No zombies here

 Tonight all over Lexington churches will be hosting various events. Several churches are hosting Harvest Celebrations or Fall Fun Nights. One church is hosting a Halloween Hullabaloo. Our church is hosting an event titled, “His Name in Lights” .  Our church will focus on providing a safe alternative for children. Christian celebrations will focus on the fall season, music, games, treats, and the fun of dressing up.  Scary costumes are discouraged.  In our church and neighborhood, I don’t think  I will see any Zombies trick or treating.

If you Google zombies, you will might be surprised to see 215, 000,000 hits in .20 seconds.   A short list of zombies includes these: Zombie Board game, Zombie survival drills, drinks, dances, videos, movies, and t-shirts. I was surprised to see the Center for Disease Control Office of Public Health Preparedness  site mentions zombies. The site helps inform the public about emergency preparedness. The title for the brochure is titled, Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse. What is the fascination with Zombies? I don’t get it.  This picture is from the government website. 

Night at the Carnegie Center

Carnegie  Center hosted an International Eating and Reading Night last Thursday. The evening was filled with international food and poetry.

All evening, the audience sat intently listening to poetry.  Poetry was read in Arabic, Bulgarian, French, Hindi, Korean, Polish, and Spanish. I was moved to tears by poem written by  Korean who died at the age of 27. When Professor Paden read a poem in Spanish, I sat still savoring each word.

The evening ended with advice from Dr. Oscar Haber. Dr. Haber is a Holocaust Survivor. He has lived a life that is rich with wisdom. He said, "If the Lord wills, I will celebrate my 103 birthday next March. Please Google Dr. Oscar Haber. He has a story worth reading.   As I was preparing to leave, I asked his permission to take his picture. He graciously agreed.

Dr. Oscar Haber

Pets of the week

Donna's cats
Czn Yoda (yellow tabby) and Edison ( black and white)
This week Donna has been serving on short term mission trip.
I look forward to hearing about how they served the children and people in Romania. 

Donna shares the story about her cats. "In fall of 2011, two cats just showed up in our neighborhood.  One was really friendly, the other very shy and skittish.  Although I knew what might happen, I started feeding them.  They both were beautiful cats.  The friendly one was a tortoise shell.  I felt that it was adoptable so I took it to Humane Society since we were having such a cold, rainy fall.  As I was driving away, its buddy, the yellow tabby, sat on the sidewalk and looked at me like “Where are you taking my buddy?”  I continued to feed this cat.  It was getting friendly but wouldn’t let me pet it.  It would run up when I got home; follow me to the mailbox and just roll on ground in front of me but wouldn’t let me pet it.  I started getting attached to this little guy and started wondering how I could bring him in when I couldn’t even pet him?  I noticed that my cats would be on one side of storm door looking out and he would be right up to the door and no one was getting upset.  Finally, in January, he was eating  and I reached down and he let me pet him!!!  The next day, he did the same.  The predicted weather for that weekend was snow.  I thought “if I am going to take him in, I need to do it now before weather gets yucky”.  So I talked to vet about what needed to be done.  Plan was to drop him off for day to be examined, neutered, etc.  I got the carrier.  I walked out the door and said  “Ok, Lord, if you want this to work out you are going to have to help me”.  I set carrier down on step.  The kitty walked right up to me and I picked him up and put him in the carrier!!!  No trouble at all!!!  However, he did meow all the way to the vet.  But once there, he was fine.  They took great care of him, cleaned him up, etc.  For being outside for several months, he had no fleas, ear mites, parasites or worms!!!  I didn’t even keep the cats separated long.  They just all took to each other right away.  My 9 year old nephew, Eddie, got the naming rights and that is how he came to be Czn Yoda."
Next week look for an interesting saga about lost pets. 

where learning lives

Bobbie Ann Mason reading from her book,
The Girl in the Blue Beret.

If you visit the Carnegie Center in Lexington, Kentucky, you will be enchanted. It is a sweet place of learning and discovery. Inside the building there is always a flurry of activity. In the mornings, classes are offered for adults. In the afternoon, you will hear school age children entering the building for tutoring. On most weekends people will be learning in workshops. Carnegie Center is indeed where learning lives.

Wordless Wednesday

A birthday I forgot

How is it possible that I forgot my own birthday? I know it sounds incredible.  

To be clear, I am referring to my spiritual birthday which is October 4, 1981.  This year marks my 31st spiritual birthday.  Lord willing, I will celebrate my other birthday in November.  Prior to this day, when the question was posed to me, "Are you a Christian?"  I would stutter and say, "I am trying."  
I was comfortable trying to live a moral life. I was never sure if I was a Christian. 

After miscarriages and a difficult pregnancy, I began my search for God. It was after the birth of my daughter that I seriously began my spiritual journey. 

My spiritual journey consisted of attending church services and participating in Bible studies. What  happened to me? It is delineated  in the Gospel of St. John. In this portion of scripture, Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus, "Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again.'"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  John 3: 7 - 8

I remember attending services as Sherman Street Church of God. Listening the message, accepting the message, belief, confession, repentance, and faith... Today, I have a sweet assurance of knowing Christ. I don't have to worry and question my faith in God.  

Joy of friendship

"Friends are those rare people who ask how you are and then wait for the answer."

Author unknown

 God put me on the heart of a friend thousands of miles away. She calls me to ask me, "How are you?" For nearly an hour, we talk about our lives. Our friendship is a gift that neither time or distance  has altered. God is doing amazing things. We are humbled to be watch God at work in our lives and in the lives of those around the world.  We pray... we laugh... we look forward to our next phone visit.

I am grateful that Charlene was obedient to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
I pray God has placed good friends in your life.

Pet of the week, Roscoe

Roscoe is one of the world's sweetest cats.

Roscoe is this week's pet of the week. He is a cuddly cat. 

How did Roscoe develop such a sweet personality? I have a theory. I think it is as a result of a living in a loving home. 

This is what I found most amazing... Roscoe is comfortable with complete strangers. He did not hide during our visit.  He seems equally at ease on a footstool or resting on Jerry's leg.

Roscoe at rest.

Me, Pam (my cousin)  and Aunt Mary (Pam's mom)

Resting on Jerry

October

October

BY ROBERT FROST

O hushed October morning mild,

Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;

Tomorrow’s wind, if it be wild,

Should waste them all.

The crows above the forest call;

Tomorrow they may form and go.

O hushed October morning mild,

Begin the hours of this day slow.

Make the day seem to us less brief.

Hearts not averse to being beguiled,

Beguile us in the way you know.

Release one leaf at break of day;

At noon release another leaf;

One from our trees, one far away.

Retard the sun with gentle mist;

Enchant the land with amethyst.

Slow, slow!

For the grapes’ sake, if they were all,

Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,

Whose clustered fruit must else be lost—

For the grapes’ sake along the wall.

A Yearning to Belong

As an undergraduate at Indiana University, I had a longing to be a member of a special sorority. I appreciated this sorority’s legacy of academic excellence, service to the community, and the “cool” of the group. A few years later, I would pledge the graduate chapter of this same sorority. Today, our sorority continues provide service in communities across the nation. Memberships in sororities and other groups speak to a deep human need.  What is it about the need to belong?

In Eternal Echoes, Exploring our Yearning to Belong, John O’Donohue digs deep into the desire to belong.  “Why do we need to belong? What is this desire so deeply rooted in every heart? The longing to belong seems to be ancient and at the core of our nature. Though you may often feel isolated, it is the nature of your soul to belong. The soul can never be separate, its eternal dream is intimacy and belonging. When we are rejected or excluded, we become deeply wounded.   The most terrifying image in Christian theology is absolute exclusion from belonging. “ I think this book is worth reading.

Last evening, I was a part of a weekly Bible discussion. It is in this group where I continue to embrace and discover real belonging. We are in this journey together. We are not here to prove a point or point a finger. As I study the Bible, I grow to appreciate the God who invites, who instructs, who encourages, who shelters, and who heals. Studying God’s word transforms me. It shapes me for eternity. God invites us to belong to Him.

Pet of the week, Thor

I love corrections. This dog's name is Thor. He is the pet of the week. His owner is an engineering student living and working in Georgetown, Kentucky. Later this year, she ( his owner)  will resume her studies at North Carolina A and T. 

Are you familiar with this breed?  I suggest you listen to a NPR Story, The Road to Recovery for Michael Vick’s dogs.  This program aired on Fresh Air and is about a half an hour in duration. You may listen to the program on your computer.  It is packed full of helpful information. I am positive you will gain new insight. 

According to some reports Michael Vick is currently a pet owner.  What do you think? Do you think he should  own  pet?  

Thor the  Pit Bull