Pam Woodson
minister, writer, wife, mom
"Out of the abundance [OVERFLOW] of the HEART, the mouth speaks [the blogger blogs!]" (Luke 6:45).
"Watch over your HEART with all diligence, for from it FLOW the springs of life" (Prov. 4:23).
"Watch over your HEART with all diligence, for from it FLOW the springs of life" (Prov. 4:23).
Woodson Ministries
Solid Bible Teachers
I Like
Joyce Meyer
Kate McVeigh
Bob Yandian
Willie George
Myles Munroe
Woody Woodson!
Radio Favorites
KXOJ
Sunday mornings, contemporary worship songs
Books that Have Helped Me
The Bible!
Beyond Ourselves, by Catherine
Marshall (I received Christ while reading this in 9th grade)
Cooks Collage, Tulsa Jr. Women's League cooking
Prescriptions
for a Miracle, by Mark Brazee (devotionals on healing)
Sparkling Gems, by Rick Renner (devotionals)
The Pulpit Commentaries
Vine's
Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words
Totally Frivolous Why-would-anyone-else-care? Trivia:
I
Like...
Christmastime
Mexican food
Italian food
chocolate!!!
praying in the afternoon
writing
playing the guitar
looking at the stars
playing
baseball
putting (golf)
classic cars
longtime friends
giving the Word
helping needy kids
Butterfingers
flowers
the color blue
my son's
brain and humor
cooking (not every day)
staying up on the news
going to Branson
barbecued ribeyes
love songs
reading my Bible in the
morning
being with Woody and our son
getting flowers and cards from Woody
Reruns: I Love Lucy, Mary Tyler Moore, Dick
Van Dyke, Andy Griffith
listening to praise and worship music
seeing fireworks on the 4th
my birthday, July 5th --
so one reason they shoot off fireworks the night before?
chocolate doughnuts and orange juice for breakfast
wearing jeans
and sneakers
being me -- the unique person God made
Date: 8/11/09
The
Treasure Chest
by Pam Woodson
A friend of mine told me about "the treasure chest" she is
going to store in her house. Her son and his wife devised a plan to encourage their two small children to be helpful, act
properly, and finish their chores. The parents listed on a large poster board what the children should do and
how they should behave. As the kids accomplish these things, they receive shiny stars on the board. After a certain
amount of stars, they will be rewarded with a trip to their grandmother's house where "the treasure chest" sits. This
is a box my friend is filling with toys and all kinds of little goodies young kids would love to have. Each trip there,
they will get to stick a hand into the treasure chest and pull out one "treasure" to keep.
My parents created a similar poster-board-with-stars-and-reward idea (perhaps yours did, too) for me and my sister,
but we didn't have a treasure chest. That would have been a super added bonus thrown into the works! There's just something intriguing
about a treasure chest, with its mysterious aura and promise of hidden riches stored within, that inevitably draws
a kid's attention -- like a pirate eyeing the final destination of his fortune hunt, while clutching his X-marks-the-spot
map. I told my friend I expect her son and wife's plan to be a success. (I also said I thought Woody should have a treasure
chest for me, filled with jewelry, music CD's, chocolates, and restaurant certificates. I try to be good a lot, and my little female
hand would just LOVE to dig into a box of those goodies!)
As a child, my life wasn't completely void,
however, of the thrill of choosing something "valuable" out of a treasure chest. The chest I repeatedly dug my paws
into was located in the exit lobby of a popular Tulsa restaurant called Borden's Cafeteria. I don't think there was a kid around
that didn't like Borden's. Located on the second level of a building which hosted a variety of stores, two "fun"
ways existed to reach the restaurant: by taking the biggest and fastest escalator I ever had seen, located in a covered
alley-like area outdoors, or by riding in a car up a steep ramp. (Don't miss the photos of these later, beneath my blog.)
When using the escalator, I would grip the handrail tightly as I rose to the top, with a feeling like I was hitching a ride
on a rocket shooting to the stars. When chauffeured on the ramp, I secretly would pretend I was riding a big roller coaster,
and begged my dad to step on the gas pedal -- and begged even more during the return trip downhill, to get a
stronger stomach-floating ride sensation. (Can you tell I possessed a vivid imagination?) Inside Borden's, a child's
portion of green beans, french fries, fried chicken or roast beef, buttered roll, and Jell-o were all carried on a tray
for me to our table, as though a little squirt like ME was someone important. If we "cleaned our plates," my
sister and I each got to pick a toy out of the toy chest before leaving (which was ALWAYS, because we wanted that toy!).
Now, it was nothing like a Happy Meal box contains, with its hand-held battery games, stuffed animals, and bendable movie character
figurines. Our toy box held desirable plastic whistles, tiny animals or soldiers, "clickers," single pieces of gum and such. McDonald's
today would lose its entire under-10 crowd if it offered gifts like that. But, hey, we got what we could, and we all
seemed to enjoy what we got. Borden's treasure chest of free toys made it one of my favorite family restaurants.
The
good news is, we adults don't have to just reminisce about treasure chests of days gone by; we still have one today.
That treasure chest isn't filled with toys and candy; it is filled with far greater, more beneficial things for our lives. It is filled
with God's goodness. The treasure chest is found in Him, and the Father invites us to reach in -- rather, to reach up to
Him -- and freely partake of the abundance He has for us. Look at what all the Bible (NASV) says to confirm this:
"[He] is Lord of all, ABOUNDING IN RICHES for all who call upon Him" (Rom. 10:12).
"And He shall be...aWEALTH of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is his TREASURE" (Is. 33:6).
"RICHES and honor
are with me, ENDURING WEALTH and righteousness...[I] endow those who love me with WEALTH, that I may fill their TREASURIES" (Prov.
8:18, 21).
"...Christ Himself, in whom are HIDDEN ALL THE TREASURES of wisdom and knowledge"
(Col. 2:3).
"No GOOD THING does He withhold from those who walk uprightly" (Ps. 84:11).
"I was made a minister...to preach...the UNFATHOMABLE RICHES of Christ" (Eph. 3:7, 8).
"Every GOOD THING bestowed
and EVERY PERFECT GIFT is from above...from the Father of lights" (James 1:17).
In Christ, we have great
riches of peace, joy, healing, salvation, wisdom, provision, etc. Life in Him is so outstanding, Jesus said, "The kingdom of
heaven is like a TREASURE hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has,
and buys that field" (Matt. 13:44). The man Christ spoke of was willing to give up everything he had to obtain that treasure -- because
he knew that it was much better than anything he already possessed and that he would be gaining much more in exchange. Sometimes I
think we need to literally shut our eyes and envision in our mind how great life in the Lord could be. "He who
did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely GIVE us ALL THINGS?" (Rom. 8:32).
We can reach up to God by faith, reach in to Heaven's storehouse, and receive of His treasures. He can fill our lives to
overflowing -- so much so, it spills over to other people, if we'll let it. In that sense, WE ourselves become a
treasure chest. Through our words and actions, people can "reach in" to our heart to pull out the treasure of peace or joy or
love, and experience a piece of it for themselves. Coming in contact with the God on the inside of us can make a difference,
especially if the person has a need or is feeling empty inside themselves.
As I thought on this
while writing my blog, I decided to insert some correlating scriptures from 2 Corinthians 4. For some reason, I took
from my bookcase an older Bible, in the J.B. Phillips translation, which I had bought in high school but hadn't used in
years. I opened it up...and the red ribbon marker attached to it was resting on the page with the EXACT verses I was going
to look up. This was more than a subtle hint to me that God must want these verses included here! Perhaps the red ribbon
had stayed in that one place for such a long time to be read by me and by you exactly at THIS time. Food for thought. The scriptures say,
"God...has FLOODED OUR HEARTS with his light. We now can ENLIGHTEN MEN only because we can GIVE THEM knowledge of the glory of God,
as we see it in the face of Jesus Christ. This PRICELESS TREASURE we hold, so to speak, in a common earthenware jar" (2 Cor. 4:6,
7).
You may be nothing but a jar of clay on the outside; but on the inside, you have priceless treasure. You
have the Lord, the greatest treasure of all. You have gifts He has given you. You have abilities, talents, blessings from Him. All
of these He has flooded into your life so that you can enrich others to His glory. You have a light you are to let shine,
that they might see the Light of the World, Jesus Christ, through you and be changed forever by Him. You have His treasure...to
enjoy...but not to store up. Yours is a treasure to offer to others. You are blessed to be a blessing.
Giving:
Bible insights,
Personal trivia,
Christian world perspectives
Personal trivia,
Christian world perspectives
Copyright 2009, by Pam Woodson. All rights reserved.
Living:
Jesus-Is-Lord Christianity,
Grass roots conservativism,
Red-white-and-blue patriotism
Grass roots conservativism,
Red-white-and-blue patriotism
Audio: Finding God's Will for Your Life
RECIPE
(send your recipe, too!)
Archives
Praise & Worship CD's
Hello Love (Chris Tomlin)
Beautiful Name (Church On The Move)
Hillsong CD's
Beautiful Name (Church On The Move)
Hillsong CD's
Michael W. Smith CD's
WOW Worship CD's
Top-Ten I Play On My iPod
Over My Head, Brian Littrell
I
Know You're There, Casting Crowns
Today Is the Day, Lincoln Brewster
With You, Mark Willard
God With Us, MercyMe
You're Not Alone, Meredith
Andrews
Only You, David Crowder Band
Your Grace Is Enough, Matt Maher
What You Give Away, Vince Gill
Blessings, Martina McBride
Movies
with a Message
The Note, Hallmark movie
A zillion Christmas movies
Hallmark Channel movies
Fireproof (good for
marriages)
Facing the Giants (like the strong Christian message, but not so much the acting)
Scriptures I Cling to
Repeatedly
Luke 6:38 (finances)
Prov. 4:18 (hope for better days ahead)
Phil 4:6, 7 (peace)
1 Cor. 15:10;
Phil. 4:13 (ability to do what I just can't do)
Matthew 28:20 (assurance God is with me)
1 John 5:14,15 (assurance
God answers my prayers)
1 Peter 2:24 (healing)
Matt. 11:28 (rest)
1 Peter 5:7 (assurance God loves me)
Pam's Blog
HeartFlow
Ways to Borden's Cafeteria: the ramp (my roller coaster) and the escalator (my rocket).
(Escalator photo courtesy of the Beryl Ford Collection/Rotary Club of Tulsa, Tulsa City-Country Library and Tulsa Historical Society; ramp photo courtesy of Lost Tulsa, losttulsa.com)
(Escalator photo courtesy of the Beryl Ford Collection/Rotary Club of Tulsa, Tulsa City-Country Library and Tulsa Historical Society; ramp photo courtesy of Lost Tulsa, losttulsa.com)
Pam Woodson