Incredibly Loud and Extremely Close

I don’t often recommend movies, but sometimes Hollywood messes up and does something right. I know the critics weren’t kind to this movie, but I loved it. I usually go straight to Christianity Today for my movie reviews and most of the time I agree with their reviewer. They aren’t biased and even if a film has an R rating they will rate it honestly by the film’s  creative merits with a full warning about what you might be offended at.

I sometimes think we have forgotten all about what happened on 9/11, that “Worst Day” as the film’s lead character describes it. What I most love about this film is how the story weaves this one boy’s struggle to cope with the lost of his father with all the other characters throughout the film. We get lost in his journey to hang onto his Dad by trying to search all over New York for something he felt his Dad wanted him to find.

In his search, we find out that what we all need is a little healing. Everyone he meets along the way, he finds, has lost something, and most of them embrace his search. We see our own healing, our own journey, and we remember the healing that our country went through back then.

This movie made me remember what is most important……we all need each other. We are all on a journey of healing of some kind, and we are rooting for this boy to find his all the way through the movie.

And another thought…..what would it be like if we all stopped to turn and give that healing to one another.

What matters most

Above all powers
Above all kings
Above all nature
And all created things
Above all wisdom
And all the ways of man
You were here
Before the world began……
This was the week Elaine and I were supposed to go on a cruise to Belize. Caretaking took that away as it has taken many things away this past year…..
But somehow, sitting in church yesterday listening to the sermon and, most of all,  having Elaine’s Nephew Mark sitting right beside us. The cruise didn’t matter as much anymore. Not if it meant having an eternal impact on someone dear. None of our travels matter much in the long run.
What I heard yesterday reminded me. Knowing God matters more. Reaching the halls of Heaven matter. Hearing the gospel and having a chance to respond? That matters more than anything.
When the Pastor took the long black rope representing our whole life plus eternity…..when he held up the piece with the knot about 4 inches away from the end, and how we pour everything we have into that four inches representing our very short time on earth…..
Our hopes, our dreams, our ambitions to make money, have a successful career, a family…..all on that very tiny end with the knot.
And we fail to think, to plan. For the rest of the rope that represents eternity. Stretching on and on.
We fail to count the cost.
Fail to plan for eternity and where we will spend it.
As he said the words, I felt the chill…….Saying “maybe tomorrow” is the same as saying no to God.
Later today is also a refusal.
With all that life hanging in the balance, 
A little cruise didn’t matter so much anymore. 
Above all kingdoms
Above all thrones
Above all wonders
The world has ever known
Above all wealth
And treasures of the earth
There’s no way to measure
What You’re worth
Crucified
Laid behind a stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all
 Michael W. Smith
the blessings keep coming, as well as the grace…….Awesome church service yesterday, just when it was needed most…..warm beds at night…..money for the new fridge…..and for the new coffeepot when the other gave out……music to soothe rumpled souls…..praise that lifts the tired and poor of spirit……God’s Spirit that helps us through it all…..warmed up oatmeal maple scone……walking in the mornings chill…..time off work, even when I am not going anywhere……#802-812

Wishing you a bit of grace

Not much going on around here…..just hanging out waiting to see if there is anything good coming out of the fridge!

Actually, I am at work. Briggs is the one just hanging out. More than likely right now he is dreaming of chasing mice or catnip…..

Until I can get a bit of time to post, I am at my desk.

Hope your Saturday is going wonderfully……

To all in Rome (and the rest of the world) who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1:7

The other morning before I left for work I grabbed a Bible CD from my bookshelf. I saw that it was Romans so I put it back, (I thought) since I had just read that. When I got in the car, I heard “Romans Chapter 1”

And I was glad, because you can never read the book of Romans too often.

Happy Saturday fellow bloggers and readers!

We are smart, but God’s smarter

We do things in this building, and all others on our campus….fantastical things. Things never thought possible even 60 years ago. We create all sorts of wild imaginings and then put them into form. We think, “what if…..” And then we do it. That is, at least the creative brains do that. I am just a small cog in the wheel of technology….but I do my part.

And it all changes and grows so fast, that by the time a new process comes out, it is already outdated….
Considered obsolete.

People are creators because God made us that way….

All of us have that God spark that seeks to create because He put it in us.

But, with all this human achievement and rushing around, what we call progress; we still can’t even come close to making a moon or setting the stars in place.

Or calming the sea with a word.

We aren’t so smart…….
And as long as we have been alive, there is a danger, a temptation in worshiping that “created thing” instead of the One who put it all in motion to begin with. “And they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator–who is forever praised. Amen.” Romans 1:25
Don’t get me wrong, I love technology! It has been my bread and butter for 16 years now and the industry has treated me well. I don’t feel as my Mom does, that computers are the Antichrist. But ever since the golden calf and before that, we have been tempted to put things in place of God.
The idols may change over the centuries, but the temptation is the same.
This whole train of thought started with the radio this morning. There was a discussion about our gadgets. The female commentator had left her IPhone home and was feeling a bit lost. I can relate to that. I never felt that way about a phone before I got mine. She further stated a quote attributed to Steve Jobs that said something like:
“When people can put their wedding pictures on their phone, they will be emotionally attached.” Or something like that.
She was saying that it troubled her a bit that she felt an emotion, an attachment, like something was missing because she didn’t have her phone. I can relate. I am ashamed to say I feel the same way.
She said all her friends were having a great time playing “Words with Friends.” She didn’t start it. She didn’t want to feel like she had to respond every time the phone dinged.
Well, I succumbed.
I started……I am addicted. And now I have to go.
It’s my move.
Maybe it’s time for a gadget fast.
Just after I play this word.

When in doubt, wait on the Lord

I had a whole post done when I realized I had no idea what I was trying to say….It seemed to be going in two different directions and I couldn’t make up my mind which path to go down…kind of like one of my favorite poems by Robert Frost……So in lieu of my own words, here are some of his.
I am waiting on the Lord today, and waiting can be just the right thing sometimes…..

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Wishing for a rooftop

 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs. Luke 12:3

The houses of the Jews, as well as those of the ancient Greeks and Romans, were flat-roofed, and had stairs on the outside, by which persons might ascend and descend without coming into the house. In the eastern walled cities, these flat-roofed houses usually formed continued terraces from one end of the city to the other. Clarkes Commentary of the Bible

I have wished for a place on the rooftop more than once. Even more so since I have started to get into photography more. The Arizona sky never ceases to surprise me. This particular night I rounded the corner not expecting anything……instead I was treated to this stunning view.
The ancient cultures were very intuned to the sky. They were sky watchers. They had to be, that is how they knew what time it was and what direction to go. In our modern culture, we barely ever have to look up. We have digital clocks everywhere and satellites to tell us everything we need to know. But I think we are missing something very important……
About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. Acts 10:9
When you stop looking up, it is easy to forget God. When you read the Bible, it is apparent much time was spent on the roof. In David’s case it lead to trouble…..
One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful….2 Samuel 11:2
As Paul Harvey would say: you know the rest of that story.

I do wish I had a rooftop to sit on, to gaze at the stars, to dream, to pray.
And there must be a reason why, in every romantic movie there is a scene where somebody surprises somebody with a beautiful rooftop spread. Complete with candles sparkling wine, flowers  and market lights.
Yes, there is something to this rooftop idea.
I pause to continue the count……#791-801
Rain rain, blessed rain on our dry desert valley……half price book sale at our local library, cheap books are always a cause for celebration……call from a special friend across the miles…..another end of a week….chores I can do because I am healthy…….a wonderful time of meeting together at church once again……sharing a pot of tea……time at Barnes and Noble……enjoying a bowl of chili-mac to warm the bones on a cool evening……answered prayer for my sickly cat who feels much better now.

Bloomin joy

“I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” John 15:11
Ever have one of those days where for some inexplicable reason you feel like bubbling over with joy? No particular circumstance has caused it…..you may be on your way to work, or on your way to the Dentist (this is for other people, not me) I am one of those people who have dreams about my teeth falling out, or losing crowns. No, I am talking about joy for no external reason at all. This particular kind of joy is described in many places throughout Scripture……
“You have shown me the way of life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.” Acts 2:28
“With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!” Isaiah 12:3
“When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.” Jeremiah 15:16
It is a sing at the top of your lungs kind of joy! Everyone at some point in life has experienced this joy. It is a by-product of life, my friends. You don’t have to know the source of the stream for your thirst to be quenched or to feel its refreshment, but oh how much more satisfying it is when you do!  
It is a natural result of a supernatural event……the Holy Spirit taking up residence in us! Kind of like these little flowers, they don’t think about whether to bloom, they bloom because they have to! While the actual joy “feeling” comes and goes, just knowing we never have to be alone again is why it’s possible to have hope in every circumstance. Why we can “bloom” no matter what is around us.
“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16
I pray that whatever your circumstance today that you feel the breath of His Spirit………….and the fruit of the Spirit filled to overflowing.
And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. John 20:22

Next time I’ll sing

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16

As far back as I can remember, the sound of my Mom’s singing is woven into the background of my memories. I have talked about it before somewhere in earlier posts. Can you imagine how it must have been to hear her wonderful Soprano drifing through the windows as I walked up the driveway from school?

Of course, I didn’t appreciate it then, not nearly as much as I do now.

Last time I was back home she started singing in the car and I really wanted to sing along. The words were right on the edge….oh, I knew them, all right.  But something stopped me and I don’t even know what. Who knows, maybe someone was in the car and I was self-conscious. And ever since I got home it has bothered me that I didn’t join in. She was singing an old song…….maybe you know it.

“This world is not my home, I’m just a passin through
If Heaven’s not my home, then Lord what will I do?
The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door
and I don’t feel at home in this world anymore….”
She stopped singing and asked me, “Do you know that song?” I said, “Yes, of course.” Memories washed over me when she said that. We used to all get together and sing these songs and many others. Hour were spent, singing and laughing. No one cared how anyone else sounded, but really, I can remember it sounding pretty good. It sounded like joy.
I was ashamed at myself for not singing with her, for not joining in.
For not keeping the memory alive with her.
She said, “Why didn’t you sing?”
Indeed. I wish I had.
I know there will come a day when I won’t be able to sing with her, and it will make me sad beyond words. Sad that I didn’t sing with her every chance I got. But that time is, thankfully, not yet.
It strikes me that I may be the last generation to know those songs. Kids today know many things, they know Miley, and Justin…….
and Beyonce, and JLo….but they don’t know these songs about Heaven.
And it’s wrong to let them die, just because it may not be “cool” to sing them.
So the next time Mom, I will join you.
I will sing.

Beside the still waters

For the Scripture says: “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed”………Romans 10:11
Last night I stayed up most of the night to take care of a sick little cat. He has been coughing and hiding under the bed. I really thought that today he would be the day to take him in. I know many people, even Christians who make light of the sickness or death of a beloved pet. “It’s not the same,” they say, “as when a human dies.” They make light of the grief…..
But one thing I know. Death feels like death, and grief feels like grief…….It’s the same blackness, the same hell we escaped from….just barely.  It’s the same tears spilling down…..it’s comfort that is needed, and to do anything less is to ignore Holy Scripture…..for this is the truth of it:
“Now we who are strong ought to bare the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.” Romans 15:1, 2
And, also:
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2
And you just don’t know, there may be an ocean of events leading up to this one thing that brakes the back of the camel……
As I tossed and turned last night, all I could think of was all the other grief, from all the other times. Funerals, memorials, big ugly flower arrangements and holes in the dark cold earth. They all mean the same thing. The thing that should never have been. But the thing we must live with every day until Jesus comes again.
I thought again how very unnatural illness is, how foreign death was when the world was new. And how very wrong.
But on the opposite corner stands Jesus and He is our life……Thanks be to God!
I recited the 23rd Psalm as I waited for sleep to come. I thought of a little white cat lying down beside me in green pastures……I pictured us sitting on the shore, watching the quiet waters lap upon the shore.
I am happy to say, this morning Sydney is still with us. He sat on my lap for awhile this morning and ate and drank water. He is back under the bed but the coughing has subsided for now.
And with the morning came grace for awhile yet.

Multitudes on Monday

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4 ESV

Counting the gifts today……..#776-790

The return of gorgeous sunny weather…..to hike trails, take walks

Chilly desert nights spent once again around the fire, deep conversations……

New hiking shoes that will hold the rocky trail

Breakfast after church……and important reconnections

Mini vacations when you can’t get the real thing…..sometimes just a few hours makes a difference.

Looks that say, “I understand….”

The joy of library books waiting to be cracked open…….

My ever positive Mom…..

Instant messaging with my brother across the miles

A brand new bathroom thanks to my wonderful and creative best friend (I really think she could teach Martha a thing or two)

Gathering together with other believers….here there and everywhere!

Good things that don’t end……always another photo

always another book

always another chance to start again with each new day……always another chance to pray!