Let’s be pretty & mean people wanted

August 13, 2015August 13, 2015 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

I was at work the other day & had a disgruntled truck driver come in for a load. He was at the window as soon as I got in. He wasn’t happy. And the duration of his time at our facility, he was a gripin’ & belly achin’. On his 14^th trip, back in the office, to tell me how terrible everything was in his life, one of our usual truck drivers was standing in the lobby. This “seasoned” driver was standing there, with his shorts on (because it was 200 degrees in the shade that day.) He was looking all dapper, as his custom, with his prosthetic leg. He had a logging accident several years ago & lost his leg. He is very positive about this tragic incident that happened to him, though. One day, he told me that there was no way he could imagine not working. When the accident happened, the doctor suggested he get on disability. Well, he was purely disgusted by that. He was not raised to not work. So, with God’s help, he made a way to get back to work. Since this, he has taken an attitude of

“Slow down, it’s all going to be ok. Things just are what they are & sometimes delays & problems can be for good. “

SO, I was delighted when the crabby driver took notice of my driver friend with one leg. They started up a conversation & low & behold before you know it the unhappy driver was telling us all to have a good day. I was very impressed on how that situation played out I mentioned to the driver this very fact. He said,

“You know I learned a long time ago, this world needs hateful people. I’m telling you spiteful & mad people are needed in this world. I tell my kids when they run into some low down cuss, that’s spittin’ & complainin’, they need to thank God for them. Because God’s teaching them to appreciate us decent folks.”

What a delightful attitude! My Daddy says some of the same about contrary folks.

“Be glad when you have to deal with mean folks. They show you how you DON’T want to act.”

Maybe that’s why Jesus tell us to treat others kindly.

Ephesians 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

And as we want to be treated.

Matthew 7:12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

That’s a beautiful recipe for how to get along with others. Attitudes can be contagious. I am so thankful to this driver, for reminding me of that.

I hope you all are having a wonderful week. We have still been trying to make peace with getting Miss Neenee to school every day. On time. So that she does not have to deal with the RIDICULOUS time Nazis at school, who punish little kids for reasons beyond their control and whathaveyou. You can read more about that here. Until next time, I have to be going, because I should be washing clothes.

Just a little before dinner cup of coffee. Or if his mom or dad are seeing this, cup of milk.

photo credits: junk gypsy

Impatient people wear on my patience & wanted: an iron that works

June 3, 2015June 3, 2015 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Have you noticed how impatient our world has become? And because of this impatience, it makes us question God. Why in the world have we not got it through our thick heads that our time is NOT God’s time? We treat God like a wishing genie, and pour all these wants & must haves out to Him. If we don’t get what we want, in a short amount of time, we start wondering where God is.

We had a guest preacher talk about this Sunday. Bro. David Lipe posed the question,

“What has the world come to? What has the world come to that everything has to be instant or we are downright upset? Hello? Have you heard of instant grits?”

Why, yes. Yes I have.

I don’t think he was saying we should be ashamed of ourselves for eating instant grits. I believe he was trying to get us to see how we have reached a brand new level of ridiculousness. Our expectations have become so that if we heard it 7 seconds ago, that’s old news. Gimme something new to hear about. Don’t that just beat all? Just like our prayers to the Lord. If our well thought out good intentioned requests don’t start coming true soon after the words part our lips, we begin losing faith in God. We are not trusting in His timing. Just because we may have trials & heartache does not mean God is not working in our lives. Sometimes it may take years to realize how God has worked for good in our lives.

Let’s talk about the story of Joseph.

Dolly Parton sung her little heart out about that coat he had. Bless her heart.

Joseph was loved by his father, but hated by his brothers. Their daddy gave Joseph a coat of many colors. What do you think the brothers thought of that? You got that right, they didn’t like that either. Also, Joseph had a special gift. He could interpret dreams. Which made his brothers hate him more. He was sold into slavery by his own flesh & blood siblings. But the Lord was with him. Joseph was entrusted by his master with his household. But you know what? Since Joseph was so good looking, the master’s wife got after him & would NOT leave him alone. She finally cornered him & he ran off. Of course, the master’s sorry wife made up this big story about how Joseph was making an advance toward her. That landed Joseph right in jail. Remember I said the Lord was with him? Just stay with me here. When Joseph was in prison he became the prison guard’s favorite. Before long, Joseph was over the prisoners. Pharaoh’s chief butler was put in prison, under Joseph’s care. Joseph interprets a dream for the butler & asks him for only one favor. He asks that the butler remember him & mention to Pharaoh what he had done for him. That way, Joseph could show his innocence & get out of jail his own self. The butler told Pharaoh what the dream meant. But low & behold wouldn’t you know it, only TWO years later, the butler’s memory finally got jogged. Pharaoh needed a dream interpreted & the butler remembered, ya’ll, & had Joseph taken right out of jail to tell Pharaoh what his dream meant.

Well, after that, things got A LOT better for Joseph. So much better that he became 2nd in command in Pharaoh’s army. Now you tell me Joseph didn’t have all kinds of problems. I will say his life had a happy ending. When a famine struck the land, he had the opportunity to have a blessed reunion with his brothers. Wonder what Joseph made of all of this, that happened over the course of his life? Do you think when he was in jail he was thinking,

“Boy, God sure is working for good in my life.”

Probably not. But he was faithful anyway. He loved the Lord. He didn’t give up. He didn’t get anything instantly. Do you remember it took the butler 2 years to tell Pharaoh about him? Sheesh. Write yourself a note, will ya? In the end, Joseph’s faithfulness was what made the difference. True story. I read it right here in Genesis 37-45.

Are you sinking in problems? Keep your eyes on God. Don’t quit. He will not forsake you. Just keep your head down & keep climbing the hill. At the end of the day, God is in control. He is always working behind the scenes with our best interest at heart. Before you know it, you will be sitting on the mountain, once again.

I hope ya’ll are having a wonderful week. My iron quit working around Mondayish. So, my husband & I have been spraying our clothes with water & prayerfully hoping the dryer will get most of the wrinkles out. Some may ask why I have not purchased a new iron yet. See below to find your answer. Until next time I hope your clothes are starched & pressed just like you used a new iron on them. As for me, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credit: Facebook, http://www.bplolinenews.BlogSpot.com,www.oopsitseverything.wordpress.com

Confessions of the I should be washing clothes blogger & what Ebola doesn’t care about

November 3, 2014November 3, 2014 / kstrick7 / 2 Comments

I have a confession to make.

I am not as awesome as you think I am.

There. Now you know. Oh, I know it seems like I have everything in the world together (Please don’t talk to my friend Jen about this. She knows me too well.) That I have the perfect life. (Refer to the last statement in parenthesis.) I am always totally put together. (Ha. Haaa. Haaaaaa.) I never let the occasion pass that I don’t always say & do the appropriate things, at the right time. I never leave anything to the last minute & am on time for everything. (Ok. I really have to stop with it now.) And you all know what a total math whiz I am. (Ok. Seriously, that’s the last one.) Whew, glad to clarify all that. Those who know me, know I have my share of flaws. As I get older, I begin to reflect on what it is all this life stuff is about. Because c’mon. I had some things I wanted to do in life. I’ve done some of them. Other things have just fallen by the wayside. That’s just reality. Most importantly, I am a put-ter off-er. I always think there’s more time to do better, change my life, or help make other’s lives better. The bad news is there’s really not more time.

The other night, at church, Bro. Brad gave a thought provoking talk about how today is the day. We can make excuses from here to yon on why we can’t do something. He said there are many that are not in a right relationship with God, that think, “I’ve got time.” Folks that say, “When I make more money, I will give more to the Lord.” Then, they are blessed with more & it seems they take up another payment on something they could not live without. Bro. Brad brought to our attention the only reason people don’t own a pet elephant is because we have never been offered a deal for zero down & make monthly payments. ( That Bro. Brad can be pretty comical.) His point was, we shouldn’t let stuff get in the way of our relationship with the Lord. We may say, “I will work more for the Lord, when I have more time.” When the kids get older, when my job slows down, when I don’t have so many other activities going on, such as kid’s soccer practice, softball games, basketball games, being a taxi to your kids. When all of that stops, I will devote more time to the work of the church. Let me tell you. Time doesn’t stop. If you don’t make a way to do things now, the time has past. And guess what? Yep, you know. You never get that back. That’s why we must figure out a way to maintain a balance.

II Corinthians 6:2

For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation (NKJV)

It’s to our ultimate advantage to be faithful to the Lord. So many times I see people not attend church services because all of their other activities have them worn to a frazzle. I heard a preacher say one time, when you start missing church, you can bet it won’t be long until more & more things hinder your spiritual life. Let me tell you, sweet friend, the ol’ devil has his ways to keep us from doing the Lord’s will. Many times, it’s not one big thing that happens. It’s more of a slow leak than a big blow out. That’s why the small things matter.

I know sometimes people search for something, in life. They are looking for a purpose. I am happy to tell you, you need not look any further. Jesus is it. There are so many things out there that tries to make you believe happiness & contentment comes from this world. If I only had a new car, a better house, more money in the bank, a bigger t.v., then things would be better.

Umm, not really.

Ebola doesn’t care how much money you have in the bank. You can still be inflicted with a dreaded disease, even if you have a 72” big screen t.v. Then, what becomes important? Relationships? People who will take care of you & help you through hard times? Many times your relationship with God takes a front seat. God should be our first choice at all times. Not our last resort. The apostle Paul talks about how matters of the heart, really matter. Especially when it comes to love.

I Corinthians 13: 4-8

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

Faith, hope, & love are very important. It’s a good thing to choose to make those a part of your daily life. Don’t think you have time to make things of your heart right. The time is now.

Solomon was the wisest man & had great wealth. He had access to all the things of the world. It was unbelieveable! The Queen of Sheba was so curious of his riches & knowledge, she paid him a visit. Afterwards, she had this to say:

II Chronicles 9: 5 & 6

Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. ⁶However I did not believe their words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You exceed the fame of which I heard.(NKJV)

After all the glitz & glamor of having everything he could ever wanted, the wise Solomon gave the recipe of what our whole existence is about.

Ecclesiastes 12:13

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.(NKJV)

So, if Solomon is giving us the answer to the meaning of life, why don’t we take heed? It’s like we have found the answer, but we often times keep looking somewhere else for what life is all about. We must act now to make things in our life right & know we are not promised the next minute. At the end of your life, what will really matter? Whatever you have been putting off, take that step of faith. The Lord will be there to walk with you. It’s time.

I hope everyone has had a blessed week. With this past Friday being Halloween, I had my share of sweet trick or treaters! We trunk or treated at church Wednesday night. The kids had a great time. And then we had that thing called setting your clock back an hour on Saturday night. We really need to quit with the time changes. Just make it one way & leave it, is what I say. Oh well, another time no one consulted with me. Until they do, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: love printables, behance.net,tolavishlylove, justsaynototoxicrelationships