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“Think of all the disappointing or bad things that have happened to you.  Be comforted by this, God did not take His hands off the wheel of your life for a nanosecond.” Proverbs 31 website by Joni Ereckson Tada

When I think of wheels, two kinds come immediately to mind – the wagon wheel and the wheel of my car.  Recently as I was following the Parsons family on their blog, I was reminded of another wheel – that of a sail boat or a boat of any kind.  This family of five sails with Dad as Captain, Mom as Admiral, and three children as sailors. Their recent sail had all the drama, problems, and joys of a novel.  I had no idea the skill it takes to manuver a ship when you must sail at night or through the bad storms that will most certainly come at sea. I never thought of engines that don’t function properly or auto pilots that are disabled.  I prayed for them all the time because I love them, but also because I was afraid for them just reading about their adventure.

In the midst of the problems,  I always felt, as I read their words, the complete confidence they had in their skill, the assurance they felt through prayer, and the example they set by being so positive all the time. These qualities are needed to be an example of Jesus to others.

It is often hard for me to give up the “wheel” of my life to God.  I think by grasping it tighter and being more determined, I can change things and make everything turn out the way I think it should.  The song “Jesus Take The Wheel” comes to mind.  It would be so much easier to trust God with the uncharted territory that lies ahead.

The wagon wheel is much like our life and God.  God is the center and the spokes are our lives.  The spokes all meet in the center in order to make the wheel roll.  Our lives need to be centered in God to make things work according to His plan.

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them.”  Matthew 7:12

I heard this week that Kyle Shanahan, the Offensive Coordinator of the Falcons lost his playbook during a media blitz.  The playbook is defined by Webster as “a stock of unusual tactics or methods; a notebook containing descriptions and diagrams of football plays.”  This doesn’t sound important to me, but I bet it is to Kyle.

One would think that on the week of the biggest game of the year, Offensive Coordinators would guard something like this a little more closely.  The media says it was a “classic mix up” as someone mistook Shanahan’s bag for theirs and left with it.  I guess we will see if in that “mix up” the other team was able to get the information they needed.  Hopefully, they aren’t guilty!

It made me think of life and playbooks.  What are the rules?  What’s fair? How far will people go in bending the rules?  God has given us the ultimate playbook and yet we try to bend His rules in every way imaginable.  We sometimes lie, we cheat, we even steal, but we qualify these actions in our own mind.  Are we just as guilty as someone who might take a playbook before  a big game?   Aubrey Bruce said, “People spend their years in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace, yet they say to God ‘leave us alone we have no desire to know Your ways.'”

I hear a lot of talk in football about making halftime adjustments. An adjustment is “a small change that improves something or makes it work better.”  I wonder if this will be necessary for the Falcons on Sunday?  In life, as in football, there are so many times when adjustments need to be made to follow God’s path for our lives.  Sometimes adjustments work, sometimes they don’t.  When we have to make an adjustment in the way we are living, it only seems logical to look to God for the right play from His Playbook.  Then, we can avoid the “classic mix up.”

Rise UP!!

“A friend loves at all times.”  Proverbs 17:17

I had a surprise visit from my long time friend, Stella, the other day.  We met and bonded in Calhoun, in 1983.  We were across the street neighbors with children and different problems, and we needed each other.  Since both of us are from South Georgia, we had no problem relating to each other in everything from growing up years to peanuts and cotton.  She is my spiritual Sister, and no matter when we see each other, we are able to take right up from where we were last time we talked.

Tom, a friend in water aerobics calls these kinds of people “Secret Sistas” ( his pronunciation, not mine). I love his thoughts.  His wife is legally blind, and he takes care of her, but he says that without these “Sistas”, she would have no support group.  “These Sistas understand her, and she can share anything with them,” he says.  They also send cards, tapes, cd’s, etc. anonymously to cheer his wife – thus the name, “Secret Sistas”.

I am fortunate in my life to have those “sistas”.  These are friends with whom I can laugh, cry, gossip, sip some wine, vacation, go out to lunch, and so many other things.  They are there when you celebrate and there when you cry.  Two of these “Sistas” showed up at my house the morning my Mama died.  They walked right upstairs where I was dazedly packing just to hug me and tell me they loved me.  That meant more to me than I can say!

I am fortunate to have two biological sisters with whom I can share life with its blessings and its challenges.  It is such a blessing to know that I can count on them during good times and bad.  We’ve had more occasions than normal lately to lean on each other, and I am thankful for those memories and times we share in addition to the support we offer each other.

Sisters and “Sistas” come into your life to be God’s angels sent to walk through this world with you.  I am so thankful that God has blessed me with both!  If you are reading this, then you are a special “Sista” to me!  Thank you!

“Say to wisdom, ‘you are my sister,’ and call insight your intimate friend.”  Proverbs 7:4

“Wherever you are going, God has already been there and paved the way for you.”  Deut. 31:8

I have a first cousin, Jack, who is exactly 7 days older than me.  We grew up blocks apart, had birthday celebrations together, vacations together, and generally were each other’s best friend during our growing up years.

Jack played quarterback on our high school football team. Our friends, Andy, Joe, and Bo were wide receivers and running backs respectively. Gary played on the line.  These guys taught me the rules of the game, the penalties and what they mean, the positions of the players, and they basically helped me understand why they loved it and taught me to love it as well.  I’m a pretty good football fan because of them.

Randy played center on his high school football team and now Cooper, our 10 year old grandson, is following in his footsteps.  Cooper is the center for his team, and nobody gets past that big guy!  He has a good friend who is a running back, and they always support each other.

I used to laugh at Gary as he would relive calls that the announcer made during the game.  It seems that all the glory always goes to the ones who score the touchdown, make the big run, or catch that pass.  Gary always said, “I’d like to see Bo, Andy, or Joe make those plays without us guys on the line to clear the way for them!”  I guess he paraphrased the quote by Knute Rochne, “Those four horsemen would not get very far without those seven mules in front.”

That statement has a lot of meaning for me. I wonder where we would be without those in life who went ahead of us to clear the way.  In the game of football as in the game of life, there are those who celebrate great accomplishments by pointing at themselves and forget all those who have sacrificed on their behalf.  Nobody does it by themselves.

I can always spot a smart quarterback, receiver, fullback, or kicker when they thank the people on the line after a great play!  If they don’t have your back, you are in trouble.

Likewise, the smart people in this world always thank and respect those who have come before to build what they now enjoy!  Just like those linemen – never forget those who have your back!

As I cheer for the Falcons tomorrow and look forward to the Super Bowl, I lift up “the line”.  Rise Up!

“With upright heart, the shepherd led them and guided them with his skillful hand.”  Psalm 78:72

As we celebrate the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday today and look to the inauguration of our 45th President at the end of this week, my mind turns to what it means to lead and what makes a good leader.

Webster defines leading as, “to go before or with; to show the way.”  Since Randy is such a cowboy fan, I equate this definition to the “scout or point rider” in the Old West. This person would go ahead of the others to look for trouble, find the best path to take, find the best stopping places, look for water, etc.  The rest of the wagon train, cattle drive, or whoever was following could go no faster or make no more progress than he allowed.

I liken Martin Luther King and many others in our past history to a scout. These leaders see the dream, the vision, and they inspire others to follow, but they lead through example.  You would always see Dr. King right in there with his followers not expecting them to do something he wouldn’t do.  That makes all the difference to me.  If a leader can’t stand tall and stick his or her neck out, then why should the followers be expected to do so?

I know many great leaders in our world, country, state, county, city, church, and the list goes on.  The ones I will follow are the ones who lead with courage, conviction, perseverance, strength, faith, and example.

Our grandson, Mason, is a perfect example to me of what it means to be a leader.  He has so much energy, laughter, willingness to dream, and vision. He might be 8, but he is already leading.  If you need him for a project, he is there – ready to help and even offer suggestions as to how it should be done.  He leads with no complaints and gets it done!  Sometimes I am sure his teachers wish he would not lead with such enthusiasm!

As we begin this new phase in our country, I can’t say what kind of leader we have for sure, but I can say that he doesn’t mind putting himself out there.  I can only pray for our nation and our world as I support our country.  We certainly need leaders who don’t lead from behind but by example.

As Lewis Grizzard once said, “If you ain’t the lead dog, the scenery never changes.”

“Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.  Practice hospitality.”  Romans 12:13

In 1974, Randy was assigned to his first “job” in the ministry as the associate pastor of Dalton First United Methodist Church.  We moved into a darling parsonage on Dug Gap Road and began ministry there.

The house was nestled at the bottom of a steep, curvy hill with a huge tree near the road by the mailbox and a creek running through the front yard. There was an ugly chain link fence around the side of the house by the road, and a gate which you could close once your car was in the open air garage.  I remember wondering why on earth that would be necessary? That little tidbit of information would become clear to us.

One night a few weeks after we moved in as we were sitting in our little den, we heard the screeching of tires, saw lights coming fast, and a huge crash!  We looked at each other in horror and ran to the garage door!  A car had hit the huge tree, the hood was crushed and smoking, and two people were struggling to get out.  Randy was the first there, and as he brought the two into the kitchen, I dialed (yes dialed) for help.  The gentleman was bleeding from his head, and the woman’s arm had an unusual bend at the wrist.  They were both in shock, so when the man pulled back his hair and asked Randy if it was bad, I almost fainted!  It was very bad!

Thus began the Mickler first aid station!  This event happened every time it rained, sleeted, someone took the hill too fast, or anything in between. We stocked the house with first aid supplies, had the wrecker and EMT service on stand by, and prepared ourselves for the inevitable.  It got to be such an event that soon our neighbors and friends would come down to spend the evening and help out. Several times the men helped to pull a car out of the creek in front of the house, and I learned to never clean the house if rain was predicted.  We became the first area of care these people received, and we wanted it to be as positive as it could be.

As we met all kinds of different people, we had a chance to minister to them in a small way.  Some joined our church, some came back by with a thank you, and some did nothing.  How they reacted didn’t matter, it was how WE felt.  From this small experience, we learned the value of reaching out to those in need, and a heart for Missions began.  I think that’s what Jesus meant when He said, “practice hospitality.”

“Others may do a greater work, but you have your part to do; And no one in all God’s heritage can do it so well as you.”  Streams in the Desert

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by; and that has made all the difference.”  Robert Frost

I had the chance to visit Gibbs Gardens in Ball Ground a while ago.  It is truly a beautiful place. There are many paths which lead all around the property, and you may choose yours.  As my friends and I stood in front of the divergent paths, it was easy to see the ones most frequently traveled.  The ground in these paths was packed down and easy to walk, the foliage along the path was trimmed but a little beaten down, and people were along the way taking photos and talking.  All the paths would wind up leading to the same place (the gift shop), but you were free to choose yours.

As I pack up Christmas decorations and ponder the new year that is upon us, I find myself thinking of the path I should take this year.  It is not my habit to make resolutions because I usually wind up breaking them pretty quickly, so this year, I am taking a new approach.  I am looking at different paths for the year.

My first path will be one of staying positive because with “God all things are possible.”  It’s easy these days to take the highly traveled negative path, but it is much healthier to take the positive one.  I’ve heard it said that you should always take the path less traveled because it is not crowded.

My second path will be one of purpose.  Each day needs to have a purpose, and it is up to me to make sure that not a day goes by that I don’t accomplish something good in a positive way.

Gratitude will be the third path.  As I thank God for each blessing in my life, I unconsciously give up negative thoughts and things which are beyond my control.

As I quote David, “make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths” (Ps. 25:4), I will believe the promise that the Lord will continually guide me.

Happy New Year!

“Beginnings are mostly scary, endings are usually sad, but it’s what in the middle that counts.”  Hope Floats

My youngest grandson, Reese, had an experience in his kindergarten class a couple of weeks ago which reflects my feelings exactly as we enter this new year.  His teacher was calling out vocabulary words to the class – easy ones. In the expertise of a teacher, she then challenged the class by saying, “Ya’ll are so smart, I am going to have to give you some really hard words now.” Reese threw up his hands and loudly exclaimed, “Oh Lord Jesus help us all!”

As I reflect on the year two thousand and sixteen, I realize that you never know what a year will bring!  This year has had its share of changes for me…Randy’s retirement, my adjustment to that, Mama’s sudden death…our adjustment to that, and countless other things that are out of my control. I was thinking that this was the worst year, and I find myself repeating, Lord Jesus, help us all!

We were all at Mama’s this week loading furniture, cleaning out, and just generally tying up some loose ends.  We had rented a dumpster, and we were methodically filling it up with 70 years of things!  We put her nicer things in front of the dumpster hoping some one would need them.  We put her computer monitor in front.  As I was walking to the dumpster, yet again, a car pulled over and a little boy got out.  He walked tentatively toward the monitor while looking at me.  Randy and I saw him at the same time, and both of us waved him over.  His mom got out of the car and came over to join us.  She asked if he might have the monitor, and we happily gave it to him.  As they thanked us and turned to walk away, she said to him, “See, son, Santa Claus did come this year after all.”

As we enter this new year, I am thinking that last year was really a good one.  Randy is getting to enjoy the fruits of a job well done, my mama died exactly the way she wanted, and I can’t control everything!  Just like that little boy, Santa did come this year after all.  Lord Jesus help us all.

Happy New Year!

“Jesus said, I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  John 8:12

I have so many Christmas decorations which have as their major component the small white lights of Christmas.  I love lights at this time of year.  They truly brighten those dark places and give the house and my soul that warm Christmas glow.

Last week I had painstakingly put out all the decorations, carefully placed the fragile items, spent hours on the ladder, and finally felt ready to plug it all in and relax in the glow of Christmas decorations!  As I prepared to plug all the lights into their respective extension cords, I suddenly had this feeling of dread come over me.  I didn’t check the lights beforehand to make sure they worked!

Sure enough, as I began plugging them in, one string after another failed to light!  I felt a bit like Clark Griswald in his famous scene from “Christmas Vacation”.  One little light in each of these strings was not working, but which one of the hundreds could it be?

I had vowed this year not to let the small things bother me, but this one thing was ruining my Christmas spirit.  Instead of the total light I was expecting, only a small portion of the expected light shone into the room. The dark spaces were still there.

So many people in this world are living in the darkness of their situation. Children around the world are living in war zones, hungry and facing death each day; trucks with explosives are killing innocent people; homeless brothers and sisters are enduring the elements without the proper shelter or food; families are facing losing loved ones; children are enduring treatment for cancer; and our servicemen are away from their homes and families as they seek to protect us.

As I restrung new lights over the old ones, the lights began to glow with the warmth and joy which represents Christmas to me.  Each dark space became aglow with new light.  I had replaced darkness with light.  That’s how I see Christmas.  The light of the world, Jesus, comes into our hearts and lives and drives the darkness away.

Merry Christmas!!

“It’s okay to feel shame for something and take it to the Lord for forgiveness.  But, to walk around in shame is basically saying that God’s grace isn’t enough for you.  God’s grace is either big enough for all of us or none of us.”  Denise Hildreth Jones

I had a friend in water aerobics class named Hardy.  Hardy was an older gentleman, very friendly and extremely nice. He lived in assisted living, was divorced, and took a taxi to exercise every day.   One day last year around this time of year, I was in a conversation with him.  I asked him if he had a church, and he replied “no”.  I invited him to our Christmas Eve service at Mt. Bethel.  He said, “No, thank you.  On Christmas Eve I always sit alone in a dark room and remember the night I killed that young man. I would not be worthy to go into a church.”

As he told me his story, I could tell it was one that he had told countless times before, but it was also obvious that he had never felt forgiveness for his mistake.  Hardy was an alcoholic, and on that Christmas Eve over 60 years ago, he was driving home drunk.  A young man stepped off a curb, and he struck and killed him.  Hardy went to prison for that mistake, served his time, and when he got out, he joined AA.  Through that organization, he had mentored or sponsored many men over the years and helped them avoid the pain with which he had lived.  He changed lives for the better although he never let himself take any credit.

Hardy died this year, and now on these days before Christmas, I miss him, and find myself wondering if he ever felt God’s grace and forgiveness before the end of his life here on earth.  I know God was leading him and using him as a witness to help others, but I’m not sure that Hardy ever knew how special he was!

I hope this Christmas Eve, Hardy is finally receiving the forgiveness he sought and feeling God’s grace.  There was only one perfect man, and that was Jesus. My friend spent many years of his life trying to attain the grace that God so freely gives.  I pray that the darkness he felt is now replaced by light and joy.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of Life.”  John 8:12