Using our Nothing-ness!

      There is an interesting story buried in the middle of the Bible in the book of Jeremiah about the prophet of whom the book is named.  You may recall the story when Jeremiah preached yet another hard lesson and the people in charge didn't like it.  They lowered him into a miry pit - a cistern or dungeon where there was no water. 
     If you ever thought for one moment that you did not have any skills, gifts or talents, this story will shatter that persuasion.  People often compare themselves to sparkling and extraordinary names and fame to conclude, "Well, I'll never be like that!  I was never given a gift or talent that would allow me to accomplish anything or to advance a cause or a purpose." Society is inclined to think that things that sparkle have the most influence.

     Jeremiah, one of the great prophets of the Old Testament, now finds himself imprisoned and forgotten in a dark pit.   But God is always up to something.
A man, using his nothing-ness, actually saves Jeremiah.  The man's name is Ebed-melech.  Had you ever heard of him before? Exactly! He has the "Ministry of the Unnoticed," as Oswald Chambers writes about.  He was an Ethiopian and a eunuch in King Zedekiah's house, and he approaches the king on behalf of Jeremiah.  He pleads for Jeremiah's life, to which the king replies, "...take 30 men with you and raise Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern pit before he dies." (Jeremiah 38:10)
    Ebed-melech goes to a room under the treasury, a place where sparkling wealth is stored, and gathers "old rags and worn-out garments."  He then throws them down to Jeremiah instructing him to place them under his armpits.  Next, the men throw down a rope, and as instructed, Jeremiah places the rope under his armpits which are protected by the rags.  They pull him up from the pit, saving his life.
    We can not claim that old rags and worn-out garments possess sparkle.   In this story, they lay quietly beneath all that sparkled. They became the true wealth in this story and used at just the right time, they became the answer.

        Ultimately, Jesus is our true Deliverer, but He uses our words and actions to deliver, too.  We may be the only light at the end of a dark tunnel for some who feel imprisoned and forgotten. 
   If we feed on the tendency to underestimate what we have to offer others, just stay at the table of this story.
Our skills, talents, and gifts may not be sparkling, but digging deeper, we can find the "rags and worn-out garments" that can lift someone out of their dark place
Use what you have!


Keep Looking up!  ...and thank you for following our Steppingstones.

J:m and L:nda
  
     

The Forgot Table

Right there...at that long, rectangular table across the restaurant from our camera perspective where we are seated. See that table? Jim leaned against the table to read a menu.  He lay down the large city map of Lausanne, Switzerland on the edge of the table.  He ordered pasta for us, picked it up, and brought it to our table.  As we ate, a couple came in, chose that table, sat down, read the menu, ordered and ate. They never touched or even moved the map from the very space where Jim had lain it.  It must have hugged their pizza!

It was pouring down rain in Lausanne, and we had just spent the last 3 hours in the Castle Chillon.  We were starving since we had not eaten since breakfast, and it was 4pm.  We all finished eating about the same time.  The couple left.  A few minutes later, Jim noticed that he had left our map on their table.  As he got up to retrieve the map, the man from the couple came running back to his table.  Both the man and Jim intersected at the same table.  But why had the man returned?  He looked at us, "Silly. I forgot our umbrella!"    Jim replied, "We forgot our map on your table!" 

Everything that had been forgotten at the Forgot Table had been remembered.

The man was half our age.  We found great comfort in that!
Although, we felt a little disappointed because in our last Steppingstone Blog, we had written that we always look carefully around to make sure we leave nothing behind.

We love it when we remember what we forgot...unless we don't want to remember what we forgot.

We pray your Forgot Table is working for you.

Keep looking up!
  J:m and L:nda
 
 

Looking Around

When our boat reached Brunnen, Switzerland, a small village on Lake Luzern, we began to gather all the things that we had employed during the 2 1/2 hour boat ride.  We had alternated our camera and iPhone, shooting photos with both. A tube of sunscreen, a PayDay wrapper and an empty coffee cup were tucked neatly under our chairs. A map rested on my lap.  Our backpack had a zipper open and one pair of sunglasses lay on top.  But, when that boat horn announced our stop, we became the most efficient hunters and gatherers ever seen.  Sunscreen was stuffed into the open backpack, followed by the camera and the map.  Sunglasses found their place on the nose. The iPhone was slipped and zipped into my crossover and the coffee cup and candy wrapper were history.
    We stood.
    We did one last thing.  We looked around.  With zippers closed and belongings unionized, we disembarked.  There are just some things that you can't leave behind; you need to take them with you.

Lake Luzern

Wildenstein Castle

We will disembark from European Nazarene College in 10 days.  We are standing.  We are looking around.  We can't take tangible assets with us.  How can we zip a college campus into our backpack?  Or, an International church?  Or the Rhein River?  Or Germany?  Or Switzerland?  Instead, we will have to pack the intangible assets, those investments of true value: relationships, memories, conversations, support, concern, ideas, experiences, and digital photos, achievements, and prayers.

We are looking around, and we have found what we want to take with us.



Keep looking up!  And....around, too!

J:m and L:nda