this world won't do

Michelle Obama said these words this week: “The world as it is won’t do.” I totally agree with her. Where we are misled, though, is that there is some way, in this life, that the world can be “fixed”… that a political party, or a religious persuasion, or an earthly power, or all of our silver and gold can solve the problems of mankind… this just isn’t possible. Yes, I, with the help of my merciful God, can make my little corner of the world better…but until Jesus returns, and brings the new earth He has made for us, we will never have what we were made to have. As C.S. Lewis wrote: “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

As John said in Revelation 21 (The Message):
“I saw Heaven and earth new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea. I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband. I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: "Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They're his people, he's their God. He'll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone." The Enthroned continued, "Look! I'm making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate."
Then he said, "It's happened. I'm A to Z. I'm the Beginning, I'm the Conclusion. From Water-of-Life Well I give freely to the thirsty. Conquerors inherit all this. I'll be God to them, they'll be sons and daughters to me.”

In this world, there’s too much pain and suffering for a human to comprehend…too many tears to be cried. That’s why I look forward to a Better Place…a Place where my God resides…where He is the light for my darkness and the water for the never-ending thirst of my soul….a Place where the focus of all beings will be on Him…in praise and adoration.
This world just won’t do.
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tasting and seeing

Stephen Curtis Chapman’s family had a horrible loss back in May. Their son, who was a high school senior, ran over their adopted five year old daughter, Maria Sue, in the family driveway. In the past weeks, the Chapman family has been on Larry King Live, Focus on the Family, and Good Morning America sharing their story; there was also an article about them in “People” magazine. The only thing I can think of that is sadder, at this time, is what my family has been through.

They found a picture that Maria had drawn just before her death…it was a picture of a flower, and the word, “see.” It made them think of this verse in Psalm 34:8:

“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”

They shared how Maria loved to eat, and that now she was in the presence of God tasting and seeing the most wonderful things imaginable. They also said that this was a message to them to look ahead…to the future…and that now, one of their six children was perfect and whole…happy in the arms of Jesus.

All this reminds me that the people I am sad about are those of us who have been left behind: Todd, the children, Mom, Dad, sisters, brother, nieces, nephews, and many, many friends. There is no reason to be sad on Kathy's behalf. She is in the most wonderful place that she has ever been …she is tasting and seeing in the presence of her God and Savior.
What a blessed place to be!

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happy birthday

Happy birthday, Sister. I miss you. I love you.
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held

I think that many of us Christians have the mistaken idea that because we are “Christian,” bad things will not happen to us. It’s like if we have enough “faith,” if we can just pray enough, if we believe enough, if we live a good enough life, that we will be protected from pain and sorrow and loss. This simply is not the truth that I have seen in the past few years. Bad, horrible things happen to everyone…the only difference is that as Christ followers, we have Christ living in us and going with us through all the “mess” of this world…He holds us…He abides in us…He doesn’t leave us alone.

I heard the song, “Held,” today, by Natalie Grant. These are the words that made me think about this:

“This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was that when everything fell
We'd be held
And you survive”

Everything has fallen in our lives…and the truth is that we are being held…the sacred has been torn form our lives, and we are surviving…we have fallen into a deep, black hole, but we have been held through it all. God is so good.

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unwrinkle me

School starts on Monday and …a new class comes… the possibility of major stress sets in. If I want to “enjoy the ride,” stress has to be managed.

I found the following prayer a few years ago, and I’m saying it today and in the days to come:

“Lord, unwrinkle my tired soul
unsnarl my garbled thoughts and words
unwind my gnarled nerves
and let me relax in Thee.”
Marian Wright Edelman

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enjoy the ride

I have been working at school the past two weeks getting ready for another group of kinder- garteners…lots of work…but I love it!

I put something up in my room that we got at inservice last year, and it is timely to what I am thinking about lately. The title is: “Enjoy the Ride.”

Number one: Check your passion…love what you do, why you do it, and who you do it with.

Number two: Cure your destination disease… happiness is found in the journey, not at the destination.

Number three: Refocus your attention…decide what is important and never take it for granted.

The journey, at it turns out, is much shorter than I ever imagined…I need to remember these ideas…that’s why I’ve put it where I can see it every day.

I’m determined to enjoy the ride,

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i'm blessed

Deb and I were talking about how hard it is to know how to answer when a person asks us how we are doing nowadays…especially if it is a complete stranger who is just being polite to ask. How can we tell how we are really doing… that we are sad… heartbroken…that we have certainly had better days…

So…Debbi came up with a solution to our dilemma …a stranger said it to her one day, and it is a perfect answer…we simply say, “I’m blessed.”

It’s like Habakkuk in the third chapter, verses 17-18 says in the New Living Translation:

“Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!”

Truly I am blessed!

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