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Posted in Personal Thoughts

Check the Junk Drawer!

Posted on by Melissa

We all have them. A drawer, or possibly several drawers in our house into which we throw all the random items that don’t really have a particular place to go. We call it a junk drawer, but that does not necessarily mean everything in there is actually junk. Mostly, it’s just for things that don’t necessarily “fit in” in a specific location with a specific classification.

It may not occur every day, but I’m sure in most houses at least once a week or so the phrase, “Check the Junk Drawer!” is yelled out from one person to another when they are looking for something they can’t find elsewhere. Most items that are in there are not needed very frequently. However, it is often the place to find a critical item needed in a critical moment.

In my case, a close relative to the junk drawer is the miscellaneous file. No matter what kind of filing system I’m dealing with – whether it is my filing cabinet, computer files, writing journals, or my photo organizing index – I always have a folder or a section labeled miscellaneous. Again, it is where the items go that just don’t fit in, but are still worth keeping around.

As I reflect on my life and relationships over the years such as school, work, or circles of friendships, I realize that I have usually felt my place was in the junk drawer or the miscellaneous file. It’s always been hard for me to feel like I completely “fit in” a specific group. And now, as I have watched friends over the years live out their roles as spouses, parents, and some even into roles as grandparents, I again find myself wondering where and how I’m supposed to be classified.

Now, don’t get me wrong as I make the comparison. As I said earlier, not everything in the junk drawer is junk. It is put there because it is expected to be useful at some point. Same with the files placed in the miscellaneous folder. Just because they don’t sort out very easy into a category doesn’t mean they are worthless. If they were worthless they wouldn’t need to be saved at all.

So, if anybody needs me I’ll be over here hanging out in the junk drawer. And in that critical moment you realize that I’m just what you need at that particular time I’ll be here ready to help you out.

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Featured
Posted in Sunday Reflections

Morning Meditation

Posted on by Melissa

As I stepped outside yesterday morning, this is the scene that greeted me. Several things came to mind from this one image.

First, the rising sun on a new day reminded me of Lamentations 3:22-23 where we are told that the Lord’s mercies and compassions are new every morning. Yesterday’s worries and troubles are now in the past. Not forever gone or necessarily resolved. But, today offers a chance for a new perspective and a new opportunity to trust in God to be at work helping me through them.

Second, as I looked at the long extended branches of the tree I was reminded of all the birds I have seen take refuge and rest there over the last 20+ years. I then reflected on Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” And also on Psalm 92:1, “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. “

Finally, my thoughts turned to today’s Worship Service where we will celebrate All Saint’s Day with a time of remembrance of those lost over the past two years. If you look close, that large tree with the extended limbs is now dead and will need to be taken down in the near future. However, if you look even closer you can see around the bottom of the trunk that there are several small shoots that are growing around it. They are in a sense a legacy of the tree that will soon be gone. The same is true of the loved ones we will honor and remember today. Their journey here on Earth may have ended, but they all leave behind a rich legacy of new growth in their family, friends, and others they touched throughout their lives. 

For today:
May you see the mercies and compassions of the Lord. 
May you find refuge and strength in his Presence. 
May you remember loved ones in your life that are now gone with smiles and happy memories and live in a way to continue the goodness and love they shared with you while they were here. 
AMEN.

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Posted in Book Review

THE ORPHAN MASTER’S SON by Adam Johnson

Posted on by Melissa

One thing I do vividly recall about this book is staying in a state of semi-confusion for at least half, and perhaps up to three quarters of the book. Having said that, it would be easy to conclude that I would not recommend this book to anyone else. That would be a wrong conclusion to make. Confusing? Yes. Meandering? Yes. Yet, in a strange compelling way that state of confusion is what drove me to hang in there and follow the story through to the end. It was not as though it was hard to follow. It was more about trying to discern the reliability of the narrator. There is a sense that you aren’t suppose to believe all the events that are presented.

The setting for the story is North Korea. The book is actually divided into two parts. In Part One we are introduced to Pak Jun Do, who is the Orphan Master’s son. We follow along his journey through various dangerous assigned work positions. Though much of the work he has to do pains his conscience, he always follows through with the orders he is given. Because of this loyalty to the job at hand he is eventually sent to language school to learn English. It is his assignment to a fishing vessel working to intercept and translate radio communications that sets him on a path for a major transformation in his life further on.

In Part Two of the book we encounter an un-named interrogator and his involvement with interrogating a man named Commander Ga who is under suspicion of murdering his wife and children. As this section moves between two separate timelines of the past and present, secrets are revealed and a strange and complex love story unfolds. Here, too, in this section we are bombarded, as are the citizens, with a fictionalized hyped-up version of propaganda telling a different story than the one otherwise being shared.

Admittedly, I am not an expert on North Korea. However, the horrific images of violence, subjugation, and coercion forced upon some of the characters does seem to be to an extent a plausible scenario of life in that country. This is most definitely not a book that is a pleasure to read in that there are few, if any, feel-good moments depicted. But, it does serve as a catalyst to stir quite a few questions. Such as, what is reality vs. fiction? How far would one go for their own personal survival? How far would one go for the survival of those they love?

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Posted in Sunday Reflections

The Desires of My Heart

Posted on by Melissa 

Psalm 37:4
"Take delight in the Lord,
  and he will give you the desires of your heart."

There have been times in the past, and even still to this day, when I’ve felt frustrated, thinking I’m serving God faithfully yet wondering why certain things aren’t going the way I would prefer. At those times, I am tempted to argue with the psalmist that I am not receiving the desires of my heart. What I must remind myself, however, is that the possibility exists that I am wrong about the true desires of my heart.

We all think it is easy to know what we want. But the world around us manipulates and deceives us into believing we desire – even need – things that in reality we don’t. These desires may be material in nature or just experience or relationship oriented. We are bombarded by marketing ploys every day telling us what the good life should consist of. Some of these ploys we are aware of and some we are not.

The reality is that the Creator who designed me knows the True desires of my heart even in a way I myself don’t always know.

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Posted in Poetry

Half-Moon in an Afternoon Sky – A Poem

Posted on by Melissa 

Half-Moon in an Afternoon Sky
by Melissa Peeler
Like a white circular cloud sliced/cut in half.
One unaware of the workings of the heavens 
might ask:
Where is the other half?
Has it floated away into nothingness?
Disappeared forever?

Yet, I know it is still there. Full and Whole.
Present - though not Visible.
Still pulling the tides of the oceans.

I sit at a table usually set for two, now only set for one.
I Grieve but do not Mourn.
For you
- the other half of my severed moon are present -
Though not seen.
Still pulling the tides of my soul

Written in October 2011

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Posted in Religion, Sunday Reflections

Dressing for Christian Success

Posted on by Melissa

Following is a link to the copy of the Sunday morning message I delivered May 2019 in my role as a Lay Speaker.

Dressing for Christian Success

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Posted in Book Review

HER FEARFUL SYMMETRY by Audrey Niffenegger

Posted on by Melissa

Niffenegger has the ability to make the un-common common and the impossible possible. Her poetic prose, depth of characters, and attention to detail in describing a setting envelop the reader in that they forget they are being asked to suspend reality. In her first novel, The Time Traveler’s Wife, the reader journeys along with a man who woos, marries, and sustains a relationship in a very non-linear manner. Here, in Her Fearful Symmetry, we effortlessly accept a ghost as a living entity and full character in her own right. This alternate understanding of reality becomes so enveloping that even when it screams out to be read as a horror story, I found myself unable to do so. It is a rare talent that can make the horrific beautiful and mesmerizing.

The story begins when Elspeth Noblin passes away and leaves her London apartment to the twin daughters of her own estranged twin sister. Shortly after moving in, they discover that their aunt is still an occupant as well. Long-held secrets are revealed to some while still with-held from others. The twins must navigate their own relationship as well as friendships and more with Elspeth’s neighbors, of which one was Elspeth’s lover. Each character in their own way must grapple with how to separate their own self-identity from others with whom they are inextricably linked.

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Posted in Religion, Sunday Reflections

GOD’S TIMING – A Prayer

Posted on by Melissa

Lord, today I ask you to synchronize my timing with yours.

When I am anxious and impatient rein me back in.

When I am lazy and distracted reach back and pull me forward.

Let me stay lock-step in line with you every day.

Your plan and your timing is perfect. Let me never try to out-maneuver you.

Amen.

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Posted in Poetry

Days Begin to Melt – A Poem

Posted on by Melissa 

Days Begin to Melt
by Melissa Peeler
Days Begin to Melt.
Mixing, Morphing.
No Morning. No Evening.
No Weeks. No Months.
No Years.
Just Moments in Time.

Moments become Meaningless.
Withered, Worthless.
No Goals. No Reason.
No Answers. No Guidance.
No Purpose.
Just Wandering Around.

Wandering breeds Weariness.
Taxing. Tolling.
No Path. No Road.
No Map. No Sign.
No End.
Just Days to Fill.

Days Just Melt.

Written in 2004

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Posted in Books, Personal Thoughts, Religion

What Should a Christian Read?

Posted on by Melissa

Well, the obvious answer is of course the Bible. There, blog post done and I can now go eat lunch. But, no, that is not the full answer to the question above, even if it is a true and good answer.

While writing a book review the other week, as well as working on the lists I have shared here of both books I have read and would like to read, a thought occurred to me. Since I also share reflections regarding my Christian faith, I wondered what people would think regarding my reading habits and if they would find them compatible with my profession as a believer in Jesus Christ.

I will say up front that not everything I read would or could be called wholesome Christian literature. Many, though not all, are novels that deal with gritty subjects that are only suitable for a mature audience of readers. They often include sex, violence, addiction, and other related subjects. Likewise, they may or may not even include any mention of faith, religion, or redemption. So, does this dis-credit my testimony as a Christian? In the minds of some it may very well do so.

In Philippians 4:8 Paul writes, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” (NIV translation.)

If I am reading books with such subjects as I mentioned above, can I still say I am following Paul’s advice about what things I should think on? I believe the answer to that question is yes. It is certainly important and vital to our personal Christian development to be mindful of the things we think about. Our thoughts, both positive and negative, are powerful and can exert a mighty influence on our actions taken on behalf of ourselves or in relation to those around us.

It doesn’t take long living in this world to discover that life is sometime hard and difficult. This is true no matter how hard we try to stay upbeat or positive and “look on the sunny side of life” as one song tells us to do. Babies cry, two-year-olds throw tantrums, teenagers push back and rebel, and adults find that adulting is not the promised life of easy living we dream of as children. Life is too often gritty and full of things that are messy and hard to deal with. The good news is that the Bible can and will help with any issue that life throws at us.

So, if the Bible can address and teach me how to deal with such things what do I find beneficial in reading works of fiction without a Christian worldview?

My reading experience over the years has taken me to places I have never been before. Including places I would never want to go to ever. Those places, those worlds, those lives lived by others (even if not real people) have taught me how to interact and deal with the very real lives of people I do encounter on a daily basis. It reminds me that every single person lives a life of their own pain, their own wounds, their own past histories that influence who they are and how they interact with and view the world around them. As a Christian, the best way, and perhaps the only way, to introduce and point someone to Christ is to meet them where they are not where I think they should be. Telling someone “Jesus loves you” is not going to get the same initial reaction from everybody in exactly the same way. Some people aren’t going to be at a point in their life where they even want to be loved.

So, for me these books open my eyes to how the world sometimes is in people’s lives. The Bible teaches me how the world should be and can be when we allow God to work in and through us. It is often a tricky balance to live in the world but not of the world. Yet, the truth is we can not turn a blind eye to the reality of the world. That is what I get out of reading such types of books.

My hope is that my reading list is not a stumbling block to anyone. To answer the question posed in the title of this post as to what a Christian should read, the best I can say is that it depends on the Christian and their individual relationship to Christ. My personal stance is that as long as the books I am reading are not influencing me in negative ways and turning my worldview away from what God wants from me, then they can be useful to me.

I confess, that my reading diet could use more books that encourage and challenge me along on my faith journey. That is something I am planning on adding to the table over the next couple of months. So, even if you happen to not like my fiction choices, please stick around and hopefully I’ll have some forthcoming reviews on books of a more spiritual nature.

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