This Is Pretty Good Stuff

I just saw the biggest woodpecker working away on our neighbors huge tree. Joining him were several cardinals observing the hard working bird rather casually. Guess they know that eats are only a feeder away for them and most of the seeds are those that draw in the songbirds. I observed all of this while working on gathering and loading the truck for the church yard sale. I might have to make several trips this week. I've decided those things that haven't worked out here for the house need to find a home where they would be useful to someone else instead of holding onto something that probably will never get used.

Last night I met Bill and Vivian for our Friday night dining at Turkey Creek Cafe. By the time we left  the place packed with hungry families and friends. We saw several church friends there too. Once again I chose the hamburger because it is a pretty darn good burger. The forecast said more rain and the dark ominous skies agreed. I got home just before the heavens opened up with heavier rain and even a few thunder boomers. Buddy and I decided we should hang out upstairs so she slept while I watched a bit of TV.

I read an interesting blog the other day about the use of "call" or "calling." That term has kind of taken over the former importance of mission statement. The author tells us she has stopped throwing around the term calling and pretty much has banished the term from her vocabulary. She tells her story of college, work and going to China yet she falls in love with a man not drawn to the mission field and she comes back to the states and they get married. Meanwhile she is dealing with guilt and wondering if she was called at all. Her story and her thoughts reminded me of Romans 11:29 which says, for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. I once heard someone say your call or calling remains the same. It is your circumstances and situation that change, not the calling. That helped me tremendously because the next few years after hearing this were full of changes and circumstances that became beyond my control. My friend Dena wrote out my mission statement for me years ago because I never could come up with anything. I vainly tried using what I gave Roy when he would get on his what are your goals kick. My answer to him, to have fun, to be popular and to have lots of money. It was the most shallow thing I could think of saying. Anyway, she had pity on me and based my mission statement on Philemon 7....love, joy and great encouragement refreshing the hearts of God's people. I feel that this is also my calling. What I thought that meant and the how this will work out was nothing at all in how God intended for these gifts to be used. I kind of pouted for a while and then came to my senses. I laid those thoughts and dreams down to the Lord and I haven't looked back.     On the blog, life overseas.com the author realized that her calling is to first and foremost to intimacy with Jesus Christ. She writes further than when we come to that place where we don't want to be or we can no longer do the ministry we thought was our calling, "then we will not fall apart, because we are NOT our art. We are not our ministry. We are not our calling. We belong to Christ and are stamped with the love of the Holy Spirit, in whom we live and move and have our being. And He never looked at us and saw our gifts anyway (though they made Him smile.)" That my friend is pretty good stuff.