Old age, selfies, empty nests…and JOY!

      "Peter, I'm almost 25.  That is so old."  (Just overheard Mary Norris saying this…which officially makes her mama older than dirt.  Ancient, actually.)
      "Mom, I'm moving next week to Charlotte!" (Said in an excited tone of voice by our second oldest child.  Lord I have a question--can we rethink this kids-growing-up-and-moving-away thing?)
      "Senior year in High School--I can't wait to go to college next year."  (From Preyer--our next to last child still at home.  This empty nest plan is a terrible idea, if you ask me.)
      "Honey, you do not look like that picture.  That's just a bad picture." (My sweet, but lying, husband.  I've heard this any number of times the past few years.  My stock response: "That is a photograph of me!  Of course, that's, unfortunately, what I look like!"  Sigh.  Reality can be tough.)
      I think it's time for a little revival, don't you think?--and I'm not talking about a facelift (though judging from my pictures--that mysteriously "don't look like me"--I could certainly use one).  Nope, we all need the supernatural revival that comes only from our resurrected Lord.  And guess what--His revival doesn't depend upon youth, good looks, or a happy home full of children.
      "Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in You?  Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation." (Ps.85:6-7)
      Our Lord is the source of all joy, for in Him is fullness of joy.  Our joy is not in ideal circumstances or ideal families or ideal appearances or ideal health.  No, our joy is in and through Him.  "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Ps.16:11)
      "…the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Neh.8:10)
      I loved this prayer from Scotty Smith: "Since your joy is my strength, Father, cause my heart muscle to beat afresh with your joy, the joy that fills the courts of heaven.  Holy Spirit, since joy is one of the fruits You grow in the lives of the children of God, please weed, prune, and fertilize my heart for a fresh crop.
      Jesus, since you are praying for the fullness of your joy to be in us (John 17:13), I will live with anticipation and hope, for your prayers never fail.  Though I've never seen you, I do love you, and I love you because you first loved me and gave yourself for me on the cross.  Fill me afresh with the inexpressible and glorious joy of the salvation you have won for us (I Pet.1:8-9)."
      Oh boy, aren't you thankful your joy doesn't depend upon the ever-vascillating, never-reliable circumstances of life?  No way!  Our joy grows out of the rock-solid, always trustworthy, and never, ever failing power, grace, love, promises, character, and cross of our Lord.
      So despite encroaching old age, unfortunate photographs, and relentlessly growing-up-and-leaving-home children, in our God is fullness and richness of JOY!  And "He who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think" (Eph.3:20) is also able to fill us with His overflowing joy.  Time to proclaim it!
     And speaking of less than flattering photos, even young folks and cute puppy dogs can fall victim.  These were selfies Peter took on the drive up to the mountains as Bingley sprawled out in his lap.

       Gotta love that nose.
       Note to (old age) self: do not take any selfies…ever…under any circumstances.
      Thanks for reviving me again, Lord…and for making me smile.
       To God be the glory.

"Get you up to a mountain"--to see His glory!

     My view right now from our porch--

      "Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, 'Behold your God!' Behold the Lord God comes with might, and His arm rules for Him; behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.  He will tend His flock like a shepherd; He will gather His lambs in His arms; he will carry them in His bosom and gently lead those that are with young. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?" (Isa.40:9-12)
       What an awesome Creator and Sustainer--He who "measured the waters in the hollow of His hand…and weighed the mountains in scales."  Can you imagine the immensity of such a God?  The unimaginable vastness of His power?
      And yet, He is also our Good Shepherd, who tenderly and gently leads and carries us.
      Stunning, almighty power…yet also sweet gentleness and grace.  The Lion and the Lamb.
      Such is our God, and there is none other.
      Sometimes we simply need a fresh vision of His greatness and glory.  In the nitty gritty of life, we tend to lose sight of how awesome, how wondrous He is.  If we find ourselves overwhelmed with fear and anxiety, well, that's a good indication we've lost sight of the majestic gloriousness of our God.
      So, to borrow the Psalmist's words, if you've forgotten, time to "get you up to a high mountain!"  Or maybe get you to a wide ocean…or a rippling brook…or even a path in the woods.  Cease all your strivings for a moment, pause, look around, and be amazed at His wonderful handiwork on full display all about you.
      Will He who crafted such glories not also tenderly and perfectly care for you?
      As James Taylor once famously sang, "It's all a matter of opening up your eyes, and looking around…'cause it's all there."  Just walk outside and be astounded by the work of Your Creator and Redeemer:
      The busy, buzzing bumblebee--

     The fragile, ephemeral beauty of the butterfly--

     The sweet companionship of your dog--

     And that's just from a two minute trip out into the yard!  We need to open our eyes to His works all around us and open our hearts to the treasures in His Word and be amazed…and then transform that amazement into worship.
     So thank You, Father, for Your creation--so vast, so varied, and so reflective of Your glory.  And thank You for Your Word that reveals to us who You are, what You've done, and where Your children are headed (hint: glory!).  Open our eyes, this day, Father, that we might glimpse Your glory…and be transformed from glory to glory.
     To God be the glory.

On the hard days...remind us, Lord

     Lots of sadness going around these days.  Lots of tragedy and deep wells of sorrow and fear that sometimes threaten to swamp our hope, our peace, our trust.
     Horrific atrocities in Iraq, with innocents dying by the score as the world seems helpless to do anything to stop this genocide.  Ebola rampaging across Africa, reaping inevitable death and terror in it's wake.  And again, the world seems shocked, stunned and stumbling in it's response.  Death, rioting and looting in a town in our nation--are we coming apart at the seams?  And then the sad, senseless suicide of a man who made us all laugh…and we wonder: did the laughter merely camouflage a chasm of tortured pain and loneliness?  And then there's dear, dear friends valiantly fighting battles against cancer and other diseases.
     And all we can do is cry out: "Help us, Lord Jesus!  Save us."
     In the gospel of John, Jesus comes to the tomb of one of His dearest friends--Lazarus--now dead four long days.  And Jesus does something remarkable--He wept.  Yes that's a totally natural response in the face of death.  But here's the thing: Jesus knew that in a matter of moments, He would raise this man to new life.  The Lord fully understood that wonder, joy, and celebration would be breaking out in mere seconds when He commanded, "Lazarus, come out!"  And a dead man, still wrapped in his linen shroud, would shuffle out.
      Jesus knew every bit of this…and yet He wept.
     Why the tears?  Because that's the heart of God on display for all of us.  Not only His tender love and compassion for His grieving children, but also His sorrow and hatred of the putrid effects of sin on this broken planet.  All that sickness, sorrow, death, despair, isolation, hatred, fear.  Jesus grieved, even as He prepared to redeem and resurrect.  What a Savior.
     I know I'm not alone in looking around me and feeling both terribly sad as well as fearful, wondering where this is all headed.  Asking God to move and show forth His power in a mighty, redeeming way in this world that so desperately needs Him…yet so stridently rejects Him.  Oh Father, we need not only Your supernatural power and healing…we urgently need Your grace.
     But even as I pondered these sorrows, the Lord's Word spoke into the sadness and confusion--
    "I have said these things to you that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
     He overcame not by the power of tyrants…or the intimidation of radicals …or the solutions of government…or the wisdom of the experts…or the butchery of extremists.
     No, He overcame by stretching His arms out wide and saying, "I love you this much.  Come, all who will come…and be saved by the blood of the Lamb."
     The gentle, sinless, perfect Lamb of God…who is the omnipotent, awesome, glorious Lion of the Tribe of Judah.  And He will not be defeated or deterred by any person or power, visible or invisible.
     And so on this day in August of 2014, we proclaim that our God is great, good, and glorious, and in Him, and Him alone, we place our trust. We join with the Psalmist:
     "But I will hope continually and will praise You yet more and more.  My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge.  With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteous of your righteousness, yours alone.  O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.  So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim Your might to another generation, your power to all those to come." (Ps.71:14-18)
     Yes, Lord, cancer…and death…and disease…and terrorism…and depravity may seem to shake the foundations of this earth.  But they will not win.  You will conquer them all, for You have already overcome the world and sin and death.
     When fear threatens to overwhelm us…remind us of Your greatness and glory, Father.  When despair rocks us…remind us of Your sovereign control over all, all, all things.  When sadness wants to swallow us…remind us of Your unconquerable joy, hope and peace.
     And when any lesser power, thing, or person steals our security…remind us, in the words of Joshua,  to "Be strong and courageous.  Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)
     If we go to the killing streets of Iraq…You are there.  If we go to the bloody dust of Africa…You are there.  If we go to the cancer ward…You are there.
     And You will never, ever leave us nor forsake us.
     You will overcome.
     And we--praise God--are in You.
     To God--the Lamb who washes away sin and the Lion who destroys every enemy--be all the glory.

Time to do!

     Looking at the Mount Everest of laundry piles and the Grand Canyon of to-do lists...Oh mercy-- can I just grab a good book and curl up on the sofa?
    Yep so much to do, but feeling sort of like this--

     Or like this--

     As my dear friend, Pamela, commented--"Don't those seals make you feel thin?"  Why yes, as a matter of fact, they do!  No wonder we enjoyed them so much.  But remembering these remarkable creatures--in addition to boosting the old self-esteem when it comes to weight management--also, unfortunately, encourages in me a spirit of laziness and indolence.  
     And clearly, laziness is contagious (is this what parental indolence can do to children?)--

     Yawn.  Life is short and that to-do list it so long--time to take a nap.  Or check email.  Or peruse a magazine.  Or eat chocolate.
     Yeah, right.  Sometimes we simply have to grab ourselves by the old bootstraps and preach ourselves a little sermon.  It's not good enough to understand the truth and know what  you should be doing.  Nope, you've got to do it.
     And that's means we can't wait for the right feelings.  We can't forgive someone when we finally feel ready to offer that forgiveness.  We can't read our Bibles and pray when we eventually find the time and the feelings...because, guess what?  That time and those feelings rarely, if ever, come.   And we can't do whatever it is that God is calling us to do right now if we're waiting till we somehow mysteriously drum up the desire to obey.
      No, no, no.  We forgive...we read the Word and pray...we obey and act based upon our will to be faithful--as invigorated and guided by the Holy Spirit.  We do it in spite of those feelings of indolence or indifference.  We can't just think about it.  We have to follow through and do it.
      James put it this way: "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?...But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." (James 2:14,18)
       We are saved by grace alone, in faith alone.  Period. Our works can never save us...but they are evidence of the faith which we profess.
      And sometimes "works" mean, as Elizabeth Elliot once explained, "Doing the next thing."  Simply doing whatever it is that God has placed before you right now...and doing it to the very best of your ability, with a spirit of thankfulness rather than resentment.
      Tackling that mountain of laundry with gusto and gratitude...and thanking the Lord for the blessing of clothes to fold and the people you love who wear them.
      Taking on that distasteful chore you've been dreading and putting off...remembering that the Creator and Sustainer of the universe got down on His weary knees and washed filthy feet.  And the feet, mind you, of a few men who would betray and deny Him.  What was that task I thought was beneath me?
     Turning to the Bible and asking God to convict us, teach us, stun us, encourage us with His living, breathing Word.
      "Doing the next thing" rather than simply thinking about it.
      I love how C.S. Lewis expressed this in Screwtape Letters.  Screwtape, the senior devil advises the younger tempter: "The great thing is to prevent his doing anything. As long as he does not convert it into action, it does not matter how much he thinks about this new repentance.  Let the little brute wallow in it.  Let him, if he has any bent that way, write a book about it; that is often an excellent way of sterilizing the seeds which the Enemy [i.e. God] plants in a human soul.  Let him do anything but act.  No amount of piety in his imagination and affections will harm us if we can keep it out of his will.  As one of the humans has said, active habits are strengthened by repetition but passive ones are weakened.  The more he feels without acting, the less he will be able ever to act, and in the long run, the less he will be able to feel."
      Yep, time to stop feeling or thinking without acting.  Time to do the next thing in obedience to the Spirit's urging.  
      Some days that may entail calling that estranged friend...or putting aside the chores to spend time with a loved one...or writing that note...or picking up the Word...or tackling that project...or folding that laundry...  Whatever it is, time to do.
      Or as my husband and I often remind each other, in the words of the great theologian, Yoda (of Star Wars fame), "Do not try.  Do."
      To God be the glory.
     
   

Don't run away...run to the throne

     August already.
     Which means the start of school approaches at a gallop.  And that TV commercial for school supplies that has the parent singing, "It's the most wonderful time of the year"--I beg to differ.  In fact, right this moment I can feel the pressure starting to rise as I consider: homework (and nagging about getting homework done--ugh)...suddenly, shockingly busy schedules...meetings...more meetings...no more staying up late or sleeping in...getting children off to college...all those projects I planned to do over the summer but never came close to finishing (or even beginning). 
     Not to mention completing--or in the case of one of my children, starting--all that summer reading.  Then throw in an challenging assortment of concerns that tend to weigh us down with worry--from aging parents to ebola to world conflict to children growing up and moving away to heartbreaking struggles our loved ones are enduring...
     Oh my, it's enough to make you want to throw away all those back-to-school forms, jettison your cell phone and voluminous to-do list, grab a book, and speed off to some isolated island or remote mountain cave to live in happy denial of what's just around the corner.  Ready or not--back-to-school and back-to-busyness--here I don't come. I'm outta here.
     Nah, I don't think that will work.  And we all know that's not God's plan for His children. Do you remember the scene from the movie, "The Sound of Music" between the novice, Maria, and the Mother Superior?  Maria has suddenly abandoned her job as a governess and fled to the security of the convent in order to escape her feelings for the now-engaged Captain von Trapp.  The Mother Superior wisely but firmly tells Maria that she must go back.
     "These walls were not built to shut out problems," the Mother Superior counsels Maria.  "You have to face them.  You have to live the life you were born to live."
      Neither problems nor worries magically disappear by running away from them.  Just ask anyone struggling with an addiction--they can't run far enough or fast enough to escape their demons.  No, it's no use trying to sweep those anxious feelings under the rug...or drown them in diversions or distractions.  And we certainly don't want to wallow in those worries--though that's our, or at least my, tendency.  Right now I can feel the weight of worries pressing on my heart...and that's definitely not God's plan...and it's a dead-end, joy-stealing, peace-destroying path.
     So, Lord, once again, here I am--Your often faithless, fretting child.  We're told in Your Word: "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need." (Heb.4:16)
     What joy that we can come to Your throne of grace anytime, anywhere.
     It's a sovereign throne--a place of kingly power, glory, might and splendor.
     But it's also a throne of grace--a place of forgiveness, mercy, help, love, and peace.
     Thank You, Father, that when we feel anxious or uncertain or confused or overwhelmed, You welcome us to Your throne of grace...where we can find mercy and help for our every need.
     No, we don't run away from our worries or problems...we run to the awesome, powerful throne of grace.  And when we run to that glorious throne, we will always, always, always find mercy, comfort, and help for our needs.
      Just today, when I rushed to the throne with my list of worries, my Heavenly Father responded with His Word: "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, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil.4:6-7)
     Yes, I needed the reminder that it's a choice.  A choice to pray rather than fret.  A choice to worship rather than worry.  A choice to thank rather than complain.
     A choice to reject all that anxiousness and instead run to the throne of our Father, our Abba, and entrust it all to Him.  With thanksgiving.  'Cause He's totally, totally got it.  All of it.  And He's got us.
     So back-to-school and back-to-busyness?  Ready or not, here you come...but we're good...cause we're sticking close to the throne.  The throne of amazing, supernatural, always-sufficent-for-every-need grace.
     To God be the glory.
   

IOU'S

                        A little food for weekend thought--
     Remembering some things that bring joy to my heart and a song to my soul:
     Watching how much Bingley loves, loves, loves the water--whether a creek, a lake, or a mud puddle--

       The dancing, clear waters of Cane River--

      Eating dinner by the lake with our children (only missing wonderful Matt here) on father's day--

      The Pacific Ocean--

      The end of a long day on the golf course...but such peace, such beauty, and such joy in watching your son play--

      A perfect dinner overlooking the setting sun--

     The gift of an amazing family and spending time with them at Cane River fishing--

 Sitting on the porch in the mountains, gazing at God's wonders--

 
     But shouldn't this sense of joy and wonder be our constant refrain when it comes to God's Word as well?   Oh my, this convicts me for I know that all too often my love for the living, breathing, supernatural Word of my Lord falls woefully flat.  My response can sometimes be pale and pale, my heart divided and distracted when I open the Bible.  And that should never be!  The joys of this magnificent world should be a pale reflection of the beauty, joy, and wonder of our God as He is revealed in His eternal, perfect, satisfying Word.
     So what do we do when our desire for God's Word grows dim or our focus is distracted?  How do we rekindle our excitement and joy for the Bible?  I loved these words from John Piper!  He says when he struggles with this (for we all do at times),  he prays through his IOU'S.
    I--"Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain." (Ps.119:36)  Even the Psalmist sometimes struggled to have a heart that was inclined towards God and the things of God!  So pray and ask God to incline our hearts towards His commands.
    O--"Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law." (Ps.119:18)  I've always loved this verse.  We need to ask God specifically to open our eyes to glimpse and understand the wondrous, amazing things contained in His Word.  Show us the treasures, Lord!
    U--"Unite my heart to fear Your name." (Ps.86:11)  John Piper, like the rest of us, can sit down to read the Bible and suddenly he's noticing that buzzing fly on the wall...or remembering some forgotten errand.  Our hearts can be so distracted and divided, can they not?  So we join the Psalmist in pleading that God would unite our fragmented hearts so we can focus on His Word.
     S--"Satisfy us in the morning with Your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days." (Ps.90:14)  Surely the best prayer of all!  We need to pray and ask God to satisfy us with His glorious and unceasing love so that we might be a people of deep and abiding joy.
    That's what is available to us in His Word--don't we want to experience such satisfaction, such wisdom, such gratitude, such joy?  I sure do.  But I know how weak and distracted I can be, so what a great reminder that we need to go to the throne of grace and pray these IOU'S...that God would incline our hearts, open our eyes, unite our hearts, and satisfy our souls in and by His Word.
     And we do it whether we feel like it or not.  As Piper says, "Even when you don't feel like it, keep tending the garden like a farmer who has to get out there everyday and pull the weeds and till the soil.  Not because that day the fruit will grow, but because someday in God's sovereign timing, it will grow if you keep tending the garden."
     On those days when it's a struggle to "tend the garden"--whether it's reading God's Word or simply living out His Truth--it helps to remember that we live by faith, not by feeling.  No matter how we're feeling, might we tend our garden--by reading His Word and praying those IOU'S--and trust that God will, in His sovereign and perfect timing, produce a harvest of righteousness peace, and joy.
     To God be the glory.
   

Rainy days...but wedding days!

      It's a rainy day.  Pouring down from slate grey skies.  The dry earth soaks up that nourishing moisture...but it's not much fun for walking or golfing or swimming or soaking up the rays or doing about anything outside.  Just a blah, sad-looking afternoon.
     And that's life, isn't it?  Day before yesterday the sun shone brilliantly, the birds sang symphonies, and the sky was so spectacularly blue it almost hurt your heart.  So much beauty.  So much happiness.  Yet today that seems like a far distant memory.
     But guess what?  That sun still shines strong and bright--just hidden for the moment by the clouds and rain.  That blue sky?  Still there in all it's magnificence giving glory to it's Creator.  We just can't see it...for the moment.
     So on days like this--when the rain pours...or the sorrow of loss overwhelms...or the worries of life threaten to swamp your rocking boat--it's good to remember that this too shall pass.  That our God is still on the throne...forever working...moving...superintending...loving...forgiving...restoring...redeeming.
     And making all, all, all things new.
     On those challenging, frustrating, discouraging days that come to all of us, it helps to remember who is in control--our great, gracious, good and glorious God.  What He is doing--bringing beauty from ashes, making all things new, bringing our ultimate good and His greater glory out of all things.  And where we're headed--to glory...to the marriage supper of the Lamb...to that wondrous day when faith becomes sight and joy reigns supreme and we'll each see our wondrous Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus, face to face.
     Oh glorious day.
     We're not home yet, though.  So today, just in case you need the tiniest reminder, the littlest foretaste of His lavish joy and perfect love, you might enjoy the video below.  It's a short wedding video of two precious-beyond-words young people who love one another and love their Redeemer.  Their love-- wonderful as it is--is still a pale, small reflection of God's unimaginably extravagant love for them...and for you.
      What a love.  What a Lord.  What a hope.
      So even on the hard days, when our hearts hurt and our hope fades and our faith falters, help us, Father, to remember Whose we are, what You are doing, and where we headed.  Come Lord Jesus, our Heavenly Bridegroom, come.
     "Prone to wander, Lord I feel it.  Prone to leave the God I love.
      Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above."
Mary Norris and Matt - Preview from Good Earth Films on Vimeo.
      To God--our loving, gracious, and glorious Bridegroom--be all the glory.