I was standing at the sink, my left hand clutching the greasy handle of the frying pan we had used to make sausage and eggs. With my right hand I riffled through the stack full of dishes hoping that the wash rag would be at the bottom of the pile. I couldn’t find it anywhere. But in the process of dislodging messy dishes I found the scrubby brush. So I used it to remove the burnt sausage drippings from the frying pan. It was then that I realized with thanksgiving that the dishrag would not have done the job. Here I was looking for the wrong implement when what I needed was right there. I thought of how the blood of Jesus is the right thing for cleaning the grease and debris of sin from our souls, and of how often I’ve tried to cleanse myself with some other method. How I’ve gone to self help books, the council from others, self will, and just trying too hard. But it’s His precious blood alone that can clean every spot and blemish from us. We have the right tool always with us. All we have to do is repent and accept His cleansing grace. Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

What does a Christian song writer do in Hell’s Kitchen? Basically eat. They hired me to put their menuesin Braille a few years ago and I fell in love with their food. The last time we were there I asked for some jelly. The waitress said there were 3 kinds and knowing I loveorange marmalade said the marmalade is in front of you. Well my plate was in front of me so I reach to the top of my plate and sure enough there was a glass jar. It was taller then I expected but nevertheless was a smooth glass container. I reached in my spoon to take some jam only to have my husband inform me I was in the candle.

Thursday morning I had made a soft boiled egg for breakfast. The table was set complete with a glass custard cup to hold the egg. I rinsed the egg off in cold water and carried it gingerly over to the table. Wanting to get the still hot egg out of my hand I felt the glass edge of the custard cup and dropped in the egg. Problem was, I’d put it in my coffee mug. People do have eggs in coffee but not the way I almost had it. Good thing the coffee wasn’t poured yet.

Last Saturday Paul and Ivy (my pca) and I were walking into Byerleys. A lady stopped me with excitement in her voice. “Weren’t you in a wheelchair, for like a long time?” I replied that I had not walked for over 10 years but that the Lord was healing me. She was so excited that she didn’t care that we were standing (unbeknown to me) in the middle of the road, that Paul had just fallen out of his wheelchair, and that Ivy was really trying to get Paul picked up, was concerned if he was hurt, was trying to me to move out of the road. Godwas there. Other then for a bruise and skinned knee Paul was fine, no cars came near us. When was the last time you were so excited about watching what the Lord was doing that you didn’t care about the world around you?

The more I draw closer to Jesus the more I am called to step out of my comfort zone. Has anyone else experienced this? I’d like to hear examples of obedience and stepping out.

Last night Ally and I were outside. She cased a chipmunk into the metal gutter pipe near the grill. I could hear the poor thing squeaking wildly as she barked excitedly, pawing and sniffing. Ally backed up for a second and that was long enough for the scared rodent to fly across the deck, down the steps, then thunk! There was a metalic thud as the animal apparently jumped from the ground landing on the patio table right next to where I was sitting. Ally was in hot pursuit flying across the wooden deck and down the steps. Then as the munk ran across the patio table, jumped down and headed to the east end of the yard Ally turned around and began looking for the munk back on the deck. “Ally, it’s that way.” I said gesturing toward the grass on the side of the patio table opposite me. But I couldn’t get the dog’s attention and so the chipmunk quickly disappeared. I thought about it, that crazy loveable black lab could have had the prize of her life if she had only looked up and seen that the chipmunk was on the table. Lord, let me be someone who is looking up at You first cause You are the source of every good thing there is and I don’t want to miss a thing because I’m facing the wrong direction. Amen.

When I was a kid the expression “know it all” was used whenever one person felt belittled by someone else because they came across as knowing everything. Know it all’s always had the answer to everything, they were sure they had the right way, and they weren’t shy about It seems to me when I think of conversations I’ve had with others about God that I’ve come across as a know it all. Father forgive me. Through the Holy Spirit we do have knowledge and discernment but maybe we can all be a bit more Christlike by asking the person we are in conversation with if they have an interest in joy, peace, healing, or whatever it is spiritual that we think God is speaking through us. Then listening, even to their no, and loving on them rather then just dumping our knowledge on them. That is, after all, a lot like standing at the door and knocking, and that’s what Christ did.

Sunday night my brother came over to work on the continuing project of moving our laundry upstairs. Monday morning my husband and I had the following conversation. “I’m glad John could move the sheetrock.” (my husband) “And when he moved it they weren’t there.” “What wasn’t there?” “My clippers.” (me with an incredulous voice) “Why would your clippers be behind the wall?” It turned out he was looking for his hedge trimmer and when I mentioned moving the sheetrock I was referring to the remodeling. He was thinking of some sheetrock we had in our garage which he had John move to see if the missing hedge clippers were behind it. Like most miscommunications there were 2 common elements.

• One wordsheetrock meant 2 different ideas.

• There was lack of knowledge. I didn’t even know there was sheetrock in the garage.

We both had a good laugh thinking of the 40 something year old wall being torn down and the missing hedge trimmers burried behind it. So, the next time something in your home is missing call my brother and see if there’s anything beind your walls.

Picture this. My husband Pauland I were sharing aSnickers bar. I’d take a bite, reach over and feed him a bit. Then bring the candy bar back my direction and take a bite. Back and forth we went until there was just this little nub left.

While this was going on I was in an annimated conversation with my friend {Lisa}(http://www.findingglory.com:80/). What I didn’t realize because of my blindness was that as I gestured I moved my hand toward Paul who bent down his head to take a bite. Just when he was closing his lips on the candy I’d move it away. This happened 3 or 4 times and then I ate that luscious last nibble. Lisa cracked up and we all had a good time snickering at the Snickers.

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The words in the subject of this post were, fortunately, not mine. They were the words of a small child. I overheard them as I was getting into the therapeutic swimming pool at Sister Kenney Institute. It saddened me that a child so small should say such a thing. However I’m sure they are not alone. However it is possible to overcome fear and trust issues and I’d like to showcase children who have had fear and trust issues. Do you know of a child who has risen from trauma? Were you someone who overcame a childhood of fear? Share your story.

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