Getting Excited!

My day got off to a slow start this morning.  Maybe because it's cloudy.  Or maybe because it's Monday.  Or who knows why.  It was one of those mornings when I woke up and then decided to lie in bed just a few more minutes before I got up.  Those few minutes turned into more than an hour before I actually got out of bed!

But then I looked at the calendar.  And I realized that today is September 30.  And I got excited!  You may be wondering what it is about September 30 that has me so excited.  I'm excited because in just 3 more months, 90 days from today, on December 30 I will be boarding a plane and heading back to Israel.  And that, my friends, has me very excited!

Some time before we went on our first trip to Israel I was told that once you have been to Israel, you can't wait to go back.  I don't know if that is true for everyone who travels there, but it has certainly proven to be true for me.  On this trip we'll be going back to some of the same places we have visited previously.  And that's OK with me!  We'll sail the Sea of Galilee again.  We'll return to Mt. Carmel and to Masada and to the Dead Sea.  We'll go up to Jerusalem.  To the Garden of Gethsemane.  To the Mount of Olives.  To the Garden Tomb.  I can hardly wait!

This year we will also be going somewhere I have never been before.  We'll be going to Hebron.  To the place where Abraham settled by the oaks of Mamre (Genesis 13:18).  To the place of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.

This past week, in our journey through "The Story", we focused on Abraham, and as I read Abraham's story, I got even more excited about this trip.  About Abraham.  About what I can learn from him.  About how my own story will be impacted as I continue to study Abraham's story and as I travel to the very place where his story, his faith journey, has its roots.

Just 90 more days!  I'm really getting excited!

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!  May they be secure who love you!  Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!"  (Psalm 122:6-7 ESV)

Another Disappointment

Earlier this week my planned trip to Pigeon Forge had to be cancelled.  That was a disappointment.

Today I'm experiencing another disappointment.  I had planned to drive over to Greensboro this afternoon and spend the weekend with AJ.  And with his parents, too, of course!

But I had to cancel those plans.  I'm a little under the weather, as the expression goes.  So, not a good idea to get in a car and drive to Greensboro, where I would likely infect their household as well.  It's time for my annual fall cold, I guess.  Which means that instead of enjoying hugs and giggles and baseball, I'm sitting here with my tissues and hot tea and my blanket.  Feeling pretty yucky.  And disappointed.

The bright spot in the day has been the delivery of our new chairs.  So, at least I'm sitting in a comfortable chair instead of the old, worn-out one!

Life can be full of disappointments.  Whether the disappointment of a Nana who had looked forward to time with her grandson, or the disappointment of friends who have to postpone their planned visit, or any of the myriad other circumstances that disappoint us, disappointment is one of life's unpleasant realities.  Things don't always work out the way we plan them, do they?  In the words of one of my favorite poets, Robert Burns, "the best laid plans of mice and men go oft awry."   (I'm sure I've quoted him before!)

Disappointment comes in other forms as well.  Certainly we are disappointed when our plans don't work out.  We're disappointed when we don't get our favorite pie for dessert.  Or when we don't get dessert at all!  We're disappointed when we discover we're out of our favorite cereal.  Or when we stop by our favorite coffee shop, ready for a latte, only to discover the espresso machine is being serviced.  Lots of little disappointments in life.

We are also often disappointed by people - by relationships, by dishonest communications, by broken promises.  Those disappointments are even more difficult to deal with than altered plans, and certainly much more difficult to deal with than having to skip the latte.

How do we cope with these disappointments?  While a pity party might seem the most logical place to start, it really isn't an effective strategy!  In all our disappointments - large and small, whether to do with people or places or things or schedules - where do we turn?  As the gospel hymn writer J. B. Coats wrote, "where could I go but to the Lord?"

In all the circumstances of life - the disappointments, the anxieties, the hurts, the fears, the worries - where else could we turn?  Who else understands as well?  Who else cares as much?

So, today I'm disappointed.  Again.  But in this, as in all things, I'm trusting that God has a purpose.  That there's a reason my plans didn't work out.  So I'm leaving it with Him.  And adding more honey to my tea.

"casting all your care on Him, for He cares for you."  (1 Peter 5:7 NKJV)

A Change of Plans

I had been looking forward to today.  It was time for the semi-annual trip to Pigeon Forge to meet up with my good friend Jean.  Shopping and girlfriend time are always a good combination!

I had planned to get a head start on some Christmas shopping. And maybe buy another coffee mug at Old Mill Pottery. And check out the fall fashions.  And see what bargains I could find.

I always look forward to these trips.  The shopping is always fun.  And there's great value in shopping with a friend who will not let you buy something that doesn't look good on you, no matter how much you might like it!  But even more than the shopping, I look forward to the girlfriend time.  Good conversation.  Catching up.  Encouraging one another.  That's the best part of the trip.

But our plans had to be changed.  Sigh.  Jean is having some car trouble, so the drive from her home near Chattanooga was not a good idea.  Once the car issues are resolved, we'll reschedule.  So there's something to look forward to.

In the meantime I have two days with nothing planned.  Because my plans have changed.

How shall I handle it?  What shall I do?

I could just have a pity party because I didn't get to do what I wanted to.  But that would be a little silly, wouldn't it?  (Although don't we often do exactly that when we don't get what we want?)

I could use this as an excuse to just waste away the next two days......because, after all, I hadn't planned to be available to do anything productive anyway!  I could read and drink coffee and watch mindless television or movies.  Just do nothing.

I could catch up on some of the things on my to-do list.  Clean out a closet.  Clean out the pantry.  Something like that.  Although, frankly, that's not nearly as appealing as just wasting away the day!

Or I could use the time to catch up on my Bible study.  I've gotten a little behind on my Esther study.  And we began a new study at church last Sunday.  Our church is studying "The Story" for the next 31 weeks.  Since we were at the beach last weekend, I missed the first lesson and the pastor's first message.  Today would be a good day for catching up with that.  And since it's a beautiful fall day, I could do that on the front porch. 

It's cool today, but not cold, so I think I'll take advantage of this beautiful day and do my Bible study on the porch.  Even though fall has officially just arrived, winter is not that far away, and there will be no sitting on the front porch when it gets here!

So, I have a plan.  The Story.......listening to the podcast of last Sunday's lesson, and then reading ahead to next Sunday's lesson.  And then catching up with Esther.

I think I have just filled up these two days that I thought would be empty.  I'll miss the time with Jean.  But I'm looking forward to this study time, and to what the Lord will teach me as I spend time in His word. 

Maybe a change of plans isn't such a bad thing after all!

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand."  (Proverbs 19:21 ESV)

Weekend at the Beach

It was a very busy weekend.  We managed to cram quite a lot of activity into our weekend getaway.  And we enjoyed every minute.

The beach itself.  Sand and sun and water.  It was a beautiful weekend.  The weather was very cooperative!

The shopping.  We mananged to find some time to check out the outlet malls.

The food.  There's nothing quite like fresh seafood!

We were talking last night about what were our favorite moments of the weekend.  One thing we both agreed on was lunch Saturday at Bubba's Fish Shack.  We ate on the porch with a view of the beach, watching the sun reflecting off the water.  There was a wonderful breeze.  The food was good.  If there had been a hammock, I could easily have spent the afternoon there napping!

It's good to get away from it all sometimes.  Our schedule this fall is very hectic.  In fact, when we had looked at the calendar, this was the only weekend available for our beach get-away, so we squeezed it in between two of Al's business trips.  It also happened to be his birthday on Sunday, but we didn't plan it as a birthday trip.  We just saw an opportunity and took it!

We all need those breaks in our schedule.  Those times of refreshing.  Even if only for a weekend.

It was great to get away.  To relax and refresh.  To enjoy the beauty of another part of God's creation.

And it's good to be back home!

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven."  (Ecclesiastes 3:1  ESV)

A Lesson from the Banana

What a disappointment!  I was looking forward to having a banana smeared with peanut butter for my breakfast this morning.  But it was not to be.  When I peeled the banana, the entire thing was black.  Not a bruise here and there.  But black.  As in, rotten.

I've never had that experience with a banana before.  It looked great on the outside.  Perfectly yellow with just a few flecks of brown.  It felt like a banana should feel when it is perfectly ripe.  But it's what's on the inside that counts with a banana.  And what was on the inside was ugly.  Black.  Something was rotten in Denmark, if I may borrow a Shakespearean phrase.

Yuck.  No banana for breakfast today.

As I've been thinking about that banana, I have realized how often many of us are like that banana.  We look good on the outside.  But inside there's a blackness.  Anger.  Resentment.  Bitterness.  Sin.

We look good.  We may sound good.  We may even smell good!  But what's inside is rotten.  And it's what's inside that counts.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts.  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."  (Psalm 139:23-24)

A Trip to Tennessee

The calendar says it's still summer, but the thermometer tells another tale.  It's been very fall-like here in the mountains this week.

I took a trip to Tennessee yesterday.  It was time for another visit to the rheumatologist, so off I went.

Getting to Kingsport from here is an over-the-river-and-through-the-woods trip.  Narrow winding mountain roads, up hill and down, through a part of the Cherokee National Forest, until eventually I reached I-26 for the rest of my journey to Kingsport.

It was a beautiful drive through the mountains.  Leaves on the trees were beginning to turn.  There were fields of goldenrod.  I saw red barns and white barns and unpainted barns.  There were white wooden churches and brick churches and even a stone church.

On previous trips to Tennessee we have seen black bears and deer crossing the road in these woods.  But there were no wildlife sightings yesterday.

I had not been looking forward to the trip.  I didn't dread the doctor visit as much as the drive over there.  But it turned out to be a very pleasant drive.

A time to enjoy the beauty of God's creation.

To celebrate the change of seasons.

To worship.

 

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above,

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.

 

("Great Is Thy Faithfulness", verse 2,

words by Thomas Chisholm)

 

 



Done Any Eavesdropping Lately?

Go ahead and admit it.  We all do it.  Listen in on the conversations around us.  I'm not talking about the hide-behind-the-door-like-a-sneak-so-you-can-hear-the-conversation-between-your-parents kind of eavesdropping.  I'm talking about just listening in on conversations that happen around you, the conversations that you aren't really a part of.  In the restaurant.  In the doctor's office.  At church.  In the mall.

When you listen to those conversations, what do you hear? 

Here's what I've heard a lot of lately:  complaining, whining, grumbling, negativity.  It's too hot.  It's too cold.  It rains too much.  It doesn't rain enough.  The coffee is too hot.  The coffee is cold.  The coffee is too strong.  The coffee is weak.  The tables are too close together.  It's too crowded.  I don't like that song.  The music is too loud.  Why don't we sing my favorite song?  Why are the chairs arranged this way?  The chairs are too close together.  The chairs are too far apart.  I don't like drums.  I don't like guitars.  On and on it goes.

There's a recurring theme.  What I like.  What I don't like.  Me.  I.  My.

Even among those of us who call ourselves Christian, there's an awful lot of complaining and grumbling and selfishness.  Maybe especially among those of us who call ourselves Christian. As though life is all and only about us and our own personal preferences. 

That's sad, isn't it?  Because the truth of the matter is, in the words of Rick Warren, it's not about you.

Is this how we are displaying Jesus to the world?

I challenge you to pay attention to your conversation today. Really listen to yourself. Eavesdrop on your own conversation, not just the conversations around you.  What's the dominant theme?

Certainly we live in challenging times.  The economy.  Shooting at the Navy Yard.  Self-serving politicians.  That list could be very long.

But our joy isn't based on circumstances, is it?  Our joy is in the Lord Jesus.  And shouldn't that joy should be reflected in our conversation?

"Finally, brothers [and sisters], whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."             (Philippians 4:8 ESV)

"From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.  My brothers [and sisters], these things ought not to be so."  (James 3:10 ESV)

"Through him [Jesus], let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name."  (Hebrews 13:15 ESV)

"Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude jesting, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving."  (Ephesians 5:4 ESV)

"Do all things without grumbling."  (Philippans 2:14 ESV)

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer."  (Psalm 19:14 ESV)

Remembering 9/11/2001

Where were you on that awful day? Most of us can probably remember where we were on September 11, 2001. Those events are burned into our memories.

I remember the day vividly. On that Tuesday morning, as on every Tuesday morning, I was heading to church. Tuesday was the day for staff meeting, and was also our Ladies Bible Study day. We were planning to begin a new study on that morning, and as I had been preparing the introductory session, my thoughts had been focused on Psalm 62, specifically on verses 7-8......"On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." As the day progressed, I found myself holding on to those verses!

I walked into the family room just minutes after the first plane had hit. Brian (who had just gotten home from his job at UPS) was watching TV (the Today Show, I think) before heading upstairs to bed. We both stared at the TV in disbelief. And then the second plane hit. On my way to the church, I heard the news about the Pentagon on the car radio.

Our Bible Study that morning turned into a brief time of prayer and then I sent the ladies back home. Our staff meeting was cancelled. The pastor and I met briefly to talk through preliminary plans for the following Sunday worship service. Then he sent me back home.

Life as we knew it changed forever on that day. I remember well the shock and the grief and the numbness that followed for so many days. For many  those feelings are repeated each year as we mark another anniversary and as we see those horrible events replayed over and over and over on television. This year we have the added grief over the events of 9/11/12 in Benghazi.

Yes, life changed on that day.  We've grown accustomed to taking our shoes off at the airport and to having our purses and backpacks inspected.  Sadly, we're no longer surprised by acts of violence. 

But not everything has changed. It is still true that "my refuge is in God." I still grieve with and for those families who lost so much on that day; for the families of first responders and military personnel who, on that day and in the years that have followed, paid the ultimate sacrifice. I am still grateful for men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect the freedoms we enjoy as Americans.

Even more, as I reflect on the ways that life has changed, I cling to the unchanging truth that "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble. Therefore we will not fear." (Psalm 46:1-2)

The Phone Call

We were on our way to church Sunday morning when we got "the phone call."  The Granny-fell-and-broke-her-hip phone call.  In fact, we had just left the Cracker Barrel and were getting back on the highway when the phone rang.

So, change of plans.  Instead of being on our way to church, we were on our way to Columbia.  By the time we had arrived, Granny was no longer in the Emergency Room, but had been admitted to the hospital.  We spent the next several hours waiting.  And waiting.  And then we waited some more.

Eventually she was taken off to surgery for a partial hip replacement.  Falling and breaking bones is not uncommon for people who are 90 years old.  But broken bones and major surgery are certainly risky for people of that age.  Especially for people with memory issues.  However, the benefit outweighed the risk, and off to surgery she went.

I am happy to report that surgery went well and that Granny is recovering nicely.  So far everything is just as it should be.  And we are all so very grateful.

That phone call brought back memories of other phone calls.  The call that my mother was not expected to make it through the week.  The call that my daddy had died.  Those kind of calls. Thankfully, this was not one of those.  But this call certainly changed our plans for the day.  And for the week.

Sunday was a very long day.  Very long.  We finally got back home just before midnight. 

And Sunday was also a reminder that I'm not as young as I used to be.  I may be "fearfully and wonderfully made", but I don't think I was made for 19-hour days!

"For you formed my inward parts, you knitted me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."  (Psalm 139:13-15 ESV)

What a Beautiful Morning!

 

Oh what a beautiful morning,Oh what a beautiful day,
I've got a wonderful feeling,Everything's going my way. 

 

Do you remember that Rodgers & Hammerstein song from the musical Oklahoma?  I could certainly be singing that song today.  This is the view from my front porch this morning:

 

 



 

 

As Mr. Rogers used to sing.....it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.  The sun is shining, the sky is blue, the air is crisp.  There's definitely a hint of fall in the air this morning.  This is one of those beautiful mornings when it is easy to "rejoice, give thanks, and sing", as the hymn writer put it.  In spite of aches and pains, in spite of the threat of war, in spite of all the circumstances of life.....on days like this we find it easy to praise, don't we?

 

But sadly, it seems the opposite is also true.  On those gloomy, cloudy, dreary, rainy, stormy days, we somehow find it easier to complain than to praise.  Easier to whine than to rejoice.  Easier to grumble than to give thanks.

 

Why is that?  I'm not sure.  But it's sad, really.  Because the God we praise, the God we worship and adore, is the same God in the sunshine and in the shadow.  He doesn't change.

 

And He is worthy of our praise every day.  On these beautiful sunny days.  And on the cloudy and dreary days as well.  He's the same every day....."yesterday, today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8 ESV)

 

Something to think about.  And to praise Him for today!

 



"For I the Lord do not change."  (Malachi 3:6 ESV)

The Best Laid Plans.....

"The best-laid plans of mice and men go oft awry."

So wrote the Scottish poet Robert Burns.  Well, what he actually wrote is, "the best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley."  But since, for most of us, our Gaelic is a bit rusty, we just read it in translation!

In any event, I've certainly found it to be a true statement this week.  I had quite a lengthy to-do list for this week.  Lots of things I had planned.  And I got off to a pretty good start on Tuesday morning, following our "holiday Monday".  But, after I had posted Tuesday's blog, when I moved to get out of the chair, things changed.  And since then I have been, as Daddy used to say, "down in the back".

The good news is that I am much better today.  And I suppose you could say the other good news is that today I have perfect posture!  That's because anything other than standing perfectly straight is still painful.  Standing at all is real progress, since on Tuesday afternoon that was pretty much impossible.

It all makes me feel pretty old!  And brings back memories.

There was the month before Al and I married when my mother decided the front porch needed to be painted before the wedding.  So, Daddy painted it. And threw his back out in the process.  We were wondering if he might be going to walk me down the aisle with his head parallel to the floor, staring at his feet!  Fortunately, he got better in time to stand upright at the wedding!

And there was the time our younger son injured his sacroiliac joint (in the lower back) playing baseball. (I'm not sure I even spelled that right!) He was a pitcher who threw really hard, which apparently put a lot of stress on that particular joint.  When the catcher threw the ball back to him, if it was a bad throw and Brandon couldn't catch it, he couldn't bend over to pick the ball up........he did a sort of deep knee bend/squat to get the ball.  We laughed about that at the time, but today I'm not laughing, since I'm doing pretty much the same thing.

My carefully planned to-do list is on hold.  I've done a lot of reading over the last couple of days.  Not any real deep reading, since constant pain is a bit of a distraction.  I've had a couple more encounters with my favorite Venetian police commisario Guido Brunetti, and in between I laughed out loud on several occasions as I was reading Savannah from Savannah.

Just sitting in this chair and not moving around very much has also given me some extended prayer time.  That's a good thing, since there's a lot to pray about these days.  For our country.  For the world.  And for people near and dear to me who are dealing with some really tough stuff right now.

Why did this happen to me?  Why are all my carefully laid plans on hold?  I don't know.  Some would some it's just coincidence.  But since I'm not a big believer in coincidence, I would not be one of them.

I do know that, no matter what my plan might be, ultimately God is in control.  That everything happens for a reason, even when I don't understand it.  That somehow this is part of the "all things" that are working together for my good (Romans 8:28-29)

As I'm sitting here, in this enforced time of stillness, I find myself not only remembering the words of Robert Burns, but also the words of the prophet Habakkuk:

"I will.....[listen] to see what he will say to me."  (Habakkuk 2:1 ESV)

Because, if I'm listening carefully, I'm sure He has something to say.  Something I need to hear.  There's a reason for my sitting here.  After all, it wasn't my plan to be doing this!

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand."  (Proverbs 19:21 ESV)

The Power of One

“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 most 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.  In fact, the company's motto for their 50th anniversary is "One Woman Can". 

 

One woman can make a difference.  On 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.

 

And 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
 

Welcome to September!

September.  Already.  It's hard to believe that summer is over and we're moving into the fall season.

I love this season of the year.  Even though it isn't officially "fall" yet (at least according to the calendar), it already seems like it.  School back in session.  Football (Go Gamecocks!).  Pumpkin lattes.  Pumpkin everything.

There's a crispness in the air that I miss during the other seasons.  Goldenrod is blooming all around these mountains.  Leaves are beginning to turn.  It's a beautiful time of year.

Fall Bible studies are getting into full swing.  I'm studying Esther right now.  What are you studying?  Have you plugged in to a study somewhere? Or are you studying on your own?

I'm really excited that we 've crossed into September for another reason as well.  The countdown has begun for our trip to Israel in December.  We leave on December 30, just four short months from now.  I'm already getting excited!

We begin September with Labor Day, a holiday where ironically we celebrate work by not working??!!  Whether you're working at your job today, or finding some labor to do around the house, or just taking it easy.......Happy Labor Day!  And welcome to September!

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."  (Colossians 3:17 ESV)