Her Storage was Empty

A friend and I were in the presence of the Lord for the 'homegoing celebration' of Tomasina Sisco, sister of a mutual friend. It was held at the Sky Rose Chapel of the Rose Hills Mortuary in Whittier, CA. Sky Rose Chapel is at the top of the Hill on the massive mortuary property. The chapel is beautiful. Later, I will post pictures of the amazing architecture in this lovely structure. Sister Edna was visibly moved to her Friendship church family present. I was visibly moved to see the life of this lady, now with the Lord, unfold before me, how her life touched so so many, and how faith in God permeated this extensive family. Also I am constantly amazed how small this huge orbit we travel in is when I encountered a family friend I haven't seen in some 30-40 years from my days living in Pasadena. Lolita Parker was a family friend of our next door neighbor. My family was very close with these same neighbors and, therefore, knew them as well. I saw her name on the guest book as I signed in and when I entered sanctuary from the foyer, I saw her. The woman I knew had a radiant personality and attractiveness and, while time did not sit still, the evidence of what I remembered best about her was these same qualities. We talked for a moment; she had know 'Tommi' for 30 years. In the time since I had known Lolita, Tomasina had touched her life also. When I read Tomasina's obituary, I learned she too had lived in Pasadena for many years. Most importantly, I learned that she, like her sister, loved children. She most loved the Lord and she served him joyfully. She was remembered by so many. The words spoken about her were very touching. People loved Tomasina, and it was for the love she, herself, gave. Her family included a great number of foster children. Minimally, she left 7 children, 25 grandchildren and 15 great grands. Originally from Massachusetts, she touched lives there and also Phoenix AZ and Pasadena/Monrovia and the Inland Empire. What a legacy of love she leaves going Home. One person noted that she left to be with the Lord just prior to 'All Saints Day'. A song, 'I'm Available to You', sung amongst many precious songs, had these words 'my storage is empty'. This remains with me to resonate. May we all leave with our 'storages bare' having said to the Lord 'Use me Lord, To show someone the way a enable me to say My storage is empty, and I am available to You'. The lyrics to this beautiful song are below. I was blessed to have shared in this 'homegoing celebration! I can see why Sister Edna is such a dear; her roots run deep in her family and in our Lord.

You gave me my hands to reach out to man To show Him your love and your perfect plan You gave me my ears I can hear your voice so clear I can hear the cries of sinners But can I wipe away their tears ---------- You gave me my voice to sing your Word To sing all your praises to those who've never heard But with my eyes I see your need for more availability I see hearts that have been broken So many people to be free ---- Lord, I'm available to You My will I give to You I'll do what You say do Use me Lord To show someone the way And enable me to say My storage is empty And I am available to You --- Now I'm giving back to You All the tools You gave to me My hands My ears My voice My eyes So You can use them as You please I have emptied out my cup So that You can fill me up Now I'm free And I just want to be More available to You Ah Use me Lord, To show someone the way And enable me to say My storage is empty, and I am available to You

Live the Life

Building upon and practicing the Spanish I initially began a study of years ago, I find myself thinking with it and listening to the nuances of the meaning. Just the other week the co-pastor friend at church and also today my co-worker friend and I in each instance were discussing how 'Escucharme' can substitute 'Oirme'. Similar intricate subtleties exist in all language, even for the counterpart of these same words. As a writer, I don't read a book or watch a movie; I climb into the mind of the writer who has stepped inside and experience his story. From fingering the keyboard and singing at church, I've begun to let the music play me. As I re-immerse myself in photography, I find myself seeing through a lense without the camera to my eye. Today coming home with my fellow-commuter friend, I saw the perfect take, again and again and again. I was driving and I had forgotten my camera at home. But I saw the sun balance itself within the vortex of two hills in a San Dimas horizon. I saw clouds release their moisture as if exhaling a sigh and nearby also keep it in as if angrily holding breath, and how a glint of sunlight touched a shrouded airplane. I took in the double rainbow, seeking its origin from end to end. My friend showed me how the colors reversed from the inside rainbow to the outer one; I hadn't noticed that detail before. Yes, I was watching the road too ;-) When you talk; speak! When you listen; hear! When you look; see! When you smell; envelope the aromas! When you touch; feel! Savor when you taste! When you live; be alive! I'm realizing that God doesn't want me to half-exist. I've got some work to do. I've grown up protecting myself from hurt, from getting angry and, in so doing, from the fullness of an total spectrum of emotion. It has been a disservice to myself, to my loved ones, and to my First Love. I'm remembering a verse "with ALL your ...." and '...you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot'. From us He wants wholeness; He wants entirety. Paul learned to be content in whatever situation he found himself. That can so easily fit the existence described above. Our salvation reminds me of the movie 'Toy Story' in that what is a toy that spends its existence boxed upon a shelve instead of enjoyed by a child. I don't think that God asked, nor Paul resolved to, de-sensitize life. Imprisoned disciples sang. God joined us here on this earth in the person of Jesus and felt our pain, hurt our hurts, rejoiced in our joys! I think Paul's contentment was Christlike. Lord help me to live Christlike; move me from any and all marginality. Help me to know and live 'for me to live is Christ'.

Dying

I was reminded this morning while discussing with a friend how enjoyable the movie "Bucket List" was, that dying equates to stopping living. It is not death we want to avoid; simply to whatever extent possible live until you die. The movie stars Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, and is excellent. You laugh, you sigh, you look for a tissue and cry.

In 2009, Looking Forward ...

Looking forward ... was the title of Sunday's sermon; delivered by Reggie Norman. Scriptures were Exodus 32:1-8; Romans 8:28; and Romans 5. Thoughts I had... Choices - Something new or something proven. One might automatically chose proven; but proven what? reliable, good, fruitful? or faulty, to have pitfalls, uncertain? These are additional questions that must be answered. If the latter, new might be better than proven and the choice to make. but otherwise, new might have nothing to offer, so why chose it over what has held true time after time. God is faithful through all generations, and His mercies are new every morning. Choose God. Points to consider in looking forward:

• where have you been
• where are you right now (where do you fit in all of this?)
• do a 360 (the above, while looking forward), similar to driving a car - you can't just look ahead. One must keep what is behind and on the sides as well as what lies ahead in focus as one moves forward.

There was a reference to 'stopping living' in covering the point of keeping hope alive. It occurred to me that to stop living is synonymous with 'starting to die'. That can be applied in a secular and spiritual sense. When you stop living you start dying. If you don't move forward, you automatically slip back because time does not stand still. Marking time is an exercise of letting time slip away. Don't mistake standing still with preparation. Preparation is progress. I imagine the Hebrews waiting for the cloud to move, doing all that is necessary to be ready to 'head out' when that cloud moved. Spending time with God to hear him speak is also preparation, commensurate with getting that panoramic view necessary in forward travel. Blinders, I believe, were provided to horses, so as not to be blind-sided by what frightened them. The Word was provided to us so we could move without fear and be ready for what we will encounter. Reading the manual allows us to operate life optimally and not do something incorrectly in the process. Therein lies our hope. We don't have to operate in darkness. God is with us. Bring hope to someone else, we were told in the sermon. It was a good word for the New Year and a good follow up to his last sermon.