Constant Companion

     Technology has become my constant companion.  Suddenlink is my internet provider and its name supports its meaning, "coming quickly" and a "link".  Verizon is my mobile phone provider.  They both connect me instantly to businesses for home shopping experiences and to friends on facebook and email.  What would I do without this quick connection to them?   
     Down through the ages we have had different links and connections.  There was and still is the mail, the phone, the personal visit, and the computer but text messaging is fast becoming the favored method of communicating.  I have found that if I forget my phone and leave it at home I turn around, no matter how late I may be in getting to work.  I just cannot be without my phone.  I would be lost without it.  What if I missed a call or a text message? 
     As I think about all this growing technology, I have to admit that none of this will get me in touch and on a communication level with God.  None of this great technology can replace a personal prayer life and a daily walk with God through the pages of His Book.   
     There is one consultation for when I fail to offer up a prayer in the morning before I leave home for work.  I do not have to return home to get God.  The reason is that He is with me at all times through the Holy Spirit who lives within my heart.  What I do have to remember; however, is to slow down and allow God to talk with me.  I often miss His call because I just do not listen for His vibration within my heart like I listen for the phone vibration alerting me to an in-coming call.   
     Last Sunday our pastor requested  that the members of our church fast and pray one day a week.  This is something few of us do, but as I searched the scriptures I found that there were times when people fasted.  In Matthew 4 we are told that Jesus fasted.  In Matthew 6 it says, “When you fast.”   It does not say “If you fast.”  I do believe that God listens to every prayer and every request, but by fasting we are showing a deep desire to seek His will.  We are allowing God to slow us down to listen to us, to respond to us, and to allow us to praise Him, as well. 
     I personally want a sudden, coming quickly, link with God but, more than that, I must have a daily constant walk with Him.  He is the One who sustains me.  I need that constant link in order to get me through the events of my daily life.  In order to obtain this link to my Higher Power, I need to disconnect the  Suddenlink and the Verizon connection I have come to rely upon in order to keep me in touch with earthly people and things; otherwise, I will not create time to talk with God and allow Him to be my constant companion; the One who will refresh and nourish my soul.   
     The only excuse I would have not to disconnect my service is by down-loading a Bible application and reading it daily followed by a true connect to God through prayer.      

      

    

      

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving

     It's Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for parents who loved me enough to discipline and teach me respect for others.  They did not send me to church; they took me.  To get up on Sunday morning and go to church was not an option; it was expected.  They introduced me to the "Greatest Friend" I will ever have.
     It's Thanksgiving!  I am thankful for family times over the years with grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, neices, nephews, and lots of  aunts, uncles, and cousins.  Memories of companionship, family love and ties along with a table full of turkey, ham, dressing, yams, and all kinds of other foods fill my heart and my tummy. 
     It's Thanksgiving!  I am so thankful that although there were difficulties in my first marriage, there was love.  We grew up together.  We enjoyed each other's company.  We were the proud parents of the most wonderful blessing in my life, and our daughter will always be my greatest blessing.  I will love her until the day I die. 
     It's Thanksgiving!  I am so thankful for the man I am married to today.  He is understanding, patient, and kind. 
     It's Thanksgiving!  I am so thankful for my special friends.  Some who I could not think of as ever missing from my life.  I cherish their understanding and their love for me.
     It's Thanksgiving!  I am so thankful for my job -  the people who have touched my life during my career; my bosses, my co-workers, and all those people I have had the privilege to serve.  They have truly have made my life rewarding. 
     It's Thanksgiving!  I am thankful for my church family and its leaders.  Although I may only nod their way as I pass them by, it is their smiles and friendliness I look forward to every Sunday.  These are the ones who will lift you up in prayer and offer support in times of trouble.  I am so thankful for the pastor, associate pastor, song leader, and all the others who work in the Lord's service providing dedicated service to keep my family and me close to the One true power in our lifes.  
     As I sit here in "A Friendly Shade," and consider all the things I have already mentioned, I must acknowledge that God has been in control through it all.  He is the One I offer up my praise of thanksgiving to, and I pray to be more thankful all year long and not just today. 

SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS

      Sitting in “A Friendly Shade,” I see the reflection of fallen leaves lying scattered across the ground.   The trees do not reflect the same image they did during the spring and summer months.  Their limbs are laid bare, and I am left with the chore of cleaning up what was once an array of beautiful clothing layering the horizon.  I see these leaves and bare tree limbs in a different light.  Thinking more about this, I reflected upon the fairy tale story of Snow White and how the wicked Queen changed when her magic mirror told her words something like, "Though fair ye be, ye are no longer the fairest to see."  
     For those not familiar with the story, Snow White's evil stepmother possessed a magic mirror which she asks every morning, "Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"  The mirror replies, "My Queen, you are the fairest of them all." The queen is pleased because the magic mirror never lies, but when Snow White grows up and becomes more beautiful than the Queen her mirror responds, "Oh my Queen, though fair ye be, Snow White is fairer far to see.”  Not hearing what she expects, the Queen gasps! She is horrified.  She becomes bitter and deceitful which leads her to plot evil against Snow White. 
     Mirror images often fool us.  What do we see when we look in the mirror?  Does the lighting over the mirror cause us to look different from one mirror to another?  Indeed, what we see may not be what others see; the mirror reflection could be far different.  Actually what most people come to see, over time, is the reflection of what comes from the mouth and the heart, and it is that mirror image they will remember. 
     If we truly want to become “the fairest in all the land” maybe we need to clean up our attire by shedding the leaves that hinder our growth.  Could we possible take a lesson from the seven dwarfs who rescued Snow White?    
  Bashful- may just have to get outside himself, open up to others, and unashamedly be a good Christian example. 
  Doc – may have to get closer to God and His Word to heal the mind and the spirit.  He may need to provide some loving care toward others to help heal their broken spirit.
  Dopey- may need to wise up and began to love others more.
  Grumpy- may need to make a decision to enjoy life and be happy.
  Happy - already has joy in his heart but may need to be more supportive toward others to spread his “Happy” around.  He needs to show people he cares about them and their happiness.
  Sleepy – could do with a little less sleep to spend more time with God, create more time for church attendance, and allow more time to do good deeds for others.
  Sneezy – needs to take better care of his life style and eating habits in order to become healthier and better able to carry on God’s calling.
     Now that I have given myself a lesson in cleaning up my attire and in what I want to see reflected from the mirror of life, it is time to abandon “A Friendly Shade”, take rake in hand and clean up some of these fallen leaves in order to make my landscape more attractive for the fast approaching festive holiday season.   I would truly like the appearance of my landscape to cause an exclamation, "Though fair other's be, yours is the fairest for all to see."  

 

Black and White

     Through the power of the internet and the camera,  we have opportunities to view many wonders.  Some are magnificent man-made works of art but none of them compare with the breath-taking natural wonders created by God.   If the camera catches God's creations at just the right moment we gasp at the way the light streams through the woodlands, the way lightning explodes beneath the clouds, the flight of a new-born baby bird, the way a rainbow forms a half circle of colors across the sky and reflects into a lake below, the way a waterfall flows over and across the cliffs to a river below,  just to name only a few. 
     Nothing in nature is completely predicable. In other words, it is not all “black and white”, however I would like to share some fascinating and rare black and white works of nature. The squirrel pictures were taken in the Magnolia area.  Although I have heard of sightings of white deer in or near Stephens, the one here is a recent snapshot from a friend of a friend who lives in Tennessee.

      Sitting in “A Friendly Shade,” I have to admire photographers who are creative enough to catch these natural wonders and pass them on for others to enjoy.   Rare visions occurring in nature remind me of Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God.”

The Five Senses

     As I took shelter in "A Friendly Shade" from a light rain shower, I gasped at the beautiful array of fall colors happening in the woodlands just beyond my "Shade".  Many people travel a great distance to have their senses awakened with this mix of reds, oranges, greens, and yellows.  Stepping out just a little I took a deep breathe, inhaled the fragrance of the fresh scent from the aftermath of the rain,  and then reached out my hand to catch a drop of the lingering water drops.  The touch of the rain was ever so light on the palm of my hand, and I realized that  all I was watching, seeing, smelling, hearing, and touching is a work of art from God.   He is busy every day painting a canvas that enhances my five senses and my very being. 
     Most of what I gain from my five senses is taken for granted.  I never realized that until I had a friend vist one weekend.  He arrived after dark, bringing along his young son who had never actually visited southern Arkansas, the home of many, many pines and oaks.  His first comment as he gazed out the window the following morning was, "What's with all the trees?" 
     My thoughts were, "I see them every day, I smell their piney scent, I taste the pollen in their seasons, I hear them whipping about with the wind, I touch the texture of their bark."   Most importantly "God is there! He is in control of it all." 
 

The Five Senses

Listen! You can hear Him;

In the winds of March-

In the snapping sound of snow covered limbs forming a downward arch-

In the gentle, cold wintery breeze-

In the sound of dew drops dripping through the trees-

In the crunch of fallen leaves blanketed beneath your feet;

Listen closely; His voice is quiet and discreet.

 

Watch! There are signs everywhere;

In the glow of an early morning dawn-

In a child’s innocent face as it wakes with a yawn-

In the array of fall colors painted upon the oaks-

In the twinkling stars added by His artful strokes-

In the clouds floating from the east, west, south, and north;

Do you see Him? His beauty shines forth.

 

Taste His flavor! It is so sweet;

In the kiss of peace within the heart-

In the fresh, sweet taste of fruit hand-picked from their shipping cart-

In the cool, moist spring water upon the lip-

In the honey getting sweeter with every drip-

In the spicy seasonings that enrich and flavor;

Taste it all; He hydrates with blessings for all to savor.

 

Take a sniff! Smell the freshness of life;

In the cleansing, aromatic whiff after a spring rain-

In the sweet sniff of field harvested sugar cane-

In the fragrant odor of honeysuckle growing wild-

In the fresh bathed scent of an infant child-

In the titillating, sneezy smell of just-mowed grass;

Smell the day; He created all of nature, first-class.

 

There’s magic in His touch. Love sprouts!

In the calming quiet as the Holy Spirit fills the soul-

In the warm touch of a friend sent to hug and console-

In the love of a child’s arms wrapped around the neck-

In the relaxation of a rain shower sent to keep nature in-check-

In the shivery cold, yet fireplace warmth, of a snowy day;

Feel His tender touch when you kneel to pray.

                                        Mary Crisp Jameson – 11/9/2013

“He did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”  Acts 14:17b

What Difference Do It Make? We Is Filling Up Space!

In "A Friendly Shade," I found myself going back to a story from Charles Stanley's In Touch devotional publication.  The story was titled "Finding Our Way Home."   At the end of the story, Denver, a homeless man said,  "Whether we is rich or poor or somethin' in between, this earth ain't no final restin' place.  So, in a way, we is all homeless - just workin' our way home."  As I reread this I was inspired to write the following: 

What Difference Do It Make?

 This ‘ole world ain’t no restin’ place,

We is all working,

Filling up space.

 

This ‘ole world-

It’s filled with poor folks living in shacks;

The rich with nice clothes on their backs. 

Whatever the case-

It ain’t no restin’ place.

We is just workin’ our way home

Looking for places to roam.

 

No matter the race;

We is fillin’ up space;

This ‘ole world ain’t no restin’ place.

 

What difference do it all make?

If we ain’t got God,

We is a driftin’ by.

It’s Him we shouldn’t deny.

 

Folks is a passin’ through,

And just making do.

There’s trials and troubles,

Joy and laughter,

Sadness and shame-

It don’t matter what we’re after,

Till God comes to call us by name.

 

This ‘ole world ain’t no restin’ place,

We is just fillin’ up space.

                                                                 Mary Crisp Jameson – 10/26/2013

Catch and Release

     One of my favorite past-times is a good ole’ fishing trip whether on a pond or a lake.  It’s almost as good as sitting in “A Friendly Shade.”  In fact, my husband and I recently returned from a trout fishing trip.  This one, I have to admit, was not the typical fishing I am used to doing.  I learned at an early age that if you want to fish you do it all yourself; that is, you bait your own hook, remove your own fish, and clean them yourself.  This is not the way it is when you book a guided trip on the White River.  Jamie, our guide at Hurst Landing does it all for you.  He puts the boat in all the right places and baits the hook.  All we have to do is catch the trout.  Then he removes the trout and releases them, waiting for just the right size to keep.  At the end of trip, he cleans and bags them.    
     We actually did a lot of “catch and release” on this half day fishing trip.  Jamie counted 84 in a four hour span, letting us keep our limit of only five for each person.  I  suppose, if you counted the cost, the trout we brought home would be considered quite expensive.  Needless to say, they will be considered a special delicacy when served.  The ones we released will simply be forgotten.   
     We have been on several of these trips and I have never really thought much about the ones we “catch and release” until I read a story from my “In Touch” devotional publication.  In the story, a homeless black man asked, “I heard when white folks go fishing, they do this thing called ‘catch and release.’  Why?”  The answer was simple. “It’s a sport!”  The reply to that response was mind-catching.  “Well, if you is fishing for a friend, and you gonna’ catch and release, then I ain’t got no desire to be your friend.”
      Hold that thought!  How often do we strive to develop friendships and then let them go.  Maybe one moves.  How much effort is made to maintain that friendship.  Maybe one says or does something we don’t like or agree with.  How willing are we to “let it go” in order to maintain that friendship?   Maybe one has a problem.  Do we get fed-up with listening to their complaints and began to avoid them altogether?  What efforts do we make to maintain friendships?  How do we feel when we are the ones being released?    
     I don’t think the words, “catch and release” will ever mean the same after considering those wise words from this homeless man.