Hundreds

One hundred religious persons knit into a unity by careful organizations do not constitute a church any more than eleven dead men make a football team. The first requisite is life, always.
A. W. Tozer

The first time I sang in the church choir; two hundred people changed their religion.
Fred Allen

Give me a kiss, and to that kiss a score; Then to that twenty, add a hundred more: A thousand to that hundred: so kiss on, To make that thousand up a million. Treble that million, and when that is done, Let's kiss afresh, as when we first begun.
Robert Herrick

I'd look at one of my stonecutters hammering away at the rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet, at the hundred and first blow it would split in two, and I knew it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before.
Jacob August Riis

Regardless of the medium, rewriting and more rewriting is still necessary. No one gets anything right the first time, and since I don't write with a hammer and chisel, it's relatively easy for me to change. It's just words on paper. Words are free. You don't go to the store and order a pound of words, or five hundred words, and pay your three dollars. They're free.
August Wilson
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A hero is born among a hundred, a wise man is found among a thousand, but an accomplished one might not be found even among a hundred thousand men.
Plato
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A thought is often original, though you have uttered it a hundred times.
Oliver Wendell Holmes

If you surveyed a hundred typical middle-aged Americans, I bet you'd find that only two of them could tell you their blood types, but every last one of them would know the theme song from The Beverly Hillbillies.
Dave Barry
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The opportunity for doing mischief is found a hundred times a day, and of doing good once in a year.
Voltaire
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I saw few die of hunger; of eating, a hundred thousand.
Benjamin Franklin

Freedom

sacrifice

Abraham Lincoln, in his address at Gettysburg, said it so well:

–that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion–

My paraphrase is, "Appreciate the sacrifice!"

I do.
I appreciate the ultimate sacrifice made, by thousands upon thousands of courageous men and women, so that we can live in freedom. They gave their all to afford us the temporal benefits of liberty, privilege and opportunity.
Do we deserve it?

What about the eternal benefits offered by Christ's supreme and sinless sacrifice?
Do we deserve it?
"For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:7,8

Appreciate the sacrifice.

Josiah the Ewok

I'm not much for movies, but I could be persuaded to watch THIS character.

Quotation

I did some more research, and found the author of the "first hundred" quote. There's more to it than I'd heard before. I've tacked it on the header; check it out.
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Coming soon: more "hundred" quotes.

Perennial Learning

bouquet (click to enlarge)

Gardening is an educational hobby. I started my apprenticeship a few years ago with a small (they're all small in Chicago) vegetable garden. It's an apprenticeship in that, while there is a lot of trial and error involved, I've been observing and learning from other gardeners and their methods. It's surprising how much produce can be seen growing in small dirt patches, squeezed between fence and garage, as you stroll up and down the alleys in my neighborhood. Gardening is educational in that there is a lot of trial and error involved. If you're able (and willing) to learn from your mistakes, and if you live long enough, you can have a pretty good garden.

Besides the vegetables, I've tried my hand at flowers.... but not too seriously. So, I think it's time to exert a bit more energy in that direction. Maybe I'm ready to learn the difference between an Arisaema triphyllum and a Podophyllum peltatum. Maybe. Whatever they're called, I hope I can discover the right blend of colorful, fragrant blooms that will brighten any alley-walker's day. And I hope I'm a fast learner.

31 Years!

May 25, 1974

Through the shredder

In my "spare time" at work, I've been shredding old medical records; records that have been in storage since Doc bought the business from his predecessor fifteen years ago. When I say "old" medical records, I mean old. Some of them date from the early 1950's. That's a lot of history. Boxes and boxes.

Births.
Deaths.
Heart attacks, cancers, surgeries, accidents, broken bones.
X-rays, blood tests, urinalyses.
Common colds.

Extremely important information (in its time and place), some even lifechanging; gone forever. Shredded.

"You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away." James 4:14
"...whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." I Corinthians 10:31

Teamwork

If you think adventure camp is just for kids, you obviously haven't talked to my husband since Saturday night. That's when he got home from a three-day workout of wall-climbing, highwire-dangling, cable-walking, tree-scaling, zip-line-zipping action.... just to name a few.
This adventure was the culmination of the first year of a demanding, three-year leadership development program. Whatever criticisms I have had, over the past few months, of the strenuous, time-consuming program, have been somewhat muted by his reaction to this experience. To hear him tell it, each activity was viewed as a crusade in team-building. Succeeding together was the energizing goal. When energy waned, spirits sagged, or discouragement sat on a shoulder to whisper in someone's ear, encouragement popped up from somewhere to keep them moving on. Well, almost every time....
In teamwork, nobody wants to be a hindrance. But it happens. Sometimes we need help cutting loose the albatross or ditching the proverbial millstone. That's why there are teams.

Armed Forces Day

Today I'm reflecting on the courage and sacrifice of our servicemen and women. These quotes from years past are timeless and relevant:
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"It is fitting and proper that we devote one day each year to paying special tribute to those whose constancy and courage constitute one of the bulwarks guarding the freedom of this nation and the peace of the free world."

President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953

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"...Word to the Nation: Guard zealously your right to serve in the Armed Forces, for without them, there will be no other rights to guard."

President John F. Kennedy, 1962

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"... Our Servicemen and women are serving throughout the world as guardians of peace--many of them away from their homes, their friends and their families. They are visible evidence of our determination to meet any threat to the peace with measured strength and high resolve. They are also evidence of a harsh but inescapable truth--that the survival of freedom requires great cost and commitment, and great personal sacrifice."

President John F. Kennedy, 1963

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"...Their contribution to our freedom and safety is measureless. Our national security depends on the maintenance of alert military forces as a deterrent to any possible aggressor."

President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1964

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"It is our most earnest hope that those who are in positions of peril, that those who have made exceptional sacrifices, yes, and those who are afflicted with plain drudgery and boredom, may somehow know that we hold them in exceptional esteem. Perhaps if we are a little more conscious of our debt of honored affection they may be a little more aware of how much we think of them."

From the May 17, 1952, New York Times

Body Language

Yesterday I attended a risk management seminar (sounds like fun, huh?) so the doctor I work for can qualify for a 1% discount on his malpractice insurance premium. One percent doesn't sound like much, until you find out how much doctors are paying for malpractice insurance..... but that's grist for another mill.
In talking about confidentiality issues, one of the speakers mentioned the different ways we communicate: spoken word, written word, electronic media, body language... it was comical the way he scanned a make-believe patient's chart, all the while giving facial and body cues showing how he really felt about the information it contained. He could have said anything, but we knew his real thoughts just by watching him.
Right now I'm thinking of at least 3 cliches that would fit here, as a life-application.
'Nuff said.

sisters

Sit on your hands!

"Sit on your hands!"
Is this on the list of things your mother told you? It's on mine (and my sisters', too). Usually it was spoken firmly from the driver's seat; usually on the way to church. And usually it was preceded by, "Be ye kind, one to another", in a little softer tone. (I didn't know my mom was quoting scripture until I reached adulthood, and ran across the verse in Ephesians 4:32.) And usually it was followed by, "If I have to pull this car over....!" If she ever did, you can bet she found three quiet girls, looking very angelic; we'd have been twiddling our thumbs if we hadn't been sitting on our hands.
Back then it was, 'do unto others before they do unto you'. Today we get along great. We even schedule "Sister Weekends" so we can get together to celebrate and reminisce. You may think it's because we've grown up. Well, I know adults who hate their siblings and haven't spoken in years. Didn't their mothers tell them to be kind?
That nugget from the Bible is a key. The whole verse says this: "Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."
Forgiveness. Just think about it... while you're sitting on your hands.

Reiley 

Josiah 

Laundry

My grandsons get their clothes changed quite frequently. Even a little bit of sour spit-up is unpleasant, and who wants to deal with those sticky sleeves after a session in the high chair? It's not that they're trying to get dirty, it's just the natural result of being a baby. Living can be messy!
I once had an unfortunate, but enlightening, laundry experience. Baby clothes, even crusty bibs or stinky diapers, would have been a breeze in comparison. My pastor-husband called from church one day, asking me to bring over some jeans, a shirt, and a set of underwear. He had a homeless man in the office, and wanted to give him something to wear. And, by the way, would I wash his clothes? I figured it wouldn't be a hard task; I'd throw them in the washer, fluff them in the dryer, and the guy could be on his way. Well, when they handed me the black garbage bag containing his soiled clothes I should have taken the hint and dropped them in the church dumpster on my way home....
I'm a nurse, so it takes a lot to make me gag, but I'll admit to a lot of gagging that afternoon, as I washed and re-washed those clothes. The stench was horrific, and I don't know if it actually hung in the air for days or if it was only the memory of it, imbedded in my olfactory sensors.
I mentioned the experience was enlightening, because it brought to mind a Bible passage from Isaiah 64:6, "...all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment". Just think about it... if our righteous deeds are a stench in God's nostrils, what about our sins?
That homeless man wasn't trying to be filthy; he just didn't have a way to get clean. As I recall, he was grateful for the clean clothes and meal, but not too concerned about inner cleansing or spiritual nourishment. We sent him on his way a shade cleaner, but nowhere near the "whiter than snow" cleansing that God's word promises. When He washes us, our lives can be a "fragrance of Christ to God" (2 Cor. 2:15).
There's more to be said about "good deeds", but that's another blog.

P.S.

P.S. I have two "good news" items to add. Today I learned that the baby our daughter is carrying is a boy; our third grandson! Judging by the first two, our boy-joy will triple, at least.
The second item of news is that our oldest son has been accepted for graduate studies at the university of his choice. Good news, indeed.

The timeline

I know it's been several weeks since Easter, but for me the Easter "story" is much more than just a story. It's relevant every day. When you're seeking, God will show you things in His word you never saw before. Today as I read the accounts in Mark 14&15, I saw how there's really no set formula of how people come to belief in Christ. Sure, God draws us to Himself, but each one's road to belief is as unique as the person who travels it. Just look at the people who lived on earth at the time of Christ: some knew and followed Him in life; some realized who He was at His death; some believed when they saw Him resurrected. Even today, one easily comes to faith in Christ with childlike trust (or even AS a child) while another needs a "sign" or deeper proof, and still another stands defiant or runs from the truth, not wanting to admit s/he actually needs anything from God. But God is patient, and the timeline is His.

New every morning

"If I say, 'Surely the darkness will overwhelm me...', even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day." Ps. 139:11-12 (click on cartoon to enlarge)

Forever is a long time.

My dad always said, "The first hundred years are the hardest." I'm sure it was a "famous quote" from somebody, but I've been unable to determine its origin. Anyway.... I'm inclined to believe it's true; although, in the light of eternity, what's a hundred years?
That reminds me of another thing my dad used to say.... "Forever is a long time to be dead."
Putting those two quotes together can make a person really start to think.....
Well, I plan on living forever, based on many promises God makes in His word. Here's a main one, found in John 11:25: "Jesus said... 'I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies'". The Bible has lots of promises, and while it doesn't exactly say, "the first hundred years are the hardest", it does talk about difficulties and trials in this life. You could even say it promises them. But the neat thing is that it shows us the reasons for them, and how to live through them. I'm just a seeker. But I'm a seeker who's found some good promises from God. I'll share my findings with you, from time to time.

Let Us Begin

"All of this will not be finished in the first one hundred days, nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin." - JFK