Category: Connection

Posted on

Lessons from the Ballpark – Part II

As a booster, whether working as an usher, greeter, program salesperson or in some other capacity, our job is to create “WOW” moments for all those who enter the ballpark gates. The goal is to treat fans to such exceptional service that we leave them speechless! Though easier said than done at times, we strive to make that happen.

Rising to the Challenge

As supervisor of the ushers, I got an up close and personal look at a variety of situations encountered by our ushers, presenting them with an opportunity to create that WOW moment. It was gratifying to witness the different ways our boosters stepped up and met the challenge.

Sun vs. Shade

I won’t bore you with the many different scenarios that crop up over the course of the season, but I will share one with you. Weather makes ALL the difference at the ballpark. A seat in the sun is the preferred location some days. But on other days, that same seat causes misery. The same is true of the seats in the shade. Obviously, the weather is beyond our control; however, depending on the size of the crowd, we are sometimes able to relocate fans to a more desirable seat. No matter the situation, some ushers are more lenient than others regarding people not sitting in their ticketed seat. That’s just an observation, not condemnation or approval of the practice. I’ve been on both sides of that scenario and there really is no “one size fits all” approach.

Lesson II

My next revelation formulated during Spring Training applies to that situation and every other one that presented itself throughout the season. Here’s what I decided:
If we all treated others the way that we’d want to be treated, a lot of problems could be avoided.
I believe Jesus told us as much! In what is referred to as the Golden Rule, Jesus had this to say:
“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”
‭‭ Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬
As I write this, I can almost hear Pastor Dave saying, “It’s simple, but it ain’t easy.” How true! Have you noticed that it’s easier to receive grace than extend it? Me too.
No matter our role, this should be our goal. Jesus set the bar high. Let’s reach for the sky!
Posted on

Road Closed

Obstacle Ahead

ROAD CLOSED—This is NOT a sign you want to see in the early part of a 1000+ mile journey home after being away for over three months. Actually, I’m not sure it is EVER a sign you want to see. I only know that it was particularly painful yesterday. I wasn’t sure we would ever get out of Florida! All lanes  on I-95 N were closed due to an accident just north of Jacksonville. So, we had to exit and find our way back with several thousand of our closest friends. You can imagine our delight!

An Alternate Route

My husband, Todd, doesn’t generally let me do much of the driving, but he succumbed when he had had enough of evading the obstacle keeping us from our intended route. I suggested that I take a turn behind the wheel so he could take a nap. I assured him that I wouldn’t fall asleep in such driving conditions. So, I drove. He slept. We covered 0.8 miles in the process! Finally, we made it  back to I-95 and were on our way again. By midnight we had conquered the rest of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, stopping off for the night in Elkin, NC.

Responding to Obstacles

I’m always asking God for writing material. After an altered night of sleep due to our late night, it came in the form of the Verse of the Day in YouVersion first thing this morning. As we reflect on the last week of Jesus’ earthly life, we revisited the story of Jesus going to the Temple in today’s verse. Like us yesterday, He encountered obstacles. Also, like us, He responded with anger. Okay, His was righteous. Ours, not so much. Instead of the Temple being used for its intended purpose—worshiping God, it was being used to take advantage of those who traveled to Jerusalem for that very reason.

Jesus went into the Temple area. He threw out all those who were selling and buying things there. He turned over the tables that belonged to those who were exchanging different kinds of money. And he turned over the benches of those who were selling doves. Jesus said to them, “The Scriptures say, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are changing it into a ‘hiding place for thieves.’”

Matthew 21:12-13 ERV

Theft

The people who came to the Temple for worship were being robbed, in multiple ways. First, the merchants were selling animals needed for sacrifice at excessive amounts, priced too high for many of the travelers to afford. That led to a second type of robbery—a spiritual robbery. Those who could not meet the asking price were excluded from worship, unable to pray and connect with God at the Temple. The merchants and religious leaders had filled the Temple with obstacles, keeping the poor and vulnerable from God’s very presence.

Clearing the Path

Jesus would have NONE of that! In His anger, He single-handedly cleared the Temple of all man-made obstacles blocking people’s access to God. That was a temporary act, leading to His ultimate act, one that has eternity stamped on it. Jesus tore down every obstacle standing in our path to God when He went to the cross on our behalf to pay the penalty for our sin. The obstacle is gone, the road is open, never to be closed again. Thank you, Jesus!

If you haven’t yet chosen this road, please know that it is an open invitation and one you’ll never regret accepting. I know how thrilled we were to get back on I-95 and get moving yesterday, yet it pales in comparison to the joy of being in relationship with God, only made possible through Jesus. May you know that same joy!

 

Posted on

Blurry Vision

See the source image

Earlier this week, I went for my annual eye exam and vision test. Once upon a time I had that eye chart memorized from all my trips to the ophthalmologist, but not anymore.

I had LASIK a number of years ago and never expected to need glasses or contacts ever again. Then I hit middle age! In the last few years, I found myself in need of trifocals because I couldn’t see well from any distance! It was somewhat concerning that my distance vision was in need of more correction with each yearly exam.

A Change in Prescription

When my eye doctor asked me to read the third line down on Monday and I had to guess, I knew I was in trouble. I wasn’t completely surprised since my vision has seemed somewhat blurry for a while now. The exam continued—better 1? better 2?….you know the drill. When it was all over, I was left speechless, but not for the reason you might think. It turns out that I could see the eye chart better with my naked eye than with the prescription of my current glasses! My vision has actually IMPROVED since last year, with no real explanation. But guess what? Blurry is blurry! It doesn’t matter if the prescription is too strong or too weak. If it isn’t the right one, the vision isn’t clear!

So, how is your vision? Can you see enough to take your next step without stumbling? Do you need more light on the subject to make things more clear? If your vision is blurry, I know just the prescription for you—His Word!

“Your word is like a lamp that shows me the way. It is like a light that guides me.”

Psalm 119:105 NIRV

The Bible is like an instruction manual for this thing called life. God knows we need it! And as always, He provides. His word guides us and shows us the way forward.

Instructions Necessary

I’m currently reading the instruction manual for our new microwave. What a great read—LOL! I will admit that I started using the microwave before consulting the manual. I found out the hard way that microwaves have come a long way in 34 years. Let’s just say I did my share of cleaning up messes last week!

First or Last?

After purchasing something new, do you read the instruction manual first, or only as a last resort? How about when life presents challenges? Do you seek God’s direction through His Word first, or only after you’ve tried (and failed) to solve the problem yourself? Admittedly, I often approach my problems much like the microwave. I try to figure it out myself first because I think I can handle it. Do I think God can’t? Do I not want to bother Him with my petty problems? What is my reason for getting it backwards? If you can relate, what is yours? It seems I give myself too much credit and don’t give God enough! I think they call that pride.

“Every scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for showing mistakes, for correcting, and for training character, so that the person who belongs to God can be equipped to do everything that is good.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17 CEB

How is that for purpose?? If His word can do all that, we would be fools to ignore it! This passage inspires me to sit the microwave directions aside and dive deeper into His word so I can look more like Jesus. All I need is my new glasses so I can see those directions clearly!

Posted on

Source

My Word for 2021

It’s that time of year again—time to choose a word and verse for the new year! Unlike last year, this word came to me rather quickly…and directly. In fact, it all started before I even went to church on the first Sunday of 2021. The devotional I used that morning talked about God as my SOURCE. I remember making a mental note of that word before I headed off to church. When my pastor announced his word and verse for the new year during the service, he encouraged us to choose ours too. At that time, I put the word SOURCE in my message notes as a definite possibility for 2021.

The Confirmation

Several years ago, I read a book written by Lysa TerKeurst titled, “What Happens When Women Say Yes to God.” In this book, Lysa devoted a chapter to how we can determine if God is speaking to us by asking ourselves five questions. One of those questions is to ask yourself if you are hearing the same thing from different sources. The very next day, the word SOURCE came up again in the daily story in YouVersion. By this time, I was feeling pretty confident that my word for the year was to be SOURCE. The kicker is what happened next though. After my quiet time with God, I went upstairs to get a shower. When I stepped in, there was a freshly unwrapped cake of soap waiting for me with the word SOURCE written on it. If you aren’t an Aldi shopper, that is the brand name of their soap. That was confirmation enough for me! I literally laughed out loud and said, “Ok, God, I get the message!”

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 15:5 NIV

Selecting My Verse

The verse for 2021 was not quite as obvious, as many could serve as a reminder that God is my SOURCE. I had it narrowed down to three and finally settled on the verse above, John 15:5, just over a week ago. This happened to be the same day that my dad was admitted to the hospital and I was 1000 miles away from him. What a helpless feeling! With my mind racing and my emotions all over the map, I certainly needed the reminder that God is my SOURCE. He is the SOURCE of everything I need. The list is extensive, but peace was my greatest need that day. As always, the Prince of Peace provided. What I want you to take away from this post is not my word and verse for the year, but rather that He is the SOURCE of everything you need too.

Our Part and His Part

The Bible is packed with promises from God. Many of those promises come with a condition though. We are not just passive observers; we have a role to play. In John 15:5, our assignment is to stay connected to God. If a branch is separated from the vine, it’s dead wood. And that makes it powerless to bear fruit. Apart from Jesus, we are also powerless. He is our power SOURCE! The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22). It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that others will see this fruit on display in the lives of His children. That is assuming we do our part. To bear fruit, we must remain connected to the SOURCE of our power.

Bear It and Eat It

All this talk of fruit is making me hungry for a different kind. I’m dreaming of my next trip to the strawberry farm. I find this fruit especially delicious this time of year in Florida, especially when shortcake and ice cream are connected to those strawberries!

Can you taste it?