​Can you think of something you loved to do as a child that you enjoy just as much today?  One of the things on my list is listening to stories from my dad’s childhood.  Even if I’ve heard some of the stories again and again, I just love to listen to him.  I really love it on the rare occasion when I get to sit down with my aunts and uncles and listen to them all chime in and laugh and add details the other might have forgotten.  Sometimes I feel like I’m being catapulted right into the middle of the story myself.  I can remember the names of people and places that were never a part of my life because their stories have been handed down with such detail and emotion.  I wasn’t alive when WWII ended but I’ve heard my dad talk about that day when he was a little boy and Grandpa closed up the store so they could load up the car and drive around with a picnic lunch celebrating. I’ve never lived in the day of prohibition, but I know stories about young men and their fast cars that carried bootleg whiskey across state lines.  I’ve never known a life without indoor plumbing or electricity, but the stories make me realize I’m blessed by my abundance but lacking in the simplicity and peacefulness of that time.   Not all of the stories are fun, some are hard to tell and hard to hear but they are all a part of the story of my family and God’s fingerprint is so clear throughout.  I’m always sad when the conversation ends.  I just want to know every part of the story.

 Jesus had a magnificent story, a story of heaven.  He didn’t talk about it like a distant mystical place; He talked about it like it was home.  His stories were rich with detail and hope.  He had a way of drawing people in, and they would sit at his feet and listen as long as he spoke.  I can’t imagine what it would have been like to sit there and listen, to be inspired and amazed and encouraged. 

A young person recently made me realize how important it is to share the stories of our life and our family and our faith.  I came away from my conversation with her realizing we need to share the most important part of our story…the part that lets people know what God is doing in our lives.  Some think faith is a private thing, a personal thing.  What if Jesus had thought that very same thing?  What if he’d kept the news of his Father private and personal and never shared the details and the emotion with his followers?  What would have happened if the Apostles had kept the story of Jesus to themselves?  

When you sit down to tell your stories, past and present…tell them the whole story. Tell them how God has been a part of your history, your life, your success and struggle?  We can’t assume our others know about our Faith…we have to tell the story for the same reason Jesus did, to inspire, encourage and amaze.

A Seed To Plant: Make a list this week of the ten greatest ways God has been a part of your history.  Share at least three of those before the month ends.

Blessings on your day!

As many of us take time this Lent to dive deeper in prayer and scripture I think we will discover that Jesus had a favorite word and he taught over and over that we should put that word into action.  The word…LOVE!  It covers a multitude of sins and corrects a mountain of troubles, but what does it look like?  I’ve had the Beetles song “All I need is Love” stuck in my head for a week and then I came across this article below; the Holy Spirit no doubt is responsible for this post!  I have no idea who wrote it or I’d give them credit and a thousand thank you’s. 

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?' The answers they got were broader, deeper, and more profound than anyone could have ever imagined!
**'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore... So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too.  That's love.'  Rebecca - age 8
**'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'  Billy - age 4
**'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.'  Karl - age 5
**'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.' Chrissy - age 6
**'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.' Terri - age 4
**'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.'  Danny - age 8
**'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and just listen.' Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
**'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate.' Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)
'**Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it every day.' Noelle - age 7
**'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.' Tommy - age 6
**'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.' Cindy - age 8
**'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.' Elaine - age 5
**'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.'  Chris - age 7
'**Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.' Mary - age 4
**'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'  Lauren - age 4
**'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.' Jessica - age 8
**And the final one: The winner was a four-year-old child whose next-door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry.’
A Seed To Plant: These snippets have so much to think about!  What if this Lent was all about finding ways to LOVE BIGGER!  It’s impossible to focus on loving others harder and be selfish at the same time.  
Blessings on your day!

Happy Valentine’s day and Happy Ash Wednesday.  The two don’t really seem to go together but every so many years they both wind up smack dab on the same day!  When you think about it, Ash Wednesday is the first day of lent which is above all, a season of sacrifice offered to the Lord out of love so maybe it’s not such a surprising match up.

This is the first Valentine’s Day I won’t be receiving a stack of cute little cards and candies from a room full of students…that seems like an Ash Wednesday sacrifice for sure.  I was thinking about that today and I remembered a conversation with a first grader many years ago and it made me laugh.   One little boy asked me who ever came up with the idea of Valentines Day with the hearts and cards and mushy stuff in the first place.  I told him I’d share the whole story on Valentine’s Day but as a sneak preview to the lesson I told him the day was the feast day of St. Valentine. He smiled and said “I can’t wait to see what she was all about.” I smiled even bigger and said, “St. Valentine was a boy.”   His jaw dropped and he said, “No way a boy thought of all this, you gotta be kidding me!” I laughed out loud! 

Although I really enjoy February 14th, one thing about the holiday I don’t enjoy are the little candy hearts with messages.  My philosophy quite basically is; if it isn’t chocolate candy, it isn’t worth eating!  I saw bags and bags of these little treasures the other night and as I stood reading some of the messages, I had a thought. What if we read each of those candy messages and added the words “said God” at the end of each one?  I started laughing right in the center aisle of the store.  Not all of the messages worked, like the one that said UR HOT STUFF, Said God…but most of them worked!  When we are reminded in the New Testament letters to pray often and include God in all of our plans and love Him with our whole heart and soul, we sometimes have to think creatively.  I do think God reminds us often how much he cares for and loves us; we just don’t always see it.  If God is the author of love, who’s to say He can’t write a love note on a heart shaped lump of pastel colored sugar.  Here’s what He might be saying to you…BE MINE said God,  UR AMAZING said God,  UR SWEET said God, TRUE LOVE said God, XXOO said God or CRAZY 4U said God. 
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If you happen to come across some of these little holiday treats this Valentine’s Day, grab a few and see what message God might have for you.  For extra credit tell someone else to add the words to the messages they read.  Nobody ever said love couldn’t be silly and besides, those icky little candy hearts have now been given a purpose in my opinion!

A Seed To Plant: Take some time today to prayerfully ask God how He wants to help you feel and share His love this Lenten season.  And share this joke with everyone you talk to today. Q: Did Adam and Eve ever have a date? A:  Did Adam and Eve ever have a date? A:  No, they had an apple.
Blessings on your Day!