Home

That word has been on my mind a lot this week.  Perhaps it's because my husband will be returning home in a few days.  He'll be back home on Monday after about ten days on the other side of the world, in meetings in Japan.

Perhaps it's on my mind because we're planning to put this house, our home for the last eight years, back on the market this spring, in hopes of moving to a new house and making it our home.

We've moved a lot during our almost 42 years of marriage.  It certainly wasn't what we had envisioned as we settled into our first home in West Columbia, SC all those years ago.  Our lives have taken a different path than we expected, but I wouldn't trade our experiences for anything!  All this moving around, all the people we've met and the places we've been......what a blessing!  Although I must confess that all that moving, all the starting over and getting settled, and all the other stuff that goes along with moving.....that hasn't always been easy.  But everywhere we've been, all the places we lived for however long we lived there, was home. 

Al and I were talking about that not long ago, and he paid me one of the greatest compliments I've ever received.  He said, "No matter where we've lived, you've always made it home."

I don't think he could have said a nicer thing to me.  That's always been my goal.  In all the places we've been, to make it home.  We've lived in a lot of places.  Big cities and small towns.  In the north and in the south.  In large houses and in small ones.  But all those places have been home.

Home has not been about the size or the style or the location.  It's been about a place to be comfortable.  A place to welcome family and friends.  A place of love and laughter, and occasionaly of tears.  A place for family gatherings and Bible studies and fellowships.  All that, and more, is part of this place we call home.

I'm thankful for all the places we have called home.  I'm thankful for the one I have shared home with.  Thankful for all the family and friends that have graced our home.  So very thankful.

Home.  What a beautiful word!



"Unless the LORD builds the house, they who build it labor in vain."  (Psalm 127:1 ESV)

I Win the Prize!

If a prize were to be given for procrastination, I would win!  Yesterday I was determined to catch up some long-delayed tasks, and even so I managed to waste half the day before I got started.  I was quite a successful procrastinator. So I hereby proclaim myself "Queen of Procrastination"!

I had avoided the paperwork for as long as I could.  But the unreconciled bank statements and all the little bits of paper could not be avoided any longer.  After all, the dreaded tax man awaits, so all this stuff really needed to be dealt with.

I could say that I don't know why I put this off for so long.  But that really wouldn't be the truth.  I put it off because I don't enjoy doing it.  So I act as if, by ignoring what needs to be done, it will just go away.  And eventually I must face the facts.  It's not going away.  The paper pile is only getting bigger.

So, yesterday I put my big girl panties on and dealt with it.  I stared at numbers until I was cross-eyed.  But now it's all caught up.  Only a few bits left to tidy up on the desk.

And once again, I have promised myself that I will never let this happen again.  I'm not sure why I can't learn this lesson.  That unpleasant tasks don't just go away because you want them to. 

Why do I continue to do this to myself?  I really can't explain it.  It's completely out of character for me.  But when it comes to paperwork, I confess it. I'm a procrastinator.

I am a procrastinator.  And I'm good at it!


"Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways and be wise."  (Proverbs 6:6 ESV)

All Your Need

"And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 4:19 NASB)

We seem to associate that verse most often with financial need.

But it means so much more than that, doesn't it?

All your need.

All means all.

So whatever you're needing today, in whatever area of life, He is able to meet your need.

In relationships.

On the job.

In your health.

When you're lonely.

When you're anxious.

When you need encouragement.

In every area of your life.

He is able to supply all your need.


"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!  Amen."  (Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV)

The Power of One - An Encore Post

“The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him. By God’s help, I aim to be that man.”

Those words are frequently attributed to Dwight L. Moody. They were, in fact, first uttered by British revivalist Henry Varley, in a conversation with D. L. Moody. Those words had a profound effect on Moody, and on many who have come after him. Indeed, one man (or woman), fully committed to God, can have a profound impact. That's the power of one.
 

We have many examples of men and women who have been fully committed to God and who have made a significant impact in the world.
 

Fifty years ago, one woman believed that faith did not need to be checked at the door in order to operate a successful business. She believed that business could be conducted using the words of Jesus as standard operating procedure: "Do to others what you would like them to do to you." (Matthew 7:12 NLT). In other words, treat people the way you would like to be treated. That became the foundation stone of a business that is now at the very top of the cosmetics industry. Mary Kay Ash made a difference. She illustrates the power of one.
 

One woman can make a difference. One man can make a difference.
 

We know the name Dwight L. Moody today because he was challenged by the words of one man, Henry Varley. Henry Varley made a difference in the life of Dwight L. Moody. And because he did, Dwight L. Moody had an impact on countless numbers of people. The power of one.
 

There are many other names we know because they committed themselves completely to be all that God intended them to be. To make a difference for His kingdom.
 

Billy Graham. Mother Teresa. The Apostle Paul. Queen Esther. The list could go on.  Queen Esther is particularly on my mind today since her story was the subject of our Life Group lesson on Sunday.

Esther could have responded very differently to her situation.  She could have said no, I don't want to get involved.  She could have refused to go before the king. She could have said she wasn't willing to risk her position and her reputaion.  She could have told Mordecai to mind his own business!

But she didn't refuse.  She listened to Mordecai.  She realized he was right when he said she was in the kingdom "for such a time as this."  She was willing to risk her reputation and her position for the sake of others.  She was willing to make a difference.
 

You could name individuals as well. People who have made a difference in your life. The world may not know their name. But you do. Because that person made a difference to you.
 

Maybe it was a parent or grandparent who faithfully prayed for you. Who led you to Christ. A Sunday School teacher who taught you about Jesus. A school teacher who challenged you to always be your best, to always give your best effort.
 

What about you? What about me?
 

What are we doing to make a difference?
 

To proclaim truth?
 

To share Jesus?
 

To display God to the world?
 

To display God to our neighborhood?
 

To display God to our family?
 

To be a man or woman "fully consecrated to Him"?
 

"I am only one, but still I am one.

I cannot do everything, but still I can do something;

And because I cannot do everything,

I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."

-Helen Keller

Why Was I Surprised?

I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was.  She approached me in the hallway yesterday morning after the worship service.  I have a job for you, she said.  And then she told me about what she would like me to consider doing.  Think about it and pray about it, she said, and then let me know.  I agreed to do that, we chatted a few more minutes, and then I walked on to my car.

Well, that was unexpected, I thought to myself.  And then I stopped dead in my tracks, right in the middle of the hallway.  You see, it wasn't unexpected at all.  It was exactly what I had been praying for!  Not that specific opportunity.  Just an opportunity.  I had been asking God to show me where I could be useful, to open a door of ministry.  And here was His answer!

So why was I surprised?

Why do we pray and then act so surprised when God answers? (I say we because I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one!)  Isn't that what He promised to do?

This is not just a 21st century problem.  It has been going on for a while.
Remember the Apostle Peter?  In the Book of Acts, chapter 12, we read about Peter being put in prison by Herod.  Following Peter's imprisonment, many were gathered together and praying for his release.  Peter was, in fact, released from prison (by an angel of the Lord).  When he went to the house where his friends were praying, "they were amazed" (Acts 12:16 ESV).  In fact, when Peter first came to the gate and knocked, and the servant girl reported that Peter was at the gate, no one believed her!

And we're still doing the same thing today.  We pray.  God answers.  And we're surprised.

Silly us.  How foolish.

"And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him."  (1 John 5:14-15 ESV)

It's Time to Draw a Circle

"Go home.  Lock yourself in your room.  Kneel down in the middle of the floor, and with a piece of chalk draw a circle around yourself.  There, on your knees, pray fervently and brokenly that God would start a revival within that chalk circle."  (Gypsy Smith, 1860-1947, British evangelist)

We had to make an emergency trip to the dentist office yesterday.  One of Al's crowns came out and it had to be fixed.  We had already planned a trip to Asheville for a delayed Valentine's dinner (since we were snowed in on Valentine's Day!), so I went with him to the dentist office, and once repairs were completed, we went on to Asheville.

While I was waiting in the dentist office, I pulled out my Kindle to do some reading.  And it was then that I came across the Gypsy Smith quote.  I immediately stopped reading and put the quote in my notebook, the one I nearly always have with me.  I haven't been able to get it out of my mind since.

Earlier in the day I had come across another quote that also made it to the notebook.  It was part of a Facebook status update.  I'm not sure the origin of the quote, but it stuck with me, just like the Gypsy Smith quote.

"We're so focused on God changing our circumstances that we never allow God to change us."

These two quotes have been playing over and over on a continuous loop in my mind since yesterday.  And they have caused me do a lot of thinking.  Thinking about change.

About what needs to change.  About why I want it to change.  About what's really important.

There are some things, some circumstances, in my life that I would like changed.  For one thing, we would like to sell our house and relocate.  That's definitely a change.

But as I think about that, particularly when I line it up with that second quote, I wonder if I'm praying for the wrong thing.  Am I guilty of being too focused on the circumstance?  Too focused on things like changing houses and not enough focused on what needs to change in me?

It occurs to me that I may not be the only one.  That there may be others out there who are doing the same thing.  Focusing on what needs to change - or what we want to change - in our circumstances, and giving far too little attention to what needs to change in us. 

Perhaps it's our attitudes.  Or our selfishness.  Or our prayerlessness.  Or our tempers.  Or our relationships.  Or our worship.  Or lack of.  Or our prayer life.  Or lack of.  Or our focus. 

Perhaps we're concerned about our country.  About politics.  About the loss of our freedoms.  About the changes that are happening all around us.

Whatever it is, maybe it's time for us to draw a circle, as Gypsy Smith suggested. 


"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  (Hebrews 4:16 ESV)

The Promise

After a winter of snow and ice and frigid temperatures, I think I'm probably not the only one looking forward to spring.

Here in western North Carolina yesterday, the temperature was in the 60s with bright sunshine.

Lots of snow and ice melted yesterday.

This morning we're experiencing thunderstorms.

The daffodils are beginning to peek through in my flower bed.

Can spring be far behind?


"Thank God for the promise of spring."  (William J. Gaither)

Looking on the Bright Side

I'm really trying hard this morning to see the positives.  It was sleeting when we went to bed last night, and this morning the road is covered with a sheet of ice.......again.  And that means rescheduling my doctor appointment for another day when, hopefully, there won't be bad weather and I can actually get there.

I, like many other people around here, am so very tired of cold weather and snow and ice.  So ready for warm weather and flowers.  So ready for spring.

But spring isn't here yet.  So I'm trying to look on the bright side.

I'm not going over to Kingsport today.  No rheumatologist appointment today.  No shopping while I'm there.  No lunch date with the hubby.

But the good news is I have time for another cup of coffee here in my comfy chair in front of the fire.  I can sit and watch the birds while I drink my coffee.  I have time to read.  Time to study in preparation for teaching the Life Group lesson on Sunday.  I can finish the laundry.  I won't have to experience the stress of driving on an icy road.  And I don't have to have a needle stuck in my arm to draw blood.

So, there are some benefits to staying home.  There is a bright side.  There is always, always, always something to be thankful for.

"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever."  (Psalm 118:29 ESV)

Safely Through Another Week

A hymn by that title was included in the old red Baptist Hymnal that was a part of my childhood.  It's one of those hymns that didn't "make the cut" as newer hymnals have been published.  We didn't sing that hymn frequently, but we sang it often enough that I still remember it.  And as we begin this new week, and as I look back on last week, it seems appropriate.

I thought I had one of those old hymnals on my shelf, but when I looked this morning it wasn't there.  I suppose it's packed away somewhere.  So many books and too few bookshelves.  But that's a subject for another day.

Since I couldn't put my hands on the hymnal, I did a quick google search to refresh my memory on the text of the hymn.  In doing that, I discovered that the text of the hymn was written by John Newton, he of "Amazing Grace" fame.

"Safely through another week

God has brought us on our way;

Let us now a blessing seek,

Waiting in His courts today:

Day of all the week the best,

Emblem of eternal rest."

 

 

That's definitely an appropriate text for me today!  Last week began pretty much like any other week.  We had just returned from our two weeks in Florida, so the amount of laundry last Monday was considerably more than normal.  But doing laundry is part of every Monday morning around here, so that wasn't really a big deal.

 

It snowed on Monday.  Not a lot, just a couple of inches.  Again, not really a big deal around here in winter.  Then came Tuesday, when we attempted to go down the mountain to town.  Big mistake.  That turned into a life-threatening trip!  But God was watching out for us and brought us safely back home.

 

Turns out that Monday's snow was just the appetizer.  The prelude to what was to come on Wednesday.  And Thursday.  And Friday.  And Saturday.

 

And then we thought it was all over.  But no.  It snowed again Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

 

Other than 14+ inches of snow, it was pretty much a normal week.  The usual household chores.  Some high points.  Some disappointments.  A little stress.  But no more than is typical of regular life in 21st century America.

 

Nearly going off the side of the mountain was the biggest stress of the week, I suppose.  But then there was the stress of being "trapped" at home because of all that snow. 

 

We weren't able to go to church yesterday morning because the road was still covered in ice and snow.  That was a big disappointment.  We did venture out yesterday afternoon, once the sun had come out and the melting began.  It was really good to get out of the house for a little while!  Thankfully we had no problems getting down the mountain this time!  Getting back up the road was a bit of a challenge.  But we made it.

 

As I look back on last week, I am thankful.  Thankful that God rescued us on Tuesday morning.  Thankful that through all the snow, we didn't lose power, that we were safe and warm, and had plenty of food - in spite of the fact that the only grocery shopping I've done in the last six weeks was grabbing a few essentials (milk, eggs, etc.) when we stopped at the grocery store on our return from Florida.

 

God watched over us last week.  He protected us.  He blessed us.  He brought us safely through the week.

 

I can't wait to see what He will do this week!

 

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits."  (Psalm 103:1-2 ESV)

 

My Furry Valentine

Al and I met at a Valentine party 43 years ago. We were introduced to each other by a mutual friend. That was the beginning of our love story.  We married the following year.

 

During these years, we've celebrated a lot of Valentine's Days.  And we have celebrated in a lot of different ways.  There have been fancy dinners in elegant restaurants, and there have been quiet dinners at home.  There have been fancy Valentine cards, and there have been homemade ones.  There have been roses and chocolates and jewelry.

 

My favorite Valentine gift from my husband was this little fur person he gifted me with 10 years ago today.

 

 



There may be one possible exception to her status as "favorite Valentine gift ever".  That would be the chocolate dipped strawberries Al brought me from the Ghiaradelli store at Downtown Disney a couple of years ago!  It's a close competition!  But since those strawberries didn't last, and Molly is still here, she wins!  On that Valentine's Day 10 years ago, I never even imagined what a delight she would be.  I knew she was a beautiful puppy, but I had no idea how much fun she would be or what a bubbly personality she would have.  Although, like most of us, she has her "moments", she has been the best little fur companion I could ever have asked for.  She really is the Valentine gift that keeps on giving!

 

Like the rest of us in this household, Molly is getting old.  She's not quite as energetic as she once was.  In fact, she spends most of her time eating or sleeping.  But she's still a delight to have around and I love her to pieces!

 

 



But God..........

I've been thinking a lot about our almost-off-the-road-off-the-side-of-the-mountain experience a couple of days ago.  If you missed that adventure, you can go back and read Tuesday's post.

Yesterday morning Al went down to the mailbox.  Much of Tuesday's snow had melted away when the sun came out late in the afternoon, and Wednesday's snow hadn't started yet, so the road was clear.  When he got back, he mentioned again, as we both had several times, that we don't know how we managed not to go over the edge.  We can't explain how he was able to turn the car around.  The part of the road where we were is the narrowest part of that stretch of road.  Realistically, there's no way a car the size of ours should be able to turn around on that particular part of the road.

But God intervened.

This episode has triggered several memories of similar episodes.  About ten years ago we had traveled with a group from our church in Florida on a mission trip up to Montana.  Our week there was finished, and we were heading back to Billings to catch our flight home.  It was pretty early in the morning as we were driving down the interstate.  There were five people in our car.  I was sitting in the middle of the back seat, not wearing a seat belt because it was stuck down in the seat.  As we crossed a bridge just a short distance from the airport, we hit a patch of black ice and began to spin.  We very nearly went over the edge of that bridge into the river below.

But God intervened.

Some years ago, back when we lived in Connecticut, we were driving down Route 2 from the airport in Hartford back to Ledyard where we lived.  It was late at night.  We were out in the country, and it was very dark. The road was covered in snow.  We hit a patch of ice and began to spin.  When the spin stopped, we were pointed back in the direction from which we had come.  And we could see the headlights of another car coming right toward us.  It's really difficult to get a car turned on a patch of ice and get it pointed in the direction you want it to go.

But God intervened.

In these, and many other, instances, God intervened. 

But God.  I love that phrase.

Just a few days ago, we should have been over the side of the mountain. 

But God......

Once I was dead in trespasses and sins, according to Ephesians 2:1.

But God......

And that's the best "but God" of them all!

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses and sins, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved......." (Ephesians 2:4-5 ESV)

But God......

What a beautiful phrase!

Shh......I'm Reading!

Hot coffee, warm fire, good books.  What better way to spend a snowy winter day!

What a Morning!

This day is not going according to plan.  Now that my breathing and blood pressure are back to normal, I'll tell you the harrowing tale of my morning.

This morning's events got their start yesterday when another round of winter weather descended on our mountains.  Snow fell gently and steadily throughout the day, with about an inch or two accumulation.  The driveway and the road stayed pretty much clear.

I have a doctor's appointment next Monday and needed to have blood work done this week in advance of that appointment.  Since we're forecast to have very heavy snow tomorrow and Thursday, it seemed that today would be a good day to get the blood work done.  Depending on just how much it snows, it might not be possible to get to the doctor's office any other day this week.  I also had a hair appointment scheduled for this afternoon, so the trip to town this morning would be a good way to check road conditions.  Al decided he would drive me this morning.  I am so very thankful for that.

We had no problems getting down the gravel road in front of our house.  The road is very steep, but there was not a lot of snow accumulated on it, and the gravel gives some traction.  But once we passed the gate and got onto the asphalt road, things changed.  As we rounded the first curve, there was some snow across the road.  And beyond that, the road was a solid sheet of ice.  Those of you who have been here are aware that on one side of the road is the mountain.  And the other side is the fall-off-the-side side, with no guard rail.  Nothing to prevent a car from just sliding over the edge.

And slide we did.  Al did a very good job of maintaining control of the car.  And of staying calm (at least on the inside) while I was having a panic attack.  I have no words to describe the terror I was feeling. 

Somehow - and I'm really not sure how - Al got the car turned around on that ice and headed back toward home.  And somehow he got it moving forward and off that ice, back onto dry asphalt.  We made it safely home.

I know that Al's driving skills played a great part in keeping us safe this morning.  I'm grateful for his skill.  But I also know that it was the Lord who kept our car in the road, who prevented our going over the side, and who brought us safely back home.  And I am so very grateful.

It's beginning to snow this morning down in South Carolina, and many of my friends there are so excited.  I do not share their enthusiasm.  Perhaps if I had never moved away from South Carolina, where it rarely snows, I would be just as excited as they are. 

It's a matter of perspective, I guess.  I have lived nearly half my life in places other than my native state.  Most of those years have been spent in places where it snows.  A lot.  I have shoveled more than enough snow to last me the rest of my life!  I don't like to shovel snow.  I don't like to be cold.  But more than any of that, I really, really don't like to experience the terror that I experienced this morning.

Mornings like this one are the reason I turn into a hermit in the winter time.  Why just a few flakes of snow are enough to keep me at home.  Why I don't go anywhere in the winter unless Al is here to drive me.  And mornings like this one prove that sometimes, even that isn't enough.

I did a lot of praying this morning while we were in the car.  I'm thankful that my prayers were answered.  That we were protected from going over the edge.  That Al was able to get the car safely turned around.  That we made it back home.

I may not leave home again until summer!

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee."  (Isaiah 26:3 KJV)

No Place Like Home

We returned home late Saturday afternoon after two very busy weeks in Florida.  We criss-crossed that state, from Tampa to Fort Myers to Titusville to Orlando and back to Tampa before returning home.

While we were there we spent time with family and friends.  We ate at some of our favorite restaurants, and tried a couple of new ones.  We went to our grandson's birthday party.  Al worked; I relaxed.  And we experienced some of Florida's winter weather.

Here at home, while we were away, winter weather was a little different than the winter we were experiencing in Florida.  It was zero degrees when we left here, and it got colder before it got warmer.  And there was a lot of snow.

We experienced none of that in Florida.  We had some gorgeous sunny 80-degree days.  And we had a few rainy days, some of them quite cool by Florida standards.  In fact, we chuckled a bit on a 50-degree morning in Fort Myers when we saw Floridians wearing coats and scarves and mittens!  Here in the mountains, as well as for our friends further to the north, 50 degrees would be a balmy spring day!  It's all about perspective, I guess.

I enjoyed the trip.  I especially loved our time with Brian, Emily, and Christopher.  I would have loved even more of that! 

But I confess that I was glad to come home.  Glad to sleep in my own bed with my own pillow.  Glad to sit in my own comfy chair and drink my coffee from my own favorite mug.  Even glad to cook my own dinner.  Restaurants are great, but after a while, a regular home-cooked meal is a really good thing.

It's good to be home.  How much better it will be when I'm "finally home"!
Because, as the old gospel song says, "This world is not my home, I'm just
a-passin' through."

The joy of that home will not be in my own pillow or my own coffee mug, but in being in the presence of the Savior who died to give me that eternal home. 

What a joy that will be!  Truly then we will be able to say "there's no place like home"!

Just think of stepping on shore and finding it heaven,

 of touching a hand and finding it God's,

of breathing new air and finding it celestial,

of waking up in glory and finding it home.
(-Don Wyrtzen, emphasis mine)

[Jesus said], "Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in Me.  In my Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you, for I go to prepare a place for you.  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."  (John 14:1-3 NASB)

It's a Small World

Did that title make you start singing?  It's a small world after all......

No, I haven't been over to Disney World, even though it's just a couple of miles away.  I did take a stroll through Downtown Disney a couple of days ago.  But this post is not about Mickey Mouse or all things Disney.

It really is a small world.  Earlier this week I learned that a friend of our family for many, many years - since before I was even born - had passed away.  As I was reading his obituary, I recognized the name of one of his grandsons.  The young man whose name I recognized is a part of the ministry team in our church.  We had met him on our trip to Israel in 2012, and we were, and are, very impressed with him.  I wondered if it could possibly be the same person named in the obituary.

So, I got in touch with this young man and just asked him.  Is Thomas Raines your grandfather?  And he said yes!  I had no idea that this young man was related to a man who had meant so much to my family.  What a small world!

Thinking about Mr. Raines, and about his wife who passed away a number of years ago, has taken me down memory lane.  To the Youth Department at First Baptist Landrum, where he was the department director during my youth, and to the Children's Department where Mrs. Raines and my mother spent so many years teaching children.

And as I have been traveling down memory lane, I have been remembering so many godly men and women who are a part of my past. My parents.  My grandmother.  Men and women who taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School and Training Union and Sunbeams.  (I'm dating myself when I mention Training Union and Sunbeams!!) Who were there during my childhood and my teenage years.  Who set an example.  Who lived lives of faithfulness.

Those men and women lived out the truths expressed so well in a song sung by Steve Green, and others, some years ago.



Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.
(lyrics by Jon Mohr)

Certainly those men and women of my childhood have been found faithful. They lived lives of influence.  They left quite a legacy.

The challenge for those of us whom they influenced, the challenge for you and me, for our generation and the generations to come, is to do the same.  To be found faithful.  To leave footprints that lead others to believe.  To light the way for others.

May we be found as faithful in our task as those men and women of my childhood, and perhaps of yours as well.  May we honor our Lord.  May we live lives that point others to Jesus.  May all who come behind us find us faithful.

"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."  (Psalm 71:17-18 ESV)

Red Lights. And Waiting.

Last evening I left our hotel here in Orlando and drove over to get Al from the convention center where he had been working.  We were heading out to dinner with some of his colleagues.  The drive should have taken about ten minutes.  Instead, it took about twice that.  Because of red lights.  Not some red lights.  Every traffic light between my hotel and that convention center was red.  Every one!

Which meant my trip took longer than I expected.  Longer than it should have.  Longer than I had planned on.  Longer than I wanted it to.

Because I was waiting at red lights.  Just waiting.  No control over the situation.  Nothing I could do about it.  Just waiting.

I don't know about you, but waiting is not something I do particularly well.  That likely could be said of many of us, particularly in this country.  As Americans, we're pretty much conditioned to want what we want when we want it.  We're pretty much conditioned to instant gratification.  As Americans, we're not very good at waiting.

But the reality is that there are times when waiting is part of the fabric of our lives.  We wait for those red lights to turn green.  We wait for holidays or birthdays or vacations.  We wait to hear back from the doctor's office about the results of our blood work or other medical tests.  We wait for pay day.  We wait for our house to sell.  We wait for all sorts of things.  And we don't always do it very well.  We aren't always gracious "waiters".  Or is it just me?

There are some things I've been waiting for.  And as I have been waiting, I have discovered that the Bible has quite a lot to say about waiting.  In fact, I'm amazed at how many times I have encountered that word in my Bible reading.  I haven't been looking for it, or researching it, or doing a word study.  But it's just there!  Over and over and over again.  And there's particularly a lot to be said about waiting for the Lord.

A few examples:

"I wait for the Lord; my soul waits, and in his word I hope."  (Psalm 130:5 ESV)

"But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."  (Romans 8:25)

"Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord."  (Psalm 27:14 ESV)

"But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel."  (Psalm 106:13 ESV)

"May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you."  (Psalm 25:21 ESV)

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry."  (Psalm 40:1 ESV)

And there are lots more.....

The lesson here seems to be an obvious, though not easy, truth.  The Lord's timing is perfect.  Waiting on Him is best.  He knows what is best for me.  I need to wait.  And in the waiting, there is much that I can learn. About God.  About His character and His ways.  And in the waiting and in the learning, I can become more of who He desires me to be.

So I wait.  Though I admit that I'm not always patient in the waiting.  It's something I'm struggling with.

But as I am waiting, this is my prayer......

"Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.  Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long."  (Psalm 25:4-5 ESV)

Because Sometimes There Are Disappointments

There was a big football game played yesterday.  You may have heard about it.  It was a great game......if you're a Seattle Seahawks fan.  However, for those of us who are Denver Broncos fans, not so much.  Congratulations to the Seahawks and their fans. 

The game obviously did not turn out the way I had hoped, or expected.  I'm a Broncos fan.  I have been a Broncos fan for as long as I can remember.  Even before we moved to Colorado, I pulled for the Broncos.  And in the Colorado years, and all the years since, I've been cheering them on.  So yesterday's result was a disappointment.

It's a picture of how life is, really.  Things don't always turn out the way we want them to.  Or expect them to.  And that's hard.

But just as on the football field, there are winners and there are losers in every area of life.  And just as on the football field, things don't always go according to plan.  And just as on the football field, life doesn't always turn out the way we expect.  And just as on the football field, sometimes we're disappointed.

It could be in a relationship.  Or a financial situation.  Or on the job.  Or in the family. 

It's true in every area of life.  We sometimes must deal with disappointment.  Because things don't always go our way.  Even when we have tried our best.  Even when we've done everything right.  Even when we've done nothing wrong.  Even then.  Because that's just how life is.  Things don't always go our way.  They don't always turn out the way we expect them to.  Sometimes life is hard.

So, what do we do?  When we're disappointed.  When stuff happens.  When things don't go our way.

Do we just give up?  Do we decide never to try again?  Do we throw in the towel? 

The Broncos will play football again.  Although certainly they were disappointed with yesterday's results, I don't think the Bronco franchise will shut down and refuse to play ever again.

And so it is for us, when life is less than we expect it to be.  When we're disappointed.  When things don't go our way. 

Life goes on.  We can evaluate our situations and learn from whatever mistakes we might have made.  Even so, that doesn't mean we will never be disappointed again.

It remains a matter of perspective.  We can be defeated by our circumstances.  By our losses and disappointments and frustrations.  We can choose to be defined by them.  Or not.

As in so many other areas of life, it's a choice.  Because sometimes there are disappointments.  But we are not defined by our circumstances and our disappointments, but by our relationship with Jesus.  And thankfully, that is not defined by circumstances!

"[Jesus said], In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world."  (John 16:33 ESV)

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."  (Isaiah 41:10 ESV)