"Did you hear that?", King Solomon & James 1:5

It is a beautiful late summer afternoon in Central Indiana. My plans for this afternoon changed, so I am taking advantage of a couple of hours to sit outside and enjoy m y patio. As I sit here observing the geese on the pond, I am amazed at the peacefulness of watching them float across the water, in complete silence. The silence and stateliness of this scene is in sharp contrast to what I have experienced before 6AM for the last week or so. Each morning, I have been awakened by the loud, incessant honking of these geese. They would repeatedly fly in, slide across the top of the water and then fly off again, honking loudly all the way. The first couple of days, their honking irritated me. I was not ready to throw back the covers and begin my day. Several days ago, I remembered a Precious Moments figurine we had, years ago, of a girl and a goose. It was titled, “Make a Joyful Noise.” This is from the verse in Psalm 100:1 that states: Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. (ESV) Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. (NIV) Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. (KJV) I realized these geese should not irritate me; they should remind me to do the same and make my own joyful noise each morning. When I changed my perspective, the honking no longer irritated me. It made me smile! Beginning my day thanking God and asking him to lead, guide and protect before my feet hit the floor is a wonderful way to start each day. I am thankful to the geese in my pond for the reminder to begin each day by making a joyful noise to the Lord. In fact, all of Psalm 100 is inspiring and a great reminder that God is good, and we should continually praise Him. Let me share Psalm 100 with you. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.  There is so much noise in our world today and much of it is not joyful. I am committed to paying attention to the noise I make and, as often as possible, make sure it is joyful. Will you join me?

I have been thinking about my Grandpa Holt often lately. Grandpa was a quiet, tall, lanky and unassuming man with an interesting life that he rarely talked about unless asked. He was what he called a “hobo” and went all over the country by hopping on trains. Grandpa got into an argument with his uncle and his uncle shot him in the leg. He and my grandmother ran off and got married at an early age. They were married for 68 years. Grandpa made “moonshine,” and I remember him laughing as he told me about it. Grandma and Grandpa lived in Bradyville, Tennessee and had two sons. There was little work in their area, but he heard about Ball Corporation building a new glass manufacturing plant opening in Indiana and they were hiring. With a dream in his heart to provide for his family, in 1941 he traveled to Muncie, Indiana and was hired by Ball. After working for a few months, he went back to Tennessee and brought his family to Muncie to begin a new life. It was a good life. Grandpa suffered from a genetic eye disease that causes the peripheral vision to gradually close in called Retinitis Pigmentosa. The last several decades of his life, he was blind. His other senses were enhanced, and I remember, as a young girl, driving north on I-65, sitting in the back seat with Grandpa coming back home from Tennessee. He said, “We should be getting close to Elizabethtown,” (Kentucky). Just as he said that we passed a sign that said we were arriving in Elizabethtown. I was impressed and 55 years later, I still remember. I remember the day in 2006 he went to Heaven. He was 95 years old and all I could think about was he is seeing Jesus and the beauty of Heaven. After years of total blindness, I could not imagine how that must have been for him. Wow! The reason I have been thinking so much about Grandpa is I developed cataracts. My eye doctor first told me I needed to have them removed about three years ago. I wanted to see how things developed and if I could find a natural cure. Two months ago, I went for my eye check up and the doctor was shocked at how much they had progressed since the last time I saw him. He told me I needed to have them removed right away and needed to stop driving immediately. It was not surprising to hear my doctor say that. Everyday tasks were becoming difficult, reading and writing were such a struggle and I only drove within my little circle. Last month I had my cataracts removed and what a difference! I did not realize what I was not seeing. The only downside is realizing that my windows were not as clean as I thought they were. Although, I did wonder who the old lady looking back at me in the mirror happened to be. She looked a lot older and more wrinkled than I thought. Even so, I was grateful that I could see her so clearly. My eyesight grew dim so gradually, I thought it was due to growing older and a new pair of glasses would correct it. That is until just after Christmas this year and each day it seemed to get worse. Years of gradually decreasing vision until suddenly, I wondered what happened. This morning as I was drinking my favorite French Vanilla coffee with French Vanilla cream and pondering, I thought about what is happening in our country. I realized how I assumed my “fuzzy vision” was normal for someone my age until my eye doctor shocked me with the pronouncement that I needed surgery immediately and was putting myself and others in danger by driving. Only realizing the danger of it all spurred me to action! Our country is in grave danger and the choice we make in this upcoming election will have long lasting and irreversible consequences. There is so much disinformation out there and it is difficult to know what the truth is. We cannot rely on “fuzzy vision.” Each one of us needs discernment. Charles Spurgeon once said, “Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.” The Bible tells us in Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV), “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” We must not lean on our own thoughts but ask God to give his divine wisdom in all aspects of our life. In 1 Kings 3:9 (NIV) King Solomon asks God, “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish right from wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” A discerning heart indicates the ability to listen to all sides and come to true and wise decisions. There is so much misinformation out there. We need to ask God to clear our “fuzzy vision,” give us eyes to see and discern the truth.  I am praying for a discerning heart in all areas of my life, especially in who will get my vote for President. Will you join me in praying for discernment and then following that as you cast your vote?

There was another Miller’s Musings I had planned to post today but the following is burning in my heart. So, a change in plans--- It is 3:30 AM and I have been awake for over an hour. My mind is racing, and I cannot turn it off. The events of yesterday, in our country, keep playing over and over in my mind. • The FBI Director’s testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee. • House Speaker, Mike Johnson forms a bi-partisan task force to investigate Trump assassination attempt. • The protests in DC that were allowed to damage structures and monuments in our nation’s capital. • The reaction to Bibi Netanyahu’s address to Congress. • President Biden’s speech to the American people. Our country is in trouble! We need a miracle! Only God can step in and perform that miracle. In a gathering I attended recently, the question was asked, “What is something you feel could be impossible for God to do?” One of the participants stated that perhaps the state of our country had progressed too far from Biblical principals for even God to do something about it.” I was shocked by that comment. The Bible tells us that nothing is impossible with God, (Matthew 19:26) and that includes our country. In last week’s Miller’s Musing, I asked you to pray for our country with me. I am repeating that request this week. My heart is so heavy for our country, and I am concerned about what kind of United States my sweet grand-blessings will inherit. Will you continue to pray with me for God’s will to be done in our United States?  …Not my will, but yours, Father.

The last few days have been emotional for me. My family can tell you that tears are always near the surface, and it doesn’t take much for them to begin dripping from my eyes. I have been known to cry because I am sad and just as often cry because I am happy. My sweet grand-blessing #2 often tells me, ”Turn off the waterworks, Nana!” Which always makes us laugh. I don’t know why tears come so easily to me, but I have accepted it as part of my DNA and have learned to live with it. There are a multitude of reasons for my tears, both happy and sad, this past week. • Both my mom and dad’s birthdays were this week. I am grateful for the foundation they gave me and even though I know they are in Heaven and better than ever, I would love to have one more conversation with them. • I unexpectedly ran into someone who was very special to Sweet Husband. It was so good to see him, but the tsunami of memories that conversation brought back, made tears flow. • My days are filled with a new and exciting adventure and what I believe is an assignment. There is a lot to do to meet our deadlines and, at times, the tears have flowed because I can’t believe, at my age, I get to start something new. But…Joshua and Caleb were eighty years old when they entered the promised land, Sarah was ninety when she gave birth to Isaac and Colonel Sanders franchised his first Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1952, when he was sixty-two. I wonder if they cried happy tears, too? One of the biggest reasons I have been emotional this week is watching what is happening in our great United States. I love our country so much and the hateful rhetoric, division and violence breaks my heart and brings tears to my eyes. After Saturday’s attempt on Former President Trump’s life and the loss of life of the Pennsylvania firefighter, my tears have flowed easily. The Bible tells us to pray for our leaders, all of them. Whether you agree or disagree with them, we are commanded to pray for them. “I urge you first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2 “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.” Romans 13:1  Will you join me in praying daily for President Biden, Former President Trump and all government officials at the federal, state and local level? Let’s also pray for the temperature in the United States. There is much hatred, and it is causing violence. Only God can turn things around in our great country. No matter your political view, will you pray with me -- not my will, but yours, Father.

This month marks the one-year anniversary of moving into my new home. It has been such a blessing and a place of comfort and rest. Isaiah 32:18 states, “My people will l ive in peaceful dwelling places in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.” That describes what the last twelve months on Flynn Place have been like. I am so grateful! With the one-year anniversary comes all the one-year warranty items to be taken care of. There have been multiple days of workers coming by to take care of the little things. Fortunately, the issues I have had have been minor. That is not always the case with new construction, or with others in my neighborhood, but I have been blessed. This morning as I was sitting in my favorite place, my back patio, I was thinking about living here for a year and counting my blessings— • It is quiet here, other than the loud quacking from ducks and honking from geese. • I feel safe and have never had any reason not to feel safe. • There are more electrical outlets in this home than I have ever seen. • Someone else takes care of my outside work. • This house is the perfect size for me. As I was counting my blessings on Flynn Place, my phone beeped. It was Darling Daughter #1 sending a text asking if Darling Daughter #2 and I wanted to meet her and my Grand Blessings for lunch in 20 minutes. Yes! As I was driving to our favorite pizza place for their lunch buffet, I realized that this spur of the moment, who cares what you look like, invitation to be with my sweet family and enjoy tasty breadsticks was one of the greatest blessings of moving to my new home. Our former home was at least a half hour away from any of my family and that thirty minute or more drive made spontaneity next to impossible. I love spontaneity, so getting a text about meeting for lunch in 20 minutes made my heart happy. After hugs and giggles we went inside, got our food and sat down. A seamless flow of conversation began. Between bites of salad, pizza and breadsticks, much laughter was sprinkled throughout the conversation. This Nana’s heart was full. We heard about- • Throwing a pacifier away because he was now a big boy. • Going to a concert in the park last evening and thinking about how much her dad would have loved it. • Sisters giving each other a hard time about boys and manicures. • Fun banter between mom and daughter about a road trip surprise this weekend. One part of our conversation thrilled me. One of my sweet grand blessings was sharing a conversation she had with a friend about Jesus. She is bold and not afraid to share what she believes. She is impacting her little corner of the world for Jesus, even at her young age. Listening to her talk and hearing what her mom and aunt added to the conversation was such a blessing. I just sat back, listened and thanked God for my family. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 17:6- “Grandchildren are the crown of the aged…” and in Psalm127:3- “Behold children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.” 3 John 1:4 states – “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” I am certainly feeling blessed by my children and grand blessings as I write this.  As I continue to count my blessings daily, my family is certainly at the top of the list. God has been so good to us, and I am grateful.

It is June in Indiana and that means strawberries are everywhere! Strawberry shortcakes, strawberry pies, strawberry and spinach salads, strawberry milkshakes, and so ma ny more ways to enjoy this delectable fruit. My grandmother used to make the most delicious strawberry bread and I pulled out her recipe this morning. I haven’t made this bread in years but decided today was a good day to do some nostalgic baking. The strawberry bread is in the oven and the wonderful smell is wafting through my home. It smells delightful! All these thoughts about strawberries sent my mind back to the time Sweet Husband talked me into picking fresh strawberries. I can laugh now, but getting down on the ground, fighting the heat, humidity, dirt and crowds to pick berries was not an experience I enjoyed, and I may have gotten a little cranky. My idea of gardening and picking fresh fruits and vegetables involves the produce section of a well-stocked grocery store or a local farmers market. As often happens, the thought of strawberries piqued my curiosity, so I went to Google to find out more. Did you know that, according to countryliving.com-- 1. There are two hundred seeds on an average strawberry. 2. Americans eat an average of 3.4 pounds of fresh strawberries every year. 3. California produces 75% of strawberry crops in the United States. 4. Ancient Romans believed strawberries had medicinal powers. 5. Don’t rinse cut strawberries under water until you are ready to eat them—it speeds up spoiling. 6. There is an entire museum in Belgium dedicated to strawberries. I also read that many people use strawberry plants for ground cover. Ground cover?? Well, that explains why I did not enjoy getting down and rummaging for my strawberries so many years ago. The name strawberry plant is misleading. It is strawberry ground cover and not fun to pick! The article stated that strawberries as ground cover will spread and take over an area if not purged routinely. Being a grocery store produce section type of person, I will take the author’s word for that, but it did get me thinking. Ground cover—if strawberry plants take over an area and influence the landscape by growing, spreading and covering the ground, can I, as a follower of Jesus, cover the ground of my neighborhood, city and state with prayer, love and influence for good? Our world is angry, hurting and in desperate need of love, kindness, and to see Jesus in us. What if we would be like strawberries and: • Grow and spread kindness and love to our world. • Cover the ground where we live with faith over fear and helpfulness over division. • Let sweetness flow even when someone figuratively “takes a bite out of us.” The Bible tells us in Galatians 5:14, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” In verses 22 and 23 the Bible lists attributes that Jesus followers should show to those around them, these attributes are called the Fruit of the Spirit. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  I remember the strawberries we picked were smaller but sweeter than the strawberries from the grocery. Each of us is only a small piece in the big picture of helping our country and those around us heal. Our small actions may seem insignificant, but they are not. Just like strawberries, no matter how small, we can bring sweetness and a powerful taste and aroma for good to those around us. By acting out the Fruit of the Spirit we can show Jesus’ love to the hurting world around us, no matter how small our actions may be. I am going to work on being a strawberry this week. Will you join me?

One of the biggest challenges I have had to face during the past two and a half years is learning to cook for one. To be honest, instead of facing this challenge head on , I have chosen to eat out, order take-out or run through a drive thru. In the last several weeks, I have realized it is time to get back into the kitchen, eat healthy and learn how to cook for one. Last evening I attempted to cook one of my favorite dinners—salmon and roasted vegetables. When eating out, I enjoy ordering salmon, especially if it is blackened, but have never attempted to make it myself. To my utter amazement—it was delicious! Salmon is rich in vitamins and healthy fats that can keep bones, brain and eyes healthy. At my stage in life, that is important. As I was eating, I began thinking about salmon and how I always heard they swim upstream. I wanted to know more so I picked up my phone and googled. Here is some of what I found from strikeandcatch.com . “Salmon enter fast flowing freshwater systems and swim up their natal rivers to find a suitable spawning location. The rivers running water and habitat provide both plenty of oxygen and shelter for the eggs and juvenile salmon, which increases their rate of survival… As many salmon stocks breed in vast river systems that can span dozens or even hundreds of miles, their journey up stream can be both very long and extremely demanding.” The article goes on to say: “The river stretches with gravel beds that salmon use to spawn in are usually extremely shallow, making it difficult or outright impossible for larger predators to reach.” The information I learned about why Salmon swim upstream impressed me. Salmon instinctively know their offspring must be protected. They fight the current of rivers and swim for miles to lay eggs in a place that is safe from predators. Nehemiah 4:14 from the Bible tells us, “…Fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” Salmon certainly fight for their “children” by swimming hundreds of miles against the flow of the rivers back to their native river to lay eggs that will be protected from outside influences and dangers. I believe that is what we humans must do, as well. We must be willing to swim upstream and against the flow of our culture to protect our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends. Today’s world is a dangerous place for our kids. The need to be protected and taught truth and the moral absolutes we find in God’s Word is of the utmost importance. Salmon isolate their young by going “home” to lay eggs in shallow water so predators cannot reach them. In our world, we cannot isolate our children from the craziness of today’s culture, but we can and should insulate our children. How do we insulate the next generation? Teach them what the Bible says, help them remember or hide it in their hearts and model for them how to live out those principles every day. Someone shared with me the following phrase that sums it up — “battle ready.” We need to insulate our children with the truth of God’s Word so they can be battle ready when it is time to “swim against the current” in their world, just as the Salmon do. If we don’t teach our children to follow Jesus, the world will teach them not to. It is not only our children that need to be battle ready. We adults as well need to be battle ready and willing to swim upstream against the culture in which we live and work. If we learn what the Bible says, remember or hide it in our hearts and live out God’s Word every day, I believe we can be the salt and light our world needs. Let’s impact our world for Jesus! It is in desperate need of Him.

This past Sunday, a longtime Indianapolis tradition took place for the 1 08th time. The 500-mile auto race takes place on a 2.5-mile oval track in Speedway, Indiana and has become known as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” This year’s race did not go off without a hitch. A band of thunderstorms covered the Indianapolis area forcing Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials to delay pre-race activities and the start of the race. Eventually the storms moved out of the area, the track was dry and four hours later the green flag flew. The race began. The coverage of the happenings in Speedway last Sunday sent my mind swirling back to 1984. I was fortunate to spend 16 years teaching at Speedway Schools. Looking back, I have so many fond memories of that time and the people I met during those years. My life as a teacher in Speedway was remarkably different than teachers experience today. Take my interview for example – I walked into the Superintendent’s office, and he offered me a seat in front of his desk. He smiled at me and said, “I hear you just got married.” I told him that was correct. Sweet Husband and I had been married for only three weeks. He then asked if I was a good cook. Not knowing where he was going with this, I simply responded with, “I am trying.” He let out a hardy belly laugh and said, “Well, keep trying because that is the only way you are going to keep your new husband happy. Let’s go meet you new principal.” Seriously, that was the entire interview. Forty years later this still brings a smile to my face. I invite you to stroll down memory lane with me while I share a few more Speedway memories. >Back in those days, our schools did not have air conditioning. Once May rolled around, practice was held at the track each day. It was difficult to “have school” because the noise from the cars racing around the track made it almost impossible to concentrate. >Our school was so small; we did not have a gym for PE. Our school was next to the Jr. High so we would walk through an underground tunnel from our building to Speedway Jr. High to use their gym. There were cracks in the tunnel so when it rained, we had to dodge the puddles. I am sure that would not be allowed to happen today but forty years ago, it was a fun and wonderful experience. >One of my favorite stories from May in Speedway involves an end of year field trip to the Indianapolis Zoo with my first graders. (Let me preface my memory by stating that the 500 is much calmer and more sophisticated today than it was years ago.) My first graders and I were on the bus sitting at a stop light on 16th Street, in front of the track. Many “interesting characters” were lining the streets and holding up signs with various messages. Many of those messages were not meant for first grade eyes. We had worked hard all year learning to read. Back then it was all about phonics and sounding out words. A couple of rows in front of me, I heard one of my students looking at the sign outside her window and putting all the skills we had worked on all year into practice to read that sign. She read all the words she knew aloud but the last word on the sign was new to her. She began feverishly attempting to sound out the last word. I was cringing and wondering why the light was red for so long. Just as the light turned green, my determined little first grader figured out the new word, she read the entire sign aloud. When she realized what the sign said she loudly proclaimed, “Yuck!” and the whole bus laughed. At that moment, this teacher was incredibly proud of the skills this little girl had mastered in first grade but mortified that she had used those skills when and how she did. It still makes me chuckle, decades later, thinking about this event. It was a gift to spend so many years in Speedway. It was a special place and greatly supported its proximity and long history with the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. The Bible talks about racing too – not Indy Car racing but running the race set before us. Hebrews 12:1-2 states: “…And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith…” We all have a race to run. This race is a marathon, not a sprint and sometimes this race called life is exhilarating and at times a challenge and difficult. As Hebrews tells us, the only way we can make it to the finish line is by keeping our eyes on Jesus. Today’s world needs us to run our race with endurance and give it all we’ve got. It is easy to sit in the stands and cheer on those who are racing to impact their world for Jesus but, I believe, we all must get into the race and out of the stands. Follow the path God has laid out before you and live out your faith every day, everywhere you go. Let’s boldly and courageously do all we can to impact our world for Jesus.

This morning, I am sitting in my office attempting to work on items for our new website design but struggling to focus. My mind keeps going back to the beginning of this writing journey and how life and vision have changed since then. There is a verse in Proverbs that states: “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” Proverbs 16:9 (NLT) I can wholeheartedly attest to the truth of that statement in my life. As I look around my beautiful office, I am grateful and to be honest, astounded at what God has done. Allow me to share a small portion of this journey with you. In late 2019, after a couple of years of early retirement, restlessness set in. I enjoyed leisurely mornings, time with my family and doing what I wanted. Life was good and I was grateful for the time to rest and recover from thirty years of constantly being on the go. Restlessness in my life has always been a sign that change was coming. My motto in life is “YES.” Yes, Period to whatever God wants. This was no different. I prayed and asked God to give me clarity, direction and show me what was next . Several days later, Darling Daughter #1 told me that Sweet Grand-blessings #1 and #2 were having trouble sleeping. I decided to write a fun little story about going to sleep and knowing that God was with them. It was simple and fun to share with them. A couple of weeks later, Darling Daughter #2, Sweet Grand-blessing #1 and I were watching TV on a Saturday morning. There was nothing remotely interesting on. Sweet Grand-blessing #1 said, “Nana, you should write shows for kids.” Darling Daughter #2 agreed and that set my mind swirling. Over the next few weeks, I could not get this idea out of my mind. At the same time, a supposedly family friendly company announced a new TV show they were releasing. This show had a plot line that left me shocked and furious. I remember thinking, this is evil. Someone needs to do something about it and provide an alternative for our kids. Immediately, I felt a strong impression—You do it! That came as a surprise! I decided to take the article about this new show to our small group, share it and how I thought God might be leading me to write something to go on the offensive for our kids. I asked them to pray with me for direction. They prayed and supported me throughout the beginning of this journey. I will forever be grateful for these friends standing with me. At this point, I knew I had an assignment but needed ideas. I was reading in the book of Zechariah one morning and in chapter 8 verses 4 and 5, I read: “This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.” That struck me! I opened the Bible app on my phone to read this in different translations and this is what The Message stated: “Old men and old women will come back to Jerusalem, sit on benches on the streets and spin tales, move around safely with their canes—a good city to grow old in. And boys and girls will fill the public parks, laughing and playing—a good city to grow up in.” Wow! An old man and an old woman spinning tales and children playing in the park. Hmm—Zechariah Park! That was it! I remember the stories for the first Zechariah Park, titled The Tale Spinner, flowed quickly and easily. At one point, I was driving to see my mom and had to use voice messages on my phone to record the ideas, they were coming so fast. That is how it all began. If I am being honest, I thought Zechariah Park: The Tale Spinner was a one book assignment. That was my plan but as the verse in Proverbs I shared above states, we can make our plans, but God directs our steps. Fast forward to 2024 and there are multiple books, activity books for children and adults, a commitment to sharing Bibles in all fifty states and as many foreign countries as possible, plans for games, interactive books and much more. All of this came as a surprise and an interruption in life I didn’t see coming in 2019/2020. I am grateful God directed my steps to this adventure. To God be all the glory for anything this endeavor accomplishes. Who knows what other surprises God has in store? Have you had a surprise from God that you didn’t see coming? I would love to hear about it, no matter how big or how small.