Words Like Honey

One of my favorite passages, albeit very convicting, in the Bible comes from James 3:9-12.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

I've been thinking lately about the words we say, the way we say them and how our words make others feel. What comes out of our mouths has incredible power. We can make someone feel good or we can have the opposite effect. So I was wondering could I, not only avoid harsh words, but use words that could lift another's spirits.

Here's an example: I was actually not really looking forward to finding a dress for Cody and Elizabeth's wedding. My mom and I stopped in a store a while back and I tried some on a couple dresses and my mom summed it up perfectly when she said "These really aren't you are they?" She spoke the truth and said it in a very pleasing way.

Then one day, while at the Surgery Center, I was flipping through a magazine and lo and behold, there it was -- exactly the dress I was looking for. We had the store where I could get this dress right here at Jordan Creek Mall so I went to get it and -- better yet -- it was on sale. On glory! I could get the dress, a darling sweater to go with it and shoes for much less than the original price of the dress. Someone hold me down.

Here's where my word lesson comes in. People ask me about my dress, they ask me what color it is and I never really knew how to describe it. It's basically beige (ugh), but then I would say it has gold threads running through it (true) to make it sound nicer. Last week, I was getting my hair cut and making sure the true color was covered up and the adorable young lady who does my hair asked me about my dress. I started to describe it as beige, again, and she said, oh you mean champagne? I was, like, yesssssss, of course it's not beige, it's champagne. Doesn't that sound so much better?

One of my favorite movies is Pollyanna and Hayley Mills who plays Pollyanna describes everything as "gorgeous." Not just nice or okay, but gorgeous. I tried to say things were gorgeous with a British accent just like Hayley Mills and Carissa told me it wasn't working, but I still like the word.

I know, sometimes we get carried away and we use words like awesome when something isn't that big of a deal, but there are times when maybe a more superlative word could just make somebody's day.

Wouldn't it be great if all of our words fit this description. "Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." (Proverbs 16:24). I'm going to try it.

Pray This Never Happens To You

A couple weeks ago, I had a very harrowing and disturbing experience. Even thinking about it now can cause my heart rate to go up and perhaps get my systolic blood pressure over 100. As I walked into my friendly-smile-in-every-aisle West Lakes Hy-Vee grocery store, I realized the entire store had been rearranged. Items that had been on the north end were now on the south end, or maybe it's east and west. I am profoundly directionally challenged so east, west, north, south mean nothing to me. In addition to the north/south, east/west rearrangement, every single item had been moved over an aisle or two. Or three. Either way. I have been shopping in this store since it was built 10 or 12 years ago and in all that time, cheese has always been in aisle 1. What is the thought process when suddenly cheese is in the back of the store with the milk and butter? It confuses me. A shopping trip that should have taken 45 minutes took an hour and a half as I went up and down every aisle at least 6 times. With a death grip on my cart and my eyes darting back and forth at the shelves, I desperately tried to find the things on my list. Cards and magazines are now where health foods used to be. I'm not exactly sure where the health foods are now, but hey, I noticed they didn't move the donuts. Everyone, including the employees, all looked completely bewildered. I needed mapquest to do my grocery shopping. Here's what I learned through all this. The next time you visit to your friendly neighborhood grocery store and look for the Honey Nut Cheerios in aisle 5 and they are there, get down on your knees in thanksgiving. It can all change in an instant. I know. It happened to me.

It's snowing here in central Iowa. In fact, it's been snowing since before noon yesterday. It's not a blizzard, just constant snow. Quite often we have very mild winters, not much snow, not much cold. This winter has been different. We've had cold, we've had snow. I've learned that people in different parts of the country have different views on winter. A couple years ago, Carissa had a volleyball tournament in Minneapolis. We left a winter storm behind in Des Moines to come to bright sunny weather in Minneapolis. As we checked into our hotel, we told the desk clerk what we had left behind and in all sincerity he said, "Oh boy, I'm jealous." My dear friend Brenda has a picture of her and her husband standing in a snowstorm in Bayshore. Bayshore, Wisconsin? In the winter? That is waaaaaay up north where I'm sure winter is a way of life. What fun!! Many people around here like the whole "white Christmas" concept, but when Christmas is over, they are ready for spring. They must have missed that part on the calendar that says the first day of winter is December 21. Maybe it's my Wisconsin upbringing with lots of sleeding and ice skating, but I like this. I like walking around in it, I really like watching it from my window. I like the peace. Spring will come in its time and that, too, will be a joy, but for now let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Two Lives

Within about a week and 12 hours, 2 people I knew passed away.  One was 100 years old.  One was 16 years old.  One I knew quite well, the other I only knew about.  

All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

(Psalm 139:16)

In July 2007, we celebrated the 100th birthday of Grandpa Tigges.  All of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren were there and it was a wonderful time.  Some traveled from Arizona, some from Nebraska, and some from California.  My first memories of Grandpa were when Mark and I started dating and he was still helping on the farm.  I can still see him in my mind's eye coming up the driveway on the tractor.  He and grandma had moved "to town" but he still loved to be involved with the farm work.  I saw his devotion to his wife when she had a stroke in 1987.  For many years, he cared for her at home, but eventually it was just too hard and she was moved to the nursing home where he visited her almost daily.  We last saw Grandpa on Christmas Day when he drove out to the farm to celebrate Christmas.  How he loved scratching those lottery tickets he got as a gift.  No big winners, but he came out ahead.  He was a good man who raised good people who, in turn, raised good people.  With the exception of a stay in the nursing home for a few months, he was able to stay independent, driving himself to the farm and church every Sunday, but most of the people that were in his life had passed on and he was ready to join them.  He will be missed, but I know he is "dwelling in the house of the Lord forever."  

Jason was 16 and a junior in high school when he passed away 7 days and 12 hours before Grandpa after a 3-year battle with cancer.  I first saw evidence of the impact Jason and his family have had several years ago when I watched a video of his parents talking about his illness yet their faith remained strong.  I saw it again 2 days before Jason died when I went to a high school basketball game and about 150-200 kids stayed after the game and were down on their knees on the gym floor lifting Jason and his family up in prayer.  The funeral lasted longer than an hour and a half and while it was filled with sadness, it was also a also celebration.  Kids at Waukee High School are asking questions now.  They want to know about God, they want to know about heaven, they have a yearning to know more.  

Where O death is your victory?  

Were O death is your sting?

(I Cor. 15:55)

I read an article that says on your tombstone is the date of your birth and the date of your death and in between those dates is a dash.  It's what you do with the dash that can make a difference.  Two lives - One long, one short, but both made that dash count.  

Time for New Year's Resolutions?

Generally, I don't take much stock in New Year's Resolutions. Especially since I read that approximately 80-some percent of people who make New Year's resolutions, break them before January is up. But I do like to take a look at my life and see if there are things that can be fine tuned. And there always are. Here are some for this year.

I have always enjoyed walking, but as I look back, I walked more in 2005 than 2006, more in 2006 than 2007. So that is going in the wrong direction and I can tell. I caught a cold this year and it's unusual for me to catch any kind of sickness. I prefer to lay around than move around. I want more energy, it makes me live a fuller life. So like about 90 billion other people today, I am going to try to incorporate exercise and walking into my life.

I want to spend more time in God's Word and prayer. That I did more of in 2006 than 2005 and more in 2007 than 2006. So I'm heading in the right direction. Now I need to build on that so that next year I can say I spent more time with God in 2008 than I did in 2007.

I want my house to not feel so full. I am on the box-a-day plan. Every day or at least several times per week (I don't need to beat myself up over this resolution stuff), I'm going to find a box or a drawer and clean it up. I want to reuse more than just throw out. I actually started this in the fall, so the plan is to keep on going.

I want my finances to be different. Some expenses were unavoidable this year and financially we did better in 2007 than 2006 so to just keep working on that. I wish somehow shopping cuold be a career ......

So that's it for me -- Time will tell how it all turns out. Happy New Year!!

The Ones My Heart Aches For

There are several people that I know, friends and family, who I just want to give their entire heart to Jesus. They are good people and I'm fairly certain they believe. But God is not woven into the entire fabric of their lives. I want them to know the joy and peace and hope that He gives us as we build a relationship with Him, as we get to know Him better and better. I have learned, thought, that I can't change hearts. I can't force them to read books by Christian authors who have touched me, I can't make them set aside time to get into God's Word and pray and I can't make them develop a relationship with other Christians. There is only ONE who can change a heart and that his Christ, himself. Does that get me off the hook then?

Ummmmmm, no. Every week after our church service, Jay says "Let all who see you, see Jesus Christ." That is my role. I am to be the light of Jesus to people who don't know Him. That's hard to do a lot of times. "But the fruit of the Spirt is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfullness, gentleness and self-control. (Galations 5:22). That is what I want show to all people, even people who are very different from me, people that, well if the truth be known, I don't really like. Jesus was a very appealing person when he was on earth -- people were drawn to Him. Beth Moore says "No one is more pleasurable to be around than a person who has had her cup filled by the Lord Jesus."

I will continue to fill my cup with His Word, with His goodness, let Him shine through me, and I will bring these people who I love so very much to the throne of God in prayer knowing that God can change a heart much better than I can.

Catching Up

Wow, it's been a while since I've been here. I will admit things have been busy. We have been crazy busy at work -- I was hoping for some extra hours and we sure got them. Lots of sick people.

I had a great Thanksgiving. Cody and Elizabeth are in Philadelphia so they were missed. It reminded me of last Thanksgiving when they were in Philadelphia and the rest of us made the trip out there to see them. Such a good time with such good memories. But this year was a little quieter. We spent the day with Mark's mom and dad and his 100-year-old grandpa. He is an amazing man, still living alone and driving when he needs to go somewhere. I have a lot of respsect and admiration for Mark's mom. As long as grandpa continues to be with us, she won't go out of town for a holiday because she wants to provide a meal and place for him to spend the holiday. That is love in action and I can take some lessons from that.

Then I did something I have never done before. I went to Jordan Creek Mall at 12:01 a.m. Friday with Monica and Callie. That might be a one and done. It was packed, 35,000 I read in the paper the next day. Now this mall is an average sized mall, bigger than the mall in Sheboygan, but nowhere near the Mall of America. The hallways outside the stores were packed, some stores you could not even get into. We walked around the mall, bought nothing and then went home where I slept a couple hours then got up to be at Target by 6. I am nuts. I wasn't even really shopping for anything specific, just wanted the experience. The Target crowd was a very civilized crowd and Target had employees making sure it stayed that way. I understand the crowd at Toys R Us was not so civilized.

Crazy.

Dena does this early Friday after Thanksgiving morning shopping every year. I believe last year, she even slept in her car for a while. It was an experience that at this point I don't see myself doing again. But who knows maybe next year, I'll totally forget how wild it was and go do it again. Never say never.