Followers

Thursday, April 10, 2014

CELEBRATIONS GALORE!!

Life is worth celebrating!
I believe we don’t celebrate enough. 
Yes, we celebrate, but sometimes celebrations are nothing more than lets have a drink-or another drink.
When my children were little, a dear friend gave us the Red Plate. Perhaps you have seen it, all across the plate it says “You are Special Today”. 
We always brought it out for birthdays (of course), but what if you won the spelling bee, or the Mad Minute Math contest, or scored your first goal in soccer, or hit your first homerun, or made your first basket. Those things were worth celebrating! And what if you made choir, or were in a play? 
You were celebrated at our house with the Special Plate.
I often would give guests who came to our home for dinner the first time, the Special Plate, because we thought they were special to us.
And engagements and births and baptisms-all these are worth celebrating.
This past weekend-or actually on Saturday through Tuesday, I was fortunate enough to celebrate three different occasions, and boy, was it FUN.
The first celebration was a bridal shower for my son Todd’s fiancee, Katy.
How fun it was to shower her with gifts they would use in their home. To see her mom and sister and grandmother make a three hour drive to celebrate her, and have so many friends come was wonderful.


 “The Sisters” gave her the shower; that is her future sisters, my two daughters and other future daughter in law. They did a fantastic job with food and decorations. The scenery at the winery was glorious on this warm, but windy day.


The next celebration was very very special. My dearest best friend in the world, Mary Kay was turning 60. She doesn’t like to be the center of attention much and prefers small intimate gatherings. So after getting the OK from her husband Scott, I asked a few of her closest friends to dinner.
Originally there were to be six of us, but one of our friends had to back out to attend a rosary for a friend who had passed away.
We went to a Greek restraunt in downtown San Jose called Nemea. Only one of us had been before but I solely trusted her judgement call. We were led into a special private room which had been decorated by MK’s friend Karen with beautiful two colored gerber daisies and cute napkins and treat boxes from See’s candy. We tried all different types of food and had a wine from Greece that was so tasty. I loved having fried cheese that was prepared at the table spread on yummy bread. We each tried different foods and it was so fun to trade bites. And the dessert sampler was amazing. Unfortunately we forgot to take a group picture but I did manage to get one with one side of the table featuring our “birthday Girl”.


CHEERS TO YOU MARY KATHERINE PAINE!! WE LOVE YOU.

On Tuesday I received my last Christmas present. I had been given tickets to The Giants Home Opener by Scud and believe me, this is a day worth celebrating.
For years when Scud was the Area Director in San Jose, Opening Day was declared a Young Life Holiday. We reserved about 30-40 tickets for the game and leaders , committee and their families were invited. We know we had at least ten opening days. We tailgated and had an absolute blast rooting on our beloved Giants.
My most memorable Opening Day was 1980. Willie McCovey had announced before the season that this would be his last year playing and I did not want to miss it. I had been on bed rest for about 3 weeks for pre-term labor was at 37 weeks and the doctor gave me the go ahead. It was about in the 5th inning that I started contractions. Altho, our son Todd was not born until the next day, I will always remember the day I almost had a baby on Opening Day!
I love Opening Day because I LOVE BASEBALL and particularly my San Francisco Giants, It was the warmest Opening day in The Giants history in San Francisco, at 77 degrees. It was sunny and felt very hot, until the sun was shaded (relief) in about the 3rd inning. 
The GIANTS beat the Diamondbacks and all is right with the World.



So GO AHEAD AND CELEBRATE!! Life is worth the opportunities we are given to remember our sweetest moments.

Friday, April 4, 2014

WATCH WHAT YOU SAY (or WRITE)

So much talk. So much written about. So many diametrically opposed views. So much anger, angst and emotion.

World Vision's decision to allow gay married people to work for them, and then one day reversing their decision, has caused an uproar heard throughout the world. Ten thousand children who were sponsored were going to be sponsorless.

One thing I have learned is that hopefully, as you age, you become a bit wiser.

In my earlier years, my 30's and 40's, I too, would spout off my mouth at the disgraces, atrocities, unfair justices that occured. Fortunately for many, the internet was not the social atmosphere that it is today. Blogosphere had not been invented. So much of what I might have said or written was never penned.

I have read many many blogs this past week and a half and have been surprised at words, the thoughts, the accusations that have been printed. I myself even wrote a blog.
lhttp://missyscud.blogspot.com/2014/03/eyes-to-see-ears-to-hear.html


I am convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this issue is another tool of God's enemy to cause division in His Church.

It doesn't matter if we label ourself as an evangelical, or consider ourself progressive, satan is out to destroy the Body of Christ on earth. This controversy of the LGBT and their acceptance in our churches, or not, is just one more battle we are fighting. There are huge, vast differences. They seem to be ones that will never be resolved. However, we may feel about this subject, it is absolutely causing a division in the Church.

This is not the first time this has happened . Recall the racism outrage in the Church.

I shudder to think of how, we as the Church, have caused our God, grief. How we have maligned His Character because of our bickering and fighting.

The older I get, the MORE I realize how little I know. How little I know of how Christ would respond.  How dare I try to speak for Him or say I know exactly how or what His take is on various issues.

Yes, we do have His Word, and that is ALWAYS THE TRUTH. But on the subjects that are not clear, I have no business, saying that I know for 100% accuracy what Jesus Christ Himself would say.

I have read so much of what people say they believe to be Christ's Words or His thoughts on this homosexual controversy. And I have been happy to read of how others are thinking more, stepping back.
http://rachelheldevans.com/blog/needing-time-evangelical

I appreciate the honesty, the vulnerability of another Rachel
http://hitonbythehomeless.com/2014/04/03/a-call-to-action-a-cry-for-peace/

The biggest lesson the LORD has taught me over the years is that first and foremost, we need to go to Him. With our questions, our doubts, our struggles with things we need clarity on. We can read what others think or believe, but OUR answers need to come from Jesus Christ Himself. We need to search His Word to see what it says.

I have learned that the Bible will always say TRUTH. That the Word of God is timeless, that it always is relevant. When we seek answers, God will have them; He may not choose to reveal them to us, but be assured GOD HAS ALL THE ANSWERS.

How apt and timely is the Word I read this morning:

" Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the LORD forgave you.
And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

PLEASE CHURCH, FOLLOWERS OF JESUS CHRIST, when we have opposing views, may we remember to act like Our Savior. May compassion and kindness and gentleness be evident. May we be humble and realize that we are NOT ALWYAS RIGHT. May we still love each other, so that the world will see a differnce in us. Instead of what they have observed this past week: bitter, divisive, angry and anything but humble.
And may we FORGIVE each other. We may not agree with each other and we may never agree, but God commands us over and over again to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
I pray we will be obedient to His commands.
Colossians 3:12-14