White Pride?

I'll probably muddle my way through this, and am taking a risk of being misunderstood....but here goes anyway..
All over the news this morning is an eighth grade student who wrote and performed a poem, called "White Privilege."
It is being heralded as an awesome pot stirrer. I do admire what I must take at face value as an attempt to correct racial inequality.
But I find it disturbing... I do not feel the need to apologize that I'm white, that I'm a woman, and for where I am on the economic scale.
Can you imagine a black apologizing for being black? Why should he? Neither can I take pride in being white. I had no choice in that matter. God created me who I am....like any other race. No better, no worse. Likewise, I'm fulfilled in being a woman, again God's choice. No better than men, no lesser than men.
I have many black friends and family members. I love them all. That's just exactly who they are...my friends and family. I am always unaware of their race. It doesn't stare me in the face as an issue needing to be addressed.
I have a college degree that I worked very hard for. Started at $1.05 an hour working out in the blazing hot Florida sun at a flower farm. My siblings do not have college degrees. That was their choice. They are all productive happy siblings. I'm no better, no less. Such is America...freedom to choose. My siblings love me. They don't consider me better than them....because I'm not.
My grandchildren go to a private school. Am I happy about that? Sure am. Am I proud....does that make them better? I'm proud that their fathers work very hard to make it possible, just as all fathers can.
Are Jon and I rich? That's funny.... but we have worked hard, done our best to care for our family, love God and this wonderful country.
By many folks standards we are poverty level. We haven't let that determine our destiny or our happiness. Neither do we consider it a stool to perch on and say, "You owe me."
No matter what race, if I pride in my color....I need God's forgiveness and awareness that we are ALL created in His image.
So never apologize for being whom God has beautifully created you to be. Apologize for the things that are YOUR fault..such as prejudice and pride.
This is America land that I love.
This is the land of endless opportunity.

Isaiah 12

I really enjoyed reading in Isaiah this morning. No matter how bad, no matter what they(nation of Israel) had done....
God was always standing with an outstretched hand....beckoning them to come, to be forgiven and restored.... What mercy!!

Then came this beautiful chapter 12 that made my heart swell!!

And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise Thee: though Thou wast angry with me, Thine anger is turned away, and Thou comfortedst me. (need comfort this morning? Here it is!)

Behold, God is my salvation: I will trust, and not be afraid: (are you fearful? Give it to Him.): for the Lord Jehovah is my strength(Feel weak? Lean on Him.)and my song; He also is my salvation.

Therefore with joy(deep unspeakable contentment) shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.(I'm lowering my 'bucket' this morning....drawing deeply....from His well).

And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon His name,declare His doings among the people, make mention that His name is exalted.(Let's talk about Jesus more and more!)

Sing unto the Lord; for He hath done excellent things:(Whoohoo!! EXCELLENT things!!!!) this is known in all the earth.

Cry out and shout!!!(thou inhabitant of Zion) for GREAT is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee!!!

So.... I'm going to:
Praise
Be comforted
Trust
Be strengthened
Be joyful
Exalt His name
Sing and
Shout!!!!!!

Casey

 Poor Little Gal was spayed and had to wear this misery for 12 days!!

6 months old

Erica Graduates

Flying Across America

 Jon Abram and one of his co workers is puddle jumping from Washing to Wisconsin this week. He has taken us right along with him with pictures, Facetiming, and messages. Such a beautiful nation.

Rainy Day Blessings.........

Dark, cool, rainy day... sitting here enjoying hubby time...listening to Tennessee Ernie Ford....rolling down memory lane.

Oh, remembering these old songs.... not Charles Wesley hymns for sure, but I can hear Daddy singing some of them, and Mama other ones....

Thinking of my blessed past, enjoying God's goodness of this day, anticipating the joys of tomorrow!!

Tattooed!

It was a fall in 1969. I was a sophomore in college. I was covered in tattoos. Oh, how I wanted them removed, but as everyone knows it's incredibly expensive as well as painful to have tattoos removed. I was so miserable, I hated myself.

Yes, I was a sophomore in Bible College, does that surprise you? Oh, no.... no one else SAW my tattoos............they were well hidden, a dark secret known only to me and to God! My heart was covered with tattoos.......scared and ugly by all the "hidden/ugly" sins(pride/self centeredness/ etc.). I "looked" so good on the outside... Who would judge me? But lost, oh, so very lost I was. Just as lost, hurting, and lonely as any other soul who may perhaps wear his tattoos on the outside!!

It would be painful and expensive to have my tattoos removed, far more so than any outward ones ever would. Someone would have to pay! Someone would have to suffer pain! I found that SOMEONE!! That SOMEONE found me! He paid! He suffered! He erased them every one of them!! Not only did He erase them from my heart, He gave me a NEW HEART!!

I thought about all this as I read aloud this morning from Matthew. So many people from so many different walks of life, so many and varied needs, so many different ways of expressing their faith...... A leper worshiped him, a Centurion whose faith rested in just the spoken Words of Jesus, a mother-in-law, the demon possessed, a man with the palsy whose sins Jesus chose to forgive before healing him, a Ruler whose faith towered high enough to request and get the resurrection of his daughter, the poverty stricken women(due to medical bills) who had enough faith to believe that just a touch of Christ's garment would be enough, Matthew who immediately responded to Jesus simple Words, 'Follow me!', and the publicans and sinners with whom Jesus ate!!

Surely one would say that Jesus was non-discriminatory!! His love embraced all!! His power of healing and redemption reached all!

So today, when you see the "tattooed," the poor, the hurting................see them through the eyes of Jesus! See them as redeemed!! That's way He came! That's why He died! That's why He LIVES!!!

That's WHAT He did for me!!!