Talk it to Walk it!

Martyn Lloyd-Jones once wrote: "Avoid the mistake of concentrating overmuch upon your feelings. Above all, avoid the terrible error of making them central." Rather, he goes on to urge us, to stop doing so much listening to yourself and start speaking to yourself: "Most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself."

Boy, how true is that! I get into trouble every time when I start cogitating over my feelings and emotions, rather than meditating upon the Truth of God's Word. My feelings and emotions vacillate like the tides at the beach: one moment rising, the next ebbing, leaving the sand ever shifting and uncertain. Is that really what I want to base my life upon--the ebb and flow, up and down, certainty and doubtfulness of my feelings?

Nope--no thank you... though I need to remind myself of this daily--in His Word. James 1:5-8 described it this way: "If any of you lacks wisdom [hello--that would be me: major lacker of wisdom!], let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

Won't that always be the result when we keep listening to and dwelling upon our emotions and our own limited knowledge and understanding? I don't know know the whole story, so how can I possibly make an informed, fully wise decision without all the facts? But I know and worship One who knows ALL and can do ALL. He never runs low, never acts in haste, never lacks every possible facet of information, and never chooses based upon selfish or impure motives of any kind.

So for each of us, rather than listening and acting based upon me, myself, and I, we must choose to start speaking the Truth to ourselves based upon the Truth of God's Word. I've often heard (and repeated) the phrase, "We need to walk our talk," and that is so true. Save us, Lord, from hypocrisy and shallow faith that merely talks a good game but then doesn't live it out on a daily basis.

BUT, maybe we need to add: "We need to talk the Truth first in order to walk it." We need to talk to ourselves and remind ourselves of the Truth of the Gospel on a daily basis before we can then remember to walk it--to live it out in our actions and attitudes. That doesn't necessarily mean "talking" it to everyone else. Rather, we need to first talk about it to ourselves! Speak the Word out loud. Sing it. Recall it. Memorize it. Meditate upon it. And then choose, by the grace and power of the Savior, to live it out, one moment at a time. I can't live it out if I don't remember it. And I can't remember it, if I don't speak it to myself. Out loud, if possible!

Today, might we stop listening to our complaining, our rationalizing, our fretting and instead start speaking the Truth. "Then you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free." (John 8:32) To God, the One who always speaks the perfect and powerful Truth, be all the glory.

He Leads, He Sings

Happy Birthday yesterday to our baby--our 11 year old baby, Peter! 11 years ago yesterday, the youngest of our 5 eternal treasures was born. My wonderful Daddy had advanced cancer at the time of his birth, but I thank the Lord that he was still alive to celebrate the birth of the youngest of his 13 grandchildren. One of our most precious pictures is of Daddy holding Peter in his arms and surrounded by one of my nieces and our children. Daddy went home to be with the Lord (and with Mama and so many beloved friends and family) just a few weeks after Peter's birth. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord. Thank You for all our gifts, Lord--some come wrapped in shiny, vibrant paper and are easily recognized as the joyous gifts they are. Some, however, are a bit more muted, even disguised and wrapped, perhaps, in sorrow or struggle, but they are gifts, nonetheless, that You allow and use in our lives to ultimately bring a different kind of joy... a harder, but often deeper joy that transcends our circumstances. What a difference when we know it all--ALL--passes through Your perfect, nail pierced hands.

So thank You for the gifts we hold in our hands today--like our precious Peter--and those gifts we have released to You, trusting that the Giver of all good gifts knows best and holds best and loves best.

Just one other note: Today I was rushing around like a madwoman (something new and different). A very very very long wait at a doctor's office with Peter had resulted in my being late to an important meeting. My stomach was in a knot as I pushed the pedal to the metal in a futile attempt to cut a minute or two off of my late arrival. As I inwardly griped and fumed and worried, something told me to cut on the radio. And the very first word of a song I had never heard until the other night came on the radio. It was a song my daughter had played for me the night before last--her singing group at church would be singing it, and she wanted me to hear it. And I had loved it--upbeat, fun, and a great message. Well, wouldn't you know it, at that very moment, as I drove along in a knot of nerves, the song began the exact moment I turned on the radio. The first words: "I've got waves that are tossing' me..." Yeah, I got the waves crashing over me, down pat!

But this faithless, worried heart began to sing along:

"And this world may push, may pull, but your love it never fails,

You lead, I'll follow, Your hands hold my tomorrow,

Your grip, Your grace, You know the way,

You guide me tenderly,

When you lead, I'll follow,

Just light the way and I'll go,

Cause I know what you got for me is more than I can see,

So lead me on, on, on, and on,

Just lead me on, on, on, and on."

Aren't you glad He leads, and we follow? Aren't you glad it doesn't all depend upon you, upon your puny efforts, your vacillating strength, your inadequate wisdom?

Nope, if we're late to the meeting, the world will not spin off it's axis. And if our child misses the mark or our loved one disappoints or we fail... again, our Lord's not stunned or crushed or at a loss. 'Cause His plans are perfect, and His love never fails, and His grace covers, and He keeps leading on and on and on and on. Our job: just keep following. He leads; we follow. And trust that He knows the way... all the way home. And while we're following, He'll put a song in our soul like He did with me today.

One of my very favorite verses: "The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious Warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy." (Zephaniah 3:17) He is singing over you! He is singing with you! With joy, with love, with rejoicing... and all as your Victorious Warrior. Boy, you gotta love that! His song changes everything!

By the time I got to that meeting, every knot of worry was gone as I sang along at the top of my voice--"You lead, I'll follow, Your hands hold my tomorrow.... Just lead me on , on, on, and on...."

And He will... all the way home to our eternal Home with Him. Just keep following and listening for His song. To our Savior, our Song, be all the glory.

7 Days

"What if you knew you only had 7 days until Christ returns?" I heard David Jeremiah ask this question this morning, and it really struck me. 7 days. 168 hours. 10,080 minutes. 604,800 seconds. What if that was how long you knew you had left. Not one hour or one minute longer.

What would change?

Who would you ask for forgiveness?

Who would you forgive?

What would you eliminate from your schedule? What would you add?

Who or what would be your top priorities? Would it be your stuff, your things, your appearance or would it be your family and your friends and your relationship with Christ?

What would you be worried about? Your bank account? Your accomplishments... or lack thereof? Would you really be focused upon whether you are appreciated or applauded or would you be fixed upon applauding and glorifying the God of all glory?

Who or what would you spend your time and effort in worshipping?

And if the answer would change based on the fact that you knew, without a doubt, that He would return in exactly 7 days (or actually now about 6 days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes), why not change TODAY? For which of us is guaranteed tomorrow? And how do we know but that He could return next week, or tomorrow... or tonight.

I don't know about you, but I want to be ready. I want to be faithful. I want to be worshipping Him and not any other infinitely lesser thing in this world. I want to be busy loving the people He has so graciously placed in my life and loving Him. I want to be making much of Jesus, rather than much of myself. And seeking to encourage and comfort others in the few days that God has given me to make an eternal difference. I want to be a conduit of forgiveness and mercy and love in a desperately dark world. I want to be fully present, fully alive, fully thankful and grateful for His extraordinary goodness and grace in my life.

Ask yourself: what if all I have left is 7 days till He comes back? Whatever needs to change... by the grace and power of God, do it today. TODAY--for it may be all you have.

To God, the eternal I Am, be all the glory.

The Note

Thank You Lord for this beautiful day! I was not going to write anything today--too much to do! But how can you not give God glory when He sends a blessing your way? It was a tough morning. I just felt a bit tired and ragged. The clean laundry lay in mountainous piles on our bed. The house was a bit messy (something new and different). I had failed to read a devotion with the children before they left--hate that. Just a bunch of little minor things that had me feeling a bit down and discouraged. But then the bigger thing--my 15 year old son who plays golf hurt his foot last night. He jammed his toe, and it hurt so badly he couldn't play in his city league basketball team's playoff game last night. Bummer. And it still really hurt today--going later today to see the orthopedic doctor (whom we love and practically have on speed did, but still! Rats!). And golf season has just started. And this past summer, on the 2nd day of sumer break, in the middle of a golf tournament, he broke his foot and was in a boot virtually the whole summer--couldn't swim, couldn't play golf, couldn't go to camp, squat! And I just felt so sad--why Lord? Why would You allow something like this to happen to him again?

So, all combined, I just felt discouraged and deflated. I started desultorily cleaning up the kitchen, and then as I picked up piles of mail, I saw it. A note addressed to me. Always nice to get a letter, isn't it--unless it's a bill or a solicitation. The note had arrived yesterday, apparently, but it had been such a busy afternoon and evening for me, I never saw it. Now, yesterday was a great day, I need to add. The world seemed marvelous--sunny, warm, all the kids were healthy (no messed up feet)... life was good. But this morning, well, even though the day is gorgeous, the kids are still healthy (minus one messed up foot), not to mention all the myriad blessings God has bestowed upon me from my husband to my family to my friends to my home to my faith...and on and on... I somehow didn't or couldn't see it. Isn't it funny how self-pity and self-preoccupation blinds us to the countless daily blessings and treasures in our lives?

Anyway, back to the letter. I opened it and discovered a sweet little note of encouragement from a sweet friend who took the time and effort to stop all her busy activities for a few moments, act on the prompting of the Lord, and write words of encouragement to someone else. When I read her words, I wept. Both because of her thoughtfulness, but also because of the grace and goodness of our Sovereign Lord. How could my friend know I would need those words this morning? She couldn't, of course. But our Lord sure did. And He also knew just the perfect timing--after all, He is the God who created the heavens and the earth and sustains them all in perfect unison by His power, and He is never too early or too late. He knew exactly when I would need to read those words and thereby be strengthened and encouraged. And He is not too busy with infinitely more important matters to still care about a tired, discouraged Mama.

Let me tell you, one simple little note changed everything! How could it not--it was a reminder that God sees, God knows, God upholds, God loves. And God forgives even a faithless, shallow, preoccupied heart like mine. Who could deserve such a Savior?

I couldn't help but think of the words to one of my favorite songs by Nicole Nordeman, "You are Good:"

When the sun starts to rise

And I open my eyes
You are good, so good
In the heat of the day
With each stone that I lay
You are good, so good

With ever breath I take in
I'll tell you I'm grateful again
When the moon climbs high
Before each kiss goodnight
You are good

When the road starts to turn
Around each bend I've learned
You are good so good
And when somebody's hand
Holds me up helps me stand
You are so good

With every breath I take in
I'll tell You I'm grateful again
'Cause its more than enough
Just to know I am loved
And You are good

So how can I thank You
What can I bring
What can these poor hands
Lay at the feet of a King
I'll sing You a love song
It's all that I have
To tell You I'm grateful
For holding my life in Your Hands

When it's dark and it's cold
And I can't feel my soul
You are so good
When the world is gone gray
And the rain's here to stay
You are still good

So with every breath I take in
I'll tell You I am grateful again
And the storm my swell
Even then it's well and You are good

God had used "somebody's hand" to "hold me up and help me stand," because He is good, so infinitely, eternally good. It was such a small thing--a little note--but God used it to remind me of His love and His grace and His goodness in my life. Suddenly the mess in my house didn't seem so bad--it all reflected a full, busy life full of the blessings of children and activities. And that laundry--really, would I let a pile of clothes representing the greatest treasures in my life steal my perspective and my joy?? And my precious son's foot--well, doesn't the God who made him and redeemed him with His blood and who has a wonderful plan for his life, love him more, infinitely more, than we ever could, so we can trust the Lord with this too? He is good even on those days when "it's dark and it's cold and we can't feel our soul," or when we are selfish and petty and small minded, or when we are at our wit's end. He is always always always good.

So, thank You Lord! What a blessing to be able to give You glory. Like Nicole Nordeman, I have nothing to lay at Your feet. What can these poor, old hands bring to lay at the feet of the King? I have so few talents, so little influence or power... but I give You what I do have--the ability to love, to praise You, to write these few words, and, I pray, to encourage someone else.

Be reminded today, God loves you beyond all reason and thought and imagination! And He loves you on your very best days, your pretty mediocre days, and your totally wretched days. For He is GOOD, so so so so GOOD!

Now, today, go out and encourage someone else! Write that note; send that email; make that phone call; bake those cookies; pray that prayer--ask Him to show you how and then be a conduit of His love and goodness to someone else. Who knows how He may use it? To our God of all love and encouragement and blessing, be all the glory.

Packages of Love

The other night most of our family went to see "Les Miserables," the inspiring, beautiful musical based upon the book by Victor Hugo. I think it was my 5th time seeing it--they could practically use me as an understudy! My husband and daughters have seen it several times as well, but our 2 youngest sons had not. My sons were not exactly overwhelmed with joy and gratitude at having to go to a musical. In fact, at intermission there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth. My daughter said that our 15 year old son had turned around about 10 minutes into the first act and asked her incredulously, "Is there not any talking?" When she whispered "No, all singing," he responded with much disgust and despair: "O NO!" My first thought upon hearing this was despair as well, figuring if my children didn't love musicals--and especially this one--I had utterly failed as a mother. But my second thought was to laugh and think "Lord, I love that boy! Thank You!"

I will never forget the first time I saw Les Miserables--at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. I was living up there at the time, and my older sister had gone to see this brand new musical no one had ever heard of with the congressional office where she worked. We all thought it sounded like just a terrible idea: a depressing french novel put to music? What on earth?! Who would want to see that?

But my dear sister was so moved that she went the very next day and bought our whole family tickets to see this remarkable show. Again, I was a bit dubious. After all, my sister, Mary Norris, is without a doubt the sweetest, kindest person walking on this planet (seriously, she is!), so I figured this had to be a bit of an exaggeration, and she was just being her usual sweet self. The night finally arrived, and our family was spread out all over the theater, since we couldn't get tickets together.

And here's what happened: I bawled my eyes out for almost 3 hours, as I sat next to a total stranger. But I bet she was probably bawling her eyes out as well--I didn't notice since I was trying desperately to find something with which to wipe my nose and eyes. I think that pretty much reflected my whole family's response to this incredible tale of love, forgiveness, and redemption. For that really is what it is--it is, in a way, a depiction of God's love and forgiveness and grace in the Gospel, as set to music at the time of the French Revolution.

You know, there is just nothing more powerful than love and forgiveness, is there? Whenever we see such love and forgiveness displayed, we just have to stop and be awed by the beauty and glory of it. And of course, it is displayed most perfectly, most powerfully at the cross: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) May we never get over the wonder of that! But sometimes it just helps to see it displayed in a different context--as Aslan laying down his life on the table of stone in Narnia, or, here, in Les Miserables, with so many characters in so many different ways, but especially with Jean Valjean. It is a story just dripping with grace upon grace, and when we see such grace displayed, it just overwhelms you.

John Newton had it right: "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found; was blind but now I see." Grace is just amazing!

But what really stuck me this time around was the depiction of friendship and love. There are countless examples of men and women and even children loving and sacrificing for one another. My daddy always loved the song all the students sing as they sat around, sharing a mug, the night before they know they will probably die at the barricade. It is a bittersweet song about the profound joy of friendship with words like "At the shrine of friendship never say die; Let the wine of friendship never run dry; Here's to you and here's to me."

My favorite words about love and friendship, however, occur near the very end of the play when Jean Valjean sings, as he dies, "To love another person is to see the face of God." I have thought a lot about that, for isn't that so true? God calls us to love one another, and when we love others, we see a tiny glimpse of the heart of our relentlessly loving Lord. What a gift, what a privilege, and what a joy it is to have dear friends and family to love.

There truly is nothing more powerful in this world than love. Love created this universe, love sent a Savior, love redeemed the souls of the lost. And love brings hope to the hopeless. Love causes the unforgivable to be forgiven. Love prompts acts of service and sacrifice from the battlefield to the mission field to the everyday field of our daily lives. Love brings color and laughter and warmth to our sometimes drab and monotonous world.

How thankful I am for the myriad treasures of love God has bestowed upon me--my husband, my children, my brothers and sisters, my dear friends. They are all like little gifts, wrapped up in so many different colors and patterns of paper, all so unique and individual, and all bringing such joy and wonder into my utterly undeserving life. O, to love another person is to see the face of God!

How can we deserve such a privilege--to love and be loved? Sure, it's messy sometimes. It's exhausting sometimes. It's just downright hard and uncomfortable and irritating sometimes. And sometimes the wrapping paper on these gifts gets a bit tattered or worn or unappealing.

But then we remember who the Giver is, and we see His nail scarred hands as He holds each of these gifts out to us. And we just have to stop and say, "Thank You, thank You, thank You!" Help us, Lord Jesus, to love as You love, to forgive as You forgive, to treasure as You treasure, these priceless, eternal packages of love You have bestowed upon our lives. What irreplaceable gifts are these friends and family! How inexpressibly joyful to love another person--another sinner just like you and just like me--and to see the face of the God in all that love. To the Source and the Sustainer of all that love--the Son, the Savior--be all the glory forever.

Our eyes are upon Thee

"We know not what to do, but our eyes are upon Thee." 2 Chronicles 20:12

This was one of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's favorite verses. And now that I am an official and fanatic Bonhoeffer groupie, it is one of my favorite verses! Seriously, what a simple, yet profound truth--that is what it means to seek the Lord (see yesterday and Amos 5:4 and 6). We don't know what to do, we don't know how to respond, we don't know the best answer, we sometimes don't even know what to think--but our eyes are upon Thee.

My dear friend, Joan, shared with me a wonderful illustration of what that means--to keep our eyes fixed upon the Savior. (I'm probably remembering this a bit clumsily--since I have the memory of a gnat.) Early one morning, she was sitting out on her deck overlooking the sound and the marsh at the beach. She heard a loud whistle and watched as a man was carefully training his lab. He would throw the little... O rats, what is it called? well, the little throwie thing people throw when they are training a dog (can you tell we have never ever trained Moses?!). Anyway, he was throwing the whatever-you-call-it-thing into the water. The dog would leap into the water and bring it back to his master and then wait excitedly for the next throw. Then the man threw it toward the marsh. This time the dog rushed into the swampy waters and began floundering around. Joan said she watched, worried that the oyster shells would cut the sweet lab's feet as he wandered around looking for the "thing." (this is a disaster).

But suddenly, the dog heard a whistle and, immediately, while still in the middle of the marsh, the lab stopped and looked up at his master. The master pointed in the right direction, showing the lab where to go--and the dog was able to go straight to the spot and retrieve the "thing" (Lord have mercy--just try to go with me here).

Isn't that just like us, though? We jump out--busy, hurried, preoccupied--and then we find ourselves flailing around in the swamp of all our activities and uncertainties and worries. We fight discouragement and doubt and exhaustion, all the while refusing to stop long enough to look to the One who has the answers, the comfort, the encouragement. It's funny, we tend to do a much better job of seeking the Lord on the really huge issues in our lives. It's in all the seemingly "little" or insignificant places that we tend to rush out on our own and suddenly find ourselves adrift and alone. How often have I've made hasty decisions about such "minor" issues as children's activities or purchases or the use of my tongue (ouch)... I could go on and on. It's the little foxes, Song of Solomon says, that spoil the vine.

So, bottom line, might we determine, by the grace of God, to say: "We know not what to do, but our eyes are upon Thee" in every arena of our lives. He always knows the way that is best. Might we learn to take it, one step at a time. To God be the glory.

Moses--and the Seeking Savior

Holy cow, it's been a while since I've been on here! I'm baaaaack--hmm, isn't that from the movie, "The Shining," or something similarly uplifting and edifying? Sorry about that. But, gee whiz, I'm so thankful to be back on here, having the opportunity to give God glory in my little corner of the world! My sweet daughter somehow or other figured out how to configure this blog thing so you can actually subscribe to it by email (isn't technology something? More importantly, aren't our children something since they can actually navigate through all this mysterious maze for us old folks?). And, wow, the background has a new picture and everything! I'm just feeling downright spiffy and up-to-the-minute... well, until even the slightest computer glitch arises and I'm once again lost out in a sea of confusion and frustration.

If anyone is reading this who is Saltshakers Bible study, my apologies for boring you again, but I wanted to include here one of the things that really convicted me this past week. I had the privilege of giving a talk on Amos 5 and 6 today, and I can honestly say this little book of the Bible has so challenged and convicted me. But once again, our sweet old black lab, Moses, has taught and encouraged me in my faith--who knew a dog could be so wise?! Well, but if you knew Moses: he is just a remarkable dog. Okay, that might be a bit strong--let's just say he's mighty lovable... though 99% of the day he is "resting" (aka sound asleep and snoring). One of these days I need to write a book about Moses and all the lessons he has taught us. Here's just a few: never let a piece of chocolate go to waste and other valuable insights into food of all kinds; or slow down, really really slow down and smell the.... whatever; or love the one you're with; or be thankful in all circumstances; or love people, not things; or if you stay near the table or counter when food of any kind is involved, you never know when you might get lucky; or corollary--never ever leave the presence of anyone consuming food of any kind; or show your appreciation--don't just "feel" it--express it!; or sometimes you just need to go with the flow--if your family forgets to give you your afternoon snack, it's not the end of the world; or if the end of the world is at hand, make sure you somehow remind your family to give you your afternoon snack; or life is always better after a brief nap on the living room sofa; or be sure Daddy doesn't see you napping on the living room sofa; or corollary--moms are almost always a soft touch, so don't worry about napping on the living room coach if only mom is at home, after all, life is short; or never miss an opportunity to show your love and appreciation; or it's the simple joys in life that mean the most--an early morning walk, sitting quietly at the feet of someone you love, greeting and playing with your buddies, and, of course, eating; or be content in all circumstances--life truly is so good...

I've really just barely scratched the surface, but lest this post go on and on and on, I wanted to share a bit of what sweet Moses taught me just this week. As I said, we've been studying the book of Amos, and God, through the prophet Amos, urges us in Amos 5:4 to "Seek Me and live" and in v.6 "Seek the Lord and live." I contemplated what it meant to seek the Lord and live--especially in light of all our sin and selfishness and pride. (If you are a Saltshaker girl, feel free to stop reading now since this will be repetitive!):

The other day, during a family discussion, my daughter, Janie, exclaimed that our dog, Moses loved food more than people! “No way,” I remonstrated! “He loves us, he loves people” (and he really does)! He’d rather sit at our feet and be with us than anything. But Janie persisted--”Mom, if you put Moses in a room with people at one end and a big hunk of meat at the other end of the room, he’d go for the meat every time!”

Well, maybe, I had to admit, because he’s a dog. And He’s not just any dog, he’s a lab. And let me tell you something about labs, they LOVE food! And Moses always appears to be starving--even after just eating--because, like I said, he’s a dog and a lab and his nature is to love food (which frankly I can relate to). He can’t help it. Given his natural tendency, as much as he adores people, he’d choose food every time.

That’s our sin nature! We want to do good. We want to seek God. We want to love others and not be so unrelentingly selfish or self-indulgent or small-minded. But try as we might, our old sinful selves rise up so that, as Paul says, we “do what we hate.”

Early the next morning after this discussion, however, it suddenly dawned on me: sure, if some stranger was in that hypothetical room with Moses, he’d go for the food every time. But what if it was one of the members of our family--of his family--in that room? And what if we were calling his name--with love and enthusiasm and welcome?

That would change everything! You see, Moses knows our voices. He loves us--even more than food, I think (though, that’s saying a lot!) I know he’d come to us every time! We’d win out over that food, not only because of Moses’ love for us but because of our love for him, and because we’re calling his name.

O how I love Jesus, because He knows how much I want to seek Him and obey Him and forsake my selfishness, but He also knows the allure of sin in my life. So while I’m seeking Him, He’s seeking me and calling my name in love and grace. And how is He seeking us? How about we let Paul answer that? Remember Rom.7?--“Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Paul answers it with--”Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

From the opening words of Genesis to the final syllable of Revelation, the Bible reveals God’s eternal, perfect answer...and His name is Jesus! “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

So thank You thank You thank You, Lord Jesus, for coming to seek and to save the lost--that would be me and all of us! (Luke 19:10). How thankful I am that we seek the Seeking Savior. And those whom He seeks, He always always always finds. To our Seeking Savior, be all the glory.

p.s. I have no idea why the font size suddenly decided to change. Okay, so maybe technology isn't so terrific.

Thankful on the Day-After-Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day--uhh, well, how about "Happy Day-After-Valentine's Day!" As usual, I am a day late and a dollar short, but I'm so thankful God looks at the heart (and, therefore, the intentions as well, perhaps?!) Here's what I am thankful for on the Day-After-Valentine's Day:

Eating lunch with my husband and several dear friends on the actual Valentine's Day

Eating lunch

Eating

My husband

Dear friends

(not necessarily in that order)

The incomparable gift of laughter--especially when shared with beloved family and friends

The staggering beauty of the stars and the shining crescent moon early this morning as I walked sweet old Moses

An incredible lecture by our Bible study teacher yesterday

The book of Amos (that we are studying in Bible study)

The prophet Amos, himself. Aren't you thankful God loves to use nobodies? And unqualified, utterly undeserving nobodies, at that. After all, the fact that you are even reading this is proof of that!

The power of One Life. One yielded, surrendered life. Can there be anything more powerful? More on this at a later date, but suffice it to say, this has convicted the socks off of me today.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer--see above. I have always loved his words from The Cost of Discipleship: "When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die."

When we are called to "come and die"--die to our selfishness, die to our pride, die to our need to control... we follow a Savior, a sovereign almighty God, who died before us and for us. I can't do it--I'm too sinful--but He can, and will, in me and through me. Boy, that's reason to be thankful! But it gets better, for...

Following that death, He gives us abundant, full, joyful LIFE! After each of our little, daily deaths--abundant life. And after our final death--abundant, eternal life. So totally grateful!

I could go on and on, but seeing how it's the Day-After-Valentine's Day, I wanted to include one short passage from a love letter Bonhoeffer (with whom I am now obsessed--what a man!) wrote to his fiancé while he was imprisoned in Germany. Remember, Bonhoeffer was in prison during World War II for actively opposing the Nazi regime and helping smuggle out Jews to safety. He was executed not too many months after writing this for his involvement in the conspiracy to assassinate Hitler. Eric Metaxas explains that "His very engagement was his way of living out what he believed. He did everything, including becoming engaged to Maria, 'unto God.' It was not a calculation, but an act of faith." Here are Bonhoeffer's words to Maria:

"When I consider the state of the world, the total obscurity enshrouding our personal destiny, and my present imprisonment, our union--if it wasn't frivolity, which it certainly wasn't--can only be a token of God's grace and goodness, which summon us to believe in Him. We would have to be blind not to see that. When Jeremiah said, in his people's hour of direst need, that 'houses and fields shall again be bought in this land,' it was a token of confidence in the future. That requires faith, and may God grant it to us daily. I don't mean the faith that flees the world, but the faith that endures in the world and loves and remains true to that world in spite of all the hardships it brings us. Our marriage must be a 'yes' to God's earth. It must strengthen our resolve to do and accomplish something on earth. I fear that Christians who venture to stand on earth on only one leg will stand in heaven on only one leg too."

Today, I'm so thankful for that reminder and that charge--my marriage is a "yes" to God's earth which "must strengthen our resolve to do and accomplish something on earth." Perhaps that resolve might involve being a Bonhoeffer and standing up for those unable to stand up for themselves. Or dying to myself and my selfish desires and living for Him and His glory. Or loving others more than I love myself. Or fearing what God thinks of me far more than I fear what people think of me. Or loving my husband, my children, my family, my friends in such a way that I am daily saying "YES" to my Lord and to this place and time on earth where He has put me to make a difference for as long as He chooses to leave me here.

"Only one life; twill soon be past. Only what's done for Jesus will last."

To God be the glory--here and now on this earth and forevermore.

Time to Weed

I'm looking out our window right now and seeing a yard that slightly resembles a jungle. Only without the lush green aspect to it. Our philosophy in recent years has been "If it's even remotely green and growing in the yard, then let it go--free to grow! Weeds deserve a little respect too!" Seriously, God made the weeds too, didn't He? As a line from a very old Livingston Taylor song expressed it: "There are flowers in my garden--pretty ones all in a row. But my favorite are the weeds. They don't know where to grow--but they know enough to grow." Amen to that--you've just got to admire their tenacity. Left unchecked, they will take over your garden, and sometimes those pesky critters can get so bad they are nearly impervious to the most potent weed killer. (Just ask my husband)

Isn't that just like our thoughts? I recently read of a book written 100 years ago entitled As a Man Thinketh, by James Allen. He noted that an individual's "mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind."

Our thoughts will always and inevitably lead to certain kinds of behavior, habits and words. Proverbs says, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." (Prov. 23:7) We are studying the book of Amos in Bible study right now, and I've been reading Amos' exhortations to the Israelites to "Seek Me and live" (5:5), "Seek the Lord and live" (5:6), "Seek good and not evil that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you." (5:14)

I couldn't help but think that one key place we begin to seek the Lord or seek good is with our thoughts. About what are we thinking? With what are we preoccupied? Are we thinking thoughts that glorify God, that tend to edify others, that focus on God's Word and ways? Or are we preoccupied with what we look like or what others think of us or how worried we are about our children or our friend or our finances? Are our thoughts fixed upon our failures or fears or even the faults of others?

One key rule I've really tried to recall when it comes to my thoughts: ask immediately (before I start dwelling upon and chewing on the thought): Is this thought from You, Lord Jesus? If it is not, dismiss it immediately and ask Him to enable me to think thoughts that glorify Him and are helpful and wise and kind.... All the stuff Paul urges us to think about in Phil. 4:8--"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

It's impossible not to think about "these things" if you are daily immersing yourself in God's Word. And reading great books (especially great biographies). And spending time with--and encouraging--other people who are seeking to think thoughts that are true and right and noble and commendable. How quickly we can fall into a pattern of negative or destructive thinking. How naturally we can tend to fixate upon what others are doing that is irritating us rather than focusing upon all the ways their lives bring joy or wisdom or goodness to the world.

So simple, I know, but I guess I just needed to be reminded to get busy weeding my thoughts on a daily... well, hourly, or minute by minute, basis! As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow expressed it: "Take care of your garden and keep out the weeds; fill it up with sunshine, kind words, and kind deeds." Might the Lord who gave us our minds be glorified, not only in all we say and do, but in all we think--'cause that's where it all starts! To God be the glory.

Be a Bonhoeffer!

I have been so encouraged, so challenged, so convicted reading the incredible biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas. O how I pray that I might raise children with the kind of courage and convictions and faith of this truly great man of God! Bonhoeffer, a brillant German theologian who adamantly opposed Hitler and the Nazis, eventually became a double agent. He actively aided efforts to save the lives of Jews by smuggling them out of the country and was intimiately involved in a plot to assissinate the wickedly insane Hitler. It's just a remarkable story about an even more remarkable man, but in April of 1942 the Gestapo finally had gathered enough evidence about Bonhoeffer's involvement in the Jew smuggling conspiracy to arrest him. He was in the prison for the remainder of his short life. While imprisoned, the Gestapo eventually discovered the treasonous proof of his involvement in the effort to assassinate Hitler, and Bonhoeffer was executed in a concentration camp just a few weeks before the end of World War II.

There is so much to say about this godly and courageous man that I cannot even begin to scratch the surface. But for today, I wanted to share something I just read early this morning. As I mentioned, Bonhoeffer was arrested in April of 1942, and the first letter he was allowed to write from prison revealed so much about his character. Steadfast. Confident in Christ. Trusting. Concerned about others, not himself. Grateful, even in the hardest of circumstances.

Bear in mind this is Germany in 1942. Bonhoeffer has lost already lost a brother, cousins, and numerous friends to the war. He has been opposed and oppressed at every point by the government. He has fought to wake up the sleeping church to the horrors being perpetrated by the Nazis. He has been misunderstood, maligned, mistreated by both his enemies and even by seeming friends who had no conception of what he was really doing and the desperate abyss facing both Germany and the world. Bonhoeffer knew, and he fought--faithfully, bravely, often alone, seeking guidance and solace from the Lord he loved and knew so well.

And now he is imprisoned. Here is an excerpt of the description of his first days in prison: "The blankets on the camp bed had such a foul smell that in spite of the cold it was impossible to use them. Next morning a piece of bread was thrown onto my cell, I had to pick it up from the floor. A quarter of the coffee consisted of grounds...For the next 12 days the cell door was opened only for bringing food in and putting the bucket out. No one said a word to me. I was told nothing about the reason for my detention, or how long it would last. I gathered from various remarks--and it was confirmed later--that I was lodged in the section for the most serious cases, where the condemned prisoners lay shackled." His tiny cell featured a plank bed, a bench, and a necessary bucket.

Here I sit in my warm house. The wind is whipping outside, and the temperature has really dropped this afternoon. Yet I am comfortable and cozy and sit here writing with my children healthy, well fed, and happy (well, at least for teenagers). My husband faces no firing squads for his faith. My friends and my siblings are not in danger of being arrested or tortured for speaking the truth. What on earth do I have to complain about? How can I not be overflowing with gratitude? If I sat in that dirty prison cell, alone, uncertain, fearful of what a tyrannical, wicked enemy might uncover about my activities, what kind of words would I write? Here is what Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in his first letter... and the words and sentiments remained just as steadfast, brave, and trusting all the way to the end of his life:

"Dear Parents! I do want you to be quite sure that I'm all right. I'm sorry that I was not allowed to write to you sooner, but I was all right during the first ten days too.1 Strangely enough, the discomforts that one generally associates with prison life, the physical hardships, hardly bother me at all. One can even have enough to eat in the mornings with dry bread (I get a variety of extras too). The hard prison bed does not worry me a bit, and one can get plenty of sleep between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. I have been particularly surprised that I have hardly felt any need at all for cigarettes since I came here; but I think that in all this the psychic factor has played the larger part. A violent mental upheaval such as is produced by a sudden arrest brings with it the need to take one's mental bearings and come to terms with an entirely new situation — all this means that physical things take a back seat and lose their importance, and it is something that I find to be a real enrichment of my experience. I am not so unused to being alone as other people are, and it is certainly a good spiritual Turkish bath. The only thing that bothers me or would bother me is the thought that you are being tormented by anxiety about me, and are not sleeping or eating properly. Forgive me for causing you so much worry, but I think a hostile fate is more to blame than I am. To set off against that, it is good to read Paul Gerhardt's hymns and learn them by heart, as I am doing now. Besides that, I have my Bible and some reading matter from the library here, and enough writing paper now.

You can imagine that I'm most particularly anxious about my fianée2 at the moment. It's a great deal for her to bear, especially when she has only recently lost her father and brother in the East. As the daughter of an officer, she will perhaps find my imprisonment especially hard to take. If only I could have a few words with her! Now you will have to do it. Perhaps she will come to you in Berlin. That would be fine.

The seventy-fifth birthday celebrations were a fortnight ago today. It was a splendid day. I can still hear the chorale that we sang in the morning and evening, with all the voices and instruments: "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation. … Shelters thee under his wings, yea, and gently sustaineth." That is true, and it is what we must always rely on.

Spring is really coming now. You will have plenty to do in the garden; I hope that Renate's wedding preparations are going well. Here in the prison yard there is a thrush which sings beautifully in the morning, and now in the evening too. One is grateful for little things, and that is surely a gain. Good-bye for now.

I'm thinking of you and the rest of the family and my friends with gratitude and love,
your Dietrich"

What is there to say? For Bonhoeffer, a prison cell became a place of worship to "the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation" for He is the One who "Shelters thee under His wings, yea, and gently sustaineth." No stained glass windows. No heat. No soaring music from the lips of friends sitting beside him. No certainty or safety. No comfort or solace... save in the Almighty, the God of all comfort and peace and joy. Ah, to discover that true joy comes not from our circumstances but from our Savior.

And in that prison yard, Bonhoeffer rejoiced in "a thrush which sings beautifully in the morning, and now in the evening too. One is grateful for the little things, and that is surely a gain."

True thankfulness springs from a heart attune to the myriad blessings bestowed upon us by a sovereign, extravagant Lord, even if we are in the darkest and loneliest of places: the color of the sky, the song of a bird, the smile of a loved one, the scent of a flower, the chorus of a hymn, the hug of child, the crunch of an apple, the wagging tail of a dog, the heft of a great book, the wisdom and grace of God's Word, the recognition of forgiveness.

O might we be grateful! Might we be ready to worship the Gracious Giver of every blessing, wherever we might be--whether prison or palace or somewhere in-between. For He is in every single one of those places--sustaining and redeeming. Help us, Lord Jesus, to be Bonhoeffers wherever You place us! To God be the glory.

Which would you choose?

Well, in light of yesterday's prescient post, I had to make a quick comment on another basketball game last night. In case you just flew in from Mars, last night featured the "Battle of the Blues"--a basketball game between the Carolina Tarheels and the Duke Blue Devils. (I'm employing all my self-control in refraining from editorial comment about the relative goodness of one team and the, hmm, well let's just say the non-goodness of the other! Okay, just kidding, since I have many very dear friends who pull for the team with the VERY evil sounding mascot.) It truly was a spectacular game--a game for the ages. A game we Tarheel fans will be seeing on Sports Center for the next century or two... Lord have mercy. That in and of itself is a trial.

For most of the first half, Dook--oops, sort of an honest mistake, I meant Duke--was leading. Carolina finished the half in a flurry and went in to half-time with a 3 point lead. The crowd was in a frenzy... as were the Fountains.

Then the boys in light blue (as in the color of the sky so that's how we know God is a Tarheel--gee, there I go again) seemed to take a semi-commanding lead. They were up by at least 8 to 12 points for the entire second half. Once again, the crowd was in raptures of cheering as were the Fountains (including even our 10 year old who stayed up for the late game). Life was good. This was fun. Boy, we loved basketball!

Until the last 8 seconds of the game. With the Tarheels up by 10--yes, 10--points with less than 2 and a half minutes to play, Duke starting hitting those deadly 3's and crept back into it. But the Heels still led by 3 points with less than 30 seconds to play and had the ball. Life was still good. We still loved basketball.

I won't go into all the devastating details, but suffice it to say, Duke, still down by 2 points, had the ball with 8 seconds left, and a freshman went down the court and, cool as a cucumber, hit a 3 pointer at the buzzer to win the game. No comment on how we felt about life and basketball right at that moment.

But here's my point: for most of that second half, life was miserable for Duke fans. I'm sure they felt like it was the longest game of their lives (since Duke and UNC fans HATE to lose to the other boys in blue). Their misery for 19 minutes and 59 seconds contrasted completely with us happy, happy, relaxed Tarheel fans... for 19 minutes and 59 seconds.

And then in a moment, everything changed. One team that had struggled, fought, surely felt discouraged and defeated, turned it all around in a second and won the game. And the other team who had been sailing along in seemingly joyous, trouble-free march to victory, lost. So I had to ask myself: would I rather be miserable for 19 minutes and 59 seconds but joyous and victorious at the very end or would I prefer to be delighted and carefree for virtually the whole game only to lose at the last second? Well, guess what, I'll take the misery for a long, long game but with a joyful victory at the very end, every single time. Who on earth wouldn't make that choice? Who wouldn't be willing to suffer through the trials and troubles for a little while in order to enjoy the joyous victory at the very end?

Yet how many of us do that daily in our lives? We want unmitigated happiness and success and pleasure RIGHT NOW. We envy those who seem to be sailing along in life, while we suffer through poor health or shaky finances or difficult relationships or lost loved ones. We tend to forget something very important:

THIS IS NOT OUR HOME!

We may still be struggling through the second half, the shots may not be falling, we may be overcome with discouragement or exhaustion or fear. Failure might seem to be haunting our every step.

BUT THIS IS NOT OUR HOME.

And someday, boy, will it be glorious! All those trials and troubles, all that suffering, all that waiting, all that failing, all that crying will be long behind us as we rejoice in our true home, heaven, and the victory of being with the Lord Jesus and all the company of our loved ones and the saints forever and ever and ever and ever.

And all those long second halves, all those struggles and defeats, will all be long-forgotten... except perhaps to remind us how overwhelmingly thankful and joyful we are for all God taught us and shaped us and helped us through every single one of those sorrows. And really, how long do our hardships and disappointments and sorrows really last in this brief life compared to eternity... heaven is forever and ever.

So to my dear Duke friends--way to go! Your team fought long and hard and deserved their joyful victory at the very (bitter) end. Might we all persevere in whatever trials God has allowed in our lives, trusting that He is at work and that one day, every single struggle will be so worth it in the glorious glow of heaven's eternal victory. To our God, our Savior who will bring all of His own home, really home, one day, be all the glory forever.

Our Losing Season

Whew, what a basketball season for the mighty "Celtics"--my 10 year old's city league basketball team. We began with a loss, ended with a loss, and pretty much filled up all the middle of the season with losses as well. As my Daddy would say, we were building loads of "character." The writing was on the wall early on: the first couple of games the officials decided to cut the score board off, because the other team was pummeling our beloved Celtics so badly. We did win a game, and, boy, was it was thrilling! You would have thought we had just won the National Championship. Of course, that was waaaaaay back in late december, so since then it has been defeat after defeat--but adding character brick upon character brick. I'm thinking those little guys should be ready for seminary or sainthood by the time the season ends.

The last game of the season was particularly tough. Incredibly, one might say miraculously, the Celtics had a lead. In fact, they had an enormous lead: they were up by 10 points with just 4 minutes left to play. Believe me, in this league, that is practically an insurmountable lead.

Practically insurmountable--as in, apparently, not insurmountable. Because sure enough, the other team got hot and began hitting everything while our poor Celtics looked frozen with panic. Our boys couldn't stop the other team, and we couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. The other team tied it up with about 15 seconds left, then stole the ball from the Celtics, and, wouldn't you know it, scored a 3 pointer at the buzzer. The agony of defeat.

We had brought snacks for the game, and our son had to run upstairs from the

gym--ostensibly to help with snacks but actually so no one would see his tears. Bless their hearts: I know it's just a game, and it really didn't seem to bother them too terribly much most of the season... until that last heart-rending loss.

Sometimes life is hard, isn't it? I know in the big scheme of life, our losing season meant next to nothing. There can be so much sorrow, so much despair, so much unfairness, so much tragedy in this world that a lost game--or a lot of lost games--doesn't exactly rank up there as terribly significant. Still, even if it's just a losing season, we all have them, and God uses them in so many ways to teach us, to refine and shape us, to mold us increasingly into His image. I have always loved C.S. Lewis famous quote about pain: "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

James put it this way: "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4) Help me Lord to learn how to "count it all joy" because I know that You are producing steadfastness and ultimately perfection in each of us through our trials and troubles.

How thankful I am that we have a God who cares. Who cares about our deepest disappointments, our most cherished hopes, our greatest fears, and our hidden weaknesses. And who even cares about some young boys' losing basketball season. When we yield to Him, He will work with and through every single one of those things--whether they bring us great pain or pleasure--to bring about our greater good and His greater glory. He is a God who is always at work, always active, always involved--sometimes in spectacular ways, but sometimes in quiet, almost invisible ways. I remember hearing the quote years ago, "With God, even when nothing is happening, something is happening."

As Beaver whispered excitedly in the midst of the never-ending winter in Narnia, "They say Aslan is on the move." And He is! It may have been winter in Narnia with no hope of Christmas for years and years, but Aslan is on the move! Our God is on the move--in our trials, in our triumphs, in our testings. And in our losing seasons, whatever they may be. Hand Him your losing season and trust that He can and will use it in ways you could never imagine to bring about your ultimate good and His ultimate glory.

He did it at the cross. The greatest tragedy, the most horrific defeat transformed into the most magnificent salvation and the most beautiful redemption. If He did it at the cross, He will just as surely do it with your losing season if you entrust it all to and with Him. To God be the glory forever.

The Giant Rip!

Early yesterday evening, I was busily making supper for our family. It had been an awfully hectic day--a meeting first thing in the morning, followed by rushing around for a few quick errands, followed by an out of town lunch and another meeting. Then it was time to zip back to Raleigh for several rounds of after-school and pre-activity pick-ups and drop-offs of children, then to my two favorite stores in the universe (based upon frequency and money spent): Target and Harris Teeter. And, boy, those trips were just in the nick of time, as we were totally out of some VITAL items--notably toilet paper, deodorant, and Apple Jacks (possible starvation was looming for my 15 year old).

At any rate, sorry to bore you to death with all the dull details, but my point is I had been all over the place yesterday--a stay at home mom who was not at home the entire day. Back to cooking dinner: as I was getting things ready, for some reason I reached into the back pocket of my jeans and, whoa, what was that I felt? A HUGE rip. We're not talking a little slit here; we're talking a Goliath-sized tear all across the back of my leg. I mean it was "ginormous," and incredibly, somehow, I had never felt it one bit! What on earth? How could I not be aware of a gash all the way across the back of my pants? How out of it am I?

Moreover, how many people had I seen yesterday that surely thought, "what is her deal? Isn't she a bit long in the tooth to be sporting such a risqué look?" O brother. No wonder the folks at Harris Teeter were smiling at me--those weren't smiles; those were snickers. Even my own family had not said one word to me about my gigantic fashion gash. What is that--mercy or meanness? In the words of Charlie Brown, whom I felt like I was channeling: Good Grief!

But as I thought about it later, I couldn't help but contemplate, how often do I go around like that, clueless to my selfishness, my thoughtlessness of others, my pride? So busy with my own agenda that I'm completely insensitive to the needs of those around me? So aware of and focused upon others' shortcomings, that I am utterly blinded to my own?

Jesus expressed it clearly and colorfully: "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck that is in your brother's eye." Luke 6:41-42 Ouch. I think there are a lot of us who can quickly and enthusiastically identify those specks located elsewhere while conveniently ignoring the logs residing right within ourselves! Sometimes we miss our logs due to busyness or preoccupation, but sometimes we have to blame it on plain on sin: pride, jealousy, selfishness, hypocrisy.

I unknowingly sported a ripped pair of pants yesterday out of sheer preoccupied busyness, but I cringe to consider how often I am missing those "logs" in my life that hurt others, diminish my witness, or somehow bring dishonor to the name of Christ. May it never be! Help us Lord to see the logs in our own lives and then come quickly to You in repentance. Might we keep short accounts of our own sin... but long patience and grace with the failings of others. After all, aren't you thankful for Jesus' amazing grace in your own life? Surely we who have been forgiven so infinitely much can and must thereby extend such compassion and grace to those around us. Get rid of your logs and trust the Savior with the specks of others. To the God of all grace and mercy and truth be the glory.

How to Spell Love

What would be a good acrostic for Valentine's Day, I pondered, while still lying in bed early this morning. hmm, how about LOVE. Wow, now that is original. Let's see, L is for... "Love." Now remember, this is a pre-caffeinated and ancient brain here. O is easy--O is for "Others." V sort of had me stumped for a second or two (you can see how much effort was going into this endeavor) until my eureka moment--V is for "Very" as in "Very much." Wow, now I was really cooking! E is for "Especially" as in "Especially Jesus." Love... Others... Very much... Especially Jesus.

I'm thinking Hallmark might be in my future.

Maybe the Nobel prize for literature.

Does anybody have Oprah's phone number?

And then I stopped dead in my tracks. There was no C in this acrostic. There just has to be a C. C is for Chocolate, of course. And C is for Cookies... or how about Cookies with Chocolate Chips. C could even be for Candy... though I'm not much of a candy person myself. C could also be for Cat, though cats generally treat us with bemused detachment or mild disdain. Don't get me wrong. I like cats a lot, but really, if you want to learn about love, get a dog. With dogs we are family. We are the beloved. We are the best. With cats, we are the staff. How on earth did I get onto this subject?!

C is also for Choice. As in Love is a Choice. Isn't that so true. We don't always feel loving. Sometimes we feel irritated or exhausted or overwhelmed or discouraged or just plain selfish. But we don't love others only when we feel like it. We must daily choose to die to our self-centeredness. Die to our pride. Die to our desire to have things just the way we want them. Die to our need to control. Die to our love of stuff and things. Die to our craving for comfort and our preoccupation with pleasure. Die to our need to be perfect... or for others to meet our standard of perfection.

And make the choice to love. Love the irreplaceably precious, but sometimes challenging, people God has placed in our lives--our family, our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers. And love those who are sometimes incredibly unlovely, maybe even undeserving. Because such were we, and Christ died for us.

C is for Choice. And it is for Christ.

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters." I John 3:16

Christ on the Cross spells Love. It's just as simple and profound and utterly earth shattering and life changing as that. If you want to truly understand what love is, look unto Jesus. "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, scorning it's shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Heb. 12:2 Done. That is love.

But C is also for Creator. Love is a God who didn't just create a world in which we could reside. He created dogwood trees in bloom and soaring eagles and neon-colored tropical fish and flaming red camilla bushes and snow topped mountain peaks and crooning mockingbirds and crimson sunrises and sunsets. You know, He could have just made us a sun--did He really need to have the sun rise and set with such panache, such showy staggering beauty? Nope. But such is our God and that is Love.

Love is an extravagant, loving Creator who entered His creation to love and die and save those He had made. Those who rejected Him, those who failed Him, those who miss the mark again and again and again. And He just keeps loving and forgiving and sustaining and upholding it all by His almighty power and grace and goodness and glory. How can we not respond to such a Lord with all our hearts?

But we have to make the choice. The choice to love Him as our Savior and the choice to daily die to ourselves and to love others with the love He has showered upon us. Might we choose today to Love. Because He is worthy, and He showed the way, and He will enable us if we call on Him in faith. To our Creator, to our Christ, who showed us what real Love is, be all the glory.

All in!

Morning devotions at our house are a thing of beauty. One of my sons wolfs down a Jethro-sized mixing bowl of Apple Jacks (yes, note how we are carefully following the healthy adage of "eating the rainbow" at our house? Have you've seen how colorful Apple Jacks and Captain Crunch are?). My daughter rushes in, frantically searching for the pants that have not yet been folded and reside somewhere in the mountain of clean clothes on top of the dryer. My youngest son wanders into the kitchen, bleary eyed and asking if I can put a LOT of sugar on his "snap crackle pop." And while reading the morning's devotion to the children from "The Daily Bread" or "The Upper Room," I'm also pouring milk, cooking bacon (like I said, healthy eating 101), looking for batteries for my daughter's calculator, or her car keys (are we sensing a pattern here?), and sipping hot tea.

Yesterday morning, I decided to begin our devotion with something new. I had just heard on the radio about the New York Giants' slogan "All in." Now granted, I literally only heard a 30 second clip mentioning the slogan, so I know next to nothing about the subject--but, really, when has that ever stopped any of us? My Daddy used to tell the story of a professor who asked his class one morning, "What's the difference between ignorance and indifference?" One wag of a student responded apathetically, "I don't know and I don't care." Okay, so I admit I don't know squat about the Giants or their slogan, but I still like it a lot. So there you are.

Anyway, back at the ranch... I'm telling my son that I had just heard about a wonderful defensive something or other (defensive back, defensive line, defensive end?--this is just going downhill, isn't it?) named Justin Watts say... At which point my son interrupts me. "Mom, Justin Watts plays on the Tarheels basketball team!" "Well, gee," I responded, "I knew he sounded like a terrific guy!"

Undeterred, I soldiered on, telling my son that this Justin fellow (who, it turns out is named Justin Tuck and is a defensive end--I love google) explained briefly what it meant to be "All in." The Giants have adopted the slogan "All in" which refers, I think, to playing hard, be fully committed, giving their very best effort in every practice and in every game. But he went on to explain that it refers to far more than just "our gladiator role on the football field... we have other passions in life as well, and my greatest passion starts with my belief in Jesus Christ as my Savior."

Despite the fact that I butchered the story for my son, we really did have a very brief but good discussion on what it means to be "All in" for life and for the Lord--in addition to finding another reason to pull for the New York Giants.

But I've really thought about that. Am I "All in" for life? One of my favorite verses has always been Colossians 3:23-24 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." If you are doing homework, or making lunches, or practicing a sport, or singing a praise song, or laughing with friends, or watching the sun rise while walking the dog, do it heartily as unto the Lord.

Whatever we are doing can be an act of thanksgiving, an offering of our hearts and our hands to the One who gave us life and ability when we are "all in"--present in that moment, thankful for that moment, and giving our all in that very moment. When we do whatever we are doing, wherever God has placed us, wholeheartedly and thankfully, then the secular can become the sacred. Folding laundry can be a mini worship service! Rather than desultorily facing that mountain of clothes again with a deep sigh, I can choose instead to rejoice that I have the privilege of serving and loving these precious lives God has entrusted to me for such a brief time, and then give that laundry my best shot. Then in the midst of the grind, God transforms the mundane into the meaningful. I couldn't help but be reminded of the monk many years ago who discovered the delight of peeling potatoes when he offered that laborious chore up to the glory of God. Our work truly can become worship--even in the most routine of tasks--if we do that work wholeheartedly and unto the glory of God.

God calls us to be "All in" for Him. All in as we love Him and seek to glorify Him with our lives--all our lives, all our activities, all our responsibilities. "All in" as we give Him our best and serve others wholeheartedly, love wholeheartedly, rejoice wholeheartedly. After all, He was surely "All in" for us--"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us." 1John 3:16 Might we be "all in" for Him this day and every day. To God be the glory.

After Your Fall

It had been that kind of a morning. Nothing major; just the typical little annoyances and mundane trials that can sometimes deflate and discourage us. Things like children's messy bedrooms and two of those unnamed children's failure to put loads of clothes away despite being asked to do so pointedly and repeatedly days ago. Fuming mama still managed to soldier through a devotion to the children--in between fussing at them. Boy, I bet that was one meaningful devotion for each of them! But I digress. A pitiful arthritic old dog that couldn't get down the back stairs (and his mama's attendant worry). An overwhelmingly and impossibly long to-do list. A creaky old back. An unnamed child taking waaaaaay too long to get ready for school... and rushing to school like a maniac... and forgetting to give said child medicine so frantic dash back home. And then, when said child jumps back into car for return lunatic trip to school, the brand-new-from-Target frog piggy bank that was a gift for his teacher's birthday (long story--but she is such a sweetheart and it is her birthday and said child desperately wanted to get it for her since she adores frogs) falls out the door and shatters all over the street. Child devastated. Mama frustrated. Very frustrated.

Okay, so I know it all sounds incredibly petty, but isn't it often such ordinary annoyances that snatch our joy and steal our perspective? Sure, I had a wonderful quiet time with the Lord early this morning, but by the time Kermit fell onto the hard cement of our street, I had somehow forgotten all about it, as my heart felt just about as ungrateful and unyielding as that pavement.

But here's the thing, the Lord in His mercy and grace enabled me right in that moment of the shattering froggy--well, maybe a second or two right after that moment--to put it in perspective. Piggy banks can be replaced, messy rooms can be cleaned, to-do lists will somehow, someway be checked off; but loving my 10 year old, demonstrating grace, living with joy and gratitude--priceless and irreplaceable.

This little moment: no big deal, you say? O, but you are so wrong, for it's in all those seemingly inconsequential moments of life where we have the choice of grumpiness or gratitude, of worry or worship, of frustration or forgiveness, of fear or faith, of falling in failure or rising in victory, that true persevering faith and hope and character is built.

You know, we will all fall. I should know--I'm a professional. How easily I can forget Whose I am and Who is in control and Who lives within me (in case you don't know--the Lord Jesus, praise His Name!). How quickly I succumb to pride or selfishness or worry or plain old discouragement; blessed beyond all measure and reason, and, yet, still sometimes, somehow dissatisfied or ungrateful. Yep, I fall and fall and fall again and again.

But the question isn't whether we will fall. Or how we fall. Or even why we fall. The key question is: what will we do after our falls? Will we go to the Savior, the One who died for our sins and failures and falls, and ask for His forgiveness, seeking His grace? Because if we go to Him, in repentance, He will always forgive and then enable us to rise and rise and rise again.

We can't rise. But He can, through us. "For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again; but the wicked are brought down by calamity." Prov. 24:1

"The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when He delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand." Ps. 37:23-24

"Rejoice not over me, my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me." Micah 7:8 I love that--notice it's not "if I fall" but "when I fall." We're human; we falter. We're sinful; we fall. But if the Lord Jesus is our Savior, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we "shall rise," not "if" but "shall!"

I've heard it said, the definition of a saint is "Falling down and getting up. Falling down and getting up. Falling down and getting up--all the way to heaven." That just about sums it up, doesn't it?! As Alan Redpath once shared, "Do you know what God expects of you?" Faithfulness, love, obedience, you might be thinking? Nope. "All God ever expects of you is failure." Well, you're exclaiming, I can do that! I can meet God's expectations 110%! But Redpath continued, "All God ever expects of you is failure... but He's given you His Holy Spirit that you need never fail."

Fall, sure. Maybe even fall repeatedly. But ultimate failure, never--because as long as we keep rising after our falls, we will never ever be failures. And you know how I know? Because one terrible, wonderful Friday the God of the universe gave His life on a rough wooden cross so our falls need never be final. And then that glorious Sunday, He rose from the dead so that we too can rise and rise and rise from our falls. It's called salvation. And grace. And it is glorious and wonderful and awesome and incredible... and, well, words simply fail.

So the next time you fall--and it may be all too soon--remember the Savior who died and rose again so that you can rise after every fall. You have the choice. Don't stay there in the dust. Don't give up or give in to despair. It's not the fall that matters. It's what you do after the fall that makes all the difference. To our Savior who died and rose from the dead--for us--be all the glory.

p.s. If you need a little inspiration (or even just a little reminder), I suggest you look at the brief video of Heather Dorniden running and falling and rising in the Big 10 Championships. I've included the link below. Mighty good stuff! (and she is a believer!)

Emily Fountain shared a link.

Girl Takes a Terrible Fall During a Race - But Wait Til You See What Happens Next!

www.godvine.com

After training for this event for months and months, Heather Dorniden faced the unexpected when another racer cut her off - she fell very hard. But when you see what happens next, you'll be amazed and inspired. Check this out!