Thursday, February 28, 2019

Faith

As I talk about my playlist of verses, another verse that I have claimed and continue to claim is "to have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see."  Hebrews 11:1.

My life began to change as I was going through my divorce in the late 70's.   I would not wish divorce on anyone, but I know that God used this situation to help me to grow and to learn to trust in Him.  We each have our own story of how we changed and matured and learn to trust Jesus.

Hebrews is a book that is written for the Jews.  The Jews were God's chosen people.  They had walked with Him for so many years and had been led out of the country of Egypt back to their chosen land, Israel.  They had studied Judaism and now God was revealing Christianity to them.  When Christ was crucified on the cross, the curtain of the Jewish temple was torn in two.  With the curtain only the high priest could enter to communicate with God.  With the death of Christ, the curtain between God and man was split in two.  God was now saying that every person could approach Him directly through Christ and that you did not need to go through a priest to talk with Him.

The Jews were having to have faith and to believe in the promises that God had promised them from the beginning.

There were many authors for the book of Hebrews.  One of the authors talked about faith and how do we live by faith.  Faith is a belief in something for which there is no proof.  The verses are God's promises that He will do what He says.  I demonstrate my faith by believing that God will fulfill His promises even though I don't see it. 

As you read the Bible, you see characters that were filled with faith.  Abraham was one of them.  God commanded and Abraham left his home and went to another land without questioning God.

Moses' parents trusted God to protect him even though the king gave the order that every boy that was born was to be thrown into the Nile.  Moses' mother hid him when he was born and the Pharaoh's daughter found him and brought Moses into the palace.

There are so many other stories told throughout the Bible that showed their faith, "going and not knowing".

My own faith grew as I began to step out and trust Jesus that He would provide me a place to live; a job; a church; friends and so much more.....

What is God wanting from you?  Has He pricked your heart about something and you just aren't for sure?  I would say "have faith".  Put one foot out in front of the other and trust God that He is going to take care of you.  Once you step out, your life will never be the same.


The Inspiration of the Mango Tree

Today is one of those sentimental days for me.  It is overcast and big snowflakes are dancing through the air as they go from the sky to the ground. The ground is covered with snow and the rocks are peaking through the inches of whiteness.  I am snuggled up in my blanket and sitting in front of the fire with a book.  I love reading short stories about people who make a difference in other's walks of life.  If we would just take the time and think about our friends and family, we could probably write our own book of inspiring people.

When I worked in New York, I became friends with one of my co-workers, Debbie.  When I met Debbie, she had lived in NYC with her husband for about twelve years.  Her vacation that year was going to see her family in Honduras and to celebrate the life of her grandmother who had been deceased for about three years.  Deb wanted to honor her grandmother by going back to the Mango Tree.  The tree where lives had been changed.   Debbie's grandmother had encouraged and influenced her as well as others in the community.

Her grandmother's story is such an inspirational story.  Isabel was born in Belize in the year of 1933. Belize was still a British Colony, so English was the first language that was spoken.  Isabel had moved to Honduras in 1946, when she was thirteen years old.  She graduated from high school and then went to college to obtain her teaching degree.  At the age of twenty-three she married Manuel, who worked for Chiquita Banana Company.  Manuel became a Regional Manager for the company.  Isabel and Manuel moved to a very poor town call Tela.  Chiquita was the main financial resource for this small village.

Isabel was hired to work as a teacher in an American School that was built for the American children, whose parents worked in management positions for Chiquita.  Isabel loved working at the American School, but she also wanted to make a difference to the people that had been born and raised in Tela.  Spanish was the language for the community.  Isabel knew that these children would have a better opportunity in making something of themselves if they knew the English language.  So she opened up her own English speaking school for these children.  She charged them nothing and did this for many years.

One day a Peace Corp group arrived at Tela and they began to hear about the "teacher" that taught English to children for free.  At this time, her grandmother had three different groups of students.  She had a group for small kids, a group for teenagers and a group for adults.  These classes were taught on her patio under the Mango Tree.  The Peace Corp group came to Isabel's house and saw her set-up.  They were mesmerized with the dedication she had in making a difference in this community.

A month later, the Peace Corp came back to Honduras.  With the assistance of the Episcopal Church, the Peace Corp offered to start a Bilingual School in Tela.  The name of the school was "Holy Spirit School".  They asked Isabel to be in charge of the school.  She accepted.  She did not accept any pay for this position.  The one thing that she requested was that her first grandchild would receive a full scholarship in attending the school.  My friend, Debbie, was that first grandchild.

Debbie grew up with her grandparents and attended the "Holy Spirit School" on a full-scholarship.  She was the first student of that school that participated in an exchange student program with the United States.  She was twelve at the time and was in New York for three months.  Her three month visit made such an impact on Debbie.  She went back to Honduras and graduated from the school.  She went onto college and obtained her degree.  In 2002, Debbie and her husband moved to NYC to begin a new life.

In 2011, Debbie's grandmother was diagnosed with colon cancer and died in that same year.  She was still teaching classes two months before she died.  The community and the children were her life.

A dream was planted many years ago.  Debbie and her husband went back to the Mango Tree, where it all began and held their first children's camp.  Thirty children attended that week.  Debbie continues to go back to Honduras every year to assist the community that her grandmother so loved.

Isabel took Psalms 1:3 to heart:
"He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither, whatever he does prospers."  She loved God with all her heart and she knew that she needed to invest in her granddaughter and her community.  She planted and watered the lives of those around her.  Her academic background and her faith gave her the wisdom that she needed to make a difference.

What are you doing to make a difference?  You may not have a Mango tree, but you do have a room, a yard, a story where you can encourage someone that God does have a plan for their life.

Isabel and grand-daughter, Debbie

Isabel and Manuel 



Wednesday, February 27, 2019

My Playlist of Verses

I enjoy putting together my playlist of music.  My playlist of songs consist of music from Broadway Shows; soundtracks from various movies; Frank Sinatra; Norah Jones; Adele; christian music......  The truth, I pretty much love all music.

What would my playlist of verses be?  Throughout my life, I have claimed verses from the Bible that encourage and inspire me to get through a situation; to be the best that I can be and to give me hope.

There are so many verses that have gotten me through my journey of life.  For the next few days, I am going to reflect on the verses that have given me hope and helped me to become that person that offers encouragement to others.

"We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose."  Romans 8:28

This verse was one of my dad's favorite verses.

In my twenties, I was trying "to find myself" and to figure out "what do I want to do with my life".  I was single, living in Austin, Texas; enrolled at the University of Texas and working as a secretary for the Department of Human Resources.  I felt that I had nothing in my life and I wanted to do something that would make a difference.

Through all my trials and tribulations, I would claim this verse.  What does this verse actually mean?  This verse was quoted by the Apostle Paul, as he wrote the believers in Rome.  Paul wanted the believers to become like Christ and to discover God's love.

Without Jesus, we have no hope.  But He has given us freedom from sin and a free will to do His will.  Paul states that everybody has two choices:  you can either be controlled by the sinful nature or you can allow the Holy Spirit to direct your life.  No one is perfect.  Even when we are trying to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us, we still allow that sinful nature to creep in.

The one thing that I do know is that the Holy Spirit is God's promise of eternal life.  So as I go through life and the suffering that I endure, I know God has a plan.  He is not going to leave me on my own, but He is going to allow the Holy Spirit to work through me.

God works in "all things", not just certain incidents.  We live in a fallen world and evil is around us, but we can overcome by allowing God to be the conquer.  My trust is in Him and the eternal life that He has promised me.

So as I go through each day, I know that He has already gone before me and that I am in His perfect will.  As a Christian, God has given me this promise. 

May this verse give you the peace that you need in your life!  Remember God knows all things and He is there waiting for you to ask for His help!


Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Celebrating Sixty Years of Marriage

Today my parents are celebrating a milestone in marriage.  Sixty years!   This impressive sixty years is marked by diamonds. Diamonds are such a rare gem which symbolizes beauty, rarity and everlasting love.  I guess you can compare a diamond to what sixty years of marriage is all about. 

The beauty and quality of  a diamond comes with a price, such as celebrating sixty years of marriage.  Statistics show that 40 to 50% of marriages end up in divorce.  Now days, the millennials are choosing not to marry due to their own parents divorcing and living in such distraught homes.

We live in a society where "diamonds are a girl's best friend".  The ironic part of this is that people don't realize what a diamond goes through to become a diamond.  Diamonds are extremely rigid and few types of impurity can contaminate it.  Diamonds also have a relatively high optical dispersion, the ability to disperse light of different colors.  Under high pressure and temperature, carbon-containing fluids dissolved minerals and replaced them with diamonds.

My parents have built a legacy showing their family and friends that their sixty years was built on their love of God, faith, family and friends.  The years were not easy, but they endured as a couple to get through each day, each month and each year.  There has been joy, happiness, death and hardships.  A diamond goes through each of those steps as well to become the quality that is needed to be a rare diamond.

As I was researching sixty years of marriage, I discovered that in England cards are sent from the Royal Palace to those celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.  The Queen's congratulatory message consists of a card containing a personalized message and comes in a special envelope.  In November, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip will celebrate seventy-two years of marriage.  I would say that is definitely a "milestone".

If you want to be a diamond, then you need to realize what it takes.  So as I look at my own marriage, I know that it takes commitment, dedication, devotion, allegiance and loyalty to each other.  That there will be pain and hardship a long the way.  As Audrey Hepburn said "for those you are letting age get in the way of love, the best thing to hold onto in life is each other."

Do you want to become the diamond?  Then hold on to your spouse and walk the path of life and you will reach the sparkling diamond at the end.

Cheers to mom and dad for showing me the path down the "yellow brick road"!

Happy 60th!


Harry and Joyce
February 20, 1959


Sixty Years Later Celebrating Birthdays
and Marriages!