Nov
12
2013
The Surprise
Posted in Evangelism 6 Comments
I am not an easy person to surprise.
My children always said, you can never pull one over on Mom!
Well, apparently you can because my three daughters did just that!
I was delighted when my daughters wanted to take me out to lunch.
Don’t plan anything for November 10, Mom.
We are taking you to lunch after church.
We want to celebrate your book…we are so proud of you!
I was touched.
The date was placed on the calendar with a red circle around it, to catch my eye!
Not that I needed anything to remind me.
It was lunch with my girls.
Don’t worry we’ll handle Dad.
I left that last remark alone trying to envision what they were going to propose to him.
I loved the restaurant they chose and couldn’t wait to have their cedar planked salmon.
The restaurant has a function that morning and is not taking reservations before 2:00.
I was fine with that.
I had time to come home, check email, and relax a bit before we left.
We didn’t leave until 2:00; one of my daughters sent a text that she was already there.
I just got our table were the words she sent her sister.
We drove and talked about nothing and about everything.
I could taste the salmon now!
My oldest daughter walked in first and said that her sister was saving a table.
The hostess led the way through doors leading to a part of the restaurant I had never seen.
As soon as the doors opened, the room was filled with voices yelling, Surprise!
I was in total shock!
The woman who is not easy to surprise can claim that no longer!
My husband came towards me; I was still in unbelief.
I don’t remember much of those first few minutes.
I do remember remarking, I would have never put that on Facebook this morning!
THAT was a comment about how blessed I was that my girls were taking me to lunch.
I am the person that cringes when people put their every move on Facebook.
And here I was commenting about my anticipated lunch!
Everyone laughed; apparently that was a huge joke among them all morning.
I saw faces of my pastor, my church family, and my dear friends from when I was a girl.
There were neighbors and women from my Bible study.
I went around the room and hugged all who had come to celebrate.
All these people kept this a secret for over a month, I learned later.
There was a book-signing table and copies of my book were there.
I sat and I wrote my name over and over.
I rejoiced.
The love in that room was palpable!
To say my book is God’s book is not cliche.
To say my life is His life is not just empty words.
To be grateful beyond measure for the blessings that I do not deserve is real and true.
No empty sentiments; rather a heart overflowing.
I was the girl who loved to write books crookedly stapled together.
Books with hand drawn covers and my best penmanship.
I would be the next John-Boy, writing my thoughts and my heart in tablets of paper.
Except I never kept a daily journal; I simply remembered and wrote stories.
The journal that was never put down on paper was in my head.
There is only so much room inside a head.
Eventually, the floodgates open and the rush of thoughts and ideas come forth.
Years of pondering finally had a respectable place to be recorded.
Yesterday, the writer in me wanted desperately to proof read what I signed in each book.
Did I misspell?
Did I word that thought correctly?
Was my handwriting clear?
Did the pen smear?
It doesn’t matter.
My scribbling is not what this is about.
His Word is paramount; not mine!
I am just a vessel, willing to be used for His Glory.
I have been writing for as long as I could put pen to paper.
He has been whispering since before the creation of the world.
I have been writing this daily blog for over 21 months now.
He has been whispering before there was time.
Today’s post is number 526!
The number of my daily posts is insignificant to the vastness of His Whispering.
My son asked me once that unanswerable question.
If you had to choose, would you rather be blind or deaf?
Neither, my response, but he wanted an answer.
Deaf, I said, I can’t imagine not hearing.
Oh, how I mean that!
I cannot imagine being unable to hear the nuance of His Whisper every day.
In his song, The Poem Of Your Life, Michael Card wrote:
So look in the mirror and pray for the grace
To tear off the mask, see the art of your face
Open your ear lids to hear the sweet song
Of each moment that passes and pray to prolong
Your time in the ball of the dance of your days
Your canvas of colors of moments ablaze
With all that is holy
With the joy and the strife
With the rhythm and rhyme of the poem of your life
Open your ear lids!
He is speaking.
Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. (John 21:25)
So glad your girls ‘got you good’ Gina!! They did great with an awesome surprise!
I felt so honored to be a part of celebrating your new book! Such a special time to share with your family and friends the gift God has given you in ‘penning to paper’ the words he whispers to you. As I have said to you Gina, I am in awe over how you can sit down each new day and come up with, yet, another story and application of God’s word. No way to explain it…it is clearly from Him.
Cheers for Whispers of His Movement!! And I love knowing the author personally!
Carolyn,
Seeing you and Ken there on Sunday touched my heart!
Thank you for your love, encouragement, and your prayers…but mostly your friendship.
Gina
How wonderful! Did you have the salmon??
Cathy,
It was truly wonderful!
NO, I never got my salmon…but I got so much more!!!
Gina
We got you good!! Love you mom and so proud of you!!
You sure did!
Thank you, Claire, for the wonderful memory!