Thanksgiving at the Laundrymat?

 Wash. Rinse. Spin. That’s what was on my menu early in the morning one Thanksgiving a few years back. With no kids of my own, and my siblings out of town with their families, it was just any other Thursday for me. “Might as well have clean clothes,” I muttered, walking into the laundromat. High up on the wall, where the television was mounted, a newscaster reported on the already clogged traffic conditions.

I headed to a pair of unoccupied machines, passing a few other unlucky people. I didn’t see any of the usuals. Sometimes I chatted with a new mother whose baby napped in a plastic laundry basket while her onesies were washed. She was probably sitting around a big table right now, her baby smooshing peas in a high chair. I glanced at a man in a grubby T-shirt that read “How can I ignore you today?”

I separated my colors and whites. Lord, what would my grandmother think if she saw me here today? When I was growing up, Thanksgiving meant turkey baked to golden-brown perfection served on Mamaw’s best tablecloth. Mashed potatoes. Creamed corn. Green beans she’d put up in Mason jars. Pumpkin pie with whipped cream. The food was delicious, but the secret ingredient was togetherness. That’s what made Thanksgiving special.

Beside me, a mother loaded a dryer with sheets and blankets. Her kids ran around behind her. I counted six of them in all. They reminded me of the family in that old TV show, The Waltons. The series was a spinoff of a classic television special called The Homecoming, which still sometimes aired. I’d watched the premier with Mamaw one Thanksgiving when I was ill. I’d kept to myself most of the day, but when Mamaw sat with me to watch A Walton’s Family Reunion, I got that same warm, fuzzy feeling being amidst my own family gave me. We were long past the era of the Waltons, with families often spread far and wide at too far a distance to come together at Thanksgiving.

While I transferred my clothes from the washing machine to the dryer, the six kids peppered their mom with questions. “Can we go to a movie when we get there?” The mom sighed wearily and addressed them all together. “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a dozen times. There’s just enough money to get us to Grandma’s. No movies. No ice cream. And,” she added for the child whose nose was pressed against the glass of a claw machine, “no new toys.”

I turned back to my dryer. I’d thought spending the day with other lonely people in a near-empty laundromat would be sad. Spending it with people on their way to somewhere special was worse. The youngest child sidled up beside me to watch his blankie go round and round in the dryer window next to mine. A scraping noise made us both turn around. His brothers were pulling chairs across the floor, setting up rows facing the TV. One of the sisters tore a magazine page into squares. “This ticket is for you,” she said to me, and motioned to a chair. Before I knew what I was doing, I was seated in the front row looking up at a toothpaste commercial. The kids took their places around me.

“Shh!” the littlest boy said. “The movie is starting.”

I glanced over at my dryer, wondering how long this “movie” would take. A familiar strain of music caught my attention. It took me a moment to place it. The theme to The Waltons! The kids probably had no idea what they were watching, but the theme song slowly drew the other customers in.

“I just remembered, I’ve got candy in my pickup!” a man said, jumping up. “I’ll go grab it.” Not to be outdone, a lady hauled in a cooler of soft drinks from her car. “They’ll have plenty at the grandkids’ house,” she said. The man in the grubby T-shirt held the door for her. He wasn’t ignoring anyone anymore. When my laundry was done, he brought me over a favorite paisley sock that I’d dropped on the way from the dryer back to my movie seat. I watched as I folded my still-warm clothes, feeling thankful. There was no other word for it.

Without turkey or homemade pumpkin pie, our little group had found the secret ingredient that made Thanksgiving special. In the oddest of circumstances, we'd gathered together.

(source:  A Special Heaven-Sent Laundromat Gathering | Guideposts)

🦃🦃🦃

Thanksgiving can happen even at a laundromat. Oh, there may not be the usual turkey dinner spread. But for people that have no one else, or nowhere else to go for the day, it can be a place where they can share what they have. 

Many of us, are so blessed to have what we have. Family, friends, food, and most of all our Heavenly Father. And it doesn't have to be a place such as a laundry mat where lonely people can enjoy the day. 

And it's true that turkey and mashed potatoes are not the important part of Thanksgiving. It is being together for the day, no matter where we are. However, we can invite someone that has no place to go, to join us at our own table. 

And while we enjoy the day, we should never forget to thank God for the blessings he has bestowed on us during the year.

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever Psalm 118:1.

Thanks for coming by, Friends. God Bless you!

Gifts Given By God, Can Be Re-Gifted

 Hello, Friends. Thanks for coming by today. I don't have much time to be here today, but I didn't want to leave you without anything. So I decided to share some thoughts with you. Here we are, at the end of October, and the next two holidays just around the corner. Wow! Where did the year go? We had some changes in our family and I have no doubt that some of you, did as well. I think it is very fitting as Thanksgiving comes soon, that we are reminded that God has given us each at least one talent or gift that we can share with others. Maybe some talents are larger than others. Maybe mine is smaller than yours. But if given by God, each one is important to His Kingdom.

It reminds me of my mother who passed on to heaven in 1995. She loved people and although had many problems dealing with life over the years, she was always thinking of someone. 

She had a lot of talent. (I joke occasionally that she took my share, lol)  Two of her passions were her garden and yard sales. And she blessed others as she shared the two of them with her friends, acquaintances, and those she loved.

So she would go to the yard sales and pick up vases that were pretty and didn't cost much and take them home and when someone she knew needed a friend or she was just going to visit them, she would put a bouquet of her flowers in one and take it with her and give it as a gift to that person. 

I have inherited some really pretty vases that she kept in her home always filled with the flowers she had tenderly cared for.

It seems such as a simple gift. And didn't cost her a lot of money. But she enjoyed it as much as the person receiving those flowers. And no doubt, it was her talent from her Father in heaven that loved her so.

No matter what He might have given you, or how small it might be, we all have a part to play in God's grand scheme of things. . And whatever talent He has given you, you can pass it on with the same love that she had. 

And in the meantime, remember to thank Him for all He has done for you! 

• "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:34

Until next time, Have a blessed Day!

• 
  

The Bride's New Name

 It had happened the moment she said “I do.” Instantly, her name changed. She had inherited her husband’s name, belongings, and being.

Anna smiled at the remembrance of the day she had gone from a Lawson to a Newman. Then her eyes moved back to the paper on her lap. The paper she had unthinkingly signed with her maiden name again. Would she never remember?

She’d been adjusting to her new name in other ways too. Her whole lifestyle had changed when she got married–she’d gone from being homeless, stealing or begging for each meal, to living with incredible wealth. Yet she’d forget that she now had her husband’s riches and fall back into her old street ways more often than she’d like to admit. Her failures loomed before her as mountains sometimes. She was so unworthy…

“You’re worthy because your my wife.” Anna remembered her husband’s precious words after she’d confessed to him her failures yet again. He saw her as worthy, not because of what she did, but because she was his wife!

And little by little, Anna was learning to live like the new, dearly loved woman she now was. She was learning to live in the truth of who she now was because of all her husband had bestowed on her. She was learning to live out her new name.

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

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (ESV)

(see: Changing Her Name – Christian Perspective)

👰👰👰👰

The above story rings true for many brides today. Brides do usually take on their new husband's name, assets, and more. 

When I got married, over 50 years ago, my family wasn't poor. But we weren't rich either. And at the time, I had been living on my own for a year, trying to find my way in life. 

It wasn't easy. Not depending on my parents anymore. They did help me a bit. But I was basically on my own and I have to say, it had been a fairly good experience for me.

When I met my husband though, it was a quick (too quick actually) courtship and a simple ceremony in my parent's beautiful yard.

Suddenly, like the woman in the story, I was privy to his name and his income, instead of me having to live on my barely minimum wage job. 

So I can identify with the story above. But, I want to speak more of name changes, and not material assets that new brides get when they marry.

biblically speaking, of course,

Did you know that one day, in heaven, we will go through another name change? Consider this:

 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. Revelation 2:17

And in chapter 3, this:

 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. Revelation 3:12

As exciting as our wedding may have been, when we took on the name and assets of our new husbands, just think of how much more exciting it will be in heaven. To inherit our place as sons and daughters of the 'Most High God!'

It is indeed something to look forward to. To have him wipe away all of our tears, in a place where there will be no more death or sorrow or pain. Revelation 21:4

It's hard to even imagine. In a world filled with hate, anger, and death. Where our tears could fill a river at times. 

Someday, God is going to take all that away and give us a new name! 

What a day that will be!

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. Have a blessed day!

Games People Play

 Sam had mastered this new game—or so he thought. Every turn, he had a choice as to what he would buy. And most turns, Sam diligently collected more resources. His collection was vast and diversified. He had resources of every value, shape, and variety. Surely he was doing well!

And Sam didn’t slack up in his efforts as the game progressed. He kept trying harder and harder as the game progressed. He wanted to finish well.

The problem is, Sam hadn’t read the instruction manual. Well, I should say he hadn’t really paid attention to all of the instruction manuals. He’d read sections (where he saw that resources were important) but he hadn’t really processed the part where it talked about the purpose of those resources. You see, the main objective of the game wasn’t about having a large collection of resources. Those resources were to be used for a purpose—to buy investments that did count in the end.

When the game ended, Sam was met with a shock: all he had accumulated didn’t count for anything. In the end, they were all simply taken away. Only the investments they’d been used to purchase lasted…and Sam hadn’t made very many investments at all. All those turns that he spent accumulating more resources he could have made investments that mattered…but he hadn’t. He had wasted turn after turn after turn. And now it was too late. Oh, how he wished he’d not been playing the wrong game.

***********

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV)

Thought to ponder: Am I investing in eternal treasure or am I caught up in things that don’t last? Am I digging into God’s Word to understand what really matters or just following my own strategy and thoughts as to what each day should be like? Am I living life my way or His?       (see:Short Story: Playing the Wrong Game – Christian Perspective)

💖💖💖

Sound familiar. I think it might to many folks. I know it does me. Maybe you haven't had this experience in video life. But how about the game of life?

That's how it has been for me. Putting into hours and hours of trying to bring in money so as to just survive, in a job. Of course, it did help. We need money to be able to live. But it was really unreasonable because I was able to work a lot of overtime during some of those years. What I have today because of it-well let's just say it helped. To be fair, it did help me get the social security check I get every month now. And I am thankful for that. But the only other thing I am really left with is a few awards for having held the last job before I retired. 

Don't get me wrong. I am glad I had it and hope I made at least a small difference. Because that was the reward I wanted. Not for the recognition but just personally for me. 

But that job or the others I had prior to it, gave me no lasting treasures as I drew each paycheck. I had not used most of it to further God's Kingdom. I had not laid much treasure in heaven, through them,  

Even so, I know God understands. And he doesn't hold things against us, as we do others. 

My treasures here on earth don't count so far as material goods. The important ones are my family. Other than that, the rest are laid up in heaven and cannot be taken away. 

I just want to hear God say to me: "Well done good and faithful servant..." Mathew 25:23

Because He is the treasure that ascends all others. Praise God!

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

Human or Heavenly?

 

Higway Angel

I barely managed to coast, cruising, into a gas station, glad only that I would not be blocking traffic on the highway and would have a somewhat warm spot to wait for the tow truck. It wouldn't even turn over. Before I could make the call, I saw a woman walking out of the "quickie mart" building, and it looked like she slipped on some ice and fell into a gas pump! So I got out to see if she was okay. When I got there, it looked more like she had been overcome by sobs than that she had fallen. She was a young woman who looked really haggard with dark circles under her eyes. She dropped something as I helped her up, and I picked it up to give it to her. It was a nickel.

At that moment, everything came into focus for me: the crying woman, the ancient Suburban crammed full of stuff with 3 kids in the back (1 in a car seat), and the gas pump reading $4.95. I asked her if she was okay and if she needed help, and she just kept saying "I don't want my kids to see me crying," so we stood on the other side of the pump from her car. She said she was driving to California and that things were very hard for her right now.

So, I asked, "And you were praying?" That made her back away from me a little, but I assured her I was not a crazy person and said, "He heard you, and He sent me."

I took out my card and swiped it through the card reader on the pump so she could fill up her car completely, and while it was fueling, walked to the next door McDonald's and bought 2 big bags of food, some gift certificates for more, and a big cup of coffee. She gave the food to the kids in the car who attacked it like wolves, and we stood by the pump eating fries and talking a little.

She told me her name and that she lived nearby. Her boyfriend left 2 months ago, and she had not been able to make ends meet. She knew she wouldn't have money to pay the rent January 1st, and finally, in desperation, had called her parents, with whom she had not spoken in about 5 years. They lived in California and said she could come live with them and try to get on her feet there.

So she packed up everything she owned in the car. She told the kids they we,re going to California for Christmas but not that they were going to live there.

I gave her my gloves and a little hug and said a quick prayer with her for safety on the road. As I was walking over to my car, she said, "So, are you like an angel or something?"

This definitely made me cry. I said, "Sweetie, at this time of year, angels are really busy, so sometimes God uses regular people."

It was so incredible to be a part of someone else's miracle. And of course, when I got in my car, it started right away and got me home with no problem. I'll put it in the shop tomorrow for a check, but I suspect the mechanic won't find anything wrong. (See this an other inspiring stories at:    Highway Angel - Christian Stories )

💖👼💓

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Hebrews 13:2

💓💓💓

Angels. Whether human or heavenly, are to serve others. And sometimes, heavenly angels may not be dressed to look the part. But, they are around. And even may surprise us at times.

We never know where or who they are.

Thanks for coming by, Friends. God bless your day!

W

Sometimes We Have To Pick Up A Stone

 

Have you ever heard of the "name it and claim it" teachings that are in some churches? The above statement reminds me of it. I have shared much about my own personal church experiences in my posts and made the rounds with this teaching too. 

The teaching of "name it and claim" simply means that if you want something, you "name it" (I supposed God needs you to tell him exactly what you want instead of just asking him for it) and then in the name of Jesus, claim that it is yours. 

One pastor that was teaching it years ago, even said it was fine to claim something that belonged to someone else. 

Hummm. Where in the Bible does it say not to covet thy neighbor's goods?  What about his wife? Oh yes, those are part of the ten commandments. Is it ok to claim them, just not covet them?

I don't think so. 

But I digress. Anyway, sometimes what we need or want is a couple of ways why we pray to God, who will give us the desires of our hearts when we delight in him.  Psalm 37:4

And sometimes, those prayers have to be followed up with action. If David had prayed for God to deliver him from his enemy, Goliath would not have waited for a chance to kill David. He would have taken him out pronto.

Instead, David wasn't stupid. And he won the battle between them. 

Having said that, there are times that we just have to pray and believe in faith that God will answer us. And really having faith is an action But sometimes, God does require something more of us. 

He doesn't want us to sit on our hands and do nothing but "name" (I want to get a new carpet: like someone told me once) followed by "claim" and see the carpet fall out of the sky onto her floor, even if it doesn't happen just then. Really? 

Of course, maybe she didn't expect it would fall out of the sky. She didn't say that, but it was the way she said it that made me wonder if she believed it. Being a young Christian, I didn't question her as she was older than me. Who was I to say?

I would have questioned her now and told her what I think.

Isn't it possible that God expected her to save her money, and go to the carpet store to pick it out and then have it installed?

I should say so. But that teaching has misguided a lot of people. And it boils down to the fact that God answers the prayers of those that delight him. But it depends on action. An action regarding faith. Or something else. Like picking up a stone.

I have never seen the phrase "name it and claim it" anywhere in the bible.

Have you?

Thanks for coming by Friends. Have a blessed "Lord's Day" for this is the day that he made for us!

Not On The Outside, But In The Heart

 

                               The Shoe Man Poem

My alarm went off
It was Sunday again.

I was sleepy and tired
My one day to sleep in.
But the guilt I would feel
The rest of the day
Would have been too much
So I'd go and I'd pray.

I showered and shaved

I adjusted my tie.
I got there and sat
In a pew just in time.
Bowing my head in prayer
As I closed my eyes.
I saw the shoe of the man next to me
Touching my own. I sighed.
With plenty of room on either side
I thought, "Why must our soles touch?"
It bothered me, his shoe touching mine
But it didn't bother him much.

A prayer began: "Our Father"...

I thought, "This man with the shoes
has no pride.
They're dusty, worn, and scratched
Even worse, there are holes on the side!"

"Thank You for blessings," the prayer went on.

The shoe man said
a quiet "Amen."
I tried to focus on the prayer
But my thoughts were on his shoes again.
Aren't we supposed to look our best
When walking through that door?
"Well, this certainly isn't it," I thought,
Glancing toward the floor.

Then the prayer was ended
And the songs of praise began.
The shoe man was certainly loud
Sounding proud as he sang.
His voice lifted the rafters
His hands were raised high.
The Lord could surely hear
The shoe man's voice from the sky.

It was time for the offering
And what I threw in was steep.
I watched as the shoe man reached
Into his pockets so deep.
I saw what was pulled out
What the shoe man put in.
Then I heard a soft "clink"
as when silver hits tin.

The sermon really bored me
To tears, and that's no lie
It was the same for the shoe man
For tears fell from his eyes.
At the end of the service
As is the custom here
We must greet new visitors
And show them all good cheer.

But I felt moved somehow
And wanted to meet the shoe man
So after the closing prayer
I reached over and shook his hand.
He was old and his skin was dark
And his hair was truly a mess
But I thanked him for coming
For being our guest.

He said, "My names' Charlie
I'm glad to meet you, my friend."
There were tears in his eyes
But he had a large, wide grin
"Let me explain," he said
Wiping tears from his eyes.
"I've been coming here for months
And you're the first to say 'Hi.'"

"I know that my appearance
Is not like all the rest
"But I really do try
To always look my best.
"I always clean and polish my shoes
Before my very long walk.
"But by the time I get here
They're dirty and dusty, like chalk."

My heart filled with pain
and I swallowed to hide my tears
As he continued to apologize
For daring to sit so near.
He said, "When I get here
I know I must look a sight.
"But I thought if I could touch you
Then maybe our souls might unite."

I was silent for a moment
Knowing whatever was said
Would pale in comparison
I spoke from my heart, not my head.

"Oh, you've touched me," I said,
"And taught me, in part;
"That the best of any man
Is what is found in his heart."

The rest, I thought,
This shoe man will never know.
Like just how thankful I really am
That his dirty old shoe touched my soul.

- Leanne Freiberg

(see:Inspirational Christian Stories and Bible Illustrations)

💖💖💖

The above message is made even more clear by what Jesus said:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Mathew 25:34-40

💖💖💖

Unbeknownst to many in the church today, we as Christians do not have "the market" on the inheritance that Jesus promises to those that follow him. And in fact, for those that come to him-not with the lovely clothes they wear, or the fancy car they drive-but with the heart that sincerely and desires God, they are the ones who impress God. No matter how they look on the outside. 

Because God also says this:

 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

God blesses us when we give to those that are needy. Whether in material things, are sick and needing comfort, or perhaps even just an elderly man that couldn't get his debit card to work at the checkout and would have to leave the store because he couldn't pay for what he wanted to purchase. These are the kinds of things that we can do for Jesus because when we do for others, we do for Him. 

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. Have a blessed day!

Small Can Mean More

 

The Hummingbird Story 

Once there was a great forest fire.

All the animals fled to the edge of the forest and froze in fear not knowing what to do. They watched as the flames began destroying the beauty of their home.

Finally, a tiny hummingbird flew to a body of water and took a few drops into its beak. It then flew quickly toward the fire allowing the drops to fall on the roaring flames.

Over and over the tiny bird continued. 

Drop by drop.

Back and forth.

Again and again.

The other animals watched from the edge of the forest, and called to the little bird, "What are you doing?"

The hummingbird replied, "I am doing what I can."

(see: The Hummingbird Story - Small Matters)

💖💖💖

Such a simple story. But it is a big illustration of what can happen if one person is not afraid to try to do something important, even when they may be the only one in a sea of those that stand back and let others do what it takes to get something done. 

Maybe that bird did not save the forest or the homes of his friends. But he was willing to do what little bit he could.

Maybe we can only do a little. But God honors even that much and can turn it into much more.

We just have to be willing. Even if we don't think we are of any use to God's Kingdom, there is always something that no matter what we think, if we just step out in faith, He can use us.

We are the hands and feet of God here on earth. Not that we are gods. Not at all. We are human beings that He has put us here, to do what He calls us to do. 

And if we don't do what He calls us to do, believe me, He will find someone else to do it.

As Isaiah 6:8 says, we should be willing to go when we are called by God: 

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8). Here I am, Lord. Send me. 

(Read more here: ( "Here I am Lord" Bible Story and Meaning of Isaiah 6:8)

And so the next time you know that God is asking you to do something for him, ignore the thoughts that you can't do it and say to him;

"Here I am, Lord. Send me."

And what he will do, is give you what you need to accomplish His will and all to His glory.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. Have a blessed day!