What Kind of Tree?

Just wondering - how did I not notice trees for so long?? The last 15 years or so have made me so aware of trees and the different growth rates, and I have fallen in love with trees. Anytime I see some being topped or cut down I just mourn. Recently, in a storm, I walked through our neighborhood and saw a big tree that had split down the middle. It was a big mature Bradford pear, and it was in full color when it split. There were beautiful dark red and green leaves all over it, but it was hanging across an electric line and being supported by the two utility poles in the yard. It was such a sad sight, that tree half hanging over the wires and half still standing. The inner tree wood was so bright but somewhat stained by the recent rains. It was just sad. What it did was make me think: would I be that kind of tree when storms hit me? Would I just split down the middle and hang on something or someone nearby? The trees that seem to make it the best are the slow growers, the oaks and walnuts. We have two oaks in our side yard, and they have been there over five years, and they are just this year beginning to have some shape and height. They even showed some fall color finally!! I have been so impatient about them - couldn't wait for them to have some pretty fall leaves, and then when they did I was so surprised!! At the other side of our yard we have a huge walnut, probably over 100 years old, which has weathered some storms. Apparently it has been struck by lightning at least once, yet it still grows leaves and walnuts and comes out every spring. It hit me that those old trees, which take so long to grow and are so slow to show us their "stuff" are the ones that made it; that Bradford pear and others like it were so quick to grow large and cover themselves with pretty blooms and leaves that they outgrew their trunks, and they are the ones that we find split up after storms come through. They weren't patient enough to grow large enough to hold all that beauty, and consequently old Bradford pears are rare indeed.
The lessons I always hope to keep from these trees are these: I hope to remember to grow slowly is not a shame, because often growing quickly doesn't allow roots and sturdy trunk growth. I should grow slowly and let God shape me as I grow. That way when storms do come I will be strong and continue to produce fruit after the storms are gone. The other lesson I hope to remember is to be patient and wait for the Lord. This does not come naturally - I am a very impatient person, and so I have to constantly remind myself of this truth. However, in the times when I am patient it is amazing that these are the times I am rewarded and see much more benefit than when I try to force things to happen. God is patient, and He is patient in teaching me. I am so glad - I have failed so often in these lessons, but He can even use trees to remind me of what I need to know!!

Glory to God in Disability??

There is a story about Jesus that has puzzled me for a long time. He and his disciples encounter a blind man who has been blind his whole life. One of the disciples asks Jesus who sinned and caused the man to be blind, either his parents or him. Jesus answers that the sin of no one was responsible for the man's disability, but that it was for the glory of God (see story in John 9).
Now, the quick answer for me has been that of course the blind man was in the right place at the right time, and therefore his healing brought glory to God. This has never been very satisfactory to me, however; why would this man be made with a disability just so he could be healed by Jesus in a public place? Where does this leave all the others born disabled in some way who weren't/aren't healed? Did Jesus mean all disabilities were meant for the glory of God? I think the answer is yes. I think God's sovereignty allows Him to make bad into good. Go with me for a minute. Especially when my children were younger, but even now, when I am around a disabled child (i.e., autistic, physically disabled, even crippled by disease) the selfish part of me immediately would shoot an arrow prayer to the Lord thanking Him again for the good health of my children. I said the selfish part. More on that in a minute. I think part of what Jesus was trying to tell us is that seeing what others might have to endure through disabilities or disease should help us to realize what blessing we have received in good health and be even more thankful to God. Realizing good health is not a right everyone is born with means I have the chance to send glory to God for what I have been given. That glorifies Him on an ongoing basis, if we take that opportunity.
When I see a person who can't walk or never developed properly, it makes me pause & quit thinking about myself - what I am trying to accomplish at that second - and reflect on the fact that I can drive, I have 2 good legs, 2 good arms, and correctable eyesight, as well as a car that goes when I turn the key. I am immediately thankful for those blessings, even though I might have taken them all for granted when I left my house! This is part of what I think Jesus was trying to get us to see - that taking the time to notice our blessings happens partly when we see the lack of those blessings around us.
Back to my selfishness - in being thankful for our good health, should I drop it there? Just count my chickens & say "Well, there but for the grace of God go I."? I don't think that's the last word. Did Jesus just walk through the streets saying placating words to the suffering? No - His heart was touched constantly and He healed and helped people constantly (John tells us at the end of his book that if everything Jesus did was written down, the world would not have room for all the books). When he came to the blind man, He took that opportunity to heal the man. He didn't say he needed to live the rest of his life blind so others could be grateful for their good fortune. He healed the man. That is to be my response. I can also glorify God by ministering when I can to those who do have a special need. This also brings Him honor and helps both me and the person I help see the love of God more clearly. I am to be the Lord's hands and feet to those around me every chance I get.

Just a thought - I hope I can communicate this idea in a way that makes some sense to somebody else!! It has struck me over & over during the last couple of years, but for some reason several times recently, that we stand on God's structure for His creation when we criticize or even claim it's not there. For example, the gay-rights activists have been given the advantage of being born from heterosexual relationships when they claim their right to other types of relationship. Atheists use perfectly designed lungs and hands with opposable thumbs like no other species to talk and write about why they believe there is no Designer to anything we see. We claim to be intellectually advanced when we find new knowledge about our universe with telescopes and advanced technologies; we are using the air and space as we find it to do so. It was there waiting for us to use already. The seeds of everything we know already existed before we found out about it, and yet we claim the right of creation, if you will pardon the term, when we figure out a new way to use it. In all our time here on earth (whether you believe 6,000+ years or 6,000,000+) we have not created one new atom of matter nor have we destroyed one. With all the creative ways we have of causing damage (i.e., murder, torture, CFC's) we have gotten rid of nothing. All we can do is change its form. It was all here in the Beginning and apparently will be here til the End, which we do not exercise control over. One of my favorite bumper stickers ever was "If you don't believe in Me, quit breathing My air." That sums up a lot of what I am trying to say. We use God's design for the family, for society, and then we want to claim it doesn't work or it is inferior in some way or needs to be added on to. If we were honest, we would recognize that every structure that works and has worked in the past was designed for us to use; we haven't come up with anything new. Not one atom's worth.

History - Not So Boring After All!!

It is almost depressing to watch news lately & wonder what in this WORLD is going on? It just seems that news outlets try their best to find only items to fire us up or make us feel everything is spinning out of control. That is one great reason to study - History!! Are you ready for this?? I had history throughout school (even if you leave out the courses taught by our football coaches!!) and I never got it. That lasted til I began teaching it to my children, which of course meant I had to study it, and now I Get It. At least a lot more of it. I get that it is His Story now, not just history. I get that He is always, and has always been, in total control, that all the circumstances, no matter how dire they look(ed) have always been part of His perfect plan. No matter what. I could pay lip service to that idea before but never really got it. Now I am beginning to get it. The Romans were apparently a very advanced society, even when compared to many modern societies. They understood waste & rotten food were bad & to be dumped in a common place rather than streets, they had running water & even a type of sewer system in their cities, and they spent much time on philosophy & art. Yet where are they? They turned so completely and bald-facedly away from God, even when faced with His Incarnation, that they were destroyed. Just the same way most great civilizations have been - from the inside out. They were chipped away by barbarian invasions, but that was because they had become so complacent that they hired soldiers when they could no longer staff their own armies to protect their vast empire; they allowed non-citizens to take jobs customarily staffed by their own; they abandoned "traditional" models of family and societal units; they quit teaching the basics in their schools and favored more "politically correct" subjects, for that day and time; reading and learning fell out of favor and were replaced by entertainment in various forms. Strangely enough, their society began to crumble & then was helped by invaders from the north and east to finally completely tumble. Thus began the Dark Ages.
Could this be repeated in any society today? I have one word for you: Germany. Study Hitler at all and you see he sounded good but was hollow, and complacent Germans let him take over. It is amazing how similar the stories are, and also how similar it sounds to our own story.
However, there is no room for despair: God will only allow to happen what He knows will be for our ultimate good and for His glory. After all, that is what this is all about: it is what we were made for. Soli Deo Gloria!

Wisdom from our Spelling Book

I want to share a few of my favorite quotes from our spelling book, which has a sentence for every word in the list as an example of usage. This week, on the word "developed" the sentence was "Gossip, like a snapshot, begins with a negative, is developed, and is often enlarged." Don't you just love clever word usage? I love that someone recognized the similarities and pointed them out so succinctly!! What a great quote. That is the pure and simple truth. Gossip, which is also just like a weed, can do nothing but harm and take up room that could be used for something worthwhile. Just a random thought for the day!!
Another one of my favorites was a quote from Daniel Webster, "What makes a man a good Christian also makes him a good citizen." Wow. How true is that. Good Christians are also good citizens, and they don't have to have the government coercing them into it. It just flows out with the grace of God into doing the things a good citizen would do, but backed up with the power and love of our Lord. Amazing.
Still another of my favorites is "A Christian is the keyhole through which other folks see God." That is a great thought. If I realize that when I interact with others, they are (whether I realize it or not) getting a picture of what I worship, and if I tell them that is God, they will judge Him at least partly on what they see in me. Scary thought! He sure has entrusted me with a big responsibility. Multiply that by at least 1,000 and call it "motherhood."
One more and then I will quit. "Man's 32,600,000 laws do not improve on the Ten Commandments." Isn't that all you need to know? Really, doesn't it all boil back down to the original laws, when we are honest? Hope this gives you a morsel to chew on!! Spelling sure challenges me sometimes, as a teacher!!! :)

So glad to be back into most of our fall routine!! We will start orchestra back next week, but we are back at our Bible study and other outside lessons full-time. Now all I can wait for is the fall elections to be over, and life can be its regular hectic self!! I will be so glad when they are over, too; I really get tired of the strident signs and unsolicited phone calls and cards/mailouts in my mailbox!! You know it's overkill when even your children are ready for it all to be over!!!!
Just wondering-has anyone else read David Platt's new book, Radical? It is amazing, convicting, and humbling all at once. If you have time to read a book that will help you hone in on your purpose in God's kingdom, it is a great one!! You will be amazed at how he parses scriptures you have heard all your life but apparently never understood before!! He is a clear thinker who feels we all are called to reach the world, and he will introduce you to so many creative ways that God can use even those of us without passports to reach the world. Amazing read.
Also just wondering - does anyone else miss the good ole days when one could go to the movies without planning ahead much & always find something at least entertaining to watch? I have been with a friend to 3 movies in the last month, and all 3 were less than stellar entertainment. At least we have avoided the outright ridiculous ones, but it is so saddening to me to see that apparently movie companies think junk, less thinking, violence and more junk mixed with hokey spiritual themes are the way we all want to go. On a bright note, we did get to see "Ramona and Beezus" as a family, and it is a great movie about conflict, friendship and working together as a family. Go see it NOW if you haven't already, especially if you have children in your life. TAKE THEM!! It is safe!! There is a teen kiss at the end, but it isn't long or sloppy - just sweet. Walden Media usually puts out good stuff, and this is no exception!

Just finished our second tour through The Truth Project!! If you ever get a chance, you really should watch this series in a small group setting. Dr. Del Tackett is smart, lucid, very witty and also very sensitive, as you can tell by his reaction to several short videos shown during the 12 sessions. We have loved participating in as well as sharing this series. His ability to cut through to the heart of the matter of truth and how it should affect every area of our lives is really a gift, and it is a wonderful way to solidify your belief that the Bible is the profound revelation of God to His People. It is designed as a tool to strengthen believers so they can reach out to the world around them. Find a group in your area & get into it!!! It is really very thought-provoking and even life-changing!!
As someone who really grew up believing God was a vengeful and wrathful all-knowing God, finding out as an adult that He really wants us to succeed and wants to show us all about Himself, and that He has a plan for me, has been amazing. I began that journey back in college, and He has provided people and opportunities to learn these lessons over and over and deeper and deeper. I am grateful that He is a just but also forgiving God, that He loves me all the time, and that I don't have to be afraid of anything when I remember He is in control. That thought especially helps me when I look around and feel like our country has totally forgotten what we were about. He knows what He's doing, and He has the plan in His Hand already. He knows the end of the story!!! We just like to think we are writing it; He already has our plan incorporated into His Plan!! What a blessed thought, and how wonderful to come to know that God as the God of my life. Thank you LORD.

More randomness - does anyone else think PG-13 way too broad a movie rating? I remember when it was created, for the 3rd "Indiana Jones" movie in 1989 (OK - yes, I do remember that year well!!) and it was made because many movies had too much language/violence to qualify for PG but didn't for some reason or another need to be called "R" so they created an in-between. To me, PG-13 has become a catch-all category for lots of movies that want broad audience appeal (i.e., most people feel comfortable letting their teens go unchaperoned) but don't want to be penalized for their propensity for blood. I have seen at least 6 PG-13 movies since January that I really feel should be/would have been R rated just a few years ago. Open wide, fellow gluttonists!! They are shoving more and more goop into us in the name of entertainment and calling it OK. Reminds me of a verse: Romans 1:21-22 that tells us the fate of those who ignore God and good things, that even though people know God, they don't act like it and "they trivialized themselves into silliness" which is what we are not to do, but are to put our minds on good things, pure things, true things, authentic things, just things (Phil 4:8). I just wonder where our society thinks we are all going. The more and more junk we take in, the more we will resemble it. Remember those posters in the school lunchrooms when we were young: You Are What You Eat. I think even more accurate would be this poster: You Are What You Think. I think that's what Paul was trying to tell us, and why it was important enough to make a list of what we should think about in Philippians.

First Post!

Just a first random thought - does it bother anyone else to notice words usually associated with our Lord used in very un-Godly situations? Case in point - has anyone seen the trailer for next year's movie, "Alpha and Omega"?? Isn't that title attributed to Christ Himself both By Himself as well as in Revelation? Why couldn't they name the little wolves, "A and B"? or "Mutt and Jeff"?? There are hundreds of other phrases they could have used beside a title for the Lord, aren't there? After watching that trailer for the 4th or so time today, my search for eyeliner at the local Walmart turned up a brand of makeup called "Infallible." Now, isn't that an attribute of our Lord God? What else is really entitled to that word? How many consumers buy that brand that have really no idea what the word means, being unfamiliar with the older versions of scripture where it appears. Can a cosmetic really aspire to be faultless, to always be what it purports to be???? These little things bother me. They are also accumulating......at Christmas when trying to buy lip gloss for my daughters' stockings, I kept running into "OMG" brand girls' cosmetics. What's up with that????? Maybe some people think they use that term to merely mean "Oh My Gosh," but how are your fellow texters/Facebookers supposed to know unless they happen to know you intimately?? I certainly don't want a tube with that branded up the side coming out of my girls' purses!!! I just think as Christians we should care a little more about our souls and their condition on a daily basis, and while giving up little pieces of our identity don't individually probably amount to much, mounded up all together they look pretty substantial, and we look like we have sold out. I for one am not proud of this face we show the world.