Mamaw's Magazines

Mamaw’s Magazines

I love to read.  I love to think about and talk about what I read.  I tend to insist that Darrell read books that engross me so that he too will share my consuming experience – sometimes, ha, not so much?  So these I have recently convinced him download to his phone and then discuss with me:  The Passage by Justin Cronin, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (actually the entire series), 11/22/63 by Stephen King and Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. Next, will he go for The Hunger Games?

My earliest reading experiences were probably interacting more with pictures that with words.  I spent a lot of happy hours puttering around and playing at my grandmother’s house.  In the corner of her living room was a small bookcase filled with volumes of mystery.  Some were textbooks that my uncle had used at Texas Tech – I remember the capital T logo.  Titles I don’t remember but I liked the look, the feel, the smell, the aura of importance. In the “little room” that was multi purposed as an office/laundry room was another bookshelf that held stacks of magazines:  Better Homes and Gardens, Readers Digest, McCall's, U.S. News and World Report and The Upper Room.  My favorite was the Better Homes & Gardens with colorful pictures on every page – pretty houses, pretty women, good food, beautiful flowers, and happy families – all strong images for day dreams of a little girl.  The Upper Room had a few cover art pieces of scenes familiar from my Sunday School stories – Noah’s ark, peace dove, rainbow, David the shepherd, Baby Jesus.

Educational research claims the strong correlation between books in the home and a child’s later educational achievement level: 



ScienceDaily (May 20, 2010) — Whether rich or poor, residents of the United States or China, illiterate or college graduates, parents who have books in the home increase the level of education their children will attain, according to a 20-year study led by Mariah Evans, University of Nevada, Reno associate professor of sociology and resource economics. Evans said, "Even a little bit goes a long way," in terms of the number of books in a home. Having as few as 20 books in the home still has a significant impact on propelling a child to a higher level of education, and the more books you add, the greater the benefit.

Growing up in the preschool years of the 1950’s all this research was not yet available to let families know the significance of books in the household, still I was the benefactor of living in a house of love where the adults also liked to spend some time reading.

Ms. Evan’s research is the core belief behind one of our church outreach programs, Project Read. Children’s books are donated and distributed to families in areas serviced by free lunches for children in the summer.  Hopefully, the books they take home will push them to attain more years of education.

Last year in the days following our pastor Ken Diehm’s death, the staff encouraged us to continue a habit that Ken had started among the congregation called 10 and 10.  Ken had written a daily blog of reflective thoughts on a Bible scripture selection.  He encouraged us to spend 10 minutes reading the Bible and 10 minutes in prayer each day.  In the absence of his daily writing, they told us to use a published daily devotional, The Upper Room.  That publication was the same one my grandmother had followed in her daily reading years ago.  It helped fill a void in Ken’s absence and I still follow it along with our new pastor’s 10&10 blog every day.  The story today would be special for my mother because it talks about the sacred moments found in quilting. http://devotional.upperroom.org/

 God created us as curious creatures with a daunting desire to know more, to see more, to experience more, to understand more.  Stories help us do that – they expand our world beyond our immediate sights.  Jesus taught us with his stories, the parables, to attend to our desires to know and understand his spiritual kingdom.  So what are we trying so hard to find out?

A famous mathematician/philosopher who lived hundreds of years ago, Blaise Pascal, described the dilemma of human existence as a God-shaped vacuum in the center of the human heart.  Pascal’s written words tell us that “this infinite abyss can be filled with an infinite and immutable object – in other words, by God himself.”  So is our driving quest for knowledge, really a brick in the road of our journey to know God?

Mamaw’s traditions of reading Better Homes and Gardens magazines and The Upper Room devotionals have passed on to me.  I still enjoy the inspiring artwork and encouraging stories.  The publications are now marked as aps on my I pad.

Matthew 22:1 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again in parables.

Luke 24:44-45  Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”  Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures.

Proverbs 4:5  Acquire wisdom!  Acquire understanding!  Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

The 2 J's of Baseball

2 J’s of Baseball


Matthew 16:26 for what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?

Matthew 5:3-6 Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.

A few weeks ago my childhood friends were posting memories on Facebook that caught my attention. Yeah, I remember him, too. What an impact a humble man had on lives of so many of us! Dear God, I hope you let the people in heaven know the positive influence they had on the lives of others. Do we get to eventually learn that when we meet our maker? I hope so. Jimmy Porter is one of the J’s of baseball and one of God’s children whose simple acts of kindness affected so many children of Carrollton TX.

These are words from the newspaper story of 1984 recounting his life:

Porter, a Carrollton institution for more than 50 years and a onetime player in the Negro American League died Tuesday. He was 84. Born and raised on a Farm in East Texas, he began playing baseball at the age of 6. Porter's family later moved to the Dallas area, and in the 1920s he went to St. Louis to pursue a career with the Negro American League. Friends remember Porter talking about playing ball with the greats - but homesickness for Texas brought him back after two years. Porter then started the Carrollton Cats, a black semipro team in the late 1920s. He also began teaching area youths about baseball, an avocation he pursued for at least half a century until failing health slowed him down. Porter was a driving force in establishing Little League baseball in Carrollton.

I remember views of him walking down Perry Rd. with a couple of baseball bats hanging from his shoulder and draped on the handles were a few worn baseball gloves. The neighborhood kids got excited when we saw him because a “sandlot” baseball game was about to happen. We followed him like Pied Piper and listened when he taught us all the game of baseball. You didn’t have to be a boy and you didn’t have to have talent – you just had to join in and have fun!

Classrooms at school all had windows that opened – we didn’t have air conditioning at Carrollton Elementary or at Dewitt Perry Jr. High in those days (the 1960s). Nearing the end of the school day in March-May students would listlessly gaze out the windows while hoping to have a turn to be seated near the box fan. When we spotted Jimmy walking along the edge of the playground, never without his game equipment, our spirits lifted. A game was on. Soon. Oh joy!

Rick McDonald posted a picture and wrote a sweet memory that initiated a slew of Facebook posts. Here’s part of his story that I used in my Sunday school lesson today:

One of my fondest memories of Jimmy was when I was about 12 years old. I was hiking thru the wooded area behind Hilltop Cemetery with, I believe, Russ Pugh and Bubba Beckner. This was before that area was developed with apartments and houses and it was a wonderful large nature playground for us to run around in. On this occasion we came upon an old red railroad caboose that had been transformed into a home. It had chicken wire running around it with several chickens inside. This was Jimmy Porter's place. He came out and greeted us. I guess he recognized us from the ballpark. It was a hot summer day and he invited us inside and gave us cold water and shade. I was amazed that he lived in an old caboose and I thought it was pretty cool. I was touched that what little he had he offered to us. We stayed and talked with him for a little while and then we left thanking him for the water. I've never forgotten that day. He was a very special man and a gentle soul who loved people.

Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink. I was a stranger and you invited Me in. then vs. 40, and the King will answer and say to them “Truly, I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of the least of these my brethren you have done it unto me.

The Claterbaughs were a family who lived in my neighborhood and the dad, David Claterbaugh, had grown up in Carrollton. He was interviewed for the obituary when Jimmy Porter passed away. My mother remembered that the Claterbaughs at one time had fixed up their backyard shed for Jimmy to call home. This is Mr. Claterbaugh’s quote from the newspaper story of Jimmy’s death:

"When I was a little ol' kid growing up in town, he was just always here," said David Claterbaugh, 47. "All the kids went out to his house and played ball with him. He took us hunting. He always had Pepsi Cola and cookies for us."

Several years ago, Claterbaugh said, Porter had to have surgery for cancer.

"It never seemed to slow him down," Claterbaugh said. "I would always see him going down the street with a bat over his shoulder and a baseball glove strung on his bat."

My high school friend, Bridget, whose dad was the R.L. Turner baseball coach, remembers Jimmy riding with her family to various playoff games…many of us home town Carrollton kids owe thanks to Mr. Porter for happy hours of play. He doted on us out of his meager stash of refreshments and out of his vast knowledge and love of the game – America’s pastime – baseball.

So now to J #2 of current baseball fame and personal notoriety…my favorite Texas Ranger’s player for the last several years has been Josh Hamilton. He has such blessed skill, confidence, charisma, muscular presence, professed faith in God – but (like all of us) has his weaknesses. Unlike most of us, his demons are alcohol and drug addictions and his mess ups are national sports news. I admire Josh for fighting his way through rehab and minor leagues to become the elite player that we have watched throughout the seasons to be honored in the All-Star games and the Play-off series. I admire his club for celebrating wins with ginger ale instead of champagne to accommodate his needs. These stories brought me to choose Josh as my hero character for Red Ribbon week at school. Near the end of October, TX schools participate in anti-drug education activities and one of the planned events at Colleyville Middle School was a dress up day with the theme, Be a Hero, Not a Zero. I dressed up in my #32 Ranger jersey, carried a bat and a jug of ginger ale and sported painted arm tattoos by my sister-in-law, Alyce, who is a pro body artist. Besides the regular math lesson for that day, the 8th graders also got a short story on the life of Josh Hamilton.

I admire Josh for sharing his personal faith in the YouTube video for I Am Second where he declares God to be first. In that 2009 video, he claims the scripture verse James 4:7 as his personal message,” Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” I will go on to add to the message with James 4:10, “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord; and He will exalt you.” I admire Josh for publicly admitting his mistakes and working to reestablish his relationship with God.

I worry about Josh who lives in the constant spotlight of media and so-called fans who hover and wait for sensational stories of downfall. His career is not finished, his life has not ended and there is still time for him to reconnect to his core values and live by them.

A park in Carrollton TX is named in memory of the legendary Jimmy Porter. His greater legacy is the time spent with countless Carrollton youth, teaching us his passion, baseball, and sharing his snacks along with simple wisdom. Josh Hamilton, I hope you too achieve such greatness. As for the rest of us, what is our legacy? In the end, we are all just God’s children – regardless of working as a plumber or accountant, teacher or radio announcer, pro-sports player or academy award winner, handyman or homeless – how did we spread God’s love?

Short and Sweet

Short and Sweet


I Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always.

Today was my turn to teach Sunday school and again I learned so much! It feels unfair to be getting so many life lessons from my own teaching and I just hope that the young ones in my group do take something with them from the discussion that will come back to them in a possible time of need. Hopefully, their nods and occasional volunteered comments and answers to questions mean that something important is landing in their brains. Unlike teaching in public school, in church there are no tests, no set achievement level that must be attained within a certain time frame, no competitive hierarchy of “who’s best” – just let the curriculum guide you to share what’s on your heart, share your own experiences, read the given scriptures and interpret them in our current circumstances. I doubt myself constantly – but I do not doubt God’s guidance, grace, providence and love.

Daniel Pink is a current guru on motivation, author of best-selling books, A Whole New Mind and Drive. My subscription to his internet newsletters landed a recent one of his publications in my email inbox. One of his premises, based on research, is that doubting oneself is a common trait of those who move on to achieve a great deal. In my personal case, I think that doubts about my abilities lead to more dependence on God for direction. I find his direction through the Bible, through answered prayers and through repetitive themes and events in everyday life.

Our lesson today was about prayer and this (above) was the first verse of our scripture reference. What does it mean to rejoice? We searched several different Bible versions hearing translations of happy, glad-hearted and joyful. Our lessons always start out with good news from the week: one made the GHS baseball team and scrimmages had started, one made 100 on a Science test, one is going to Disney in a few weeks with the dance team. I shared the good news that my sister was named Teacher of the Year for Grapevine High School. The Biblical command to rejoice had been followed, but how do we rejoice always?

In today’s sermon of reflections on Super Bowl commercials, Pastor John said that joy goes beyond moments of happiness because joy can be experienced even in times of trouble, even when your life takes a turn that does not meet up to your hopes and dreams, even in poor health, even in death. Pastor Cindy reminded us that joy is available to us every day and we just need to live in a state of awareness - enjoy those moments of watching the baby’s chubby cheeks, the flower’s swift bloom.

Here are a few of my moments of joy that happened to be captured in photos:

Back to the title of short and sweet, I tend to try to get my Sunday school class to learn a memory verse to go with the lesson. My co-teacher claims to struggle with memorization. This one today, he was confident he could learn. Rejoice always.

Guess What Happens

Guess What?!

Proverbs 28:20 A faithful person will abound with blessings

Matthew 9:13 But go and learn what this means, I desire compassion and not sacrifice for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.

What would happen if you volunteered to teach Sunday School? What would happen if you signed up to be a volunteer for Project Read? What would happen if you applied to become a Stephens Minister? What would happen if you tried to read the whole Bible in one year and kept accountable to others on the same calendar challenge?

I don’t know the Bible. I am not a good Christian. I am lazy. I am a sinner. I hang with the wrong people. I am not good enough. I am not smart enough. People will think I’m weird. People won’t like me. I don’t have time. I don’t have enough love in my heart. I need to take care of my own family. Those are possible excuses. But guess what happens when you do it?! You expected to be the teacher, but you actually become the learner – through your submission to God’s call, He teaches you! Before the lessons come up on the calendar, He gives you experiences; He gives you scriptures with repetitive messages that bring you along on your own spiritual journey. He brings you into closer relationship with him. And if you happen to hang with the wrong people, you will be surprised at how many of them he brings along to Him on their own journey of growth.

My current high school age Sunday School lesson is about Jesus and Matthew. See Matthew 9. Jesus calls Matthew, the despised tax collector, and guess what happens next! Matthew throws a big party at his house and invites all his friends (also despicable sinners) to meet Jesus. Imagine…you invite friends to an event, building a positive relationship and Jesus gets involved in their life too! I’m just sayin’. Don’t doubt God’s power to work through your simple act of answering his call to a small service – he will reward you with growth in your own understanding while he also works with other people.

I am in awe! I am amazed! God is always there, always waiting for us to come to him for blessing. He operates on plan A, plan B, plan C, until….?

If you are called like my friend to go on a mission trip to Peru, Haiti, New Orleans, or wherever – go for it. If you can host a party for your friends to build a relationship – do it. If you can invite someone to participate with you in a learning event – don’t pass it up. There is so much spirit among us hovering like a hummingbird, waiting at attention like the best restaurant staff, hanging over us like a fog cloud, just bursting at anticipation that we will say “yes” and accept glorious blessings that are precipitously available to everyone, anyone, including me, including you.

Matthew 10:27 what I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops.

2 Corinthians 4:13-14 we believe, therefore also we speak; knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will represent us with you.

Best of...

Best of 2011


Reflections on a good year…

Activity – swimming with dolphins at Dolphin Research Center, Marathon, FL

Art – Heart & Soul Boxes for Erica & Chelsea created by Sharen Chatterton

Book – Unbroken by Laura Hillebrand

Clothes – jeans, pajamas, Uggs

Commercial – Etrade baby

Drink- chai tea, Starbucks French Roast, Corona with lime

Food - apple pie with crust from Julia Child recipe topped with Bluebell Homemade Vanilla

Game – Words with Friends

Gift – custom made fire poker from Grapevine blacksmith shop

Live music – Willie playing at Red Rocks with his son, Luke

Movie – Bridesmaids

News – first grandchild is on his way!

Place - home

Restaurant for breakfast – The Village Smithy, Carbondale CO

Restaurant for dinner – Café Italia, Grapevine TX

Scripture – Psalm 1:3 (my daily prayer for my family, paraphrased for plural) And we will be like trees firmly planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither, and in whatever we do, we will prosper.

Sermon – 2/26/11 Cindy Ryan speaking at the funeral service of pastor Ken Diehm

Songs – Who Are you when I’m Not Looking, Blake Shelton; Free, Zac Brown Band

Spa – Spa of the Rockies, Glenwood Springs CO

Sports Event – Dallas Mavericks win the NBA championship

Sight – Half Dome, Yosemite National Park

Thank you, my sweet Lord, for answered prayers, precious moments and blessings beyond our best dreams!

Abundance

Abundance


For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
His faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:5

Remember the wonders he has done,
His miracles, and the judgments he pronounced. Psalm 105:5

I came that they might have life and might have it abundantly. John 10:10


Sarah Young, Jesus Calling: “Let thankfulness rule your heart. As you thank me for blessings in your life, a marvelous thing happens. It is as if scales fall off your eyes, enabling you to see more and more of my glorious riches…Enjoy abundant life by overflowing with praise and thankfulness.” (this is from a daily devotional book)


Abundance Retreat is the perfect name of a place for a getaway in the Texas Hill Country. What a recent treat to visit there with four friends for a weekend – wild women in Wimberley! Food and drink, games and stories, walks by the creek, rockers on the porch, laughter and tears, dreams and fears, devotions and jokes, shopping and lunching, tasting the salsas and wines. Good friends – good times! Thank you, Lord, for Cassandra, Judy, Lori and Nancy!

Returning home, my life was full with activities from sons and their wives visiting for Thanksgiving holidays. Stress of traffic, night driving and storms quickly fell away at the Joey Wilkins Foundation Dinner and Auction. Our bids “won” some treasures – a Stetson cowboy hat for Travis, an auto detailing package to clean the West Texas red dirt off Darrell’s truck and 4-day passes to the Colonial Golf tournament. The next day we wandered through the Fort Worth Stockyards and showed Chelsea the best ever elephant collection at The White Elephant Saloon. When Jonathan and Erica arrived for Thanksgiving dinner, we followed Erica’s suggestion to eat dessert first. She served us chocolate cake balls that revealed blue on first bite – their way of announcing their baby is a boy – and then sonogram pictures with labels to prove it! Abundant joy in the family!

Now we have transitioned quickly into the next holiday season, packed with lots of possible activities to pick and choose, to busy ourselves and distract ourselves from the original intent of the traditions of Christmas celebrations. In advent, like in pregnancy, we live and wait for the arrival of the baby. Our minds are full with memories and certain expectations for the season. We pressure ourselves to attend certain events, to look a certain way among friends, family and unknowns, to find the perfect gifts, to serve the best foods, to achieve the best looks for holiday décor in the home.

If the hustle/ bustle becomes too much, take time away to just sit in reverence and reflect on the true gift of God to us for the season and for the whole span of our lives. Remember the story of Jesus visiting in the home of Mary and Martha? Martha was distracted with all her busy preparations.



Luke 10:41-42 But the Lord said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things, but only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part which shall not be taken from her.”

Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening. Maybe that’s what this season should be about – moments of peace found in listening – hearing the carols, friend’s stories, scriptures and sermons, thunder and rain. What is the voice of the Holy Spirit saying to you this holiday season? The message that I am hearing is be thankful for your abundant blessings, share your abundance with those in need, slow down and let your heart rejoice in peace.