Friday's Letters

Ashley at The Sweet Season blog has this clever meme I like to play along with from time to time.
It's called Friday's Letters.  You may write to people, places, or things or all three. This week all my "recipients" happen to be of the people kind.

If you read nothing else below, read the last letter. It's what makes life worth living.

Dear Author of this post,   thank you for experimenting and failing so that I can save myself a lot of trouble in my personal art studio preparation. As my desire to paint continues to grow, so does my stash of acrylic paints. I've been perusing the internet (namely Pinterest) for ideas on how to organize those little bottles of delicious colors. I happened upon your  post that spelled out all your trials and errors of accomplishing this feat, followed by something that works for you.  I think I'll capitalize on your wisdom. (In case the link disappears as some are wont to do before I want them to, your idea is this: Take a small bookcase with sides, stack up the paint bottles on their sides, with the bottoms facing out. That way, you can see every color at a glance and they're easy to pull out individually. I might try a variation on this theme since I have a bookcase I can use, but it's not small.)

Dear Stephen, I'm so glad you got approved for the apartment that you will move into at the end of May.  Yes, I guarantee that I will have "a moment" (or maybe two) when I collapse into tears again over yet another birdie leaving the nest. As Ecclesiastes says, "A time to break down...". You've seen me break down over your leaving for summers away and when your brother and sister "flew the coop."  I'd like to think of those as my "practice breakdowns" that make the next departure-of-child easier.  I'm not banking on it.

Dear Daddy, I've always known that you loved to share the love of Jesus with others,
particularly now with Jews. But I don't think I've ever known you to be so bold and evangelistic
as you reported this week.  You said a Conservative Jewish man called to inquire
about your Messianic congregation. He hadn't been faithfully observing his traditions, and
asked you many sincere questions about your faith and sabbath observance. You told him that
on Sabbath your congregation reads a passage from Torah (the first 5 books of the Old Testament)
just as all Jews worldwide do every Sabbath . You said you also read a passage from Haftarah (non-Torah parts of the OT) as well as a passage from the New Testament.   He asked more questions about God and you said that you believe that Yeshua (Jesus) is the savior who died for the forgiveness of our sins.  He asked still more questions and then you asked if he would like to pray a prayer of repentance and ask the Messiah for forgiveness and eternal life. He said yes!  This Jewish man surrendered his life to Yeshua Jesus on the spot!!!!  He then asked "Where to from here?" and you guided him. He will join you this Sabbath for the very first time as a believer in his Passover Lamb. What a thrill he will have this Passover! The blood of the Lamb has saved him!