The Purposeful House

My sister is full of good ideas and great advice. Recently she shared that she was no longer keeping special "things" for special occasions. She said, “Why hide them away? Use them!”  Of course our initial reaction is to hide Grandma’s tea pot or Mom’s cookie jar away from danger for fear of breaking it. The joy I get from seeing those things aren’t for the item, but for the precious memories each piece stirs in me.  Still, if they stay hidden my children or my grandchildren won’t have a single memory attached to those items and when I am gone they will just be things.

So, I have given them a new purpose.  I don’t drink tea, but I can use the pot to hold knives. When I see Grandma’s tea pot, I see her in her kitchen and I smile.  I don’t often make cookies, but when I do they sure don’t stick around long enough to make it into a cookie jar! Again, I can use it for kitchen utensils and when I smile at it, Mom is smiling back at me.

I once thought I was doing the barn cats a big favor by giving them a bath. Every cat on the farm was miserable. After hearing the exasperated, “Mary Elizabeth!” from my grandma, she gave me a washboard and put me to work washing something that needed washing!  The washboard now sits where we use it for reminders and messages.

All of these things started out with one purpose and if I had kept them hidden away, that would have been the end of their story.  God designs us for a purpose long before we are ever born. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

Wait! Did He say plans? Yes, plans! Plural.  Just like a tea pot with a cracked spout, we too have more than one purpose over our life time and sometimes it doesn’t look like the plan we thought it would!  Sometimes when things seem especially trying, we turn to the first part of Romans 8:28, “God causes all things to ‘work together’ for the good of those who love Him.” But we forget to finish the verse, “AND are called according to His purpose.”

Don’t hide yourself away in a dusty cupboard holding on to what you thought was your only purpose. Boldly sit out on the cupboard and take on a new challenge.  Be open to new ideas, new ways to Glorify God, new ways show love, a changing purpose in a changing season.

Leash Law

 

I have a dog. A big 100lb cat dog.  You know the phrase herding cats? Well it’s a thing especially for a dog that thinks he is a cat! So, for 14 years anywhere he goes, he has to be on a leash, because he just doesn’t listen! 

His leash isn’t there to restrict his fun, it’s there to protect him. Mind you, he has 26 feet to run and chase and sniff and be a dog, but sometimes I have to reel it all the way in to keep him from running in front of cars, chasing after deer, or getting so far from home he would be lost. Without a leash his life would be pure danger and chaos!

I sometimes think I hear God saying, “Now you know how I feel!”  God gave us 10 Commandments not to restrict our fun here on earth, but to protect us! When Jesus was asked what commandments were the most important He narrowed the 10 to just 2.  He gave us the freedom of a very long leash called love.67

Jesus says in Matthew 22: 37- 39, “Love the Lord your God with all you heart, with all your soul, and with all you mind. This is the greatest and the most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like it: Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

So here is a radical thought, if we love in the way that Jesus showed us to love then all the other commandments fall into place. If I love, I won’t steal. I won’t kill. I won’t covet. I won’t disrespect, but what I will do is listen and go where I am called.  No matter what, Jesus is in control, but we can choose if it’s on the short leash or the long leash of love.

My Microwave

Today I discovered I don’t do a good job of cleaning the ceiling of my microwave.  I clean the easy to reach sides and bottom and of course the removable tray, but I neglect the ceiling because it’s hard to reach and frankly it’s out of sight.  

How often are our lives like that?  We keep a tidy appearance for when someone opens the door onto our lives, a Facebook presentable image, but all the while we know there’s a mess just out of sight.  Interestingly enough though, our lives don’t have to be that way.  The book of Isaiah assures us, “though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” 

The scarlet spatters of spaghetti sauce on the ceiling of the microwave leave me searching the internet for kitchen hacks to get it clean, but I don’t need to search to remove the spatters of sin in my life. I do however have to give them to Jesus.  He died for each and every spatter, but they seem to cling like stubborn stains, because I choose to hold on to them. He promised forgiveness, but do I believe it? Do I trust Him enough to surrender my stains to Him or do I choose to close the door and pretend they aren’t there?

1 John 1:9 says. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." So today, lets boldly embrace the scrub brush known Jesus and surrender all those nooks and crannies, floors and ceilings, seen and unseen spaces of our heart and know that all your sins are, poof, gone just like the spaghetti sauce spatters on the ceiling of my microwave.  

The Boy in the Plaid Sweater

 

Wood, Grant. Plaid Sweater. 1931, University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art.

The University of Iowa offers periodic flash writing contests.  I think they are a fun challenge. I chose this painting as the 100 word micro-story prompt:

The Boy in the Plaid Sweater

Nile breathes deep the autumn air. He shuffles the smooth pig skin between his hands restlessly waiting for his chums to arrive at their makeshift field as the corn rustles along the edges. Suddenly in a blitz of crunching feet, he sends piles of leaves scattering back into the air. He places the football on the newly exposed yellowing ground and exhales in a cloud of crystallized impatience. Unaware of his future greatness, he practice snaps the ball to himself. A juke around the Duke and he darts down the field, strides wide. Touchdown!!!  The phantom crowd goes wild.

If you aren't familiar with Iowa Hawkeye football then I offer this epilogue for you.  Nile is the halfback from the University of Iowa that became the 1939 Heisman Trophy winner.  He was killed during WWII as a US Navy aviator at the age of 24.  The stadium is named for him and his statue stands where the current players can touch him for luck prior to all the home games.  He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 along with Duke Slater.

Duke that Nile imagines to juke is for Duke Slater, tackle, at the University of Iowa from 1918 to 1921.  He became the 1st black lineman in the NFL! He went on to become a lawyer and a judge, the 2nd black judge in Chicago history. He lived to be inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame finally recognized his achievements in 2020.  

That Pesky Free Will

What was I thinking?? These photos are along the way of my bicycle to work commute. And I was whining?? 🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀️ That pesky Free Will....

It's Friday. I wanted to ride my bike to work, but yesterday my legs got so dirty and there is the one mile of washboards that shake my teeth, and the uphill boulder section... yes, I was whining. So, I decided to take the highway. It's graded. It's flat. I've seen other people do it! It'll be easy! As I came to the intersection and a semi flew by me, I prayed, "God? Is this a good idea?" He said, "It's your choice." So, I forged ahead with my easy plan.

There are things you just don't notice when driving like the edge of the pavement has a 6" drop off at best. There is no escape route. Semis will always be passing an oncoming car when they pass you. It was a perilous journey. I pedaled harder and faster than I normally would. My legs ached. I was out of breath. My arms were tense, and my teeth hurt from clenching them the whole way!

So, what did I miss by taking the easy way? The pleasure of a beautiful morning. There was no mountain view, no cheerful creek, no peace, no thoughtful time in prayer, not a speck of joy! Sure, that way can be bumpy, a little messy, hard work, and sometimes I've been bruised, but it always, always is rewarding and refreshing.

What was the cost of my choice? What did I gain from the easy way? I gained a lesson for sure. The route was 2 miles shorter so I went 10 miles instead of 12. Was it worth it? It was 5 minutes shorter.  Again, was it worth it?  I was exhausted and on edge not invigorated and ready for work. Now, none of this surprised God. He knew my choice wouldn't be satisfying, but He also knew I wouldn't be satisfied without learning the lesson. How often do I think there is an easy way out and complain about the road ahead? 

As humans, we suffer so much from what ifs or greener grasses or a manufactured sense of dissatisfaction. God lovingly allows us to make those choices, and patiently takes us back under His wing when we turn back to Him.  The true travesty is not recognizing when we have gone rogue.  When we refuse to return to the guidance of the Creator of the Universe who knows and sees all things. He knows what I don't and sees what I can't so why stubbornly and willfully do I insist on my own way? Oh yeah, it's that guy... the one whispering in your ear that it's what you want that matters, its how you feel/identify that's most important, it's all about you and after all, you deserve the easy path. Your way and personal view are all that matter. 

Seems condemning to be reminded of "Thy Will be done." Yet, God doesn't condemn. He loves. He welcomes. 2 Corinthians 2:11 reminds us if we are listening to God instead ourselves, "that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes." Walking with God may not seem the easiest path, but the things I missed on my ride this morning, peace, joy, safety, contentment, He freely offers. Listen and choose wisely and most of all, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take." Proverbs 3:5,6

Anatomy of a Prairie Fire

 Anatomy of a Prairie Fire by Mary E Ryan

Flash Crack Ignition smolder

Flash Flame Blaze crackle

Flash heat Breeze Billowing

Roaring Rolling Spreading

Turning Leaping Licking

Contorting Rising Reaching

Ravenous Consuming Carnivorous

Treacherous Unquenchable Unforgiving

creek bed hopping willows choking

Aspens Crumble frames of charcoal

Ash Falling Embers Kindle

naked earth soulful remains

Nightfall Sees An Angry Glowing

Running Terror Sends A Warning

Telling Flee or Fight No End In Sight

crawlers hiding weak ones dying

Marching On

No Remorse

Miles Devoured

Winds subsiding

gentle rain

diluting

sizzle

still

I Am Prairie Fire

too early, trees invade

too late, grazers suffer

On Time, Renewal Refining Redefining

I am prairie fire.

Love Note to Life

If you are reading this – it isn’t a mistake – you are meant to read this. If you are reading this – then know whatever family, friend, unknown, or even broken relationship we have, I love you. In fact, I love you enough that I cannot bear the thought of you enduring life without Jesus. Hey, before you roll your eyes and scroll on.... hear me out!

I once heard a story about a man waiting in line for McDonald’s. Another man came up to him randomly and said, “Excuse me sir, I really think you should have that spot on your neck looked at.” Now, the first man could have answered, “Don’t tell me how to live my life!” He could have shouted obscenities at him or even hit him in the face. He could have said, “Thank you” and never thought of the situation again. He could have pretended not to hear him. What he did do was go to his doctor and have the spot looked at and come to find out it was the first stages of skin cancer. Because he listened and reached out for help, he was saved..

Now the second man was a dermatologist and he had choices too. He could have thought, “Look at that poor dude, he is totally going to die.” He could have turned around and walked away – not my problem – not my patient. He could have pretended not to see. Instead, he boldly walked up to someone and proclaimed the truth. Now, he didn’t grab him by the shoulders, shake the stuffing out of him and make him panic. He didn’t grab the sick man and force him to go to the hospital. He simply told him the truth.

If you were going to die a painful and awful death, would you want someone to tell you the truth or pretend like everything is just fine? Well, here I am – I am telling you the truth. Jesus is the only way to an eternal life that is so amazing it will make your greatest day on earth feel like a perpetual standardized test day from elementary school. If you haven’t already, then put down your number 2 pencil and ask Jesus into your life. It isn’t hard and it isn’t scary just simply pray: Jesus come into my life. I know that I am a sinner, but please be my savior today and always. Amen.

Now, do what the sick man did and reach out for help or maybe you have given your life to Jesus but you don't know what or how to do life? Write me, talk to a pastor, reach out please! Because I cannot bear – no matter what has happened between us humans on earth – to have you live through what Jesus described in Mark. I love you – and I really do mean it. Love, Mary

Mark 13: 14-27
The Awful Horror
14 “You will see ‘The Awful Horror’ standing in the place where he should not be.” (Note to the reader: understand what this means!) “Then those who are in Judea must run away to the hills. 15 Someone who is on the roof of a house must not lose time by going down into the house to get anything to take along. 16 Someone who is in the field must not go back to the house for a cloak. 17 How terrible it will be in those days for women who are pregnant and for mothers with little babies! 18 Pray to God that these things will not happen in the winter! 19 For the trouble of those days will be far worse than any the world has ever known from the very beginning when God created the world until the present time. Nor will there ever be anything like it again. 20 But the Lord has reduced the number of those days; if he had not, nobody would survive. For the sake of his chosen people, however, he has reduced those days.
21 “Then, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’—do not believe it. 22 For false Messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will perform miracles and wonders in order to deceive even God's chosen people, if possible. 23 Be on your guard! I have told you everything ahead of time.
The Coming of the Son of Man
24 “In the days after that time of trouble the sun will grow dark, the moon will no longer shine, 25 the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers in space will be driven from their courses. 26 Then the Son of Man will appear, coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 He will send the angels out to the four corners of the earth to gather God's chosen people from one end of the world to the other.