The last testament of Mary Karin Blair

The Holy Spirit is God in action --- God relating to us --- bining faith to life. We tend to get stuck simply learning and knowing about God when, in fact, we need to know Him. The Holy Spirit turns us outward toward others .... sets our imaginations free .... helps us to be creatively good .... not following any given set of rules (which are far too often man-made; they did try such things in the days of the Old Testament), but living with a willing heart. Because of this, as Christians, we're able to live creatively and more spontaneously, reaching out to touch other lives in a wholesome, life-giving manner. In 2 Corinthians 3, we are instructed to "show that you are a lettler from Christ, delivered by us, written not in ink, but with the Spirit of the Living God; written not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of the human heart."

The Gospel According to St. Luke tells us that Jesus' Ministry was an "action of the Holy Spirit." In the Gospel According to St. Mark, Jesus tell His Disciples that, if ever the time comes when they must be tried, they should not be anxious, for "it is not you who are speaking; it is the Holy Spirit that speaks through you." Further, Jesus tells us, because of that Spirit, Evil will never have the last word! He is, after all, our best Teacher, who enables us to boldly go out into the world, armed with a constant concern for others. It is this same Holy Spirit that enables us to understand and use Jesus' teachings in our everyday lives.

For most of my adult life, I've gone around with my pockets filled with lists: things which I must do in order to maintain an ordely life; and to get done those things that I think are important. Little by little, I've come to realize that sometimes certain things which are on my various lists can either wait or be postponed. The Apostle Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit determines who we are and what we do. We tend to forget that it was Paul who also said: "In Christ we are a new Creation." We forget as well that every time we pray without knowing what to say, the Spirit can intercede for us "with sighs too deep for words." As long as we listen to what the Holy Spirit wants us to do, we'll always be free to things, apart from what we can think up to do; and to begin to have an urge to reach out in love to others without fearing that whatever we do might be 'wrong' or 'not good enough'.

A lot of us tend to quibble over the lists of the Gifts of the Spirit, as described in both Epistles to the Corinthians, and in the Epistle to the Romans. Still, the most important message contained in those specific passages is that "Everyone has a gift." Not an achievement, or something that makes one person better than another --- these are gifts "for the common good." The Holy Spirit can move you to discover your own gifts if you would simply open up to His Teachings. Many people in groups like this can encourage one another to discover and use their gifts, and also not to be timid in using them.

For He is not just the 'Comforter' of the hymns, but the Encourager, who can push you out into the world to live out your faith, trusting your decisions made under His guidance.

I hope I'm still learning to do this, because it has led to some wonderful experiences over the years that have would otherwise have never occurred. For example: several years ago, Dick and I stopped at a new school church. During a prayer circle at the conclusion of the service, one woman touched me and said: "You're a truth-teller and an encourager!" I only hope that she was right. recently, another woman -- this one from Sicily, whose family I sometimes help, visited me carrying vegetables and eggs, and a letter for me to read to her. Now, I usually offer this lady bread and cake, but that day, I didn't have anything. I apologized to her, but she said, "Oh Missy, you don't really need to give anything to me. You just give me your heart." And since I'm also astoryteller, I'm always ever so grateful when a third-grade Sunday school child says to me, "Is that story really in the Bible? It's so exciting!" or else, whenever I'm compelled to a particular passage of Scripture on one of my banners, or in a talk. Well, I'm going to attempt to do a little bit of all these things right now.

I want to talk to you about being creative --- about using everyday opportunities in your life --- about learning how to say "Yes!" to the Holy Spirit.... and then, I want to tell you about taking whaat seems to be 'risks'. As we get older, we sometimes sit back and take things as they come, and we never 'do' anything unless we consider it to be absolutely necessary; or unless we're absolutely certain as to how things will work out. Life is easier that way, but I think that it can be pretty boring! So don't wait to decide to be 'sure' that you can do something, because by the time you finish making the choice, the opportunity might have already passed you by. Some of you may be familiar with the phrase, "Step out in Faith!" (I often wonder just how many times I've heard that?) Well, you know what? You can step out!

For example: as most of you know, my husband, Dick, is a Piper. Frequently, I've been known to take calls when folks want him to play his bagpipes at dinners, weddings, parties, church services, funerals --- you name it, Dick's been to all of them! One morning, he was at the post office, when I answered the phone. A young man asked whether or not Dick played for funerals. Grabbing a calendar, I asked when would would this one be, because we were to have quite a busy week ahead of us. "I don't know yet," the man explained. "You see, we've brought my dad home to die." The only further information he gave me was that his two sons' families had already gathered there; and that the doctor had told them earlier that morning that it could only be a little while longer. I soon promised the man that Dick would call him back. After I'd hung up the phone, I began to get an almost overwhelming feeling that we should visit that house that very day. The minute Dick returned home, I filled him in; and, because he has always trusted my feelings, he did indeed call back.

When we arrived at the man's home, we learned that the younger son had flown in from Alaska with two daughters, both of them Scottish Country Dancers. Their only wish was to dance for their Granpa. Their tape recorder had broken, and they were very sad. So we went into the living room of this small house, where they'd made a bed for the grandfather. He had been in and out of consciousness for only short periods for no fewer than three days. When Dick began playing his pipes, he awoke again and began to smile. Having put on their costumes, the girls began to dance for their beloved grandfather. He was conscious long enough to be able to clap his hands to the music, and to name the tunes that he wanted played at his funeral. The family was overjoyed. They held hands with him and spoke to him tenderly. Some 42 hours later, he was dead. And naturally, Dick played at the funeral, which they had delayed over a weekend, until Dick was able to come. I will never forget that day when I was compelled to visit that man's house; it would have been easier to simply stay at home, but, frankly, I would not have dared to miss the blessing of that experience!

Another time, Dick played at the funeral for 10-year-old Rosie Gordon, who had been abducted from her home in Fairfax County, VA, and murdered. Many children were in attendance at the service. Toward the end, each child was given a handful of pink ribbons, which they could then tie to the various trees in the neighborhood, the intent being to celebrate little Rosie's short but wonderful life. Dick was originally supposed to play just the one tune --- Amazing Grace --- but then, one of the children ran up to the casket and placed a tiny ribbon upon the little picture of Rosie that stood at its top. Then, several other children did exactly the same thing; and Dick soon found himself playing additional hymns. About three weeks later, we were invited to attend a picnic given by the parents in the area, who obviously were fearful for their children's safety. Dick piped a few tunes; and then, in the midst of the games and stuff, he noticed one woman painting a few faces, and there was a line of about 100 children waiting their turn. Before long, Dick had volunteered my services --- and the next thing I knew, I was painting faces for 5 hours! These were, after all, grieving children, and there I was, watching them come back again and again, some wanting roses, others hearts with black borders, and a whole lot of other designs. Then we noticed this one child who had walked halfway home with poor Rosie, and had left her alone to journey the rest of the way. She felt rather esponsible for having played a part in Rosie's death. I painted 12 designs on her face that day; and we got to talking. Up to then, I'd never really done any kind of painting; but since that day, I've painted every body part you can think of, at nursing homes, schools, day-care centers, hospices for Alzheimer's patients, etc. --- and every time I've held their hands, I have found it to be a real experience in communication.

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