Work while we can

I am well aware of the darkness that is gathering over our nation and our world.  I just don't want to talk about it today.  None of my close Texas friends are floating out to sea and I am thankful. I want to talk about things that may make you smile.

In our first church out of seminary, Ray Stedman, our pastor/teacher had a great sense of humor.  (He renamed Euodia and Syntyche "Odius" and "Soon Touchy".)  Three years later in our first pastorate in our church in Bakersfield, California, Ted and Milt teamed up to give us at least one belly laugh on Sunday morning, never flagging from the seriousness of teaching the whole counsel of God. Jesus had to have had a sense of humor. Look who He chose to disciple: a conglomerate of cultures, colors, biases and personalities.  His expectation? Respect each other but never compromise the Truth of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is still expecting us to do the same. Tricky, isn't it?

I had a brilliant, witty friend Diana, who went to Heaven three weeks before Ted left on June 12th five years ago.  Diana and I planned for decades to write a book entitled: "Don't Miss the Ironies". We never got to do that.  I sure did need Diana in all of our pastorates but she and Herb ran off to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia for the next eighteen years to make a million or so bucks. Diana and I stayed connected, even on the day a scud missile hit practically in their back yard.  Miraculously, I reached her by phone almost immediately after seeing the explosion on TV.  "Are you all right?" "Yes, I think so. Let me check out my body parts!" That courageous woman formed her own company, employed nearly 60 Muslim men,  won their trust and respect and shared Jesus with those who were open to hear.

One time when we lived in Houston Diana somehow finagled Ted's and my being invited to teach a marriage seminar for employees who had formed a church on the Aramco compound. A few days before we were to leave we received the word that I,  being woman would not be allowed in the country. I was disappointed and being temporarily controlled by the wrong spirit, said to Ted: "If you really love me you won't go either."  He went.  Being well-practiced in ways to get my Irish under control,  I ordered four yards of dirt to be delivered in order to re-landscape our back yard.  Do you have any idea how much four yards of dirt is?  I nearly fainted when the dump truck unloaded a pile that reached to the top of the telephone pole!  The temperature hovered around a hundred and so did the humidity.  I grabbed the handlebars of the newly purchased wheelbarrow that had taken me four hours to assemble and began the staggering task of hauling dirt from our front yard to the back. When Ted got home ten days later I had worked off my mad and our back yard was in great shape. My back wasn't.

Is there a message here? Uh....when mad, refuse to stir up more trouble,  stay in scripture, and go to work doing what God equips us to do. "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."  Ephesians 2:10..

I dunno if I can find an old hymn that sums up what I just said. Oh, yes, here's one:

Work, for the night is coming; work through the morning hours.
Work while the dew is sparkling; work 'mid the springing flowers,
Work when the day grows brighter; work in the glowing sun.
Work, for the night is coming when man's work is done.

Work, for the night is coming; work through the sunny noon.
Fill the brightest hours with labor; rest comes sure and soon.
Give every flying minute something to keep in store;
Work, for the night is coming when man works no more.

There's another verse about working at night, but I'll skip that.  I'm done by 5 o'clock!

Love,  Jo