Year of the DOG

2009 was the Year of the Frog: Fully Rely On God. I thought and thought about the appropriate theme for 2010. Year of the What? It had to be short enough to morph into an acronym and it had to be punchy enough to endure for a year....hmmm.

Of course, I thought about deer, squirrels (can you imagine the acronym derived from that?), and all manner of other animals, but dog seemed to work. Now, I have no mascots as of today. I need a dog to represent 2010. Any suggestions?

What does DOG stand for? That would help as you assist me in my search for the perfect canine....Decide on Gratitude.

I am big into making choices right now, so Decide seems to work. Gratitude is always one of my goals. Funny how I eventually get to gratitude (or almost always do), but not so funny how long it often takes me. I try on whining, pouting, finger-pointing, overspiritualizing, and denying many times before grabbing myself by the throat and shaking myself into a grateful condition.

What is the most grateful dog? Any suggestions are welcome.

God is good ---- He has given me two magnificent opportunities to practice just in the first 10 days of the year. A flat tire and a broken water line ----those are good ones. "Brenda, in ALL things give thanks."

I was thinking about that praise song yesterday, "Give Thanks." The opening line mystifies me...."Give thanks with a grateful heart." Can you give thanks any other way?

Well, join me this year of the DOG and aim for gratitude as attitude number one.

HGTV comes to East Texas

"Did you know you have water running down the hill?" Dotsy's sweet inquiry made it sound like something wonderful and new.... an HGTV water feature right in my very yard.
Sadly, this flooding water signified a broken pipe in our sub-freezing weather. I was totally stymied. What in the world do I do?
The water company man said he didn't come out on Sundays, but told me where the water meter was located. "You are the log house on the corner,aren't you ?" Living in a small town is wonderful, except when emergencies arise.
Then again, small towns have big-hearted neighbors who drop what they are doing, jump in their pickups, and rescue former big city girls from their own ineptness.
Of course, I have no water in the house. But, the local plumber will make a stop tomorrow, assess the damage, stop my heart with the estimate, and then go ahead and fix it ---- because he is my only hope.
The water company will add on their facility when I pay my bill. Have you ever seen a water meter whizzing so fast your eyes crossed just watching it? Entertaining until you realize those are your dollars zooming by.
Well, I figure I have one good flush in the toilet, so I am rationing my liquid intake tonight.
No picture, but just a good story. Oh, where is the spiritual application?
Nothing profound - just another example of God's goodness and protection. The woman who discovered the torrent of water in my front yard was a member of my church bringing a loaf of homemade banana bread to me as a new member of Holly Brook Baptist Church. Jehovah-Jireh means God who provides......He gave me banana bread, a sweet friend, and an awareness of the "o'er-whelming tide" as the hymnist put it.
"Be not dismayed whate'er befall ---- God will take care of you." His mercies are unceasing and His kindness unbounded.

You're in the Army Now

Andrew and I left on Christmas Day for our very own pilgrimage to Graceland. It wasn't the house, the cars, or the elaborate costumes that got his attention ----- it was the army exhibit. "Gram, where are the guns?" Ever the boy!

If Elvis hasn't permanently left the building, he will be 75 tomorrow. No chiseled jaw, or six-pack abs for him ---- no, siree....if he is in hiding in the dark recesses of someone's safe room, I imagine he is experiencing the ravages of time. Baggy and saggy - right along with the rest of us.

But, oh, what fun it was to walk through the King's house. Who in my generation hasn't heard of the green shag carpet covering floor and ceiling?

Time with Andrew is worth a king's ransom ---I took picture after picture of this grandson I love so much, knowing trips like this will rarely happen again. He will soon be too cool for that. But, his Gram will "ponder these things in her heart" and be awfully grateful.

We are Family!

On a wonderful day in Nashville, all three of my children and all six of my grandchildren gathered to play, laugh, eat, and be together ---- we came from three states. Heather and Bob brought Andrew and Bree Anna; Meredith and Brian arrived with Colby, Caden, and Colin; Jeff and Anne joined us in their hometown with Jack. My Mom used to look around a table filled with family and say, "Now, THIS is good!" How much I understood her sentiment.
Just think ---- the Marriage Feast of the Lamb will bring all believers from all corners of the globe, from all time, from all tribes and nations to celebrate. Mom will be sitting there and probably smiling as she prounounces, "Now THIS is good!"

Angels of Mercy

"Jack Kinder is in the hospital?" The volunteer at Medical City/Dallas seemed shocked as I asked for his room number. "I am in his brother's Sunday School class and sit next to Jack each week. I will walk you over." Well, "over" meant the farthest possible building from the information desk. Dad died in that hospital and I knew those halls very well, having walked them night after night- hour after hour.
"He's in ICU and I will see if we can come in," my new friend Barbara said.
How is it she was standing there at the very time I walked up? Providence!
While Dad was alive, we read together for an hour or more each day, then prayed. After he died, I volunteered to read to Jack Kinder, one of Dad's friends, each week. Jack, an international speaker, writer, and businessman, suffered a debilitating stroke in January, 1995 while speaking in Chicago. He has no speech, and is paralyzed on his entire right side. I love this time with him ---- it blesses my heart.
So, when I arrived at the rehab and heard he was hospitalized, my heart sank. I headed to Medical City and there I met Barbara White, angel of God.
We entered Jack's ICU room quietly and stood by his bed. A bleeding ulcer was trying to throw him for a loop. But, he is way tougher than anything like that. I told him, "Remember what Dad always said, Jack.....there are people who give ulcers and those who get them." He held my hand tightly and clearly understood we were there.
Before we left, I asked to pray with him - even with the nurse standing by to take blood. I put my hand on his head, and prayed for my sweet friend. With eyes closed, I heard the nurse agreeing with "yes, Jesus...." Jack was in the hands of many angels.
What are the chances of this "coincidence?" None at all. God hugged Barbara, Jack, and me yesterday with a precious time together. He blessed me with a new friend and a short time with an old one. He allowed me to lift up the name of Jesus in the Medical City ICU --- pretty cool.
God hugs are all around us. Sometimes I think "lifting holy hands" is really a child reaching up to a loving Father and saying, "Hold me ---- hold me." And hold He does!

Donuts, anyone?

Last year I gave up donuts -----(yikes, what a very few keystrokes to say that, and what an agonizing life change.) No, it wasn't a New Year's resolution ---- it was just a decision.

Yesterday I drove into Dallas for my "Ministry Wednesday." The East Texas economy must thrive on donut shops......I passed one after another and each time my empty stomach growled. Even the Cruiser wanted donuts.....I had to yank the wheel back several times as I inched past the fat pill shops.

BUT, I made it! I had a great day in Dallas, finishing up with peace and satisfaction.

Then, the dire weather forecast forced me to do a one day turn-around. By the time I arrived in Wills Point (passing 3 donut shops now safely closed for the evening), it was very dark. HMMMM --- what is that strange sound? A bumpy road? Oh, no---- a flat tire? Just at that moment I was passing the last gas station for miles and miles on pitch black roads. The Lord grabbed the back of my neck and "urged" me to turn into the station to check. YEP! A flat tire.

An ad campaign years ago ran, "Oh, thank heaven, for seven-eleven." Well, I fished out my AAA card, called, and said a prayer of thanks as she said, "Tommy's Tow Truck" will be there within an hour."

Just 10 more minutes and I would have been on my own with no lights, no easy access to tow trucks and a long wait.

Okay, where is the donut connection? THE CRUISER GOT A DONUT! Isn't that funny?

So, I am headed to Tyler for a new tire (certainly not in my January budget, of course), hoping the Cruiser's donut tire will make it another 35 miles.

God watched over me so abundantly. Immediately, I saw His hand of provision and protection. I felt like His daughter. What a good God we serve. And, how gracious He was to thump me on the head and say, "Let's not ignore this, Brenda."

I hope I remember this every time I pass one of those delectable donut shops, reminded of God's faithful love for this child.

Great Day

On New Year's Eve I made a list of must do items. I even tried to trick myself by calling them my "get to do" list, emphasizing the importance of gratitude for 2010. But, you know what ---it still felt like a bunch of stuff I failed to do in the last few weeks.

When I was young, I loved to read. I took books from the library, read them quickly, and then somehow failed to return them....they found a home under my bed. Don't ask me why, but I just didn't get the "complete the loop" gene. Well, one day the library sent an enforcer to my house and demanded I cough up all the books hidden away.

After that, I created my "under the bed" frame of mind. When things stayed on my to-do list long enough, they proudly took their place in this hall of shame.

Today I pulled out a vast number of dusty, cob-web covered items AND DID SOMETHING ABOUT THEM!

I wish I could literally lose all the weight I feel has rolled off my shoulders.

I still have two big items to go, but the pesky ones that create ulcer-like conditions in my stomach are checked off.

YAY!