Sunday, August 28, 2016

Craigslist in Heaven?

Does anyone else read Craigslist, the free online want-ads, for giggles?

The perpetually misspelled ads cheer me when I get tired of looking at my own misspellings.

Armoires, those tall wardrobe cabinets, pose a challenge. Craigslisters usually refer to them as armwars or armwores.

There's plenty of "Rot Iron Patio Sets" and "Chase Lownjes."

But my favorite is the inadvertent humor found in the "Free" column. 




Free Chickens:  I was driving and I hit their mother, so I took them in and cared for them. Very health and looking to get rid of them. Call...

Free brown leather rocker recliner:  Leather continues to peel. Great if you use a cover. Text for address and i can sit outside of garage door.





Free water bottle: Works great! Ask for 5 dollars.


Pile of junk tires: need gone asap please someone come get sick of looking at them!!!!


Sometime we may feel as though our luster is gone.
That our value is diminished.
That God is ready to list us in the "Free" column of a heavenly want-ad.

That, my friend, is a lie straight from the pit of hell.

The truth is we are valuable to God. He sees us as precious. He loves us with an everlasting love.

". . .  I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you." Jeremiah 31:3


And here's more good news:


"Don’t be afraid, for the Lord . . . will be with you; he will not fail nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:8 

So relax. The only thing in heaven's "Free" column is God's love.

Sunday, August 14, 2016

A 50 year mystery revealed

  • Picture
    My new-found sister Marianne.
    In my last blog I promised to reveal why my posts are coming at 1/2 speed.

    I planned to share about all our family's "growth opportunities." 
    Death, divorce, disaster, hospitalizations, exhaustion . . . blah, blah, blah.

    But incredible news has overshadowed it all.



     
     
    Last month learned I have a sister.
    A real, flesh and blood sister.




     
     
     
     
     
    A wonderful couple raised my sister, surrounding her with love, laughter, and family. Growing up, she knew she was adopted, her parent's chosen daughter. Their cherished gift.

    My three precious little brothers and I grew up never knowing another sibling existed 500 miles from us.

    Fifty years passed.
    Adoption laws changed.
    Birth records were unsealed.
    Marianne contacted our family.

    And my life has ablaze with joy ever since.

    The old Patty Duke show theme song touches on our uncanny likenesses:
    "They laugh alike, they walk alike, At times they even talk alike — "


    Since meeting my new sister and her incredible husband, Mike, exhilaration has replaced the weariness I'd been fighting for the past year.
    (OK--giddy, slightly exhausted exhilaration.)
    Picture
    Marianne and "Energizer Bunny" hubby Mike
     
    Marianne and I are continually praising God for bringing us together.


    If you're slogging through obstacles and a surprise sibling hasn't suddenly appeared to rejuvenate your life, remember God's promise in ancient writings:

    "And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten..."
    Joel 2:25 (ASV)


    God hasn't forgotten you. Lean into Him. Ask Him for rest. Seek Him for restoration.

    Also, try
    Michael Hyatt's top 10 energy boosters.
    His number 1 tip is crucial: Connect with God. (Click here to see the rest.)