Get Er Done!

The next day, the next week, and the next year is here! Will it be put off another day, week, or year?

     I am a firm believer in not putting off what needs to be done. In other words, “Grab the Opportunity” now, not tomorrow or next week or next year.  “Seize the moment,” if possible. As Larry the Cable Guy said, “Get er done.”

    Imagine what would have happened had Zacchaeus not grabbed the moment and climbed a tree for “Jesus to see.” He might never have heard, “Zacchaeus, you come down, for I'm going to your house today.”

Hear Me

Zacchaeus was a wee little man. He was trying to see, so he climbed a sycamore tree. He was a sinner, yet he was focused on seeing Jesus. What then did Jesus do? He took time away from His task at hand to talk to Zacchaeus as he said, “Zacchaeus, you come down. I’m going to your house today.’

     Do we take time for others? Are we focused on Jesus? What does Jesus desire from us?  I believe He wants us to be focused on Him; Hear Him; Love Him. 

 

Hear Me

 

I long to talk, 

Hold your hand, 

Take a little walk

Before the dawn, 

Before you travel on.

Sit a while my child.

Take time with me!

I care so much for thee. 

Listen!

Strive to hear 

Words I softly whisper in your ear. 

Again and again

I come as a Friend 

But am left rejected – neglected.

I have written wisdom, line by line,

But time and time again,

Forgotten lies that book of mine;

Forgotten are my words

Not being mindfully stored;

Forgotten is my Father

As you drift farther and farther.

I plead with thee: 

Hear me!

Seek me! 

Love me!

 

Mary Crisp Jameson  6/26/2023 

 

 

I Believe!

     My parents took me to church from the time I was small.  I have been blessed to feel I have always known about God.   But yet, it was up to me to seek Him, to believe in Him, and to accept His love and His Word.  At the age of 12, I did this by faith.  I have not thought to question His existence.  He is the source of my peace and my lifeline.  If I had to explain why, I couldn't.  God is just there.  It is faith.  For me, that is all he asks. 

I believe in the Old and New Testament-

Scriptures and stories given with intent.      
There was the Garden of Eden,
The creation, the flood, the beginning but not the end.  
There was Adam and Eve-
Oh yes! I believe.

I believe in the great Red Sea;

How it opened up so His people would be free.
There was David and Goliath,  
Besides the stories that came just prior.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
Are ones we all well-know. 
Jonah was a man swallowed by a whale
For three days, in the belly, was where he dwell.     

Yes! I believe them all-
Those who followed His call;
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John;
Men who carried the gossip on. 
There was a man named Zacchaeus,
The walking on the water,
A boy with five loaves and two fish.

I believe in the birth of a King;

For that I will shout and sing.
I believe in the cross and the nails in His hand;
In the eternal life He has planned.
I believe in the blood and the resurrection.
That’s my faith and my reaction!

I believe in Jesus Christ,

His mighty sacrifice,
His love, power, and grace,
The protective angels, and His forgiving embrace.
Yes! I believe.
That’s why I receive.

                  Mary Crisp Jameson – 8/17/2014

 

Win! Place! Show!

     Win! Place! Show! What does it take? The right bet on the right thoroughbred horse in the right race.

      According to one article I read, a thoroughbred has a small yet elegant head with a high chest. Their profile is straight and the neck long with well-sloped shoulders. It is handsome, alert, and spirited with boundless courage and immense stamina. The breed is known for endurance, agility, and a big heart.

     When I occasionally attend the Oaklawn horse races, excitement runs high as I watch the thoroughbreds enter the track. I look at their coloring, the way they hold their head, and the spirit of their gait. I have to admit, some are just better looking than others. I listen to the gasp in the crowd when a jockey has a problem getting his horse in the gate. However, the horses are all soon off and running with breakneck speed only to either lag behind, overcome another, or stretch out their legs, running neck to neck, through the finish line. As always, in the game of racing, the favorites nor the best looking ones, do not always win.
     I wonder if that is why Jesus did not always select the most upstanding, handsome, or the most favored people to do His work. Maybe they had to learn to run with endurance, agility, and heart to become thoroughbreds.
     Jonah was afraid, lacked faith, and was stubborn. He ran from God’s call, but after being swallowed by the whale and given a second chance, he learned not to defy God and became a thoroughbred. Moses had murdered a man and escaped to the wilderness when he was called. He argued with God that he could not do what God was asking, but in the end Moses became strong, obedient, and ran with stamina. He faltered at times but God gave him courage, faith, and endurance. Samson was given supernatural strength, but he allowed his weakness toward an untruthworthy woman to rob him of that strength. At the end of his life he turned to God, regained his strength, and showed great courage. David was short in statute and just a boy when he killed Goliath. The people did not see him as a strong and mighty soldier for the king’s army, but God gave David the strength to kill a giant with only a slingshot and a small stone. Zacchaeus was a wee little man who could not see above the crowd, yet Jesus offered him a special invitation. Zacchaeus was converted and became a thoroughbred.
     I believe thoroughbreds are formed through a strong and daily relationship with God. Jesus provides so many examples of endurance, heart, courage, and stamina. Being a thoroughbred does not necessarily mean being a favorite among men, but becoming a thoroughbred does make a difference on whether you win, place, or show in life.
     I have a long way to go, but I pray, as I sit here in "A Friendly Shade" that although I falter at times, God will mold me into a thoroughbred for Christ.