Uphill idealist

Image found at Virtual Tourist Dan Dan the shoe shine man approached us in a crowd. He said, “I’m Dan Dan the shoe shine man. I’ll shine your shoes. I bet I can guess where you got your shoes.” From his demeanor and appearance, Dan Dan the shoe shine man seemed street smart and determined. He spoke quickly and smiled wide. He implored to my husband, “You need a shoe shine! I bet I can tell you where you got your shoes. $10.00 a shoe if I tell you where you got them!” My husband smiled waiting for Dan to tell us where his shoes were from as he bent down to spray and buff his sneakers. Dan stood up tall and proud and said, “You Sir has your shoes on your feet! That will be $20.00!” As soon as my husband handed Dan Dan the shoe shine man his $20.00 he was gone into the crowd. Dan was a few dollars richer and we both were a little more street smart. Dan Dan the shoe shine man (and his muscular buddy who was watching from a few feet away to assure he got his payment), were devo...

The lyrics of the song, "Please release me, let me go.."  (thank you Tom Jones ) have been bouncing around my mind all week. I've been pondering on the practical and spiritual meaning of the story of Lazarus and what it means to be "untied" from things that bind or hold people back. Later this weekend, I will be sharing a children's message based on the reading in John 11, concerning the death of Lazarus. I know the story and I'm pretty sure that we shared it with the kids at VBS a few years ago, but I'd like to be careful in how it's presented. This Sunday is All Saints Sunday, it was just Halloween - and as much as I like the fun of Halloween, I don't want the account of Lazarus and Jesus to sound like another spooky story. The more I read this account, the more I'm struck on how Jesus walks into a situation of grief, experiences that grief, and takes action to release his friends and himself from it. The words that I keep g...

From the poem "People like us" by Robert Bly . "There are more like us. All over the world There are confused people, who can't remember The name of their dog when they wake up, and people Who love God but can't remember where He was when they went to sleep. It's All right. The world cleanses itself this way." There are cracks in my life that I often wish were not there. I will try to camouflage the area's I think are not fitting to show. I will try to make them different than they are. When all along the light seeks out those cracks and crevices, desiring to illuminate whatever it happens to find there, without criticism or dismay. The light simply shines so I don't stumble in the dark. God's light fills the cracks that I used to hide and makes me whole again. John 1:1-3 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing ...

Deuteronomy 31:6 (The Message) 6 "Be strong. Take courage. Don't be intimidated. Don't give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He's right there with you. He won't let you down; he won't leave you." I posted this, just because it seems to fit my life right now. Hope it is a word of comfort and encouragement for you as well.

YS will be hosting a one day Bible training in Hamburg NY on Saturday May 9th. I'm hoping to go to this event and was wondering if there was anyone out there that would like to tag along as well? For the more information go to: http://ysoneday.com/ for all the details on a One day training near you!