the couch because I’m not back here.”  Of course, we would play along and look everywhere else before looking behind the couch.  And if we took too long, the younger one would jump out and surprise us.   They really weren’t too hard to find!  😊

The good news is that my sister’s husband recovered!  He was able to walk and have a full life.  (Praise God!)  And my sister managed to be a good wife and mother through that devasting experience.

I have always thought my sister’s homes were beautiful – she has very good taste!  And at their second house, they had a pool!  During their time living there, my parents moved so we lived about 2 hours away.  But after I turned 16, I could drive myself to my sister’s to visit.  I was in prime sunbathing shape in those days and took advantage of the pool as often as I could.  I remember one occasion of watching chipmunks popping their heads in and out of the stone wall next to the pool.  It was hilarious and something that I had never seen before, or since.  Too bad there weren’t cell phones in those days.  I would have had a great video! 

While they lived in that house, my sister and her husband were blessed by the birth a third beautiful baby girl.  And interestingly enough, there is a 12-year span between my sister’s oldest and youngest girls, just like there is between my sister and me.  I was already a senior in high school when that baby was born, so I didn’t see as much of her when she was little as I did the other two. 

A few years passed and I got married and had my own kids.  But my sister and I stayed close.  We would often meet at our parent’s house for holidays and other occasions.  I have the greatest picture of us and all six of our kids together – ages 2 to 23.  There are also some great shots of my mom, my sister, and I in our 1980’s outfits and hairstyles! UGH!

I remember many times through the years that my sister and I laughed together.  But there were also times that we cried together.  She was there for me during a very difficult time in my life.  She helped me with her wisdom and experience.  I still seek her advice on many topics.  We also share a love for God and His Word, which is an even stronger bond than blood! 

Our relationship changed as the years passed.  We are no longer the “grown-up” and the little kid.  We are peers.  As it always happens, an age difference that seems huge when we are young, seems to decrease as we get older.  My sister and I are pretty much in the same stage of life right now; all of our children are grown, and we are both grandmothers.  Well, she is also a great-grandmother, which I do not anticipate being for quite a while, so she is still the big sister!  Although many miles separate us, we try to talk regularly, but if we miss the opportunity, we are still firmly planted in each other’s hearts.  I am thankful that she is my sister. 

Mother’s Day is officially set aside to honor mothers because of the importance of their role in our lives.  Some folks see it as a commercial holiday.  Others, like me, see it as a chance to recognize not only our own moms, but also others who have influenced us in similar ways.  No matter how you see the holiday, why not take a moment to say thank you to the moms who have a special place in your life?  I’m sure they would greatly appreciate it. 

Note to my readers:  Happy Mother’s Day to my sister!  And to you, whether you are a mother, have a mother, know a mother, or love a mother, have a happy day on Sunday.  And… Thanks for reading! 

P.S.  I will not be able to post next Friday as we will be away at our granddaughter’s college graduation.  I’ll be back online on May 20^th.