What is the condition of your water jug?

Have you ever been thirsty and you get your mind set on having a drink of cool water? Anyone who knows me knows I would rather drink out of a water bottle. One evening, I was so thirsty and I knew there was one water bottle left.  I went out to the kitchen and picked up the plastic casing which held my thirst quenching gem...only to find it empty. I crumpled the material in my devastated grip and raised it up to the heavens and cried "Why!!!!"

Eli, my 14 year old,  realized the cause of my lament and raised his right hand in victory which held the crystal clear prize and screamed a high pitched "WOOOO!!!"

I went to bed, my heart sorrowful. I rose with the morning sun and sauntered out to the quiet kitchen. The boys were just starting to stir. I moved the coffee pot back towards the wall and What Do My Sleepy Eyes SPY?!!!! A hidden bottle of water. "WOOOO!" I yell at the top of my lungs. Eli comes out of his bedroom and I tauntingly hold the bottle in the air and lay stake to the claim as I put it into the freezer (I like my water chilled). As I waited, we got busy doing other things.

That afternoon, we are replaying the scenario to my husband.  I said "So I put it in the....oh no! " I opened the freezer and pulled out a solid block of ice. As a frown replaced my smile, I had to listen to Eli cry "WOOOO!!!!" I sure felt like the squirrel in the Ice Age movies right about then.

The night before, Eli had the water that  I wanted.  It was a beautiful sight, it made him happy, and I could almost feel the coolness on my lips; I wanted that water. Things get silly like that in our home and that scenario may have been a bit over the top and exaggerated. It's what we do, but now I want to share a paraphrased story and a challenge that we were presented with at a conference this week.

The speaker told about a farmhand who had been working in the hot sun. He had no more water in his jug and asked one of the other men in the field if he could spare any of his own water.  The man spit his wad of chew out so that he could speak clearly. As a bit of drool settled on his chin, he pointed to a nearby tree and said, "My jug of water is over there, you are welcome to it."

The farmhand walked over to the tree. He wiped the sweat from his brow and unscrewed the lid.  As he lifted it up to take a swig, he could see how filthy the water was and that there was actually something growing on the inside of the jug.  He replaced the lid and decided that he wasn't that thirsty after all.

CHALLENGE: As a Christian, how is the condition of your water jug? Are you living your life in a manner that people see your joy and want what you have or are they watching you and deciding, "I'm not that thirsty?" We need to evaluate our hearts and our actions from time to time, maybe even on a daily basis. It should be our desire to hear from people, "I don't know what you have but I want a drink of THAT!"

Have a blessed weekend!
Follow this link to watch the actual video of Claude King telling the parable of the water jug!
http://blog.lifeway.com/growingdisciples/4-video-parables-for-christian-living/#.VrZFMUeF-Ys.facebook

Kids

"Let's adopt!" my sweet husband exclaims one day.

"Are you afraid to be alone with me?" I ask.

"Well then, how about goats, what do ya say?"

"Not much difference. Are you up for the task?"

More truth in my words than I really knew

and I realized there's a reason they're called kids.

Not sure if they're hungry? They'll give you a clue. 

Cries and screams force you to answer their bids.

Up early morning, playing late at night, 

romping, exploring, escaping and such. 

Kicking and biting and trying to fight, 

but when they are sleeping, I love them so much!

And then they grow up and settle right down.

The time flies by and your heart starts to sink.

He says, "It's kinda fun having them around." 

"Do you want to adopt?" I ask with a wink.

Runners' Knees Lesson by Carol M Green

I was on an early morning run with a few friends in mid-September. Running in the dark isn’t something I do very often, but it can be fun with a group. It was the middle of cross country season and the crisp morning air was a welcome respite from the hot afternoon temperatures we had been enduring at practice. Traffic was quiet and we were having a nice run. Things were going well until I decided to dodge an oncoming car. I was certain it was headed straight for me. That is when I located a chunk of missing pavement with my left foot. I rolled my ankle and went down fast, landing hard on my right knee.  I did a quick assessment for possible injuries. The ankle was sore, but strong. My knee, however, didn’t fare as well. I left a bit of it on the road along with a part of my running tights. This is actually a mark of honor. If a hurdler goes down on the track, everyone wants to know if he left any flesh on the track. I was fine, but my favorite running pants were not and that irritated me! I walked for a minute to test the ankle and then finished the run.

Three days later I was running the same route in the daylight with some middle school cross country runners. Things were going well until one little guy decided to trip on the edge of the pavement. He went down fast, landing hard on his right knee. He made it clear that he was in pain. I asked him to open his eyes and look at me. Asking didn’t work. I then demanded that he open his eyes and look at me. We did a quick assessment of his injuries. He also left a bit of flesh on the road! I convinced him to walk for a while. He eventually began a slow jog and then finished the run! We took a photo of our matching runners’ knees and developed mutual respect for one another. It was a bonding experience!
What did I learn from the Runners’ Knees Lesson?

Shared trials can create and strengthen lasting relationships. Think about an old roommate from college.  You studied, starved, and stayed up too late together. Prior to those experiences you may never have sought her out in a crowd. However, the time spent together as struggling young adults cemented your friendship and you still send Christmas cards to one another.  

When I think of our high school cross country team, I view them as a menagerie. They do not all belong to the same religious, economic, or social group, but they have developed a bond through shared long runs, speed workouts, and even injuries such as runners’ knees. They have pushed themselves and each other until their lungs ache and their stomachs heave. They ice their shins together and feel remorse for a teammate when he has to miss a race due to injury. These runners have mutual respect for each other, because they know how hard it is to run and keep running through pain. They will graduate some day and go their separate ways, but they will always appreciate the things they learned about each other and themselves while logging mile after mile together.

I have developed many lasting friendships in my life through similar experiences. Several fast friends were made while serving as leaders at a church camp for young ladies. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, the discomfort of tent camping, or the fear of rappelling off a cliff that drew us together. Those friendships have remained sure and provided much joy in the years since. We have a common ground on which our friendship was built. Recently, I visited with one of those camping friends while attending the funeral of a mutual acquaintance. She said to me, “I always smile when I see you. I always have warm feelings.” That is exactly the way I feel about her.

Some friends have been made by experiencing the same trials, although not at the same times, such as those who reached out to me in friendship and understanding after the sorrow of miscarriage. Their ability to empathize came from a difficulty of their own. Although they were no longer in the middle of the same trial, their ability to express understanding at a time when it was greatly needed left a lasting impression on me. For some, I can remember the very instant they reached out to me, where we were, and especially how it made me feel. It gave me hope.

Our dearest friend, even Jesus Christ, suffered through all that we suffer. If we, being mortal and imperfect, find understanding for those who share our pains, how much better can He, being perfect, succor us? When we understand that He knows what we are going through, it becomes easier to let it go. We can then have hope.

Follow Carol Green's blog at http://runninggrannygreen.blogspot.com/

Guest Blogger Introduction

I am excited to be having some guest bloggers periodically on this site.  We all have something to offer and I love to hear about the experiences of others.This week, I am featuring author, Carol M Green, a founding member of the Idaho Creative Authors Network. Carol is a grandmother and she runs. Running is one way she helps ensure that she will be
around to enjoy many years of grand-mothering. Her motto is “Learn to laugh and laugh while you learn,” because - what else are you going to do? Once you have learned, put it on paper and help others to learn.

The Hard Run: Painful Lessons from a Running Granny is her third book. It examines pain and the life lessons that can be learned through the discomforts of running.

Her first two books, “Gold Pans and Iron Skillets,” and "Milk Cans and Quilt Blocks" are collections of essays that teach a lesson. Some of them, however, are just for fun. Her blogs, Running Granny Green and CMG Writes, are for those lessons that can't wait for a special project.

Gary Learns to Skate, her first children’s book, teaches the value of perseverance. It was illustrated by her granddaughter and echoes the sentiment of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed but that our power to do has increased.”

"You're kinda in my way."

At the beginning of our Awana kids club, we open with standing up and presenting the colors. I sit in the front row with the three and four year olds. As we got ready to say the pledge, a kindergartner standing behind me tapped me gently on the back. I turned around. He leaned forward and quietly said, "Miss JoEllen, you're kinda in my way." I apologized and moved to the side. His politeness made me smile, but it also made me think. Are we in somebody's way today? Have we been a stumbling block?

My husband did a sermon on Jonah one time and talked about how they had to throw Jonah overboard before the storm would calm. He briefly mentioned things that might be Jonahs in our lives that need to be tossed overboard. Then he asked a tougher question: "Are you a Jonah in somebody else's life? Are you causing a storm in the life of another?" Are you in somebody's way?

If you are having to confront a person in your life, the very first thing you want to do is take it to the Lord in prayer. Don't make any rash decisions. It may be a storm that will blow over. Maybe you or the other person just had a bad day. If the behavior continues, you may need to evaluate your part in the situation. Many times, I am ashamed to say , it has been my own heart that was in the wrong. After getting advice one day, my friend told me the deciding factor as to when to speak up was if the behavior was affecting somebody else or if other people are being drawn into the situation. If that's the case it needs to be addressed according to the Bible verses in Matthew 18:15-17.

There may come a time that you need to tell somebody "You're kinda in my way."  But make sure to examine your own heart from time to time to make sure you won't be hearing those words from somebody else.  Communication is key!