Weakness

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Back in January, when I was writing down goals and plans for the year ahead, I asked God for a word. One word. A word to focus on in 2016. I thought I had picked a good one. I liked it. He didn’t agree.

Me: Flourishing — can this be my word for the year? Please?

God: No, I’m sorry, but not this year. I have another word chosen especially for you.

Me: Oh. What is the word?

God: Weakness.

Me:

God: Did you hear Me?

Me: I don’t think I like it. I don’t like weakness.

God: It’s a good word. Let me teach you all about it.

Me:

I guess it’s about time to respond, now that half the year has come and gone. I don’t like the sound of that word any more than I did in January, but it’s still there waiting for me. So I did a search for “weakness” in the Bible and uncovered some surprises.

Weakness is looked upon as being a very positive quality in the scriptures. Paul talks about it a lot in 2 Corinthians 12.

“I delight in weaknesses”….”for when I am weak, then I am strong.” Paul goes so far as to say, “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses….I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.” Why? Because God’s power “is made perfect in weakness”.

It seems God specializes in picking underdogs. Moses had a speech impediment. Gideon was the least in his family and from the weakest clan. Shepherd boy David faced down a giant. Paul had a disability. Even Jesus came to earth as a vulnerable little baby and later was “crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power.” 2 Corinthians 13:4

Weakness.

This word is better than I thought.

Too bad I waited six months to start looking into it.

I’m ready now. Teach me all about it, Lord.

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A Brief Grand Update

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I was recently featured on a fun blog called Grandma’s Briefs. It sounds really cool to say “I was featured”, but the truth is anybody who has grands can have a moment in the spotlight. All you have to do is request a questionnaire, fill it out and submit it.

Lisa is doing something great with her platform. She has created a fun, supportive and generous community of people who encourage each other. I’d say that’s a good use of internet space right there.

For a look at my briefs, click here.

In the meantime, I thought I’d share some pics of the six. PB and I recently spent some time with these grand little people. We’re talking about one 4-year-old, two 3-year-olds, two 2-year-olds, and one 1-year-old.

That’s 120 fingers and toes, y’all.

And I love each and every one.

Here they are, in alphabetical order.

Because the oldest one shouldn’t always get to go first.

This is Charlie. He likes to build towers. Really tall towers.

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This is Eli. He likes to ride his bike. And he loves Lightning McQueen with all his heart.

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This is Ella. She is a fairy-princess-ballerina and she can pull it off.

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This is Evie. She can say “cheese” better than anybody.

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This is Hudson. He constructs complicated buildings with secret rooms.

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This is Ruby. She wants to play basketball for the Gophers. (Maybe.)

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This is how it is when you are the littlest one and all the big kids are outside having fun while you’re stuck in the house with Opa and Nonnie.

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Wednesday Words: The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

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books

Sometimes when I read a book, I come across words that work so well together I just have to open my college ruled spiral notebook and copy them down. Then I revisit those words from time to time and let them work on me. This collection of quotes and excerpts has grown over the years. I figure there’s no sense in letting them pile up in a stuffy closet. Hence, this series of Wednesday Words.

I have a weak spot for books about books. In “The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry” by Gabrielle Zevin, there is a quote that captures how I feel about her story:

“Every word the right one and exactly where it should be. That’s basically the highest compliment I can give.”

Here are some more gems:

“I like talking about books with people who like to talk about books. I like paper. I like how it feels, and I like the feel of a book in my back pocket. I like how a new book smells, too.”

“Bookstores attract the right kind of people….. A place ain’t a place without a bookstore.”

(For a peek at our local used bookstore, that makes our town a place, click here.)

“We read to know we’re not alone. We read because we are alone. We read and we are not alone.”

“We are not quite novels. We are not quite short stories. In the end, we are collected works.”

“You know everything you need to know about a person from the answer to the question, ‘What is your favorite book?'”

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A Tourist’s Guide to Heaven

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This summer I have the privilege of taking some women on a guided tour of Heaven in preparation for their trip there. Hopefully that excursion is a ways off, but it’s not too early to get a look at what is in store.

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If someone gave me an all-expense paid trip to Paris, flight included, I’d be a fool to turn it down. My first reaction would be one of tremendous gratitude. My second response would be to read up on all the things a traveler might need to know. Where is this place, exactly? What should I bring? What will we eat? What does the city look like? What are some highlights that shouldn’t be missed? Can my dog come along? What’s the weather like? What language will be spoken? What time zone will we be in? Who will we meet there? Do I need a passport?

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I’m happy to be a trip advisor for these young women. We’ll answer all those questions and many more. Is Heaven for real? Is there an actual stairway to heaven? Does God look like Morgan Freeman? Do angels play harps? Was John Lennon right about heaven? Is Beyonce? Are there streets of gold? Is there a pearly gate? Is there sex in Heaven? (That one got your attention.)

Goodness, we’re going to have fun digging into the travel guide called The Holy Bible. The only Person who has ever come from there, visited here, and gone back again has a lot to say about the place. I think we should take His eye-witness word for it.

Hopefully this will be the summer we all get a little more heavenly minded and find ourselves anticipating our eternal future with unbridled joy and rock-solid confidence.

Because the most important detail is this:

we’re not going sight-seeing.

We’re going home.

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“But our citizenship is in heaven.” Phil. 3:20

10 Things I Learned In May

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1. My half birthday is May 1st. I have always wished I had a spring birthday. It’s such a happy time of year with flowers and warm sunshine and the promise of three months of summer to follow. As I get older, celebrating half birthdays sounds like it should be a thing.

2. Inviting six women to come and sit around a table for a meal is an extraordinary way to spend an evening. I followed the If:Gathering idea of six women, two hours and four questions. What Nika Maples said is true: “If you enter a meal with others, you enter at one level of relationship and you leave the meal at another, deeper level of relationship.” I can’t wait to do it again.

3. Spurgeon’s quote of the month: “Certain people must always have sweets and comforts, but God’s wise children do not wish for these in undue measure. Daily bread we ask for, not daily sugar.”

4. PB can’t keep a secret from me and I’m secretly happy about that. He outdid himself by planning a fantastic surprise, and then promptly told me the surprise. It only took about two minutes to get this one out of him. He bought tickets to see James Taylor live in concert. “Whenever I see your smiling face I have to smile myself because I love you, yes, I do.”

5. PB knows how to milk something for all its worth. As a result of #4 above, every time he exasperated me over the last month, he would smile and say, “James Taylor”.

6. We have entered into a new phase of parenting. On Mother’s Day weekend, my oldest daughter invited me out to breakfast and she picked up the tab. And left the tip. It was strange and wonderful. Adult children grow up to be lovely friends.

7. If I could go back and live in another time, I think I’d want to experience Jerusalem in 33 A.D. I read the book of Acts this month and those days of the early church must have been amazing. They were trying to figure out how to do this thing called church. No denominations, no programs, no church growth strategies. They just followed the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Huh.

8. Flat Jesus is catching on quickly. We handed out laminated cutouts of Jesus to everybody at church and challenged folks to take Jesus with them wherever they go this summer. They were instructed to take a picture of their travels with Flat Jesus (a la Flat Stanley) and already we have photos pouring in. So far, He’s been to Seattle, Colorado, a preschool show and tell, Disneyworld, a soccer game and a gospel music fest. And summer hasn’t even started.

9. I’m a happy, tired Nonnie. We just spent five days with several different combinations of our six grands. There’s nothing like hearing the sweet voice of a three year old calling out “Nonnie” at 5:00 a.m. I expect I’ll wake up at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning and miss hearing that little voice. Then I’ll say a prayer for all the parents of little ones and sleep awhile longer.

10. Three days at a writer’s retreat gave me a lot to think about. I’m still doing a lot of thinking. Hopefully soon I’ll be doing a lot of writing.

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Another and Another

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I spent a few days with some women who are writers.

Real writers.

Actual published authors.

These ladies knew what they were doing, where they were going and how they were going to get there. They knew their klout score and their social media strategy and how to pitch their book to a publisher. I was in awe of their brilliance. So much good writing is already out there. At the end of the retreat, I had to ask a question:

God, does the world really need another writer?

The answer came at sunrise on the lakeshore.

“Does the world need another doctor? or preacher? or scientist? or teacher? I need another and another and another.

I’ll tell you what I don’t need — a bunch of people questioning and doubting and hemming and hawing about whether or not they should use the gifts I’ve given them. I have already set up divine appointments for your words. Yes, I need another writer.

Next time, don’t ask what the world needs.

Ask what I need.

Then get to it.”

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Still Learning to Be Still

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Awhile ago, I wrote some thoughts about what it means to be still.  Five years later, I’m still learning to be still.  God had a talk with me about it. Here’s how it went:

What do you want to say to me, God?

Mostly I just want to sit here beside you.

No commandments, no instructions, no assignments?

Mostly I just want you to sit here beside Me.

Shouldn’t we be about the business of heaven?

Let’s just sit here together for awhile.

But, isn’t time of the essence?

Child, I am the Essence of Time.

You can only understand that as we sit here together for a little while.

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Be

still

and

know

that

I

am

God.

Psalm 46:10

 

 

Behold!

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What does it mean to “behold”?

It means to “be” — be present, be engaged, be aware.

It means to “hold” — keep a focused gaze, set the eye on, see into.

In order to experience “wonder” we need to “behold”.

A friend reminded me of these truths with a flower and a word.

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What does this flower tell me about God?

One flower, three magnificent petals.

Three in One.

Behold!

I carried the word in my pocket all day.

It helped me see what is right before my eyes.

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Taste and See

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I tried to cook my cookbook.

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Ms. Betty Crocker was not amused.

See that look in her eye?

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No golden roasted chicken sprang forth, no practically perfect pie appeared, no crusty wholegrain bread was in sight. They all stayed put on the cover, taunting me.

The charred cookbook had no flavor.

Then someone taught me to open the pages, read the instructions and follow them obediently. I learned to get my hands in the dough, knead with all my might, patiently wait for the creation to come together. I discovered the joy of opening my mouth, taking in the goodness, savoring the flavor.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8)

God wants me to use my senses to experience Him. It’s only in the opening up of myself to His Word, the working in and pushing out of the gospel, the willingness to wait for the Spirit to rise – only then can I begin to gain understanding of His goodness.

It’s only in the receiving of the Bread of Life, the swallow of commitment, the joyful discovery of nourishment – only then can I begin to see Him in all of His glory.

I can look at a cardboard picture of a roasted chicken,

but I can’t know the succulent, juicy flavor unless I taste the real thing.

I can observe evidence of God’s goodness in the world,

but I can’t know He is good to me until I take Him in.

“Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” (Psalm 81:10)

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,

and you will delight in the richest of fare. (Isaiah 55:2)

10 Things I Learned in April

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1. Don’t put away the turtlenecks until May.  We were in the 30s this week.  As in degrees.  To clarify: I personally haven’t been in the 30s for two decades.

2. Gathering twelve women together on a snowy weekend in April can begin a movement.  What IF we lived and loved like Jesus?

3. There are crystals in my ears. If one of them should happen to dislodge and fall into one of my three semicircular inner-ear canals, the room starts spinning.  Thankfully, a friend told me how to get that crystal back where it belongs. The Tilt-A-Whirl has mercifully stopped.

4. Spring cleaning feels good. The best part is looking out freshly washed windows. Gosh, it’s a beautiful world out there.

5. Cell phones are wonderful and horrible. PB and I spent three hours trading in our old cell phones for new models. As the afternoon frittered away, I wondered, “What if we sent a monthly bill to church members, required them to update their Bibles every few years at an outrageous price, made them sign a contract and then preached a three hour sermon?”

6. My new favorite old dead guy is Gerard Manley Hopkins. He was a priest and a poet in the 1800s. He wrote this: “The world is charged with the grandeur of God. The birds sing to Him. The thunder speaks of His terror. The lion is like His strength. The sea is like His greatness. The honey like His sweetness. They are something like Him. They make Him known. They tell of Him.” Why don’t we talk like that anymore?

7. It’s possible to spend six weeks studying 25 verses. The little obscure book of Philemon had much to teach. Who knew?

8. I need daffodils in the spring, but I never think about it when it’s time to plant in the fall. So I took drastic measures – I’ve set a reminder to go off on my phone on September 1, 2016 that says, “Buy daffodil bulbs.” I suppose I should also set a reminder for October 1 saying, “Plant those darn bulbs, for goodness sake.”

9. I’m glad I’m not planning any grad parties or wedding receptions this summer.  In fact, I won’t be pulling together any massive galas for the rest of my life.  The next big family fete will be grandson Hudson’s high school graduation…in 2030.

10. If ever there was a song to close April and usher in May, it’s this one by James Taylor. Stay with it to hear the transition from “Before This World” to “Jolly Springtime.”

“Yes the winter was bitter and long
So the spring’ll be sweet.
Come along with a rhythm and a song
Watch creation repeat.”

april may