how necessary are touchstones in everyday life, they are markers, particular places and familiar faces that let us know where we are in this world – like the alters Abraham and others would build to commemorate special places where they had encounters with God – touchstones serve to orient me in my daily life and how grateful I am for each and everyone of them. As I sat in church today, surrounded by touchstones, I gave thanks for each one of them. Each stone tells a testimony uniquely their own, all to the glory of God. And I am encouraged and inspired to continue on my own journey each time I have the opportunity to touch base with, to encounter, one of these precious stones.

Miss Felicia, a pillar at 94 years of age despite her very diminutive size, (pillars are typically large in size) is in her place in the pew, (back row, on the aisle) as is Miss Bonnie (down front, opposite side, on the aisle). Daniel is at the door, his post as doorkeeper and greeter. David with the tall mohawk, is serving communion, a comforting and familiar presence – not to be confused with chef David who feeds our bodies (along with Miss Peggy) even as our pastors feed our souls with God’s word. When a melodic “hallelujah!” rings out during the sermon, I know that Micca is in the house this morning. A hug and an “I love you” from my soul sister, Deborah, provide another much needed touchstone for the morning.

Brenda and William are in their place as is Bernard, a faithful presence in the pew each Sunday. (and sometimes in the center aisle when we are singing songs of praise) I confess – there are touchstones I miss this morning. When their customary places in the pew are empty, there is a void that is theirs alone to fill. I am missing Miss Hattie, Miss Angela, Miss Kim and Miss Caroline. Even with pews full of people, the spaces their presence filled remain empty in their absence. Brother Lessie’s place as greeter and seater is waiting for his return as well. We are all parts of the same body, the body of Christ, which is the church. 1 Peter 2:4-5 puts it this way,

“As you come to Him, the living Stone – rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

We are all living stones! What a word picture! God takes something not alive (a stone/me/you) and brings it/us to life.

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. . . . But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:1-5)

Living touchstones – each one with a testimony to God’s goodness and grace. Individually and together, God is building us into something beautiful for His purposes. I am home when I am with my touchstones, protected and encouraged to keep growing into all God has purposed that we should be individually and as His body in this world.

The power of a touchstone is in its presence – its presence in the pew and in the world – that visible presence filled with the power of their testimony – a testimony to God’s rescue and redemption of their lives – God’s transformation of each and everyone of us from death to life – touchstones are living testimonies to God. When I see that mohawk in the pew, my heart is lifted by being reminded of the testimony of that particular living stone. Touchstones have powerful testimonies. Their presence among us reassures us that God is able to do all things, even as we behold what He has already done in them. Touchstones are testimonies of hope.

In the book of Joshua we read a story about twelve stones that became touchstones for the nation of Israel. The account of this is found in Joshua chapter four –

“So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, ‘Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.’ ” (Joshua 4:4-7)

“And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, ‘In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan just what He had done to the Red Sea when He dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.’ ” (Joshua 4:20-24)

These twelve stones were to be a memorial forever, they were to be a testimony to all the peoples of the earth. Touchstones to God’s goodness and greatness. Joshua 4:9 says,

“Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.”

thank You, Heavenly Father, for each and every touchstone complete with testimony along my path, – thank You for placing them there just when You know I need them,

sincerely, Grace Day

we’ve all had them, they are inevitable – these hard conversations that come our way despite our efforts to avoid them at all costs. Life is littered with hard conversations – but they turn out to be not rubbish, but the stepping stones that pave the way we must take to fulfill our purpose. The older brother of the prodigal son should know, he had one of these conversations with his father. It went something like this, well actually it went exactly like this,

“But he (the older brother) answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ” (Luke 15:29-32)

A hard conversation – the older brother felt he wasn’t getting his due. He felt slighted. He resented his younger brother and all the attention his younger brother was receiving upon his return. The older brother was expected to be joyful over the return of his lost sibling but instead he only felt resentment. Apparently, he wasn’t happy with his lot in life, especially when he compared it to that of his brother.

Peter had one of these hard conversations with Jesus, one vaguely similar to the father-son conversation just mentioned. The content of this conversation is as follows,

“Then He (Jesus) said to him, (Peter) ‘Follow Me!’ Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved (John) was following them. . . . When Peter saw him, he asked, ‘Lord, what about him?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow Me.’ ” (John 21:19-22)

Peter had received his marching orders but he didn’t keep his eyes fixed on Jesus. Instead he looked around to see what others were doing which gave him the opportunity to compare his assignment from Jesus with the assignments his friends and others seemed to have been given. This led to Peter’s discontent, which led him to question his assigned task, which led him to ask the hard question and have the hard conversation. (hard for Peter, not for Jesus) Jesus welcomes our tough questions, – questions like ‘why me and not him or her?’ Jesus stands ready to have the hard conversations with you and with me. He will always tell us the truth even though often the truth is hard to hear.

Now would be a good time to confess – I often catch myself acting like Peter or like the older brother of the prodigal. Instead of rejoicing over all God has given me, I take my eyes off of Him, look around me and ask why I don’t have what those around me have. Maybe their assignment seems easier, more desirable or more glamorous than mine. I want to have what they have or do what they are doing. But Jesus’s direction to me is as clear as it was to Peter all those centuries ago – “You must follow Me.”

“But Lord, I want to do what my friend is doing. It looks like more fun.” and Jesus answers, “you must follow Me.” “But my neighbor’s path doesn’t seem to be as painful as mine, couldn’t I walk that one?” again Jesus answers, “you must follow Me.” “Lord, if you give me what you’ve given them, just watch what I’ll do for You. I want their lot in life, not mine” Jesus’s reply remains the same, “If I’ve given them riches or comfort or ease or less suffering, what is that to you? You, you must follow Me.”

This is a hard conversation to have and I have it often, which brings to mind the story of the talents from Matthew chapter twenty-five. In this story a man gives each of his servants talents or money but he doesn’t give them all the same amount. We are told he gave to “each according to his ability.” Doesn’t seem fair that they didn’t all get the same amount but we have to trust the man knew best based on his knowledge of each individual. And all he asked of each one was that they make the most of what he had entrusted to them. He did not compare them to each other. He just asked that each one be faithful with what he had been given.

It occurs to me that if I’m busy asking God for more or asking God for something different, something other than what He has graciously placed in my hands or in my path for me to do, if I am looking at others and not at Him – then I am completely missing what He has already given me, I am missing what is right before me – because I’m focused on what I don’t have instead of on what I do. I am focused on my perceived lack rather than on my very real abundance in Christ.

Isn’t that what happened in the garden? They had it all, lacking nothing – yet still Eve was able to be convinced that she should desire something different, something other than what she already possessed – which was perfection – until she gave that up in pursuit of something she was persuaded she was lacking. It turned out to be a lie. The subsequent conversation Adam and Eve had with God was definitely one of those hard conversations.

Instead of asking God why I didn’t get more talents, I would do well to get busy using the ones I have been given lest I lose them. My direction is clear – I am to follow Jesus without looking around like Peter did, to see what others are doing. This led to one of those hard conversations for Peter, but I am looking forward to a different kind of a conversation someday – one in which I hear Jesus say,

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21) and I will hear Him say,

” ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’ ” (Matthew 25:34-40)

after all the hard conversations, that is going to be one wonderful conversation to have . . .

sincerely, Grace Day

America is a dream that became reality

an idea filled with the ideals that determine our direction

America is all the intangibles we constantly seek to touch, to embrace, to wrap around ourselves – freedom, peace, prosperity, self-determination, opportunity, hope – founded in faith, built on belief in the power of an Almighty God, America recognizes the potential and the inherent value of every human being –

Yes, America is an idea but also a place, America is a desire and a destination – America is a way of living in this world – America is more than an ethnicity, more than a skin color, more than a gender, more than a religion –

America is a harbor, a safe haven, a home for the freedom seekers of this world –

America is all sorts of people from all sorts of places, we look different, with all sorts of faces – but one vision, one dream we share – while our features may be different, our hearts are all the same – each one beating to the drumbeat of freedom’s call, drawing us together, to gain a better life for all.

America is deserts and wetlands, each teaming with life all its own – America is plains and prairies, tall mountains and deep valleys, America is great lakes and small streams, America is forests and farms, mighty metropolises and tiny towns – America is sandy beaches and rocky shoals, fields full of wheat and cities full of skyscrapers – America is cactus and giant redwoods, churches, mosques and synagogues – America is all these things and so much more –

America’s middle name is Diversity – for centuries people from all over the globe have come here, desiring to make this land their home – only a land as rich in contrasts as they themselves are could provide a home for so many and accommodate their richness of variation –

So much variation! how great our differences! – yet there is something greater than all our differences, something more powerful than anything that would separate us from each other, hopelessly dividing us – Freedom’s call is stronger , her promise so profound that men have given their lives in her pursuit in every era of human history – men have died so that those they love and leave behind might know Freedom’s presence and grow strong in her glow –

Freedom’s purpose held Washington’s men at Valley Forge – it will be Freedom’s purpose that unites us once again to save this country that once saved us and saved so many who came before – emerging bloody from a Civil War – or starved from gas chambers on foreign shores – Freedom’s fight has been waged in every generation, for Freedom’s purpose we will unite, discovering our differences are overcome or overlooked or obsolete or obliterated in our pursuit of Freedom for each other and for ourselves – either Freedom is won for all or it is lost to all –

America is Freedom’s home – where Freedom lives, puts down her roots, grows strong – we are Freedom’s caretakers, if we don’t water and protect her, she will die – if we don’t protect Freedom she will no longer be able to protect us – we have prospered long, safe under her care – but when Freedom falls who will stand in her stead defending us?

America is that city on a hill, that light of Freedom shining out into the darkness of the world – America is promise, possibility and potential – promises made, promises kept, promises yet to be fulfilled –

America is a land of law – a shared standard allowing us to live in peace and safety – the law protects Freedom – Freedom births just laws – together, reigning hand in hand, they liberate this land – law and Freedom – gifts from God –

America is my home, she has been my shelter from the tyrannies and torments of lands that are not free – America needs me in this hour, may I not fail her now, she has done so much for me –

America is a dream come true for all those who set sail – America, Hong Kong and Cuba carry your flag, hoping Freedom will prevail.

America is a land of unalienable human rights, laws that protect not enslave, truth that sets free and Freedom herself –

“Oh beautiful, for Patriot dream, that sees beyond the years, thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears”

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance.” (Psalm 33:12)

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)

sincerely, Grace Day

They were all set to go to Zambia, my sister and other family members, when Zambia closed its borders due to COVID. Family Legacy’s whole summer outreach to over seven thousand Zambian children was cancelled. The danger from COVID was too great. It is a danger that outweighs any positive benefit from the summer program run by American volunteers. The Zambian government is protecting its citizens from COVID by closing its borders and not allowing anyone in or out during these current months.

Some of my family members want to attend the wedding of their niece in the UK in early September. But there is a problem. Although they have been vaccinated, which is one of the requirements in order to enter the country, they also must take a current COVID test and quarantine for fourteen days upon arrival in the country. The time and expense of a hotel room in which to quarantine for such a length of time plus the time off work, combine to make this a prohibitive proposition. But they understand why they have to miss their niece’s wedding – the UK is just doing what is needed to protect its citizens from the dangers of COVID.

Our government is acting to protect us as well. Vaccines are being required of us as citizens in many instances in order to attend university, to go to work, to eat in a restaurant in some places etc. These rules are being put in place by our government because COVID is dangerous and we need to be protected from it. So you can imagine my surprise, confusion and curiosity when I learned that one million plus people from every continent and countries all around the globe have crossed our southern border and entered into our country in the last six months. That is a lot of people to be tested for COVID, quarantined for fourteen days, vaccinated (fully with both shots, which takes time) before being given a mask and admitted to our country to roam free.

I confess – I am curious as to how my government has been able to accomplish all this testing and vaccinating and quarantining with such large numbers of people. It would seem to be a daunting, if not overwhelming task. The city of Shreveport alone has been receiving up to six busloads of people from other countries a day. I’m wondering if this is before or after these individuals have been tested, quarantined and vaccinated? Then I learn that the people crossing our southern border into Arizona, Texas and California are not being tested for COVID, are not required to quarantine nor are they required to be fully vaccinated before they come into our country. Certainly, they are asked the health questions we are all used to by now while their passports are being checked? (I remember answering questions while my passport is perused as I wait to gain entrance into another country, not my own. That is standard procedure around the world.)

So now I am confused. COVID is so dangerous that there are mask mandates and vaccine requirements for us as citizens of this country. Other countries are not letting people in or out of their nation in order to protect their citizens. Why is our government not protecting us? Why has our government let a million plus people come into our country without requiring them to be vaccinated? We are required to be vaccinated to go to school, to work, out to eat etc. We are required to wear a mask even when we are fully vaccinated. We have to take COVID tests even though we are fully vaccinated. Why wouldn’t people coming across our southern border have to test and show proof of vaccination? Why is our Canadian border closed but our southern border open?

Does COVID only come from Canada and not from the myriad of nations from which people have traveled in order to enter our country through our southern border? They tell us our COVID numbers are rising. Why then, does our government continue to admit untested, unquarantined, unvaccinated individuals into our country? (one million is a lot of people to add to the mix when we are concerned about contact tracing, distancing, quarantining and/or locking down) We, as citizens, are under numerous COVID related restrictions at the present time, which apply even to the fully vaccinated among us. Why don’t these same restrictions apply to people coming into our country during this time? (which again begs the question – why is anyone even being allowed to enter the country during this COVID time of such extreme danger that we as citizens have been subjected to rule by emergency edict rather than rule of law? for our own good, of course) I sure hope they are handing out masks at the border, because many parts of our country are reinstating mask mandates for everyone – vaccinated/unvaccinated, indoors/outdoors – young children (who are largely unaffected by the virus but may be adversely affected by constant obstruction of air flow) – it doesn’t matter. We are being told to wear a mask regardless.

So far I haven’t come across anyone able to answer these questions that I constantly ponder given the circumstances that we find ourselves in each day. Why would a country restrict its own citizens in their personal freedoms but allow those same freedoms to those who come from other countries? Why are our borders not closed as are other country’s borders, if COVID is so dangerous at this time as to warrant the limiting of our personal freedoms?

I can only hope and want desperately to believe, that my government does have my best interests at heart. After all, that is any good government’s job – to provide for the common defense – to secure its borders and protect its own citizens from external dangers that threaten them with harm. (and COVID is a definitive danger of global proportions as our government constantly reminds us) This is why I am surprised they are so lax in protecting us – after all, they are the ones warning us of this danger and imposing recurring restrictions upon us while failing to protect us from the spread of this virus through our open border. I never want to see the day when I need protection from my own government. That would be a sad and alarming day indeed. So I don’t want to think too deeply about this apparent paradox of a projected two million people coming into the country by the end of the year. Individually we are in lockdown while as a country we are wide open?

I do feel like my country does not have my best interests at heart right now even though I am one of its citizens. But even as I write this, I realize that my trust, my faith and my hope are better placed in something other than my government. Or rather Someone – these words from Psalm 91 wash over me, redirecting my thoughts, renewing my hope, calming my spirit as I focus on what is both true and eternal –

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. . . . If you make the Most High your dwelling – even the Lord, who is my refuge – then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. . . . ‘Because he loves Me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.’ ”

now that’s protection! that’s comfort! that’s peace! that’s hope!

sincerely, Grace Day

We all crave them – those mountaintop moments. But they are hard to come by, far and few between. Still, we seek them out. We go in search of them. Maybe that’s why there are so many actual mountain climbers. What better way to find that perfect mountaintop moment, than to literally go to the top of the mountain? Only problem is, you can’t stay up there forever. At some point you have to come back down the mountain. You return to what you left behind – reality, the real life day to day. But sometimes, if you’re really lucky, the memory stays with you. And maybe, just maybe, you have the pictures to prove it – that is to prove that you did indeed, once upon a time, experience that mountaintop moment.

There are many mountaintop moments in life that come to us wherever we are, we do not need to be on an actual mountaintop to experience them. And I should add, just being physically present on the top of a mountain does not guarantee that the mountaintop moment will materialize. These are elusive moments that cannot be manufactured or summoned upon demand. They are unexpected gifts which present themselves at their own will and whim. They come and they go of their own accord Recently however, I had a mountaintop moment while actually on a mountaintop. (actually I had several of them, moments strung together making something quite beautiful) Now I confess – I didn’t climb the mountain. There was a road. (a long and winding road which took us to our destination)

The occasion that took me to the top of the mountain was my son’s wedding. Marriage is one of those milemarkers in life that should be properly acknowledged and celebrated. And so it was. In the presence of family and friends, my son and his fiance said their vows on the top of the mountain, with the sky and surrounding hills as a backdrop. Let the mountaintop moments reign down! And reign down they did.

Mountaintop moments are meant to be experienced in the present. They are those moments when time stands still and our journey pauses to allow us to commemorate or to celebrate something special. These moments stop us in our tracks – overwhelming and blindsiding us with revelations that are the unique province of mountaintop moments to bestow. In these moments, present, past and future merge, all sharing the same space for the briefest of time and yet the longest of lasting impressions.

As the bride and groom stood before us, I was seeing the little boy he had been, the young man he had become and the man he would yet grow into with all the possibilities and promise that vision holds. I have no doubt the bride’s family was having a similar simultaneous vision of her past, present and future as well. Mountaintops lend themselves to this clarity of vision and thought – they provide a new and different perspective, given the view is quite different from the mountaintop than it is from anywhere else.

It was on a mountaintop that Moses met with God and it was on a mountaintop that Jesus was transfigured as Peter, James and John looked on.

“After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.” (Matthew 17:1-2)

Truly a mountaintop moment. Mountaintop moments change us. Consider Moses after his mountaintop meeting with God.

“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.” (Exodus 34:29)

Yes, mountaintop moments with God, who made the mountains, are truly transforming. I leave the mountaintop altered after spending time there in the presence of my Creator. My son and his fiance experienced transformation while we, their witnesses, watched and shared in their mountaintop moment. They went up the mountain single individuals. They came down the mountain as husband and wife. Changed in those moments on the mountaintop, the two became one before our eyes, pledging their lives to each other. We were each one privileged to share in that moment – that brief space in time, where everything and everyone comes together and in that moment, that one shining mountaintop moment, all things are possible.

Because in a mountaintop moment reside all joy, all comfort, all peace, all faith and all hope. And through it all runs love.

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)

sincerely, Grace Day

I was out for an evening bike ride when it happened. But that’s how it is with random acts of kindness. They happen when you least expect them, when you aren’t looking – these random acts of kindness which surprise you and change the direction of your day. I guess that’s what makes them random. Otherwise they would be predictable, expected, maybe even required or demanded. But not these good deeds – unsolicited, unexpected, undeserved, unheralded and unheeded, they are more priceless than gold.

Just yesterday evening I was the beneficiary of a random act of kindness that I didn’t even know I needed. I was riding my bike in a neighborhood adjacent to mine, taking my time, smiling at walkers or anyone that I might pass as I rode. (smiling works wonders when not covered up by a mask) As I passed a house where a gentleman sat on the front porch, he suddenly called out to me, asking if my tires were a little low. I circled back and he said he could put air in them for me. (he had one of those machines that does that, whatever they are called?) Now I confess – I didn’t even realize that my tires were low. But this man could tell all the way from his front porch as I drove by, that they needed air.

It only took a minute for him to inflate both my bike tires to the proper pressure. But what a difference I felt as I pedaled away. It was like night and day! I had been totally unaware that my tires needed air and had no idea what a difference more air in my tires would make. Nevertheless, I sure enjoyed my bike ride more after my encounter with this kind stranger. He certainly didn’t have to do what he did. He could have just let me pass by. He was relaxing on his porch. He didn’t have to go to the trouble of dragging out that air machine and inflating my tires. He helped me out when I didn’t even know I had a need. But he saw it and met it, fixing the problem.

As I drove away I thought about other random acts of kindness that I see so often in my own neighborhood and in the surrounding community as I am out in it each day. It is the norm. Neighbor helping neighbor and even strangers helping other strangers. This is the real world outside my door in which I live. This is not the world I am shown when I turn on the TV news. (which is a good reason for me to pay more attention to reality than to what the news chooses to show me)

Random acts of kindness are the stepping stones that carry us through our days and our nights, allowing us to navigate our way without falling through the cracks and being swallowed up whole. True – some cracks are wider than others, but these stepping stones/acts of kindness stand in the gaps that fill our daily lives. I may never see the person again who gifted me with his random act of kindness, but hopefully his example will inspire me to do likewise to my family, friends, co-workers, and yes, even complete strangers.

I haven’t yet mentioned that this gentleman and I share different skin colors. Normally, that would not be relevant nor needed information. But today we are being told that this is all that matters – a person’s skin color. Apparently character is no longer important – even though that’s what Martin Luther King Jr. said should matter most. And of course character has nothing to do with a person’s outward appearance, which is all we see visually. If only we would adopt God’s view on this subject, which He made clear in 1 Samuel 16:7, when He said to Samuel,

“Do not consider his appearance or his height, . . . The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Yes, we were taught it is the content of one’s character not the color of one’s skin that counts. But today our children are being taught just the opposite is true. If they come to believe this lie, my neighborhood will no longer be the peaceful, loving community that I have known for twenty plus years. You see, we are a neighborhood of many skin colors, ethnicities and religions, living peacefully together as Americans enjoying the freedoms this country has provided us in the past. Rather than random acts of violence, random acts of kindness prevail in our community. Perhaps because we recognize the truth that there is but one race – the human race. There is plenty of diversity within our human race – but we share more similarities than differences.

Practicing random acts of kindness daily builds bridges between us, rather than widening the gaps created when false teaching pits us against one another. Galatians 6:10 has great advice as does Hebrews 13:16 –

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

I loved being the recipient of an unexpected, undeserved, random act of kindness – may I also remember to be the committer of many random acts of kindness as well,

sincerely, Grace Day

It occurred to me this morning, as I walked early in the quiet, before the rush and rhythm of the day kick in, that this is perhaps my favorite time of day. Why? I think maybe it’s because nothing bad has happened yet – nothing painful, paralyzing, prohibiting. In that hush right before the sun comes up, the day is new, unspoiled and full of possibilities, full of unspoken promise. As I walk, I expect something wonderful and I wait to see what God will do with the day He has graciously given me.

And I am not disappointed! His majesty is revealed in the sunrise and His closeness in the bird songs that usher in the new day. Because “His mercies are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:23) I feel the joy of a clean slate set before me. It’s like, well I confess -I can remember back in the day when teachers used chalkboards and by the end of the day those chalkboards would be filled with all kinds of words and work from the day’s lessons, mistakes and all. Lots of erasers and do overs and write overs were evident on the board. Even though erased, traces of the mistakes that had been corrected remained on the board and could still be seen. But then someone would stay after school and clean the board with a wet cloth, not just an eraser. So in the morning, the board would greet us, empty and clean, ready for us to fill it with math problems and spelling words – mistakes and all. But the next day we would again have a clean slate upon which to write.

Today, as I am thanking my Heavenly Father for yet another clean slate upon which I have the privilege to write, I also ask His help, that I might write on it well today. Not perfectly, that is not possible. But this I do pray,

“May the words of my mouth (and my pen) and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)

sincerely, Grace Day

Nothing like a sunrise or a sunset to take my breath away with their indescribable beauty. If I remember to look up and take a moment to be still, I can behold the glorious sight unfolding right before my eyes – if I don’t pause and look up I miss the majesty of the morning sky or the serenity of an evening setting sun. Each and everyone of them is a free gift to me, I just have to lift my gaze. So often I am searching for God, but He is always right where I left Him. That’s right, I did the leaving – not God.

I often hear people say that they want to hear from God, but He is silent. They are waiting for a word, a sign, a wonder – something to get their attention. Is God silent or am I just not listening? Psalm 19:1-6 has something to say about this,

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.”

The skies are proclaiming, pouring forth speech – day and night, night and day. And something I especially like is that they do this in every language! God’s voice through His creation is inescapable. It has been so in every age of human history. Romans 1:19-20 explains this saying,

“since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

God is speaking – gently, tenderly, thunderously, melodiously, whispering in the wind, wailing in the waterfall, singing over me in the carol of the crickets on a summer evening – God is speaking – calling out to me – am I listening? – am I answering? These words from an old hymn say it so well,

“This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears, all nature sings, and round me rings, the music of the spheres. This is my Father’s world, I rest me in the thought, of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; His hand the wonders wrought. This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise; the morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker’s praise. This is my Father’s world, He shines in all that’s fair; in the rustling grass I hear Him pass, He speaks to me everywhere. This is my Father’s world, O let me ne’er forget, that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet. This is my Father’s world, the battle is not done; Jesus who died shall be satisfied, and earth and heaven be one.”

God is not silent! His whole creation proclaims His message of hope, joy and comfort twenty-four/seven. The battle is not done, God is the Ruler yet! I can lift my head and listen anytime I choose. There is always much for me to learn.

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)

“This is what the Lord says, He who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it – the Lord is His name; ‘Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ ” (Jeremiah 33:2-3)

speak Lord, your servant is listening –

sincerely, Grace Day

This past year has been a busy time for home sellers, buyers and builders. Seems like everyone I know is moving – downsizing or upsizing or custom fitting – everyone in search of the perfect home. Even my own sisters are in the process of building homes. I am not looking for a new home at the moment but today I stumbled (almost literally) across one on my morning walk. It was quite well made and the owners must have already moved out because I found it completely empty. The location is good, I found it under some tall pine trees surrounded by a lovely green lawn. Well, actually it was situated on the edge of the sidewalk, next to the lawn, underneath the overhanging pine branches.

At this point it is probably best that I confess – the home I am referring to is a bird home. It is not a human made birdhouse though, this nest is the handiwork of the bird owners themselves. Or perhaps they contracted the nest building out to some of their bird friends. At any rate, the work was top notch. I normally view nests from a distance. I am on the ground, they are high up in various trees. Usually, birds’ nests are not visible until autumn, when the leaves fall and they are exposed. By that time though, their occupants have usually flown south for the winter. Except maybe cardinals. But they make their homes in evergreen trees, probably knowing that these pines don’t lose their leaves. (needles)

This morning I wished my bird loving, bird watching friend had been with me. She might know what kind of bird builds this kind of a nest. It was exquisite. I was amazed by its composition, design and sturdiness. I wanted to take it with me, but felt that would be stealing. The owners might return. Perhaps they have a way of returning their homes to their original location in the tree’s branches and I wouldn’t want to interfere with that. So I left the nest where I found it, not knowing what else to do.

This is definitely one of those days when I wish technology and I were better friends. Then I could have taken a picture of this perfect bird abode and put it here with this post for you all to see for yourselves. I so wish you could have seen it, dear readers. I often sub in a high school ceramics class and I watch the students struggle to fashion small pots from the clay, either by hand or on the wheel. Either way it is often a frustrating process, as I watch them collapse their clay into a ball and start over again and again and again. The finished products are often asymmetrical and a little bumpy in places. It is a hard skill to learn.

That’s what was so surprising about this nest. It looked like a small pot. It was symmetrical and smooth on the inside. (since it was empty I could see and feel the inside) The outside had grass and pine needles woven into the dried dirt/mud/clay? or whatever it was. Of course they were no longer green but a brown color. The inside, however, was smooth – no grass, twigs etc. woven into the surface, just the – what do I call it? – mud? It was not mushy but it was not brittle or dried out either. Since I assumed this nest had fallen from the tree standing next to it, I was surprised it had survived the fall intact, except for a small hole in the bottom.

The more I looked at this bird nest, the more I could hardly believe my eyes. It was so perfectly formed, well constructed and could obviously withstand the elements of nature. Maybe because it was made of all natural materials. Truly, it was a thing of beauty to behold. Who knew birds were such master builders? Well, I guess the One who knows when even a sparrow falls to the ground, knows how skilled birds are at home building. After all, their Creator created them with that innate ability. It is a gift from Him. Their nests reflect the glory and the mystery of their Creator/Sustainer, God.

Today as I write this post, I am reminded of Psalm 127:1, which says –

“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.”

God gives the birds the ability to build their homes and He does even more for them.

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26)

“The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made. The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” (Psalm 145:13-16)

Even now, God, the master builder, is preparing a home for me and for you. I have seen and been surprised by the precision and the beauty of what the bird builders have made. Yet I know it does not compare to what awaits. Jesus said,

“In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:2-3)

Jesus is building us a home for eternity,

sincerely, Grace Day

One of my very favorite children’s books is Shel Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree.” That book ends with a stump being all that is left of the once beautiful, productive apple tree who is the star of the story. Now you would think this would be a sad, not to mention unsatisfactory ending to this story. But surprisingly, it is an ending full of hope. Why? Perhaps because the tree had a purpose in every season of her life and even in the closing scene of the book she had again found her purpose and was actively fulfilling it.

Over the years, the tree had given the boy her leaves, her shade, her apples, her branches and finally, even her trunk. Now all that was left of her was a stump when the boy came back to her yet again. This time the tree said to the boy,

“I wish that I could give you something . . . but I have nothing left. I am just an old stump, I am sorry . . . ” But the boy answered the tree saying, “I don’t need very much now, just a quiet place to sit and rest.” And so the tree replied, “well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting. Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest.” So the boy (who was no longer a boy but an old man) did just that and the story ends with these words, “And the tree was happy.”

So a happy, hopeful ending after all! The tree found that she was still needed by her beloved boy and he had returned. They were spending time together once again. A place and a purpose in every season of life – that is the hope we have. This purpose may look different in each season, just as the tree looked different in every season of her life. But she was never without purpose, even though in her “stump stage” she felt that surely she could serve a purpose no more. It was then that her boy returned and showed her that she was still needed.

I’m thinking (and hoping and believing) that God has a purpose for you and for me, dear readers, in every season of our lives. I confess – some days I feel like that tree stump. Life has a way of cutting us down and moving on. Yet even tree stumps can serve a good purpose in God’s kingdom. King David expressed this in Psalm 84:10 saying,

“I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”

A doorkeeper is considered a lowly position. But David knew even a lowly position in God’s service was better than an exalted position elsewhere. Nothing lowlier than a tree stump – except maybe a stepping stone. One gets sat upon, the other, stepped on. But what a purpose and a privilege to be that place of rest on someone’s journey or that place to put one’s foot to provide safe passage along a perilous path. Stumps and stepping stones share a noble purpose as they are placed by God in people’s paths to help them on their way.

So if you are feeling you don’t have much to offer anyone anymore, remember the Giving Tree. She thought she no longer had a purpose in this life – but she found that she was mistaken. God gives purpose in every season.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: . . . He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 11)

Yes, God has made everything beautiful in its time, even tree stumps and stepping stones.

sincerely, Grace Day