So the next generation may know...

This picture represents my favorite part of my daughter's wedding ceremony. The blessing. The bride and groom took communion together and lit the unity candle representing the two becoming one. They prayed together. Then they took their place in the middle of a tight knit circle of generations. The parents of the parents and the parents of the children. The siblings that have been there for all the ups and downs. The friends that are part of their inner circle. The pastors that have lead them and loved them. 

The fathers prayed over the children. Prayers of love and blessing. Bold prayers of protection. Collective prayers of hope for the future. Confident prayers for their life together. For their ministry. For their witness and for their testimony to remain strong together. Generations of redeemed people offering the same to the next.

Our families are far from perfect. But we all know the One that is. We joined two families into one. We agreed that the One that holds us will be praised into the next generation. We offered our prayers and our love and our blessing. Verbally by the fathers. Agreement from the rest. There is power in a blessing.

Whether you have generations of truth and blessing in your family or whether you are the first to offer that hope to the next generation, bless your children. Verbally. With boldness knowing the One who can fulfill those blessings. Words spoken over children matter. They are powerful. But the redeeming power of Jesus is more powerful. The blessings can start today. Pray over your children. Over your home. Over their future. Let the next generation know.

Share the stories. Pass on the traditions.

Embrace the memories and bury them in your heart.

Glean wisdom from the ones who came before you. Learn and listen.

Be surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. The two grandfathers that looked on from a greater view were represented in the candles on each side.

Because there is Hope for the future wrapped up in the prayers of the past. 

Heartache and happiness. Lessons learned and passed on. Prayers offered and promised. A cord of Hope and of Blessings wrapped firmly around the next generation. By the Grace of God!

Praise God,  from Whom all blessings flow.

Praise Him, all creatures here below.

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host.

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Amen.

When there are no words...

Several hard realities have occurred this week. The kinds of things that leave you speechless and heart broken. The kinds of things that you just can't wrap your head around. The kinds of things that make you stop and evaluate your life. Your priorities. Your family. Your belief system. 

I wrote these words a few weeks ago but they have been so true every day since:

Sometimes the best answer is no answer. Sometimes the most comforting words are found in a simple hug. Sometimes all someone needs to get to the next hour is a genuine smile of assurance. Sometimes we don't need to run to other people for answers. Sometimes we need to be still and simply trust what we know...

Words matter. And sometimes silence speaks so much louder than any sentence we could string together in our fleshly minds. We were created to be relational. To live in community. Not just in our own homes. But out there. In the big, ugly, cruel world. Among those who love us. And among those who don't.

Jesus walked among the crowds. He touched the untouchable. He fed the hungry. He ate with the tax collectors. He stooped down to the woman who was exposed in her sin. He was patient with his disciples. He was merciful to those He knew would betray him. He held babies on His lap. He taught truth to anyone who wanted to listen. He lived among the people. He loved those around Him.

But, He also stilled the storm. He calmed the sea. And He walked on the water. He turned the water to wine. He healed the broken bones. He mended the broken spirits. He raised the dead to life. He overturned the tables and He spoke boldly to the authorities.

Jesus taught us to use words that matter. The ones that have power. He gave us the example of how to pray. And He told us that He would always hear. He would never leave. He would never forsake. In fact, He promised that when our human tongues can't seem to form the words that He would interpret the groanings of our souls. And intercede  for us. Those groanings turning into petitions inside the Throne Room of grace.

Words aren't always necessary. Wrap the arms of Jesus around that hurting friend. Smile the smile of Hope to that grieving loved one. Sit still next to the daughter that needs to feel safe in her shame. Feed the sweet family that needs to sleep without hunger pangs. And trust the words that you can't form to rest on the ears of the One who understands them.

God, come close. Come quickly! 

Open your ears - it's my voice you're hearing! 

Treat my prayer as sweet incense rising;

 my raised hands are my evening prayers. 

psalm 141:1-2. the message

Rather than...

He bought me this bear for my 20th birthday. He had graduated from college and I was headed back for another year. He said he knew I would think that the bear was cute. He wrote me a note that said his name was Rather. I laughed and asked what kind of name was that. He smiled his boyish charm at me and explained. The bear would be at school with me "Rather" than him. In all of its sillyness, my heart smiled.

The bear returned to college with me. He made his way to our first house. He stayed with me through the first daughter. He lived in the guest room for a while until she was old enough to ask. I told her his name was Rather. She laughed and asked what kind of name was that. I told her the whole story. She kept him with her until her sister was old enough to notice him.

When the middle one asked the older one about him. She told her that his name was Rather. Of course her sister laughed. She asked what kind of name was that. The older one explained the whole story. Passing on a little glimpse of the parents. A story that she knew and could share.

The same thing happened with the little sister. The middle one didn't let the bear go as easily. She kept him for a while. But I remember when she gave him over. When the story was retold yet again to explain why the bear was to be taken care of. Watching it all made my heart smile again.

In my cleaning and moving around, I found Rather again. I put him in the newly created upstairs guest room. The bedroom that ended up unused after the events of the summer. He sits on the bed. Waiting to share his story. A part of our story that gets to be passed on to yet another generation.

I will open my mouth with a parable; 

I will utter hidden things, things from of old- 

things our ancestors have told us. 

We will not hide them from their descendants; 

we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy 

deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders 

He has done... to teach their children, 

so the next generation would know them,

 even the children yet to be born, 

and they in turn would tell their children. 

Psalm 78:3 - 4, 6.

Promised Provision

I grew up going to church. Every Sunday. I had all the perfect attendance pins for Sunday School. All the way through high school. I went to church camp and with my friend's to their church camps. I could recite all the books of the Bible. I knew all the disciples names. I knew all the Bible stories. I was secure in knowing about Jesus. But, no one ever taught me how to really know Him. How to have a relationship with Him. How to really trust and obey Him.

It was not until I was a young mother with two little girls that I did my first Bible study. I did some basic studies with some wonderful ladies. After about a year, we decided that it was time to really dig in and learn. I committed to a 12 week study. It was on the names of God. It was at a time in my life when things were beginning to crumble a bit. We had just received the diagnosis that my 55 year old father had early onset Alzheimer's. At that time, no one knew a lot about the disease. The next 13 years were long and scary and awful and blessed. All at the same time.

The first name we studied was Jehovah-Jireh. It means the Lord Will Provide. A more literal translation is that the Lord will see to it. That name rocked my world. I loved that promise and literally clung to it. Over the years, as my girls grew and as I grew in my walk and understanding, that name became such a sweet blessing for me. I knew that in all things He would see to it that I had all I needed. Not all I wanted. Not easy or perfect or happy. But all. His all. 

As I was looking over the wedding pictures, I found this one. Our church has the Names of God in wooden letters hanging around the outside walls of our sanctuary. A constant reminder that He surrounds us with His character and His love. What a sweet gift to see the father of my children and his beloved first born standing under that Name. He walked her toward her future because we knew that Jehovah-Jireh had provided us with what we needed to raise her and teach her and love her. We knew that that Provision would go with her into her new life. And that she too knows that Name. So does her sweet husband. As I continue to cling to that promise, He continues to provide all we need.

His Name provides peace. Cling to it with me today, sweet friends. Jehovah-Jireh. The Lord will Provide. He will give you all you need. Just ask and trust. Call Him by name. Tell Him your fears. Tell Him your hurts. Tell Him your needs. Trust Him to hear and answer. Give it all to Him. He will see to it!

So Abraham called that place

The LORD Will Provide.

And to this day it is said,

"On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided."

Genesis 22:14

He Delights in Us!

We talked about Creation and family yesterday at church. About how God set the world in motion with just the sound of His voice. How He whispered breath into man and shaped woman into His image. How in all of it the word He chose to use to describe it was "good". And when He created man and woman He called it "very good". God delights in us!

The weather has been so wonderful the last two mornings. The sunrise has been beautiful. Fall is whispering its arrival. The colors are beginning to change their hue. And it is all good. My pastor says that our attitude toward this Creation should always be one of awe and delight. That as we see His creativity and His splendor all around us, our response should be a clapping "Yay, God!". He delights in us!

I remember a trip that Danny and I took out west. We were driving from Montana to Wyoming. We were in the middle of Yellowstone on a long stretch of nothing. We stopped the car and strolled into the nothingness for a while. We began to hear the sounds of deer and other wildlife. It was October so we were marveling at the color all around us. The weather was perfect that day and the sunshine glistened off of the golden leaves. As we came to the top of a hill and looked around us at nothing but nature, we both responded at the same time: "Yay, God!". We laughed but really there were no other words adequate for the moment. He delights in us!

I am compiling all the wedding pictures this week. I will have an online album soon. As I looked at some of the pictures, I could not help but notice the delight in the bride and groom's faces. They were in awe of the day and each other. They were smitten with the love that they had for each other. They were overwhelmed by the goodness of God in their lives. The blessings were so evident during that weekend. The prayers for that day were answered not only in the almost perfect weather but in the very clear presence of God Himself throughout every moment. He delights in us!

So, today sweet friends, remember this... He delights in you! He created you for a plan and a purpose. His ways are good. His mercy endures forever. Great is His faithfulness. He will lead you. He will be your rear guard. He will hold you in the palm of His hand and call you by name. Allow Him to lift your chin so that you can bask in His gaze. He delights in you!

This is what the Lord says:

"I remember the devotion of your youth,

how as a bride you loved me and

followed me through the wilderness,

through a land not sown.

Jeremiah 2:2

A Change of Lighting...

I have a wonderful outdoor room. It is actually my back porch, but this summer we literally have lived out there. We entertain out there. We eat out there. We cook out there. We meet out there. We talk and share and love out there. It is like another room of our home.

There are fans with lights and there are several overhead lights. You can control how many lights are on and how much light you have. But it still felt big and sterile to me at times. As we have moved around furniture and moved out children from our home, I found an old dresser that we weren't using. We dragged it out of the basement and up to the porch. I found an old lamp that wasn't being used and put it outside too. That night I turned off most of the lights and just left on the lamp. Finally, I got the feel that I was looking for.

There is something about lamp light. It is warm and inviting. It is not over powering. It is peaceful and calming. As I sat outside with the dark night all around me, I realized that this is a picture of God's love. His Light is warm and inviting. It is peaceful and calming. But the amazing thing about God's light is that it draws us close and comforts us while at the same time over powering the darkness of the world around us.

As I sat in that lamp light, I thought of all the memories on that porch. We have celebrated birthdays and hosted Homecoming parties out there. We have grilled our family meals and fed countless friends out there. I have had many conversations with my daughters and sweet friends out there. I have prayed with and for many a hurting heart out there. Danny and I have snuggled at the end of a long day out there. We have found peace and safe haven from a dark world out there. And we have found strength to go on another day out there.

But when I added the lamp, the room looked and felt different all of sudden. And I wondered if my light feels that way? Am I warm and inviting? Am I peaceful and calming. Is my light over powering or does it draw people in? God's Word says we should let our lights shine before men so that they may see our good works and therefore glorify our God. Our lights come from His Spirit within us. We shine because He does. Not because of anything we do on our own.

So today, sweet friends, go be a lamp. Help light the darkness of someone's day. Invite them into your warmth and show them the Peace that passes all understanding. You don't have to be a halogen bulb that lights up a massive area. You can just be a lamp and light up your little corner. As long as the source is from Him, your light will make a difference. Rest in that Truth...

Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, 

on a light stand—shine! 

Keep open house; be generous with your lives. 

By opening up to others, you'll prompt people

 to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

~Matthew 5:16 the message

A Change of Scenery...

Sometimes a change of scenery gives us a change of perspective. Sometimes we need to shift our gaze or look around or simply go in another direction. Sometimes life comes at us so fast and things change so quickly that we find ourselves loosing momentum or spinning out of control. But most of the time a change requires a new perspective.


My baby girl has been very sick. She missed four days of school last week and was still struggling a little this weekend. We decided that since she had been fever free for over 24 hours that what she needed was a change of scenery. So we went to visit Danny's parents at the lake. We did not put a boat in or do any fun lake activities. We just gathered as a family around the table and huddled together in the den. We sat on the porch swing and took in the views. But that little change of scenery brought new perspective for us all. We removed ourselves from the everyday routine enough to catch our breath.

On Sunday, I prayed with a sweet friend who has found herself thrust into a new season of life. She sent two daughters off to college at the same time. Her oldest commuted from home last year and this year moved into a dorm at a large university. Her middle daughter decided to attend a college in Nashville, TN. They moved them out of their home and into their colleges within a week of each other. She has one more at home but she started public school for the first time this year as a sophomore. Life changed drastically; both physically and emotionally. My friend is trying to steady herself enough to let her emotions catch up with life.

As we were working in our yard yesterday, a missionary couple we know drove by our house. They stopped to talk and tell us they were looking for houses in the area. Within a week, they prayerfully have made a decision to not return to their home overseas right now. They have enrolled one daughter in college. One daughter in the local high school. One daughter is looking at where her career she had in another country can fit into a new life here. Life looks so very different to them in a blink of an eye.

I got to spend a little over 24 hours with my middle daughter this weekend. It was a quick but quality visit. Her life looks different this year at college. She is living in her sorority house with around 70 other girls. The houses in Athens are old and big and beautiful. She loves it. But things are different. She has a lot of responsibilities this year. And some hard classes this semester. She is having to adjust to keep up. She sees things a little differently with school and with her social life as she moves toward her goals in life. She is stronger and more sure of who she is this year. In our short time together this weekend, we could see and feel the difference. The maturity. The focus. The humor that comes with learning to let things go and let God lead.

Life changed quickly. We struggle to keep up sometimes. But none of it catches God off guard. He sees it all. He knows it all. He is our change of scenery. So if you find yourself in a season of change, look up! His scenery is full of Peace and blessing. Allow Him to change your perspective. Ask Him what He wants you to know about this season. Be still long enough to listen for the answer. And in all of it give thanks. When you can't see around the corner, be assured that He can. Hold on tight. If you allow Him to show you, it won't be long before you will see the blessings that this new season will bring.

There's an opportune time to do things, 

a right time for everything on the earth... 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 the message