Golf...Frogs...and Remembering

        "Seven times a day I praise You for Your righteous rules.  Great peace have those who love Your law; nothing makes them stumble." (Ps.119:164-165)

       "Seven times a day I praise You..." and "Love Your law..."  How do we do that?  Well, we read God's Word,  memorize it, ponder it, churn it over in our minds throughout the day, savor it, enjoy nourishment from it, and, here's the kicker, obey it.  Or in other words,  we put it into practice in the nitty gritty of our daily lives.  Will we do that?  Because if we do, it's a sure-fire prescription for joy, peace and hope no matter our circumstances.  But when we don't?  Well, let me tell you about that...

         You see, my husband and I traveled to New Jersey with one of our youngest son for a golf tournament.  And let me say right off the bat, we had a truly wonderful time.   All you New Jersey detractors, if you'll head off the turnpike and into the little towns of NJ, you'll be amazed.  It's absolutely beautiful...and the people were incredibly nice.  Clearly southerners do not have a corner on hospitality.       

         The weather was great.  The food was terrific.  The tournament was spectacularly run and made all the competitors feel like kings and queens.  We loved meeting lots of truly wonderful folks, from the parents and grandparents of the other players, to the boys themselves (I'm sure the girls were great too,  but we were with the guys and their families), to the volunteers.  And you could even see the skyline of Manhattan from the putting green.  How about that?

 (Do you see it in the background?)  I may be a Tar Heel through and through, but no putting green in my beloved state of North Caroline can make that boast.
           Here's the other thing--I got to spend four straight days walking an absolutely gorgeous golf course with my husband...watching our son play golf...meeting and enjoying a number of terrific parents...savoring God's magnificent creation.  What's not to love?
           Nothing...except my crummy, no good, frustrating, terrible, ridiculous tendency to stress out and worry over about every putt and every shot.  I've sat in the ICU beside the bedside of our unconscious daughter...wouldn't you think I'd have some perspective on what really matters?  Wouldn't you think watching golf would be an absolute picnic in comparison?  Wouldn't you think I'd be savoring every moment and resting in God's undeserved goodness?
           Sigh.  Not so much.  Because it's amazing how quickly we forget to keep the main thing, the main thing.  How prone we are to forget Whose we are, Who's in control, and Who has us in the palm of His hand.  How easily we forget the priceless gift of God's amazing grace in our lives, His forgiveness, His love, His presence, His power...
           If you're anything like me, when the storm clouds gather...or circumstances don't go the way you hoped...or stress presses in, you become a spiritual amnesiac.
            That's why I so loved these verses, and especially that little phrase, "Seven times a day I praise You."  Because we need to have specific, intentional ways to remember.  
           To immediately recall and remind us when the deadlines approach or the crisis hits or the stress trigger looms, or the busyness of life simply overwhelms us, that God is right there with us. That He is worthy.  That He is beautiful.  That He is all we need.  That He's got us and those we love.  And that in all those situations that frighten us or those circumstances that disappoint us or those everyday struggles that defeat us, He's using them all, all, all for our greater good and His greater glory.  We may not be able to see it or understand it, but we can trust that it's true.  If you ever doubt that, look at the cross.  The most horrific injustice, the most terrible event, the most bewildering betrayal, suffering, and death...all resulted in the most unimaginably wondrous gift of love, grace, salvation, eternal life, heaven, and on and on.
             So we have to remember.  To do that we have to plant God's Word in our hearts and minds.  We need to think about it, pray it, savor it, speak it, and obey it.  And another practical way to remember is to praise Him continually throughout your day.  Maybe even program your phone to remind you seven times a day. Thank Him for HIs presence.  Praise Him for His creation.  Rejoice in His gifts to you in people, food, home, dog, health, books, songs... The possibilities are limitless! 
           Sadly, for several hours on the golf course, however, I forgot.  Oh mercy, what an impossibly slow learner and quick forgetter I am!  But you've got to love the Lord's grace and His sense of humor, because He gave me a tangible reminder right smack in the middle of the round of golf in the form of these little fellows--

        Now I've never ever described a frog as even remotely attractive, but there's a first time for everything, and these creatures were beauties!  The moment we spotted them, I immediately thought of my dear friend Beth and her mama who loved frogs and would always put frog emojis in  her texts to her children.  Why?  Because of the acronym for frog--Fully Rely On God. 

        It was like the Lord sending me a lifeline in the midst of my stress fog--"Emily, Fully Rely On God!  Fully Remember God!  Fully Rejoice in God!  Fully Rest in God!"  Stop worrying and start remembering.  Stop striving and start relying.  Stop stressing and start resting.  Stop worrying and start rejoicing. 

        Yep, for a little while, I forgot...and so instead of relying I was striving; instead of rejoicing, I was worrying; and instead of resting, I was stressing.  And in the process, I was sadly missing the joy of the moment, the beauty of place, the happiness of being with those I loved, and the wonder of God's presence with me.  Until God sent a few frogs to remind me.    

          Thankfully, the Lord didn't give up on me--His amnesiac, slow learning, sin-prone child.  And He won't give up on you either.  

          No matter how challenging or disappointing or frightening or overwhelming your circumstances, you have the choice today, right now, to turn to Him and simply rest in His presence.  To tell Him You can't...but He can.  To rely upon Him instead of all your own machinations and manipulations.  To rejoice in Him continuously throughout your day.  To return and run back to Him again and again after you forget and fail and fall down.  And He will be there with His nail-scarred hands stretched out wide to welcome you back in His loving, forgiving, grace-filled, peaceful embrace. 

           Golf...and frogs...and remembering--What an endlessly creative, forgiving, wondrous Lord we serve!  So today: Fully Rely On God.  Fully Remember God.  Fully Rejoice in God.  Fully Rest in God.  And be revived and restored and refilled.  Your Abba is waiting.  Run to Him.  

            To God be the glory.       

          

In need of water

           Well you just never know what a day will bring, do you?
           It all started off as a fairly ordinary Tuesday.  It had been a busy morning--getting one of our sons ready to leave on an overseas mission trip and then dropping him off at the airport.  Then rushed to a haircut.  Then zipped by good old Target.  Then, since my husband and another son were out of town for a golf tournament, the house would be still, and I arrived home happily anticipating the quiet hours ahead to get lots and lots of items crossed off on my to do list.  Yes sir, I ate some lunch, cleaned up, did some chores, and prepared to get busy as soon as I took a quick shower.
           Uh, except no water came out of the faucet.  I went to another bathroom--same thing.  Hmm.  I quickly discovered that we had no--as in NONE, NADA, ZIPPO--water in the house.  Suddenly I felt in even more dire need of a shower...and a glass of water...and what about that dirty laundry...and all the while, our  dog who never seemed to have enough water in his water bowl is glaring at me.
           I'll just cut to the chase here to explain that it turned out the city had CUT OFF OUR WATER.  Yes, we have never once missed a payment for our water bill.  And no, we did not get a notice of any kind.  Just bam--water cut off with no warning whatsoever.  Turns out, although we'd mailed the check, the city apparently never got it.  The solution, naturally, is not to contact you but to simply send a truck over to your house and CUT OFF YOUR WATER.  Seems like the nuclear option to me.  Please don't get the idea that I'm upset about it or anything.  Geez.
           Thankfully, we were able to reach the proper authorities and pay (for the second time, mind you) our bill over the phone, and then we learned the wonderful news that the city guaranteed the water would be cut back on by midnight...of the following day.  WHAT?!  That was mighty comforting.  All we'd have to do is have no water to drink, shower with, clean, and, ahem, flush the toilet, for another day and a half.  Oh my stars.  Thankfully, Bingley had no idea how desperate our plight was, but yours truly was feeling a wee bit panicked...and in need of a shower...and thirsty.
          While my mind raced and plotted about what we should do and where we should go, I heard a sound and looked out the window...and glory, glory, glory, it was one of the most beautiful sights I've beheld in quite a while--the city utilities truck had returned to cut our water back on!
           Voila, just like that, we were back in business!  We could shower, wash, drink, flush (sorry if that's too graphic!), and even water the half dead plants on our front porch! Such an abundance of wonderful water, water, water!
           I was so excited I exclaimed out loud "Praise  the Lord!"  And I meant it.  I don't think I've ever been so thankful for one of life's basic--but most vital--necessities.  Plain old, fabulous old, water.  Goodness, how often we take these truly great gifts for granted.
           And then I was immediately convicted as these verses came to mind--
           "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God."  (Ps.41:1-2)
           I'd suddenly realized how badly we needed water and had been desperate to get it, but what about the far more vital and life-changing need for my Savior?  Do I pant after the Lord like that?  Do I thirst for His Word and His presence like that?  Am I desperate to spend time with Him?  Do I happily, daily go to Him to be washed by His Word and be satisfied and filled with His thirst-quenching, strength-giving, joy-filling presence?
          Or do I run after poor pale substitutes to temporarily quench my thirst?  Busyness.  Material possessions.  Achievements.  Pleasures.  Distractions.  So many substitutes and not a one of them ultimately fills the emptiness and quenches the thirst...
          ...except Jesus.  The Living Water.  No wonder He said, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.  The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:13-14)
          Thank You, Father, for reminding me.  Forgive me for so quickly forgetting and for failing to run to You.  You are our Living Water.  You are the One who saves us, satisfies us, strengthens us.  If we have You, we truly have all we need...and if we have everything single thing this world can ever offer, but we don't have You, then we ultimately have nothing.
           Today, if you're feeling dissatisfied or discouraged, if you're feeling empty or thirsty, can I ask you to run to the One who is the Living Water?  Take your thirst and your emptiness, your sadness and your need, to Him.  To Him "who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think..." (Eph.3:20)  To Him who is the Bread of Life.  To Him who is the Resurrection and the Life. To Him who is the Good Shepherd.  To Him who is the Vine.  To Him who is the Door.  To Him who is the Light of the World.  To Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
           He has all you need, and in Him, you have all.  Might we thirst for Him this day and every day and run to the Living Water to be filled and refilled, redeemed and revived, refreshed and renewed.  Thank You, Jesus, thank You.
           To God be the glory. 

Don't be numbed by the "ordinary"

Yesterday, Mr. Bingley and I had a little adventure.  Not a big one, mind you, but well, it was pretty memorable if you ask me. 

 It was just a regular old Thursday morning.   And we followed our regular old routine...regular old breakfast for the boys....followed by regular old breakfast for Bingley...followed by getting out my regular old golf cap, Bingleys regular old leash, and my regular old ipod to listen to some regular old podcasts (which, truth be told, I love, love, love!  Thank God for technology so you can listen to so many amazing podcasts!  But that's for another day).  Finally, we headed out the regular old door for our regular old walk on our regular old route along the regular old greenway.

You get the picture.  We're talking ROUTINE.  Which, by the way, Bingley loves.  Everyday, it's as if he's never before seen us walk through the door or refill his water bowl or get his dry dog food or grab his leash.  It's all joyfully, wonderfully exciting and thrilling to him, and its all cause for a mini celebration every step of the way.   

Hmm, that'll teach right there, don't you think?  There's so much boundless wonder in our regular old days and routines, but we allow that very routine to numb us to the wonders and the joy.  Where have you become numb and unappreciative to the remarkable, even miraculous, gifts of the people, places, routines, and activities in your life because they've become part of the "regular old" landscape of your life?  

Don't do it!  Right now, pause to look around and be astounded at the comforts you enjoy, the beauty of the world outside, the joy of the people you love, the happiness of a loyal pet.  See them.  Savor them.  And thank God for them!  But I digress, sort of. 

So Mr. B and I headed out to the greenway, and almost as soon as we arrived, Bingley noticed a deer standing in the woods right beside the path.  Nothing too unusual there as we see deer pretty frequently (but I always admire their beauty...Bingley admires the fact that he wants to RACE after them.  Sigh).  This deer stood stock still and simply stared at us.  And in return, Mr. B rudely tried to run after him.  

The usual happened: the deer streaked off into the woods....

And then the very, very unusual occurred...

The deer raced right back towards us and began following us.  He/she (I have no idea but am assuming she was a girl since there were no antlers) ran along in the woods right beside us, sometimes cutting across the path in front of us.  I reversed directions to lose her...and a moment later, here she came again running right beside us.  We reversed directions repeatedly, and every time she charged right back and raced and leaped beside us.  

Now, maybe she was trying to be friendly and make contact with us, and I'm just a wimpy city girl, but this began to somewhat alarm me.  Even Mr. B seemed anxious.  He no longer tried to run after her but kept nervously looking her way and most definitely not making a move in her direction.  

So I decided to cut up through the woods that are the back way to our cul de sac.  

Guess what?   She followed right along.  Here she is (if this is boy, I apologize to all deer)--

        Yes, she was this close and often got closer, but this is the best I could do under the circumstances given the somewhat agitated state of mind of Mr. B and myself. 
         By the time we reached our street, Bingley and I broke out in a run to our house and raced inside.  (In hindsight, this sounds totally pathetic to be scared of a deer, but there you have it.)  Low and behold, our deer friend ran back and forth in our front yard a number of times before she finally gave up and headed back to the woods.
         Now, let me be honest: I have no idea what to make of all this.  I've got no deep spiritual lessons about deer panting after streams of water or hind's feet in high places.  But here's what I do know: as part of an ordinary routine on an ordinary day, something pretty unusual--even astonishing--occurred and broke through my lethargy. 
         And it made me suddenly sit up and take notice.  Notice the beauty of the woods.  Notice the amazing plethora of birds and flora and fauna that were all around us.  Notice the nice people walking by.  Notice the happy feeling of a warm summer morning--sunny, not too hot or cold.  Notice the wonderful scents of cut grass and honeysuckle.  Notice the joy of being able to walk and breathe and listen and see and smell. 
          I was reminded anew what a remarkable, joyous, miraculous gift this thing--this fragile thing--called life is.  Yes, to be sure, life has myriad sorrows and challenges and tragedies.  Not a day goes by that we don't miss terribly those we love who've gone on to heaven.  (We miss you, Jo Anna and Ray and Lynda and Sam and...)  Even today, we mourn another suicide of a well known TV personality and chef.  It makes me incredibly sad to think of such a depth of hopelessness and sadness that could lead to that.  We live in a world filled to overflowing with hurt and hardship. 
         But oh my, even in the midst of all that, there's still wonder all around us.  There are people to be noticed and appreciate and loved.  There are dogs to enjoy and shower with affection.  There are babies to be snuggled.  There is beauty to be seen and savored.  There is music to listen to, food to be tasted, walks to be taken, sun to be felt, books to be read, scents to be smelled. 
        Oh might we "taste and see that the Lord is good." (Ps.34:8) 
        Might we notice...appreciate...savor...thank...serve...encourage...and love those God has placed in our lives.  Today.  We have today to do it, so don't allow the routine or the ordinary to blind you to the unfathomable gifts of the people, places, and activities of your daily life.  There's shimmering, sparkling gold in those barely disguised treasures.  And they are, to be sure, priceless, irreplaceable treasures.   
        I love how The Message puts it in Rom.12:1 "So here's what I want you to do, God helping you.  Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life--and place it before God as an offering.  Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him." 
        Help us, Father, to truly see and to savor.  To serve and to share.  To love and to hug.  To appreciate and to rejoice.  To encourage and to thank.  And in it all and through it all, to look to You and give You all the trust, all the thanks, and all the glory.  For You are infinitely worthy.
        To God be the glory.

Lessons from JoAnna

         "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.  For it they fall, one will lift up his fellow.  But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to life him up!"(Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
          "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." (Prov.17:17)
          Thank You, Father, for the priceless, beautiful gift of friends and family.  Forgive me, forgive all of us for ever, ever taking it for granted.
          It's been a struggle to put words to paper recently.  Mourning the absence of our dear friend JoAnna has somehow taken the wind out of my sails.  Golly, I know I speak for so many of us when I say, I just really, really miss her.  It's not like I saw her on a daily basis--no, I didn't enjoy that pleasure.  But whenever I saw her, my heart lifted, my mind was engaged and challenged, my attitude was energized, my spirits were always inspired and encouraged.  And there was always laughter! 
          JoAnna always made me want to be and do better.  Especially to love better.  To reach out to others. To be far more intentional in loving and encouraging others.  To fight laziness and passivity and instead to get out there make a difference.
          And now the thought that I can't reach out to her.  That I can't laugh with her.  That I can't learn from her.  That I can't simply talk with her.  That I can't tell her how much she means to me and to so many others.  Well, it's not just incredibly painful...it leaves an enormous hole for all who knew her.              That hole cannot be filled.  JoAnna--as is every person that we love--is simply irreplaceable.  But while we can't fill that emptiness, I'm starting to think that hole can and must be the powerful impetus and motivation for those of us still here in the shadowlands, to love better, more intentionally, and more consistently.  To check in with our friends more regularly.  To give our friendships more deliberate time and attention.  To tell and show our family members how much we love them. 
           To put aside our to do lists and focus instead on our to love lists.
           Because there are no treasures greater than the people that we love.  And those treasures will not be with us here on this earth forever.  Yes, we have heaven for that glorious forever--praise God!--but on this earth, we only have today to love well those God has put in our lives.  We're called to love here and now.  To share each others burdens here and now.  To weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice here and now.   To enjoy and savor and laugh with them here and now.  To serve and help and encourage here and now.  Oh might we truly treasure our treasures!
           But it's not just our dear family and friends.  JoAnna's tireless example reminds me that there is a hurting world out there full of people who desperately need to feel included...valued...appreciated.  Boy, JoAnna did that relentlessly--making sure folks felt welcomed and loved.  She didn't want anyone to feel left out or less than.  How I want to be quicker to reach out to others, and especially, like JoAnna, to those who might feel alone or marginalized or simply uncomfortable.
           I'll never forget a year or two ago when JoAnna called me to say she was coming to our house the next day.  It wasn't a request but an announcement...and when JoAnna announced, you listened and obeyed!  (Because she was always right...and she always did it in a winsome, wonderful way!)                 The reason for her visit?  Well, JoAnna and I were helping to host a bridal shower a few days from then, and she wanted to come on over to help me "get organized." (And Lord knows I need a LOT of help in that department.)  Clueless me, of course,  hadn't given it a second thought.  Here was yours truly's brilliant plan to prepare for the big event: a few hours before the shower, I'd vacuum up the reams of dog hair, shove all the books and junk into some out of the way closet, turn on the music, and open the front door!  Come on in and have at it, ladies!
             Thank the Lord for thoughtful, intentional folks like JoAnna.  She came in and helped me with all the books and junk (which we carried to the basement rather than the closet--so much easier to access later!).  But then she talked about "flow"--and how we'd have someone at the front door to welcome each lady when she came in...where we'd put the name tag table so folks could naturally walk there next and thus quickly figure out each other's names...where we'd put the drinks and food so women could easily and naturally chat and eat.
             In other words, everything JoAnna did and thought about had to do with ensuring that every person who entered that door the next day would feel warmly welcomed and included and valued.   Nothing haphazard about it--because love needs to be intentional.  Love needs to be practical.  Love need to be expressed and lived out and acted upon.
             Don't worry about what your house looks like...focus on how your house can be a warm and happy haven for all who enter. Don't obsess over what you're wearing to the party...fixate on what you're doing to welcome others and make them feel loved.   
            That's just a taste of the myriad lessons on life and love we've all learned and experienced firsthand from our dear JoAnna! 
            I'll close with a wonderful quote our daughter, Janie, shared with me just after JoAnna went home to heaven.  It's from Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
            "There is nothing that can replace the absence of someone dear to us, and one should not even attempt to do so. One must simply hold out and endure it. At first that sounds very hard, but at the same time it is also a great comfort. For to the extent the emptiness truly remains unfilled one remains connected to the other person through it. It is wrong to say that God fills the emptiness. God in no way fills it but much more leaves it precisely unfilled and thus helps us preserve -- even in pain -- the authentic relationship. Further more, the more beautiful and full the remembrances, the more difficult the separation. But gratitude transforms the torment of memory into silent joy. One bears what was lovely in the past not as a thorn but as a precious gift deep within, a hidden treasure of which one can always be certain.”
           I'll end where I began--thank You, Father, for the priceless, beautiful gifts of friends and family, and forgive us for ever taking these treasures for granted.  Help us to love well, to love intentionally, to love relentlessly, and to love by Your Spirit and for Your glory...all the way till You take us to our heavenly, forever home. 
          To God be the glory.