KEY RB#1" FOCUS ON THE LIGHT

Thanks for joining me as we begin a new series in the Land of Abundant Living!  The road we travel together this fall will take a few new twists and turns as we venture deeper into the center of this amazing land.
Oh, thank you for pointing out the first road sign! "WARNING . . . ROAD BLOCKS AHEAD."  I see some smaller writing underneath that is difficult to make out at this distance.  I need to get closer and slow down to read it.   Hold on . . . we'll pull over to this grassy area and stop for a moment.  If I lean out my window and squint I can just barely make it out.
"Patience and stamina are required to continue, but you will be well rewarded!"
What should we do, fellow travelers?  Do you think so?  Are we in agreement then?
Great!  I'm for going on, also!  After all, we are in this Land to find adventures and purpose, right?
OK, let's move on.  Sit back and relax.  I'll tell you when we near a trouble spot.  So far, it's a pleasant day and the view is enticing.  Peaceful hills rise in rounds like a series of cakes frosted with green grass and dotted with purple and yellow candy flowers.  I am reveling in the fresh, gentle breeze and the warmth of the sun on my shoulders.
Oh oh, another sign.  This one is easy to read:  "FOCUS ON THE LIGHT."  We can hardly miss a sign that large, but what could it mean?  The only visible light source is the sun and it is behind us.  If I focus on that, we'll have to drive backwards!
Hmm . . . a memory is pricking at the edges of my brain.  Bits and pieces are slipping through the narrow entrance and expanding as they enter, like a flat sponge that expands when soaked in water.
Yes!  My memory is getting clear now.  Let's pull over here and I'lll share it with you.

One gorgeous afternoon last week, my husband took me out for a boat ride on a small, but pretty lake a few miles from our home.  The trip was a wonderful balance of peaceful, serene contentment as we floated smoothly on crystal clear waters near the shore and exciting, invigorating thrills as we sped up and raced through the middle, bouncing over cresting waves.  Enchanting diamond sprinkles popped up in nano-seconds here and there and burst like the bubbles I blow with my grandsons as the sunshine flicked them across the surface.  I was awed and absorbed by the beauty of God's world.
When we finished the ride, my husband towed the boat out of the lake with his trusty, green truck.  As I stood waiting for him in the parkway, I happened to glance across the highway and noticed a cemetery on the other side.  How strange!  We have lived in our country home for six years and this was the first time I noticed the cemetery.  How could I be so unobservant?
I suppose at some point, maybe the first time I took that road, I saw the cemetery on one side and the beautiful lake on the other and, possibly unconsciously, made the decision that viewing the cemetery was not worth my time.  From then on, my eyes were riveted to the waters whenever I took this route and gradually I forgot the cemetery even existed.

Wow!  What a lesson as we begin our new journey in the Land of Abundant Living!  We have choices every day as to where we will place our focus.   Will I turn my spiritual, emotional, and intellectual eyesight to the Light of God's Word and His holy presence in my circumstances just as I turned my physical eyes towards the light sprinkles dancing on the lake?  Or will I harbor dismal "death-producing" worries and fears about possible calamities to come as represented by the quiet cemetery?


"Every single day, things happen to us that we consider good and bad.  What do you suppose God wants us to focus our thoughts on?  See Philippians 4:8:  "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things."
Why do you think God wants us to think about these things?
God wants His children to live with joy, in the midst of problems and to be happy!  He loves us and He knows that He can handle our problems if we yield them to Him.  He wants us to trust Him and go on our day rejoicing!"  (Taken from The View From Eternity by Linda Ruth Stai)

I have to admit, my thoughts and general well-being are lifted when I turn my eyes towards the sparkling waters instead of gazing on the assortment of tombstones across the highway.  So can I expect my thoughts and sense of well-being to be lifted to a higher spiritual level when I turn my eyes on Jesus, the Light of Life, instead of letting Satan, the dark deceiver of death, control my thoughts?
Yes!  All right, let's travel on together and see what adventures await us . . . full speed ahead! 

KEY #A18: LAUGHTER . . . JOY OVERFLOWING!

Laughter . . . We all need it!
"A joyful heart is good medicine. . ."  Proverbs 17:22a.  We can't experience the Abundant Life without it!  When we are filled with the joy of the Lord, we often find that we are able to laugh even in the midst of trying conditions.
Today, in the middle of winter here in Minnesota . . . admittedly the mildest winter that I can remember . . . still a bit of "cabin fever" seems to be going around.  So I decided to share some laughter with you today.  I have my husband's permission to publish a short story I wrote many years ago, when my two oldest children were still young.  E, was 7 years old, and K was 4 years old.
Both previously divorced, Gary and I had gotten re-married about a month earlier.  Gary normally had to work on Sundays, but my parents, who lived at a lake, were on vacation and my dad told us to feel free to come over and use his boat whenever we felt like it.  So Gary decided to take the day off and treat the family, along with our dogs, Abby and Dolly, to "A Day at the Lake."  The following is what happened, in vivid detail,when my husband borrowed his brand new father-in-law's boat for the first . . . and last . . . time!
Please note:  I have written the story in the old "Dick, Jane, and Sally" format.  Anyone remember those books that we learned to read with back in the "olden days?"
Sample:  "See Dick run.  See Jane run.  See Sally run.  'Come here, Dick,' said Jane.  'Come here, Sally,' said Jane." Got the idea? 


"A DAY AT THE LAKE" by Linda Ruth Stai
"Let's go for a boat ride," said Daddy.
"Ok," said Mommy.  "I'll go and get the life jackets."  Mommy went into the house.
E climbed into the boat.  Abby jumped into the boat.  Dolly jumped into the boat.
Daddy started the motor.  Slowly they backed off from the dock with E, Dolly and Abby in the rear of the boat.
K yelled, "Wait for me!"
"Sput, sput," went the motor.
"Oh, oh," said Daddy.  "The motor is not working properly.  I will jump into the water and keep the boat away from the rocks."  Daddy jumped into the lake.  The back of the boat went down.  Water rushed in.
"Eek!"  screamed E.
E swam out of the boat.  Abby swam out of the boat.  Dolly swam out of the boat.
"Oh, dear," said Daddy.  "I did not put the plug in the boat.   Mommy!!!"
Mommy ran down the steps to the lake.  "What have you done, Honey?" she said.  "Oh, my."
"Help me," said Daddy.
"The boat is full of water," said Mommy.
"I know," said Daddy.
"Where is the plug?" asked Mommy.  "Why don't you put it in?"
"I cannot find it, dear," said Daddy.
"Why are you turning red?" asked Mommy.
"Grrr," said Daddy.
"Daddy," said K.  "Look at the big waves coming in the boat!"
"I see them," said Daddy.
"Daddy," said K. "Why don't you put the boat in the boat lift?"
"Grrr," said Daddy.
"Can we help?" said E.
"Go get some cans and start bailing," said Daddy.
E and K ran into the house.
"Help me lift the boat up," said Daddy to Mommy.
"It's heavy," said Mommy.
"Grrr," said Daddy.
Mommy and Daddy pushed the boat up.  Then the boat went down.  More water came into the boat.
E and K came back with two little plastic bowls.
"I will go find buckets," said Mommy.
Mommy ran upstairs and got two wastebaskets.  Daddy and Mommy bailed water out one side.  Waves rushed in the other side.
"I don't think this is working," said Mommy.
"Help me lift in onto these cement blocks," said Daddy.   Mommy and Daddy lifted the back of the boat up. A tidal wave filled up the front.
"Why don't you put a plug in?" asked Mommy.
"Grrr," said Daddy.  "Bail."
Mommy and Daddy bailed.  Waves kept coming in.  E and K watched patiently.
"I think we need help," said Mommy.  "I'll go and get the next-door-neighbors."
Mommy went to get the neighbors.  They were out for a boat ride.
"I've got an idea," said Daddy.  "Let's push the boat to the lift."
Daddy and Mommy pushed the boat under the water all the way to the boat lift.
"Isn't the boat supposed to go on top of the water?" asked K.
"Go away," said Daddy.
Mommy and Daddy tried to lift the boat onto the lift.  It didn't work.
"Go and find some other neighbors," said Daddy to Mommy.
Mommy and K went to find some other neighbors.  Daddy hung onto the boat in the water and waited . . . and waited . . . and waited.
Mommy came back with two little boys.
"Is that the best you could do?" asked Daddy.
"There are more coming," said Mommy.
Three men came over to help.  A crowd gathered on a neighbor's dock to watch.  A few children offered to help.  The men lifted the boat onto the lift.  A waterfall fell over the side.
"Thank you," said Daddy.
"Thank you," said Mommy.
"That was fun," said E.
"Let's do it again," said K.
"No," said Daddy.
THE END
May you have a day that is blessed with laughter!