Blessed are the Feet … Pedicure Moments

We are flying to Okinawa, Japan in just a few short days from today.  

My husband and I have settled into a wonderful, retired rhythm here in the Sunshine State.  We are near our grown children and their families.  Life is good. This post-Army life was our new normal.  

Out of the blue, we were shown a need and then offered an opportunity to serve a congregation in Okinawa, Japan!!  

It happens to be surrounded by American military.  The fit seemed right. God began confirming things for us three months ago when it was in the planning stage.  We were getting a repeated "YES" at every turn.  

But now and then, you just want to make sure you heard God correctly.  Japan, Lord?  You want me to go to Japan?

And just like our Heavenly Father, He brings a lovely retired Air Force spouse into my life.   She sat down beside me for a pedicure!  This lovely lady, with a sweet Southern drawl, and I began the 'normal' conversation thing..."how long have you lived here" ..."where are you from" ... etc. Within a few minutes, she told me they were retired Air Force.

Well, that opened the FLOOD GATE. And what are the odds that she just happened to retire out of Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan???!!!!!!!!!!

I'd say it's 100% in this ONE encounter! I looked at her and said, "This is not accidental. This is truly providential that you were sat beside me for a pedicure."  (Did I mention we will be able to see Kadena in the distance, from our temporary residence?!).  

This sweet 84 year old lady named Charlotte and I became bonded immediately. We shared stories about our kids' experiences and living in foreign lands. We swapped stories of hardship and war. We knew each other well, by the time our pedicures were finished.  I was beyond blessed by the end of our conversation.

In Japan, we will be sharing the Good News. We are looking forward to showing the love of Jesus to this congregation and those beyond the walls of the church.  

Romans 10:15 says, "And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!" (NLT).  I love the King James take on the latter part of the same verse, "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"  

God really has blessed our feet as we bring His Good News!  Doubly blessed because I have an awesome pedicure!  God continues to bless my socks off as friends and family have sent their love through support, encouragement and prayers.  Wow, God! You're going to do good and great things!  

Thank you Lord for sending that confirmation through Charlotte today, along with the emotional hug! I am ready for Okinawa, Japan!  Have you had a pedicure lately?  I think your feet will be blessed by it!

But then God....

Okinawa, Japan

It hardly seems possible that less than two months ago we were planning a vacation with some friends in Europe, Italy in particular. But then God....

This really has been the story of our lives. But then God....

But there we were on Feb 5th, minding our own business. Bev had watched and episode of "I'll Have What Phil's Having" earlier in the week. It was an episode about the food in Tokyo, Japan. And unlike her previous desires to avoid Asia in our travels, she had a change of heart. "I think I could enjoy that!" came streaming out of her mouth. I almost dropped dead in my tracks. "What have you done with my wife!"

So then on Thursday 5 Feb I was up early as usual studying and praying. I felt the LORD say to me, "Begin to prepare sermons." That was odd. We have spent the last two years pouring into our children and grandchildren, as well as providing marriage therapy as part of our church counseling center. But we had no openings for sharing the Word. We had no connections that would facilitate an opportunity. We had put this in the LORD's hands. If something came it would have to be Him. We had no way of making anything happen.

And yet, I distinctly felt Him tell me to prepare sermons. So I began to prepare.

Bev and I were heading to MacDill Air Force Base to do some shopping that morning. As we started out on the journey I mentioned to Bev what I had felt the LORD tell me that morning. "Begin to prepare sermons." She responded, "OK." But how else could she respond. If this was from the LORD, it was from the LORD!

To speed this up a bit, but then God....

That evening we received an email from a friend in our Sunday School class. Their son, a missionary in Japan, needed someone to fill their pulpit for three months this Summer so they could return to the States and reconnect with their supporting congregations. The congregation in Japan was primarily American military and their families.

Bev is ready for Asia. I'm preparing sermons. We are free this Summer. We can afford to travel there. We know the needs of the military. But then God....

We both felt a confirmation from the Holy Spirit that HE was opening this door.

So this is where we are, Okinawa bound.

Do you have any "but then God ...." moments in your life? I hope so.

We'll keep you updated as we go along. Watch for ministry updates, food recommendations, and links to sermons. And lots of pictures of "But then God ...." moments.

Jigsaw Puzzle Piece

Mark 13:28-31

      Have you ever purchased a jigsaw puzzle at a yard sale? I am always hesitant to do it. The reason? The missing piece! Few things are as frustrating as spending hours putting together a puzzle, especially a very difficult one, only to discover that there is a piece missing. You scour the floor, your pockets, the couch cushions, but all in vain. And they you stand there looking at an almost complete puzzle. The air gets taken right out of your accomplishments. I almost completed a 2000 piece puzzle, does not sound nearly as good as I finished a 2000 piece puzzle.

      Have you ever taken something apart and put it back together and left out one small part? And then you try to make it work, and it doesn’t work because of that one small piece. The problem is, you don’t remember where that part went, or how to get it back in its original position. You never could quite figure out what that piece did anyway. Well, for one thing, it makes the thing work. Without it you have almost fixed it. Almost fixed is the same as didn’t fix. Failure.

      There are many puzzles in life. Relationships can almost work. Marriages can almost succeed. Pregnancy can almost happen. You can almost win the raffle. Accidents almost avoided.

      When one small piece, one step in the process, is missing, many things don’t seem to come together completely. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense.

      Jesus is helping His disciples, and us, to understand the timing of the destruction of Jerusalem and the timing of His Second Coming. He shared, through Mark, a few details about the kind of world that will precede these two events. Now Jesus brings us to the point of giving us a picture of those times. Without some of the details the disciples would have no idea what to watch for in the coming days. They would be completely in the dark. But Jesus has thrown some light their direction.

      Now Jesus gives them the picture of a fig tree. They can look at the fig tree and recognize the growth and realize that summer is near. They look at the bark, the new shoots, the leaves. Each of these details tells a little more about the timing of summer. So it is with the details Jesus gave about the timing of these events. The details Jesus gave are the fig tree bark, shoots, and leaves.

      The problem arises for us in the words “this generation” that Jesus mentions. If Jesus is referring to the destruction of Jerusalem only when He says this, no problem. There would have been people alive when Jesus spoke those words and when Jerusalem was destroyed. To say 40 years from now these things will happen would work.

      But in regards to His Second Coming which is still in the future, as of the time of this writing, the words “this generation” don’t seem to fit. It is almost as if we were missing a few pieces of the puzzle. Even when we add in what is taught in all of Scripture, it still seems as though we are missing a few pieces. We can’t quite nail down all the details of the end time events.

      I think that as the time approaches, and some of these things begin to happen, more details will become evident. But we don’t need more details to get Jesus’ point. We are to be awake and ready. We are to be watching and waiting for His return. We are to be growing in our relationship with Him and with each other. We are to be obedient and willing servants. We are to share the love that God shared with us with others.

      One thing is for sure, His words will come true.

From One Storm to the Next

Mark 5:1-20

      Do you ever feel like you never get a break? Your life seemingly goes from one crisis to another, always waiting for the next shoe to fall? We even perpetuate the myth that bad things come in threes. They only seem to come in threes because we start counting over after three. They really happen in fours! (Just kidding!) But there are times in life when is seems as though it is one tough thing after another. You need a rest, but rest doesn’t come before you have to start dealing with the next thing.

      As part of the way Mark writes his account of Jesus’ life and ministry he places events together in a way that makes us feel like He never gets a break from the action. He and His disciples have just crossed the Sea of Galilee at night during a storm. Jesus was physically exhausted when he entered the boat and was awoken to cries of desperation. He spoke and the storm was stilled. Now they land on the shore and a man with an untamable storm inside him meets them and demands Jesus’ attention.

      There is no way for Jesus to sidestep and proceed without attending to this man. He can’t hand it off to His disciples; the man won’t let this happen. The man (and his demons) take center stage and force the issue. It can be so uncomfortable when an issue gets forced on you and you have to attend to it NOW. I don’t like to rush decisions. I don’t like to act under pressure.

      Before Jesus even gets His morning coffee and bagel He must act. He allows the demons to drive a herd of pigs to suicide. And those who tended the pigs on behalf of the townspeople run back into town and tell everyone. It would be as if your 401k manager went crazy with his trading and lost the whole investment. This town’s whole herd, many years of breading and care go out the window with a single word of permission by Jesus. Devastating to say the least!

      But what is even more telling is the contrast between these townspeople and the newly freed demonless man. The townspeople want nothing to do with Jesus. The newly freed man wants everything to do with Him.

      This really is one way to tell who has been touched and changed by Jesus. Those who have been changed want Jesus around. They are not afraid of conversations. They enjoy His presence in their lives. They want more.

      Those who don’t know Him yet, or have already rejected Him want nothing to do with Him. They see Him as a threat to their livelihood and lifestyle. They can only see the negative, the constricting nature of following Jesus. They miss the liberation that following Him brings. They enjoy the old familiar and comfortable life they had. They don’t want Jesus messing up their ‘good thing.’

      The man is so changed by his experience that that whole region is aware of what has happened. They can’t believe it themselves. They probably heard both sides of the story, the tremendous loss of livelihood by the town and the sanity of the man. Both were unprecedented events. Both centered around the actions of Jesus. Both were attested to by those who witnessed the events. Both were undeniable.