A March Toward Death and Salvation

Today marks the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem, knowing His fate, and accepting it...for you and for me. Can you imagine the crowds gathered along the road waving palm fronds and laying their garments to pave His path? As they praised Him, they didn't know He was riding toward His death for their salvation.

I am so humbled when I picture this scene. I imagine the sun shining down, glinting off His dark hair, tears rolling down His face. He cried for all those who did not accept the opportunity for salvation. He'd taught them all He could, yet many still did not believe.

Today, I will go to church, sing praises, and worship. Jesus lives in my heart. As this Holy week unfolds, Jesus is looking down, aching for His lost sheep to open their hearts and let Him come in.

Family Gatherings Warm the Heart

Today is going to be a wonderful day in our home. Our children and their families are coming over for a get together. Son and daughter-in-law from WV will be visiting. I always look forward to having the family in one place. Grandchildren running through the house, laughing and having fun, grown children sharing memories, new stories, and lots of love and laughter. Nothing compares to warm my heart.

I can't think of a better way to spend Sunday afternoon. Many time I wish I had lived back in the days when entire communities would put on their Sunday best and head to a little wooden church to praise God for their blessings. Then everyone would gather around long tables filled with food and share fellowship.

Our family is large enough to represent one of these gatherings. There will be 25 people in our home. God has truly blessed us.

Creative Energy and Spare Time

Years ago, I spent my spare time working on crafts. I've knitted clothes for my children and grandchildren, crocheted afghans, painted ceramics, woodburned pictures, created candle and flower arrangements, and painted rocks into animals. Since I started writing, my crafting time disappeared and I poured all my creative energy into my books.

It seems I do have more spare time now that I've retired from the day job, and with hubby being "tied" to the house, I don't like to spend too much time down in my office away from him. So when I sit upstairs to watch television with him, I needed something to make me feel productive. I heard about prayer shawl ministries and started reading up on what it involved. Now, I have a stash of yarn and a drawer of prayer shawls. As I work on the shawl, I pray for the person who will receive it. As I hear of women in my church who are facing surgery, I pick out the shawl I believe they will like and pray for them while holding the shawl. I visit the person in the hospital and present them with the gift.

Now what would be an unproductive time has turned into a labor of love.

A Splintered Tooth

I had a tooth on which a crown which had come loose because the tooth split. The roots were in two separate pieces and it looked splintered near the bottom. My dentist told me there was no hope for the tooth and it would need to be pulled. We set an appointment for a week later. I worried because I'd had another tooth pulled years prior and the dentist hadn't been able to numb me completely. That dentist didn't believe that I could feel the nerve pain. They said I only felt pressure.

I prayed and asked God to be with me through the upcoming ordeal. On Friday, I drove to the dentist, a little nervous, but knowing that whatever happened, God was with me. I shared my prior experience with my dentist and she assured me she would ensure I was completely numb before pulling the tooth. And she told me she would stop at any time if I felt pain. She also offered laughing gas, which I refused. While I sat and waited for my mouth to numb, I prayed and then opened an inspirational novel to read.

Finally, the time came to pull the tooth. I felt nothing beyond a little pressure when the tooth came out. The splintered half came out in one piece, and so did the other half. The dentist told her assistant, "God was with us today. This was the toughest extraction we've ever seen, yet it went the smoothest."

What an uplifting experience to hear my dentist say those precious words. God was with us. He'd assured me he would be with me. God never lets us down in times of need.

God lifts us from sin as easily as the dentist lifted the tooth from my mouth. All you need to do is believe in Him.