Taste the rainbow!

Yes, it looks like a Skittles commercial - but it is not!  I just couldn't resist since that phrase has been on my mind all day today. "Taste the Rainbow" I had another amazing, incredible time with Jesus and the Holy Spirit last night. 

A little bit of a back story.  About a year ago I was at an ecumenical worship service and one of the worship leaders, played a violin over me.  That may sound a bit odd, but let me tell you, it was one of the most powerful experiences I have ever had.  It was like the sound of heaven that penetrated into my soul.  Although it may be hard to believe, I was "HEARING" colors.  I don't really have words to explain this, but it was very real.  I experienced a totally different kind of hearing that night.  And, now during various worship times, I have had the same experience.  Okay - last night.  Well, last night was another one of those nights with powerful, intense worship.  One of the worship leaders was Georgian Banov.  If you don't know who he is, let Google help you out.  All I can say, is he is WOW!  And he plays the violin.  There were 5 people leading worship.  A keyboard player, a vocalist, a drummer, a guitar player and Georgian on violin.  At some point in the worship, everything changed.  The heavens opened and suddenly, that river of living water was just pouring from the throne down onto us. It actually looked like a flowing rainbow to me.  And at that moment, I was aware that I was "TASTING" the colors of that rainbow.  Each color seemed to hit my lips and a flavor would explode in my mouth. 

red,  was so sweet  - like the best candy you have ever tasted
orange,  was extra spicy - but it did not burn my mouth
yellow,  was smooth and buttery - like melted butter
green,  was a surge of savory herbs - freshness just filled my mouth
blue,  was a minty burst - that increased in flavor
indigo, was so salty - like the best salty snack
violet,  was like rich dark cocoa - soooooo good

There were so many surprises in these tastes.  I expected that blue would be like the water that I always associate with the color.  But no, it was so minty.  And I was surprised that there were TWO purples in this rainbow.  I actually wrote "light purple and dark purple" in my notes last night.  I have used the "proper" terms of indigo and violet in the list above that describe the rainbow colors.  Again, I was so surprised at the salty taste of the light purple.  I don't know what I would imagine light purple would "taste" like, but salty was a surprise.  I spent lots of time in the dark purple.  It just filled my mouth and I was overwhelmed by the intensity of all of the flavors. 

And the phrase I was hearing was "Taste and see that the Lord is good!"  And I was doing exactly that!  Tasting and understanding in a new way, how good He is!  And, of course I thought of "Taste the Rainbow" but this was so much better than Skittles.

So my encouragement to you tonight is to expect the unexpected.  Let yourself enter into worship when you have the chance.  Put on those CD's and worship at home.  Or in your car.  Sit back and let the sounds take you to new heights and into depths of your spirit.  There is very clear scientific evidence that music activates different areas of our brain more than anything else.  And I know that the Holy Spirit uses music to reach us at times when we have shut ourselves off.  Or put up walls to keep others out.  Or those times when we are just so immersed in our daily struggles that we forgot who we are and WHOSE we are.  Let that music reach you and listen for the voice of Jesus speaking to you through the Holy Spirit.  And listen for the colors.  And wait for the tastes.  I am sure that this is not just for me.  It's something for everyone.  There is so much more!  And I can't wait!

Jesus, thank you for, once again, the unexpected.  Holy Spirit thank you for using those musicians to reach me last night.  Thank you for those amazing men and women who stand aside and let you, Holy Spirit, do whatever you want.  Jesus, please share these colors with everyone.  It is so amazing.  Yes, you are so good!  Halleluia!  Amen

What happens when you don't ask.....

Since the oasis yesterday, I've been thinking about the ways that I find "rest".  I am so thankful that Jesus sometimes just brings me rest, even when I am not looking for it!  That was certainly true on Friday.  And the weekends are usually a time of rest for me - away from my job.  But yesterday did not really feel like "rest".  Here's what happened.  I saw some drapes advertised that seemed to be perfect for our living room.  We have two patio doors and it is difficult to find drapes that work well.  We need thermal insulation to help in the winter and we also need to be able to access the doors!  I used to have "Patio Panels" on those doors, but they have not been available recently. So, early on Saturday, we went to the store and purchased those drapes.  I settled for a darker color than I really wanted because they did not have the beige that I wanted in stock.  After getting the drapes home, I discovered that my current curtain roads would not work.  So, off we went to another store to purchase new curtain rods.  Once again, I am thankful that Ken could take down the old rods and get the new rods installed (I really don't understand those wall anchor things!)  So we then put up the first set of drapes.  As we stood back to look at them, it was clear that there was a problem!  First of all the left panel was at least 2" longer than the right panel.  And that same left panel also had an interesting "pattern" that showed up when the light came through the panel.  So, we decided this pair of drapes must just be defective.  Back into the car and another trip to the store to exchange the drapes.  I decided to go to a different location in the hopes that we could get the lighter color.  So, after some lengthy discussion, we were finally able to exchange both the "defective" pair and also the unopened pair for the beige color that I had originally wanted.  Success! Or so I thought.  Once at home, we opened the first package of beige drapes, put them on the rods, and guess what.  The right panel had the same weird pattern as the last set.  At this point we decided that these drapes were not worth the trouble.  We took down the panels AND the new rod.  Packaged up everything and realized that the entire day was gone.  NOT a day of rest.  Then, this morning, we went back to those stores and returned everything.   WOW!  The only good thing about the day was that I went on Amazon and actually found patio panels!  So they are on order and should be delivered next week.  Hopefully, we will be able to use our existing rods. 

For me, the ocean represents the ultimate rest place.  I don't know what it is about the ocean, but my whole body just relaxes when I get close to the ocean. (I am not helping my case to remain in the Chicago area when we retire!  Ken wants to move south and I want to stay close to the kids and grand kids.)  But I digress here.  Yesterday I did not rest, but today I am being more aware of my great need to rest.  So I have been spending most of today, letting myself rest. And while resting today, I was thinking about my "non-rest" of yesterday.  It was a picture of what my life is often like.  I run here and there, trying to get something that I THINK is exactly what I need.  I never stopped and asked Jesus if this was the right thing to purchase.  I mean, it was just some drapes for the living room, right?  But, had I stopped and let the Holy Spirit speak to me, I bet that I would have thought to check out Amazon BEFORE we ran back and forth and back and forth.  Today, I took the time to listen on even the little things, and it has been a much more restful day.  So my encouragement to all reading this blog today, is to remember to stop and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance, even on the little things.  It really does make for a more relaxed day. 

Jesus, thanks for the reminder that you have provided the guidance that we need through the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Thank you Holy Spirit that you are always willing to guide and direct us - even in the small things in our life.  What a wonderful gift this is. Thanks for the reminder that exactly what I needed for my living room was available on Amazon.   And Jesus, thank you for being so patient with me, as I am learning and re-learning to let you guide my entire life.  Help everyone reading this today, to be willing to ask for help in every decision.  Thank you for supernatural rest.  Amen

Didn't realize I needed an Oasis!

I've had quite a couple of days.  The weather has taken a wonderful turn to autumn coolness.  For me, however, no central air conditioning means a VERY stuffy head and sinus pain like you would not believe.  Even my hair hurts.  Because this is all allergy caused, I am sure that in a short while, I will be celebrating the first frost.  And I mean REAL heavy frost.  I do not have to check the weather forecast to know when the frost has come.  My head tells me! 

Okay - here comes some more truth-telling. To go along with my general fogginess of thinking, today I am feeling a mixture of several emotions, all of which are directed at me, myself and I.  I have had  very clear revelation of some opportunities that I completely missed out on.  And I sort of feel like one of the people standing by the side of the road, watching that very fast moving "super sonic highway".  And today, I am not ON that moving walkway.  I feel stuck on the side. 

Last night I experienced some amazing worship.  And when you are in a place where everyone around you is looking for the heavens to open up, you can be assured that they will open.  Here is a sampling of some of the things that we were singing and I was "hearing" very clearly...

• I will remind myself of all you've done. Your love came down and rescued me.
• I sing out and that reminds my soul that I am yours.
• I am drinking it in as one who has been in a desert and I've finally hit an oasis.  It is oasis of the  river of living water.
• It is an oasis of glory and peace and joy. 
• As certain as the sunrise, as jarring as an earthquake, as cleansing as the rain is His grace.
• When you have tried everything in your own strength and failed, look up, listen and behold. 
• I will remind myself of all you've done. 

So, I am being very thankful today.  In spite of my nose and my head.  In spite of the feelings of "stuckness".  I am thankful for the oasis of the presence of the Lord in the desert of my last couple of days (and the last couple of years).  I will remind myself of all that Jesus has done for me.  I will sing of His mercies and goodness and grace.  And I will celebrate the presence of the Holy Spirit.  And I will celebrate the change of seasons. 

Jesus, thank you for understanding that we would need the change of seasons to remind us that you are ALWAYS  on the move!  Holy Spirit, thank you for drawing me to exactly the right place at the right time so that I can hear your message.  You are a great and amazing God that even planned those very real Oasis' in the middle of the deserts. so that we would know there was a place of rest and refreshment in the middle of dry and dark times.  Father, direct the many out there who feel as if they are stuck and in that dry place, to the oasis of your flowing living waters.  Thank you so much for all of the people  you have placed in my life.  Bless them mightily today!  Amen

A time to remember......

You know how sometimes the strangest things make you remember something from the past - and usually there is no reason for the connection?  Well, I had one of those moments today.  I was really enjoying spending time with my little, almost 20 month old nanny boy.  We had been at the public library for story time.  The story time was wonderful.  Michael really entered into the event - sitting quietly on my lap for the stories, standing and singing and clapping with the songs, he followed all the directions.  It was just an amazing time.  I really love having the chance to spend time seeing the world through his eyes.  Shortly after returning home from the library, it was nap time.  I don't know what it was about this morning, but this picture just popped into my mind....

 

This picture was taken in the summer of 1983.  Doug and Gwen are sitting on the lap of "Great Grandma Baker" (Ken's maternal grandmother).   I think that there is something about Michael that reminded me of Doug in this picture. Doug was about 18 months old and Gwen was about 4 1/2.  I know that over and over on this blog I have talked about how important pictures are for me.  This is one of those "important" pictures. Grandma Baker was a very special person in Ken's life.  As a matter of fact, I remember when we were first dating, that Ken talked over and over about his Grandma.  For me this was really something.  Remember that I barely have any real memories of my grandparents.  And when I listened to Ken talk about Grandma Baker, it was like all the stories I had read about grandparents.  Grandma was there to be with Ken when his mom was in the hospital.  Often Ken would be sent to spend summers with his grandparents, who lived in Florida.  And it was Grandma Baker's recipes that Ken always asked me to make. (And that is still true today - Chicken Paprikash and Filled Raisin Cookies).  I remember when Ken's Grandpa Baker died in 1976, he expressed concern that Grandma would be around to see our kids.  I loved that she got to see and get to know both Gwen and Doug.  She said over and over how much Doug reminded her of Kenny.  Although this was only the second time she had ever been with Gwen and the first time with Doug, they both loved her.  And, once again, it is the generational shift that is on my mind. 

 

I am so thankful that I got to have Grandma Baker in my life.   However, tonight I am also sort of sad.  Grandma Baker did not have any religious background at all.  She never went to church.  Her family never went to church.  Apparently when her mother had come from Protestant Ireland, they were escaping from the pressure of religion and religious conflict.  And they walked away from the church.  And there was a very real void in her life.  When Grandpa died, I remember that it was very dark and cold and sad for her.  She did not have the promise and the assurance of eternal life. For all the great things that she did for her family, she did not leave a spiritual legacy.    All of this affirms to me, how important it is that I am able to share my faith with my children and grandchildren.  I am so thankful that Jesus is a part of my life and I have been able to pass on a strong spiritual heritage. 

 

Jesus, thank you for reminding me of special people and special times in our lives.  But Jesus, thank you for also reminding me of what is really important to pass on to our children and grandchildren.  Holy Spirit, bless all those grandparents and parents reading this blog.  Draw them into a deeper relationship with Jesus and strengthen their resolve to leave a wonderful spiritual legacy.  Jesus, thank you for Michael!  Pour out your blessings on him and his entire family.   Amen 

 

 

 



The sky was silent, the church was full....

I was in an interesting position twelve years ago.  As a church secretary I was usually alone in the church office for the better part of most days. An elder care daycare group used part of the church facility to provide daytime care for senior citizens that could not be left alone.  A normal part of my early morning routine was to visit with the staff and the elderly clients, while getting my morning cup of coffee from the kitchen.   That day, twelve years ago, was not different to begin with.  I had my coffee in hand and the staff member turned on the TV to the Today show, which the clients watched every morning.  And then I saw it - the plane fly into the building.  Almost as it happened.  And then the second plane.  The clients did not understand.  But the staff did and I did.  I rushed to my office and started tying to call my family.  My daughter, Gwen, was in her first year of teaching and had only been in class for a few weeks.  What a hard start to a teaching career.  She got called to the Principal's office (scary enough) and then told the news.  The school was on "lock down" until they decided what to do.  The interesting thing about the school was that it was a mix of Muslim and Jewish children with a few others thrown in.  The school was almost across the street from a Mosque.  A very difficult situation to say the least.  My son-in-law was still in college, commuting into the city every day, so there was a concern about him actually getting home. I was able to finally connect with Ken and Doug also.  I talked to my mom that morning. She was very stoic about the event. She had lived through many big life events like this. What was on her mind, was "Pearl Harbor" day. She related that for her, that day represented the war happening CLOSE to her. And I realized that was exactly how I felt. Suddenly the terrorist activity was to close for comfort.

Then, an amazing thing happened.  There were people just showing up at the church.  They wanted to come in and pray.  I opened the doors, turned on the lights, lit the candles and began to welcome the people in.  For most of that day, there was a steady stream of people coming and going from the church.  I replaced the kleenex boxes several times.  Not much work got done that day.  People just wanted to talk and to pray.  By the time the Pastor showed up, the parking lot was full.  It had never occurred to me that there might be a problem with opening the doors.  I simply did not care.  The people needed a place to pray and they needed a place to feel safe.  And for those who were drawn to the church, that's what it was.  I did not care if they were members or just people passing by.  So, I will always remember the day as a time when the church was full - all day.  And the people were praying. 

When you have lived for over 40 years so close to the "world's busiest airport", you are used to the constant sights and sounds of airplanes in their flight patterns.  We actually get planes from both of the Chicago airports.  So the absence of the airplanes was eerie.  The sky was silent. 

Unfortunately, the full church didn't last long.  Actually, I was told not to admit anyone the next day.  There were plans made to do an "organized" service.  However, those plans never actually happened.  Some people came to pray the next couple of days.  But the word was out that the church was not "opened".  And the people went elsewhere to pray. For a few weeks there was an upturn in church attendance. But gradually, as the weeks went by, the numbers fell back to the pre 9/11 numbers.   And within a few days, the airplanes were flying again.  And life returned to normal.  The NEW normal.  The post 9/11 normal.

 

One thing that has changed and stayed changed, is that we have had a flag flying on our house for the last 12 years.  I really can't imagine our house without that flag.  It is an important symbol and a reminder that many people have given their lives to preserve the freedoms represented by that flag.  I loved seeing all the flags show up after 9/11.  And there are still many, many flags displayed on houses, commercial buildings and public places.  In spite of the many failings of our government in the last months, I am proud to have that flag displayed on my home.  I believe that the United States of America were established and blessed by God.  He has a plan and purpose for our nation, for our land and for all of us.  And his plans will be fulfilled. No act of terrorists will stop the plan.  

Just like my mom, I  have a list of "big events" that are those days that everyone knows exactly where they were when it happened.  Included on my list is the day Kennedy was assassinated, the Moon landing, the Challenger accident, and then 9/11.  I am so glad that I am not living in fear after 9/11. 
In fact, for me personally, the last 12 years have been a time of a great increase of peace and joy.  These have been wonderful years filled with family, love and growing in understanding of Jesus and His great plans.  And these years have been filled with Thanksgiving. 

Jesus, thank you for your great plan. Jesus, please comfort all those who lost loved ones on 9/11. Holy Spirit, release more of your peace and joy even right now.  Help us to see all of the things that happen from your perspective, Jesus.  Give us a truly heavenly vision.  Yahweh, there is much unrest around the world today.  Strengthen your people and give them courage and boldness to stand in the midst of turmoil. Remind us to stand with them and cover them with our prayers.  Holy Spirit HOVER over them today.  Amen  



Thank you typo!

Well, you know how aggravating it is when you are trying to type a "quick" text and you just can't seem to hit the right keys?  Of course this is complicated by the fact of those teenie tiny buttons on the cell phone.  And if you are not careful, you just might send a text that does NOT say what you want!

 

Well, I had that experience when sending a text to a friend yesterday.  And the typing error ended up being very prophetic.  I wanted to type the word "COVER" and instead typed "HOVER".  When I saw the text (after I had sent it, of course) I sent a text with a correction.  Thankfully, my friend was listening to Jesus, and understood how important that "error" was.  Then she prayed that the Holy Spirit would HOVER over me!

 

So tonight I looked up the two words in the dictionary and this was the surprise that I found.....

     Cover -  To extend over and to protect and conceal

     Hover - To hang over, to expose and highlight, to linger over

 

I had not thought about this!  What a big difference.  To cover is to conceal or hide and to hover is to expose and highlight.  I especially like the fact that hover also includes linger over.  I am so grateful to my friend for pointing this out to me and then for praying that the Holy Spirit would hover over me.  What a great prayer!  I am going to pray this hover prayer more often now that I understand the depth of the meaning.  Isn't it wonderful that we can expect the Holy Spirit to hover over us, our families, our friends.  We can expect the Holy Spirit to hover over every situation that we face. 

 

Jesus, thank you for using a mistake - even a simple typo to remind us of how great the work of the Holy Spirit is.  Holy Spirit, thank you for hovering over us. Moving this way and that way to expose us to the world!  Thank you for lingering with us.  Yahweh, help us to know when we need to be covered and when we need to have you hover!    Amen

 



It's been one of those days........

This has been one of those days.  I guess that's all I have to say.  Just one of those days.  It's Monday and that certainly doesn't help.  But the day went from bad to worse really quickly.  And quite frankly, it is now almost 10:00pm and I am thinking that I need to go to bed so that this day just stops!  Tomorrow has to be better!  Right??? 

First of all, the little guy that I nanny was a very unhappy, sniffly, cranky, whining, 20 month old.  His nose was running constantly and his little eyes were just red rimmed.  Nothing could make him happy today.  He didn't even want to go outside - which is so unusual.  Bottom line - he was not feeling good.

Somewhere in the nose-wiping, I realized that I had made a subtraction error in the checkbook over the weekend and suddenly, I needed to transfer some money, really quickly.  I can't remember the last time that I did something like this.  Fortunately I found this BEFORE it was really bad......

I know some will not believe me but once again, a NEW route that I found to go home at night, was a nightmare today.  Why?  Because those dreaded orange signs are out and the construction has begun on yet another road.  There was a true traffic jam that took me over 30 minutes to go just two blocks this afternoon.  Why, I ask you WHY do they do all of the roads in one area at once??????

And this is just the stuff that I feel like I can share on this blog!  There is more...........much more.

So, I am truth telling tonight and will close my computer and go to bed.  And pray that tomorrow is a better day.  I am so thankful that Jesus has promised us that his mercies are new every morning and we should only focus on each day. 

Jesus, thank you for everything that you have done for me.  Help me to release all of the junk of today into your hands, and to rest overnight.  You promise us a new start each day and Jesus, I am asking for an extra measure of your grace and peace tomorrow.  Jesus, bless all those reading these words, who have also had a challenging day.  Cover them with your life and your love.  And Jesus, send your healing tonight for little Michael.  Amen