Love Covers » Reflections of Life

Of Patience and Pears!

vjbear — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:04:28 +0000

So we're in a 'temporary' housing situation that at times has been trying, but we have survived. I don't always feel like I've actually conquered it, but at least with God's hand, I've been standing my ground, or at least, a year later, I'm still here!

Last winter, I would walk by a house with a pear tree that had shed pears all over the ground and road. The owner told me I was welcome to all I wanted, so I picked up all the good ones, and took them home to can. Very proud for being successful, I got nine quarts of pears out of it. As summer wore on, I would think of those pears and I would say, "God, I don't really want to put anymore pears up! I like them and I appreciate them, but they are hard to cut and I don't really have the right supplies and had to rough it last time, and I feel so inadequate at working with them. I really don't want to be here that long!"

Well, here it is autumn once again, and every week I think of those pears. I don't walk past them because there are several dogs living on that end of our road now, but I think about them and decided not to drive past them. I don't want to see them and feel obligated to pick them up. Now why on earth, do I keep thinking about those pears – and what difference does it make to me or anyone else, if I pick them up or not. But, I keep thinking about them and avoiding them.

Fast forward to this last weekend, we were blessed to go visit with a couple of our friends that we hadn't seen in over a year. The evening went well and we had a great time! They said a prayer for each of us, my request, being to be ready to move. Afterwards as we were at the door to leave, one of them ask, "Do y'all like pears?" Needless to say, I went home with a bag of pears!

This morning I asked God once again, "What is it with those pears!" Only this time, I stopped and said, "Ok, what are You trying to tell me with these pears?". So I called my sister and asked her to look up what pears stand for — the answer?

"Patience!"

What’s Your Style?

vjbear — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 08:53:12 +0000

So I wanted this website to have more of a blog style. A little less formal – a little more relaxed – just the walking it out day-to-day. Some thoughts, some art, some preachin', some dreaming…with the hopes of it being a little more active!

I didn't think I was doing a good job at all, but today I spent time reading all the posts from this year. (It didn't take long!) What I found out was that I hadn't done so bad after all. I had kept each post shortened down, added pictures and links (gettin' some pretty good techno know-how), and most entries were actually pretty interesting.

Now all I've got to do is to keep at it. Add one more entry – means getting it all out of my head, down through my wrist and out my fingertips and onto the keyboard!

Gonna keep on developing 'my style' and write a little more free and not wait 'til I've got a 'perfect article'.

Had to learn to give myself a break, ease up and lower those outrageously, unattainable standards that we tend to put on ourselves which only freezes up our abilities or runs us ragged!

Here's a cool picture of how God thinks of us, "…so the Lord has compassion of those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust." (Ps 103:13b-14) Wow! If God remembers I'm made of dust and has compassion for me, how can I demand more than that of myself and others?

There's more than one way I can choose to remember: all my shortcomings, goofs and shameful moments; or I can choose to remind myself to thank God for all His benefits! All His compassion and graciousness!

I want to remember to get my style from Him! That and post on my blog more often!

I’ll Go…

vjbear — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:58:43 +0000

It may not be on the mountain’s height,
Or over the stormy sea;
It may not be at the battle’s front,
My Lord will have need of me;
But if by a still, small voice He calls,
To paths that I do not know,
I’ll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in Thine,
I’ll go where You want me to go.

Perhaps today there are loving words
Which Jesus would have me speak;
There may be now in the paths of sin,
Some wand’rer whom I should seek;
O Savior, if Thou wilt be my guide,
Though dark and rugged the way,
My voice shall echo Thy message sweet,
I’ll say what You want me to say.

There’s surely somewhere a lowly place,
In earth’s harvest fields so white,
Where I may labor through life’s short day,
For Jesus the Crucified;
So trusting my all to Thy tender care,
And knowing Thou lovest me,
I’ll do Thy will with a heart sincere,
I’ll be what You want me to be.

I’ll go where You want me to go, dear Lord,
O’er mountain, or plain, or sea;
I’ll say what You want me to say, dear Lord,
I’ll be what You want me to be.

Mary Brown, 1899

Yo, Yo-Yo!

vjbear — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:28:15 +0000

Does something look out of place in the picture below?

How about this one?

Seems people have been finding things to do with strings for thousands of years! All the way from the Americas, China, Greece and the Philippines. And even though there are a few rumors of a simular item used as a weapon, they all look like they were just for having fun!

When's the last time you gave that ol' yo-yo a spin!

Surprise Me!

vjbear — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:13:50 +0000

So I started my morning off with breakfast huddled before my computer, 22 degrees outside and hot cocoa steaming in my cup. I was a little bored at the prospect of a same old day, looking at the same ol' internet sites, asking the same ol' questions and wanting just to feel even a small sense of a touch from God, when I said, "Ok God, surprise me!"

So I googled the words 'surprise me'. And wow, the first entry said "Surprise Me – A 30-Day Faith Experiment" by Terry Esau. That caught my eye, so 'click', I checked it out…

It's about a man who one day decided to do an experiment and for thirty days just pray a three word prayer, "Surprise me, God!" He wrote in a journal how each day went. He wanted it to be a real, unscripted, reality account of his daily life for those thirty days. Then he wrote a book about his journey (and of course it's now a '40 Days of Purpose' type program, which is what the site is mostly selling). But aside from that, it's the idea that he started with that gets me.

Surprise #2 — there was a link to a blog where someone had plugged in a song, which years ago I had seen as a kind of love song from God. Never mind that it's John Denver, it's the spirit of the words that count!

Surprise #3 –All the links to the blogs by people who took the 30-day challenge turned out to be worth the visit to the site, especially one I enjoyed reading: jakesdad at http://jakesdad1234.blogspot.com/ ((Not responsible for content of other blogs–read at your own risk.))

Hmmm, now to our own experiment of life — but watch out when you say,

"Ok God, surprise me!"

The Smallest — The Biggest

vjbear — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 02:24:52 +0000

You know, we don't always have to think of something big.

If the little foxes are what can destroy, then it's also the little things that can build.

Most of us know we're not to despise small beginnings, but we keep doing it anyway. Oh, it's subtle, our rejection of our own efforts, but it's like some attempts, failures and ideas are too small for us to notice or take time with.

Hey, it's the living it out, day-to-day, that either makes you or breaks you.

Forget the moment before, live this moment.

Even when writing this post, it's the idea of "what could I say" that brings on writer's block the fastest. Or that no one is listening. So! Why do we write? Like they say, writer's write, plain and simple. It's the fear that someone might actually read it and the fear that someone won't read it that gets us bound.

Same with any step we make in our every day lives. What can I do? What influence do I have? What effect will I have?

We want to touch lives, but we don't want to stand out, but we don't want to be invisible, because we want to touch lives! Right?

But God has not given us a spirit of fear or confusion, He has given us a Spirit of Love, and a sound mind!

Let me live each moment to your glory, LORD.

Someone once said that the glory of God was us living to our full potential. Oh man, there's no way I can reach that!

Exactly!

Our fulness is found only in surrendering each iota of moment in time to Him. What we see as good or as bad. Every mili-micro-whatever tad of existence in Him and to Him. That's His glory.

It just might be that the smallest existence of your day is the very moment that shows His love the biggest!

While It Is Still Today

vjbear — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:35:14 +0000

Tommorrow they are coming to spray our home for bugs. Yeah!

But we have to get ready; make sure everything is straightened and in its place.

They need to be able to get to the walls and corners.

They can't spray if they can't get to anywhere.

To save space, we tend to stack and push everything up against the walls.

We are excited and want them to come spray. We don't really want to get ready.

We want the results.

We wish it were over.

Tommorrow they are coming to spray.

Today we need to get ready.

A Super Thought

vjbear — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 20:37:30 +0000

Here's a thought –

What Superman struggled with all his life was the elements from his own home planet.

The invincible left vulnerable by even a small piece of the dirt that had birthed him, that he thought he had left behind.

What gave him strenth and ability?

Keeping himself present in his new life, surrounded by the substance and thought of a new kingdom, a purpose and a new "birth" on an entirely different plane of existence.

I don't think Superman is a study of a christ come to earth as today's new age philosophers would have us suppose.

That's not what makes him so enduring an attraction, but he really is a picture of ourselves; our own existence on our own "Daily Planet" that constantly challenges and pulls and weakens us back down to the very dust of which we were born.

Oh to be reborn on a new planet where we have the abilities to break free from the gravity of life – to soar above earthly circumstances and to see through the walls that seem to crush us from every side – the feeling of it all about to cave in on us…

Where the rules of our limitations no longer apply, but to find that we are actually born royalty of a higher kingdom.

This knowing and longing inside of us that there is a hope!

That there is something more…!

Without Knowing

vjbear — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 01:43:06 +0000

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, January 2:

"He went out, not knowing whither he went." Hebrews 11:8. Have you been "out" in this way? If so, there is no logical statement possible when anyone ask you what you are doing…You do not know what you are going to do; the only thing you know is that God knows what He is doing."

Without knowing — what, why, when…I am so there!

"Each morning you wake it is to be a "going out", building confidence on God…God does not tell you what He is going to do; He reveals to you Who He is."

Please God, reveal Yourself more!

"Do you believe in…God"

That's the biggest question — what do I believe?

"…and will you go out in surrender to Him? …Suppose God is the God you know Him to be when you are nearest to Him–what an impertinence worry is!"

Oh please Lord, let me be even closer to You!

Draw me nearer still — "until there is nothing between yourself (myself) and God."

In “What-so-ever State”

vjbear — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 20:56:54 +0000

Okay, so I'm back. Man, a lot has happened in just a few short months. Here I was going to write pretty often and then my world kind of took an extra spin. And when I'm not real settled in, I have a harder time being creative and writing (well, that and some one else has been on my computer while his is packed!). Yes, I said packed. We moved!

I'm like, living in Texas for so many years, and then, boom! God says move to Tennessee! Tennessee? Yep, "home of the wild frontier" (Davy Crockett style) and Music City USA! So we "packed up our bags and we moved to Tennessee, hills that is — Nashville, country stars, Elvis".

Alright, I'm done with old tv theme songs (for the moment anyway). We moved to Columbia, Tennessee. A very pretty city in the middle of the state, just about 45 to 50 miles south of Nashville. And there really are hills here, with the towns built right in them. It's funny coming out of a store and looking across the parking lot at a big hill right in town. And there isn't a whole lot of places built on a piece of flat ground. Mostly everything slants up or down. But here it is all very green and beautiful! With porch-fronted houses with front columns and swings or chairs on the porches. And very friendly southern folk that will actually speak to you and visit for just a moment. Just a moment mind you, after all, you're a stranger, but at least you get "hellos" and "good days" and such pleasantries that help to make you feel not so alone and homesick.

Now, I know Paul wasn't really talking about one of the United States when he said to be content in what ever state you're in, but it has worked for my family over the years, because we've lived in a few. And sometimes we had to quote that more often than other times since we didn't always want to move, but this time God dropped an excitement inside our hearts for a new adventure. (Although, I will always miss Texas.)

And finally, we found a place to live and unpack and slowly settle in and I found a moment when no one was on the computer – wow, and I actually feel like writing! Feels good!