Russian radio thrill

I almost didn’t recognize the moment.  Over the radio in the car, I heard “How Great Is Our God,” though I’d heard it lots of times before.  Passion’s world edition melts my heart every time, yet I’ve never really tried to understand any of the languages other than English and Spanish, just assuming they were out of my reach.  Then suddenly I caught a vague recognition of two words.  “Did he say ‘Наш Бог’?”  Such a thrill to even hope that my study of Russian was translating into real life.  Arriving home, I pulled up YouTube, and yes, the singer says “Наш Бог так велик,” which means ‘How great is our God.'  Well, this is huge news for me.  This is so big that my heart can hardly handle the blessing.  When any of us follows the Lord into something, our eyes are open wide for His leading.  We watch closely for Him to cue our next step.  I knew the Lord wouldn’t leave me stranded, but I also didn’t know how the details of learning Russian would live out.  So these moments found my heart leaping into praise of how He was so sweetly encouraging me to keep studying.  Certainly He has guided me all along.  Certainly He tuned my ears to the lyrics today when ordinarily they would’ve tuned out.  Psalm 147:6 tells us, “The Lord sustains the humble . . .”  And I am overjoyed and thankful and trusting of Him all the more to sustain me along His path.  May you too be blessed in seeing Him at work in your life.

Drenched & detoured

Have you ever experienced something just too unusual to be human?  Maybe some sort of remarkable timing that made you pinch yourself to see if it's real?  One Saturday in December, we awoke to that very thing.  The alarm buzzed at 6:30, and we grabbed the guitar, our music, and a couple of granola bars to hop in the car.  Without news of the extent of the night’s rainfall, we knew nothing about road closures.  From the highway, we saw lower roads with cars stranded.  We ran into flashing lights and road blocks, and when we hit a major detour, I highly suspected we’d be late for music.  Possibly too, we might be absent entirely.  And my heart sank to imagine the precious faces of people we'd miss:  friends and guests who give and receive food, clothes, and the love of the Lord.  But along this detour, I started remembering driving this way once to a funeral.  I recalled no low sections of road that would flood, so my mind sighed in relief, though we soon encountered a train, but there the Lord reminded us of another alternate route we’d taken to a different funeral.  Now I'm smiling huge to realize we weren't going to be late for music after all!  Quite amazing, really.  Considering our trek was across the city, from far north to north central to east side, we were amazed at how the Lord directed traffic in our favor.  And as my heart bubbled in glee, I kept realizing more.  While praying 2 days before, I felt inclined to prepare Rita Springer’s song “I Have to Believe.”  I charted the chords and loaded the piano Friday night, and now it’s crossing my mind that if indeed the Lord imparted that song for today, then actually no amount of torrential rain could've ever thwarted the singing of it, meaning that the night's rain was never really a deterrent but maybe just twisted into temptation for us to lose focus.  Still too, there was the added blessing of remembering I didn’t even have this piano till 2 years ago when a friend said the Lord inclined her to give it to me from her grandson.  How sweet is that!  I felt wonderfully saturated in blessing, just immensely loved in the details.  I stood in awe of how the Lord set our sequence of events in motion, drawing from our travel on these detoured roads in years past, yet purposing for a song today.  Even toward the importance of attending funerals, I felt a nudge of encouragement.  Second Corinthians 3:5 tells us, “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.”  And so may you too experience the joy of seeing the Lord at work around you.  So precise is His orchestration.  You’re in my prayers.

Theatre license with a twist

Gasp!  Aahhhhh!  Only 2 driver’s licenses in my hand!  I left the car with 3, and what happened?  I retraced my steps down the hall, out the school and onto the sidewalk, across the parking lot and back to the car.  No license in the front seat where I’d been sitting.  Not in my purse.  Not anywhere.  Until my coworker exclaims, “Here it is!”  And slowing in near disbelief, I question, “In the backseat?!  How did it get there?”  My coworker adds, “I never saw it drop back here!”  It was by her feet on the floor on the passenger side.  And what really happened?  I still don’t know.  But each time I rethink this scenario, I ponder a larger picture.  Returning to the moment I realized my license missing, I remember inquiring of people along the way.  In the school office, I left a message, and one worker said she’d notify Maintenance, just in case they found something.  At the table of PTA ladies in the hallway, I stopped to ask if anyone turned in a stray license.  Afterward while still searching outside, I had one of the ladies so kindly approach me, “Did you ever find your license?”  I replied, “No.  I’m still looking.  I’m asking the Lord to show it to me.”  And after she left campus to go home, I kept wondering if this lady was going to have something come up lost in her future.  Could the Lord be speaking into her by illustrating with my scenario?  Was He preparing her to seek Him later for her loss?  Initially my panic over the license conjured nightmares of identity theft.  Waiting in line to replace my license would be such a hassle.  But that's all selfish on my part.  Sure, it’s possible the Lord mysteriously let my license land in the backseat, all for greater purpose beyond me. Sometimes we don’t see mysteries solve out because the greater purpose isn’t in our realm.  Yet even for the narrower view here, I love that the Lord came to my rescue.  This is one of many theatre trips with an interesting twist.  Luke 19:10 reads with broader meaning now, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

Valvoline: Deeper thought

Does anybody really work anymore?  Here’s why I ask.  Last week I drove over to our local Valvoline for the annual inspection on my car.  A bunch of us customers just started casually talking, and suddenly I felt my heart take a serious look into the way I live.  We all sat there for the same reason:  Because we preferred to pay Valvoline to do our work.  One lady said she also wanted Valvoline to change her oil.  Another lady wanted to find a good place to get her car washed.  Then came mention of locating a reliable lawn service.  Then still, someone was going by the salon to get her fingernails painted.  Add to all that, the fact that almost any place on the planet you can hear someone talking about eating out, and finally all this talk of paying other people to cook and clean and work for us became quite noticeable to me.  It's like buying clothes and realizing we're actually hiring someone else to do our sewing.  And the list goes on and on and on to the point of sounding like we don’t do any work ourselves because we’re always paying someone else.  When we buy books, aren’t we really paying someone else to write?  Aren’t we paying school taxes and tuition for someone else to teach our children?  And if we’re paying out all this money for other people’s work, when is it that we do any work?  The physical energy of work can be cleansing.  I remember the words of my aunt who taught decades of school children.  She told of the difference she saw when kids could no longer safely walk to school.  Students began arriving campus all pent-up because they just hopped out of the car instead of walking out their energy.  And it makes sense.  Second Thessalonians 3 tells us:  “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”  So we know work can be a good thing.  And as this chapter 3 cautions against idleness and becoming a busybody, which is not a good thing, I've been looking introspectively to examine the types of work I do.  Sometimes my husband and I tackle a new project when we’re stressed.  Recently painting our kitchen cabinets, we knew the physical motion of taking out the paintbrushes and manually disassembling the doors helped us to unwind.  The process of rotating the screwdrivers and removing the hinges ourselves allows the emotions to release, much like the children whose walking helped them unwind before school.  And if we pay someone else to do all our work, we miss out.  In fact, our next home project is painting the fascia boards outside, and it’ll definitely involve some sweat, but it’ll also have that element of good in its physicality.  And so I wonder, how many other jobs should I consider doing on my own instead of paying someone else?  Could there be a a new task coming your way as well?

Jesus, my car mechanic

Gasp!  What happened?  “Lord, help!”  In the middle of traffic, in the middle of lunch rush, with no extra time on the way to work, my car died.  In its tenth year, this sweet old Accord that’s been so reliable had a hiccup.  I pleaded, “Lord, let this car start again.”  And it did.  “Lord, may You keep this car running, so I won’t be late for work.”  And He took me onto the highway for 10 miles with no more stops and not even a hint of any problem.  I exited toward a Wal-Mart with plenty of empty parking spaces, and my lungs finally exhaled.  Not the ideal spot for leaving the car overnight, but it proved safe while my theatre director and I traveled to Houston.  Actually if someone tried to steal the car, I figured it probably wouldn’t start, so there wasn’t too much worry.  The greater fear had been keeping the car from stalling out again.  Psalm 34:4 says, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”  And in this sudden panic, He did deliver me.  I love Him for that.  In writing this, I asked Him to be your Deliverer too.  In whatever situation might leave you panicked, may you be mindful of Him.  May you call to Him as Savior and Deliverer and the only One who gives peace within the storm.

Saturday hospital plea

You know those days when you wake up so tired?  I'd love a nap.  Absolutely love it.  I lay down around 2:00, but my body wouldn’t relax.  I was restless.  Even with our sweet cat Sally hopping in my lap, the nap didn’t happen.  This Saturday a friend asked me to come to the hospital, and it would mean driving across town for a lengthy visit. Circumstances were complicated, and the Lord used my inability to sleep to spur me toward the car.  He parted the waters for an almost traffic-less drive, an easy hospital parking spot, and blessed conversation.  And you can learn a lot sitting in a hospital room.  In this case, I didn’t know who I’d meet.  Given my friend’s history of abuse and violence, would I meet some of her abusers?  Would I meet those who neglected her in childhood?  Or would the people have changed their ways?  I prayed for private time, hoping privacy might ease my friend into speaking freely.  But the Lord gave something different.  I walked into a roomful of guests, and one man motioned to me, “Please come in.  We’re speaking God’s word here.”  Still I didn’t know who this visitor was, but I entered, greeted everyone, and listened.  Another visitor came, this time wearing a black-and-white clerical collar, and I didn’t know him either.  Actually the whole occasion became quite inspiring, and all because the Lord didn’t give me what I asked for.  Never did I feel sleepy that afternoon, nor did I lack energy for participating in conversation.  In truth, I’m glad the Lord didn’t give me what I wanted.  We are meant to share our lives and not stay bottled in comfort of ourselves.  Instead of sleep, He gave me rest.  I can take a nap another day.

 

The girl at Enterprise

Last month our Honda dealership wanted to give us a rent car while they installed a new airbag.  Our first time to have a recall handled that way, Enterprise Rent-A-Car was the designated company, and when their shuttle driver arrived a bit chatty, our ride to the Enterprise office became intriguing.  In a short 10 minutes, the Lord tipped open an interesting door.  The driver asked about my day, and I asked about hers.  I mentioned my job, and she talked about studying German in college, which led me to comment about languages, saying it sure would be handy to know several languages when we go to Israel this fall.  When the subject of German surfaced a second time, the Lord opened the door to encourage, as it seemed my driver wasn't using German too much in her car rental work.  I offered, “I wonder how the Lord might use your German.  He can create all kinds of circumstances, and it's exciting to think of the ways He might work.  He may have a whole lineup of people for you to meet.”  It was so simple, really.  Unplanned, and just kind of rolling off the tongue. Hebrews 3:13 says, “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”  Often the Lord puts me on the receiving end of such comments, and when my brain starts replaying the particular words someone said, I'm amazed all over again how He positions us just perfectly to hear these things.  When He uses one of us to encourage another, He blesses both the giver and the receiver.  In the same way, this day with the rent car held its own curiosity.  I love that we can ask the Lord to connect all our dots, so our past, present, and future are all useful for His purposes.  And so I wonder now for you, how is the Lord orchestrating on your behalf?  Will you step out to encourage someone?

En route to Gateway

Today I introduce you to my friend Tina Garduna.  She's the one who experienced this week's remarkable story, and I thank her immensely for serving to co-write.  Back in April, Tina wanted to attend the Gateway women’s conference.  Already she knew the Lord told her to quit spending money, but the conference idea kept rising to the surface.  She tried to justify the conference, saying it would be good for her spiritual life and she'd celebrate a birthday soon and it was okay to put this on the credit card, but a few days later, the Lord nudged that it was not okay.  To purchase would be disobedient.  And almost immediately after Tina relented completely on the conference idea, the Lord began building a reward for her obedience.  An elderly friend for whom Tina is a caregiver gave her a birthday card with $100.  She told him the story of the conference, and in turn he gave her an additional jar of quarters that cashed in at almost $200.  Not yet enough for hotel, conference ticket, and gas, but the next day her daughter called to say, “Mom, I’ll give you $100 if you do my laundry.”  So she did it.  Sixteen loads later, fatigued and worn, she had another $100.  Through birthday gifts from family, she received another $180, and she now had more than enough to cover all of the expenses.  But she still needed a conference ticket, which would be $135.  She checked Facebook and found discounted tickets that sold only as a pair and later a third ticket entirely free.  Really needing only 1 ticket, she listed the extra ones online to sell, and she hopped in the car for what would become a thrilling trip.  Maintaining a constant seeking of the Lord, she arrived at her hotel and unpacked and headed toward the conference early to see if she could find any ticket-buyers.  Her GPS malfunctioned and caused her to miss an exit, but by this time God's hand had been so overwhelming in every detail that she just knew this was Him positioning her to sell a ticket or two.  She arrived the conference, and the first person she approached bought her ticket!  She sold it for the Early Bird price of $95, saving the woman $40 off the walk-in price.  They were both blessed!  One down; one to go.  As the conference was about to start, a woman texted to buy Tina's last ticket for $60!  Then with all the tickets handled, a new sort of blessing came.  The message "fear not" took prominence.  Back home, amidst torrential rains, Tina's dog had run away, causing her a huge gulp of concern, lending her to rely on that “fear not” message.  Also a lady sitting next to Tina spoke a stunning prophetic word, and interestingly it included that same message about fear.  And we look back now to notice something else.  When Tina first attempted to register for the conference, she tried to input 1 as the number of attendees, but the number kept spinning to 2, frustrating her and causing her to quit the registration repeatedly, though now we recognize the postponement to register was actually a blessing because the Lord would later reveal this intricate and joyful story.  And He impressed a verse on Tina’s heart during the conference.  As she had wandered into the bookstore during an intermission, she saw a beautiful plaque including that exact verse, Jeremiah 29:11, and she even had enough money to pay cash for it.  In Malachi 3:10, the Lord says when we handle money rightly, particularly tithes, He will throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that we won't have room enough for it.  And that’s what Tina experienced.  Hold fast to His word, do not fear, for He has plans to prosper us.  Still to this day the blessings of the conference keep rippling outward, all stemming from one decision to obey.  Tina didn’t spend her money, and in return the Lord spent His.

Theatre's detour off I-35

What enters your brain when you see a guy wearing a fluorescent vest and holding a sign to stop traffic?  “Oh, man!”  And then, “What’s the holdup?" and "How long do we have to stay here?”  My sentiments exactly.  My theatre group recently took one of the smaller roads off I-35 here in Texas and came upon a car halted behind a worker with one of those fluorescent vests and one of those same traffic signs.  So we halted too.  Meanwhile several sirens sounded, and an ambulance and other emergency vehicles followed in quick pursuit.  Then as things seemed idle for a while, my director asked me to walk up to ask the worker what’s happening, and he informed that one of his fellow construction workers had been hit but that our line of traffic should be released in a minute, so I walked back to our vehicle and let everyone know.  And while sitting in the passenger seat, I was humbled.  How uncaring I had been!  Here someone this man knows and works with was hit by a car, and all I cared about was the length of our wait?  Then I saw the worker walking toward us to explain they’re closing the road after all, so we needed to turn around.  This time, I’m thankful to say, my words were different.  He delivered the news, and I replied, “Sir, I’m sorry about your co-worker.  We prayed for him while waiting in our car.”  I kept thinking how gracious the Lord was to give me a second opportunity.  And indeed my prayer in the car was sincere.  John 15:12 says, "My command is this:  Love each other as I have loved you."  May I remember, and may we remember, how the Lord loves people more than time schedules.  May we love as He does.

Small Town, TX

Does your job send you traveling?  Mine does.  Our children’s theatre group visits lots of parts of Texas, including some smaller towns, and I love it.  Last month we went to Tyler.  Weather reports alerted us to ice and snow, yet the Lord cleared us a path, and actually the drive was all the more scenic with that fresh glisten of ice melting on the trees.  The school was fun where we performed, and an extra treat was visiting with my son-in-law’s mom.  She lives near there, and she kindly picked me up from the hotel for a very fun time of talking and laughing and enjoying a tour.  Sometimes we want the big city, the big business, the big neon name, but here my heart was fully content.  Really the blessing was extra sweet when recognizing the smaller scale of Tyler and the unlikelihood of most jobs traveling there.  Psalm 23:1 says, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.”  That's saying that Christ is our perfect Shepherd.  When we follow Him, He blesses us that we don’t long for more.  When we seek and listen, when we answer His call, we find our hearts perfectly content.  We don’t ache for what we don’t have.  Technology, clothing, status, you name it, all those things we tend to envy of others.  The joy of experiencing the Lord surpasses them all.  The fullness of knowing Him supplants by far.  I testify to having wasted energy in wanting things in the past, and I don't miss that hassle.  So we ask the Lord to remove the distractions.  May we trust Him to satisfy.  I have prayed for you today to know the joy of His presence. 

Tamale treasure

Timing.  Sometimes it’s everything.  We invited some friends for dinner one weekend, and their text said maybe Saturday would work best.  Days passed, and we didn’t hear again.  Saturday arrived, and I assumed something disallowed them to come, so I asked the Lord to show us how to spend the day.  My husband suggested driving to La Vernia, which is a little town less than an hour outside San Antonio, just to get away from the city.  The idea seemed good for our beautiful sunny day, though I still lamented not seeing our friends.  Suddenly my husband’s eyes lit up, “Hey! You know what we’re going to drive by, don’t you?  Ruben’s!”  This was huge.  Actually it was almost earth-shattering because Ruben’s is our all-time favorite tamale place.  But a glance at the clock showed it was already after 2:00, and the likelihood of us arriving Ruben’s before they closed was almost nil.  But we opted to try.  Amazingly we arrived at 2:50, they close at 3:00, and here comes my smiling husband returning to the car with 4 dozen of those delectable tamales.  But 4 dozen, really?  That’s a lot for just 2 people, but thank you, Lord, for the availability.  The rest of the way to La Vernia, we had a hefty tamale aroma wafting from the back seat to the front.  Constant salivating led me to wonder if we should grab some plastic forks and stop at a picnic table to take care of that first dozen.  Turns out we ate at Mr. Tim’s Country Kitchen, and we were grateful to rest our eyes on the cows grazing in the backyard pasture to give us that slow-down respite we had hoped for.  Walking back to the car, I noticed a text from our friends asking what time they should come for dinner.  Uh-oh.  What happened?  Whatever the mix-up, we'd still love to see them, but how could this work?  How could I cook them dinner when we were still out of town?  Then that tamale smell wafted to the front seat again, and suddenly I knew why the Lord gave us 4 dozen tamales.  Better than any meal I could cook, we’d now be serving straight from Ruben’s!  And how thrilling to recount our steps and see the Lord having orchestrated the day.  Not only would we get to see our friends, not only did we get to enjoy a scenic drive, but we also had been handed a very generous portion of one of the tastiest batches of tamales this earth has ever beheld, which was especially amazing, given it was holiday time when people wait in line for hours and hours, even sometimes learning too late that Ruben’s already sold out.  We had enough to give extra tamales for take-home too.  From sad to happy to giddily thrilled, a whole party was happening in my heart—confetti, those pointy party hats, and even the silly honking horns!  How I love the Lord.  His impeccable timing often lets me know He’s there.

Intimacy of December

Is latest always greatest?  Is bigger always better? Here’s a story.  Last month we went to some friends’ house on a Saturday afternoon.  Their home was a new music venue for us, yet it was a long-awaited and exciting occasion of joining their fellowship of musicians.  The sun shone, the air was crisp, and the drive held a serenity we loved.  On their porch sat a chiminea that softly slowed our pace from the city, much like a campfire seems to bring time to think.  My husband and I were among the first to arrive, and as everyone soon filed through the door, we discovered much in common beyond music.  We had shared neighborhoods and traversed the same roads near and far.  We spoke English and Spanish and had attended the same churches without knowing the other was there.  I must've donned a permanent smile from all the laughing and amazement, knowing little about the best part still to come.  Then I heard our friend announce that music would begin.  People stirred.  Guitar cases opened.  The djembe took prominent position.  Uncapping my little film bottle of water to soak my oboe reed, I sensed a tinge of nervousness beginning to creep.  Yet we set out in music to worship the Lord.  How would we experience Him?  How would He touch us and impact the moment?  The songwriting, the instrumentals, the storytelling, the prayer—it all came so sweetly.  Such an abundant presence of God inhabited the room, both for us as individuals and as a group.  Neither was it a big church service nor any high-tech event.  On this little parcel of land outside San Antonio, a small group of Believers was given a hugely amazing experience of the Lord transcending the day.  Covered softly in stillness and calm, my heart was full.  The gift was supernatural, like when the priests of the Old Testament couldn’t enter the temple because the glory of the Lord filled it so completely (2 Chronicles 7).  Fast-forward to 2014, and the Lord filled my heart so full that no want for anything more could enter.  For days and weeks, this aura of peace held.  I write here now to offer encouragement for those times when we’re restless.  We try the pretty things like shopping, we follow the flashy ads for movies, and we tout food as if it quells our unrest.  In actuality our solution lies in pausing to worship the One who created us.  The peace comes first through Him.  Consider the intimacy the Lord can bring to the smaller moment, for the most treasured gifts aren’t always in the biggest boxes.

Only on Wednesdays

Something about Wednesdays.  October 8 - My car wouldn’t start.  October 15 - We were patching up plumbing problems, so I stayed at the house.  October 22 - The car wouldn’t start again, yet it worked just fine all the other days since we replaced the battery 2 weeks ago.  Each of these Wednesdays I’m not visiting patients in the hospital as planned.  I’m also not praying in front of the abortion center.  So I paused to think:  Why now?  What's happening now that might cause this?  Answer:  2 things.  (1) My husband and I set out to read the Bible in 90 days.  (2) I’ve been memorizing Romans 4 and 5.  Only these 2 things could I think of that were new in these recent weeks.  I asked friends for their insight, and most gave the same answer.  The chaplain at the hospital posed, “Do you get the idea the enemy doesn’t want you here?”  And that was pretty much what my friends said.  The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  Yet 2 Timothy 4:18 says, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom . . .”  Second Chronicles 16:9 attests to the eyes of the Lord always roaming the earth in our defense.  So all the time the devil is on the prowl to destroy, the eyes of the Lord are on the alert for our benefit.  The battle is spiritual.  We feel the heat.  The gunfire scrapes pretty close sometimes.  While I don’t consider every trial to come from Satan, in this instance the timing is curious.  Hospitals and abortion centers are certainly battlegrounds.  If Satan is on the prowl and mad about my praying there, he could be extra mad about the Bible reading and memorization.  It's certainly his mindset to try to thwart anything the Lord loves.  But the Lord wins ultimately.  Through every trial, through every irritating event, through every attempt to distract, the Lord provides us a way out.  And for my husband and me, the distractions and the rescues continue.  For that second morning when the car wouldn’t start, the Lord pointed us to the perfect YouTube post to replace the starter solenoid in our old 2000 Expedition.  Next we realized the front brakes starting to grind, and the Lord gave us cool weather for replacing them on a Sunday afternoon.  Following that, I drove to the furniture store to pick up our new bed and realized it wouldn’t fit in the car.  But there again, the Lord supplied the idea to use ratcheting tie-downs across the luggage rack.  Then came an incident in the church parking lot, which was of a different nature this time and not a mechanical problem.  It was a case of my mouth spewing.  I complained about the way my husband parked the car, and he bit back with sharp words of his own, revealing just how on-edge we’d really been.  Our bundle of tension had sat barely beneath the surface all this time, and it was amazing how the Lord protected us that we hadn't erupted earlier.  Though now our damages reached into the heart, still they could be forgiven.  Altogether our problems have been merely hassles.  The tug-of-war has made us tired, yet the Lord has replenished.  And I'm determined all the more not to relent on reading the Bible or on memorization.  The song “Onward, Christian Soldiers” comes to mind, for Christ really does lead us against the foe.  You, me, all of us.  Be encouraged that He fights on our behalf.

Paper-clipped

People devote themselves to things.  It’s a compliment, usually.  Merriam-Webster defines devotion in terms of loyalty and love.  To devote means to commit in a sincere and serious way.  So it’s curious about these writings we call devotionals.  We buy a book or subscribe to emails, and they’re short and quick.  They have a Bible verse, writer’s comments, and prayer all wrapped up pretty in a 5-minute package.  But what about the other 1,435 minutes in the day?  How devoted are we?  Consider someone devoted to gardening.  He tends his vegetables in all kinds of weather—rain, drought, sunshine, or snow.  Consider the devoted parent who exhausts his energy laughing one day and inevitably grieving the next, yet he perseveres.  How shallow or deep is my devotion?  It's not admirable that I sometimes postpone my time with God.  My brain entertains the thought, “Just 2 more emails and then I’ll pray.”  But when the emails finish, a friend calls to talk, and I find prayer postponing once again.  I hear people say they pray in the car on the way to work.  Praying in the car can be good, but if we postpone prayer in order to be in the car first, the prayer is secondary and not the purest of devotion.  We're paper-clipping God to another task.  If I set aside a morning stroll just to listen and speak with the Lord, that’s different than choosing vigorous exercise and paper-clipping prayer to the back side of my power walk.  In 1 Chronicles 28:9, David tells Solomon, “. . . acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.  If you seek him, he will be found by you . . .”  In my laundry room, I have a box of colored paper clips from a bunco party.  The green, blue, and pink clips create a cute package, and they're much more fun than the plain old silver, yet it's the order of papers to be clipped that's more important.  Will the paper signifying my devotion to the Lord be first?  Will I clip the other sheets behind or in front?  What about you?  How do the papers line up in the 1,440 minutes of your day?

Love prevails for sake of victims

Months of work possibly down the drain.  Eight months of writing this curriculum, and I didn’t want to accept that it was over.  Not that I wrote every day or even every week, but it had been an ongoing project, and God had inspired throughout.  Yet according to a single recent communication, we now stood in a bleak spot, as we would be denied the interaction we hoped for.  We had planned to implement this coursework to aid the victims next month, and it’s a drastic understatement to say sexual exploitation and trafficking is a serious topic.  Our hope was high for connecting with these girls and aiding their recuperation and re-entry into regular life.  And as highly as we had hoped and as deeply as we were stunned, God took this difficult situation and subtracted out any hint of despair.  As I drove to meet up with my friend who began this ministry to serve these victims, the Lord refreshed me.  Realizing human tendency would have me slump into a bad mood, I observed quite the opposite happening.  The Lord protected me from temptation and supplied me new joy.  From my motionless posture of slowly digesting the bad news, the Lord rescued me into a positive perspective that wouldn’t allow me to fall back.  This roadblock would not win out over our love of these girls who have been hurt so deeply.  John 16:20 says, “…You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.”  This was a new version of God converting bad into good, for that afternoon my friend and I recognized some very exciting and unanticipated avenues for ministry.  Indeed our hope in Him is worthy to guide us through the ups and downs of the ordinary day.  His truths are tangible for you and me.

Wedding + rent cars = 8

One small wedding.  Granted, it was a destination wedding.  Savannah is one of the many sweet spots on this earth, and the details appeared finely tuned and ready to go.  With options for flying into Savannah, Jacksonville, or Charleston, we could grab a rent car and even stay the weekend just for fun.  Surely we could share the rent cars once we arrived.  The idea kept sounding good, but in actuality the car scenario wasn’t panning out.  On the day of departure, the bride and groom had trouble from the start.  An overturned concrete truck delayed traffic on the highway and caused them to miss their flight.  Oodles of phone minutes with airlines and $2,000 later, the bride was crying, and the groom's composure had clearly been tested.  The only available replacement flights were out of DFW instead of Love Field, with a return flight out of Jacksonville instead of Savannah, which they quickly booked, though knowing they'd have to sort details later.  They arrived Savannah and rented a car, and the next day the wedding ceremony was beautiful.  All those months of intricate planning certainly proved fruitful.  When the weekend finished and time came to head home, the couple’s rent car still required return to the Savannah airport in order to avoid stiff penalty.  Wanting not to worsen their already $2,000 in the hole, they returned the car as required and hitched a ride to Jacksonville with the bride's grandparents, who had also stayed the weekend to enjoy the city.  The grandparents' rent car had little extra room for luggage, as they never dreamed they’d be carrying the bride and groom on this 2-hour ride to the Jacksonville airport.  Trying to lessen the luggage load, they relegated transportation of the wedding dress to the groom’s dad because he was driving all the way home to Texas without any airport stops.  They carefully stacked 3 suitcases in the middle of the back seat to Jacksonville and hopped in the car for their 2-hour trek.  Considering the bride's family, the groom's family, and the 3 friends who decided to crash the wedding, I counted at least 7 rent cars for a relatively small wedding party, and that seems excessive.  But the cars proved helpful, especially when trying to sidestep the rain that loomed each day and handle various trips for make-up, hair, photos, and food.  I recall the early days of having prayed over this wedding, now realizing the Lord had reason for us to rent all these separate cars.  He knew from the beginning that the concrete truck would overturn and that He would love our family through each agonizing step of the whole ordeal, all the while using the potential catastrophe to actually deepen our confidence in Him as provider.  Everyone still made it to the wedding, and we saw opportunity to put prayer at the forefront once again.  Isaiah 58:11 says, "The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame . . ."  How I love Him for loving us first.  I pray too for the driver of the concrete truck.

Revisiting the old neighborhood

Remember your childhood house?  Mine was near Lackland Air Force Base.  Our little pink asbestos-shingled abode served as shelter for 4, and we played baseball in the front and ate hamburgers at our picnic table in the back.  I've driven by the old place several times since, and actually the notion of revisiting comes to mind because a friend recently revisited his high school neighborhood.  Beginning to miss some of his buddies, he headed toward his old stomping ground after work one night.  Along the way, he talked with the Lord and valued the time.  Then when he arrived, the message hit hard.  Misery set in.  He turned off the ignition, just sat in the car, and felt anger and sorrow refloat to the top.  Seeing the old school reminded him of former drug abuse.  Seeing his apartment brought back the days when his mom supplied alcohol and partied with his friends.  His visit became an hour flooded with heartache from life’s worst times.  Yet there was some good in all this.  As pain can grow humility, all the devastating memories and all the shame and regret served to deepen my friend's gratitude toward the Lord.  If still living in his old ways, he says he might be sitting in jail or maybe even dead, and now how earnestly he appreciates the Lord delivering him.  He was newly inspired to live humbly and take the Lord seriously and not waste his second chances.  No more self-righteousness.  And so my friend poses some questions for all of us, “Is there somewhere we need to revisit today?  Somewhere I need to go?  How about you?"

Moved beyond dialysis

Lately my body has felt on the edge of collapse.  My bones have ached all over.  One Saturday I came close to falling asleep at the steering wheel, and it was scary to imagine what could’ve happened at highway speed.  I determined then to quit driving, I sought a new doctor, who in turn ordered some blood tests, and my eyes have viewed life a little differently ever since.  As I’ve sat at home and pondered much, the sweet face of my friend who deals with dialysis has come to mind.  Her uncomplaining smile speaks volumes for having found contentment in the Lord.  Longstanding frailty has not imprisoned her; rather it has served to blossom in her an amazing testimony.  A failed kidney transplant, any kind of steady job interrupted, many physical freedoms long gone, and still she radiates a gracious spirit.  Her fatigue continues, as do her hospital stays, yet her presence exudes testimony to the Lord’s strength within.  Three days a week she pulls open the door to the dialysis clinic, and when she arrives home afterward, it's like having worked a full-time job.  This week the notion hit me to prepare her a care package, and I trust that the Lord gave the idea.  A computer search of gift suggestions for dialysis patients turned up a sizable list, and I found immense joy in hoping to brighten her day.  A fun striped blanket, some cute colorful socks, new crossword puzzles, and some Skittles candy.  A small gesture in comparison, yet pure delight to anticipate giving.  Had the Lord not allowed my sickness and these days of immobility at home, I wouldn’t have the new insight for offering prayer on my friend's behalf.  May the Lord bless her, and you, dear reader, and those opportunities when He uses us to inspire each other.  My car may sit idle, but my heart has been moved.

Driving a fierce Corpus Christi storm

What’s it like to drive into a storm?  What bombards your brain when there’s no turning back?  Last weekend I shuddered to hear my friend retell this story.  Her trek on this eventful day was along the Texas coastline from Aransas Pass to Corpus Christi, which is a 30-minute stretch that usually paces pretty quick.  Having seen a storm warning on the TV morning news, she thought, “I’ll be fine.  I can’t afford to stay home.”  She pointed her little black Mazda toward the bigger city and suddenly fell victim to a darkening sky.  The purple and black were ominous, especially with the winds turning fierce.  Yellow construction signs ripped across the road, and something like seaweed strewed across her windshield.  The reality of flooding was imminent.  She pleaded, “Lord, make me strong.  I shouldn’t have left home.  I will listen to my husband next time.”  And it was then that these white lights appeared in front of her.  White lights that she could not explain.  It was a tow truck gliding just perfectly into her lane in the open spot ahead.  Nowhere earlier had she seen any evidence of this truck, yet now his 4 radiant white lights beamed a resounding message of hope.  Those white utility lights signified deliverance in a big way.  And my sweet friend arrived her workplace in fine form, having experienced the Lord literally shining His light on her dreadfully dark road.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord.  And afterward her husband told her the winds had clocked at 70 mph.  Amen.

KLOVE & a napkin

How many times in the car have I pulled a napkin from the glove compartment to write down the words of a song?  All those extra napkins become lyric sheets when the radio's playing.  When KLOVE aired a Chris Tomlin tune recently, I again leaned for a napkin.  This song being about angel armies, I scratched a quick reminder about my friend regarding a job.  For weeks I’d been praying for him, and I wanted to be sure to talk with him on Sunday.  The lyrics said “the God of angel armies is always by my side,” and the words applied perfectly to my friend's situation.  That morning in the car wasn’t ordinary.  That song wasn’t just a song.  The Lord was solving a jigsaw puzzle regarding a job for my friend.  He fit the car and the song pieces into the puzzle that Wednesday morning, and on Sunday my friend told of how the Lord was stretching money and paying his bills.  Amazingly his bank account didn’t have a negative balance.  As he told the story, I smiled and chuckled to witness the Lord yet once again right in the middle of the details of our living.  I carried my handwritten napkin and shared it in testimony of the Lord weaving us all together.  Indeed He is great.  Every imprint of His presence resounds of His love.  And I have prayed for you today to know the presence of Christ.