Spring means...

Out with the old...

And in with the new...

If your son only wears one pair of shoes you need to check them every now and then for holes.  Don't wait until someone in their class asks them when they are going to get new shoes.  And if at all possible, make sure the new ones are purple because purple shoes are "sick".

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:16-17)

Spring has Sprung

The hillsides blossom with joy... (Psalm 65:32)

 When everything that’s new has bravely surfaced 
Teaching us to breathe 

And what was frozen through is newly purposed 

Turning all things green 

So it is with You 

And how You make me new 

With every season’s change 

And so it will be 

As You are re-creating me 

Summer

Autumn

Winter

Spring


(From the song "Every Season" by Nichole Nordeman)

Among Thorns

The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.  (Mark 4:18-19)

According to this verse there are three things than can make us unfruitful.
   -the worries of this life
   -the deceitfulness of wealth
   -the desires for other things

When I desire other things instead of God's kingdom, I am unfruitful.  When my focus is on finding the perfect paint color and the perfect lamp, I am unfruitful.  When I spend my time shopping for things I don't really need, I am unfruitful.  When I worry about money, I am unfruitful.  When I am not content with what I have, I am unfruitful.  When I worry about what is going to happen tomorrow, I am unfruitful.

(But) the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!

When I hear God's word and put it into practice, I can be fruitful.  When I reach out to my neighbor, I can be fruitful.  When I call a friend, I can be fruitful.  When I trust God to know what I need, I can be fruitful.  When I spend more time on things that matter and less time on things that don't, I can be fruitful.

Don't get choked by the thorns of life--be fruitful!

  

A Touchy Question...

"How many children do you have?" An innocent, yet fully loaded question for me.  My answer depends on who is asking.  Today it was a nurse at my new doctor's office.  I knew that what she was really asking was, "How many live births have you had?"  So I answered, "Four."  Anna's death had nothing to do with my reproductive health so I didn't really want to talk about it.  A visit to the gynecologist is bad enough without adding additional emotional stress.  But later in the interview, the nurse wanted to know the sex and birth years of my children.  That's when I lost it.  I started crying, "I don't have four living children.  One of them died."  Then I kept getting mixed up on all the years when everyone was born and died and the nurse was having trouble understanding so I had to repeat myself--while crying.  Whew!  I was glad when that part of the visit was over!  After I donned my designer gown I decided to calm myself down by reading the copy of my chart that was sitting there.  Boy was I surprised to see that I was allergic to sulfa drugs and that I had had a hysterectomy.  It was not my chart!  I had sent for my Oklahoma records back in January and they sent someone else's records with someone else's name on every page.  BIG MISTAKE.  I called them right away and STRONGLY (notice I did not say rudely) informed them of their error.  They got the fax number and sent the correct records immediately.  I left the other woman's records with the new doctor and I assume she will destroy them or send them back.
  The new doctor is very nice.  When she saw that I had lost a child she said, "Oh, I'm so sorry.  How are you doing with that?"  I told her that in spite of what her nurse might say, I am doing as well as could be expected.  Then she asked why it had been so long since I'd seen a doctor.  I said, "Well, I'm a grown up now and sometimes it's hard to make yourself do things that are good for you."  She laughed and said, "You mean people aren't counting the days until they get to see me?"  I said, "Oh I was counting the days, but not in a good way!"


Funny Story.... Will had a friend spend the night this week.  When I asked them what they wanted for breakfast, Will's friend said, "I don't care what we have, but I don't like strawberries and I don't like cheesecake."
Lucky for him, we hardly ever have strawberry cheesecake for breakfast!

Winning Team

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels. (Mark 8:38)

Everyone wants to be associated with the winning team.  Sometimes being a Christian can feel like rooting for the Steelers while sitting in the middle of a bunch of Packer fans.  We love our team and are faithful followers, but we keep our mouths closed.  If we cheer for our team we might get dirty looks, negative comments, or even worse.  We are too afraid to take off our coats and show our team colors.
So what should we do?  Do we stay safe and keep our mouths closed?  Do we become Packer fans just because we are surrounded by Packer fans?  NO!  We don't have to be afraid.  We don't have to keep our mouths closed.  Because no matter what it looks like, we know we are on the winning team!!!!!  The Son of Man will come in his Father's glory with the holy angels.  So don't be ashamed of Him in this world.
Be bold.  Be brave.  Cheer for your team!

I can't imagine

I've tried, but I can't.  I can't imagine what it must be like.  I watch the news reports and see the faces of the people, but I can't put myself in their place.  I can't imagine how it would feel to see your home swept out to sea.  I can't imagine what it would be like to wander around searching for your family.  I can't imagine being trapped in rubble.  I can't imagine going to the grocery store and not finding any groceries.  I can't imagine being cold, hungry, and helpless.  I can't imagine trying to sleep in a shelter with hundreds of other people.  I can't imagine surviving an earthquake, a tsunami, and then having to worry about a nuclear explosion.
I crawl into my warm soft bed and think about people sleeping on the cold floor.  I open my pantry full of food and think about people standing in line to buy...anything.  I get in my car and think about the piles and piles of battered cars.  I look at my husband and I see a man on his bicycle riding around showing people a picture of his wife and asking if they've seen her.

Mourn with those who mourn. (Hebrews 12:15)

 "Identification with others in their sorrows is a Christian's privilege and responsibility."  
I can't physically touch the hurting people in Japan, but I can pray.  I can pray for the rescue workers to have strength and endurance as they face an overwhelming task.  I can pray that God would lead rescuers to any survivors who are still waiting to be found.  I can pray for families to be reunited.  I can pray for the missionaries there to know what to do when there is so much to do.  I can pray that the Japanese will lean on the Rock that cannot be shaken.
Will you join me?

Feeling Lucky?

When my sister first called me to tell me about Marc's accident, I began praying for two things--an attitude of gratitude and a different perspective.  I knew that both of those things would help them through this very difficult time.  You saw in the last post (by the way, that is NOT a recent picture) that they both have thankful hearts.   Their gratitude is a direct result of their new perspective.
On Friday the speech therapist came to evaluate Marc.  His speech is fine, but I think she was looking for signs of a head injury so she wanted to make sure he could answer questions appropriately.  The first thing she did was tell him a story about a man who got hit by a delivery truck.  After he was hit, he walked to a nearby convenience store to get help.  While he was in the store, a robber came in and made everyone give him their money.  When she finished the story she asked my brother-in-law, "Was the man in the story lucky?"  Marc answered, "Yep."  It wasn't the answer the therapist expected to hear so she said, "Really?  Why do you think he was lucky?"  "Well, he got hit by a truck and he was able to walk away.  Then he was involved in a robbery and he didn't get shot."  Well, when you look at it that way, that was one lucky guy!
That is probably NOT the answer Marc would have given before all this happened (of course two weeks ago no one would have been asking him questions like that), but it's the answer he has today--because now he has a new perspective.  Now he is thankful to be alive.
I remember sitting at dinner one night several years ago and crying.  I had read Philippians 4:11 which said, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances," but I was NOT content.    I didn't like my circumstances.  When I looked at my family sitting there, all I could see was the empty chair.   I was only focused on what I didn't have, not on what I had.  Today the empty chair is still there, but now I can see what else is there.  I can see the people who are there rather than focusing on the one who isn't.  I have had to change the way I look at things.  I have had to change my perspective.
It's not easy and it doesn't just happen one time.  It's a decision I make every day.  Sigh.  Just this morning when I opened my dresser drawer, I saw Anna's Baby laying there.  I touched the tangled hair that my sweet daughter stroked thousands of times for comfort.  I caressed the little pink dress that hid a broken body repaired by one of our nurses in Delaware.  And I was overcome with emotion.  I grieved my loss again.  I was tempted to pick up that doll and crawl into bed and cry.  Instead, I closed the drawer and went to fix breakfast for my other three kids.  Do I still get sad?  Yes.  Do I have to stay there?  No.
What is your perspective?  Are you seeing what you have or focusing on what you don't have?  Without having a near death experience, can you be like Marc and feel lucky for being alive?  It's not something that comes easy or naturally, but it is something you can learn.

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:11-13)