Beauty

Much as Eve was the crown of creation, dance is the quintessential art form.  And classical ballet, in my humble opinion, would be the art form's crown.  Maybe that is why I love it so much.  It is the perfect marriage of form, beauty, artistry, music, power, and determination.  Indeed, Albert Einstein once said, "Dancers are the athletes of God."

My Epitaph

In some leisure reading this week I came across a comical expression, "unsuccessful attire".  It was in George Eliot's Scenes of Clerical Life and described a woman in a certain parish.  I chuckled to myself when that description of the ladies clothing choice was offered.  My first thought, I must confess , was "I certainly hope none can say that about my attire."  My second thought came quickly after, "There are much worse things than unsuccessful attire."

For instance, to be remembered for "unsuccessful parenting" or "unsuccessful maturing in the Lord" or "unsuccessful homemaking".  The list could be virtually endless.  This thought chain lead me to thinking about what I would want written about me, which then lead me to an obscure book I bought years ago at a Christian conference.  It is one of a very few books on my shelf that I haven't finished, the writing is unremarkable.  Why buy it?  It was the dedication to the author's mother (who happens to have a fabulous name).

To ALBY KIPHUTH-

Or as I know her,

Mom.

You have always been a great adventurer, a passionate lover of life, a free spirit with a questioning mind, an insatiable curiosity, an extraordinary resilience, and an indomitable spirit.

You are proof of the beauty of the human spirit.

So much better than "unsuccessful attire", no?  It is almost exactly what I want as my epitaph.  The only addition needed is how none of it would be possible without the inexpressible grace and mercy of my Lord and Savior, Jesus who loves me despite myself.  

How would you want your epitaph to read?

Easter!

You all know how I love quotes so I thought I would put a bit of a collection together for you today.  Think on these as you prepare your heart for Easter.

The joyful news that He is risen does not change the contemporary world.  Still before us lie work, discipline, sacrifice.  But the fact of Easter gives us the spiritual power to do the work, accept the discipline, and make the sacrifice.  ~Henry Knox Sherril

Let every man and woman count himself immortal.  Let him catch the revelation of Jesus in his resurrection.  Let him say not merely, "Christ is risen," but "I shall rise."  ~Phillips Brooks

Easter is not a time for groping through dusty, musty tomes or tombs…  It is a day to fan the ashes of dead hope, a day to banish doubts and seek the slopes where the sun is rising, to revel in the faith which transports us out of ourselves and the dead past into the vast and inviting unknown.  ~Author unknown, as quoted in the Lewiston Tribune

He takes men out of time and makes them feel eternity.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

See the land, her Easter keeping,
Rises as her Maker rose.
Seeds, so long in darkness sleeping,
Burst at last from winter snows.
Earth with heaven above rejoices...  ~Charles Kingsley

To a Christian, Easter Sunday means everything, when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. ~Bernhard Langer

May you live your life with the power of Christ's resurrection which gives the sure hope of your own salvation reveling in the faith that allows us to know Eternity.  See around you nature's evidence and find in Easter everything.

Trail Blaze

 We all journey through life, sometimes on the road easily walking along and sometimes hoofing it through scrub.  I have found that through life, even in the thickest part of the forest, God gives me road markers to point the way, to teach me something of myself, and to reveal a bit more of who God is.  They are like blazes on trails, keeping me going in the right direction toward my final destination.

I have found my next road marker. It is this,

"So be careful how you live.  Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise.  Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.  Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the LORD wants you to do.  Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life.  Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves and making music to the LORD in your hearts.  And give thanks for everything to GOD the FATHER."  Ephesians 5:15-20

The last road marker God had me camped out at for quite some time.  I am not sure what His plan is at this one but I have already learned a great deal.  Like giving of my time to those around me.  Or putting extra thought into my words and actions.  

I am far from seeking the next one on the horizon although I yearn for it.  For that is when I know I have accomplished what God has planned.  

The Great Commodity: Self

I have several books on my "now-reading" list that are collecting dust.  I brushed one off last night and read a few chapters.  The Warmth of Other Suns is about the great migration of African Americans that occurred in the United States between the Civil War, World War II and into the 1970's.  I am toward the end.  Many of the participants in the book are reminiscing about how their migration from the south has affected their lives. 

In an interview one of the gentleman says, "So we are of a particular time" speaking of the historical events that he and those like him had lived through.  Freedom from slavery.  Jim Crow Laws.  Extreme racism.  Flight to the north or the west.  The generation that witnessed first hand many of these atrocities are now out of place, relics of an earlier time, seeking an outlet to teach the wisdom they gained finding the audience less than eager to listen.  

It got me thinking that we are all of a "particular time".  The events that surround us and, most importantly,  our reactions to them define us in some ways.  Like Pastor Shawn's message a few weeks ago about Philip and the Ethiopian or Queen Esther or any of us, we are all "of a particular time."  How we use that time we are in shapes us and becomes a part of our story.  It gives us specific wisdom if we are humble enough to be taught by it.  Wisdom to share if we are courageous enough to let God use it.

During Pastor Shawn's message God challenged me to spend myself for Him.  I have been talking with Him about what He meant exactly and have found that the situations I find myself in and events that unfold around me greatly determine how I spend myself for God, how I use this "particular time" for Him.  Most days I feel I have nothing left to spend but I have found the most amazing truth.  If God asks me to spend myself for Him in a certain situation He also gives me the means with which to pay.  St. Augustine once wrote, "Although He is our native country, He made Himself also the Way to that country."  God is my goal, and He is also the means with which to get to that goal.  How crazy cool is that!!!

We are all of a particular time.  I challenge you to spend your greatest commodity, yourself, for God within your particular time and trust that He will give you the currency you need for each specific situation.

He is a Great God and He will do it!

The Curator

To Curate
verb
select, organize, and look after the items in

It think that is what God is doing in me,  In each of us really.  

Footprints

God is gracious and has allowed me to measure my life with road markers from His Word.  As I stand looking back over the roadway of my life this morning I can see several stone markers in relief against the horizon.  There are smaller markers as well but over the last 15 or so years there have been several Scriptures that stand out marking great growth in my relationship with God.  I thought I would share them with you today.  The first listed below I came across pre-marriage but didn’t really allow to sink in until I was well into my first year.

“Listen to me, O royal daughter, take to heart what I say.  

Forget your people and your father’s house.

For the King is enthralled by your beauty;

Honor Him, for He is your Lord.”

Psalm 45:10-11

Living to please only God and to trust that He made me beautiful was a hard long uphill climb but the view was worth it.  Lots of unnecessary baggage was left by the roadside as I gained that marker on my journey.  

One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 32.  At one time a verse from this Psalm was one God made me memorize because it described me to a tee.  

“The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life, I will advise you and watch over you.  

Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”  

Psalm 32:8-9

On a quick side note, the word translated as “mule” in this version is translated frequently into another word for a horse-like creature.  I felt like one a lot while God was teaching me the lessons I needed to learn during this time in my life.  The bit and bridle kept me on the roadway when I wanted to wander.  I can say that I need the bit and bridle much less these days, however, this side of heaven I think I will never fully quit them.  

“But now, O Jacob, listen to the LORD who created you.

O Israel, the one who formed you says.

“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.

I have called you by name; you are mine.”

Isaiah 43:1

Did you know that God has pet-names for us?  He does.  Ask Him and He will tell you yours.  It’s pretty cool to hear the Lord and Maker of the Universe call you by your heavenly given nickname.  Empowering and humbling all at the same time.  

So here I am.  Walking along the road looking to the horizon for my next marker, you see, those I have already passed were put in place long ago.  They have been frequented by others; they were established before the creation of the world.  I know I am not alone in this journey even if the markers I pass seem just for me.  The Words in Scripture were written for others just as much as they were written for me; and I seek my next wayside to learn more about myself and, more importantly, to learn more about God.

“They are not monuments, but footprints.  A monument says, ‘At least I got this far,’ while a footprint says, ‘This is where I was when I moved again.’”

William Faulkner