The Saga Of The Simple Garden Shed!

 

It began a few years ago as an idea for which I started accumulating the various parts and pieces to bring to fruition. The final touch came this past spring when they did city wide cleanup day. Someone threw out a huge solid wood door buried in multiple coats of paint, the last being purple. I now had everything necessary to make my wife's dream come true! A place where she could compel seeds to explode from the dirt inside small plastic and clay pots in relative comfort and peace. The plan has now been altered several times and the final rendition is standing behind the barn, lacking, of course, the scene you see above. Now if I can just locate that place and get some measurements plus a few more supplies.
In addition to pounding the streets seeking lost souls today I had an opportunity to converse with families that have some very real needs. Basic things like an end table are needed to make life more livable. How far we remove ourselves from the needs of others in our lives when we pursue our own dreams and goals is directly proportionate to how wide our eyes are open to the folks around us. Quickly we respond when disaster strikes somewhere in our country, and the outpourings never seem to be enough, but we keep trying. Jesus spoke to us and informed us that the "poor will always be with us," that has never changed. What I'm suggesting tonight is that each one of us look around in our own "backyards" for those who are in need and find new ways to help others. Here on the Great American Desert we are facing a harsh reality of winter that will be upon us soon. Heating costs are going to eat people alive! Resources are going to be stretched to the max, and there is no end in sight. South Dakota is already well over budget for heat assistance to those who qualify. More government aid is being requested and will probably be gotten. There are other answers! Let us open wide our eyes each day and see those in our midst who are in need and find a way to do a "thing." Jesus spoke with Peter and told him to "feed His sheep." This can be taken a lot of ways, but for this moment let's consider feeding a family one night this week. Pizza Hut, my favorite, the Pizza Ranch, Burger King or MacDonalds(you'd really be surprised at how many folks never eat any kind of takeout because it is just not in their budget. I'm running with a thought and asking you to enter into it with me. Consider dropping off a value meal to a shutin. Invite someone to your home or out to dine. They may be suspicious of your motives, but what the hey, if they're well fed they'll forgive you, I'm sure. We live in a city(burg)of 20,000 here in Brookings, SD. There is enough food thrown away because it can't be sold each day to feed hundreds. It must be the same everywhere! Maybe there is nothing you think you can do, or maybe you believe you've already done your part. We haven't, though! In the greatest nation on earth if any child goes to bed hungry you and I are at fault and we need to challenge ourselves to make a difference in someone's life. This is a big ball, but if we get it rolling others will help us keep it rolling. I'll get the garden shed done this week, and it will never resemble that picture, but there are pictures we can conjure up in our minds that are attainable. An elderly person's thankful smile for that truly "Happy Meal," or how about watching a kid just go nuts enjoying a sundae. Yeah, there is something every one of us can do. The rewards will far outweigh the cost. Here I go, idealizing again, but maybe, just maybe if we put all the pieces together in the right way everyone's lives will be better for it tomorrow. God bless, Preacher. 

Photo Addendum

 
This one was deserving of a better post pic production. Preacher. 

Frog Infestation!

I've made some really big mistakes in my life! One of them was mentioning to members of my extended family my interest in frogs. I showed them the two that have been with me for years, one life size originally painted to look just like a frog(Gift from g'ma when I was about 6), and one that is just a huge frog shaped cast iron piece that legend has it was once a cannon ball during the Civil War. The operative word was "cast iron," and I looked for them wherever I traveled and found very few made of this not so precious metal. One sister in law found a procelain frog which I accepted at Christmas time amidst great smiles and laughter, silly me! It caught on and the resulting deluge of frogs through the past ten years is more than sufficient for turning even the hardest of Pharao's hearts. (I don't think the Egyption's would appreciate my spelling, but you know who I mean.)The collage I snapped tonight is just the tip of the iceburg which extends to all points of our home. There are crystal frogs, glass frogs(hard to tell the difference but the little sticker is a dead giveaway), rock frogs, plastic and rubber, clay and some sort of new space age material. The outdoor ones look heavy, but they're not. The tiny Sterling one that is made for a charm bracelet, but I've not used as yet(maybe a frog earring). There's one guitar playing frog, and another on the piano. A virtual choir of singing frogs, and the squeeze doggie type toy frog. Then we come to the stuffed frogs. Kermit is present, without a doubt, along with a host of other frog friends. Several years ago while touring on the big Harley my wife and I had a Harley Bear stolen from the top of our touring trunk. I replaced it with a touring frog dressed like a biker. Wouldn't you know it, nobody wanted a "biker frog." He's back in my cave now resting on a saddlebag. There are times I wish I were a frog, then the kiss of some maiden could turn me into a prince and we'd all live happily ever after. Pardon those last shots with the digital, they were an afterthought and I just ran through the house quick and took them without touching up the pics. I see I got the one with clowns in the hall bath sideways. Oh well, such is life! Where I'm going with this is about prayer. When I told people about my frog collection(all two of them)I mentioned "cast iron," but not loudly enough to be interpreted correctly. Prayer is like that for us. There are times we pray so generally that when we're through we aren't even sure if we prayed for anything specific. God calls us in our faith to specify what it is we need from Him. You've probably heard, "be careful what you pray for." And another one, "God answers prayer but not always the way we expect." I would submit to the prayer warriors out there that praying is a serious task(you already know this or you would not be warriors), and one that when entered into fully will bring you to sweats, tears, and vocalization of intonation that some have referred to as the "deep groanings" of the spirit. Add to this the gentle "breath prayer," a phrase coined by Richard Foster author of the 'Celebration of'(fill in the blank)books, and you have a force that is going to make a difference in every day. Prayer has certainly been my guide through this day, and will continue on into the next! Ever heard the saying, "pray up a storm?" I wonder if they included frogs in that one? In Christ's Love, Preacher.