Cosmic Bubbles

aware and letting the difference be known…

Before services started this evening I printed out two of my recent blog entries, know the difference and Salome (whose name means peace) and gave them to the pastor. I never know what he thinks when he reads these things, if he reads them. I just told him since we were on the same verse, I should let him know. He opened services and turned it over to the visitor who is the relative of a church member and the family has just suffered a loss; final arrangements for their loved one was not yet set at the time this evening’s church service commenced. I was struck that he was a powerful speaker and he got my attention with a phrase he repeated a number of times…the difference. 

Our guest pastor wanted to tell of the story in Daniel 3, probably because his own family had a trial to endure in their loss.

Because they would not bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s gods or golden image, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were to be bound and tossed into the fire. They were sure that whatever happened God would be there for them, as written in Daniel 3:17 , “If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.”  They also let him know, even if that were not the case, they still wouldn’t bow down to the gold image. The three men were thrown into the furnace…yet four men were seen loose walking in the midst of the fire, unhurt. The form of the fourth was [like] the Son of God.

He repeated many times that our God is “able”. Yes, He is able. He said “it makes the difference”, “it is the difference”, and “the difference is His presence”. Yes, there is a difference, and when you know the difference you use it to face certain challenges.  God doesn’t mind us “using” Him to feel the difference, make a difference, know the difference or use the difference. He IS the difference.

My neighbor, Norma, called me about 45 minutes before church to let me know someone had cleared her steps for her (another neighbor across the street from her). I asked her to call to let me know if she planned to go to evening service, since the sidewalk was a sheet of ice earlier. I planned to shovel if she needed it. I was happy the sidewalk in front of my house cleared itself so I could step out without slipping, and saved me from shoveling, but rest of the sidewalks were snow-covered all the way to church.

Before services she gave me her “final newspaper”, in case I wanted to pass it along. I asked her how long she had had it, and she said since the 70’s. She wanted me to take it home for “someone else” to read, God love her. I told her I would make a copy in case others wanted one. I do know a few people who may be interested at what a final newspaper might look like:

…some folks might appreciate that kinda’ news more than others. 

The state of del-aware

Del: Share; portion; part///aware: Having knowledge or cognizance: aware of the difference between the two versions.

“Aware of the difference…”

I could see it on the floor before me, under the pew. I don’t think anyone else knew it was there. What was it? A coin. A quarter. There was a horse on the upside. On the horse was a rider. On the coin a bright red dot…like a drop of blood….but it had to be paint or nail polish or something else, though it was a bright red dot. I wasn’t sure what I saw first, the coin or the dot. I told the little boy in front of me that there was a coin on the floor. He was excited when he picked it up, making a commotion to the others in the seat near him. His lucky day, I suppose, eh? The coin depicts the historic horseback ride of Caesar Rodney, (according to the mint’s page) and it kicked off the U.S. Mint’s 50 State Quarters™ Program. 

I couldn’t help but think, horse, four horses, one of them was red, a sign of the Revelation. Revelation means to reveal, as in “something revealed, especially a dramatic disclosure of something not previously known or realized.” It doesn’t have to mean the END is near.  To me, the “revelation”  is a time for people to become more enlightened, to discover, to become tuned in (or in my case, “tooned” in), to explore something heretofore unknown…like a quarter under a seat.

Innocence is a wonderful perspective in which to view the world.  I definitely think children should keep that as long as possible. Even though I have grown children, they still have an innocence, a certain naivete about them. They are not worldly. They are simple and sweet. Which is where I leave this post. Oh, the temporal joys…

There is more than coincidence at work in my daily anagramming or comics choices, like the Salome thing. Until I mentioned that verse, I hadn’t heard anyone else mention it in a long while. For me, these little synchronicities are just God’s way of letting me know, every hair has been counted, no matter how it’s spelled. I hope you enjoy today’s comics collage, too. The comics text for today was, “Is she allowed to do that in public?” The anagram reads:

“It’s as I call it: No doubt Who helped.

In an entry on the 22nd I wrote that Salome, mother of Zebedee’s sons (and a follower of Jesus) had come to me in an anagram. I included the Bible verse, Mark 16:1 wherein she is mentioned by name. To my delight, that is the place where our minister started today, reading through to the end of Mark. He said this had been  on his mind all week, but he wasn’t sure why.  This verse, where they (Mary, Mary and Salome) were told, (in verse 6), “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.” (and verse 7) “But, go and tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you” was read. It’s the “—and Peter—” part that was most important in his sermon today.

For Christ, having been denied three times by Peter, still loved Peter very much, and Peter became the rock on which the church was built. How many of us could trust another so much, as Christ did, even after Peter had denied Him? It was a good sermon, God made it so. The last verse of the 16th chapter, “And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen”

It confirms His love for us, and that many of us are not only on the same page, but on the same verse. As I told you, “God works that way with me; I am shown something to study and it makes it more pertinent.”

Salome…