Gratitude Day 332

Sat., Sept. 28, 2019

Matthew 20:26: (Jesus said,) “But among you it is quite different. Anyone wanting to be a leader among you must be your servant.”

On occasion, I have posted what I call “6 for Saturday.” Basically, these are six random thoughts/things going on in my life.

Here’s today’s version.

While it’s football season, we’re still in baseball mode. Hubby Rick LOVES the Brewers. Imagine this: it’s 5 AM. Rick has just arrived home from his 12-hour overnight shift, during which he has probably listened to three MLB games on the radio. This would include an east coast game, a Midwest game and a west coast game. Because it’s VERY IMPORTANT that I know how all of those teams did at 5 AM, I get the recap of last night’s games as Rick crawls into bed. Who pitched well. Who had a home run. Where the Milwaukee Brewers (our team of choice) is in the playoff rankings. It was rather exciting this week when the Brewers secured a spot in the playoffs. When the NFL games began a couple weeks back, Rick informed me that “it’s too early for football right now. I’m still into baseball.” Baseball is it, my friends. I am filling a pulpit this weekend, which means I get to preach. I’ve decided a message tying baseball to the spiritual journey is most appropriate. Hopefully, there are a few baseball fans in attendance, other than my hubby.

I am hosting a one-day garage sale today. I am not a garage sale person. I don’t beat the bushes for the best deal. I have never actually hosted my own garage sale. I’ve hosted the church garage sale at my house and taken things to other people’s garage sales. When I floated this idea past Rick a few weeks ago, he got onboard and decided he had things to sell as well. Why am I having a garage sale? I’m still in the purge mode. I’m at the point where the things I’m getting rid of are nice and many. It’s time to say good-bye. I PRAY a few people stop by and fall in love with stuff they can’t live without because I can.

My favorite book genre right now is historical fiction. And I found another great book: Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate. The book tells the story about a fictional Mississippi River family in the 1930’s. While living near Memphis, the family’s five children were taken away from their parents and become wards at the Tennessee Children’s Home, which did exist and was run by Georgia Tann. Tann was an early promoter of adaption. While her concept was noteworthy, how she connected kids and potential families was riddled with layers upon layers of impropriety. Modern-day Avery Stafford discovers that her grandmother has a well-hid secret. The two stories intertwine and take the reader on a wonderful journey. What happened at the children’s home was deplorable. This book brings to light a fascinating story.

Fall is officially here. I pulled out a few decorations before company arrived last weekend. Rather than shades of orange, red and yellow, I’m feeling more neutral this fall. I’ve decided this is A-OK. I’m using white and grey with a hint of blue; decorations I already had. We have two large pumpkins in our garden that I’ll decorate with after our garage sale. Listen to your heart. Make your soul sing with happiness.

Look at this beautiful picture of Madison, WI. We live about 30 minutes from downtown Madison which is surrounded by four lakes. Wisconsin’s capital sits on a narrow isthmus where two of these lakes nearly touch. This is such a gorgeous picture, showing exactly how downtown Madison looks.

I’m making this my quote of the week. Jesus was so unique in his approach to leadership in that he turned the generally accepted leadership style upside down. In his day, Jewish leaders distanced themselves from certain responsibilities because they felt these jobs were “beneath them.” But look at what Jesus says. Don’t expect to be a leader unless you also plan to serve. Today, we put so much emphasis on being a good leader. Jesus says, “Before you can declare yourself a leader, first, you must be a servant. Period. End of story.” I recently read where the number of volunteers in the U.S. is declining. We are forgetting that leadership begins with how we treat others. We discover this best when we allow ourselves to serve others rather than expecting to be served. This is a lesson that never grows old. One that needs to be repeated and repeated and repeated.

I’m inspired by the leader Jesus. Who inspires you? How do you view the concept of servant leadership? How can you serve someone else today and, in the meantime, model leadership?

For Christ’s example of servant leadership, I am grateful. 

Lord God – thank you for Jesus’ example and words which encourage us to be leaders AND servants. May we discover a way to serve You and someone else today. Amen.

Blessings –

Dianne

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