Make Butter

I came across a story or a fable about two frogs that had fallen into a barrel of cream. They both struggled awhile trying to get out, but the cream was thick and soon one frog gave up. "Good bye cruel world," he said as he sank into the creamy ocean. The other frog kept on swimming. "Maybe a miracle will happen and I'll find a way out," he said to himself. Can you guess what happened? As the frog churned his arms and legs the cream became thicker and thicker until butter was formed. The frog climbed onto a lump of butter and jumped out of the barrel. He was free at last.
I thought of how our lives are a lot like these frogs. Sometimes it's easier to give up as the first frog had done when we are confronted with a problem. From the frogs point of view it sure looked like his situation was hopeless. The second frog looked at things differently though, and he never gave up trying to get out. He didn't even know if he'd receive a miracle, but thankfully his efforts were rewarded. He kept on trying until his circumstances changed. I liked this story and I hope you do too.

Two little frogs in a barrel of cream
Swimming with all their might.
One stopped swimming and so he sank
Into the cream, out of sight.

The other little frog said to himself,
"A miracle might pass my way."
He churned his legs til' butter was formed
And he jumped out to freedom that day.

The Wind

In the town I live there's an atheist trying to end the public school's policy of allowing the distribution of Bibles to children in grade 5. The children only receive the Bible if their parents sign a permission paper. This has been a policy for over 50 years. The atheist doesn't like this and feels it should be stopped. He has even issued a human rights complaint. He also wishes to distribute a book called "Just Pretend" to the children in retaliation. I haven't read the book, but the school board is considering it.
My thoughts on this are that the Bible is not only a historical book, but offers great literary writing and therefore has great educational value. The parables Jesus told are powerful and often repeated in films we watch or even Shakespeare. Although the Bible is regarded by many as a theology book it also offers practical advice on how to live a wise life. Many of our laws in our country are based on Judeo-Christian principles which comes from the Bible. If we didn't have the Bible who would have come up with the these wise principles that King Solomon wrote:
A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is heavier than both. Prov. 27: 3
A wicked ruler is as dangerous to the poor as a lion or bear attacking them. Prov. 28: 15
If you assist a thief, you are only hurting yourself. Prov. 29: 24
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength. Prov. 17: 22
Where does an atheist get their wisdom from. If it's history then they need to remember that religion has always been part of the human experience. When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments there was a lot of selfish activity going on. No one thought to say "Hey let's not kill anyone. Let's not steal or lie. Someone had to state the right way to live first, and I believe it was our Creator. Today, instead of posting a poem that I wrote, I would like to give you a poem written by Christina Rossetti called 'The Wind".

Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you:
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing through.

Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I:
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.

Taking Turns

This year I have a lot of kindergarten kids on my bus and half of them want to be first in line. This made me think about leadership. Not everyone can be first or be blessed with the gift of leadership, but there is a way one can lead and that is by example. When we dare to do things differently than others around us people will notice. And that is a good thing. Not everyone will want to follow, but some might. Of course, if we do something that's anti-social, meaning it's destructive or not for anyone's benefit but ourselves we might not get a lot of followers.
In I Corinthians: 1 it reads, "If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn't love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal." NLT.
This week I am going to challenge myself to seriously think about the language I'm using with my friends and family. Then I'm going to change what needs to be changed. How about you?

The school bus comes to a stop.
Cole hurries to the front.
Being first is what Cole likes best.
He’s a charging elephant.

Nick's standing out in front
He jumps into Coles way.
And he hollers to the driver,
“Hey, he’s first everyday.”

The driver gives a speech.
“You need to take your turn.
“When you grow up you can’t be first
Of this you all must learn.”

Cole shoves Nick to the back.
He tries to look real tough.
“Taking turns isn’t fun for me
I think I’ve had enough.”

The bus driver looks sad.
Her face is turning blue.
“Everyone must take a turn
And that includes you.”

Then Peyton gives a smile.
“Being last is so much better.”
He’s a mighty roaring lion,
A brave trend setter.

The kids walk out the bus.
And Peyton’s last in line.
But now the kids want to be last.
Being last is rather fine.