FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

Memorial to Coach Fei

     She tried to kill herself. Lynn tried really hard. She saved enough pills to do the job. She waited until her husband would not be home for more than 12 hours. She took the pills and laid down to die. BUT he came home thirty minutes early. Her body was in the throes of death, but had not reached heaven's gates.

     It was 2008. The bottom had fallen out of the housing market. The family construction business went bankrupt. Her son-in-law was forced to leave the state to find another job taking her only child and two grandchildren with him. In the middle of a tumultuous marriage, she lost her family, her house, her livelihood and her standing in the community. The mental illness she struggled with most of her life overwhelmed her. No one needed her. She lost all hope. Lynn made a plan, took the pills and lost consciousness.

     She spent 3 days in a coma and eventually recovered enough to go home. She sought counseling, treatment and medication for bi-polar disorder. She struggled to understand why God didn't let her die. Was she not good enough to be with Him? She battled to find a reason to go on living. She made a choice to get up every morning and find a reason.

     A phone call on the afternoon of February 14, 2018 reminded Lynn that God always had a plan for her.  Her terrified daughter called asking for prayer. Both grandchildren were on lock down at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Lynn reached out to her prayer chain. We began to intercede for all the children, staff, and even the shooter.  

     Lynn's granddaughter heard shots fired and stayed crouched down with her classmates for four hours until led out by police. Her grandson was being interviewed by college football recruiters when the shooter walked by. The shooter killed his favorite football coach. Lynn's grandchildren survived with no physical scars, but lost 14 friends and three staff members.

            Lynn and her husband, Mark, spent all afternoon watching the news for updates. Relief swept over them when they heard the children were safe and the shooter apprehended.  When her daughter called and said, "Momma, would you please come?" Lynn automatically responded, "We'll be there as quick as we can."

            Early the next morning Lynn and her husband made the nine-hour road trip to Parkland to help in whatever way they could. When they arrived their grandson asked Mark to help him build a cross to memorialize Coach Feis. Together they went to Home Depot for supplies. They did not have to pay for anything. Home Depot donated all the materials. Grandfather and grandson worked together to create a memorial to a wonderful man and strengthened their own bond. The manual task served to ease the pain of loss.

     Both grandchildren were interviewed on national television about the shooting. They  represented their family and their faith in a mature and impressive manner.

     Lynn stayed the rest of the week to make it possible for her daughter and grandson to attend an previously scheduled scholarship interview out of state. He got the scholarship.

     Lynn did what she considered little things. She cooked favorite comfort foods, she did laundry and she let her 15-year-old granddaughter practice driving. Lynn lightened the grief by planning surprise outings. She took her granddaughter to the beach to get out of town and away from the trauma site. Another day she took her to a movie but not until they stopped at the Dollar Store to load up on candy.

     She took her granddaughter shopping. Sadly it was for funeral clothes.  Lynn attended several funerals with her granddaughter. The name that might be familiar to you is that of  her friend Peter Wang. Peter, a brave ROTC cadet, held the door while other students escaped to safety.

Lynn's presence lent a comforting and calming atmosphere and a safe place to cry and vent. Perhaps she was born for such a time as this.

     The Bible is full of stories of strong women. My favorite is Esther a beautiful young Jewess who risked her life to serve God and save her people. An orphaned child raised by her older cousin Mordecai, she became the queen of the Persian Empire.

Through an incredible act of bravery Esther saved her people from being completely annihilated, but not before Mordecai challenged her:

"Don't think for a moment that because you're at the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?" Esther 4:13-14 NLV

     Two things stand out for me: God would deliver the Jews one way or another and/or, Esther could chose a divine destiny. Esther chose a "for-such-a-time-as-this-moment" to save her people and cement her place in history.

     I feel certain we all have a Moment where we are positioned in a particular place at a specific time for His purpose. For most of us it is not a history-cementing-moment. However small the Moment may be, it might change someone's life.

     We can only surmise how this story could have been different if Lynn had been successful in her suicide attempt. I know how my sister's three boys reacted to her suicide. None of it is pretty. Alcohol, drug abuse and jail time followed for them. Thirteen years later they are still tormented by her death.

     I'm so glad Lynn failed in her attempt. So is her family because she was there for such a time as this.

All the Money in the World

I left the theater a little sad and depressed after viewing the movie, "All the Money In The World." I'm old enough to vaguely remember the kidnapping of J. Paul Getty's grandson. It horrified me to think a grandfather would allow his purportedly favorite grandson's ear to be cut off rather than part with a tiny portion of his fortune. I would give my life for any one of my grandchildren, but then I don't have a fortune with which to part. Was J. Paul Getty really that greedy?

By the definition of greed--An inordinate or insatiable longing for unneeded excess, especially for excess wealth, status, power, or food--I suppose he was greedy. He had billions of dollars by today's calculations. Billions of which he never shared with any charity.

In contrast is the story of the poor widow :in the book of Luke:

21 And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, ² and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. ³ So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; ⁴ for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God,^[a] but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”

The poverty stricken widow gave what little she had to help others. It amazes me that she could imagine anyone needing money more than she did. Her confidence that God would provide allowed her to give everything she had away.

I believe J Paul Getty suffered from a spirit of poverty which kept him oppressed. He tied his self-worth to his money. His billions did not give him the value he desired. His father told him he would never amount to anything and would ruin the company. He married and divorced five times. His philosophy seems to have been, "It's mine! All mine!" He had to hang on to his money because without it he was nothing.  Money did not bring him happiness or contentment. Poor, poor man.

I'm not to the point of giving everything I have away. God hasn't called me to do that, but I do strive to be more like the widow than the richest man in the world. Just something I was thinking about....

God's Waterboy-Jay Gardner

By the age of 15 Jay had moved 15 times to seven states with two of those years in Puerto Rico. All the moves made him the new kid in school and a target for bullies. Gifted with strong arms, Jay learned to defend himself. He also learned to drink and smoke a joint with teenagers at the tender age of seven.

 He had aspirations to become a football player but an injury in high school crushed his dreams. He joined the Navy and went on to become the Light Heavyweight Champion in the West PAC. He enjoyed success, celebrity, and acclaim along with partying, drinking and drugs.  As it turned out his handlers belonged to the Yakuza, a criminal gang in Japan. 

Married with two beautiful children, Jay returned to Georgia where he won two Golden Gloves and a Georgia Tough Man competition. Sadly, the Tough Man couldn't beat the drugs and alcohol. A spiritual hurricane of an ugly divorce, drug addiction, and a crime spree led him to a prison sentence of 20 years with no parole.  BUT God....
 Jay observed the necklace of another inmate and asked where he got the beads to make it.  He was shocked to find the beads were made of scraps of paper, glued and then varnished. In his prison cell Jay contemplated this wonder. God spoke to his heart to draw the parallel of the pages of his life having been ripped and torn and how God could take Jay's life pages and create something beautiful...A hope, peace and strength in life's journey.
From that revelation in prison came Jay's B.A.R.S. (Beads and Reflections and/or Breaking Attitude/Addiction Reviving Souls). These beads are given with this Mission Statement:

Share buckets of hope,

peace and strength with 

a thirsty and hurting world.

We can't change the 

world, but one act of

 kindness can change

 someone's world.

Today, be kind and share

B.A.R.S. with someone.

My bracelet is going to a loved one who going to be deployed to a war zone for four months along with my prayers for protection, hope, peace and strength in the journey.

If you want to know more about this ministry or ask Jay to speak to your group or church, you can reach him at Jaygardnergwb@gmail.com.

Be a Blessing. Receive a Blessing!

I have had some beautiful blessings in the past few weeks. These blessings revived my spirits and caused me to feel hopeful about the world. They didn't come as a tangible gift or a compliment. No, each of these blessings came from serving another.

If you want to help someone you don't have to look any further than your local discount store. I don't mean people in need of money or fashion advice, just people trying to get through life. In the past two weeks I've found opportunities to assist in unexpected ways. In both instances the persons needing aid were elderly (that means older than me) women with scooter issues.

One lady rode her scooter into the bathroom and couldn't back it out. Every time she tried to back out of the bathroom she hit the front wall, reversed, hit the back wall, went forward and hit the wall again. For 10 minutes she bounced off the walls. I finally talked her into getting off the scooter and leaning on me while a young woman pushed the scooter out of the bathroom. As she leaned heavily on me and the wall, I realized she could not hold herself up for long. Perhaps she had suffered a stroke in the past, I don't know. We got her back on her scooter and on her way.

The next week, another lady. She struggled in the clothing racks with a scooter which would start and stop, but not when she wanted it to. Alerted by the backup beeping and frustrated sighs, I approached her and asked if she needed help. She explained her frustration and I offered to get another one for her.The shock on her face surprised me. "Oh, I couldn't asked you to do that," she said. There wasn't another working scooter at the front of the store, so I found one in the parking lot and rode it back in. The snail's pace of the scooter reminded me of how helpless I felt when I had to use one. After trading out the scooters, I walked away. "You have been such a blessing," she said. My heart soared.

What if we made it our goal each day to bless someone?  It doesn't have to be done on a grand scale. Be aware of the people around you, especially in public. Smile, open a door, let someone go in front of you at a checkout line. Enjoy the shock and surprise of your fellow human.

Thank you, Lord. It takes so little effort to give and receive a blessing.

Giving Tuesday!

Did your Thanksgiving feast include more leftovers than you could possibly eat? Ours did! My son-in-law baked a 20-pound turkey for the four of us. Obviously more than we could eat, but we had a plan. A plan to give.

We tried to serve at a homeless shelter and other charitable organizations but they were fully staffed with volunteers, so we did our own thing. We used our "plan overs" to make individual bag lunches for the homeless. The homeless are not worthless. We tried to make a meal that would be a tiny feast for each one. 

Everyone pitched in and the dog waited patiently
to clean up any dropped tidbits.

My Sweetheart carved up the beautiful bird.

Son made turkey sandwiches on hearty sunflower bread.

I made GigiSnaps!

Bagged 'em up!

Son-in-law washed and dried the apples!

Set up our assembly line of 30 bags.
With our sandwich, apple and cookies,
we included a bag of chips, mayo and mustard
 packets, a holiday napkin, and a handwritten note!
Oh, and a Wet Wipe!

Put them in totes for easy distribution.

Found a park with willing recipients.

In five minutes or less all those lunches disappeared.

We learned from our new friends that they eat well on the holidays and most weekends. However, food is scarce on the weekdays. Don't wait for a holiday. Do your own thing whenever it works for you. Teach your children to give back. It brought us so much joy. The only sad thing was that we didn't do more. 

Happy holidays!

Life in the Bubble

In March we moved to a lovely community in Peachtree City, Georgia.The town encircles a nature preserve which offers frequent views of deer, squirrels, box turtles,and an occasional raccoon. Almost a hundred miles of cart paths wind through the forest, around lakes and golf courses. A relaxing evening for us consists of a cart ride to dinner and a stop along the lake to watch the sun go down.Peace envelopes us.

The teenagers nicknamed Peachtree City as "The Bubble." Their logic being, "There's nothing to do here." That makes me smile. Yes, there is a strong police presence. You will get a speeding ticket for going more than 40 mph.I am very grateful for that.Independent businesses thrive because box stores are limited.No movie theater exists within the city limits, but there is community involvement like I have not seen in decades.

On Halloween night our neighbors set up chairs and tables at the end of their driveways to dole out generous amounts of confectionery delights.Families decorated their carts and delivered scores of children to enjoy "drive-thru" trick-or-treating.Attracted by the brilliant orange lights outlining our cart, neighbors dropped by to introduce themselves. I might never have met them. Downside--I can no longer leave the house without make-up because I now know my neighbors.

Life in the Peachtree City Bubble does not protect me from political and social drama.The most distressing conflicts are those within the Christian world. The Enemy loves to watch us tear each other apart.If we do not extend mercy and grace to each other what can unbelievers expect from us? Not much.

My life in the Bubble must include God. Faith makes things possible, not easy. My trust is in Him. What does me expect from me?

He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
Except to be just, and to love[and to diligently practice]
kindness (compassion),
And to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown
sense of importance or self-righteousness]? Micah 6:8 (AMP)

That's pretty simple. Would you join me in praying for an extra measure of grace to let go of "any overblown sense of importance." If we let go of that, I believe it will release us from the anxiety and fear of judgment by others as we no longer judge them.

How to Avoid a Zombie Apocalypse!!!

A friend of mine said based on what she saw in the news and posted on social media a zombie apocalypse is imminent!! The news is full of the worst of mankind: bombings; riots; and, intolerance of every kind. Then there is the election! I can't EVEN!We don't need zombies to finish off civilization. We are doing a pretty good job all by ourselves.

The only way to avoid a Zombie Apocalypse and beat evil is cover each other in love.A random act of kindness is a seed of love. Just a small thing, planted one at a time.

One of my favorite things to do is to pay for the food of the car behind me in a drive-through. It brings me so much joy and excitement, I've been known to drive off without my food.

If I change my mind about purchasing an item, I return it to the shelf or give it to a clerk. I return my shopping cart to the bin and sometimes, stray carts as well. When shopping I place fallen clothing to the hanger. No one knows about this small deed, but I get a rush knowing I made some clerk's day a little easier. No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

Peter said: "I make the Master proud of me by being a good citizen. I respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God's emissaries for keeping order. It is God's will that by doing good, I might cure the ignorance of the fools who think I'm a danger to society. I exercise my freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. I treat everyone I meet with dignity. I love my spiritual family, revere God, and respect the government. 1 Peter 2:13-17 (The Message)

Leave me a message here or on Facebook and let me know if you found a way to be randomly kind. I promise it will bring you joy.

Here are some other suggestions which I found at www.daretobeanangel.com:

	Compliment a stranger sincerely
	Write a thank you note to someone
	Look around you that can be fixed up, picked up, or attended ie, put shopping carts up, pick up some trash laying around, pick up something that has fallen over
	Give a lottery ticket to a stranger
	Send handmade cards or a letter to someone you care for
	Write a note to management or someone who has treated you nice while doing their job (waiter, clerk, sales person...ect.)
	when you go somewhere to get or do something, ask someone around you if you can pick up, drop off or do something for them while you do
	Cut coupons out and leave them at the grocer register for others
	Cut an article out of the newspaper that would interest a friend and mail it to them.
	Put together a writing kit with stationery, envelopes and stamps, pen and give to hospital/nursing home
	Put a comment on someone's webpage that you really like...... let them know you enjoy it
	Send a card to someone in the military overseas
	Start a conversation up with a co-worker that you don't know
	Leave something cheery or nice for all your co-workers (in spring bag of seeds, fun post-its, fun office supplies
	Put change in a row of vending machines
	Visit a nursing home. Spend time visiting with someone who doesn't get visitors
	Put something you no longer need on Craig's list free spot for your area
	Leave something for someone at an area where it most might be used, (book in reading area, umbrella near door on rainy day)
	Leave a book you have already finished somewhere for someone else to read.
	Drop off a toy or game at a hospital
	Drop off a toy or game at a homeless shelter.
	At post office leave some extra stamps at the stamp machine.
	Send a picture you have taken which includes a friend and send it to them with a note remembering when it was taken
	Buy a phone card and give to a homeless shelter for them to give to someone.
	Open the phone book, pick a name, and send them something (movie tickets, thank you card, you are appreciated card, book, etc.) anonymously.
	Take flowers to a hospital ward and give them to someone who hasn't had any visitors.
	Take some cake, chocolates, flowers etc. to the neighbors, or a senior citizen nearby
	Send someone a small gift anonymously
	Donate one hour of your time if you offer a service for a living, or one product, or one seminar, or one class, or just one of whatever it is that you do as a gift to someone else.
	Invite someone who is alone over for dinner.
	Share a comic strip or something funny with someone else.
	Leave a chocolate for a co-worker.
	write a note, send a e-greeting "just to say hello" to someone who might need a pick me up
	Visit hospitals with smiles, treats and friendly conversation for patients.
	Send a thank you to the employees at a hospital, or anywhere else that a cheerful thank might add a smile
	Put a quarter in a parking meter that has expired
	Write a thank-you note to a person from your past who has made a difference in your life.
	Drop off a plant, flowers or apple pie at a public service organization or your neighbors house.
	Send someone an animated greeting card on the internet.
	Write a note to the boss of someone who has helped you, praising the employee.
	Drop off teddy bear to police department to give to traumatized children
	Drop a few coins in an area where children play, where they can easily find them.
	Copy a favorite recipe and give it to someone
	Buy a copy of your favorite book and donate it to your local library or hospital
	Write letters of appreciation to groups who are helping the community, the environment, etc.
	Send a card to a friend or relative you haven't seen for some time. Include a photo of yourself and/or your family.
	Make a point of introducing yourself to someone you see all of the time but never say hello to.
	Send an anonymous scratch card, lottery or theater ticket to someone you know - or a gift voucher, a funny card, a chocolate bar, or whatever you feel they would enjoy
	If you know someone who is having a hard time financially, pop a $5, $10 or $20 note in an envelope, disguise your writing or type the envelope, and post it to them.
	Offer to baby sit
	Donate clothes to Salvation Army.
	Put change in a charity change bottle
	Bring cookies or some snack to work for office
	Drop off cookies at a random establishment

I challenge you to conquer the darkness of this world by spreading the light of love.