Open to a New Thing?

If you're lost you can look, and you will find me, time after time. If you fall I will catch you, I'll be waiting, time after time. -Cyndi Lauper

A friend of mine asked me to work on some music with him. It’s not for a worship service or even planned for inside the church building, but for the sheer joy of playing for other people in other settings. On our dream set list (still in progress), you won’t find a single hymn or praise song, but you will find The Police, Cyndi Lauper, and a number of very eclectic things that are new to me.

“What? No God songs?” some of you may query. Some may gasp, “Isn’t that leaving God behind?” Granted, many years ago, I set a “Christian music only” rule in my house for a while because I felt like the smarmy lyrics just didn’t benefit my daughter and me. In the years since, I’ve recognized that I can be selective about lyrics, without cutting myself off from good music with great lyrics. I’ve had youth tell me about a great “Jesus” song that merely repeated the name somewhere, and have heard hymns that were so archaic that the meaning once understood by past generations flew past me. So, can God take something old or secular and make it new? Can He take something from the today's world and use it to talk about hope, joy, peace, and the fullness of His love for us?

Jesus came to make things new. At the last supper, he sat down with His disciples for a Passover meal, a celebration that had been passed down through generations. When I say “passed down”, I mean each little detail of it, all those words, gestures, and acts which made a Passover meal, a Passover meal. Everyone knew what to expect. Everyone knew each prayer that would be said and when and how each item of food would be eaten. Traditions that one just doesn’t stray from… until…

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. -Jesus (John 13:34)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! -Paul, the Apostle (2 Corinthians 5:17)

...Jesus interrupted the flow of things by saying something that was not written in the script. He said to them, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me” and "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” I can almost hear them gasp. “What? No traditional Passover prayer? Aren’t you deviating from what God said we are to do right here?”

Ahhh, but God’s plan was right on track. They didn’t understand that then. Some of us today barely understand it now. I won’t go into the cultural or theological stances on that right now (i.e., the Middle Eastern customs of sharing a meal, or Christ’s atonement, both of which are highly relevant in this discussion) but I want to take note of how Jesus stepped beyond the accepted description of a Passover meal. That celebration was never just about the format and details of the meal itself. What about the freedom from slavery to Pharaoh that God was providing Moses and the Israelites, and the freedom from slavery to sin and death that Christ offers us. The idea of freedom was taken past being a story, and into a hopeful present and future.

Jesus wasn’t ignoring God during the Passover meal that night, just because he was doing something new and different. Jesus was obeying God and telling us about God’s deep love for all of us. Just because one listens to 80’s rock or has friends outside the church, or spends time doing things that some wouldn’t label “ministry”, doesn’t mean that God is not involved. If you are seeking to love God with all that you are, and then love people the way He loves you, then chances are you don’t tend to ask God to have a seat and wait while you do “secular” things. The labels of “church” and “secular” become less important, because your relationship with Christ is constant. You want to go where He goes, wherever that is. The labels we put on proper prayer or a worship service becomes less of the focus, and the question of discovering or rediscovering Spirit-led worship becomes the central theme. In the midst of it all, something new can happen which honors God and renews His people.

The truth is that we all have struggles and issues. I know that the only way I make it through them is because I believe the Christ goes with through it with me. I feel his real presence, comfort, strength and unconditional love. Time after time, when I’m lost, falling and need to be caught, He is always there. Time after time, He waits on me, pursues me, renews me and makes things new, time after time, after time, after time…

Mom the Tech

The Recoup Tour ’09 is now officially two weeks old. For those of you keeping a score card, my mom’s “ER day” was September 28^th (see my post “In the General Hospital”). Thank you for all the prayers and kind words so many of you sent in. For the past week mom has been recouping at my house (last week was my sister’s house). She’s been getting stronger day by day, and though she’s been here for the express purpose of healing, I’ve enjoyed her being here. During this time, we’ve had great talks, out of which came her decision to make the move into a more technical savvy world.

Sometime ago mom began Twitter, and has now added Facebook to her repertoire (yep, I needed another Farm Town neighbor). She’s learning about website forums and how to move easily through YouTube. She has realized that those are some of the ways that her children communicate and play, and she wants to participate in that with us. Go mom.

As a “retired” person, she could sit back on her laurels and play the “been there, done that” card. (I say “retired” parenthetically because she continues to work, travel, teach, volunteer, etc.) There are plenty of us out here in the world that, even though we aren’t of retirement age, we play that card, resigning ourselves to become stuck in the mud. But mom sets that precedent of looking for new and exciting things to do, such as signing up for new ministries at our church and our upcoming trip to Australia together next year. But doing new things means… change.

Change is hard. It’s hard for young and old alike. The alternative is to get set in your ways and stay there. It is always tempting to find comfort in whatever way you’ve always done things, and then utter the pestilent recitation, “We’ve never done it THAT way before.” However, that so called “comfort” is a deceptive comfort. Monotony and apathy follow closely behind, wanting to settle into that “comfort” mindset. I’m not saying that all the traditional things we do are wrong. Nay, nay. I’m suggesting that even those comforting traditions can become a heavy load to carry.

Christ came into the world, bringing a new message of love and hope. He was a Jew who held to the beliefs of his forefathers, yet he offered something fresh. Jesus spoke about a new teaching, a new covenant, and a new life. This new message was not inconsistent with the workings of God, as found in the Christian Old Testament, but was an extension of the love that God gave mankind in the first place.

We must also remember that just because something is new, doesn’t mean it is necessarily better. Just because something is attached to the latest fad, doesn’t mean that it has value or benefits us in the long run. The challenge here is to simply listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Really listen. Maybe it’s time to hold fast to what you have. Maybe it’s time to release your grip on the past and move forward. That goes for what happens in your church, and yes, even in your job, your schedule, your bank account, and your free time (though we claim we never find any).

How open to change are you?

Labels

Labels don’t always ring true.

There’s an old practical joke that has been played on newlywed couples. They arrive home after their honeymoon, and unbeknownst to them, someone has gone through their pantry and switched all the labels from the canned goods. Dinnertime arrives and they go to open the fruit, however there’s corn inside. They wanted corn, so they open the fruit, however it is tomato soup. The labels are deceiving. Even when the labels are on the correct cans (fruit label on the fruit can), what you get when you open the can is not always what you expect. On the fruit cocktail label you see cherries covering the bowl, but when you open the can, it’s mostly peaches with a cherry or two hidden at the bottom. Do we, the church, give a true representation of who Christ is? Do we hide behind the label of “Christ follower” or is that genuine label (and the lifestyle of loving others) something that has become a natural and authentic part of our daily lives?

Labels, Labels, Labels…

I’m a daughter, mother, sister, and aunt. I’m a pianist, guitarist, composer and singer. I laugh at Monty Python, cry over Steel Magnolias, run with Forrest Gump, get adventurous following Indiana Jones, and overcome great odds with Scarlet O’Hara. I am refreshed and challenged by Holy Communion at the seashore (John 21:1-19). I am lifted up and joyful in services where contemporary Christian praise songs are sung (Ps 100:2). I am reminded of my Christian heritage found in traditional liturgy, and thankful for the saints who have come before me (Ps 52:9). I am filled with awe and wonder as I sit in a chapel listening to Bach’s notes and the people’s prayers rise up together as I contemplate the mystery of our faith (Neh 8:6).

And all that… is only a tiny fraction of who I am. How does one perfectly and succinctly describe themselves within the fullness of who they are and how they live out their lives? If I say that being a daughter is the only way to define myself, then I would miss out on the joy of motherhood. If I only play my piano and never sang again, I would feel quite empty. In our complex lifestyles, we move in so many different directions at once and can end up overloaded with information, scheduling problems, and being pulled apart by opposing ideas and values. If you and I lead such complicated lives, maybe it’s time to revisit what it really means to be one who truly follows Christ and get back to the basics of our faith.

Simplify

Is the wearing of that multitude of labels weighing you down? Are you constantly having to justify your choices regarding how you spend your time and money? Are you letting your busy life in the office, in your home, and even in your church steal your passion for Christ? I’m not suggesting that the labels in themselves are wrong. I am suggesting that life is not about the multitude of labels which can build a wall between us and Christ.

When God said that we are to love Him with everything that we are (Deut 6:5), and to worship Him using everything at our disposal (Ps 150), He is saying that He should be our focus. When we make Him the center of everything, then we begin to live our lifves using one big and enduring label, “Christ Follower.” In the simplicity of that heart-set, a new journey begins where the traveler yearns to move according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, instead of self-focused direction. The old labels still exist and many of them retain their value, but they are moved to sub-category status that easily ranks below the authentic desire to please God first.

Different Mindset

So if pleasing God comes first before all things, then my status as a preacher or mother is not the key issue. If I am putting God first, and God has called me to preach and given me the joyful responsibility of being a mother, then God honors that God-centric lifestyle and uses the my labels within His perfect plan. If we are called to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), then should the labels of “contemporary”, “traditional” or “blended” services be the focus of worship? Should they take priority over allowing the Spirit to move beyond our preconceptions and opinions?

What if the church came together to for a unified time of seeking God and praising Him without the labels, or music, or format being the drawing factor or a stumbling block? Are you ready to wear the label “Christ follower” in a bold new way by letting Him be the center of all things? Are you ready for God to do something fresh and exciting in you? … in your community of faith? … in the world beyond your church doors?

In The General Hospital

Basically I’ve titled this thusly, because my daughter didn’t believe I would (And yes, General Hospital was my favorite soap back in the day). You see, today has been a day of watching the “soap opera” of my family’s life mesh with the “soap opera” that one watches and participates in when one spends a day in a hospital emergency room.

“Today” actually began yesterday. My mom spent the weekend with me and by Sunday she felt quite ill (… uhm, now that I’m reading the previous sentence, that doesn’t seem to speak too well of my hospitality). Actually, a previous condition blossomed and made it clear that mom needed medical attention, so off we went, back to her hometown and her doctor.

By 9 am we were sitting in an urgent care center (as we were advised to do) which had a giant poster with the word “Risk” prominently displayed.

By 9:30 am we had wisely moved on to the area’s General Hospital (as we were advised to do) and were sitting in the ER waiting room. I was reminded, as I looked around, that there never seem to be any Dr. Tony Gates types just hanging around when I’m in the ER (yes, I loved the show “ER”). You semi-expect someone to run through the room flinging their stethoscope around their neck yelling “stat!” However, the room was uncharacteristically quiet and still, affording me the time to be the same. I had been lifting up those little “help me” prayers throughout the morning, but my usual morning time of sitting and conversing with God had been replaced by the morning’s rush. I think God quite understands my change of venue and time frame.

By 10 am we were in an examination room. Mom was hooked up to IV’s and started on pain meds. This began an 11 hour wait for the OR. Waiting is hard to do, for patient and family. It can get tedious and worrisome, but our family history is one of facing the situation with patience and humor. This wonderful hospital offers wi-fi, and I just happened to have my laptop with me. With a sad selection of shows on the room’s TV, we turned to the internet and videos for something to take her mind off of her pain (Thank you YouTube and Tiger Woods).

When she nodded off to sleep for those blissful moments of unconsciousness, I admit that boredom raised its ugly head. I found myself considering McGyver projects with the available gloves, tape, tubing, and a stick of gum. And yes, gloves can be blown up into balloons.

By 9 pm we were told about plan…. D, or was it E? The former plan of transporting her to a hospital where there was an empty bed was replaced by the new plan of remaining at the current hospital where a bed opened up. Everything fell into place and surgery happened within the hour.

Waiting, part deaux:

Then we (my daughter and son-in-law arrived by then) were shown to the OR waiting room where we spend time relaying information to family and friends. My brother and sister live out of town and I know they wanted to be there with us, but we will each have a time to help out. As we waited, we prayed, visited, found a coffee machine, Twittered, IM’ed, emailed, jogged (for a bit of fresh air and a necessary trip out to the car), Facebooked, and connected with people that care about mom and about us. The responses to our information and requests for prayer came in overwhelmingly quick and en masse. Being on the receiving end of that compassion and care does lighten the load and make one feel loved.

Within two and a half hours of her surgery, she was in the ICU and we began settling in to the new digs there. Sleep tonight is intermittent, but we are all getting some rest as we are able. Mom is doing well in the scheme of things and is so thankful for the words of kindness and the prayers that have been offered to her and on her behalf.

So, for those of you who have been asking, those are some of the details. Her perfed ulcer is sealed up, and her gall bladder has been removed. But her attitude of gratitude and her expectation of overcoming this remains steadfast.

So now for my thoughts on the day and a couple of things that stand out to me:

Walking in their shoes: I’m being given a refresher course on what it means to sit in a hospital with someone you love. I visit hospitals every week. I’m a pastor. That’s what I do. I care about my congregation and have the honor of sitting with them during a time of struggle, fear, pain, and questions. I had major surgery a number of years ago, and that, along with this foray back into the patient’s perspective, multiplies my compassion for those whom I will visit in the future.

Making lemonade: Life happens. There are ups and downs. I remember my mom saying once that if you never had the great struggles, you wouldn’t fully appreciate the great joys. So in my family, we experience both the ups and downs, all the while knowing that God loves us through everything we face. Because we fully rely on Him, we know the joy of celebrating and also the comfort of being given His strength to persevere and overcome. Because we don’t have to be slaves to worry, we can face a day in the ER with patience, humor, and moments of growing closer together.

Dr. Tony Gates a no-show: When you watch ER, and all those other hospital shows, you see these brilliant doctors and nurses who breeze into the patient’s life with the perfect answer and cure. Everything, for the most part, ends up with a timely and tidy finish. But the reality of it is that in “real life” the doctors and nurses we meet have to earn our confidence. We step out in faith, wanting to trust them for our care. What I am experiencing here (as I and many others do every day) is the expertise and compassion of a medical staff that really do care. I watched the night nurse as she stood over my mother and offered excellent medical care and spoke and acted with gentleness and compassion.

God’s compassion and care goes beyond what we feeble humans can accomplish. Though my trust in a new doctor or situation may waiver, I am able to step out in faith and trust God for my care and for the care of my family, friends, and those whom I visit in the hospitals from week to week. God continually stands at the bedside, offering His most excellent care and He speaks peace and healing into our lives.

In all these things, I’ve witnessed God’s grace and mercy. He has moved through the actions of others, and has been present in every moment of this day. I can only move forward with confidence because I am fully aware of His Spirit filling up the room and flowing through me. So as I end my journaling of the day, I am thankful… just thankful.

... by our love?

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. - James 1:22

Do you really have to SAY that you are a Christian before anyone can guess it? Is it only the voiced label of “Christian” or “church member” that makes your care for others evident? Hopefully we live our lives in a way that says we genuinely care about people, regardless of who they are or what they believe, of if they agree with our beliefs or opinions.

Am I failing Christ if I don’t hand out my church business card to every person with whom I come into contact? Is the Christian’s primary job to grow the numbers of church membership, or to be so passionate about God that we are out in our world, showing the people around us authentic love and care? I don’t mean as an exercise of “things Christians must do”, but as a natural outflowing of love, a love that reflects the grace and mercy one has received and experienced in their own life.

Some think this means you never have to talk about Jesus directly, and some think it means you use the word "Lord" 3 times in every sentence. I think that "authentic" love is demonstrated in how you boldly live out exactly what the Holy Spirit is leading you to say, to do, and perhaps sometimes, to even refrain from saying at a particular moment- and then living it out as the unique person God created you to be.

I’m not saying that we are to show Christ’s love for the sole purpose of bringing “them” into the church (I’ll rant on the “us vs them” ideology later). That is still not the point in what Christ teaches us. Do I hope that my local church will love people and share the Gospel with them, and bring them into the life of the Church? Of course, but that is the fruit of the relationship, not the sole reason for it. Love others, just for the sake and the pure joy of loving them.

Yes we are to listen (quiet time with Him is precious), but unless the church becomes dissatisfied with being pew-potatoes, and are out there “doing”, we are missing the mark. Will they really know we are Christians by our love? or… are those just lyrics of old?

Busy Again…

Wow. Just… wow. This summer I was quite busy with trips to here, there and yonder. I was busy with school, vacation, family and the church, and moving in several different directions at once. Busy. So very busy that I have failed to keep up with my blog since the July 18 posting below. Yikes! But… but… I was busy.

“Busy” is one of those bothersome words- one of those words that is used far too easily as an excuse, and becomes our justification for not doing the very things which we know we should be doing. “How have you been doing?” the question that moves in tandem with questions about someone’s absence, is often met with the reply, “Oh, I’ve been so busy with ________ (insert event/activity here).”

Even though being “busy” is a pet peeve of mine, you see here that I still managed to explain away my bloglessness with my being “busy.” But I HAVE been… busy… ya know. Truth is that we are all pretty… busy… going and coming, doing and being, and before you know it, you look up and realize that you have “busied” yourself into a corner.

All the “doing” we do has a purpose. Yes? But when we fill up our lives on too much busy-ness, we are setting ourselves up to miss out on the reasons that we first chose to be “busy”. For instance, soccer mom takes the kids to practice after school, 2 days a week. The reason the kids are in soccer are because they enjoy the sport. Mom and dad want to support the kids in their enjoyment of soccer. But the kids also want to be in Scouts, dance, and the band, so the schedules are created, and the routes are driven daily. Following the after-school activities is home and homework, chores, and maybe even a family meal together… maybe.

What many families end up confessing is that in the midst of all that activity, they find that at the end of the week, they have spend a quantity of time together, in transit from one activity to another, but no quality time actually talking to each other. The things that they have loaded their calendars with are the very things that are preventing them from having face to face time with each other.

This doesn’t even take into account of the weariness and then guilt that parents feel because their own duties at home don’t begin till late at night. When do you work on your own projects or do the bills or care for the house? Something is defiantly going to suffer from lack of time and energy.

Reading back over this, it could sound as though I am urging people to refrain from sports or band rehearsals. Not so. There is no magic formula for how to raise a family or how to budget your time, energy and money. But I believe that it is so important to be purposeful in taking on that “one more thing” into your schedule. Perhaps we need to schedule in things like “spend 2 hours with Susie after school”, “play Guitar Hero with Bobby”, “take Annie to restaurant of her choice, just to chat” and so on. My daughter was a busy (there it is again) kid who loved being involved with church, school and friends, but to this day, we will both tell you that some of our favorite times were spend cuddled up on the couch on a lazy Saturday, reading aloud to each other for hours, and the long talks about important things and even the “nothing” things.

So just be intentional with creating time with those you say are important to you. Those moments are so precious. I’m going to have to schedule a trip with my daughter this week. I’d have called her earlier, but I’ve been so busy…. oops.

(Note to self... get busy posting regularly again... oh.. oops again)

Doing Nothing, Part II

Let's see (she said as she pondered "doing nothing"), I think I'll finish my blog from yesterday...

One of my little peeves is the phrase “I’m busy.” The phrase itself doesn’t bother me, because, let’s face it, we are all busy. What bothers me is the instances of when it is given as an excuse for not doing something you know you should be doing. I’ve done it. You’ve done it. We’ve all used the “busy” card to not just explain, but to excuse ourselves out of doing something important or from doing something you know you shouldn’t avoid.

If something is really important, you usually find a way to do it. People don’t normally say things like “I was too busy to go to work”, “I was too busy to pick up my lottery winnings” or “I was too busy to watch the Rockets from my courtside seats.” However, I have heard comments like “I was too busy to visit my neighbor who’s been sick” (after you just heard about the shopping trip that occurred that same afternoon) or “I was too busy to go to church” (when you know they were really at an Astros game) or “I was too busy to help with the youth meeting (and they’ve shared that “their program” is on TV that night).

What does it really mean to do nothing? What does it mean to do nothing for others? What does it mean to focus on doing things that benefit yourself first and foremost?

I’m not talking about the “nothing” that we call “rest” or “recuperation.” I’m talking not talking about the “busy” that encompasses working hard to support one’s family or the act of giving your time in helping those who are less fortunate. And, I’m not here with the answer to those questions. I just submit to you the reality of how we humans, we busy, busy humans, too often surround ourselves with “busy work” that does absolutely “nothing” for the benefit of others or even, in many cases, for our own well being. We fall into the chasm of self-centeredness that allows our “busy-ness” to keep us from being the people that God created us to be.

We were created by God, the One who loves each of us unconditionally. We were created to reflect God’s love… to reflect it back to God and out to others around us. When “Busy” begins to crouch near my attitude and thoughts, I know that I have to keep “Busy” away from my vocabulary and refocus on stepping past the temptation to do nothing. But you know, “Nothing” is so boring, and “Busy” is exhausting, but the adventure of following Christ (and learning to love like he loves) is something not to be missed.

Doing Nothing, Part I

Let’s see (she said late this morning as she sat up in bed to stretch), I think I’ll write for my blog today. Yea, that’d be a great idea, except…

… I just got back from traveling and I’m dog tired, and this pillow is comfortable

… I’m kinda busy washing clothes, well, at least thinking about it

… I need to call my daughter to check on plans for Sunday, but my phone charger is across the room

… I need to pray about what I sho… Oh look! Over there! Something shiny!

… I need to get up and have a bite to eat, but the kitchen is so far away

… I’d type but my fingers are too cold and need a manicure

… I’d make myself a note about finding a quote to use but my pen is the wrong shade of blue

~ ~ ~

“To do nothing is in every man’s power.”
-Samuel Johnson (18^th century writer)

~ ~ ~

… I’d write something, but I’m highly offended that Samuel didn’t say “person’s” or “gender-non-specific humanoid’s” instead of “man’s”

… I’d write something, but I’m too tired from being sarcastic, and this pillow is so very, very soft and fluffy and comfortable and …ZZZzzzzz

(shhhh… don’t wake the sleeping non-blogger… perhaps part II will be printed above this tomorrow…)

Grumbles and Hope, part II

After having read part I (see below) one might get the picture of Pollyanna happily skipping through life and oblivious to the crumbling society on either side of her hopskotched décored sidewalk. I recently was amused by the post I read on a forum where Pollyanna and hope were discussed. I admit that I am a hopeful person, but that doesn’t mean that I blindly move along, ignorant of the reality of the world. When one has hope, does it mean that you must keep your head in the sand, or hope for unrealistic things? Does God intend for us to be mindless robots who trudge along with painted on smiles and singing the party line in a joyless monotone?

The Living God that I know would be bored out of His perfect mind with robotical responses to all that He is doing. Yes, He wants us to act in faith and trust in the hope that He offers, but He gave us minds and talents. He gave us the ability to reason and create. He gives us the freedom to experience His love and trust His plan to care for us. Because I trust in His love for me and all creation, I have a constant hope that, however it happens, everything is gonna workout… somehow… don’t know how… but it will.

Does that mean that I think God will wave His magical wand and make all MY plans happen the way I want them too? Do I have hope that the evil forces of the world will suddenly wake up tomorrow and decide to do good and caring deeds? My realistic side says, “Of course not” but there is that part of me that has a continual hope that they will choose to do so. I have no real expectation that the drug dealer down the corner will have a sudden epiphany tomorrow, discover that Christ loves him/her, and become a generous and loving person. That is hard to imagine. But I do have hope that new life and joy is possible for that person, because I know Christ is ever present around that person, loving that person, and waiting for that person to recognize his/her need for a better way of life through Christ. I do know that we all have struggles, but Hope is that thing that helps me put one foot in front of another. In Romans, we read:

"By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.

"There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!" (Romans 5:1-5, The Message)

The NIV puts it this way, that “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Sometime we suffer ourselves, or suffer along with someone else’s circumstances. We learn to persevere through doubt, through roadblocks. We grow in character, not mechanically compliant but ecstatically energetic and creative. And out of all this, we gain a perspective on being hopeful and trusting that God will guide us and keep us moving forward on this adventure we call life. So enjoy this day and the next by trusting in the hope that God offers and the invitation He gives you to walk along beside Him.

“I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope” (Acts 2:25-26 NIV)

Grumbles and Hope, part I

It was Sunday. I was driving from Houston to Dallas for a two week stay. I was happily driving up I-45, moving easily through the light traffic, listening to great tunes, cool and comfortable and ready for the adventure ahead of me. Only one hour into the trip, traffic came to a standstill. Thirty minutes later, I had to stop for gas. Ten minutes after that, my air conditioner quit and the windows opened to the hot Texas wind. Thirty minutes after that I had to roll up my windows because of the thunderstorm that hit…

I know how to grumble. My family can tell you that I have been the self appointed Community Thermometer (“It’s too hot”), Activities Director (“This game is lame. Let’s do something else”), and the Future Forecaster (“I don’t want to go to the concert. It’s gonna be boring”). But thankfully, I’ve experienced (and am still experiencing) the journey of maturing in my faith and my attitude, and have left behind at least a few of my undesirable habits of yore. It’s not that all of a sudden I have the proper consumer label on my forehead (“New and improved. Now with 75% less grumbling”), but I have something that fills me so full, that I find fewer moments to spend on purely surely griping. I have Hope.

I tell you this because, well, I know me. I know the difference between being wrapped up in the straightjacket of complaints and the freedom of having no worries. I may have concerns about things, things that deserve one’s full attention, things that require time, discussion, debate, and the voices of a community, but worry? With Hope becoming my constant companion over the years, throat-tightening Worry just doesn’t have the authority that I used to give it.

David (of David and Goliath fame) wrote Psalm 25 and speaks about his take on having hope.

To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God. No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame. Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. (Ps 25:1-2a,3a,4-5 NIV)

If God is in control and I live my life trusting in the hope that he offers, then I just don’t have to let life’s problems overwhelm me. Because I have hope:

… I was content and happy to be driving to Dallas. When traffic stopped, joy- I found a better road that helped me avoid the grinding halts. I had to stop for gas, but joy- the place I stopped had inexpensive gas and a spot opened up just in time. My A/C quit, but joy- the wind blowing through my hair kept me cool and the great tunes lifted my spirit. The thunderstorm made me lose the wind, but joy- I tried the A/C again and it worked. As I encountered each presumed setback, I knew that God was revealing better paths for me and giving me exactly what I needed, when I needed it. So then …no worries when your hope is in God. I’m just enjoying the ride.

(tomorrow: Grumbles and Hope, part II)

Puerto Vallarta Food Drive

I’m sitting here in my office, drinking my Piña Colada Fruitista from Taco Bell, and imagining my feet dangling in a deep blue swimming pool surrounded by hundreds of Palm trees.(Wait…. Excuse my 5 second brain vacation…ahhhh. There. Okay. Done. Actually, I just got back from a week’s vacation with family in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I love going to Puerto Vallarta(or “PV” as mom calls it). Mom’s been going there on vacation for many years and I’ve had the privilege of going with her on a number of occasions. It is a beautiful place to just… be. In fact, it is one of my favorite places in the world.

Today is Wednesday, and I’ve had four days to get back into the swing of things since my vacation. Usually, the Monday after a vacation is a very blue get-back-to-work kind of day, but this week has not had one day like that. Being home is a good thing, and getting back to doing the things (well, the other things) that I like doing, has been energizing. So in short, “Veni, vidi, vici, visa” (I came, I saw, I conquered, I shopped) and then I returned refreshed, renewed, and reinvigorated.

Some folks were concerned about my going to Mexico with all the Swine Flu that was supposedly everywhere. In truth, there was more Swine Flu in Houston, Texas than there was in PV (PV had no cases that I am aware of). But, as the rumor of the raging beast of Swine Flu blew through the vacation minded population, people chose not to go to Mexico. No tourists? No tourist dollars. No tourist dollars? No jobs. No jobs? No food on the table for lots of families. But I did the research and found out PV was just fine. Rumors weren’t going to stop my family from going there. But I also learned that the people in PV were working to solve the hunger issues by having food drives. I found about this at the last minute before my departure to Mexico, and put one quick email out to a short list of generous people. I let them know that only $5 would buy a packet of food that would feed a family. These kind folks came through and in only a very tiny amount of time, I had a quick $450 to take to PV. I did the math… that’s 90 families who were helped.

The video you will see here is of Chris Benson, the owner of The Coffee Cup, one of the places where people in PV dropped off money and food that would be given to families in need. I had the pleasure of visiting with Chris and here he shares just a short bit about the process and how families were affected. I wish to thank Chris for helping me out before my trip began. I wish to thank the generous folks who were so kind to offer up money and prayers for the people in PV. Too many times we forget just how blessed we are. Hope you are counting your own blessings today.

Consider the Doggies

The granddogs are here. While their parents are on vacation, my granddogs are staying with me a whole week and changing the way I live. I have to come home earlier and more often, to make sure that they go outside and are watered and fed. I wake up earlier than normal and do the same. I have made my fake groans about it, but really, I like having them here. They make bad decisions sometimes, (okay, one of them presented me with a half eaten pillow), but they are good dogs that I enjoy being around.

I like watching them from my kitchen window as they play in the yard. They chase daring squirrels and nose about the vegetation. They play tag with each other and wrestle until they find something new that catches their attention. And when I bring out the leashes, they excitedly gather around me waiting for that long walk together. They are so trusting and know that grandma has rules that must be followed. They know that I will provide whatever they need. And, because I love them I give them all of those necessary things, plus those extra things (a half eaten couch pillow).

In Luke 12:22-30, Jesus tells his disciples to think about watching the birds that peck about looking for food. He tells them to consider the lilies that grow and thrive without lifting a finger (errr…, a pedal) for themselves. He then points out how God takes care of the needs of such little creations and asks the disciples to consider the fact that God will also take care of the people whom He loves so dearly.

So in watching the granddogs, I am reminded, that as much as I truly care for them, God cares for me and all his children even more. How would my life be if I trusted God with as much fervor as the granddogs trust me for all their needs? We all need to put God first and trust that He… oh, I’d finish but I need to let the granddogs inside… Have a blessed week.