Opps! There goes the cake!

It was a perfect day for the big late afternoon wedding.  The bride was radiant and the groom was all smiles as they repeated their vows.  Friends and family of the couple had gathered to wish the couple well.
After the wedding, we hurried to the reception at a large hotel.  The dining room had been decorated and the food was set out for the guests to enjoy.

“Would you like to go ahead and make a few family pictures outside while the light is good or do you want to go ahead and cut the cake so that people can eat it after they finish the Hors D’oeuvres?

“Oh, I think we better gather the family together before the children get cranky or some of them have to leave. And, we certainly want pictures outside while there is good light.”  The bride said.
It took a while to get about 40 people together and get them outside. But, we managed to get all of them lined up on the big steps at the back of the hotel and make several pictures of the big group and some of individual families with the couple. Just as the photography session was coming to a close, one of the waiters came out the door and motioned to me.

“You might want to get inside pretty soon and take the cake pictures because the cake is about to fall.”

So, we hurried inside only to find two waitresses behind the cake with spatulas under each side of the third layer of the four layer cake.  Not wanting the waitresses in the photograph of the couple cutting the cake, we posed them between the two waitresses.

“I’ll get them focused here and when I say ‘Ready’, you two ladies step back very carefully leaving the spatulas in place and I’ll snap the picture at that moment.”

“Ready”, John said, and the two ladies very carefully stepped back.  As they did, the cake began to tumble before the couple could slice it.  What was once a beautiful wedding cake lay all over the end of the table and onto the floor in one big mess!  The groom’s mother had worked for hours baking and decorating that elaborate cake only to have her masterpiece end up in the floor before the couple even had a taste. She was so horrified  she left the reception sobbing.  It seems she had failed to insert the wooden dowels that must be put in each layer before the layers are stacked and before it is iced in order to stabilize it.

Have you ever felt that things were crumbling all around you and you wanted to run away sobbing?  It might be that you were handed the pink slip at work; it might be a catastrophic health diagnosis; perhaps a divorce in the family.  It could be a number of things that all of us have encountered or will encounter during our life time. 

God has the answer for all of our trials and tribulations.  Oh, the answer may not come today or tomorrow or even next week. It may not even the answer we were expecting, but, if we put our trust in Him instead of our own strength, He will handle the situation. Two verses come to mind as I think about this:

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 TLB

“Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God—soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.” Psalm 43:5 The Message

The Red Dress

Occasionally, I watch the TV show “Say ‘Yes, to the Dress’ “. For those who are not familiar with this show, a bride goes into a dress shop usually bringing 4-5 people; mothers, bridesmaids or occasionally a father. She tries on different dresses; parading in front of those people while they comment on how she looks. Finally, after trying on endless dresses, she finds “the dress” and says “Yes, to the Dress”. While watching the show, I recalled a small wedding we were to photograph at the Worship Center on the grounds of Thorncrown Chapel. When time is of the essence, we always liked to take some photographs beforehand.

Having spoken with the bride by phone, yet never seeing her, we were not familiar with how she looked. As we waited patiently for someone to show up, a young lady dressed in a tea length white gown, complete with white gloves, a pillbox hat and white shoes came from the direction of the dressing room.

“Hello”, my husband said, “I’m John, your photographer and this is my wife, Jo Ann. If you’re ready, we’d love to take a few pictures of you before the wedding.”

The young lady smiled , “Okay, the bride will be here in just a few minutes. She is just finishing up dressing. She probably would like to have some pictures made with me.”

John and I glanced at each other. Here was a young lady who looked much like a bride, yet she wasn’t. In a few minutes, another young lady came around the corner, smiling.

“Hi! I’m (and she gave us her name). You must be the photographers. I’m ready for pictures when you are.”

Indeed, we were perplexed! Here was the bride dressed in a bright red tea length dress, red hose, red shoes, red gloves, a pill box hat and carrying a bouquet of beautiful red roses! Looks can be deceiving for sure.

“Then Moses led the people of Israel on from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the wilderness of Shur and were there three days without water. Arriving at Marah, they couldn’t drink the water because it was bitter (that is why the place was called Marah, meaning “bitter”).” Exodus 15:22-23 TLB

Here were the Children of Israel having marched for days through the desert land finally coming upon what looked like perfectly good water. But, as they tasted it, they discovered they were deceived; the water was bitter.

Have you ever been deceived? Satan is The Great Deceiver. Nothing pleases him more than to deceive people; particularly God’s people. One of the big deceptions being some teachers and preachers who distort God’s word. They want to make His word pleasing to our ears so they preach and teach a “feel good” gospel rather than the true gospel of Christ. In order not to be deceived by such teaching, we need to be in God’s word; searching the scripture for ourselves and praying to Him for discernment of each verse.

“Beware of false teachers who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are wolves and will tear you apart.” Matthew 7:15 TLB

 

The Wedding Gown

It was such a touching story the bride shared with me.

“Your gown is gorgeous”, I said to her as I touched the lace along the side. “I don't believe I have ever seen one this elegant .”

“Well, there is a story behind it,” the bride replied. “I have been dreaming of my wedding day since I was a very little girl. I kept all of my ideas in a box thinking someday Prince Charming would come along and sweep me off my feet and I’d have everything all planned. By the time I was 21, I had found pictures of everything I loved and they were all neatly stacked in my “Wedding Box”; everything that is except my wedding gown. I knew exactly what it must look like but I hadn’t been able to find a picture. One day, one of my good friends and I were window shopping during our lunch break. There in the window was THE gown; THE perfect gown!  I couldn’t believe it!  It looked exactly like what I had seen in my dreams. I didn’t have time then to go in the shop but vowed I’d come back after work and look at it again. So, after work that day, I rushed to the shop, opened the door and stepped inside. The dress was still in the window and I reached over and touched the lace much like you touched it just now.

“May I help you?” asked the sales lady. “I see you are eying that lovely gown we have in the window.”

“Yes,” I said, “It’s the gown I have been dreaming of for many, many years.

“When is your wedding?” She asked.

“Oh, it’s a long way off….. I haven’t found my Prince Charming yet.” I laughed.

“Well, a girl can still dream, can’t she? Would you like to try it on?

“Oh, I don’t want you to remove it from the window when I’m sure I won’t be buying it.” I said.

“Not a problem…….I planned to change the display anyway.”

So, off came the dress and into the dressing room we went.  And, you know the dress fit me perfectly. I know that sounds crazy but I bought this dress and I wasn’t even dating anyone at the time so marriage was certainly not in my near future.  I took the dress home and hung it in my closet. Every so often, I would unzip the bag just to feel the satin and touch this beautiful lace.  That was twenty years ago and now that Prince Charming is waiting for me at the chapel, I’m going to wear the dress of my dreams.

By then, I was almost in tears.

“What a beautiful story” I said, “and, you are a beautiful bride.”

The wedding was beautiful; the bride was radiant in her two decades old dress and the groom’s smile as she walked down the aisle of the chapel, said it all.

A few months later, I was talking to the lady at the chapel.

“Did you hear from  (and she gave the couple’s name)?”

“Not since we sent their proof book to them, why?”

“Well, she called me about a week ago and told me that her husband had passed away suddenly from a heart attack.”

“Oh, no!”  And I remembered the story the bride had shared with me that day and my heart broke for her.  That beautiful gown had hung in her closet for twenty years and she had finally found her Prince Charming and now he was gone. What a sad, sad story…………

Now suddenly this couple’s life together; the dreams they had for their future, was gone………gone in the single beat of a heart. Yet, none of us are assured of that next beat. 

God has not promised us a long, happy life here on this earth. What He has promised is eternal life in Heaven if we confess that we are sinners and ask Him to come into our hearts and save us from our sins and make Him Lord of our life . God may return before we pass from life unto death.  But, He may also take us from this life when He chooses.

“But no one knows the date and hour when the end will be—not even the angels. No, nor even God’s Son. Only the Father knows.” Matthew 24:36 TLB

"Father, Forgive them........"

It was a beautiful spring day; perfect for a small wedding in a beautiful Bed and Breakfast in the quaint little town of Eureka Springs. The couple seemed so happy; so in love and so excited. After the vows were exchanged and the photographs were made, the couple was free to spend their honeymoon together exploring every nook and cranny of the town, and returning in the evenings to the Bed and Breakfast.

“Photos by John and That Special Touch. This Jo Ann. May I help you?” I... picked up the phone a few days later fully expecting it to be a bride inquiring about a photographer for a certain wedding date. Or, perhaps a bride with a question about how plans were coming along for her upcoming wedding. But, that was not the case.

“Have you heard from the couple that married here this past weekend?” The lady who owned the Bed and Breakfast inquired.

“Not a word, should I have?” I said.

“Well, I just got a call from the bride and she was crying.”

“Oh, no,” I said, “what was the problem?”

" It seems they had an argument on the way back to Kansas City. The groom told her he didn’t know why he married her in the first place because he certainly didn’t love her. Then he stopped the car on the interstate; got out, opened the trunk of the vehicle and set her suitcase to the side of the road and told her to get out. She said she got out, thinking it was some sort of terrible joke but when she did, he drove off and left her standing there beside her suitcase. Then she burst into tears again telling me that indeed, it wasn’t a joke. She had managed to get to a phone and call her dad and he drove to pick her up. When she got back home, there was no sign of the groom; all of his belongings were moved out of their apartment and she hadn’t heard from him since.”

As I pondered that today, I thought how easy it is for couples to fall in and out of love; how easy to sign those divorce papers as though nothing had ever happened between them. I am so glad that the love of our Heavenly Father is not as fickle as our love. I am so thankful that when He tells us in His word that He loves us, He truly means it. I’m so glad that when we sin, He doesn’t put us out by the side of the road and drive away. He loved us enough to carry our sins and the sins of all the people in all the world, all generations to that terrible cross, hanging there until his life blood drained from Him and he cried out to His Father saying,

“ Father, forgive these people,” Jesus said, “for they don’t know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34A TLB

Oh, that we could love and forgive others; particularly our spouses, with the love and forgiveness that Christ showed that day.

When the Bridegroom Cometh.........

We had returned from church that Sunday, had lunch and then settled in for a short nap before we were  to photograph a wedding when the office phone rang.  I usually let the answering machine get the Sunday or the night calls but since I was close to the phone, I picked it up.

“Photos by John and That Special Touch.  This is Jo Ann. May I help you?” 

“Mrs. Sw-w-w-w of-f-f-ford?” The voice on the other end was obviously hysterical. “ I-I-I-I-I  j-j-j-j-just s-s-s-s unzipped t-t-t-t-the bag-g-g-g my bridal gown was i-in-n-n-n and it’s not there !! M-m-m-m  slip-p-p-p is there b-b-b-b-b my g-g-g-gown isn’t?” She blubbered and sniffled and then wailed again, “W-w-what  am I-I-I-I gonna do-o-o-o-?

“It will be okay.  I’ll take care of it and call you back. Give me the number where you can be reached and try not to worry.” In the back of my mind, I was thinking this poor bride might have to be married in her blue jeans if I couldn’t work some sort of miracle.

The Thorncrown wedding was scheduled for later that afternoon and the bride and her family had driven in from a town in Oklahoma some five hours away. Yes, this was one of the many emergencies a wedding consultant faces. Obviously, this poor bride was about to have a nervous breakdown and she thought I could save the day.  Thankfully, I had the home number of the lady who owned the bridal shop in Eureka Springs. I dialed her number all the while praying that she would answer and wasn’t out of town. I was much relieved when she answered. I told her of the bride’s plight.  I called the bride back; told her where to meet me and, thankfully, she was able to find a gown similar to the one still hanging in her closet in Oklahoma.  The day was saved !!  And, as she entered the doorway to the chapel, radiant in her last minute gown, she and I smiled at each other knowing what terrible emergency had been averted.

I am remembering our days in the wedding business as I see photographs of engagements or weddings posted on Facebook.  And, I recall so many other times when the unexpected happened and we were called to pull off miracles. I think of the upcoming wedding of Granddaughter # 2 next month and pray that there will be no such emergencies that evening.

And, during this Easter season, I am reminded of the promise that one day Christ will return for His bride; the church. “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” Revelation 21:2 NIV

And, I wonder how many of us will be caught unprepared, as was the bride I referred to.

“But no one knows the date and hour when the end will be—not even the angels. No, nor even God’s Son. Only the Father knows.” Matthew 24:26 TLB

Oh, we may think we have everything in order just as she was certain her dress would be hanging in the bag she opened that Sunday afternoon only to learn that the preparation she thought was complete, wasn’t.

Are you sure that when the time comes for you to meet our Lord face to face, there will be no surprises? 

There Is Royalty In My Family

There is royalty in my family.  Years ago, I began genealogical research because of the urging of my mother.  Later on, I turned over what I had acquired to my husband. John loves to delve into the ancestors in our backgrounds and prides himself with the fact that he has over 6,000 names listed.  He is very meticulous in his research and can go back to royalty in the 1500’s and never skips a generation just so he can post a name.

If you could go back in time and find royalty in your lineage, how would you address them?  Would you walk up and say “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Cousin.”  I think not.  I rather doubt that anyone I know personally would be able to have an audience with the Queen of England or the Pope in Rome.  You might stand for hours in a line to see such royalty.  You might even be able to touch the robe of the pope. The Queen might smile at you as she walked by. But, that would be about as close as we peasants could come to royalty.  I may have Cromwells of England in my lineage hundreds of years ago but that’s about as close as I can come to claiming any sort of royalty.

As we think about the Blood Moon and the prophecy it brings to mind and as we consider this Passover time, think on this: You may not have ancestors who were royalty.  But you may be able to touch royalty at some time or other if you visit England or Italy. However, if you are a Believer, you ARE royalty because you are a child of The King; you are His child; His son or daughter.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of  God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" John 1:12-13 NIV. 

Your Heavenly Father is the King of King and Lord of Lords. He is a King yet, He is approachable.  He is always there to listen to us and speak to us. He never tires of listening to our needs and our desires.  And, He never closes His ear to our whining and grumbling.  He is there all the time; day or night.

“In his mouth he held a sharp sword to strike down the nations; he ruled them with an iron grip; and he trod the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God.  On his robe and thigh was written this title: “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” Revelation 19:15-16 TLB

So, never let anyone look down on you because you don’t have royal blood flowing through your veins for, as a Believer, your Father, the King of Kings, shed His blood to bring you into His royal family.

“God paid a ransom to save you from the impossible road to heaven which your fathers tried to take, and the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver as you very well know.  But he paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.” 1 Peter 18-19 TLB

 

 

 

 

 

Why Are You Here?

Why are you where you are today? If like me, you were born in the same town where you now live. Why did God choose for me to be born here to the parents I had and at the time I was born? Why are you married to a certain person? Why do you have children? Why do you work at a certain place? Why do you attend a certain school or college? Why are you involved in the church you belong to; the clubs ...you are in? If you are a child of God, it is because He has a plan for you where you are today. He has a plan for you in the location you will be tomorrow or next month or next year.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

Okay, so if God has all of these wonderful plans for us, why do things not always go as we plan? If we are a child of the King, why aren’t we treated like a prince or princess? I think our problems are caused by our choices and those of others. Most times, we have no idea what God wants of us. And, the people in our lives certainly have no idea what God wants us to do.

“The steps of good men are directed by the Lord. He delights in each step they take. ” Psalm 37:23 TLB

Lots of bad things happened to good people in the bible. Remember Job…….who could forget his troubles? Remember Ruth and Naomi? The book of Ruth is an interesting story. I watched the movie last night and perhaps that’s what brought about this posting. Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi both tragically lost their husbands. After years and many trials Ruth ended up marrying Boaz and Jesus Christ came to earth through their lineage. Did God not care that Ruth and Naomi’s husband’s died? Yes, God cared. However, God had a much bigger plan in mind for those women and the individuals that eventually came into and through their lives. He was able to carry those plans out because Ruth and Naomi were willing to follow His leading.

God’s divine plan for placing us on this earth is so we will spread the gospel to those He brings into our lives. How many of us are following that plan? Perhaps, if we follow that plan for our life, He will make us aware of other things He has for us to do. So, how do we know what He wants us to do? First of all, I think we need to obey the things we KNOW He wants us to do according to His Word. The more we obey; the more He makes known. How do you find out what your boss, your parent, teacher or your child wants you to do? You talk to them and you listen. It’s the same with our Father. The more you talk to Him and listen, the easier to recognize His voice.

Sometimes we don’t hear what God wants of us because we are too busy. We aren’t still enough to hear.

“Stand silent! Know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation in the world!” Psalm 46:10 TLB

Are you listening?

Life Is Like a Journey on a Train

Life is like a journey on a train...with its stations...with changes of routes...and with accidents!

 At birth we boarded the train and met our parents, and we believe they will always travel on our side.

 However, at some station our parents will step down from the train, leaving us on this journey alone.

 As time goes by, other people will board the train; and they will be significant ; i.e. our siblings, friends, children, and even the love of our life.

Many will step down and leave a permanent vacuum.  Others will go so unnoticed that we don't realize that they vacated their seats!

 This train ride will be full of joy, sorrow, fantasy, expectations, hellos, goodbyes, and farewells.

 Success consists of having a good relationship with all passengers...requiring that we give the best of ourselves.

 The mystery to everyone is:  We do not know at which station we ourselves will step down.  So, we must live in the best way - love, forgive, and offer the best of who we are.

 It is important to do this because when the time comes for us to step down and leave our seat empty we should leave behind beautiful memories for those who will continue to travel on the train of life.

I wish you a joyful journey for the coming year on the train of life.  Reap success and give lots of love. More importantly, thank God for the journey! Lastly, I thank you for being one of the passengers on my train!

Author Unknown

“But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven’s angels, not even the Son. Only the Father." Mark 13:32  The Message