Random Thoughts

It's pouring, pouring, pouring rain outside...my mother-in-law is taking a nap, Travis is out at the airport, Jess and family have just left for the store and it's quiet! So, thought I'd sit down and write some random thoughts!

I've tried to approach blogging from a very realistic point of view...everything neat and in order, daily activities, etc. But, it's not working that way and perhaps that's for the best! No one wants to read about what I bought at the store, how many times I cruised past the post office to drop off whatever bill needed mailing, or what I was going to make for supper--but didn't have the right ingredients.

I did read somewhere that we need to be very thankful for the mundane. If we're living in the mundane, everyday kind of life...then, we're not facing crisis! So, I'm thankful for mundane!

No, I want to talk about a book that Travis and I are trying to read together. I say "trying" because, we don't have much alone time to even do this right now...but the one thing that I've read--I can't get out of my mind.

The book is called, "The Forever Feast" by Dr. Paul Brand. Dr. Brand talks about the earth and how taking care of this precious resource reflects into our Christian lives, as well. It's fascinating reading and I'll bet you can find a copy out on amazon.com or one of the other used books sites.

I quote, "In the biology of the Christian faith, seeds are wrapped in attractive fruit. If a vine bore only naked seeds, nobody would pick them. Everyone who wants to be a disciple of Jesus Christ is expected to bear fruit. This does not mean that we all have to be successful in bringing many people to the point of decision to become a Christian. It means our lives have to bear the taste, the fragrance, or the nourishment that makes people appreciate what we are and what we have to give. The people we work with, the members of our family or Sunday school class, should sense the pleasure and benefit of being with us. They should know that the flavor of our life comes from our abiding in Jesus Christ.

One day something may trigger the beginning of new life in someone you know who has tasted the flavor of Jesus through contact with you. We may not ever know how or when it happens. But it will be the germination of a seed that was planted because your own personal life was delicious.

I don't remember exactly when I was converted. It was not in response to a challenge from an inspiring speaker. The lives of my mother and father were dedicated to God, and their nurture of us children was an expression of God's love. I wanted to be like them and to know the spiritual resources that made their lives so fragrant. d didn't know about the seed or the new birth--but I knew their fruit, and I was attracted to it."

OK...so, I've been thinking a great deal about that! What an amazing picture of what we need to be about. I've been reviewing my motives, my actions, my speech, my attitudes, etc. Not that I'm trying to earn brownie points with God, but I hope that my life is flavorful, and nourishing to others.

By the way, my mother-in-law is thoroughly enjoying Joshua Reier Lamb, Jessica's baby. He's just 8 months old and is crawling, climbing, drooling, laughing, discoverying, and carrying on like babies do! She touches his little bald head and says, "Oh, feel that head! Just like velvet!" Watching her, I'm convinced that families need to be pro-active in keeping the varying generations involved! It's good for her, it's good for us, it's good for our kids and for our grandkids! There's continuity to life!

I still have a vague memory of my great grandmother Parker. She had white hair, was dressed in a white lace nightgown and was sitting up in a bed holding her wrinkled hand out to me. Because we lived in Alaska and were so far away from family, I was scared of her and didn't want her to touch me. Just imagine if I had the opportunity to be around those wrinkled old hands and that kind, kind voice on a daily basis! What would I have learned about life, about a generation that was dying, and about myself?