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It had been a lonnggg Sunday in October of ’87. Our boys of 7,8 & 9 had provided us with many irritations & frustrations. My wife and I collapsed on our living room couch, too tired to make dinner or go out for it.

     At this point, our boys announced that they were going to make us dinner. The initial look of horror on our faces prompted them to reassure us that they really wanted to bless us this way. Our oldest son, Bryan, came over to us with a dish towel over his forearm, like a hi-class waiter. He asked us what we would like for dinner. Patti & I looked at each other, then back at him and said,” What do you have?” His eyes got really big and he rushed into the kitchen to consult with his brothers. We heard them frantically talking….buzz, buzz, buzz.  He came back and said, “Chocolate covered peanuts, apple sauce, Timmy’s salad (our 7 year old), hot dogs, ham sandwich and turkey. We ordered it all.

     Our middle son, Chris, came out with the same towel wrapped over his forearm and asked us what we wanted to drink. We looked at each other, then back at Chris and said, “What do you have?”. His eyes got really big and he rushed into the kitchen to consult with his brothers….buzz, buzz, buzz. He came back out and said, “Milk, Kool-Aid and wa-ter”, in his best French accent. We went with the water for obvious reasons.

     Our youngest son, Timmy, brought out the wa-ter in 2 wine glasses on a silver platter that he single-handedly came out swinging, dipping and dancing with (and nearly causing us to have heart attacks).   Miraculously, the wa-ter made it to us without being spilled. Then they all brought us dinner on the same silver platter, without all the swinging, dipping and dancing. During dinner, Chris turned the lights down low while Bryan softly played the piano.

     After dinner, Chris announced that dessert would be ice cream or something like that. We pointed out that we didn’t have ice cream or something like that. His eyes got really big. He rushed back into the kitchen to consult with his brothers….buzz, buzz, buzz. All 3 boys came back out and announced that dessert would be hot dogs and turkey.

     After dessert, we read to you boys and put you to bed. As Mom and I came back downstairs, we looked at each other, thinking “Dare we go into the kitchen?” We opened the kitchen door and saw….the love that our boys had shown us. We decided to clean it up the next morning. We had a wonderful sleep that night.

     I guess that I shouldn’t be surprised. If God can make life-giving water come out of a rock (Numbers 2:2-11), He can make blessings come out of irritations and frustrations.

For His Kingdom,
Dave Maynard
http://BSSSB-LLC.com

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Matthew 1:18-25 - Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 

Matthew 2:1-12 - Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,...

Matthew 2:11 - And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

The Magi Visits the Messiah

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi^[a] from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Being a witness is difficult enough without "feeling" stuff.  Sometimes the martyrdom of living for Jesus is that you can feel the pain when people are going the wrong way.  Sometimes its the feeling of being talked about, ridiculed and accused of things you are not guilty of.  Maybe your hurt is in being misunderstood.

Whatever the situation, feelings are inconvenient.  How easy it would be to witness and to live a life before the Lord if you didn't have to feel the pain of rejection.  The Lord will "put you out" for the sake of reaching the lost.  Not easy, but necessary.

Listen to this special message from Tell Them Outreach Broadcast, Beaumont TX at http://tobtr.com/s/5059795.

Tell Them Outreach Church

Tell Them Outreach Fellowship and Network

Email: info@tellthemoutreach.com

Receive our monthly Ministry Partner Message and Newsletter - Text "witness" to 77948.

We deal with the overall subject of "Reach The Lost, At Any Cost".  This has been our Tuesday subject for some time.  Then we added a sub topic of "I Don't Want To Put You Out".  This deals with the way in which the Lord will rearrange our lives to accomplish HIS will.  The changes that HE makes in us are difficult to the flesh nature of man.

In Acts 1:8, HE tells us that HE has sent us power to be witnesses.  One of the difficult things that HE tells us to do is to be witnesses in Jerusalem (home), to friends and family.  This can be VERY inconvenient.

"The Inconvenience Of Friends and Family". Tell Them Outreach Broadcast, Beaumont TX at http://tobtr.com/s/5038727

Tell Them Outreach Church

Tell Them Outreach Fellowship & Network

info@tellthemoutreach.com

(409) 234-5854

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Don’t you just love saying and hearing it?

It’s such a wonderful word but not always easy for writers to find.

Admittedly, I’ve never truly had writer’s block.  (I’ve had a few cases of lazy block but that’s another blog). I love to write so much I can almost always come up with something to say.

But today I’m thinking about what inspires me and maybe what inspires me will inspire you –to write.

Lately, I’m feeling pretty inspired. I think the reason is because I’ve decided to slow down a bit so I can see, think and absorb the intricacies of my life and those around me. When I’m not moving too fast I can hear what my kids are saying and I can see who they really are. In fact, I learn a lot about myself by watching my kids.  A good friend of mine, Kimberly Parker has created several books from listening to her kids.

And I’m not just watching my kids. I’m watching and listening to the kids I teach. Good educators should do that anyway. If we don’t hear and see them, I don’t think we can truly teach them. The teens I interact with are full of stories, experiences and insights to feed my never ending writing appetite.

As a wife, there’s plenty to hear when my husband speaks. I think that’s why I decided to make the main character in my novel a male. Somehow I got inside the male mind and created a character. I’ve gathered so much from listening to my husband of 20 years — and my father, brothers, cousins and friends.

Then there are the people I interact with daily. These interactions may be fleeting. Others might be significant. When I take the time to engage with people I learn so much. These interactions somehow find their way into my characters and plots. In my creative mind I can embellish and twist these moments into stories that will move and inspire others. But they wouldn’t be there if I wasn’t slowing down enough to hear.  Characters really do summon you. While writing The Second First Lady, I couldn’t take a break because my characters wouldn’t let me.

Need inspiration?

Slow down. Look. Hear. Listen.  Write.