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.    

 

 

 

Holy, Holy, Holy! Prayer

I posted a praise to my Lord yesterday, and as I sat in "A Friendly Shade," I decided today to make a revision to use it as a prayer to praise God.   So often all we do is "ask" and forget to praise our God from whom all blessings flow.    

 

Holy, Holy, Holy!

Is my Lord in all your glory.

You are my Lord of Hosts;

Let me praise you uppermost.

You are my Lord in all your majesty;

My King who sits upon the throne;

Let me worship you and you alone.

Holy, Holy, Holy!

Is my Lord in all your beauty.

You are my guiding light;

Let me sing your praises day and night.

You are the King of Kings;

My Lord who reigns on High;

Let me honor you, not I.

Holy, Holy, Holy!

Is my Lord in all your righteousness.

You are my Shepherd and my Lamb;

Let me praise you for what I have and who I am.

You are my Lord, the Lamb of Life;

The One to whom none can compare.

Let me lift your name in prayer.

Holy, Holy, Holy!

Your glory fills the land.
Amen!

                          

                                                     Mary Crisp Jameson – 10/22/2013

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.  Isaiah 6:3

 

 

 

 

Holy, Holy, Holy!

     In the silence of "A Friendly Shade,"  I could not help but think about our church service today and how the pastor described the Lord.  I agree with him.  There is no way we can describe Holy.  As the pastor stated, "It would be a failure to even attempt to do that.  God is indefinable!"  All I can do is to give Him as much praise as I can for the three descriptive words the pastor used today.  God is glorious in Holiness, Beauty, and Righteousness.   Below is my failure to give Him the praise He deserves.  

 

Holy, Holy, Holy!

Is my Lord in all His glory.

He is the Lord of Hosts;

Let me praise him uppermost.

He is the Lord in all His majesty;

The King who sits upon the throne;

Let me worship Him and Him alone.

 

Holy, Holy, Holy!

Is the Lord in all His beauty.

He is my guiding light;

Let me sing His praises day and night.

He is the King of Kings;

The Lord who reigns on High;

Let me honor Him, not I.

 

Holy, Holy, Holy!

Is my Lord in all his righteousness.

He is the Shepherd and the Lamb;

Let me praise Him for who I am.

He is my Lord, the Lamb of Life;

The One to whom none can compare.

Let me lift His name in prayer.

 

Holy, Holy, Holy!

His glory fills the land.

                                         Mary Crisp Jameson - 10/20/2013

 

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.  Isaish 6:3

Listen! He Comes

     As I listen intently to the thunder in "A Friendly Shade" and patiently wait for the coming rain shower I remembered that God lives everywhere.  He is with me at all times- through joy, disappointments, and hardships.  If  I will just "Stop" and listen, He is there.

He comes!

Echoing through the mountains,
rumbling through the trees
silently through the breeze.

He comes!

Roaring like a lion,
charging through the wind,
quietly in the silence of the mind.

Listen!  He comes.

Peacefully in the Spirit,
truthfully in the word,
faithfully in prayers, heard.

He comes!

Calmly giving life,
hourly giving peace,
daily giving increase.   

Listen!  He comes.

Brightly through the lightening,
loudly through the thunder,
joyfully through the rainbow wonder.

He comes!

Loudly through the traffic,
zooming through the rush hour,
silently through the rain shower. 

Listen!  He comes.

                  Mary Crisp Jameson -10/13/2013

 "Look, he is coming with the clouds..." Revelation 1:7a

 

 

What's On My Mind? Facebook Friends!

     What’s on my mind? … It’s my facebook friends!

     I was away from “A Friendly Shade” for a few days, and it was my facebook friends who kept me close to the home front.    
     Although folks don’t visit and call each other as often as they once did in the past, facebook friends have become a circle of friends who are staying in touch, encouraging each other with positive talk, sharing news of interest, and praying for each other.  Whether in times of trouble or need or by just being a friend remembering another, we are a circle who are holding hands around the globe and networking with each other. 
      I got so uplifted just thinking about my friends and, and must say, “Proud to live in the South.”  I do not think you will find a group of more loving people; people who are not ashamed to ask for a much needed prayer chain for themselves, friends, family, and even unnamed problems or persons.  When people are in trouble my facebook friends  reach out to each other even at times we don’t even realize it.  For example; in my rush to get to the office, I suddenly realized that my speedometer was not at all near the required speed.  At that moment, I hit my cruise, lowered my speed, took a deep breathe, relaxed, and offered up a prayer for all my facebook friends.  I am sure, that at that very moment, I also had a facebook guardian angel praying for me or else there was someone lifting me up in prayer.  I say this because, a few minutes later, I passed one of those dreaded, white cars with the bar across the top.  I am so thankful for the guardian angel who saved me from seeing the flashing blue lights that would surely have suddenly brightened the horizon if I had not, only seconds before, reduced my speed. “Thank you, guardian angel!”
     Not only do my facebook friends reach out in prayer, but I seldom see a negative comment.  My friends are so quick to offer encouragement with their positive comments and often good-natured humor.  I find myself laughing out loud as comical every day events are shared.  Positive words have such a power over our lives, and my facebook friends are my “Joel Osteen” daily book of encouragement.    
     I also drool over the shared recipes which crop up every day.  It’s better than a “Southern Living” cook book. My facebook friends help me fill up binders upon binders of enticing recipes; however, I must say, they have yet to instill in me a desire to get out my pots and pans.   Much too labor intensive!  I could, however, be persuaded to become a professional sampler!
     I enjoy, so much, pictures and events posted which occur during their vacations away from home.  Where else can you find so many different ideas on vacation spots of interest?
     So, back to, “What’s on my mind?” 
     I am learning so much from my friends, and they are helping me see how much I need to improve in ways that I never saw before.  I would like to be more like them.  Facebook friends are loving, friendly, prayerful, encouragers, humorous, gracious, uplifting, a circle holding each other up, news reporters, networkers, travel agents, rescuers, teachers,  good cooks, guardian angels, and so much more. 
     I thank God for each and every one of you! 

A Timeless God

     Our pastor talked last Sunday about how God is alive and how He is eternal, ever-lasting, and ever-present.  He also gave us several descriptions of God.  God is Holy, Glorious, Omnipotent, Authorative, and Revered.  We are to stand in awe of Him.  As I comtemplate all this in "A Friendly Shade," I decided to try to sum up my worship experience and thoughts as follows :  

 

A TIMELESS GOD

With God there is no time.

He was here before it all began;
The world was void and without man.

 He is Alpha and the Omega;

The Beginning and the End.

He is forever, into eternity;

It is God all generations can come to know;
From Him all blessings flow.

God was alive! He is alive! He will be alive!

He has dominion,
Contrary to some’s opinion.

He created the air, the land, the universe.

God’s in charge of the seas, the wind, the sun, and the rain.
There is no escaping Him, though we may try in vain.

He is the First and the Last;

The Beginning and the End.

God is ever present!

Wherever there is life, He is there;
He’s found in the day, the night, and everywhere in the air.

God waits!  He’s patient! And does not go by the clock-of-time.

He reaches out His hand
To everyone across the land.

When the world will be no more,

There will be God loving the souls of man;

Men who have found the open door-

Those who have accepted His plan.

 

There is strength in this mightly God, 
He is all-knowing and wise; 

By His power the dead in Christ will rise. 

 

With God there is "no time!"

He is the great, "I Am."

                                      Mary Crisp Jameson – 10/9/2013

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1

 I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.  Revelation 22:13

 

 

And The Fight Started!

I am sure most people have read the jokes about "And The Fight Started", but I am here to tell you that this one is a true life situation occuring in and around "A Friendly Shade."

The wife took a week of vacation.

The husband had been retired for ten year.

Day One –

Husband:  “What’s for lunch?”
Wife:  “The same thing you have been fixing yourself for the past ten years.”
… and the fight started.

Day Two –

Wife:  “Did you notice all the limbs laying around that I picked up and hauled to the burn pile?”
Husband- “I see a few you overlooked.”
… and the fight started.

Day Three- 

Finishing up a task the wife wanted to do- enlarge the garden.  Only required a few simple tasks;  like, move some crossties, relocate the fence posts, and haul a few loads of dirt.
 

Husband – “Do you go back to work Monday?”

Wife – “ Are you ready for me to go back to work?”
Husband- “Yes!”
… and the fight started.
… didn’t even make it past “hump-day.”