Pure Gold

This has been a big week for me. I have heard my brother preach, become reacquainted with childhood friends, spent the weekend in Kansas City with my Mom and my Sisters, saw my 2 nephews who had surgery, and turned a year older.........not necessarily in that order.

As I quickly approach 1/2 a century in age, and am watching as my mom struggles with her health. I have come to the realization that no one really prepares us to get old. We are so busy living and life is passing by so quickly, our senior years are upon us before we know it.

Gold is really up in the market right now. Recently while attending an auction, I went to bid on and possibly purchase a gold chain, it was stamped as 14 Kt and had Italy stamped on it. It looked like the real deal, but for some reason by the look on my friends face, I knew that he was stearing me away from the purchase. I later found out he wasn't quite sure that what was stamped on the chain, was reflective of what the chain really was. It didn't test out just right while doing an acid test (a test where the gold is rubbed on a special stone and then a drop of acid is put on it). Had I made the purchase purely based upon what I was seeing, I would have paid more than I should have for something and not gotten my money back out of it, unless I was purchasing the necklace just because I wanted it for myself.

There are different variations of gold dependent upon how refined they are or how many impurities may have been left in the metal. The lower the karat count, the higher the impurities, the best and purest of gold is 24 kt. 24 kt gold is also very soft and bends easily.

Like gold, people can become purer if they allow the refiner to take them through the fire. Fire will bring the impurities (dross) to the top, it can be left there and will reharden, or it can be skimmed off. In our lives, the skimming is often painful and we have become so used to the impurities it is hard for us to let go of them. Many times we will go through the same trial numerous times, without allowing the refiner to totally skim the dross off. How badly do we want to be pure?

I spent this past weekend with my sisters helping to take care of my mom. My mom has been facing many physical challenges and gets confused easily and is not remembering the best. However, in my opinion, my mom is pretty close to 24 kt. In spite of difficult physical and mental conditions, when tried, what comes out of her? Prayer, she can still pray like none other. She is calling on Jesus. The Word, she will quote the Word and continues to stand on it even even though she couldn't stand physically due to a broken ankle. The Song or Music that is in her heart. My mom can sit down at the piano or organ, we can call out hymns and she will play them. I have not heard one bad word, it just isn't IN HER, HE is in her and through her. She is the REAL DEAL.

When I asked my mom this weekend, "what is your favorite hymn"? Without hesitation she said, "Jesus is the sweetest name I know". It is obvious that it isn't just a hymn to her, Jesus is the sweetest name she knows. Wanda Jean Westlake has become soft and pliable over the years and is the kind of gold that I attain to become.

Refiners Fire, my hearts one desire...........is to be holy

Set apart for You Lord

Yes WE Can - Power Glitches

Today has been a HUGE day in Washington DC and around the world, multitudes of people tuned in to watch the inauguration of our 44th President of the United States of America. I was one of those multitudes. I watched with pride as millions gathered in DC to watch history in the making and I too pray for our new President that God will give him wisdom and strength and humility for the tasks that are ahead of him.

At first I tried to watch the coverage on the TV that is in my office, hit the power button and NOTHING, it must not be plugged in. Then I tried to watch via live streaming on my computer at work, but it kept catching and I couldn't quite "feel" the excitement of the moment. My Third option was to go out to one of the waiting rooms at the hospital I work at and FINALLY, I got to watch what America and the Nations were watching.

As I watched President Obama take his oath of office and make his pledges to the nation in front of scores of people, I thought about my Jesus and how he too made a pledge in front of many, His was not a joyful pledge as he laid his life down, but it brought hope for us ("Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.") I wondered had throngs of people been able to get to watch him on the cross via live streaming, would they be moved towards change as our country says that it wants to now?

When I was trying to watch the inauguration and was becoming frustrated that I might miss it, which is interesting in of itself since I continually vow that "I hate History". Since I am kind of an allegorical thinker, or I say, "I am from Missouri, Show Me" (or draw me a picture), my glitches in getting to view the inauguration painted a bit of a picture for me.

1. No Power - How many times do we have God doing exciting things around us, and we find we have no power? It's there, we just need to plug it in.
2. The Live Streaming kept catching/skipping - Do we do this in our walks? We get going good, then a test/trial comes along and a we get caught/stop/move slllllllllllooooooooooooowwwwwwlyyyyyyyy. God wants us to get moving Smoothly on with Him.
3. Find a Place to Hear & See - We need to put all distractions aside and Hear from Him and See Him. No matter what.

I am going to keep our new President in Prayer; this is God's plan. I am going to keep pushing forward and be Mighty for God, that is God's plan. And I will never forget what happened at the cross...........I see it, clearly.......... We Can make a Difference in History.
Yes We CAN!

She 47 and I am 355 days older

47 years ago today, my little sister Tina was born, I was 355 days older than her. I was so irritated that my mom had left me with a baby sitter that I held my scrambled eggs in my mouth for 3 days. I just wanted my mom, once my mom came home she brought this new baby sister home, and I sure didn't think that I need a sister and didn't want to share my mom with her.

Tina and I were often mistaken for twins as toddlers, we were the same heighth, same hair cut, same blue eyes. Throughout grade school and high school, my sister and I werseemed like enemies . We were hurtful and mean towards one another and fought constantly, being in the same room was a chore on most days. The comradarie that we should have had as sisters, just wasn't there, except when someone else said something about the other. Only then would we stand up and fight for the other.

It took our mother getting diagnosed with terminal cancer to get our attention, suddenly we realized that she wasn't invincible and she was very sick and it all seemed very unfair. While cancer is a horrible word and proved tragic for our mother, cancer was what got our focus off of ourselves and looking for help. Thankfully someone invited us to go to a church that believed in healing through Jesus Christ. Tina and I gave our hearts to the Lord and so did our Mother (2 weeks before she died at the age of 35).

1977 was a U turn in our lives in multiple ways. From Heathen to Born Again. From selfish, self centered to Surrendered. From Orphans to Adopted. From mean spirited to Spirit Filled. From emptied to Filled. From bondage to Freedom.

It took several years but my sister Tina and I went from foes to friends. As I reflect over the past 47 years, I realize what a gift my sister is to me. I am one of her greatest fans, she is an amazing brillant woman who has endured many of lifes let downs and disappointments and yet she stands. She Stands Strong, full of hope and promise for her Family and Friends. To say that I am proud to call her my sister is an understatment. . I watch how she gives so selflessly to others and how she has blessed my girls.While I couldn't stand her when I was younger I am thankful that I have learned that I can't stand to be without her

All of us can press the rewind button on our lives and try to logically reason out why we are the way we are, however there comes a time when we must decide which path we want to take. I am thankful to have a sister to grow old with, to laugh with, to challenge me to be all I can be in Christ. I tell my girls, you are gifts to each other.................don't wait as long as Aunt T and I did to discover what a gift God had given us in each other. Make the most of Today, and Enjoy your sister.

What made her so special?

This week marks the anniversary of the home going of my best friend Jan. Every year at this time I reflect on what a great gift that she was to me, and how she enriched my life. What made her so special? She was real, unpretentious, caring, sacrificially giving, she was available, a great listener.........she was so like Jesus. She helped to mentor me when I was a young pastor's wife by showing me how to love the people in my church and help to encourage them in their walks with the Lord.

A few weeks before Jan was tragically taken from us, we were talking in to the wee hours of the morning while laying in her girls' bunk beds and she was sharing how incredibly blessed she was. Jan was blessed with 4 children, 2 handsome boys and then 2 little girls after she turned 40....... (I would have freaked to have a baby after 40). Not her, she was telling me how blessed she was that she had these 2 little girls to love and share her life with (the boys were already married), most people have an empty nest when they are my age.........and she still had the giggles in her house. When Jan talked about her kids, her eyes would disappear as the smile lit up her face. Jan never failed to give Thanks for all that the Lord had done for her. (How many times do we forget to thank Him?)

While we talked and laughed that December night, our girls were in the other room laughing and making memories of their own. Our husbands had long before retired to the recliners and were snoring loudly, ...........little did I know that what a great memory gift that night would turn out to be. I hit rewind in my mind and play that night over and over again. What a GREAT memory that I have gotten to share through the year with her girls and remind them of how loved they were and are. All 4 of Jan's kids have grown to be amazing adults.

Paul (Jan's husband) remarried a wonderful lady (Ann) who loved and raised Jan's precious little blond girls as her own. This past July, I attended Tiffany's wedding, what a moving day and what a proud day for both of Tiffany's moms; Ann took such loving care of all the details to make sure her daughter had a beautiful wedding and I am sure had we been able to see Jan's face her pride would be evident by the squint of her eyes due to the huge smile on her face.

I was blessed after Christmas with a visit from Tiffany who came to spend the day with me. We laughed and made memories while drinking out of the same blue cups that Jan and I use to drink Diet Coke out of. Jan and I use to solve all the problems of the world and the church while drinking out of those cups. Jan would be proud to know that our baby girls (Tiffany and Bethany, Sarah and Tara) get together as much as possible to make their own memories. They too are Life Long Friends and know that their friendship is worth the time and sacrifice.

What made her so special? She was just so easy to love. I want to be easy to love too.

I will Blog

What's a Blog? I have been intrigued over the past few years by the word BLOG. I hadn't ever heard of it before, and didn't understand it (probably still don't). However it seems that it is alot like putting your thoughts, ideas, dreams "out there" for others to read and ponder. I have decided to adventure in to this new avenue of communication, since I seem to be stepping in to new adventures in 2009. 2009 is going to stretch me in many ways, things that I have said that I will NEVER do again, I am going to "go for it". Am I too old to go back to school? Can I still learn? Why do I want to do it? But I said NEVER Lord............thankfully He knows what is best. So now I will BLOG
B - Be what He wants me to be
L - Live fully devoted
O - Only what He says matters
G - Go for it!