The Watched Pot ...

Most of the things I write about are Operation Christmas Child related - it's what I do and who I am - but on this rather dreary Friday morning, I have the funniest story. Let me begin by saying that if you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at???

After I took Lauren to school this morning I was trying to decide what I would do with my day. It's cold and overcast so going out didn't sound appealing. Cleaning house is one of my least favorite activities, so I easily talked myself out of that! I decided it was the perfect day to watch movies and wrap shoeboxes in the living room floor. (Oh, ye of little faith. You thought I wouldn't sneak OCC in here somewhere!) But first, I needed some breakfast. Now, those of you who know me, know I am not a breakfast person. I have been told six million times by my Yoda Dana to eat breakfast every day and I'd feel better and have more energy. But, alas, my head is extraordinarily thick! This morning, however, I was actually hungry! A hard boiled egg sounded perfect.

I went to the refrigerator and, sure enough, we have eggs - 8, in fact. Lauren, my daughter, loves hard boiled eggs, so why not just cook all 8! I prepared the pan with salt and the eggs and filled it with water, turned on the burner and got the cooking process started.

Here is where I goofed. I got distracted. I started reading email, sending email, responding to questions about OCC, getting some paperwork completed for my Regional Office, etc. I was just in the living room, but, as these stories always go, I needed something upstairs on the desktop computer. I am extremely ADD on a normal day, but lately with so much going on, I'm exceptionally so!

Yeah, you can see where this is headed ...

I had been upstairs for at least 20 minutes when I heard a loud sound downstairs! Emma, my golden retriever, heard it too, of course, and was up like a shot ready to defend her territory and it's mistress, if necessary. I figured it must've been the cat doing something he's not supposed to, when I heard the sound again - louder this time! I also realized that the cat is still outside and Emma and I are alone in the house ...

So downstairs we run and it's then that I smell a weird, pungent, nasty burning smell. Then it hits me ... I was boiling eggs for my breakfast! So I run into the kitchen fully expecting fire when I see boiled egg carcass all over the kitchen! And when I saw all over the kitchen, I mean all over the kitchen! I even found egg parts across the room by the coffee pot!

What was I to do? I started laughing at the ridiculousness of what I had done and realized I am truly in need of some time management (and perhaps it's time for a discussion with my doctor about my ADD)!

Yep. I now am well versed on how to make egg bombs, should you ever need that information in the future. I will say, though, that the eggs are some very hard boiled, but quite tasty with a nice smoke flavor - at least the ones that "lived" are.

So, the moral of this story? The watched pot may never boil, but the forgotten pot will certainly explode!!

He Has Made Me Glad

As I write this, I am spending some time on my hammock trying to relax - watching the clouds, listening to the wind in the trees blowing the dying yellow and orange leaves ... that's right, be jealous!  But as I try for the elusive relaxation, I am also contemplating this past week.  It's been a tough one for me, especially the last few days.

Friday night I was fortunate to be at the Walton First Baptist Church packing party for OCC - their first ever!  I have had a lot of fun getting to know their new Project Leader, Debbie, and have enjoyed watching and feeding on her passion for this ministry.  WFB has packed about 150 or so shoeboxes for the last several years.   Debbie wanted to do more - a God-sized goal.  So she set their church goal at 500!  After what I saw and felt in that church basement on Friday night, 500+ will definitely be coming out of that congregation and we will have many years of partnership ahead!  It was such a pleasure to share more about OCC with these lovely people and to help them visualize what their efforts mean to God's Kingdom.  Thank you, ladies! I had a blast and my excitement renewed.

Now, here is where I allowed myself to climb into that nasty mud-filled pit!  I don't think I go into a time of depression on purpose.  I truly think at the time that I'm walking along just fine and then WHAM!  But that is not realistic, is it?  Satan doesn't want me happy; he doesn't want me serving the Lord, but complacent, ineffective, wallowing and focusing on myself.  Well, then he has been very pleased with me the last few days!!

A few years ago we had a particularly great retreat and one of my team members turned to me and said, "Okay, start watching for that ole' devil to attack!"  She was right. It wasn't even 24 hours before he did.  I forgot that this time and shifted my focus on self for just long enough that my joy over what God did Friday was cut short.

It's so easy for us to dwell on the rough things going on in our lives:  bills to pay, loved ones that are sick, difficulties at work, crazy schedules ... we can make it very easy for satan to worm his way in and whisper, "Hey, yeah, those 500 shoeboxes were great, but ... "  I listened to the BUT ... so today is a new day -

Satan wants me weary, distracted, ungrateful, unfocused, sad, lazy and burning the candle at both ends. That's how I was yesterday, but not today!  Today God has given me victory over those negative things.  Today I am on my way to resting in His promises to never leave me. Today I am focused on Kingdom building.  Today I am grateful for where I am (especially this sunny deck and hammock!).  Today I am organized and productive.  Reminds me of that children's song ...

"I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart.

I will enter His Courts with praise.

I will say this is the day that the Lord has made.

I will rejoice for He has made me glad."

So hang in there with me! Rejoice in the day He has made ... no matter what that day may look like!

Finally, Proof of the Rocks in my Head

I love God's sense of humor!  There are times when I look at all that is going on and wonder how in the world so much can happen to one person!  This past week has been one of those times ... Let's go back to Monday ...


So many of you know that I've been battling vertigo for a few months.  It comes and goes with no warning and I've even taken some medicine for it.  Have you ever been car sick?  It's similar in feeling except I sit still in my living room but that living room is not sitting still!  So I finally had enough and made an appointment to see my doctor.  


I am very fortunate to have a general doctor who takes the time to listen when I'm uncomfortable; laugh when I fail miserably to explain what I'm talking about; and just takes it in stride when my explanations require gesturing wildly with my hands.  Anyway, so he has me sit on the table, turn my head to the left and allow my body to fall back.  It felt like I'd taken a turn on the tilt-a-whirl ...


So my doctor stands back, walks to sit on  his stool and says, "You've got loose ear rocks."  I have what?  Yep, you heard it right. I have loose ear rocks.  Only me ... apparently we all have a sack of crystals in our ears that talk to the brain about all things balance.  Once in a while some of these "rocks" get loose and float around in the inner ear confusing the brain, thus making you dizzy!


There you have it - scientific evidence of what we've known all along - rocks in my head!!!  It did make me think later that God is not only very funny, but very creative.  How in the world anyone can look at the human body and believe this all happened by accident is amazing to me.  God has made me wonderfully, loose ear rocks and all.  


So, that was my Monday ... I'm headed to physical therapy for the ear rocks, which I am certain will not be embarrassing in the slightest.  Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday roll in and out without too much difficulty; just all things wrapping and packing shoeboxes! 


Friday is the perfect day to go work with my little sister on shoeboxes.  While on my way to meet Deneese at the church, a car pulled out in front of me and I slammed into it! No one was hurt, but my car took a pretty decent lick.  By that evening, Chad's car had a check engine light on and it stalled on him!  It was just one of those weeks.  As I writ this, I still have rocks in my head and 2 cars in the shop!


HOWEVER, in the midst of one thing after another, God taught me some things, too.  This week our church packed 270 shoeboxes - this many boxes packed with only 7 people!  I also saw something recently that changed my perspective for this year's boxes and was a great reminder of what it is that we are doing.  Get this:  1 box = 1 child = 1 soul.  What an amazingly simple Word from the Lord about what Operation Christmas Child is all about!  It's about bringing children to Him. Not just the children who receive this little gift, but the other children and adults that are a part of the lives of the children!  So instead of making sure each box is stuffed to the gills, I'm about numbers this year.  Just think:

500 boxes = 500 children = 500 souls 

1,000 boxes = 1,000 children = 1,000 souls

15,000 boxes = 15,000 children = 15,000 souls

So yes there are really nutty things that happen in my life; sometimes it feels like all at once, but I'm working to not forget what this time of year is all about! Here in Northern Kentucky our goal is 15,000 shoeboxes.  They're not just boxes to me anymore; they are souls to each for Jesus.  Souls of children who have no hope, no peace, know no love ... but that is what we are giving them in our gifts!  

(Oh, and if you see a black Hyundai out there with his side doors crushed in thinking twice before cutting in front of you, you're welcome!!!)

God Watches Out for Me

I wanted to take just a minute and give you some affirmation that God answers prayers and directs our paths, even when we don't realize it!  As many of you know, I am quite ADD and have to write things down or they don't exist.  A few months ago, I was asked to speak about OCC at the Latonia Business Association.  I wrote it in my book. He sent me a letter.  We were good to go.  Only problem was, I wrote it on the wrong day!  Thankfully, God used a series of circumstances and a friend to let me know the night before the CORRECT day that I was wrong!

No worries, I threw some notes together and was ready to go.  The meeting was a short one as the venue needed the LBA out by a certain time, so I only had a few minutes and spoke very quickly.  Have you ever heard an announcer at the end of a car commercial give all the legal disclaimers?  It was something between that and Minnie Mouse!  Afterwards a lady came up to me and said their church had done shoeboxes in the past but had heard some disturbing things out of the UK about OCC and Franklin Graham, so they quit doing boxes.  Now you and I all know that satan works against Christians and organizations that promote Christ all the time, which I believe is what happened here!

I assured the lady that what she had heard was far from the truth and thankfully I had information to back me up!  So, she took my card and said she'd like to schedule a time to sit down with me and discuss the ministry and the possibility of mending things to the point where they would begin to do boxes again! I was thrilled with the opportunity.

The next day I received a phone call from her.  I assumed it was to schedule a time to visit, but instead she said she'd spoken to their senior pastor and he wanted to do boxes!  She wanted 200 of everything as soon as possible!  What?? Wow, God moved fast! 

A long story, I know, but think of the lessons for us ... what if God had not used circumstances to have my friend attend this meeting and moved her to check in with me? What if I had missed the meeting because of my clerical error?  God had an appointment for me for that particular day. He moved behind the scenes all over the place for something rather simple that now has great Kingdom impact!  Now there will be 200 more children who will hear of His hope, His blessings, His love because of this almost missed moment in time!

God is good. We may not know where He's working, but He is.  We may not be able to see what He is doing, but He is blessing our efforts and as long as we keep HIM as our focus, He will show us great things!!