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“Our notion of sacrifice is the wringing out of us something we don’t want to give up, full of pain and agony and distress. The Bible idea of sacrifice is that I give as a love-gift the very best thing that I have.”
“Pride, disdain for people you talk to, will shut your mouth quicker than anything. When you speak, see that behind your voice is the life of God.”
“(In prayer) we are not beggars on the one hand or spiritual customers on the other; we are God’s children, and we just stay before Him with our broken treasures, or our pain, and watch Him mend or heal in such a way that we understand Him better.” – Oswald Chambers
Sitting in darkness long,
Too long to know the absence of the light.
Quiet blanket of sorrow my familiar companion.
Midnight calls me home.
Redeemer comes calling.
Mighty arm takes hold of my prison door.
Nobel Liberator driven by call for my freedom.
God-Man wakes the dawn.
Brilliant light, piercing dark.
Meteor shower, drops of golden rain.
A million points of light piercing darkness all around me.
Swiftly, now…He comes.
“I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.” Isaiah 60:22b
I had an opinion piece in this Sunday’s addition of the Tennessean about the day I spent touring a homeless camp in Nashville, Tennessee. You can find the article at this link: Deprivation Kills Dreams of Those Who Lived Like Us.
Let me know what you think of it!
Have you ever passed a bad traffic accident on the interstate and found that even though you were horrified by it, you just could not quit looking?
Get ready. This will be one of those moments.
Recently, a dear friend of mine turned 40. The fabulous party was 70’s themed. Unfortunately, I took the suggestion to dress in the fashions of the era to heart.
So did my husband.
Then, we actually allowed people to take photos.
What were we thinking?
In a recent kindergarten project, my baby girl was asked “What makes you laugh?” She replied, “When 
Mommy and Daddy dress like they are from the 70’s.”
Now you can laugh too…
By the way, my husband is a pretty conservative guy. He walked up to friends at the party and shook hands and they did not even know who he was. He looks a little like Weird Al Yankovic.
What fros! The wigs were actually stuffed with tissue paper to make them larger.
Below is a picture of me with a friend of mine who actually looks beautiful in her fro.
This morning I caught a huge turtle for the kids in a neighbor’s yard. Now, it is positively surrounded by five kids and a puppy and surprise, surprise, it won’t stick its head out of its shell for anything. It would help if Little Man would leave it alone, but of course, he can’t. After all, it is a dream come true!
It occurs to me as I watch the children watch the turtle that turtles are much more patient than children. Oh, it is hard to wait for something so wonderful.
All children of God are waiting for something wonderful, and some of us are even waiting eagerly. Philipians 3:20 says, “We also eagerly wait for the Savior.”
Sometimes though, we get so bogged down in the battle that we are lulled into a fatalistic stupor, forgetting that though the journey is often hard, we are already victorious.
The Savior is returning! The day and the time for the trumpet’s blast calling the Redeemed home is set, and none can delay its sounding. We are promised a new Heaven, a new Earth, and the absolute redemption of our fallen, broken, wounded flesh.
Every tear will be wiped away.
It is certainly something worth our eager anticipation; a promise so precious that it makes even the most sorrowful day sweeter.
“Father,
Thank you for the sure promise of your return. With Believers from every corner of the globe I pray: ‘Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!” Amen
Hope.
No matter what I see, there is hope.
Abraham realized his body was as good as dead, but…
Against all hope, he hoped in Him who is able to raise the dead. (Romans 4:19-20)
Hope.
When I give in to despair, I am exalting my circumstances above God.
Hope is knowing God is greater.
Hope is trusting He is good.
Hope is walking in freedom.
Hope is eternal because as long as God is there is hope.
“Father,
Today, teach me about hope. I love you.
Amen.”
Puzzle the Puppy is almost one year old. I don’t know what I will call her then, “Puzzle the Dog” just does not have the same ring to it. Oh, well…I think I am entitled to call her “Puzzle the Puppy” just a little while longer – at least until she stops destroying everything in the house with her incessant chewing.
Puzzle the Puppy is, like so many beings in my home, quite…spirited. She is certainly capable of obedience, but it is always a final option for her. She is not the kind of dog who will simply follow her master due to a sense of loyalty or devotion. Obedience must be required of her.
She does love me, however. Of this, I am sure. She is also absolutely adorable and if things were different, I would always have her right by my side. As I write this post, I am sitting on my porch swing, laptop across my knees, watching the sun set on a perfect early summer evening here in Tennessee. I can see Puzzle the Puppy from here by the soft light of the lamp in the foyer. She is the closest (comfortable) place she can be to me- the piano bench. She would really love to be out here with me but she can’t, because you see…
Puzzle the Puppy only obeys as a last resort. I can’t trust her.
If I allow her on the porch with me, I know she will take off running the moment she sees a bird, or a jogger, or Heaven forbid that obnoxious little white dog from down the street. This morning my husband came inside red faced and panting after taking her out for a moment. She saw a bird across the street and ran. Then, she heard a dog bark and kept running. My husband told me he had to run faster and longer than he had in a long, long time just to catch her and that in his words, I was “almost a very rich woman” because it came close to killing him.
Each morning I see a man walking two dogs down my street. The first, he guides by a leash. The second has a leash as well, but the leash is simply draped over the dog’s back. The dog is, in essence, walking himself and yet in all the times I have seen the three of them on their morning walk, never have I seen that dog stray from his master’s side.
You see, obedience brings freedom.
So, as I sit here watching Puzzle the Puppy sleep on the piano bench, I am reminded of how much she is like me. Too often, I am determined to have my own way. I know what God wants from me but instead of simply obeying out of adoration for my precious Savior, I am reluctant at best and flat out defiant at my worst.
All the while, the Savior must shake his head and say, “What I really want is for you to be free, if only you would obey…”
“I run in the path of your commands,
for you have set my heart free.” Psalm 119:32
I am braiding hair and the kids are watching a nature show. Six year old Jeremiah is inspired.
“Mommy, I really want a fruit bat. Can I have a fruit bat, please?”
“No, Jeremiah. I don’t think we can have a fruit bat.”
“Awwww…….”
A moment later he has another idea.
“Mommy, can I have a baboon? I really want a baboon. They are so cute!”
“No, Jeremiah. You may not have a baboon.”
“Awwww…….”
“What about a mouse? Can I have a mouse, please?”
“Miah, why do you want a mouse? We already have a dog!”
Now, he turns on the tears.
“But I want a pet of my own!”
“I’m sorry, Miah, but I can not have even one more thing in this house I have to take care of and that is exactly what would happen. Meghan brought that crab home from school full of promises to take care of it and if I did not go in occasionally and squirt water in the bowl it would be dead.”
Which reminds me…
“Meghan, get up and go pooper scoop the crab house.”
He sulks for a moment and then picks up a book on animals to browse. Suddenly, he is excited.
“What about this!” he says. “Can I have one of these!”
He opens the page to a large photo of a Caracal, pointed ears upright and fangs bared. Claudine, who is having her hair braided, is horrified.
“Mommy, please say no,” she pleads. “Please say no!”
“No, Jeremiah. You can not have that cat.”
“Why not?” he whines.
“Why not? Why not? Because it has FANGS, Jeremiah. We live in the city. Zoning would not even allow that thing here.”
“Awww……”
He flips through the pages again for a moment and at last finds evidence he is sure will sway my opinion about the mouse he proposed a moment before. He holds up a two page spread of baby rats at varying ages of development in their nests.
“Look Mommy! You could have babies!!!! Don’t you want to have a mouse?”
“Miah, do you really think that is going to help convince me? Do you think I would be happy about having mouse babies?”
“Yeah!” he says.
“No, Miah. You may not have a mouse.”
“What about a snake, or a lizard?”
Then, Claudine has had enough.
“Miah, quit asking for wild stuff.”
Amen.
Mothers of boys, I have finally listened to your cries for help. I have posted a new article at Braids, Beads, Truth on African hair care for boys. So, click the link below and give me your thoughts!
