Strength In The Few...

 

It has often been said, “There is strength in numbers”. As many of you know, I like to follow a podcast called The Daily Race done by Pastor Ryan Nuñez from Palm Valley Church in Avondale, AZ. The main idea comes from Pastor Ryan; the musings are mine. 

While on vacation in Pismo Beach, I was considering all the employee changes that we will have for this coming school year. I was kind of having a pity party and so that I didn’t spoil everyone else’s day, I decided to get away and pray. I found a quiet place on a tree covered sand dune and sat down. I thought about Pastor Ryan’s podcast and started listening.  

It was from I Samuel 13 & 14. Chapter 13 says that, So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them. They had only 2 swords with them! Imagine going into battle with only 2 swords. No wonder they were all just sitting around waiting for a plan. Ch. 14 tells how Jonathan and his amour bearer find a group of Philistine soldiers, trust God for the outcome, and kill 20 soldiers. God sent panic and an earthquake, and the Philistines began to flee. The Israelites began to pursue, and the day was saved. The key here is that God did it, but he didn’t need huge crowds or great resources to do it, just one sword. The message to me was so personal and so strong. I had to step back and Thank God for His encouragement. I even took a picture of the spot so I wouldn’t forget. I titled it, Remember. It still is a bit scary trying to work through everything, but it is exciting to remember that God does some of His best work with almost nothing.

“If you do little things like they’re big things,

God will do big things like they’re little things.”

Mark Batterson Author | Speaker | Lead Pastor, National Community Church

 

Bubbles – In the Moment

 As you enter Mickey’s Toon Town in Disneyland, there is a large artificial grass area on the right shortly after you come under the train bridge. It’s the perfect spot for a young child with the ubiquitous Disney bubble wand. Normally I am not a real fan of that many bubbles. They can get irritating while you are waiting for the parade. They seem to aim directly for your face and nose while you are standing in line for a ride or a churro. But here, they’re almost magical. While the bubbles are floating through the air, an amazing transformation takes place. Children of various ages run and play together as if they have been best friends for years. They giggle and laugh; they run and dance. No one is made fun of. No one is rude or mean. They all take turns seeing who can catch the most bubbles. They wave them in the air. They trail them behind as they run in circles. They even make little piles of bubbles for others to admire. I have even seen adults join in. Fathers hold their child on their shoulders so the bubbles can go high in the air. Mothers help pop bubbles in a contest of who can get the most. I heartily recommend the bubble refill if you can afford it. It allows the fun to keep going. It’s called living in the moment. No one is thinking about the prices. The crowds don’t seem to matter. The stress of trying to get to the next ride fades away. You even forget that you have already walked 20,000 steps and it’s only 6:00 pm. It’s magical, heartwarming and cathartic, at least until the bubbles run out. 

We could learn something from these children. When was the last time you did something so wholeheartedly, that you forgot the cares of the day? It doesn’t have to be new or fancy. It could be a sport (like fishing for me) or a nature walk. It could even be a good book. Yes, we need to plan, follow schedules, and be present in our work. But maybe, just maybe, there is still time for chasing a few bubbles… 

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

he refreshes my soul.

Psalm 23:1-3 NIV

 

Butterflies

As long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with butterflies. I would collect caterpillars and grow them in jars under our picnic table. I would clean the jars and add fresh leaves every day. There were often several different kinds of caterpillars under there at any one time. One of my favorites was the monarch butterfly. I remember collecting many caterpillars while watching my grandfather fly his remote control airplanes at a friend’s farm. I’m sure I watched more butterflies than planes back then.

Caterpillars have a beauty all their own, at least to those who appreciate them, but compared to the final butterfly, many might describe them as drab or just down-right ugly! After a week or so they would mature and stop eating. They would climb to the top of the jar lid and hang head-down in a “J” shape. After about 24 hours they spit their skin and voila!, they become a chrysalis. One to two weeks later, they would begin to darken and the butterfly’s colors begin to show. I remember, at one of my birthday parties, I had one out on display as it began to “eclose”. (That’s the fancy word for the process of coming out of a chrysalis.) They come out with wings that are shriveled and folded. As they pump fluid into their wings, the wings expand and finally stiffen as they dry. It never got old. Let’s face it, I was a science nerd back then also.

The butterfly starts as a tiny egg, spends a few weeks as a caterpillar, changes into a chrysalis, and finally exits as a beautiful butterfly. It’s interesting to note that while it is a chrysalis, it disassociates into a seemly formless “soup” of cells that then reorganize into the final butterfly. That’s pretty amazing for such a tiny creature.

I like to think of this life as the caterpillar stage. We are just getting ready for who we will become. Someday we will be transformed and have our heavenly bodies.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7 NIV

who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.  Philippians 3:21 NIV

 Ya! We don’t have to be lowly caterpillars forever!

Beauty and the Beast

 Tale as old as time, Song as old as rhyme, Beauty and the beast.

Songwriters: Alan Menken / Howard Elliott Ashman

Beauty and the Beast lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company

 It has been said, Behind every successful man is a proud wife and a surprised mother-in-law. Today is our 42^nd wedding anniversary. Now I’m not sure how surprised my mother-in-law was, but my wife has reason to be proud. She has put a lot of work into me. I really cannot imagine where I would be without her. Knowing who I was back them, I probably would have self-destructed, self-imploded or at least given up. I was a beast of sorts, unsure, untrained, unexperienced, but full of energy. She help me through college, and has supported me in every endeavor.

She has always been the beauty. I have always had a picture of her on my desk at school. In fact, once, one of my students even accused me of leaving the store picture in the frame to make it look like I was “married to a model”. Boy was he surprised when she came to visit tone afternoon!  

She has stood by me through thick and thin, and always encouraged me to be the best I could be along the way. She helped raise 5 children in California on only one salary, something that many said could not be done. She sewed dresses for the girls on holidays and special occasions. She also made sharp outfits for the boys. She cooked amazing meals. She was always there. My son recently said that he never knew we were poor while he was growing up, because mom always planned such nice vacations. We went to the Grand Canyon, camping at California beach parks, even Disneyland. She is multi-talented, Godly, and full of love. Her love extends beyond just our family, but also to anyone around her. She is truly, one in a million. We now have 9 Grandchildren that keep us busy being Mema and Papaw. I had no idea the journey, with all its highs and lows, would be this exciting. 

So, today, I wish her Happy Anniversary, and say Thank You for changing me into what I am today. I could not have done it without you! 

Did I ever tell you you're my hero?

You're everything, everything I wish I could be

Oh, and I, I could fly higher than an eagle

For you are the wind beneath my wings

Songwriters: Jeff Silbar / Larry Henley

Wind Beneath My Wings lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc