Out of the Mouth of Babes

Wild day at the abortion center! While my pro-life team from Cities4Life spoke words of hope and love to the mothers over our sound system, an angry motorcyclist drove his bike near us. He stopped, and revved his engine with ear-splitting roars in cadence with each word one of our counselors spoke on the microphone. The security for the facility asked the man to move off the driveway, but did not dissuade him from the thunderous engine gunning.

My friend on the microphone kept her cool, speaking with strength and conviction, despite being drowned out by the engine howl. She told the nearest team member to call the police. We did, and when they came, we argued that surely a sound ordinance was being broken. The first policeman felt since it was private property, the man could do what he wanted as long as the facility owner allowed it. The second checked the sound/noise ordinance rules, and finally determined the guy was breaking the rule. Yippee!!! God:1, Satan:0.

A young mama with a two-year-old sat on the porch. After repeatedly speaking and calling to her, I begged her to come talk with me for just a moment. "I am old and not dangerous," I promised. She took her two-year-old in her arms, and crossed the grass barrier we are not allowed to cross.

I asked how far along she was, and why she felt she needed to abort. She was around 9-weeks pregnant. She said she didn't feel she was ready to care for another baby. However, she admitted she was wavering, knew it was wrong, believed in God and knew He would not approve,  had a boyfriend who would help, and yet, didn't know what to do.

I opened our pamphlet to the picture of a 9-week-old baby in utero. The child in her arms looked at the picture, and smiled broadly, shouting, "Baby!" I think that might have sealed the deal for her mother. Even a 2-year-old knows a human baby when she sees one and perceives it with joy. She could teach a few of our congresspeople a thing or two, not to mention the forty or so women who come to that facility every day to kill their baby.

We spoke quite a while, and the woman promised she would look over my booklet, and consider my words. She returned to the porch, where she sat down, reading the booklet. We were there  a few hours. The abortionist arrived but still the woman sat on the porch.

"I'm leaving now," I called to the woman, "What did you decide?"
"I'm keeping it," she said.
The security man shouted to me, "She changed her mind! That's good, right?"

Yes. Right.

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charlotte.cities4life.org

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Matthew 11:25
At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

Ignoring the Nay-Sayers

I had tried to find a hotel halfway home that had a nice running route. Before booking, I asked the hotel clerks about the safety of running routes from the hotel. They clerks told me that I would not want to run from the hotel, as there were only busy roads around them. They urged me to forget about running, too dangerous, but I could avail myself of their nice safe Fitness Room. Sadly, due to fall festivals along my route, all the other hotels were booked. So I booked the hotel, and thought despondently that I would not be able to run in the morning, before the final leg home of my journey.

When I awoke yesterday morning, I put on my warm running clothes, and ventured out. Just in case. I started out from the hotel along the busy road, surprised and gladdened to find sidewalks. Why had the clerks not mentioned those?  And then, the sidewalks led to a gorgeous park, and a historic log cabin which was the oldest residence in Winchester! Now how exciting is that?? And then, I ended up on a long straight path, alongside the beautiful park, with a visitor center and bathroom stop along the way! It was as though God had designed the perfect running route just for me.

The clerks, who were clearly not runners, had only observed the area around the hotel from a car. They had been blind to all the different paths that led off the main road, and they were unaware of the sidewalks that safely got me through the dangerous parts. They hadn't even mentioned the gorgeous scenery and history within a mile of the hotel! What if I had listened to them?? I would have missed all that beauty and joy of discovery!

God was sending me a clear message. There will be naysayers all along our journey. If they do not run with God, they will try to dissuade you from the wisdom of your journey. They will even say those paths to God do not exist, and you would be best to forget all about Him.  

Ignore them. Trust God, follow your heart, follow His path, and He will lead you on the straight and narrow way to ultimate victory.

Safely home again, I head out this morning as I do every Monday to the busiest abortion mill in our area. My goal is to encourage abortion-minded moms to consider a better choice, a God-blessed choice, a choice that will lead them on a straight path right towards God. There will be many who would say do not harass those women. Do not bother them. Do not try to intercede for the baby. Their body, their choice. The baby is of little import. The consequences to the mother's soul is of little matter. I plan to ignore them.  Prayers appreciated.
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Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Isaiah 35:8
And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it.
Matthew 7:13
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

Numbering our Days Aright

I washed the sheets from the week at my folks, ran and unloaded the dishwasher, put out the garbage, and turned down the thermostat. The house is empty for now, as my folks live in an independent apartment in an Assisted Living Manor. I was all packed and ready to leave for North Carolina, when I glanced at the organ in the living room.

It's rolltop concealed the keys. It hadn't been played by anyone in decades. I hadn't played it in at least thirty years. I was a self-taught organist. Never very good. But I loved to sit at the organ, and (badly) play the old songs I loved from musicals. If anything, I sang less skillfully than I played, but I always loved it. I would bring myself to tears, though not for the reasons others might be brought to tears by my playing and singing.

Playing the organ and singing the old songs transported me to some emotional reservoir I could not always tap otherwise. So, I passed the old organ, paused, and put down my suitcase. I rolled back the cover, sat down, and turned it on. I feared mice had chewed the wires, but the on light lit up instantly. It took me several minutes to figure out how to set the stops so that sound emerged. And then, I felt it was important I record this moment.

I played that song several times. It is one of my favorites. Then I wrote my dad a quick note, sending him the video. "Don't sell the organ. I want it."

I don't quite know how I will get it home, but I will figure out a way. I heard a sermon about someone who counted cancer a blessing because it prompted her to do things she had never done, but had always wanted to. Cancer made her live life with intention and purpose, knowing she had limited time to do so. She learned to play a new instrument.

I had always wanted to take organ lessons, or at least teach myself more than the six basic chords. So I want to bring the organ home, and do so. After all, we all have limited time to do the things we have always wanted to do. God didn't give us the miracle of life to squander it with regrets and unfulfilled dreams. He wants us to live fully alive with all He has provided.

I closed the old organ top, and patted it fondly.
"Goodbye, old friend. I'll be back."
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John 10:10 

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Jeremiah 29:11 

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Psalm 90:12

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Proverbs 27:1

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

Mark 9:23 

And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”

Psalm 139:13-16

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

2 Timothy 1:7

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Joy in Simple Pleasures

Rain and terrible things were forecast for my penultimate morning with my folks. Yet, I awoke to blue skies and perfect autumn weather for my morning run. After an arduous uphill exertion, I ran along the top of Struble Dam, and shouted praises to God. No one was in sight, so I held my arms above my head, lifted my face to the morning sun, and trumpeted my allegiance to God. Thy will be done. Though thou slay me, yet will I trust thee.

No one was there to hear me but God Himself. I was delirious with the joy of that realization. I yelled my prayers, that echoed from the mountains surrounding me. If He had materialized at that moment, I would not have been surprised. He felt that real in that gorgeous place.

Next, returning to earth, I picked up my folks and we went to our favorite lunch place. Plate glass windows overlook the Susquehanna, and the diner chefs make an excellence spinach pie! I had bought my Mom a new sketchpad and watercolor markers. She wanted me to demonstrate their use, so I sketched the view. I was filled with the same simple ecstasy I had experienced atop Struble Dam. How grateful I am that God created me with the ability to draw.

After lunch, my folks and I sat in their Assisted Living Home sunroom, watching the sun sparkle on the nearby lake. Clouds scudded across the mountaintops. Fish poked their dark mouths to the surface, snatching bugs, and concentric waves radiated across the water.

We moved to a back porch, watching the growing clouds. Within a half hour, the clouds had suddenly enveloped the blue sky, and it was cold. We took a parting photo of the three of us, and scurried inside.

Shortly after that, I kissed my folks goodbye, and dashed to my car as rain began spattering across the pavement. In His infinite mercy, God had withheld the rain till my final day with my folks had come to an end.

This morning, I start my drive back home to NC. I am leaving just in time. Snow is forecast here in NY for this afternoon! Such simple pleasures I had enjoyed with my parents. How precious it is to be in the presence of loved ones with no agenda but to enjoy the beauty of the world God created in the company of each other.

On this trip, I met a woman who is hunched over and bitter. She snaps at everyone and no one likes her. Her neighbors are kind people, but they avoid this woman they call "the gnome." She sees no sunshine, no fish surfacing in placid waters, no clouds tumbling like gymnasts across blue skies. All she seems to see is bitter disappointment. I pray God touches that woman's heart and heals her.

May I glory in God's beneficence even when my heart is broken, and my spine is bent under a weight I feel I can no longer bear. May I always find joy in sun on my face, mountain leaves turning gold on the horizon, and clouds dancing in the sky. May I always exult in life's simple pleasures, praising God with every breath He so graciously grants me.
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Ecclesiastes 5:18 

Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot.

Proverbs 17:22 

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Ecclesiastes 2:24

There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God,

Ecclesiastes 11:9 

Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

1 Peter 3:10 

For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;

John 16:24 

Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

1 Timothy 6:17 

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

Luke 1:47 

And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

Matthew 11:28-30 

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Proverbs 21:20 

Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man's dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.

Entertaining Angels

There were several strangers in Boston that showed me kindness. The hotel desk clerk helped me in my panic over how to use the public transit, and then put me in the best room in the hotel! A sweet couple offered to drive me home one night when I got lost walking (while I was purposely avoiding public transit.) A waiter hugged me and told me his redemptive life story when he saw me growing emotional over some personal issues.

The kindness of strangers touched me deeply. I always think of a big city like Boston as being impersonal, and frightening. However, there were several times I was lost, or needed help in one way or another. Each time, someone reached out to me, with no apparent motive other than seeing my need, and responding.

I biked the glorious path along the Charles River for two hours before leaving this beautiful city. While biking, I contemplated all the gentle and kind people who had offered unexpected help. The verse came to mind: Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.(Hebrews 13:2)

While biking and meditating on that verse, I realized I have always interpreted it incorrectly. It is not that the ones helping strangers are angels, but by showing kindness to strangers, we may be assisting angels without knowing it! The strangers are the angels! What a lovely thought. By extending hospitality to strangers, we may be serving our Lord's heavenly host! Of course,  they are then winging back to God and telling Him what we have done. I am certain it is always beneficial to be on the good side of angels.

I drove back to my parents' home thinking how much I was going to miss Boston, and how deeply touched I was by all those people,  angels or not, that had helped me. How important it is to look for strangers to help! When one is in the midst of struggle, a kind word or outstretched hand, or spontaneous hug heralds the comfort of Heaven.

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1 John 3:17 

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?

Matthew 25:35-40 

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ...

James 2:14-17 

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Galatians 6:2 

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

John 15:12 

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Matthew 5:16

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Momentary Afflictions

I went to Boston yesterday to see my beloved first-born son. I had hours till I could meet him, so despite ominous clouds, headed off on my bike along the Charles River.

It was beautiful. The sky kept changing, and grew increasingly threatening. The wind picked up and I was certain I was going to end up soaked and maybe electrocuted by lightning, but who could turn around with scenery like this?

God doesn't often take us down a straight path with sunny skies, yet there is turbulent beauty in the storm, and mystery in what waits beyond the bend. If I had to choose to remain safe and dry in my sterile hotel room, or soaked and buffeted by fearsome winds in the midst of such exquisite potential, I would choose to face the storm.

And that, my friends, explains much of life.

Deuteronomy 11:11
But the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven.

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2 Corinthians 4:17 

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

What God Brings You To....

I was a guest speaker at my parent's assisted living home yesterday. I told the residents about my journey becoming an author, as well as discussing specific books. They had listened to the audiobook of my first book, I'm Listening with a Broken Ear, prior to my talk. They were a great audience. Only one fell asleep. Many asked questions, and one told me later she already bought two of my books online.

On the way to dinner with my folks, I saw one of the residents reading a book....my book! What a thrill to have so many elderly folk excited about my books.

 Several stopped my folks and my sister and told them this was the best program they'd had at the facility. Another told me it was inspirational, touched her, and made her want to cry. The best part for me was this was a captive audience, and I got to tell them the message of my nonfiction first book, the primary book I was discussing.(  I'm Listening with a Broken Ear ) Any time I can talk about God's message, I am thrilled. Here is a summary of my three main points:

1. Nothing is irredeemable that is created by God. No matter how ugly, how unloved, how messed up, how filled with troubles and struggles, all life is of value with intrinsic worth. God can redeem anyone.
2. When God tells you to do something good, do it. You will be blessed. You will probably be taken down a path you never expected, and it will lead to glorious places you might never have otherwise gone.
3. Never give up. When you encounter seemingly impossible circumstances, victory is often just around the corner. What God brings you to, He will bring you through.

*Bonus for the day yesterday: Gidget and Joe exchanged places and Gidget was #1 and Joe #2 on Amazon.

Philippians 3:12-14 

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Proverbs 3:5-6 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.