by Sharon O | May 17, 2015 | Uncategorized
I am realizing that as time moves forward the calendar does too.
Is is really the middle of the year and almost the end of May? wow.
Soon my grand daughter will be age 16 in a week.
The school year will be ending. Life will slow down some.
Then as quick as that, it will be fall again.
The seasons of time. The days passing into each other.
I turned 60 in December my husband turned 61 in January.
Soon we will be retired and able to go and see all that we have planned in our 41 years of marriage.
Life is passing before us.
I think it is time now to slow down and enjoy all the moments.
I am ready. To sit where I can hear the roaring ocean.
I am ready to watch the seagulls fly high in circles over the water.
I am ready to not think of schedules or meals or laundry.
Life is passing before us.
I remember when we brought our little Faith Elizabeth home weighing only 3 pounds 9 ounces and the many hours of rocking and holding and praying.
Now she is almost 16 in the middle of her teen years.
I still pray… I still hug her. I still hold her very close to my heart.
Life as we know it will change. But change is good.
Unless change brings sorrow and loss.
Today we breathe in the breath of thanksgiving.
Of gratitude that this life that is passing has been a good one.
We give thanks for small things and pray for those who are in sorrow.
I have received news of those who have lost love ones recently.
God comforts those who mourn. He heals the broken hearted.
Life is passing before us.
May be strive to do our very best to make it a good one.
Picture by Pamela B of Portland
by Sharon O | May 11, 2015 | Uncategorized
This time last year we were on a vigil for my mom’s passing.
She was end stage Parkinson’s and also failing to thrive.
It was sad.
She was not the mom I remembered. Not the mom I grew up with.
Her fragile state showed me a more ‘distant’… fragile side of her.
It was hard.
She failed to thrive, could not eat, could not drink and could not sit up by herself or do anything we would want her to do.
She was dying.
I went to see her in between all stars soft ball game for my grand daughter who was in 4th grade.
One scene very full of life, and young people and activity and fun.
Then into a more serene place for the dying.
It was hard to say good bye but I knew it was necessary.
She left in June after weeks of hanging on.
Her heart was strong, her body not so much.
Mothers day this year I am without a mother.
My husbands mom passed away 5 years ago on May 8th.
So neither one of us has a mom.
I am the mom now and the grandma.
I pray I do a good job of it.
I pray I leave a legacy of love and peace and great memories when it’s my time to leave.
This is the first Mother’s day I have no mother.
A strange mixture of feelings of sad, empty and remembering.
She wasn’t always a warm fuzzy mom.
But she was doing the best she could do even if her best was not good, or encouraging or even positive.
This time last year, we were waiting for her to leave and take her final breath.
The finality of words, “it’s over… she passed away in the night.”
Hard words, final words. Cold and pressing into the heart.
She is gone. Forever till we meet in heaven.
Remembering what it was like to say the ‘final’ good-bye.
by Sharon O | May 8, 2015 | Uncategorized
Acts 1:3-11
During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive.
And he talked to them about the kingdom of God.
Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them.
“Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
*I always find it interesting he teaches them during the time of eating. It is a communal time and a time of ‘listening.’
So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him,
“Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
They still really didn’t understand his purpose for coming.
He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere – in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching,
and they could no longer see him.
As they strained to see him rising into the heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them.
*Remember we have seen ‘this’ before… in John 20:12 two white robed angels were in the tomb where Jesus body had been and they asked Mary why she was crying.
“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven?
Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way as you saw him go.”
Now I don’t know about you but I would be both disturbed and alarmed to see all this taking place.
Jesus didn’t stay as they expected him to do, and then he went up into the sky.
That is amazing… how would that have looked for them?
Brilliant? powerful? like a tornado?
We won’t ever know as we were not there, but what we do know is the promise of his return.
Some day. He will return and it will be glorious and powerful and awesome.
Lord we pray we are ready when that takes place.
by Sharon O | May 2, 2015 | Uncategorized
Continuing on with our ‘last story’ we find in John 21:15
a conversation taking place.
After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter,
“Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord.” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”
“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question:
“Simon son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Lord.” Peter said, “you know I love you.”
“Then take care of my sheep.” Jesus said. A third time he asked him,
“Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time.
He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.
I tell you the truth when you were young, you were able to do as you liked, you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.”
Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.”
This whole conversation is fascinating for me because remember in the garden
when Jesus was arrested, the people surrounding Peter said to him, “You were with him.”
Luke 22:54-62 they approached Peter three times and three times he said, “I don’t know him.”
Then Jesus looked at him and it pierced Peters heart convicting him, vs 62
And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.
I think, that Jesus was bringing back to Peter, the conviction of heart
he left in the courtyard.
Jesus knew Peter loved him but he needed to ask him.
It is very similar to the talking to someone who has been unfaithful and bringing them back into the awareness of their first love, their first ‘conviction’.
Jesus was testing Peter, he wasn’t talking about sheep or lambs.
He wanted Peter to think deeper and to use his emotions rather than his fear or his logic.
Isn’t that like our ‘Lord, to come to us when we fail him miserably?’
I found this picture on ‘a search’ and I have no idea whose it is but it fits my ‘writing.’
Jesus took Peter aside, away from the others so he could have an intimate talk with him.
Three questions posed in different ways, three answers returned.
It’s a question of the heart.
I wonder… how would we reply?
when asked the very same questions from the Lord?
insert your name…. then ask the question. Do you love me?
It was intimate. Simon Peter, do you … love me?
Then he waited for his reply.
by Sharon O | Apr 29, 2015 | Uncategorized
After the emotional turmoil of the last events for the disciples, they needed a break.
So about five of them went out on the water into a boat.
It was comfort for them, a place of familiar relaxation and work.
John 21:3
Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing,”
“We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.
At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was.
He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?”
“No,” they replied.
Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!”
So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.
Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!”
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic
(for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from the shore.
When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them – fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.
“Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught.” Jesus said.
So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore.
There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.
“Now come and have some breakfast.” Jesus said.
None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?”
They knew it was the Lord.
Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish.
This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.
Isn’t it wonderful how he meets them where they are?
He knew he would find them out in a boat, for that was where they came from.
Remember he said to them, “Come follow me, I will make you fishers of men.”
I think it is so good to remember, even when we are tired and worn emotionally, God will meet us, just where we are.
Jesus will provide for us, little pieces of familiar memories.
We are not alone, forgotten or lost.
We have a God who cares… even down the smallest thing such as a warm breakfast.
They knew… and we should too.
He loves us.
by Sharon O | Apr 23, 2015 | Uncategorized
Revisiting the Easter story and the empty tomb.
When Peter saw the empty linen wrappings and then went home wondering ‘what happened’.
Luke 24:13
That same day (the day Peter realized the tomb was empty) two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem.
As they walked along they were taking about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things,
Jesus himself suddenly came and began to walk with them.
But God kept them from recognizing him.
He asked them,
“What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?”
They stopped short, sadness written across their faces.
Then one of them, Cleopas, replied,
“You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there in the last few days.”
“What things?” Jesus asked.
The conversation continues between Jesus and the men, and as it deepened more into their doubt, he rebukes them.
Then he brings the writings of Moses and the Scriptures to them and it was fascinating to them as they listened and walked together, and the day was turning into night.
He continued to walk with them and taught them the old prophecies and they didn’t want it to end.
So they invited him to stay the night at their house as it was getting late and they needed to get home.
Luke 24:30
As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it.
Then he broke it and gave it to them.
Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.
And at that moment, he disappeared!
(Can you IMAGINE?)
And they said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”
I think this is so important to note and remember.
First, they were not able to recognize him till God felt they were ready to receive that truth.
Second, even when their hearts were searching and grieving it still wasn’t time for them.
Third, they had eyes that were open but not eyes that saw… spiritually.
HOW is it for us then?
Do we see, because we have the written word in front of us?
Or do we see ‘because we believe’ from our heart’s perspective.
I believe God can keep us from recognizing and believing in him until the moment is right.
Only HE knows the condition of our hearts and whether we are open to believe or receive.
If given the opportunity, will we know him if he comes into our presence?
Just a few questions as we wrap up the Easter story.
by Sharon O | Apr 15, 2015 | Uncategorized
Just a short note to tell you all I will be taking a short break from the ‘Easter’ story.
I do have a few more writings to finish it.
Please know I am resting as I am fighting pneumonia.
Went to the doctor and received three prescriptions.
So the plan is to rest, be lazy, rest more, and get well.
Pray that sleep comes easier as it has been broken almost hourly with me coughing.
Pray also that my hubby doesn’t get it as tonight he was having a ‘scratchy throat’ as he was heading to bed.
It has been a rough few days.
For those who are faithful readers, thank you.
by Sharon O | Apr 12, 2015 | Uncategorized
So we have traveled through the days before the crucifixion.
The moments of denial and agony of heart.
The horrific death of Jesus… then the quiet of the Saturday before His resurrection.
One could say, Easter arrived and Hallelujah was the word of the day.
He is risen. He is gone.
Just as he said to them, then He met Mary Magdalene.
It is all in sequence of the story, as it continued to play out with all the characters.
The next time we see Jesus, He is meeting the disciples.
John 20:19
That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders.
Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them!
“Peace be with you,” he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side.
They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord!
Again he said, “Peace, be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”
Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
One of the twelve disciples, Thomas, was not with the others when Jesus came.
They told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them and place my hand into the wound on his side.”
Eight days later the disciples were together again, this time Thomas was with them.
The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them.
“Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands.
Put your hand in the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
There are a few interesting parts of this I want to share.
First of all, As far as we know Jesus didn’t hear what Thomas had said to the disciples.
Yet he came right into the room and approached Thomas with his doubt allowing him to visually SEE and FEEL the wounds.’
Isn’t that a God who hears even before we ask?
Because He was God He knew Thomas heart condition.
The second part I want to challenge us with is the last line he said, “Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
That would mean us.
Those who were not there, and did not see or experience him in a tangible or real way.
I hope as we traveled through the story, it begins to make sense and feel more sure for us
He is risen, He is all power and all gentle, He is hope that we have needed for a very long time.
by Sharon O | Apr 7, 2015 | Uncategorized
In the quiet of the morning Mary Magdalene waited.
Her heart broken in bits and pieces, sorrow swelled so heavy in her spirit she wasn’t sure if she could breathe as she was remembering him and all the times they had spent together.
We are never prepared to let a loved one go.
She wept with a deep hallowed out sorrow.
She came to the tomb and realized that the stone was rolled away and the body was gone.
One can only imagine her fears, desperation and questions.
Have you ever lost a good friend?
It is a shocking that is so deep and your pain is so intense you want to numb it away.
I have never watched anyone die a horrific death.
We have sat beside hospice patients who quietly passed away in the final moments.
It was mostly the process of letting go… as each breath leaves and it was peaceful.
This death, the death on a cross was far from peaceful.
In John 20:11
Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in.
She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her.
“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
She turned to leave and saw someone standing there.
It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him.
“Dear woman, why are you crying? Jesus asked her.
“Who are you looking for?”
She thought he was the gardener. “Sir” she said,”if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”
“Mary!” Jesus said.
She turned to him and cried out, “Raboni”(which is Hebrew for “Teacher”)
“Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them. ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”
Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them,
“I have seen the Lord!”
Then she gave them his message.
It gives me GREAT hope to know he calls us by our name.
That is intimate and personal.
When he said “Mary” she immediately clung to a new found HOPE.
Our God is a God of Hope as the resurrection story continues.
by Sharon O | Apr 6, 2015 | Uncategorized
I realize I am writing on the day of Easter.
The resurrected day, the day of Hope and the day of Salvation.
But can we go back for a short time to look at a few things?
We read in Luke about the last words of Jesus.
Forgiving those who stood below him and mocked him.
As they were placing him on the cross in the most horrific way.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”
They fulfilled prophecy, when they cast lots and rolled dice.
It was all a part of the master plan.
Then as he was dying he gave Mary to John, the disciple whom Jesus loved.
“Dear woman, here is your son.” And he said to this disciple,
“Here is your mother,” From then on this disciple took her into his home.
Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said,
“I am thirsty.”
A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it to his lips. When Jesus tasted it, he said, “It is finished!”
Then he bowed his head and released his spirit.
Several thoughts come to my mind when reading this.
First… in the midst of dying and the process of releasing his body and spirit,
He thought of others.
He still ministered and thought beyond himself, beyond his pain, beyond his suffering.
Second… I was drawn to the verse, “I’m thirsty,”
when I think of what it is like to be thirsty, it is uncomfortable and hydration is needed.
Almost every night in the middle of the night, I wake up thirsty.
My mouth is parched. I need cool wet ‘water’ to refresh me.
He was in shock. Traumatized. Suffering.
And they gave him what some have said, vinegar.
How cruel. How horrible. The last thing to touch his lips
was something bitter with no form of release.
It makes me sad to think the last thing Jesus said, was
“I am thirsty”. Then he released his spirit and let go.
He wasn’t asking for much, just a quenching of the palate.
A small bit of relief from those who stood under the cross where he hung to die a horrible death.
I might be wrong, but perhaps can we think, that this might have been the first time he ever asked for something for himself?
The human side of him being vulnerable, remember he could have stopped all of it.
He had the power to release himself and to change the story.
But he didn’t choose to use it, because we needed a Savior.
Then he bowed his head and let go.
But we know hope is not lost, hope is not gone.
The God of hope, the God who gives hope… will over power death and
Jesus will return to those who he loved.
