Flash Back Friday

Ephesus

One year ago we embarked upon an amazing journey ~ our 25th Anniversary Trip to Italy, Greece and Turkey!  There is so much I could say about this trip, I'm not sure I have the vocabulary to adequately describe it all.  It took me about six weeks and over 30 posts to blog about it.  If you need some weekend reading, click on this link and you can travel with us!  Or go here to just look at the pictures.

Rome

 

Mars Hill

Mountain biking on Mt. Etna

The Great Theater of Ephesus

Santorini

The Colosseum

Mykonos

The Acropolis

If you could pack your bags and go anywhere in the world today, where would you go?

Call Her Blessed

Happy Mother' Day to all you wonderful moms!  I hope your day is amazing.  If your mom is still living, please spend time with her and at least call her today.  For those of you missing your mom, I hope you have some wonderful memories to bring a smile. 

Call Her Blessed
 
You knew me in my mother's womb, spoke my name before time
You placed me in my mother's arms knowing I would be fine
She saw my first step, she heard my first word
I'm fearfully and wonderfully made

As I grew she taught me to follow You
Showed me how to love the way You do
Every time I fell she was there to pick me up
She held me close and then she let me go

Bless the one who gave me life
Bless the one who held me in her arms
Bless the one who told me that Jesus loves me so
You have heard her prayers, You have seen her tears
We rise and call her blessed

A mother's love is precious, so faithful and pure
With tenderness she blesses much more than we deserve
When I look into her eyes I begin to realize
What a wonder her love has been to me

Bless the one who gave me life
Bless the one who held me in her arms
Bless the one who told me that Jesus loves me so
You have heard her prayers, You have seen her tears
We rise and call her blessed

Her faith lives on in us
We are walking miracles because she followed You

Bless the one who gave me life
Bless the one who held me in her arms
Bless the one who told me that Jesus loves me so
You have heard her prayers, You have seen her tears
We rise and call her blessed, we rise and call her blessed

~ Words and music by Stacey Noll

Friday Foodie ~ Mom's Goodies Repost

I've really got Mom on my mind this week!  This post originally appeared on August 13, 2008.

Every talent, strength, and compassion is a gift of God.

- Mom's Bible

Not every gift is one that can be used on the platform at church. The strength of men as they build a church, compassion to visit someone in the hospital, baking a cake or casserole for a family - all these are gifts that make the kingdom of God a better place.

Mom was not known in our family as a fabulous cook. She had a few things she liked to cook, but for the most part, cooking wasn't her thing. Now baking, that was a different story!

As far back as I can remember, Mom was a talented baker. Cookies, brownies, cakes, donuts. She learned to decorate cakes, so we had beautiful birthday cakes and she even made all of us kids' wedding cakes. At Christmas time she pulled out all the stops and made several kinds of candy. Teachers, pastors, neighbors, friends, and relatives were all recipients of Mom's goodies. She used her talent to bless others.

Mom's goodies always greeted us when got home from school. Hmm... maybe that's why I always get the munchies in the afternoon!

The first time Les came to visit, in typical Mom fashion, she withheld judgment when she first met him. Dad thought he was great (even if he did call him by another name), but Mom wasn't ready to comment. At some point I told Mom that Les liked brownies... and the second time he came to visit, what did she bake? Brownies! I knew he had won her over!

Whatever your gift... don't hide it. And if you feel like making me some brownies... ;)

Be Careful, Little Tongue, What You Say

I'm the youngest of four so there was plenty of opportunity in our household for disagreements.  If I heard it once, I heard Mom say a thousand times, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."  I'm sure she got weary of the four of us at times! As I was looking her though Bible this week, I found that same theme a number of times.  Her children were grown, so this was a reminder to herself that words matter...

More people have been hurt by a careless tongue than by a sharp sword.

If I can't speak well of others then I need to remain silent.

When you speak, always remember that God is one of your hearers.

Speak and act in harmony with your prayers.

It is in the home we are treated the best and grumble the most.

This was not found in Mom's Bible, but remember the childhood saying?

Sticks and stones may break my bones
But words will never hurt me...

I have no idea who came up with it, but they were wrong in so many ways! A child who hears that can grow up into an adult who says whatever they want, whenever they want, thinking their words are harmless. But words DO hurt. Words wound. Words scar.

And finally, this quote is found in the front AND back of her Bible:

Not the greatness of our troubles but the littleness of our spirit makes us complain.

What are your words and actions saying today?

Mom's Bible

Mother's Day is this Sunday and many of the emails I've been getting lately are about what to get Mom for Mother's Day.  Of course this has got me thinking about my own mother.  I've written about her so many times and I always come back to one thing: Faith.

The third post I ever wrote was called "Mom's Bible."  Part of that post said, "She received this particular Bible for her 47th birthday, January 1, 1987, and it was the final Bible she carried. This contains her thoughts during an eight year battle with cancer and the loss of her youngest son, Rod. While that was obviously the most difficult time in her life, the notes and thoughts are constantly positive and uplifting."

We have been in revival with Bro. Michael Disotel and he has talked about faith quite a bit.  He has said on two occasions, "It bothers me when people say 'God has never failed me yet!' like they are just waiting for God to fail them."  Some might have looked at my Mom's life and thought God had failed her.  She had an eight year battle with cancer.  She lost a son when he was only 31.  She faced trials and tests.  But here are the quotes from the back inside cover of her Bible:

4-27-90 - Black day for me - but God is in charge.  Cancer is not too hard for my God.

You are God's property and God is going to take care of you.

I thank God every day of my life for what I have come safely past.

To have faith is to believe the task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.

Guard the portals of your mind.  Don't let evil thoughts creep in.  Remember the happy days, the best part of living.  We can control our minds if we keep the bad thoughts out.

This is the life of a woman who lived by faith.  She knew her God.  She wrote in another place, "Oh God, help me lose in thee all the things that hurt and make life hard."  I don't place a lot of value on things, but this Bible is such a treasure to me!  I am forever grateful for the example she left to me.

I plan to carry this Bible to church on Mother's Day, so local friends if you want to see it in person you'll get a chance.

How to Celebrate Your 53rd Birthday

In case you're wondering...

Get up and have a great breakfast.  Then load up the bikes and head to Santa Monica.

Start pedaling.  Stay upright as you dodge other cyclists, walkers, runners, roller bladers, strollers, and dogs.

Take a lunch break at Redondo Beach at mile 19.5

Start pedaling again until you reach Santa Monica.  Finishing with 39 miles.

Drive to Malibu for dinner at Duke's.

Watch whales and dolphins out your ocean front window.

Share a slice of Hula Pie.

That's not so painful, is it?

Our Growing Family

 
Les stepped outside to take some pictures of our roses this afternoon.  As soon as he opened the door a bird flew away from the wreath on our door:

He reached up and found this nest:

Oh dear!  There's an egg!  What should we do with the nest?  Wait, is something moving...

Why yes, there is a brand new baby bird...

There are actually at least two, possibly three, with one more egg left to hatch...

They must be only a few hours old!  The nest is now resting safely back inside my wreath.  I have no idea how long it will be before they are old enough to fly away but we will be very careful until they do.  I'm just glad we didn't have a repeat from a few years ago when I destroyed an entire nest with eggs in it!

Joy to the World!

I know we don't usually say Joy to the World on Resurrection Sunday, but that is truly when the joy happened!  My favorite song for this morning is "Easter Song" written by Keith Green.  You can hear his version here.  Second Chapter of Acts does a fabulous job with it, too (listen here).  Turn up the volume and sing along!

Hear the bells ringing
They're singing that you can be born again
Hear the bells ringing
They're singing Christ is risen from the dead

The angel up on the tombstone
Said He is risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world, He is risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah, hallelujah

Hear the bells ringing
They're singing that we can be born again
Hear the bells ringing, they're singing
Christ is risen from the dead

The angel up on the tombstone
Said He is risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world, He is risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah!

The Second Day

I was out for a run this morning thinking about the events we celebrate this weekend.  On Good Friday we pause to remember, thinking of the sorrow. On Resurrection Day we rejoice.  This is a post I wrote 2010 about that day in between the sorrow and the joy...

If you count like I do, you've probably wondered about three days from Friday to Sunday. In my counting, that is two days. But according to Jewish calendars, Friday is day one, Saturday is day two, and Sunday is day three.

So here we are on the second day. If you've read your Bible, you know that on the third day Jesus arose. On the third day all was right again. If you've ever seen a passion play or Easter drama, the crucifixion scene is quite prominent, followed by a song or some narration, no more than 5 minutes later "He's Alive!" But there was an entire day, the second day, the sabbath. Travel with me in my imagination as I think about what happened on the second day...

Store fronts were buttoned up tightly. No business would take place on the sabbath, even with Jerusalem teeming with visitors who had arrived for the Passover. The only place they would go is the temple. Heavy hearts, guilty minds, relieved hypocrites, all were in attendance.

What now Caiaphas? Are you and Annas patting yourselves on the back? There is the nasty little business of Judas hanging himself, so you can't keep that money, but you've rid yourself of Jesus. Now you can relax. No one will be driving out the money changers from the temple again. Calling you a hypocrite! He should have known better.

I wonder about the man born blind. Sitting in his house, looking on the faces of his loved ones. He'd never seen a Roman crucifixion before, only heard the description. The vivid details are almost too much. Why the One who gave him back his sight?

There are soldiers dispatched to guard the tomb. They must have laughed, thinking how anyone would be able to steal the body. The silly Jews - always creating some kind of drama. Was there one boasting that it was his sword that pierced Jesus' side? Of course a surprise was coming their way on the third day, but the second day was just another day of duty.

What was it like in the home of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha? Lazarus spent four days in the grave. They knew the pain of grief. Was Martha silently weeping as she thought, "I just wanted to take care of Him and His followers, but I should have also spent more time at His feet. I told myself I would do so the next time He came. That chance is now gone."

What about the young lad who gave his lunch? His five loaves and two fish were used to feed thousands! But now... "Mother, why were you yelling 'His blood be on us and our children?' "

What were the thoughts of the lepers He cleansed? The woman with the issue of blood? Jairus and his daughter? So many whom Jesus touched. Had they all been swayed by the yelling crowd? Did anyone still believe He was the Messiah?

Where were the disciples? Faith seemed to be missing in Jerusalem that day. If they truly believed what Jesus taught, wouldn't they have been anticipating his resurrection? Shouldn't they have been making plans to be there when He arose? Only three women returned to the tomb on the third day, but only to take spices to anoint his body.

Somewhere, Barabas was sitting in wonder. He was a free man.

I just wonder if anyone sang this song:

VERSE 1
I was guilty with nothing to say
And they were coming to take me away
But then a voice from Heaven was heard that said
"Let him go and take me instead"

CHORUS
I should have been crucified
I should have suffered and died
I should have hung on the cross in disgrace
But Jesus, my Lord, took my place

VERSE 2
Crowns of thorns, the spear deep in His side
And those pains should have been mine
Those rusty nails were meant for me
Oh Jesus took them and let me go free

CHORUS
I should have been crucified
I should have suffered and died
I should have hung on the cross in disgrace
But Jesus, my Lord, took my place

The Power of Music

As I mentioned in my review of "Long Way Gone," music played a prominent role in the story.  Cooper's father was a preacher who held tent revivals for many years.  As Cooper's talent became more evident his father did his best to guide him in how he used that gift.  He told Cooper there was healing in music, it touches people in a unique way.

I have been involved in music in one way or another the majority of my life.  I started in children's choir and have been involved in just about every type of choir or group there is.  I love music and I know how it can move me.  I've written before about crying over "Jingle Bell Rock."  The thoughts I want to share have been in my heart for quite some time.  After reading Long Way Gone, I decided today would be the day to share them. 

Church Isn't American Idol
There are a couple of minor characters in Long Way Gone.  The first chapter opens with an old man playing his guitar on a street corner.  Much later we meet his grandson, Jubal.  When Jubal is going to play in front of a crowd for the first time he is very nervous, wondering how people will respond if he messes up.  "But all those people on the TV shows always get raked over the coals by the judges..."  Cooper sets him straight, telling Jubal that music is a gift that we make to give away.  And anyone who doesn't like that can "go suck on a lemon."

It's tough playing or singing in church sometimes.  Over 30 years ago I was part of a small singing group.  The director stopped us in practice and pointed me out, telling me I was not singing my part correctly.  He went over our part again.  When the sopranos sang, I just listened, trying to hear our part in a female voice and figure out what I was doing wrong.  The director stopped us and again pointed me out, telling me I was still off (even though I hadn't actually been singing.)  I've never forgotten how he made me feel and I've tried to be careful in offering even "constructive" criticism to others.

I've been on the receiving end of criticism many times.  I'm not the greatest singer or musician in the world but I give it my best.  Words hurt and and they can make people back completely away from doing what God wants them to do for His glory. Sitting in church, judging those who are striving to lead the congregation in worship only accomplishes one thing - it takes our minds and hearts away from Who we should be worshiping.  Believe me, musicians and singers know when they've messed up.  You don't need to tell them!

Music is Powerful
Choosing songs for a service, whether it's a solo or the entire service set, is something I struggle with.  It's not that I don't have songs.  I've got hundreds of them.  But I don't take the responsibility lightly.

Music is powerful.  It can cause people to dance and shout or bring them to tears.  Hurting souls walk through our doors every service.  They may be first time visitors or long time saints, but life has brought hurt their way.  Music can bring peace and healing. We can't take that powerful gift lightly, but must prayerfully consider each song. 

Where Do Your Songs Point?
It was about a year ago when Pastor McGriffin came to the end of music practice at New Life.  He talked to us about horizontal songs and vertical songs.  Horizontal songs are about us ("I'm Gonna Dance") or to us ("Everybody Will Be Happy Over There")  There's nothing wrong with these types of songs, but they shouldn't be the only types of songs we sing.

Vertical songs point to Jesus.  The songs I love to play and sing the most are the ones that I sing directly to Him.  Sitting at my piano, with an audience of One, and singing, "Jesus, I love You, because You care," draws me to Him.  Leading a congregation in singing, "You are good and Your mercy is forever," focuses all the attention on Him and what He has done for us.

There are appropriate times for both horizontal and vertical songs.  Pastor McGriffin challenged us to keep track of the mix of songs we sang.  If we are out of balance, it definitely needs to be in the direction of more vertical songs than horizontal.  There is a reason why old hymns like Amazing Grace, which was written in the 1700s, can still touch hearts today.  They point to Jesus.

Songs that lift up Jesus have a real purpose.  Jesus said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."  If we'll do the lifting, he'll do the drawing.

Keep on Singing!
If you're a musician or singer, I hope you'll be encouraged.   If you've been burned and are thinking about hanging up your microphone, don't!  Remember Who gave you the song in the first place and keep on singing!

Book Review: Long Way Gone

I recently finished "Long Way Gone" by Charles Martin.  This is the first time I have ready anything by Mr. Martin and the book was outstanding!  The description from Amazon.com says:

“No matter where you go, no matter whether you succeed or fail, stand or fall, no gone is too far gone. You can always come home.”

At the age of eighteen, musician and songwriter Cooper O’Connor took everything his father held dear and drove 1,200 miles from home to Nashville, his life riding on a six-string guitar and the bold wager that he had talent. But his wager soon proved foolish.

Five years after losing everything, he falls in love with Daley Cross, an angelic voice in need of a song. But just as he realizes his love for Daley, Cooper faces a tragedy that threatens his life as well as his career. With nowhere else to go, he returns home to the remote Colorado mountains, searching for answers about his father and his faith.

When Daley shows up on his street corner twenty years later, he wonders if it’s too late to tell her the truth about his past—and if he is ready to face it himself.

A radical retelling of the prodigal son story, Long Way Gone takes us from tent revivals to the Ryman Auditorium to the tender relationship between a broken man and the father who never stopped calling him home.

This was more than just a retelling of the prodigal son.  The story was beautiful, heartbreaking, humorous and joyful.  The descriptions Mr. Martin uses are so good.  His writing style was very enjoyable.  I finished the book on Sunday and continue to think about it.  Along with the telling of Cooper's story there is a lot about music that I found insightful as well, which will be a post for another day.

We all have prodigals in our lives.  Sons, daughters, friends, family members.  People we went to camp with, prayed with, sat next to in Sunday school or sang in the choir with.  They need to know that they can come home.  Many kicked us on their way out, but they need to know that they have a safe place to return to.

We can't see the road the prodigal has traveled.  We might see them from time to time, but we can't see their hearts.  Maybe we haven't seen them in decades, but we need to keep looking down the road for their return.

Maybe it's you that is the prodigal.  You left with your head held high and dreams that couldn't be squashed.  Maybe you're still living high.  But there's a piece of you that wants to come home.  A song you hear on the wind calling you back.  Please come home.

Cooper's father said it best, "No matter where you go, no matter whether you succeed or  fail, stand or fall, no gone is too far gone. You can always come home.”  The road back won't be easy, dear prodigal, but please know you can always come home.  Unfortunately not everyone will wait with open arms, some haven't recovered from the pain you inflicted.  But there is a Father watching the road and looking for you.

If you've been praying for a prodigal, I encourage you to keep praying.  They may be making their way home even now.  No gone is too far gone.

Aloha from Room 1394!