At least the SON is shining...!

For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. Psalm 84:11

I am in New Hampshire at the moment... And I find myself in a familiar, though annoying, place - I am sitting in my bus listening to the rain beat down on the roof... AGAIN! Just a few hours ago, I was basking in glorious sunshine and humidity, remarking that for the first time in five weeks, I was actually going to break a sweat! And now here I sit, having just turned off the furnace a few minutes ago!

I actually found the verse in Psalm 84 a few weeks ago, on a day much like this when the rain and cold had me pricing plane tickets to Florida for the weekend! What can I say? I like sunshine. I NEED sunshine! And I was having words with the Lord about the weather. And, as He often does, He began to remind me that He really does know best...

One chilly morning at camp a couple of weeks back, someone was praying, offering up thanks that on this particular morning, "The sun is up and warming us..." I was sitting in the back shivering and grumbling about the lack of warmth, though I could at least echo the thanks for the sunshine (though it was short-lived!). And as I sat grumpily in my seat, the Lord began to remind me that - cold as I was - I was not in a dangerous kind of cold. He began to speak to my heart again of His wonderful creation, and I began to consider anew the precision of all that He has made. And what an incredible reminder as I sat there realizing that God placed the earth with such precise measurement exactly the right distance from the sun that I neither freeze nor burn up.

I have no idea what was actually preached in chapel that morning... But I left refreshed, and warmed - not by the temperature (it was still cold to this Florida-girl), but by the gentle reminder that my heavenly Father has things under control - even this silly weather!

Just a thought...

For the Love of God (and Coffee!)

So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him? Matthew 7:11

I woke up in some state recently – it was a travel week, where the days and states sort of run together with no great distinction – in great need (want) of coffee. It was early… the coffee was almost ready. So, I reached for a mug, grabbed the one with horses on it that Mill got as a gift a while back, and the passing thought ran through my mind, “I would love to have a new coffee mug of my own.” Then I shrugged off the idea and sat down to enjoy my cup of coffee. The end.

A couple of weeks later and a couple of gallons of coffee later, we found ourselves at a little church in New Mexico. It was Father’s Day, so, as in many churches around the country, there were special gifts for all the men. At this church the gift was a coffee mug. So I watched as Jeff received a cool new coffee mug, thinking to myself that I was going to enjoy that mug even more than my husband.

But – this was really cool! Not only were there mugs for the guys, there was one for me, too! And not some left-over manly Father’s Day gift. It was the perfect “I don’t do mornings” kind of coffee mug – like it had been picked out especially for me by someone who knew me well.

It had! It had been picked out special for me by my heavenly Father who heard my wishful thinking early one morning. It wasn’t even a prayer – just a passing thought of “wouldn’t it be nice…”

If my Father heard that, how much more does He hear when I cry out to him in prayer!

God really loves me!

That's not just a thought, that's an incredible thought!

Independence Day

When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. Romans 6:20-22

In honor of Independence Day, I am enjoying a rare moment of semi-independence. I am alone at camp, as far as I can tell, which is at the same time very strange and very peaceful. My husband and kids have gone off to town with apparently everyone else who stayed for the weekend - off to see the Tranformers movie. Since I prefer not to pay to take a nap (which is exactly what would happen were I to sit still in a dark room for more than two minutes), I opted to stay back. I am finally able to update my blog, while doing laundry, designing graphics, and programming for Christmas, order printing, and getting things ready for another week of camp. I find this oddly relaxing...! I can leave the air conditioning off without flack, sit and write without interruption, without the sounds of TV, video games, or even just the constant flow of folks in and out of the bus. It is GLORIOUS!

But I know it will be short-lived. And that's okay. Without the constant "noise" of life, I can't really fully appreciate the rare moments of quiet.

And the truth of the matter is that freedom - real freedom - is a concept most folks completely misunderstand. Freedom really isn't this state of being able to do what ever you want. Real freedom is about choosing your master.

I think about the teens I've met over the years who have this crazy idea that freedom is about doing what ever you want - living free from rules. What I've often explained to them is that getting free from one set of rules just means that you're subject to a different set of rules. There is always some authority out there, setting limits on what you can and cannot do, imposing consequences for the breaking of the rules. Whether the authority is a parent, a job supervisor, a law enforcement officer, landlord, or what ever - there is someone to answer to.

The passage from Romans points this fact out to us in spiritual terms. (I am very familiar with the verse that follows this passage, Romans 6:23, but it both fascinates and saddens me that I've never really taken a longer look at the context of that verse.)

What Paul (the writer of Romans) points out to us is that we have options in life. That's where freedom comes in - we are free to choose our master. If we choose sin, which is the world's idea of freedom, we choose death. If we choose God, which the world often mistakes as religious bondage, we choose life. This is the real offer of freedom - freedom from the power of sin, freedom from eternal doom, freedom for LIFE!

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. Deuteronomy 30:19-20a

This Independence Day, I invite you to choose LIFE! ...Just a thought...