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Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Right Turn

Posted on January 19, 2012

For four days now I’ve been wishing for a right turn. Right is the way I turn now to go to my dad’s regular hospital room and left is the way to the ICU, where he has spent the past three days. I’m thankful for all the turns in life through which the Father leads because I have that wonderful assurance of Romans 8:28. “All things” (the good things and the bad things) “work together” (are assimilated) “for good” (to be in the best eternal interests) “to those who love Him and are the called according to His purpose” (for faithful Christians). That makes every turn the right turn for me.

Lots of you already know that my father has been hospitalized since Friday afternoon. For many prayers and kind words and visits and snacks and meals and cards, we are very thankful. Dad’s main problem is pneumonia now and I covet your prayers for some easier breathing. I think the brewing pneumonia and resulting lack of oxygen to the brain last Friday morning was the cause for his disorientation and confusion, As he later said, “Cindy, I have just never been so inept and confused in my whole life.”

I said, “Dad, could you not even think to call me?”

“I could not think of the answers to any questions and I didn’t know what to do.”

So he went to the church building. In all of his confusion, he just put on his coat and tie, grabbed his glasses and his Bible and, in auto-pilot, he drove to the side of the building where he normally parks his car. There are six turns and about five stop lights between his house and the meeting place of the Jacksonville church of Christ. According to the surveillance camera later viewed, he entered the building at 10:24 A.M. and then proceeded to the auditorium. Still confused about why it was empty (apparently thinking it was time for one of the assemblies), he spent the next six hours, likely losing consciousness and falling, struggling to get up and becoming more and more desperate. Thankfully Homer Smith, one of the shepherds of the church, began to wonder about why his car was there and where he was. I was notified and I began asking everyone who might know about where he was until Homer, our new MVE (most valuable elder) found him and called the EMTs, who took him to the ER, where he was later admitted to the ICU.

He’s not out of the woods, but an enzyme count of 14,000–so very dangerously high–has dropped to 800. That’s impressive. He is completely coherent. That’s way better. His breathing is nothing but wheezing! That’s the part, for now, for which we need prayers. It’s really hard to watch and hear him breathe so laboriously.

But there is a blessing trail here. I can quickly enumerate ten of the many blessings about the whole episode:

  1. Win or lose the battle for life on this earth, the battle for life—the real battle–has already been won.
  2. There are ministers of the Father all around His people and they are extremely caring. They are servants with an attitude; the attitude of Matthew 25: 31-40.
  3. Eighty-nine years of relatively good health is a great record. Just being in this hospital or even on this internet makes us aware of so many whose trials are so premature compared to any we might be experiencing. Dad is the only surviving child in a family of eleven children. He’s been very blessed.
  4. When my dad “can’t think of any of the answers to any of the questions,” he goes to the place of worship. (That’s kind of like the Psalmist in Psalm 73.)
  5. There are lots of colder, more desolate places to be unconscious than in the church building.
  6. The proximity of excellent medical facilities in almost any region of our great country is a blessing we consistently count on.
  7. The presence of skilled doctors, nurses, technicians and even smiling volunteers is a very good gift from the Giver of all good gifts.
  8. Cousins, sons-in-law, husbands, fathers-in-law and brothers-in-law who are elders and preachers in the kingdom are double-kin and that’s special. I have about twenty-one of those and they are wonderful.
  9. Dad, the “lost” sheep, was found by a shepherd.
  10. “Clinically improved,” the term used to describe Dad today, is fun to hear and I love turning right.
Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

The Right Folks in Your Corner–Your Kitchen Corner.

Posted on December 14, 2023

I had a happy and busy kitchen going on the night before Thanksgiving. My dear friend, Diane, was there and she really wanted to help me. So I gave her all the ingredients for the chai mix. “I make a huge batch for holiday company and Christmas giving,” I told her. “So just follow the recipe—times 8. Here’s a measuring cup.” 

Well, she barely got the first two ingredients mixed together before that 5 gallon container I gave her was overflowing. What in the world was happening over there on the chai counter while I was over on the potato salad counter? ”This seems like a lot of chai that’s coming together. I’m going to have to get you a bigger container.” 

“Well,” Diane answered…”I just put eight of these in and it just makes a lot.” 

“Oh wait,” I said. “You do know the measuring cup I gave you is a two-cupper?”

“Oh no!” she exclaimed. “I have put 16 cups of powdered milk in this thing (instead of just eight) and now I have mixed 16 cups of French vanilla creamer in there!”

“O dear!” I said “Now you’re going to have to do the whole recipe—times 16! Do I even have that much cinnamon and ginger and cardamom? That will be my life savings in cardamom. And the sugar! Oh, that will be 40 cups of sugar! Do I even have 40 cups of sugar?! It’s 10 p.m. Is the corner market open?”   I got out my grandmother’s old porcelain washtub and we were making enough chai for serving at the king’s coronation. We stirred until our arms felt like we’d been lifting in an Olympic trial. And where do you even store that much chai? 

We really didn’t have a pan big enough to keep adding the ratios of ingredients we needed, so we just added instant milk and tea, till it kind of “looked right.” Glenn was our guinea pig and he said “ I believe this is better than usual!”

Then it was the evening of our “Christmas at the Colleys”. That’s the night the whole church is invited over for supper, along with a whole bunch of other people. We have an amazing time with our favorite family…God’s family. Another best friend, Jennifer, really was so very kind to persist in offering to come help me the day of the party. She helped me put up wreaths and tie bows and assemble cocoa servers and all kinds of things. But the main thing I saved out for Jennifer to do was to make three large cherry dump cakes. Here’s the complex ingredient list. I was doing it times three.

  • 1 (30-ounce) can cherry pie filling
  • 1 box yellow cake mix
  • 1 stick salted butter.

So you pour in the cake mix. Then you dump the cherry pie filling on top of that. Then you cut up the stick of butter on top and you put it in the oven for about 45 minutes. 

I just said “Here you go,” to Jennifer and handed her all the ingredients. She said “I’m just going to do one at the time.” 

“No, No,” I insisted. “I never do that. Just do them all at once.”  I got her three 9X13 Pyrex dishes and let her go. I should have taken pause when she wanted a huge mixing bowl. But I missed that cue. I went upstairs to clean up a mess around Eliza’s dollhouse. We had about an hour-and-a-half before the house would be teeming with people. All was well. 

…Until I came back down and Jennifer said “Come see if this is the right consistency.” Ummm… how do you miss the consistency of a dump cake?

Jennifer was holding a heavy, mammoth bowl of dark pink pudding-like yum,-yum.  Its contents were three cake mixes, three giant cans of cherry pie filling and three sticks of butter. It looked like we were having a cherry jubilee pudding festival. It really looked like we were going for the Guinness Book of World Records—largest pudding. But it was so pretty. 

“What on earth did you do?” 

“You said a dump cake, so I dumped.” 

It’s true. I did not say “layer.” I said “dump.” 

Now Jennifer and I have been through a few adventures together and I could not stop laughing. But I had to stop laughing… and think. A hundred-plus people are coming over for supper in an hour. I have a pecan pie, a few little cookies, and a strawberry cake. “But what is that among so many (Jn. 6:8)?”

“I’ll go to the store really quickly and we will start all over….I know, I’ll get one of my friends who lives over by the bakery to stop and pick up some cakes. Or maybe Glenn, who is outside stringing lights could just hurry up and go shopping with my list.” 

Jennifer, ever the resourceful one, said, “Let’s add some milk and just put one of these in the oven and see what happens and then panic later.” 

Forty-five minutes later, and just in time for the wonderful shoulder-to-shoulder fellowship, this Christmas  dish came out of the oven.  And if Lucy and Ethel didn’t come up with the prettiest cherry soufflé ( I mean, eventually, three of them) that you have ever seen! 

People said “What is this stuff? It’s not cake. It’s not really pie. It’s not pudding. But it’s good.”  Scotty said “This tastes kinda’ like dump cake, but it’s not that….The texture is off.” It was even pretty. When I turned the leftover one out of the fluted-edged pan, it retained the shape. It’s in the freezer and it might be a layer of a pretty holiday mousse dessert in a few days. 

And then there was the broccoli rice casserole that Han made for me to feed the kids while she was working last week. “Mom, it’s been a little hectic here and I wasn’t paying attention and I put potato flakes on top of this instead of potato chips. So I really don’t know what you’ll want to do with this. But here’s some ham. I didn’t mess that up.”  

Well, adding milk seems to solve pretty much all the ingredient assembly cooking “fails” lately. I’ll do that. So I poured a little milk over the top of that casserole and it became a wonderful broccoli-cheddar shepherd’s pie. Those kids and I ate every bite. 

But what in the world is happening on every kitchen counter behind which I step? And what is happening to my every kitchen helper? And what is the magic of milk? And how can I keep laughing this hard? 

Well, I’ve pretty much decided that there’s always a fix to any cooking mess, if I have the right folks in my corner and if I have milk. Here are a few pithy truths from the kitchen faux pas.

  • Sometimes, some pretty good things can come about as a result of mistakes.
  • Often, the things that make you panic most feverishly, also make you laugh the hardest.
  • If your husband is willing to be your guinea pig, you are most blessed.
  • A recipe is not just about having all the right stuff. It’s also about following directions. Life’s  recipe for success is like that, too.
  • Milk is sometimes the answer. The sincere milk of the word is always the answer. We should desire it (1 Peter 2:2).
  • Every messed-up dish in my world is heartier and better than any dish I’ve ever tasted in any 3rd world country. 

Having pondered these dishes that didn’t turn out like I’d planned, I am thankful for my kitchen and even for my kitchen fails. I’m thankful for great and voluntary kitchen hands—sisters who  pull me on through the mistakes and flops, large and small. I thank Him for my kitchen because it’s a great place to grow closer to each other and from which to serve with sisters.

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Family Ties in the Social Distance #36: Proverbs 14:12–The Deadly Way that Seems Right

Posted on May 4, 2020

My husband, Glenn, is sharing these daily lessons  for our West Huntsville family as we are necessarily (because of the virus) spending less time physically together in worship, study and fellowship. We may be “socially distanced,” but  we’re a close-knit family and we want to keep it that way! One way to stay on track together, spiritually, is to think about a common passage and make applications for our lives together even when we are unable to assemble as frequently. I’m sharing these daily family lessons here for those in other places, whose families (or even congregations) might benefit from a common study in these uncommon days of semi-quarantine. There are Family Bible Time guides included, as well. You can adapt, shorten or lengthen them according to the ages of kids (and adults) in your family. Blessings.

From Glenn:  

My Favorite Proverbs: The Deadly Way that Seems Right (Prov. 14:12)

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

There are some things that are beyond our language to adequately describe.  The gap between our mortal intelligence and God’s intelligence is one of those things.  Isaiah sounds awe-struck when he writes,  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:9).  While thinking on that, add this verse into your meditation: “Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psa. 119:105).  He is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent.  By comparison, we are mortal and limited, and utterly dependent on Him every day (Matt. 5:45).

Men are too proud when they boast of their life choices that are contrary to the Bible, while none of them have died and returned to tell how things worked out for them. They are replaced by yet more worldly men who “preach” their methods of living.  Every generation produces its hedonists, agnostics and atheists. In addition, for those who love to be religious but don’t feel religion necessarily has to reflect the Scriptural pattern, here’s Jesus’ warning, “And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ (Matt. 15:9).  

In the church of Christ we want the Bible to be our final authority for our faith and practice.  Some of our practices may seem strange to people…practices such as eating the Lord’s Supper every Sunday or insisting that baptism is necessary to be saved, or having only men to be our preachers. But we practice these because of our determination to adhere to God’s word on these subjects (Acts 20:7, 1 Pet. 3:21, Acts 22:16, 1 Tim. 2:11-14). There is no biblical authority for telling a lost person that, to be saved, he must pray the sinner’s prayer or “accept Christ as your personal Savior.”  Where did any of the New Testament churches use instrumental music with their vocal/a capella music?  It isn’t there.  Do we read of women preaching for the church assemblies in the New Testament?  Was sprinkling ever a God-approved substitute for immersion in water when a person was baptized? If these are matters that seem unimportant or ambiguous to you, I’d love to communicate with you about them. Let’s talk about the importance of authority.

Today, meditate on this proverb and then, “… whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3:17).

   

Bible time with Glenn and Cindy:

Whoosh! Tonight (as I’m writing, it’s Sunday) was an exciting night at the Colley’s house. The wind became fierce and a huge tree fell down on the power lines on our street, placing a live wire across our yard and, of course, knocking out transformers and power. Our neighbors across the street had a pretty good sized tree right on their front porch! I was planning to share something else tonight, but since this huge wind came through some of your neighborhoods tonight, let’s think about some of the times in our lives when we might have instant needs around us, that we, as God’s people could fill. Are there some times when we can more easily show people a servant heart? 

It was pretty fun tonight to see neighbors immediately working with chain saws, loaning generators and going to check on each other, even in the middle of a pandemic. Let’s see, tonight, if we can get our kids to think about times when it might be easier to find opportunities to serve. 

  1. Try to get them to think of the things we’ve been able to do during this COVID time that weotherwise would not have done (making masks, doing drive-by parades for cheer etc…).
  2. What are some “extra” ways people minister to needy people when there are storms? Help them think of these ways. 
  3. What are some times in life when we have the chance to, on-the-spot, pray for people who are in an emergency situation?  Do you do this when you see a wreck or a house on fire, even if you do not know the people involved? Start this practice with your children if you do not already do this.
  4. Review with your children the definition and consequences of a famine. Turn with them to 1 Kings 17 and tell them the account of Elijah going to the widow of Zarephath. Explain to them that she was not a citizen of Israel, the nation that really knew God. Elijah had a chance to do some really needed things for her; first because of a famine and, then, because of a death in her family. Make sure they see that, in the beginning of the account she referred to your God (verse12), but by the end (verse 24), she believed in Jehovah and the truth of Elijah’s message. 
  5. Do you think that people sometimes come to trust God because they can see the good things that His people do? Read Matthew 5:16 and discuss this with your children. We cannot do miracles like Elijah, but can we still show people the love that God has for them when we minister to their needs? Try to get your children to think of some occasion when your family has helped someone who has later come to the Lord. 
  6. If you’ve never experienced this wonderful phenomenon, try to think with your kids about someone you know who doesn’t know the Lord. Is there something good that you can do for this person or family this week to try and develop a relationship in which you can show them the Lord? Pray about this endeavor with your kids tonight. 

Tomorrow night, we’ll try to get back into the meat of Matthew 25, if the Colleys have power to transmit. There are a few more nuggets there that we are hoping to cover.

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Digging Deep: There’s Reward in Doing the Right Thing! ( Isaiah 58:8)

Posted on March 25, 2020

We’re doing a lot of things better in our country during this strange Corona spring. There’s no late-night clubbing because the bars are closed. More moms are home with their children, which has always been God’s ideal.  We’re not driven by sports and entertainment to the extreme degree that’s typical. Casinos are closed, too. There’s more prayer and less revel. We’re checking on our elderly family members more frequently, pulling together in communities and  finding ways to connect with church family. Innovation may be at an all time high in our country.

For those of us in Christ, there are some very sad realities. (I mean besides the obvious reality of sickness and death that’s spreading so quickly in some parts of our country. Of course, we feel that sorrow.) Our fellowship is necessarily hampered and we long to talk face-to-face. Big events that encourage us, like lectureships and Lads-to-Leaders are not happening. Life feels weird without daily interaction, in person, with each other. I, for one, had no idea of the power our assemblies wield over my psyche–my mood.

I realize I’m saying things that have been said in our livestream services and our social media interaction over and over, so I won’t belabor them here. I want to give a requested list of good things–rewards that occur when we continue to seek him; when we determine to turn permanently from things that are against the will of our Father –things that are counter to the lifestyle He wants us to enjoy. That’s right: enjoy. If there’s one thing that faithful people are learning through the pandemic, it’s that we enjoy the life we have together in Him. When it’s suddenly void of just that one aspect– personal fellowship–we miss it like crazy!

So here’s the list, given to Judah, of rewards  for being righteous from Isaiah 58. (It’s the answer to the first part of number four in our study this month, if you’re digging. See if you can find these.)

  1. Light will spring forth.
  2. Health will spring forth.
  3. Righteousness will go before you.
  4. God will answer your cries.
  5. Your darkness will be as noonday.
  6. The Lord will guide you continually.
  7. The Lord will satisfy you in drought.
  8. The Lord will make fat your bones.
  9. You will be like a well-watered garden.
  10. You will be a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
  11. Some will build up old wasted places.
  12. You will raise up foundations of many generations.
  13. You will be part of the repairing of the breach.
  14. You will be part of restoring paths to dwell in.
  15. You will delight in the Lord.
  16. You will ride on high places of the earth.
  17. You will feed with the heritage of Jacob.

Every one of these could be a complete sermon, if we were preachers. Since we’re not, let’s meditate and make them lessons–goals–for our development during this dark time. Let’s emerge from this spring more righteous and more rewarded than we found ourselves as the year began. We can ride this out to His glory!

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Guest Writer: Terica Turner–So Glad!

Posted on April 26, 2018

I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. The apostle Peter believed it also (Matthew 16:16) And Jesus affirmed that Him being the Christ is a rock on which we all can stand (Matt. 16:18). It’s on that rock – the truth that Jesus is Christ – that He built His church. 

I’m so glad that Jesus is Lord, for when all else fails, when all other hope is lost, hope that is anchored in Him does not return empty (Hebrews 6:19). I’m also glad to be a member of His church – the one that He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28). I’m so humbled and blessed to call Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. Because He is Lord, I have hope – and you can, too.

Life at many times can get difficult and sometimes may seem unbearable. We need an assurance, a steady foundation to see us through the trials that we face. Those who follow Christ are aware of this. “We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4: 8-9). 

“Therefore we do not give up; even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4: 16)..

You can have the same blessings, be a member of that same church, and have that same blessed hope that anchors the soul. Jesus can be your Lord and Savior. If you believe that He is the Christ, confess Him before men. Jesus said that whoever confesses Him before men, He will also confess before the Father in heaven, and whoever denies Him before men, He will also deny before the Father (Matthew 10:32- 33). You must also repent for the forgiveness of your sins (Luke 13:3, Acts 2:38), “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Then, you must be baptized in a watery grave and rise to newness of life in Christ (Romans 6:3, 1 Peter 3:21, Acts 2:38). Once you have believed and laid hold on that one faith, obeyed that one baptism, and confessed the One Lord, then Christ will add you to that one church for which he died, which is His body (Ephesians 4:5 – 6, Acts 2:47). Don’t you want that hope – the hope of an eternal home of the soul with Jesus Christ the Lord? Let’s get to heaven.

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Guest Writer: Terica Turner– on the Value of YOU!

Posted on March 1, 2018

At the ripe age of 34, with years of lessons learned, I’ve begun to take a different look at the command of Titus 2:3-4 where older women are instructed to teach what is good so that they may encourage the younger women. While I may be considered relatively young and I wouldn’t dare claim to be as insightful as my wise Christian mentors, I am still older than someone and I’m not exempt from the command. To add to that motivation, I have five young nieces (and a nephew) whom I love dearly, and if I could impart just one thing to them today, it would be this: Know your worth!

I want them to always recognize their value in God’s sight; to see themselves through the eyes of the Lord, and to never allow anyone to make them feel, think or or behave differently than what’s demanded by the worth assigned to their precious lives by God, Himself. I want the same for your nieces (and nephews), for your daughters, for your granddaughters—and for you!

God has declared that we are remarkably and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).While we were formless in our mothers’ wombs, He knew every single thing about us—even each day we would live (vs.13-16). Doesn’t that make you feel special? Before I was born, God was thinking about and planning for my life. That speaks volumes to me. God, the Creator and Maker of the earth, thinks that I am special. What He did, when I was born. was infinitely more than knitting a blanket for a baby shower. He knit ME together in the womb, and then, He went further and planned out all of my days before they even began. God really cares for me. I am important to Him.Your life has great significance to Him, too. As Christian women, we are part of the royal family of God (I Peter 2:9). You and I are queens and and God has promised us a crown (James 1:12). I like to imagine myself walking around wearing mine. It helps me remember that I am royalty. I hope that you know—that you really believe with all of your heart —the same thing and that you will teach it to the younger women in your lives.

We were bought at an expensive price (I Corinthians 7:23): our Lord and Savior’s life. It can, at times, be a difficult concept to grasp. I have grappled with realizing, for myself, my true worth for years and have had to see many-a-therapist for resulting and relating issues. A dear counselor has always said to me that our worth is like a cake. We get the full cake from God. What people contribute is only icing. Whether or not people compliment us, whether or not they are polite to us, whether or not they treat us as respected fellow human beings—none of this dilutes the strength of our significance, because we still have the whole cake. We don’t need icing; our esteem comes from God.

It is crucial that we understand that we are worthy of respect because there are many evil forces set out to deplete us of our vitality. Let’s not allow anyone a foothold to strip us away from the royal family. The influences in our world that are a threat to the realization of our worth are many and ever-present. I can attest to it. There were events in my childhood that have eaten away at my own confidence and sense of self worth. Even still, as an adult, I struggle with rejection that I experienced during my formative years.

So, while I’m no expert on psychology, I am very well acquainted with hardships and challenges. Through all of my troubles, my trust is still anchored in the Lord. I still recognize the value assigned to me and to you by Jesus. That’s because I know that true worth is found in God. He cares for the sparrows and He cares for you and me (Matthew 10:31). Like the apostle Paul admonished in Romans eight: “In all these things, we are more than victorious, through Him who loved us, (verse 37). I know who I am and to Whom I belong. My feet are firmly planted on the Rock (Psalm 18:2).

So here’s what I have learned the hard way, so maybe you can have an easier tutorial for life:

  1. Remember that you’re royalty—a queen! Don’t ever forget it. Put Post-its on your mirror if it helps to remind you.
  2. When you are feeling down, discouraged, or stressed, surround yourself with Christian friends and mentors who can encourage you and pray with and for you. The enemy loves to use those times when we are most vulnerable as opportunities to ensnare us and steal our crowns (John 10:10).
  3. Don’t yield to the temptation to seek assurance from worldly things like drinking socially, overindulging in food, engaging in immoral sex and associating with ungodly people (Galatians 5:19-26).
  4. Study and meditate on the Word of God every chance you get. It will build  your spiritual muscles and secure for you a long (eternal) and prosperous life (Deut. 6:1-9).
  5. Show love and compassion to each other. Help each other feel valued. This will in turn demonstrate your own worth. Paul said it best in Philippians two, verses three and four: “Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility, consider others as more important than yourselves.” Everyone should look out, not only for his own interests, but also for the best interests of others.
  6. Always behave in a way that’s befitting of your crown. “For there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not to me only, but to all those who love His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).

I cannot stress enough how important it is to remember and demonstrate the extraordinary value that God has placed on your life. Keep your feet firmly planted on the Rock of Ages, walk with your head held high, and don’t drop your crown!