tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-117851270744991712024-03-13T23:15:20.523-07:00Janet Collison...Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-23883537739248257292024-02-16T08:59:00.000-08:002024-02-17T12:27:00.661-08:00I Have a New Hobby: Weaving!<p>I have a new hobby! I am now a weaver! I woke up one day and decided to look into this art form and bought my first small loom called a "Cricket Loom." I was hooked. I now own 6 looms of various sizes and am having a lark doing this. It's creative and tremendously satisfying. Here are a few of my projects. Obviously, I like color and making wall-hangings the best:</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY0DX7Ks6spXZLF1XfW-rO0gwjH8Z-Qy7QPsxuMWUaKrkhQLrxf4Y69AB1HakKULbFDGASCWb8lGaMLOD889jf2xOBqIgA4inMcPtrozOo50JbZBAqPkwWTgCPg7NNTZHnGtRKtFwFs9rt87RWNv8OJ4mdEmJoJu2Vjx4_BcQYdEJluOXcP_6XRGbARg/s4032/IMG_2749.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2792" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY0DX7Ks6spXZLF1XfW-rO0gwjH8Z-Qy7QPsxuMWUaKrkhQLrxf4Y69AB1HakKULbFDGASCWb8lGaMLOD889jf2xOBqIgA4inMcPtrozOo50JbZBAqPkwWTgCPg7NNTZHnGtRKtFwFs9rt87RWNv8OJ4mdEmJoJu2Vjx4_BcQYdEJluOXcP_6XRGbARg/s320/IMG_2749.jpeg" width="222" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7Yh1z0l4kvLXLOuVWcjH2wm3x2ZBiIbR0TFKd_87m8qZ4n3t6_qy4_8_MAy7o4FwBE23pe4ryTkFBN48dbVIQpqzRQBAKM8IW_-8VtfA-G7DUm0Dm8AqFf5AgfBweDaosvPSWPU3EEimRNhpRD53Ja4rEjjWCHXk0E2OPyccVVnYSKEPvDDj5gO5Ew/s3618/IMG_1770.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3618" data-original-width="1357" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7Yh1z0l4kvLXLOuVWcjH2wm3x2ZBiIbR0TFKd_87m8qZ4n3t6_qy4_8_MAy7o4FwBE23pe4ryTkFBN48dbVIQpqzRQBAKM8IW_-8VtfA-G7DUm0Dm8AqFf5AgfBweDaosvPSWPU3EEimRNhpRD53Ja4rEjjWCHXk0E2OPyccVVnYSKEPvDDj5gO5Ew/s320/IMG_1770.jpeg" width="120" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10Wtl1MFjwetbYUZgTX5onOP5o1ujqlEAim9uxFgICAyfVd_MHbKb-Ae53sINOapxfOB7TJ_9yVt3xPajp_ywwbKq1S5IsMggGlIbiPYgtHh_fSmwhzTOQgSXX1i0MELnfYipuZG_aqL94QttFHEPINbWd5m48KIeJrP-oIP6dSjlmoi9cQF6dthgGg/s4032/IMG_2800.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1406" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10Wtl1MFjwetbYUZgTX5onOP5o1ujqlEAim9uxFgICAyfVd_MHbKb-Ae53sINOapxfOB7TJ_9yVt3xPajp_ywwbKq1S5IsMggGlIbiPYgtHh_fSmwhzTOQgSXX1i0MELnfYipuZG_aqL94QttFHEPINbWd5m48KIeJrP-oIP6dSjlmoi9cQF6dthgGg/s320/IMG_2800.jpeg" width="112" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDBz4IEiD2x4e6GWYu9s9vNSceGhL7LkGzpwwku70OW67WpHj3BcU25pyJIAJUkgPTFGc1KhXTxOh8AGCBF7TEJ4m7tZLrFzn4FywhW5AZ2sFmdtKjw4qQitetUyTEwczN0JBFCSlfesljsqDj08M4jQN775FZN74x_XmIcSQ_b9zCeCkt-LjwY0_azg/s320/IMG_3953.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-59696169261511352592020-01-16T12:49:00.000-08:002020-01-16T12:49:05.862-08:00A Well-Traveled Gem<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hSyW0Pevy_bXerTvHuQley1xGQ2uIQoCP8NXWW0e4N817axSmCim0KNvzhMYerwE9l2F9L0I03csJGF-3PU97tJI9fUB-MOgukrE5aS0DtnDOXiXX-_Wnxqb8t9br43vPrT3MBCtlw/s1600/IMG_3608.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="465" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hSyW0Pevy_bXerTvHuQley1xGQ2uIQoCP8NXWW0e4N817axSmCim0KNvzhMYerwE9l2F9L0I03csJGF-3PU97tJI9fUB-MOgukrE5aS0DtnDOXiXX-_Wnxqb8t9br43vPrT3MBCtlw/s400/IMG_3608.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I was very surprised a few days ago by an email sent to me from Kathy who lives in Molalla, Oregon. <br />
<br />
I didn't know Kathy at all.<br />
<br />
And she didn't know me.<br />
<br />
She said, "I picked up this uniquely and brightly painted burl wood bowl at a Thrift Shop. The bottom has handwritten on it"<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Marshalltown, Iowa 1995 JC</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2VR6WSGs2XRnOdW-1dJpMGHoaEy_QNFoC5JaigqsldnwitOV-aK2907RS006FOKZmn-ZPILd1YntkNHc-tpcPbeROm3HUz4CmoV6TufdUVwbnF5IRBUjpQWp1yhCkWGCATvObT2sFw/s1600/IMG_3610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="611" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2VR6WSGs2XRnOdW-1dJpMGHoaEy_QNFoC5JaigqsldnwitOV-aK2907RS006FOKZmn-ZPILd1YntkNHc-tpcPbeROm3HUz4CmoV6TufdUVwbnF5IRBUjpQWp1yhCkWGCATvObT2sFw/s320/IMG_3610.JPG" width="305" /></a></div>
She knew someone who knew someone in Marshalltown who posted on the Facebook site "You Know You Are From Marshalltown " asking if anyone knew a JC from Marshalltown who painted this bowl.<br />
<br />
Of course, one of my friends knew I had gone through a painting phase a long time ago and suggested Kathy contact me.<br />
<br />
Kathy emailed me a few days ago, asking me if I painted the bowl, and, of course, yes! I did! I went through a phase when the kids were young when I painted anything that stood still: bowls, tables, sculptures, eyeglasses, lamps, glass plates... pretty much anything I could get paint to stick to... probably over 200 pieces or so. I just assumed it landed in the junk yard; in fact, I have not thought about all that painted stuff for years.<br />
<br />
Kathy and I emailed back and forth a bit, telling each other about ourselves. I told her I was a harpist now that had recently taken on weaving (another story for another day) and that I didn't paint anymore as I was busy with other creative endeavors. And Kathy told me she recently completed months of chemo for a slow growing lymphoma. She said she is excellent now and her prognosis is, too.<br />
<br />
She said, "Even though the small stuff has always meant a great deal to me it does now more than ever. I think this is why I felt compelled to find the painter of the bowl. I sure will enjoy the bowl and the little story that goes along with it; a well-traveled little gem. Thanks for this little, unintended unexpected gift."<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Oh my!!! What a gift to me! She liked what I painted!</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
I have questions:<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1. How did the bowl get to Oregon?</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
2. Who has had it and why didn't they just throw it away?</div>
<br />
<br />
but frankly, the real question is:<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">What else have I put out there?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Has my output been joyful? </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Holy Spirit inspired?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Encouraging?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Loving and compassionate?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Have I been putting out gems or items destined for the junk yard?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue;">HELP, Heavenly Father. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue;"> May I be guided by You to say, think, and do the right thing that brings glory to You. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue;"> Gems... all gems... for You.</span></div>
Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-47268183339064459912019-01-01T15:18:00.000-08:002019-01-01T15:18:06.327-08:00Blessings to you in 2019<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can't help but smile every time I see this picture of my granddaughter in all her excitement. Haven't we all been there... when you are just so pumped all you can do is yell "AAHHHHH!!!!" in your loudest, shrillest, most open-your-mouthiest release of personal fortitude!! Well that's how 2018 has been for me.<br />
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Our 2018 presentation of Handel's Messiah was again glorious. I think it was a bit more glorious than last year... truly a "Hallelujah" experience and all I felt after the amens was a release of "AAHHHHH!" (but of course, I couldn't as it was a formal concert.) I believe the chorus, soloists and organist all had a touch of Divine as we presented this work. This darn piece of music is so dang hard there is just no way we can get through it without help from God. He showed up and it was accomplished. Praise God! Glory to Him!<br />
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The year started out strong with the study of <i>Unbound</i> by Lozano. Reading through this book and walking through the activities is like taking a daily shower of the soul. I was scrubbed in the soap of the Forgiver as so much heavy baggage simply fell off. My daily song was, "Hallelujah" and "AAHHHHH!"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVFfzux79rcXzj4hLZ7wdhe9MVPnwjLqCmFtXQxLxICixZQYXnfmBiE6oD3UjPr6502-vzSNSGFsGuSIccHD7BfqDg9vDT74fdIE5Uet38e1YoDhzOd10vGdDSzfakZXr0A-Xhk50UQ/s1600/IMG_1386+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVFfzux79rcXzj4hLZ7wdhe9MVPnwjLqCmFtXQxLxICixZQYXnfmBiE6oD3UjPr6502-vzSNSGFsGuSIccHD7BfqDg9vDT74fdIE5Uet38e1YoDhzOd10vGdDSzfakZXr0A-Xhk50UQ/s320/IMG_1386+2.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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In August, I gave a harp concert at the Leonard Grimes Amphitheater right outside of Marshalltown, Iowa. That was a "Hallelujah" and "AAHHH!" experience if there ever was one.<br />
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In September, John and I went on a trip to the Holy Lands with Greater Glory Travel led by our new friends Barb and Jeff Heil. What an experience! We landed in Jerusalem and walked the route of Jesus as He entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. We went to where He was crucified and buried (possibly the place.) We went to Canaan, the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. We went to the Mount of Transfiguration. We went to all those places you read about in the old and new testaments and where Jesus walked and taught and all I could do was say, "Hallelujah" and "AAHHHHH!" <br />
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Notice our faces, a fellow traveler's and mine... Every day a touch of Divine followed us.<br />
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At the end of the trip, most of our group was baptized in the River Jordan. This was a life-changing touch of the Divine. My reaction: "Hallelujah" and "AAHHHH!"<br />
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In October, I started on what I call a 'Dallas Willard Fall.' I started reading the book <i>Life Without Lack w</i>ritten by Dallas Willard's daughter. She took the cassette recordings of a class Dallas taught and made it all into a book. The topic? Psalm 23. I'm quite sure your reaction to reading this book would be the similar to mine: "Hallelujah" and "AAHHHH!" I followed this book with his biography entitled <i>Becoming Dallas Willard</i>. I felt the touch of All-Sufficient Love in both... possibly it was more than a touch... it was probably more like a full body slam....<br />
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It wasn't until I received this picture from my daughter that I recognized my reaction to so much of 2018. It's true that I was in the Holy Lands for some of these reactions and frankly, there's nothing like a powerful choir of 42 to bring home the "Hallelujah" in the Hallelujah Chorus. But most of the time, my excitement from the touch from our Father came as I was studying God's Word or reading something that inspired me to seek Him. Times of prayer, both group and personal, spurred His touch. Times of understanding and repentance brought His washing, forgiveness and love. There was no big fanfare in those early morning hours... just God and me... Him speaking... me listening. I was seeking, He answered. I asked, He did more than answer my heart's cry. I knocked, He opened His heart to me.<br />
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In conclusion, I pray this Dallas Willard prayer over you, dear Readers. May your 2019 be marked with the touch from our Father so many times that you, too, can only respond with "Hallelujah" and AAHHHH!" Be blessed. Understand God's goodness. Hear God's heart.<br />
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This prayer of blessing was in a final video of Dallas Willard right before his death in 2013. It is a remarkable invitation to join in seeking and experiencing the touch of the Divine:<br />
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<i style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: blue;">"I pray that you would have a rich life of joy and power, abundant in supernatural results, with a constant clear vision of never-ending life in God's world before you, and the everlasting significance of your work day by day. A radiant life and a radiant death."</span></i></h3>
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<br />Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-164581573772427252018-11-22T09:39:00.000-08:002018-11-22T09:39:02.578-08:00Thanksgiving is SimpleThanksgiving is the best holiday of the year. It is hands down my favorite and has been for many years. You want reasons?<br />
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1. Thanksgiving is so simple as we focus the entire day on gratitude. I like to think of Thanksgiving Day as one big marathon of conversation devoted to saying thank you. It’s not hard to be filled with gratitude for all the blessings heaped on my life. Be thankful. Say it out loud. Tell God. Tell your people. This is simple, basic stuff.<br />
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2. The agenda is straightforward; have a sit-down feast, preferably serve up turkey. The meal planning and grocery shopping is done in a flash because it’s the same as last year. In fact, if you change the menu, expect some grief. Do not try smoking the turkey unless you really know how to do it (I did not and had to microwave the bird another 2 hours - I’m still hearing all about it 32 years later.) Do not deep fry it either (another lesson learned the hard way.) This is not a meal that should be handled with creativity. Cook what you cooked last year and the year before that and the year before that. Bake the bird just like your mother did.<br />
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3. Since Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday, this holiday turns into a 4 day weekend. It’s true that retail is in an uproar over this particular weekend but many offices are closed. School is out. There is time to kick back a bit and get reacquainted with relaxation. Go outside and experience some nature. Resist the pull of retail if you can.<br />
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4. Decorating is a breeze for Thanksgiving. Put something Fall-ish in the center of your dining table and call it good. For an all-out splurge, pick up some napkins with the words “Give Thanks” and your decorating is complete. The napkins serve as a reminder as to what the day is all about. Flash them about if the conversation turns to politics.<br />
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5. There is no big music thing at Thanksgiving. Our hymnal at church features “Now Thank We All Our God” and “We Gather Together” but that’s about it. I have never had a harp gig or any kind of gig focused on Thanksgiving and I never will. This is a musicians’ holiday. Play Pandora.<br />
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6. Enjoy the full moon. This holiday is scheduled when the moon is so big and bright it will make you gasp in wonder! Have you experienced the moon on this day? It shines like a spotlight! It is bright! Brighter than headlights! Brighter than anything! As that spotlight moon makes its way around the house and shines into our bedroom window, it is so bright it wakes me up. My reaction (90% of the time) is worship and awe and praise and I’m again in thanksgiving mode.... even in the middle of the night.. This reminder of God’s Presence is so strong...<br />
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Perhaps I should celebrate Thanksgiving every full moon. Perhaps we all should. A sense of gratitude and thanks would put this life in correct perspective.<br />
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Ok, I’ll say it. Perhaps every day should be Thanksgiving Day, minus the turkey.<br />
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So, gather up those loved ones on Thanksgiving Day if you can. Roast up a turkey the old-fashioned way. Keep it simple. Celebrate. Have a marathon conversation with the Spotlight-Moon-Maker Who longs to make His Presence known. Be grateful. Be blessed.<br />
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<br />Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-3276905804262335552018-09-03T09:10:00.000-07:002018-09-03T09:10:08.491-07:00The ConcertIt's been 4 weeks and I'm still quite delightfully surprised, nearly giddy, actually... about my harp concert at the Leonard Grimes Amphitheater. John and I are going to another concert out there tonight and I'm having all these wonderful flashbacks about my event as memories are flying through my thoughts. I must give witness to what happened and how I felt.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLBsNM69wY8d_nd8i39cqq1t7D7Q1Chtr-YsiO53X1vQofEnv_Pd3zkXpcGuTmaGu82l_OPaKNgV6i9T4H7DlTzh2e8spm8kjFGVBJUlnlAhq5I-GZrRavxDusWxS1Qv662muL4ql5Q/s1600/IMG_1365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLBsNM69wY8d_nd8i39cqq1t7D7Q1Chtr-YsiO53X1vQofEnv_Pd3zkXpcGuTmaGu82l_OPaKNgV6i9T4H7DlTzh2e8spm8kjFGVBJUlnlAhq5I-GZrRavxDusWxS1Qv662muL4ql5Q/s400/IMG_1365.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new Leonard Grimes Amphitheater at Grime Farm, just west of Marshalltown.</td></tr>
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Here's my statement and I'm sticking to it: God made the impossible possible.<br />
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While being honored with the invitation to play, I was also worried and scared. To say I was filled with fear is a pathetic understatement. I WAS SCARED. My friend Carrie invited me to play a concert at the Amphitheater built in honor of her father. She said, "I really want to hear your harp here." I was touched and in a moment of weakness, I agreed to play; a date was set for an hour long concert. I was to be the 2nd concert of a 4 concert series at the Leonard Grimes Amphitheater.<br />
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The first concert of the series was successfully played by the ever-popular Bob Dorr Blue Band who has a large following here in Iowa I got that awful feeling in the pit of my stomach as John and I walked into that concert; the place was packed. People came. There was no place to park. People were dancing and truly enjoying the event. How could I, a lonely harpist, follow this?? It seemed like an impossibility.<br />
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I knew from the start a lonely harpist was not going to cut it so I invited my harp teacher to join me. She immediately turned me down wanting no part in this outdoor venue an hour and a half from her home in August, her slow month. So I asked Judy, a local flutist, to join me. And... I asked some friends to waltz to one of my songs. They didn't want to do this, but agreed. Boy, do I owe them... At the last minute, I invited the Jubilee Accordion Trio to play. Yay!<br />
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Be reminded, dear reader, that all this time, I. Am. Scared. I'm praying and praying and praying... for skill, for wisdom, for ideas, for HELP... even for rain to cancel the whole event... for this would get me out of this impossible.<br />
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I'm all about playing the harp as ministry. I can play a funeral or play bedside for someone in pain or play under prayer and communion all day long. These are worship and ministry settings and my heart is all over these situations. I jump in. However, a CONCERT setting is a whole new ballgame. Generally, it is not ministry; it's more a show of skill and talent and a certain amount of entertainment is required. Will people listen? Should I tell jokes??<br />
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I kept reading the same passages from Luke 12 in my New Living Translation Bible day after day:<br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i>"Jesus said, "Don't worry about everyday life - whether you have enough to eat or clothes to wear. For life consists of far more than food and clothing.... Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not! And if worry can't do little things like that, what's the use of worrying over bigger things?"</i></span><br />
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Ok, so I shouldn't worry... yea right... But then He goes on to say this:<br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i>"These things dominate the thoughts of most people, but Your Father already knows your needs. He will give you all you need from day to day if you make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. So don't be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom."</i></span><br />
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Ok. I need to bring in the Kingdom; that's who I am: a Kingdom-bringer-inner. I can do that. I would play "Always Praise" and explain what it means and the process of how I wrote it. Hello Kingdom! Ok. One song is possible.<br />
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2 weeks before my concert, a tornado hit our community. I was composing a song on my blue electric Camac harp as the sirens went off. I thought I'd write some oddly modern composition about a sunrise for the concert. Change of plans. I'd write a tornado song after our electricity comes back on (5 days later.) More about that in another blog as this one is getting too long...<br />
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The concerts that are the most fun, in my opinion, are the ones in which the performer speaks to the audience in witty repartee... There lies another BIG ISSUE! When I speak in front of people, I lack the witty part. I stumble. I say odd things. Sometimes I cackle at odd moments. There is nothing natural in me when it comes to speaking to large groups of people. This is a HUGE ISSUE and I embraced being scared and worried over this impossibility.<br />
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But I must bear witness that this passage in Luke 12 is true:<br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i>"When you are brought to trial in the synagogues and before rulers and authorities, don't worry about what to say in your defense, for the Holy Spirit will teach you what needs to be said even as you are standing there."</i></span><br />
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I was not on trial, but I was defending the beauty of the harp and my ability to perform on it. I was defending my heart's intent on bringing the Kingdom and sharing my motives for songwriting. I was sharing my soul right there in front of everyone... so I wasn't on trial, but I was being judged.<br />
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So... The concert happened and all went well! I spoke well! I played well! My hands did not shake.... The audience listened intently; most all 230 of them were quiet and hanging on my notes and words. My friend Carrie cried with happiness over how successful the concert was. I must say the fear melted off and I relaxed into it and flowed; or I should say the Spirit flowed... He was witty! He used me to speak and play for this audience. It was everything I hoped...<br />
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Why why why did I worry so? Why was I so scared? Why did I lose so much sleep? Why did it feel so impossible?<br />
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Forgive me, Lord, I didn't trust as I should. You showed me in plain sight what Your Word says. You were right there; this is Your MO. You cared. You made a way. You are calling me into a higher level of trust. You are teaching me through this concert to lean back into you and trust for the impossible.<br />
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How can I possibly thank you enough! It will take a lifetime of thanks and praise! All glory to You as you made my impossible possible. Oh that the audience would think back about the concert and be reminded of You and how great You are.<br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i>"For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom." </i></span><br />
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This picture of Father God being happy to give me the Kingdom is beyond my imagination.... seems impossible. How intimate it feels to have God, THE GOD, care about me like this. It fills me with happiness... it gives me great happiness to give You great happiness! That's exactly what I want to do! I'm going to believe this impossible is possible... that it's true.<br />
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It's true for you, too.<br />
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I'd love to hear how God made something possible for you that seemed impossible... I'd love to hear your story...<br />
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<br />Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-47803225253832965442018-02-16T14:48:00.001-08:002018-02-16T14:48:15.698-08:00My Heart is Confident in YouOk... It's time to be more confident.<br />
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Since beginning retirement, I have been reading (slowly) a Bible that my friend Dotty gave to me about 15 years ago. It's had a very nice spot on the shelf all 15 years, untouched. It is a One-Year Bible in the New Living Translation set up to read some Old Testament, some New Testament, a Psalm and a bit of Proverbs each day. In 365 days, I will have read the entire Bible because it's broken into 365 sessions. This particular One-Year Bible is for women, though I don't see anything particularly woman-y about it. The word 'women' on the cover kind of irritates me.<br />
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In May, I started at the beginning with the first day: January 1. Of course, this Bible starts with Genesis and of course, I have read that book many times. Who hasn't? For the last couple of decades, my New Year's resolution has been to read the Bible straight through. I start at the beginning (Genesis) and get to about Genesis 19, lose my enthusiasm, and quit. So this time, even though Genesis is extremely familiar, each day adds a bit of Matthew, Psalms and Proverbs and... I'm perking right along. Ok. Fine.<br />
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Today, I read the passages for March 15 and as you can tell, I'm not reading every day; I read when I can. Who knew retirement would be so busy!<br />
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I've read about one fourth of the way through this One-Year Bible. It's not that I don't read the Bible regularly, I read snippets here and there and even meditate and enjoy it. This is just a different way to read, a different setup. It works for me.<br />
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Today, I read the story of Balaam and the donkey. This story is hilarious. I must say it's very well written and full of surprises. I've read it before, but today it struck me. It struck me in a New Living Translation Way. I'm serious when I say that in the story the donkey speaks. The donkey and Balaam have a conversation. (Numbers 22 and 23) It kind of makes me want to get a donkey to hear what it has to say. To me!<br />
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And today, as a result of my reading, I decided I need to feel more confident.<br />
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<b>If God can use an ass to speak His Truth, He can use me. Really.</b><br />
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I can just see God on His mighty throne leaning over to Jesus and saying, "Wait for it... In the 2018, this little 'donkey speak' episode is going to give Janet Collison confidence that I can use her. Hang on to Your crown... this is going to be good!"<br />
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Today's Psalm reading included this verse about being confident:<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: blue;">Psalm 57:7 My heart is confident in You, O God. No wonder I can sing Your praises.</span></i></b><br />
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No wonder... No wonder I can trust and can be confident in Him. God is the Mighty One and He can use anyone or anything He wants to speak His Truth. Donkey, move over... I'll do this job.<br />
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Dear Reader, I know you have a heart for the Lord or you would not be reading this. I urge you to get yourself into reading this fascinating book that is living and true. I encourage you to read a translation you have not read before. Don't start in Genesis as you have perhaps done before but dig into Numbers or something that sounds interesting to you. Do it. Don't wait until you retire.<br />
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The Bible will speak to you. It will bless you. It will teach you. It will answer your questions and doubts. It will spark interesting conversations, perhaps not with donkeys.<br />
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In December, as part of my daily reading, I was slogging through Leviticus which is the book with all the Jewish laws. That very same day, I had a delightful dinner party conversation with a Jewish man about the laws concerning bodily discharges... yes, that is in the Bible. We laughed together and I'm sure he was quite taken with my witty conversation... Who would have thought reading the Bible would make me charming at a dinner party?<br />
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I pray a great blessing on you that the Holy Spirit will spur you on to read your Bible. Get it open and put your eyes on it. It will be interesting. It will guide you. It will inspire you. It will speak to you. It will make your faith larger and make it easier to believe. There are great blessings to be had. Do it.<br />
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Don't wait for an ass to tell you... just do it.<br />
<br />Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-3587961977874617002018-01-30T17:54:00.001-08:002018-01-30T17:55:18.168-08:00Out with the Old?<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Look at this sign!</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> I could not help but laugh when I saw it up at church yesterday. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">(well actually, it was more of a snort...)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> What!!! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> No hot chocolate!!! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> No cappuccino!!! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <b>Are you kidding me!!!!</b></span></div>
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This was absolutely a <b>great </b>decision... Let's get rid of something that gives the church a warm and hospitable feeling in the cold month of January. Let's get rid of this machine that is easily accessible to anyone coming in off the streets looking for a bit of sweetness and rest. Let's offer a mint instead. Great idea!</div>
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It was too old.</div>
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It was not used enough.</div>
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It needed too much maintenance.</div>
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It cost too much.</div>
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I have seen entire youth groups gather around that machine like it was their job. I have benefitted from the sugar high that machine puts out when burning the midnight oil up at church. I have persuaded my 5-year-old to attend church because of that machine. Hot chocolate and a donut! Breakfast of champions!</div>
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Who doesn't like the hot chocolate/cappuccino machine! Don't all churches have one??? I would guess it's required equipment!</div>
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But then... but then I thought...YIKES! </div>
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I AM TOO OLD. </div>
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I AM NOT USED ENOUGH. </div>
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I NEED TOO MUCH MAINTENANCE. </div>
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I AM TOO EXPENSIVE. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> And praise God... He didn't get rid... of me.</span></div>
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I mean.. really... </div>
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I've gotten older... and older... but God uses older people all the time. Look at Abraham and Sarah having a baby WAY too late in life. Look at how old the people in Genesis got! Into their 900's! Noah built the boat when he was 600 years old. Certainly I'm not too old to be useful to the Kingdom. Thank Goodness!</div>
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I told my daughter that even if I'm really old and really bed ridden and can't really talk, I will still be really praying for her. I'll actually have more time then and less distractions. I promised her... I. WILL. BE. USEFUL.</div>
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It's true I need a lot of maintenance. I need forgiveness... and blessings... and love... and healing... and the Holy Spirit... I need constant communication with the Father... I need that branch connection to the Vine each and every day.... I need His encouragement... I NEED. But the Father loves to give His children whatever they need. Right?</div>
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And yes, I was/am/will always be very expensive. Jesus gave His <b>life</b> for me - that was the ultimate given by His Father. God the Father gave His only Son for me. Jesus died my death to forgive my sin. Oh my... what a cost. Jesus paid it all...</div>
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So I praise God and thank Him each day. He thinks I am the 'apple of His eye.' (Ps. 17:8)</div>
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And you are, too, dear Reader. He delights in you. You are the best. You are loved. You will not be thrown out like an old, useless, expensive, high-maintance hot chocolate/cappuccino machine. </div>
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You are never too old...</div>
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You are being used by the Kingdom for big Kingdom stuff...</div>
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You are being well maintained... Our Father in heaven loves to give us everything we need.</div>
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You have already been purchased at a very high cost. </div>
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You are a delight. His joy. Valuable. Prized.</div>
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Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-2897756226313177632018-01-19T15:30:00.000-08:002018-01-19T19:09:15.378-08:00TarnishedSince retirement in 2017, I have joined the Bell Choir at church. The group is called the Alleluia Ringers for a just reason: we truly do say "Alleluia" when we have successfully played a song from the beginning to end during a worship service. We rehearse weekly during the school year and present an anthem at worship once a month. We also do other things like ring at nursing homes and have snacks and chat and laugh and pray and tell jokes. Mostly, we want to glorify God with our musical ringing... that's the main thing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-O6mV-HjsUekWYV5fBkydkQAwHWkyqu_ukHRsW8pllQ5DAnzSpF7Gu1tZCI-rVV9qxLJKwF6laVrlKLeajSY-twci7UiLfJO0MXLC9IbMVCmm_JATDINLRxs2PqUomXmBWPuwQfkgFw/s1600/IMG_0875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1328" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-O6mV-HjsUekWYV5fBkydkQAwHWkyqu_ukHRsW8pllQ5DAnzSpF7Gu1tZCI-rVV9qxLJKwF6laVrlKLeajSY-twci7UiLfJO0MXLC9IbMVCmm_JATDINLRxs2PqUomXmBWPuwQfkgFw/s400/IMG_0875.JPG" width="331" /></a><br />
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Our Director is excellent and VERY patient and the most talented and Spirit-led pianist I know. She can play anything the first time through and instantly reinvent more explosive endings on the spot (and I mean this as a high compliment.) She can do all of this with 100% accuracy. If she were a Ringer, she could play a cool dozen bells with one hand behind her back. Accurately. That's who she is. Patient Talent Extreme with Accuracy.<br />
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The Ringers, however, are not so accurate but we are working on it. Oh, we have a couple of Ringers that top the talent chart; some of them have played for years. The local high school head band director chooses to play with us and he can ring a couple dozen bells at one time without breaking a sweat (he's young; no hot flashes there.) A couple other Ringers also know what they are doing and which bell is up. These people even out the Ringers that do not entirely read music. That's true... in a group of musicians where reading music is a prerequisite, some Ringers do not readily read music and rely on their God-given ears to hear the melody and know when to ring. Hear me out, folks. THAT is a real talent....<br />
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The Ringers have other talents, too. They can pray like storm troupers. You have an issue? We pray. You don't have an issue? We pray anyway. We pray about everything. We are family and we are all. about. it.<br />
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This past week, we Ringers had an additional job to do. We polished the bells. This is an annual job which takes minutes and is performed in perfect coordination amidst much laughter. The bells are whipped off the tables, long pieces of plastic are whipped on over the tables, the gloves, polish and rags are distributed and the smearing begins:<br />
Step one: apply smelly pink metal polish on bell.<br />
Step two: let dry a bit.<br />
Step three: wipe said polish off with a clean rag until it shines so clearly and brightly that woo's are heard. Seriously, who needs light when these bells are shined.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpm9gin3uYVMnYp0bjO0bY0HCu0sN1gn5XDFLkTpZ6O-v5fDRKY-EQHvm28jBkDJ0-bN3zvJma83WrelI1-IEplyVhIDsqEuYW-jHxd_qyxTBa9hcJZUTRbV0hlTAKNQ0DDm6AtVIVPA/s1600/IMG_0873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1311" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpm9gin3uYVMnYp0bjO0bY0HCu0sN1gn5XDFLkTpZ6O-v5fDRKY-EQHvm28jBkDJ0-bN3zvJma83WrelI1-IEplyVhIDsqEuYW-jHxd_qyxTBa9hcJZUTRbV0hlTAKNQ0DDm6AtVIVPA/s320/IMG_0873.JPG" width="262" /></a><br />
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These bells, which were purchased in 1978, "shine like the top of the Chrysler building" when they have been redeemed by the polishing cloth. I mean, they SHINE!<br />
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But wait... you thought the bells were shiny before we polished them? Yea, me, too. The blackness on our rags proved the bells had tarnished. A lot. An amazing amount of black came off the bells and onto our trashed rags. The tarnish didn't affect the sound... and no one knew the tarnish was there... but... IT WAS THERE... plain as day... on our rags. Black.<br />
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Reading in Philippians 2, I came across the word 'shine.' Here are verses 14-16:<br />
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<i><span style="color: blue;">Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you SHINE like stars in the universe as you hold out the Word of life.</span></i><br />
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I cannot help but think black tarnish unfolds in my life as complaining and arguing... to name a few of the tarnishing tactics I employ on a daily basis; yuk stuff that I do that affects my 'shine.' A whole lotta black accumulates on my daily timeline that must be polished off, cleaned up, confessed, forgiven, wiped clean.<br />
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Thank You, Jesus. You are the Great Polisher (sounds like a song title!) Seriously... even if I can hide my tarnish from the people around me, You see it. You gladly polish it away when I confess and ask.<br />
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Psalm 51: 10 - 12 (with my added words in parenthesis)<br />
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<i><span style="color: blue;">Create in me a clean (untarnished) heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: blue;">Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: blue;">Restore to me the joy (shine) of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.</span></i><br />
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Renew me.<br />
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Shine me up.<br />
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Redeem me and let me shine like 'the top of the Chrysler building' (any <i>Annie</i> fans out there?) for You. I want to be Your blameless and pure child in this crooked and depraved generation.<br />
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Hide me under a bushel NO! I'm gonna let it shine.<br />
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And the good news is, Jesus puts my sin... my dirty, black, tarnished rags... in the trash... never to be picked up... looked at... or remembered... again.<br />
<br />Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-10401772122113935262017-10-12T14:16:00.000-07:002017-10-12T14:16:42.245-07:00Irrigate My SoulOh my! It's been more than 2 years since I've written anything about anything. You might think that I've fallen off the planet or that nothing has happened in 2 years but that's just not the truth. Many, many things have happened and I'll see if I can resurrect some of the more lofty events. But for now, I will share a story about a failed garden and a need for irrigation. (Notice I did not say 'irritation.')<br />
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I have been thinking about it.<br />
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John (the husband) and I have a home high on a mountain in Estes Park, CO. I realize it's an extreme privilege to own this and spend time there. A wonderful meeting up happens out there: our grandson arrives (along with his parents and uncle) and when he gets out of his carseat, he stamps his feet as fast as he can and shrieks and flaps his hands when he sees us. Oh, the joy of seeing all that joy!<br />
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(Perhaps that's what I will do when I see Jesus face to face... stamp and shriek and flap...)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lePy6O8-W87uIHCxMgczJJdYKddIeaUGvYb8gSZbp9N6w4KTSCI7EVcbKfxpQflmniqgyR9U5hqugJNBHAFtZsRcrB_6rTnAHIhHLrYPzSCYG2w7XAa4uLmxGWrc4bjHG77ESiaJeA/s1600/IMG_0755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lePy6O8-W87uIHCxMgczJJdYKddIeaUGvYb8gSZbp9N6w4KTSCI7EVcbKfxpQflmniqgyR9U5hqugJNBHAFtZsRcrB_6rTnAHIhHLrYPzSCYG2w7XAa4uLmxGWrc4bjHG77ESiaJeA/s320/IMG_0755.jpg" width="240" /></a>There are days when John and I are at the house without family and guests to feed and we take on home-owner projects. This past trip we tackled the garden. It's not large, but it's not small either. The garden has been a special challenge because it is not located in Iowa with Iowa soil and Iowa rain and Iowa seasons; I have the Iowa thing down...<br />
But this garden is at 8500 feet elevation with weather that is terribly Colorado unpredictable.<br />
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It has a 6 foot wire fence around it to keep out the deer and elk. Last year, 3 deer jumped the fence and lunched on the delphiniums. I duly chased them out yelling, "What were you thinking?"<br />
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Last year, I failed to take seriously the desert-like rainless quality of the summer and my plants died a slow, dry, painful death.<br />
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This summer, we fired up the existing irrigation system and watched to see what would come up. Most everything grew well but bloomed not at all. It was a garden full of weeds. I pulled out everything I didn't like as I discovered how ineptly this and that bloomed. Except for the poppies and 3 delphiniums, the garden grew weeds the best.<br />
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On one of our hikes this past summer, I dug up about thirty lovely blooming plants on a very remote trail in Rocky Mountain National Park. I gently tucked them into my backpack during the hike and then into the garden ASAP. Every plant immediately died. How rude. I later found out it is terribly illegal to dig in the Park.. it's a no-no.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1Ofhe-Hlgo58IeR4NNnBuQ9MOAm9_n59CyHhuCvCVS9PsnZpfwB66rGBWE2d-0NWprjONPMstPvqqomTWpz-guyhDmhmgnMnAjp1e_sm0f1Umh8rnn2HwHVGX7P_AO-3BwQnCMvCjg/s1600/IMG_0523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1Ofhe-Hlgo58IeR4NNnBuQ9MOAm9_n59CyHhuCvCVS9PsnZpfwB66rGBWE2d-0NWprjONPMstPvqqomTWpz-guyhDmhmgnMnAjp1e_sm0f1Umh8rnn2HwHVGX7P_AO-3BwQnCMvCjg/s320/IMG_0523.jpg" width="240" /></a>There was one thing that grew exceedingly well - 2 giant mulleins. I found out through a neighborhood newsletter that mulleins are a terrible nuisance and getting rid of them is a priority. There went THE most beautiful and tallest grower in the garden; the one plant that grew really well was a terrible nuisance with no respect.<br />
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My only success: a small patch of poppies and 3 scraggly delphiniums.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2xpi_Z9Vr6WR0oNOhUD3iiKrgg7uv4DoxhbtrD2g-XYtRpCtNcHP2gmwRfqjOXaYzLt91i_hQjmCQZTaDz4_sNmtmYcFPU2hjLVNr60VCHGNmqkTYda5Uj9UTtwx8NE6fmlH3X4Zxg/s1600/IMG_0729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2xpi_Z9Vr6WR0oNOhUD3iiKrgg7uv4DoxhbtrD2g-XYtRpCtNcHP2gmwRfqjOXaYzLt91i_hQjmCQZTaDz4_sNmtmYcFPU2hjLVNr60VCHGNmqkTYda5Uj9UTtwx8NE6fmlH3X4Zxg/s200/IMG_0729.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
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Well... I have a dream! I have a goal of filling this garden with colorful beauty and I'm not giving up. We will see who wins this cause - the Colorado environment or me.<br />
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Step one: check the existing irrigation system. Does it work? Well no... Mostly it leaked. John dug up all the tubes, pipes and sprinklers for inspection and improvement. Most everything was replaced with new parts and given new locations. The goal was to irrigate every square foot to give all thirsty plants a fighting chance at life.<br />
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Step two: plant bulbs. I ordered over a hundred alliums and grape hyacinths and dug them in. Alliums are in the onion family and I'm counting on the tastebuds of deer and elk to reject these beauties. My grandson helped and it took hours to accomplish. Oh, we have... high hopes!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJh8TVAXgiPjHeB95B_BBX4vsctZHphMyTO140q0RGgkXAWww7pEU2J2VO5eCflVEpLGQZYCiN1RcqWZGmg9-U0X0_3WG4x1b1i5YcuzUGNi9080YDUAWXiPKrYbXDWYBeIFrCnf7Atg/s1600/IMG_0759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1543" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJh8TVAXgiPjHeB95B_BBX4vsctZHphMyTO140q0RGgkXAWww7pEU2J2VO5eCflVEpLGQZYCiN1RcqWZGmg9-U0X0_3WG4x1b1i5YcuzUGNi9080YDUAWXiPKrYbXDWYBeIFrCnf7Atg/s200/IMG_0759.jpg" width="192" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhadE6WKb77W-OhHBLmaZqOMKcEKUAZyZTuNs0C_qp6LxwSj5WR_GlQLmdBT_32tAjZ00ycQozhKuJ-N-g9un5VmP5As67WetBm2cE5UiJKWZ0DAaQATDyd0Y68TEPc2HqfxfMMgdPzzw/s1600/IMG_0756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhadE6WKb77W-OhHBLmaZqOMKcEKUAZyZTuNs0C_qp6LxwSj5WR_GlQLmdBT_32tAjZ00ycQozhKuJ-N-g9un5VmP5As67WetBm2cE5UiJKWZ0DAaQATDyd0Y68TEPc2HqfxfMMgdPzzw/s320/IMG_0756.jpg" width="293" /></a><br />
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As I was fixing and planting and planning and digging, I couldn't help but think of my current spiritual life, the garden of my soul. It seems to be growing weeds as well. It's been neglected. It's been too dry. It needs cultivation and irrigation.<br />
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I need to plant some good stuff like God's Word... and some prayer cultivation would help me bloom. Regular irrigation by the Holy Spirit would nurture my heart into a more loving relationship with Jesus. It's not that I have given up my faith, it's there. It just needs to grow and do the bloom thing.<br />
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I WANT my faith to grow. I want to hear that 'still small voice' and feel the nudges of inspiration from the Spirit. I want to tackle each day with a dose of worship and praise, followed by labor that produces Kingdom blooms and Kingdom beauty. Oh, the joy of it! Abundant joy!<br />
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So come, Holy Spirit.<br />
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Help me see You at work in my life. Help me to grow and bloom. Pull out those weeds. Cultivate my heart. Plant Your Word. Irrigate my soul.<br />
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<br />Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-11156551330570467542015-07-02T14:30:00.000-07:002018-09-05T10:55:42.570-07:00Escaping the Country of the BlindMy pastor, Craig Luttrell, brought this devotion to our staff meeting this past week and I thought I'd post it for all the world to see - starting with you! Enjoy!<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Escaping the Country of the Blind</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">by Kyle Idleman from his book"40 Days"</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Psalm 119:18</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">The British author H. G. Wells is most famous for his science fiction novels such as<i> The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man</i> and <i>The Time Machine</i>. But he also wrote short stories, including one called "The Country of the Blind."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">It's a story about a fictional village in Ecuador, nestled high within the Andes. This village had been cut off from the rest of the world and long forgotten. And in this place, everyone in the village was blind.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">The blindness had begun long ago due to a disease that caused all the children to be born blind, and it had continued through more than fifteen generations.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">One day a lost mountain climber stumbled into the village. He had fallen down a remote peak and miraculously survived without major injury.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">It didn't take the climber long to discover that he was the only one in the valley who had sight. No one even understood the concept of sight or had any idea of what seeing meant. These people had long forgotten what it was like to see the majestic mountains around them or the sun washing the clouds with color overhead. There was no descriptions passed along through the ages of what it might be to see. It was not something they understood. The people had no explanation for what their shriveled eyes were or why they were there.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Initially the foreigner tried to describe sight to them and help them understand the concept of sight. But every effort was futile. They didn't understand. In fact, they thought he was crazy and defective. If this man wanted to stay in this land, something had to be done.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">And the man wanted to stay. There was a young lady there who had stolen his heart. But a marriage to this insane foreigner was unacceptable to her father and the rest of the village - unless…</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">A doctor there felt confident he could cure the man with a simple surgery to remove the man's eyes. It was his eyes, after all, that were affecting this man's brain, the doctor declared. And everyone in the village said, "Thank heaven for science." The surgery was scheduled.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">On the day of his surgery, the man went for a walk. He simply planned to go to a lonely place where the meadows were beautiful and wait until the hour of his procedure. "But as he walked he lifted up his eyes and saw the morning, the morning like an angel in golden armor, marching down the steeps," Wells wrote. "It seemed to him that before this splendor he and this blind world in the valley, and his love and all, were no more than a pit of sin."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">So the man kept walking, and he looked up at the mountains with renewed vision and began to see gullies and chimneys where he could climb back through the towering gorge. And soon the man who could see escaped the country of the blind.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">We live in the country of the blind. We experience awakening. God opens our eyes. We're able to see, but it doesn't take long to realize that there are people all around us who think we really need to be cured of our sight. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">We come to church on weekends, and our eyes are opened and conviction comes in our hearts. We know God has spoken to us, but Monday comes and we find ourselves back in the country of the blind. Everyone thinks we're a little bit crazy; we've taken this too far; and what would really be best is if we would go back to being blind.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Or you come back from church camp after a spiritual awakening. Things are going to be different. But you find yourself in the country of the blind, and the people all round want to cure you of your sight.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">This is where we live. And we must continually open our eyes. We must focus on the heights above and press toward the beauty where God wants to draw us.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">We must continue to pray David's prayer, that God would open our eyes - each day - so that we might see what God wants us to see even in this country of the blind.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Change your perspective. Plan a retreat. Block off a weekend on your calendar. Or a day. Or an hour, if that's all you can do. The key is to break out of your routine. The goal is to go somewhere to look and to listen, to see the Scripture, to open your eye s and refocus on your heavenly Father. Start now with a walk around your block and pray as you go.</span></div>
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Do you live in the country of the blind?</div>
Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-48450176134702737352015-04-02T11:43:00.003-07:002015-04-04T07:21:35.095-07:00Communion Faux PasSo… Today is Maundy Thursday or as it's also called, Holy Thursday. I looked up the word Maundy and found it comes from the Latin word <i>mandatum</i> which means commands. For those of us who celebrate Maundy Thursday, we are reminded that Jesus washed his disciples' feet and commanded them (us) to do likewise which means, in modern terms, our lives are to be full of putting others before ourselves in loving service to them. Very little foot-washing happens in our society, but there surely is plenty of other things we can do for others that is an expression of love. This blog today isn't really about that topic, though it probably should be…<br />
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Another event that is celebrated on Maundy Thursday is the Last Supper. This is when Jesus spoke to His disciples and told them to share in His body and blood. Jesus passed bread (His body) for them to share. He also passed a cup of wine (His blood) for them to pass and from which to drink. They (we) were commanded to remember what Jesus did for each of us as He gave His life, paying the price for our sin, so we can be with Him forever. Praise God! My whole life (?) is focused on this fact.<br />
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Well, I'm wondering how that Last Supper went. Was it as smooth as our verses in the Bible make it sound? How full was the cup? Did the disciples slosh it about? <br />
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The act of taking communion offers an unusual array of experiences in our current times. It seems every church has its own way of celebrating the Last Supper or Lord's Supper. Some experiences even have a bit of 'slosh' factor.<br />
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My husband John, our son Jack and I attended a different local church one Sunday for no special reason… just because. I had a Sunday with no responsibilities and as this is rare, we jumped at the chance to see what another church here in town is doing for worship. I call it continuing ed.<br />
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The music was really really good and really contemporary and the message was really inspired. The pastor is obviously an excellent teaching pastor and walked the congregation through a description of the temple and how this is foreshadowing of Jesus. It was terrific! <br />
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Next came communion.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzSp5e1VVP2ZSAzC0ZbOgNa3AgguP4XDvIojZjTdkrb9A7dIOU5l_EkXQ6tfXBWdhN2taQMP0mBSz6sX3R1F8Zt3XjEiip48HK2BASi_9qDDda2HNZ5m9pEM1hojTx6Tu2SCs5MycgyA/s1600/co_h-198u_md375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzSp5e1VVP2ZSAzC0ZbOgNa3AgguP4XDvIojZjTdkrb9A7dIOU5l_EkXQ6tfXBWdhN2taQMP0mBSz6sX3R1F8Zt3XjEiip48HK2BASi_9qDDda2HNZ5m9pEM1hojTx6Tu2SCs5MycgyA/s1600/co_h-198u_md375.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a>This particular church served communion by passing trays of crackers and tiny thimbles of juice in the pews. Easy, right? Right out of the chute, I saw this was going to be a problem because the two trays were passed at the same time. The tray of tiny bits of cracker was handed to the end pew-sitter, followed quickly by a huge tray of thimbles of juice. This meant I would have to juggle the bread tray in one hand and take the next tray of little tiny sipping thimble cups with the other, then take a thimble cup and pass the trays on. Three hands were needed and I only have two. I watched other seasoned veterans around me nimbly handle all of this and followed their lead. John, however had a major problem.<br />
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When John took hold of a tiny little sipping thimble, it it didn't budge from the tray holder. He tried another which also didn't move. Determined on his third try, he grasped the tiny little sipping thimble firmly… too firmly... and exploded it right then and there… between his fingers… in the tray… in the pew. Displaced juice flew onto Jack, onto the kid in front of Jack and onto the person two rows to the north. They were all sprinkled by the exploding juice. We saw spots of it on shirts, jackets, and purses and wooden pews. How such a tiny bit of juice could make such a splash defies logic.<br />
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And… of course... we got the giggles right then and there as we were visiting another church here in town… pew-shaking scene-making giggles happened right when we were supposed to be respectful and reverent and remembering.<br />
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Much explaining and many apologies were exchanged after the service concluded to those splashed upon with juice sprinkles. The chances of long-term stains were slim and all were graciously received. Thank you, gracious church members, for making this communion faux pas a bit easier to live with.<br />
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(As a side note, John has trouble with spilling red liquids as written in <a href="http://www.harpandsoulministries.com/2012/12/the-great-spill.html" target="_blank">The Great Spill.</a> <br />
OH WHAT A MESS…)<br />
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The next day, during my Bible reading time (something I'm trying to do more often) I came across a verse in Hebrews that describes the juice sprinkles perfectly:<br />
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<i><span style="color: blue;">Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He (Jesus) who promised is faithful</span>.</i> Hebrews 10:22-23</h3>
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Those juice sprinkles are such a visual! My heart is sprinkled clean - I experienced it!<br />
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Communion juice stands for the blood of Jesus and to be a bit graphic, when He was on the cross, His blood fell out of him and splashed and sprinkled onto those around Him. Literally. This verse from Hebrews says that as we are believers in Jesus and confess our sins and trust Him for forgiveness, our hearts are sprinkled clean with His blood. <br />
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His blood cleanses my sin. I need this and I welcome this and the clean conscience that results. Bring on the sprinkling!<br />
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Now, dear readers, on a serious note, we all need this blood, for without it, things will not go well for us. Seriously, there is nothing you and I can do to get rid of sin in our lives. Nothing. No amount of right-doing will erase the wrong-doing. You cannot earn it or buy it or use someone else's life or hope enough to be rid of sin and the guilty conscience left in our life because of sin. It's only through Jesus and His sprinkles of blood that you and I are rid of sin - yes, I know… this defies logic. <br />
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Heap your (my) sin on Him and let Him pay the penalty which He did when He died on the cross. Pray for this and believe.<br />
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So tonight, as you celebrate the Last Supper, remember what Jesus has done - that is our <i>mandatum.</i> See Jesus' act of service in the washing of feet and do likewise (perhaps don't exactly chase someone with a basin of water - but do something in love) - that is our <i>madatum.</i><br />
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The spilling and giggling? That's not such a good idea….<br />
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<br />Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-20028349103577889622014-11-11T17:54:00.001-08:002014-11-11T17:54:43.848-08:00Messiah 2014!So…I'm conducting our community's production of Handel's <i>Messiah</i> 2014! I still can't believe it!<br />
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This <i>Messiah</i> thing has been (insert tune) "a long… and.. winding... road" and I'm gonna take a few minutes to jot it down. I hope you are encouraged by this "long and winding road" story; our stories encourage and should be heard, so here goes mine. I promise I'll make a point.<br />
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"Let's start at the very beginning…" (peppy little tune from "The Sound of Music.")<br />
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A good friend of my mom's (Peggy) keeps me posted on my hometown's news and recently informed me that one of my classmate's father (Wayne) died. He was a trustee in the small country church I grew up in (a trustee was a bigwig.) The news of his death got me thinking about Wayne and the time he came to my house and how it impacted my life:<br />
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1974: I was 16 years old when Wayne and Art called and asked if I was home and could they come over and talk to me. This was before email and cell phones, in fact, it was almost before computers and cool-whip. They came and actually sat down on the couch (!) and I'll never forget what they asked: they wanted me to pull together a choir of adults at the church to sing for the big anniversary shindig coming up in the summer. Our church had had a choir (until that director died) and they could think of no one else but me, at age 16, who might do this. I was floored…. stunned, even…. but of course I said yes. Oh, I was scared to death! I remember my high school vocal teacher helped me pick out music from the high school files and loaned me the risers and robes. All 22 of us (22% of the church membership) rehearsed down in fellowship hall and sang with all our might in 4-part harmony. It was a grand occasion and successful - at least in my mind it was. I situated Art and Wayne up on the top row of the risers (you ask why I put creaky old Art on the top riser???) We were the Mormon Tabernacle Choir right there in Lotts Creek, Iowa. All 22 of us farmers!<br />
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We went on to present a couple of successful cantatas with the 22 at Christmas time until I left for college. I can remember pulling out my coronet and playing while the choir (donned in the borrowed robes from the HS) processed in and out at the beginning and end of the cantata. I was the only person who played an instrument in the whole church. Frankly, I was a terrible coronet player but it had to be done...<br />
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1978: When I was 20, the pastor of a church I was attending in Aberdeen, South Dakota asked me if I would start a contemporary singing group out in Custer State Park. He was sending 10 high school student singers to a ranch in the Park and would I head them up, rehearse them and take them out to play gigs and spread the love of Jesus. I was scared to death but, of course, I said yes. I would even get paid about 20 cents an hour! It was quite a summer! We lived in a barn that lacked electricity, used an outhouse and took a cold shower under a hose. We sang and gave testimonies all over the Park to folks in RVs and churches; we even sang on stage at Mount Rushmore! <br />
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I will never sing those songs again… I am still sick and tired of them…<br />
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After college, I taught elementary and high school music in several schools and started choirs large and small: swing choirs, standing choirs, good choirs and not so good choirs, some choirs that the audience raved about and some that should not have had an audience. <br />
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1980: I can remember at Green Mountain High School, there were only a handful of students who were <b>not</b> in the choir. We packed that choir into that tiny room - the site of my notorious faux pax as I shouted (yes, shouted) out over the rehearsal room loaded with HS singers, "Get it up, boys!" The entire choir howled as I turned red… I was young - 22, to be exact , and was saved by the dismissal bell.<br />
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1992: I stopped teaching when our second child was born; with 2 kids to wrestle to the sitter in the morning it seemed a good idea to be a stay-at-home-mom, which of course is a good idea if you actually stay at home. As the kids got into Sunday School, of course, I had to teach the music and then, in 1994, one of the pastors at my church asked me to start a contemporary adult choir. I didn't want to do it and I was scared to death… but I knew I should and did and am still directing this same choir today at First United Methodist Church here in good old Marshalltown. On a good day, we fill the 32-seat loft and we still do cantatas, but I don't have to play coronet as there is a fine trumpeter who loves to play and plays well. Thank You, Lord!<br />
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2014: This past September, I received a phone call that made my stomach do the flip: I was called by Gail who is the chairman of the Central Iowa Choral Society here in Marshalltown and she asked me if I would conduct the community's <i>Messiah</i> presentation this year. After saying no, I said yes and I was scared to death.<br />
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To say that I've had very little experience with <i>Messiah</i> is not completely true:<br />
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1965: I was about 7 when I was exposed to this great work and incessantly begged for a recording of it for Christmas. I don't know where or how I first heard it - it must have been my kindergarten teacher (hurray for teachers!) as our black and white TV only got 2 channels and the probability of it showing Handel's <i>Messiah</i> was slim. I played that recording over and over, conducting my stuffed animals and dressed-up cats (alive) who were set up in soprano, alto, tenor and bass sections in my bedroom. (They were a rowdy bunch.) I remember being fascinated with the thought of Handel's obsession when writing it locked up in his tower (is this true??) as I was passionately conducting up in my secluded bedroom.<br />
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1978: In college, I was the accompanist for the choir's presentation of the <i>Messiah</i>. I was a terrible accompanist but at least I listened and paid attention to the conductor. I picked up many tips for how to conduct it... but probably not enough...<br />
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1980: While teaching high school music at Green Mountain, I had the choir sing a couple of songs from <i>Messiah</i> as I thought every student should be exposed to this great work. We made it through the songs in a lively manner.<br />
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1998: We lost a doorbell because of the Hallelujah Chorus. My mother was babysitting the kids for a long weekend during which a violent thunder storm swept over our house. A close bolt of lightening must have hit something on the house causing our electronic doorbell to play it's selected tune of the Hallelujah Chorus over and over and over - each time at lightening speed - nonstop. This of course happened in the middle of the night and my mother grabbed a chair, jumped up on it, reached up and grabbed the doorbell speaker off the wall, leaving a hole but successfully stopping the deafening chorus… We have since replaced it and a joyful 'hallelujah' still rings out as someone hits our doorbell.<br />
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2002: I entertained friends by sitting on the floor with my back to the piano keys, arms crossed behind my head with my hands on the ivories and played Hallelujah several times… I think alcohol had something to do with it... Those were the good old days - this chickadee will never be that flexible again.<br />
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While these said <i>Messiah </i>experiences are vast and unusual, they are hardly preparation to conduct the community's presentation and… I am scared to death. Ok, maybe I'm not scared 'to death' but I'm definitely nervous, not confident, unsure, unprepared, unequipped, and I'm definitely out of my comfort zone. The effort needed to learn the music and put this forth to the public is vast and will need countless hours of prep and energy and sleepless nights. You should see my stack of books and CDs, my notes and study aides… and I've been listening, listening, listening… I'm not actually sure I can do this….<br />
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And that's right where my attitude should be as I start this thing - I CAN'T do it, but with God all things are possible. <br />
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If I thought I could do this on my own, that I didn't need help and thought I was the world's best conductor, I would not need God. I would get the glory, so to speak. But knowing that I can't do this on my own, that I need God's help, will give testimony to how gracious and real God is and He will get the glory.<br />
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This is a good idea!<br />
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I do believe I'm called to conduct <i>Messiah</i> 2014. It's been one big circle: I started conducting <i>Messiah</i> in front of attentive stuffed animals and alive cats… and now, I'll conduct in front of singers, some attentive and all of them definitely alive. Philippians 1:6 says:<br />
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"<i>I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you (me) will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."</i><br />
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I have to believe that God prompted me to conduct my stuffed animals and unruly cats nearly 50 years ago. He started and instilled that passion in me. And I have to believe this invitation to conduct is also prompted by God… The next step.<br />
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You have been called to do things, too. You've been called to do things that make you feel nervous, not confident, unsure, unprepared, unequipped and out of your comfort zone. You may even be scared to death…<br />
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Will you trust that God can lead you? That He can make the impossible possible? That doing this impossible something is His plan for you?<br />
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Countless folks in the Bible have felt this way. They accomplished all kinds of stuff in God's strength. <br />
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So have you and so have I and so will you and I continue to do so. There's no way around it. God calls us to do things that make us rely on Him. Our response is to go and do stuff for Him - go and sow some seed - even if you are scared to death.<br />
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It is not lost on me that I'm asked to conduct this community <i>Messiah</i> choir 40 years after my first invitation to start a choir when I was 16 at Lotts Creek. This is my 40th year of conducting and this astounding opportunity has been laid into my waving arms. <br />
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All I can do is trust. I can prepare. I can study. But the real conducting and the best ideas will be a result of my trusting in God to get this done. I'm trusting that I'll have the wisdom, strength, discernment and ability - all to God's glory.<br />
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<i>Messiah</i> is all about giving God glory.<br />
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Handel wrote on his original score, at the very end, after the last "Amen:"<br />
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<i>S. D. G.</i></h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><i> </i>which stands for<i> </i></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br /></i></span>
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<i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span>Soli Deo Gloria</i></h2>
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And it means:<br />
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<i>To God be the Glory</i></h2>
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I have written it at the end of my <i>Messiah</i> score. <br />
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In fact, I suggested the entire chorus write S.D.G. at the end of their scores… Let us all be of one mind...<br />
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Truly:<br />
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<h2>
<i><b>To God be the Glory</b></i></h2>
Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-16201215104973665502014-08-21T12:37:00.000-07:002018-09-05T11:02:59.459-07:003 Knock-Your-Socks-Off BooksSo… it's back to school time and lots of kiddos and backpacks and moms holding hands of little tykes have been traversing (some actually skipping!) the sidewalk in front of our house. Kids from all over the world walk by our house and it's an education to watch them as I peek out the window. However, I don't want to be seen peeking because that's creepy and I don't want to be the little old lady who creeps about in that creepy house. No need for cops to come.. etc…etc…<br />
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Anyway, as kids go back to school, it's time to get back into a routine and get something done for a change. If you are like me, it's this time of year that I pull out something educational to read and try to learn something. I also become more diligent in reading the Bible which is always a good idea. I guess I kinda try to be a student before the big blast comes: Christmas!!!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you have any inkling toward this said kind of behavior, boy, oh boy, do I have some book suggestions for you!</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Though I didn't always agree with absolutely everything, I slowly devoured 3 spiritual books over the last 5 months or so that were excellent, excellent, excellent, and I'm here to share this short list with you:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FKT1VTO/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=harpandsoulmi-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01FKT1VTO&linkId=a33fa2b4ab3c439055d7d3b745d6fc05"><i>The 10-Second Rule </i>by Clare de Graaf</a></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A good friend of mine was reading it and told me not to read it because it was really challenging and convicting. And I agree! Don't read it! I'll save you from following the lead of the Holy Spirit and having more fun than humanly possible!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008EGXTYG/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=harpandsoulmi-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B008EGXTYG&linkId=983e3be9f4bc51b94d8d93c47d49c4f0"><i>Draw the Circle (The 40 Day Prayer Challenge)</i> by Mark Batterson</a></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My pastor threw out the challenge to read this one on prayer. It's good… really good… and practical. This is the companion book to <i>The Circle Maker, </i> also by Batterson. I have not read <i>The Circle Maker</i> because I gave it away.. by mistake… as I was following <i>The 10 Second Rule.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">3. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764216236/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=harpandsoulmi-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0764216236&linkId=56f24b9584be93be6e265a85c3c154c5"> <i>The Purpose of Man </i>by A. W. Tozer</a></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My copy of this book is marked from beginning to end - just one big underline and star system, with some notes and blurps written in the margins. The choir will be getting some nuggets from this book during our retreat this Fall. Only read it if you want to better understand what God is all about and how you fit into His plan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Has my life been changed? Time will tell. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Will your life be changed? Time will tell.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Has anyone read anything they really like that is spiritual in nature? I'm always looking for a good read.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And… I'd love to hear your comments about the above books; what did you like and not like? Were you challenged?</span></div>
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Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-91159958620173977292014-07-27T09:43:00.000-07:002014-07-27T09:43:27.984-07:00Rescued by The AlmightySo… A week ago, I was at the National Worship Leaders' Conference in Kansas City. It was a very inspirational conference and is unlike other conferences, hence it is difficult to explain. People's eyes glass over when I try to share about all the time spent in worship, how many seminars I heard on the topic of worship and how many conversations I had with other worship leaders about worship. Just know, it was an extraordinary time, exhilarating, in fact.<br />
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However, the first step to attending the conference was to drive there. I don't mind driving, in fact, I enjoy listening to podcasts and music cranked fairly loudly. This I did and after grooving and driving for about 4 hours, I stopped for a bit and noticed a warning light on the dashboard… but it went away…. so on I drove.<br />
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One more hour completed my drive and I landed at the condo where I was staying. Now the warning light was on a lot and it was red (two strikes.) So I dug out the owner's manual and its advise for this warning light was, "Stop the car immediately. Do not drive. Call the dealership."<br />
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The oil pressure was low. What did that mean? Had I destroyed the engine? It was making an ugly churning sound that made me think the engine was not happy.<br />
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I called a very perky fellow at the dealership and asked if 1, I could possibly find some oil, and then 2, possibly find where to put it, could I then 3, possibly drive the car to the his dealership ? His answer was, "Absolutely not."<br />
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So I called AAA (who was surprisingly upbeat) and requested a tow truck. No problem!<br />
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The tow truck came to my rescue in record time (bravo, AAA!) and soon my cutiepie midget Cooper was on this huge flatbed from the Almighty Tow Truck Company. That is what it said on the side of the tow truck: The Almighty! What a name! The Almighty came to my rescue! <br />
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Isn't it so true! The Almighty delivers all of us who call for help. Just as I was not able to fix my car, I'm not able to fix my life's problem of sin. I need an Almighty Savior, an Almighty Deliverer, an Almighty Jesus to scoop me up, ransom me from my sin, deposit His Holy Spirit within me and then guide me forever, calling me His own.<br />
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My response? Bravo, God! I'll praise and worship You; I'll live for You, by You, thru You, and with You forever! I do mean FOREVER! That's what happens when you accept what the Almighty Jesus has done. I am delivered forever! You can be, too!<br />
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The driver of the Almighty Tow Truck was adequately friendly and was rewarded with three of my freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and a bit of $ for a beer when he got off work. I climbed up the ladder on the side of the truck and got into the cab and bounced along as he drove to the church, the tow truck making those incredible snorting sounds only those great big trucks can do. Quite a few heads turned as he dropped me off at the church where the conference was starting. In pomp and with a snort, I was safely delivered to the church by the Almighty.<br />
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Have you called upon the Almighty to deliver you? <br />
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What is your situation? <br />
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Are you trying to de-sin your life on your own? You need a Deliverer.<br />
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Are you in trouble and see no way out? You need a Deliverer.<br />
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Are you tempted beyond your control? You need a Deliverer.<br />
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Are you sick, tired, frustrated, unfocused, confused, despairing…? You need a Deliverer.<br />
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No situation or circumstance is too large or too small for the Almighty Deliverer Jesus. There is no sin He can't handle, no problem too large, no despair He can't cover with hope.<br />
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Jesus is always listening for your call. He will come to your rescue.<br />
<br />Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-1829624002902894732014-04-02T14:04:00.001-07:002014-04-02T14:06:17.558-07:00Challenge: The Game With MinutesSo… The pastors at my church purchased prayer books for the staff (me) to read and pray through during Lent. I thought this was a bit bold but also thought the book must be pretty meaty if they were going to insist we all read it. The title is "Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge" by Mark Batterson.<br />
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I'm here to tell you it's fantastic and I'd suggest this book for anyone interested in prayer.<br />
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Truly!<br />
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I don't think I agree with everything Batterson says, but it's definitely worth wading through and reading. It is EXTREMELY challenging. I actually look forward to reading each morning and am tempted to read ahead.<br />
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On Day 26, Batterson introduces a Missionary named Frank Laubach. In 1950, Laubach wrote a pamphlet that revealed his 'technique' for experiencing God's Presence in daily life, minute by minute. His technique is a way to train your thinking to think of Jesus all day long.<br />
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Attempting to experience God's Presence all day long had a profound effect on Laubach and on anyone that tried it. Here are some <a href="http://www.giggawhatgiggawoo.blogspot.com/2005/12/journal-of-frank-laubach.html" target="_blank">journal entries </a>that will stir your soul!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0gVMPW1E85DvFoFnPmn2XixDGS2cU-he1b0afdvY9XFbtRtvHj4PAKnGV1MkxkRwHtX-gcgDGLH6DaiZjuDOh2bSbsmHYmSej3PkonGlKDpGaKw_E2FiKvn91OrgPpkv5PGL63ucYQ/s1600/Frank_Laubach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0gVMPW1E85DvFoFnPmn2XixDGS2cU-he1b0afdvY9XFbtRtvHj4PAKnGV1MkxkRwHtX-gcgDGLH6DaiZjuDOh2bSbsmHYmSej3PkonGlKDpGaKw_E2FiKvn91OrgPpkv5PGL63ucYQ/s1600/Frank_Laubach.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank Laubach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'm really curious and I'd like to try this. Some parts will be easy to incorporate, some not so.<br />
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I've put a link to the pamphlet Laubach wrote. It's called <a href="http://hockleys.org/wp-content/uploads/Game_with_Minutes.pdf" target="_blank">"The Game With Minutes."</a><br />
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(Thanks, Mark Batterson, for putting this in your prayer book!)<br />
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Enjoy! Be blessed and challenged!<br />
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<div>
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Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-12312963808119866462014-03-23T12:47:00.004-07:002014-03-23T12:47:59.767-07:00Sunset Season<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU40gxV2VUleTpMZ2Iij2ookMSQPmRA6QwKBzPzX_3NlGDblu-IiFOHZpEldilVo_XqPrGn2nDIIeRNgpy86DxLgwD0iIDHT0XtIhjJW4gpCZUbcc_9J2_qITUPffmlCslbBmsD34R0Q/s1600/1470387_10202357241517413_1023040547_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU40gxV2VUleTpMZ2Iij2ookMSQPmRA6QwKBzPzX_3NlGDblu-IiFOHZpEldilVo_XqPrGn2nDIIeRNgpy86DxLgwD0iIDHT0XtIhjJW4gpCZUbcc_9J2_qITUPffmlCslbBmsD34R0Q/s1600/1470387_10202357241517413_1023040547_n.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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So… A new season is upon us! Spring happened a couple of days ago whether we felt it or not; Siberian Season is finally over and in comes…. Sunset Season! Sunset Season begins when the weather finally turns warm enough to stand outside and raise a glass or two to toast the beauty in the sky as the sun dips below the horizon. Of course, we can watch a sunset from any window all winter long, but to stand in the great outdoors and see the entire sky lit up with the colors of flames astounds the soul bigger and better than any window view.<br />
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I say bring it on! It's time for Sunset Season to officially begin!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-PvIKorr-9ZcMiFoOmvAc2hk3_iXYqZipMIt29DoDgFsPdIOq1Ft8C4Ygjt4zXU5Km1Iy7LnKMcqVXqpouCCw5tgBX8fYz6F4UU3iHHjMs7ckV4VRLghATK-kCqyV6WZ_8S49BBJbA/s1600/1441354_10202357467723068_1821682752_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-PvIKorr-9ZcMiFoOmvAc2hk3_iXYqZipMIt29DoDgFsPdIOq1Ft8C4Ygjt4zXU5Km1Iy7LnKMcqVXqpouCCw5tgBX8fYz6F4UU3iHHjMs7ckV4VRLghATK-kCqyV6WZ_8S49BBJbA/s1600/1441354_10202357467723068_1821682752_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a><br />
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I'm anticipating many many beautiful sunsets in 2014.<br />
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Aren't we all?<br />
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My brother built the <a href="http://www.stayclearlake.com/thelanding/" target="_blank">longest dock on Clear Lake</a> to catch the last rays of sunsets…<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_SD37whm_FmIW6WQMyQ1mxh5ZV4abB9kQ3DuoXc9n1V1dbDY86m1S_hPfDgmHNsAirQ3cElRnMVnxr4B_XveXo2vIBg-qaQoHbSrA9njhsH-IrH1tU52lrzSfgW9GIjBVV6hUZbmm9g/s1600/deck.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_SD37whm_FmIW6WQMyQ1mxh5ZV4abB9kQ3DuoXc9n1V1dbDY86m1S_hPfDgmHNsAirQ3cElRnMVnxr4B_XveXo2vIBg-qaQoHbSrA9njhsH-IrH1tU52lrzSfgW9GIjBVV6hUZbmm9g/s1600/deck.png" height="243" width="400" /></a><br />
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Some friends of ours built <a href="http://www.grimesfarm.org/tower.html" target="_blank">a tower that reaches into the sky</a> to view the vast Iowa vista of greens and sunset golds...<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKlqVnfTteMkOHwdcscuD-fIvw-diPWkMlZc6kTfyPguwRWVwpUqnPHIl4Bix2XogcOEu3ihQ4LbiNWZ-7abKhSz-yq37aHpIL7BS98uHOyYj-nTaTwL63rJ4A-BwgNxnNG1ds8eJkzw/s1600/1525677_10202739468112839_309306544_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKlqVnfTteMkOHwdcscuD-fIvw-diPWkMlZc6kTfyPguwRWVwpUqnPHIl4Bix2XogcOEu3ihQ4LbiNWZ-7abKhSz-yq37aHpIL7BS98uHOyYj-nTaTwL63rJ4A-BwgNxnNG1ds8eJkzw/s1600/1525677_10202739468112839_309306544_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a><br />
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Other friends built a huge porch deck (twice the size of their living room) to view the sun dipping into their cornfields…<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxZtIbsXG2GdOMfgf4NJhxlT0JYFf0OSLhzLG5WLtL3qHafLP6k48t53D66F0zEYTOjzwXjwql1h5Xyc0Mb5_iZR_6kx40dk-E1NQ87EuL1sYckWs1f1BV9pCWTZ-Cs9I6OlIWClIlg/s1600/IMG_0771.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxZtIbsXG2GdOMfgf4NJhxlT0JYFf0OSLhzLG5WLtL3qHafLP6k48t53D66F0zEYTOjzwXjwql1h5Xyc0Mb5_iZR_6kx40dk-E1NQ87EuL1sYckWs1f1BV9pCWTZ-Cs9I6OlIWClIlg/s1600/IMG_0771.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
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Other friends decked out their dock on Lake Okoboji with outdoor living room furniture to watch sunsets while we sip the house speciality Manhattans ...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiumVQcfpCACw6vVQcTYLS8Fnwj2r5_SOFR_l6g9pOBEKGNXPkNwJYn0Hsq1NzZNU98kztYglL5i0RdIi3ZufMxVv_rst3YUW1DrF6zdhAaEyGZKf4NYwUz9vByq8NLkwMhtCvdTQ_ULA/s1600/1454699_10202361061132901_2049177478_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiumVQcfpCACw6vVQcTYLS8Fnwj2r5_SOFR_l6g9pOBEKGNXPkNwJYn0Hsq1NzZNU98kztYglL5i0RdIi3ZufMxVv_rst3YUW1DrF6zdhAaEyGZKf4NYwUz9vByq8NLkwMhtCvdTQ_ULA/s1600/1454699_10202361061132901_2049177478_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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John and I have rented log cabins high in the mountains to view the sun setting behind the continental divide…<br />
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And popped to the back of a cruise boat to see the sunset dip into the sea…<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibQqNelhp01yHoyikzU8anRYtsf_tnLvQdHht0DQtqlczc8XR9VnH1GQ5OIiNB2eIAEDJJrmrCToH9rjaxEIMbOxCSD2JK8bEj6Hd1h43gm3NA6V8I8-woBvZHlexeOjwdVWtNTAv1Zg/s1600/IMG_0625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibQqNelhp01yHoyikzU8anRYtsf_tnLvQdHht0DQtqlczc8XR9VnH1GQ5OIiNB2eIAEDJJrmrCToH9rjaxEIMbOxCSD2JK8bEj6Hd1h43gm3NA6V8I8-woBvZHlexeOjwdVWtNTAv1Zg/s1600/IMG_0625.JPG" height="211" width="640" /></a></div>
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Haven't we all tried to capture all that magnificent light on our teeny tiny phones and sent that photo to all our friends…<br />
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And haven't we all 'liked' each others' sunset pics because we all know how it feels to experience that beauty and otherness…<br />
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Magnificent, glory-filled skies deserve our standing ovation.<br />
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There is always that feeling of awe that that sky full of beauty generates, a throbbing of the soul..<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUK8yFTQ-JCH50gK0PEmRyIQ25aphV_mYTfNp7kH2I8ZDtI5LC6VXjorBG240NekRpuWCTt-SVsTv7VGlDSe7u0rRGxptF2eun9xyku3UR-s4gMZ6-R7jBGRK3kRnohJPVVKZ3S8u0Fw/s1600/935570_10151992186745977_724774218_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUK8yFTQ-JCH50gK0PEmRyIQ25aphV_mYTfNp7kH2I8ZDtI5LC6VXjorBG240NekRpuWCTt-SVsTv7VGlDSe7u0rRGxptF2eun9xyku3UR-s4gMZ6-R7jBGRK3kRnohJPVVKZ3S8u0Fw/s1600/935570_10151992186745977_724774218_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
An absolute know that there must be Someone Who<br />
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has way more power than anything,<br />
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can create more beauty than anyone,<br />
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and must be in control of all creation<br />
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to be able to load the skies with that kind of exploding color and light.<br />
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We all know we have experienced the artwork of Someone: God Almighty.<br />
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He reveals Himself to us in all kinds of ways and through all kinds of people and situations, but a sure-proof way of getting our attention is to light the heavens with glory:<br />
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<i><span style="color: red;">"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands." </span>Ps. 19:1</i></h4>
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God as Creator has revealed Himself in that sky and in the throbbing of your soul as you look at it. He is wooing you to Himself, speaking to you and showing His love for you.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> You were meant to notice and be wooed.</span><br />
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God tells His intentions for the Israelites in Hosea 2:14 that are meant for you and me as well. Choose one of these six translations that speaks to you:<br />
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(Complete Jewish Bible translation) <i><span style="color: red;">"B<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">ut now I am going <u>to woo</u> her ... I will speak to her heart."</span></span></i><br />
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(Common English Bible translation) <i><span style="color: red;">"<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">Therefore, I will <u>charm</u> her... and speak tenderly to her heart."</span></span></i><br />
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(God's Word translation) <i><span style="color: red;">"<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">That is why I'm going <u>to win</u> her back... I will speak tenderly to her.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">"</span></span></i><br />
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(New King James Version) <i><span style="color: red;">"<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">Therefore, behold, I will <u>allure</u> her... and speak comfort to her."</span></span></i><br />
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(Holman Christian Standard translation) <i><span style="color: red;">"<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">Therefore, I am going <u>to persuade</u> her... and speak tenderly to her."</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: red;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></i>
<span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 18px;">And perhaps this is my favorite translation from the Message Bible:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"><i><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></i></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"><i><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></i></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">"And now, here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to start all over again. I'm taking her back…. to where we had our first date, and <u>I'll court her.</u>"</span></span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span></i></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Let yourself be wooed</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> be charmed</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> be won</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> be allured</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> be persuaded</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> be courted</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">God Himself is after you. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">You were meant to notice Him.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Follow your heart throb </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> and experience God Almighty. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>
Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-22334090402132915582014-03-09T16:38:00.002-07:002014-03-09T17:06:31.074-07:00My Chosen InstrumentSo… What started out as a bit of a hobby has turned into a full-blown 'I-need-to-add-a-room-to-the-house' project around here. Who would have thought that John's impulsive purchase of a harp on Ebay would turn into all this!<br />
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One harp has turned into 4 harps and where, oh where, is the space to put them?<br />
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The first harp to arrive at our house was purchased on Ebay… by John, my dear husband… without my consent. He bought this electric Camac harp because he thought it looked cool (which it does.) Please understand that no one played harp in this house at that time, nor did anyone want to. He spied this harp on the cover of a catalog and, by showing it to me several times, hoped to encourage me to take an interest, of which I was lacking. At the time, Ebay was a new hobby of his; in his free time, he looked up odd things to buy and sure enough, found the blue electric Camac listed with a really good price. Certain that he would not actually purchase the harp, he put a really low-ball bid on the line. <br />
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You know where this is going - he bought it.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8su7Jwxca601fwKV_YbOR0myzpYs_I6cspdWqLHMnsmVMMvR7XNeQi0YgiTOnuE0qN_Fcsh1LcS3G_dr09_T1hAZRjHC7LvDT6L1UTKKgKeIhgOzCu4c8WkKiSLRH8dg6DnixQ-QMcQ/s1600/IMG_1159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8su7Jwxca601fwKV_YbOR0myzpYs_I6cspdWqLHMnsmVMMvR7XNeQi0YgiTOnuE0qN_Fcsh1LcS3G_dr09_T1hAZRjHC7LvDT6L1UTKKgKeIhgOzCu4c8WkKiSLRH8dg6DnixQ-QMcQ/s1600/IMG_1159.jpg" height="400" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first harp: Blue Electric Camac Harp</td></tr>
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The blue electric Camac has turned out to be an excellent harp and yes, I've taken a shine to it. Since it is an electronic instrument, the sky is the limit in its capabilities of sound and volume. This is <span style="color: red;"><i>my chosen instrument</i></span> for big auditorium type venues. I've also given programs in the elementary schools here in town and this harp was hands-down the students' favorite. I used a 'milkshake' foot pedal on it to make that famous star wars sound and, of course, the children loved it! It's a fun harp! <br />
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This harp has been signed by Deborah Henson-Conant. She stayed in our home for three nights when she came to give a program through Marshalltown's Live On Stage series. Because this harp is one of her favorites, I asked her to sign mine. My Camac is now worth a whole lot more because her authentic signature lives right there on the frame.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi580fWPJDbhYqze2B69MzUH8ypKdnshzC05yA5F_SR_dHYHP1_vfWsqEnUT7Ne7_FHIlnNmMj7EQz3yhvAg8JiCQYoKvCkV5F9mMfFYjx1YswbKI252Rjh9HhZsu7XThSBKlooFAviVg/s1600/IMG_1163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi580fWPJDbhYqze2B69MzUH8ypKdnshzC05yA5F_SR_dHYHP1_vfWsqEnUT7Ne7_FHIlnNmMj7EQz3yhvAg8JiCQYoKvCkV5F9mMfFYjx1YswbKI252Rjh9HhZsu7XThSBKlooFAviVg/s1600/IMG_1163.jpg" height="157" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deborah Henson-Conant's authentic signature.</td></tr>
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The second harp to arrive at our house was this lap harp. It's called a lap harp because you play it on your lap. John built this harp from a kit and had a wee bit of a problem making it, but as you can see, it turned out beautifully. This is <span style="color: red;"><i>my chosen instrument</i></span> for long distance road trips. I have thrown it in the back of the station wagon for trips to Estes Park because playing folk tunes on the porch of our Y camp cabin was always the right thing to do. This harp does the road trip thing well because it is compact. It has a great little plunky celtic sound.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhQSXOEgTGPdLTvfDdZ59zmP_9Y0W4FdEcD7iB-1WUyeMlfWR7ImRCHj5_qqSaxTknYLG3pHADWa-YImTPaDnaKdiIXMK5-5_PvVl0aVbHrn3h918T2V8e_pigHH66kug1WmyTbuJsQ/s1600/IMG_1168.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhQSXOEgTGPdLTvfDdZ59zmP_9Y0W4FdEcD7iB-1WUyeMlfWR7ImRCHj5_qqSaxTknYLG3pHADWa-YImTPaDnaKdiIXMK5-5_PvVl0aVbHrn3h918T2V8e_pigHH66kug1WmyTbuJsQ/s1600/IMG_1168.jpg" height="320" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John made my 2nd harp: a lap harp with levers</td></tr>
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The third harp to arrive at our house was this Lyon and Healy Petite 85 with the Extended Soundboard. Because it is a pedal harp, my repertoire could be kicked up a notch. This harp is 5' 4" and fits exactly into our station wagon when the seats are down. It has a big luscious sound and is similar to harps used in symphonies, except smaller. I love this harp and chose it right off the salesroom floor for its big clear sweet tone in the upper half. It is the perfect harp for me and it is <span style="color: red;"><i>my chosen instrument </i></span>for glissandos and technical music. My CD was recorded on it, as well as the Youtube videos listed on my website. If I want to impress anyone, I use this harp: programs, weddings, funerals, important stuff.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis4UpxfFONAq0aaNagAFQQBm-eVB73PiAh1BCVocdLtOm_w5GDvy4eC3w7hRzeVNe-WsDZa6hgNGPpLP887QTVHXwesbZ2VC9ZGXy6wJErpN_J0iLeqOEC9F3-0UDWczcPtZmvPSL7lA/s1600/IMG_0758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis4UpxfFONAq0aaNagAFQQBm-eVB73PiAh1BCVocdLtOm_w5GDvy4eC3w7hRzeVNe-WsDZa6hgNGPpLP887QTVHXwesbZ2VC9ZGXy6wJErpN_J0iLeqOEC9F3-0UDWczcPtZmvPSL7lA/s1600/IMG_0758.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petite 85 Lyon and Healey Harp with Extended Soundboard</td></tr>
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Right now this harp is homebound. I would need to ford a river that has developed in my patio with all the melting snow and ice. And while I'm at it, I'd like to mention that this old victorian house with its multitude of steps is not an ideal home for harps. Fortunately, my dear husband John is perfect at moving harps and has developed a real knack for it. However, a swim will not help the Petite 85 and it will need to stay home until the patio is much much dryer.<br />
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The fourth harp to arrive at our house was this Lyon and Healey Ogden. It is a mid-sized mahogony harp with a big sound. Since it is a lever harp, it is relatively light weight and easily portable. It fits in a bag that I can throw over my shoulder. This is <span style="color: red;"><i>my chosen instrument</i></span> for intimate settings: small funerals, small programs, prayer services, yoga classes. Many hours have been racked up on this work-horse harp while playing at the Hospice House or in the home of someone needing prayer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0TH_2LSz2nYf2TVTpVSXD7BsaJZcTXpc4kPKFsAsZxiK2q4Uq_OsCfoe9cwtusWKqh9ntEzWr65m9mvi3jVdU_vNgFW-c6Wq6y47MW0yhnbm7KM5P3glzhoQnVxF5nCcA5JGms5f-gg/s1600/IMG_1164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0TH_2LSz2nYf2TVTpVSXD7BsaJZcTXpc4kPKFsAsZxiK2q4Uq_OsCfoe9cwtusWKqh9ntEzWr65m9mvi3jVdU_vNgFW-c6Wq6y47MW0yhnbm7KM5P3glzhoQnVxF5nCcA5JGms5f-gg/s1600/IMG_1164.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lyon and Healy Odgen - harp #4</td></tr>
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Each of the four harps is perfect for specific occasions and suits a particular situation. I'm extremely blessed to be able to choose which instrument I will use for each event.<br />
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The wheels of my thinking started turning one day when I read the phrase <span style="color: red;"><i>"My chosen instrument" </i></span>right out of Acts 9:15:<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><i>"Go! For this man is My chosen instrument to take My Name to gentiles, kings and the Israelites."</i></span><br />
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Jesus appeared to a man named Ananias in a vision and told him to find Saul, heal Saul's blindness and then start discipling Saul to become a believer. Ananias (probably a very mature and dedicated follower of Jesus) wanted nothing to do with this task because Saul had been scouring the country looking for Christians to annihilate. Death by stoning was big in those days and by Saul's command, rocks were thrown. Ananias reminded God that Saul was a bad guy but God's reply was:<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><i>"Go! For this man is My chosen instrument…"</i></span><br />
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Ananias DID find Saul and Saul DID become a believer in Jesus and turned from killing Christians to evangelizing with all his might. His name was changed to Paul, and eventually, he wrote much of the Bible and took mission trips and spoke convincingly to thousands of people who became believers. He started countless churches and performed miracles. This was God's plan for this man named Saul, who was renamed Paul.<br />
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Frankly, this is a bit surprising. Saul was a real bad guy and yet he was chosen to do great things for God… which leads me to ask the question:<br />
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What's God's plan for you? If "let's-kill-all Christians" Saul was <span style="color: red;">God's chosen instrument</span>, isn't it possible that YOU are <span style="color: red;">God's chosen instrument</span>, also?<br />
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Absolutely!<br />
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Be assured, you are <i style="color: red;">"God's chosen instrument" </i>to do something… probably something big… and probably something big and unexpected… maybe even something out of your comfort zone.<br />
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You were <span style="color: red;"><i>"knit together in our mother's womb"</i></span> (Ps. 139:13) in a particular way. Your personality was determined by God Who <span style="color: red;"><i>"created (your) inmost being."</i></span> (Ps. 139:13)<br />
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You answer the <a href="http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp" target="_blank">Myers-Briggs questions </a>a bit differently from anyone else. (I'm a middle-ground ENFP.)<br />
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You were packaged with a particular DNA that was mixed up just for you.<br />
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You are not a random accident of personality and size and strength and intellectual ability without a future or reason for being. You are God's masterpiece of creation, perfectly suited to be <span style="color: red;">God's chosen instrument</span> as His follower and to do something He wants and has planned for you to do.<br />
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Not one of my harps just gets to sit there looking pretty, even though they do that extremely well. Each harp gets chosen to do a certain job or gig because they were purchased or built to excel in that certain type of venue.<br />
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You don't get to just sit around looking pretty either, even though I'm sure you do this extremely well.<br />
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You were created to be <span style="color: red;"><i>God's chosen instrument</i></span> to do something… probably something big and unexpected and a bit scary but perfectly suited to your unique personality and strengths.<br />
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Now, go do it.<br />
<br />Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-79973876072336538302014-02-14T15:18:00.003-08:002014-02-17T07:34:10.823-08:00High E FlatSo… An odd thing happened in church a couple of Sundays ago. Jan, organist extradinaire, was lustily playing the closing song on the pipe organ. It was a jaunty melody, as far as hymns go, and as she was finishing with a flourish, one of the pipes didn't.<br />
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One pipe kept going!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspTAo41cb7imyOgKKZ1FVIKZYmNuPXTofhfkdcq8SflJhCzcImtUbghydRg2aSzhG1X9XxP2sBj651EisO5-LnjZaNhFVMZmGpt9B3AuleRPXFrDFvqOVJL_pMPbzC8CPusBaUz50Gw/s1600/IMG_1118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspTAo41cb7imyOgKKZ1FVIKZYmNuPXTofhfkdcq8SflJhCzcImtUbghydRg2aSzhG1X9XxP2sBj651EisO5-LnjZaNhFVMZmGpt9B3AuleRPXFrDFvqOVJL_pMPbzC8CPusBaUz50Gw/s1600/IMG_1118.jpg" height="163" width="400" /></a></div>
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It was stuck in 'on.' Air continued to rush through it, causing it to keep sounding. A high E flat.</div>
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My own high pitched cackling giggle joined it… As did several others.</div>
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What to do… What to do…</div>
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Jan quickly hit the switch to shut down the entire organ - pronto. And with a downward wailing sound, the high E flat became silent.</div>
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Grinning, the pastor graciously commented and benedicted us out of the service. </div>
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Several of us popped up to the organ bench to see what we could see. This has happened before. There's something about all this cold weather that makes pipes stick. In fact, the entire organ, which is as old as dirt, sort of goes berserk at this time of year, going in and out of tune with each passing Iowa snow storm.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5oO2rIcE8tcJ4f6C3kJIAgU3OPCeTn334EC1QSNQUBOInmAUGSkEaYB57H8FBCUmugSXm8Ol7l0b3-vBreUvzfe5ang0tCsjkoigMibVLBCBs7Mdu3CJGTyqiBFlqwxRlfA4RolHubw/s1600/IMG_1120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5oO2rIcE8tcJ4f6C3kJIAgU3OPCeTn334EC1QSNQUBOInmAUGSkEaYB57H8FBCUmugSXm8Ol7l0b3-vBreUvzfe5ang0tCsjkoigMibVLBCBs7Mdu3CJGTyqiBFlqwxRlfA4RolHubw/s1600/IMG_1120.jpg" height="316" width="320" /></a></div>
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The organ technician from some other world (an elderly gentleman with an odd case of odd tools) will need to be called and perhaps a prehistoric pipe part will need to be ordered and installed. This could take 6 months or so.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_Bfe_iNVP13YJ6SysltyvkSkiT4NxdkzEpQAaJQER-ZStGObOwIo5ovGsmq9iYEwC3ZPVNaf2c1yEo5DbqhF7S3EM3Drwkf6VlKOjPcwgW0F1F-w0rWri6Eao9l4RvuKLr1jWhTuQA/s1600/IMG_1122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_Bfe_iNVP13YJ6SysltyvkSkiT4NxdkzEpQAaJQER-ZStGObOwIo5ovGsmq9iYEwC3ZPVNaf2c1yEo5DbqhF7S3EM3Drwkf6VlKOjPcwgW0F1F-w0rWri6Eao9l4RvuKLr1jWhTuQA/s1600/IMG_1122.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Until then, high E flat will be turned off… unhooked… shut down.</div>
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Yesterday, the wall surrounding the pipes was removed and Gary, a fellow from our church who knows everything organ, risked his life and crawled up into the dusty pipe gallery. He gallantly shut down the offending pipe; it was the right thing to do in this case but honestly….</div>
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We could all take a lesson from high E flat.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ig63dmvK4vjSX1r8cVCKOmmNhW_YY4bhjXcsr07Oy12xcEL1L2O6ET_JdIqMbkwhm9EIhmnWylZHtgvhqYQkSMkh1895wzM9oPhbKGPG7xv6CimB2QOZdY2gbGswNXP0LPuMQ4mZ2w/s1600/IMG_1111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ig63dmvK4vjSX1r8cVCKOmmNhW_YY4bhjXcsr07Oy12xcEL1L2O6ET_JdIqMbkwhm9EIhmnWylZHtgvhqYQkSMkh1895wzM9oPhbKGPG7xv6CimB2QOZdY2gbGswNXP0LPuMQ4mZ2w/s1600/IMG_1111.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
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Our praise should continue well after our worship service shuts down. It should stick long after we get home and eat lunch. It should be in our thoughts as we settle into our comfy chairs and watch the Olympics. It should be the first thing we think of as we wake the next morning (or several times during the night.) </div>
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In fact, every single minute of our life should offer worship and glory to our mighty God. We should not shut down nor should we shut anyone else down.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Pgz2N5GYNsoSr-lfJyzs0d2SOi3T-hoQ1S5UoMGw5zeFJyjrMnFubt3O12VlFhe6Cdi0v-5HKIVH8lkg2TUV-XKlFYCWsH3oXAh_gdYhG7g69nWyRYwD60FzZZrBlnO9W9HRL9PsDQ/s1600/IMG_1116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Pgz2N5GYNsoSr-lfJyzs0d2SOi3T-hoQ1S5UoMGw5zeFJyjrMnFubt3O12VlFhe6Cdi0v-5HKIVH8lkg2TUV-XKlFYCWsH3oXAh_gdYhG7g69nWyRYwD60FzZZrBlnO9W9HRL9PsDQ/s1600/IMG_1116.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>Psalm 34:1:<br />
<span style="color: red;"><i> I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.</i></span><br />
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Psalm 63:4:<br />
<span style="color: red;"><i> I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your Name I will lift up my hands.</i></span><br />
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There may be times when you don't feel like offering praise to God. In this case, a sacrifice of praise is appropriate according to Hebrews 13:15:<br />
<span style="color: red;"><i> Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - </i></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><i> the fruit of lips that confess His Name.</i></span><br />
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In <u>Dialogues with God</u> by Frances J. Roberts, she pens this ode entitled "Praise of the Infinite:"<br />
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<span style="color: blue;"> O My child, the heavens are filled with songs of praise, and above the tumult of a decadent world, I hear the sweet music of the prayers and hymns of My people.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"> Before the world began.. before the creation of human life, the morning stars sang together in a great paean of praise As a mighty organ, the planets were as an instrument in the hands of the Almighty Creator God, expressing the very joy of His heart. Selah!</span><br />
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So… continue praising. Continue thanking. Continue to bless the Name of our Almighty Creator God. <br />
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Be that high E flat pipe that gets stuck 'on' in your praise of our mighty God. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgEjfmkPd0XYFkdQ489Iqg9MFQsAqXBNv6ZYvIv1cqNM-lyV_UB-JnPv8-PKPgE0HiECdFVxheCk2VQSSzCtzj_kaMmLHVsbTyVIs86gxuh5cqHIegxQFYOzdVkPg5OrdrdbRxT93dg/s1600/IMG_1124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgEjfmkPd0XYFkdQ489Iqg9MFQsAqXBNv6ZYvIv1cqNM-lyV_UB-JnPv8-PKPgE0HiECdFVxheCk2VQSSzCtzj_kaMmLHVsbTyVIs86gxuh5cqHIegxQFYOzdVkPg5OrdrdbRxT93dg/s1600/IMG_1124.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>God hears. <br />
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God knows.<br />
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God blesses.<br />
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ok… so this is not really part of the blog but I couldn't resist. I found some organ/organist jokes that I simply MUST post here. Don't even think about reading these if you are easily offended or if you are an easily offended organist… or if you even know one…<br />
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Here goes:<br />
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Pardon?: The standard answer when someone asks you why you play the organ so loudly.<br />
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The minister was preoccupied with thoughts of how he was going to ask the congregation to come up with more money than they were expecting for repairs to the church building.<br />
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He gave the organist a copy of the service and asked her if she could come up with some kind of inspirational music to play, after he made the announcement about the finances, to help put the congregation in a giving mood.<br />
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"Don't worry, I'll come up with something," she said.<br />
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During the service, the minister paused and said, "Brothers and sisters, we find ourselves in great difficulty. The cost of the roof repairs is twice as much as we expected, and we need $4000 more. Any of you who are able to pledge $100 or more, please stand up."<br />
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At that moment, the organist began playing "The Star Spangled Banner."<br />
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What do you call 101 organs at the bottom of a lake? A good start!<br />
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What do you get if you drop an organ on an army base? A flat major!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GhV_Ru28M0-B2PCj-gZJK_Hvx3_CfK30PEyvKP4xSMbUVsVVHVVShlsoF4hq_64RDbIjLllxifMlDmbJlxcq3qS92QNyGw5wvAemdzTMcQ3_X7tUAhSRktFbG9-hfSMGJZZz5l0FsQ/s1600/organ6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GhV_Ru28M0-B2PCj-gZJK_Hvx3_CfK30PEyvKP4xSMbUVsVVHVVShlsoF4hq_64RDbIjLllxifMlDmbJlxcq3qS92QNyGw5wvAemdzTMcQ3_X7tUAhSRktFbG9-hfSMGJZZz5l0FsQ/s1600/organ6.jpg" /></a>Why are an organist's fingers like lightning? Because they rarely strike the same place twice!<br />
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Why doesn't heaven have a pipe organ? Because they needed the keys in hell to make accordions.<br />
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The organ is the instrument of worship for in its sounding we sense the Majesty of God and in its ending we know the Grace of God.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">When he was the organist-choirmaster at Saint Paul's Cathedral, London, he was to meet Noel Mander to get a tour of Mander's shop. This is housed in what used to be the parochial school of Saint Peter's Church. Consequently, the building is now called Saint Peter's Organ Works. While driving to this meeting, Barry was having a little trouble finding the address, although he thought he was in the general neighborhood. So he rolled down the window and called to man standing at the side of the street, "Do you know St. Peter's Organ Works?" The bystander, doubtless rather puzzled at such a question, said, "So does mine!"</span><br />
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Miss Beatrice, the church organist, was in her eighties. She was admired for her sweetness and kindness to all. One afternoon the pastor came to call on her and she showed him into her quaint sitting room. She invited him to have a seat while she prepared tea.<br />
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As he sat facing her old Hammond organ, the young minister noticed a cut-glass bowl sitting on top of it. The bowl was filled with water, and in the water floated, of all things, a condom! When she returned with tea and scones, they began to chat.<br />
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The pastor tried to stifle his curiosity about the bowl of water and its strange floater, but soon it got the better of him and he could no longer resist. "Miss Beatrice, " he said, "I wonder if you would tell me about this?" pointing to the bowl.<br />
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"Oh yes," she replied, "Isn't it wonderful? I was walking through the park a few months ago and I found this little package on the ground. The directions said to place it on the organ, keep it wet and that it would prevent the spread of disease."<br />
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…and of course, this is my husband's favorite:<br />
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Did you hear about the man who went streaking though the church?<br />
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They caught him by the organ...</div>
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Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-89017944012422924142014-02-06T13:04:00.002-08:002014-02-06T13:17:38.381-08:00The Old Man on the BeachSo… a friend of mine found this story by Max Lucado and shared it with me. Now, I share it with you. As with all Lucado writings, this touched my heart and helped me understand. It came from the book <u>In The Eye of the Storm,</u> pages 221-226:<br />
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"<span style="color: #351c75;">An old man walks down a Florida beach. The sun sets like an orange ball at the horizon. The waves slap the sand. The smell of saltwater stings the air. The beach is vacant. No sun to entice the sunbathers. Not enough light for the fishermen. So, aside from a few joggers and strollers, the gentleman is alone.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjruKljUV87PPcaT60bwCIo4V6b-5Q8mS4P6dLuRsluqsur7AAt8zvgpsR7KG4jfdSqD2bHHlPkpxiKNSAxcec5DQV3PwepIjB7zDoY89i-RCmrgu54VV56wIuRZdunJmshAzgrMIlcpQ/s1600/IMG_1064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjruKljUV87PPcaT60bwCIo4V6b-5Q8mS4P6dLuRsluqsur7AAt8zvgpsR7KG4jfdSqD2bHHlPkpxiKNSAxcec5DQV3PwepIjB7zDoY89i-RCmrgu54VV56wIuRZdunJmshAzgrMIlcpQ/s1600/IMG_1064.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a><span style="color: #351c75;">He carries a bucket in his bony hand. A bucket of shrimp. It's not for him. It's not for the fish. It's for the sea gulls. He walks to an isolated pier cast in gold by the setting sun. He steps out to the end of the pier. The time has come for the weekly ritual. He stands and waits.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">Soon the sky becomes a mass of dancing dots. The evening silence gives way to the screeching of birds. They fill the sky and then cover the moorings. They are on a pilgrimage to meet the old man.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">For a half hour or so, the bush-browed, shoulder-bent gentleman will stand on the pier, surrounded by the birds of the sea, until the bucket is empty.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">But even after the food is gone, his feathered friends still linger. They linger as if they're attracted to more than just food. They perch on his hat. They walk on the pier. And they all share a moment together.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">Got the scene? Now put it on the back burner for a few minutes.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">Matthew 15: 29-32: </span><span style="color: red;">Jesus left there and wen along the Sea of Galilee. Then He went up on a mountainside and sat down. Great crowds came to Him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at His feet; and He healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.</span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red;">Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way."</span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">For three days Jesus did a most remarkable thing - He healed them. "The lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others" came to Him, Matthew wrote, "and He healed them."</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">Many times I wish that the New Testament writers had been a bit more descriptive. This is one of those times. "And He healed them" is too short a phrase to describe what must have been an astonishing sight.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">Let your imagination go. Can you see the scene?</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">Can you see the blind husband seeing his wife for the first time? His eyes gazing into her tear-filled ones like she was the queen of the morning?</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">Envision the man wo had never walked, now walking! Don't you know that he didn't want to sit down? Don't you know that he ran and jumped and did a dance with the kids?</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">And what about the mute who could speak? Can you picture him sitting by the fire late into the night and talking? Saying and singing everything and anything that he had ever wanted to say and sing.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">And the deaf woman who could now hear. What was it like when she heard her child call her "Mamma" for the first time?</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">For three days it went on. Person after person. Mat after mat. Crutch after crutch. Smile after smile. No record is given of Jesus preaching or teaching or instructing or challenging. He just healed.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">"The people," Matthew wrote, "were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing." Four thousand amazed people, each telling a story grander than the other. In the midst of them all is Jesus. Not complaining. Not postponing. Not demanding. Just enjoying every minute.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">Then Matthew, still the great economizer of words, gave us another phrase on which I wish he would have elaborated:</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;"><u><b>"They praised the God of Israel."</b></u></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">I wonder how they did that? I feel more certain of what they didn't do than of what they did do. I feel confident that they didn't form a praise committee. I feel confident that they didn't make robes. I feel confident that they didn't sit in rows and stare at the back of each other's heads. </span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">I doubt seriously if they wrote a creed on how they were to praise this God they had never before worshiped. I can't picture them getting into an argument over technicalities. I doubt if they felt it had to be done indoors.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">And I know they didn't wait until the Sabbath to do it. </span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">In all probability, they just did it. Each one - in his or her own way, with his or her own heart - just praised Jesus. Perhaps some people came and fell at Jesus' feet. Perhaps some shouted His Name. Maybe a few just went up on the hillside, looked into the sky, and smiled.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">I can picture a mom and dad standing speechless before the Healer as they held their newly healed baby.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">I can envision a leper staring in awe at the One who took away his terror.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">I can imagine throngs of people pushing and shoving. Wanting to get close. Not to request anything or demand anything, but just to say "thank you."</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">Perhaps some tried to pay Jesus, but what payment would have been sufficient?</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">Perhaps some tried to return His gift with another, but what could a person give that would express the gratitude?</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">All the people could do was exactly what Matthew said they did. "They praised the God of Israel."</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">However they did it, they did it. <b>And Jesus was touched</b>, so touched that He insisted they stay for a meal before they left.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">Without using the word worship, this passage defines it. <b>Worship is</b> when you're aware that what you've been given is far greater than what you can give. <b>Worship is</b> the awareness that were it not for His touch, you'd still be hobbling and hurting, bitter and broken. <b>Worship is</b> the half-glazed expression on the parched face of a desert pilgrim as he discovers that the oasis is not a mirage.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><b>Worship is</b> the "thank you" that refuses to be silenced.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">We have tried to make a science out of worship. We can't do that. We can't do that any more than we can "sell love" or "negotiate peace."</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">Worship is a voluntary act of gratitude offered by the saved to the Savior, by the healed to the Healer, and by the delivered to the Deliverer. And if you and I can go days without feeling on urge to say "thank you" to the One Who saved, healed and delivered us, then we'd do well to remember what He did.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs3MrG1kSfkOG661BFhIHReuB1TtieQTpJqrf-ESeWGK50o1mJbPbmr50Aytuc2_iLWHNm4WjK-bNq-kT6sF_H-gxQ1CUVRlfGRVlJX5nJ61ivu_Ockenc7z-Sjf8CPnxQt7eVFpIrrg/s1600/IMG_1067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs3MrG1kSfkOG661BFhIHReuB1TtieQTpJqrf-ESeWGK50o1mJbPbmr50Aytuc2_iLWHNm4WjK-bNq-kT6sF_H-gxQ1CUVRlfGRVlJX5nJ61ivu_Ockenc7z-Sjf8CPnxQt7eVFpIrrg/s1600/IMG_1067.jpg" height="228" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #351c75;">The old man on the pier couldn't go a week without saying "thank you."</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">His name was Eddie Rickenbacker. If you were alive in October 1942, you probably remember the day that he was reported missing at sea.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">He had been sent on a mission to deliver a message to Gen. Douglas MacArthur. With a handpicked crew in a B-17 known as the "Flying Fortress," he set off across the South Pacific. Somewhere the crew became lost, the fuel ran out, and the plane went down.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">All eight crew members escaped into life rafts. They battled the weather, the water, the sharks, and the sun. But most of all, they battled the hunger. After eight days, their rations were gone. They ran out of options. It would take a miracle for them to survive.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">And a miracle occurred.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">After an afternoon devotional service, the men said a prayer and tried to rest As Rickenbacker was dozing with his hat over his eyes, something landed on his head. He would later say that he knew it was a sea gull. He didn't know how he knew; he just knew. That gull meant food… if he could catch it. And he did.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">The flesh was eaten. The intestines were used as fish bait. And the crew survived.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">What was a sea gull doing hundreds of miles away from land?</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">Only God knows.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">But whatever the reason, Rickenbacker was thankful. As a result, every Friday evening this old captain walked to the pair, his bucket full of shrimp and his heart full of thanks.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">We'd be wise to do the same. We've much in common with Rickenbacker. We, too, were saved by a Sacrificial Visitor.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">We, too, were rescued by One Who journeyed far from only God knows where.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">And we, like the captain, have every reason to look into the sky… and worship.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-10987101133158183472014-01-31T08:07:00.002-08:002014-01-31T08:17:03.583-08:00Neck CreamSo…. I celebrated a birthday not too long ago and received one of those 'wake-up call' gifts: neck cream (can and should a husband really give this?) This was not just 'you-smell-nice' neck cream, but the heavy duty stuff that is supposed to tighten the skin and fill crevices. I thought it was an odd and insulting gift because that particular part of me is not jiggling all that much - at least not as much as other parts - and I was not yet aware of needing neck cream. Besides… I wear a lot of turtlenecks.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXE82WD3iqc7aYyKenhOF5GXd8xC8LGzAR_yAiJz-SY-542lIxqS3aKUj5rFpP0AudOF4lbv3z28ZnvlG4VmuB2SaO9b8MR0HRs8rbpZpJC2jhWY1Q7mhyeHXNqly7v2s-Vv9xIirOYg/s1600/IMG_1104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXE82WD3iqc7aYyKenhOF5GXd8xC8LGzAR_yAiJz-SY-542lIxqS3aKUj5rFpP0AudOF4lbv3z28ZnvlG4VmuB2SaO9b8MR0HRs8rbpZpJC2jhWY1Q7mhyeHXNqly7v2s-Vv9xIirOYg/s1600/IMG_1104.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
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This said neck cream has made me think a bit.<br />
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It's true: I am aging… and sagging… and bulging...<br />
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Maybe you are, too...<br />
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We are aging, but maybe that's not a bad thing…<br />
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And I'm willing to bet, because we are aging, we're not as stupid as we used to be.<br />
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John and I raise a lot of roses in our back yard; about a hundred rose bushes produce about a thousand blooms between May and October. We have all colors from pinks (my favorite) to oranges (John's favorite), reds (everyone's favorite), one blue-ish tinted (nobody's favorite) and one white (why bother?) Ninety-five percent of our blooms are so beautiful and so perfect and so full of color that I pick and arrange them into bouquets to surprise unsuspecting receivers. The perfect blooms are too beautiful to leave in the garden where the sun and wind destroy the petals. In such elements as our lovely Iowa summers so often provide, a perfect rose will remain brilliant about a day before it explodes and starts to fade and whither.<br />
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Once the rose fades, it droops and drops its petals and something else appears: rose hips!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYiSYkrv2Eoi9uR5J3Dh3FT4ChyrDGaU2KxyavYZw236jl_kLWkiljaKJDm39QDeJUvbpWgqK6-jAhJDL6hoTyzWnYJsjARBt52Pa4QFOq3TOgIkZ4wJ5x5Vrz0vcjxngTLbchQl5Fvg/s1600/IMG_0601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYiSYkrv2Eoi9uR5J3Dh3FT4ChyrDGaU2KxyavYZw236jl_kLWkiljaKJDm39QDeJUvbpWgqK6-jAhJDL6hoTyzWnYJsjARBt52Pa4QFOq3TOgIkZ4wJ5x5Vrz0vcjxngTLbchQl5Fvg/s1600/IMG_0601.jpg" height="320" width="283" /></a><br />
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I've never really noticed the rose hips until this past December. Look at these beauties! These hips are created to last! Bring on the rain, sleet, snow, 50-mph winds, blizzards, anything… and these hips keep being big, red and beautiful.<br />
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Those hips are meant to age and last. The bloom was gorgeous but lasted a short time. Both the blooms and the hips are beautiful, but only the hips are built to last.<br />
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And it's not lost on me that even roses have 'hips'… and they become big and beautiful… and dare I say, voluptuous?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCeHU7PYryx4Ni7syOa9KBOqY-gQ9wPCwLhd0Q4ZSqWnomjghsLSWoeedoDifvDZFhyKiC9sVVTPhKIsIK5hUF24oTEskrngU9EJRMcPZ7y4R7t2zwNn8GjdjxQzwyWnSIIv_rpNOdMg/s1600/IMG_0602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCeHU7PYryx4Ni7syOa9KBOqY-gQ9wPCwLhd0Q4ZSqWnomjghsLSWoeedoDifvDZFhyKiC9sVVTPhKIsIK5hUF24oTEskrngU9EJRMcPZ7y4R7t2zwNn8GjdjxQzwyWnSIIv_rpNOdMg/s1600/IMG_0602.jpg" height="320" width="274" /></a><br />
So take a lesson from the beautiful rose: take heart and keep on getting older, equipped with some strong determination! We are meant to age and get smarter and get wiser and handle life better - even when the storms of life batter us around. We can handle it, knowing God is on our side and is always faithful and sure. His hand is upon us, preparing us to handle whatever comes our way.<br />
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Job 12:12 says, "<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?"</i></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Yes! I answer! It's a good thing!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So... I will slather on my gifted neck cream (does it really defy gravity?) and cheer on its protein tighteners… It's time to celebrate life and aging. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I will continue to abide in God and produce fruit. I've gathered years of experience in learning how God operates and know He is always good. I will worship and pray and commit to God's marching orders. There is much to do and many people who need help; I will continue until my last breath.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">There is nothing else I'd rather do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Aging is a gift well worth a celebration. Don't you agree?</span><br />
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<br />Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-2847641234324175142013-12-29T18:16:00.000-08:002013-12-29T18:20:00.638-08:00Look Up!So… It's the end of another year and it's time to do a bit of thinking about what happened in 2013 and what needs to be accomplished in 2014. A friend of mine wrote this and I think it sums up what I hope to do more of this next year. Enjoy!<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">No, I haven't tried everything. But I have spent many decades trying to acquire things, power, wealth, status, security, belonging, and still… "vanities of vanities." It is as one finally comes to the foot of the cross, with empty hands, a broken heart and contrite spirit and looks up that the answer is clear. Jesus. Have you seen Him lately? Not the sentimentalized Jesus that gives you warm feelings like comfort food, not the Jesus Who is there as a self-help motivator in becoming a better you in your personal quest for self-actualization, not the Jesus to petition for personal gain (name it and claim it) or personal growth. But the Jesus Who looks down at you from the cross, sees deep into the core of your being and says, "<b>My child… You are My focus. I am paying the price… It is finished…"</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><u>And it is done.</u> No more empty searches. No more counterfeit gods or idols. For I have seen His eyes, hear His voice. And I know He is enough.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;">Jesus, the gospel. All external to ourselves, something we cannot do ourselves (Eph. 2:8-9). Is He sufficient? Absolutely! And for all time! But only if we stop augmenting the gospel with other things, even with our best intentions and our best actions, to have a "value added" product. </span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;">Only Jesus - His sufficiency. Nothing else - only Jesus. Jesus.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;">The gospel has power (Romans 1:16). His Spirit, Who can indwell us, has power (Acts 1:8). We want control. We try to box in the fullness of the Word - Jesus - and His Spirit into manageable and predictable adjuncts to our personal quest - done in <u>our</u> power, in <u>our</u> timing, and in <u>our</u> way, and hopefully within <u>our own</u> comfort zone.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;">But freedom is available. The problem is that I am my own jailor holding the keys to my own cell (my life of searching but never finding.) And I fear of letting go…</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;">And yet He looks at me with longing, loving, satisfying, and knowing eyes and says:</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>"It is finished. I've paid the price of all you owe. Come, My beloved, unto Me. Let Me give you wings to soar as eagles. Let Me enlarge you. You carry so many weights and burdens and hurts. Time to downsize! Release your grasp on all things - even your very life - and reach out with empty hands to Me. Let Me embrace you, renew your strength, give you My vision and My hearing for spiritual things and a new heart - whole and unbroken - part of My own heart. With My heart of passion and compassion beating inside you, filled with the power of My Spirit and My Word, and your senses functioning supernaturally, you shall walk in My paths with confidence and clarity. Your hands will be extensions of My hands, your voice will affirm and speak with My anointing. And you shall know the intimacy with Me for which I created you.</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>Beloved, stand, emptied, at the foot of My cross. Let our eyes meet. Look up, My child. Look up."</b></span><br />
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<b>Like I said, I hope to spend more time in quiet communication with my heaven Father. I hope to 'look up' and listen. And be renewed.</b><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-71120714901117459372013-12-21T08:22:00.000-08:002013-12-21T08:24:37.670-08:00Too Many Tasks To Get DoneSo… I know that Christmas is supposed to be the merriest time of year. Right? And we all know that it's the busiest. Right? But when the 'busy' outweighs the 'merry,' getting ready for Christmas loses some of its cheer and even the most jolliest amongst us can become a bit cranky. Am I talking to anyone out there??<br />
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Early this morning, I just happened to read this entry in the book <u>Dialogues With God</u> by Francis J. Roberts. I plan to read it the next few days to get my head on straight each morning. It will help me so I decided to share it. This first part of this writing is a prayer to God, the second is His answer. Enjoy!<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>"My Father, I am not capable of doing all those things that are demanded of me in the course of a day. For every task completed, numerous other needful duties are left undone. This is not a complaint that life is over burdensome but rather a cry to You for understanding and for wisdom to improve the situation: how to reach the end of the day with a feeling of some degree of satisfaction in a job well done. It is not restful to sleep on loose ends - to be forever uncomfortably aware of the multitudinous tasks still waiting.</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>For as time passes, so much of what I have failed to accomplish can no longer be done at all. Surely there must be enough time and enough strength provided to do the vitally essential things. Dear Father, I not only fail to accomplish the task but lose my sensitivity to Your guidance, and in doing this, I soon have also lost the joy I would have had if I had pleased You."</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>"O My child, do not bring to Me the unfinished tasks. There will always be work to do. This also can be a snare of the enemy; for he would deceive you into feeling that all work is worthy in itself - that simply to be occupied is good. This is not true. To sit still, yes, even to have recreation, is sometimes just as important and ofttimes more so. </i></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Give Me a heart that has learned how to become quiet and to rest. Anybody can work. Few people know how to be quiet. Being quiet is not being lazy. Most lazy people are never truly quiet. </i></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>You must be able to collect yourself - to take time and absorb the Spirit of God. For to be freshly filled with the Spirit will bring the guidance and direction and wisdom and the will to do His bidding. The purpose of spending time with God is more than simply enjoying His presence: it is to fit you for the labors next at hand.</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>So come to Me, as I have so often invited you to do - heart open, hands uplifted and empty. Don't bring Me your work. Bring Me yourself. It is you that I love, not your enterprises. The more you draw near to Me in singleness of heart, the clearer will be your guidance on life's pathway and the less danger there will be of your substituting human activities for Spirit-directed ministries.</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Keep your heart tender, lest your work become destructive."</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I did a quick search to find out more about <a href="http://www.thekingspress.com/about.cfm" target="_blank">Francis J Roberts.</a> She passed away in 2009, but her writings live on. I plan to read everything she has written…. just as soon as Christmas is over….</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-73110319689480129652013-12-07T11:52:00.000-08:002013-12-07T11:52:57.181-08:00FeathersSo… We got home from our sunny, blissful Caribbean cruise a week ago and I'm still recuperating, especially since Iowa is in a freezer right now. Did anything odd happen on our cruise? Of course! 'Odd' follows me...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFe4p_ulHwfjVIfmaZjJNnVT_qFkYMg7Lia75IRJmpHrkcBuej6HJ4GPuUlqoHvEFcdgtpZ1jDff0FCm479byxIIO3OIQRUpngPnniEoKelpIaAsu5lmmenDpYKCMOW1oiTiZthX2GXA/s1600/IMG_0689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFe4p_ulHwfjVIfmaZjJNnVT_qFkYMg7Lia75IRJmpHrkcBuej6HJ4GPuUlqoHvEFcdgtpZ1jDff0FCm479byxIIO3OIQRUpngPnniEoKelpIaAsu5lmmenDpYKCMOW1oiTiZthX2GXA/s320/IMG_0689.jpg" width="231" /></a>We sailed on the Celebrity Reflection, a spanking new city-sized ship with a modern hip feel. It's the flagship for the Celebrity fleet and the staff and services were top-notch. The entertainment was crazy good and unique to this ship; standing ovations were given which is very unusual for lethargic Rolaids-munching over-fooded audiences. And speaking of food, it had flavor galore and eye-candy appeal; I had Lobster Melange for Thanksgiving dinner. It, too, was stuffed.<br />
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This ship had a Molecular Bar which mixed up outrageous libations with foam and liquid nitrogen. The bartender was a real showman who flipped bottles in the air and 'spilled' smoking stuff onto the bar. I had to sample the "Coming Up Roses" concoction with muddled rose petals and limes. Delicious!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgahzdCiZpUGhDdOG5xrMc14My86fS6Ml59LFVpJ0ujDFHp7HBedsbppjqWfDm4O7sMYtvRvHoDL6qx8DMo-jXzd3NoKG9wWu3jZ33pmMVme4w48mYXeto64G2zZZdpT9Z0t_bNS7-eWA/s1600/IMG_0650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgahzdCiZpUGhDdOG5xrMc14My86fS6Ml59LFVpJ0ujDFHp7HBedsbppjqWfDm4O7sMYtvRvHoDL6qx8DMo-jXzd3NoKG9wWu3jZ33pmMVme4w48mYXeto64G2zZZdpT9Z0t_bNS7-eWA/s320/IMG_0650.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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One morning, I saw a rainbow which was for my eyes only. It was directly out our balcony window and lasted just a couple of seconds. John was in the shower and missed it. If you've read my blog entitled<a href="http://www.harpandsoulministries.com/2013/02/favorite-cruise-boat-story-1.html" target="_blank"> "My Favorite Cruise Story No. 1,"</a> you know my affinity for rainbows and what a treat they are for me.<br />
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I Zumba-ed, of course. John and I kicked up our heels on the dance floor. In fact, I wore a pedometer and tracked 67,600 steps in 7 days. Many many steps are my friends on a cruse ship and help counter-attack all the extra calories.<br />
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We ported in St. Martaan and jumped into a rickety van for a private tour of the island. It's always interesting to see and hear what the locals think we should see and hear. Stopped at Maho Beach which is famous for being right next to an airport. Supposedly, people can touch the wheels of airplanes as they fly so closely overhead on landing. I did not do this. I watched from a distance; I need my fingers.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfnM0v1NTWegJ2rpZmG4vSxEIMxU0oFAsC15s6idDlWYI7XzttO23Dn7o6SdtC4EKocvgQNwozHditIfxKWA95MmnWqYBZSihtb8qpLDUSD7RunPmziwcgnLOMKPXSyDwWPu9Ohto-Q/s1600/IMG_0745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfnM0v1NTWegJ2rpZmG4vSxEIMxU0oFAsC15s6idDlWYI7XzttO23Dn7o6SdtC4EKocvgQNwozHditIfxKWA95MmnWqYBZSihtb8qpLDUSD7RunPmziwcgnLOMKPXSyDwWPu9Ohto-Q/s1600/IMG_0745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfnM0v1NTWegJ2rpZmG4vSxEIMxU0oFAsC15s6idDlWYI7XzttO23Dn7o6SdtC4EKocvgQNwozHditIfxKWA95MmnWqYBZSihtb8qpLDUSD7RunPmziwcgnLOMKPXSyDwWPu9Ohto-Q/s320/IMG_0745.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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We tasted coconut milk straight out of a coconut. This ain't Iowa!<br />
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Our guide dropped us off at Orient Beach which is where the locals like to tan sans lines. It's a nude beach and we saw several parading about getting their jollies from me trying to avert my gaze. Old nudes… everywhere….<br />
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Yes! We heard an accordion and followed its sound to this little man playing for pennies. He couldn't play very well, or hear very well… I thought about trying to play his accordion but thought he might not understand… so we listened and gave him lots of pennies! He's my kind of guy!<br />
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Even the towel creatures were top-notch on this ship! I was impressed with this guy sitting on my side of the bed. I would guess that our room steward won the towel-folding contest!<br />
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But the oddest thing happened during the night right in our stateroom. John and I always pack our pillows as cruise boat pillows are normally foam. We have very luxurious goose down pillows that squish into nothing and easily fit in the suitcase. Well… I don't know what John did to his, but it exploded one night. He said he got up that night to go to the bathroom and was horrified to see his face and hair covered in downy feathers. I woke up to a fairyland of feathers floating in the air. I'm not kidding, it looked like a snowstorm. They were everywhere and stuck everywhere. Oh... how we howled… It was the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. I think I aspirated some! As we opened our door, they flew out into the hallway! We sent some flying out our balcony door! As we opened drawers, they flew in. Days later, we still saw feathers on the carpet in the hallway a hundred doors away from us. We picked them off of each other the rest of the week, monkey-style.<br />
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I'm sure our room stewart was not laughing. It had to have taken him hours to clean it up. Poor guy. He was headed for home after this particular cruise and did he have a story to tell! We decided to tip him extra.<br />
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I couldn't help but be reminded of how the Holy Spirit fills believers in order to explode out of us onto others. Just as feathers fill a pillow, believers are filled with the Holy Spirit of God. As I walk through my daily life, I am to be Jesus to those around me and, in simple terms, it's the Holy Spirit that gives me the ability to do this. The bible calls this 'bearing fruit.' I should spill this fruit out to everyone I meet. It doesn't have to be a big deal, though sometimes it is. I should be encouraging others, lifting burdens, caring, offering hope, peace and love. It's not my natural tendency but it needs to be.<br />
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There should be some residue of Holy Spirit, just like the feathers that showed up all over after the explosion. Have I made a difference in that person's life? Have I encouraged her? Cared? Given of myself? I believe that giving out this fruit of the Holy Spirit has a ripple effect and passes on and on. It lasts and has effect far into the future.<br />
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As I unpacked my suitcase, yup… you know what I'm going to say…. I found feathers mixed in my underwear and makeup bag and feathers ended up in my dryer lint catcher. I didn't just leave them on the ship, they followed me home and are still spilling out.<br />
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The feathers made me smile and reminded me that the Holy Spirit is always with me and longs to spill out fruit wherever I go… into any situation… anywhere… and onto anyone and everyone...<br />
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<br />Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-69336533192697180152013-11-01T16:14:00.000-07:002013-11-01T16:15:44.347-07:00Feats of StrengthSo... We've all read odd stories about odd people and I'm sure you have heard the saying, "It had to be real... nobody could make this stuff up!" But this bizarro story from Scripture really caught my attention with its strange but true Samson character:<br />
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- he tears a lion apart with his bare hands and later eats honey out of the carcass when a hive of bees make it their home<br />
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- he single-handedly kills 30 men for their clothes because he lost a riddle<br />
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- he breaks ropes when he gets tied up<br />
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- he kills 1000 men with a jawbone of a donkey (oh yes... that's my personal weapon of choice)<br />
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- he takes the place of a team of oxen to grind grain<br />
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- he pushes down an entire temple by rocking the pillars and kills most of mankind in the Philistine city of Gaza<br />
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Do you remember the story of Samson from your old Sunday School days? I can still see in my mind the Sunday School pamphlet with this horribly gruesome picture of Samson, bloodied and nude, chained to pillars with his eyes gouged out, rocking the temple pillars and people screaming and running for their lives.<br />
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I was traumatized... <br />
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I think that explains a lot... At age 5, I was afraid of getting my eyes gouged out...<br />
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(And look at that picture! There's a harp at his feet! A perfectly good harp will be trampled and destroyed!)<br />
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If you'd like a refresher on this story, you can read the story, complete with thought provoking comments, <a href="http://here./">here.</a> Or you can go to your Bible and read Judges 13 - 16.<br />
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A couple of points strike me with this insane story:<br />
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1. He's a major buffoon and yet God continues to use him. This monster of a man has some faults but he had a job to do. He was to begin the deliverance of Israel from the Philistines. He was 'set apart' to do this which brings me to the second point<br />
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2. He was to be a Nazirite all his life. As a Nazirite, he could not:<br />
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- Cut his hair (Judges 16:19 says he wore it in braids)<br />
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- Touch a dead body (I would have no problem following this rule...)<br />
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- Drink anything containing alcohol (poor guy... no Rumchata!)<br />
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To accomplish all his above-stated feats of strength, Scripture says that "the Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power." Samson, the Nazirite, was 'set-apart' for God and obviously looked different with his long hair. As long as he had this hair-do (which was the symbol of his closeness to God) the Spirit of the Lord was on him and he could do the powerful feats of strength.<br />
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Delilah, Samson's favorite prostitute, hounded him into telling her the source of his strength. She shaved off his braids in the middle of the night and he was no longer strong. He really blew it!<br />
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But his hair grew back as did his strength and he proceeded to kill the city by pushing down the temple with his muscles.<br />
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After reading this story:<br />
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- I'm SO glad I didn't live then<br />
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- I'm SO glad I'm not called to do stuff like this - my jobs for God are easy compared to this!<br />
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- I'm SO glad I don't have to grow out my hair to show that I'm 'set-apart' for God.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMZZEja0Gj5xBMwxHxVV-vDCNFlxJSlUrJXsKBDCxu_GSXJ4pbqs-fhKmMPM3UKsAXBwYm5EcW_JQ-LIuiRTzzVJAfm44yZV721aUtNInG69eXQR8HJzijiDy9DSf7Qsafp_AtkykEw/s1600/samson_temple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMZZEja0Gj5xBMwxHxVV-vDCNFlxJSlUrJXsKBDCxu_GSXJ4pbqs-fhKmMPM3UKsAXBwYm5EcW_JQ-LIuiRTzzVJAfm44yZV721aUtNInG69eXQR8HJzijiDy9DSf7Qsafp_AtkykEw/s320/samson_temple.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>We are all 'set-apart' for God.</i></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We all have jobs to do, places to go, and people to meet for God. As believers, our job is to show the world we are different because we have God in our lives. Our thoughts are different. Our goals are different. We have the Spirit of the Lord in our lives which gives us strength to do things we couldn't normally do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>We all get second chances.</i></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When Samson's hair grew back, we was strong again and he got another chance to kill all the Philistines. (Again, I'm SO glad I didn't live back then!) While his hair was growing back, he was stuck in a cellar turning the wheel like an ox to grind grain. He had time to think about his mistakes and rededicate his life to God.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHBxrGgXkAHHlKpQ1N0CgBQJJDeCXriuHOCr1i6YremDFN5bZ3lVvouWmUsmY-chatpJVohBf28Je4-zT_TDocqYgc3L-deHDsK4xvEs7JWqFGBYd-hwO2E1UjvFGh6CATBIuC_NsrQ/s1600/Samson_at_Temple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHBxrGgXkAHHlKpQ1N0CgBQJJDeCXriuHOCr1i6YremDFN5bZ3lVvouWmUsmY-chatpJVohBf28Je4-zT_TDocqYgc3L-deHDsK4xvEs7JWqFGBYd-hwO2E1UjvFGh6CATBIuC_NsrQ/s320/Samson_at_Temple.jpg" width="263" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm SO glad I get second chances, and third... and fourth... and more... I blow it. I fail. I receive mercy and forgiveness. I get going again on the right path with God.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">God is merciful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">God is forgiving.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">God has a plan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">God has a job for you to do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">God will provide the strength to do it.</span><br />
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What feats of strength have you been called to do for God?<br />
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<br />Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11785127074499171.post-39046380330321904432013-10-06T17:59:00.000-07:002013-10-06T18:04:39.855-07:00The Perfect LoafSo... I made bread a couple of days ago. A friend and I attended a bread making class 26 years ago and I still make the same easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy recipe called "The Perfect Loaf" that we learned to make that day. It is fool proof. It's important that you know this because I'm not really a bread maker except when I make this perfect recipe.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfs113vql7t6i4YhFLkFVatzmI6pI4o1FivFsW0rLwM3gGHaiz-8Z70KScj8LBZt-5b0QXHoT5F_Y007lf-B-pLJNmCFVE60faQWlO7MU-GfAzG0b3YVYo7j0NKH7igPBRYod2Aj8qQ/s1600/Image+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfs113vql7t6i4YhFLkFVatzmI6pI4o1FivFsW0rLwM3gGHaiz-8Z70KScj8LBZt-5b0QXHoT5F_Y007lf-B-pLJNmCFVE60faQWlO7MU-GfAzG0b3YVYo7j0NKH7igPBRYod2Aj8qQ/s1600/Image+5.jpg" /></a></div>
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I can measure out the stuff and stir it together in a bowl...<br />
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I can dump out the mess and knead it fairly well...<br />
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I can let it rise in my oven...<br />
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And I can bake it up golden brown.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>But my bread...</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>even though it is a perfect loaf and is tremendously good for you because it's packed with nutrition and nuts and raisins...</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>is not what the Bible would call the </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i> <span style="color: red;">Bread of Life.</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></i></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Jesus called Himself the Bread of Life and invites us all to partake and be satisfied.</i></span><br />
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I love this picture.<br />
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This squirrel is feasting on our left-over communion bread. I bet she couldn't believe her good fortune to have found all this bread hanging out on this feeder! It was a good day for squirrels.<br />
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Today, communion was served all over the world as it was World Communion Day.<br />
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People heard the words of Jesus and were invited to <span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"Take and eat. This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." </i></span><br />
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We all need this kind of Bread, the Bread of Life.<br />
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We all need Jesus; He is easily found and is just what I/we need.<br />
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He is the "Perfect Loaf"offered to all of us.<br />
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Take and eat.<br />
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<br />Janet Collisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404779730463393377noreply@blogger.com0