Floods and Gentleness

I don't think this has ever happened to me before. I have had the entire weekend to myself.  It's just a very quiet house, 2 dogs, 1 cat, Jesus, and me. San Antonio and the surrounding areas (where we live) are experiencing flash flooding conditions. The family is scattered all over the country today, and I'm staying home from church. Like I said, this kind of quiet is unheard of, unexperienced, not understood by me.  But...nice, very nice.

I will livestream our church service later this morning, but while I enjoyed my morning coffee I listened to a sermon on Titus 3 by Mark Zhakevich, Charity's shepherd in CA.  I was especially touched by his teaching on gentleness. Everyone we interact with should experience gentleness from us if we call ourselves Christian. Too often, this is not what I do. I don't take the time to be gentle. My type A personality can be demanding, harsh. I need gentleness.  There should be no restrictions on my gentleness.  It is for everyone, believer and non believer. As I teach, relate, work, nurture others...I am to be gentle.

Gentleness takes time. Gentleness takes patience. I have to slow down enough to think about what I am saying and how I should say it. It is not natural, it is only through the Holy Spirit that I learn this fruit.

The best thing of all I quote from Pastor Zhakevich: "People will be attracted to your faith as they watch your gentleness to one another." yes! that's what I want! Make me gentle, Lord Jesus.

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." Colossians 3:12,13 ESV

May 25, 2013 San Antonio

Schools out, schools out, teacher let the mules out . . .

I was at the mall yesterday with a couple of sweet friends having a wonderful time.  The funny looks we received, the fun we were having, and the smiles from some braver passerby's reminded me of this quote by C.S. Lewis:  

"Critics who treat adult as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly.When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."

Letters from Nate

One of my favorite things in the world is getting a letter from Nate.  I found this under a bunch of papers about a week after my mom and Nate left back to Texas.  Sweet surprise :)  Love you too Natey boy.