unlikely God

Our cat is very vocal. One thing for sure is you know where you stand with her. She is 9 years old, quite active, and has been featured in contests and articles I have written about her.  I must admit she is a beautiful cat. When we took her in she was a feral cat. It has taken a long time to get her to be loving and caring; even during those times it is on her terms. My husband questions that even now.

Maxicat

People say our pets don’t speak our language but ours does. She answers me when I call her name, “Maxicat?”  When she walks into the room where we are sitting she announces herself. 

She speaks the most when she is hungry! She won’t stop meowing!!! Recently I have been feeding her Meow Mix Select with crab and salmon. You will not get out of the kitchen without feeding her this delicacy. Her persistent “loud” cry is enough to get anyone’s attention.

This month our Pastor has been speaking on “Whispers from God.”  I am not advocating that God speaks like our cat but maybe he is trying to get our attention. God speaks in many different ways.

In my own life he has spoken with words like pictures that I see in front of me. He has allowed the Holy Spirit to warn me when I was about to make a wrong decision. At times the warning was so strong I would almost feel sick. God has spoken to me through his word countless times which helps me now understand why the Bible is so important. He has spoken to me through other people. In a “dark place” as our Pastor calls them,  God gave me a vision. This vision changed my life.

I have learned God uses anything and anyone to get our attention. He usually does not scream at us with a loud cry like my cat, no! he is a lot more creative than that. We need to make it a priority to be alert, waiting for God to speak to us in his way, in his time. Doing so not only gives us guidance and direction, it helps solidify our relationship with him which is the reason he created us .   For more information on “Whispers from God” please go to www.unlikelyclay.com

“Dangling from a Rope or Protesting? ”

Have you ever wondered why people do the things they do? Surfing the internet was a video of people dangling from a bridge in a hot tub. “Occupy Wall Street” has mostly young people protesting against wall street because they can’t find jobs; some of them don’t even know what they are protesting. Of course we can’t leave out the reality TV shows like “Bridezillas” or “The Real Housewives of Orange County.”

My intelligence won’t allow me to engage in such frivolous activity much less waste my time doing it. Frankly, there is a lot more to be concerned about. Maybe I am a cynic but I have to wonder what God thinks about it all. I know he uses anything and everything to gain his purposes but “Bridezillas?” I can’t even wrap my brain around that one.

Sometimes I think that God must wonder why he created us to start with. If it had been me I would have scrapped the entire earth and started over. Aren’t you glad it wasn’t me to make that decision? The truth is that God has ordained good; I don’t see much good in any of the above mentioned shows or actions. We have allowed our so called “rights” to become our causes. The phrase,”it is all about me” sums up our society. Those who redeem themselves as bigger than life, have no idea the consequences they will suffer for their indignation.

No matter who we are, or where we are from or what we have done in our life, we are all subject to the authority of God Almighty. Jesus didn’t die for us to protest or become brides who act like the world revolves around them. He died for us to follow him, to be more like him and to spread his word.

In doing so, we make his causes our causes, his rights our rights, and his desires our desires. That works for me and it is a whole lot easier.

I’m off to see the …..Nope not the Wizard

Dorothy ran down the yellow brick road off to see the wizard? Wonder if she really knew what she was looking for. We knew she wanted to go home, but do you think going by way of a wizard is the way to go home?

The Israelites made a 40 year journey that was only meant for 11 days. I can honestly say that my journey with God has been down many yellow brick roads but wasn’t looking for a wizard.  Not quite sure what I was looking for, or where it was.  I hoped I would know when I saw it. I was no different than many who look for God in all the wrong places. “Yes!” That was it. I was looking for God but the God I wanted.

Dorothy may have thought the wizard had the answer to getting her back home only to find he wasn’t a wizard at all.  Her glass slippers could no more get her back home except in her dream.

There are so many looking for God and they don’t even know it. The beach is my favorite place in the whole world. The wind blowing, the white sand and the infinite ocean was a sight I could never get enough of. When I was young I would stand and watch it wondering what was really out there. Now I know.

I was looking for God and didn’t know it. The vastness of the ocean, the

Photograph by John Randolph Harrison http://www.pbase.com/jrandyh

beauty it beholds, and the fact when you look out you see it goes on forever.Isn’t that just like God? He goes on forever and forever.

God’s Appointed

It is a sad day in the world of technology. The loss of a genius like Steve Jobs affects everyone and by that I mean everyone on the face of the earth in the last few decades.

I believe in every generation God brings to life those who would further his agenda even if they had no idea they were doing it.

The Moses’s of the world are needed. They often live in the wilderness before they find their place and it was no different for Steve Jobs. 

Where would the world be without the gift of music we received from Beethoven or the genius of Albert Einstein? 

The world of art changed with Picasso. 

Communication made its debut with Alexander Graham Bell and the telephone.

Let us not forget the courage of the man who stood in the storm of lightning to bring about electricity. My research has shown me I would not be able to see what I am writing right now without my bifocals that Benjamin Franklin invented.

The skeptics would say it was all just by chance these people and many others like them  were born at the time and place they were born. I beg to differ.

Acts 17 :26 says, “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.”

I believe Steve Jobs 56 years on this earth joins the club of those who came before him with their inventions, art, music and now modern technology that God ordained. I also believe he died way before his time.

Their gifts changed history,  gave the world something that had never been, and opened doors that have never closed.  Their gift was their legacy. Their legacy was created long before their time. Their time on this earth has in more ways than we will ever know made our lives so much better.

Did Jesus Rush?

Jesus never did rush. I see myself slowing down to a state of contentment I  never had before. Matthew 11:28 is the scripture that shows us how to unload our burdens on the Lord. If that is the case then why are so many people in a hurry all the time! Rushing to work, rushing to school, rushing to the store, rushing to church, rushing to get back home so they can rush to get the laundry done and a half cooked meal on the table!

WELL I CAN’T RUSH ANYMORE! Jesus didn’t so why should I? When you really think about it Jesus really never was in a hurry. He even walked peacefully. Most of the time he spoke peacefully and not in a hurry. I want to be like him. Maybe that is because I don’t do so good being me. And he is the perfect example.

Out on a Limb

When my daughter was young, we adopted a stray cat and named her “Whiskers.”  Her white coat of fur was laced with shades of brown.   The stray in her loved the outdoors but she enjoyed the comforts of home during the winter.

Whiskers was an experienced cat in the usual hunt but after having a few litters of kittens her speed and stamina were not that of a young feline.  If there is one lesson I have learned about cats is they are resilient and long suffering.  Our Whiskers was no different even being an older cat.

It was June 1994. We lived in the mountains of WNC in a basement apartment.  It was a very secluded area with much wildlife and foliage.  My daughter was visiting relatives.

The empty lot beside our house had pine trees that seemed to reach to Heaven.   Before I left for work I called Whiskers.  There was no sign of her.

Making my way to the empty lot next door I heard a faint cry.  Looking up, Whiskers was sitting in a tree that must have been between 50-75 feet tall.  She wailed as I called her name.

Overcome with fear as to what to do I called the fire department.  Laws prohibit them from rescuing animals.  They did tell me she probably climbed the tree to escape being caught by a wild animal.  The next 2 days I spent countless hours calling out her name only to hear her wailing become weaker and weaker.

My young daughter would be home soon.  I had to get that cat out of that tree alive!

God answers our prayers.  Maybe not as fast or the way we would like, but he is faithful.

As I stood calling her on the 3^rd day a friend of mine drove by and asked what I was doing.  He got out of his truck and looked up to see my “Whiskers” in this very tall tree.

Almost in tears I told him what had happened. He looked at me and said, “Cathy, I am a tree climber.  ”I said “What?”  “You climb trees?” “Tall Trees?”

He said, “Yes, quite often. I can get your cat down in no time.”

Before I could fall on my knees thanking God he headed for his truck to get his equipment.  I called my office and told them I would be late.  God had sent someone to save my cat.

As I prayed for his safety, I watched him climb up this tree with boots, ropes and a pillowcase in hand.

He made it up to the limb “Whiskers” was perched on.  The closer he got to her, the more she moved away from him.  It was like watching a movie with a true life cliffhanger.  This rescue had drawn a crowd.

Finally, “Whiskers” realized she could not go any further out on the limb, so she started back towards him and he grabbed her.  Crying as he placed her in the pillowcase, he began to climb back down.

Once he was a few feet from me, he dropped her gently into my arms.  As I opened the pillowcase and took her out, I hugged her like she was my child.  It was apparent she was grateful to be safe again. After a check up, some much needed rest and food, she was back to normal.

The local newspaper got wind of this “great cat rescue” and she and my friend made the headlines.  My friend became an instant hero.

Whiskers lived a great life with us and brought us much joy.  I can’t wait to see her again in Heaven!

One moral to this story is you never know what people can do even if you think you know them.  There are hidden talents in all of us.

The other moral to this story is that God cares about our pets.  I had never met a tree climber before.  It was no coincidence this friend of mine who just happened to be a tree climber shows up exactly when I needed one.  Go figure.