My favorite time of the day is the morning when I first wake up.  I’m not referring to when the sun shines through the cracks in the blinds and slashes bright rays on the walls and in your eyes.  Nor when the birds are chirping, dogs are barking, and the sounds of families going to work and school filter through the walls of my home for me to hear.  I am always awake before my alarm.  It’s still dark.  It’s very quiet.  Sometimes it can be as early as 4a.m.  I softly walk to the kitchen and turn on the Keurig.  I put a splash of milk in my coffee mug then push the button to let the hot coffee mix with the milk and make my perfect morning brew.  Then I sit at my table and warm my hands on the toasty mug and talk to God.  It’s quiet, but I whisper softly and He hears me. 

I don’t have a ‘prayer list’ like some people do.  But I have a lot of people on my heart who I talk to God about.  This morning, after sharing with God the hurts and needs of so many friends and family, it was so obvious to me.  What was the common desire of all those I prayed for?  All of the hurts and needs and requests had to do with relationships; people loving people who wanted that other person to be present in their lives.  I prayed for a friend who wants healing so that she can be around to enjoy her grandchildren.  Another friend battles cancer and I prayed for healing so her husband can “have more years to share being together.”  I prayed for the safety of a wayward son whose parents ache to know how he is and where he is.  There were no prayers for a bigger house.  No prayers for a newer car, or the most fashionable clothes or newest gadgets. 

As the parent of a special needs child, there were times with Amanda when she was facing another surgery or there was some new medical issue or another infection to face.  I can remember taking a ‘therapeutic’ walk and pouring my heart out to God.  I bargained with God and would tell him that he could take every THING in my life – my house, my car, all my possessions, and just all I had if only I could see Amanda back to health so that she could be with us still on earth.  It would anger me as I thought of all the people who lived life for more stuff.  How important are stylish clothes and a super cool car or a big impressive house, or tickets to the concert?  I could not understand how people could make all those ‘things’ a priority.  I wanted to scream and tell them that, in the end, was that stuff really important?  If you were going to see a spouse, a daughter, or a best friend for the last time, was there really anything more important than them?  But life would go on as the earth kept spinning and people would continue on their worldly journeys as I ached for my daughter. 

Life DOES go on and as we go through each day with jobs and school and family, we can get so caught up in THINGS.  The bottom line?  Life is about relationships and the people we love.  And Jesus loves all of those people.  In your final days, it is the people in your life that will matter.  Pray for them!  Love them.  Take some time to talk to God about the people you love.  He hears your prayers. 

Praying for you!

just Laurel

Hosanna! 

Happy Palm Sunday.  This is the beginning of the most important week in Christian history and the life of Jesus.  Can you imagine that day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem and people paved the way with branches and hailed him as King?  I guess the chief scribes and priests were a bit indignant about all the excitement about Jesus and thought the crowd should quiet down.  Jesus told them that if the people were quiet , that the very stones would shout out! 

As I gave thought to Palm Sunday and (by the way) the wonderful message at church today, I reminisced about the Good Friday service that we used to attend at our old church.  At the Good Friday service, the altar was slowly stripped of all things religious and symbolic as the service progressed.  At the end, all candles were even extinguished and things were barren, and dark, and quiet.  Finally, the pastor would slam the bible shut and it was put away.  We would leave the church in silence.  I would leave church feeling very sad and very frightened actually at the thought of a godless world.  It was cold and dark and unknown.  Did the birds stop singing when Jesus hung on the cross?  Was all of creation silent? 

I can relate to this by what happened when my father died.  My father, or ‘Pop’ as we called him, had quite the collection of tools and things and family trinkets and a cornucopia of little treasures everywhere in the house – especially in the basement where there were shelves of his collections.  Every item had a story attached to it.  I loved hearing his stories.  After Pop died, I remember the day I first went to the basement of his home for something, and it took my breath away.  Here I was in the midst of all of Pop’s treasures and memories and the silence was deafening.  It brought me to tears.  The silence that all these items emitted was so painful.  They would never be held up by Pop again with the special story each one owned.  Everything was dead.  Gone was Pop and gone were the stories that gave each item life.  I still cry at the loss – both of my Pop and of his wonderful treasures.

I cannot bring back my Pop, nor breathe life into his collection.  But thank goodness for Easter and the resurrected Jesus! 

I love when we sing “King of Kings by Hillsong at church.  Everytime, and I mean EVERY TIME we sing the third verse, I tear up:

And the morning that You rose
All of heaven held its breath
Till that stone was moved for good
For the Lamb had conquered death

And the dead rose from their tombs
And the angels stood in awe
For the souls of all who’d come
To the Father are restored

Jesus died on the cross on Friday.  I’m sure the dark and silence was deafening.  I can imagine the emptiness and pain that heaven felt – to be mourning the cruel death of God’s Son on the cross.  “All of heaven held its breath” and I bet you could hear a pin drop.  What a sigh of relief and a shout for joy when Jesus rose from the grave!  I bet the birds sang anew and even the rocks cried out! 

As we journey through Holy Week, keep in mind what Jesus has done for you.  Imagine a world without Christ, without life, and without hope.  It alarms me that our world seems to be going in the way of Godlessness.  That’s frightening.  Jesus offers love and hope and eternal life.  On Easter Sunday, rejoice with all of creation as the birds sing and nature shows the new life of Spring in every blooming plant and warm kiss of the sun. 

1 Peter 1:3 ESV Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

just laurel

We love to take people sailing with us. Most people have not had the experience, and we enjoy showing them ‘the ropes’. This past weekend we took our friends, Verne and Von, sailing with us and it was the first time for both of them to ever be on a sailboat. It was a very hot and humid day but the wind was perfect for a day on the lake with calm waters. It’s always cooler out on the water so the winds at 9 to 11 knots was perfect for moving the sailboat as well as letting us feel cooler than the current conditions.

Sailing is more than knowing what ropes to pull or what direction to steer. It’s all about the wind! If the wind is coming from the north and we want to go south, then we loosen up the sails and let them catch the wind to blow us south. We technically can only go about as fast as the wind is blowing – as we are blowing with the wind. It’s also a very hot point of sailing – there is no breeze because we are moving with the wind. Now what if we want to go north and the wind is still coming out of the north? Now you have to think about aerodynamics and the idea that our vertical big white sail is like a vertical airplane wing. Although we cannot sail head on directly into the north wind, if we zig or zag a little left and then right, the sails can cause ‘lift’ and we are sucked into the wind and can move towards our north goal. Ted likes to explain it this way – if you wanted to get to the top of a super steep hill, you might not get there by going straight up, but could zig to the left, then zag to the right, and eventually get there. Now think about being in a car on a windless day. Just by driving, it will feel windy as you push through the air. So it is with sailing – as we push through the air, it will feel windy as we sail into the wind. Sailing downwind or with the wind, it is not too breezy. But sailing upwind or against the wind is when it can feel very windy and that’s when you see those sailboats leaning!

Our friend Verne was more than happy to try his hand at steering our sailboat. He quickly got the feel of it! At first, we were sailing upwind because it was so hot and Ted wanted to sail in a way that we’d get a breeze and cool off. The boat was leaning or ‘heeling’ a small amount and we were sailing quite nicely on Lake Michigan on a hot August day! Ted had Verne turn the boat in a way that we were then traveling downwind. Same wind. Different direction. The boat flattened out on the water and it felt like someone had turned the wind off. Verne felt the difference and actually exclaimed, “Wow, what a difference in the wind now.” It was quite a dramatic and noticeable difference. Same lake, same boat, same wind and wind direction. The only difference was that we had turned. We changed direction.

It made me think.

I think about times in my life when I’ve felt ‘stuck’ in a situation or circumstance. Maybe I’ve gotten bad news and I worry and have a tearful breakdown. But if I give it some time and thought, by the next day I can cope better as I’ve either come to terms or have adjusted my thinking so that things don’t seem so bad now. Or think about a job you may have had and hated. You can stay stuck with what you think you can’t change, or you can either try to change things at the job or go find another job. We are all like captains of our own ships – steering through life and reacting to the winds of change. If we don’t like what’s happening, we can have a change of attitude and simply turn away from the turbulence towards a calmer, less windy environment. We may not be able to change the wind or the waves, but we can adjust our sails and steer somewhere else.

In Matthew 10 of the bible, Jesus gives authority to his twelve disciples to find the lost sheep of Israel. The disciples were told to heal the sick, drive out demons and proclaim the kingdom of God. Jesus gave them clear instructions on where to go, what to take, and how long to stay with these final words: “As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.”

I love those instructions! And what a lesson to us as well! Jesus sent the twelve into the world with a task. The wicked and lost world was as it was. The disciples were coming with healing and good news. But Jesus was wise to tell them that if people were not nice and rejected them – if things got stormy and turbulent – that they were to leave. Change direction! Jesus told them to simply turn away and go somewhere else! And – the best part is they were told to shake it off and forget about it. Leave the dust behind and find better results in a different direction!

On our sailboat last weekend, Verne learned how different the journey can be with the same wind and waves but steering in a different direction. May that be a life lesson to us all. Turn and change direction!

just Laurel

How can it be August already? Like me, I am sure you are all trying to make the most of the summer while you can before the kids go back to school, before the weather changes and we say farewell to summer sunning, sailing, swimming, and vacationing. It’s just the way it is. The sun rises and sets, the earth turns, new days keep rolling around and the days and years tick away. Life is motion. It just keeps going on and on.

A week or so ago we had quite the storm front pass through. It was late afternoon and Ted and I were at home in our apartment. Thunder rumbled and the rain came down in fierce torrents. It was loud! When the rain finally slowed to a misty sprinkle, I noticed a dark sky in the east with the sun blazing from the west. Perfect rainbow conditions! If you know me or read my blogs, you know I am obsessed with rainbows! I kept getting up and looking out the window, anticipating that colored bow in the sky. Ted and I were watching something on the TV (I can’t remember what) but I was restless and could not sit still. I KNEW that rainbow was going to appear.

Sure enough! …

Oh my I was giddy! I was like, “Ted! Look look! I told you there would be a rainbow!” And so rainbow sightings always take me back to Noah and the rainbow God shared with him. When God made his covenant with Noah and all mankind to not destroy man and beasts with a flood ever again, He needed a ‘sign’ and the rainbow appeared. There are no other verses in Genesis that talk about rainbows before this. I am sure there was the ability through creation and optics and light rays to have a rainbow happen, but I bet God was like, “ohhh I don’t want to do THAT (cause a flood) ever again and I need to show them that I really mean it …. so now what can I do? Hmmm …. if I bend some light waves …. oh oh oh …. this is cool! I can project this big bow of color across the sky. How cool is that!”

It made me think!

God is faithful. God is true to His promises. He is always there. And as we roll through life, through seasons and events and years, the one steadfast and stable thing we Christians have is our Lord. When the storms hit – Hold on to His hand and look for the rainbow!

And how fantastic is it that the miracle of a rainbow – that God projected in the sky for Noah – is still a miracle that God shares with us over 2,000 years later!

Have a blessed day!

just Laurel

I’m an observer. I like to watch people and I like to watch nature. I’m always looking to see what’s around me. I’m always looking for the unusual or the unique. And I question what I see. For instance, I’m fascinated by how birds will gather together in just one particular spot and all line up on overhead wires – like thirty of them – all in one spot. And it’s a popular spot where birds often flock. Why? Did they have a prearranged plan to meet up? Who decides? I also love to compare the view from the same place but in different seasons. What a miracle to see bare trees and snow and yet months later see gorgeous green leaves and colorful wildflowers dotting the ground. How cool that life can hide away below frozen ground and then emerge when sun and rain calls. Then the same green of summer will turn to the beautiful rich reds and yellows of Fall. You’ve seen a flower emerge from the cracks of busted cement? Like, wow! How did that seed get there and what perseverance and drive made it grow and bloom!

We have such a creative and unbelievable God – who created ALL things! What a mastermind He was – and is! Think of bees and butterflies and all the pollinators that enable plants to bear fruit! Think of critters that EAT insects! Think of the amazing colors and sweetness of fruits like watermelon, raspberries, grapes, and oranges! I could go on and on!

The other day as we were leaving church, I had Ted pause for a moment. We were already in the car, and I noticed this tree.

Don’t you think it’s odd? Do you see how it looks like a small tree within a tree?

It made me think.

🙂

The bigger tree with bare branches looked dead. There were no leaves or even buds of leaves on those empty branches that suggested any life. But yet, emerging from the center, it looked as though new branches appeared. New life! It seemed the perfect representation of having new life in Christ! We are all born sinners, but in Christ we are forgiven and made pure and new and reborn! Just like this tree!

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Please keep that thought in mind today. If you are tired, or you’ve botched things up, or you’ve strayed from your faith, or you feel like you blew it as a parent or a spouse, or you feel like you just want to start over – well, you can! Give it up to Jesus and let Him make you new. Let Him help you with a fresh start. Even if you feel like you are at the end of possibilities with no hope or second chances, let Christ into your heart and let him nurture new growth and a changed YOU!

Revelation 21:5 ESV And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

Have a blessed day!

just Laurel

Another beautiful weekend in west Michigan and, of course, we went sailing. It was a sunny July Saturday and besides Ted and me, we had Jon and Gina on the boat with their daughter Julia and her husband Kevin. We were all seasoned sailors although some more and others less. Both Ted and Jon have raced together. Gina has raced a little less, and Julia and Kevin were not strangers to boating. The weather called for just the right amount of wind and it was pleasantly warm. When we got to the shipyard, I noticed quite a LOT of wind. I even was hearing it howl as it blew through the boats docked in the water and whistle as it played through the masts and rigging of so many boats. Ted always checks several weather apps on his phone and usually has quite accurate and up to date forecasts to help him decide if we will go sailing as well as where and when. Our boat is docked at a shipyard on Lake Macatawa. Lake Macatawa has a channel that takes you out to great Lake Michigan. If the weather on the big lake, Lake Michigan, is too windy or the waves too big, we can opt for staying on smaller Lake Macatawa that is better protected from the stiff winds that also bring larger waves.

We left the dock and headed out the channel to Lake Michigan. Ted’s weather forecast seemed legit as the waves on the lake were small with no whitecaps at all. We sailed north and ate and drank and laughed and sailed with fairly steady winds that sometimes slowed down so that we would get quite heated from the sun, but then the wind would give a big puff and we would lean a bit more in the water. Sailboats are meant to lean – very rarely do they tip over. I’ve been on enough sailing trips and races to know that strong winds and point-of-sail can cause the boat to really lean and slice through the waves. To the inexperienced sailor, it can be a bit unnerving at first. But sailboats have this big heavy keel on the boat of the boat – like a big fish fin that cuts down into the water – that helps keep the boat right side up.

After a while, we turned the boat south to head back to the channel and get off the big lake. Out of nowhere, like someone had flipped a switch, the winds escalated to a howl and changed directions. The waves were suddenly much bigger with whitecaps all around us. The boat was WAY leaned over, the sails were vibrating and flapping in the incredibly wild winds, and the boat was rising up then smacking back down on the water. Ted got the motor started to gain more control of our task to get off the big lake. We needed to get the sails down as they were being over-powered by the winds. Our first attempt was to furl our headsail. The headsail is the sail at the front of the boat and ours can roll up like a vertical window shade if you pull a certain line to ‘furl’ it. Well, Ted pulled and pulled but the wind was blowing on the sail so intensely, it wouldn’t budge. We decided that we would have to loosen the line that hoists, or raises, the sail to get it down and out of the wind. At this point, Ted was at the wheel of the boat, Julia and Kevin were sitting just in front of Ted, Gina was having a major anxiety attack and went below to hold on for dear life, and Jon and I were at the mercy of Ted’s commands. Jon and I crawled on the bouncing boat with the wind whipping at us to the front of the boat. Ted set free the line for the headsail, and Jon and I had to physically pull the sail down to the deck of the boat and then lay on it to keep it from blowing off the boat. At this point, we were sailing UP the waves, then slamming DOWN and with each slam, a wave of lake water splashed over the bow of the boat and showered us. We were able to get a strap and lashed the sail on the deck so that it would stay put. Now, with just the mainsail and the assistance of the motor, we worked our way through the waves and the howling wind to the channel. Once in the channel, things calmed quickly as we eventually made our way to Lake Macatawa.

Later, I had to sit back and think through all that happened. It was quite an intense experience! It was so interesting to see how everyone reacted. Poor Gina admitted to struggling with anxiety due to recent life experiences – and actually apologized for hiding below deck. I felt so bad for her! As I helped in gaining control of the boat, I was distracted by her needs and how she was doing. Gina is a woman of God and I knew she was already praying for our safety when, in the heat of our wild windy and wavy moment, I shouted down to her over the roar of the wind, “Pray for us Gina!” Jon and I were simply ready to help and kept looking at Ted for instructions. “Tell us what to do” I had shouted to Ted. Julia and Kevin? I can’t even remember seeing them, although I knew they were sitting there in the boat. Later, when Gina walked them to their car when they left, she said that Kevin stated, “That was a GREAT ride – so exciting. Thank Ted and Laurel.” At one point, I remember looking back at Ted and I saw a man who was calm, cool, and collected with a smile of pure joy on his face. He knew we were not in danger and that the boat was NOT going to tip over, and the wind and the waves and the frenzied episode of crazy winds were making him giddy. He was thrilled.

The whole experience made me think.

🙂

Was this what it was like when the disciples took Jesus out on their boat and a storm came up? Were they caught off guard, not expecting the weather to turn? Did some of them hide? Did they hold on for dear life? Were there some who stepped up to do whatever they had to do to get safely back to shore? Who was at the helm?

The disciples were obviously frightened as they cried out to Jesus to save them before they were going to drown. They had already spent quite a bit of time with Jesus, and yet when the storm hit and Jesus was physically WITH THEM on the boat, they still thought that they were not going to survive.

Jesus Calms the Storm
Mark 4: 35-41
That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

We have all weathered storms in our lives. And we will probably face a few more before our time is up. Hasn’t Jesus always navigated you through the storm? He has literally saved us! He can literally calm the storm. When the wind starts howling and the waves crash, will you hide down below deck, will you ride it out, try to help, or face it with faith and be confident in knowing that with Jesus at the helm, He will see you through the storm.

just Laurel

Last weekend I had the fantastic opportunity to cross Lake Michigan on a 62-foot sailing yacht. Wow! Chance of a lifetime! The boat simply needed transported from Holland, Michigan where it was stored for the winter to Chicago for the summer sailing season. Ted and I were part of the transport team. A last-minute cancellation from another crew member gave me the opening to join and I must say I struggled with my decision. What do I pack? What about all the stuff I was going to get done while Ted was gone and doing this boat transport/delivery? And most importantly, what if the lake gets rough with big waves and I get seasick? I love sailing, but I love sailing in favorable conditions. I DO get seasick from time to time.

I quickly decided that this was a chance of a lifetime, and I’d be a fool to pass up this opportunity. With similar speed, I quickly stuffed some clothes in a backpack, including some Dramamine “just in case”.

We left the dock around 7:30pm with the plan of sailing through the night. Why? Weather conditions were looking to be perfect through the night and with rain forecast the next day, the guys wanted to get the boat delivered before we would have to sail in stormy, rainy conditions.

The trip started out just fine with flat water and a beautiful sunset as we watched the MIchigan shore slowly disappear. As it became dark, Ted and I got tired and went below deck to lay down and sleep while the other guy stayed at the helm. I woke up about 1:30am and went topside to find that Ted had woken up as well and was at the wheel with everyone else asleep. He had woken up and offered to steer and take watch. It was dark, the waves were small, the air was cold and crisp, the boat only slightly heeled, stars everywhere, and the surrealness of being in the middle of Lake Michigan on this beautiful yacht.

It made me think. 🙂

How did sailors, centuries ago, figure out where they were and where they were going? A compass and the stars, I guess. All we had to do was look at the screen on the boat, and we could see exactly where we were.

Today’s technology also allowed us to take our trip in weather conditions we found favorable. Back in the day, the weather could turn without warning and the waves and rain could get pretty wicked. The boat we were on also had an auto helm – meaning that we simply could push some buttons and tell the boat which way to steer so that Ted could sit back and watch the sky, or the instruments, or even close his eyes while we sailed along. The night sky was beautiful. We watched the sliver of the moon rise. We could see the glow in the far distance of cities on the shore. If I squinted and look hard enough, I could even see tiny blinking red lights from tall pipe stacks, miles and miles away. The Chicago skyline appeared like Christmas light hours before we reached shore. It was breathtaking.

Back in Jesus’ days the sailors and fishermen were at the mercy of the weather and their crude and simple knowledge of reading the stars (when it wasn’t cloudy and they could see them) and maybe watching the shore (if it wasn’t foggy and they weren’t too far away) to navigate safely. They didn’t have any glow of lights.

Psalm 107:23-30 NIV Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. They saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful deeds in the deep. For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. They reeled and staggered like drunkards; they were at their wits’ end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.

It’s no wonder that the bible has so many references to waves and storms and crashing waves. They could relate. When life is good, it’s smooth sailing. A life full of challenges is like being tossed by the waves. When things get really tough, the huge waves crash down, and you feel like you are drowning. Like a ship tossed in the stormy waves, life can turn upside down. You can have a life of poverty with empty nets, or you can be a prosperous fisherman with nets full. No wind or waves can keep you floating in the same spot, just as we can have stagnant times in our lives.

Sailors and boaters today have a great advantage over those of the past. We don’t have to navigate blindly with only a compass and the stars to guide us. We have our GPS, radar, weather forecasts, marine radios, and other helpful technology. However, we are still the same in that we live lives that face ups and downs (like rolling waves), feeling overwhelmed (like drowning), having no direction (being lost in the fog), fearing the unknown (unable to see the dangerous rocks near the shore), feeling stuck (having no wind or waves to move us), and feeling scared and hopeless (caught in the storm). As we face the crazy journey of life, we can share with men of old the same solution: Allowing Jesus to be our navigator; our captain at the wheel; our calm in the storm.

Matthew 8:23-27 NIV Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

We all have our ups and downs and challenges in our lives. If you are like me, I have better managed those times when I’ve kept close to my Savior – holding fast to Him. Letting Jesus navigate and steer the way for me always delivers me safely to the next shore.

Romans 8:28 ESV And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

After a long and beautiful night of sailing, we pulled into the marina on the south side of Chicago somewhere around 5:30am. We got the boat safely tied off, sat back and relaxed, and watched the skies explode with rain. The weather forecast was correct, but we made the trip before the storm!

May your day be one of smooth sailing, and when the seas get rough, trust Jesus to deliver you.

just Laurel

If you didn’t already know it, Ted and I have a sailboat that we enjoy sailing and taking people sailing on. We’ve had it twenty plus years now. Since Ted is ‘semi-retired’ now, he has much more time to spend on fixing things on the sailboat – little things that have been neglected or need freshening up. We’ve gotten new sails, new lifelines, new cushions, as well as fixes for little drips here and there, and lots of cleaning and shining. One issue that needed attention was the toilet – the valves that stopped back-flow were a little leaky and old so Ted decided to get replacement parts and tighten up those pipes and connections! One sunny afternoon he decided to take on the issue. I quietly sat and watched as I tried not to talk and interrupt his concentration. He had it taken apart, was washing old parts, reading instructions, and sorting out new parts to replace and put together. I captured the moment:

Watching him made me think.

I wonder how it was when God created the world and everything. I tried to imagine him with parts all over the place and instructions in His hands. Considering how many ‘parts’ there are and all that would have to be constructed, it would be quite a daunting task! But my view of God with parts and instructions is flawed as it comes from an earthly mind with limited earthly and man-made design. Fortunately, we are studying the book of Genesis with our current church sermon series and I got to read and take another look at the creation story. In chapter one of Genesis, all God had to do was say “Let there be … ” and it happened! Let there be light – BOOM! – and there was light. Let the land produce vegetation and – POOF! – things were growing. Let the waters teem with living creatures and the sky with birds and the land with living creatures – TA-DAH! and the earth was teeming with life! Then God said “Let us make mankind in our own image” and here we are! All God had to do was speak it – and it was so. And the bestest greatest part is that after everything He created, he stood back and looked at what He had done and declared that it WAS GOOD. In fact, when He was all done creating, he stated that it was VERY GOOD.

When Ted had all the parts back together – the toilet was still not right. One of the replacement gaskets didn’t fit quite right and things leaked worse than before. Obviously, the replacement parts weren’t enough (and didn’t fit right) so he ordered a whole replacement unit of the valves and toilet pumping system – and it works great now!

I remember a former pastor, in talking about creation vs evolution, once described how if you took say, a pocket watch apart, and put all the pieces in a jar, then tumbled that jar around for years and centuries and forever – would those parts finally and coincidentally put themselves together and form a pocket watch? His point – do you really think that the universe just tumbled around with parts and metals and substances, and elements and they just all coincidentally formed the planets and all life on earth? NO! Life was CREATED by a CREATOR. It was done with creativity and design and just the way God intended. IT WAS GOOD. VERY GOOD.

God did not have leftover parts, nor parts that didn’t go together right. He formed things just the way he wanted. What a wonderful thought and reminder for us! God made YOU just the way HE wanted and with purpose. The parts all fit together just the way he wanted. No extra or leftover parts. And to look at the bigger picture, when we struggle with the craziness of this world, isn’t it comforting to know that God has a plan and purpose for all things?

YOU were created by God. You weren’t a coincidence or an accident. God thought you up without the need for any instruction manual. He thought you up and – here you are!

just Laurel

Genesis 1:1-5 NIV In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Colossians 1:16 ESV For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

John 1:1-3 ESV In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.

I’ve been smelling a lot lately.

Oh my. That doesn’t sound good! Let me clarify.

I’ve been very focused on the scents and smells around me lately. We all talk about things or people that we’ve seen, and we talk about the yummy things we’ve eaten, but we don’t talk a lot about what we smell. Unless it’s a bad smell, of course, then you want to identify it and get rid of it.

For example, I took my granddaughters strawberry picking last week and fresh strawberries smell so so wonderful. We might drool when we see a juicy red strawberry but try giving them a sniff and they will taste even better. I pity the person who lacks a sense of smell and cannot enjoy food to its’ fullest. Here are my granddaughters smelling the berries they picked – I told them to take a big whiff, and I think they were surprised by what they smelled as they lingered there for quite a while.

The other day there was a fire at the Nelis Dutch Village – a local tourist place that focuses on the Dutch culture and includes an old Dutch barn that houses animals for their petting farm. The fire happened around midnight when no one was there. People at a nearby Planet Fitness thought they smelled smoke and the concern was that perhaps some of the tanning beds were getting hot – or even close to being on fire. Using their ‘sniffers’ the people were able to turn their noses to the source, and finally noticed the flames coming from the barn across the way. It wasn’t seeing the flames that first alerted them to the fire – it was the smell of smoke.

Today I went walking at my favorite place – Mt. Pisgah. See my post … path … to read more about Mt. Pisgah. I usually see and hear so much on my walks at Mt. Pisgah, but today I tried to focus on the SMELL. It was very hot today and we’ve had a bit of rain lately. It smelled hot, and humid, and green, and mossy, and steamy. It was very earthy. And it smelled like the woods and decaying trees, Here’s a picture of the steps today – you can see how damp and mossy things were.

So I wanted to see what the Bible had to say about smells!

In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 2, verses 14-16 Paul writes: “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.” The message here is that as Christians, God can lead us as we spread the Gospel and tell others about Jesus. To those who are looking for a Savior, it is a sweet fragrance of hope and life. To those who reject Christ, it may lead to a not-so-sweet smelling life. But what a neat imagery of having God work through us so that people notice this sweet aroma of Christ’s love and compassion that they can have, too.

There are also several instances where the bible talks about the burning of incense – now there’s something to smell! But the early church did not burn incense because of its association with paganism. However, the Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox Church use incense as part of their worship to create an atmosphere that shows how our prayers are going up to God himself. Psalm 141 verse 2 even says: “May my prayer be set before you like incense.” Another neat imagery – of how our prayers drift heavenward to the ears of our heavenly Father.

I encourage you to be more smelly – haha! – to entertain your sense of smell and discover how powerful some scents are. And may you walk with Christ in a way that people don’t need to see a literal sign around your shoulders to know you are a Christian. Maybe they can catch a whiff of it in the way you act and speak.

just Laurel

Ted and I went last Saturday to this thing – a fire – that was presented by the Michigan Prescribed Fire Council of which our son-in-law Andy is part of. Yes, they had an actual fire. It was part of a “Learn and Burn” education day that explained and demonstrated HOW they burn land areas and WHY.

Did you know that fire is very important to the environment? It can clear out old overgrown debris that chokes out new growth. It can minimize the spread of insects and disease while recycling nutrients back into the soil. And with burned areas that offer a flatter surface of new growth – it can provide a stop to potential catastrophic fires that burn out of control. There is much much more about WHY prescribed burns are so beneficial – click here to learn more.

The fire we watched covered an acre – and was indeed controlled.

It made me think.

I love the song “I Will Never Be the Same Again” that I’ve often sung in church. Here it is if you want to listen to it:

I Will Never Be The Same Again Hillsongs w lyrics YouTube – YouTube

The song speaks about how God can and DOES cleanse us – and changes us. We may simply ask for God’s forgiveness and He, with marvelous love and grace, can forgive us of all our sins. And if we are on the wrong track in life, we can call on His strength and power to change us. Sometimes those changes take time – and sometimes those changes can be painful as we perhaps endure unpleasant situations that bring about our change. Think about maybe an unplanned for job change, or financial crisis, or the death of a loved one, or a health issue. The lyrics sing about how we are to “sweep away the darkness, burn away the chaff, and let a flame burn to glorify Your name.”

So what is chaff? Mathew 3:12:  His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” In biblical days, when wheat was harvested, they first cut the wheat stalks, then brought them to the threshing floor. “Threshing” is where you separate the wheat from the useless parts of the stalk. The ‘chaff’ was the husk or covering of the wheat grain. By using a winnowing fork, they would toss the threshed wheat into the air so that the wind could blow away the useless (and lighter weight) chaff.

The bible verse from Mathew 3:12 speaks more about how God will, in the final days, take His faithful followers home with him. God knows his people and will take them with Him but those who deny Christ and live in sin will face the unquenchable fire. But I think there is a lesson here for us on another level. As we grow and learn and become more like Christ and as He helps us through trials that make us to be stronger and more faithful Christians, God is in a way cleansing us from our old ways. Our trials are like the threshing and the winnowing is how we give up and/or separate ourselves from past sins and unsavory lifestyles. Just like all the regrowth of plants and trees after a fire, we can ‘burn’ away those old useless bad things in our lives, only to be changed and cleansed. Like scorched and cleared land, we will have room to grow back better and stronger.

just Laurel