Eyes to See

"Earth's crammed with heaven,

and every common bush afire with God;

But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,

the rest sit round it and pluck blackberries,

and daub their natural faces unaware."

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Sad to say, I did not discover this inciteful piece of work by reading one of Browning's collections.  I just do not typically "roll" like that.  Still, I am glad to have happened upon it in my study today (i.e. Ruth by Kelly Minter, which can be found at Lifeway).  K.M used Browning's work as a reminder of the fingerprints of God that are around us everyday.  The difference is those of us with eyes to see and those of us who are unaware. . . I wonder what fingerprints I missed today.

Faithfulness

So much I've meant to blog about lately...Time seems to be my enemy the last few weeks.  Maybe I won't unfurl a month of posts in one.   

Jason has been preaching through the Fruit of Spirit, and quite frankly I'm a little ready to move past the Fruit (developed or not).  It's starting to get a little painful, and why should I be surprised.  Pruning and growing is not easy.  This week is gentleness.  Ha!  Just because my husband needs to refine gentleness, doesn't mean I need to also.  Does it?  You can imagine a few of the curve balls that have come our way this week.  Next week is self-control.  I'll choose not to worry about what might come next week.

However, last week was faithfulness.  And, it was a Sunday of WOW, which is not meant to stand for World of Warcraft or any other texting abbreviation I may not be aware of.  It really does mean "wow".  God is beginning to display His faithfulness to us in tangible ways.  To enumerate those here would take more words than I can attempt to craft on a Sunday afternoon.   God is not just now becoming faithful, but we are getting a better glimpse of what He promised in the Word when we followed the call six years ago. 

Six years ago this month, we became residents of Spring Hill.  Idealistic, but trusting. Knowing not a soul, clinging to 1 Thessalonians 5:24, we began to make Spring Hill our home.  The simple fact that we are still here is a testimony of His faithfulness (and due some to my fear of God), but there's more!  It's like having a present that you have to wait 20, 40, 50 years to fully open, and we're only in year six!  Some days we get to pull back a little bit of the wrapping, but we can only dream of what is inside.  In the past month, it's like God has let us take a doctor's scope and look inside the wrapped gift.  It's like we now have but a small glimpse of the package that one day, due to His faithfulness, will be opened. 

For now, though, we'll keep clinging to His promise and remembering how He is proving Himself faithful.  Here's some of what we have seen the past few weeks:

• Van became acquainted with Grace Park (GP) after his girlfriend encountered us as at egg hunt 3 years ago.  It's been a long journey from atheism to belief in Christ, but Jason had the privilege of baptising Van a few Sunday's ago.  (It's was our first baptism service in our own baptistry!)  And, this past Sunday (during the Faithfulness sermon), Van took communion with his new brothers and sisters!
• Five years ago Jason began coaching t-ball due to a need in our community.  About a month ago, he ran into his assistant coach from that first year and his 10 year old son on a Sunday morning while playing Ultimate in the park.  J and his boys have begun playing Ultimate with GP on Sunday mornings and attending our weekly worship gatherings. 
• This week a couple sat in our living room, attending Exploring Grace Park (a new membership class).  We knew of at least 7 touches, over 5 years, that we had had with this family before they began visiting with us this spring.  In the membership class, when Jason asked for examples of how those in attendance had seen our core value of service played out in the community, this couple began naming multiple encounters with GP over the years!  We had no idea!  And, they told the story of our first block party in their neighborhood when rain was falling ALL around and the block party was dry!  (An unchurched family testifying to God's faithfulness right in our living room!  By the way, Jason has screen shots from weather.com of that night.)
• And the stories continue....There's D, who is beginning her faith journey; our new neighbors; and G, who has had a series of random GP touches in many different areas of his life. 

God is faithful.  He has been faithful, and we will continue to cling to the faithfulness that has held us here for six years, has led us to be able to say "this is home", and that will hold us here through future ups and downs, tears of pain and tears of joy, and that will one day lead us home, where we will see the full package unwrapped.

It Just Hit Me

Oh my goodness!  It just hit me! 

In our Thursday night community group we recently started Experiencing God, which I am excited about.  God has used this study mightily in Jason's and my life in the past, and I began it looking forward to what He wants me to learn this time around.  However, I have not been outstanding with abiding lately and found myself over a week behind in my workbook with group meeting tonight!!!  (Now, I'm not a follower of the law, and usually choose to look at my behavior in light of grace.  But, I do know that to hear from God requires spending time with Him, and right now that workbook is my accountability.)  So, in I delved. 

Almost caught up I had to get to work.  So, I put the last day and half on hold until this evening.  Still I closed my book only to keep revisiting the truths in my thoughts.  So much to meditate on and pray through.  I am not surprised that I find each word in the workbook so applicable to my life right now, but sometimes I am still slow to really GET it! 

So, I'm sitting here at work (I work in the living room and Jason in the bonus room.) when Jason gets a phone call.  It was one of those calls that just leaves you unable to concentrate on what you should be doing and really praying for wisdom as you are rocked to the core (and that was just from hearing Jason's half of the conversation).  Anyway, back to "work" it just hit me.  One reality that I just read in Experiencing God is that following God often leads you to a crisis of belief.  That's where we are today -- a crisis of belief.  Now why should I be surprised that God would take head knowledge of what I read and require it to become tested and tried in my life?

Now for the crisis of belief.  Here is what I know, believe, and what I am staking my banner on.  God is faithful, trustworthy, always at work, loving, merciful, our provider, our protector, and all-knowing.  This information that we just found out is not new to God, and He foresaw our involvement in it long before it came to be or before the phone call today.  It is brought to us for such a time and this, and He who called us is faithful and He will do it (1 Thess. 5:24).   So, I choose to join Him in His work.

No Longer Anonymous

  Several years ago my friend H.B. and I mulled over this idea -- the life of a pastor's family is never quite hidden.  At that time she and her husband were on their way to a large church where they would quickly be known by thousands of people, and Jason and I were just beginning our ministry in Spring Hill.  Even then, though, we mused about how our every action (like having a little disagreement with your husband in the local Mexican restaurant) might forever more been "seen" by someone.  Now over the years I have grown to realize that part of being salt and light is being transparent.  Yet, like it or not, our actions "seen" by others are not always weighed on equal scales.  It is just part of the calling, the surrendering, the dying to self, and the "title". 
   For those of you in a small town this whole concept might not make much sense.  I understand it is very normal for you see 10 people you know on your average run to Walmart, but for Jason and I in a town of 25,000 unindigenous Spring Hillians it is unusual.  That is until recently.  It seems that the 5 years of investing in our community is catching up with us, and we are no longer anonymous.  (That can be a scary thought because I am human and sometimes I'm not a very good one.) 
   You see.  It happened this week.  The day I have been knowing would happen for quite sometime.  I went on a 15 minute run to Target and saw three people we know from various connections.  That was followed by a trip to the local Kroger where I ran into four families we know well in less than 30 minutes.  (Again, I know that is foreign to those of you in a small town, but it did not always happen to us like that here.)  Then, Saturday we hosted a yard sale in the driveway of our new home.  And although we only posted it on Craig's List we had multiple conversations with "customers" that quickly connected us to Grace Park.  There was W, who is also having a home built by our builder, and L, who was one of the original fourth grade teachers of the school where we meet for worship.  Then there was S., who has visited with us at GP several times, and A., whose son came to Mission Possible.  And, there was one of the hostesses from the local Mexican restaurant.  And, on it goes.  So, it really hit me again.  We are no longer anonymous. 
  And that lack of anonymity carries with it responsibility.  We are His ambassadors, His messengers, His salt and light.  And, whether I choose it or not I am watched.  So I better represent well (even on a quick run to the grocery store) because I wear His name in a town of the unindigenous where I live to redefine perceptions.

And the sun did shine.... When she was 0, I was 11.  The previous 9 months had been rather tumultuous for our family, but that July day when she rode home from the hospital in my arms the sun did shine!  In fact, it's been shining through her for 22 years now.  And, last Saturday somewhere between putting on THE dress and touching up makeup it started to shine once again.  Friday night and Saturday morning it rained showers of blessings, but it shone on their wedding!

I've always said she was the perfect "baby of the family" (and I mean that in a good way).  She could make us all laugh.  She mellowed Mom and Dad.  She was born with style.  I think she's claimed at least four of the five bedrooms and two of the three bathrooms at some point in her lifetime.  She does the "aunt thing" with pomp and circumstance.  And, I know why her smile is one of Drew's favorite things about her.

Their whole wedding ...I've been processing it for days.  It's one of those life experiences that helps you understand what the Bible means when it says Mary "pondered these things in her heart".  Yes, the wedding really was that incredible!  In fact, the whole experience was incredible!   I loved how she broke "all the molds" (and maybe all the rules, too).  I love how she walked in to the electric guitar, how Bro. Craig made us all cry and Jason made us all laugh.  I love how they admonished each other in their promises and how Drew sang with her their story.  I love how we got to be barefoot and how she left with the pink flower in her hair (as the sun shone, of course).  I love how "we" crashed in the nursery for a few minutes and how "we" laughed as we reminisced on Sunday.  It was just an incredible experience, as the sun did shine!

So, thank you Amber and Drew!  It was a beautiful reflection of you!

Hard Lessons

Life is not meant to be hard.  Really, it's not!  However, I find myself cuddled on the couch slightly past midnight with an old friend whom I know well.  Problem is this friend is not pleasant, is quite demanding, is suffocating to be around, and does not leave easily.  This friend has many names.  You might know him as Stress or Bad Habit or Temptation or maybe even Disobedience.  Funny thing is (at 33 years into this journey) I even know how this friend gets here.  And, I have to admit that I sent more than one invite to him over the last few months -- evites, phone calls, letters, personal invitations, you name it.  I invited him over and over again.  He always looks quite glamorous from the "other side the fence".  His grass always looks green, but by now I should know IT'S NOT!  Now I want him to go away, and that really isn't an option tonight, tomorrow, or even next week. 

You see when he's here, he rather gets in the way.  I find myself stumbling over him all day.  He's consuming and totally life sucking.  Sometimes, like today on my drive home, I tried to squash him (in my mind at least).  Guess what?  It didn't work!  And, tonight I tried to ignore him.  Guess what?  That didn't work either!  Maybe tomorrow I'll try to work him to death, literally.  Guess what?  I already know that won't work because I've tried that before. 

Frankly, I think my husband describes him best as "trading good for best" because you see, for me, this friend is not bad.  It's just that he's not BEST.  As much as I want to make him BEST and think that GOOD is what I want, when I get it I find it's not.  It's just not.  There's only one BEST, and it's spelled out for me in black and white (actually more than once - Matt. 11:29 for example).  You would think someone with my skills (basic literacy) could read, comprehend, and apply plain text, but evidently I can't or don't or won't.  I'm not sure which it is, but I'm pretty sure it's either don't or won't.  

So here I find myself humbly looking at BEST and sitting with GOOD.  He'll be here for several more weeks as I slowly rid myself of him.  And in the meantime I'll be praying mercy over my invite and grace over my next encounter with him.

It's All About Relationships

This past week I had the opportunity to attend a National Training Institute on Effective Practices for working with children with challenging behaviors.  Although I am well versed in the model the Institute was built on, I was reminded how important relationships are in our lives.  In fact, this model suggests strong, positive relationships should be the foundation of a classroom and are the first "layer" in preventing challenging behaviors from developing.  So, once again I was encouraged to just dream about what would happen in classrooms across our nation if teachers took time to build strong, positive relationships with all children and their families.  All children are deserving of this person in their life!


Tonight I have the television on for noise as I am grading, grading, grading.  Since we do not have cable, the best option I have is Npt.  I know it's sappy, but sometimes it really does have a program that is educational.  Tonight there is a program about senior adults who have created this group called the Young at Heart Chorus.  They spend hours on end practicing and are under the leadership of a talented director who really pushes them to improve.  The documentary captures the struggles but also the joys of being elderly, as many of those in the chorus are well over 70 and in poor health. 


On the program, they filmed the group performing at a prison.  Sitting outside with hundreds of inmates as their audience, the chorus performs a beautiful show with uplifting and encouraging songs.  Despite having lost one of their soloists that morning to a heart attack, the group performs with joy and enthusiasm.  The inmates gave the group a standing ovation!  Afterwards, each of the senior adults went out into the group of inmates and spoke with them.  Many of the inmates were smiling and even kissing the ladies on the cheek.  There were many hugs, handshakes, and thank yous exchanged.  Several inmates told the group that the performance was the best of their lives.  And, I cannot help but think, "what if?"


Research tells us that children under the age of 5 with challenging behaviors who do not get appropriate intervention (part of which includes meaningful and strong, positive relationships) have a high probability of incarceration.  So, I wonder. . . Did those inmates have anyone in their life who cared enough to build a true relationship with them?  What if someone had?  What difference could one person have made in their lives?  If someone had invested in them could they have changed the course of that inmate's life?  What if someone invested in them now?  How could one strong, positive relationship change the course of an inmate's life?  What if?