The Blind Side

When I tuned into The View this morning, I expected to be entertained...to laugh, to listen to the banter about the topics of the day, and to hear a couple of interviews.

I got so much more.

Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, and Quinton Aaron were on today. They were being interviewed about their new film, The Blind Side. The movie is based on the Tuohy family who takes in a young man who is in need. They care for him, love him, and make him a part of their family.

Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy saw a need they could meet and they met it. They didn't expect to have a movie made about what they did. They weren't looking for accolades. They simply showed God's love to another human being in need because it was the right thing to do.

I listened to an interview Leigh Anne did. She said of her family, "We've been blessed and we really live by 'To whom much is given, much is required'."

Oh, that we would all live our lives open and large, loving and compassionate....giving out of the abundance we've been given.

As I listened to an interview online with Sandra Bullock, the interviewer said of the Tuohys and their generosity, "How many of these types of people are really living in the world?" Well, my answer is, "All the Christians should be living that way."


I should be living that way.


I was so much more than entertained when I tuned into The View. God used it as a reminder to me to be about His business....to love, to give, to look for ways to make a difference in the lives of those whose paths cross mine today...and every day.

The Blind Side opens wide on November 20. I haven't seen the film yet, but I'm inspired already.


"From everyone who has been given much, much will be required...." Luke 12:48

"This I command you, that you love one another." John 15:17



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Thankful

I am thankful.

I am thankful for God--who blesses me is so many ways--none of which I deserve. I am thankful for friends who laugh with me and help me through hard times. I am thankful for worshiping openly without fear of persecution. ...Thankful that I don't lack food or shelter. I'm thankful that my arm is healing--it's taken time--but it is healing. I'm thankful for people who believe in me when I'm too hurt and worn down to believe in myself. I'm thankful that I grew up in a wonderful family. I'm thankful for the beauty that God created on earth. I'm thankful for seeing people raise their hands in worship to God. I'm thankful that God loves me and I get to go to heaven when I die. I am thankful that God used someone I didn't even know to heal a place inside me that had not been alive for a long time. I'm thankful that I've now had a chance to talk to that person several times. I am thankful that God is with me every second of every day and that He will never leave me. I'm thankful that God allowed me to be alive. I'm thankful that has He saved me from death and walked with me through difficult things. I'm thankful for the beauty of the autumn trees and the pure white sparkling diamonds of a new fallen snow. I'm thankful that my eyes see and my ears hear....that I can taste and touch and smell. I'm thankful for the gifts of talent that people share with others. I'm thankful that God places people and circumstances around me that bless me.

I'm thankful that God is.


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Home

As I turned the car, the moon came into view. A full moon....large, glowing...almost the color of a harvest moon. In its light, I could see the outline of mountains to the left of the busy freeway.

But in my mind, I was on a country road looking across moonlit corn fields...

...Home.

Home. What a comforting word. The place you're always accepted and always welcomed, even when you haven't lived there for years. The place you can laugh and talk or just sit quietly with no words exchanged at all because you know each other so well the silence is comfortable...no need to fill every second with conversation.

At some point in our lives, it may be impossible to go home. But God has equipped us with feelings and memories. Home can be forever in our hearts whether we can go there physically or not.

And that is where I was the other night as I looked at the full moon, thousands of miles away from where I grew up. I took a trip home. Remembered all the faces of loved ones who now wait for me in heaven. Thought of the beauty of flat lands and corn fields against the night sky. Heard the laughter of days gone by.

It made me smile...

remembering...

Home.


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Tomorrow

Things will be different tomorrow.

Someone will be gone--someone who, honestly, has driven me a little crazy at times--but someone who God has helped me have patience with and love. This person was just starting to make some good choices and really try.

I could see a change beginning to take place...

A life ripe with promise.


And now...

And now, I no longer have the opportunity to make a difference in his life.
The privilege of helping to mold the person he will become now falls to someone else.



And I have to admit...

That makes me sad.


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Kate

Silently the battle wages.
And we wait.
We wait; praying for recovery from the
Effects of the medication which is trying to
Take away the dreaded tumor-
The hindrance to a normal life.
Please, God, we ask...we beg
You to heal miraculously the tumor
That invades this child's brain.
And if not miraculously, then please bring
healing by the medications given
By those who fight the fight.
Be strong, God.
Be big.
And bring forth the answer we pray for this day.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Please pray for little Kate who fights bravely the battle that is before her.

Http://PrayforKate.com

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Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson died today.

And I am sad.

When I heard the report that he had been taken to the hospital, I prayed for him...for his healing and that he would know God if he didn't already know him. A short time later, I learned that he had passed away.

The King of Pop, gone.

My heart hurt.

I watched TV...saw the fans gather...heard the statements of those who knew and worked with him...listened as people spoke of how Michael had inspired them in one way or another.

I know Michael has had some difficult times. I haven't always agreed with some of his life choices...but neither am I perfect; I'm sure that God hasn't always been happy with the choices I have made. Jesus said, "...let those who have never sinned throw the first stones."

My hands are empty.



As I listened to the tributes pouring in, I couldn't help but wonder if he knew...

...in his latter days, did he know that people thought he was a genius in the music world? Did he know that his peers respected him and his work? Did he know that he had inspired many? Did he know how much people still enjoyed his music? Did he know so many loved and cared for him?

Or did he live and die behind the gates of his home without knowing the tender thoughts others had of him?


I hope he knew.



Is there anyone you need to talk to today? Anyone you need to let know that you think they are special...that they have touched your life in some wonderful way? Anyone you need to say "Good job" or "I love you" to?

We don't know how long we and our loved ones have on earth. Give your flowers today. Encourage, embrace, compliment, and show your love now.

You have the power to brighten someone's life by the things you say and do.

Reach out and bless someone today.


"Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up."
Proverbs 12:25

"So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing."
1 Th. 5:11

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Always There

I'm so glad that God is always there for us. He's been there for me through many things but most recently through pain (broken bone = ouch!), uncertain economy (know many who will be without jobs in a month and that makes me sad), and feeling like I failed at...(personal, but God knows!) He's there through everything and that is so comforting to me!

He'll be there for you, too, if you ask Him to be!

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

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