GPS

I didn't need one in Indiana, but I don't know what I would do without it in North Carolina. Maybe it's because I'm new to North Carolina, and I knew Indiana. My GPS in not a luxury it is a necessity here in Wilmington. I'm telling you, I love my GPS!!

As I look back over my travels and relocations, I'd have to say that while I was doing the thing, it all looked like a road map to me. Not a nice, neat, spiral bound Atlas. Not a laminated version. A crumpled up, can't-figure-out-how-to-fold-this-darn-thing paper map.

Which way do I turn? For pitty sake, which way do I even hold the thing? I'm the person that looks at a map and has to rotate the map when we make a turn to keep it straight in my head. So, I need a GPS.

I also need a GPS for life, but it seems all I have is a ratty old paper map. I try to keep twisting and turning it with each new crossroad, but somehow can't seem to fold it up all nice and neat. Where is my GPS!??!?

Yet, when I look back over my travels, it seems to all make sense to me now. In Indiana, God did some extensive training. He sent me to college to be a teacher and to Big Brothers Big Sisters to learn the importance of mentoring.

Then in Coastal Georgia, He whispered a calling to minister through one-to-one relationships. On up the road in North Georgia, He challenged me by expanding the vision to include adults as well as children.

When the northern trek continued, He took me to Iowa to start merging the knowledge with the vision. And as I returned to the South and the Coast, He allowed a returning to my roots with a school-based mentoring ministry. The scene through the rearview mirror might look clearer now, but the front windshield sure was pretty fogged up along the way.

Of course, you were probably screaming at me the whole time you were reading this, "God is your GPS, fool. Shut up and listen!!" And if you were, you are right.

Major Marker: Alone with God

After six days Jesus took

Peter, James and John

with him and led them up a high mountain,

where they were all alone.

There he was transfigured before them.

Mark 9:2 NIV

Then Jesus went with them

to a garden called Gethsemane

and told his disciples,

"Stay here while I go over there and pray."

Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee...

Matthew 26:36 MSG

If for one second you have ever been tempted to think that living life with Christ would be boring...well, I'm here to tell you that you are flat out WRONG.

OK, so I went to Coastal Georgia. Saw the ocean. Cast my sins to the ocean floor and haven't the slightest desire to jump in after them. Not to say there aren't times the thought crosses my mind. But that's where it ends. I've seen the power of the ocean and a few of the creatures in the sea and have decided I like staying on the beach!!

But then God said to pack my bags...and suggested I'd need a world atlas for this next jaunt. That's right. I lived the next year out of a suitcase. It took me north to Atlanta, and further still north to Michigan. If that were not enough, we then traveled west to get to the Far East.

From famine of biological family and feasting with spiritual siblings, He took me further still for some one-on-one time with the Father and the Word.

The Word became flesh

and made his dwelling among us.

We have seen his glory,

the glory of the One and Only,

who came from the Father,

full of grace and truth.

John 1:14 NIV

Guidepost: God's Word and His family

Noun
1. A rule or principle that provides guidance to appropriate behavior.
2. A post bearing a sign that gives directions or shows the way.Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

When you have lived forty years in the same general vicinity you don't have to know much about reading maps...no need for a GPS...never have to stop and ask for directions. You just know how to get there. Don't even pay much attention to the road names besides the signs they are written on. Maybe that is why God said "We're moving to Savannah. It's high time you learned how to read My map."

Now I knew that Savannah was in Georgia. I'd read Gone with the Wind five times and watched the movie at least that many times. But I had to get out a map to pin point its exact location. Coastal Georgia (can't say I knew Georgia actually reached the coast.) Awesome!

It wasn't just corn fields I was leaving behind in the Hoosier state. I was leaving family...biological family. I was leaving my mom! Most of our immediate and extended family lived in Indiana. In the same county even. It was huge for me.

But the guidepost God erected for me in Georgia was the importance of my spiritual family. He allowed a famine of biological family so that I could feast at the table with my spiritual family.

It took us awhile to find a church home. We'd go camp out at one. Pitch our tent. Feel obligated to stay--didn't want to hurt their feelings ya know. Then we gravitated to another. Repeat scenario. Finally, God got us where He wanted us and just in the nick of time. I'm not sure I would have made it through that leg of the journey if it weren't for my family of Grace.

My new family introduced me to in-depth Bible study and Beth Moore. I learned to love God's Word and Truth there. Learned that God had a purpose for my life. I learned what it meant to have someone walk along side of me...a spiritual momma who had walked a similar road. I learned that it was okay to be authentic and flawed and still be loved.

So I started reading the road map that God gave us for the journey. Gave Gone with the Wind a break and started reading the Bible.

The "Go" of God

Set up road signs;

put up guideposts.

Take note of the highway,

the road that you take.

Jeremiah 31:21

Signs along the road. They were put there to be ignored, right? I mean, we all know that the speed limit isn't really 65 (except maybe in Virginia!) Stop seems to mean yield to most drivers. Oh, and only in Savannah does the pedestrian crossing sign seem to matter. On Long Island they told me I was crazy to think that the walk sign was really for pedestrians--only if you were willing to take your life in your own hands did you dare believe it really meant it was safe to walk now. Seems like a big waste of tax payers dollars to keep putting up all of those signs. They clutter the landscape. Ruin the view.

Now the one sign that I have noticed that most drivers give credence to is the traffic light. We seem to like electronic devices better than mere print material. Ever tried to ignore a green light? The driver behind you often takes a personal interest in that decision and reciprocates with a decision of his own to lay on his horn. I've also seen the horn used to chastise someone who thought the red light surely wasn't meant for him.

So let's take this discussion from the highway to the Most High's way. The sign I am most enamored with at this point is the "go" of God. What does it mean when He says "go"? We often hear the "no" of God preached from the preacher's pulpit and the parent's lips. But what about His "go"?

I remember telling Him at one point that I would go wherever He wanted me to go. I must say in my brain I was thinking short term mission trips to exotic countries. I must admit that when I look back on that, I was thinking in terms more like a vacation than a vocation. He, however, took me at my word and asked me to go to Georgia...not the country, the state. Now moving to Georgia from Indiana has a lot of perks. Savannah is a beautiful city that offers history, art, and an ocean view. Not too shabby, I'm thinking.

But then He asked me to move from an ocean view to a mountain view. Never was a big fan of the red clay of north Georgia or the big city of Atlanta, but, hey, I was near the foothills. I soon found out that was a mere pit stop on the journey. Just a quick rest stop on my trip further north to Iowa. In case you don't know, there are no ocean views or mountain vistas in Iowa. But I had promised God I would go when He told me to go; so I went. Even if it was cold.

I've taken note of the road I've been taking. I'll share a few of the guideposts I've put up along the way if you care to check back.

Ocean Floor

I gathered my scriptures and my crumbs and walked to edge of the ocean today...

The American Senate took the day off today for Rosh Hashanah in the midst of a financial crisis on Wall Street. Someone asked me, "What's the big deal?" Well, that was enough to get me digging into the Jewish holiday. What I found out was pretty cool! Here's what I found out from Howard and Rosenthal's The Feasts of the LORD...

• Rosh Hashanah is the biblical Feast of Trumpets. A celebration based upon a musical instrument? Yup.


• The trumpet was used for the nation of Israel to (1) gather an assembly before the LORD (2) sound a battle alarm and (3) announce the coronation of a new king. Ummmmmm, interesting.


• Modern observance described in the book include "The Days of Awe", "Prayers of Repentance", "The Casting Ceremony", "The Shofar".


• The Days of Awe--the ten day period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are a time of self-examination and judgement.


• Prayers of Repentance--prayers of forgiveness


• The Casting Ceremony--symbolizes the shedding of one's sins. A ceremony that takes place beside a body of water where a brief Tashlikh prayer composed of Hebrew Scriptures (Micah 7:18-20; Ps 118:5-9; Ps 33; Ps 130 and Is 11:9) is prayed. Micah 7:19 states that "You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." So after the prayer, it is customary to toss bread crumbs into the water as a symbol of ridding oneself of sin.


• The Shofar--a ram's horn which is a reminder of God's deliverance of Isaac by a ram caught in a thicket by its horn. I found in the Life Application Bible note for Revelation 8:6 that the purposes for the trumpet blasts are "(1) to warn that judgment is certain; (2) to call the forces of good and evil to battle, and (3) announce the return of the King, the Messiah." Ummmmm, VERY interesting.

The single most amazing thing I found was that "The Feast of Trumpets is next on Israel's prophetic calendar. Israel's four springtime holidays...were fulfilled in connection with the Messiah's first coming. Israel's three autumn holidays...will be filled at His second coming."

Double Dimes

I have this great dimes story...two dimes...one story.

My son and I hopped on a plane and went to see his big sister, my first born and only daughter. He is actually my second born and only son. (That makes each one of them an "only"). I was feeling pretty lucky to have some special time with my two! Gosh, I'm crazy about them.

We were crashing at her apartment for a couple of days before the 4th of July. I never want to be a burden and I try real hard to be invited back (or have her accept when I invite myself!!), so I try to look for ways to earn my keep when I am there. So, when she goes to work I do things like clean out the kitty litter or scrub the floors. She always mildly protests, "Oh, Mamma, you shouldn't have!"...while thinking "But I'm glad you did!!" Well, I'm scrubbing the bathroom floor when, wedged between the tile and the baseboard, I see the edge of a dime peeking out at me. I nearly dropped my mop! I did, however, drop to my knees and dig it out with my fingernail. (By the way, I owe you a dime, sweetie!)

Fast forward a couple of days. She has a few days off over the 4th, so we take a roadtrip to the beach. After soaking up some sun and sweating on the sand, we decide it is a must that we slide into our favorite seaside restraunt for some spuds. My two get a table while I invest a fortune in the parking meter and flip flop my way to their table. And guess what was right there smack dab in the middle of the table between them? That's right...a big fat dime, probably left over from a tip. I snatched it up. (I hope I remembered to add that 10 cents to my tip. If not, I'm indebted for another dime.)

Y'see, I have this friend who has a great dime story. She told me when she is feeling insecure about whether God is paying attention, if He even cares, she prays for dimes. Yep, the ten cent variety. She heard it from a friend, who heard it from her grandpa. So, anyway, after she told me that story, without praying the prayer, I found a dime. Wow! Got my attention.

Now when I find a dime, I thank God for reminding me that He is here. He does care. He is faithful. When I get to heaven, I think I'll ask to see the dime bank...

Creativity

I talk to animals. Not just pets like dogs and cats. I talk to deer and chipmunks. I even talked to an armadillo once. Only one time because I've only seen a live one once. People who like me say I'm creative. People who don't, say I'm weird.
I think all people are creative. Some more than others. I guess you could say that makes us all weird--some more than others.

My daughter is an amazingly creative person (that means I'm one of the people who like her, which I do.) Yesterday she called me. When I get a call instead of a text that means she is experiencing an emotional minute or is extremely bored. She was emotional this time.

Someone destroyed her art work. She is diversely creative. Her work includes sculpture, photography, graphic design, painting, and so on. Irreplaceable. Every one of them. Cherished. A part of her. Gone forever in some dumpster. Someone mistakenly thought she didn't care.
That's the way your Creator feels about you. He created you and you are a part of Him. Cherished. Irreplaceable. If you think He doesn't care about you, you are wrong. Don't throw yourself or let anyone else throw you in the dumpster.
The good thing is, if you end up in a dumpster, He will pick through each and every one until He finds you. He'll even wash away the rubbish that you picked up while you were in there. How do I know that? He did it for me.