Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Thanksgiving


This is the scene that greeted us on Sunday morning.  It was fascinating to see the water bubbling up and filling the ditch in front of our home.  I had never seen water gushing out of the street.  We called and soon the city superintendent and the city water supervisor showed up.  They told me that a water main had broken.  One of the things that led to its demise was how dry the ground was - there was a lot more flex to it.  When we got home from church they had dug it up and repaired the breach.

I told them that watching the water gush had reminded me of Jed Clampett whose errant shot at a rabbit had made him a wealthy man.  But, this was not Texas Tea or Black Gold.  But, it was something very valuable.  Water - clear, cool, drinkable, life-giving water.

I do not give much thought to the fact that for me to get water from my kitchen sink requires a whole system to function properly and efficiently.  There are pipes and pressures and people that keep everything in working order.  It would be hard to be without it - just ask some of the people who live along the northern portion of the eastern seaboard.  Being thankful means noticing and recognizing that every good and perfect gift comes from above and this includes water.  I am seeking to cultivate a heart of gratitude.  So, thank the Lord for the supply of water and the people who keep it flowing and the pipes that bring it to my house.    

Friday, November 2, 2012

Promises, Promises


A little over a month ago, we had an amazingly vivid rainbow appear over Gibson City.  The photo does not do it justice.  Rainbows remind us of promises - in particular God's promise to not destroy the world again by flood - although the poor folks on the East coast may be wondering about this.  

I have been thinking about promises.  Currently, I am reading Living Into Community which is written by Christine Pohl.  I recommend the book.  It is about cultivating practices that are sustaining to us.  One of those practices she addresses is promise keeping.  Negatively she says: "When we break promises, we also betray relationships and erode community. Small betrayals often do a surprising amount of damage.  They involve other broken practices - deception instead of speaking the truth, absence instead of welcome, grumbling and envy instead of gratitude".   Ouch.  Promise keeping can be complex.  But, in most of our worlds, we need to make the call we promised to make, stay faithful to the mate we promised to stay faithful to, pray for the person we promised to pray for, and honor the Lord we vowed to honor.  

The book has been a wonderful reminder for me.  And, it makes me eternally grateful that God keeps His promises.