Hold Up the Good

Recently I watched the first two seasons of the T.V. show "Perfect Strangers." It was such a joy, as I laughed out loud and it is pretty hard for me to do that. My daughter can laugh at many things and it brings me a smile. I wish I had her talent. Nevertheless, these shows were funny. More than that, they were sweet and even "good." Themes of friendship, family, kindness, responsibility, and sacrifice were shown. There was even a Christmas episode where they said "Happy Birthday" to baby Jesu. Now I remember, that in the later seasons, there were some Christians who didn't care for this show as it seemed to make fun of religion. These early shows had none of that. They were done in about l987. That was a few years after my daughter was born. So as a toddler, there was still some goodness in our culture.
I remember the movie a few years ago called "Leave it to Beaver." Though updated from the T.V. show, it still had so much family love and goodwill that I cried at the end because usually, "they don't make then like that anymore."
When I look at the movies and television or even most of the music, I just see a slip from the good, the wholesome, and the beautiful. So when I buy movies on DVD, I get the best I can find and play them over and over. The same goes for books. I have read my books so many times.
I realize there is a whole world of Christian entertainment and information. That is wonderful. But now, it seems as if everything is cut with a knife - darkness and light. I am still believing that the dominant culture can once again have lovely things to offer. Some people will never turn to the Christian alternative. So for now, I am buying the good stuff, and praying for a change in tastes. What is so wrong with holding up the ideal? We hold up the ideal of beauty over and over to the sadness of many women. Why can't we hold up the ideal of family, friendship, and honor, to the good of all? Just asking. Nancy

Della

Story By Gracie Prior

The elephants were blue, the giraffes were bright orange and the lions were green. This colorful menagerie walked the walls of my pediatrician's office. I sat holding Scooter on my lap. He was in for a M.M.R. shot. He didn't know what was coming. He held a small plastic car in one hand and a "little person" in the other. The two pieces could fit together, but Scooter hadn't figured that out yet. He kept swinging them both in the air and exclaiming, "Car go. Car go."

I was preoccupied counting how many times the pattern of animals repeated itself around the wall when a woman opened the waiting room door and announced, "Scouter Rynolds." (My son's name was Scooter Reynolds. I assumed they were looking for him.) Before I could reply, I looked up and saw something amazing. This nurse who had a lime green smock also sported a pair of vintage blue sparkle cats-eye glasses. She smiled and called, "Scouter."

"Here, here," I said. I moved Scooter to my hip and took him near this apparition.

"This is Scooter," I said. "Scooter Reynolds." The woman smiled a toothy grin, did an about face and marched through the door and down the hall., Scooter lay against me. Did he suspect something?

Della, whose name was embroidered in blue on her smock, led us down the hall. We entered the third door on the left. Upon our entrance, she took Scooter and plopped him on the papered changing table.

"Let's have a look," she said. She took his temperature and his blood pressure. When she squeezed the bulb, Scooter looked at her and tried to squeeze it with his other arm.

"That's a smart little boy," she said. She bent near him to take the thermometer out.

Scooter reached up and grabbed her glasses. "Petty," he said.

I took his hands off and apppologized to Della.

"The doctor will be right in," Della said and left.

Scooter looked around. He had dropped his toys. He gazed at me sheepishly from under long brown bangs. "Petty."

I picked him up. The doctor, who was short and stocky and had a comb-over, came in and got to business. He checked the chart, asked Scooter's age and got the shot ready. The site was prepared. I was nervous. Scooter wasn't too good about things like this and he had a long memory.

The door flew open; Della popped in and smiled at Scooter. She gave him another plastic car and got up close and said, "Petty."

Scooter reached up to get the glasses with his right hand. The doctor jabbed with the left. "Petty," Scooter said. He pulled the glasses off and looked at them. "Petty."

I gave them back.

We smiled and said bood bye. Some days are beter than others. This day was great, all because of amazing Della and her blue sparkly cats-eye glasses.
(Hope you got a chuckle out of my little story. Till next time, Nancy)

The Saguaro

On a trip to Arizona, we saw a lot of Saguaro Cactus. When this plant is wounded, like its top is knocked off, baby plants grow from the stump. When birds make a hole and nest in it, the hole gets closed with stuff like tar to completely surround the hole. This whole piece can come out and it looks like a boot. The rest of the cactus is sealed and retains moisture. These cactus don't even get to branch out till they are seventy years old. God put a lot of time and effort into seeing that a saguaro cactus survives, even though it may be way out in the desert and never seen. Surely He will care for us, His children. We have protections, too. Think how marvelous our bodies are - their healing properties. God is certainly an awesome God. Nancy

Ripples In a Pool

I used to belong to a group called Women's Aglow. For about three or four years I was inspired by wonderful praise, good fellowship, and speeches that seemed on fire. In fact, the very atmosphere of the place was full of the presence of the Lord. That glow stayed with me all day and the messages even longer. Recentlly, I was going back over those speeches and condensing them greatly. There was a lot that didn't apply now, but an amazing amount that "burned" as I read them again. One of these was by a lovely lady named Karen and the year was l998, more than ten years ago. When I read her speech on self-image, it touched my heart and I took note of her steps to have the positive imaage the Lord wants me to have. So, Karen, where ever you are, here's to you. Your message is still out there, getting wider and wider and filling in places with hope that you never dreamed about. We all have that influence in the things we say and do. So take heart today, "your work is not in vain in the Lord." Nancy

Yesterday I had a chance to "rid up." That's "put things away" if your're from Ohio where I was raised. I checked my dining room and decided there were too many chairs. I had to get rid of my rocker that had cradled all three of my children. (When we moved, I dragged it to our new small house for sentimental reasons.) I asked my husband if I could give it away and he said, "put it out in the trash." I rarely throw out good things, but It was almost too big for a car and I thought, just this once, I'd do that. It was still in good shape, an early American design of dark wood with an American eagle cusion tacked to the seat. My tastes changed about four years ago and now I like the Brittish Colonial look. So I got a rocker in that style for my living room. That meant that my old rocker was stuck in and crowded the dining room. When I put the chair out, I ran to get a piece of wood that belonged on the chair and rubberbanded it to the top post, hoping that if someone did pick this up from the trash, it would be complete. Then I said goodby and prayed a small prayer that someone would find it. Later my husband said, "It's gone." The chair had been taken, but the trash was still there. What joy. It found a new home, hopefully with little ones just waiting to hear lullabyes. But if someone just wants to rock and sing, or think, or relax, that's good, too. I am sentimental, but I saw all my children on Mother's Day. They are my joy. Yes, the old chair is gone, but it and the songs and my babies will always be home in my heart. Nancy

Happy Today

Scribed by Gracie Prior

Don't be discouraged. All is well and will be well. You can be happy today. You must. I don't call you to be happy tomorrow. I call you to be happy today. When something or someone dampens that joy, I am less happy for I long to see your smile.

Circumstances are fluff. They are not eternal. You live in the eternal now with Me.

This is not to say that details are not important. They are often very important, but as you yield all to Me, I work out every one of them in your life. Are you allowing flak? Are you allowing frets? Let them go. Don't you believe that I am active in your life - right now? I am, so act "as if" and rejoice.

(When you have down days, sometimes the only thing you can do is to be faithful in the one thing you can be faithful in. It will lift you up. Nancy)

The Wind

By Gracie Prior

It was really windy this morning. I had to put the garbage out and the two cans fell over even before I got out of the driveway. I set them upright. When I came home, the brown can had scattered debris up the street and I went over to the neighbors to get it.
I went to my prayer partner’s house. On the way home, I had to stop my car and move a garbage can out of the street. At home again, our gray garbage can was just gone. I went looking for it, but couldn’t find it.
In spite of the irritants of the enemy and they were many this morning, I love the wind and I praised God. Though the sky was generally gloomy today, the sun (Son) peeked through often as if to say, "I’m still here, take heart." And so I do.
The wind is knocking over trashcans all over town. The cans are even rolling in the streets as if God were playing.
The wind howls, but my birdies right outside my window sing for joy. They know their Heavenly Father cares for them. And He cares for me.
When wind comes strong, it reveals the power of God. His natural elements reveal His glory. Sometimes God does things in the physical realm that He is going to reproduce in the spiritual realm. My prayer partner and I have been praying for The Spirit of God to come to our town. Could this mighty rushing wind outside be the spiritual antecedent of an outpouring of God’s mighty Spiritual Breath here? That is my sincere desire and hope.
My partner and I were without "feelings" in our prayer time today. We prayed anyway, knowing that God’s Word said that He would meet us "Where two or more are gathered together in My name". He did meet us and by the time I left, His assurances were enough to make us both smile. Isn’t that just like God?
I also met a postal worker who is another warrior for the Lord. Yes, the Lord is building His army one at a time. He is joining up the ranks.
How wonderful it is that Jesus is our leader. Sometimes one of us is strong and exhorts the other. Next time, it’s the reverse. God always speaks prophetically either as we share or pray. He speaks His life into our lives. Burdens we brought into the prayer time are laid down at the altar and joy bursts forth.
It is true that you can’t see the wind, but you can see where the wind moves.
The wind blew through town today. It upturned things, moved things out of the way, and made a path for new beginnings.
Such warfare there was this morning. Such a great God we have. He knew what He wanted to do. Praise God for His Mighty Wind.

(Thank you for dropping by. See you next time. Nancy