ain't...

He was just a little boy, on a week's first day, wandering home from Bible school, and dawdling on the way.

He scuffed his shoes into the grass, and he found a caterpillar. He found a fluffy milkweed pod, and blew out all the filler.

A bird's nest in a tree overhead, so wisely placed up so high.. was just another wonder, that caught his eager eye.

A neighbor watched his zigzag course, and hailed him from the lawn, asked him where he'd been that day, and what was going on.

'I've been to Bible School,' he said, and turned a piece of sod. He picked up a wiggly worm replying, 'I've learned a lot about God.'

''M'm, very fine way,' the neighbor said, 'for a boy to spend his time. If you'll tell me where God is, I'll give you a brand new dime.'

Quick as a flash the answer came!... nor were his accents faint. 'I'll give you a dollar, Mister, if you can tell me where God ain't.'



(author unknown)

the talent case...

When I was growing up in southern California, our church had a separate building for sunday school, and in that building was... the talent case!

A glass enclosed case with many shelves, and each shelf displayed what we could 'buy' with the talents we were given in class, for good behaviour, for memorizing verses, for doing our lesson, etc...

I must like glass display cases, as I wrote about the other one here... the talent case was full of little prizes, probably most of them were worth very little, but you know how it is with kids! Each prize in that case was a treat that I wanted to earn with the talents rewarded to me. I'm pretty sure I took them home and soon lost interest.

My point is... the talent case reminded me of the talents in the bible. I remember first reading that passage and feeling a little smug that I KNEW I would protect the talents given to me. I would take them home and guard them so they would be safe! I was a little shocked to keep reading and find that God did not value my choice very highly. He meant for the talents to be used, to go and multiply, to increase them!

Both the talent case and the talents He has already given to me are on my mind this morning... the ones in the case have come and gone. The ones He has given me?... Some I know I haven't used wisely, but some I am using right now. As I invest in the lives of others, reach out to a hurting heart, help where there is a need, share His love, and on and on...

Our talents come from our Father, and He expects us to use them so they multiply His work. I have a lot to do!...



(image from Google)

Dad preached, we went along for the ride...#6...

One of the very best things that happened during our summer trips while our dad was preaching in towns all around the country, was the time we spent memorizing verses from THE NAVIGATORS packs!

I still have one of the little plastic packs that we faithfully got in the mail.

Dawson Trotman was the founder of NAVIGATORS, he and his wife were close friends of my parents, I remember as a child, the day he died of drowning in New York, as he tried to save a young girl. I remember how sad and shocked my parents were.

As we traveled across the land, each morning my mom brought out the little pack, and we had our verse for the day. We sat in the back seat going over and over it, until we could recite it by heart for the rest of the family.

I seem to remember a less than excited 3 kids having to memorize yet another verse, and our parents NEVER forgot to spend this time, every single morning, as we traveled down the road...

Our parents had already learned the value of memorizing God's Word. They were living out the truth of it, and they wanted to be sure we had that same truth, verse by verse...

Little did I know it then, as we rolled our eyes about memorizing one more verse... but those scriptures, memorized in the King James Version, would NEVER leave my mind or heart. To this day, I can recite every one of them.

So if you are still in the parenting years, don't be discouraged or put off by the moaning of your children when you want them to memorize God's Word... they just don't yet understand what it will mean to them in the years ahead...

What a gift we were given, to be taught the words that would stay in our hearts for a lifetime, and 100's, probably 1000's of times, He sends one of those verses right into my mind, just when I need it!



"Obey me and live! Guard my words as your most precious possession.Write them down, and also keep them deep within your heart." (Prov. 7:2-3)

30 boys...

One of our 3 kids has started a group for his sixth grader and their friends each Friday morning, in front of their school. It's called Promise Makers...

Here is the email sent to the parents of the boys today...

"Dear Promise Maker Parents,

Thank you to the Munoz' for bringing donuts today! We had 30 boys....almost half of the 6th grade boys at Amy Parks were with us this morning!

This week we continued our talk on purity. As you can see, we focus on several issues with repetition, and this is one of them.

We began this morning with a contest. Each boy was given their own tube of toothpaste, and the first to completely empty the toothpaste out of the tube onto a plate...won! Zac won the contest......then I asked each boy to see how fast they could get ALL of the toothpaste back into the tube. Immediately, everyone began to explain to me that it was impossible! This was a perfect segway into my discussion.....that what comes out of our mouths, cannot be taken back, "or put back in." What we say has a lasting impact on those around us.

James 3:5-8 speaks about the power of what we say, comparing it to a small spark that can start a large fire. Proverbs 12:18 adds that "reckless words pierce like a sword."

We talked about how our words can be a great blessing to others. We talked about honoring those around us with encouraging words, compliments and honesty!

Thanks again for allowing us to hang out with your boys on Friday morning! It is an honor for us to spend a few minutes with your son, talking about what REALLY matters in this life!"

I am thrilled that these young boys are getting this kind of message, and doubly thrilled that my son and grandson are involved. What a great alternative to so much of what they are hearing these days.

I can just picture those 30 boys trying to empty the toothpaste tubes, and then trying to get the stuff back in! :)

forward...

“Unless you move, the place where you are is the place where you will always be”...
(Ashleigh Brilliant)

I love this quote!

Sometimes i just get stuck!

I think about moving forward, and I even know what I SHOULD do to move forward, but I often just stay where I am...

There are times when moving forward is not the best choice, and usually I know that too. But when I KNOW WHAT TO DO AND DON"T DO IT... that's the kind of forward progress that I'm talking about...

I am so taken lately by how fast life is going... the kids are getting older, so are the grandkids... and SO AM I! This one life is IT for each one of us! I don't want to waste ANY of my days... my tomorrow is uncertain... but I DO have today!

I'm intentionally taking the steps to NOT stay where I am in the places of my life where I've been stuck!

There is a lightening of the load, mentally, emotionally & spiritually... when I am DOING WHAT I KNOW TO DO...

I've quoted this verse before, and it applies every day...

"My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You're deeply rooted in him. You're well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving." (Col.2:6,7 MSG)

Forward... here I go!

A strange memory...

Years ago, when we lived in Austin, Texas, we had a small publishing business upstairs, and I had an antique shop downstairs. We had the cutest red and white building, with a flag flying...

One of the fairly steady visitors that came by, was a man named Charles Harrelson, we later learned he was Woody Harrelson's father. He was a very intelligent, articulate, likable, charming guy, and he and my hubby began to visit during his stops, and even went across the highway to Dairy Queen for coffee quite a few times. We knew he was interesting, but we didn't know much more... he told us he knew how to do card tricks and showed us some of his skills. I've never seen anything like it! He could make those cards hop and skip and knew just where they all were. It was fascinating.

He told us he had a sister who lived a little further down the highway, so each time he visited her, he stopped by. He and my hubby began to have long conversations... and they talked about faith and God, and Charles said he envied us that we believed in God and had faith...

At about that time, on the news one night, they announced that Federal Judge John Wood had been murdered in San Antonio, and they had arrested Charles Harrelson for the murder. As his face flashed on the tv screen, we were stunned!

Bottom line... he was tried and convicted for that murder. He had been in drugs for years and had already spent time in prison for other crimes.We wrote to him and heard back from him, and then he was transferred and we lost touch completely.

A few years ago, he died in prison.I have thought of him so many times, and wondered and hoped that maybe he had changed his thinking and opened his heart, but it's one of those sad memories that stays with you.

Eternity is real, and people are rushing right though life as though it will go on forever. It reminds me every time I think of it, that people who live and die without Jesus, face eternity without Him. It makes me quicker to speak, and bolder to share when I remember that there is NO hope apart from knowing Him, and EVERY hope because we DO know Him.

Which way do I go?...

There are certain times in life when the direction for the journey seems to be confusing. What do I do then??

I have had many times when....
. either direction seemed a reasonable choice, but each choice held different end results....
. one way seemed the sure choice, but as time passed, it got a little fuzzier....
. other times when I wasn't sure, and as time went by, the path got clearer....
. and my least favorite, when I aimed one way just sure I was right, and it was exactly NOT the right way...

From the signs pictured here, and the thoughts that come our way as we journey along, what IS clear is ... not everything is black and white.

I believe God knows that, and what He means for me to do is to proceed with caution, and ask His direction. I've become a firm believer that leaping into something with both feet in a moment of feeling or emotion is probably what I DON'T need to be doing...

I quote my mom & dad a lot, and that's because what they taught me has proven to be true, time after time! Dad always used to tell us that God "UNFOLDS" His plans and purposes in our lives. That 'unfold' word indicates a step at a time. As I walk, pray & trust... situations and circumstances lead by God, become the right path for me to walk. Sometimes He makes it clear quickly, more often I've found it's a process, and in the process, we learn to KNOW Him better!

I've done it my way... not listened, not paid attention to the still small voice, sure of my own map reading, and down the line, had to regroup, enlist His help again, and do it His way!

His promise is sure... He will never leave us or forsake us...




"But I'll take the hand of those who don't know the way, who can't see where they're going.I'll be a personal guide to them, directing them through unknown country.I'll be right there to show them what roads to take, make sure they don't fall into the ditch.These are the things I'll be doing for them— sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute." (Is.42:16 MSG)

Whose nickel is it?...

One of our kids was recently reminding me of a story my dad used to tell...

A little girl was on her way to Sunday School one Sunday. Her mother had just given her 2 nickels... one for the offering plate, and one for an ice cream cone after church...

(You can already tell this little story was told a LONG time ago!)

As she skipped and hopped her way down the street, one of the nickels popped out of her hand and rolled straight down into the street drain and disappeared...

With a stricken look on her face the little girl sadly said..." Ohhh Lord... there goes your nickel"...

Dad preached, we went along for the ride...#5...

The Sunshine Trio...

During some of our summer trips where dad preached in many churches, mostly small ones... our great friends, Jesse & Virginia Leise met up with us. Jesse was an outgoing, full of joy soloist and song leader. (Now they call them worship leaders)...

Oh... did we ever have some adventures when our families hooked up!

Jessie & Virginia had 2 kids, so now there were 5 of us, all eager for the fun and adventure that kids can find when they've been cooped up in the car traveling for days.

One summer my sister and Marion Leise and I decided we needed to be a 'trio' during one of the evening services in these small towns. We came up with "the sunshine trio" and we went to work...

We were blessed to have the preacher and the soloist as our parents... someone less biased may have heard us sing and decided it wasn't necessary. But no... they encouraged us and announced our song and we sang. I don't have a lot of memories about the performance, but feel quite sure that of the 3, I would have been the one trying not to giggle.

We just celebrated Christmas Eve in our home with our 3 kids and their 6 kids. It is always a highlight of our year. Before we open gifts, we have a Christmas Eve service, complete with a printed program. Each of the kids sing or recite scripture, one even whistles (and this time he turned his back as he whistled 'Joy to the World', claiming that when he looks at mimi, he wants to laugh. This time with his back turned he said 'somehow I can still see mimi!)... :)

They had built a manger with their dad from scrap lumber at Lowe's, filled it with hay, and were dressed as Joseph, Mary and a shepherd, which they acted out to Carrie Jobe's "Revelation Song."

By the time the program was over and my hubby had read the Christmas story from Luke, and we had all joined in singing carols, the youngest one was DONE being a shepherd and was ready to move on to the gifts that were under the tree!

So here we are, a generation later, each one of our 6 can already outsing 'the sunshine trio'...



(The drawing is by Lainey, one of our grandkids who drew this version of 'the sunshine trio'...)

We SAW God's power!...

I am remembering tonight an experience that happened at least 20 years ago...

My husband was in sales management and we were attending the national sales conference for his company. We sat in the coffee shop as they were about to close after a long day of fun, meetings, etc. On the stool next to us, one of the sales reps came and sat down. He was one of the 'wild ones'... partied heavily, swore, etc...

We both kind of inwardly groaned when he started talking. As they were getting ready to close, he pulled a tiny tin cross from his wallet and out of the blue, 2 or 3 times, he said... "I'm not sure what the cross means, but ...

When he repeated it again, my hubby said, "I know what the cross means. It means Jesus loves us and died to save us". Since they were closing the doors, my hubby said 'come on up to our room and let's talk about this"...

Long story short... we shared Jesus with this man that night. Tears began to fall down his face onto the carpet as the 3 of us joined hands and he prayed with us and invited Jesus into his heart.

Our lives were changed that night. We know that it was God's perfect time and place, for him... but for us too! We saw the power of God in our room that night, as the 'old man' gave way to a desire to be a 'new creature'. The expression on his face was like witnessing a miracle. Of course... it IS a miracle! When you and I accepted Jesus, HIS life began to live through us, just as he did in our friend on that night in the hotel room.

My hubby and I sat up all night in amazed wonder. We literally had seen first hand a dose of God's power at work, and we could not sleep! We were changed...
God knew this man needed Him, but He also knew that this miracle was for us as well! As we looked back later, we knew that the path of the coming days was paved that night in our hotel room. God allowed Joe and I to see with our own eyes what His power can do. He knew we needed a fresh touch in our own lives, and we are classic examples of how God can use anyone...'any old bush will do!'...

It changed our view of the power of our God, so it also changed us.

To this day... That night is one of those reference points that you go back to always... and His power is every bit as real right now... today!

Trusting HIM for MORE in 2011!...