Observations of a Nut

The temperatures in north central Texas are not necessarily indicative of the season.  The highs could be in the 80's in October and November...not what you'd think of fall weather.  However...when you see the trunks of the pecan trees at the Whittle house wrapped with sheet metal, you know that fall is upon us!  

As I have probably told you before, the sheet metal keeps pesky squirrels and raccoons from climbing our trees and stealing the pecans!  When the trees form new fruit, the pecan is covered by a thick, bright green shuck.  I guess it's kinda like an incubator to protect the fruit until it's ripe...like corn is covered by a shuck.  (I never knew how pecans grew...I just knew they came from a tree.)  My husband came in the other day and announced that some of the shucks were beginning to break open.  That means that the pecans were ripening and harvest time was near.  As the pecans continue to ripen, the shucks begin to dry, break open and pull away from the nut allowing it to fall to the ground.  So what my husband was getting at when he came in with his announcement was...I need you to come help me get the new pecans out of the smaller, young trees before they fell.

We went out and realized that crows had already stripped two young trees of nearly all their fruit.  Time was of the essence.

My husband set up an eight foot ladder to reach the nuts up in the first tree while I pulled the ones that were low enough for me to reach while standing on the ground.  It wasn't long before my husband got down off the ladder and started to sneeze.  He sneezed twice...then he sneezed again and again and again!  He seemed to sneeze non-stop!  I don't think I had ever seen anyone sneeze so many times in a row.  He finally stopped long enough to say, "I'm allergic to pecan trees."  Now my husband loves pecan trees and he's planted as many trees as our yard would hold...so I'm thinking, "What?!"  And I said, "What do you mean you're allergic to pecan trees?!" He said, "Don't you remember when I had the allergy testing done -- they said I was allergic to pecan trees."  To which I replied, "Nooo...I don't remember that!  So why did you plant so many pecan trees if you were allergic to them?"  "Well I'm not allergic to pecans, just the trees...I love pecans!"  

Soooo taking a deep breath, I climbed up on the ladder to pull the pecans...which as it ended up, I really didn't mind.  It was really kinda fun...except...I really hate crawly things!  I don't like bugs!  I don't like spiders or frogs or lizards or snakes -- all the things you find more of in the country.  I was raised in town where there weren't many bugs...or spiders...or lizards...or frogs...or snakes.  We've lived in the country for quite a long time so you'd think I'd be used to it but being up in a tree with bugs and spiders all around just made me a bit uncomfortable...and itchy.    

As quickly as I could work, I pulled the ripening pecans.  Those bright green shucks blended into the green leaves as a chameleon blends into it's surroundings.  I could see them while on the ground and would move the ladder to where I thought was just the right location...only to climb the ladder and not be able to see the fruit that was 6 inches from my face.  So I would get down off the ladder and look up to see what I was missing.  Again I climbed the ladder but this time, not taking my eyes off the intended goal.  At times, my husband could see fruit from the ground and direct my hand to fruit that I could not see.  It was remarkable how the fruit could be hidden in plain sight.   

We methodically moved from tree to tree over a couple of days and claimed the ripening pecans.  At the end of each day, we would sit in the shade and peel away the shucks from the beautiful new fruit.  Some of the shucks would pop right off and some would have to be cut off.  My husband had the pocket knife, so I popped off all the easy ones and passed the stubborn ones over to him.  Now we were wearing rubber gloves but my husband quickly tore through the fingers of his.  The oil from those shucks turned his fingers the blackest black you can imagine.  It was gross...and it would not wash off!  We tried everything...even fingernail polish remover!  Nothing took it off.  I purposely diverted my eyes from having to look at such a disgusting sight.  

So please follow me on my observations...

--The Shucks.  They blend in so well, that it's hard to see them...like a chameleon blends in to it's surroundings.  Most of the time, I'm like a Chatty Cathy...yakity, yak, yak, yak.  But there are other times, I just want to be still and quiet.  I just want to waft into worship services, slide into my seat and blend right in like a chameleon -- almost unseen.  I just want to quietly worship my Lord and slip back out the doors.  But many times the Lord has other plans for me.  Another chameleon, not wanting to be seen, comes wafting in and the Lord seems to lead them to sit right by me!  So even though I just want to sit and be quiet, I'm led to reach out to the nearby fellow chameleon.  The Lord is always at work in our lives...we are His conduit connecting Him to others.  

The other thing about the shucks is that they dry up to allow the pecan to come through.  To me, that represents putting off our old, sinful self and becoming a new creature in Christ.  Just as Christ died on the cross, was buried and then raised from the dead...we too die to our old lives when we are buried in baptism and rise to walk a new life in Christ.  Romans 6:3-11.  I love it!

--The Spiders and Bugs.  Ok...so there I was on the tippy top of an eight foot ladder in the middle of a beautiful bright green pecan tree and there were.spiders.and.bugs.everywhere.  Did I mention that I really hate spiders and bugs?!  So I'm flicking off bugs and going cross eyed as tiny spiders drop down from webs in my hair!!  Since I hate spiders and bugs so much, I see them as evil.  The beautiful tree -- good -- vs the evil nasty creatures.   I know that since the beginning of time, there has been good vs evil.  But it seems to me, in my life time, the evil in this world has never been so blatantly visible.  So it is important for us to make every effort to reflect Christ in all that we do.  Ephesians 5:8-17.

--The Goal.  It was important to not take my eyes off the prize.  Getting distracted by moving the ladder, by spiders, bugs and the like, I would miss the aim of my mission.  Our strength comes from keeping our  eyes and the eyes of our heart on our Lord.  Trouble comes when our sight is diverted.  We can see things in our peripheral vision but our only focus should be on our ever present Lord and Savior.  Philippians 3:7-14;  Hebrews 11:1 - 12:3;  Psalms 25:15.  

-- Black Stain.  Those black fingers of my husband were disgusting...just like sin.  I couldn't stand to look at them.  It's just like sin -- you can't bear to turn your eyes to look at it.  I think of sin as being black.  In my mind, I can't forget the sin in my life. I'm thankful that while I'm walking in the Lord's light, the blood of Christ continually cleanses my sin like no detergent ever invented.  I John 1:5-10.

So the harvest this year has been a pretty good one...with lessons learned by this nut along the way.

Love till next time, 

Lanna

For your consideration:  Romans 8  

 

Light of the World

 

Two weeks before Thanksgiving, I drove over to my daughter's house for a short visit.  As I pulled up, I noticed that their neighbor across the street already had Christmas decorations in their yard!  I thought to myself that they must have been hanging around Hobby Lobby too long...they've had Christmas decorations out since June.  Perhaps her neighbors just couldn't wait any longer -- or maybe they were just stir crazy due to covid.  Who knows...it just seemed so early to me.  I still had a turkey to roast. 

Walking up to the house I knocked and the door opened with my three year old granddaughter beaming with excitement like I've never seen before!  "Gragga!" (She can't say Granna yet) "Gragga!  It's Christmas time!!"  And she jumped out the door pointing to the house across the street.  Puzzled, I looked at my daughter and she said, "Yes, we've already been out for a drive looking at Christmas lights.  You'd be surprised how many people have them up already."  Huh?!  But it's not even Thanksgiving yet!

Now I love Christmas lights too!  I've read that Germans started the tradition of Christmas trees and candles to light them.  The evergreen trees symbolized renewal and a continuance of life (a Christian principle) and the candles represented Christ, the Light of the world! I wonder how many people know that today?  

I just love lights period...I've loved them since I was very young.  It seems to me that when I was younger, lights were flashier and more colorful.  There used to be more neon lights...for hotels, restaurants, shoe stores, stores of all kinds.  The arm of a cowboy would magically wave in lights.  As a young teenager, I used to sit in the dark at my grandparent's kitchen table and look out at the highway lights a half mile away.  The Holiday Inn sign was my favorite with it's running yellow lights.  But the whole highway was aglow with businesses and traffic lighting the darkness.  Light invades the darkness but darkness can never overcome the Light...ever.  All lights represent Christ to me. 

Two thousand years ago, the Light of the world came to earth as our Savior to shatter the darkness so that we didn't have to live in it any longer.  It's this time of year when Christians around the world recognize His earthly arrival in the little town of Bethlehem.  In the fall of 2017, my husband and I visited that very city.  

A trip to Israel was on my husband's bucket list...not mine.  My faith was not dependent on seeing the Holy Lands.  I did not want to go.  I was scared to go.  But let me tell you friends, we saw some amazing sights.  Places and things I'll never forget.  I even read the scriptures with a different set of eyes now.  

We had a wonderful guide named Mike Rogoff.  He wrote the section on Jerusalem for Fodor's Travel Essential Israel.  He knew scripture and he brought it to life as we toured.  

Mike shared that there were caves in the hillsides around Bethlehem that were used as stables.  Since the second century, tradition holds that Jesus was born in one such cave.  Since Bethlehem was only a short distance from Jerusalem, the caves were used as birthing stables for sacrificial lambs to be offered in the temple.  They wrapped the legs of the newborn lambs with strips of cloth to keep them from falling and cutting themselves against the rocks.  They had to be spotless and without blemish.  I personally don't believe it was a coincidence that there was no room at the inn for this precious expectant mother.  

God knew exactly what He was doing.  I believe that Jesus, our sacrificial lamb, was precisely in the place where he was supposed to be born -- a stable where other sacrificial lambs were born.  His mother Mary wrapped him in strips of cloth that would have been readily available in such a place.  (Luke 2:7, Lev 4:32 and  I Peter 1:17-25)

In this picture, our guide, Mike, is standing beside a feeding trough or manger.  (It was taken at Megiddo and dated back to the 9th century -- the time of King Ahab!) Although the end is broken off, it was sized for feeding donkeys and horses.  Just such a manger, but a smaller version, would have been used to feed sheep -- the perfect size in which to lay the baby Jesus!   Cool, huh?!  

Jesus came to earth to live as we live.  He gets it.  He was a son, a brother, a teacher, a healer...  He was tempted, felt hunger, loneliness, betrayal, pain and ultimately death.  But He overcame death to live for you and me that we might have His light and life through eternity.  What kind of love is that?  Only the love of a Savior.  

Love till next time, 

Lanna           

For your consideration:  Luke 1:26 through Luke 2:21, Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6-7

John 1:1-14, John 8:12, John 12:46, Matt. 5:14-16 and I John 1:5-7                                               

It's Time to Be on Time

 

Recently I was invited to a bridal shower for one of my daughter's friends.  It was a Saturday and I was excited to be going with my daughter.  Mother's don't want to embarrass their daughters in front of their friends so I wanted to look my best.  So did you ever get up out of bed and things go down hill from the moment your feet hit the floor?  This was the day.

I had plenty of time.  I wrapped the present.  Steamed the dress I was going to wear -- a little clearance number I had saved for just such an occasion.  A glance of the clock before I jumped into the shower assured me I had plenty of time.  While in the shower, I was going over in my head what I still needed to do.  What shoes would I wear?  Sandals.  Sandals!  My toe nails!  They were half painted, half not.  So add to the to-do list:  Paint toe nails.  As soon as I got out of the shower, I got out my Sally Hansen's Leg make-up.  A wonderful product.  Only problem was, the tube was nearly empty.  I knew I had purchased another tube so the frantic search was on for the new tube.  Luckily I found it pretty quickly only to notice that the shade was medium--not light as my first tube.  "How different can it be?", I thought to myself.  Squeezing out a grape-sized amount into my hand and rubbing it onto my first leg, I realized it was a LOT different!  But I kept going thinking maybe it would be alright.

So I dried my hair and headed to the kitchen for nail polish.  (You know if you keep nail polish in the refrigerator, it lasts a lot longer!)  I grabbed a paper towel and headed back into the bedroom to paint my toenails.  Why I didn't stay in the kitchen where there was more light, I'll never know.  It would prove itself to be a mistake later.

So time is just ticking away.  I slapped on some makeup and headed for my tan colored dress.  I held it up to my legs which were clearly a lovely shade of orange...that clashed horribly with my dress.  There was no time to scrub off the orange, so it's time for Plan B.  Black slacks.  The bridal shower had a fiesta theme, so I found a top that would fit the occasion.  And of course, it had to be steamed.  Hurriedly, I filled up my little travel steamer, steamed the top, slapped on my clothes, grabbed the gift, kissed my husband and out the door I flew without a minute to spare.

Now every time I think I've got plenty of time and end up being late, I think about the ten virgins (or bridesmaids)...five wise, five foolish in Matthew 25.  Because the groom and his entourage would normally arrive after dark, the bridesmaids were responsible for their own lamps and the oil to fill them.  For whatever reason, the groom was late -- really late and the bridesmaids fell asleep.  At midnight, a call came out that the groom had finally arrived.  Can't you just see those young girls startled awake -- hair tousled, wiping away drool, hurriedly straightening their clothes and trying to regain their composure.  So the five foolish bridesmaids say to the wise, "Hey, share some of your oil with us!  Our lamps are going out!"  "Nope...go buy it for yourselves, we don't want to run out."  So the five foolish frantically run out for more oil.  They return only to find that the wedding party has already arrived at the ceremony location and the door is bolted shut.  Because they were late and not prepared, they were not allowed to enter.  It was considered an insult to the families and they were shunned by the whole community.

This was a parable Jesus told his disciples the week of his death.  It was in response to their questions about something Jesus had said earlier.  "Do You see these things?  Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another;  every one will be thrown down."  Jesus was speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem which was to take place in 70 AD.  But the disciples asked two questions,  "When will this happen and what will be the sign of the end of the age?" First Jesus talks about the destruction of Jerusalem and then he speaks to the end of the world as we know it...a time that only God knows.  Matt 24:36.  He told the parable to teach that we should always be prepared.

Who knew as the year 2020 began that it would be so tumultuous?  For the past many months, if you turn on the news, you hear just like a drum beat...hate, hate, hate, hate. 

You should hate.

Don't you hate?

Why don't you hate?

You're stupid if you don't hate.

And if it's not hate, you should be afraid, be afraid, be very afraid.

It's the same mantra day after day, after day until you believe all the hatred and fear.  It's just like the abused child or woman who's been told over and over that they're no good...worthless.  It's not true, but if they hear it long enough and loud enough they believe it. 

There are evil instigators who stoke the flame and then back out to let the mob take over just like when Jesus was tried and crucified.  I hope that I wouldn't have been a part of the mob.

Many people have said these are signs of end times...especially with peace accords brokered with Israel and United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan.  If it is the end times then awesome!  Lord come now!  But you know what?  It really doesn't matter!  For this very day your soul may be required of you.  We are not assured tomorrow.  Every day is a gift.  Do we really live it that way?  How do we treat others?  Think about how Jesus treated others.  He saw souls...the sick, the hurting, the young, the old, the lost.  He saw them where they were and treated them with compassion and grace so that they might be saved.  

A wise young woman told me, "I wish people could see with spiritual eyes...it's not parties against parties or race against race but heaven against hell fighting for souls."  I want to see people as Jesus saw them...with spiritual eyes.  If we don't have our stuff together now, then we need to get that way.

Time is of the essence and I want to be ready.

So my daughter and I made it to the bridal shower.  My feet were orange and my toe nails looked like they were painted by a three year old who couldn't color in the lines.  We were four minutes fashionably late.  Thank goodness they didn't lock us out.

Love till next time, Lanna

For your consideration:  Matthew 25:1-13, Matthew 24, Ephesians 6:10-18

It's Harvest Time!

My husband loves trees...any type of tree...fruit trees, oak trees, pine trees, the great sequoias -- you name it -- he loves them.  He has a special love for pecan trees.  Years ago he planted three pecan trees in the front yard.  They were nothing more than a stick when he planted them but now they are quite large. 

Since they began to produce pecans, he's had an ongoing war with the squirrels.  They were the bane of his existence every fall. If it was a good year and there was a crop, the little devils would do all the harvesting before they fell -- which kept us from reaping any of the bounty! There would be a pile of pecan shells encompassing the base of each tree several inches deep!  BAH!  

So one year, he decided that one way or the other, he was going to keep them out of his trees.  He bought sheet metal roof flashing and wrapped it around the trunk of each tree so it would be impossible for them to climb!  And let me tell you, it isn't attractive!  Any passerbys would be certain that the Clampetts of the Beverly Hillbillies got tired of the California life and moved to Texas!  I can just hear Elly May saying, "Paw...what'd ya do that fer?" 

So we had great spring rains and it's pecan harvesting time at our house!  I love it...it's like an adult Easter egg hunt every day!  It's best to go slow and shuffle your feet through the grass and fallen leaves...otherwise you might miss them.  I feel like the woman in the parable of the lost coin...searching and scanning the ground for each little golden nugget and then rejoicing when one is found.  I keep looking and find another and another.  It's a bountiful harvest!

The harvesting makes me think of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. (John 4:1-42.  I love this passage of scripture.  There are so many lessons here.)  Jesus and His disciples were heading for Galilee and took the quickest, shortest route through Samaria -- a route that Jewish people didn't take.  After the woman's amazing visit with the Savior, she hurried back into town to tell others that she thinks she has encountered the true Messiah!  Verse 30 says that the town's people came to see for themselves.  And Jesus tells His disciples, "Open you eyes and look at the fields!  They are ripe for harvest."  I believe that they were seeing a crowd of Samaritans on their way to see Jesus!  After the urging of the town's people, Jesus stayed with them two more days.   Many came to know that this man Jesus really was the Savior of the world.

It was a bountiful harvest!

There was purpose in every action of Jesus.  Going through Samaria to get to Galilee more quickly wasn't His mission.  He was deliberate.  Harvesting was the mission. 

So this pecan harvesting is a Spirit lesson for me...to slow down, to pay attention, to be the Lord's servant and see -- really see others who might be in need of a Savior. 

Lord, help us to live deliberately for you every day.  Help us to know that you surround us with your presence and protection so that we may fearlessly face whatever comes our way.  We want to sow seeds for your Kingdom so there will be a bountiful harvest.

Love till next time,
Lanna

For your consideration:
Luke 15:8-10
John 4:1-42
Ephesians 6:10-18

PS -- For those of you too young to remember the Beverly Hillbillies -- catch an episode on Hulu or Youtube.  It might be good for a laugh or two -- at least I remember it being pretty funny at the time!)

What's in a Name?

My parents named me Lanna -- not Lana with one "N" like most others.  As it turns out, they were right in giving me a name  with a spelling a little out of the ordinary.  Not that I consider myself out of the ordinary but I am a little quirky.  And I'm okay with quirky. As I was growing up, I didn't like that my name was different.  Occasionally the stores would sell things like pencils and key chains that were already personalized.  I could never find anything with my name spelled correctly. Oh well...

When my son got married, I started considering the thought of grandchildren and what they might call me someday.  My dad's mother passed away before I was born so I only had one grandmother -- Grammie and she was wonderful.  She was a Christian woman, so sweet and kind -- a great cook too.  I could never consider myself a Grammie...although my sister wears it nicely.  I didn't want to be called Grandma or Granny -- that sounded way too old. 

So what would I be called...
I wanted a quirky name that seemed to fit me -- one that I'd never heard before.  So I thought I'll take off the "L" in Lanna and add "GR" to make it Granna!  I thought I was so clever...
After my son and daughter-in-law told us they were expecting, I was so excited to finally be Granna Lanna!"

My bubble was burst one day while driving into town.  I saw a car with an Oklahoma vanity license plate that read, "GRANNA" in big read letters!  What!  That's my name! The very idea! Then I thought, "Oh well, she'll be going back to where she came from."  Then not long after that I saw a friend in Walmart that I hadn't seen in some time.  While catching up, she asked me, "So what do your grandchildren call you?"  I smiled and said proudly, "Granna".  To which she excitedly responded, "That's what my grandchildren call me!"  Somehow I continued smiling but inside I was yelling, "What!  Your name doesn't even rhyme with Granna!"  So since then, I've heard of a few more Grannas.  It happened again last Sunday while at a baby shower.  And in my mind, I ate another piece of humble pie. 

In Matthew 16, Mark 8 and Luke 9, we see a time when Jesus asked his disciples an important question.  It's important to note where they were when he asked -- as our Lord never did or said anything that wasn't without purpose. They were in Caesarea Philippi. It's not to be confused with Caesarea -- Caesarea is located on the Mediterranean coast.  Caesarea Philippi is just less than 40 miles due north of the Sea of Galilee.  The city was first named Panias, dedicated to the Greek god, Pan -- half goat and half man -- the so-called deity of herdsmen, music and wild nature -- among other things.  Herod the Great built a temple there to worship Caesar.  Then when Philip, Herod the Great's son inherited the city, he renamed it Caesarea Philippi -- to honor Caesar and himself.

So it's in this place of pagan worship, with statues abounding to other gods, Jesus asks his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?"  Answers of John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets were heard in response.  But then Jesus asks, "But what about you?  Who do you say that I am?"  And Peter's answer is the very foundation of our faith -- "You are the Messiah, the son of the living God."

WOW!  Doesn't it just make you shiver!

So what's in a name?  EVERYTHING!

THEREFORE GOD EXALTED HIM TO THE HIGHEST PLACE AND GAVE HIM THE NAME THAT IS ABOVE EVERY NAME, THAT AT THE NAME OF JESUS EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH AND UNDER THE EARTH, AND EVERY TONGUE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, TO THE GLORY OF GOD THE FATHER.   Philippians 2

There is no other name like that of our Savior's!

Now I think I'm better with others being called Granna like me...I'm just glad the Lord knows my name...Lanna or Granna...I'll answer to either one. 

Love till next time,
Lanna

For your consideration:  Matthew 16:13-20, Mark 8:27-30, Luke 9:18:20,
Philippians 2:6-11, Matthew 28:18.

Lamps

Lamps

Right before Easter, my daughter and I went shopping.  I didn't need a thing but there were a few things for which she was looking and I sure wasn't going to turn down the opportunity to shop -- and more importantly -- spend time with one of my children.  I always have a good time when I'm with my children.

So my daughter was looking for a lamp for the living room of their home.  She pointed out a few that she sorta liked -- but nothing was exactly right.  After looking at a couple of stores, I thought I had an idea of what she wanted.  She still hasn't found a lamp.  So a couple of weeks ago, we received a lighting catalog in the mail.  Knowing she was still looking, I perused the pages for lamps.  I found a lamp that might be just what she was looking for -- right color, right size and for a great price!  I snapped a picture with my cell phone and sent it to her with a caption..."These are cool!"  A little later in the evening, she answered, "Thanks for thinking of us mom but they're really not my style." 

Oh...

Now she didn't mean a thing by it...she was just telling me that it wasn't what she was looking for and I certainly didn't want her to spend money on something that she didn't like.  I've taught her to be a smart shopper.  I just didn't have a good feel for what she wanted after all.....She might have liked it...and boom...I would have been super mom once again!

Well the whole thing made me think of some lamps my dad gave my husband and I not long after we married.  My husband was working on his master's degree and I was working.  We lived in student housing -- a furnished three room duplex.  It wasn't much but it was enough.  Well my dad bought us these lamps -- I'm sure they had to have been on sale -- probably clearanced -- because they were the ugliest glass, harvest gold lamps you have ever seen!!  They were definitely not my style!  He was so proud of his purchase and proud to be able to give us something we needed.  We accepted the lamps in the spirit they were given and they filled our house with light for many years all because of the love of a father. 

Today is Father's Day.  I have thought of my dad most of the day.  I miss him.  He was a mess.  He was funny.  He adored our mother and I never doubted for one minute his love for me and my siblings.  Even in death, he still has an impact on my life. 

That makes me think of the other Father in my life.  He impacts my life every day and I have never doubted His love for me.  He also gave us the gift of Light...the Perfect gift of Light...the Light that gives life everlasting!

Love till next time,
Lanna

For your consideration:  John 1, John 3:16-17, Romans 5

What Season Is It Anyway?!

     Don't you just love the smell of a freshly mowed lawn in the spring?
I do...but it's October and it's still mowing season in Texas!
Don't get me wrong...I love to mow but I'm ready for that season to end. 
It's time for pumpkins, fresh mums on the porch and scents of the season like
cinnamon and cloves.

     Since I love to mow, it's been one of my happy household chores for years --
that is until my little accident.

     There's always been a method to my mowing.  It starts on the north side of the house -- then I move to the front -- then the south side and lastly the back yard.  I'm always careful to mow away from the flowerbeds to keep the weed and grass pulling down.  Oh and there's always a song going in my head as I go.  Because of the rocks that seem to grow in the yard, the first song that normally comes to mind is a children's bible class song --
    
          "If I had a rock, tell me will it grow?
           Oh no, no...oh no, no.
           A rock is not a living thing, it won't grow.
           God didn't plan for rocks to grow."
    
The next song is normally a favorite from The Message or a song from the previous Sunday's worship service.  I love music and I love to sing.  It's just best to sing in my head while mowing.

     On the day of the accident, I got off work, ran an errand and ran home to mow a few patches of blue stem grass in the yard.  now in a large pasture, there are few things more beautiful than a field full of tall, silvery blue-green grass blowing in the wind like waves on the ocean.  But in our yard, a few sparse patches of the tall grass among the Bermuda made the whole yard look bad.  My usual method was out today as a full lawn job wasn't needed. 
I ran in, changed my clothes and went out to jump on my little old faithful riding mower.  To start the mower, you put your foot on the brake and turn the key.  Once it's started, you keep your foot on the brake, move the gear shift to put it in gear, take your foot off the brake and you're off -- the higher the gear, the faster you go.  Well I was in a hurry right -- gotta get supper going.  So I had that little mower in high gear and I was moving!

     I was in mid-turn between the house and the drive way when the steering wheel came off!!  AHHHHH!!!  I was headed for the truck in the driveway when I managed to get the steering wheel back on.  Although I was feeling some relief, I was going too fast to calm down.  I continued mowing the pesky blue stem only to have the steering wheel come back off again in the next turn!   AHHHH!!!  Try as I might, I could not get it back on and I was out of control and heading straight for the house!  I went through the flower bed and WHAM!! I hit the house and came to an abrupt stop with a useless steering wheel in my hands.  Embarrassed and hurting, I looked over only to see my new neighbors.  I don't think they saw the impact...but they heard it.  I waved "I'm okay" and with my tail between my legs, went into the house.  I didn't want to call my husband yet -- this wasn't something to tell him over the phone.  I had messed up the mower and I felt badly.  So looking for a little sympathy, I got my cell phone and snapped a picture of my little mower against the house and sent it to my two kids.  In response, my daughter instantly responded with..."BAA HAA HAAAAA!!"  She was laughing so hysterically that her co-workers had to know what was so funny.  My ever level headed, straight-thinking son answered back..."Mom, if the steering wheel came off -- did the brakes not work either?"
THE BRAKES!! Why didn't I think of simply hitting the brakes?! I panicked! 
It was the steering wheel's fault. 

     After calming down a bit, my leg still smarting from the collision with the house -- guess what song came into my head?  Carrie Underwood's recording of "JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL"!  Now wouldn't that be great...Here Lord, you take it -- I know you would do so much better -- I can't do this on my own -- You do the driving.  The more I thought about it, I could just see myself in the passenger seat and Jesus behind the wheel...my feet up on the dash and hands raised high...WOOHOO!!!  This is great.  No responsibilities -- just sit back and enjoy the ride!  But the Lord doesn't drive us anywhere.  He gives us choices.  He wants us to make a willful decision to follow Him.

     Throughout the gospels, Jesus simply says, "Follow Me" -- not scoot over, I'll do the driving.  He leads and we follow. It's that simple. You know sometimes we get so wrapped up in this fast paced worldly life and forget to simply follow.  Things get so crazy that before you know it, we're out of control with no steering device.  We're going so fast that we forget the brakes and it ends in a disastrous crash!  After we've crashed, then we remember the Lord.  HELP ME LORD!  I could have avoided the crash and life's crashes if I had just remembered the brakes!  It would be a whole lot less painful.

     I need to remember with the start of every day that I am a child of God.  I need to willfully follow where He leads me and trust that He will protect me every step of the way.   When I do, I'll be reflecting His light -- and that light may guide someone else to follow Him too.  You know, someone is always watching...no matter the season. 

For your consideration:  John 10:27-28, Psalms 23, Psalms 25:4-5.

Love till next time,
Lanna