From glory to glory to glory...

     "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Cor.3:18)
     From glory--

     to glory--

     to glory--

     to glory--

     Just a few glimpses of God's glory on display all about us!  And these were simply taken while driving to a haircut with a crummy little cell phone camera!  If only I'd had a good camera with me...and more time and access...and considerably more photographic skill in order to do justice to the Lord's magnificent masterpieces!  
     But driving about the last couple of days, it stuck me anew: what a spectacular show God gives us every autumn...and how frequently we go about our busy lives with nary a notice. Failing far too often to give even a word of thanks or praise to our generous, gracious Creator.  
     We should be driving from tree to tree to tree--from portrait to portrait to portrait--using each as another opportunity to give Him glory, to give Him praise.  Oh, my, Lord another one...and another one...and another... 
     Each a silent masterpiece singing wordlessly but powerfully of the glory and goodness of their awesome Maker.  
     And ours.  
     For here's the truly astounding part: the more we behold Him--in His Word, in prayer, in rejoicing in His creation and His character--the more we, too, will be transformed from glory to glory to glory...   
     What a miracle--to consider that the Savior, the Almighty, the Sustainer and Redeemer, will increasingly transform us more and more into His glorious image.  To behold Him is to become ever more like Him.  Can mind even begin to comprehend such a glorious wonder?  No, words simply fail...it's all His amazing grace, isn't it?
     So today, might we slow down and savor the beauty of God's myriad masterpieces that line our streets, dot our parking lots, and grace our yards.  Don't let the trees multiple numbers, their commonplace frequency, rob them of their power to astound and awe you.  
     And as we savor, might we offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise to their glorious Creator.  Each new tree, a new opportunity to give Him glory...from glory to glory.  And each a fresh reminder that the Almighty is doing this in our lives as well--as we behold Him, we are becoming more like Him...from glory to glory to glory...all the way to heaven.  O thank You, Jesus! 
     To God be the glory. 

Autumn's bittersweet gifts

   

     Late last night, as I sat working on my computer in an impossibly still, quiet house, I heard it.
     The distant, muffled and rhythmic "Boom...boom...boom...boom..."   Sunday night...the final night of the State Fair. The final hurrah of the State Fair's nightly fireworks display.  We wouldn't discern their distant sound from the Fair again until next October.
     We'd been hearing them every night like clockwork--beginning at 9:45.  That faint sound of thunder that always signaled the glorious display of shooting, sparkling flashes of rainbow-colored happiness displayed across the black night sky.  I thought of all the families enjoying the wonder for one more night, one final, sweet fall night.
     I thought of all the times we'd delighted in fireworks with our children at so many places over so many years--from the State Fair to the mountains to the beach to the golf course and even to the street in front of our house.  A moment of melancholy that our children are growing up and moving away washed over me.  How quickly the years have sailed by.  How I wish I could slow them down a bit--savor more and worry less.
     My husband adores fall--it's his favorite season.  And I'm inclined to agree with him.  All the joy and anticipation of the holidays...but not yet with all the fuss and busyness of preparing for them! All the beauty of showy trees robed in dresses of scarlet and orange and yellow.  The refreshment and cool, clean scent of fall air.  And the joyous anticipation of children returning home of the holidays.  All the wondrous tastes of fall--the sweetness of pumpkin anything and tart apples and hot scented cider.
      So much to look happily anticipate.  So much to savor.
     And so much to remember.  My husband says fall also proves to be a beautifully bittersweet time.  For autumn brings back glad memories of his own childhood and the happiness of football and childhood friends and holidays.  And the joyous memories of our own children growing up.        Going to a local farm and laughing in the itchy straw for the hayride...and picking just the right pumpkin to take home.  And carefully choosing just the right Halloween costume--not too scary, not too lame, not too uncomfortable.  Watching thanksgiving plays or eating school thanksgiving feasts with children dressed as Indians in paper bag suits or as pilgrims with construction paper hats. Going to Greensboro or Rocky Mount and enjoying being with grandparents and siblings and hearing the ecstatic squeals of overly-sugared, but happy little ones running everywhere.  Gathering around our home's old organ, while my sister, Jane, played the familiar, wonderful Christmas hymns, and we all sang at the top of our lungs. Sometimes my Daddy and brother adding a bit of accompaniment with the sax. So many wonderful memories.
     But we can choose sadness over the swiftness of it all...or gladness over the gift of it all.  I choose gratitude.

     I choose to remember and rejoice.  I choose to wonder at the gracious, generous gift of it all and say "O thank You, Father for all this...for the Fair.  For the sound and beauty of fireworks.  For the children.  For parents and grandparents and siblings. For football games and hayrides and pilgrim hats and family sing-alongs.  For the memories of so much living...and learning that You, Father, are forever good and faithful and changeless.    
     And with that rhythmic booming, I also thought of our good old Moses.  How could I forget him?!  Fireworks always alarmed our sweet old black lab, since he surely assumed they signaled the imminent arrival of the scourge of his existence--thunderstorms.  O how he feared the sound and fury of thunder and would huddle nervously next to us.  Occasionally pacing and looking at us as if to say, "Don't you realize something truly terrible is happening here?  Is this okay?  Don't we need to leave...or better yet eat?"  And once again, while we miss our "Mo," I choose gratitude over the gift, rather than sorrow that is passed all too quickly.

                                        (Moses in his Christmas sweater on Christmas morning!)
      "Only one life...twill soon be past.  Only what's done for Jesus will last."
      How many times have we heard that, but these swiftly flying years teach me to remember...to rejoice and be grateful...and to rest in the only One who will never change, never leave us, never forsake us, never let us down, never be less than the perfectly Omnipotent, Omniscient, Transcendent Almighty Lord.
     Jesus, You're our Hope and Stay in this ever-changing life...because of Who You are and what You've done, the best is yet to come.  So yes, we may experience fall's bittersweet sorrows over the swiftness of it all...but also gladness and gratitude over the gift of it all.  And yes, life continues to move at a seemingly breakneck pace with our children growing up far too quickly...but we will savor these moments with joy in our hearts and wisdom in our ways.  And yes, sometimes that melancholy of memories and missing loved ones who've gone on to their true Home can wash over us.
     But, O my, You, Lord Jesus, are with us.  Forever.  And with You, we trust, we know that the best is yet to come.  That will be one glorious reunion, one joyous Wedding Feast of the Lamb that will put all our Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations and fireworks displays to shame!  After all, I wonder if all our celebrations and happy memories are all just a tiny foretaste of what You have in store for us one glorious day.
     So in the meantime, we choose savoring the now that we have rather than sorrowing over the then that is over.
     We choose gratitude for the gifts...O so many gifts, and we choose to continue to look for those gifts every day that You give us, and we thank You for each of them.
     And we choose faithfulness and trust each day in our forever faithful Father who will be with us through it all.
     "Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.  Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.  You return man to dust and say, 'Return, O children of man!' For a thousand years in Your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.  You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning; in the morning it flourishes  and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers...So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom."  Teach us, Lord, to treasure You and Your gifts this day.
      Thank You, Lord Jesus, for the gift of autumn's memories, for the joy of Your presence with us in the gift of this day, and for the joyous gift and hope of heaven's glorious future.
      To God be the glory.

"Give it the Kutasch!"

     Two "whatever you do" verses to encourage those of us who may be feeling a bit weary of heart while facing much work to be done:
     "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (Col.3:17)
     "Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.  You are serving the Lord Christ." (Col.3:23-24)
     "Whatever you do"--working on a Sunday school lesson--serving the Lord.  Folding laundry--serving the Lord.  Changing diapers--serving the Lord.  Writing a paper for school--serving the Lord.  Running errands--serving the Lord.  Studying or exercising or cooking or cleaning or loving that unlovely person or encouraging that one who is struggling--serving the Lord.
     What a difference when we remember that all we do and say can and should be offered to the Lord as service to the One who was the ultimate Servant to us and for us.  The Sovereign who served.  How can we do any less?  And how transformative when we know that our smallest acts of love or forgiveness or kindness or grace or helpfulness can be means of serving and honoring and rejoicing in our Lord.
     And I love that we are commanded to give "thanks to God" in whatever we do.  Even the distasteful.  Or the difficult.  Or even the things we despise and desperately want to delay.  We're to do them ALL in the name of the Lord Jesus and to give thanks to God through Him.  He's the Creator and the Sustainer of our thankfulness--our Sovereign Savior who served.
     So we place our gaze upon Him as we serve.  We seek His glory as we serve.  And we choose to give thanks as we serve.
     And then we do it "heartily!"  We do it with everything we've got...because after all, we've only got one shot at serving on this planet.  We'll have eternity to rejoice...but only right now, only today, to serve in whatever ways He's called us to serve.
     I was reminded the other day of one of my favorite stories I heard years ago from Chuck Swindoll.  He and his sister, Luci, used to love to go fishing in the summers at an old pier in a muddy bay.  Every single time they went, they saw an old man who sat on the end of the pier fishing.  Mr. Kutasch would sit motionless for hours on end waiting for the fish to bite.  And then suddenly, with the most imperceptible bobbing of the cork, Kutasch (as they called him) would suddenly jerk his line out of the water with such ferocity and enthusiasm that the line (and any poor fish on it) would fly out of the water and back over their heads.  Apparently this happened time and again.  Kutasch rarely, if ever, caught anything, but he never seemed to give up trying.  And, boy, every time he had a bite, he would give it all he had ripping that line out of the water!         And so Chuck and his sister began telling one another, whenever they had some especially difficult challenge ahead of them, "Give it the Kutasch!"  Over the years it stuck--whether facing cancer treatments or dealing with family hardships or facing burdensome work issues or simply persevering in something long and hard--they'd call one another and simply say, "Give it the Kutasch!"  I love that!  That's what it means to work heartily...and not give up!
     So today, Whatever we do, let's do it for the Lord, do it with thanksgiving..and give it the old Kutasch!  And to God be the glory.

Forgetting leads to fretting!

     I'm thinking today about the attitude-altering, life-changing power of remembering.         Specifically, remembering Almighty God and His goodness and grace and glory.  Maybe you don't need any reminding...but I know I sure did.
     And so did the Israelites when they wandered in the wilderness for all those years under the leadership of Moses.  Over and over again we read "they did not remember."
     "They did not remember His power or the day when He redeemed them from the foe, when He performed His signs in Egypt and His marvels in the fields of Zoan." (Ps.78:42-3)
     But aren't we often just like those forgetful Israelites?   They didn't remember...and therefore they grumbled and complained and doubted and rebelled.  We too, do not remember God's faithfulness to us in the past.  We do not remember His power, His patience, His love, His grace, His forgiveness.  And as a result we fret and fuss and worry and whine.
     All the while, the God of all glory and grace loves us with an everlasting love.  He patiently, kindly works and moves in ways we cannot see and do not understand.  Even while we grumble and doubt, He continues relentlessly putting the pieces into place...unseen, quietly....until one day, we suddenly see evidence of His miraculous and sovereign hand at work in our lives.  And then finally we remember and rejoice...until the next crisis or concern when we can so quickly forget and fret and worry once again.
      Just like the Israelites.  Read their saga in Exodus--it's one long repetitive story of complaining and worrying.  Why? Because they forget.  They fail to remember...until God reminds them with unmistakable evidences of His power--parting of the Red Sea, mana provided daily, water issuing from a rock....on and on it goes.  And sometimes the Lord "helps" them remember with terribly negative consequences for their faulty memories and fatally sinful actions--enemy invasions, catastrophic defeats, exile to foreign lands.
     O Father, help us to remember You and Your supernatural power!  Help us to remember Your goodness and grace to us in the past...and trust in Your eternal faithfulness for the future.  Help us to remember Your Word.  Help us to remember the extent of our sin...and the glorious and infinite grace of our Savior that is far far greater than all that sin.  Help us, in the words of Stephen Curtis Chapman, "to remember our chains...and remember our chains are gone."
     Just yesterday, God tapped us on the shoulder and reminded us to remember--at a neurologist appointment.  Well, God can use anything, can't He?!
      Janie's had a few more headaches and even a migraine recently, and so my husband asked her doctor as he examined her, "Well, how's she doing overall?  Is she doing about what you would expect? Is this expected?"
      Assuming the Doctor would reassure him that this was all to be expected, Richard was shocked when the doctor suddenly stopped with his examination and looked directly at my husband.
     "No," the doctor answered seriously.  "No, she's not doing at all what we would expect.  With her type of traumatic brain injury, she should not be in college at all."  He reminded us again that Janie's condition was nothing short of a miracle.  The "expected" would be a vastly diminished condition--not attending college, not enjoying friendships or activities or regular old everyday life.      Somehow we had forgotten the miracle that God had wrought in her life. O Father, how could we fail to remember?
     Because here's the thing--whenever we forget God's goodness and grace in our lives, then we're quick to complain or fret or doubt or worry.
     But when we remember, we're quick to thank and trust and turn over our problems to our ever faithful Father.
     And just one little example of how quickly forgetting leads to fretting--anxiety over our daughter's wedding dress.  Yes, we had heard some horror stories involving the place from which we ordered the dress--dresses ordered but never arriving or dresses not ready till the very last moment before the wedding and the like.
     So we went into the default mode of panic over prayer.  We started worrying...because we had stop remembering.  Sigh.  Where has that ever gotten any of us?
     Then just the other day, the dress arrived.  The folks at the shop were as nice as could be...and yours truly felt like a fussing, fretting, and forgetting Israelite.  So quick to forget all God had done and so slow to remember to go to Him first in prayer and in trust.  O Lord, please forgive me: Your all--too-often forgetful, faithless child!  Forgive me for panicking rather than praying.  Forgive me for complaining rather than coming and laying my burdens upon Your eternally powerful shoulders.
     Maybe you've got a marvelous memory when it comes to the Lord.  But for those of us who tend to forget--and that forgetting has let to fretting--might this be the day we remember and return to the God of all power and provision.  Might we refuse to panic and instead chose to pray.  And might we reject complaining and instead chose trusting and thanking.
     Just in case you need a little help remembering, why not start here:
     "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagles." (Ps.103:1-5)
     That pretty much sums it up, doesn't it?
     O Lord, help us to remember...and in our remembering, to rejoice and trust in You.  To our all-sufficient, all-glorious, all-gracious God be all the glory.
   

Weeds or blessings?

     A hint of the unveiling of fall's beauty--the first tree I glimpsed last week that was just putting on her God-given robe of red.  And a reminder that the Lord who changes our seasons and changes the colors of leaves and changes the temperature, well, He can change our circumstances as well.  Might we hope in Him.  "The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty.  Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting." (Ps.93:1-2)
     Today the air is beyond brisk--it's downright cold!  But so refreshing.  You just want to breathe down deep and full with that clear, pure air.  Covering it all--a magnificent canopy of startling blue overhead.  The bright sunshine seems almost brash after all the days of cloudy, overcast days.  So thank You, Lord!
      It's funny how easily we can be distracted from all the good God has graciously poured into our lives, because we're so preoccupied with the clouds He's also allowed.  Just this morning, I walked past our front yard...also known as a breeding ground for every weed native to North America.  Seriously, you cannot imagine the impressive--and horrible looking--variety of weeds in that one small space.  What on earth?  We just reseeded our yard, and the back yard looks amazing, but whew, not the front.
     I complained to my husband that this was embarrassing and looked awful for our neighbors.  His suggestion: "Let's put a sign out front and tell people to go look at our back yard instead."  So helpful.
      But here's the point: there's all this glory happening all about me--trees exploding in color, cool-make-you-feel-alive air to breathe, remarkably blue skies, sun-drenched brightness--and I'm focused upon a tiny little oval of weeds in front of my house.  Are you kidding?!
     O forgive me Father, because this so often reflects my prone-to-wander crummy complaining attitude!  No, we are reminded over and over again to count our blessings, to rejoice in the Lord, to delight in Him and His blessings in our lives.
     Why all the reminders?  Because we forget!  Because we tend to focus like lasers on the weeds in our lives rather fix our eyes upon the Giver and His gifts.
     Jonathan Edwards once said, "God is glorified not only by His glory's being seen, but by its being rejoiced in."  We have to first see it and then we have to rejoice in it--that means out loud.  Consciously choosing to turn our gaze away from the crummy weeds in our lives and turning instead to focus upon the Creator and His glory and goodness in our lives.  And then rejoicing with our lips and in our attitudes.
     So thank You Lord for this day and for Your glory which pours forth upon this earth.  You are a relentless gift-giver.  Thank You for the priceless gift of the people You have placed in our lives.  And thank You most of all for the Savior who came to redeem His children and give us hope of an eternal, glorious, perfect--and weed free--home.  To God, and God alone,  be the glory!
   

Food at the Fair!

Boy, there's nothing like fall.  The cool and refreshing air.  The carpet of leaves on the damp ground.  The oranges and reds and yellows decorating the streets and yards.  The anticipation of pilgrims and pumpkin pie and families gathered together.
     And the State Fair.  O yes, the State Fair.
     I know some of you high-browed types don't darken the door of the State Fair...but I guess I'd put that in the category of unfathomable mysteries like not liking chocolate or sweet black labs or Handel's Messiah.
    Our family usually arrives within the first day or two of the opening.  This year we were down in our numbers but not in our enthusiasm. Here we are arriving...contemplating which food to eat first--

     I think we went with the tempura fried vegetables.  That's why Peter is not looking too excited at the moment.  But believe me, you can barely find the vegetables beneath all that yummy fried coating.  

     Then it was on to the Sunrise Cafe for burgers and hot dogs and other assorted health food--

     I was reminded of a picture we took just outside the Sunrise Cafe last year--our family gathered around Janie in her wheelchair.  Thank You, Lord Jesus, for how far you have brought her.  Help us to remember our Ebenezer: "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." (I Samuel 7)  

     Yes, it was an extravaganza of gluttony for the Fountains.  Chicken gyros, funnel cake, elephant ears, corn on the cob, NC State ice cream, and, of course, honey cotton candy.  We're all feeling great today.  Well, except for the stomach woes, headaches, and tighter pants.  But it was worth it.  

     I had to take one picture of the place that had a million and one fried items--we're talking fried cheesecake, fried oreos, fried mac and cheese, fried cookie dough, fried sloppy joe sandwiched between kripsy kreme donuts (truly revolting--and Preyer actually ate one and lived to tell of it)--

     What a reminder--our God urges us "O taste and see that the Lord is good!  Blessed  is the man who takes refuge in Him!' (Ps.34:8) And "How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Ps.119:103) 

      It's the delectable promises of God's Word where we will find lasting and joyous satisfaction to our heart's hunger.  Not in possessions.  Not in popularity.  Not in power.  Not even in pumpkin cheesecake fried on a stick.  God and His supernatural Word will fill our empty souls and satisfy our deepest longings.  O might we go to Him and eat of His ever-satsifying Word! 

      He will never ever disappoint. 

     And this year, the Fair didn't either.  As we left, I couldn't help but look back and praise the Father for the privilege of seeing and walking and laughing and eating.  

     To God--the Source of all that is good and great in our lives and is our joyous and complete Satisfaction--be all the glory.

  

     

Marathoning, Part Two

      Note to self--don't forget what you just learned.
     Life is a marathon...part two.  Yep, God keeps teaching and moulding and shaping us, doesn't He?  Aren't you thankful He never ever gives up on us quick forgetters?
     It was a challenging day yesterday.  Once again, nothing earth-shattering, but just a lot of those pesky disappointments, frustrations, and concerns that seem to love to come in bunches to distract us, discourage us, and even try to defeat us.  Wedding dress woes still unresolved.  Minor fender bender for Janie--a big fear, but praise God, a safe ending.  Hacked email--huge irritation.  Sadness over a puppy we were hoping for but the sweet mama dog had a false pregnancy. Sigh--a long, trying marathon of a day.
     And I woke this morning remembering that such is life--a marathon of ups and downs. Moments of joy...and moments of sorrow.  Days of great hope...and days of tremendous uncertainty.  Times of energy and exhilaration...and times of exhaustion and downheartedness.
     Just like that golf marathon lesson from yesterday.  Those college golfers can't allow themselves to fall into a pit of discouragement over a bad hole or two...because it's a marathon of 54 holes.  There will be spectacular shots...and missed puts.  There will be a fortunate roll that stops just short of a bunker...and there will a terrible break of hitting a ball out of bounds by mere inches.  And the great golfers have learned--stay the course.  Stay steady.  Stay focused.  And stay fixed on the goal of finishing well.
     God's Word tells us "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You." (Isa.26:3)  A steadfast mind--that's what marathons of running or golf--or life--require.
     "When you walk through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." (Isa.43:2-3)
     Notice, it's not if you pass through waters and flames...nope, it's when.  We will all pass through those raging fires of life--or even those minor little brush fires.  That's what happens in marathons.  It's never smooth sailing the whole way.  Never.
     But God promises to be with us.  To walk with us, to lead us, to forgive us, to help us, to strengthen us, to shape  us, to encourage us,  to use us, to love us...all the way to the finish line.
     And so, in the meantime, we need to keep our gaze fixed upon Him rather than our circumstances.  After all our hope isn't in our circumstances...it's in our God who is sovereign over our circumstances.  And whatever He's allowed, He will use it for our ultimate good and His greater glory.
     Our job is just to stay faithful in our marathon, rejecting those thoughts of defeat or discouragement or even despair, and trusting in Him. As Francois Fenelon once declared, "We must leave to God all that depends on Him, and think only of being faithful in all that depends upon ourselves."
     So, marathoning lesson part two--stay fixed on God, stay faithful, and stay focused in hope.  Because you might be in a tough spot in the marathon today...but it could all change tomorrow.  It's always too soon to give up.  Not with God!
     To God be the glory.

College golf marathoning lessons

     Life's a marathon.
     When I told my husband that's what I learned yesterday, he wryly responded, "You've lived over 50 years, and you've just learned that?!"
     "Some of us are slow learners," was my curt answer.
     And some lessons in life we need to learn and relearn and relearn and relearn...
     But here's where I grasped this lesson yet again: at our son's college golf tournament.
     The picture above is from the beautiful golf course at Mimosa Hills in Morganton, located in the foothills of the North Carolina mountains.  Davidson College played in a tournament there, and my husband and I were both able to come (thanks to my wonderful sister, Mary Norris, who manned the fort back at home!! My boys were in paradise!)
      Let me briefly explain how college golf tournaments go down.  They typically last two days. The second day competitors play a mere 18 holes.  But the first day, O my, the first loooooooong day, consists of the guys playing 2 rounds of 18 holes.
      Now that might not sound like a big deal to you, but we're talking 36 straight holes of golf.  No breaks in-between rounds. No breaks for lunch or snacks.  No breaks for the restroom.  No breaks to gather your wits about you or check your text messages.  No breaks for squat.
     Nope, like the energizer bunny, these college kids just keep playing and playing and playing.  They start at 8:30 in the morning and play straight through till about 6:30 in the evening.  In case you're mathematically challenged (or your last name is Fountain) that's 10 straight, stinking hours of golf.
     And they carry their own bags...which weight approximately 350 pounds.  I can't even lift one.
     And they walk the whole way--no riding in carts like us wimpy country club types.
     And they bear the stress and strain of one of the world's most nerve-wracking sports that's scientifically designed to break you down.  One minute you're riding high and playing great, and the next you hit one bad shot or suffer from one terribly unfair bounce, and the wheels can fall off the bus.
     Yep, this game requires herculean backs, great hand-eye coordination, enormous patience, and nerves of steel.
     But that's nothing compared to what we parents have to endure.
     We get to walk those same 36 holes...okay, albeit without the 350 pound bag or the inability to take a break of any kind or the stress of playing this sometimes insane game.  But still, come one, we parents must bear the weight of the world as we watch, stewing in our own war of worry and attrition and alternate moments of elation and despair.
     But here's the thing--it's a marathon, especially that first day.   And yours truly tends to forget that.
    At one point our son was struggling a bit in the first round.  Some bad breaks, a missed put here and there, an approach shot or two gone awry....which meant his mama was feeling that life as we know it on this planet was about to end.  Okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration.  But I did think I would drop dead right there on the course due to a self-induced heart attack.
     Of course, I continued to try to smile sweetly and act as if life was lovely and wasn't this so much fun and so relaxing to watch this frustrating game.  But instead of acting concerned in the least, my son said to us in passing something to the effect of, "Oh, I'm fine.  We still have 25 holes to play today, [O mercy, I thought, I'll be long dead before then], and I can get it back."  He was calm and composed and even a bit upbeat.  What?!  (My son looking, incredibly, relaxed before a putt--)

    My husband, inexplicably, had the same semi-relaxed attitude...presumably because unlike his slow-learning wife, he has completely mastered the truth that life--and college golf--is a marathon and sometimes we just need to keep our eyes on the prize and keep on plugging and trying our best and entrusting the results up to the Lord.
      Truth like "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." (Rom.12:12)  Or "May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in life." (Col.1:11-12)  Or "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)  O gee, I get it--maybe the Lord wants us to actually apply and live out the Truth of His Word!
     And guess what?  Much as I hate to admit it, my husband was right.  (Hear that honey?  You might want to take note as those words can sometimes be challenging to wring from the lips of us wives--"My husband is right.")   Our son kept walking and playing and trying and trusting and refusing to give in to doubt or discouragement for that long, long marathon day of golf.  And wouldn't you know it, by the end of the day, he had recovered, finishing under par and having a great finish.
     Mama was still alive (though just barely) having learned, once again, that life is a marathon...but that our God is forever faithful and walks beside us.  And that some days we just need to keep our gaze on God while our feet keep walking and our hearts keep trusting that the Lord will somehow, someway pull us through if we refuse to give in or give up.
      (And along the way, don't forget to notice the glory of God on display all around you--life may be a marathon, but it's oftentimes a beautiful one.  The view from one hole when I ceased striving and stressing for long enough to gasp at God's foothills scattered about us--)

      So in case you're slogging along today, in the midst of a challenging or frustrating or exhausting marathon, remember: keep on walking; keep on trying; keep on gazing at the glory of God; keep on clinging to His Word; and keep on trusting that He will somehow get you through all the way to the end.
     And one day all that marathoning will be so worth it as you experience His infinite goodness and amazing grace and give Him glory throughout eternity....and maybe even play a round of two of golf...with joy and laughter.  To God be the glory.

   

Dressing up!

                     Just a little food for weekend thought--

     Okay, it's been a slightly frustrating week.  Let's just leave it at that and move on.  Still dealing with some worries over...oops, there I go again. Rehearsing my woes rather than restating my reasons for worship!  Isn't that just our tendency--go back to the same old empty well of fretting and complaining rather than praying and thanking?  It all comes from focusing on our circumstances rather than fixing our eyes upon Christ.
     And sometimes, we just have to take the bull by the horns, and tell our emotions to take a hike and instead to bend to the dictates of our will as directed by God's Word.
    We need to take off our fear and selfishness and pride...and instead choose to put on the clothing of faith and love and humility.
      Col.3:12-17 "¹² Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness,humility, meekness, and patience, ¹³ bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴ And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."  
     Doesn't that just say it all!  Time to take off our tired, old clothing of complaining and worrying and put on His robes of thanking and trusting.  
     But just in case we need a tad more encouragement, here's what good old C.S.Lewis says (and he began by talking about the Lord's Prayer):

     "Its very first words are Our Father. Do you now see what those words mean? They mean quite frankly, that you are putting yourself in the place of a son of God. To put it bluntly, you are dressing up as Christ. If you like, you are pretending. Because, of course, the moment you realize what the words mean, you realize that you are not a son of God. You are not being like The Son of God, whose will and interests are at one with those of the Father: you are a bundle of self-centered fears, hopes, greeds, jealousies, and self-conceit, all doomed to death. So that, in a way, this dressing up as Christ is a piece of outrageous cheek. But the odd thing is that He has ordered us to do it.
     Why?  What is the good of pretending to be what you are not?  Well, even on a human level, you know, there are two kinds of pretending.  There is a bad kind, where the pretense is there instead of the real thing; as when a man pretends he is going to help you instead of really helping you.  But there is also a good kind, where the pretense leads up to the real thing.  When you are not feeling particularly friendly but know you ought be be, the best thing you can do, very often, is to put on a friendly manner and behave as if you were  a nicer person than you actually are.  And in a few minutes, as we have all noticed, you will be really feeling friendlier than you were.
     Very often the only way to get a quality in reality is to start behaving as if you had it already.  That is why children's games are so important.  They are always pretending to be grown-ups--playing soldiers, playing shop.  But all the time, they are hardening their muscles and sharpening their wits so that the pretense of being grown-ups helps them to grow up in earnest.
     Now, the moment you realize 'Here I am, dressing up in Christ,' it is extremely likely that you will see at once some way in which at that very moment the pretense could be made less of a pretense and more of a reality.  You will find several things going on in your mind which would not be going on there if you were really a son of God.  Well, stop them.  Or may realize that, instead of saying your prayers, you ought to be downstairs writing a letter, or helping your wife to wash-up.  Well, go and do it." 

     Good stuff!  So, today, let's choose to put on the clothing of Christ--His love, His joy, His peace, His patience, His grace...and trust that He is changing and making us more and more into His likeness day by day. Let's dress up in Jesus!   To God be the glory.

Breathe...pray...breathe...pray...

     Can I just confess right now that I am an exceptionally slow learner?  I mean, as in a glacially, horrifically, slow learner...and a fantastically, remarkably, quick forgetter.  Yep, that would be yours truly.
     Because here's the thing--I know to pray.  I can recite Bible verses on prayer and quote inspiring quotes on prayer and sing songs on prayer...but then, when the rubber meets the road, how often do I fail to make prayer the FIRST thing I do?  No, not the "Well, nothing else is working, so I better pray" option.  Not the "This is truly a desperate, totally out-of-my-control, so what else can I do but pray" option.   And not even the "I've talked to all my friends and my family and told them to pray, so I think it's about time I prayed too" option.
     NO!  O Lord Jesus, might prayer be the very first thought that comes to mind.  Let prayer be not just second nature but as natural and necessary as taking the next breath after this one that we're taking right now...and then this one...
     We breathe, therefore we pray.
     We grieve, therefore we pray.
     We feel the beginning tinges of anxiety over some issue--big or small--starting to lock it's icy grip on our my hearts, therefore we pray.
     We want to control rather than cast our burdens, therefore we pray.
     We want to find any lesser substitute, therefore we pray.
     Thank You for the reminder today, Father, that You long for us to bring every single concern in our lives straight to the throne room of heaven.  Not just the massive needs of wreckage that can haunt our lives from time to time...but also the seemingly routine, commonplace worries that can rob our joy and steal our peace in our daily lives.
     Just last night, I felt such a "small" concern beginning to morph into a monster of worry and fretting over a possible issue with our daughter's wedding dress (complicated--but involving a possible problem with the store and whether the dress will come in).
     But instead of immediately taking it to the Father and obeying His command to take everything to Him in prayer, I indulged in a little Worry-party...and then a little What-can-we-do-to-deal-with-this-party...and even a Who-can-I-talk-to-about-this-party.  Geez.
     But praise God, He never gives up on those of us who are His slooooooow learning kids.  And He reminded me, once again, of one of my favorite passages in the Bible: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil.4:6-7)
     It's a command...but it's also a choice.  Our Heavenly Father doesn't suggest that we consider the option of praying and trusting.  He doesn't tell us it's a good idea to try trusting and praying every now and then.
      Nope, it's a command to pray with thanksgiving in ALL circumstances.  And why?   Because our Abba LOVES us!  Because He wants His children to come straight to the infinite Source of all power and peace an provision!
     But it's also a choice.  God doesn't compel us to pray.  We have to choose to decline our self-addressed invitation to our own worry-party or our control-party or our pity-party.  And instead, we have to choose to accept His invitation to "Come to Me all who  labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Mt.11:28)
     And so we come, Lord.  We come...and find not just rest, but also hope and wisdom and provision and perspective and peace and joy.  Boy, it never ceases to astonish me what a mighty God we serve.
     So today, let's slow leaners choose prayer--and thanksgiving--first...and last and everywhere in-between!  And then watch what our Heavenly Father will do.
      'Cause I just have an inkling that He loves to astound and amaze His children.  That's what even a tiny taste of His glory will do.  To God be the glory.
     

     I

Large petitions with thee bring

                               A little food for weekend thought:

     The words to the great hymn, "Thou art Coming to a King"--
Come, my soul, thy suit prepare:
Jesus loves to answer prayer;
He Himself has bid thee pray,
Therefore will not say thee nay;
Therefore will not say thee nay.

Thou art coming to a King,
Large petitions with thee bring;
For His grace and power are such,
None can ever ask too much;
None can ever ask too much.

With my burden I begin:
Lord, remove this load of sin;
Let Thy blood, for sinners spilt,
Set my conscience free from guilt;
Set my conscience free from guilt.

Lord, I come to Thee for rest,
Take possession of my breast;
There Thy blood bought right maintain,
And without a rival reign;
And without a rival reign.

As the image in the glass
Answers the beholder's face;
Thus unto my heart appear,
Print Thine own resemblance there;
Print Thine own resemblance there.

While I am a pilgrim here,
Let Thy love my spirit cheer;
As my Guide, my Guard, my Friend,
Lead me to my journey's end;
Lead me to my journey's end.

Show me what I have to do,
Every hour my strength renew:
Let me live a life of faith,
Let me die Thy people's death;
Let me die Thy people's death.

      I awoke early this morning burdened by a number of dear friends in hard places--serious illnesses, prodigal children, aging parents, terrible losses of loved ones.  But even in the predawn darkness, the Lord immediately brought the words from this hymn to mind, especially "Thou art coming to a King, large petitions with the thee bring; for His grace and power are such, none can ever ask too much."  
     Thank You, Father, that You invite us to come to You and lay our burdens down and You will give us rest.  "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me." (Ps.50:15)   "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God." (Ps.42:11)
     Such is our God and there is none other.  Might we this day bring our large petitions to Him, trusting that "He is able to far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within  us." (Eph.3:20)  
     He is mighty to save, and we will come before Him with our petitions large and small, trusting in His perfect power, perfect love, and perfect plan.  To God be the glory.

Tossing a football...and rejoicing

     Boys tossing the football...and mom enjoying boys tossing the football.
     The simplest and the best things in life are free, aren't they?  A spectacular fall day.  The camaraderie of siblings.  The warmth of a hot mug of tea.  The clean, bracing smell of autumn air.  The laugher of children. The anticipation and excitement of the change of seasons (which means Thanksgiving's coming--my favorite holiday!)  The sound of the first bird singing in the early morning (I heard it today--way to go, little guy! You're the first one to rejoice in the new day with a happy chorus!)
     The joy of being in this moment--this one, right now--and thanking God for the gift of being alive.
     "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.  My soul makes it boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.  Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together." (Ps.34:1-2)
      What a difference that perspective will make in our days--rejoice in the Lord at ALL times and with praise continually on our lips.  Ready to praise Him for boys playing football...and hot baths...and pumpkin cake...but also carpool lines (that means our children can go to school)...and laundry (someone in your life to love)...and doctor's visits (medical care readily available)...and car problems (you have a car)...and fresh new starts on a bright new morning.  "Morning by morning, new mercies I see."
     Open our eyes, Father, to see Your mercies.  How often do we rush about in our busyness and haste or in our frustration and disappointment and we miss all the wonders of a new day that You, in Your grace, have given us.
     Too impatient.  Too preoccupied.  Too self-absorbed.  And so we miss it.
     I've always loved Ps.119:18 "Open my eyes to the wondrous things from Your law."  Yes, open our  eyes, Lord, to all the joyous promises and provision of Your love letter to us, the Bible.  Open our eyes to You and Your glory, as revealed in Your Word, in Your world, and in the wonders of all the daily gifts all about us.  Take us off of autopilot and help us to be fully engaged and tuned in to You and Your wonders.  
     We may not have tomorrow to rejoice.  So let's do it today.  Slow us down, Lord.  Slow us down today so that we might truly see and savor and then rejoice.
     We're in this together--so "magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together."  To God be the glory.

Rejoicing with the stars

   "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims His handiwork.  Day to day pours out speech, and nights to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard." (Ps.19:1-2)  
     The music of heaven singing to the glory of the Creator.  When God spoke the cosmos into being, the world itself rejoiced: "... the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy." (Job 38:7)  What's my excuse?
     I awoke early yesterday morning feeling weary and worn...and starting to veer towards self-pity.   Soldiering through the early morning, it wasn't until I paused long enough to remove my gaze from myself and move it to the only place where it ever should rest-upon the Almighty--that everything changed.  Sometimes we need a little kick in the pants--maybe a bracing splash of Gospel sanity--to remind ourselves we're staring at the wrong object.  Stare at God, discover joy and peace.  Stare at anything else, descend into frustration and restlessness.
     As I read many years ago--"Gaze at God; glance at all else."
     Time to choose to rejoice in Him rather than rehearse our woes.  Time to start the day with praising the Creator and Redeemer rather than puttering busily about with our to-list.  One leads to joy and a renewed, refreshed heart; the other to grumpiness, irritation, and weariness.
      God had already refocused my heart when I looked outside the kitchen door while my youngest son and I hustled to get him ready for school--and God had painted the sky for us in pinks and blues.  O my.  It reminded me of something I read the just other day: "At least once a day I shall look steadily up at the sky and remember that I, a consciousness with a conscience, am on a planet traveling in space with wonderfully mysterious things above and about me."
     Sometimes we just need to reminded of how small we are and how big God is...and yet, how much He loves us.  He's not just Creator...He's our Redeemer.  Incredible.
     Thank You, Father, for the astounding wonders of Your creation...and for the greater wonder of Your gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.  Open our eyes, Father.  Open our hearts.  Help us to give the heavens and the stars a run for their money when it comes to worshipping and rejoicing in You!  To God be the glory.