A Bible reading for this first week of Lent takes us into the wilderness where Jesus had to decide whether to turn stones into bread. He certainly had the power to do so and would have settled an empty stomach right away, but the temptation for the immediate and expedient had no long-term appeal. Why? Jesus knew where He came from and knew where He was going, so hunger pangs, though uncomfortable, did not throw Him off course or trip Him up.
If we trip over stones, maybe we can write about overcoming obstacles.
If we trip over stones, maybe we can write about making a barbecue pit.
If we even see a stone (in Florida they’re rare!), maybe we can find the kind of flat, round, pita-bread-shaped stones that our readers can use to skip-toss across a pond.
Stones of all shapes and sizes can be great tools. Many have a hefty purpose, but if people need bread, they need stones mainly to grind the corn or wheat.
Jesus knew that stones can be a solid foundation for building, but not for making meals. He fed hundreds of hungry people, for example, by turning fish and bread into more fish, more bread.
If you fish around your Idea File or main areas of interest, what fish do you have to share with other people?
If you have even a little bit of anointing oil or oil used for healing or oil of gladness or oil to stop a squeaking door, might it be enough to lubricate a thought, a worry, a spiritually dry spot your readers have?
What grains of truth can you write about to feed someone who's hungry?
What natural God-given ingredients do you have to make hearty loaves of bread or books or poems or stories?
Thank God, Lent gives us time to give who we are and what we have and where we’re going some time and thought and prayer. No hurry, but just so you’ll know: Our readers may be famished for something wholesome, something nourishing, something they can really sink their teeth into, preferably without breaking their incisors on a stone.
(c) 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.
March 11, 2011
Protect your writings, photographs, and valuables before disaster strikes
As disasters fill the news today, prayers undoubtedly fill the air. The first concern, of course, is protecting yourself and your loved ones. If you’re in no immediate danger, though, please take time now to protect the records and valuables in your most valuable life:
Email your poems, writings, and/or works in progress to yourself, so you can retrieve them directly from the website of your Internet service provider.
Scan beloved family photographs and important documents. Save to a DVD and mail to siblings, children, or other family members, including at least one person who lives in another region of the U.S. or in another country.
Upload your prized photographs to a photo website such as Flickr or Picasa, making sure the security settings show as private rather than public.
Investigate free services on such websites as Google Docs and GMX.com that let you privately store your word files with easy retrieval from any computer, assuming you recall the user name and password.
Print out and/or backup copies of your poems and writings on a CD or DVD, and seal in waterproof Ziploc bags.
Seal other valuables too, including important papers, address book, and email contacts in watertight containers. Place them in a large purse, briefcase, or waterproof bag that you keep on your person or close enough to grab.
Although every contingency cannot be covered, consider as soon as you can the type of disaster most likely to occur in your area. In Florida, for example, we often prepare for water-related events, but for some time now, we have experienced drought conditions, so fire poses a threat too, making nonflammable containers a wise choice for storing valuables. If there’s a potential for evacuation, we also try to keep the car gassed up and stocked with water, appropriate clothing, flashlights, and snacks.
At other times, tornadoes and lightning storms have zipped overhead, causing us to stay put with our Ziploc bags, water jug, flashlights, and ourselves in the little basement room beneath our house.
I cannot even imagine what a tsunami must be like, but I have felt the impact of thunderstorms, snowstorms, and a 7.3 earthquake. I’ve seen tornadoes zig-zag overhead and ashes float into my living room from fires thirty miles away, and I’ve been in Hurricane Camille. Thanks be to God, my family and I survived with valuables intact, and, right now, I pray you do too.
(c) 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.
Email your poems, writings, and/or works in progress to yourself, so you can retrieve them directly from the website of your Internet service provider.
Scan beloved family photographs and important documents. Save to a DVD and mail to siblings, children, or other family members, including at least one person who lives in another region of the U.S. or in another country.
Upload your prized photographs to a photo website such as Flickr or Picasa, making sure the security settings show as private rather than public.
Investigate free services on such websites as Google Docs and GMX.com that let you privately store your word files with easy retrieval from any computer, assuming you recall the user name and password.
Print out and/or backup copies of your poems and writings on a CD or DVD, and seal in waterproof Ziploc bags.
Seal other valuables too, including important papers, address book, and email contacts in watertight containers. Place them in a large purse, briefcase, or waterproof bag that you keep on your person or close enough to grab.
Although every contingency cannot be covered, consider as soon as you can the type of disaster most likely to occur in your area. In Florida, for example, we often prepare for water-related events, but for some time now, we have experienced drought conditions, so fire poses a threat too, making nonflammable containers a wise choice for storing valuables. If there’s a potential for evacuation, we also try to keep the car gassed up and stocked with water, appropriate clothing, flashlights, and snacks.
At other times, tornadoes and lightning storms have zipped overhead, causing us to stay put with our Ziploc bags, water jug, flashlights, and ourselves in the little basement room beneath our house.
I cannot even imagine what a tsunami must be like, but I have felt the impact of thunderstorms, snowstorms, and a 7.3 earthquake. I’ve seen tornadoes zig-zag overhead and ashes float into my living room from fires thirty miles away, and I’ve been in Hurricane Camille. Thanks be to God, my family and I survived with valuables intact, and, right now, I pray you do too.
(c) 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.
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