Fingerprint Friday: Lost & Found

By Ginny (MAD21)

There are many things that enter and exit our lives unexpectedly. Makes it hard to plan. Most of the time it's just small things so there is only a little flexibility that is required. Then there are those times when you have to take a moment to think about how it will impact things long-term.

While we were on vacation two weeks ago, a teen friend of ours called me and said that someone had dumped a 7-8 week old kitten on their yard. She wanted to know what she should do. We talked things out and made a plan for how to take care of her in the short-term. And then she sent me a picture...

Oh.My.Goodness. I'll save you the long version of what happened during the following weeks save to say there was a visit to the vet (at 3.2 pounds, she was actually 12-13 weeks old), medications administered, weight gained, pets introduced, and a ton of snuggle and play time.

We were really worried how our cat, KC, would react to having a new little fur ball added to our family.  This is her home, and we made it clear to our girls that if KC didn't like it, or it stressed her out too much, that we would have to find the kitten another home. As I've written about before, KC's a bit possessive and gets really stressed out at times.

But as with many things in our lives, God apparently had a plan for this little kitten, and for us. Both Bailey and KC have reacted well to having the kitten here. There are still a few tense moments, every now and then, when the cats get nose to nose and walk carefully in circles around each other, but they all seem to be adjusting very well.

I really wish this little ball of fur could tell me what she's been through in her short little life. What it was like to be lost. The vet said she'd been on her own for some time. But even so, there wasn't an ounce of feral behavior in her. All she wants is attention and play time like any other kitty, and when she's happy you can hear her purring from the other room.

I have no idea how someone could ever let her go. But she is no longer lost. She's found a home with people who will love her for as long as it takes. And even though she still has a ways to go to finish healing from her time alone, she is covered in God's fingerprints, and she's spreading them all over our house.

Meet Tia:

Fellow blogger Beki at The Rusted Chain has a really great weekly post she does every Friday called "Fingerprint Friday." We are to look around and see where we can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Anywhere? Go find out where Beki saw God this week, and be sure to check out the other bloggers who linked their stories as well.

Storm Clouds and Silver Linings

By Michelle (Graceful, Faith in the Everyday)

The storm sweeps in suddenly, swaths of torrential rain reeling across the neighbor’s roof as the wind shudders fierce. Into the basement we flee, the boys all a tizzy.

“Do we get cheese? Do we get cheese?” Rowan squeals, and I am puzzled until I remember that the last time the tornado sirens blared, Brad had doled out mozzarella sticks as we piled into the closet beneath the stairs.

But then, as quickly as it gusted in, the storm fizzles to a smattering of raindrops and bolts jagged across dramatic sky, leaving a trail of tree limbs, severed branches and dangling wires in its wake.

The next morning front doors open, and neighbors stand on wet cement in bare feet, arms crossed over chest. We survey the honey locust split in two and marvel that it’s only brushed Martha and Charlie’s place, tearing the gutter from its hinges but leaving the house intact. Todd (the kids refer to him as “that muscley guy”) fires up his chainsaw, and sawdust sprays into the humid morning as Gary drags branches to the curb. We introduce ourselves to neighbors we’ve never even seen before and shake hands awkwardly. Everyone is outdoors – it’s too hot to stay inside without air conditioning.

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God says... "Sin's pleasures are fleeting but its sorrow is lasting."

By Kely Braswell (Dangerous Breeze)

You Say: Sin is fun!
God Says: Sin's pleasures are fleeting but its sorrow is lasting.

Oh, please, excuse me while I go spit up in my mouth!

Here’s the deal. Some things are just stupid beyond imagining.

Like these statements:

“I’m going to go dip myself in butter and lie in a horse trough of snapping turtles.”

“Listen, y’all, I’ve got a GREAT idea… I’m going to strap myself to the face of a large silverback gorilla in the Congo.”

“Wait! I’ve got it! Let’s all stick a nine foot length of barbed wire up our left nostril, pull it out our right one, and hang ourselves from a rafter. That sounds like fun!”

NO. No one has ever said any of those things.

Why?

Because they are stupid.

In fact, they’re more than stupid; they’re redneck stoopid.

Let the words of Jesus speak a little truth into our day, and then let us all go peacefully about our lives, knowing that in His heart is, for us, a deep desire for fun. True fun. Lasting fun.

Here’s what He says. Hear the contrast.

“The thief (that’s the one that says “sin is fun”) comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”

Hear that? The author of sin, the father of lies, he only wants three things for you, and he loves for you to think that sin has some other golden effect than those three things. But it doesn’t.

He wants to steal from you.

He wants to kill you.

He wants to destroy you.

And he never, EVER, wants to let up. He never has an inkling of a smidgen of a moment when he says, “Wow, Bob’s had a really bad day. I think I’ll let up on him just for a little bit and give him a break.”

Nope. Never compassion.

Steal. Kill. Destroy.

Sin is fun, huh?

Now, how ‘bout Jesus side of things?

“I come that you might have life, and have it abundantly.”

Which sounds better? To be stolen from? Killed? Destroyed?

Or to have abundant life?

Just as satan (I don’t even wanna give him the dignity of capitalizing his name, the conniving sniveler) never, ever lets up in his desire to steal, kill, and destroy…

Jesus never, ever – not for one little nano-second of YOUR EXISTENCE – Never! – has He ever desired for you anything other than abundant life.

Excuse me. Does this whole discussion of sin being fun fall into the category of a “no-brainer?”

Don’t be redneck stoopid. Please.

Parting thought, and it’s a big, encouraging thought!…

“In Your presence is fullness of joy;
                at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

(The Bible, John 10:10 and Psalm 16:11)

(As a long-time redneck, I can say “redneck stoopid” without being bigoted in any way. I ain’t bein’ bigoted because I am one.)

Kely is the senior pastor of Antioch Community Church in Knoxville, TN. He has a B.S. in Secondary Education, and he’s a lawyer on top of that (go figure that combination!). He has also been an overseas church planter off and on for the last 20 years. Kely is a husband and father to six, and enjoys running, reading and writing. You can find more of his writing over at his blog: Dangerous Breeze.

From Scraps to Blessings

By Pat

I often feel like I have made such a mess of my life that I can't possibly serve God in the manner he wants me to. I have missed so many opportunites, taken so many wrong paths, and passed up so many chances to truely be the servant God created me to be that I feel it's just too late. I'm not so young now, and I despair that I have wasted so much of my life in ways that I know can't possibly be what God would have been pleased with. But there's hope!

In the famous story of Jesus feeding the large crowd of people with five loaves of bread and two fish, the great power of Jesus is shown by how he miraculously feeds five thousand people with just these small food items. A miracle indeed, and the meaning and magnitude is not lost on me. I know that Jesus made something big from something small, but what I have recently focused on is what Jesus did with the leftovers; the scraps that were left behind by the crowd.

"When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten." (John 6:12-13)

Jesus did something miraculous by feeding the crowd with the small amount of food, but what he did with the leftovers is, to me, both miraculous and comforting. I am not finished. I might not be perfect, and I might feel like all that's left of me is scraps, but God sees me differently. God can gather up my scraps and make something wonderful of me for His use! He doesn't see scraps, bits and pieces. He sees baskets filled with usefulness. He sees something wonderful, and if I allow Him to take control and do what He does best, wonderful things can happen. I am so thankful that, no matter what I have done, God can make something good come of it.

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

God Says... "I will give you rest."

By Jason S (Connecting to Impact)

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

We are constantly moving, constantly connected, constantly doing more and bigger and better. We can travel to the other side of the globe in less than a day. We can order a sweater online  from a local vendor in Switzerland. We can collaborate with an office thousands of miles away through video chat.

All that leads me to, is rest really possible in today's world?

Honestly, that's probably been asked for centuries if not all of time. Rest is hard to come by, but it depends on whose definition you're trusting.

You may be saying, "I'm so tired," but the Father says, "I give you my rest."

Sure, we get physically tired with all the going and running, but it's the emotional and spiritual tiredness that takes its toll the most. If we know where to go, we can be refreshed and renewed with even a few moments in God's presence.

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