A Tropical Snowman?

Don’t you just love our creativity?

Today, our day off, we went to the mall and had lunch at Applebee. The mall is already decorated for Christmas and there was a line of mothers with their babies to take photos with Santa! But I got the biggest kick out of seeing the snowmen scattered around the mall. Wait? What country am I in? Oh yeah, I’m in Brazil. I am sweating (even in the air-conditioned mall) and there stands Frosty. By all rights he should be a little puddle of water. And I ask, what does this image have to do with Rio de Janeiro? (I should really be asking what it has to do with Christmas as well.) I know I have a collection of snowmen I decorate with, but after all I am an American with all my traditions. How do you think Brazilians relate to peppermint sticks (which don’t exist for consumption), evergreen wreaths (where no evergreen trees grow), and snowmen (in a city where 65 degrees is our COLD winter weather). Oh the joys of globalization. So I had to take a photo on my cell to let you know Frosty has come south.

Floating Away in the Music

Last night… well last night was SO special. The month of November is the month of music in Brazilian churches. Our music minister has promoted several concerts in our sanctuary. Last night was the inauguration of our grand piano (full) that had been in restoration for a long time. We have been using our baby grand (1/2 grand) in the sanctuary. They brought in the full and baby grand and put them head to head. A former member, who is an internal concert pianist, Patricia Bretas, gave a concert. She also played a couple of duets with a young man from our church, who is also an international pianist.

There is a popular song that says “My Soul Sang” and let me tell you, my soul really sang last night. I don’t even know how to explain how much I soared. The grand piano had so much sound and she really did make it ring. She gave technical intros to each piece that helped us to understand the structure, etc. At times I thought she must have had 20 fingers. She danced on keyboard and my heart and soul danced with her. I heard the pain and grieved with Lizst. I ran and jumped with fun with Rachmaninoff, I worshipped with Bach and appreciated Beethoven.

They ended the evening with a contemporary arrangement of “Ode to Joy” and it was so beautiful that I was sure I was going to levitate off the pew. I wasn’t sure I was still present, thinking perhaps I had floated off to heaven. Now I know why the piano has 88 keys. They are all to be played. And now I understand why someone would practice 8 hours a day. Surely made me want to run out and buy a piano and start studying again. Maybe I will one of these days.

A Book Worth Reading

I am reading, in fact close to finishing, a book that I find so compelling that I want to share it with you. I don’t do book reviews at all, but this is a book some of my friends may enjoy reading. It is called "Love to Eat, Hate to Eat", by Elyse Fitzpatrick. I can’t even remember where I read about and chose to buy it. In fact when I saw it in my pile of books that I had ordered while in the US, I was surprised. The last thing I want to read is a book on dieting. I know about diets. I know they don’t work. I know I haven’t been able to get a grip on what doctors usually call a creeping weight problem that goes along with middle-age/menopause. I don’t need anyone to tell me I need to lose weight. I am intelligent and I have mirror in my house. Nor do I need anyone to tell me to eat less exercise more or to eat more healthily. I know all that and even know how to do it. Despite my resistance, I opened the book and started reading. What do you know? No pep talks! (I went to one weight watchers meeting and all the cheery pep talk made me want to throw up.) No recipes. No weight goals.

I guess I would describe the book as a Bible study. A Bible study for all of us who struggle with food. It is not particularly a book for people who are overweight, but for those who feel that food is just too big of an issue in their life. From living with my husband I know that there really are people who just eat, and don’t give much thought to how much they eat, what they will eat or even when they will eat. It’s hard to imagine, since so much energy has gone into the whole subject of “food” in my own life. I think about it. I make plans about food. Whether it be about eating junk food or healthy food, I do tend to obsess! I am either joyful about the prospect of eating or down in the dumps because I have eaten. Guess that explains the title, huh?

And I even have rather a martyr syndrome, often complaining to God that I just don’t understand why I have to so short, with such greedy little genes that turn most things I eat into plump little fat cells. Trust me, God has gotten an earful in that area. Probably the most meaningful thing I have read is the chapter about slow steady growth in sanctification – learning to name your sin (and miraculously she does not think being overweight is a sin. The sin is letting anything, except God, to control your thoughts, actions, etc. It’s about idolatry. It’s about damaging your witness. It’s about preserving your life. It’s about being the Holy Spirit’s Temple. Well, you get the picture) and hating that sin just like God does. Me I want a quick fix and not a marathon in sanctification. I mean after so many years with this as an issue in my life you’d think it would be resolved by now, huh? God could fix this really fast, couldn’t He? Anyway, Elyse writes: “This struggle is used by God to increase your hatred of your sin and your love for Him’ it causes you to be humble and continue to rely on Him; it trains your hands for war. God has many uses for abiding sin, and we must resist the discouragement that would tempt us to seek after a different method (something quicker, easier!) than His own.” (Fitzpatrick, Elyse. “ Love to Eat, Hate to Eat” . Harvest House Publishers, 1999, pp 151-152.)

That alone would have made the book worth reading for me, but there is so much more. She has a very helpful acrostic based on the letters in D—I—S—C—I—P—L—I---N—E—D Eating, that has Bible verses to read. I especially love her emphasis on giving thanks. Frankly, a lot of what I eat doesn’t lead me to thank God, and if that is the case, I shouldn’t be eating it (like Pizza), or I need to ask Him to help me to be grateful (for boiled okra!). That really works, too.

I am making changes. I may even be slightly less obsessed with food (ever so slightly) and learning just to be grateful, enjoy the good food God has given me, have fun exercising and not worry so much about what I look like (love this quote from the book: “God didn’t create me to find joy in my reflection in the mirror. Because I’d be living contrary to God’s truth, Id never find satisfaction in that pursuit.” – p. 41.)

Teaming this Bible study up with some of what I have learned from Dr. Oz’s book on health, is changing how I eat, how I think (or don’t think so much) about food, and even my exercise patterns. Have any of you ever heard of Leslie Sansone’s DVD’s for walking in your home? What fun they are! Not hard at all, but a quick way to building fitness.

The good news in all of this is new joy, more time in Bible study and prayer, more energy, better health and this week I was surprised to find when I stepped in the scales at the pool I have lost 12 lbs. Maybe an old dog can learn new tricks after all.

“Be holy because I am holy,” says the Lord.

CATS ARE COOL

NEW FRIENDS

I was SOOOOOOOO sad when I left Brazil and my cats, Dolly and Baby, went to live with Renata. They adjusted well to living in their new house, but I still missed them. As I moved the furniture and arranged things in my new house, I would check to make sure no cat was in the way. Whenever I saw a movement on the floor, I would think there was a cat running in the room. It was just hard to get used to the idea that I was “catless”.

After a few weeks of my sadness, my husband suggested they we adopt another cat. I wasn't sure at first, but finally decided to give it a chance. I was able to make contact with the Humane Society and find an older cat that very badly needed a home where he would be loved. He had been abandoned and was just recovering from pneumonia. He was about five years old and very very furry. When they brought him out for us to meet, we both thought he was the most beautiful, majestic cat we had ever seen. He was so sad because he had no home, just like I was sad to have no cat. I just knew that God had given me this new friend.

When we got home the cat just followed us around everywhere. His name was “Basil-Bottlebrush”, but we were not too fond of that name. My husband decided his name should be “Sadik” because that means friend in Arabic. Sadik hated being alone and want to be near me all the time. In the first couple of days he didn't want to eat anything and I was quite worried about him. Finally he accepted his new home and friends and starting acting much more perky. He would run around and then play with me. He would sit right beside when I was on the computer or watching television. He had become such a wonderful friend. He gave me hope that I would make many new friends in my new home in Canada.

This whole experience of moving to Canada and having to make new friends has served to remind me of the importance of praying for missionaries who are far from their family and friends. I have seen how hard it can be to live so far from the people and love and also how much I miss old friends. Being able to adopt Sadik also showed the importance of letting God help me make new friends. I hope you are remembering to prayer for missionaries as they adjust to living in a new place. Especially ask for God to send them friends to help them to adjust to their new home.

Back to my Art Lessons

While in the US, I invested in a few more art supplies. Few because the stuff is VERY expensive and even more so here. It's a nice hobby if you can afford it. I have learned, however, that I just don't seem to do well with the student quality (read: cheap) stuff. I got some fairly decent colored pencils (not dollar store quality) and I can work a little better, but for sure colored pencils will NOT be my specialty. They seem to require too much time and too many details and they are not forgiving in the least. The cat is a study on the eyes. I didn't finish it because I just got tired of working on it. I spent a lot of hours and wore down a lot of pencils. I used at least 7 different colors to try to achieve the calico effect. If and when I ever finish it, I'll put it up on a post.
Yesterday was our first lesson with watercolors and all of us were like a bunch of kids. It is a totally new thing to work with a brush and not a pencil. I, especially, had a hard time. Nevertheless I did produce something. Nothing to shout about, but a learning experience, nevertheless. I had a hard time with the strokes UNTIL I switched over to using the one sable brush ($44!) I have. It was like night and day. I used it on the cherries and I think you can see the difference. I could control what I was doing. Today I tried a monochromatic study of a goblet, just to try to learn a little about mixing the water and applying the layers. I feel like there is so much to learn - working with the brush, controlling the water, mixing the colors, layering, leaving some white on the paper for contrast, getting the tone/shadowing right. Wow. And as our teacher tells us, a little bit of color won't make the actual "drawing" look better, so you can't neglect the drawing part either. Certainly is challenging for me, but one thing can be said - I am not afraid of trying out and failing at the art stuff. I have nothing to lose. There are now some teenagers in our class and they are terrified of failing. Of course, they are really good, but lack the confidence. Me I just plunge in and take a stab at it. It's fun to me, not life and death. I am so glad not to be 14 again!!!!

My Cat Devotionals Are Back!

For those of who haven't followed this part of my blog, I have been sharing chapters from a book, I am writing, of devotionals for children. They are all about my cats and are written in chronological order. I started the stories back in 1988 with my cat Princess. Today I finish up telling about my two cats in Brazil, Dolly and Baby. (1992-2001). I had taken a break during the month of October and even though there has been no "popular demand", the devotionals are back! Enjoy.

Why Do Things Always Have to Change?

I was crying. I had Baby in my lap and was stroking his far ever so slowly. I talked to Dolly who was at my side. Then I placed Dolly in one cage and Baby in another one. I took them both out to the car. We drove over to the house of our good friends Maria and Renata. I took Baby and Dolly into their house, and Renata gave a great big smile. She was so happy to have her very first pet. Now Baby and Dolly would be her cats, not mine. After many years of living with me Baby and Dolly had a new home. Renata had spent much time in my home and she already loved them both. She was so happy, but I was so sad. This change was wonderful for her, but so sad for me. What was going on?
I was moving very far away. I was leaving Brazil and moving to Canada and although I wanted very much to take Baby and Dolly with me, it was extremely complicated and expensive. Besides that, I knew it would be a traumatic and even dangerous trip for my cats. This way they would be in the same neighborhood, with friends they already knew and with very little change in their lives. It was best for them, but so hard for me. So I gave them a big hug, said good-bye and went home crying the whole time.
It was so hard for me, that I just had to ask why things have to change. I wasn't sure I really wanted to move anyway, and this made it even harder. I just didn't know what to do with my deep deep sadness.
I could only find one solution. I needed to talk to God about his. I needed to tell him how very hard this was for me and how sad I was. I loved my cats and my friends and my home and didn't want to leave them. I didn't want change. God reminded me of something really important. He had said these words in the Bible and it seemed like they were written just for me: "I am the LORD, and I do not change.”(Malachi 3: 6) People and places can change. I might change where I live, but God would always be with me, no matter where I go. Being with him is possible anywhere. I can always count on Him. Those words from God helped me get through such a hard time for me.
My tears have dried and I am learning to enjoy God's presence. God even gave me a very special new friend. I'll tell you more about him the next time. Just wait!

Done

Today I put the final touches on the pastel I've been working on for about a week and applied the fixative. Sometimes you just need to stop, although you know there is a lot you could still do. Enough is enough. Especially since I think I AM allergic to the pastels, because I am coughing a lot. I plan on getting a dust mask if I do anymore work on pastels. I really love working with them. This week we are moving on to watercolors and I hope I enjoy them as much, as I am sure they won't give me the bad reaction I've had with pastels. It's been a learning process, that's for sure. I am glad I will never need to make my living at this. It's very time consuming.
Today is the date most Americans vote. I see on my tiny little poll that my readers do NOT agree with the official pollsters. I think it will be a long night of tabulating votes and probably only tomorrow will we really know. But I've been fooled before. I remember back in 1980 Mom and I went out to shop around 7PM and by the time we got back Dad told us that Reagan had already been declared the winner. No one saw that happening, I don't think. Seems like yesterday and yet so much has changed in the world since then. So let's just sit back and see what happens today.
Oh and hey, I am a needy (emotional) artist. Do you like my lilacs, daisies, roses and eucalyptis leaves vase?

Just for fun look at this video

Look to my left column and you'll see a poll. There is no significance to the poll, other than my curiosity as to who you think will win the elections on Tuesday, regardless of how you plan to vote (or even if you vote!). Let's see how good our prediction power is. Remember: No wishful thinking!
Secondly, I watched the following video this morning and got such a kick out of, that I had to pass it along. It shows how to fold a t-shirt in just 2 seconds. It's is Japanese, so there is no explanation! Watch it and SMILE!

Now if you want to try this out at home (remember no t-shirts were destroyed making the video), try watching an English version that explains what is happening.

Happy Birthday to the Reformation

I like this date of October 31st, although perhaps not for the reason you might think. Today is reformation day and it makes me feel strangely happy remembering the courage and integrity of Luther on this day 491 years ago. It's definitely an event WORTH remembering.
I won't comment on Halloween, since I really think it's a worthless commemoration. Just can't get into skulls and candy!
I am happy to report I am back from the US, where I had a great two weeks. I have had a hard time getting back into my routine since I returned and have been exceptionally tired. My joints ache and my nose itches. I think, however, I am just about back to normal. At least yesterday and today I managed to function normally anyway. I tried to hit the ground running, forgetting that I just don't have the stamina for that anymore. Thankfully, however, I am back to exercise and aqua fitness and drinking my vegetable juice and sleeping at night, so feeling energetic shouldn't be far behind.
One of my investments while home is a new computer. It's nice to have a computer that is FAST and doesn't shut down on me. My old one was adequate, but 7 years old, so it was needing some serious reform. I have been working hard to load everything on the new computer. I have set up a new home network and got everything up and running nicely, so now I can think about doing other things, like writing on my blog.
Another investment was buying some art materials and books. Today is my first class since I am back. I actually started my very first pastel drawing with my new materials and am excited as I really like pastels. My first class with pastels was rather disastrous (I had an allergic reaction, which as since not been repeated), so I am pleased to say I have now spent several hours drawing and no hives! I am still in the middle of the drawing, but I wanted to put it up on the blog so you could see that I am using my pastels. When I finish, I'll let you take a look-see. I am a very slow artist (I could never make a living at this), and I have discovered that pastels are not a "quick" medium, as there are a lot of layers. The only part of this drawing that is finished is the vase! I have started blocking in the leaves and daisies, but there is much to be done and today I know my teacher will give me some clues as to how to proceed. Speaking of which, I best get my things organized and head off to class.

Back Home Again in Indiana

I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, but I have left Brazil. Not forever. For 12 days! I have taken a short fall break to visit my family in the states. I love fall. It HAS to be the most beautiful time of the year. Nothing is like a crisp fall day, with the beautiful blue sky, colored leaves and that little "nip" in the air.
I have been fortunate in the week I have been home it hasn't been hot or cold, and no real rain. Just nice blue skies. I arrived home, that is to say my mother's house, on Monday the 13th. I needed a couple days to get unwound from the trip. For the first time in a long while, I actually slept on the plane. My flights all took off and landed on time, so I had a really good trip. I have tried to make this trip different than most, in that I have made it as laid back as possible. I have tried to avoid lots of running around and shopping and just "be".
Thursday my sister Carolyn lent me her car (brave soul, isn't she?) and I drove up to Indy to visit my other sister and niece. We enjoyed going out to eat, driving out to the country to see the leaves and just hanging out some. The photos of the wagon are at a pumpkin farm. The corn patch is in my sister's back yard (her garden) and Megan and I were picking the last couple of tomatoes and playing with the dried up green beans.
I even enjoyed playing with her kitties. Today I came back to Mom's house, where I'll be the rest of the week. I'm not sure what all we have planned for the rest of the week, but I know it will be fun!!!

For the Pastor's Wives

I have done a quick and dirty translation of the short chapter I wrote for the book for Women in Ministry. I had a short space allotted for the chapter, so there was no room to write anything extensive or particularly revolutionary. Still I hope it helps you understand your pastor's wife better. If you want to share it with another pastor's wife, please feel free to do so. If you want to share your thoughts on the subject, just make a comment at the bottom of the blog entry. The book, in Portuguese, will be published in April of 2009, as part of the conference on Women in Ministry. Jill Briscoe will be the keynote speaker. I am looking forward to the event.

Married to the Pastor

I always joke that I married my husband because I liked him as a pastor. I said I was tired of getting used to a pastor and then having to switch after a few years. I solved my problem by marrying best pastor I knew.

Trust me when I say that I like – A WHOLE LOT – being the wife of my husband. I was already engaged in ministry before our marriage, but being a pastor's wife challenged me with an entirely new kind of ministry. From my own experience, and also the experience of others, I can say that being the wife of pastor is a great ministry! I feel that my ministry is to "minister to minister." By that I mean that I support my husband and do everything possible to facilitate his ministry. That is a ministry in and of itself.

Of course, this is a very personal thing. There are extroverted wives, and others who are terribly timid, each doing what she can to help her husband in her own style. Each pastor's wife will serve her husband in a different way. When she ministers well, her husband is a better pastor. I know that when I do my part, my husband can enter the pastoral office with a heart ready to counsel, preach with more joy and freedom, face meetings with less concerns, and visit the sick and troubled more willingly. That is no small thing.

I want to emphasize that no two pastoral couples have the same experience. In fact, every time I change churches, I have to adjust my ministry to that church. Each pastor's wife has a unique ministry, precisely because it is not a role tosimply be acted out. There is no such thing as a “preformed mold” for the pastor’s wife. The person who is married to the pastor is a real-life person who has to shape her own sculpture. Her personality, her talents, her interests, her gifts as well as the style of ministry of her husband will work together to form her unique style of ministry. Right now I enjoy visiting with my husband, helping in worship, standing at the door greeting people, doing administrative tasks for him, but that is who I am right now. In Canada I worked with him on his sermons in English, I led English Bible study, I did the order of worship because those were our needs there. In our other church I did the church bulletin, I led the programs for all the special holidays, did a lot of talks for church groups, and worked on many committees. Ministry evolves and changes according to the needs.

Rewards

As I said, I love being a woman married to the pastor, as well as all of the opportunities for Christian service and the blessings that come with this ministry. There is nothing quite like the happiness that I feel when I attend the worship when the people of God are being edified, knowing that I contributed to that. The satisfaction of seeing adults who were children under our ministry, bringing their children to church to be presented and taught in the church us incomparable. I wouldn’t trade anything for the privilege of holding the hand of the believer who is ready to leave this world to take up residence in heaven, or of comforting those in mourning, to listening to the stories of the elderly, advising young people in dating and then see them in a happy marriage , kneeling to pray with the newly converted, or seeing problems solved with prayer. It is an untold blessing to know that so many in the church are offering prayers for my ministry! To see a growing church, maturing believers, multiplying ministries and feel that my ministry to the minister facilitates this, is extremely rewarding. All this is the magnificent part of being married to the pastor.

The Wonder Woman Syndrome

Unfortunately, there are some few parts in ministry that are not so magnificent. Those are the challenging, the miserable moments. I believe that one of the causes of this misery is when people identify the pastor's wife as the "church's wife." It is a case of mistaken identity. She loses her identity as a person, trying to fulfill a role in which everyone has an opinion of what she should be or do. Someone wrote a joke about it, in the form of a classified ad:

HELP WANTED: Position - Pastor's Wife

Qualifications: soloist and chorister, pianist, children's Sunday School teacher, youth leader, leader of the women's ministry group, director of the special programs of the church (Christmas , Easter, etc.). Knows the Bible by heart, keeps her home impeccable, hosts other pastors and missionaries at home, prepares tea, dinner, lunch for various groups and organizations of the Church, is an exemplary mother with angelic children, acts as a driver for events outside of the church, is able to preach on special occasions, and takes care of the spiritual, emotional, and physical life of her husband. She should be a smiling extrovert, a peace-maker, and ready to work 24 hours a day with problematic, confused and demanding people.
Salary: $ 0.

As a joke, it's all right to laugh! If, however, this is the harsh reality for pastor's wives, you should cry. The woman who is married to the pastor is called, as any Christian woman is, to help her husband, to have intimacy with God, be obedient to Him, let the Holy Spirit develop fruit in her life, study the Word, use her spiritual gifts and talents to the building up of the people of God, be part of the Body of Christ, and witness to Jesus Christ. She is not called to be part of a "package deal" in which the church can have two workers for one salary! She is called to be the woman that God wants her to be!

Many women suffer from the syndrome of trying to be Wonder Woman, but perhaps the wife of the pastor is more tempted to do so. The people of the church believe that she has to know everything that the church is doing, everything that the pastor thinks, has to be present at all meetings and activities, take a thousand and one positions in the church and also maintain a happy family and a beautiful home, in addition to working to supplement the family income. This is the perfect recipe for a nervous breakdown.

Although the wife of the pastor has a ministry to the minister, she should only try to do that what God wants her to do, just like any other member of the Church. I confess that this is not easy for me. My tendency is to try to do everything, because I want to please people. I want the approval of all. I want to be praised. I want to be just as respected as the former pastor’s wives. But that is not a worthy motivation to performing tasks in the church. My need for acceptance and my fear of saying no, is simply the sin of fearing men more than God. Along with Peter I have to learn to say "I must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5.29). I have a duty to teach others this same obedience to God, through my example.

Before coming to the church where we now serve, I felt that I should not accept any position or commitment for at least a year. To be obedient to God, I was obliged to say “no” many times, and suffered in doing so. Although I explained the reason, not everyone understood. It has been a new experience for me to admit that I am not Wonder Woman. For the first time in my life I do have enough time to study the Bible, pray, talk to my husband and take care of my body. I have realized that it is just not worth the effort trying to be Wonder Woman, but it is wonderful trying to be everything that God wants me to be.

Friend of All, Friend of None

Over the years several pastor's wives have advised me to be friends with all women of the church, but to take no one to be my friend, nor to open my heart to church members. It was hard to hear that, because my friends have always been members of my church. I feared I would have to live a life of solitude, with no friends. I doubted the validity of this advice, but I have discovered that it is sound. Even though I know it is true, that doesn't make it any easier to deal with this reality in such a way that it does not generate an unbearable loneliness in my life.

I, like other women, I need friends. In the first years of our marriage, I worked outside the home and my friends were co-workers. When I moved to Canada, I missed my friends. I was in a country and church where I knew no one. My husband has always been and always will be my best friend and that helped. I even adopted a cat (who bore the arabic name Sadik, that means friend), but nevertheless I wanted a friend like Jonathan, who "knitted his soul to the soul of David" (1Samuel 18.1). I asked God for this friend. In time, God sent me several friends. Some were from other churches in my town. I enrolled in a Bible study for wives of pastors of the city. It was exactly what I needed because I found a group where I could share openly. Currently I am taking art classes and this group (attended by other Christians and also pastor’s wives) has been a great outlet. It's very nice to be simply "Peggy" to this group.

The key for me has been to be patient and let God choose the right friends for me. I have seen that while waiting for God to send me friends, I can grow spiritually. I have discovered that God really is quite sufficient for my emotional needs.

Living in the Fish Bowl

On the very same Sunday, I had two people make particularly unpleasant comments to me. One women commented that I should not have cut my hair, and she did not like the color. A man contributed immensely to my self-esteem by noting how much weight I had gained. Made for a great Sunday! Honestly? I was mad and asked myself why they thought they had the right to share an opinion that I did not ask for! Many church members think they have a right to comment on my appearance, my way of speaking (especially my accent), as well as what I do and don’t do. Worse, I have no right to retaliate, because I am the wife of the church’s “angel”.

The paradox of being an easy target for criticism and being on a pedestal at the same time is slightly weird, but it is unavoidable for the pastor's wife because her life is being observed by everyone. In some ways, she is a public figure(on a much smaller scale), like politicians or actors. Although it is difficult to accept, many people do not see the pastor’s wife as a real person. Therefore, they feel they have the right to treat her in a way they would never ever treat their family or friends. It is unfortunate, but it happens. For example, one pastor's wife told me that a church member came into her house, opened the refrigerator, took out yogurt and said: "This is mine, because I paid for it with my tithe." Ouch! Events like these give the pastor’s wife the impression that she is living in a fish bowl, with her whole life open for perusal.

There is nothing we can do to change this mentality, but there is much we can do to deal with it. In fact, any situation is only 10% what actually happens, and 90% how we react to the event. How then can we live, and live well, in our glass house?By learning how to "react" to our fish bowl existence.

A pastor's wife once gave me some advice that has helped me. She said that we have to develop a "thick skin", but maintain a "soft heart." What dids he mean? Simply, we can not let the arrows or the darts of criticism and defamation penetrate and hurt us. Instead we must act as Paul instructed: "When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. " (1 Cor 4.11b-12 a). I confess that this is not my first reaction. But as the old saying goes “people who live in glass house shouldn’t throw stones”. Each time I react "in the flesh", by throwing stones, my glass house is damaged.

We cannot, however, allow the thick skin, to harden our heart, Shutting down to protect ourselves emotionally is never healthy. My husband is helping me with that, teaching me that I have the opportunity to discover how I can love these difficult people with the love of Jesus Christ. I am called to love, not to hate, and that even includes the person who tells me I am fat.

Recently God has taught me that I do not have to be controlled by the criticism or praise of others. It is a liberating discovery! I can never let the fear, nor the praise, be more important than fear of God. Jesus criticized the Pharisees because they "loved the glory of men more than the glory of God" (John 12.43), so I have to be careful not to be more afraid of men than of God. Walking in the spirit maintains my glass house is all in one piece.

Shepherdless Sheep
Some colleagues have shared with me that they feel like sheep without a shepherd, because they cannot see their husband as their own pastor. I confess that I never shared these sentiments, but I can fully understand how this happens.

The wife of a senior pastor told me once that I needed to be a “lightening rod”, listening to the problems of my husband and of the church without sharing with anyone. Frankly, I cannot agree,as I generally share everything with my husband. It is true that I hear some things that do not repeat to my husband, because it wouldn’t edify anyone.If I feel the need to unburden, I look for someone extremely trustworthy with whom I can share. I am not invincible and am not called to "suffer in silence".

I have always treated my husband as my pastor. When I have a biblical or theological question, I talk to him. I ask him to help me in the preparation of my studies. I ask for his advice and prayer when I'm down or scared. I feel well-fed on Sundays during his sermons. I respect his leadership in the church. I feel more like the most blessed member of the church because my pastor-husband is always nearby.If you are unable to see your husband as your pastor, pray for God to change your heart, and take away any word of criticism or disrespect for your husband.

When, however, I feel a little neglected, or overloaded, I try to avoid the role of martyr (not always 100% successful), explaining how I'm feeling. It is not easy to be completely rational in those times (the tears are inevitable), but at least he knows what I'm feeling. I see no advantage in hiding what is really going on inside of me. On the other hand, I try to be understanding when he has a rough week, picking up the slack and knowing that he will do the same for me.

If you feel that your husband is not taking care of you, nor himself, you may have to take a stronger stance and urge him to do more exercise, take more rest, eat healthily, spend more time with the family and arrange a time for "dating "you. Doing so, you will be acting as the pastor of your pastor.

Decrease so he can Increase

One day, after completing a certain task in the church, some people were surprised I was capable enough to do that. That devastated me, so I later called a friend, commenting that the people at church did not see me as a capable person, they didn’t understand who I really am, blah, blah, blah. I finished off the conversation complaining: "I used to really be somebody." She (a pastor's wife as well) sighed and agreed she often felt the same way. I began thinking a lot about this difficulty of living in the shadow of my husband. After much prayer, I came to the conclusion that "I" was the real problem. Not my huband. Not even the church members. I was living an "ego-driven" life.

My ego is a hungry beast always needing food. If I'm not very careful, it takes over everything I do. While psychologists talk about the importance of "self-esteem," God speaks about humility. If Jesus himself took the form of a servant, who am I to be different? That sounds good, but it is not so easy. In fact, when the Kingdom of God is truly sovereign in my heart, my desire is to serve and not be served, honor and not be honored, love and not be loved, give and not receive.Mostly, however, I want my own way, my own desires met, to be the queen bee. My call is to give up "my personal kingdom", where my ego is well fed, to be mere servant of God Almighty.

I confess that this is my biggest challenge in ministry. John the Baptist has become my example in how to do this. I think often of how he had fame and recognition, but never ever promoted his ministry. He always put Jesus first. My flesh, my ego, prefers to receive affection and attention through praise, recognition, fame, awards, etc.. I have to be careful not to use the ministry of my husband as a way of feeding my own ego All I do in ministry must point to Jesus, not to me or even to my husband. It is necessary that Jesus increases, and that I diminish. I think this will be a constant battle in my life. My prayer is that by the end of my good fight as a pastor’s wife I can say with Paul: " I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2.20).

Chapter Twelve of Cats are Cool

My Little Rule Breakers

Ka-boom! I heard a noise in the living room and I went running. The clock was on the floor and a stack of books from the bookshelves, had also fallen to the floor. There were magazines scattered around the room. It looked like the room had been hit by an earthquake. I began to call my cats: “Baby, Dolly”. Neither of the cats appeared. They seemed to have disappeared from our house. When I paid close attention, however, I saw that the curtains were a little odd. Upon opening the curtains, I saw two very innocent looking cats staring up at me, as if to say “What on the earth is wrong?”
Although I fully realize that Dolly and Baby are only cats, I have no doubt that they understood, from my tone of voice, that they were in trouble. That’s why they hid behind the curtains.
Something I find fascinating is that the two of them always hide out when they break something or do something they shouldn’t. For example, the two of them are prohibited from jumping up on the dining room table. If, however, I come up on them, very quietly, early morning or during the night, it’s highly likely that I will see two cats sleeping on the table. When they see or hear me, they jump down and run as fast as they can for the opposite corner of the room.
In the same way that Dolly and Baby try to hide their misbehaviour, we try the same thing. No one ever really likes to admit they are wrong, or did something they should not have done. No one finds any pleasure in saying: “I was wrong”, “I was disobedient”. We are ashamed or embarrassed by our wrong-doing. We are afraid of being humiliated or punished.
It’s really hard, I mean REALLY hard, to speak the truth when we are wrong. Our instinct is always to proclaim our innocence: “It wasn’t ME” or “I didn’t do it” or “It’s not my fault”. Others may believe your lie when you say you are innocent, but there is someone who knows that you are not speaking the truth.
God hears all that you say. God knows all you do. God desires for you to always speak the truth, even when it is difficult. God desires for you to act with honesty and courage.
The next time you are tempted to deny your guilt, remember that God wants you to speak the truth. Think: “Am I acting like Baby and Dolly, or am I acting like a child of God?”

Sushi Time

Just to let you know I am still around, thought I'd do a short entry on my birthday yesterday. I thought and thought about what I would do, as being on a Sunday, there's not too much time for activities. But at least we could eat out. So I decided to brave and make an unusual choice. I would try sushi. Since I am on a campaign to eat healthily, even my birthday is no excuse to "fall off the wagon". So I researched and found a recommended restaurant not too far from home and church. I figure, cheap sushi you do NOT want. Sissy was my consultant and fortunately the menu came with photos. I learned that sushi are the rolls and sashimi are the strips of raw fish. I definitely like the sushi a lot better. The photo to the right shows some of the sushi and the tuna sashimi. To the left is a "house" speciality where we went and is really very good. I like everything a lot, except the tuna sashimi, which didn't settle well with me. Sissy agreed.
As for my poor sweet husband, he suffered along, ordering a ramen like dish, which he was surprised to admit was very good and filling. I thought I would be hungry very soon afterwards, but surprisingly the food actually was filling. And just think I was full without consuming many calories. Of course I sort of ruined it by eating some orange strips covered in dark chocolate as a dessert, when I got home. My husband gave just a couple as a treat, for my birthday, and they were really delicious.
It is sort of strange having a birthday on Sunday, as you get lots of hugs and well wishers. Usually, however, my phone rings off the hook all day with greetings, but this year no cards, no calls. I guess everyone knew they would see me at church.
I received a beautiful (live) orchid plant from the church, which I hope to keep alive a long time. I LOVE orchids.
João, with a little help from Sissy, gave me a just perfect dress purse. So unique! And some tropical soaps I have been admiring from afar for a long time (Have you ever had cherry soap? Or passion fruit? Haven't lived yet!) Elly also gave me a great new purse, that is very in style. Is someone trying to tell me that just because I haven't bought a new purse in over 10 years I am out of style????
Try new things. That's my motto for now. Stay in tune with contemporary culture. Grow older without growing OLD. That should carry me through my 56th year.
By the way I am coming along on my writing. I turned in one chapter on Friday and today I should finish the second one. Yipee!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chapter Eleven of Cats Are Cool

I may not have much time in the next two weeks to write much, as I have two chapters of a book on Women in Ministry that are due. There was some confusion as to the due date, so all of the sudden I am very far behind schedule and have to turn in the chapters early next week. That means my blog will probably be quiet for a while. This entry was basically ready, so I am putting it online. No time for photos, however! Wish me luck finishing up my other writing. See you soon...

Ants and Cats Don’t Mix

My house in Brazil had a peculiar problem. Somewhere there was an ant’s nest that we couldn’t find, with the result that I had ants everywhere in the house. The ants even ate through the cement that held my tiles on the walls. If there was even a crumb of food left around, the whole area was black. And these weren’t ordinary ants. They were the kind that bite and sting. More than once I ended up hollering bloody murder when they bit my finger or toes. I had to be really careful to put everything away. Unfortunately, this was a problem for Baby and Dolly. Perhaps you know that cats like to eat a little bit at a time, so you always leave their food out. The ants thought this was just great. It was a wonderful food supply for them. When my cats tried to eat, the ants stung them and they jumped back. Soon they were afraid to eat and began to lose weight.

I had to come up with some kind of solution, but nothing seemed to work, until I remembered that the ants hate water. So I put their cat food in a deep bowl and then set it down inside another bowl filled with water. If the ants tried to get to the food, they had to “swim” in the water. Of course they drowned trying and I had solved the problem. The solution to the ant problem, created another one. Baby and Dolly had long been accustomed to eating out of the same bowl at the same time. This new bowl was deep, but not wide and only one cat could eat at a time. Where there are two hungry cats, watch out!

Since Baby was the biggest, he quickly ran to eat, but Dolly didn’t sit by patiently waiting to eat. She quickly stuck in her paw to pull out some food. (Strangely enough, that is how Dolly likes to eat. She usually picks up the ration and eats it out of her paw.) That irritated Baby who began to growl and before you knew what was really happening, the two of them were fighting. Several times their fighting over the food caused the dish to tip over into the water, which made the food spoil. If I didn’t notice it right away, the two of them went a long time without food.

It seemed as if Baby was thinking something like: “If Dolly gets food, then I lose!” Dolly happened to be thinking the same thing. So they both lost and went hungry. Sometimes it seemed like we were going to have an eternal fight between them. They reminded me of an athlete I heard talking once. She said; “I don’t go into any championship in order to lose. The only thing that counts is winning.” For her there are only two things that happen in a competition. One person wins and the other person loses. That athlete was thinking just like Baby and Dolly.

I, however, think differently. I think that two people can win or two can lose. In the case of my cats, when they fought over the food, both of them ended up losing.

Just to prove my cats are not stupid, they eventually worked out a solution. Now Baby eats first, which makes sense because he is very chubby and is always hungry. While he is chewing his food, Dolly puts her paw into the dish, takes out some pieces of cat food and spreads it around on the ground. She then picks up a piece at a time and eats it as she wishes, while Baby sticks his head down in the dish. The two of them learned to cooperate with another, each waiting their turn. Both of them end up winning, because they can eat as much as they want, without fighting. It is a win-win situation.

If cats can learn to cooperate, why can’t people? Instead of fighting over who is winning or who won the game, why not just have fun and enjoy playing with your friends. Instead of insisting on being first in line, why can’t everyone wait their turn? Instead of having to be right and have things your way, why can’t everyone work together for the best solution to a problem? The Bible teaches us that we “co-workers” together with God (1 Corinthians 3:9). Why can’t we just try cooperating more and competing less? I always find it a lot more fun to be with people who cooperate than with a group of grumpy people who are always fighting. That must be much more pleasing to God’s eyes as well.

Chapter Ten of Cats Are Cool

Special Friends

It wasn’t easy, for Baby was not enchanted with his little sister, Dolly, but gradually he did learn to accept her. Not only did he learn to accept her, but the two of them became inseparable. Dolly was so relieved. Not only because Baby stopped beating her up, but because she had been lonely at our house. Soon Baby began to clean Dolly with her tongue (a sure sign of friendship between cats) and Dolly began to curl up and sleep in Baby’s arms. One day I even saw Dolly cleaning Baby. Wow the two of them had come a long way. The two of them even worked out a system of eating together without fighting.

I began to notice that Baby thought Dolly was his baby kitty. He watched over her and even seemed to protect her. One day Dolly was able to squeeze out of a window we had left partially opened. She was so small it wasn’t too hard for her, but of course the ever chubby Baby wouldn’t begin to fit. He ran to me and began to cry and cry. He would walk away and then back to me and cry. I finally got the idea he wanted something, so I followed him to the front door. I found Dolly on the other side of the door, crying to get back inside. What a good babysitter he turned out to be.

The two of them run all over the house together. The both sleep together in the same chair. When Dolly had surgery, the vet said she should be separated from Baby because he might accidentally hurt her, since she was still groggy. I put her in a special bed in the bathroom where she could sleep in peace. Baby cried and cried. The next morning when I went to check on her, I found Baby sleeping by her side, protecting her again. Somehow he had climbed to a window that led to the bathroom and pushed on the window until he got it open and crawled in to be at her side.

With so much love, Dolly has really grown. She is taller than Baby now. Of course, with so much special care, you could expect such growth. She has a safe house to live in. She has food. She has a special “body-guard” and she gets a lot of love.

That kind of reminds me of my church. I’ll explain. Dolly grew and is healthy because she had just the right ingredients. People in my church also grow because of the right ingredients. For instance, Dolly needs food. Christians also need food to grow spiritually. That food is what we call spiritual food. It is things like Bible study, sermons, worship services, discipleship classes, all that help a person understand more about God. When someone understands and acts more and more like God wants, we say that this person is growing spiritually.

Another thing that helps Dolly to grow are the games she plays with Baby, and the special friendship they share. People in church also need the attention of other church members. New Christians in the church need that kind of friendship in a special way. When someone new arrives at church, they are happier and more willing to return when others treat them kindly, like a friend. People in church should be friends. If the folks at church are fighting, or just don’t care about each other, you can be sure that church won’t grow. Just like Baby accepts and treats Dolly with respect and love, so people at church should treat one another.

Now I have a question for you. Are you helping your church grow? Are you growing spiritually by participating in Bible study and worship and other activities? Are you being a friend to others? Are you praying for the other members of your church? Is there someone in your church that you can help? I hope you are being a wonderful friend to others in your church, like Baby is being a wonderful friend to Dolly.

When Sin Gets Personal

In the aftermath of 9/11, many religious leaders (including Anne Graham Lotz) made statements about America suffering punishment for their many sins, that included things like taking prayer out of schools, acceptance of homosexuality, etc. That, in fact, is NOT good theology, because if a country's sin were the cause of God's punishment, then countries like Sudan would have been blasted off the face of the earth, or even Brazil with all their carnality and idolatry would have bombed as well. That doesn't mean I don't believe that 9/11 was NOT the result of sin, or even the consequence of sin, but I don't believe that God killed those 2000 people to send a telegram to Americans to put prayer in public schools! Nor do I believe we can make an analogy between Biblical Israel and America. Israel was the nation-elect, the people God chose. America is anything but that.
What is so ironic to me is that so far I haven't heard a single preacher talking about America's punishment with this recent financial crisis that is being faced. Haven't heard too much on personal moral failure lately. Have heard some on how to cope with the financial crisis. I think I know why. It's about personal sin, not about some collective failure or sin we can blame on the legislature or the "heathens" or other groups, so we don't feel to comfortable pointing the finger at anyone when it points at us too.
Today, as I read in the book of Isaiah, it was like the the words popped out at me - this is what is happening right now. Isaiah 5:8-9 says: "Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land. The LORD Almighty has declared in my hearing: "Surely the great houses will become desolate, the fine mansions left without occupants." Seems like unmitigated greed is not a good thing.
Hum... now how might that apply to America's current crisis? Now let's see? Why in the world does any human being need the kind of space that many American families posses? Why in the world is it necessary to acquire the kind of debt that many American's have? Could it be GREED? Could wanting more than you can afford possibly be a sin? Could it be saying that most Americans don't believe God isn't all sufficient and they need something more? Nah... couldn't be that. It's just the great American dream - I can have it all. Or is it?
Maybe there is a price to be paid for spending what we don't have. Maybe the financial crisis all of America faces is the result of personal sin. Maybe we religious leaders have failed when we have not called our people to task for a sin so often condemned in God's word. Maybe I too am guilty of this same sin when I casually say "put in on my VISA", when I don't need "it", but I WANT it.
Oops, getting too personal there.
I have watched and sometimes worried and sometimes been very sad at seeing the debacle that is happening in the US banks. What I have not done is pray to be more holy. I have not prayed for repentance for my nation and for an uprising of Christian leaders who say that this ridiculously luxurious lifestyle MUST stop. Nor have I been willing to say that I and many others are suffering for the sin of greed and its horrible consequences and taking many innocents in its wake. The sin is personal. The results are global.
And that's my sermon for the week.

Chapter Nine of Cats Are Cool

Baby Gets a Sister

Baby was creating quite a problem at our house. He REALLY hated being alone. When I left for work in the morning, he followed me to the door and then he began to bite me at the heels. In fact, whenever we got ready to leave him, he became quite aggressive, biting us. It was beginning to worry us. Obviously he was unhappy about being alone, but we couldn’t stay home all the time, just to be with him.
One day my husband and I came home with a big box. Inside the box, was supposed to be the solution to our problem with Baby. When I walked in the door, I sat the box on the floor. As usual, Baby was waiting for us. When Baby saw the box and what was inside of it, he lost interest in us. He began to examine the box and its contents with a thoroughness I had never seen. He sniffed. He looked. He got close. He backed off. He cried a little. He acted absolutely terrified and was very nervous.
You probably have already guessed what was inside the box. It was Baby’s new little sister. She was a small white cat, with black patches all over her body. She was ten weeks old, just the right age to be Baby’s little sister. Her name was Dolly. She was so small and scared to be in this new house. All she wanted was to be loved and cared for. On Baby’s part, nothing doing! It was definitely hate at first sight.
I was so disappointed. I thought that he would be thrilled to have another cat to keep him company. I should have known there would be problems. After all, Baby hadn’t been around cats very much. Remember, he was abandoned by his mother and raised by a dog. Poor Baby just didn’t know what to do with another cat. Dolly wasn’t a dog and wasn’t a human, so what was she? He decided very quickly that she was the ENEMY! He was terrified of her, but determined to be rid of her as soon as possible.
During the first few hours, Baby didn’t exactly get close to Dolly. He circled her, he smelled her scent, but he didn’t touch her. He just wasn’t sure what to do with her. He soon began to growl and arch his back. He didn’t take long before he attacked. He quickly reached out his paw and gave her a good swipe across the nose. Dolly simply cowered in the corner. Soon we began to think we would have to change her name to Scar-Face.
Baby just wouldn’t accept Dolly because he was afraid of her, because he wanted to defend his own territory and because he just didn’t know what to do with another cat. He actually was showing prejudice. He didn’t know what she was, so he rejected her.
We sometimes do exactly the same thing. When someone has skin a different color, speaks another language or even has different habits than we do, we may feel curious, but we may also reject them. In most cases we don’t growl or scratch them, but we may tell a joke, make fun of them, or simply snub them as a friend. Sometimes we may even demonstrate fear when a person is really different.
The Bible teaches us that “if you show favoritism, you sin”. That means that you treat people differently based on appearances. And that is prejudice – forming on opinion about someone without really knowing him. That’s how Baby acted when he met Dolly. I felt kind of ashamed when I remember the times I had rejected someone that I didn’t yet know. I am, after all, a person who can think before I act, different from a cat!
Things got so bad between the two of them, that I couldn’t leave them alone. Dolly slept and ate in a room that was separated from Baby’s. Too bad, for Baby was missing out on a lot of fun and some very good company. Still, I couldn’t very well force him to be Dolly’s friend. God doesn’t force me to treat people fairly, but he does help me to conquer my prejudices. Why don’t you look around and see if there isn’t someone near you who needs a friend? Hopefully you can be different than Baby!

Nature at its best

This weekend I was in Espírito Santo to speak at the Baptist Women's Camp. I hadn't been back to speak at one of their events for over 10 years. My very first field of service in Brazil was in Espírito Santo, but I left there over 20 years ago. I was pleased to see several very old and dear friends, sad to know many others were no longer living or well enough to be active. Time does march on! When they asked the women who remembered me, there were few at the camp who did. I consider that a very good sign, because most of the women at the camp were far too young to remember someone who led the work 25 years ago. The Baptist camp was little changed, although some upgrades had been made here and there. I was especially happy that we hot showers and electricity after 10 PM! Definitely a big improvement!
I had worked very hard to get ready for the four messages. Since I don't do much speaking anymore, it seems I am out of practice so it took more time than ever to prepare the messages. One of the hardest parts is deciding on what Scripture passage and what message to preach. That was a challenge with the theme presented to me. It had to do with the centenniel of Baptist women, together with the challenge of reaching new generations.
I had my afternoon free on Saturday, so I enjoyed the nature at the camp, which is smack dab on a mountain range. It was very cool, since we are just into spring here. When I get out of the asphalt jungle I live in, I am glad to see green. I thought I would share the photo of the banana tree (isn't it beautiful?), the lagoon at the camp (sorry the swans wouldn't cooperate to get in the photo), and the azaleas. Now the big question... do you know what fruit I photographed on the left photo? I know, but do you? I am so sorry they weren't in season as I love them! I have also thrown in a photo of a green coconut, on a palm tree, just so you would know what they look like. They have an organic garden at the camp and we enjoyed lots of vegetables fresh from the garden. Some you would recognize, others would be foreign to you.
On Saturday night we had out "blow out" party to celebrate the 100 years of our Woman's Missionary Union in Brazil. I am posing with one of the young women at the camp. Isn't it great that our women's work there isn't just lol (little old ladies in tennis shoes)?
I had lots of talks with old friends and made a number of new friends. I had forgotten how very warm and friendly the folks of Espírito Santo really are. Made me homesick for those days.
It was a great experience and I am thrilled I had it. It's good to have old memories and make new ones too.

Chapter Eight of Cats are Cool

Baby, the Sheep

“Run, Baby! It’s our car.” And there goes Baby streaking down the steps like a bullet to arrive at the front door before his “master”, my husband gets there.

He is so cute, because it’s just about the only time he moves really fast. Baby likes to lie around, especially close by me. When I am working on the computer, he likes to lie in my lap, or in the chair right beside me. When I’m not home, he lies right on my husband’s feet. The thing he hates most in the world is when we are both gone. When we leave, he follows us to door, tries to go with us and when he can’t, he jumps up onto the windowsill and watches us leaving, crying the whole time. As soon as we get home, he is at the door, doing his little “coming home” dance.

One of the things we noticed is that Baby knows the sound of our car. When any other car comes up the hill where we live, he could care less. He only budges when he is sure it is our car. I don’t know how he does it. For a short time, one of the neighbors had a car just like ours. Whenever I heard it, I was sure it was my husband coming in the driveway. Not Baby. When he heard that car, he would lift his head, cock his ears, then lie back down. The sound may have fooled me, but not Baby. He only runs downstairs to the front door when it is our car.

Sometimes, when the house was all closed up, with the air conditioning on, and Baby was sound asleep, I would be startled to see him jump up and go to the door. I didn’t know why until I heard my husband calling out his greetings a few minutes later. I didn’t hear a thing, but Baby did. He knows the sound of our car and when we are arriving home.

Jesus said in John 10:14: “"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” (NIV) The shepherd cares for his sheep and the sheep know the shepherd’s voice. That’s like Baby. We take care of him and he knows us. He can distinguish the sound of our car from all the other cars on our street.

Jesus doesn’t really talk to sheep, however. He’s talking about his followers, those people who believe in Him. He’s comparing himself to the shepherd and the Christians to the sheep. The Christians love and know Jesus, like the sheep love and know their shepherd. Jesus cares for the Christians like the shepherd cares for the sheep. The sheep know their shepherd, so the Christian should know Jesus.

How can the Christian know Jesus? There are a lot of ways. How does the sheep know the shepherd, or how did Baby get to recognize the sound of our car? By spending time together and association. That is to say, Baby paid attention to the sound of our car every time we arrived, because that was important to him. He waited and listened for us. After so many times, it just became easier and easier for Baby to recognize the sound of our car.

We can spend time with Jesus by reading the Bible, which is one way he “talks” to us. We can spend time with Jesus talking to him, through our prayers. We can even learn more about Jesus through classes and worship services at our church. The more time we spend with Him, the better we get to know him and the more our friendship grows.

So, how well do you know Jesus? Would you like to know Him better? Go for it! Just like Baby knows us well, we can know Jesus well and feel like He is our best friend.

Every time I see Baby at the door, waiting for me to come in and play with him, I am reminded of the fact that Jesus is waiting for me to spend time with him. Baby is my “sheep” waiting for me to care for him, and I am Jesus’ sheep that cares for me. Works out nicely, don’t you think?