Our youngest child, Mark, lives with his family near Boulder, CO. He likes to ride his bicycle to work (I think it’s an hour each way) most days. Part of his route takes him along the Boulder Creek Path. Both times I’ve visited, I’ve taken time to ride Sparky along the Boulder Creek Path several times. I shared the path with joggers, bicyclers, skateboarders and inline skaters.

     I’ve become pretty familiar with the sights along the Path. There’s a pool with an observation window where one can see trout. There’s a lovely playground and skateboard park where we’ve played with Milena and Eric RAY. There’s an old steam engine all polished and gleaming in the clear, rare air. Usually I left the Path at the steam engine and went to Pearl Street. There is no car traffic allowed. Pearl Street consists of a few blocks of lovely shops, street singers and performers, and, occasionally, an unkempt men sleeping on park benches.

     Mark occasionally calls us on his cell phone while riding the Path. I accuse him of doing it to make me really miss Colorado in general and the Boulder Creek Path in particular. I can hear the creek as it gurgles and burbles over the rocks. He describes the Rocky Mountains and how they are now tinged with snow in the upper elevations.

     Today he called. He always gives me a weather report. It was 43 degrees when he woke up this morning. The high will be around 70. He reports this, knowing that I’m sitting here in Florida with a projected high of 90. (g)

     Well, this morning he told me a story about Eric RAY. BTW, just in case you don’t know, I capitalize Eric’s middle name because it’s the same as my middle name and his great-great grandfather’s. It seems that Eric RAY has become a great imitator. Keep in mind that he’s 15 months old. Yesterday, while Mark was holding him, he pointed toward the microwave. Mark took him across the kitchen to the microwave. Eric opened the door, WITH THE HANDLE, put his hand inside, withdrew his hand, closed the door WITH THE HANDLE, and started punching buttons on the key pad.

      I laughed heartily after Mark finished this story. In the Word, it seems that we are to be imitators of Christ. I looked in my handy dandy dictionary and here’s what I found:

im-i-tate (=m2=-tEt1) tr.v. im-i-tat-ed, im-i-tat-ing, im-i-tates.
1. To use or follow as a model.
2.a. To copy the actions, appearance, mannerisms, or speech of; mimic: amused friends by imitating the teachers. b. To copy or use the style of: brushwork that imitates Rembrandt.
3. To copy exactly; reproduce.
4. To appear like; resemble. [Latin imit-rh, imit-t-.] —im-i-ta-tor n

     Well, I’ve defined the term "imitator" and given you a fresh, up to the minute illustration of an imitator. Now I’m asking you to help us all understand better the practical application of this truth. How, specifically, can we imitate Christ? Looking forward to your answers. I answer ALL personal e-mail. Just hit my name at the bottom of the page.

     BTW, the picture features a tee-shirt with Eric RAY’s picture and the real Eric RAY. I don’t look so great, but he makes up for it. (g)

Responses to "PUSH THE BUTTON"...

- Thanks so much for the e mail telling me about the new Inside Out. I just read it and I loved it all. You are right on target and I, like the other woman, wish I could send you a little extra space. My husband and I are so sorry about your wheelchair, but glad you did not lose it from the truck traveling down the highway. Isn't it great that you had a friend who could fix your truck? Seems that it never rains but it pours, doesn't it? We put your CD on our player most every morning after hearing the news and enjoy all the songs, and even sometimes we sing along. Thank you again for sending them.

     Also, thanks for the picture of Jessica. She is a lovely young woman and I know it means a lot for her to have come into God's family. I save all of your e-mails and I shall also save the picture of her and her dog.

     As for Pat, glad she got to her Mom's O.K., and hope that the doctor can help her in some way. I just wish we were financially able to send you a big fat wad of money to help in this crisis in your lives, but unfortunately we are not. Therefore, we will be sending up Lots of Prayers. You are in our hearts, as is Pat.

- Your new Inside Out really is a thought provoker. It makes me have a kind of a different idea. It makes me think how we get just too used to believing in God just like we get used to turning on the light switch and having the lights go on. We need to pay our light bill, or the lights won't go on. We need to keep our wiring in good shape or the lights won't go on. We need to keep our relationship with God right or we will fall. We need to nurture our relationship with the Lord and keep in touch with Him daily to keep that gunk out of ourselves that might hurt our relationship.

     We can't get "spoiled" so to speak just by saying, "I believe in God, He is my Savior". We need to work to spread His word and keep up to date on a personal level with Him by prayer and thanksgiving. If we don't, that old gunk (the devil) will spread all over and just rust up our relationship with our Lord. That is what it made me relate it to. As usual, your stories are wonderful to get the old wheels a workin' upstairs. God bless you, and again, many blessings to our newest Christian, your granddaughter.

- I loved the Push Button story, Jerry. You do keep up your good humor, even with what you are going through. God Bless you. The pic of your grand niece is great. She is a beautiful girl. I know the Lord will use her in a big way. I will pray for all of you. Let me know what Pat finds out.

- Is Pat feeling any better now that she has been out of the mold for a while? Please know that we continue to pray. I know of no answers, just the One Who does. May He somehow be glorified by this mess.

- I don't want to be a Job's friend. If you ever get that sense, knock me up alongside the head - gently. I truly do pray that everything will be resolved in a way that reveals God's wonderful mercy and grace. I know that you do as well. In listening to Ravi Zacharias the other day (I usually listen to one CD sermon on the way to school and the next one, which is often the completion of the first, on the way home) I was reminded how easy it is for us to desire answers. Oswald Chambers, in his study of the book of Job, "Baffled to Fight Better," makes a special point of the seeming total darkness at times in our life. I've been there more times than I care to recall, but can also say that God is able to make something good out of what for a while seems so bad. It is because of that truth that I carry hope everywhere I go. I so pray that He is reinforcing His special grace in you in these days of challenge.

- Read of your 8x10 plight, and all the mold, etc... in Tidbits, and just wanted to let you know that you and your family are on my prayer list now. I know it must be hard to continue praising the Lord in such circumstances, but ya never know what blessing He has in store for you. Keep up the good work. I know He has his hand on ya... must kinda feel like you are doing something right to have satan attack ya so badly... smiles.

- Great news about Jessica!! For some of us it just takes longer. Thankful for devoted,long suffering, committed believers who pray for others to find the way home.

- Thanks for the wonderful news about Jessica!! So you are in a wheelchair?? How did that come about? Continuing to pray for your house situation and Cathy's family.

- Great article. How true. How true. We allow ourselves to get so gummed up with outside forces that our connections become cluttered and short circuit the connection with God.

- Great Inside Out, bro! I spent a couple of hours this week at the hospital with a family whose son had been badly injured in a car accident (the two in the truck with him were killed). At one point his mother was crying on me and saying "When he was 11, he wanted to be baptized!", the import being that they had refused him permission. I am SO pleased for Jessica! From your firefighter/pastor friend in New Brunswick.

- Thanks for the updated photo of Jessica...as you know, daughters (and I suppose granddaughters) have a special place in our hearts...and prayers.

- Sometimes we expect Godlike electric current to flow when we just flip the switch. Suddenly, He's there. Turn it off and He's gone (so that we can get on with "living" so to speak). What people fail to realize, sometimes, is that we NEED Him to be there ALL the time, not just at the flip of a switch or the push of a button. Prayer is a way to keep us "connected" and the "juice flowing" in our lives. So, Lord, I'm going to be like Motel 6, I'll leave the light on for You!

- So Mark didn't tackle what seemed to be wrong with the lift. He went to the source of power, the battery, and found the real problem. Don't try to fix what we think is wrong; look for the real source of the problem?

     The push button working made me think of some people and prayer. Ask God for "whatever" and He is your magic genie and will deliver. It isn't that way. But God wants us to push His button and talk to Him about every little thing. Day or night. AND, He IS always there. (Talk about wonderful)...Some things I have asked for I am so glad now He did not give me!

     Gunk building up: unconfessed sins, not making time for prayer, Bible study, listening for God, just being in His presence. Letting the world and it's jobs get in the way of putting God first.

     Isn't it good that although we neglect God at times, He never neglects us?

- I liked the latest Inside Out, "Push the Button". I thought of an analogy to plant life from it. Plants sometimes have deficiencies that can be noticed from looking at their leaves. They are often the signs of a bigger problem. They can discolor or kill a plant. Sometimes these things are a result of a chemical process that has been blocked that doesn't allow nutrients to go where they are needed. Anyway, sometimes these blockages or the sticky battery stuff on your engine are the same thing as sin that builds up in our life. It begins to block God's ability to work in our lives. If let go, it can create some real problems just like plants and batteries. What a relief we have the greatest person to clean up the messes and blockages in our life.

     I have been learning about enzymes in my biochemistry class, as well as my plant physiology class and your story reminded me of this analogy. I continue to pray that God will provide you and Pat with a new place to stay or the funds to do so.

(This young lady is a college student. She is the daughter of one of our best friends. I first met her and photographed her when she was about two years old. She had the most beautiful strawberry blond hair. Who could have known she’d be so bright?)