A Song

                           A little food for weekend thought:
     "The most absurd and the most rash hopes have sometimes been the cause of extraordinary success."  Luc De Clapiers, 18th-century French writer
     Or as Winston Churchill famously declared in the midst of the darkest, most desperate moments of World War II, "Never, never, in nothing great or small, large of petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.  Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy... Never, never, never give up."
      Don't know what enemy you might be facing today, but I want to remind you--"For nothing is impossible with God."  (Luke 1:37)  And He is still the God of miracles--great and small.  And the God who enters with us into our struggles and our heartbreaks, who cries with us,  loves us, but then enables us to scale heights and move mountains we never imagined possible in our wildest dreams.
     He is using those dark, unyielding places in our lives in ways we do not know and cannot see... all, absolutely all, in seemingly impossible ways for our ultimate good and His greater glory.
     And when we cannot see that... we choose to see with eyes of faith while we wait and trust.  Because believing is seeing.  As Jesus said to Martha just before He raised Lazarus, dead four long days, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
     This past friday and saturday, Broughton High School had their Queen of Hearts assembly and dance.  I well remember a little over five months ago thinking of all Janie would miss in the year ahead, and one of the things my husband and I said, in one of our darker moments, was "And she'll miss her senior year... and Queen of Hearts... and so, so much."...  But so many prayed.
     O ye of little faith.
     And all the while, God was preparing to roll away stones.  Believe and you will see.
     And when Janie, praise God, woke up, her voice was shot from having that tube down her throat for all those weeks.  She was so hoarse for months.  We wondered, would she sing again?...  But so many prayed.
     O ye of little faith.  Believe and you will see.
     And God healed her voice and gave her back the gift of music.  But then we discovered she had the flu this week.  And that was a low point.  Yet another setback, and now surely she would not be able to sing and might miss Queen of Hearts after all...  But so many prayed.
     O ye of little faith.  Believe and you will see.



     "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be the glory... forever and ever. Amen." (Eph.3:20-21)
     Thank You for giving us a song to sing, Jesus, even in the darkness.  Might we sing it to Your glory and by Your grace... for even when we cannot see, we choose to believe.
     To God, and God alone, be the glory.

Dave and Dave

     Just in case you needed an excuse to smile today:

     This fellow just appeared in our neighbor's yard the other night.  And what can I say?  How on earth can you possibly walk or drive past that everyday without grinning?  I'm not sure if he has a name--but let's just call him Dave. I'll tell you why in a minute.
      Did you notice that Dave is covered from the tip of his horns to the bottom of his hooves with hearts?  Well, Dave is obviously wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day and reminding us all that this life is ALL about love--start to finish--the love of our Savior and the love He calls us to have for one another.
     Gee... and you thought cows were dumb.
     "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35.  Can I just add a totally unrelated editorial comment?  This book of John is just loaded with great stuff like this!)  Old Dave here is making it pretty clear he loves, really loves ... what about us?
     Yesterday, I ran out to Crabtree Mall with a list of errands.  Let me tell you, I was one woman on a mission--get it all done and get out of there and on to the next item on my lengthy to-do list.
     First stop, the tailor's to get several items altered.   No line--praise God!  And the ladies there are always so nice.  I get all my stuff together (okay, I've never ever "gotten all my stuff together" so this is a relative term) and head out to the counter to write down name and phone number, etc.  I just happen to look over at the only other person in the shop who's just come out of the dressing room and realize, O my stars, that's Dave O!
     Maybe you don't know Dave (the non-cow Dave, that is).  If not, trust me, you're missing out on a burst of energetic joy!  Dave is a pastor, and a dear friend and mentor of Webb Simpson (if you don't know who he is, well, then, I just don't know what to tell you. Clearly you need to get out more... or talk to my boys).
     To hear Dave preach or just to talk to him is to love him.  You've never seen so much compressed energy, so much joyful love for the Lord.  Jesus just splashes and spills out of him.
     I love people like that.  Our pastor, Leon Tucker, is the same way.  And so many others--all in different ways, of course, because God made us all so uniquely different.  Some are quieter, more thoughtful.  Some large and loud.  Some just overflowing with gentle love and compassion (fill in my sisters right here!).  Some supernaturally wise.
     And some, like Dave--both Daves--just throwing out flashes of God's joy wherever they are. When Dave saw me, we had a little praise party right there in Lee's Tailors.  Seriously, we talked about all God had done through the girls accident, about his kids, about having a middle schooler (mercy and grace, Lord), and Dave was praising God and smiling and spilling out love and joy all over those bemused, very nice ladies in the shop.
      I sure wish I could've heard what those ladies talked about when we were gone.  But I can tell you one thing--they saw for certain what a Christ-follower should always be: overflowing with love and joy and gratitude.
     Like both the Daves, we can and should be the fragrant, refreshing aroma of Christ in a sometimes smelly world.
     "For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." (2Cor.2:15)  
     O Lord Jesus, help me to smell like You!   And like Dave.  Both of em.  To God be the glory.

Two Stories

     Hope you don't mind, but I'm casting my mind back one more time this morning, since it's related to something I shared at Bible study the other day.  It's a reminder of something John Piper once said that I've never forgotten: "In any given situation, in every circumstance, God is doing a thousand different things that you do not see and do not know."   
     We're casting our minds back to the day our little group of "January Babies" arrived in the Abacos.  It was late in the afternoon and just before it got dark, we enjoyed a quick glimpse off the back deck of the house that seemed to be suspended over the bluest, most beautiful ocean you’ve ever seen.  The view took your breath away.  

Well, very early the next morning, I awoke and crept downstairs in the predawn darkness, and guess what?  I could see absolutely no evidence of that astounding beauty.  The room was dark, outside was pitch black, and for all I knew, there was just a  black ugly void outside those windows.  I could have been anywhere in the world for all I could see that dark morning. I could have been in Raleigh or Apex.... or Newark, NJ (which, in case you’ve ever been there, is not a particularly beautiful place).  

Yet just outside that window was unimaginable beauty and peace and serenity and crystal clear evidence of our Creator and His glorious creation.  It was all right there--just hidden from my objective view. And I could have begun to doubt--maybe this was all a dream.  Maybe it's not really there at all.  Maybe I really am just here all alone...in Raleigh...or in Newark.   
     But you see, I had to remember: there was two stories going on: the story of what I could see--nothing but darkness--and at the same time the story of what I couldn’t see--unimaginable beauty that was right outside the window, temporarily hidden by the darkness. 

How often is that true in our own lives?  We start to doubt in the darkness what we learned in the light.
     But in our lives, there are always so many things going on that "we cannot see and do not know," for there are always at least two stories going on.  Our story that we can see and taste and touch... but then also God’s story--a deeper, greater, but largely invisible story.  

Our story is temporal; His eternal.  Our story is sometimes confusing and chaotic; His is always clear and perfect.  Our story can be sorrowful and sin-scared; His is forever a story of redemption and rebirth and renewal.  Our story can sometimes be ugly; His always beautiful.  Our stories every now and then can appear hopeless and desperate; His always brimming with hope and glory.   And our stories can end in death; but His always end in resurrection.
     And He's always transforming our imperfect stories into His perfect story. 
     So today, if you start to doubt God's love or wonder about His plan, remember... there are two stories going on, and the Master Author is working and moving and crafting His beautiful story and weaving it all into your story. And one day we'll all be able to see how He redeemed and used our little stories for our greater good and His greater glory.  Because He's just always up to something... and it's always good and glorious.  To God be the glory.  

Casting our minds

     Okay, I'm really not trying to rub it in with this picture, but I've been thinking about the beauty of the Abacos once again.  William Butler Yeats, the great Irish poet, wrote; "Cast your mind on other days..."  I love that, because it's another gift of this mind that the Lord has given us.  We have the power and the privilege to "cast our mind" upon other things when we need a change in perspective or priorities.
      In the midst of winter, we have thoughts of spring.  When struggling with sorrow, we recall all the sweet consolations Christ has given us in Himself and in those beloved people in our lives.  When tempted to succumb to envy or discontentment with our lot, we can start to simply count our blessings.   "Keep calm and count on."  And when we need a bit of light in our lives, we remember the laughter, the beauty, and the joys of fellowship and friendship.
     Sometimes it just helps to take a little trip in our minds, and start casting about for all that God has done for us and in us, doesn't it?  It won't take long before you feel that gratitude welling up and the joy spilling over.
     So right now, I'm just casting my mind for a moment upon the white sands and blue waters of the Bahamas.  And thinking: what a world our Lord has fashioned for those He loves!
     And what a God that He would give us the gift of friendship to enjoy that world.  You know, it always greatly enhances the joy and wonder in seeing something beautiful if you can turn to someone else and say, "O my, would you look at that?!  Can you believe that?!"  It's like eating a delicious meal with your eyes--that food always tastes great, (especially chocolate cake) but add some dear family and friends to the mix, and even the simplest repast becomes a joyous feast!
     So today, might we all do some casting with our minds--first to our great God and then to His gracious gifts in our lives.  Let's stop casting our minds upon we think we lack and start casting to all God has left to us in His grace and goodness. And while we're at it, let's cast our minds upon all the things we are thankful for in the people we love rather than the few things about them that irritate us!
     We'll give ingratitude and grumpiness the boot if we'll just recast our minds.
     For with the Lord, we'll always find a continual feast.  To God be the glory.

Flu

     "It comes the very moment you wake up each morning.  All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals.  And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.  And so on, all day.  Standing back from all your normal fussings and frettings; coming in out of the wind."  C.S.Lewis
     Yes, and we need to continue to do this as Lewis says, "and so on, all day."  It's not just a daily battle; it's an hourly battle.  To keep pushing out our "fussings and frettings" and keep breathing deep into Him and allow His "larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in."
     I just needed that reminder.  It's been an incredibly busy day, and here it is 10 p.m., and I'm finally sitting down for a quick moment to take a deep breath.  It's been a roller coaster day--wonderful Bible study, followed by taking Janie to the doctor and discovering she has the flu.  Mercy.  Bless her heart, she wanted to cry--just one more thing.  One more challenge. And not that these things ever come at a good time, but this is definitely not a good time for her.  
     And then the Lord just silently, gently breathed His life into me.  One moment I felt overwhelmed that we had to deal with something else, and the next, He just replaced it with His peace and a deep sense that this too was part of His plan.  If He's in control of all things--and He is--then this thing, too, is from Him.  And He will somehow use it--for our good and His glory.
     And one more blessing from the accident and our month in the hospital--perspective.  This is, after all, most definitely not the end of the world!  Just a little setback, and Lord willing, a very short one, we pray.  
     God is always up to something, isn't He?  Sometimes we just have to wait and see ... and in the meantime, we'll keep trusting and praying and waiting and watching.
    And praising Him for Tamiflu!  He is, after all, the author of all good gifts.
    To God be the glory.

His Bread

                     Food for weekend thought:

     Woke up early this morning with a sigh, as I have much work to do on a Bible study lecture.  And multiple loads of laundry... not to mention a plethora of other chores associated with life.   Well, let's just say I felt a bit burdened and just didn't really want to get going.  Instead of getting to work doing what God had called me to do, I tinkered around the kitchen, doing this and that, wasting time really but still feeling that vague sense of uneasiness with all I had to do. 

     Finally, I prayed.  And the air began to clear.  My spirit began to lift.  And then I opened my Daily Light and read: "'Be strong... and work; for I am with you,' says the Lord of hosts." (Hag.2:4)  

     "I am the vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (Amen! John 15:5)

     "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  (gotta always love that one!  Phil 4:13)

     "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." (Eph.6:10)

     "Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.  Say to those who are fearful-hearted, 'Be strong, do not fear!'" (Isa.35:3-4)

     "Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (I Cor.15:57)

     Yes, I've read all these verses before, but the Lord knew that I needed them this very morning, at this very moment.  And so I pray that they might encourage someone else's heart this day as well.  For He gives these promises for each of us to grab with eager hands and eat with hungry hearts so that our bodies and spirits might be strengthened and sustained for the work ahead.  

     Might we make the choice this day to go in His might because we have first gone to His Word.  The Bread of Life will never ever fail to fill and fortify us.

     To God be the glory.

Reading Glasses

     It's early morning, and I am thankful for reading glasses.  Later in the day, when I have time to put it in, I'll be thankful for a reading contact lens. Okay, maybe it seems like a small thing, but believe me, it's not!  So, Lord, You are the Giver of all good gifts, and we are to be thankful in all things, so thankYou, Father, for these gifts that allow me to read.
      Because, you see, I'm getting older, and my eyes, well, let's just say they are aging semi-gracefully along with the rest of me.  Until just a few years ago, I laughed at my older brothers and sisters who seemed to have reading glasses on their heads, in their pockets, in their cars, and in every room of their houses--man, you've never seen so many reading glasses.  If there was ever a world-wide shortage, we'd know who to blame--my dear siblings.
     O yes, but pride goeth before the fall.  Because one seemingly ordinary day, I noticed that the print in the phone book had suddenly grown mysteriously smaller.  Gosh, this is irritating, I thought.  Why have they reduced the typeset on phone books?  Save money, I suppose.
     Yeah, right.  I guess that's what happened with the newspaper, with all the books I was reading, and even with email--within a few weeks, all that misplaced pride had vanished as I realized I had joined the ranks of the reading glasses-in-every-corner-of-every-room gang.  Yep, that's me.  Can't read a menu or a text or a little sign at the grocery store without my ubiquitous reading glasses.
     But here's the thing: what a gift these glasses are because when I put them on, the unintelligible instantly becomes intelligible!  All those indecipherable tiny dots and dashes almost magically turn into words to inform or warn or comfort or encourage or instruct me.  I can read God's Word and be sustained and strengthened when I put on my reading glasses.  O thank You Lord for the person who invented reading glasses!
     I've been thinking about this, though, for  how often in life we need that perspective that would make sense of the confusing or bewildering or heartbreaking things in our lives or the lives of those we love. That being said, life is often wonderful, and I thank the Lord for the gift and adventure of every single day to walk on this planet. Might we rejoice in His gifts of the ordinary in every twenty-four never-to-repeated hours. How I love this life and this world and this privilege of being here with the people I cherish.
     But even with the extraordinary beauty and wonder of life, there is still so much sorrow.  So much uncertainty.  So much we simply cannot understand this side of heaven.   Sometimes we ask, where is God in all of this?  Why doesn't He come through?  Why is He allowing this?
     And, of course, there are no easy answers.  But when we put on the reading glasses of faith, the unintelligible begins to become intelligible, for we see a Sovereign God at work, even in the darkest places of despair or defeat or disaster.  We see by faith a God who is always working, always moving, always active even when on the face of things, it may not initially appear that way.
     If we ever doubt that, all we need to do is look to the cross.  All appearances shouted "Disaster!  Defeat!"  And underneath all that sorrow and hatred and death and despair, God was working and moving and preparing to bring forth new resurrection life.  And such resurrection life!  Not just for Jesus but for us--for all, in all time, who would choose to come to Him by faith.
     And so, "We walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Cor.5:7)
     For when I'm walking by faith, those reading glasses of faith allow me to glimpse the evidence of my Sovereign and Loving Lord at work.  He's been there all along... I just couldn't see His handiwork until He gave me those glasses of stubborn trust in Him, in His Word, and in His plan to work out all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. (Rom.5:8)
     He gives us the choice, however.  Just like I have to choose to put on my reading glasses... and if I don't, well, I'm pretty much lost when it comes to reading or understanding anything at all.  So too, when faced with confusion or sorrow, we have to choose to exercise our faith.  Consciously put it on... by choosing faith in the veracity of His Word.  Faith in the undiminished power of HIs love.  And faith in the ultimate perfection of His plan.
     When I can't see the way ahead, I choose to put on faith in the forever faithful One.  And when I believe, well, then, eventually I begin to see.  And the view is glorious.  To  God be the glory.