You Gotta Have Faith, Child. --- a story

It was Aunt Eunice and my grandmother who taught me how to grow and appreciate green living things.  Along with beautiful roses they both grew beans and squash and even corn. The stalks of corn seemed to reach as high as the sky as though they were reaching up to heaven to thank God for the sun and the rain. 

Aunt Eunice was known to tell her corn stalks that it was their duty to grow tall and sweet. From the time I was itty-bitty to the time I was grown, if it wasn’t my grandmother it was Aunt Eunice telling me, “Take care of God’s green earth and it will take care of you.”  As I grew older I began to appreciate all of the hard work those two strong black women put into coaxing something out of that hard Arizona clay.  They were right, too.  We never were hungry even though we were very poor. 

Aunt Eunice had a whole lot of faith that the seeds she would plant in that dry Arizona desert would grow into tall stalks of sweet corn or beans or squash that would feed her family.  Her labor of faith brought to me a deep understanding of how to maneuver through life’s difficulties. 

She told me that as we are faced with hard Arizona clay kind of problems, we have to turn on the faucet and pour out some of that sweet well water called faith. That Aunt Eunice  deep, abiding kind of faith. Then we have to carry that heavy bucket over to that problem, especially in the heat of the day, and drown it; talk to it like Aunt Eunice talked to that corn. Her advice was to tell that problem that you will not be overcome, overwhelmed or defeated by it because the Lord was on your side. Then she would say with joyous laughter, "Stand back, child, and give God some room to do His work. You just give Him thanks and watch how He will come through each and every time. Amen?" 

That was my Aunt Eunice and this is what she taught me.

#soulwriter 

Books by Debi Mason:

What I Thought Was So Just Ain't - Aging through God's Grace

Amazon.com (paperback)

Amazon.com (Kindle edition)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (NOOK edition)

ISBN-13: 978-0692236475

Release: June, 2014

Arizona Clay: A journey of self-discovery

Amazon.com (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

ISBN-13: 9781606964880

Release: June, 2009

Follow me on Twitter:  @DebiOak

(c) 2011    Revised 2015

All postings to this blog are the exclusive property of the author and may not be used, copied or transmitted without written permission.

Happy birthday to those turning 15 from somebody turning 65...

(third from left) Carole Mason 1944-2005

I would have loved to pass on some of the funny and wonderful things and thoughts that my sister would probably say to you on your 15th birthday but these are times remembered and times forgotten for me. After thinking about it and praying about it for several days, my heart is telling me to follow my prime directive as a writer which is to write from my own experience and offer to few words of wisdom of my own.

Growing up in the early 1950s and 60s was a peculiar time of wonderment for myself and many a young girl. We were growing up in a time when the world was changing faster than our brains and inner spirits could keep up with. I was 15 years old in 1965 - wow!

In 1965 we were the first to rebel against what we called the establishment. We screamed and loudly protested against the real and percieved wrongs of American life to any and everyone that would listen. We were convinced of what is wrong in our society and were, of course, quick to remind our elders of how they had messed up our environment, the political system that we were beginning to understand could not be trusted, our home lives which was now labled with a new word - dysfunctional and there were far too many things that we were not being educated about. 

Not knowing how we  could change any of this we yelled louder, "hell no, we won't go!"  We became the hip generation; the flower children that set our own style in our music, the way we dressed, the way we created our art and the way we thought. We made some amazing discoveries about our bodies and ourselves, our belief systems and our culture.

By the time I was 15 my two sisters had already graduated to a different level of life's adventures. I was lonely and terribly misunderstood. I thought that mama didn't get it and I was pretty sure daddy didn't care. I was screaming for guidance and I longed for someone to talk to that "gets me".

I believe I am writing this today because I am getting ready to celebrate this marvelous age of 65 where I can say that I have finally reached the age of senior adulthood.  You see I have been feeling much the same way a pre-teen must feel before they cross over to teen-dom. You know, not a kid anymore but not really a full fledged teenager either.

With that said, this seems a good a time as any to reflect on my life thus far. I wonder how different my life may have been if I had parents that really understood the importance of talking to me and not at me? How different would the lives my siblings be if this had been so?

I'm pretty positive that my parents loved me but during that strange and peculiar time they were doing the best they could to clothe and feed us. Communication on the needs, desires and dreams of a silly teenage girl was real low on the priority list. 

Don't get me wrong, I don't have any regrets. I just so happen to be pretty happy about how my life turned out inspite of. I am just wondering that if things had been different, would I have learned the fine art of listening more intently? Perhaps I would have learned to express my true feelings more profoundly - if there is such a thing. Would my dreams and life expectations been more colorful and vivid - perhaps imaginative and I would have come to the the understanding sooner that my dreams are indeed possible and even achievable? 

Would I have come to trust God the way I do now if things had been different for me growing up? Probably not. I doubt seriously if would have come to love life and appreciate all the good and bad of it like I do this day.  Just how many things, that I cry over today, would be things that I take for granted had life dealt me a different hand? By-the-way, I do cry over the smallest and simplest things. Things like a baby laughing. When they are real little and they laugh I wonder if they learned how to do that in heaven. I cry over old movies, fields of flowers and majestic mountain ranges. You know, I have finally learned to settle my spirit and stop and smell the sweetpeas!

If I have any words of wisdom to pass on to you, my precious, it would be these:  Pay attention to life and always be present in mind, body and spirit. In other words, take care of yourself and love yourself . Appreciate the blessing of great parents that care and listen and are there to propel you forward toward the fullfilment of your dreams. Never, ever be afraid of making mistakes because it is through our mistakes that we reach our fullest potential. And, above all else, always keep a grateful heart - love God and trust God.

Remember to stop and smell the sweetpeas...

Happy Birthday, Miss Hannah!

 #soulwriter 

Books by Debi Mason:

What I Thought Was So Just Ain't - Aging through God's Grace

Amazon.com (paperback)

Amazon.com (Kindle edition)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (NOOK edition)

ISBN-13: 978-0692236475

Release: June, 2014

Arizona Clay: A journey of self-discovery

Amazon.com (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

ISBN-13: 9781606964880

Release: June, 2009

Follow me on Twitter:  @DebiOak

The Light of Life, Pt. 1

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams."     

Acts 2:17 KJV

God said that in these last and evil days that He would pour out His spirit on all flesh. With this marvelous gift we are able to lay hands on the sick, including ourselves, and healing will, indeed, take place. We are healed because we believe and hunger for righteousness. God cannot lie and His power is within us. This power from on high is more powerful than any of the failings of this world.

It came to me that our bodies are temporary vessels that wear with age. We all know this to be true when out of the blue you need glasses to read with or taking a nap in the middle of the afternoon is time well spent. We get older and our bodies seem to need a lot more tender loving care than it used to.

These temporary vessels, however, house our eternal spirits - spirit man, if you will. As we pray we gain access to God's greatness, His power from on high that created all things in the heavens and on the earth. The power from on high that heals and restores each and every worn out cell. I read someplace that every cell in our bodies are replaced every eleven days. And the new cells have memory and they mimic the cells they are replacing including the sick cells.

If that be so then the miracle to me happens at the exact point of re-birth of the cell. God in His creativity changes the memory of the sick cell, cancels the over-all sickness and replaces it with good health and the light of life. Why? Because we love Him. We trust Him. We seek Him through His word of truth which says that we are healed by His stripes and in the name of Jesus.

My Lord, you are so utterly amazing!

#soulwriter 

Books by Debi Mason:

What I Thought Was So Just Ain't - Aging through God's Grace

Amazon.com (paperback)

Amazon.com (Kindle edition)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (NOOK edition)

ISBN-13: 978-0692236475

Release: June, 2014

Arizona Clay: A journey of self-discovery

Amazon.com (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

ISBN-13: 9781606964880

Release: June, 2009

Follow me on Twitter:  @DebiOak

More than enough, too ...

“So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.  And they that had eaten were about four thousand”.  Mark 8:8-9 KJV

More than enough, too…

There are times (like today and maybe even yesterday) that I am filled to the brim with wonder. I am not particularly worried about anything. Well maybe I am concerned about this thing they call aging which seems to be producing these body ailments and more and more grey hairs that also seem to be blooming on my cranium overnight.  Ok, I am wondering.

I mean it really is ok getting to be 65.  Really it is. I am just in a state of wonder. When did this happen? I look back at events in my life and they all seem like they took place just yesterday. Has it really been six years since I moved here to the bay? Has it really been six years since I last had a full-time job?  I mean after all that is a tremendous blessing and proof that God is a “keeping” kind of force in my life.

Remembering that day that I sat in this same place and declared that for God I will live and for God I will die. I resolved to live and walk by faith – trusting in His holy word that says the He would supply all of my needs. (It’s funny how God will bring you to a place of absolute dependence upon Him - I'm just sayin'). If I told you how much money I really live on every month you would probably say that’s impossible. But here I am and here it is. I have yet to be hungry. I am sheltered and safe and it is still all about Jesus. This, too, makes me wonder. He is more than enough.

The bible says in Psalm 37:5 “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”  Not that I am so righteous or even all that holy. But the Word of the Lord also says that if we would have the faith the size of a grain of a mustard seed what we see as impossible becomes possible.  That mountain with all of its clefts and jagged edges and slippery places becomes a small mole hill that is easily traversed because of God’s grace.  We don’t even have to have huge amounts of this thing called faith and God, with his ever abounding grace, comes through time after time after time. Isn't it a wonder?

Let’s not get it twisted. I don’t have a whole lot and if I allow what I do have to be measured against what  this world says is symbolic of success, the average Joe would say I have nothing. What you see as nothing is more than enough for me and that, my dear, fills me with wonder. 

As I meditate on the Word, I often look at the familiar stories and wonder why exactly are they written in the bible. What are we to really learn from that particular story?  There have been many interpretations of the Word of God, as we know. Some of these interpretations have totally missed the mark and have been slanted it to fit a person's particular earthly agenda. But when you really study the word and ask God to reveal the truth of why and how come that story is being told, the revelation is often amazing. God in His infinite love and wisdom reveals so much to us through these stories. God's Word does indeed breathe and it is alive. Though written numerous years ago it still reveals and instructs as though it were written just yesterday. Going back to the basics, I sometimes read the stories that we have heard time and time again and low and behold - fresh manna! Oh, how this fills me with wonder!

When is the last time you thought about the seven loaves of bread and a few fish that fed four thousand? Jesus had all of the people to sit down and wait for the miracle.  The bible didn’t say anything about the people complaining in the wait. Four thousand people sat down in the grass in groups and waited with great expectation to receive. And receive they did. Jesus blessed those few small fish and those seven loaves of bread and the increase came forth “pressed down, shaken together, running over.”  Everybody received more than enough. So it is with me and you and all of us. To this day I have no idea how it is that He is keeping me and to be honest I don’t need to know. He keeps me and this knowledge is more than enough, too.

#soulwriter 

Books by Debi Mason:

What I Thought Was So Just Ain't - Aging through God's Grace

Amazon.com (paperback)

Amazon.com (Kindle edition)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (NOOK edition)

ISBN-13: 978-0692236475

Release: June, 2014

Arizona Clay: A journey of self-discovery

Amazon.com (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

ISBN-13: 9781606964880

Release: June, 2009

Follow me on Twitter:  @DebiOak

Another thought: And Jesus Said Come ...

Another thought: And Jesus Said Come ...: Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and l...

And Jesus Said Come ...

Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest into your souls. For my yoke is wasy and my burden is light.                                                                     Matthew 11:28 KJV

It wasn’t until I reached my age of reason – so near 65 I can taste it – that I realized just how fast the world is spinning. We can reach destinations hundreds of miles away in a matter of hours. We can hear the voice of someone that is in another country just by punching in a few numbers into that mystery box we call a cell phone. The list goes on and on. We are moving at the speed of light and most times we don’t even leave the safety and comfort of our homes or offices.  We conduct business and make major money transactions through a computer screen. Information flies at us from every direction imaginable. Because of this age of technology, we spin. We spin faster and faster with each year and new “gotta have it” device.

We have become a nation of tired and burdened folk. We work day after day trying desperately to keep up and keep in step with what our culture now believes is necessary to find that most elusive happiness or success.  If we don’t make the grade, anger and total dissatisfaction step in. We are miserable and make everyone else around us most miserable. We have unrealistic expectations that define peace as having the latest gadget or gizmo. Life’s treadmill is our continual placement of one foot in front of the other and not moving anywhere. We are tired from all that running in place. True?

It is clear that the Lord is telling us that what we are struggling for is not found in the latest Apple Watch, or tablet, house, car or on Facebook. True happiness and success is not measured by what we have or what it is that we do. Having nice stuff is great and if God blessed you with something be grateful. The 11^th Chapter of Matthew, however, is asking us to keep it all in perspective. Things will never define who we are and whose we are.

Our burden continues to be our struggle to get and to show off. Jesus is speaking and telling us that it is time to fully submit to Him and He will take struggle out of life’s equation. Through our surrender, and only through our surrender, will we find rest, peace, happiness, success. If we are truly striving to be more like Christ we should know that His soul is a soul rested. Jesus knows what it means to let go of the worry of not having enough. We are to let go of the struggle and the burdens we face in this life and we will find the ultimate rest. We will have that peace and succes in our homes, on our jobs and in our ministries.

As I get older and with an ever growing desire to be more like Him I better understand His humility and His humanity. Doing life His way is so much easier for His burden is indeed light.

#soulwriter 

Books by Debi Mason:

What I Thought Was So Just Ain't - Aging through God's Grace

Amazon.com (paperback)

Amazon.com (Kindle edition)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (NOOK edition)

ISBN-13: 978-0692236475

Release: June, 2014

Arizona Clay: A journey of self-discovery

Amazon.com (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

ISBN-13: 9781606964880

Release: June, 2009

Follow me on Twitter:  @DebiOak

Distractions

dis·trac·tion noun \di-ˈstrak-shən\

: something that makes it difficult to think or pay attention

: something that amuses or entertains you so that you do not think about problems, work, etc.

: a state in which you are very annoyed or upset

There are words that we use all of the time that seem to fit a situation or a circumstance and there are words that really hit the nail on the head when you look them up in a Webster’s. 

Such is this word – distraction. 

When I am having difficulty in praying and concentrating on the Word – distraction

When I seem to not feel the joy that I know I should have – distraction

When I am bothered by sounds (particularly folk’s conversations, too many questions) – distraction

Not seeing clearly God’s purpose for the rest of my life and when things used to be so clear – distraction

When I cannot see clearly through the fog of my own stinking thinking with teary eyes I know that I must be looking at things not in the spirit as the Lord would have me but I looking at things through the lens of negative worldly what have you - distraction.  My spirit self knows, without a doubt, that He has me in all things yet the enemy of my soul is going to try to distract me into believing the very opposite. Yes, these are nothing but distractions to keep me from fulfilling His divine plan. 

If there is anything that I truly hate in this life it has to be distractions.  Those moments that keep you awake at night or, better yet, throw you out of a fitful sleep to the edge of the bed to ponder and pray and commiserate over (something like “glass jars and marbles, etc.”) Distractions make me feel uneasy and restless – impatient for the move of God.  It is almost as though I were a bored kid that can’t wait for the test period to be over, not caring whether a passing or failing grade will be given…just wanting it over.

Distractions can be those moments of sheer boredom when all you really want to do is go outside and contemplate your belly button. 

#soulwriter 

Books by Debi Mason:

What I Thought Was So Just Ain't - Aging through God's Grace

Amazon.com (paperback)

Amazon.com (Kindle edition)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (NOOK edition)

ISBN-13: 978-0692236475

Release: June, 2014

Arizona Clay: A journey of self-discovery

Amazon.com (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

ISBN-13: 9781606964880

Release: June, 2009

Follow me on Twitter:  @DebiOak