Two weeks ago I visited the 50th state of our beautiful nation, Hawaii. In the weeks beforehand, I imagined lying on the beach sunbathing, reading ALL the books I never have time to read, and simply enjoying some much needed rest. Now, I’m honestly not much of a resting type of person. I really enjoy exploring, adventuring, and moving…especially in Hawaii. So, my daydreams about Hawaii were not realistic at all. God provided so much more than my daydreams could even imagine. Walking along the dog beach at Hickam Air Force Base as the waves gently rolled in, swimming with sea turtles, jumping into a mermaid cave to experience the tide rolling in and in the midst of the waves, finding the most perfect little blue/green conch shell the tide left behind just for me, viewing the surfing waves of the North Shore, following a rainbow to Kaneohe, and the sunset on Waikiki Beach are just a few of the blessings of Hawaii. During such a time as this in our world, a little Hawaii never hurt anybody, amen?
Recently I read an article describing Churches of Christ, and while I agree with most of the article, one sentence caught my attention, “We struggle with the issue of women’s roles in the church, fed by social developments.” The author is absolutely correct about the struggle. The struggle is real. Yet, the struggle is not fed by social developments, the struggle is fed by Jesus and the upside down gospel he preached and lived on earth. If we want to blame anyone for this struggle, we must lay the struggle at the feet of Jesus.
Jesus LOVES women. ALL of us! He loves the poor woman and the rich woman. He loves the insecure woman and the confident woman. He loves the worker bee woman and he loves the listening woman. He loves the outspoken woman and he loves the demure woman. Jesus loves you! For real!
Happy New Year! Just this morning, I was reflecting on my last high school semester 20 years ago. I remember senioritis and dreaming beyond the confines of small town Eldorado, Texas. I remember studying Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” the last semester of English 4, and I remember thinking that my life would be so different by the time I reached 37. Back then, we were talking about our future 10 year reunion, which I skipped, and wondering who would marry first, and how many kids people would have, and the best…who would gain the most weight by our 10 year reunion. My 20 year high school reunion is this June, and none of these questions matter anymore. Life, so far, has been very different for my fellow 42 graduates than any of us ever planned. One has passed away, some have married, some have divorced, many have children, some are in the Military, and some have college degrees.
Fire Ants are invading North Texas. NBC 5 reported this news on Tuesday evening. By last Sunday early morning, ant beds dotted Colorado Blvd. My dog Greta is extremely interested in one such ant bed. It is in the middle of a field we walk past every morning. The ant bed is enormous. Every time we pass it on the sidewalk, Greta cranes her neck to look at the ant bed. She doesn’t necessarily want to investigate it closely, but she is completely intrigued by the huge mound of dirt and ants. I wonder if she is able to hear them intentionally scurrying about in their fire ant castle.
Ants are the best workers. They are constantly following, gathering, and building their nests. They work in community. Their life span is fairly short, 45-60 days, so with numbered days, they work to leave a legacy of caring for their ant family. Ants are born into their purpose, their work. They don’t wonder what would have been if they’d been born a bird or a lion. They don’t wish for something more than their ant lives. They simply follow, gather, and build.
I love coffee. Coffee is the promise of energy, alertness, and a new day. Every morning, before I walk with my dog, I grind fresh coffee beans, and start the coffee pot. When I return, the smell of coffee fills my tiny apartment with notes of chocolate and earth. As I pour the first cup of coffee and doctor it with cream, I delight in this simple and comfortable routine. The art of puttering around my kitchen to create this caffeinated beverage delivers security into a world full of insecurity and unexpected tragedies.
Often, my first thought as I sit down to catch up on the news via Facebook, The Today Show, and The City, with my cup of coffee in hand and my dog Greta squeezed beside me in my comfy chair is, “Thank YOU for this.” My next thought is usually somewhere along the lines of, “So many people don’t have this right now.” The news is filled with people running for President, people running from their war-torn countries, and people running the world. Coffee interrupted.
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| Location | |||
| McKinney at Cardinal 101 Cardinal Drive Denton, TX 76209 940.387.4355 |
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| Sunday Worship Schedule | |||
| 9:30 - Worship (English Service) | |||
| 10:10 - Bible Class (Birth to 8th grade following the Kid's church time until the end of service) | |||
| 11:00 - Worship (Spanish Service) | |||
| Wednesday Evening Schedule | 6:30 - Celebrate Recovery | ||
| More Singing Oaks Websites | |||
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