Saying Goodbye to 2008

In a couple days we’ll bring in a New Year. There is always something about that marker that gets me excited. I usually start a new devotional. Spend some time the first of each year focusing on the Lord and what He wants to say to me for that new year and setting the tone for the year to come. But I also spend time reflecting. Which is what I was doing last night.

My dad is repainting his office and had taken all of his books down from his book shelf. So, he had me and my older brother come over and go through them. Over forty-five years of ministering were on those shelves. And I honestly don’t know how I’m going to get all the ones I picked out home. But he also had some old tapes of sermons that he had preached. So, I stuck a couple in my purse and listened to them last night when I had some time alone.

As one of them started it had me on there singing a song, yes, I know, me singing, but yep, use to do that every now and then. And what I found were the words to that song far more relevant now, some fifteen years later, than when they had originally been sung. They said:

He’s just as real to me.
As if I’d held His hand a million times.
And though I’ve never seen Him smile I know I’ve felt Him by my side.
These ears have never heard Him speak.
My heart has heard Him time and time again.
Just like a friend would be. He’s just as real to me.

When I recount this past year what I recount the most is how real God has been. I think so often it’s so easy to focus on where we don’t feel like He is working instead of taking time to realize where He is. I’ve discovered that it’s usually not that God isn’t working in my life, it’s that I’m not in the middle of what He ‘s doing. I’m trying to fit Him into my plans, instead of placing myself into the middle of His plans. Where is God moving? Because that’s where I want to be.

But He is moving. And He has moved. This year I’ve watched as He has protected me, provided for me, met me in my lonely moments and been a companion to me. I’ve seen the times where He’s spoken to my heart so beautifully. Not just through His word things that have challenged me. But to my heart, to those specific places. Those places only He knows.

One came recently on a Sunday evening. Everyone had gone home after we had watched the Titans game and I just felt that tug on my heart that He wanted to spend time with me. So, I went to that old familiar spot we have, my little path that goes through the foyer, dining room and around the front hall. And I began to walk, and we began to talk. And in that moment I felt Him speak something so precious to my heart about my future. So personal. So like a Father. And I found myself a heap on the floor. And when I got up, I said, “Well, that sure beats the other times I’ve been a heap in this floor.” Because trust me, the other times with my face in the carpet weren’t happy tears.

I’ve found Him a lot in the morning hours too. When I’m waking up, before the day has started, I feel that whisper not to cut on the TV. Just to lie there a while and talk with Him. And I’ve been amazed how much in those moments He has whispered to my heart.

The new year offers you and I a clean slate, so to speak. I’m not talking resolutions. I think life should always be about turning and changing and growing and learning. But a moment to get out a new calendar, pack up the old receipts of 08 and clean out the desk drawer. A moment to refocus, reevaluate and regroup. And it also offers us the opportunity to draw close to the one who desires to draw close to us.

As this old year closes down, take a few moments to recount all the ways God has been there in your life. Trust me, if you look, you’ll be able to see them. If you’re having trouble ask Him to help you. He loves to reveal Himself. And then as the new year opens take some time in the beginning of it to spend time with Him in a different way maybe than you have in the past. And let this new year give you what He so desires for you to have, a relationship that makes Him real to you.

Christmas-The Ultimate Gift

On Thursday we will once again celebrate Christmas. A day that brought life like no other. But this past Thursday I sat ina small room, in a small church on the outskirts of my small town. The women there were different from me in many ways. Some sat in this room because they had been commanded by the courts because of alcohol abuse. Others sat in the room because of drug abuse. I sat slightly behind the table and listened as the women recounted their Christmas traditions. I was amazed to find that some had none. Not one.

They didn't have the tradition like me and my family of Christmas eve where we gather around the table and eat steamed shrimp, french fries, Darlyn's homemade coleslaw and rolls. They didn't have a tradition of after that dinner, sitting in the family room as all of us siblings and my nieces and nephews exchange our gifts. They didn't have the tradition of going to Walmart on Christmas Eve and seeing half of Camden and buying stocking stuffers. They didn't have the tradition of waking up on Christmas morning, eating mom's chocolate gravy and biscuits and going around the room as one person at a time opened a present. Or my own personal tradition that I've started of waking up before anyone else and reading my devotion and writing down all the amazing things God has done for me and my family the previous year.

No, many of them had no traditions. But we were alike too. We all stood in need of the gift that was given some two thousand years ago. Desperate need. Not one of us was good enough. No matter what demons we fight. At the end of the day we could have been shepherd's or wisemen, Mary or Joseph, Herod or Pilot. We could have been vagrants or Kings, but this same Jesus had to come for each of us. I don't know what you're family traditions are. I do know it's never too late to start one. And if you've never taken a moment to let this Savior of the world inhabit even the farthest corners of your soul, this would be a perfect time. He came for us. He left the perfection of heaven, to come to the pitiful state of earth and reach us in our humanness. Like the song says, "It was a strange way to save the world." But I'm so glad He did. As I recount the things I'm thankful for Christmas morning, once again I'll be thanking Him for what He did for me that Christmas morning. I honestly can't imagine how long God must have held his hand before He finally released Him to earth. I can't imagine the great heartache to know what He was sending His son to do. But God's love for you and me was why He let Him come. And I'm so grateful that He did...

It's a Wonderful Life

"I want to live again! Please God, let me live again." I've listened to George Bailey say those words multiple times over the last couple of days. Even though I'm ashamed to admit that last year was the first year I had ever watched It's a Wonderful Life all the way through. Apparently, this Saturday night when it came on all members of my family were watching it. Me in Franklin, my brother and his wife, for the first time through as well, at their home in Nashville. My parents, for the first time through, at their home in Camden, SC and my brother and his wife , not sure if it was their first time, at their home in Lexington, SC. So the entire clan was listening as George leaned over the iron railing of the bridge and told God he wanted to live again.

It made me wonder how many times God hears those words. Probably not as often as he hears the desperate pleas of many to take them away from their pain. But George had the benefit you and I have never had. George was given the ability to see what life would have been like without him.

Now, I'm no big deal. Trust me, I'm very aware of who I am. But I asked myself as I turned the television off, "What would have been lost if I had never been born?" Granted my two brother's would have had a much more peaceful life, but would the world miss me? That took me to an even bigger question. "Am I living to my greatest potential."

I remember having my own George Bailey moment many months ago, except I wasn't hanging over a railing, I was probably face down in the carpet. Even though I had lived the best I knew, I also was very aware that there was a level of living that I had never known. Truly embracing life. Enjoying it. Laughing through it. Crying through it if needed. But living it and making no apologies for it.

For those of you who have walked with me over this past year together you know that has been the message of my heart. Life is about living. And in the living we're called to do are we reaching our potential? Are we impacting lives or taking up space? Are we contributing, growing, learning, thriving, or are we moaning, complaining, and settling.

There could have been a world without us. But there wasn't. Why? Because God knew that the world needed us. You and I were created because heaven saw value in our living. Not our existing. But in our living. So go out there and live! Enjoy this holiday season. Grab friends and walk through the packed mall. Enjoy that piece of pumpkin pie with no regrets. Go to a Christmas Musical and let the music lift your soul. Turn the radio on in the car and sing those Christmas songs to the top of your lungs. Love someone who seems unlovely. Feed someone who is hungry. Risk giving your heart away to someone who wants to love you in return even though someone didn't protect it in the past. Sit around the table with your family and talk about what life means because you've walked it with each other. And watch It's a Wonderful life for the first time or the 50th. And when you watch George discover what life would have been like without him, take a moment to think about what life would have been like without you.

Because it wouldn't be the same...And Clarence might not have gotten his wings...

Potential Lost

O.J. Simpson and his story are attached to major invents in my life. His ex-wife Nicole was murdered the day after I got married. On my honeymoon, one of the only English speaking channels was CNN. So for 10 days, it was all Simpson all the time. Every second of the White Bronco chase I saw. The day the innocent verdict of the double murder trial came in I was in a hospital waiting room where my father was seriously ill.

As I watched him on Thursday, stand in front of a judge for a second time, but this time in chains, handcuffs and a prison uniform, I wondered how a two time All-American, Heismann Trophy winner and NFL Hall of Famer could fall so far. Yet it happens so many times. A life destined for greatness squanders its potential.

Often what I learn from others isn't what I should do. If I'm being honest, lives that I desire to truly emulate don't nearly stack up to the lives that I watch that teach me what I don't want to do. One of my pastors use to say, "Many people get to their destiny moments in life and their character destroys them when they get there." Oh, how sad, but oh how true.
Storms will eventually reveal the integrity of a structure. They will also strengthen it if we allow them to. The Bible says, "we glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; perseverance produces character and character hope."
As that verdict was read over O.J. Simpson's life, long gone was the cocky grin, the arrogant rantings, his eyes were now of a man whose hope had run out. Why? Because character produces hope. And he had reached the pinnacle and his character had found him wanting.

In a day and age where true character is getting harder and harder to come by, may we realize that very rarely does the loss of character happen in one life-changing decision. Very few people in jail cells woke up one morning and thought "Oh, I'll go out and rob a bank, murder my husband, rape a woman." Most character destruction begins small. It begins as we make concessions for sin. We find satisfaction with a virtual woman on a computer screen rather than our spouse. We go home with pens and post-it notes from the office thinking "I work hard enough, plus they'll never miss it." We let our home become a haven for our anger instead of a sanctuary to the lives we have been called to care for.

I believe that is why the Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to "take every thought captive." It's a new war. It's a war for a our affections. It's a war for our character. Are we armed? Because trust me, our enemy is. May you and I stand in our destiny moments and ten years, twenty years, thirty years later, still be standing there.

December Newsletter

I thought I'd post my newsletter on here, since we've had so much trouble with the pictures showing up in the e-mail that I usually send out. My, my what a month November was. It went too fast and brought winter sweeping in with it. There wasn't a glimpse of fall to be found. Nope, straight to winter.
It began with a wonderful trip to Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cartersville, GA. What a wonderful time we had together. Two evenings of great food, wonderful music, a sweet word from the Lord and some of the sweetest women I've ever met. My friends' Angie and Jineen, who are sister-in-laws, took to the highways with me, where we ate sweets, drank coca-cola and solved all of the world's problems in the three and half hour trip. I took them to my favorite restaurant in Atlanta, Buckhead Diner, we did some shopping at the mall and had a wonderful time.
(Angie and Jineen)
I also had the privilege of meeting a precious lady, Susan Kennedy, who has been an e-mail encourager to me for months now. It started one day when she sent an e-mail at just the right time, saying just the right thing e-mails let to a special friendship and the reason I had the privilege to be at her wonderful church. She is truly an example of a woman who operates in her gifting. She has sent countless e-mails of encouragement to me and God has used her in such a special way to impact my life.

I took the trip to South Carolina for the Thanksgiving holidays to spend some time with my family. There are some wonderful things about going home, mama's cooking, Leo chicken wings, seeing my nieces and nephews. I have three nieces and a nephew that I just don't get to see enough. So, anytime I get the opportunity to love on them, I take advantage of every moment. Regardless of the fact that all of that loving has given me my 2nd round of bronchitis in two months...worth every bit of it. It also gives me the opportunity to spend time with my older brother and my sister-in-law. Something that I cherish. Many of the childhood stories in "Flies on the Butter" are some of mine and Darren's best memories. The good ones only...plus he's my favorite brother because he is a Gamecock fan. We still aren't sure where Damon got so screwed up.

Mom pulls out all the stops on Thanksgiving. There is enough food to feed the neighborhood, but we enjoy enjoying it. We've got it all, turkey, fried turkey mind you, yep, we're southerners, ham, rice and gravy, butter beans, corn, sweet potato souffle, collards, (still can't eat those) and more desserts than we need. Even though she spent the rest of the week convincing us we needed to eat more.

The kids sit at the kids table, so glad I'm not there anymore, the grownups sit at the grown up table and Georgia just sat wherever she wanted to and when it was all over dad did exactly what any good dad would do. He helped mom with the dishes...You've got to be kidding me! Something about this picture is slightly scary...Maybe it's the way he crossed his hands.




The day after Thanksgiving we had a packed day. Damon, Sarah and I headed out for some horseback riding with our precious friends, Julia and Clarence. They once again, shared their precious horses with us, but this time Julia gave me one that didn't quite bruise my booty like Ole Dee did last year. My word, I couldn't walk for three days after that. Seriously, I had to speak that Sunday morning at my dad's church, and I wasn't even sure I was going to be able to walk up to the platform.

The full story of our journey is posted below this. Trust me, it was full of all kinds of experiences, a trip through the woods, that had no path, Monkey just made his own, as well as a bathroom excursion in the woods that Sarah and I took while Damon waited patiently. Gotta do what you gotta do. And I did hurt for two days, but not three. So, we're grateful for the improvement.

Then we headed out for the Family's Turkey Bowl Off. We do this every year, even though I can't ever remember who wins. I guess it's clear that I don't. I'm thinking I would remember that. Nana went head to head with Hannah. Not really good for any of us, because all three of my brother's girls are on a bowling league. Even the little one now. Thankfully I had two of them on my team and it didn't do me a lick of good. That's why I finally went to the Granny bowling technique. Which honestly, didn't work out much better for me either.


Saturday had us doing the other things the family loves to do Thanksgiving weekend. Shopping...My wonderful friend Joan and her husband John came up from Charleston, and off we went to Charleston to enjoy a wonderful day of catching the sales. Georgia even got into the event for her first Thanksgiving weekend shopping trip. And she was styling to boot!
It honestly was a perfect month. From beginning to end. I pray your Thanksgiving blessed you too. I hope you ate till you were stuffed, laughed until you cried, and we're thankful for things you had even forgotten about. In case you didn't take time to remember, take a few moments now. It will remind you of how in spite of what a tough year it's been for some, there is still much to be thankful for.




Alive Moment
This month's alive moment was experienced with my mother. I have people ask me all the time, "Is you're mother like Victoria in the Savannah series?" I laugh. Then I say, "Only the good parts." My mother and I are alike in a lot of ways. Like this frightening picture that was taken of us that we didn't know about. But we are different in a lot of ways. And she is like Victoria in many ways.
Yes, my mother has to be fully accessorized by seven am. She never goes any where with out heels on and I think she owned one pair of jeans years ago that she wore once. Until the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I'm not sure what switch flipped inside of her after all these years, but she saw Joan in a cute pair of jeans and she said, "Where did you get those?"
I saw my window. And trust me, sister has learned when to take advantage of her windows. I said, "You know, you'd love some jeans if you'd just try them on." And that was when she said it, "I think I want to go try some on." Well, honey no dust settled on that. I took her straight to Ann Taylor and had six pairs of jeans in her hands before she could protest.
I went into the dressing room and watched as my mother put on jeans! Jeans! It was fabulous. I was giddy. And she liked them. She liked them so much she I went into the dressing room and watched as my mother put on jeans! Jeans! It was fabulous. I was giddy. And she liked them. She liked them so much she put them on as soon as we got home and wore them all evening then put them on the next day and wore them again. There are moments in life that are life changing, transforming you to the core. There are other moment that are simply sweet, longing to be enjoyed. This was one of those moment. My mama in jeans. She looked good too! And I felt alive watching her do something I didn't think I'd ever see. You go mama! Now, if I can just get you into tennis shoes!

(Look at that smile!)





December Book Pick
The book pick for this month is Skipping Christmas featured in the right hand column at the top of the page. I read this a few years back and then the movie, Christmas with the Kranks came out, which is absolutely hysterical. If you can't read the book at least rent the movie. It is delightful and perfect for the whole family.

My heartfelt wishes to you for a wonderful Christmas. May our hearts take a few moments this season to remember why we celebrate, those less fortunate and that the greatest gift we ever received came 2000 years ago, and changed the world. And my life...blessings to each of you. Thank you for being my precious friends. Oh, what will the new year have in store! I can't wait to find out.

Lessons from Monkey...

Monkey's owner, Julia, chose him for me. After my outing last Thanksgiving, and the brutal pain I was in for three days, she wanted to give me a smoother horse. Monkey's a Paso with a smoother gate I was told. He wouldn't beat me to death when he trotted or galloped. What I didn't know, and Julia didn't either is all Monkey would remind me of on our two hour journey through one of the most beautiful horse trails Camden has to offer.

His first lesson. Always stand up straight. You look regal that way. At 5'2 it's kind of hard for me to look regal, but he let me know it really can do wonders for you. Now my mother hounded this into me from the time I was a kid, but sometimes you've got to see others do it, to truly realize it matters. Monkey reminded me it definitely does.

He also taught me that sometimes it's just plain fun to run. Monkey likes to run. He thought walking was for sissy's. Little did he know he was carrying a sissy. But by the time we got to the end of our journey, I was enjoying him running too. Too much of life is spent just existing. Running can be a joy. Run some this holiday! Live! Get out there in the middle of the mall madness. It will make it feel like Christmas! Spend some time living...You might find you enjoy it. Even if you want to hibernate and hide out, you might be surprised what is waiting for you out there in the land of the living.



He taught me to eat whenever you feel like it. Not that I needed a huge lesson on this. I pretty much have this one down pat. But if we stopped, there wasn't a branch Monkey didn't want. And if he had to carry the entire limb with him as he walked, he was fine with that. But some of my best memories are around the dinner table. Eating, laughing, talking..enjoying...Take Time this holiday season to eat. We can diet in January!






He reminded me not to get busy to take a drink water. Granted he didn't care if his was bottled. Any old puddle would do. But that sometimes we get so busy in life that the necessary things become inconveniences. Even the necessary can be enjoyed.













He taught me that it's okay if you don't want to get dirty. So, now I'm completely free of any shame of traveling with my own sheets and carrying Lysol to spray down every nook and cranny of a hotel room. If a horse doesn't want to walk through mud, then I shouldn't feel bad about it either!
He also taught me that there is always a way around a mud hole too. Even if that path means you're going to have to knock down trees along the way. I wish he hadn't decided to do this with me riding him, but hey, he has an OCD issue about dirt. But as we barreled through those trees I realized that a lot of life is spent barreling through. But you know what, we weren't covered in mud when we finally got past there. Granted my hair was full of debris but I didn't have any mud on me!

He reminded me that life is a lot more fun traveling with a partner. Because I wouldn't have had half as much fun if he hadn't been taking that trail with me. And on top of that I'd have probably looked like an idiot!
And finally he taught me that some partners won't hurt you as bad as others. Now, I'm not going to say I didn't have a catch in my giddyup, come Saturday morning. But the pain was nowhere near as bad as the year before. No one is perfect. Life will bruise you along the way. But some people are much better partners on the journey of life than others. Choose wisely. Drink deeply. Laugh loudly. And remember that "faithful are the wounds of a friend." When it's a good friend like Monkey.

What I'm Thankful For - Part Two

I'm thankful for memory. Especially when I get to a room and can't remember why I walked in there. Then, it hits me...and I think, "Whew, glad I remembered that."
I'm thankful Maggie will stare at me until I feed her in the moments when I don't remember.
I'm thankful for the people who have invested in my life when it offered them nothing much in return.
I'm thankful for those three hours dinners with my best friend and no lack of conversation.
I'm thankful that Leo decided to open a restaurant and make chicken wings.
I'm thankful for a season that makes us pause to remember what we're thankful for.
I'm thankful for the woman who created cute socks to sleep in.
I'm thankful for those days when the weather is so perfect that you have to drive around with the sunroof opened and the windows rolled down.
I'm thankful for the Gamecocks.
I'm thankful for people who found their words worth writing down and time in my day to read their books.
I'm thankful for travel size Lysol.





I'm thankful that Jack's back. (Well at least he was last night for two hours and will be back for good in January.)
I'm thankful for makeup.








I'm thankful for Cromer's who makes the best boiled peanuts.








I'm thankful laughter, the kind that you feel in your gut and experience in your soul.
I'm thankful for tears that come right before healing takes place.
I'm thankful for people who are willing to be morticians, because Lord knows I would never do it!
I'm thankful every time I hear Maggie snore because that means she's still alive. (She's 14 on Christmas Eve...)
I'm thankful that Sophie doesn't care when baby Georgia pulls her hair.
I'm thankful that Georgia can laugh now because it is the most wonderful sound in the world...
I'm thankful for long car trips because it gives me time to catch up with old friends, listen to books on tape and sing to the top of my lungs.
I'm thankful for old friends who have known you since you were little and can reminisce with you about the "remember when..."
I'm thankful for my older brother who didn't mind taking me to school when he was a senior and I was a freshman. (So not cool...)
I'm thankful for my baby brother who I now like.
I'm thankful for my sister-in-laws who don't mind listening to me talk and both know how to make me laugh.
I'm thankful for my niece Hannah who is beautiful and so grown up.
I'm thankful for my niece Lauren who is compassionate and precious.
I'm thankful for my niece Abigail who does the best Elvis impersonation and whose voice I love to hear on the other end of the line.
I'm thankful for Jake who brought some testosterone to all that estrogen and whose smile can melt my heart.
I'm thankful for my mom who is a lady of grace and character, kindness and strength.
I'm thankful for my dad who is loving, funny and available.
And I'm thankful for my Heavenly Father who has fathered me this past season of my life in a way I've never been fathered before. Loved me to a depth of soul I didn't know existed inside of me. And healed me in a way there were days I didn't believe existed.
May each of us take time to remember all that we have to be thankful for. And may we take the time to tell those closest to us just what they mean to us. So, please know how thankful I am for you...

Happy Thanksgiving
Denise

What I'm Thankful For

Since Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away, I wondered if we could spend them thinking about things we are thankful for. The idea came to me the other morning lying in bed with the cloud over my head about as gray as the cloud that loomed outside. I knew why it was there. It was that lovely week of PMS when all women take one moment to tell Eve how much they wish they could slap her. I'd ask for forgiveness when I was through, but I have to say there is a brief moment each month that it takes all I have to not despise the woman.

But as I was lying there I gave myself a task. Keep your eyes open for things to be grateful for. No complaining for the next two weeks. Only talking about what your thankful for. Now, granted this has been a year and a half of noticing all the beautiful places God has moved in my life in even a more real way than in years past, but this truly cognizant approach to my day had me quite amazed at all I saw. Here's my list for this past week. I challenge you to do the same this week and share with us what you noticed...

I'm thankful that I still PMS, because the alternative isn't that appealing at my age.
I'm thankful that the new lines around my eyes this year came from laughing.
I'm thankful for three hour car rides with friends who aren't afraid to be honest, vulnerable and don't mind that I have to go to the bathroom every hundred miles.
I'm thankful that babies smell so good and don't care if you make a fool out of yourself.
I'm thankful that my dogs are just as excited to see me after five minutes as they are after five days.
I'm thankful for strangers who risk becoming your friend.
I'm thankful for people who take their creativity and write songs that I can sing to the top of my lungs in my car.
I'm thankful for the homemade biscuits and peach preserves at Loveless Cafe.
I'm thankful for my precious neighbor Jane who thinks of me every time she bakes something.
I'm thankful for my sister-in-laws who call me just to talk.
I'm thankful that five people call me Aunt Niecy.
I'm thankful that someone thought the iPhone would be a good idea.
I'm thankful that my mom and dad are still living and have stayed together even during the difficult times.
I'm thankful that everyday I get to do what I love.
I'm thankful for fall and how God shows off what an artist he is.
I'm thankful for the old friends I've reconnected with on Facebook.
I'm thankful that no matter what I've been through God still finds me usable.
I'm thankful for socks that match my pj's to keep my feet from getting cold.
I'm thankful that death, divorce, and sickness don't have the final word over a life.
I'm thankful that there is a season to celebrate just a few reasons why I'm thankful.
And I'm thankful for people like you to share this amazing journey with.

Praying for a President

As I watched President elect Obama give his speech in Grant Park after being elected President of the United States I watched as the tears rolled down the faces of so many there in attendance. I let mine fall as well; the historical achievement and statement of how far we have come would not be lost on me. The other thing that won’t be lost on me is my responsibility regarding this new President.

In my daily study I was reading I Timothy 2:1, 2 the day after the election. “First of all, then, I admonish and urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all men. For kings and all who are in positions of authority or high responsibility, that [outwardly] we may pass a quiet and undisturbed life [and inwardly] a peaceable one in all godliness and reverence and seriousness in every way.” (Amplified version)

No matter whom you voted for, the responsibility for each of us is the same. We have the responsibility to intercede for our new President. It would be more than redundant to say no President has faced tougher times. But it clearly exemplifies the great need for direction, wisdom and grace that our new President will need, so that we may “pass a quiet and undisturbed life and a peaceable one in all godliness and reverence and seriousness in every way.”

May God continue to turn our hearts toward Him and may we never forget how far we’ve come from the days when entire groups of people were relegated to balconies at movie theaters, back seats in buses and back pews in churches. May our words be kind after a season of divisiveness. We may not agree on all issues, but we can agree that we have each one been formed in the image of God and we can celebrate the huge stamp on history that last Tuesday left. On January 20th one President will leave the post and another will enter it. May the wisdom of God rest on that White House. May the grace of God lead our outgoing President in the remaining days and our incoming President in the days to come.

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The Prayer

Lord,
Forgive us when we've held onto our money tighter than we've held to your hand.
Forgive us when we've let the hands of caring for the hurting, the hungry, the homeless fall to the government instead of the church.
Forgive us when we've fought harder to protect the lives of animals more than the lives of children.
Forgive us when we've allowed tolerance to become a word that means accepting sin.
Forgive us when we've rebuffed those who are bound by their sin, instead of lovingly and tirelessly walking with them to freedom.
Forgive us when we've held onto our religious traditions at the cost of valuing souls.
Forgive us when we've let our liberties turn into the very things that now hold us in bondage.
Forgive us when we've removed your name from our schools and then cursed you claiming you didn't protect our children.
Forgive us when we've accepted handouts from the government and our bodies were able to work for our own provision.
Forgive us when we've found you as the inconvenience in this world when we have been called to be foreigners and strangers in it.
Forgive us when we've allowed others to define our truth instead of the One who is the Truth.
Forgive us when we've lived our lives as if they were upside down. Calling that which is wrong, right. Calling that which is a lie, truth.
Forgive us when we haven't gone the extra mile, haven't fought the good fight, or haven't kept the faith.
Forgive us when we've gotten tired in the well doing.
Forgive us we pray.
And as we pray this prayer, may we now hear from you and may you heal our land.
We're in desperate need of healing.
We're divided as never before.
Broken as few have ever seen.
Desperate as we may never be again.
Basically Lord, we're in the perfect position for You. Hear the prayers of your people.
Forgive us.
Heal us.
Save us.
This is our prayer. And you the only one might enough to save.

So Help us God

George Washington made the following statements:

“What students would learn in American schools above all is the religion of Jesus Christ.” [speech to the Delaware Indian Chiefs May 12, 1779]

"To the distinguished character of patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian" [May 2, 1778, at Valley Forge]

During his inauguration, Washington took the oath as prescribed by the Constitution but added several religious components to that official ceremony. Before taking his oath of office, he summoned a Bible on which to take the oath, added the words “So help me God!” to the end of the oath, then leaned over and kissed the Bible.

http://www.seekfind.net/GeorgeWashington.html
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/pihtml/pinotable.html

I was checking out a movie recently on "screenit.com." You can go there to find out the details of a movie before you see it. And a PG movie used the curse word G-d seven times. I couldn't believe it. A word that use to be found only in R movies has now become one of the only curse words allowed to be used in PG. I thought, "Did I sleep through something?" I found this to be a statement of a far greater truth. A truth that if those who are offended remain silent will eventually be the only truth that remains. That "while we're sleeping" every thing that we hold of value will be subtle and craftily brought to nothing.

I was in Atlanta two weeks ago at a conference where one of the speakers said, "America isn't making decisions that could lead to judgement, America is already in the judgement of the decisions it has made." I sat there letting these words resonate over and over in my mind and realized that this is probably true.

I remember when I was in middle school and the voice came over the loud speaker that we were going to have a moment of silent prayer, every head around me bowed. Now, whenever I substitute in public school and take my Bible, because I couldn't get up early enough to read it before I left, I wonder if a child is going to see me, tell the principle or their parent and they will ask me to either not come back or not to bring my Bible with me if I do. I remember when I was little Three's Company was the raciest show on television. And now we have homosexual relationships shown on regular television with normalacy. I remember when children were seen as a heritage of the Lord and God had created plans for us before we were even in our mother's wombs and now the rights of sea turtles are more protected than the rights of the unborn. I remember when there was a standard of right and wrong, black and white, truth and lies. And now there is a no standard, truth is relative.

The saddest statement in that entire paragraph? "I remember when..." With each day that has gone by over the last couple decades truth has been taken over by relativism. But it doesn't mean that truth has changed. Truth will never change. We're told in the Gospel of John that "God's word is truth." And it is that truth that will set us free.

In this political season our nation stands more divided than it ever has before. But I still believe that our salvation isn't found in politicians. It is found in the cross. And being obedient to the statutes of the Word of God. Granted we have an obligation. We have an obligation and a privilege to vote in this next election. And I think God has allowed the gods of this world to be exploited for the weak imitations that they are. The god of Wall Street has been revealed as the cheap imitation that he is when the storms of life have come. I've taught on storms for years. And my bible tells me that it doesn't matter how we build, wise or foolish, storms will come. The difference is the aftermath. Those who have built on the rock will still be standing, those that have built on the things of their flesh will collapse.

I won't tell you who to vote for. I will tell you however, that nations in the Bible usually got the leaders they deserved. What I will ask you to do is search the Word of God. Seek Him while He may be found. Because I can't help but wonder if as the last twenty years have continued to silence and repress the body of Christ, that there may come a time when we will find ourselves in prison once again for the cause of Christ.

In the words of George Washington, "So help us God..." Yes, God help us.

Vision-Worth Running For

When I found Ms. T.J. Williams, the automotive teacher, the only thing not sticking out of the hood of the car was her head. I believe that was stuck somewhere inside the engine. When she finally came up for air she informed her students, "Tell Mrs. Anderson she needs a new alternator." I had originally met Ms. Williams a couple months ago at the open house for Maplewood High School in Nashville. She had told me then that her babies came into school hungry every morning so she had made a "snack table". I was there because my small group had decided we wanted to contribute to her "snack table." So I came bearing juices, granola bars, peanut butter and cheese crackers and Little Debbie cakes...mmm...

As we walked out to my car she was telling me what this place had been like just a little over a year ago. She had been called in to help pull this school out of its lowest ranking in all of metro county. She said when she arrived the teacher before her had stolen most all of the equipment that they did have. What he had left was broken and worn out. There were mattresses laying all around the garage because the past years of automotive classes were spent smoking dope and "hanging out". And she had one day to pull it all together. She picked up the phone to call a friend and tell her what it looked like. "But I have a vision for it." Ms. Williams said. Her friend told her, "Well, write it down then. Like it says in Habakkuk." So, write it down she did. She said, "I told the Lord I want all our equipment to be in red like the color of your blood."

"But I knew I wouldn't get all of that equipment by the next day when school started, so I had to start somewhere. So, I cleaned this place up, threw all those old mattresses away and let those babies know that it was a new day!"

And an even newer day when I got there. The best equipment you'd ever want to find in an automotive garage exists in Ms. Williams classroom. And what color do you think it is? You guessed it. Red! Everything is red. The Car lifts, the tool boxes, the tools. Not to mention the fully equipped classroom off of the garage with twenty personal computers and a "smart board." And she gave all the praise to Jesus.

When I had been pondering things worth running for, this same passage in Habakkuk had come up in my heart, not even knowing Ms. Williams would confirm it when I got to see her. But I thought about how vision is worth running for. Habakkuk 2:2 says, "Write the vision down. Make it plain on the tablets that those who read it will run with it."

Ever had a vision? Ever had something burning in your heart? Or how about this...Ever had a season without vision causing you to wonder what life was worth? That's why the scriptures say, "Where there is no vision the people perish." We were created for vision. We were created to dream and create and produce.

So, what's holding you back? Fear? The Economy? Waiting for November 4th? Your own feelings of inadequacy? Granted there are some visions that have a gestation process. But there also comes a time when vision has to be acted upon inspite of what is going on around you. Why does vision matter? Because vision breeds vision. When Ms. Williams cleaned up that garage and those students arrived they realized they were now worth more than dirty mattresses and dope! They realized they were worth the finest of tools, the finest of computers, and the best of teachers.

When I got to that garage I was met by derelicts. I was met by kids whose heads were stuck up under that hood with Ms. Williams. I was met by "yes mam," "thank you so much mam." Someone is waiting on your vision. Because I'll say it again, Vision Breeds Vision. Don't wait on utopia. We are never going to have heaven on earth until Jesus comes back and creates a new earth. So, why not bring a little bit of heaven into the hell that so many now live in. I'm going to get my journal because I've got a vision to write down...and when I'm done I'm putting on my running shoes...I'd love to pass you on the street...

Freedom-Worth Running For

As I’ve been thinking this past week about those things worth running for, I reflected on the story in the Gospels, but specifically the account in Mark, about the demon-possessed man who lived in the tombs. There aren’t a lot of accounts in the Bible where people actually ran. That’s why I think this one touched me so much this week. Because what I see in this story is how the freedom of our soul is worth running for.

Jesus has just spent the night out on the boat with his disciples. A storm had come up and they were petrified and he had stopped the storm and reprimanded his boys over their lack of faith. And now it’s morning and Jesus steps out on to the shore and the first thing that happens is a demon possessed man runs and worships him.

Now, before you get fearful that I’m about to do a discourse on the origin of demons, have no fear. There are two things I’ve always tried to steer clear from, dead people and demons. But I do know what bondage looks like. And I’m not sure in all of scripture if anyone was ever in need of freedom more desperately than this man at this moment.

We’re told that he spent all day and all night living in the tombs, walking in the mountains and as he walked around he would scream and beat and cut himself. How many different ways can you say tormented? But there is something so beautiful even in the midst of his torment. When Jesus got close, in spite of the demons who were wreaking havoc on his body and soul, something inside of him still realized the power that Jesus held and he didn’t walk to him, he didn’t run from him, he ran toward him and didn’t stop there. We’re then told that he fell on his knees and worshipped him.

How is that? How is it that someone can be so in bondage to their sin and so controlled by whatever vice of choice Satan has craftily snared them in and when Jesus gets near this man, who doesn’t have the wherewithal to get out from among the dead things, or to quit abusing his own body, can run to Jesus and fall at his feet and worship him?

I think the secret is found in Ecclesiastes 3:11 “God set eternity in the hearts of man.” What does that mean? Basically, God set us up. When he created us, He placed inside of us an eternity, God shaped hole, that only He could fill. And no matter what we've tried to fill it with, it would never be satisfied until it found the one who had actually created the void, knowing that only He could fill it.

There is a sermon in this passage that I can’t post here on this blog. But for this moment, this is the message. I’m not sure what torment might have a death grip on your soul. I’m not sure what dead things you might have made your home among. Maybe it’s the torment of your past, the pain of regret, or the vice of shame. Maybe it’s addiction or anger or adultery. But whatever it is we have to realize that God didn’t make His children to live among things that are dead and diseased and life killers. He created us to live among things that are living and life giving.

The other thing He needs us to know is that He is right here. He’s gotten out of the boat, stepped onto the soil of our hearts and is letting us know that He has freedom for us. He has the ability to truly set us free. Heal us in our deepest places and put us back in our right mind, in right relationship, in our rightful position.

You and I won’t get a lot of opportunities in this life worth running for. But if you are in desperate need of freedom, of healing, of wholeness, that my friend is a prime opportunity for running. Run to Him. Don’t walk. Don’t think about it. If you spend too much time doing that then the “accuser of the brethren”, the one who got you to this place of torment, will convince you that freedom isn’t available, or worse yet you’re not worthy of it. Trust me, freedom is always available and their isn't one of us around worthy of it!

Run today. Don’t walk. Don’t think. Don’t process. Just run. And when you do you will find that He is right there. Standing on shore. Right at the doorstep of your tomb…And He whom the Son has set free is free indeed.

One last thing, the most amazing thing to me about this passage of scripture is that not even the demons that lived inside of him, and they were numbered as legions, were capable of preventing him from running to Jesus. I think that makes the old saying true, "not a demon in hell will stop me." This is one man who wouldn't even let demons prevent him from being free.

Who Ran First?

My mother has tons of old sayings. Like whenever the chicken fries up just perfect she will say, “Well, the moon must be just right in the sky.” And it could be the middle of the afternoon out there, but the moon is still somewhere and wherever it is it is just right. Whenever my nose itches she says, “Somebody’s coming to see you.” Or when your left hand itches she says, “You're going to get money.” And whenever the sky holds the perfect sunset that resembles a painting, She always says, “God must have painted that sky just for me.”

She has said that for years. So, now I can’t see a beautiful sunset without thinking of her and saying, “Yes, God must have painted that sky just for my mother.” And I kind of feel that way at sunrises. Like this one I just captured last week on Paradise Island from my own camera... I had a season of my life where I really enjoyed running, especially in that early part of the morning right between the final remnants of yesterday and first part of the new day. Watching the sun break through darkness is absolutely one of my favorite things. I called this “tilling time” in my Savannah series, where Savannah started her day out running and just having that dialogue with the Lord.

Well, I don’t run quite as much as I use to for a host of reasons. But every now and then, like last week, before the sun came up, I just wanted to run. Then Friday, I’m reading this passage in Proverbs 4:12 that has me thinking. “When you walk, your steps shall not be hampered-your path will be clear and open; and when you run you shall not stumble.” I wrote this down and then put two questions below it. When do I walk? When do I run? I sat there for a minute just staring at those two questions and asking myself. When do I run? When are the times in my life that I don't simply need to walk, but I need to run.
So, I began thinking about people in the Bible that at one time or another ran. The word walk is found often in the Bible-occurs 212 times in the Bible, while run only occurs 71 times. So, obviously walking is done far more often. But there are moments when people run. And that was what was tugging at me. When do I run? Because it doesn’t say “if” you run. But “when” you run. So, what are the times in my life where running isn’t just available but necessary?
The very first place my mind went was the scene in Luke 15 when the father of the prodigal son runs to meet him. This scene is a powerful scene and preached on so often. But it is usually used as an analogy of how God waits on us and our prodigal hearts to come home. And then I realized before I can run anywhere and accomplish anything, I have to first realize that He ran to me. Just like the father of the prodigal ran to meet His son. That’s exactly what God did with me. He ran after me.

But it was even more than that. Not only did He run after me, He was looking for me. Luke 15 says that even while the prodigal was way down the street his father saw him. Now I don’t know about you, but that has me picturing the father standing at the window. Looking. Waiting.

I use to sit at the window of my dad’s office in Greenwood, Indiana with my best friend Dawn McPherson watching and waiting and ‘hoping and praying’ for Donnie Osmond to come over the top of the hill past the corn field and to my door. Trust me, I would have seen him a mile away. After all I knew what he’d be wearing too, since I had my Donnie and Marie dolls and everything.
I have to believe that God has waited at the same window for you and me. Just hoping we would get close enough and when we did he would run to meet us. Desperate to wrap His arms around us. Tell us about the sleepless nights He’s spent waiting for our hearts to be willing to turn in the direction of home. (I know God never slumbers or sleep, but this is my way of relating this story...) Knowing that if we would just turn the corner and head back He would grab us and not let us go.

We’re going to talk this month about things worth running for. But before we can understand or appreciate or even be able to run towards something, we have to have a clear understanding of who ran first. The Creator of Heaven and Earth found you and I worth chasing. Worth looking for. Worth running after.

I love those scenes in cheesy romantic movies where the man and woman take two full hours to figure out they are destined to be together and then they take that final run towards one another. They end in a passionate embrace while the credits roll.

Well, this is far more than a cheesy movie. This is the story of our lives. And in order for any credits to roll, we first have to be willing to receive the love that has been chasing us, looking for us, waiting for us. When we do, then we can begin to fully realize all that is worth running towards ourselves.

May you turn towards home. I guarantee you’ll find He’s been looking for you...