Hemp

Okay so I haven't done a post about my sweet husband in quite a long time. He usually gives me so much material too. Anyway, he has been on this quest ever since our trip to Singapore to find these breakfast bars he had while there. With Kelly's help we learned that they are made in Australia and they are NOT sold here in the U.S. of A.

So he has been trying to find the next best thing. At a health food store he found something he thought would be close. It wasn't but that isn't the funny part.

To give you context to this story you need to know that a couple weeks ago they started random drug testing where Gary works. It was stressful for some and a few are now unemployed. Hmmmm. Anyway, it just annoyed Gary as he knew he didn't have anything to worry about...or did he? You see, my sweet husband tends to think of the most odd things. He been told that the poppy seed in a poppy seed muffin could possibly result in a problem with some drug screenings. Yet he didn't eat any of those muffins but he started to wonder if something else he ate might have made something "bad" come up with the test. Well, as I predicted it didn't and he calmed down.

Fast forward now to the purchase of these breakfast bars. One of the ingredients in them is hemp seed.The first time he ate one was for breakfast on his way to work. Once there he started thinking about the ingredients. Then the paranoia set in. Not only was concerned they might do another surprise drug testing but he actually said he started to "feel funny". Hee...hee...hee...hee. This just cracked me up!!!

He felt funny, like maybe the breakfast bar was giving him a buzz. He was so serious as he told me this that it only made me laugh harder. Even now as I'm posting about it I'm giggling. I assured him that all would be okay and he won't need to be going to drug rehab or anything like that.

But the real question I had for him was if he had the munchies the rest of the day. :)

At Rest In Jesus' Arms by Ray Harvey

I have this picture on the wall above my desk. It has always meant a great deal to me. But like anything that hangs on the wall for a long time you eventually get so used to it being there you don't see it anymore.

Recently, in a Bible study I'm doing, I was reminded of the time when the Jews were in the desert complaining about everything. God was angered by their behavior and sent snakes to the camp. Many died from the snake bites. The Jews repented and God had a bronze snake placed on a stick. When a person was bit by a snake they only needed to look up at the bronze snake and they would healed. This seems odd to us in 2008 but the lesson is still relevant.

I sat at my desk and looked up. There was this picture. It has always meant so much because of the work I do. But this time as I looked at it I imagined myself as the infant.

No matter our age, no matter what we are going through Christ is there. Holding us, protecting us, marveling at each soul. He knows we will fail, yet His love for us never changes. The Bible says we are His "joy"! Imagine that next time you watch the nightly news or look in a mirror. Imagine yourself as that infant being held in the arms of your Savior and King and know that you are precious in His sight. In all things look to the Lord...He is right there waiting for you.

www.rayharveyart.com

Change the world

I've been thinking about this for a while now. Is it possible for one person to change the world?

There are those that say no. Yet it has been done over and over again. One person invented a light bulb and the world was changed.

One person wrote a book that began the rethinking of a nation to outlaw slavery.

One tired person, refused to give up her seat on a bus and it changed a nation.

I did a Google search on "changed the world" and the people, pictures, events, whatever, that came up were endless. Some seemed really big but most were more like the examples above. One person, tired or unknowingly, did something that forced others to take notice.

So I started wondering; can one person do something that really could change the world? I believe the answer is yes. Now the adventure is on to see it happen. My plan is to stay steady in the battle God has placed me in. To not give up. I was reading something recently that said to "love God and others in risky ways". Imagine how the world would change if everyone did that. The possibilities are endless.

There is One who showed us how to do that. Not only did He die for our sins but He left Heaven and all that means behind to come to earth in human form. Knowing how we would treat Him and the pain He would need to endure. One Man changed the world. It doesn't matter if you are Christian, Muslim, or don't believe in God at all. That one Person, changed human history forever. For those that are Believers, history was not only thing changed. For them, their eternal destiny also changed.

So my challenge to you is to love someone in a risky way today! Take a chance that takes you out of your comfort zone. Who knows...you may never be the same. Who knows...the world might never be the same.

88

Yesterday my father-in-law celebrated his 88th birthday. WOW! Makes 50 seem really young. I've known this man for 30 years which as I thought about it that means he was just a little older than me when we first met.

I remember that first meeting like it was yesterday. Gary took me to his home on James street in Waukesha Wisconsin. It was a street right off an old 60's family TV show. A big yellow house with a big porch on the front. I immediately liked Gary's parents. They reminded me of Edith and Archie Bunker and it was so fun to listen to them. Eugene (father-in-law) is never at a loss for words and I think everyone should experience going shopping with him. Don't expect to get done quickly because he will want to have a conversation with everyone who will stop long enough to talk with him. It is actually kind of fun, unless you are in a hurry.

So what do you do to celebrate your 88th birthday? In his case you take a trip to South Dakota. Growing up Gary remembers many family trips there and his dad has had a love affair with that state for as long as anyone can remember. With his health and being 88 this is not an easy trip, yet nothing short of death would have stopped him. Gary talked with him yesterday and while he sounded exhausted he also sounded completely content. Gary's sister and her husband made this trip possible by renting a van and committing to do whatever was necessary to make it happen. Thank you would never cover the gratitude we have for them doing that.

I hope when I'm 80 or 90 I'll be able to take a "dream" trip too. It gives one something to look forward to.