'Tis the Season

I have a cute Christmas tree day counter on my computer desktop that says it is 6 days until Christmas. House decorated? Christmas cards sent? Shopping done? Presents wrapped? Baking finished? Menus planned? Parties attended? Normally, at this point in the month, I can check off all those boxes – but not this time. I spent many hours in the past months preparing for Christmas this year. But God had other plans for me. In Ecclesiastes 3, we read:

1 For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
2 A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.

Grief has consumed the month yet Christmas is coming. Three little granddaughters are arriving at the end of the week and Nana is not ready. However, Advent means more than all the trappings of this season – it is all about remembering the coming of the baby Jesus. My dad returned with us and I must choose what is important and which activities to schedule for a happy and joyous time for our family. It won’t help anyone if I am frazzled, frustrated and cranky in an effort to complete the usual holiday preparations. Some things just won’t be done and I trust that God will show me what He wants us to do to honor the birthday of the King. Those same three little girls have the legacy of a great grandmother who loved the Savior and knew the true meaning of Christmas. Our celebration will be tinged with sorrow this year, but we know that Jesus’ birth signaled new life for all of us and a time to dance will come.

RIP

Helen Greene Hall
1924-2006

Wife, mother, grandmother, great gram, sister, aunt, friend.
We wish you Godspeed on your final journey Home. We love you and already miss you.

We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:8 (NKJV)

He Holds the Future

My cell phone rang. It was Dad asking me to come and help. He was at his wits end and Mom needed some encouragement and so did he. We cancelled our day, boarded a plane and headed for Southern California. The fall that she took on Thanksgiving had so discouraged my mother that she was in deep depression. As we flew, I told Mark that I was completely unprepared for this – kind of like the day they placed this crying baby in my arms and the wonder of motherhood hit me. Now, we are in the other end of life and the guidebooks are just as scarce. Seeing Mom lying in the hospital, weak, tired, and bandaged was heart wrenching. Dad was exhausted and our immediate task was to get the details of his life in order – laundry, grocery shopping, banking, oil in the car. The bigger task demanded creativity and perseverance – encouraging Mom to get better, to eat, to take an interest in her surroundings – no easy feat. However, God is gracious and she chose life and is growing stronger each day. The journey for her is often three steps forward and then two back. What was normal before that fateful day will never be the same. New decisions must be made. Old plans have to be altered. God is in control and again, it is just enough light for one step at a time. We are holding our schedule loosely since another call might come at any time. Mary and Joseph’s plans were changed at the last minute, too. I am sure she would have much preferred to give birth surrounded by the comfort of her home and family. However, God led them to a stable with only the animals in attendance for the greatest miracle birth and His bed was a humble hay trough. God's timing is perfect and we can trust Him to take care of us. We don’t know what the future brings but we know Who holds the future.
God is good,
a hiding place in tough times.
He recognizes and welcomes
anyone looking for help,
No matter how desperate the trouble.
Nahum 1:7 (The Message)

Bump in the Road

Just when you think that life is finally moving along smoothly, a bump in the road pops up and we experience a huge jolt. What do you do? We had this happen this week over the Thanksgiving holiday. All the plans and preparations were accomplished with little fuss and praise all around. Then the phone rings and life turns upside down. My 82-year-old mother fell getting out of bed hitting her head on Thanksgiving morning, and ended up having emergency brain surgery. She is holding her own and we have been given hope that she will fully recover. There is no way to prepare for these kinds of happenings. Only God knows what the future holds – for all of us. Trusting God is a daily challenge in both the good times and the bad. Yet, I walk by the stones that I have piled by the side of the road and it reminds me of the times He has met me in the past. I know He is comforting my dad and giving peace to my mother. During this time, our family closes in to support and encourage each other – and we wait. However, our hope is in the One who made us, heals us, and gives us life each day.

I trust in you, O Lord;
I say, 'You are my God.'
My times are in your hand.
Psalm 31:14,15 (ESV)

Thanksgiving Thoughts

This has been a year of change for us. As I reflect on all that has happened, I can truly say, “The Lord is good.” Our pastor reminded us yesterday to have an attitude of gratitude – in all things. The big issues are easy to list but he shared a few examples of the simple things – the ones easily missed:

I am thankful for…
The partner who hogs the covers every night, because they are not out with someone else.
The child who is not cleaning his room, but is watching TV, because that means he is home and not on the streets.
For the mess to clean after the party, because it means that I have been surrounded by friends.
For my shadow that watches me work, because it means I am in the sunshine.
For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of walking and that I have been blessed with transportation.
For the pile of laundry and ironing, because it means that I have clothes to wear.
For the alarm that goes off in the morning hours, because it means that I am alive.

I am very thankful for the significant things in my life -- my husband, children, grandgirlies, friends—both old and new, home, health, faith, and freedom. But the pastor’s list gave me a different perspective and encouraged me to reevaluate those daily events that often annoy or irritate me and to find ways to be grateful. If I have learned anything this year, it is to celebrate each day. We can count on problems, crisis, illness, and brokenness to touch us but our God is able to meet every one of our needs with His power, wisdom, and love. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Psalm 136:1 (NLT) Take a few minutes before Thanksgiving and write down God's blessings to you this year – both in significant and minor ways. Why? After the children of Israel had experienced the miracle of walking across the dry land of the Red Sea, God gave instructions to take stones from the riverbed and pile them by the side of the path. The purpose was to remind them of God’s faithfulness every time they walked by and saw those stones. So when storms hit, pull out your list! Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
Psalm 100:4-5 (NLT)

Who Done It?

I like a good mystery, whether it is a movie, television program or book. I don’t like scary ones but the kind where you solve the “who done it.” Some of my favorite programs were Columbo and Mission Impossible and today, CSI. Yet, when unexplained events occur in my life, rather than enjoying the suspense, I want immediate answers –all the details laid out for me to see. This past week has been one of those where I shake my head and wonder what God is thinking. A series of events has changed lives in ways that I could never have orchestrated and I might have done differently if I had been in charge. However, I was just a bystander acting as coach and cheerleader for loved ones confronted with an opportunity that was going to take them far beyond their wildest imagination. Life changing decisions challenge us to seek information and answers, particularly when our emotions are in turmoil. Family and friends can give opinions and options but only God has promised to give both wisdom and understanding. Sometimes we have to search for direction since we often don’t get letters in our mailbox or email with step by step instructions from God. Instead, we have THE Letter, the Bible, which includes all the help that we need. All we have to do is ask our Father, pay attention and listen to His leading. I still have a few questions that I intend to ask God someday about all this but I trust Him that His plans are the best for all of us and He will give us peace.

yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
Proverbs 2:3-6 (ESV)

It's Character, Stupid

The election is over and the results are in. Depending on your political persuasion, your mood about the future is encouraged or disheartened. Everywhere you turn post mortems are being written on what happened and why. I think Chuck Colson’s thoughtful conclusion hits the mark, “You can talk all you want about the unpopularity of President Bush, or the Iraq war, or immigration. But what this campaign really boiled down to was, well, when it comes to conservatives, it's character, stupid. If conservatives don’t learn that lesson, they will spend a long time in exile — and deservedly so.” Theodore Roosevelt wrote, “Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.” God had something to say, too, Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God. Habakkuk 2:4 (NLT) I can do nothing about the changes going on in the houses of power in Washington, D. C. but I can make sure that what happens in my house follows the principles given by God. I want a reputation of love, harmony, good times, honesty, and integrity to be present for all who cross the threshold of my front door. My desire is that family will feel at home, guests and friends who enter will feel appreciated and cared for, and strangers will know they are welcome. I have been involved in that political arena in the past and know the dangers inherent with such power. I left that avocation and now my desire is simply stated in 2 Timothy 4:7 (NLT), I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. To be able to stand before Him and hear Him say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant”—now that is winning!

Election Day

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he's the one who will keep you on track. Proverbs 3:5-6 (The Message)

Today will begin with a real sense of urgency for some people and others will head into the demands of the day oblivious to the national election. The television will be consumed with reporters and pundits chronicling trends, movement, opinions and ultimately votes. The one thing we won’t hear is the advice given in Proverbs. God is the only one who can lead us – not our national leaders, our pastor, or our friends. They will fail themselves and us. Yet, we have the great and awesome responsibility to vote and must not ignore the challenge presented today. Your candidate or issue may win or lose but your one vote insures that you have been part of the solution rather than the problem. Take this passage to heart and listen for God’s direction as you head to the polls – He has promised wisdom when we ask Him for it. He will not be surprised by the election results today. Trust Him to have it all under control.

Thankful Heart

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT) During a phone call with my daughter yesterday, we discussed the importance of teaching children to have an attitude of gratefulness. Parenting is always a challenge and in this day of abundance, media advertising, and targeted marketing, it is natural for a child to express the “I want it now” syndrome. The “it” may not even be a toy but time and attention. Yet, life’s demands require choices with our resources of time and finances and our responsibility is to teach our children to be thankful for what they have. We brainstormed about ways to encourage the girls to have a thankful heart, especially timely with both holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner. How about adults? Do we suffer from the same attitude? Do our expectations and desires cloud our thinking so that we miss the good things that God is doing for us? After the past couple of weeks, I am grateful for a smile on Mark’s face. The unexpected visits by new friends encourage me that we are cared for. A gift of a yellow day lily sitting on my kitchen counter demonstrates God’s love of beauty. Let’s take inventory this month and list the daily small graces given by our Father…and give thanks.

Get Out and Vote!

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." Abraham Lincoln

We are a week from Election Day and the frenzied attempt by both parties to win next week is everywhere: TV and radio spots, signs on every street corner, mailboxes filled with candidate mailers, phone calls designed to encourage you to vote, pundits projecting victory. By this time in an election season, most people can hardly wait for the day after the election. I believe President Lincoln was correct in his assessment of a man’s character. It has been said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. We certainly have evidence of the corruption in Washington as we see Congressional leaders hauled off to prison. However, does that mean we just give up? Do we stay home on Election Day because they are all just a bunch of bums? Does our vote count? Many elected good men and women serve us each day, unwilling to compromise their beliefs. They are being challenged with rhetoric intended to turn off voters and suppress the vote since voter turnout is key in any election. To illustrate, low voter turnout means that potentially only 15% of an entire state population would elect a candidate if turnout was 30%. We then have our leaders chosen by a small minority. I am a firm believer that if you are going to complain about a problem then you need to be willing to roll up your sleeves and be part of the solution. Casting your vote on Election Day is a first step. Be informed not inflamed by the choices presented. What are your key issues? Judge selection? Lower taxes? Choosing life? Immigration? The war? Pray before you head off to the polls for wisdom remembering that He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world. “But true wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are his.” Job 12:13 (NLT)