Just Some Thoughts

Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! 

Strive for full restoration, 

encourage one another, 

be of one mind, 

live in peace. 

And the God of love and peace will be with you.

2 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV)

Our conversation was about centerpieces, place settings, and the menu. My mom always tells me about her plans. This week she's trying a new meat dish, something she saw on Pinterest. Something that had her mouth watering before she'd finished reading the list of ingredients. She wants everything to be perfect for the company she's invited.

That company? They're strangers, really. She knows their names from the directory; she's seen their faces sitting in the pew at the back of the church on Sundays. But she doesn't know about their families. She doesn't know the stories of their growing-up years. She doesn't know their hopes, or their dreams, their fears, their strengths. They will be sitting at her dining room table tomorrow, along with my dad, my sister and her kids, and the new pastor of the church.

Why? Because my mom is doing a Celebration Dinner. She invites church members to her home once a month for good food and conversation, an opportunity to get to know, to enjoy, to fellowship. To honor.

I hardly know how to express what I'm thinking. See, my mom didn't make this up herself. She and my dad were the recipients of a different kind of Celebration Dinner several years ago; a dinner given by a man my dad had rented a room from during his once-upon-a-time-before-his-retirement-contract-work-out-of-state days. This gentleman and my dad became discussion buddies and friends. He opened his home to my family, not only for a Celebration Dinner, but also as an overnight stop while they traveled cross country.

He explained his reasoning to my mom. He explained that he always held a dinner for eight, but he only invited one. That one got to invite the other guests. That one got to choose the menu. Whatever they wanted. If he didn't know how to make it, he learned. He was a 'there you are' kind of guy and made his guest feel welcome and interesting. He honored them. This impressed my mother so much that she brought her version to her hometown. To her home.

Here are some thoughts.

First, I sometimes wonder how many absolutely wonderful, positive expressions of reaching out, of community, of fellowship are happening across America. Without the fanfare of media attention. Without a 'good-job, or pat-on-the-back'. Happening because it's just, plain cool. I think it's happening more than we know. I hope it's happening more than we know.

Second, even if we can't or don't do full-blown Celebration Dinners, can't we do SOMETHING to celebrate each other? To get to know one another better? To share our stories? To encourage?

Send a card
Write a note
Smile more
Call an old friend
Write a personal message on Facebook
Share what you enjoy
Leave an encouraging comment
Jot down a friendly note on a restaurant tip (not instead of the tip...with it - servers work HARD)
Listen better
Ask to help (I added this after reading 3 Magic Words)

Just some thoughts - What do you think? Do you have other ways to reach out to others in celebration? 

Linking with ThreeWordWednesday, and TellHisStory

And now, a confession. I know better than to write a post without an actual scriptural reference, and though I used the reference to 2 Corinthians, it fit the fact that we should encourage one another, but didn't address or reference how. I've been given a gentle nudge in a better direction and want to share the results. 

Honor each other (this sounds like Celebration Dinners..)

1 Corinthians 12:26 (ESV)

"If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together."

Meet together (it's hard to encourage in a vacuum - there are multiple verses that address fellowship)

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NLT)

"Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near."

Choose positive language

Ephesians 4:29 (NLT)

"Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them,"

Sing more - share your music with others

Colossians 3:16 (KJV)

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

Be a friend, buddy, mentor

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NLT)

"Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken."

Accept (This one sounds easy, but we so often try to change people to our own expectations...)

Romans 15:7 (NIV)

"Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God."

Forgive, don't gossip, be careful with sarcasm

Ephesians 4:31-32 (KJV)

"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

There are more. But these are enough for me to consider for awhile. How about you? Do you have a favorite verse that leads to encouragement?

Surprised and Humbled

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Ephesians 4:4-6

Remembering back to a time and place about 30 years ago... and a lesson learned that I will never forget -

We sit at the campfire and talk, freshly caught trout, cleaned, seasoned and clamped into the basket over the flames, hot chocolates in our hands.  We talk, and we laugh, and we wonder at the stars because here in the north country, we can see the stars winding away in a wide path more like a sparkling, spiraling yellow-brick road, silvery-white rather, and leading not to an emerald city but to mystery and marvel, to a universe of possibility.  We talk.

He is a middle son from Mississippi.  Five older siblings, six younger, twelve kids altogether.  We talk about the dinner table, the nicknames, the chores, the escape from snakes and swamp and prejudice.  He makes me laugh at the chicken story.  With a family that size, everyone gets their own part of the chicken.  His part is the neck.  He says he thinks he would have grown taller, stronger, bigger if he'd gotten a part with a little more meat.  He was, after all, a 12-pound baby and now, at 30, he only tops out at six feet.

I think it might not be his size that is affected, but perhaps his patience.  I see it with the fishing line when it becomes hopelessly tangled in my reel.  I see it in his watching and waiting, line in the water, hooks dangling, hands loose and ready to feel the slightest of tugs.  Ready to react.  I also see it when he stops by the bar on his way home from work.  He orders a beer and sits with it, watching the currents of people who ebb and flow through the room.  Sits with it, nursing it, slow smile loose and ready to feel the slightest of tugs.  I hear it in his words, in a slow Mississippi drawl that comes out just a little bit muddy sometimes, but worth the listen because he speaks wisdom .  Wisdom from navigating the pale waters of Phoenix in his skin of brown.  He is a reader of people.

We talk about families and marriage and my heart skips a beat because I have considered marriage to this man.  But even though I feel I am somewhat progressive in my thinking, in my living, I am old-fashioned in the asking.  I will not ask him.  Asking is not mine to do.

I am surprised at the campfire.  He tells me I would not be accepted by his family because of my white skin and my white ways.  He tells me his mother would eat me alive.  I smile.  It is not a smile leading to laughter, but a smile of humble.  Of rue.  How entitled of me; I had never considered my acceptance to his family; I had only anticipated the reactions of mine.

Heavenly Father, you have helped me to see through different eyes and I understand.  Help me to bridge the gap between understanding and doing, between recognizing and welcoming.  Help me to help.  Continue to pull veils from my eyes so that I can see your Kingdom. 

Linking with Unforced Rhythms, Monday's Musings,  Inspire Me Monday, Unite

Let It Go

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;  

it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. 

Lamentations 3:25-26

We wake up pretty early in our home - before four - because my husband has to go on post and lead his soldiers in PT - physical training.  Early.  I've found that if I don't get up with him, then my entire schedule becomes different than his - which means we don't really live together.  Well, yes, we live in the same home - but we don't live in the same time.  We don't eat together.  We don't talk together.  We don't see and hear the same news, or shows, or attend the same events.  We have no common discussion because we - don't - live  - together.  We learned this the hard way.

So we have just enough time to share coffee, check the weather, and discuss the 'state of the household' before he leaves.  Not much - but important.   We've had some practice.  By the time he goes out the door, we both know what's for dinner and what time to have it ready.  We know whether he's coming home at lunch or breakfast.  We know if either of us needs to do an errands, or spend any money.  By the time he goes out the door, we've usually had a chance to comment on the day's headline stories - quick-judgement comments that tell more about our relationship than about the news itself.  And we don't always agree.

We save up for discussions.  For when we have the luxury of spending real time together - time to look beyond our household, time to throw our own blanket of beliefs across events beyond our personal lives.  It's kind of fun - solving the world's problems with my husband.   Especially when we bring our different backgrounds and experiences to the table.  Especially when we are able to see situations from different viewpoints.  And personally, I am fascinated by the way my husband thinks.  He has a way of rendering the fat out of information - clarifying - He has a way of recognizing what is important.

It's a big picture thing.  He sees beyond the present moment; good and bad consequences - fallout from this or that action.  It's a talent.  A gift.  He calms me with his vision - is it a matter of life and death? - he'll ask, when I tell him about my fears and anxieties.  

No....  

Then don't worry so much.  Do what you can do - do it the best you can - and then let it go.

Oh.  Oh yeah.  I know that.  I forget, sometimes, in the moment, in the confusion, in the stress.  

Sometimes, the best you can do is hope in God.  He is good.  Sometimes, the best you can do is continue the things you have been taught - pray, study, conduct yourself well.  Sometimes, the best you can do is wait.  It worked for the Israelites in Babylon - it worked for the disciples in Galilee - it works for me.

Do what you can do - do it the best you can - and then let it go.

Heavenly Father, sometimes I worry about things I have no control over.  Sometimes I worry about situations in my life and the lives of my family.  Sometimes, I just plain worry about the state of the world.  Thank you for reminding me:  I can pray.  I can study.  And with Your help, I can conduct myself well.  When I put my hope in You, then I can wait.  Then I can be still and let it go.

David's Conversation

By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.

Psalm 42: 8

How to begin...  I suppose it would be best to keep it simple.  So here goes:

My mind doesn't rest.  Incessant thoughts, myriad images, music, conversations, what if's, and maybes - it is in constant motion.  When I read, I see connections to previous reading, to current events, to people and places.  When I hear music, I smell and taste memories of past events;  I feel, my heart sings or weeps with the notes and mood of the song.  I find it difficult to be in single conversation without testing alternative scenarios, alternative dialogues.  Word to phrase, phrase to thought, thought to idea -  testing against prior experience, selecting the right path, the socially acceptable, politically correct path. Inner turmoil - weighing actions against deeds, working through decisions and choices.  My thoughts invade my sleep with dreams of interminable traffic - I can't pull out onto the road because of the unending lineup of vehicles moving by.

Enter daily scripture.  I prefer to read the Bible in chronological order - especially the Old Testament.  Seeing the stories in context helps me to consider their application in context.  I have found a website that suits my curiosity and study.  Not only does it provide different translations, it also provides several other tools for study - concordance, dictionary, and my favorite - commentaries.  You can link to it here.

So, today I was reading Psalm 42.  As the deer panteth for the water... (King James Version)  I recognized the hymn - one of the melodies that reminds me of a lullaby.  But the words didn't sound very lullaby-ish.  It's a craving - calling out for God.  Lullabies settle us, cover us and tuck us in; this song pulls us out.  Images of David's struggles - both external and internal passed through my mind.  I understand him; this is Old-Testament-asking-for-forgiveness-separated-from-God stuff.  David misses God, misses the good times, yearns to have them back.  I get it.

Deep calls to deep...  I love the poetry.  I so appreciate David as a master of metaphor.  The phrase intrigues me.  I feel the pull - away from lullaby - away from sleep - away from comfort and security.  I feel David's downcast soul.  

But the psalm itself doesn't feel downcast.  It feels hopeful.  Why?  Calvin's commentary gives me the best answer (and the most fun, believe it or not...)  He considers the psalm to be a conversation - "But David here represents himself as if he formed two opposing parties..."  The idea!   Now I can look at the psalm in a new light - Watch!

David:  As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  When can I go and meet with God?  My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”  These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.

Holy Spirit:  Why, my soul, are you downcast?  Why so disturbed within me?  Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

David:  My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan,the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.  Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.

Holy Spirit:  By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.

David:  I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me?  Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?”  My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long,  “Where is your God?”

Holy Spirit:  Why, my soul, are you downcast?  Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. 

Don't you love it!  David, in the midst of his misery and all of his feeling sorry for himself... David is being comforted by the Holy Spirit.  Reminded.  It IS a lullaby!  Here are the things that really make me think...  I am intrigued by ...why so disturbed within me?  It makes me think of us being inside of God, instead of the Holy Spirit being inside of us.  It's no wonder He never leaves us - we are part of Him!  Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him....  Oh my goodness!  Yet means still - no matter what - always and forever - like in heaven.  What a vision - what a God - unending, enduring, everlasting - ever hopeful, ever faithful - always praising, God of life.

End with this.  Music.  I found two versions that I liked - and I couldn't choose between the two.  So, here they are, guitar and piano.  Maybe they're having a conversation of their own...

Office Time

We're up early this morning - as always...  My husband's alarm goes off at 3:45 - I usually fall out of bed around 3:53 (I know, how is that around...).  Put on the exercise shoes, make the bed, and go down the stairs for a yummy cup of coffee.  He leaves around 4:15ish.  Then my daughter comes down the stairs for her coffee....and we share office time.  I'm usually on the computer - catching up on Facebook and mail.  She gets her bible out and starts reading.  I wonder - who raised this girl???

Well, the fact of the matter is - I did, with a lot divine intervention and help from family and friends....

A little background here.  My daughter has Down Syndrome.  She is amazing!  I have yet to truly know all she understands - she has some communication challenges - but what she shows me through her words and actions, makes me think she understands the world around her more deeply than I can imagine.  She is extremely empathetic.  She gives me hugs and backrubs - even when I'm trying to keep something bottled up - she knows... She is brave.  I watched her in a first meeting with a new youth group - full of tightly-knit high schoolers.  She was nervous; she was a little unsure.  But she smiled and persevered, nodded and smiled some more until they were smiling right along with her.  She is honest and lives her life with integrity.  I see it as purity of spirit.  She is every contestent and judge on American Idol; she is the winning team on Survivor; she is the librarian in our office; she is trainer-girl for our dog; she is Dr. SC; she is police girl from Rookie Blue.  Quite honestly, I can't always keep up with her.

That's why our office time is so special.  Today we were looking over her Facebook page.  I just opened one for her - with trepidation and prayer....  I set the security as tightly as I could.  (Isn't it sad that such an amazing technology for social interaction can be so potentially abused...)  So I check up on the page daily.  Today we posted pictures from her previous youth group, and added the organization to her page.  She was telling me all about the pictures as I went through my photo files to post.  Naming names and activities...  Telling me how she missed them.  Telling me what they were feeling at the time the pictures were taken - things I'd forgotten or not noticed at the time...  I love this time together, when I get to better know and understand my girl.

I asked what she was reading about in her bible.  She told me Jonathan.  I asked her what about Jonathan?  She said he was a good friend.  Need I say more???