Is God Proud.......of me?

Ah.... Saturday mornings- I know I have told you before, but....... I love 'em- The bike- the ride with friends- The rush of the wind in my face as I go downhill- Fast- Really, really fast. The beauty of the morning mist on the river- Incredible! Then there's Bojangles- Boberry biscuits- A bit of Heaven on earth- Sitting at the table with friends- Friends who are willing to be honest- Willing to get past talking about Sports and other people- Willing to share a bit of their own lives. Community is a beautiful thing.

"And He hadn't even done anything yet"

A friend responded when I mentioned the pride God showed

in His Son at His Baptism.

Such an epiphany for me. You have to understand-

There is a question I have never been able to put words to-

A question I have struggled with......

For a long, long time-

"Is God proud of me?"

I have known that God Loves me for as long as I can remember. Yet, somehow that Love has come across as a sense of pity- You know- Like you feel when you come across some poor stray- Not really worth saving- But rousing such sorrow in your heart- That you feel compelled to throw it a scrap of kindness. Oh, now don't misunderstand- I know about Grace- I believe in God's Grace- I know that there is nothing-Absolutely nothing- I have done or can do to merit salvation. Yet-

It is really just now sinking into my heart-

That the reality of His Grace-

Never has meant that I was worthless.

Deserving of salvation? Absolutely not. Yet valued by God- Even desired by God? Absolutely yes! But why? Why would He want this poor pitiful man? Maybe it is simply because He made me. Because I was His- Created for the expression of His Love and Glory- Part of His Creation- No............... More than that- Made in His Image.

Ah, but then tragedy-

Lost to Him.

His valued creation lost to Him.

His Good Creation lost to Him-

Hopeless -

Save for His own willingness to go to war to recover us.

Now there is a part of me that is not comfortable with saying God lost something. It feels like some kind of denial of His Omnipotence- And yet the scripture says it- "He came to seek and to save that which was lost" I have to think God was pleased with His Creation- Especially proud of humanity- Made in His very Image- The expression of His Love.

Could it be that I am-

That we are.............. really valuable to God?

Simply because we were His.

Could it be that when we come back to Him- Restored......... Made New in Christ- Raised to newness of life- Brought up out of the water- Brought up out of death and into Life in Him- He can say of us at that very moment-

This is my child.....

I am proud of him-

I am proud to call him Mine-

And we haven't even done anything yet.

God asked me recently- "Charles- Are you proud of your own children?" I have to confess- It took a bit of thought to answer that question. "Well yes Lord...........I am" "Why?" He shot back- "Well Lord.........they are mine" I had to answer. They are not always what I want them to be, but- They are mine.

"Charles, you are Mine-

And I am so proud to have you as Mine!"

And I haven't even done anything yet!

Matthew 3:17 And a voice from heaven said,

"This is my Son, whom I love;

With Him I am well pleased."

Father thank You for those words of affirmation-

Thank You for making me Yours in Christ-

Thank You that You have restored me to a place

Where You can be proud of me-

Where I can rest in the Fact that I am Yours.

Amen

Suffering

Working out- Spending myself to physical exhaustion- Sweating- Gasping for air after a hard hill on the bike- Legs burning- Yet accepting the challenge of the hill- Pushing the limits- Testing the limits-

Suffering..........for the sake of my body

I hate it..... I love it-

All at the same time.

I know that my pain is producing in me a kind of life-

A growth that is not possible without the suffering.

That is not what I really had in mind to write today-

but it is something God brought that needed to be recorded.

Lord Jesus

Cultivate the truth in me today -

The truth about my sufferings in this world.

Remind me that in so many ways my suffering is bringing growth-

Bringing more of the Life I long for.

Amen

James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy my brothers,

Whenever you face trials of many kinds,

Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,

Not lacking anything.

Now for the real blog I had in mind today-

Well, maybe it can wait- Tomorrow.

Now Don't Settle for the Back of a Scrap

As my friend Todd came into the room he grabbed some paper from a stack by the door. The stack was a set of questionairres from the day before at a Men's Conference we were attending together. I asked him if he had not gotten the info the previous night and he said- "Oh yes-but I need some paper to take notes on for the coming session- The back of one of the leftover sheets will do nicely." Funny thing was, as he opened his pad to begin the session- Some fresh unused paper- Paper he had missed in the shuffle of other papers was right there.

Somehow he had missed it-

but what he needed-

It was right there all along!

That's the way it is with me and God sometimes-

I get busy and I miss Him.

I get worried and I don't see Him.

Life goes crazy and I look right past Him.

My friend was ready to settle for the back of a scrap-

Yet fresh clean paper was right there all the time-

Available.

When will I reach a point in my life that I see God-

All the time-

Available.

When will I stop settling for my own make shift answers-

And simply go to Him-

Ask Him for help.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him;

For he that cometh to God must believe He exists,

And He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

Father rise up in my mind and heart all the time-

So that I will seek You-

So that I will put my trust in you

as my first line of thought.

Help me to never miss the reality that You are here with me-

All the time-

Available.

Amen

The Jet Ski Saga- Rebecca's Version

At Last- My Daughter Rebecca has joined me on a Blog Post!

I am so proud of her!

Now read on for Rebecca's story of how a Jet Ski ends up in a place no Jet Ski should end up.

It was a warm, sunny day and we were at my aunt and uncle’s house on Lake Oconee. Most of the day had been spent eating, riding on the boat, tubing, or just tethering floats to the dock and chilling out. Somewhere along the way, my dad got it in his head that he wanted to ride the jet ski and, as fate would have it, the jet ski happened to be in working order (finally).

Unfortunately, it was a racing jet ski that happened to be in working order.

You can just see what kind of fun this is leading to, right? You have no idea. On your standard family jet ski, you’d need to try incredibly hard to flip the thing. You will not go down without an effort. On a racing jet ski- The mechanics definitely favor speed over stability. Also, handling is virtually non-existent at low speeds – This will be important in a moment. Another somewhat random though important piece of information-

I’m very nearly blind without my glasses.

Moving on…...... Dad rode the jet ski without a hitch. It looked like fun! I wanted to give it a go and no one seemed to have a problem with it. Just one thing-

My Dad and Uncle Bill insisted that I leave my glasses with them-

Just in case I flipped-

I wouldn’t lose them in the water.

That was the first sign of trouble – As previously stated-

I can’t see-

And jet skis go very fast.

So, glasses off- Unable to see more than large, blurry shapes past about a foot- I was off. For some reason everybody kept yelling something about “Faster or you’ll flip” So.............

“I was off”

looked a little like something out of a 007 movie.

It was awesome!

That is until I realized I couldn’t see much-

Except the rapidly approaching shoreline…

and a dock…

Which happened to be about head height.

Not so awesome anymore.

Quick experimenting told me that reduced speed did indeed equal reduced handling- Anyway- In my hurry to avoid being beheaded by a dock- I somehow ended up roughly fifty yards up a very wooded hill. Right about now someone's inevitably asking, "Why didn’t she just cut the engine?" Well I did, my helpful genius friends- But you don’t go from very fast to absolute standstill the second the engine cuts.

The time it took me to make it back to zero

Left me staring in horror as first stumps,

Then full-fledged trees flew past me-

Until finally I hit one.

It hurt.

I couldn’t breathe- Everything was spinning- I had hit my ribs and my cheekbone hard on impact- I have fifty yards of distance and a life vest to thank for neither being broken. I stumbled down to the water and yelled for help….... And yelled some more. The people whose dock I’d almost been splattered across proved unhelpful. Eventually, I did see saw a boat in the cove. I thought I heard my dad and uncle- So I started yelling again. It was them. I can honestly say I’ve never been so relieved to see either of them. Now- back to Charles

Nehemiah 9:31 But in Your great mercy

You did not put an end to them or abandon them,

for You are a Gracious and Merciful God.

Father in Heaven, You have indeed been merciful to me and my family in so many ways. Move our hearts and minds to continually remember Your Great Love and Mercy towards us and those we love.

Thank You Jesus.

Amen

On Butterflies and Courage

Warm Springs- Yes the pools at Warm Springs, GA- Talk about a misnamed place- Warm- Are you kidding me-

When I first stepped in that water I about froze my patooties off-

Please don't ask me what a patooty is.

Maybe it just seemed cold- Maybe because it was a cool morning- Maybe it was the stiff breeze blowing through the tree tops- Whatever it was- I did begin to adjust to the temperature as I lay back in the water- Determined to try my hand at simply floating for a while. As I lay back looking up into the deep blue sky- Something caught my eye- Some movement flitting about- High up in the strong air currents.

Have you ever noticed a Butterfly on a windy day?

This exquisite wonder of God's creation- Normally beautifully graceful in flight- This black and golden marvel- Moved with all the grace of a drunken sailor- Drunken, but in fast motion. The power of the elements first tossed my poor friend to the left- Then to the right- Then into some kind of awkward erratic corkscrew motion- Then up- Then down-

It was madness I tell you-

Simply madness in motion.

But wait- As I lay in what truly was becoming Warm Springs- After following this poor creature's path with my eyes a bit- I began to notice something-

Progress!

Amazing-

What once looked like a pitiful lightweight-

At the mercy of the elements-

Had now become a fighter!

This creature had a destination in mind- Maybe a flower to to gain nourishment from- Maybe just a search for calmer air- This wonder of creation was courageously moving forward- Refusing to surrender to the elements- Even in the craziness.

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you?

Be strong and courageous.

Do not be terrified;

do not be discouraged,

for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Father in Heaven-

I know that You are with me.

Help me to take hold of Your Love and Strength today-

Even as the elements beat against me.

Please move in me for Courage and Determination-

Courage and Dtermination and Love-

To live the life You have for me.

Amen

On Beauty, Grace and Splendor

I love Saturday mornings with my friends. I love being on the bicycle- Riding with a partner- There is such community in it-

Much Grace is given and much Grace is received.

There is the time we spend at Bojangles- Sharing Hope over a warm Bo-Berry biscuit- Meeting new folks like Mr Cummings and Joe Jackson- Two elderly black men who love Jesus- Men who bring a whole different set of life experiences to the table. Men who even with all they have been through- Growing up in the South in the 40's and 50's- Can sit at the table with a bunch of white guys- Sharing breakfast and the Love of Jesus.

God extends much Grace at that table-

Through these men's Grace towards us.

Ah, and then there is the sheer beauty of a fall morning on the river- The crystal blue sky- The water rushing over the rocks- Deer grazing as we ride the trail by the river. Seeing the families as they are out with their children for a morning walk- Even the dogs being walked seem to be smiling!

What is it about beauty that so captures us?

Is it some beckoning back to Eden-

Some longing for what we had so long ago-

A calling out from creation to the life of Jesus in us.

I met a young man on my ride this past Saturday- An Artist- I could not help but notice as he sat quietly at the Canal Headgate- His baby daughter asleep at his side- Todd Cass sat capturing the beauty of the Gatehouse- Capturing splendor with charcoal and a pad. The Artist was immersed in his work- Clearly captivated by the beauty- The beauty he was capturing on his pad.

I think that might be how it is with the beauty of God-

Maybe it's nature is such that we can't truly take hold of it-

Capture it for ourselves-

Until we are first captivated by it.

Job 37:14 and 22-24 Excerpts "Listen to this, Job-

Stop and consider God's wonders........

Out of the north He comes in golden splendor-

God comes in awesome majesty. The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power...... Therefore, men revere Him

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Spirit of the Living God-

Slow me down a bit today-

Open the eyes of my heart to see-

To see Your Golden Splendor-

To see Your Grace toward me in all the gifts of the beauty of Your Creation.

Amen

By the by- the young artist Tood Cass did some amazing work even in the short time I visited with him. If any of you out there have any need for an original drawing or painting or Carpentry work, I got the feeling he could use the support with a young baby and a wife in the military. I have his contact info if any of you are interested let me know!

Mosh Pits and Community (Part 2)

"Dad-
The best thing about a hard core show-
(A particular musical and dance style-
That is shall we say.......a bit dangerous-
Dangerous-
In the sense that there are some pretty wild movements-
Movements that can lead to collisions on the dance floor)

Uh..... let me start over-

"Dad-

The best thing about a Hard Core show-

Is that you don't have to worry about hurting anyone-

About starting a fight................

It's sort of expected that people will crash into one another"

There are so many different directions I could run with that statement-
Many predictable-
I think I will run with the less predictable.

It is amazing to me how much Grace my son seems to

find in something as crazy as a Mosh Pit.

A question-
Do you have a place you can go where you can totally be yourself-
Where you can let down all the facades-
Where you can be honest-
About your fears-
Your doubts-
Your temptations-
Your............... sin?

Do you have a place where you can flail about wildly-
Sometimes rythmically-
Sometimes not so rythmically-
A place where you can collide with other Christians-
Without having to worry about offending-
Without having to worry about starting a fight?

Do you have a place where much Grace is given-
A place where much Grace is received?

We live in a dangerous world.
It seems we always have to be on gaurd-
On the defensive.

I don't know about you but,

I need a safe place.

A place where I know am loved........

No matter what.

I need a place where I can set aside theology-
A place where I confess the good and the bad-
A place where I don't have to work so hard.........
To look good.

I need a place where I can feel the arms of Jesus wrapped around me.
I need people who won't judge me.......
but will still challenge me.

I need a place where I feel Love of God........
Through the Love of His people.

Acts 4:32-33
All the believers were one in heart and mind.

No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,

but they shared everything they had.

With great power the apostles continued to testify

to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,

and much Grace was upon them all.

Heavenly Father-

Thank You for my close friends-

Thank You for how You use them in my life to show Your Great Love for me.

Father,
Help me more and more to come into Community with my brothers and sisters.
Help me to be an instrument of Your Grace to all those You bring my way.
Make us all into safe havens for one another-
Even as we collide in the Mosh Pit of this Life.

Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit-

Take even the pain of the collisions

and use them to spur us on to Love and good works.

Amen