Putting Jesus First

I have been reading a book about grace and it includes journal pages. One page asked us to list our thoughts about putting Jesus first in whatever we do. I can usually think of things to write, but this time I was stumped. Putting Jesus first in whatever we do? What does that mean? Nice words, but do they mean anything? Once before, I was stumped and I just started writing. "I'll try that," I thought. Here's what I put down.:

(I'm not really sure what putting Jesus first in everything I do means. I can understand putting Him first in my day, in my mind, in my heart. But in all I do? How do I put Jesus first when I brush my teeth or eat my breakfast? All I can think of is to take extra good care of my teeth because they are a part of my body which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. And breakfast, I guess it would be first finding foods that are good for my body, truly appreciating all of the variety of foods there are, and then thanking Him for it all. That would work.

What about cleaning? Doing it well, singing to Him, praying, meditating on His word, having a conversation with Him. Doing dishes - being happy to thank Him for any cute little dish or glass He gave me and being glad I can do this small job for my husband. And so through the day. O.K., now I see how.)

It amazes me that when I ask God a question, He always gives me the answer.

Meeting a Ray Of Sunshine

I was sitting in an office with a good friend recently, and I heard a very lovely lady speak to another patron. "You should be happy if you could get up today. If you don't hurt anywhere, be glad." She was cheerful, helpful, informed and her upbeat attitude was very touching. She was trying to help some people who came in to see that even with problems, you can have an upgrade in your perspective.

I know that people have serious problems: health issues, financial problems, serious troubles. You have a right to sympathy and prayers. This woman is just saying that if we can get out of bed or have all of our parts working, we can be happy to be alive and to have a thankful attitude. I have been trying to do this. I have heard this type of saying before and right now I am in the category where I am blessed with good health, enough finances, and people to love and who love me. So I want to wake up each day with a song in my heart and give thanks for how I am able to move freely and feel good. Do I have any problems? Yes, of course I do. You may hear about a few of them some time. But even with problems, I want to appreciate what I do have.

This lady in the office was just sharing her joy and hoping that others would catch it. I think that was a great thing to do. She really couldn't help it. Sunshine was just bursting out from all over her.

Looking To Spring

I have to say that I have enjoyed this "winter/spring thing" more than I can tell. I don't remember any winter ever in my life that was this good. I know we still have a month and a half of possible bad weather in Michigan, but that doesn't change the fact that we have had almost a year of great weather. I love it when the sun shines in my bedroom window. I feel as if The Lord were saying. "Good Morning, Nancy. Hope you have a lovely day." And I do and did. A lot of things that were covered over and dark were healed during this time and also with my "new way of looking at things." So that even on a dark or rainy day, I could still see God above the clouds, smiling at me.

Many years ago, I recall a spring day that was balmy and I went a little crazy with spring fever. I wanted to jump and run and be silly. It was that kind of thing. There were other days in Ohio that I remember that feeling. But for too many years in Michigan, I haven't had any of them. Then here comes The Lord with a host of sunny days and not just that, but balmy ones where I want to pinch myself for joy. Oh, it makes me feel young. It makes me feel that anything can happen.

I'm ready for pretty colors: pink and blue and purple and yellow. I'm ready for blossoms (like they had in Nashville when we were there.) I'm ready for green grass and going out in a T-shirt, jeans and light jacket. Are you four-season people ready for Spring?

Nashville Part II

After we visited with my daughter and her family for a while, Larry and I headed off to Nashville. I love the area. We got lost locating the new site of the Grand Ole Opry. We had wanted to see a show in the new auditorium. It turned out that the theater was being used for a private party at the time. The picture of me beside the giant guitar was taken outside this facility. We then decided to retry visiting the Country Music Hall Of Fame. The last time we were there a few years ago, we were on the second floor, just beginning to enjoy the Hank Williams exhibit when the lights went out. There was a blackout in the city and we had to leave the museum. This time we saw the whole thing, but we just missed the Hank Williams display by a few weeks. They change things around and we just had a different exhibit. I enjoyed it anyway as I like to see the films they have of old time T.V. shows. I saw a very young Dolly Parton.

In the next few days, Larry played golf at a club in Murfreesboro or near there and he used his new hickory shaft clubs on a few holes. He is always getting into something new with golf. Dawn, our daughter played and I rode along. (I tried golf early in our marriage, but I was awful. There is really no other word to describe it.) Dawn and I went shopping for her baby to be and for a few maternity things for her.

On the way home, we stopped at Louisville, Kentucky and toured the Louisville Slugger factory. That's a picture of me swinging Mickey Mantle's bat. The tour was fun and informative. We each got a miniature bat as a souvenir.
Our trip home was uneventful. We stayed overnight in Ohio and came home on Friday. There's so much to see in Nashville, I'm glad my relatives are there so we can continue to enjoy the wonderful city.

Nashville Bound

We started our trip to Murfreesboro on Friday, March 2. We were headed for the southern part of Kentucky when our country radio station interrupted with tornado warnings. These were for Indiana and lower Kentucky. They said, "take shelter immediately." We were listening and much of the bad weather was where we had just been driving. Then they spotted a tornado touch down in Carrollton. We were passing over the city limit sign a few moments later. The thing is, we had nowhere to go. We were out in the middle of nowhere. I started praying and I prayed for my husband to do what the Lord wanted him to do. We were also hit with almost blinding rain and hail. Hail as big as baseballs or bigger was predicted in some areas. Finally we pulled off to a strip mall that offered protection for half of our car front. When the rain let up, we drove on. We then entered an area where about 15 minutes before had been exposed to driving rain and hail. So basically, the Lord took us all around the tornado and bad weather area. I learned on my return that my neighbor had been faithfully praying for us. This rainbow came just as the weather broke. At first it was a double rainbow. What a sign of God's care and protection!

We finally stopped in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Boy was I glad to get out of that car. The next day, we drove on to Nashville and then Murfreesboro. We met our daughter and she took us to a Sweet Ce Ce's Yogurt place. It was all decorated for spring and was so cheerful. I broke my "no sweets" thing and we all had frozen yogurt. Then we turned a knob here and used a scoop there and our healthy yogurt was full of tasty candies, treats, etc. I'm so glad for vacations on my diet, too. That evening we met Dawn's husband and we all went to a Mexican restaurant and I had the best enchiladas I have ever eaten. Next time, I'll tell you about a few of the touristy things we did in Nashville and the area. Stay tuned.