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It's Tuesday Night

It's Tuesday night.  I should be at Bible study.

For the last eight or nine years, as I've been able, I've spent my Tuesday nights with a precious group of ladies, studying God's Word.  Last Friday I attended the homegoing of my eighty-eight year old Bible-study teacher, Mrs. Martha Del Elkins.  Bitter.  Sweet. 

Mrs. Del taught me and challenged me and loved on me in ways I will never, ever forget.  Her gentle but persistent prodding is absolutely the reason why the beginning of my days are dedicated to spending time with the Lord.  Mrs. Del prayed for my pastor by name every day, even though she's never met him.  Even after suffering more than one stroke, she knew more scripture by heart than I will ever know.  In recent years, as she was less able to get around, Mrs. Del spent, literally, hours in prayer every single day.  Hours.  Really.

Del Elkins left the kind of legacy we should all want to leave.  The words spoken at her funeral were so mesmerizing that I found myself frantically taking notes on my phone.  Mrs. Del has impacted my life in more ways than I can say, and I've known her less than a decade.  I was absolutely blown away by the stories that were told.  As much as is humanly possible, she lived an utterly selfless life.  Over the course of her life, Martha Del Elkins poured into hundreds if not thousands of lives. 

My pastor frequently challenges us as Christians that we should never be tempted to "run out the clock."  We need to "leave it all on the field."  Mrs. Del absolutely left it all on the field. 

Remember that old song, "Thank You," by Ray Boltz?  Someone sang it at her funeral.  Yep, I bawled.  There's no doubt in my mind, people whose lives were changed are STILL lining up in heaven to tell Martha Del Elkins "thank you for giving to the Lord."

It's Tuesday night.  I miss you, Mrs. Del.  See you again soon.

Isaiah 26:3
You will keep him in perfect peace,
      Whose mind is stayed on You,
      Because he trusts in You.

Christmas Came... After All

My family.  Oh, my crazy, amazing, wonderful family.

What did they do?  I'm glad you asked.

Here's a little back story.  I'll keep it simple. To sum up, my life is in a bit of a mess right now.   I'm working one million jobs (to be heard in Dr. Evil's voice, and yes, I am hyperbole-prone), I'm too broke to pay attention, and I am alone.  Throw in the fact that we lost 99% of our Christmas treasures in the flood (when Mansker Creek decided to come in the house, a whole 'nother story) and you might surmise correctly that it wasn't beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here...and no plan to change that.  No time, no money, and what's the point.

And you need to know, that's a pretty big departure from the norm.  We do Christmas pretty large in this house.  Also notice the word "treasures" in describing Christmas stuff.  Every single item had a special meaning.  Trust me.  TREASURES.  Because of the post-flood outpouring of love and help from my church family, there were many precious items carefully salvaged and saved, but I hadn't quite yet had the guts to examine what remained because I didn't want to acknowledge yet what was lost.  Yeah, yeah, I need counseling.  I'm in denial.  Whatev. This has been hard!

Okay, you are up to speed now. 

So.  I left for work on Sunday afternoon, leaving some family members in my home, moving in a large piece of furniture from my brother's house.  Hated to leave but had to go.

Flash forward several hours to when I got off work.  My daughter (who set in motion from Denver this little Christmas scheme) wanted me to call her on the way home.  The pretense was to tell me about her weekend, but when I got home, I saw the real reason.

In my living room, in front of the big window overlooking the back yard, sat the most beautiful tree I have ever seen.  Fully decorated with blazing lights, old treasures saved from the flood, and carefully handpicked new treasures bought for me by my family.  Special meanings all over the place.  AND not just handpicked and bought.  They ALL came over and decorated this tree, with their own two hands. 

Are you kidding me?  Who does that?  I'll tell you who.  My family.  My crazy, amazing, wonderful family.

Ready for the Thanksgiving segue?

I am so thankful for my family!

I. Am. Compelled.

My church, Long Hollow Baptist, is in the middle of a "thing." I hesitate to call it a sermon series, because it's oh so much more than that.  Let's call it...a movement.

I don't know where I'm going with this post, but I'm so excited about being compelled I just want to talk it through a bit.

2 Corinthians 14 says,  "For Christ’s love compels us..."

Well, does it?  Are you so overwhelmed by Christ's love that you are compelled to share it?

The single most important message the world needs to know from us is that Jesus saves.  Jesus.  Saves.  Has your life been so radically changed by the Good News of Jesus Christ that you can't stop talking about all He's done for you?  Have you shared anything with anyone today?  Have you shared that news with anyone, EVER?

Ouch. 

Our Next Generation Pastor, Jeff Lovingood often says that we have forgotten just how "lost" lost is.  He's right.  I know I do it all the time.  I've forgotten that I've been not only snatched from the pit of hell, I've also been rescued from a life of sin and death.  My life right here on planet earth has been utterly transformed by the Gospel.  AND I'm going to spend eternity with God in Heaven.  Oh my gosh.  Why am I not telling everyone in sight?  Have I gotten over all that God has done for me?  Don't I care about others who need to know too?

My Senior Pastor, David Landrith, frequently puts it this way.  People matter to God, and they ought to matter to us.

Do people matter to you?  What are you doing about it?

So.  If you are a Long Hollow-ite, and you've been hearing this series these last few weeks, I know you are not unmoved.  God's stirring something in your heart, isn't He. Please tell me you aren't one of those people who are looking sideways at your neighbor in church making sure they are "getting this."  This message is for YOU!

What is God compelling you to do?

----

You can read more about living compelled here, and I hope you'll also consider watching or listening to one of my pastor's messages from this series.  As far as I'm concerned, he's the most gifted communicator of God's Word I've ever heard.  You'll like him.  And in the immortal words of Forrest Gump, that's all I have to say about that. 

While I'm Waiting

In the mind-numbingly boring job situation I find myself in - the day job - my mind is free to roam wild.  If you follow me on twitter, you know I find plenty of stuff to crack me up.  Believe me, I haven't begun to scratch the surface.  That place is surreal.  Stay tuned.

One of the really good things I like about the place is that I am able to listen to music all day long.  I love music.  I told you early in this blog that music is the language of my heart.  Most mornings, I listen to the local Christian radio station, The Fish.

"While I'm Waiting," by John Waller, has played a zillion times.  It's a popular tune, right?  But for some reason, I have never really heard it.  Not that I wasn't aware of it.  I just wasn't singing along to it, crying out with it, humming it all day, worshiping a holy God through it.  It hasn't done that thing that songs do and speak to my heart.  No offense, John Waller.

But.  Last week I heard the lyrics for the first time, really heard them.  Wow.  I can't believe I didn't write them myself.

Lord, let me always wait...just like this.

While I'm Waiting

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

Short but Sweet

Before you groan and start asking for chocolate or talking about your sad Gigi's action, you gotta believe me on this one.  The sweet potato cupcake from The Cupcake Collection is a little taste of heaven.  I'm convinced of that.  Surely there will be a platter of sweet potato cupcakes just inside the pearly gates.

Next time maybe I can force myself to wait to eat them long enough to take a picture...but probably not.

Lunchables and the Jordan River

Lunchables.  You know them?  According to web sources, Lunchables came on the scene in 1988.  22 years ago.  Can you believe that?

If I had guessed the date, I would have been in the ballpark, maybe right slap on the money.  I remember them well because my daughter, Elizabeth, was born in 1985.  She loved Lunchables, and occasionally, I would splurge and buy them for her.  I say splurge because, one, we were pretty poor.  And two, because they were such a frivolous item.

Did I say frivolous?  Yes I did!  Who in the world would be too lazy to put cheese and ham and crackers in Ziploc baggies?  A lazy, frivolous, heathen!  Heck, now you can go the grocery store and find anything up to and including pre-chopped onions.  But back then?  Unheard of.  And I would venture to say, most folks back then would have scoffed at the idea of all the prepackaged stuff we have now.  And called the very idea frivolous and lazy.

Well, there it is.  I would have absolutely bet money that Lunchables would not survive; a trend that will pass in and right back out, and people will get back to making their own lunches.  Ha!  I've got a refrigerator full of them at this very moment. They were the beginning of a prepackaged era.

So.  Do I have a point in telling you this painful story of my complete lack of vision in the convenience food arena?  Why, yes, as a matter of fact I do.

I'm not someone who always has the vision to "see" things.  Know what I mean?  Applying it to the spiritual/church world, I'm not generally the person who has the vision to see the need for change before it happens, ideas before they catch on.  Sometimes I do - we all have a certain amount of vision.  Our own little niche of vision.  But in general, I'm often as surprised when things happen as I am surprised to be still eating Lunchables 22 years later.

Consider the Israelites, they finally have in sight what they've been stumbling around in the desert chasing after for 40 years - the Promised Land.  And there's the Jordan River, swollen, at flood stage, standing between them and the Promised Land.  An impossible obstacle.  To get to the land that God has promised, they've got to cross it.  It's starting to look pretty good on this side of the river.  Would you have the vision to cross it?  The courage?

Here's what I know.  I know that when I walk closely with God, He points me in the direction of people who have vision, who catch His vision.  And believing God, I follow the guy the Lord shows me who has the vision to say, "I'm going for it.  I'm crossing this river."  Even when crossing the Jordan River looks totally impossible and makes absolutely no sense, I follow that guy because he's following the Lord.  And when I get to the other side of the Jordan, like the Israelites, I'm darn sure glad I crossed.

Keep people with vision in your sights.  Then be strong and courageous enough to follow.

Storytime

If you know me at all, you know of my deep, abiding love for books and for reading.  We Foxes are a clan of readers (sorry Dad, if it's genetic, it came down on the maternal side).  No doubt my love affair with books all started with someone reading to me.

Some of the very best hours of my childhood were spent in the basement of the Old Hickory Library, sprawled out on the cool, tiled floor, eyes half-closed, entranced, listening to well-written tale told by a sweet library lady in a perfect storytime voice.

I had the most interesting lunch today in Cubeville.

Today, as I sat and ate soup and cookies with a new friend (food prepared and shared by said new friend), another employee in the building (and friend of hers) read a story to us.  Yes, read to us.  Out loud.

She read a sweet story that she had written about a family cat.  I'm a good southern redneck; I don't even much care for cats. We rednecks are dog people.  Until the Nashville flood swept them away, I had every "I Hate Cat" book ever published.

I sat at the lunch table, leaned back in my chair, faint smile on my face, eyes half-closed, mesmerized not only by the fascinating tale about their feline friend, but also by the reader's perfect "storytime" voice.  It was a well-written and well-spoken story.  About a cat.  Unbelievable.  I absolutely loved it.

Are You Flying IFR or VFR?

Unless you are a pilot or a jack-of-all-trades freak like me, the terms IFR and VFR likely mean nothing to you.  Or you may have heard them tossed around by the media when JFK Jr. crashed his plane into the ocean.  He was only certified for VFR flying and may have found himself in IFR conditions.

I don't have a comprehensive understanding of these terms.  There's whole books written about them, and that's way more than I care about.  I just know the basics from hanging out with pilots and mechanics.  VFR is visual flight rules, where you fly essentially trusting only what you can see looking out your cockpit windows.  IFR stands for instrument flight rules, which means you have been certified to fly relying completely on your instruments.

These terms have a strong application in your walk with God.  For many years, despite what I said with my mouth, I think in reality I was flying VFR.  If I couldn't see it, I didn't necessarily believe it.

The mark of a mature Christian walk is trusting God completely, having the faith to believe He is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do, despite the evidence of what we see and feel.

Have you spent enough time with the Lord that you are able to fly IFR?  Are you walking by faith or are you walking by sight?  When nothing around you makes sense, when you can't see the evidence of what God is doing, do you trust Him anyway?

2 Corinthians 5:7
We live by faith, not by sight.

Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the Ends of the Earth

The Long Hollow Brazil team returned home last night, safe and sound.  All were exhausted but fired up about what God did in and through us in the state of Piaui, the hottest region of Brazil, two hours outside of the city of Teresina.  Our team joined God in the work He was doing in the outskirts of Agua Branca, which ironically means "white water," but as one of the driest areas of Brazil, there was certainly no water, and the only white was the white-hot heat.  In a week's time, together with an amazing group of Brazilians, we built and launched a church.  Before we left, we lifted our voices together and worshiped the God who made it all possible.  It was crazy good stuff.

Our team met many precious people, each one of us connecting in different ways with other Christ-followers, working together to push back the darkness.  Each one of us was used and blessed in different ways; each one will never be the same again.  I've no doubt that each team member is doing just as I am today, reflecting back on the crazy wonderful week we just experienced, rejoicing in what we saw and heard, thankful that the Creator of the universe would even be mindful of us, much less use us.

As I sit here in my living room, thinking about all God did this week, my eye is drawn to the scripture painted on the wall directly in front of me.  It's Acts 1:8.  I'll bet it's familiar to you.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

I have a confession.  It's about a bezillion times easier for me to go thousands of miles to share the Good News of Jesus Christ than it is for me to cross my own street.  When our street was under water this spring and I got to know my neighbors a bit better, I vowed to be different.  Well kids, I haven't been different.  I'm still letting the busy-ness of my life crowd out the prompts of the Holy Spirit to reach out to folks right here in the burbs of Nashville.  I rarely cross my street, walk to the next cubicle, or turn around in the WalMart line, to share the love of Christ. 

I will never stop going to the ends of the earth.  I love GO-ing far and wide, and as Christ-followers, I believe that's what we are called to do, if we are able.  I am able, and I want to travel to many faraway places, showing and sharing the love of Christ.  Thank You Lord, for providing the resources for me to GO to Brazil.

But.  But.  God calls us to both NEAR and FAR.  And all points in between.  I don't want to miss out on a single call God has on my life.  While I'll keep GO-ing to every faraway place I can go, at the same time, it's time I started looking more often to join God in what He is doing right here in my Jerusalem.

How's Your Fruit?

Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control

That's an all-star list, huh.

On my best day, I don't have enough patience.  Unless the patience of a two-year old is acceptable.  Gentleness?  Well, sometimes.  For about thirty seconds.  Self-control?  Flies right out the window the minute stress hits.  Love?  Are you kidding me?  I can think of a dozen people in my life I can barely tolerate on my own, much less love.  Peace?  Without God, you can rock my world in New York minute.  Joy?  Ha.  I start focusing on my circumstances and go straight in the tank.  I know you know this.  You can't gut this list out either. But if you know what I know, you can.

God shows us the way, right there in His Word.  And I'm not talking about gutting it out.  I'm talking about wow, I CAN choose to love that person and mean it.  My mouth didn't fly open and chew that person up and spit them out...gentleness just flowed. I didn't dog-cuss that guy who just cut me off on I-65.  I really DO have peace that defies good sense in this perfectly horrendous storm. 

Don't miss the intro to this stellar list.  The key.  "But the fruit of the Spirit is..."
God KNOWS we can't do it alone.  Through the work of the Holy Spirit, He produces these outstanding, admirable, supercalifragilisticexpealidocious qualities right slap in us.  Isn't that great news?  Our part?  Positioning ourselves for producing that fruit.  Knowing Him, spending time in His word, spending time in conversation with Him, spending time with His people.

You know what I'm talking about.  You gotta hang with God.  Stop talking about how you know you need to do it and do it.  You know who you are.

Stop letting your schedule crowd Him out.  Put God in first.  Here's one my people are not going to like:  You really really do need time with Him first thing in the morning.  Don't say "I'm not a morning person."  So what!?  Do it anyway! Pretty small sacrifice, considering what He has done for you.  Ouch.  Did that convict you as sharply as it did me the first time someone said it to me?  And I feel your pain.  You are one of my people.  I'm totally NOT a morning person.  Then stay in touch with Him through the day, and in the evening.  Conversation all day long.  All. Day. Long.

If you see anything in me that's good, trust me.  It ain't me.  Let me point you to the God who saved me and keeps saving me every single day.  He's longing to spend time with you.  How cool is that.

Go go go.  Then get ready to produce some fruit. 

Galatians 5:22-23  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness and self-control.

Southern Stuff

Wednesday night we had a rousing discussion in a group I'm in about returning something to a store.  I had no idea there was any way to say it other than "take it back."  Right?  Au contraire! I was told our northern friends say they are going to "bring it back."  How does that even make sense??  Bring it back?

Don't you love mashed up southern words?  Think Jeff Foxworthy.
This week's favorite:  Awahlago.  Used in a sentence:  I fed the deer awahlago.

I had a sweet potato cupcake today at The Cupcake Collection in Germantown that was so tasty I almost cried.  You think they sell something that amazing outside the south?   Not a chance.

Going really far south Saturday.  Teresina, Brazil. 

Peace out.

I'm Neither a Rock, Nor an Island

Music has been the anthem of my heart all of my life.  Over the years I've shouted out lyrics of songs from every genre, as if they were my very own words. 

From belting out how all my rowdy friends have settled down...to how I'd give you everything I've got for a little peace of mind...to wondering if I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me...to confessing that at night I'm a junk food junkie...  And oh so many more.

So that's the reason for my blog title.  It's adapted from a Billy Joel song.  This isn't a blog about music.  It just occurred to me in one of my more introspective moments that there is much more music in my life left to write.  Nonetheless, don't be surprised when lyrics of all types find their way into my posts. I love music!

I digress.  We're supposed to be talking about rocks and islands.

My early years were full of rebellion, but also desperately full of isolation and despair.  How sad is, "I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain.  It's laughter and it's loving I disdain.  I am a rock, I am an island."  Belted out those words of Simon and Garfunkel at the top of my lungs.  Meant. Every. Word.  How about you?  Have any anthems full of isolation and despair in your past?  Or maybe you're living there now?

One thing's for sure.  Over the years, the music that soothes my soul has changed.  The cry of my heart is daily being honed into something different, something more beautiful, something more like Jesus, as every day passes. I want my lifesong to sing for Him.

As the band has played on, I've realized I'm neither a rock, nor an island.  Life is meant to be shared; hearts are meant to be risked.  People are worth laying it all out there on the line for.  We need each other.  I'm in. You?