A Little Corner of My World

Viewpoint #2

2010-03-10T08:52:00.002-05:00

The teenagers at the morning table came to a quick alert. Bible memorization of Psalm 127 was droning away in our usual process of repetition, but they were suddenly completely energized.

"It is vain for a man to rise up early..."

"See! Even the Bible says we should be able to sleep in!" Their voices in a unison chorus of exclamation seemed almost rehearsed.

Funny how they never miss such things, isn't it?

Viewpoint

2010-03-05T09:08:00.004-05:00

We have so very much to be thankful for in every day. Some days the obvious is overshadowed by grievous disappointments, but even so, it is there. Life, sunshine, God's love which never fails, provision of all sorts -- the list is practically innumerable.

But the other day as I began recounting my list of gratitude to Him, I suddenly found myself thanking Him for always being praise worthy. How glad I was to know a God who is always deserving of my adoration, always above reproach, never deserving of complaint but ever high and lifted up, allowing me to always have an upward glance, a heightened focus. I can look above all these earthly circumstances as I fasten my gaze on His Holiness and Beauty, His Love and Greatness.

I can always and forever look up. My focus is riveted upon Him; He is High and Holy, Great and Glorious. How much better to see Him than this broken world! How glad my heart is to know a God always in that place of deserving the greatest and highest praise!

Oh my! What a view we have in Him!

Free Falling

2010-03-03T18:31:00.005-05:00

Mom to nine children plus three son-in-laws. Wife to a Godly man, help-meet to a pastor. Homemaker for many, friend to more. I watch, invest in, and participate in many lives and interests and situations and circumstances and hopes and dreams.

Life is loaded with ups and downs. Often my days are full and varied, but sometimes the carefree exhilaration of upswings is rudely, almost violently, interrupted by a downward plunge. A pendulum in motion. No -- a free fall. A push from the mountain top.

But God is constant. I look to Him for help. Rejoice one minute. Weep the next. I find Him holding us all, everyone of us, in spite of the pendulum swing -- no, the free fall -- that plunges us into seeming oblivion, robbing us of oxygen, taking our heart away and leaving us wondering how it will end.

It will end with Him. He is the author and finisher of our faith.
He holds us.
He holds us -- from mountaintop to free fall, and everything in between.

The Banner

2010-02-24T06:33:00.009-05:00

The day of travel had been grueling. Sickness, delays, tired children, and lost luggage all added up to exhaustion. I'm not one to wish my days away, but this one could not end too soon.

My very own husband, her bestest Dad, and their wonderful Papa met us at the Ottawa airport. He had already gathered up our luggage from baggage claim before we crossed the threshold. Gladly he scooped up a three year old who ran full speed into his waiting arms. "Ah -- my rescuer is here. Everything will be okay!" I breathed a sigh of relief as tears stung my weary eyes.

The final leg of our journey was not short, but it was a respite from long lines and tired airline personnel faces. Rick filled us in on happenings at home and listened to our saga. I rested with eyes closed, trying to reclaim a sense of well-being. My tummy did not cooperate, nor did my head, but at least I was in my honey's care now.

At last we crossed the bridge into St. Lawrence county; little Jameson began taking inventory. Somehow, at the age of three, he is keenly aware that his life is drastically changing. Acute observations were made. He noted, "Mom, where are all the houses?" "MOM! MOM! There's a railroad!" "Where is the farm? I see a broken house." Upon seeing a huge barn with lights fully lit he was told it was full of cows. "Oh... where are the tows?" His little mind busily assimilated these sights as though it were for the first time.

Soon we were in familiar territory, and upon passing a little yellow house we heard, "Gabriel lives there!"

As we pulled up to 1942 there was no place to park. We settled for a standing place, knowing the borrowed van would soon be returned anyway. Inside I noted rushing movement from the family room. "They are all there getting ready for us!"

We collected two boys and a handful of bags. From the porch could be heard giggles and last minute instructions. At last the red door swung open, revealing a familiar and brightly lit hallway. At the end was strung a festive multi-colored banner declaring HURRAY! THEY'RE HERE TO STAY! Cheery faces smiled as the gathered crowd called out in loud unison, "Welcome home Danica, Jameson, and William!"

The Sinclair family knows how to celebrate. And 1942ers do, too!

Ah. We were home at last. HOME TO STAY!

Chapters

2010-02-21T17:34:00.005-05:00

Tapestry Church has been home for my daughter's family for the past 13 months. I'm just meeting these folks. The pastor is a wonderful man who speaks of God's kingdom with passion and genuine care. He lives for God's Word, teaches His love, and challenges his flock to do the same. Does it get any better? I look forward to eternity when time and space no longer will separate us from such wonderful saints; we will with one voice and in one place bring worship to His throne. Oh, Glorious Day!

I have met numerous friends who hope to make the trip to NNY one day. I smile knowingly, but deep inside I always hope that they will come. I love these new folks and want to share more of life with them. Please let them come, dear Lord!

The boys are resting, Mama is closing her eyes and laying her head on one of the few remaining pillows, Ry Guy and I are online. Soon we will stir ourselves up and head to the remaining bastion of overwhelming stuff -- the garage! It is cold and damp. Far from ideal weather for outdoor packing, but one does these things when pushed to it!

Tomorrow the packers arrive, we clean the house thoroughly, then two ladies and two boys will tuck ourselves into bed at a hotel. A shuttle will carry us to the airport at 4:30 a.m. the next morning. By 5:00p.m we are scheduled to be arriving in Ottawa. Hurray!

I love a good novel. Chapters end, often with loose ends undone, beckoning your continued reading. When stories are still unfolding that is only natural. So today a chapter closed; some good-byes lingered, some were left unsaid but understood, all included open-ended invites. Only time will reveal the story's final ending.

Good authors keep you eager until the last sentence's conclusion. Our God does so much more -- His story lasts forever.

So Far

2010-02-18T09:50:00.003-05:00

So far
:: had baked blueberry french toast. Yum!
:: strolled some shops in downtown Menlo Park.
:: held the hand of a grandson who adores me.
:: met a Godly woman who serves the Kingdom by her husband's side.
:: discovered some inexpensive treasures (is that an oxymoron?) in a consignment shop and purchased them!
:: encouraged some young women in the ministry of home and hospitality.
:: ate too many M&M's!
:: viewed dozens of photos revealing Gustavian delights and vintage modern decor.
:: discussed homeschooling theories and practices with a young mom who is "stuck" in her homeschool routine (been there...)
:: spent a restless night in sorrow of heart praying for parents who are failing in health and soul but refuse His help ("Hear my cry, Oh God, attend to my prayer. From the ends of the earth will I cry to You.")
:: am starting a new day with a little man in my bed next to me as I write these thoughts to all of you.
:: packing? None yet! ;)
:: missing my lovies at home. Alot.
:: expectant of another wonderful day in His care!

Flexibility

2010-02-08T17:39:00.003-05:00

Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds was scheduled to arrive tomorrow just before noontime. Lunch out, a visit at Crane with a favorite professor, then a return to the homestead with a houseful of family, food, and music have all been crossed off our calendar.

Old Man Winter flexed his muscles, causing airlines to cancel flights which promised to deliver this very special man to Northern NY. No alternatives were found which would get him "in and out" quickly and efficiently. (He has a tight schedule with commitments hemming him in on the other side.)

So Old Man Winter flexes, and we learn flexibility. Some days I'm eager for school, some days I'm not. Busy schedules will allow a trip to be planned for April, but no sooner.

*sigh* I love winter and it's unpredictability -- usually...

Ecc. 3 Continued

2010-02-01T08:08:00.003-05:00

A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away. Ecc. 3:6 NASB

My experience has been this: throwing away is generally not pleasant.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a "get rid of" gal from way back. I often enjoy sorting and throwing. I read Anne Ortlund's book, Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman, quite some time ago and was encouraged to "eliminate and concentrate". I've never looked back.

For instance -- one of my all time favorite birthday gifts was a box of clear plastic garbage bags and the guarantee that the following Saturday a dump truck would arrive at my house to collect all the garbage I could muster. I attacked, with vigor, attics and barns and closets. Several trips to the dump with nearly 2,000 lbs. of "excess stuff" made me one ecstatic woman!

Still, throwing out calls for ruthlessness. It is not accomplished without some agonizing. After all, the disposal of items rarely makes everyone happy. If it wasn't me wrestling with parting ways with something, someone else was. Stuff. It can claim our hearts.

So can relationships. Yup, relationships. Sometimes we need to let go of certain people and friendships. We have limited time and energy which means careful use of such commodities. Some our "people investment" may not be yielding Kingdom fruit. We need to be fruit inspectors, even in our relationships. Agonizing, isn't it?

A fresh challenge to review belongings and investments is always good. If I am honest about it all, I find out quickly that it is hard. Nonetheless, it is good. Am I attached to this thing, this relationship? If Jesus asked me to walk away today, would I do so? Can I leave it all behind: parents, houses, family, stuff?

Nothing has claim on my heart like He does. The rest is secondary. He is my all in all. Now to live like it.

His Will

2010-01-31T08:12:00.003-05:00

It trumps all. It's what really matters when all else is said and done. It is the big question for those who are true Kingdom seekers. It is the thing that will be declared when life is finished, the race is over: did you yield to His will?

Yesterday I heard a man read these words: "I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH."

That is a God quote. His will is plainly declared. We can be a part of that if we understand that His goal and purpose is to build. Not much else matters. Are we here or there? Fulfilling our dreams or missing out? Scratching that itch or focusing on Him? The thing that really matters is accomplishing His purpose for our lives. And it is a glorious purpose, to be sure.

May His will be done in our lives. Let Your will be done in mine. Hear our cry, Oh Lord. Take us, purge us, change us, mold us -- do what You need to do. But USE us to build Your church, Oh, Lord!

Nutrition For The Whole Man

2010-01-28T23:02:00.004-05:00

Cotton candy. Potato chips. Cheeze Doodles. Soda pop.

A diet of such things ruins an appetite for the good stuff. Did you know that? The more you eat that stuff on a regular basis the more you crave it. And nutritional foods with benefits not only don't matter, they just plain don't appeal.

TV shows. Movies. Video games. Facebook apps.

A diet of such things ruins an appetite for the good stuff as well. The beneficial activities no longer appeal. Who wants to read a book when they can veg in front of the TV? And why go out to a concert or get up and clean when snuggling under a blanket with that favorite DVD is available? So this morning we collectively agreed that perhaps we have been overly indulgent. Quite overly indulgent. So no TV, movies, video games were viewed tonight. And guess what? Bedrooms were cleaned, girls knitted scarves and wrote songs on guitars and made brownies and did laundry and finished some recording projects.

Hooray for nutritional food! Hooray for beneficial activities! They keep the body, soul, and spirit healthy.

For Danica

2010-01-27T18:37:00.003-05:00

My oldest daughter is hoping to move home early this spring. Right down the road. Walking distance. Shared meals, quick pick ups for spontaneous shopping trips, kids coming to play with Uncle Merrick and other cousins. Brainstorming decorating schemes, experimenting with menus, piano lessons for a youngest brother. Too much fun is in store!

A sister of hers also lives down the street. Taking turns babysitting, attending mothers' meetings together, football games on Sunday afternoons, comparing parenting stories and theories, baking cookies to share, shopping for Christmas in Syracuse. More fun!

Sister number three lives in a nearby town. Sewing parties, decorating cookies, piano accompaniment for Broadway show tunes. Husbands who talk about clothes, business, and the Patriots. Gourmet food and dinner out together. Still more fun!

Several sisters and brothers still reside at 1942. Watching movies together, invading a new house in search of homemade pizza and great coffee, jamming around the piano. Spoiling two nephews, babysitting and learning to sew, chats about doctrine and computer geek stuff. Girl's Bible studies, boys' debates. And more fun besides!

Hooray for fun changes -- I'll take all the fun life affords!

A Lesson From Solomon

2010-01-21T14:55:00.004-05:00

Seasons. My son recently spoke about seasons in Sunday School. Wisdom is gleaned from the precious Word of God. And wisdom he had found.

To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven. Ecc. 3.1

Seasons come and go, bringing change, altering existence as we know it. Some change we like, some we don't. Certain seasons are full, adding blessing and joy. Others deplete our treasury.

A time to be born, a time to die... Ecc. 3.2

"This is listed first, a telling concept revealing that even seasons have a birth and a death." He confidently uttered these insightful words. His subsequent rendering of such truth spoke volumes to this faint heart. Actually, they cut to the quick.

The season that is gone must be acknowledged as such. It has passed away. Gone. Finished. When grieving, we process the veracity of death. We struggle through a tendency to dwell in denial as we then attempt to assimilate this new fact. Someone or something extremely dear to us is gone. We are jarred, shaken to the core. But in time we wrap our mind around this new truth. We must. We must hope again.

Sentimentality plagued me as a youth; I bitterly wept at the passing of time. I refused to believe the finality of the end of joyful seasons, preferring to reject this natural occurrence. Acknowledgment did not come readily.

In time, God helped me grow in understanding. He is the author and finisher of my faith, He holds my days in His hand. So I learned to embrace the new, to run with abandonment, believing that the best was yet to come.

It did come; a long, vibrant, joy-filled season of planting and reaping. It has been wonderful. But this, too, must end.

Now I am arriving at a new juncture. It is time to embrace the death of a season, to run head-long into the new term of adventure set before me.

The best is yet to come. There were days long ago when I could not see that. But I was wrong. The best is yet to come. There have been plenty of moments recently when I have not been able to see that. But I'm beginning to remember and believe.

After all, the best is yet to come.

Bright Yellow, Light Yellow. Mellow Yellow.

2010-01-18T17:33:00.002-05:00

Louissa is painting. Experimenting and painting. The first coat was too bright. Now she is going lighter. Mellower, in my humble opinion.

The best part of painting a bedroom? Sorting, eliminating, re-organizing. That's the best part, in my humble opinion.

Tall school cupboards, built for yours truly for our tenth anniversary years ago, are getting fresh paint, doors removed, and will now be open shelving for countless sweaters, pants, etc. White outside panels, icy blue paint within -- that is fun, in my humble opinion.

A new chandelier, something current and a bit trendy, needs to be found. NEEDS, I said. And that, too, is my humble opinion.

So, that's about enough of my opinions. At least for now.

Hunger in the New Year

2010-01-05T08:53:00.003-05:00

Hungering for His ways again.

I'm remembering 1977. Recently graduated. Working a summer job while waiting for real employment (chuckle, chuckle...) On the 6:00am-2:00pm shift. Home every afternoon to an empty, quiet home. Lots of time for seeking God, reading His word, praying and worshiping. A wonderful season of hunger. I was young, eager, energetic (in case you didn't know) and ready to find Him in every way possible. How I loved these scriptures!

Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. Psalm 25.4,5 NKJ

Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Isaiah 2.3 NKJ

What a wonder, that a Holy God would teach me, a sinner, His ways! I was amazed, humbled, thrilled, and awestruck. How thoroughly grateful I was to learn something other than sin, and to find grace and strength to walk in it! All because of His gift to us -- freely bestowed, ours for the asking! What a wonder!

Today, thirty-three years later, I stand amazed at the Gospel. He has walked with me. Words fail to describe His great goodness and faithfulness. Yet the New Year found me a bit floundering, a bit weary and tired.

Last night, I was brought once again to Psalm 25. "Teach me Your ways." I want to know His ways. And then a reminder.

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55.8,9 NKV

I remembered how different His ways are from mine, how exciting it is to learn them, how such faith-ventures are fulfilling and challenging. He restored hope, vision, desire, and hunger. Oh, how wonderful is time in His presence! How steadfast is His love and faithfulness!

His gift to me this New Year's? Renewed hunger for His Holy ways in my life.

How I love Him.

Too Good to End

2010-01-02T09:27:00.003-05:00

I find myself still savoring the holidays. So many friends, parties, songs, and gifts. But most of all the family was here. I love being together.

This morning there were no little boys greeting me, no red-headed first-born making coffee. Yesterday they got on a jet plane and flew far away. But, boy, did we have fun. I will miss, miss, miss them.

Yesterday three lovely girls named Carina, Louissa, and Julia headed to the Clinton County Correctional Facility to visit a dear cousin, my very own nephew. He made some wrong choices and now is facing the consequences. Eleven years left to go. They cheered his day, his week. He received the series of books I sent him for Christmas from Amazon. He had requested them; years ago when he was younger I sent the first three to him for Christmas. He remembered they were clearly Biblical allegory and requested the remaining books. Since it had been a long time, I decided to order the entire series. Although the writing is juvenile fiction, they are interesting writing. Besides, he has already lent them out to fellow inmates. This is material suitable for most of their reading levels. The girls said that Kenny smiled in the telling, saying that the borrowers have no idea that these books follow the Bible so perfectly. I'm so glad to know the delivery was accomplished.

Some very dear long distance friends are around for another day or two. Another nephew is as well. So the holiday atmosphere lingers a bit. We're still in "vacation house" mode around here. A sledding party is being planned, some wintertime baking. Brietta and her family are home from a week away. They will find their way here, I suspect, for some games, playing, and movies. That sounds just right to me.

Perhaps a decoration or two will be put away today, but I doubt it. I will gladly hold out on routine for the time being. These days together are too special to hurry away from.

R.L.S.

2009-12-29T17:24:00.002-05:00

Judge each day not by the harvest you reap,
but by the seeds you plant.

Robert Louis Stevenson

A 1942 Christmas

2009-12-27T09:55:00.005-05:00

The whole immediate family was together on Christmas Day. We did sorely miss some "extras" that we've come to consider kin around here, but the original siblings and some of those add-ons were here to make it even more memorable. Nothing beats sharing your joy! I do believe there were 18 stockings hanging in my family room on Christmas morning (19 if you count Gigi -- the pretty yellow bird that resides in my kitchen. Yes, she had her own stocking. Everyone in my house gets a visit from Santa. That's just how it is! If you're here, Santa fills a stocking just for you!)

I want to go on record here -- there is nothing like being together. We laugh, love, and care in a loud, boisterous fashion! We help and serve one another. We address sin and repent and forgive. I also want to go on record to say that Jesus -- only Jesus -- makes all this possible.

I wish it could go on forever.

Some day it will!

An Evening of Christmas Fun

2009-12-21T03:04:00.003-05:00

They line the family room floor: five kids including little man himself with several of his nephews and a niece. A couple of pillows press up against the already displayed presents under the Christmas tree. As they slumber the lights cast a colored glow on their smooth child-skin cheeks.

Popcorn, tangerines, and frosted cutouts. Charlie Brown and Emmet Otter. Sleeping bags, pillows, and blankets galore. Stories of Billy Budd and Christmases gone by. Giggles, jokes, and a few reprimands. Eventually sleep overtook. Papa took the end position and Nana slept between the two 3 year olds.

What could Holiday Inn possibly have to beat this?

Movie Night

2009-12-18T19:09:00.002-05:00

Remember the Titans

It's a good movie. I always enjoy certain actors. Meryl Streep, Sally Fields, Dennis Quaid. And, of course, Denzel Washington.

So here I sit while my little buddy enjoys the movie, and Mom does too, looking up every now and then. Denzel is pretty dependable. Gotta appreciate talent. At least that's how I figure it.

Online, Offline, Here, There -- I Love Shopping!

2009-12-15T07:00:00.004-05:00

I love filling a cart, whether in cyber space or at TJMaxx.

"Let's see, she would LOVE this. That seems like the perfect gift for him. Oh, and who can resist this Disney Princess for her -- I want to buy everything with Disney Princesses that I see!"

At Christmas you actually get to buy lots of stuff for lots of people. I love that! I would buy something for every one of you if I could! (I do have limitations, unfortunately. Or maybe, in hubby's eyes, that's fortunate!)

So, if you see me strolling the aisles of my local Wal*Mart, TJMaxx, or even Kinney's, you can be sure I'm thinking of someone on my list. That list grows longer each year. (Who was it who told me this would get simpler? Silly goose...)

Unfortunately I am going about it in a rather haphazard manner this year. No nice list with a column under each name. No page with $$ tallied. And that record of purchased items is non-existent. Uh-oh. I'm in trouble. I lie in bed at night and in the wee morning hours wondering, "Exactly what is in my closet tucked away in all of those bags? Did I buy something for him yet? For her? How many stocking stuffers does she have compared to her? What about extras? Hmmm..." I am tempted to panic, but determine to shrug it off. I'll just buy plenty and worry about the extra stuff later. I am the queen of returns, you know.

So when you see me strolling those aisles, if you notice a very full cart, now you will know why! I just wonder how many duplicates are actually on my shelves...

Thoughts from Thomas Jefferson and the Holy Bible

2009-12-14T06:45:00.003-05:00

"If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretence of taking care of them, they must become happy." TJ

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." TJ

"For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat." 2 Thess. 3:10 NKJ

Does it get any simpler than that?

Edwards Opera House

2009-12-12T23:02:00.005-05:00

I stepped into a time warp. One foot was barely inside the door and I knew already that this would be an experience to savor. The building was refurbished, but unchanged -- it was as 19th century as any structure still standing could possibly be. Why, I was simply mesmerized. Anne of Green Gables could have stepped onto the stage and recited a poem, and I would not have been surprised. This was exactly what she saw, smelled, and heard in that small theater where her students performed. The floor boards creaked. The wooden walls and ceiling glowed in the dim light. And the ornate carvings of the proscenium boasted of some craftsman's handiwork. It seemed almost heavenly to me. I wanted to stay, to not return to the reality of life, to imagine and find a perfect world.

Old-fashioned. Days gone by. Great-grandmother's era.

What do those words conjure up in your mind? What emotions, sights, thoughts? I'll bet something warm and fuzzy is amongst them. Something safe, wholesome, quaint, nurturing. Simpler. Quieter. Kinder. Ah -- I closed my eyes and felt it all.

A chamber orchestra accompanied a small choir in the performance of Handel's Messiah. Anne would have loved it. I'm almost certain that... well, I could almost swear that some of those singers looked just like her Kingsport girls. And those gray-haired ladies in their fine woolen coats were surely their mothers. I'll bet some of them were Pringles. They must have been.

But now the last note had been sounded. The audience generously applauded, graciously lingering and taking in the moment. Still, all too soon, they filed out one by one. I looked around and sighed. Sad to say, it was time to leave my imaginings behind.

Certain aspects of turn-of-the-century living (I mean the last century "turnover", not this one) were kinder and gentler. It certainly was many of those things that I loved imagining. But it was not entirely gentle, not thoroughly kind and good. Imaginations are free to choose, to paint with certain colors, to adjust circumstance and truth. The harsh reality is that sin was present then, sin is present now, and sin will exist until Jesus returns. Their world was tainted, too. Very. Their need for Jesus was as great as ours. The culture may have been more gracious, more upright. What a wonderful thing. But their individual need was great. Very.

There is nothing new under the sun. Every generation and every culture is fundamentally the same: flawed by sin. If that doesn't encourage you to pray, "Even so, come Lord Jesus, come," nothing will.

It's time, don't you think?

Holiday Ponderings -- A Day to Rejoice!

2009-11-28T10:18:00.003-05:00

Turkey soup consumed, egg custard pie yummy-ness enjoyed, and now the final "Thanksgiving Holiday" happenings would commence: White Christmas with Bing Crosby, Danny Kay, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera Ellen. The family snuggles under blankets while candles glow and familiar melodies are sung.

That was last night. Today I will pull out bins of Christmas decor and begin the lengthy process of preparation for the grandest of holiday celebrations.

Our hearts are heavy this year, battered from months of storms, a bit weary of travel in this land. I need to remember today our heritage, our reason for celebrating, our cause for joy. I remind myself again.

What better time to remember His gift of love which came into this dry, sin-scarred world to bring hope, peace, and Love itself? I need to celebrate this year more than ever.

Garlands of evergreen and holly, songs of the Christ child's humble birth, golden angels and stable scenes -- all these things take on more important meaning as I experience first-hand time and again the brokenness of this world. He has saved us and we will know an eternity free from sorrow and grief, time and separation. He has redeemed us from the sin of others -- and from our own.

Oh, what a Savior! Come, let us rejoice together in His love this Christmas season.

Such Cost

2009-11-27T10:26:00.002-05:00

He gave His son. He sent Him -- gave Him -- to this world of sin and grief, pain and suffering. He did it so that you and I might be redeemed, bought back from the death penalty sentence. He let Him go, sent Him forth, released Him.

Such deep heart-pain. Agony unparalleled. The separating of Father and Son, mother and daugher, parent and child. Unnatural. Unwanted. Unwelcome.

But done willingly in Him. Tentatively trusting that He alone holds us all. And He does.

We long to know and control all. We err. It is too big, too much. We cannot counter sin, heal brokenness, untangle the iniquitous web.

But to release is pain. To trust is challenge. To yield is agony.

Then with tenderness He touches, stirs faith, renews confidence. Healing slowly, oh so slowly, begins. We determine that we cannot know and control all, remembering that He is Love itself. Everything He does is Love, every thought He has is Love. He hears, He acts, He heals, He watches. He knows. Love itself knows.

But such cost to learn such truth. Such immense cost.

This is precious truth indeed.

Today

2009-11-25T14:16:00.002-05:00

My daughter grieves. I swear I feel her pain as my own.

Grief is necessarily associated with loss and accompanying sorrow. It goes deep. It leaves you hollow, wandering, sick, and helpless.

The recent months have been marked by much grief. The marks remain, but time has moved past. Now I am in a new field of grief. Pain is fresh and real, deep and hard. She reels, I reel. Soon we will move past this field as well. How I cannot say. It never seems possible at the time.

And He holds us through it all. Through it all.