A Deep thought.

Recently I was doing some reading. Which is common for me. I love to read. But this article TOTALLY has provoked me and I have been stirred by it for the past two weeks since reading it. I can't shake it. It's consuming my thought life and I have wondered what to do about it. I am praying. I am considering. Now I am sharing the motivation of what this is with you so that you TOO can be shaken by this as I have. Because it's valuable thinking and it takes ALL of us to do this. IF we all think this way, life can be different for many people all over the world.

The gist of what I read basically said to "do something for someONE who CANNOT ever do anything in return for you"..... the example the writer gave was the person of "Oskar Schindler." If any of you have watched the movie "Schlinder's List" made by Steven Spielberg, then you know who I mean. For those of you who haven't let me introduce you.

Here's a look at a man, who basically SAVED by all accounts, nearly 1300 Polish Jews from extermination during World War II. He brought them to his factory to work for him, by many and all means, buying them, bribing officials with money or jewelry, thus saving their lives. I mean look at the photo. Look at it good.

He wasn't a great looker. I mean Liam Neeson who plays Schindler in the movie is much cuter I think! HA!
He wasn't even Jewish yet he risked his life for Jewish people. In fact Oskar Schindler was born a Catholic. He was a WELL KNOWN "womanizer," an alcholic,he was a member of the Nazi party, and he had gone bankrupt several times in his life.
This guy had some serious "life" issues. Yet, he changed history for thousands of Jews. Because he left a legacy. He cared for people. People "who could never pay him back, people who could never do anything for him." Interesting.
Why would he do this? Why would someone risk their life, for people who couldn't benefit him? I wonder at this. It has to be a "God thing." Something compelled him to go out on a limb and help these people who couldn't help themselves.

While looking at some various research for this post, I came across this on a site called "Oskar Schindler Rescuer of Jew" and I quote.......
"No one will ever know exactly what made this complex man do what no German had the courage to do. A large part of the fascination of Schindler is that not even those who admire him most can figure out his motives."

Hummm........motives again. Yes that is convicting isn't it. What motivates us? Sometimes we do things, help people, or whatever, out of selfish motives. We act all holy and deserving when the praise comes. But what IF we did it for the right reasons. Like, what if we ACTUALLY didn't do things, to draw people to us.....or to a church, what if we did things to draw people to JESUS? I mean that should be the motivating force in all of us anyway. Yet, I have noticed and heard, how we do these things, good things, charitable things, and it's to be in the front of men, or it's to spotlight our cause, our church or whatever. That's all great and I am glad for people that do good things and crusade causes that are worthy. I am all for that.

But what if.......we left ourselves out of it? What if there was no recognition, no awards, no trumpets,no photos. No pats on the back. Would we still do it? What really motivates us? Do we do these things for people or do we do them for US? This has bothered me greatly. I have had to check my own heart over and over on this matter and I believe that by doing this it will help me and it will help us all.

I have a friend, who has "picked people up" up off of the side of the road for as long as I have known her. I have continually warned her not to do this, only because I fear for her safety. Yet I know why she does it.
She has told me why......."Joyce, I know how it feels to be broke down."
I agree, it's a drag. This friend of mine is a widow, and she champions the "down and outers" of this world in all sorts of things she does for people but especially in this way. Why? What motivates her?
Because "she's been there." She knows how it feels. And guess what? Most of these people she will never meet again, not on earth anyway and they can't repay her. They don't even know her. She doesn't leave her "calling card"........she doesn't tell them..."visit my church" (although she has brought some of them to church) she isn't saying....give me gas money. She just helps them without expecting them to do anything for her.

This my friends, is what I am talking about.

This is what Oskar Schindler did, and Corrie Ten Boom and countless others during the war when Jews were being killed. They risked their lives, their fortunes, their futures for people who were not their same religion, not their class, and not their nationalities in some cases.

What brings a human to be like this. I have to say......I have pondered this and pondered this and it HAS to be the "love of God." Corrie Ten Boom.......who wrote "The Hiding Place" who herself along with her family was imprisoned in Holland for hiding Jews in their home WAS a Christian, she knew that the Jews were "God's chosen people." But Oskar Schindler wasn't even close to claiming to be a Christian by any sort and IF he could do this.........why can't we? And when we do the littlest of things.......why must we put our tag on it? THAT I don't understand.


This I found on the "Jewish Virtual History" page, it says "Perhaps the question is not why he did it, but rather how could he not. And perhaps the answer is unimportant. It is his actions that matter now, testimony that even in the worst of circumstances, the most ordinary of us can act courageously. If Oskar Schindler, flawed as he was, did it, then so might we, and that is reason enough to hope."

Very awesome thought. "It is his actions that matter now, testimony that even in the worst of circumstances, the most ORDINARY of us can act courageously."

You don't have to be a HERO to become a HERO. You don't have to be a big name.....to be a big name in God's eyes. Do you see this?

I have, and it has changed my perspective on things I am doing and have done and will do in the future. And for now, I will be getting out my son's copy of "Schindler's List" and watch it again because I haven't seen it in years and didn't pay close enough attention at the time even because I thought the movie was so oppressive.

Still there is scene in the end of the movie that haunts me. You can't forget it.

Schindler is leaving his factory because the Russians are coming and the workers present him with this ring they made that is inscribed "Whoever saves one life saves the world entire." Well, then he gets convicted that he didn't do enough and could have saved more people and he says "This pin. Two people. This is gold. Two more people. He would have given me two for it, at least one. One more person. A person, Stern. For this."
Ouch! Another lesson. Why do we have so much junk, when we could get rid of some of it and help someone out? Sell it off and help someone in the Sudan.

This movie serves a point regardless of all the drama in it, and I warn you I think there is sex scene in it at some point. However it shows the life of a man, who was lacking in morals yet was someone made a HUGE DIFFERENCE in a entire race of people.

AS a result of him doing what he did, today there are 7,000 descendants of Schindler's Jews living in US and Europe, and many in Israel. Before the Second World War, the Jewish population of Poland was 3.5 million. Today there are between 3,000 and 4,000 left.

Statics do not lie.
ALL of us can make a difference..Oskar Schindler did. It's written in history.
We can change this world too even in small ways.

Oh and let's keep our name out of it and glorify GOD instead.

The power of ONE

After weeks of being in the cold ground, having been watered and constantly exposed to the sunlight, here is the result of my labor. I planted 18 bulbs, and "one" daffodil has now come up out of the ground. I was hoping for more to come up all at once, yet, look at the position held by this ONE daffodil. ( Sorry I had a closer photo of it but Luke deleted it!)
It has brought me joy, even though it is all alone. The others are coming still and will bloom, but this one led the way and it stands firm and tall and proud, smiling in the sunlight.

This example of "the daffodil" has made me think and I have concluded that
"There are great results actually in standing "alone."
It's not always easy, it's rarely fun, being the only "one" yet, we can "stand."

My one daffodil has reminded me that though many be "with us" in spirit, or beside us even, not all will stand up, some are hidden and silent, and sometimes they will stand with us, but maybe not all at the same time. Someone has to lead the way.
This little flower did and it made the world of difference.

WE can make a difference too! We can do so much if we will trust and not be afraid. The daffodil took a chance, it peeked out into the world and then it came up and it stood firm and made the entire flower bed enjoyable to look at even though it was all alone and wasn't the "crowd" of flowers that I had intended for there.
I still "delighted" in just the "one."


It makes me realize how "ONE" can make a difference in this big world.

One can be beautiful, one can change someones perspective, one can encourage, one can be seen, one can lead the way for others, one can heal, one can give.

One is not always popular. One can change a single heart, or many.
One is all we need.
One, died on a cross of pain and changed eternity for you and I.
I want to say "Thank you," to the "ONE" and the only JESUS.
The one who make a difference in my life many years ago.

Lord of the Ring

Here's a photo of my son Luke's new class ring. Isn't it BLING??? I couldn't believe how full of "diamonds" it was when he got it. Well, I think they are Swarovski crystals, but believe me, they cost enough. This ring wasn't cheap.

I went to the "Ring Ceremony" at Woodlawn High School where Luke and Ariel, go to High School at and Jostens, the ring company, "presented" the kids with their rings. I mean it's like this huge ordeal, songs, and speeches and all this, I think was to actually orchastrated by the ring company to "sell" rings to these Juniors. I felt bad for some of Luke's friends who came to wacth their friends get their rings, but didn't purcahse rings for whatever the reasons, because they really felt left out. I sat beside one......BIG huge guilt trip. Ugh....I hate stuff like that.
Anyway...ALL that day I kept asking Luke different questions like "What time is the 'Lord of the Ring's' ceremony?" and "What room is the 'Lord of the Ring's ceremony going to be in at school?" He was getting SO frustrated with me saying that but I couldn't stop. HA! It just seemed so natural.......so once he got his big ol' ring.....I called him "The Lord of the Ring," and believe me, he is!

Christianity.... something else the Irish gave us.

Christianity is something else the Irish gave to us. You may not think so but had it not been for the hidden away Monks during the "Dark Ages" Christianity might not be the same today. While the rest of the world was fading away.......the Monks were working on hand written and highly ornate maniscripts done painstakenly by hand called the "Book of Kells." These were the four gospels of the Bible in Latin written in caligraphy!

Also don't forget that one great man in Ireland named Patrick. He was "Padraig" to them. He brought Christianity to Ireland which at that time was paganistic. He suffered many, many hardships and trials.
It took most of his life to convert the Island but he succeeded in destroying paganism.

Patrick spoke their language "Gaelic" so that enabled him to reach the Irish people.
The first thing he had to do was to make the people understand the doctrine of the Trinity, that there are three persons who make up one divine God - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. To do this .....he used a simple little green tool.
The "Shamrock." A plant native to Ireland. He would pluck a shamrock from the ground and showed that the three leaves were on only one stem. Hence, an example they could understand.....three in one.......the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The legend goes that Patrick "drove all the snakes out of Ireland"....but it's merely an analogy of what happened "Spiritually" when the evilness left and Christianity came in. Although when I was there in Ireland......they say there are no snakes. Isn't that the place to live!

Another great Irish symbol is the "Celtic Cross" and they are some kind of beautiful. You can't look at one anywhere on this earth and not think of Ireland.
Another Irish legend tells how St. Patrick created the first Celtic cross by drawing a circle over a Latin cross to incorporate a pagan moon goddess symbol. For an Irish Catholic, the circle in the Celtic cross may be a symbol of eternity and the endlessness of God's love. It can even represent a halo emanating from Christ

Even though Patrick is the "Patron Saint of Ireland" most people don't realize that Patrick was NEVER canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. In fact, he had a bit of a "falling out" with the Church before he died.

Two very good resources for learning more about these things are #1.A little book called "How the Irish Saved Civilization" by Thomas Cahill AND #2.An excellent video called "Patrick" by Faith and Values Media. I have them both and they are SO GOOOOD!
Especially if you love history like I do. Can you tell?

Another view of Ireland...."Giant's Causeway"

This was somewhere that my team went to one day when we had a free day. We went to Co. Donegal to a castle and to Co. Antrim, sightseeing. This is the view of one of the "Seven Wonders of the World"........"The Giant's Causeway" and it is unlike anything I had ever seen. Simply said, it is GORGEOUS! On a clear day they say you can see Scotland, the day we went wasn't too clear, in fact the sea was wild and we had some rain and the waves were billowing up and over on to us as we stood out onto the rocks. Yet I wouldn't have missed it for the world even though I was cold and WET! Welcome to Ireland, where it really does rain nearly every day. It did when I was there...........10 days! But it is the GREENEST land you will ever see. They say there are 50 shades of "Green" in Ireland. I believe it. I loved the rolling hills and the greenness of the land. I will never let those images leave out of my mind for they are all precious and lovely ones at that.

Delirious "IS" coming but it's a "closed concert????"

Okay, I don't know how this works yet, but I called for tickets as the "furious website" instructed. That is the website name for Delirious. When I called where the concert is to be staged at, they instructed me to call another church here in town, which I did, and they told me there...."that tickets are NOT for sell and ALL the seats are already taken." I said...."All the seats are already taken????" And the secretary said....."yes." Sooooo what does a person say after that? It seemed a bit bizarre but I just said...."thanks" and hung up the phone.
That is a bummer to know. I hopefully can get to the bottom of this mystery. Because it is a mystery if a well known worship band (who is my FAVORITE) is coming to your city all the way from England, in a month and " all the seats are already taken." Seems a bit odd.
However, we are old friends of this church, love the Pastor, know the staff, etc. etc. so maybe we can see what is going on. Could be they are reserving this concert for their youth group or something. Who knows? IF you do know......just let me know because I love a great mystery, but more so when I know the ending.

Delirious is coming!!!!

YEA!!! Delirious is coming to Bethany World Prayer Center on April 10th (next month) and I am sooooo excited. I just happened to for some odd reason, look at their website and saw their U.S. Tour Dates and noticed that they were going to go to my Dad's town in Quincy Illinois, which I thought was weird because it's a small town...so I thought......"hummmm, wonder if they are coming anywhere close to us" and to my amazement I read where they are coming to BATON ROUGE! I am posting this now so that those of you that are fans of their worship music like we are can go and see them as well! I am calling for tickets TOMORROW......I already tried today and the offices were closed! I saw them in New Orleans once and they were great....very awesome so I know this will be a great concert. I wonder who helped line them up to come here???? I would like to THANK them.
I wonder if Dan Ohlerking had anything to do with this because his parents saw them last year in Rwanda when they went there with Joyce Meyer's Ministries and they really liked them too. So there is a good recommendation right there. Dave and Jean Ohlerking like Delirious.....by the way, just for those of you that don't know.....Dave and Jean Ohlerking run a fabulous ministry called "Childrens Cup" and they feed and give medical aid to thousands of children in Africa and beyond. Check out their website http://www.childrenscup.org/
Get your tickets early......it will be packed I promise you.

Famous little rocker in London, England

Here is a photo I just got this morning of Eli Naska. Isn't he the cutest little thing! His Mom and Dad just sent his "16 week old photos" out of him and I thought I would put one on here. You see, his Mom and Dad are Drew and Sarah Naska, missionaries to London, England. Many of you prayed for them when Eli was being born because Sarah and Eli were in distress because her water had broke early and they weren't doing much over there to help her. So I sent out a million prayer requests to everyone all over the WORLD that I could think of......end result......Eli and look how good he's doing.
Many of you asked how Sarah made out and I sent you e-mails telling you how Eli was born and was healthy.
I have to make this statement now....isn't prayer worth it? I say so.

Continue to pray for these parents. They have left all that is familier in the United States, family, food, the comforts of home, to work with the youth in the U.K.....they especially work with a lot of Muslim kids and anyone that's been to England in the past few years, or even watches FOX News, or CNN, knows, there is a huge Muslim population in the U.K.
Drew and Sarah deserve our prayers and our support financially if you are able to do it. I know they don't live on much and Sarah who was working as a "Nanny" for a family before Eli was born, isn't working now. If your interested in supporting them.......check out the site for "Fire-International" http://www.fire-international.org/ which is the Missions Agency they work with where you are able to do that and see their photo and their bio telling who they are and what they do.
THANKS for praying for Eli, Sarah, and Drew Naska.

4 Days till St. Paddy's

Here it is, already Tuesday and I haven't even made it off to bed yet. I am "trying" to figure out all the new and strange features on my new blog site. I am totally NOT a "technical" person and will need to enlist the help of someone far more "engineered" than myself to help me get this thing the way I want it.

Tuesday.........hummm........so much to do and so little time. We are prepping for our BIG "Annual MAHAN St. Patrick's Day Celebration" that we hold every year. This year is bigger and better........lots of people coming. We want to celebrate Ireland in a fun, yet, semi "calm" fashion. No drinking or anything like that. I mean we eat the food, we talk the "Blarney" and we celebrate Ireland. We pray for the country and we talk about it and what God has and is doing there. It's sort of an "awareness" thing......people don't really understand Ireland and what has and is going on there still and this type of "celebration" allows us to speak of what God is doing there and what God wants to do there. WE want to see Ireland the way God sees Ireland and it's people.

Ever since I went to No. Ireland a few years ago.....I have had a DEEP love for the Island. I always have loved the British Isles, so Ireland has been in my hear forever, but to go there and to experience the people and the culture first hand......is/was amazing and so much so that I will never forget it. The trip I went on was not with a "tour group," it was no vacation, this was a Missions trip and we went there to work.

We did "reconciliation work" and anyone that knows the history of Ireland........ESPECIALLY No. Ireland, will know what that means. It's long and it's complicated what has happened in Ireland and it goes back centuries and centuries. The hatred has been deep.
So, our group went to specifically work with a small church in Londonderry, No. Ireland, and go into the schools in the town and do assemblies with the youth, trying to reach them with positive things and not divisive things. We then would invite them to come to meetings in the the evenings, we held a "Teen Club" at the church, which by the way was above a pub......very fitting I thought.

Hey, it's Ireland what did you expect? HA! HA!
We totally converted "the Church" into a Teen Club by lining all the walls in black plastic bags that we sliced open until they were flat and taping them onto the walls, then we spray painted them with things......to look like gang writing or some of the stuff you see splashed on the walls in Ireland.......but the writings said things like......."Jesus died 4 U" and things like that. Then we had very LOUD music with a live band, the church band of course.....ha! And we did drama's and showed video clips and everything was geared around salvation. It was way cool. Those kids had NEVER been exposed to anything like it before. I know, I led two teenage kids to Christ after talking with them, a boy and a girl. They told me......."did you see that" and they pointed to the wall and the writing that said "Jesus died 4 U" and they told me to my face....."we never knew that"......it broke my heart. Mary they knew of but they didn't know that Jesus her son, had given his LIFE on the cross for them.
Long story longer.......we saw and felt many, many, awesome things and God did some amazing things in us and many others those 10 days that we were there. I will have them ETCHED in my heart and memory forever.
This is why we continue to use St. Patrick's Day as a tool........a tool for educating people about Patrick, and Ireland and the Irish people that are still there.

Besides.......I'm married to a Mahan~! And after visiting Ireland.......I found out that my maiden name "Ayres".......was the same as some of the people we met and know there.....pronounced like the word "Heirs" but spelled with a twist to it.......they spelled theirs "Eyres." Interesting. They told me that the crest and the background are all the same. Cool. I've got Irish blood in me after all.......well I already was claiming it.......I have a GREAT, GREAT, Grandmother in my family who was famously named "Mary Catherine Lacy" before she married an Ayres.......that my friends.....is a totally Irish woman don't tell me she's not. HA! I know a good Irish name when I hear one!

So......4 Days to St. Paddy's.......5 to our party. We're it on Sunday afternoon! I still have to get at least 2 more good sized Corned Beefs in order to have enough......I have 3 so far. Got the Kerry Gold Cheese from Ireland tonight......via Target.
The rest of the menu will include.......boiled potatoes and carrots and cabbage........potato rolls, and some kind of crazy dessert. Something green. HA~! Cookies more than likely. Everyone loves to eat this food, so we will have plenty on hand. We even boil the Corned Beef in our Cajun boiling pot now so that we have enough room for all of them to cook......plus cooking it out doors keeps the house from getting so hot and stinky! HA! Wish you all could come, but we haven't got the room. Sorry!

First Attempt

I'm asking you to forgive me ahead of time.
This is my "First attempt" at "blogging" on my own.......I LOVE to read everyone else's blogs. I've been challenged by many to do one of my own but always thought......."ugh....no thanks that's like writing in a diary and letting everyone in the WORLD read it and then getting crucified for what you thought or spoke even if it was right, even if it was wrong." Been there, done that.
PLUS.....I tend to use sarcasm al ot in my writings and or in my conversations, just for fun of course, no harm ever intended. I just love dry, and witty humor........( LOVE those Brits! They are SO GOOD at doing that!) so I am often taking the wrong way. Scary again. Especially when you have been vulnerable in the past and have been burned.
Yet, this "blog ideal" has wrenched in my gut for some time.......(along with other things wrenching my guts but we will talk about that at another time) and I love to write and occasionally, I do have a few "deep thoughts" come at me from time to time along with a lot of other not so profound thoughts, so.....it might help someone, to read them....ha!...and it will more than likely help myself to expel them from time to time instead of keeping them locked up inside of me churning around like those cotton candy machines you see at the fairs.....they swirl and swirl and the person working the machine puts that paper cone in and holds it in the swirl of pink or baby blue and before you know it......they bring up the cone and there's this huge bobble of cotton candy on it and it's fluffy and gorgeous and you know it's going to melt in your mouth. Hummmm.......where did that all come from? You see........that's how my thoughts work. They just come to me......I see them. I think, I see and I write or speak. That's how it works for me. And this my friend, is why I apologized ahead of time....... because of things like this. Ramblings. Good or bad.......that may come in my posts in the days ahead.