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Guideposts|October 2015Blessings Yet to BeI’m almost afraid to ask: Is it too early to start talking about Christmas? Most of you will get this issue of Guideposts before the leaves have even changed. I am actually writing this note in late July, with the most blistering weeks of summer yet ahead. In the old-school world of ink-on-paper, we still have to do things way in advance so we can produce, print and mail the magazine to you in time. But here I am thinking about Christmas. In the 2016 edition of Daily Guideposts, our annual devotional, I disclose in my little bio in the back of the book that we writers actually do these updates on our lives almost two years in advance of publication. I had no idea what my life would be…2 min
Guideposts|October 2015SOMEONE CARESSPA SPECIALMy mother-in-law was so chic, always dressed in a stylish outfit with a beautiful manicure to match. But as she got older and dementia set in, she could no longer keep up her appearance.On my way to see her one day, I picked up a pretty tote and filled it with manicure supplies—clippers, cotton balls, files, hand cream and several bottles of nail polish. As I massaged and painted, I updated her on everything: our family, my job, which flowers were blooming in the garden. She couldn’t speak, but she squeezed my hand in appreciation.Then a friend was hospitalized. I thought she might enjoy pampering as well. She picked her color, and I got to work.“Thank you,” she said. “I never get manicures. This is so relaxing!”Now I grab…3 min
Guideposts|October 2015SOMEONE CARESSPA SPECIAL My mother-in-law was so chic, always dressed in a stylish outfit with a beautiful manicure to match. But as she got older and dementia set in, she could no longer keep up her appearance. On my way to see her one day, I picked up a pretty tote and filled it with manicure supplies—clippers, cotton balls, files, hand cream and several bottles of nail polish. As I massaged and painted, I updated her on everything: our family, my job, which flowers were blooming in the garden. She couldn’t speak, but she squeezed my hand in appreciation. Then a friend was hospitalized. I thought she might enjoy pampering as well. She picked her color, and I got to work. “Thank you,” she said. “I never get manicures. This is…3 min
Guideposts|October 2015MYSTERIOUS WAYSI wasn’t sure why I signed up for that exercise class back in 1973. I was 50 years old, and I’d never taken one before. But the ad in the paper jumped out at me. The class would meet in a local church for eight weeks. It would easily fit into my schedule playing the organ at my church. I got an odd feeling that I needed to be there.“Always stretch first,” the instructor began. “Stand straight. Bend at the waist and touch the floor. Try to touch with your palms.” I groaned and strained to my breaking point, but I did it. The rest of the exercises were a lot more fun. More like dancing than working out. I even asked the instructor for a copy of the music,…2 min
Guideposts|October 2015THE UP SIDE®In the household in which I was raised, the themes were pre_y simple. Work hard. Don’t quit. Be appreciative. Be thankful. Be grateful. Be respectful. Also, never whine, never complain. And always, for crying out loud, keep a sense of humor.” MICHAEL KEATON, actor “Generosity means service and focusing on others. Generosity turns me into we.” BRAD LOMENICK, author of H3 Leadership: Be Humble. Stay Hungry. Always Hustle “True self-discovery begins where your comfort zone ends.” ADAM BRAUN, who in his twenties left a successful Wall Street career to build more than 300 schools around the world through his nonprofit Pencils of Promise “If you are patient in one moment of anger you will save a thousand days of sorrow.” Chinese proverb “Pray hardest when it is hardest to pray.”…2 min
Guideposts|October 2015A Place for StellaTHE NOTE ARRIVED FOR CARL Payton the way Stella Delaughter’s messages always did. In a white envelope. Slipped under his door in the middle of the afternoon when nobody was home. Like they were spies communicating covertly. “Gazebo, 2 p.m. tomorrow,” the note read. Carl marked the day and time in his calendar, chuckling. Only Stella. They’d met 14 years earlier, in 1989, back when Carl was new to his role as a facilitator in the Supported Independent Living Services program at Volunteers of America in New Orleans. At the time, Carl had eight clients. All were special. But Stella? She stood out. Maybe it was her happy-go-lucky personality. Or the way she always called him Carl, as if they were old friends, instead of “Mr. Carl,” the way his…4 min
Guideposts|October 2015The Power of a BookHOMER’S ODYSSEYFrom the time I was very young my mom read to my older sister, Melisa, and me. We lived in a tiny turn-of-thecentury house near the University of Oregon, where Mom was getting her degree in education. She’d come home from classes inspired, and test out her skills on Melisa and me.Money was tight. We didn’t have a TV for a few years. I entertained myself by making up stories. Melisa and I shared a room that barely fit our bunk beds. Mine was filled with dolls and stuffed animals that I cast in my madeup dramas. At bedtime I turned their heads toward Mom and whatever book she had in her lap. I pulled my blanket up to my chin, closed my eyes and listened. No TV? No…5 min
Guideposts|October 2015the notebooksoNE WEEK. MY NEW BABY GIRL had been home for one week, and if all the things I didn’t know about being a mom were stacked on top of each other like diapers, there would already be a pile of Pampers at my house reaching toward heaven. I didn’t know how to feed her. I didn’t know how to change her. I didn’t know how to hold her. I didn’t know how to make her sleep. I didn’t know how to entertain her when she was awake. Now here I was, giving Vale a bath. Trying to, anyway. I’d barely set her in the baby tub when she erupted into wails. What was the matter? Was the water too hot? But I’d tested it. Too cold? Too wet? I had…9 min
Guideposts|October 2015Sideline SisterMIKE, ARE YOU READY?” I hustled over to our kicker on the sidelines. “If we don’t score here we’re talking field goal. It’s a long one, but I know you can do it.” I’m the kickers-andpunters coach for the St. Scholastica Saints, a Division III college football team in Duluth. This was a big matchup against a conference rival. Third down. Seconds before the end of the half. The ball 30 yards from the end zone. We needed to put some points on the board. The quarterback dropped back to throw. Incomplete pass. Mike Theismann, our All-American kicker, put his helmet on and trotted onto the field. “You’ve got this!” I yelled to him. I held my breath as the holder took the snap, put the ball down and turned…8 min
Guideposts|October 2015The Rewards of Being a CaregiverMost studies on caregiving have focused on the toll it takes on someone’s physical and psychological well-being. Recently, researchers have been looking into what Sharon Vander Waal discovered in taking care of her husband: the upside of caregiving. In a 2014 National Opinion Research Center (NORC) survey of caregivers age 40 and up, 83 percent said providing care had been a positive experience. The rewards of caregiving come in many forms—psychological, emotional, spiritual, physical and cognitive. Being a caregiver can help you: Find a new sense of purpose. Being a caregiver brought such meaning to Sharon’s life that after her husband died, she started working with adults in a respite program. June Lawing, Home Instead Senior Care’s 2015 Caregiver of the Year, can relate to that. “Before working as a…2 min
Guideposts|October 2015FAMILY ROOMBathing her newborn daughter, Vale, might have initially flustered Today show anchor Savannah Guthrie (The Notebooks, page 28), but now it’s her favorite time with her little girl. “I don’t think she ever looks cuter than when she’s sitting there in the bathtub,” Savannah says. Cute and brave. “A friend told me she thinks babies are so brave—they’re yanked out of the only world they’ve known and every experience is new,” Savannah says. “When I look at Vale’s first few bath photos, I’m glad she was such a good sport.” For Today’s Shine a Light program, an initiative focused on serving communities in need, each of the show’s anchors chose a cause to support (see today.com/shinealight). Savannah and Matt Lauer are raising money to turn neighborhood eyesores into parks, starting…4 min
Guideposts|October 2015What’s New on Guideposts.orgSavannah’s SpiritToday show coanchor Savannah Guthrie shares how faith has sustained her, what her daily prayers are and the ultimate blessing she’s been given. Watch our exclusive video at guideposts.org/savannahg.Fall FlavorIf cool fall days make you think of warm autumn dishes, check out our fall recipe collection. You’re sure to find something you’ll love. guideposts.org/fallfare10 Breath PrayersToo busy to pray? Try these quick, powerful prayers you can say in one breath. guideposts.org/breath-prayersRock OnGet original interviews, exclusive video and the inside scoop on your favorite Christian artists at guideposts.org/ccm.…1 min
Guideposts|October 2015a new heartWEDNESDAY NIGHT WAS THE only night I allowed myself to go out. That was the night our church youth group met, and though I was shy and self-conscious— even more than the typical teenager—I made myself go, week after week.I wasn’t much of a singer and lipsynched through the praise and worship songs. Until I heard the opening chords of one particular song. The song I was waiting for. Then I stood straight and tall and sang in the loudest voice I could. Not the lyrics Keith Green had written, “Create in me a clean heart, oh God,” but my own version. “Create in him a new heart, oh God,” was what came from my lips.The other kids stole glances at me, but I didn’t care. I was chasing a…8 min
Guideposts|October 2015A Place for StellaTHE NOTE ARRIVED FOR CARL Payton the way Stella Delaughter’s messages always did. In a white envelope. Slipped under his door in the middle of the afternoon when nobody was home. Like they were spies communicating covertly.“Gazebo, 2 p.m. tomorrow,” the note read. Carl marked the day and time in his calendar, chuckling. Only Stella.They’d met 14 years earlier, in 1989, back when Carl was new to his role as a facilitator in the Supported Independent Living Services program at Volunteers of America in New Orleans. At the time, Carl had eight clients. All were special. But Stella? She stood out.Maybe it was her happy-go-lucky personality. Or the way she always called him Carl, as if they were old friends, instead of “Mr. Carl,” the way his other clients did.…4 min
Guideposts|October 2015the notebooksoNE WEEK. MY NEW BABY GIRL had been home for one week, and if all the things I didn’t know about being a mom were stacked on top of each other like diapers, there would already be a pile of Pampers at my house reaching toward heaven. I didn’t know how to feed her. I didn’t know how to change her. I didn’t know how to hold her. I didn’t know how to make her sleep. I didn’t know how to entertain her when she was awake.Now here I was, giving Vale a bath. Trying to, anyway. I’d barely set her in the baby tub when she erupted into wails. What was the matter? Was the water too hot? But I’d tested it. Too cold? Too wet? I had no…9 min
Guideposts|October 2015never forsakenEARLY MORNINGS, I SIT BESIDE my living room window and say my prayers. The window faces southeast, toward the rising sun. I perch on a cushioned chest and watch the light gather over my small Wisconsin town. This is where I talk to God and feel the comfort of his presence.One morning I sat on the chest, opened my Bible and read. It was one of my favorite verses, from Hebrews: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” The words passed in and out of my mind. I watched the sun rise but I didn’t feel God’s presence. I didn’t feel much of anything.A few months earlier, my husband, Wayne, had died after battling a rare degenerative disease called multiple system atrophy. The gentle, quiet, clearheaded man…8 min
Guideposts|October 2015MYSTERIOUS WAYSI wasn’t sure why I signed up for that exercise class back in 1973. I was 50 years old, and I’d never taken one before. But the ad in the paper jumped out at me. The class would meet in a local church for eight weeks. It would easily fit into my schedule playing the organ at my church. I got an odd feeling that I needed to be there. “Always stretch first,” the instructor began. “Stand straight. Bend at the waist and touch the floor. Try to touch with your palms.” I groaned and strained to my breaking point, but I did it. The rest of the exercises were a lot more fun. More like dancing than working out. I even asked the instructor for a copy of the…2 min
Guideposts|October 2015WHAT PRAYER CAN DO®A SAMPLE OF INSPIRATIONUsing a needle and thread is second nature to me. My grandmother taught me to sew when I was a child. Maybe that’s why I was so drawn to old samplers. Down through the ages mothers taught their daughters to make them as a way of learning the needle arts along with their alphabet and numbers. I’d collected old samplers for years. By now I had an entire wall of my house dedicated to intricately worked pieces I’d found at garage sales and antique stores, some of them signed and dated by girls who lived a century ago.One afternoon as I was surfing the internet, I found a vintage crossstitch kit for sale on Etsy. It showed a man and a woman in silhouette with a pink-and-green…2 min
Guideposts|October 2015FAMILY ROOMBathing her newborn daughter, Vale, might have initially flustered Today show anchor Savannah Guthrie (The Notebooks, page 28), but now it’s her favorite time with her little girl. “I don’t think she ever looks cuter than when she’s sitting there in the bathtub,” Savannah says. Cute and brave. “A friend told me she thinks babies are so brave—they’re yanked out of the only world they’ve known and every experience is new,” Savannah says. “When I look at Vale’s first few bath photos, I’m glad she was such a good sport.” For Today’s Shine a Light program, an initiative focused on serving communities in need, each of the show’s anchors chose a cause to support (see today.com/shinealight). Savannah and Matt Lauer are raising money to turn neighborhood eyesores into parks, starting…4 min
Guideposts|October 2015Loving SamWOOF! I JUMPED BACK. I’D never heard such a bark. The huge brown Lab pressed himself against the wire caging, wagging his tail, his tongue lolling from his mouth. “Isn’t he great?” my husband, Joe, asked, shouting over the dog. “He’s awfully big,” I said. “And loud.” “Well, I think he’s perfect,” Joe said. “I really miss having a dog around.” No argument from me. Our beloved beagle, Bernadette (Ben for short), had died of cancer 10 months earlier. With her sweet nature, Ben had made her way into our hearts and stayed there for 13 years. I’d actually gotten Ben as a Christmas present for Joe. She was supposed to be his dog. But I was home with her most of the time when she was a puppy. She…6 min
Guideposts|October 2015The Power of a BookHOMER’S ODYSSEY From the time I was very young my mom read to my older sister, Melisa, and me. We lived in a tiny turn-of-thecentury house near the University of Oregon, where Mom was getting her degree in education. She’d come home from classes inspired, and test out her skills on Melisa and me. Money was tight. We didn’t have a TV for a few years. I entertained myself by making up stories. Melisa and I shared a room that barely fit our bunk beds. Mine was filled with dolls and stuffed animals that I cast in my madeup dramas. At bedtime I turned their heads toward Mom and whatever book she had in her lap. I pulled my blanket up to my chin, closed my eyes and listened. No…5 min
Guideposts|October 2015WHAT PRAYER CAN DO®A SAMPLE OF INSPIRATION Using a needle and thread is second nature to me. My grandmother taught me to sew when I was a child. Maybe that’s why I was so drawn to old samplers. Down through the ages mothers taught their daughters to make them as a way of learning the needle arts along with their alphabet and numbers. I’d collected old samplers for years. By now I had an entire wall of my house dedicated to intricately worked pieces I’d found at garage sales and antique stores, some of them signed and dated by girls who lived a century ago. One afternoon as I was surfing the internet, I found a vintage crossstitch kit for sale on Etsy. It showed a man and a woman in silhouette with…2 min
Guideposts|October 2015CONTINUEDDON’T GET SCAMMED The Editor’s Note is always the first thing I read when a new Guideposts arrives. In the July 2015 issue, Edward Grinnan wrote about a subscription-renewal scam. He told readers to make sure that offers came from Guideposts Customer Service. A box in Family Room gave more tips. What else did I get in the mail that day? A subscription renewal offer demanding immediate payment, something that Edward mentioned Guideposts never does. From now on I’m going to pay closer attention to my subscription details. Thanks for the heads-up, Edward. JOYCE PARKER Eva, Tennessee Please note:We want to thank all of you who have been letting us know about subscription or renewal offers that may not be legitimate. We would like to clarify that we use several…2 min
Guideposts|October 2015What’s New on Guideposts.orgSavannah’s Spirit Today show coanchor Savannah Guthrie shares how faith has sustained her, what her daily prayers are and the ultimate blessing she’s been given. Watch our exclusive video at guideposts.org/savannahg. Fall Flavor If cool fall days make you think of warm autumn dishes, check out our fall recipe collection. You’re sure to find something you’ll love. guideposts.org/fallfare 10 Breath Prayers Too busy to pray? Try these quick, powerful prayers you can say in one breath. guideposts.org/breath-prayers Rock On Get original interviews, exclusive video and the inside scoop on your favorite Christian artists at guideposts.org/ccm.…1 min
Guideposts|October 2015THE UP SIDE®In the household in which I was raised, the themes were pre_y simple. Work hard. Don’t quit. Be appreciative. Be thankful. Be grateful. Be respectful. Also, never whine, never complain. And always, for crying out loud, keep a sense of humor.”MICHAEL KEATON, actor“Generosity means service and focusing on others. Generosity turns me into we.”BRAD LOMENICK, author of H3 Leadership: Be Humble. Stay Hungry. Always Hustle“True self-discovery begins where your comfort zone ends.”ADAM BRAUN, who in his twenties left a successful Wall Street career to build more than 300 schools around the world through his nonprofit Pencils of Promise“If you are patient in one moment of anger you will save a thousand days of sorrow.”Chinese proverb“Pray hardest when it is hardest to pray.”via The_Gospels on TwitterSEND AN UPLIFTING QUOTE from a…2 min
Guideposts|October 2015a new heartWEDNESDAY NIGHT WAS THE only night I allowed myself to go out. That was the night our church youth group met, and though I was shy and self-conscious— even more than the typical teenager—I made myself go, week after week. I wasn’t much of a singer and lipsynched through the praise and worship songs. Until I heard the opening chords of one particular song. The song I was waiting for. Then I stood straight and tall and sang in the loudest voice I could. Not the lyrics Keith Green had written, “Create in me a clean heart, oh God,” but my own version. “Create in him a new heart, oh God,” was what came from my lips. The other kids stole glances at me, but I didn’t care. I was…8 min
Guideposts|October 2015Sideline SisterMIKE, ARE YOU READY?” I hustled over to our kicker on the sidelines. “If we don’t score here we’re talking field goal. It’s a long one, but I know you can do it.” I’m the kickers-andpunters coach for the St. Scholastica Saints, a Division III college football team in Duluth. This was a big matchup against a conference rival. Third down. Seconds before the end of the half. The ball 30 yards from the end zone. We needed to put some points on the board.The quarterback dropped back to throw. Incomplete pass. Mike Theismann, our All-American kicker, put his helmet on and trotted onto the field.“You’ve got this!” I yelled to him.I held my breath as the holder took the snap, put the ball down and turned its laces outward.…8 min
Guideposts|October 2015Loving SamWOOF! I JUMPED BACK. I’D never heard such a bark. The huge brown Lab pressed himself against the wire caging, wagging his tail, his tongue lolling from his mouth.“Isn’t he great?” my husband, Joe, asked, shouting over the dog.“He’s awfully big,” I said. “And loud.”“Well, I think he’s perfect,” Joe said. “I really miss having a dog around.”No argument from me. Our beloved beagle, Bernadette (Ben for short), had died of cancer 10 months earlier. With her sweet nature, Ben had made her way into our hearts and stayed there for 13 years. I’d actually gotten Ben as a Christmas present for Joe. She was supposed to be his dog. But I was home with her most of the time when she was a puppy. She became my best furry…6 min
Guideposts|October 2015The Rewards of Being a CaregiverMost studies on caregiving have focused on the toll it takes on someone’s physical and psychological well-being. Recently, researchers have been looking into what Sharon Vander Waal discovered in taking care of her husband: the upside of caregiving. In a 2014 National Opinion Research Center (NORC) survey of caregivers age 40 and up, 83 percent said providing care had been a positive experience. The rewards of caregiving come in many forms—psychological, emotional, spiritual, physical and cognitive. Being a caregiver can help you:Find a new sense of purpose. Being a caregiver brought such meaning to Sharon’s life that after her husband died, she started working with adults in a respite program. June Lawing, Home Instead Senior Care’s 2015 Caregiver of the Year, can relate to that. “Before working as a caregiver,…2 min
Guideposts|October 2015Fear FactorsEVER SINCE THE BUCKET LIST, starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, came out, in 2007, everyone seems to make a list of things they want to do before they die. Not me. I was too afraid of actually kicking the bucket. And yet there was so much I would love to do if I weren’t so afraid.Enter my friend Donna. “I’m going on a seven-day cruise to Alaska and you’re coming,” she said, slapping a brochure into my hand. There were shots of snowcapped mountains, vast forests, breathtaking glaciers.I handed the pamphlet back to her, shaking my head. Like James Taylor and Carolina, I would have to settle for going to Alaska in my mind.Donna wasn’t having it. “Sue, your comfort zone is more like a prison.”She was right. My…8 min
Guideposts|October 2015Recipe for RenewalYOU KNOW HOW YOU’LL SOMEtimes find a place that inspires you and grows with you? I feel doubly blessed because I’ve got two of those places in my life. One is Plymouth United Church of Christ in Detroit, where I’m the senior pastor. The other is my favorite restaurant, the Traffic Jam and Snug (I’ll explain the name shortly).My wife, Denise, and I were newlyweds when we ate there for the first time, back in 1976. I’d finished my master of divinity degree at Yale and had just started as associate pastor at Plymouth, where my father was the senior minister. Denise was an entrylevel attorney for the city. We didn’t have much in the way of extra money, but we’d saved up for a date night out.On West Canfield…5 min
Guideposts|October 2015CONTINUEDDON’T GET SCAMMEDThe Editor’s Note is always the first thing I read when a new Guideposts arrives. In the July 2015 issue, Edward Grinnan wrote about a subscription-renewal scam. He told readers to make sure that offers came from Guideposts Customer Service. A box in Family Room gave more tips.What else did I get in the mail that day? A subscription renewal offer demanding immediate payment, something that Edward mentioned Guideposts never does.From now on I’m going to pay closer attention to my subscription details. Thanks for the heads-up, Edward.JOYCE PARKEREva, TennesseePlease note:We want to thank all of you who have been letting us know about subscription or renewal offers that may not be legitimate. We would like to clarify that we use several P.O. boxes in Harlan, Iowa, and…2 min
Guideposts|October 2015never forsakenEARLY MORNINGS, I SIT BESIDE my living room window and say my prayers. The window faces southeast, toward the rising sun. I perch on a cushioned chest and watch the light gather over my small Wisconsin town. This is where I talk to God and feel the comfort of his presence. One morning I sat on the chest, opened my Bible and read. It was one of my favorite verses, from Hebrews: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” The words passed in and out of my mind. I watched the sun rise but I didn’t feel God’s presence. I didn’t feel much of anything. A few months earlier, my husband, Wayne, had died after battling a rare degenerative disease called multiple system atrophy. The gentle, quiet,…8 min
Guideposts|October 2015Fear FactorsEVER SINCE THE BUCKET LIST, starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, came out, in 2007, everyone seems to make a list of things they want to do before they die. Not me. I was too afraid of actually kicking the bucket. And yet there was so much I would love to do if I weren’t so afraid. Enter my friend Donna. “I’m going on a seven-day cruise to Alaska and you’re coming,” she said, slapping a brochure into my hand. There were shots of snowcapped mountains, vast forests, breathtaking glaciers. I handed the pamphlet back to her, shaking my head. Like James Taylor and Carolina, I would have to settle for going to Alaska in my mind. Donna wasn’t having it. “Sue, your comfort zone is more like a prison.”…8 min
Guideposts|October 2015Recipe for RenewalYOU KNOW HOW YOU’LL SOMEtimes find a place that inspires you and grows with you? I feel doubly blessed because I’ve got two of those places in my life. One is Plymouth United Church of Christ in Detroit, where I’m the senior pastor. The other is my favorite restaurant, the Traffic Jam and Snug (I’ll explain the name shortly). My wife, Denise, and I were newlyweds when we ate there for the first time, back in 1976. I’d finished my master of divinity degree at Yale and had just started as associate pastor at Plymouth, where my father was the senior minister. Denise was an entrylevel attorney for the city. We didn’t have much in the way of extra money, but we’d saved up for a date night out. On…5 min
