Leave Your Name And Number

I've just finished watching the HBO series "John Adams" based on David McCullough's biography. I learned many things about this Founding Father and second president of the United States. One thing that so impressed me was the devotion between John and his wife, Abigail. Their devotion is public knowledge because of the myriad of letters they wrote each other that have survived the times. They were married 54 years and lived through many hardships and work-related separations. For one period during their marriage, they spent three years apart while John was in Europe for diplomatic reactions. During this time, John sent few letters to his "dearest friend" for fear of interception by the British during the Revolutionary War and because, the movie tells us, he didn't want to share his failures with his wife. Three years with little to no correspondence between a couple that thrived on it.

Today while walking I had my cellphone up to my ear. I was calling my daughter in North Carolina to ask her how her peanut butter chocolate chip cookies turned out. She had called me earlier to say she was headed out for salted butter and would call me when she got home. Later she called to say the cookies were amazing. Three calls in about three hours. While I walked, I passed a driver in an SUV talking on his cellphone. He had obviously just left home and apparently needed to talk to someone right away.

So here's John and Abigail with hardly any communication in more than 1,000 days and then there's Ayla and I communicating over cookies, 400 miles, 180 minutes with the modern invention of the wireless telephone. I prefer this century, to be sure. Now, I have to say there have been times when I've tried to call my daughter and can't get a hold of her. She may be in class or working. Times she tries to call me and the result is the same. You get voice mail and leave a message or know that the "missed call" will brighten our tiny screens as a reminder to call back.

That got me to thinking about prayer. I can go to the Father anytime. Anytime. I can talk to him as I slowly drag myself out of bed in the morning asking Him to bless the day and open my eyes to His children. I talk to him during my devotion time, before I eat breakfast or any other meal, while I drive to work, while I walk, while I worry for a phone call from children who may be late, in song ... even on the toilet.

Not once in any of these times have I ever got a voice message. Never has the Father listened to me talk only to say, "Hold on a minute, I have another call coming." He has always been there for my correspondence. And He responds in kind by filling me with the Holy Spirit. Now, there have been times, sometimes long periods of time, when I don't pray. And I wonder why I'm feeling lost or spiritually dry. I see the Father, like Abigail, wondering to Himself why I'm not communicating.

We have this direct, always open line of communication with our Father and how often we let time slip by without speaking to him. First Thessalonians 5:17 says to "pray without ceasing." Keeping the communication open with God can only enhance our relationship with Him, giving us an overabundance of His blessings, wisdom and guidance.

Letters. Bah. Cellphones. Humbug. We have prayer! An invention that's been around since the beginning of time working with the same efficiency that it's had since its Genesis. How blessed we are to be given such a gift of communication. Were John and Abigail given that way of communicating to each other, would they have neglected it? Neither should we. It's communication in it's finest form with the greatest Love of all.

Oh Father, how I love you. I felt your rain on my face today as I was walking. I listened to the breathtaking "Magnum Mysterium" on my Ipod, tears in my eyes, and glorified you for your Creation. Lord you are so amazing, loving and gracious. I am blessed and bursting with thanksgiving for my soul seems to glow from within as your Holy Spirit fills me. Holy Lord! I love you, love you, love you. Thank you, as always, for listening. I am listening for you Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Running Out Of Time

This morning while lifting weights I was watching some television. It takes my thoughts off the biceps, triceps, lunges, etc, and time goes swiftly by. Flipping channels to find something interesting, I checked out the History Channel. This day the show was about 2012 ... the year all apocalyptic folk are talking about. The Mayan calendar ends in 2012, folks say, therefore the end of the world is near. Actually, scientists say the Mayan calendar starts and ends with a planetary alignment and is actually circular, just starting all over. However, it's got people comparing prophecies of the Bible, Nostradamus and apparently even the Hopi Indians to see if our world will come to a cataclysmic end in three years. There's even a movie coming out this autumn called "2012" talking about that very thing. Everyone wants to know if and when the world will end.

Even Jesus said he didn't know when it would end. Mark 13:32 tells us only the Father knows (guess that eliminates Nostradamus, the Mayans and Hopi), then he tells us to be alert and watch the signs He mentions earlier in the chapter.

One thing popped in my mind however while doing my repetitions: if the world would come to an end in 2012, have I told everyone who needs to hear about the saving grace of Jesus?

I had a dream several years ago where the Lord was teaching me about discipleship and the expediency of it. In my dream, I was in a multi-car wreck on a highway. I jumped out of my burning car unhurt, but noticed the hundreds of cars around me also on fire. I asked God, "What should I do?" And he said, "Open the doors and show them the way." Of course, I found some excuses why I couldn't complete this task: "But Lord, some of these people are unconscious. How will I wake them? Some are much larger than me. How will I carry them away from the firey cars? "What if I pull some and they don't listen and get out?" He said to me, "I have other people to do those jobs. You just open the doors and show them the way." I looked to my right and saw ambulances arriving with professionals to rise the unconscious and carry the injured away. Then I heard the Lord said, "After you show them the way, send them back to the other cars to open the doors and show them the way." Seeing all these cars on fire, about to explode and kill the people within them, I knew I had little time to open these doors and rushed to complete the job.

Yes, very profound. I woke up shaking and in tears. We are running out of time. People truly are sitting in burning cars about to be consumed by eternal death, and we as Christians have the job to open those car doors and show the people the Way. And we need to do it now.

Who knows about 2012? The end of the world could be anytime. Anytime! We need to start telling God's children about Jesus and do it immediately.

They're running out of time.

Directions

Recently, my son's car died. The 1996 Dodge Intrepid suffered long Wisconsin winters, and the snow took it's toll on the underbelly. The brake lines were rusted through. We determined the cost to put into repairing the car could be neverending as auto mechanics told us it might never be completely fixed. So we made the decision to donate our teal baby to the high school's vocational technical program.

Before handing it over, however, we had to clean it out. We removed the jugs of mixed antifreeze, empty plastic drink bottles, insurance papers, CDs and took off the license plate. While digging through the center storage unit, I came across tons of papers all folded up of various sizes. When I started going through them I discovered one was directions to my children's youth group leader's home. One had directions to the mall. Another had directions to the college tech school where my daughter attended and so on. My daughter had driven this car for more than a year before she passed it onto her brother. Everytime she needed to know where to go, I had written, typed or copied directions down for her. What was so comical is that every single one I'd ever given her, she had saved.

Perhaps she just never got around to throwing them out. Perhaps she kept them just incase she forgot how to get where she was going.

I have a GPS device that does the same thing those papers did for Ayla. It tells me "turn right" and I do. It tells me "stay left" and I do. It's designed to get me to my destination the quickest and shortest way. By listening to that GPS, my trips are typically smooth and direct.

On the Sunday School wall of the 6-8th grade at our church in Wisconsin, a slogan on the wall reads: "BIBLE: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth." It's funny and clever ... and true. Our Bible is chock full of directions, from commands to love, to how to tithe, forgive, worship, pray and ultimately spend eternity with God our Father. It's not just basic instructions before leaving Earth, but also directions on how to get to Paradise. John 3:16 tells me that if I just believe in Jesus, I will have everlasting life with God. Hallelujah! I do believe in my Savior who died to pay the price for my sins. So you know what that means? I am going to Heaven! I will get to see the Lord God Almighty sitting on the rainbow throne and worship Him with songs at the top of my lungs about how much I love Him. I will get to run into the arms of Jesus, weep at His shoulder to beg for forgiveness and thank Him over and over again for His amazing sacrifice, not to mention for sending the Holy Spirit to guide and teach. I am going to Heaven. HEAVEN! Yahoo!

Just like Ayla saved the directions to all those places she needed to find, I plan on holding on tight to the Word. It's directions will not only get me to that final destination of my dreams, but will hopefully mold me into the person God is trying desperately for me to grow into.

I'll bet He's hoping I follow the Bible's commands as completely as I do the GPS device. It would sure make the journey a lot smoother.

Sure Foundation

You can still see the evidence of it. Just driving through my neighborhood, you see where the tornado tore through this city a year and a half ago, leaving empty lots in it's wake. On one road, three lots are bare, with little to show a house once stood there ... not even a foundation.

One of those lots is in the process of getting a new house built on it. I've watched every day the changes to the new home. First the concrete slab (no basements here in Alabama), then the wood frame, then the roof, etc. It's been exciting to watch the progress. But I just can't help but think if another tornado comes by, it just doesn't stand a chance. It would be reduced to toothpicks and pebbles in no time.

We face those same crazy storms in life. Some with the metaphorical gale force winds, hail and lightning attempting to destroy everything in its path. Spiritually, these storms can do a lot of damage. But unlike the tornado, if your faith in Christ is secure, you will not lose that foundation ... ever. He is that sure foundation. He promises to be there. Isaiah 28:16 says: "See, I am laying in Zion a foundation stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation." Hallelujah for Jesus Christ, that sure foundation. I know I can face any storm.

Magical Moments

Disney World specializes in magical moments. It's a motto for the company and is encouraged, even taught, to its employees (called "the cast"). The cast is told to make the visits of their guests memoriable and to do whatever it takes to make it so. If a child drops an ice cream, run over with a new one. If a person has food allergies, create an entire delicious meal they can eat without worries. If a person has a disability, provide whatever comforts they need so they can participate in any possible attraction. And it's worked for the company. People come back year after year paying top dollar (Disney is not cheap) to visit. But you leave that place with a sunny disposition, smiles and a cheerful heart. And many a parent of children with special needs has said Disney is the only place they can truly be "on vacation."

My daughter, who is currently a member of the Disney cast through its college program, told me about the mandate for magical moments. I got to see it in action first-hand while on a visit to see her recently. Ayla told me you could ask any restaurant for a tall glass of ice water and they'd hand it over for free. However, the streetside stands don't have the same policy. Only soft drinks and bottled water are offered there. I didn't know this at the time and went up to ask for a glass of water at one of these stands. The gal behind the counter said, "I can't offer that at this stand, but here (she handed me two cold bottles of water) ... have a magical day." Another time while getting two T-shirt designed as gifts, I noticed the wait time was such that would cut into precious and highly needed sleep time before my long drive home. I said to the cast member at the cash register ... "I need you to make a magical moment happen for me here. Is there anything you can do to speed this wait time up." I had my T-shirts in half the time. And I watched as my daughter congratulated every newly married couple wearing "Just Married" buttons or couples wearing "Happy Anniversary" buttons, wished a Happy Birthday to those celebrating, and ask countless children if they were having a good time. It was fun for me to watch.

Now imagine a world outside of Disney where this was the motto. You know, where people love without expecting anything in return. Where people do things to make others' lives easier. Where people genuinely care if you are celebrating something important in your life. A world where people followed, say, Leviticus 19:18: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," what Jesus called the second greatest commandment. It would be Heaven, wouldn't it?

This expression of agape (a Greek term for "unconditional love" expecting nothing in return) is not a difficult thing to do. In actually, it's quite fun! And while bringing joy to the one the love is given, will actually bring you even more joy.

Make a day of it. Take a day where your goal is, not to make a magical moment, but to make agape moments. The stories you will have to share later with others will be priceless.

We joked often while walking around Disney World that we were having a "Hap, hap, happy day" or even "It's another magical day at Disney" because of the efforts made to see to it we did.

I pray your days are hap, hap, happy and filled with moments of unconditional love. I believe that is what God intended for us from the very beginning. And all the instruction we need to accomplish this, after our failure in disobeying Him as early as the Garden of Eden, is written in Scripture. First Corinthians 13 is filled with guidance on how to love. So does 1 John 3 and 4. Let's give it a whirl, shall we?

It's those little glimpses into Heaven that give us just the encouragement we need while living in this world ... the wonderful world of our Almighty, Loving, Creator God.

Flashing By

Lying across the street recently I noticed a cable. I've seen these kinds of cables before. They are placed there by the city to count the number of cars that drive by. It's the city's way of finding how how well traveled a road is. I'm assuming if they find a high figure, they maybe add a lane or create an alternative route to give traffic another flow pattern. Whatever the reason, the city is taking count of the cars that drive by.

On another road I saw a sign flashing the speed limit. As you go by, it flashes the miles per hour you are driving ... only if you are over the speed limit posted in the area. In this area, the speed limit was 25 mph, so when I reached 30, the sign started flashing. My son said, "You're at 30!" So I slowed down immediately.

One device counts the number of people that go by. Another warns them when they've gone by way too fast.

Most recently, I have been preoccupied. It started with the days leading up to our move to a new home from our apartment. We began having guests arrive to help us with our relocation and repairs on the new home. Then came the move. Then all the work involved with unpacking, moving furniture, fixing additional items, sorting, cleaning, etc. In the midst of that, we moved a second load to the house and began the process all over again. As a result, I found myself pushing my devotion time with God away. I'll do it after this ... I'll do it after that... I'll get to it in a little bit, etc. And of course, I wouldn't. My important private time with my Father was taking a backseat to the craziness of the day, over and over again. Were the Lord a cable on the road, He would have seen me pass by countless times. But it wasn't that I needed additional time or an alternative time, I just needed to prioritize it. The warning signs were definitely flashing. I found my stress level increasing. I found my focus skewed. I became irritable, lost, confused, all the time continuing to zip on by.

While attending my first Reunion Group meeting (a Christian accountability group) here in Alabama, I finally noticed the flashing sign. I realized that I needed to discipline myself to be sure to set aside time for the important - the most important - things in my life. My time with God. My husband. My children.

I caught it early, and I'm grateful. Just like my son reminding me about my speed, this group meeting was a reminder to get myself back on track as a Christian. Praise God for other Christians to remind us of our obligations as Jesus explained in Matthew 22:37-40. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

The cable's count of me passing by is about to slow down ... just like the signs warned me to. I've got some prioritizing to do.

Makes Cents To Me

I walk 30 minutes every day. And just about every day, I find a penny. I kid you not. It's like I'm getting paid 1 cent to go walking. And everytime, I say the same thing when I find a penny: "It's another lucky day!" Doesn't matter to me if it's heads up or Lincoln Memorial up, it's always a lucky day to me when you find a penny. Whether it's a shiny copper one or tarnished with time, I am sure to pick it up and carry it home. I never pass up a penny.

Yet, who knows how many other people have walked by and haven't picked it up. And even more disconcerting ... who's dropping them? Are people really just losing pennies everywhere they go through holes in their pockets? Or are they really that heavy in your pocket that you toss them out? Or it it that you are financially just fine, and don't have to worry about a measily penny. When did people begin disregarding the value of the penny? Are we Americans that arrogant that we can throw money away? Granted, I've heard it costs more to make the penny than it's worth. However, a penny is still 1/100th of a dollar. I figure in 100 days I will have myself a dollar just from walking. And you wouldn't just walk by one of those on the street.

How do we decide as humans what has value and what does not? A cardboard baseball card. Photographs. A piece of jewelry. Time. People. A penny.

One thing I'm truly thankful for is that God finds me valuable. Piddly little me. He never walks by me in disregard. He sees me there alone, sometimes shiny, sometimes tarnished, and loves me just the same. Me, a sinner. He found me so valuable in fact, that He sent His precious, sinless Son, Jesus, to die for me. He sent Him to die for you, too.

Each of us is priceless to God. Even if today you don't feel that way about yourself, I promise you God feels that way about you. While I'm collecting pennies to make a dollar, God is loving lonely souls to build a Kingdom. And if I'm shouting, "It's another lucky day," for just a penny, imagine what God is shouting about you! Jesus said, "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15:10). So apparently, even the angels are shouting!

Maybe I'd better start stopping by the people I walk by like I do the pennies. Telling lost souls the Good News of Jesus Christ! A collection of hearts on fire for Christ would be a far greater treasure than a piggy bank full of pennies. You can bank on it.

You know ... I think it's time for a walk.