If you give a....

My first God Stop Friday entry was ready to post when lo and behold...

God stopped me in my tracks...

how appropriate!

I had planned on sharing the way He showed up in a big way during my quite time last Sunday, but this morning He rocked my world yet again beginning with a little video over at Mandy's ...take a look at this

In the past few years I have had the delight of spending copious amounts of time teaching, playing and learning a plethora of games geared for the 5 and under crowd. I have viewed hours of commercial free 'G' rated entertainment and read countless volumes of children's literature. In the course of my emergence into 'Parenthood: 2001', I've had the occasion to be profoundly moved into action by a simple but profound truth.

"If you give a mouse a cookie..."

You see, last summer my granddaughters school sent a lengthy list of suggested reading material to share with our child before school started in the fall. Several classics were well represented: 'Harold and the Purple Crayon', 'Madeline', 'Caps for Sale' the 'Curious George' series, and 'Corduroy' was actually required...really!

One series included on the list was the "If You Give..." books by Laure Joffe Numeroff. The original story in the set is called

"If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"

The story goes something like this,

"If you give a mouse a cookie,

he's going to ask for a glass of milk.

When you give him the milk,

he'll probably ask you for a straw.

When he's finished, he'll ask for a napkin.

Then he'll want to look in the in the mirror to make sure he doesn't have a milk mustache.

When he looks in the mirror....."

I think you get the picture....quite the shaggy dog story.

I don't want to spoil the ending but ultimately the story ends up back at the beginning,

with the mouse seeing the refrigerator, which causes him to want more milk aaaand...

"chances are if he ask for a glass of milk....

he's going to want a cookie to go with it"

Full circle, so that whoever is watching over this mouse could be very exhausted at days end...

and this mouse...

he could become a full time job!

I can sooo relate.

How many times do I encounter a situation, a group or person in need and

• turn the other way




• pretend my bad ear didn't get the whole message




• just decide it was not my business or better yet, not my area of giftedness?

The needs are everywhere, we run into them at every turn.

If we...

Volunteer at a local shelter, hospice, nursing home, Sunday School (fill in the blank)

Get to really know our neighbors....especially those that are not so easy to get to know much less like. Remember He did not call us to do the easy things, but the hard ones. Matthew 5: 43-48.

Invite someone to dinner or church.....

If we consciously look for opportunities to share the good news of Jesus Christ every day....

chances are very good more will be needed or expected.

Wow! This little ministry could turn into a whole lot of work that could cut into our well deserved down time with my family, friends or TV.

Come on we say, this is for someone else to do...it's their calling...their ministry.

My insightful daughter in love Beth regularly points out,

"Who can truly say we deserve anything?"

You know what...We Don't!

and...

Jesus said in John 4:32-38

"I have food to eat you know nothing about."
The disciples were puzzled.

"Who could have brought him food?"

Jesus said, "The food that keeps me going is that I do the will of the One who sent me, finishing the work he started. As you look around right now, wouldn't you say that in about four months it will be time to harvest? Well, I'm telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what's right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It's harvest time!

"The Harvester isn't waiting. He's taking his pay, gathering in this grain that's ripe for eternal life. Now the Sower is arm in arm with the Harvester, triumphant. That's the truth of the saying, 'This one sows, that one harvests.' I sent you to harvest a field you never worked. Without lifting a finger, you have walked in on a field worked long and hard by others."

All too often harvesting requires us to 'give a mouse a cookie'.

God has used this powerful little parable to make me realize it's time to step up and step out.

My prayer is that the body of Christ will open up and earnestly seek God asking Him to send all needy mice, moose and pigs our way. I'd love to be up to my eyeballs in the blessed harvest God has prepared.

How bout you?

Any thoughts on giving that mouse a cookie?