“Church ladies are boring.” That’s what I heard someone say just a few years before she became one herself. It’s pretty common, this preconceived notion that anyone who believes in God and lives by faith isn’t quite as exciting as those who live in the real world. After all TV and movies and books often repeat or reinforce this error.

But let me tell you a little about some of the church ladies I know. Thursdays we meet for lunch, usually at a different restaurant.  Not all of us. And not all the time. So there’s always a different mix. And they’re all ages, too, and in various stages of life.  Married, single, widowed. Many have children, some have grandchildren.  But they are all incredible and diverse.

For example, one manages the hotel and cafeteria on our church premises.  Another makes jewelry, writes songs, has several children’s CDs in the marketplace, and makes videos for the church.  She’s without doubt one of the most talented people I’ve ever known. Another dear lady goes to Peru periodically where she and her husband have built dozens of homes (one at a time) and given them FREE to needy families.  Another lady used to be a trucker, and when her husband was alive they had a truck-stop ministry.  Another lady paints such marvelous pictures they actually look like photographs. Still another one speaks at conferences and travels back and forth to Israel where she and her husband have a small farm.  I could go on and on. 

God isn’t boring.  Because He is exciting and vibrant, He has made us, His creation, exciting and vibrant, too. And He has infused us with various talents and abilities by which we can uniquely glorify Him. And that means he can use anyone, from truckers to builders to song writers.  And because God isn’t boring and because His purposes for our lives are so much greater than anything we ourselves can conceive, I believe that those who have submitted their lives to Him and have allowed Him to direct their paths are some of the most exciting people in the world.

Until next week,

Sylvia

Over the years I’ve had many cats.  And though they’ve all had different personalities they’ve been extremely lovable. Then came Nutmeg.  Don’t get me wrong, I do love her.  She’s a big part of our family, and has been for nearly nine years. But she’s far from the sweet, compliant cats I’m used to. 

The basic problem is she wants her way in everything: what she eats, where she sits, what time she comes in or goes out.  And if she doesn’t get it she’s not above hissing, biting, deliberately upsetting something on the counter, or taking flying leaps off a high place to land near your head.

She’s smart enough to know how to be an anarchist, but not always smart enough to know what’s good for her.  She doesn’t understand, for instance, that her favorite food produces crystals in her urine so she can’t have it anymore.  Or that it’s not good for her to go outside when the pest control man is spraying. Or that I can’t work when she sits on top of my keyboard.  (One of her favorite positions is in front of my monitor and sprawled over my keyboard. She actually deleted some of my text last week!)

But because I love her even during these times she’s decidedly unlovable, I try to be patient without encouraging or rewarding her bad behavior.  After all, it’s my responsibility to train her. And that’s a challenge due to her strong rebellious tendencies.

And all this to say, sometimes we’re not lovable either. And most of the time we want our own way, even when it’s not good for us. And just as I don’t stop loving Nutmeg when she’s less than what I’d like her to be, so God doesn’t stop loving us because of our failings. And how patiently He trains us! Even during those times when He allows unpleasant circumstances to enter our lives. It is, after all, His duty to discipline His unruly children.

And in the end, aren’t you glad He does? There’s nothing so unattractive as an out of control, disobedient child . . . or cat.

Until next week,

Sylvia

Let me be upfront and come right out and say I don’t like Halloween. I never did.  And I regret my participation in it, however small, all those years ago. But I’ve come to dislike it more with every passing year. 

I remember when my children were young and our “Halloween decorations” consisted of a smiling pumpkin either drawn on or cut out of a real one, and a few cute pictures of kittens pasted on the windows.  That was it!  Now there are talking witches, ghouls of all kinds, skeletons that look real, and all manner of ugly, evil looking figures. 

Their costumes were different too: hobos were popular, so were princesses, dogs, tin men.  All tame compared to the costumes of today that evoke pure horror.

Did you know that Halloween is the second most lucrative holiday for retailers?  Coming in only second to Christmas? And every year the decorations appear earlier on shelves, and are darker and uglier.

But why should I be surprised? When it’s one of the most important days on the Satanic calendar. Originally a Druid celebration, Satanists have instituted it as a day to celebrate death.  They offer animal sacrifices and sometimes human ones, as well. Shocking, but true.

Oh, I know.  The vast majority of those who celebrate Halloween aren’t Satanist.  But the Bible says that we will “know them by their fruits,” and we could be spreading these “fruits” without meaning to.

And what exactly are the fruits of Halloween? Generally speaking? Well, it’s a time many dabble in the occult for “laughs” and do things expressly forbidden by the Bible like participate in séances, get their fortunes told, try their hand at the Ouija board. Other “fruits” are darkness, fear, dread, oppression, just to name a few. And if God is light, should we help create darkness? If He is joy and peace, should we be spreading fear and dread?  If He is freedom, should we be celebrating oppression? 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “What fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness: and what communion has light with darkness?”

On the other hand, we are not to fear Halloween, no matter how important it is to Satan.  After all, that day, and every day, is “the day the Lord has made.” And that day, though not the way it is celebrated, is good because God has made it.  But when it comes, when October 31^st rolls around, remember we are called to be light. And what better time to shine than when it’s dark?

Until next week,

Sylvia

This week I treated myself to the luxury of just sitting and looking at the leaves of my crotons.  I actually have two varieties growing in pots: a broad leaf and a spiral. Both have beautiful colored leaves; some orange, others red, green, yellow; some a combination of them all.

            Did you know there are nine major croton leaf types? Neither did I until I looked it up.  But imagine all this diversity in just one species of plant!  Now what that makes me think of is God’s incredible generosity.  He could have created only one croton leaf type. In fact, He could have made every plant in the world this one type of croton.

Think about that!

But He didn’t.  Instead, He created an infinite variety of plants, plants of all colors, shapes and sizes.  Plants that give off wonderful perfumes. Others that do not.  Plants that delight the eye. Others that serve a more functional purpose.   

Scientific volumes have been written about plants.  They are also fodder for love stories, as in Shakespear’s Romeo and Juiet, “that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet;” for poems, as Keats’ Ode to a Nightingale, “My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains, my sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk.”

But to me, the enormous variety of plant life here on planet earth is a great illustration of God’s generous nature. He has given us so much to enjoy. The Bible says that Jesus is the creator; that He made all things for His pleasure. But I think it goes without saying that He created the things of this earth for our pleasure, too.  And just as all creations reflect their creator (think of films, music, books, paintings, etc.) so God’s creations reflect His nature, His character. And from what I see, I know there is nothing stingy about God; nothing boring, or ordinary, or static. He truly is great!

Until next week,

Sylvia

I can’t prove it but I’m quite certain “stuff” reproduces in dark, cloistered spaces like drawers, closets, and even garages. How else can you explain that sooner or later these spaces all mysteriously overflow their capacity?

Recently my husband and I started cleaning our garage.  We had to.  Our “stuff” was migrating into the middle of the floor making the pathway smaller and smaller. 

Joyce Meyer talks about how junkyards are full of the “stuff” men have spent so much of their time working for; time spent away from family, friends, God. She’s right.  In addition, the more “stuff” we have the more it has us. It claims our energy.  After all, we have to repair it, clean it, organize and reorganize it.  It also claims our hearts.  We love our cars, boats, houses.

Don’t misunderstand. I don’t think it’s wrong or evil to own “stuff.”  But I do think it’s wrong to always want more.  I mean, how much “stuff” can any of us use anyway?  This is what I was thinking when I was cleaning my garage. And the conclusion I’ve drawn from my own personal life is this: I have far too much “stuff” and far too little appreciation for it.

I’m reminded of a lady in our church who went on a mission’s trip to Haiti. She brought two boxes of crayons with her; just plain ordinary crayons, nothing fancy.  They didn’t glow in the dark or sparkle. They weren’t even 3-D. And when she gave the boxes to the Haitian pastor for his church children, the pastor wept, he wept for joy!  And then he praised God over and over again for His goodness.  Imagine!

I’m still trying to get my mind around that. And while I do, my prayer is:

Lord make me more grateful!

Until next week,

Sylvia

This summer, in between Bug Camp and Ooey-Gooey Camp, my grandkids spent a few nights at my house. It doesn’t happen often due to their busy schedules. But when it does, it’s a big deal.  To get ready I cleaned the house from top to bottom. (They have allergies)  Got into corners I rarely visit. Then I inventoried their toy chest, the one I keep for when they come to dinner, etc. I always try to have a little something new and fun in it. Nothing big, but something that makes them feel like their toy box is an adventure, or a treasure chest waiting to be explored.   I culled the things they had outgrown, then went to the store and bought 2 new coloring books—Dora-the-Explorer, and Cars—a Chutes and Ladders game, a pack of construction paper and some new crayons.

            Next the menu.  What was I going to make them for breakfast, lunch and diner during the next several days?  Why, their favorites of course!  So I packed the refrigerator with plenty of organic milk, organic whole grain waffles, organic eggs, organic chicken hotdogs, organic chicken cutlets, organic yogurt, organic cookies, organic strawberries, organic ice cream, organic . . . .

I could have fed the entire neighborhood with all the food I brought home.

            Then the final step: scouring the internet for all the local fun stuff to do.  The aquarium looked good. It had at least two manatees—those big, sweet-faced lumbering sea cows that float around in their tanks like giant buoys when they’re not eating bushels of lettuce.  It also had a half dozen giant turtles, not to mention a huge variety of fish, coral and crustaceans. There were also a few playgrounds nearby.  And then there was our pool, which is always a hit. 

I tell you, it took me a week to prepare. And I did it with excitement and joy. The final results? We had a ball, and at the end of their visit I was rewarded with, “When can we come again, Grammy?”

And all this brings to mind how God invests so much into us, too. Preparing situations, laying out His plans for our life, opening doors, cleaning away debris that would hinder, pouring “gifts” into us to make that way easier. No detail is too small for His attention.  And I bet He does it all with excitement and joy, too. 

And just like my grandchildren who had no clue of all the effort that went into their visit, we have no clue of all the effort God invests into us; of all the “behind the scenes” work He does on our behalf. And if we’re really honest, sometimes we even wonder if He’s working on our behalf at all. But He is, and I think it pleases Him when we remember that fact; when we raise our voices in praise of Him in spite of what we see or feel; when we fill our hearts with gratitude for what He has done for us in the past and what He is busy doing even now, albeit, unseen.  

Until next week,

Sylvia

I went to two weddings this summer, weddings as different as the north and south, literally.  One was a genteel Florida country club wedding, overlooking a perfectly manicured golf course that smelled of freshly cut grass. The other was at a vineyard on Long Island, sophisticated and high-energy, and faintly smelling of fermenting wine and musty cellars.  The couples were on opposite polls, too. One could carry AARP cards if they chose; the other still held all-nighters with their college buddies. And yet as different as they were, the excitement, passion, and joy were constants.

And that got me to thinking about another kind of wedding, where the groom is invisible and the bride is a collective body, the body of Christ. And if we can compare the Church and Jesus to a bride and groom, so too can we compare their marriages. And this comparison can help us understand that peaks and valleys will occur in both.

I remember when I first came to the Lord.  Oh, the passion!  I wanted to tell everyone about Jesus.  And as a “newly wed” I eagerly extolled the virtues of my Beloved. I never tired of speaking about Him.  And because my love was a consuming flame, I tried to learn everything I could, what pleased Him, what didn’t.  I poured over the scriptures, prayed often, meditated on the Word, even rising early to do it. But that’s how it is when you’re in love.

Then one day I woke up and realized the honeymoon was over. It was gradual in coming.  In fact, I barely noticed it was happening at all. But I was spending less time in the Word. The things of this world had captured my time and heart. Busyness had set in.  Responsibilities and time constraints had stolen the fire.

Any marriage more than a few years old faces the struggle to balance job, responsibilities, and outside interests with that of maintaining a quality love relationship. And when too much world seeps in, when too much work or other pressures dampen the fire like a spewing garden hose, it’s time to rekindle it.  And the best lighter fluid is time. Oh, I know, this is nothing new or clever; just basic marriage 101. And though it may be basic, it’s not easy. Time is our one unrenewable commodity. We never seem to have enough of it.  But “seem” is the operative word here. Because the truth is we always make time for the things most important to us. And in this crazy, busy world, I need that reminder.  I need to remember that those things that are good can sometimes keep me from those that are best. After all, what’s more important than keeping the fires of love burning?

Until next week,

Sylvia Bambola

Nobody denies that we are in the middle of an economic mess. Bank failures, tumbling real estate markets and large layoffs drive the point home. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  It’s a “trickle down” mess that’s affecting everyone, even the publishing industry. Nervous publishers are cutting back.  Suddenly, many of us writers find ourselves without a contract, and uncertain prospects. Perhaps some wonder if God is putting them on a shelf for a time. Or is He finished using them all together? Then again, maybe He’s orchestrating a career change? I’ve had all these thoughts.   

But I’ve also been thinking about other things too, things I so often take for granted:  family, friends, health, a roof over my head, food on the table. And though I know it sounds clichéd, I’ve begun thanking God, really thanking God, for all of them. There’s nothing like adversity or its threat to pare down the nonessentials, to force those normally iron legs of ours to bend at the knee before the will of God.

And I’ve begun thinking about something else, too; something I’ve heard a thousand times: This earth is not my home.  And it’s not yours either. Our sojourn here is but a blink of an eye when compared to all eternity.  And oh, how glad I am that God really is in control, that He really does love us, and has a plan and purpose for our lives no matter what situations or circumstances say. And if that’s true, if that’s really settled in our minds and hearts, then I think the question is, will we walk by faith or by sight?  Will we walk by what we see, allowing fear, frustration and disappointment to lead us?  Or will we lean on God’s word that says things like: we can do all things through Christ who strengths us; that He will never leave us or forsake us; that His grace is sufficient?

Our trials often seem so consuming, severe and painful, but will we remember them on the “other side” when we—the believers in Jesus—encounter the wondrous things that God has prepared for us?  I think so since the Bible does say God will wipe away all our tears.  But even so, I suspect what we’ll remember most is if we allowed these trials to draw us closer to God; if we allowed Him to be strong in our weakness.   

And that’s a sobering thought.

Until next time,

Sylvia