Nothing {The Widow's Jar of Oil}

Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.” So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest” (2 Kings 4:1-7, ESV).

Your servant has nothing in the house.

The interest on this threadbare tent of my sojourning is high,

Too high.

It has emptied everything I have and more,

And now there’s nothing in the house to pay my debts,

Debts of duty,

Debts of love.

My dearest bear the cost of this indebtedness.

            Tell me, daughter. What have you in the house?

Nothing, Master. Nothing,

Except—

Except this little jar,

This little jar of promises,

            Of truth,

            Of help for one more day.

So little.

It might as well be empty.

            Go, He says. Borrow empty vessels from your neighbors.

I go.

I beg.

I borrow.

I pour.

And—oh, the grace—their nothing

Plus my nothing

Is everything we need.

With gratitude for the friends from whom I “borrowed vessels” of encouragement and prayer Thursday morning

Creation's Song

Yahweh, our Lord,

how magnificent is Your name throughout the earth!

You have covered the heavens with Your majesty.

Psalm 8:1, HCSB

No parsley, but sage (far right), rosemary (back), and thyme

Mexican yucca

Pink evening primroses

Incipient blackberries

First larkspur

New herbs and vegetables and a wisteria bush

Some fragrance and cheer inside, too

{"Creation Song" by Fernando Ortega; to view and listen on the Web, please visit the actual post at crumbs}

Creation sings God's praise

Day and night, though cities quake,

Though the strongest fall.

Breathe in His beauty.

Lean on His steadfast mercies.

Cry to God. He hears.

He shares our sorrows.

He shelters beneath His wings.

He fails not His own.

Grace and faithfulness

Turn mourning into dancing;

Our Lord holds out hope.

**********************

Thank You, Lord, for eucharisteos pleasant and painful:

for a doctor willing to come in before office hours to accommodate a loved one's needs

for Mom's shoulder pain not requiring surgery

for stories on screen of Christian faith in action

for the courageous first-responders in Boston and West, Texas

for a friend's surgery success
for a brief visit to her home

for leaning on each other for prayer in hard times

for lunch with another friend

for text message grace

for a photo of two dear faces together

for roses blooming

for blackberries' sweet promises

for masses of pink primroses

for favorable weather this weekend

for Amore's satisfaction in dirt and growing things
for a better response to acupuncture than last week
for an evening visit from our neighbor, who came demanding chocolate and roses (She's 4.)
for kisses blown

for winged visitors to watch and hear

for starting over in a new journal and on a new One Thousand Gifts

for happy new things: cousin's daughter, Kate's adoption, Teagirl's puppy

for His hand holding me fast (Isaiah 41:10)

 for the pressures that drive me to You

for songs in the night (Ps. 42:8)

for memorial stones
(Joy Dare, #60-84)

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Psalm 8:1, ESV


linking to the Playdates with God community and the Monday Multitudes gratitude community today

On This Day in April

For April 18, 2013:

Outside my window...
It's damp and uncharacteristically chilly. 46F after a high of 87F yesterday! I'm not complaining, though. This is Texas. Hundred-degree days are not that far away.

I am thinking...
about a friend whose grandmother is in hospice, another friend who had surgery this morning, and my youngest sister on crutches for her ankle injury that just won't heal.

I am thankful...
for the gift of 26 years of walking with the Lord, and He with me.

In the kitchen...
not much is happening, but the first few small roses of the season sit in bud vases on the table.

I am wearing...
a long-sleeved shirt, cardigan, sweatshirt, and jeans, with the constant of tennis shoes and orthotics.

I am creating...
a new gratitude list, starting over at #1 yesterday.

I am going...
to take photos of the bluebonnets this year, Lord willing, when they finally bloom out. 

I am wondering...
whether acupuncture will really give the extra pain relief I desire and whether my ankle will end up in a cast like my sister's before long.

I am reading...
The True Jewel of Christian Contentment, still and slowly; 1 Kings and Luke; and Jane Eyre and The House at Riverton in audio format.

I am hoping...
my mom's shoulder injury is not as serious as the ER doc believed last night.

I am looking forward to...
beginning the new memoir Joni and Ken soon.

I am learning...
to trust my loved ones to God's providence and care, especially when that doesn't turn out as I'd like.

Around the house...
laundry is in process, candles need replacing, the heater and air conditioner both rest quietly, Ebony naps in "my" chair, and my Bible study things are spread out all over the kitchen table.

I am pondering...
the tragedy of King David's household and Solomon's divided love for the Lord, which we are reading about in Bible study. O Lord, unite my heart to fear Thy name!
I need to be pondering my new memory verses, Ephesians 4:11-13:

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,  until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (ESV here, but I'm trying to learn the NIV1984 version).

A favorite quote for today...

One of my favorite things...
meeting with my ladies' Bible study Wednesday morning. We are a small group this session, and my introverted self is loving that.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
nothing exciting or out of the ordinary (Lord willing) until a date with my Amore this weekend, church, and potluck afterward. Earlier in the week, I had an acupuncture session, grieved with everyone else over the terrible events in Boston, went to Bible study and lunch with one of those ladies, and celebrated my spiritual birthday with extra quiet and solitude yesterday afternoon.

A peek into my day...

Ebony chasing his lunch in his treat ball

Sharing with Peggy Hostetler's The Simple Woman's Daybook today

AcuPUNcture

Something about the latest chapter in My Life, the Science Project, specifically the new adventure of seeking acupuncture therapy for my chronic pain issues, has brought out the punniness in my family. In case that word is unfamiliar to you, that's probably because I might have just invented it. Here's a working definition:

punniness: noun, a quality or tendency to attempt humor by way of plays on words, poss. eliciting laughter from the punner and groans from the hearers

To save you having to ask,

punner: noun, one who makes puns

Don't say you weren't warned. Read on at your own risk.

Truth be told, I started the pun-fest with this text message:

Taking a stab at acupuncture Fri @ 10.  More to the point, acupuncture is taking a stab at me.

Allen continued it by greeting me after my second appointment with the words, "So I'm on pins and needles. How did acupuncture go?"

My dad may win the prize for creative acupuncture jokes so far with this text message last week:

I tried to water our bushes earlier but the hose had several leaks which made me think of you. How did appt go today? :)

So what's my point, you may ask. First of all, I have neglected to give you an update, and curiosity and concern may have been needling a few of you kind friends. The first two sessions went well. No dramatic change occurred after the first appointment, but for most of last week my pain, especially the back pain, was noticeably better. Correlation does not always indicate causation, but for now we are sticking with this new line of treatment. In fact, I'm minutes away from leaving for the next point-appointment as I write this. We must be punctual. [Update: Appointment number three went fine. It didn't seem to help my ankle this time, but my back hurts less than before the treatment.] Thank you for your continued prayers.

Secondly, the last week has been challenging in ways not pertaining to my health. At such times, laughter is more valuable than ever. In that light, feel free to sharpen up your sense of humor and share your best acupuncture pun or joke in the comments. It's ok to poke a little fun at me. Take your best shot. The funniest clean joke or real-life humor you've encountered lately is also welcome. (It's probably not necessary to ask, but please make a point to be respectful and courteous to any other people or groups involved in your joke or story. I reserve the right to moderate comments.)

More importantly even than laughter, let me begin the week with gratitude to God, the Author of laughter and joy. Thank You, Lord,

for laughter
for joy mingled together with the sorrows You allow for our good
for hugs from friends
for a small but perfectly chosen Bible study group Wednesday
for lunch with a friend from there afterward
for whole wheat pancakes and scrambled eggs
for the Lord's nearness to the brokenhearted
for hymns of Christ and the Cross on Sunday
for the kind, gentle acupuncturist
for e-mails from friends
for friends who act in parallel and find out later
for new butterfly bookmarks

for horsing around with Allen at a nearby retail/restaurant/residential development

for Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal having breakfast together on our back porch and not minding my camera behind the glass

for a phone visit with Nonni this afternoon

for hearing my youngest sister's voice on the phone three times in four days, a rarity
for an hour's visit with a friend before her surgery later this week
for a birthday package happily surprising its recipient
for bluebonnets in waiting (still!) at the park where I enjoyed them last year
for wild, crazy temperature swings reminding us that this is Texas, after all
for frozen whole wheat pizza dough easily prepared
for "blessings all mine, and ten thousand beside"
(gratitude journal #10,036-10,057 over two years; starting again at #1 on Wednesday)

Prayers for Boston

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted

and saves the crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18, ESV

A lighter post was in the works for today, but now it doesn't seem appropriate. Some "sparrows" fell in Boston this afternoon, and more lost their wings. May the Lord bring comfort and peace to all present and to all whose loved ones were killed or injured in this bombing. May He direct and give wisdom to the law enforcement officials trying to sort out the truth in this sad event. He is near to the brokenhearted, so very near. If your heart is broken for whatever reason today, your spirit crushed, may you know His nearness in a special, personalized way through the mercies of the Eternal Redeemer, our Lord Jesus Christ.

The sparrow reference is from the post, Beneath God's Gaze, from last week.
Other posts on God's nearness and compassion include these:
Wounded Monarch
Midnight Cry
The Wiper of Our Tears