THE NEW EWE

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'"

Luke 15:4-6

May 28, 2025

LIFE IN THE FOLD

This past weekend my niece, Rachel, got married. She was the last of my nephews and nieces to marry. It was a beautiful wedding and the couple looked very happy. It was, also, great seeing all of my family.

Her youngest brother performed the ceremony. Philip is the one who was an integral part of getting Rachel and Josh to initially meet. He and his wife are assistant pastors at a church not far from where Josh lives. So for the first few dates they had, Rachel would go spend the weekend with Philip's family, then Josh would meet her there.

During the ceremony, Philip was telling about how he got them together. Then he said something that made everyone laugh. He said that Josh and Rachel had spent a lot of his home after they first met. He said, "They were as awkward as a newborn three-legged calf."

Awkwardness and nervousness can make people act and say things that they normally wouldn't. I've done that; then later think, "Why did I do that... or why did I say that?!?"

Jon and I became friends before we began dating. We met at church and began sitting together. We would talk before and after the service. Then gradually, Jon started walking me out to my car afterwards. I remember the awkwardness of not knowing that to say to one another when we were in the "getting to know you" stage.

One evening, Jon walked me out to my car. He stood there and looked at me for a minute (I was hoping he was going to ask me out!), then said, "I can't find the words," and turned around and got into his car and left. We have laughed about that many times over the years. Finding the right words in a new relationship is hard to do at times!

Several years ago, one of my cousins had a heart attack and was in the hospital. I had been staying with my nephew and his wife for a few days. She had a toddler and a newborn, then had to have surgery. I went to help them out while she recovered. On the day I was going to leave, she had a doctor appointment next to the hospital where my cousin was, so I took the toddler and went to visit him while she was at the doctor. When I walked in, I was caught off-guard. His room was full of visitors and when I walked in, everyone looked at me and for some reason, it made me nervous. I wasn't expecting anyone to be there, except for him and his wife. I knew some of the people there, and some I didn't. I didn't know what to do, so in my awkwardness, asked the toddler if he wanted to go look out the window... then started walking over there. Everyone laughed and said, "You can't do that! There is someone in the other bed by the window!" That curtain was partially opened, and I had no idea that another patient was in the room. Then I got embarrassed and didn't know what to do! I stayed just a minute, then said I needed to take the little boy back to his mom and left. My sister and brother-in-law happened to be there (the grandparents of the toddler), so they left and walked to my car with me; then took their grandson to his mom.

Another time, I tripped and fell on the sidewalk outside of Walmart. I fell hard and it hurt! But I jumped up as fast as I could. A young mother with a baby in the shopping cart had watched me fall, and she came running over to check on me. I was embarrassed, so pretended like I was just fine and all was well. I broke my toe and felt like I could pass out; but didn't want her to say anything to anyone and a big uproar at Walmart get started. So I walked inside to a cooler in front of the store and stood there with my knees up against the cold, which helped. I'm sure my face was pale and this lady could tell that I was hurt! I could see her circle around a couple times in the produce department watching me -- probably to make sure I didn't faint! As soon as she went around the corner, I left the store and went home.

It's okay to feel embarrassed or nervous at times. And it's okay that we may say or do something as a result of that. But on the flip side, there are situations when we should never react in embarrassment.

When people ask us about our faith or about our relationship with Jesus or about which church we attend or anything to do with spiritual things..... we should be bold and not hold back out of embarrassment. The first few times, we may be nervous, but our love for God should overcome that fear.

Romans 1:16 says, "I am not ashamed of this Good News (the Gospel) about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes."

Being ashamed and embarrassed can bring about the same result. We fail to allow the light of Christ to shine through us and don't speak out when asked about the hope that is within us. The person we are speaking with may be seeking for answers and need to hear about what God has done in our life. When we fail to tell them, we may be robbing them of the opportunity to know about the love of Jesus.

Let's know when to overcome feelings of embarrassment and speak out the truth about who Jesus is to us and what He has done for us. Our testimony can change lives!

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

You should read the book of Acts. It is filled with stories of opportunities for sharing the Gospel (that is, the Good News that Jesus has paid for all our sins, and offers us eternal life with Him). There are times when God gave someone a dream or message that they would need to talk with someone in particular, and what to say. But there are also times when they went out not having a clue.

One of the first times, they simply went out and began speaking as the Holy Spirit "gave them utterance". They were in the town square (probably a busy market place), with traders and travelers from many other countries. Many of them only spoke languages from their own nation, and relied on gestures and interpreters. But when the disciples spoke, they each heard the Gospel in their own language.

Sometimes, God may encourage you to go to someone. If He doesn't tell you ahead of time what to speak, trust that the Holy Spirit will guide you. And if He doesn't tell you anything to say, then listen. Sometimes simply being with someone and showing friendliness can start something great.

ON THE MENEWE:

Avocado, Corn and Tomato Salad

Place salad ingredients in a bowl.

Mix dressing ingredients together and pour over salad.

Garnish with cilantro, if desired.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

Another school year has ended! It has brought back memories of my childhood. I attended a small school, where the class sizes averaged around 35. School would be dismissed early on the last day. Seems like we would get out right after lunches were over. There was a local hamburger business near the school. Our bus driver would stop and buy everyone on the bus either an ice cream cone or a coke. Getting out of school early and getting a vanilla ice cream cone was the cherry on top of the last day of school!

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!

I have overcome the world. John 16:33

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org