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

October 1, 2025

LIFE IN THE FOLD

Jon's mom lives in an assisted living facility. A couple weeks ago, they were celebrating National Assisted Living Week. The theme was "Ageless Adventure". I got an email saying that they had an exciting day planned for the residents. They were serving donuts and coffee, beginning at 6:30, then were going to give tethered hot air balloon rides to their assisted living residents.

I hadn't even told Jon about the email, because I thought there was no way his mom would participate. She has low vision, uses a walker, is sometimes fearful about walking up or down a ramp; and refuses to do anything where she has to step up or down.

I was totally shocked when I got a text from her the day before telling me about it; and saying that she was going to ride in the hot air balloon with one of her friends, who also lives there. I really suspect that the friend was excited about it and talked Diane into doing it.

I contacted Jon, told him, and asked if he could go into work a little late the next morning, so we could go take pictures. He was as surprised as I was!

We arrived at the facility a little after 7:00. The staff had chairs lined up on the sidewalk for the residents to sit in. Someone brought out a box of donuts to pass out. There was truly a feeling of excitement in the air! The hot air balloon was in a grassy area and being filled with air. There was even a news camera there.

Finally, the time came for the rides to begin. I suspect Diane was more thrilled at the prospect than the actual ride, when the time came. She had awakened early that morning, questioning why she had signed up and going back and forth about whether or not she should do it. I told her that Jon had taken off work so we could come, so she couldn't back out. I knew if she did, she would later regret it.

It was so much fun watching the residents! The balloon was tethered, so only went up about 40 feet. But the residents would wave and smile, and you could tell that they were having a great adventure. These are people who are probably mostly in their 80's and 90's, several using walkers, and none of them are as agile as they once were. Their days mostly consist of eating in the dining room, staying in their rooms watching TV, a few weekly activities that are available there.... an occasional outing to the doctor. The same thing, day after day. But that morning, they got to do something that most of them had likely never done before. The staff were so helpful and were all happy and excited themselves. It was a moment that these people will remember and talk about for days to come!

I think people, in general, tend to read the Bible and think that those peoples lives were one adventure after another. It makes their life seem boring, in comparison. Or they hear testimonies about answered prayer or a miracle or something spectacular that God did, and believe that person's life is just one answered prayer after another. It can make a person begin to doubt their own faith. Perhaps they've been praying for something in particular for several years and they've not yet experienced an answer. Comparison to others can be a dangerous thing.

The truth is, no ones life is as grand and blessed and problem-free, as we would sometimes like to think. We often don't know their hardships and struggles and times of their faith being tested. The Bible wouldn't be able to hold the entire day to day stories of everyone. It tends to hit the important details that really matter. And we honestly wouldn't want to read the day to day boring stuff. Sometimes there may be a year or ten that happen from one verse to another.

If asked about her highlights for this month, Diane wouldn't say every single thing she did every single day. She would tell about riding in a hot air balloon.... going to the dentist to get a crown put on.... the things that were different in her daily routine.

It's the same when people share praise reports. At our church we are asked every Sunday morning if anyone has a praise report. Some weeks there are a bunch! Other weeks there may not be any. That doesn't mean that God isn't working! You don't want someone to stand and tell everything that went bad during their week and their tales of woe and despair and every problem they had. That's not uplifting, nor is it encouraging.

But when people share praise reports or testimonies, the intent is to encourage and build one another up. It's like the hot air balloon ride. It gave the residents a lift (literally!); but it also boosted their morale, filled them with joy, and showed them that there was more to life than just sitting in an apartment. It let them experience something new and exciting; and was proof that they were capable of doing much more than they thought possible.

When we experience an answer to prayer or God shows up unexpectedly or we are blessed, it gives us a boost and fills our hearts with joy. It increases our faith to believe for more. Those who hear are encouraged and it gives them hope that God can do the same (or similar) for them.

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

Honestly, I'm not that disappointed to have some boring years. If you look at the journey of Paul, I'm sure he could really appreciate the boring times. He had some great times, saving souls, building churches, and encouraging people. But each time, he also suffered persecution. He was probably thankful each day he could climb in bed after a whole day of no-one throwing stones at him.

Likewise, we should end each day being thankful. We can thank God for the good things He gives us, and the bad things we don't get.

ON THE MENEWE:

Cocoa Brownies Supreme

Cream shortening and sugar together; add in vanilla and eggs. Add dry ingredients and mix well.

Pour mixture in a greased and floured 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until done.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

Several years ago, the wife of one of my nephews told me that my nephew had been complaining that their 2-year old son was always getting into things and making messes. Shortly thereafter, I was going through some older family photos. I found a couple pictures of that particular nephew when he was approximately age 2. One of the pictures was of him standing in my parents kitchen. My mom had a drawer she kept her flour in. My nephew had opened the drawer and was holding the flour sifter, and was covered from head to toe with flour. Not only was he covered, but the floor was too. In the second photo, he and his brother (who is just 10 months older) were sitting on top of my mom's kitchen table. Mama had placed a berry pie in the center of the table. Both boys were on the table top with their fingers poked in the pie and berry juice all over their faces. I e-mailed both of those pictures of my nephew to his wife. She thanked me for sharing and said she would be sure and show her husband so he could see that their son was just a normal little 2-year old!

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

God is still writing your story.

Quit trying to steal the pen and simply trust the Author. - TobyMac

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org