Betty

My church, Delaware Christian, served around our

community over the weekend.

Simple stuff, really.

Raking leaves, weeding, planting flowers, washing windows, stuff like that.

Some were helping at the Common Ground Free Store,

others fanned out to the homes of the elderly.

 My husband, another couple and I

went to Betty's home Saturday morning.

What a charming lady! 

Betty can't see well, so she appreciated our work around her yard.

But she also talked with us, laughed with us, and gave us gentle direction.

I really don't know who received the greater blessing on Saturday:

Betty ... or us.

I hope you get the chance to serve someone like Betty and

that it makes your day, as it did mine.

Margin

I'm going to cheat and combine two themes into one post. I shot these photos on our most recent visit to our little spot up in Michigan over a week ago. Then home for just two days before heading south for a granddaughter-fix in North Carolina. Got that? Here goes.

Heard a message Sunday morning in Charlotte.

On margin. Margin is the extra in life.

Like "blanks" in our days with nothing penciled in.

A few curveballs were thrown into our summer, making it crammed full. But I do make choices. Am I saying 'yes' to things that might be very good but that aren't really where God wants me? 

As the pastor on Sunday said, we tend to forget that when we say "yes" to one thing, we're unwittingly saying "no" to something else. Christ was intentional and passionate in doing His father's will. That's all. (John 9:4) 

So. If I fill up my schedule and run willy-nilly through my days and forget to consult God, then it's a sure bet I'll .... well, run willy-nilly crazy.

I need to make a schedule based on what is 1. priority and 2. wise.

When I don't? Eventually my life resembles a morning shrouded in fog. A life reduced to only what's in front of my face.

I've found that when I desire what God desires, my life is one of more clarity and peace. Not perfect, just more purposeful.

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:17

Operation Delaware

I'll admit it. I can be lazy. Especially in the summer, I love sitting on the porch, reading and sipping a tall iced tea.


Thankfully, my church, Delaware Christian, has decided not to be lazy this week. About 120 of us are banding together to make a difference here in Delaware. It's called Operation Delaware. We start the day at church with a light breakfast and devotions. Then teams of men, women and teens go about town, pulling weeds, washing windows, painting porches, hauling trash and doing light construction .... the kind of stuff I'd rather not do on a hot day. Then back to church for a quick lunch. And back out to new locations to serve others. There's an evening session, too, for those who need to work evenings.


This isn't the Peace Corps. We're not digging wells or teaching children. But we're seeing that people right in our town need some care and attention. It's giving people a hand. Some elderly people just needed a box taken to Goodwill, so we're helping them out. How simple is that?

We pray that we're much more than helping hands. We want to be helping hearts, too. The kind that care about the spiritual state of our neighbors.

It's not dozin' or sipping tea. But somehow it feels a whole lot better.