Gotta get your feet wet

This morning as I was reading my Bible I came across a section of scripture that caused me to recall something I had run across recently. I have no clue where that was so I can't give appropriate credit. Which is probably just as well since I can't actually recall what it was I read either so I'd surely mangle whatever it was I was trying to relay.

So we'll just talk about the things I saw this morning recognizing the source as the Word of God. In Joshua chapter 3 the Israelite nation is getting ready to begin the process of taking the land of Canaan as their own. A couple of lessons spoke to me. First Joshua tells the people that they are to position themselves so that they are following the ark of the covenant because "then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before." Many times in my life I have been asked to go somewhere I had never been before - those journeys were so much less frightful when I remembered to keep the Lord in my sights. Because life is played out one day at a time we never really know where we are going do we? Just keep the Lord in your sight and it's okay - we can rest in the assurance that no where we are being led (or dragged kicking and screaming as the case may be)is a place to be feared because God is already there.

Secondly I was reminded that the priests went ahead of the Israelites when they came to the Jordan river. Joshua writes that the river was at flood stages. I remember when I was maybe 10 years old that the Arkansas river flooded my hometown. Mom and us kids were at home and Daddy was working. He came home in the middle of the morning and told us to pile in the car he was going to take us to see something. We drove out to the highway and parked along the shoulder with about 30% of the population of the town and stood there looking at the river. It was almost out of its banks - a dirty, raging, swirling tide of water roaring past. There was all sorts of debris being pushed along. That is what I remember when I think of a river at flood stages. The LORD tells Joshua that the priests are to go ahead of the people carrying the ark of the covenant. The waters of the Jordan river are going to be cut off but only AFTER the priests step into the water. I don't know about you but I would certainly have much preferred that I stand at a safe distance from the river's edge and God could part it, dry up the land underneath and then I would cross through. Their salvation came after they got their feet wet.

I confess I've done everything I could to avoid the water on many occasions. I wonder what I would have learned had I just gone ahead and stepped in? What blessings did I rob myself of? What opportunities for richer faith? What amazing things did God want to do in my life?

Joshua 3:1-17

We are not.......

Once upon a time when I was young, arrogant and judgemental there was a common theme in my thoughts. If I saw someone who appeared to be suffering the consequences of bad choices (mind you I had no real idea as to what their reality was) my initial thoughts were generally along the lines of "We are not those kind of people." Mmm...sounds somewhat familiar.

"The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers — or even like this tax collector." (Luke 18:11)

I believed that doing the right thing would get the right results. It was a simple math equation. Here is what I learned:

It ain't necessarily so.

I remember the moment I had this epiphany. It was during the dark night of Matt's teen years. He'd made a bad decision and the consequences were harsh. We decided that he could spend the night at the detention center rather than bail him out. I was heartbroken, confused, scared and mad. Visiting hours were starting soon and people were beginning to file in...waiting for their chance to see their loved one. I sat there and thought to myself "I don't belong here with these kind of people." I pulled myself tighter into myself as though that were enough to draw a line of demarcation between "those people" and myself. The Holy Spirit spoke to me and removed the blinders from my eyes. I was at the county jail because my child was behind those bars. Me. I was "that kind of people". I was no different. I had a whole lot more in the way of material blessings than some of those waiting. I had more education. I had more of a support group. But I was there because someone I loved was in jail.

The ground at the foot of the cross is level. I would do well to remember that.

Be careful what you ask for

Last night Tyler and I visited on the phone. This kid is worrying me to death. He is such an adrenaline junkie. He's thinking he would like to find a logging job for the summer. LOGGING!! I tried in my very best mom voice to let him know I didn't care if he was almost twenty-two he was most certainly NOT going to do that!! It's the most dangerous job in the world, don't you know?? Well, of course he knows - that's what is so appealing - to know that any false move, any bad decision could mean your death -- that's (and I quote) "awesome".

Clearly he's had some serious brain damage somewhere along the way that we know nothing about. He's going to be the death of ME is what's going to happen. I told him that he needed to find a nice girl and think about settling down. Oh, he's waaaaay too young to be thinking about that! He's got a lot of living left to do!! I told him that I was already married when I was his age. His response? "You are serious! Are you SERIOUS?" As if I had just told him I was scheduled on the next space flight.

I told him that at the rate all three of my children were going, I would be dead before I had any grandkids. He said "Don't worry, mom." Since we've had this discussion, oh maybe one or two times before (I'm persistent) I knew what was going to follow -- "You are young, mom and I'm going to settle down before long, yada, yada, yada."

This time - not so much. Here is what I heard just seconds after my brain had already began formulating the reply to what I knew he was going to say.

"I'll go out this very evening, mom, and make sure you have a grandbaby in about nine months."

Oh yes he did say that. He doesn't have to worry about me bringing that subject up again for a while.

Don't make me fly up there, son.

Found

I just watched a great movie -- August Rush. I don't remember hearing a thing about it until a friend told me about it the other day. My prime movie watching time is somewhere between 6 and 8 on Saturday mornings. That's the only time I can be reasonably certain I won't fall asleep before the opening credits. If you haven't seen it, rent it -- it is really worthwhile. I don't want to spoil it if you haven't seen it but the story is of a very musically gifted boy who is shaped and driven by the music he hears. It's music that is played out all around him in nature and in the 'noise' of city life. No one seems to be able to hear the music though because they don't have their ears attuned. He doesn't know how, but somehow he knows that the music will bring him home.

How often I miss the music in my busy-ness. How often I hear the noise of distraction and the urgent and miss the music of the important. Jesus has given me a song to sing and I must not forget that. I must keep singing. It's the music that will bring me home.

There is one incredible line in the movie that sums up what we all want. The young boy is asked if he could choose any name in the whole world what would he choose his name to be. He replies "Found". Isn't that what we all long for?

Great News!!! We have been. Can I get an amen?

Great lines

For your consideration--some great quotes from equally as great movies. Can you guess where they came from?

Time marches on and sooner or later you realize it is marchin' across your face.

I may be on the devil's hit-list, but I'm on God's mailing list.

I know a man who has a van and he will take you back to wherever you came from!

Sit down and shut up, will ya? Try not to live up to all my expectations.

I don't know what's worse, church or jail.

Face it, girls, I'm older and I have more insurance.

This is not a tragedy. A tragedy is three men trapped in a mine, or police dogs used in Birmingham.

In a good shoe, I wear a size six, but a seven feels so good, I buy a size eight.

Luther said I could learn some things from you. I already know how to drink.

If you mention my name, you'll be selling your kidneys to pay for your lawsuit. Cult.

I'm not as sweet as I used to be.

What did you ever do to change the world?

You remember the day I went out for cigarettes and didn't come back? You must have noticed.

I'm too old for this...

Not only are you a cheat, you're a gutless cheat as well.

I'm gonna get out of the car and drop you like third period French.

I wouldn't be afraid of death if I was you. I'd be more afraid of driving in rush hour traffic.

All right. Now I have complied with your every request, would you agree?

This is the best part of my day.

My wife left me. I was upset. I fell into a self-destructive pattern.
If released, is it likely you'd fall back into a similar pattern?
She already left me once. I don't think she'd do it again just for kicks.

You're not trying to draw a psycho pension! You really are crazy!

Endo here has forgotten more about dispensing pain than you and I will ever know.

Winter in Dallas

I grew up in Colorado and have experienced life with all four seasons. You pretty much knew when winter came it was going to be winter for a few months. It was certainly possible for there to be an unseasonably warm day here and there - but it was winter -- no doubt.

Here? Not so much. We have something that more closely resembles hot summer and cooler summer....with a surprise thrown in there every now and then. I kid. Just a little bit though. It can get cold here and frankly this cold is colder than anything I remember in Colorado. Just as humid hot is much hotter than dry hot, wet humid cold is far colder than dry cold. The crazy thing about our weather is it really is likely to change day to day - like the old joke "You don't like the weather? Just wait a bit - it'll change."

Until we went to see Tyler in December I did not believe I missed the cold and the snow one bit. Oh how beautiful it was though! I'm mostly glad I don't have to experience it much but there is a beauty in winter that is unique to itself. Monday night this week it snowed here. What I would call the first really true snow storm we've had in the 15 years I have lived here. We have gotten a little covering of snow every once in a while...but it's very brief and seldom amounts to much. But this was snow, folks! Real honest to goodness big huge wet flakes that were coming down fast and beautiful. I actually drove around at 11:00 at night just to experience it. It was so quiet and so bright white. That was Monday night. Tuesday afternoon it was something like 67. See what I mean? Needless to say the snow was gone by the time I got home from work. It's supposed to snow again tonight. It's been trying to for several hours and there's a little on the ground but mostly it's been raining all day. Things will freeze I'm sure and that means driving to work will be a real joy for everyone.

I didn't think to take pictures Monday night when it was snowing but I did take some when I got up the next morning. You can tell it had already melted significantly but it was still pretty.

Oh for a faith that will not shrink......

I have never tried to do this before so I don't know if it will work but this is truly one of the most incredibly humbling things I have ever watched in my life. I want to have a faith that strong - a trust that firm - a love that pure. I don't want to walk away unchanged.



God be praised!

Oh no, she didn't!!

If you will look over there on my sidebar where it says something like "about me" or "profile"...I can't remember and I don't want to go looking at the moment. ANYWAY, the very last sentence contains a very, very important fact about yours truly.

Oh yes.

And today I got an email from my niece. She attached a picture that she wanted to share with me.

Oh. My. Goodness. I. AM. SO. JEALOUS.

Political ads

Political advertising has gotten out of hand. Can I get a witness? Every day I come home from work to find my message light blinking like crazy. I've got 8 messages! Every last stinking one is a plea to vote for somebody - from County Commissioner to our country's next President. They are all pretty much alike -- each touts the virtues of a particular candidate and they always end the same way "I'm (insert candidate's name) and I approve this message."

One day last week I got back to my desk after lunch to discover I had a voice mail waiting. I figured it was going to be yet another URGENT URGENT need for an attorney immediately because the entire future of the company hangs on their particular deal. But no. That was not the message waiting for me this time.

"Hello, Mom! What are we having for dinner tonight? I hope it's something good. And I really hope you don't want me to cook it. This is Katie Scott and I approve this message."

You've gotta love it.