Praying Through Life's Moments.

One of the biggest blessings and privileges I have in ministry is praying through life's moments with others. It never ceases to amaze me how simple and yet profound prayer can be. Case in point:

There was a family that came into the physical church building one day this week. I knew who they were as soon as they walked in the door. Their heads were down and the weight of the world seemed as though it was resting on their shoulders.

I got up from behind the desk and came around to where they were. I introduced myself and told them that I had been praying for them as had our local church body there. One by one - I put my arms around them and hugged them. And while I cannot in all ways understand what this family is going through - prayer unites those that were seemingly strangers before.

One of the biggest blessings I have are individuals praying through life's moments with me. And like I am constantly told, "Camey? You are just weird. How can you have gone through all you have in life and believe and have the faith that you do?" Simple and yet profound... I believe in the power of prayer. I believe in The One who hears... listens... speaks.... draws me closer....

For in praying through life's moments one thing I have no doubt of... one cannot pray in the manner in which pleases God and not be moved... changed.... even if the circumstances remain the same.

Prayer is a gift. It is a part of worship. It is not intended to keep to ourselves.

Wherever you are at this moment - you were just prayed for.

Thank you for the privilege and untold blessing of walking through life's moments with you whether near or far. And thank you for walking with me as well.

Constipated Sheep. Goats.

Constantly amazed at the conversations I have with individuals here in the foyer of the physical church building. Then again, not really surprised!

Scooter is one of our custodians here at the physical church building. He is also a dear brother in Christ and I'm blessed to work along side of him. I was asking him if he is coming to the concert we are hosting here tomorrow night. His reply was....

"Well, I've got a bit of a conflict. You see, I've got this constipated sheep that might prevent me from being able to get here." Yep, that made me bang my hand on the desk because I was laughing so hard.

And that's another tale tale sign we are in the country. Not to mention the fact that we've had stray goats hanging outside in the grassy spots.

I could make several analogies here... Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah ;)

"God's money."

"Going out of town and don't want to take God's money with me."

That phrase was said by a widow woman who just left the physical church building.

It's Friday morning. And proof yet again that it isn't all about Sundays.

Tender Moments. More Godly Men.

Bob the Tomato was present yesterday at our physical church building. I just had to smile and laugh deeply as he walked down the hallway in the preschool wing to where the Moppets were. When he was finished, he came back and talked with me for a while. Bob's real name is Bob. And we've been connected for many many years now. His daughter was in my last Bible study class. How God used her then... and yesterday.

Because of Debra, Bob was at the physical church building wearing a Bob the Tomato shirt. His grand-daughter even calls him that. Watching Bob, because of his love for Debra and his grand-daughter, was beyond tender. Bob and I talked about our years and various individuals we're connected to. Some we agree upon... others... we've agreed to disagree on since we do not know each individual in the same ways. Bob is a Godly man. And I am thankful to call him my brother in Christ. I am thankful for his wife, his daughter, and grand-daughter. Their love for him is evident beyond words. And yet, I know it is because of his love for God that it rings so true.

The Younger Man arrived yesterday. As he walked in the front doors, I had the untold privilege of welcoming him as he said, "I'm looking for a church home." We hugged and the conversation flowed as if we've known each other for years. One thing I can say about Mark... Pastor Mark... is that he loves the individuals from where he came, and yet, he already has a love so deep for those where he is at now. He is a Godly man whom I know God is going to use not only inside the walls of our physical church building but outside... He already is.

Spending time with these two Godly men reminded me yet again about the moments of life... One man, I've known for years... the other... I have not... Our connections to each other go beyond the walls of any physical church building, city, or time. The Real Connection is the one that matters most. It is the one that makes us family.

The Spiritual Warfare is still thick and deep. The Younger Man said one Friday night not long ago, "Satan is not going to be happy." He was right.

Another thing about Godly men - they know that their Father knows best. Better than they do.... And He is stronger than any thing that can come our way.

Godly Guy and Men!

Yesterday, as Austin and I were heading to the physical church building, he told me that he wanted to take me out to lunch. He purposefully had not packed a lunch so he could take his mom on a date. I could not help but smile deeply.

The place in which we ate was having a rather difficult time. They clearly were understaffed. And yet, that just gave Austin and I more time to spend together talking. One thing I've come to know about that sixteen-year-old son of Brother G's and mine..... he is praying guy! So, he offered to pray and much to this silly woman's delight - he thanked God for the opportunity to spend time with his mom talking. The rest of what he prayed I'll leave between God, Austin, and myself.

Austin is a hard working guy as well. That's one of the reasons why he gets real joy out of giving to others like his mother. And yet, another thing that I've come to know about that sixteen-year old son of Brother G's and mine..... his first fruits always go to God. He is, as The Old Man says, "an hilarious giver." He is a Godly guy. He is surrendered to God.... to ministry. And I am thankful beyond words.

Speaking of The Old Man.... last night we had a reception for him at the physical church building. As I served individuals as they came through the line, I could not help but overhear some of what was being said to him and by him. It is clear that in his short time with us as interim pastor - he is/was loved dearly. Sure, he stomped on many many toes. But, let me tell you one thing I know about The Old Man, he loves God.... he loves people.

After it was over, The Old Man told me to stay put. That he would be right back. I didn't have to ask where he was going. I knew. He was going to tell our students thank you and that he loves them. No question they are thankful for him and love him too. And, just as he said, he was right back to me.... and hubby.

Another thing I can say about The Old Man..... he is an encourager. He wrote all our staff handwritten letters. Every single one including custodians and maintenance - after all, they are just as important. The Old Man is also a hugger. No wonder he and I get along so well. He hugged me and then looked at Brother G and I and said some thing that we will not forget... We will carry it with us daily just like the words he said in his letter to us.

There's one Godly man that no words could ever do justice to in my eyes. I am blessed beyond measure to call him my husband and best friend. I am thankful for the moments we share whether in good times or bad or in-between. He is a man after God's own heart. He loves me like Christ loves the church. And if I never receive another blessing this side of heaven - I am blessed beyond measure and richer than priceless.

Thank you Austin, The Old Man (aka Pastor, Dr. Richard Jackson), and hubby.

Thank You O Lord for these Godly guy and men.

Prayer, Praise! Come Together!

WeTheChurch.org has now officially launched.

"What? WeTheChurch.org is a very simple site designed to bring ministries together in prayer. If you need prayer for something, type it in. Have a praise about something that happened. Type it in. While you’re there, pray for a few on the prayer list. It’s that simple."

Not So Random Thoughts.

This morning Brother G and I spent some time in the big city. Driving there it seemed like forever ago that we started on this journey called surrendered to God - to ministry. The year was 2004 to be exact... today it seems like yesterday in some ways. Funny how that happens.

While in the big city, I got to spend some time with one of my girlfriends. She did not know that I was coming today. I did not know if I would catch her at work or not. She and I sat down and really talked. Not the plastic talk..... really talked and shared. We prayed together. And when it was time for me to go..... "I love you girl" was exchanged between us and totally meant/felt.

This is a person that I did not know before being surrendered to God... to ministry... yet, today, this moment, I cannot imagine life without her. We've been through some life's toughest moments together even when miles apart. Funny how that happens.

On the way back from the big city to the highly secure gated community out in the country.... I could not help but think of this journey...

and give thanks! That's God...... Funny how He works like that.

Signed,
It Is Well With My Soul

Dedicated To Pastorless Churches.

"Dear Mr. G________,

The Pastor Search Committee of ________________ has been provided your name/resume as a possible candidate for pastor. We are praying that our search will be directed by our Lord as we seek His direction in these matters. For now, we are in the initial stages of our task and are in the process of gathering several bits of information from our local church members.

At this point, we simply desire to acknowledge we have received your name. If you would prefer that we not consider you as a prospect for pastor, please send us a note to remove your name from our search.

We pray God directs you in all you do in service to Him.

Sincerely,

_________________
Chair, Pastor Search Committee"

This letter was well received by Mr. G (aka Brother G - hubby) and our family. We are so grateful that this church, through their pastor search committee, took the time to make us aware of receiving his name and resume. It could be a form letter. It still represents the type of courtesy that is welcomed on this side of the envelope.

If you are a part of a church body that is pastorless - please consider using a letter such as this.

The G family is praying not only for the church body where the letter was received from but all who are going through a time of seeking God's will.

Michael. Prayer Requests.

Please join us in praying for Michael. He came into the physical church building today for a gas card needed to get him to the doctor. He is looking at having his toes amputated.

Please do not just pray for his physical condition. As Michael said himself, "I have not been inside a church in a long time." As always in situations such as these - we extend an invitation to come visit us or one of the other local church bodies.

Michael shook my hand and then hugged me. As he was walking out the door, he said, "May God bless you for your kindness in helping others. Your smile has encouraged me."

Who was encouraged again? Funny how that happens.

Please pray for Michael.

How can we pray for you?

Basic Needs. Tana.

Tana just walked through the doors of our physical church building to pick up a gas card. It does not seem like much and yet she was in tears. $15.00 does not go as far as it used to. To Tana, it goes where she needs it to tomorrow. Sometimes our needs really are that basic as was giving her a hug and letting her let go when she was ready to and not a moment before.

Please join us in praying for Tana.

Spiritual Warfare Part II.

Wednesdays are my long day at the physical church building. I arrive at 8:30 a.m. and do not leave until 8:30 p.m. Over the course of the day, I had the opportunity to spend time talking with various individuals whom I love and am so incredibly thankful to have as a brother and/or sister in Christ and also call friend. They are family.

It's funny really. I fought being on staff. I did not want to allow myself to get trapped inside the physical church building. It has been inside those walls however where I have found some of the most amazing individuals I've ever had the privilege of knowing. Funny how that can happen. I fought it and yet it was for my own good. There was real benefit.

The topic of Spiritual Warfare is one that I do not think is talked about enough. Yesterday as I was discussing it with one individual - that person said to me, "Camey? I believe it is easier for women to talk about it than it is for men." Thinking back over my life thus far, I had to agree with this person. Yet, by the time the night was over.... I was having to disagree.

Brother G and I teach a Bible study class on marriage on Wednesday nights. After we were done last night, I walked outside and came across a certain couple. This couple has been praying for us since we first met. They pray with us. They have been of such encouragement to us. Hopefully we have been to them as well. I had only gotten out a couple of words when the man said, "Camey? The Spiritual Warfare is heavy right now. You and your hubby and the boys have been brought to my mind several times over the last couple of days. I knew something was really going on. I could feel it." His wife agreed with him and said she had the same thing happening to her as well.

As I walked down a hallway to where we meet up with our three sons to leave..... a sixteen-year old boy whom our family loves dearly came running up to me and hugged me like he normally does. Then he said to me, "Doors close. Doors open. It's gonna be good. Just hang on for the ride. I'm praying with your family!" Apparently, Austin had been talking about Spiritual Warfare with his buds.

We're fighting for something much bigger than ourselves. The Last One Standing has always been the One and Only Winner! We are a part of Him. He is with us... for us...

Spiritual Warfare.... It is real. It needs to be discussed.

If we are truly to make disciples - to be disciples.... we've got to take off the masks and get real...

And we've got to get dirty! Even if it means cleaning toilets and taking out the trash and slaying those dragons and demons.

Spiritual Warfare! Sit Out or Put On Armour?

There are times in life when things can be rather confusing. The G family totally believes in Spiritual Warfare. We are experiencing a good amount of it currently. It is thick. It is deep. It is as real my sitting in this chair writing this. For those who I know read this blog who do not believe in God.... I know.. "There she goes again." I still love you. Most importantly, God does too.

My reason for talking about Spiritual Warfare this moment is simple... For those of us who do believe and profess faith in God, in Jesus, we should expect Spiritual Warfare. If we are living the moments given to us by God for His Kingdom - truly seeking to make an impact in the lives of others... Spiritual Warfare should not surprise us when the battle really starts to rage.

I'd rather trust in Him any moment than to trust in myself. I am weak. He is strong.

And HE wins! There is victory in Jesus! In serving God!

So, I ask you this morning... Spiritual Warfare...

Do you sit out or put on His Armour knowing you do not fight alone?

"It Will Only Strengthen Us."

That was said to me last night by our youngest son as we were discussing a storm we are going through right now. For those who have said, "Camey, you sure are having a lot of RQMs lately."... you are definitely right as far as blogging goes. (RQM - really quiet moments)

Actually, I haven't been all that quiet. I've been crying out to God without using audible words. So has hubby and the boys. We are grieving a loss (well it is more than one actually) that words cannot do justice to. No, not the loss of my daddy for daddy is not now nor was he then lost. He is totally found. This is a loss (losses) of a different kind. One that I am not willing to share much detail on at the moment for there are still so many decisions left to be made.

I do ask that you pray for the G family. Much of what is going on is spiritual warfare. It will only strengthen us.... I have no doubt. For we know Who wins and in that is much comfort and peace even when we do not understand all the ends and outs.

If you know of a church body looking for a pastor, associate pastor, or ???? I'm incredibly blessed to be married to a man who loves God and is willing to serve Him no matter the cost.

As always... you have been prayed for this moment wherever you are at.

Theological Underpinnings for a Life of Outflow

This article was originally posted at www.serve-others.com/issue17.


I wonder how many books have been written about the empty tomb? Or even more, how many sermons have been preached on this theme? The empty tomb is a favorite subject of poets and artists.

If I should ask you to describe from your imagination a picture that symbolizes Easter, almost surely one of the scenes that would come to mind would be a stone tomb with a huge rock rolled back from the entrance, with the implied message that the tomb is empty. The empty tomb. The phrase itself captures us. It seems symbolic of all hat Easter means.And yet, it isn’t to the point.

Here is the Good News about Easter. The tomb was now full. And it has been full ever since.
Victory, for instance... Tombs have for so long declared themselves the ultimate winners; after all, no mortal escapes them! But no longer. We do indeed die, but with a sublime confidence that we will rise again. We will win! Our Lord has taken conquest of the grave, turning its emptiness into habitation of victory. The game we humans have been losing since Adam and Eve is now turned to victory.

And hope too. The tomb is now full of hope. During my nearly forty years as a parish pastor, I stood many hundreds of times at the open grave . . . I conducted "final rites" with hope. As a fellow human being, I wanted often to weep with the mourners, and sometimes I did; I felt for their loss, particularly in those instances where death seemed to have come earlier than was its right. But my tears were of sympathy, not of despair. The tomb is now full of hope.

So it’s a full tomb. Full of life, hope, prospect, glory, gladness, anticipation.

How full?

So full that the small body of first-century believers, who seemed ripe for immediate extinction, became instead a movement of such proportions that within less than a generation their enemies were referring to them as the people who were turning the world upside down (Acts 17:6). The odds were so dramatically against the little company of believers . . . When Jesus told this group of fishermen, small-business people, and day laborers that they should go into all the world to preach the gospel, I doubt that there was anyone in the group who knew anything about the world beyond a fifty-mile radius. They were an absurd minority, with nothing going for them. Except that they were full...full to overflowing

Twenty centuries of generations have now slipped by since our Lord was raised from the dead, and millions upon millions of believers have visited the tomb—some in person, and most by faith and sacred imagination. And at that tomb, they have been filled. For the power of this place and what it represents is so great it will fill the emptiness of the human race for as long as life shall last.Remember always that emptiness is the antithesis of Jesus Christ and of the faith that he represents and inspires. He said he came that we might have life, and "have it abundantly" (John 10:10).

For all of the emptiness of life, for all of its vanity and disappointment, Jesus Christ is not only the answer, he is the antithesis. This is why, when I look at his Jerusalem tomb, I think it full. Fullness is our Savior’s name.



Dr. J. Ellsworth Kalas served as a pastor for 38 years in four churches in Wisconsin and Ohio, and five years as an associate in evangelism with the World Methodist Council. He is currently serving as the interim president of Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. Dr. Kalas has had more than thirty of his books published by a variety of publishers. These excerpts are from one of his most famous sermons.

Prayer Request List via Email...

CARTER WAYNE, 5 days.
DEREK, 17 years.
MARY GRACE, 1 year.
MATTIE JO, 6 years.
AKEEB, 1 month.
CADEN, 3 months.
FORD and HAYDEN, 3 months.
GRACE, 2 months.
JACOB, 1 month.
MARITZA, 4 months.
ANDREW, 5 days.
CALEB, 11 years.
MIA, 1 year.
NATHAN, 3 months.
STACY, 6 years.
CADEN SAMUEL, 15 days.
CHRISTOPHER, 9 years.
DYLAN JAGGER, 11 weeks.
HAVEN, 5 weeks.
JUSIE, 6 years.
SIERRA SKYE, 17 years.
YARENI, 3 years.


Pray also for those who mourn the loss of: APRIL, 2 months.

Her Name is Darby.

Brother G and I go on a lunch date almost every Tuesday. Today was no different except for our starting locations. I was at the highly secure gated community working on a writing project and he was at the physical church building. So..... we met at one of our favorite restaurants in town. Also helps we had a gift card for the place!

Her name is Darby. She was our server. She has recently moved here from California. When I told her that we were going to be praying and asked how we could pray for her - she smiled and started to tear up. She shared with us some about her life. Then she went on her way for the moment. Hubby and I prayed for Darby.

Later on, she came back to us... not just when refilling our drinks. She said she is really trying to change her life. She asked about church. She is currently unchurched. We told her about ours. The church that is located on top of the hill that can be seen from land, water and sky. It can also be seen while sitting at a table in a restaurant when wearing name tags especially.

Our lunch was free today due to the gift card. And yet, it was priceless because of our server Darby and the opportunity to be of encouragement to her as well as being on a lunch date. As we were leaving, I told her to let us know if we could be of any help to her and how to find us. Had it been a guy - hubby would have done so...

Her name is Darby. We ask that you join us in praying for her. And if you're local and would like to know where you can find Darby.... we'll be happy to share with you. May she know God loves her today.... this moment no matter her circumstances.

Crazy!!!

Brother G just called from the physical church building. Apparently, there is some confusion over my not being there this morning. My Bible study class ended last Tuesday morning. I will not be in the office until this afternoon. And while I do so appreciate being sought after... I am thankful to be sitting where I am for the moment. Let me tell why.... Please understand I am speaking the truth in love here..

Yes, that is my desk upstairs but it is not mine alone. I have the distinct privilege and blessing of sharing it with volunteers. It is a volunteer who gives of her time on Tuesday mornings. What a precious thing to give because of one's love for God... She is retired from the secular workforce. She has joined us freely and has already become a treasured asset. Her heart is so huge. I am thankful to call her my sister in Christ as well as friend.

Her being there this morning also represents what The Encourager. said to me with such few words. "IF God wants you to do that then He will give you the time." This morning, I have that time. It is crazy!!!! I do not claim to understand it all.... I just want to walk in obedience to Him.

Call me crazy. It won't be the first time nor the last....

How do you need to be crazy today because of Him?

The Old Man, Younger Man, and Me...

It is with mixed emotions that this post is written. The last few months have been some of the most intense moments of my life. It is from the perspective of a staff member that I share the following.

"The Old Man" as he called himself yesterday has become extremely dear to me. If you would have told me at the start of his time as interim pastor that would happen - I would not have believed you honestly. I was scared of him in some ways. When he first said his name was "Pastor" - I really wanted to run the other way. Now I understand fully why he is called that.. why he wants to be called that. I call him that with tenderness and not as a means of putting him up somewhere no one else belongs except God.... except Jesus.. I shall miss Pastor beyond words when his time here is up. Yet, I know, that he will remain with me for he is a part of who I am now. I am grateful beyond words for how God has used him not only in my life, hubby's life, our sons' lives, but in the life of our local church body.

The Younger Man was called yesterday as our new senior pastor by a vote of 99%. I can already say that not only I am thankful to have the opportunity to work for and along side of him but that he is my friend... my brother in Christ. After spending time with him, his wife Gina, and their six children, there is an excitement in the air that can be tasted and seen. I look forward to the ways that God is going to use Mark to help take our local body in to the future. To see beyond the past, the now...... what's next to come in the years ahead. For our local body is experiencing a revival.... an awakening in many ways. This weekend was definitely proof of that for reasons I won't go into here.

I am thankful for each of these men. I am grateful for their love for God that causes them to be willing to upset the apple cart and want change not for the sake of change alone.... To want to see others come to Jesus, want to know Him, to want to live for Him....... every moment, not just on Sundays or whenever they happen to be in the physical church building.

Who in your life do you need to be grateful for this moment?

Are you willing to upset the apple cart? To want change not for the sake of change alone?

Are you willing to say, "Here am I God. Change me. Use me. Move me." and actually let Him?

Are you trusting Him to do so and not relying on yourself?

Servant Evangelism Tip For The Week - Starting Small

So once you catch the vision for bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world, it's common to assume the way to begin is to try to do "something really big for God!" That's certainly the "American way," but in our experience, bigger isn't always better.

We recommend doing something profound: Start small. Remember our motto: small things done with great love will change the world. Small seeds grow into tall trees, and they're small for a reason - to take greatest advantage of the tiniest of openings and opportunities.

Contrary to what you may have been led to believe by television and the movies, changing the world is a pretty simple and humble process. Though it's serious business, it's often really fun, too. You don't have to write a best-selling book or become a missionary to some far away foreign land. World-changing opportunities will present themselves when you step out your door.

One group of Christ-followers we know had a simple idea as they watched people walking down the boardwalk at the beach in Santa Cruz, California. They'd noticed lots of people uncomfortably brushing the sand off their feet as they walked along and wondered, "Didn't Jesus teach his followers to serve by washing feet?" One of the group members relates this story from their experience:

"Our church friends said, 'No one is going to let you touch their feet! You guys are crazy!' But they couldn't have been more wrong.We set up at the Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz about 1:00 in the afternoon. There were just a handful of us. We chose a spot right at the entrance to the beach. Our supplies consisted of two fold-up chairs, two plastic containers, paper towels, liquid Dial soap, a five gallon jug to haul water, and a heart for the lost.

Our opening line went something like, 'Hi, would you like to sit down and let us rinse the sand from your feet?' We had very few refusals! In fact, we were so busy that we actually had people lined up! We took about three minutes with each person. We silently prayed as we worked, but when asked, about 95% of the people let us pray out loud with them. There were many heart touching encounters that day, but there was one I'll always remember. One gentleman from Asia kept calling one of our team members "Jesus." When we tried to correct him and explain who Jesus was, he replied, 'I know who Jesus is, and you are just like him.'

We all knew that if we showed up and were faithful, Jesus would show up, too. And let me tell you, seeing people on that beach through Jesus' eyes was absolutely amazing!"

Maybe this story doesn't sound particularly earth shattering, but we think it's exactly how God likes us to go about changing our world. This little group of board walk foot-washers was responding in the spirit of Jesus to a simple need they had observed. In fact, what they did calls to mind Ephesians 5:1-2 which tells us to, "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

When we think of Jesus giving himself up as a sacrifice to God, we're likely to focus exclusively on one event that took place on the cross and forget the lifetime of service that preceded it. Jesus was "giving himself up" all the time. From the moment he awoke in the morning, to the time he went to sleep every night, his was a lifestyle dedicated to serving the Father by serving others.

It isn't one big moment in your life - one big act of service - that will change the world. It's the little things. The everyday things. It's the way you live your life moment to moment, day to day...today.

From the book, "Outflow: Outward-focused living in a self focused world" by Steve Sjogren and Dave Ping.

Thanking God for the Small Stuff

It's funny how we sometimes so easily take for granted things that have become such a part of our lives, we don't even notice them...until they are gone that is.

Such was the case earlier this week when huge storms rolled through the Granbury area, spawning a couple of tornadoes, hail, very high straight line winds, and torrential rains. Even though this sort of weather event is common place for Texas in the springtime, this time around, the effects lingered for the Shearon family.

Thanks to the storm, we lost electricity at our house at about 8:30 PM on Wednesday night. So, using the light we could generate from a couple of lap top computers and three cell phones, we gathered up all the candles we could find throughout the house and got them lit. I have to admit, it's always a little fun to sit around admiring the soft glow of the candle light. After all, the power always comes back on in a few minutes, so this is no huge inconvenience. Right?

Well a few minutes turned into twenty, then forty, then an hour. Okay, enough of the soft glow already. The new is beginning to wear off the candles now, and besides, it's getting a little hot and sticky in the house without the AC. Hmm, now we are getting close to 10:00 PM and it's time to start getting things ready for bed. Have you ever tried to pick out clothes by candle light? Surely the power will be back on before we actually turn in for the night. Or...maybe not.

Well, it's midnight now. That few minutes has turned into more than three hours. Good grief it's really hot in here, and no one can sleep for sticking to the sheets! When will the power come back on?? Surely it will be turned back on by morning...or so we hoped.

Awakened by the gentle tones of the cell phone alarm, I fumble around in the darkness for my glasses and take a peek at the clock radio...the electric clock radio by the bed. Drats! No flashing red numerals! I can't believe the power has still not come back on. About that time the thought hits me - without electricity, there's...NO COFFEE!!! A person can only take so much. So I thought of the old saying, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going"...to the donut shop up on the highway just behind our house. I can see that they have the blessed electricity it takes to brew coffee.

Once the coffee is coursing through the veins, things seem to get a little better - for the moment. So now the whole family is up and trying to get showers and get ready for school and work...still in the dark. So, more candle light is needed. The soft glow is not nearly as appealing this morning as it was for the first ten minutes or so last night. At this point, our oldest daughter has given up all hope of surviving the morning, so she's off to her cousins house across town to get ready for school. Finally, everyone manages to get ready and we all get to our appointed places to begin our Thursday morning routines. I walk into the court room where I work and I take my place at the clerk's desk where I sit during criminal court every Thursday morning. I sit down with my clipboard and my cup of coffee to catch my breath before the Judge comes in to take the bench...and some wise-guy lawyer (who goes to our church and I really do love) who actually had electricity this morning, walks by and says to me - "nice socks." In fear and trepidation, I look down to discover that I have one navy blue and one black sock on. Now in the murky darkness of a candle lit morning, a navy blue and black dress sock look deceivingly similar. Not so under the white hot illumination of the fluorescent lights in the court room. To the contrary, I might as well have been wearing a flashing neon sign on my foot. Needless to say, I never crossed my legs in court that morning and I kept both feet planted squarely on the floor.

As soon as court is over, I head home to change the socks and hopefully to find the power back on. After all, it's now nearly 11:00 AM. Surely after fourteen hours they've been able to get the power back on.

Much to my disappointment when I arrived home for the sock exchange, there was still no power. So now I've grabbed my cell phone, which for the last fourteen hours has been used more as a flash light/alarm clock than phone, and I frantically start dialing the electric company customer service number. After all, I'm a customer and I need service. Upon reaching the customer service representative (after a fifteen to twenty minute hold time) and giving her my name and address, it was requested of me that I hold while she checked to see if I was in the "downed service grid." I proceeded to explain to the lady that I was most definitely in the "downed service grid" because I was standing next to the light switch and I was flipping it up and down and nothing was happening. To which she replied, "please hold." So I held.

A few minutes later, she came back on the line and confirmed that I was indeed in the "downed service grid," and that there were crews out working diligently to repair the service. Nothing that she had told me up to this point seemed to be much of a revelation, so I pressed for a little more definitive answer as to when we might expect to have power restored. At which time I received the mother of all "downed service grid" bad news..."it could be anywhere from several more hours to several more days." What?! Several more days?? How could she sit on the other end of this phone line and tell me, while I'm standing here in my one navy blue and one black dress sock, that I could potentially be looking at another several days of this electrically deprived life?

Faced with this possibility, my thoughts now turned to something of the most critical importance at times like this - food. What about all that meat we have in the freezer out in the garage? For the love of pork chops, I couldn't stand the thoughts of letting all that meat defrost and spoil. So like any red blooded American male, I went into emergency management mode. I had to act and I had to act fast, so I sprang into action. I grabbed my cell phone and squeezed out the final precious few seconds I had in the battery to call my sister across town to inquire about the availability of her freezer. Eureka! Her freezer was empty. So I ran to the freezer to begin unloading all the meat into shopping bags and a small ice chest. Now those of you who know me, probably know that I ride a small Daytona Scooter. It's not one of my vehicles that I drive, it' the only vehicle I drive, unless my wife and my daughter are not using their vehicles, which of course, on this day they were. So I packed the storage compartment under the seat full of meat, and I sat the ice chest full of meat on the foot deck of the scooter between my feet and for good measure, I stacked a box of half defrosted corny dogs and a package of chicken legs on top of the ice chest, and off I went across town to my sisters house in Acton.

After two hours and several trips back and forth across town transferring our soon to be thawed meat into my sisters freezer, I arrived back home at around 2:30 PM to see the electric company repair truck parked in the field down the street from our house. As I pulled into our driveway, my outside security lights flickered twice and then came to life. Our electricity had been restored! I was so happy to have the power back on at that moment, I didn't even care that I had just spent the last two hours hauling a freezer full of meat (by scooter) across town.

As I went into the house to close the windows, turn on the AC and start the monumental task of resetting all the clocks, a couple of thoughts occurred to me. The first was this - how totally spoiled I am to the modern conveniences of life, and the second was this - how little appreciation I have for the little things that I just take for granted each and every day. I go to the light switch and I flip it and I just expect to see light...never giving thought to the technological marvel of electricity and to how important it is in our daily lives.

It made me really stop and think about how often I fail to give God thanks for the "small, everyday" ways He blesses me. Unfortunately, it often takes losing something, even temporarily, to remind us of how blessed we truly are. How awesome would it be if we could all live each and every day in a conscious and deliberate attitude of thanks for all God has blessed us with.