Morning Thoughts

It’s the Weekend Warren and someone surely has a fall wedding to attend. If not this weekend, then in the next couple of weeks. I guess I have that on my mind because I was talking about weddings yesterday and how very much I used to love to dance at them. It’s such a good time for everyone. I love watching the besotted grooms. And of course the radiantly happy brides. It’s just joyful and it makes me want to dance!  “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”” ‭‭R...

It Friday Friends! And that’s a good day in nearly everyone’s book, right? I am not a workout queen. In fact, I’m not even a workout peon. I know I should be doing about 45 minutes to an hour a day but I’m pretty much a 10-15 minutes kind-of-gal. And nothing too strenuous—just some simple little stretches and leg lifts. But I’ve added planking this week. Yeah, that’s right, you heard me. Planking. And on Monday I’m not sure it went a full 30 seconds. But I’m up to a minute (well almost). I try to do 5 in the morning and 5 at night but sometimes it’s only 2 at night. Don’t laugh if you’ve never tried it because it’s not as easy as those 30-somethings make it look! It is really good for all the major muscle groups and I’m sure in a month or two or if work hard I’ll be up to 90 seconds.  When I plank, I think about how much like praying it is. I don’t want to get up on my toes and hold myself until my muscles quiver, but everything I have read tells of the benefits to keeping your mus...

Happy Thursday. How are you doing? A week from today, we will have a new baby in our family. If everything goes as planned, Robert Talmadge Hudson, IV (Bo) will be entering this world. This Nina is just about excited.  “Don’t you see that children are GOD ’s best gift? the fruit of the womb his generous legacy? Like a warrior’s fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth. Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quivers full of children! Your enemies don’t stand a chance against you; you’ll sweep them right off your doorstep.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭127:3-5‬ ‭MSG‬‬ Children are God’s best gift! And truly, they are. No matter how they may come to us—as our children, as grandchildren, as neighbors, as nieces and nephews, as kids we simply see at church...kids are God’s best gift! And it’s our jobs, collectively, to teach them, to show them patience, and kindness and be an example for them so that they may learn to love Jesus.  There’s an old song that says  “May all who com...

It’s Wednesday. The middle of the week when we start thinking that the week is 1/2 over, and have I done 1/2 of what I intended to this week and the weekend is coming and what do I need to do to get ready for it...all those mid-week things. Yesterday, I just tried to pack too many things into one day. I think it started with sleeping a little later and starting the day a little behind. Do you ever do that? Once you are 30 minutes behind it seems like you turn around and you’re 45 minutes behind, then an hour? And you had more planned to do in one day than you could get done anyway? Yeah, that was pretty much my day yesterday. It was a good day, but I never felt like I was in control...more like it controlled me. I completely forgot the crucial part when I started to lose control.  “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His...

Happy Tuesday. I had a crazy day yesterday. In front of my house there were 4 big trucks and 8 men from Empire Electric Company to set 2 power poles, a big truck from the cable company to burry a line, my landscaper’s big truck and trailer with a skid steer and two big trees. With all that equipment, there wasn’t room for my little 4-runner so a guy from Empire asked if he could move it around the corner and down the block. Isn’t that funny? No room for my car at my house. Does that sound familiar? When the Maker of Universe was told he wasn’t welcome in this world, do you think there was a little snicker or some sarcasm under His breath when he said “Even if you don’t believe me, look at what I’ve done”? He made this place and you’re telling Him he doesn’t belong? Some nerve! (Which is sort of what I wanted to tell the electricity guy, this is my house, remember?) “Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name...I gi...

Happy Monday. I trust you enjoyed your weekend and you were able to worship the Lord in fellowship with other believers. My weekend was good—Aaron installed my kitchen lights and I was just pretty excited to get those up. He had to crawl into the attic where it was super hot and wade through a tremendous amount of insulation that stuck to him and his beard and fell out of the holes he drilled in the ceiling. It was kind of a mess everywhere.  While he was working on them, I just kept thinking about how God gets us out of the messes of our lives. We had just sang in church “We trust and believe our God is greater than the heights we have reached.” And even though we “know” in our brains that our God is bigger than any of the messes of our lives, often times, we have trouble just trusting Him to handle it (what ever the “it” may be).  Bob Hudson used to say that we trust God with the biggest thing of our lives—our eternal destiny—but somehow we aren’t brave enough to turn over t...

It’s the weekend and it’s time to do all those chores you’ve been thinking about all week—declutter the garage, mow the lawn once more, clear the flower beds, hang your mother-in-law’s lights... (Or if you’re like me, it’s time to kick back and watch some football because this is the most wonderful time of the year!). But what ever you have planned for this weekend, don’t forget to intentionally set aside time to be alone with God. That time with just you and the Father is sacred. Don’t lose it in the busyness of life.  Remember the story of the busy Martha? She got all caught up in making sure dinner was good and the house was clean and the table was just so and what did Jesus say to her? Basically he said “Martha, I don’t care about that stuff! I can eat peanut butter. What I care about is you!”  The lesson on the story is that we can get things at the feet of the Savior we can’t get anywhere else. Mary shows us that in her quiet way. When everyone else around him had comple...

Happy Friday! I hope your week has been as good as mine—I got two trees in the ground yesterday as well as a few shrubs. I’m pretty much in love with my river birch and my loblolly pine trees. I’m sort of a tree person. As I was shopping for those trees, a song I sang in junior high kept running through my mind. I don’t remember what the name of it was, but it says “I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree”. (My friend Cyndy probably remembers because she had to play it 100 times). But the part that resonated over and over in my head yesterday was “...but only God can make a tree.”  As I looked at all the varieties and colors and shapes of trees, it was hard to ignore that line in my head “only God can make a tree” as I walked through all the isles. Sometimes I think we get busy and take nature for granted. I know I can forget the complexity of nature and the marvelous intricacies of every living thing—even a piece of weed growing up in a crack in the sidewalk is perf...

Happy Thursday. How are you doing this week? It seems this week I’ve encountered several people who are simply lonely. Some of them are surrounded by others but have this overwhelming sense of loneliness—that feeling of isolation in the middle of a crowd. I’m learning to live alone and often times the feeling of alone get to me and when that happens, I go somewhere where I can find people. But the feeling of being alone is not the same as loneliness. Jesus knew the difference and experienced both. And I know the difference because I have experienced both and I know that you don’t fix loneliness by jumping in the car.  Jesus went off every day to be alone for his time to seek God’s face and pray. Every day. (Ever wonder if it’s important to find that alone time to pray? Every day? Evidently Jesus thinks it’s very important since He did.) But there was a time before He was killed that even his very closest friends deserted Him. The feelings of isolation, separation and abandonment, w...

Happy Wednesday to you. I trust you are doing well this week and making progress on your to-do list what ever that might be. I’m working on my yard this week with my landscaper—fun for me and probably stressful for him since I like to be right in the middle of everything. I have been learning somethings about how you put in systems and design flower beds and align trees and bushes.  Sometimes for me, it’s more about the learning than what I’m doing. I love learning new things. However, when we talk about scripture, it’s not about learning for learning sake. We are told that scripture is inspired. And it is given, not just for the sake of learning, but to  1. Tell us what is right; 2. Tell us what is not right; 3. Tell us how to get right; and 4. Tell us how to stay right.  “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses ...

Happy Tuesday to you. It’s going to be a good day and we are going to rejoice because it’s the day the Lord has made. Last week one of my teenage heart throbs died. Burt Reynolds, aka the Bandit. In 1977 when Sally Fields and Burt were racing across the south in that black Thunderbird, there just wasn’t anything that we thought was much cooler. Now Burt has died, Sally has osteoporosis, and the 1977 T-birds are all rusted and for the most part, in junkyards somewhere. Time changes the perspective of what’s cool, doesn’t it? About everything but Christ.  “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God’s grace...For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.” Hebrews‬ ‭13:8-9a, 14‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Celebrities and even great leaders alway have an Achilles heel—someplace where they are weak. But we don’t follow a celebrity or just any leader; we serve the greatest leade...

Happy Monday. I hope you had a good weekend and were able to worship the Lord with other believers yesterday. I have a new passion (or maybe it’s an obsession, I’m not sure which). Pineapple Bliss. It’s a concoction of pineapple, pineapple juice and water blended together, frozen and pushed out like soft serve. It’s amazing! And since I can’t eat dairy, it’s double amazing for me!! So anytime I have an excuse, I run to 22nd and Main and grab one. Yesterday, MIA came by and that was my excuse! So while we were blissing out, I couldn’t help but notice the cheap plastic spoon that she kept clicking on her teeth. Now, it wasn’t “clay” or “wood” like the Bible speaks of, but I decided it’s our version of the cheap spoon. And I kept thinking how much nicer it is when you don’t have to eat with plastic—when you are eating with a nice, weighted, silver spoon. I have some spoons that are thin, but I have some that are heavy. Nicer. I always go to those first.  “In a wealthy home some utens...

  It’s the weekend and fall is in the air. I saw red maples yesterday starting to turn and the sumac is looking rusty. Fall is coming and we are working this yard so it can be in and growing before it gets cold. One thing I was concerned about was there was no water going to the flower bed and that seems pretty vital to me. I asked my yard guy about that and he said “We are putting in a drop line for their roots.” Putting the water directly where it needs to be to do the plant the most good. Just like little springs coming from the earth.  I couldn’t help but think of all the references to water but especially to springs that the Bible uses. But as I stared at one little plant that was wilted from the hot sun, Rev. 7:17 kept playing over and over in my head.  “For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭7:17‬ And there are times I feel just as wilted as...

Happy Friday. Are you ready for the weekend? I worked hard yesterday helping to carry rock for my landscapers so I’m a little sore today. (But my yard is going to look really nice.) Isn’t it amazing how a little hard work can make such a big difference? It can begin to turn a mud hole into a well-landscaped yard.  And isn’t it amazing how some hard work with the scripture can turn spiritually shallow Christians into mature, deep-thinking believers? Diligent and systematic study of the scripture can turn those who know very little and are easily confused into rock solid leaders of the faith who know what they believe and why. Work...it does the body (of Christ) good!  “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Big weekend? Just don’...

Happy Thursday. Yesterday, I worked hard watching men work on my yard and before long, I won’t just have a mud pit, but I’ll actually have a nice yard. I’m pretty excited about that. I’m also pretty excited that my grandson is here on leave from the naval base in Connecticut spending a little time with me (and of course the rest of the family). It’s good to see him and to hear about what’s been going on in his life.  I like to see Braden and spend time with him because he is mine. He is my family and I cherish him. When I think about how much I love spending time with my family, I think about God and how much he loves spending time with His family—us. How he likes to hear what’s going on in our lives and what issues we may be facing.  “For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.” Ephesians 5:29–30 Does it ever just leave you awestruck to think that you are actually part of the body of...

Happy Wednesday. The new fall classes start at our church tonight and Casey and I are enrolled in one together. (I think I’m more excited to spend time with my daughter than I am about the class but please don’t tell my teacher!) Do you ever wonder why it’s so easy to love some people and it’s so nice to spend time with them but others...well, it’s not so easy. Some people are just down right difficult. Yet we have been called to love all our “neighbors” not just the easy ones, but those not-so-easy ones, too. The ones who are always in trouble, the ones who eat up time, the ones who think their lives are always more important than yours, the ones who are mean, the ones that no matter what you do it’s never enough...all those folks, too.   “Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, t...

Feliz martes. ¿Cómo estás en este buen día? Bueno, ayer, me engañaron para almorzar con la señorita Mia. Me dijeron que ayer era el día de los abuelos para su clase y que tengo que traerle el almuerzo. (Ella muy educadamente preguntó por Chick-fil-a) Sin embargo, cuando llegué a la escuela hoy, el cartel de salida decía claramente "Día de los abuelos 11 y 12 de septiembre". Como saben, ayer fue el décimo. Bueno, ya que ya tenía la comida, entré y comenzamos a almorzar juntos. (Que no me importó un poquito en realidad). Hoy, sin embargo, Cooper pidió hamburguesas con queso de McDonald's, por lo que la señorita Mia elegirá a Cooper. ¿Alguna vez estiramos la verdad un poco para obtener lo que queremos? ¿O tal vez ni siquiera un estiramiento, pero tal vez solo un poco? Dígalo de una manera que nos ilumine un poco más o que al menos no se vea tan mal. Sigue siendo la verdad al pie de la letra, técnicamente está bien, ¿pero realmente no cuenta toda la historia? ¿O qué hay de es...

Happy Tuesday. How are you this fine day? Well yesterday, I was tricked into taking lunch to Miss Mia. I was told that yesterday was grandparents day for her class and I need to bring lunch to her. (She very politely asked for Chick-fil-a) However, when I got to the school today, the sign out front clearly said “Grandparents day September 11&12”. As you know, yesterday was the 10th. Well since I already had the food, I went on in and we proceeded to have lunch together. (Which I didn’t mind one little bit actually). Today however, Cooper asked for McDonald’s cheeseburgers, so Miss Mia is going to get Cooper’s choice.  Do we ever just stretch the truth a little to get what we want? Or maybe not even a stretch, but maybe just a slant? Say it in a way that puts us in a little better light or maybe at least not look quite so bad. It’s still the truth to the letter, it’s technically right, but it doesn’t really tell the whole story? Or what about those justifications? Mercy, how w...

Happy Monday. I hope you had a great weekend and were able to spent time in worship with fellow believers. That’s always the highlight of my week. On Saturday, my granddaughter turned 18...little Bailey is an adult. How fast the time flies! It seemed that my kids grew up quickly, but my grandkids grow up so much faster. I think if there is one thing I’ve come to realize it’s that time really does fly. It moves at such a rapid pace and the things that I once thought were so important, I realize now are a little silly and shallow. And my silly and shallow self is not what I want my legacy to be.  Leaving a legacy is about becoming that person you want to be—that person you hope those close to you see. Yet, sometimes I get caught in the trap of wondering if I can ever DO enough or if I can ever BE enough? Can I be perfect enough so they will know what’s important to me? I can’t mess up or they won’t think I am really running the race. Then, I remember that Jesus taught us that I don’...

It’s the weekend and it’s finally football season. It is the most wonderful time, isn’t it? Well for those of us who love football it is. And for those of you who have to tolerate football for the sake of someone you love, I’m sure there is a special reward in heaven for you (especially if you bring snacks to a football junkie!).  This is also the time of the year for grandparents day. I have a couple to do next week but I had a special one with Ozzie this past week. I think the think I love the most is seeing the excitement on his face when he spots me in the crowd—it changes instantly. I love it. As soon as he saw me, he jumped up and ran to me. Then he wanted to show me all sorts of things, including a card he’d made for me. It said “I’m glad you’re my grandma because you love me, you hug me and you “hode” my hand.” Mercy that was sweet and I just melted. He could have asked me for a new car at that moment and I’d have said “What kind?”  That sweet, innocent, unconditional ...

Happy Friday. I hope you’ve had a good week...it seemed like a short one to me. I’ve been trying to figure out how to landscape my yard, if I should put down sod or seed, how many trees, where to put the beds....when your yard is just dirt, it’s obvious you need to do something! And with so much rain the last few days, it’s a big mud pit now. It’s a mess to say the least. I’m going to get some help with it because there is no way I could tackle this job alone. In fact, I have my doubts anyone can really fix it!  Sometimes, do you ever wonder if that’s what our lives look like to God before he cleans us up? A big mud pit? And even though some of us look hopeless, like my yard right now, God looks beyond what we are and sees what we can be. Much like the landscapers I’ve been talking with. They look beyond that mud pit and see a lush lawn with trees and beautiful flower beds. They see the possibilities.  God looks beyond what we are and sees a productive Christian who looks for ...

Happy Thursday and Happy Grandparents Day at Webster Elementary in Webb City! (Guess where I’m going today?) Today is one of those days that is sad for me. I have some of those on the calendar that I dread coming that I just get through and another one is coming on Monday. They aren’t fun, but I look hard for distractions and things that are fun to fill up the day if I possibly can. But inevitably there are spaces.  And those spaces take me back to a time when pain was severe and it was hard to breathe. And then I remember the people that were there. There is a gift I believe that some people have to just be present. Not speak, not try to fix the unfixable, but just be there.  Before it happened to me, I always felt the need to talk—to say something, anything to people in that situation. I said some ridiculous things now that I look back on it. In fact the kids and I laugh now that we could write a book “Things not to say...”. But since that time, I have come to realize that “...

Happy Wednesday Vivian. Yesterday I had quite a few errands to run and while I was running around, I heard Rick Warren preach a sermon on Jesus praying. Last Sunday, our pastor preached on the Lord’s prayer. Sometimes I know I feel like action is more my forte and I forget the power of being still before the Lord. But...how important was prayer to Jesus? Jesus who was already God. Jesus who already knew all the answers.  Obviously, it was very important to him. He prayed everyday, going off by himself and many times scripture tells us for a very long while. And after He prayed, miracles occurred. So when the disciples asked him to teach them to pray, maybe they were really asking Him to teach them how to have that same power.  “Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭11:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Jesus answered the disciple by giving what we call the Lord’s Pray...

Happy Tuesday! I hope you had a good holiday. I spent mine in my garage trying to sort and pack and organize. It was a hot and sweaty job and not one that I enjoyed at all. When I came in about 6:30, I was so tired. I took a shower, ate some crackers and promptly fell asleep.  When I woke up, I noticed I was covered in bruises! I am just not as tough as I once was and certainly not as graceful. Yet, even as tired and bruised up as I was, I remembered what Jesus said to the apostle as he recounted it to the church at Corinth. “...“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬ His grace is all I need. I am weak, but He is strong. And it is never so evident that when I try to do a big, physical job.  I had spent most of the day pushing and shoving boxes and shelves around and not making a lot of headway. Then, Oscar showed up and worked for...

Happy Monday and in the US it’s Happy Labor Day. I had a great day yesterday. First church with the family (afterwards my son-in-law bought me brunch) and then later, I was privileged to attend the wedding of a girl that is so very near and dear to my heart. She is just as pretty on the inside as the outside and last night, she was breathtaking. A new bride starting a new life with her husband—such a beautiful picture of love.  At the reception, I had a friend share a verse with me. She wanted me to know that she was confident the best was yet to come for both of us. She said “We live by the Word of God. It’s true. And He promises us there is a full future ahead.”  “Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; And she smiles at the future [knowing that she and her family are prepared].” ‭‭PROVERBS‬ ‭31:25‬ ‭AMP‬‬ And the reason we can know that we are prepared for the future is because of Jesus and His sacrifice. Jesus gave his life as a sacrif...