A Brilliant Idea!

Out of the blue, this amazingly brilliant thought popped into my mind as I thought about this blog.  Are you ready for it?  Maybe I should ask the women who read the blog what it is they would like it to be. What a novel idea!  I mean, I’ve shared what I set it up to be, yet it’s not yet being used that way.  So I asked myself a question.  “Doesn’t it make sense, Kay, to ask what they would like, what would help minister to, encourage, and strengthen them in the Lord?”  And I had to answer, “Yes, it does make sense.”

I want to minister to you in the way(s) you need – not necessarily what I think you might need.  After all, you are the ones on the foreign field serving Christ, and you know best what little or big things would help keep you going emotionally and spiritually.

So, tell me what types of posts have done the most for you (this one or others you read).  How frequently do you read blogs or other website posts or devotions?  Understanding your time constraints, I’ll reduce the frequency of posts to keep you from feeling the need to catch up, if that’s an issue.  If you think a couple of times a week would be best, I’ll do my best to do that.  Be free to make suggestions beyond these questions, please.

In addition, I would love to share the posting space with any of you who have something to share with other women on the mission field.  It doesn’t have to be long – or even perfectly written.  If it comes from your heart and will touch the hearts of others in similar circumstances, that’s perfect.  Share it with me and I’ll touch it up for grammar and punctuation and post it, with credit going to you, certainly.

I look forward to hearing from you as to what will make this blog more appealing to you.  You are the reason the Lord gave me the brilliant idea in the first place!

Praying for you to draw ever closer to the heart of our loving Daddy!

Kay

Salt of the Earth

Included with some receipts from one of the ministries with whom we partner was a typed note on a small piece of folded paper.  In the fold of the paper was one of those small packets of salt you find in the bottom of a bag from a fast-food restaurant.  It piqued my interest even more as to the contents of the note.  With only a few punctuation changes, I share it as I received it:

“Pass the salt, please,” is a common request at many meals.  Yet, wars have been waged, fortunes made and lost, and history rewritten all because of the only rock we humans eat.  Salt is so vital that, despite the admonition by nutritionists in our day and age to reduce its intake, we cannot live without it.  The production of salt has secured empires and inspired revolutions.  Yet, it is often taken for granted by those who consume it.

One method of salt production was to boil brine in large iron pans.  Then, at the right moment, the salt master would add a few drops of blood that would draw impurities to the surface to be skimmed away, leaving only salt of the highest quality.

Due to that precious blood shed by our Savior, we are declared pure and are called to season our culture.  Jesus proclaimed, “You are the salt of the earth . . .”

Thank you for seasoning, with your lives, a culture I might only be able to visit for a few days, if at all.  Blessings of God’s grace in Christ to you as you enter the New Year!

Our Time of Year!

I will post again this week with something a little more substantial, but I want to throw a bit of pun your way – at our expense.    Naturally, I am drawn to stocking ornaments and decorations for Christmas.  When I spotted these at an arts and crafts show after Thanksgiving, I knew it was a must-have for our Christmas tree!

A Lesson From Sandy

Yesterday was a beautiful day, actually a little warm for this time of year.  We took advantage of the sun and relatively calm winds to rake the yard again before the crews come around this week to vacuum up the piles of leaves.  Sandy (the dog in the picture) was thoroughly enjoying the fresh air, wandering from one spot to another in the yard.  At one point while I raked, I realized he was right next to me, so I stopped what I was doing to pay attention to him.  He had the most loving expression on his face as he stood there wagging at me.  It wasn’t a look that said, “I want to play.”  It was just a look that said, “I love you.”  I reached down to stroke his face and kiss his head, all while he continued smiling and wagging.  After a few moments we both thoroughly enjoyed, he turned and went back to wandering in his yard.

If you are not a dog lover, you may not grasp the warmth of Sandy’s love in which I was able to bask even after he moved on.  Perhaps you can more relate it to small children.  There were moments when mine would abruptly leave what they were doing to give me a kiss and a hug, or tell me they loved me.  Then they returned to their play.  I treasured those moments – those spontaneous, heartfelt displays of pure affection with no ulterior motives.

If a human parent (I consider myself Sandy’s parent.) is so permanently touched when their child – or animal – lavishes unasked-for affection on them, think what it means to our heavenly Father when we stop what we’re doing just to give Him our love and complete attention.  Daddy is overjoyed beyond words.  We, His children, are also refilled and refreshed in the giving without strings attached, so we do actually receive, though it wasn’t our aim.  We just came to love our Daddy.  It’s so simple, just like it was such a simple joy for me with Sandy yesterday.

May you find the refreshing in loving your Perfect Father!

 

(By the way, I would have loved to have a picture of the expression on Sandy’s face as he poured out his love on me yesterday.  He doesn’t like having his picture taken at all, but I wanted a current picture for the post.  This is the best I could do! )

Hope

A while back, as I perused the cards at my local Hallmark store for birthdays and other occasions, I found one that I ended up buying for myself.  I keep it on top of the hutch of my computer desk so that I can remind myself repeatedly to come back to the simple, uncomplicated reason for my life.  I share it with you today, my friends.

life . . .

comes with one simple guarantee –

God loves you.

Perfectly.

Unendingly.

And there’s no better reason to hope than that.