![]() My beautiful 85-year-old grandmother cannot get around on her own anymore and cannot do the things she once enjoyed. Because of this, she sometimes becomes bored and feels down. To combat this, I like to play uplifting, Southern Gospel music, both because it lifts her mood, and because I enjoy it. Not long ago, we were just finishing breakfast in the kitchen. Grandma was sitting at the table, sipping her coffee and I was at the sink, washing dishes. I could tell Grandma was feeling bored and useless, so I used my phone to find “At Calvary,” sung by the Collingsworth Family, on YouTube, a song I knew she would enjoy. While the song played, I placed wet plates on the table and handed Grandma a towel so she could dry them. Having her do this chore helps me finish sooner and lightens her feelings of uselessness. When the song ended, YouTube automatically loaded another video - another Collingsworth song. This continued happening until we were eventually listening to the Collingsworth Family singing at First Baptist Church Atlanta. At this point, we had finished the dishes and were sitting at the table while Grandma sipped her coffee.
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![]() Moses and Aaron “Shamgar had an ox goad, David had a sling, Dorcas had a needle, Rahab had some string, Samson had a jawbone, Aaron had a rod, Mary had some ointment, and they all were used of God.” I learned this song as a child at a church camp in Washington, Indiana. The lyrics put me in mind of a question which God posed to Moses, in Exodus 4, when Moses queried how he would convince Pharaoh it was God Who had sent him. God responded by asking, “What is in your hand?” He was referring to Moses’ rod. Of course, we know the story of how God turned the rod into a snake and back again. We also recall that, when Moses and Aaron showed this to Pharaoh (using Aaron's rod due to Moses' speech impediment and lack of confidence), his magicians used their enchantments and did the same with their rods. However, Aaron’s serpent swallowed those of the court magicians. This is the beginning of the story of how God delivered Israel from Egypt and the stubborn Pharaoh through ten plagues. The story culminates when God uses Moses to part the waters of the Red Sea in order to bring the Israelites across safely and drown the pursuing Egyptian army. God would not have used Moses and Aaron in this way if they had not allowed God to use what was in their hands – their rods. Interestingly, Moses later referred to his rod as, “the rod of God” when Israel battled the Amalekites in Exodus chapter 17. The story of Jacob’s 11th son, Joseph, is one of the most inspiring stories I have ever read. As a Christian school teacher, I often used him as an illustration about God’s sovereignty and grace in our lives. Recently I reread the Genesis account about how his brothers sold him to the Ishmaelite caravan, who carried him to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar. I read how Joseph progressed in Potiphar’s household, was tempted by Potiphar’s wife, and was unjustly imprisoned. When I reached the part about Joseph being thrown into the Pharaoh’s dungeon, I thought about how unfair it all seemed. As I read on, however, three words stood out to me, “But the LORD…”
Fixing things has been a hobby of mine since I was a child. Whether it was a machine, such as a VCR, or a toy, like my baby brother's stuffed animals, which he quite literally loved to pieces, I was eager to repair it.
New Car – Yay? I mentioned in another post that my roommate and I often have car problems. Recently, she threw a rod and asked me to go with her to get a used car from a dealership. She was tired of buying old cars that were on their “last wheel” and wanted something reliable.
In martial arts, they teach you how to hold your body so you can fight and defend successfully, while minimizing the damage to your own body. These are called fighting stances. According to www.fighttips.com, the 4 best fighting stances are as follows:
![]() I have seen, on Facebook, that many of my friends are into the Netflix show, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. It is a show about a Japanese author and organizing consultant, Marie Kondo, who comes into people's homes with her translator, Marie lida, and helps them to declutter and organize their belongings by getting rid of what does not "spark joy." My friends have been dragging out their own possessions and sorting between what does and does not “spark joy” for them. While I am not into the show myself (due to two episodes which promote worldly values I cannot condone if I am to remain in a right relationship with God), I can see merit in that it helps people to get organized and take control of their homes and lives. I also find value in what it represents on a deeper level – getting rid of junk. “I'm not good enough. God can't save me. God won't save me. I don't deserve it. I've messed up too many times.” There are so many people who think like this - who believe this. And this widespread, legalistic mindset is debilitating. When you focus on your own shortcomings or try to merit God's favor you leave the door wide open for depression and anxiety. You work hard and do good deeds only to worry that it is not enough. You see God as this angry being Who is just waiting for you to mess up so He can accusingly point His righteous finger at you while proclaiming His disappointment and anger. When you constantly strive to be good enough you will never reach your goal and you will become despondent and miserable.
![]() In my classroom, I have a short book of Aesop's Fables, illustrated by Charles Santore. Sometimes, I read it to my students; other times, I make them read it to me. Thinking about how important it is to study the Word of God brings to mind one particular story in this book, “The Wild Boar and the Fox.” It tells the story of a fox who found a boar in the forest, sharpening his tusks on a tree trunk. Upon seeing this, the fox queried, “Why are you doing that, pray? The huntsmen are not out, today, and there are no other dangers that I can see." The boar replied, “True, my friend, but the instant my life is in danger, I shall need to use my tusks. There'll be no time to sharpen them then.” The moral of the story reads as this: “Lost time cannot be recalled” (Aesop's Fables, Santore, Charles). If we do not study God's Word now, we will not be ready when we need it. We will end up frantically searching through our Bible, trying to find something applicable, or worse, be stuck without a Bible and have nothing in our hearts from which to draw. So, here are 4 important reasons to study God's Word, now: Surrender -
What a repulsive idea! Surrender - Such a ridiculous thought! Surrender - How on Earth could that free ya? So I didn't surrender - I fought. |
AuthorKayti grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Hobe Sound Bible College in Hobe Sound, Florida, graduating 2013. She taught four years at a private Christian school on the west side of Indianapolis. She also coached a girls volleyball team for two years. She is now a full-time caregiver for her wonderful grandmother, Ruth. Archives
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