If Teacups Could Talk

I had the privilege of serving tea to Mrs. Janet Huckabee, wife of Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas and currently a presidential candidate. The Tea was held at the home of Cliff and Gloria Bryant and sponsored by the Republican Women of Anderson County.

When Gloria called and asked if I would help I was so excited. My brain went into overdrive. Even though a large group was expected, I asked if we could use real teacups. She agreed immediately.

Most of my cups needed to be hand washed so I filled the sink with hot, soapy water a couple of days before the event. It also gave me the chance to polish my tea table and cart. As I gently washed each cup a story came to mind associated with the purchase of, or the giver of the cup. I realized my life history could be told through my teacups.

I'm a collector of things. I love beautiful things. Most women do. I love china patterns, old and new. When I travel, teacups or thimbles are my "go to" souvenirs.

They are so much more than a physical object of beauty though. For me, they've come to represent a way of life. I believe we are a people who have lost our way. We don't know how to stop and take time for the important things like having a cup of tea with a friend.

If my cups could talk and tell my story, I'd want them to say she took time for people and she loved. When I told one of my girlfriends I was using my cups, she said, "aren't you afraid a cup will get broken?" I told her what's the use in having them if they're not used.

As my mind traveled down memory lane, the cup from England reminded me of when our family went to Europe with the T.L. Hanna High School soccer team. We visited five countries and I got to see places this girl from a small town in West Virginia never thought she'd ever see.

Who would've thought I'd have to go to a Russian church to find a teacup. That's a true story. It's also a reminder every time I look at my beautiful blue cup that God answers prayers. Many prayers were said for Ksyu(Sue) and her salvation. It's also a reminder of the great spiritual needs of the Russian people.

Two of the cups used at the Tea have a matching teapot I purchased at a tearoom in Greenville, South Carolina. The Ragamuffin Tea everyone was raving about originated from that tearoom.

Me, Janet Huckabee, Gloria Bryant

One of the beautiful teapots I used, Crown Gold by Wedgwood, reminds me that a middle class girl can grow up and serve tea to a presidential candidate's wife. We're all just ordinary people being used by an extra-ordinary God.

The cup I wanted Mrs. Huckabee to have her tea in was a special cup for me. I love history and all things about George Washington's home, Mount Vernon and Arlington. One of the cups in my collection is from Mount Vernon with the original thirteen colonies imprinted on it.

I believe Governor Huckabee stands for the values our country was founded upon. He is bold in his faith and doesn't waiver in his belief in God. He is vocal in his approach with the media and his style and charisma have gained him many followers. I thought it appropriate for her to drink from such a cup.

Mrs. Huckabee spoke to us about the values they hold dear and the great divide of where we are and where we need to be.

In biblical times, God told His people to build an altar to mark a place where He did something in their lives. It was for their remembrance, not to worship, but to recall His activity in their life.

What are the teacups in your life? What are those things you can say are the "altars" that tell a story of God's love for you and activity in your life?

Many things will stand out to me about the Tea. I loved meeting like minded ladies. I received so much joy sharing my teacups, tea, and the beauty of hospitality. But one thing stood out above the rest that I have overlooked in the past. There is a man who could lead our country..."one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all."

 God bless America

 and God bless 

Governor and Mrs. Huckabee

Beauty in the Broken

I love old furniture. Let me rephrase that statement. I love furniture in general, but I particularly love traipsing around antique stores looking for pieces that need new life. Tiger oak is my favorite kind of wood and you can find it in all variations of furniture and degrees of decay. You must look past the grit, grime, and scratches, as well as the junk surrounding it in the store to what it could be.

I drove to a neighboring town last week to pick up a table. Since I had a truck I decided to stop at another antique store down the street. There might be a treasure awaiting me, and my table wouldn't be lonely. I was almost ready to leave (actually I was out of time) when my eyes locked on a dresser in a back booth. It was covered with a black, sticky gunk, but I could see tiger oak peeking through in a few places. The long mirror captured my entire reflection and reminded me of a dresser at my Ma Bailey's house. There are some pieces that make a heart connection, and this was one of them. I looked at the price tag and it was reasonable. Then I noticed a 20% off sign on the wall and that made it even better.

My table was not alone.

I began work on the dresser. Filthy doesn't even come close. The drawers were filled with bugs and cobwebs. I washed and rinsed and washed and rinsed. When I started sanding the top I thought it would be easy. I was wrong. The layers of black seemed to go on and on. At first, I thought I'm not sure this is worth it. I don't see anything beautiful emerging. But, I kept sanding and the black grit crumbled away little by little.

She was a broken woman, shunned by all who knew her. Men had used her and thrown her away. The Pharisees were ready to stone her for her sin. But Jesus. He saw her heart. His eyes of love pierced through her brokenness, the lies, the shame, and the guilt. He saw her potential. He told her what she could be if the blackness of her life was removed. She could live and breathe in the beauty of His holiness. John 8:1-8

A life repurposed.

It's never too late for God to turn junk into a treasure. What one has tossed aside can be another's path to a new life.

There is life on the other side of brokenness. The process of getting there isn't easy but it's worth the sanding and the pain in the waiting. In time, it will be beautiful, and ready for service in His kingdom.

If you're broken, there's beauty in the brokenness. Don't give up on yourself. Let God remake you from the inside out. His specialty is looking for the ones who are hurting. He is tender and merciful and wants to meet your every need. You must turn to Him and acknowledge your need for Him.

You will seek me and find me 

when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13

For those of you who may be the Pharisee, try to look past the outward appearance. There is a beating heart inside every person you meet. There is a life story they carry, burdens they bear you know nothing about. Give grace where needed. Love unconditionally, expecting nothing in return.

I'm still working on my dresser and it's turning out more beautiful than I expected. I'm so thankful I didn't give up on it. It's been worth much more than the money I invested. It's a treasure I think I'll keep for myself, a visible reminder of my worth in broken places.

His death and resurrection are a visible reminder of your worth in His eyes. You are beautiful to Him, scratches and all. Let Him use the healing balm of His love to sand away the pain of your broken life. I promise He will do it. He did it for me.

Cindy

Just Me and the Critters

I have two neurotic cats, Buck, fifteen, and Livvy, five years old. They are opposite in personality, but both love me. Since Buck was a kitten he's been afraid of going outside in daylight hours and for some crazy reason Livvy is the same. If Buck goes out at night and I don't let him in before the sun peeks over the horizon, I don't see him until darkness comes. Neurotic with a capital N.

Livvy and Buck

He was also afraid of people. Everyone knew I had a cat named Buck, but only through pictures. He was the elusive Bucky Boy...until recently. He has become the poster cat for The Extroverted Cat. Of course I'm teasing. I asked my veterinarian, Dr. Walker, if cats can develop dementia and he said, "Oh yes." There you have it.

So this summer we've been spending time on the porch. Both cats have ventured outdoors with me in the early morning hours. They seem to feel safest if I leave the door cracked a tiny bit even though I'm right there.

One morning I'd slipped back into the house to refill my teacup and when I came back to the door and opened it, Livvy shot in with a chipmunk in her mouth. She dropped the critter at my feet as if I'd won a prize.

It hobbled around my kitchen, then straightened its back and took off running.

The crazy woman (me) ran with a broom trying to trap the critter.

I had a problem on my hands. This was not on my "to do" list today.

1. Laundry
2. Work in yard
3. Run errands

The critter got away.

One month later the crazy woman (me) was out of town and got a call from her son. Andy says, "Mom, I think there's a bird in the house."

I told him I'd take care of it as soon as I got home.

A few hours later I found out where the "bird" had been eating on a dog bone in my pantry. I saw his little brown tail curled in the back of the pantry.

The critter cage was set in the pantry with fresh seeds and about 3:00 the next day the cage began to rattle. The critter is now in the woods, back with his own kind.

I'm telling you this story because now I shut the door when we venture outside in the morning, and Livvy and Buck are not happy with me.

They are safe. Nothing can harm them. I am there to protect them. They can enjoy the beauty of the outdoors. They can scare the birds(not hurt them) and roll around on the concrete. They can breathe in fresh air BUT they choose fear over freedom.

Livvy goes back inside and paws at the window. She will not trust the closed door behind her.

How many times have I not trusted God with a closed door? How many times has He been there to protect me with a closed door and I wanted a fully open door before I would move out and call it "faith?"

He's there through everything, but sometimes He asks us to simply follow Him in faith. Shut the door Cindy, and trust Me. I will protect you and keep you. I know what is out on the porch and beyond. Come out and sit awhile with Me.

Maybe He's asking you to trust Him with something, to close the door and trust Him in faith. Join Him on the porch. There's room in the swing for two.

Blessings,
Cindy

Learning to Keep it Simple

I'm having one of those "remember when" moments.

I was washing dishes recently and thought how simple a process it is. Fill the sink with hot, soapy water, slide silverware in first to soak, then wash glassware. My Ma Bailey warned me never wash sharp knives in water that is too hot. She said it dulls the blade. Because of this I never put my cutting/chopping knives in the dishwasher.

It occurred to me how fulfilling and cleansing it is for my soul to stand over the sink at this labor of love that precedes the cave woman.

I use the time to myself to think on important things like what I'm doing the rest of the day or the next day or week. I think of what my children might be doing. I pray for them and my friends and family. Sometimes I simply watch the birds and squirrels romp about in my backyard.

Washing dishes allows time for me to live small.

I've been thinking a lot about how cluttered life can be, too much of everything. I'm weary of managing all my stuff.

We laugh and remember when we had one television in the house and it was black and white...yes, it didn't even have a color picture. Now, we have four televisions and I don't even watch one of them, unless Downton Abby is on ETV.

Do you remember when there was one phone in the house, usually in the kitchen, on the wall? I can still remember my number when I was a little girl, and my best friend's number. I couldn't tell you the numbers of my friends now, with the exception of one. Their numbers are stored in my iPhone and I scroll down to their name and tap. That may seem simple, but if I were stuck without a phone, I'd be in serious trouble. That is not simple living.

We are a society dependent on technology and I don't like it.

I want simple again.

I grew up in an era I didn't fully appreciate. Life was hard but I'd like to remember the good values of growing up without so many distractions. We knew our neighbors well. Cookouts were a regular thing in the summer months. The age difference didn't matter either. Eventually, that grandmother would take me into her home and let me finish my senior year in high school. I left her home in August of 1977 bound for college, ten pounds heavier.

I ask myself the question, "have our advances in technology taken us in a direction closer to or further away from community?" Have we lost that sense of smallness with our mega churches, mega malls, super box stores, rather than mom and pop stores?

Life is not simple anymore. We have too many gadgets and apps to get anything we want and yet all I see are people walking around like robots attached to their gadgets.

I don't know what the answer is and I know you wouldn't be reading my words without technology, but these are my thoughts. Am I alone in my thinking?

As I type this, I'm sitting in a Barnes and Noble Bookstore surrounded by people. Not a single person has spoken to me, nor I to them. We are consumed by our thoughts, laptops, books, writing, work, toys and activities.

I know we can't go back to the day where the gas station provided someone to fill up your tank and wash your windshield. Can we? No seriously...The guy in my hometown who worked at our local gas station went to church with me. I have sweet memories of pulling into the station and it was an Andy Griffith/Barney Fife moment. "Want a bottle of pop?"

We all have memories of nostalgia of a simpler time.  I want that back while using some of the good of technology.

I want to be the kind of neighbor who loves and knows the needs of those around me. Relationships need time to root and they need regular care and maintenance. Would I take someone into my home because I'd already spent time with them?

Living simply doesn't mean we have to give everything up and live in a tent, but it does mean we have to look up. We need to open our eyes to those in front of us and around us, get back in touch with the simple things of life. We need to stop looking for the next high, the next adventure, the latest technology. Make do with what you have, pare down, give away and spend time with those you love.

There is a world that needs our attention but it begins with the simple things at our finger tips...a real conversation with a friend, a home cooked meal, a hand written note, or movie night at home with popcorn.

So how do we do this? How do we keep it simple? How do we keep first things first?

It begins with our spiritual lives. I was sitting in Bible study yesterday and Beth Moore shared this verse via a video series on the book of Daniel. It popped out at me because I'd written this post and hadn't been able to finish it. The simple life became clear.

One thing I ask of the Lord,

this is what I seek;

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord 

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

and to seek Him in His temple.

Psalm 27:4 NIV

Jesus...even His name was simple. Five little letters in our English language. He is my example for living, for breathing, for dying. He connected with people. He listened, he cared deeply, he made time for them. He saw to the very heart of them because He was God. It didn't matter what they had done or who their people were, He loved. He had no cliques, although He did have best friends. His life had purpose and when it was time to complete His mission He did it with humility and courage and most of all, love. 

And so my friends, stop and smell the roses, but do it with a heart of love for the Creator who made that rose. Then share from a heart of gratitude. 

Have a lovely Saturday,

Cindy

Getting it Right at Turtle Speed

I'm a slow learner. My brain processes information at turtle speed. I don't consider myself dumb by any standards, but I have to think things through and let them take root. I'm an avid reader, but because I also read fast, my brain doesn't always absorb every detail. Do you ever find yourself at the end of a page saying, "what did I just read?"

Don't be ashamed to admit you are a slow learner like me.



I'm the one who gets the punchline of the joke...the next day.

Take movies, for instance, though I don't watch many, if I really like it, I'll watch it over and over. There's usually something new to be found each time I watch.

Slow is not always a bad thing. Look at the Black Eyed Susans. They are one of the first flowers to poke their green buds through the cold ground in the spring, but it takes them all summer to stand at attention and show their glorious blooms. Their Creator had a specific purpose for them at a specific time in the growing season.

I'm in a Friday morning Bible study group. We prefer the Beth Moore studies. Some of the series have been repeated two and even three times, but we all agree we learn something new each time. We're at a different place in our lives with each study. Though God's Word never changes, it is alive and speaks to my life where I am at any given moment in time. The Author is the same yesterday, today, and forever, but my stage of life is in a perpetual state of change.

I'm thankful for His faithfulness to me and how He understands the way my brain works. He created my brain, my heart, my emotions, all of my being to work together. He knitted me together...He never rushes me or gets impatient with me. He is long suffering and tender. I've been taking time this summer to sit in His presence. Sometimes He is quiet but I know He's there.

Slow can be a good thing.

As the busy summer months come to an end and the autumn months approach look at the stage of life you're in. What does the Creator want to say to you? Slow down long enough to let Him speak to you and let His words soak deep into your marrow. You may have to sit awhile and hear it several times or read it over and over. Your investment of time will be worth it.

Step out in abandon and do whatever He tells you.

When I sit with a good friend over coffee, it takes awhile for us to kick off our shoes into conversation that changes me. Coffee gets cold as friendship warms my soul. It's the meeting of two hearts...the sharing of lives. That's the way it is with my Savior. I need to sit in His presence and let Him speak deeply. He needs to have my full attention, just as my friends do.

One thing I hear Him saying over and over is to live simpler, get rid of clutter, and do more for others, get the focus off yourself. That's my goal.

Slow down in this busy, cluttered world of ours to find out what your purpose is. Then set your sights on doing the thing you were made to do, even if it's at turtle speed. You'll get there and bloom like summer flowers.

Cindy