Lest My Readers Think That I've Capsized and Drowned....

I'd better get something published on this blog (assuming that there are still one or two faithful that continue to peek at this view from inside my head.)

I have not, in fact, capsized rather am enjoying a new vantage point of life from outside of the ordinary. My family has been displaced from our house since mid-August when our defective clothes dryer blazed up, incinerating itself, the load of whites that it was supposed to be drying, and causing some nasty smoke damage to the top floor of our house. Thankfully, we were home, awake, and able to remove ourselves without incident. (I have to laugh thinking about how calm everyone in the household was. I suppose that living the last few years with high decibel drama has mellowed us all. My children's chief concern was which of their garments might have been sacrificed in the dryer. And, I was worried about the loud alarms waking our neighbors, as it was rather late in the evening. Apart from that, it was business as usual).

God in his faithfulness is using this situation to demonstrate how he always gives beauty for ashes. When this is all said and done, we will have fresh carpet, walls painted in the colors of our choosing, new appliances, and best of all new mattresses. Everything should be restored and refreshed just in time for the holidays. Once again, we win.

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Sabbath

It is January and I am having a sabbath. I am resting amidst the hustle. I am delighting in quiet moments. I am devouring beautiful frosted mornings and still quiet nights. And I am giddy from the pleasure of doing so. I don't feel like rushing. I am savoring this season too much.

Quiet

Last year, I wrote that I love January for a variety of reason that I then went on to list in detail. It's still true. I love January!

After the clamor of the holidays (which I love equally) on that first day that school resumes and I send my children off to continue learning, there is a stillness and quiet that sweeps over the house and envelopes me like a warm blanket. It is luxurious and delicious; almost palpable. It never ceases to delight me. And after having filled my belly with the fellowship of friends and family, taking tours of other views from other heads, I am ready for January. For in such moments, thick will quietness, I am most present in his presence. That is the ultimate peace on earth.

"Slacker"

I realize that by cyberspace standards, I have been a slacker. But if you are reading this then you haven't completely given up on this blog. For that show of loyalty, I thank you.
I have simply been enjoying the more leisurely pace of the summer and haven't really felt the need to compete with the other members of my household for internet time--not when the sun is finally shining in all its splendor. Summer is a feast and I am a glutton for its bounty!
I pray that you are enjoying the season, as well.

Broken

The greatest lie ever perpetrated against mankind ( aside from the original whopper in the garden that resulted in the breach in our relationship with God) is the notion that we are the result of some random molecular changes in the environment rather than created beings. If we exist for no particular reason, except that cells aligned in a magnificent way to bring about our complex physical and mental compositions, then we are beholden to nothing. We are free to blaze our own trail. There is no right or wrong action aside from what society deems as such. This paradigm of random existence and free agency leaves individuals flailing like unswaddled newborns searching for comfort in a vast and impersonal universe.

If however, we understand the Truth, that we are lovingly, precision crafted by a God who desires to have relationship with us, who delights in us and the functions that he has engineered in us, the game changes. With this knowledge comes the revelation that if we are not doing what we are designed to do, then we are broken. The mission of life suddenly shifts from a purely hedonistic pursuit of pleasure, to one of discovery. There is a pressing need to know not only what we are capable of, but additionally to understand the mind and character of The One who engineered us with these abilities.

In the early 1990s, Robin Williams starred in a movie called Hook. It was a take on Peter Pan in which Robin was "The Pan." Having been caught up in the fray of adult life, he had long ago forgotten his time in Neverland and any sense of who he was and what he was able to do. He was broken. Only after spending time in the land that he left behind, amongst those who had not crossed over, was he able to slowly regain the realization of who he was and begin to walk in that knowledge. He recovered the skill that he needed to be victorious over his foe and found fulfillment in the process. So it is with mankind. As we become acquainted with the things of God and gain intimate knowledge of who he is, our eyes are opened to the incredible purpose that we were designed to fulfill. It is then, as we surrender to that purpose that we are able to walk victoriously and find wholeness.

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 3:23-24

New

Renewal

Restoration
Freshness
Renaissance
Newness
Neotericity*

This is what the stroke of midnight ushers in on the 31st of December, annually.

It is also what is available upon request from our Lord daily.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:29-31

* Oh yeah, I found the root for this one in the thesaurus and it seduced me. So, I included it

Spring

After an unusually cold and seemingly extended winter, I was drawn into the garden last week by the warm, sunny weather. I wanted to assess winter's toll on the plants and see if anything interesting was coming to life. The daffodils that bloomed a few weeks prior were reaching the end of their time on stage but were still upright, having yet to take their final bow. The hydrangeas were exhibiting leafy, greenness near their bases. And, though the winter Daphne did not bloom this year, they have matured and survived the cold. Having already resigned myself to the loss of my beautiful lavender plant, and my fuschia, I went to have a last look. The skeletal remains of the lavender confirmed my belief that it had indeed lost the fight. The fuschia however, to my surprise, had begun to unfurl tiny green leaves at its base. New Life! Where there had been death!


I love how the natural mirrors the spiritual; How God reveals Himself (the unseen) in the things that are seen (Romans 1:18-20). And I love how He takes those things that we have surrendered to death, believing them lost to the biting cold winter of our trials, and speaks life causing them to blossom once more. For our heavenly Father has declared, "Behold I make all things new..." (Revelation 21:5). That is spring, indeed!