Don't Miss Christmas
I couldn't help but notice a couple of things today in the normal course of events. Here they are:
* did some quick shopping during my lunch break, along with half of Iredell County. As I was strolling out the door, I caught a bit of the song that was playing in the background. "Christ, the Savior is born...Christ, the Savior is born". I stopped for a moment and just marveled at that truth. The gospel being sung and heard in your local store, and I wondered how many paid no attention to it at all. And how many times I have done the same.
* three words: Christmas in Davidson. Friends and festivities in a somewhat Bedford Falls-ish setting. Can't beat that. As we sat through a simple live nativity storytelling time done by one of the local churches, complete with an actual camel and donkeys, I was again struck by the simple yet amazing words that were read and sung. With kids intently looking to see if the baby was real or just a doll, and William asking me to go see the camel again, I noticed that the sound system being used in the parking lot was able to pick up much of the general hub-bub and background noise that the setting provided. And in the midst of it all, there again was the truth of a Savior come to save His people from their sins. Amazing.
So notice that the truth is around us. Don't miss Christmas.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Christmas Countdown 2010 - Dec 2
Decorating the Tree!Random thoughts about how the Christmas tree gets decorated in these here parts...
1 - since our tree is usually a little Charlie Brown-ish, the picture at left is all that I will post. Needless to say, this year that particular ornament got put near the bottom of the tree.
2 - you know how sometimes when you are a kid, you say to yourself "I am never going to do that when I get older"? And then sometimes you don't but sometimes you do it anyway? Well, one thing that I WILL NEVER DO is put those little iddy biddy silver icicle thingies on a Christmas tree. Maybe it was the time spent painstakingly taking each strand out of storage and placing it equally around all portions of the tree as a child. Maybe it was my sense of laziness that accompanied that particular step in the Christmas prep process. But something years ago gave me the strong desire to NOT use that form of decorations. Proud to say that I have lived up to this one and always will. And let's not even go there regarding having to take them all off the tree and back in storage for another year!
3 - key factor in tree decorating is placement of the tree in relation to the window. Must see yuletide cheer in light form when coming home from work. Our children are well-trained on making sure the lights are on for this to happen.
4 - the 'under the tree' stockpile grows at a decent clip here with two December birthdays in the household.
5 - you kids have fun on your 'lets-go-cut-down-our-own-tree-and-haul-it-home' outing. Been there, done that (and it was fun). But we've resigned ourselves to just getting the box out of the storage area in the garage. Pre-lit, baby!
6 - what to put at the top of the tree? In the past, we've had angels, the cross, a bell one year I think... This year it's a mistletoe sprig.
7 - ah, the Christmas tree...a great opportunity to sing 'O Tannenbaum'...auf Deutsch nachturlich!
Friday, July 9, 2010
My Little Black Book
It is usually a bit of advice that I give to others. This evening, I had the privilege of it's benefit.
Often we fail to take the time to stop and...oh, what's the best word. Evaluate? Consider? Remember? Take stock? Acknowledge? Count your blessings? So, in the midst of 'everything is so (fill in the blank...wrong/crazy/hard/difficult/unfair/depressing/etc)' type of moments, I try to encourage others to look around a bit and see things with a slightly new perspective. Look back a few weeks/months/years and see what progress has been made.
So tonight I started to clean up and organize of bit of my little kingdom of piles-o-stuff around the house. We're having some people over this weekend and, well, I just thought it appropriate to do so. And the pile of papers, books and other items on top of the desk was the first place to tackle. Soon my little black book was uncovered and I started leafing through it.
This 88-cent gem has been used in many varied ways. It has been my source for simple note-taking and thought-jotting-down for a while now. I like it because it is small enough to fit in my pocket easily and therefore is quite mobile when it needs to be. I saw notes on meetings I had attended and pieces of information that just couldn't stay in my mind. Go ahead, see if you can rattle off the model and serial number of your water heater! It is not a foolproof system, however, since one page had a list of phrases that were apparently there to jog my memory for blog post ideas. They look like great titles/ideas, but I'm afraid the inspiration isn't there for the details anymore.
But I did enjoy reminding myself of a number of things that the last few months have produced. Notes on the joyful truth of our covenant-making and covenant-keeping God. Multiple prayer requests from our small group at church that have joyously been answered. Reminders about how to prepare for certain things that were just what I needed to read and hear about now. Insights on a new study/reading/discussion plan that has seen great growth and impact since it started. Key passages and phrases from scripture that redirected my gaze. The word 'thankfulness' attached to one person in particular multiple times and one who I would easily say is characterized by, well, being thankful. And then there's those water heater details that reminded me of a couple of cold, quick showers in the mornings and the subsequent provision of a new and improved and energy-saving water heater!
Life suddenly seems a bit better. A little spring in my step now. The last few months have not been silent. They too have proclaimed a little bit more of our sovereign God's love, care and concern. And for that I am grateful.
If you've got your own little notebook of goodies from the months gone by, go find it and put it in it's right place. That may mean 'off the stack of books and papers' if you haven't cleaned up for a while like me. But it definitely means refreshing your mind and soul with a thankful review.
Often we fail to take the time to stop and...oh, what's the best word. Evaluate? Consider? Remember? Take stock? Acknowledge? Count your blessings? So, in the midst of 'everything is so (fill in the blank...wrong/crazy/hard/difficult/unfair/depressing/etc)' type of moments, I try to encourage others to look around a bit and see things with a slightly new perspective. Look back a few weeks/months/years and see what progress has been made.
So tonight I started to clean up and organize of bit of my little kingdom of piles-o-stuff around the house. We're having some people over this weekend and, well, I just thought it appropriate to do so. And the pile of papers, books and other items on top of the desk was the first place to tackle. Soon my little black book was uncovered and I started leafing through it.
This 88-cent gem has been used in many varied ways. It has been my source for simple note-taking and thought-jotting-down for a while now. I like it because it is small enough to fit in my pocket easily and therefore is quite mobile when it needs to be. I saw notes on meetings I had attended and pieces of information that just couldn't stay in my mind. Go ahead, see if you can rattle off the model and serial number of your water heater! It is not a foolproof system, however, since one page had a list of phrases that were apparently there to jog my memory for blog post ideas. They look like great titles/ideas, but I'm afraid the inspiration isn't there for the details anymore.
But I did enjoy reminding myself of a number of things that the last few months have produced. Notes on the joyful truth of our covenant-making and covenant-keeping God. Multiple prayer requests from our small group at church that have joyously been answered. Reminders about how to prepare for certain things that were just what I needed to read and hear about now. Insights on a new study/reading/discussion plan that has seen great growth and impact since it started. Key passages and phrases from scripture that redirected my gaze. The word 'thankfulness' attached to one person in particular multiple times and one who I would easily say is characterized by, well, being thankful. And then there's those water heater details that reminded me of a couple of cold, quick showers in the mornings and the subsequent provision of a new and improved and energy-saving water heater!
Life suddenly seems a bit better. A little spring in my step now. The last few months have not been silent. They too have proclaimed a little bit more of our sovereign God's love, care and concern. And for that I am grateful.
If you've got your own little notebook of goodies from the months gone by, go find it and put it in it's right place. That may mean 'off the stack of books and papers' if you haven't cleaned up for a while like me. But it definitely means refreshing your mind and soul with a thankful review.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Seven Weeks and a Towel
It was the woman you gave me, Lord!
So goes the joke that surrounds the events now seven weeks old. And that’s exactly what it is…just a joke. It wasn’t Sarah’s fault. It wasn’t anybody’s fault. Sometimes things happen. And sometimes when those things happen, a bone gets broken.
We were just having fun with our son on the basketball court. In the flash of a moment, legs got tangled and the two of us were going down. Sarah fell gracefully. Me? Not so much.
Ice kept the swelling down long enough to get me to a Sunday afternoon visit to the urgent care. X-rays confirmed that the tip of the radius head bone in my left arm was broken. I’m not sure what goes through your mind when you hear ‘broken arm’, but here’s what goes through mine. Pain and expense and time. But instead of dwelling on the details of what I was thinking at that moment, let’s fast forward to the truth of which I was again graciously reminded.
Healing happens.
Our bodies amazingly not only allow for healing, but actually argue for it. Here is the list of applied remedies and medical assistance for the situation I found myself in: seven weeks and a towel. Well, at least it looked like a towel. Upon concluding that my arm was broken, the helpful nurses and technicians at the local urgent care decided that a towel was the trick. “We’ll just put this on your arm, it will conform to your elbow and forearm, and you’ll be good to go.” Good until the soon-coming appointment with the orthopedic doctor, that is. Here we go, I thought. This was going to be the first of many steps. Surgeries, repeat visits to medical facilities, and more. So they applied the towel thing to my arm and sure enough it hardened a bit and took the shape of my arm and was a temporary cast that I could take on and off until my appointment. But when that came, the surprising commenced.
“No further casting needed.”
“Just keep your arm in the temporary cast as needed throughout the day.”
“Give it a few weeks and it should be fine.”
And then the clincher. “Unless you have some issues or problems, I don’t even think it is necessary to see you again.”
So here we are seven weeks later. I have not spent another penny on any medical needs regarding the arm. I have not had another doctor visit regarding the arm. And the arm is…healing. I’ve been without the towel/cast for a couple of weeks now. What once was extremely painful soon became doable with a wince and then became done as normal (pretty much normal anyway). I can remember not being able to reach to a certain degree with my arm. Now I can. The little I did use it caused soreness. Now not so much. There were many limitations to how I could use the arm. Now…well, there are still some, but progressing nicely, thank you very much.
So here I am. Seven weeks later. Amazed at the healing that can take place when you just allow the body to do its thing. And thankful for the grace that makes it possible.
The author of that grace and these bodies has much more in store for those who place their trust in Him. So if you find yourself in an ‘urgent care’ scenario and are tempted to start adding up the bills, the ongoing pain, and never-ending problems of what lies ahead, try and re-direct your trust. Who knows what seven weeks and a towel might bring?
So goes the joke that surrounds the events now seven weeks old. And that’s exactly what it is…just a joke. It wasn’t Sarah’s fault. It wasn’t anybody’s fault. Sometimes things happen. And sometimes when those things happen, a bone gets broken.
We were just having fun with our son on the basketball court. In the flash of a moment, legs got tangled and the two of us were going down. Sarah fell gracefully. Me? Not so much.
Ice kept the swelling down long enough to get me to a Sunday afternoon visit to the urgent care. X-rays confirmed that the tip of the radius head bone in my left arm was broken. I’m not sure what goes through your mind when you hear ‘broken arm’, but here’s what goes through mine. Pain and expense and time. But instead of dwelling on the details of what I was thinking at that moment, let’s fast forward to the truth of which I was again graciously reminded.
Healing happens.
Our bodies amazingly not only allow for healing, but actually argue for it. Here is the list of applied remedies and medical assistance for the situation I found myself in: seven weeks and a towel. Well, at least it looked like a towel. Upon concluding that my arm was broken, the helpful nurses and technicians at the local urgent care decided that a towel was the trick. “We’ll just put this on your arm, it will conform to your elbow and forearm, and you’ll be good to go.” Good until the soon-coming appointment with the orthopedic doctor, that is. Here we go, I thought. This was going to be the first of many steps. Surgeries, repeat visits to medical facilities, and more. So they applied the towel thing to my arm and sure enough it hardened a bit and took the shape of my arm and was a temporary cast that I could take on and off until my appointment. But when that came, the surprising commenced.
“No further casting needed.”
“Just keep your arm in the temporary cast as needed throughout the day.”
“Give it a few weeks and it should be fine.”
And then the clincher. “Unless you have some issues or problems, I don’t even think it is necessary to see you again.”
So here we are seven weeks later. I have not spent another penny on any medical needs regarding the arm. I have not had another doctor visit regarding the arm. And the arm is…healing. I’ve been without the towel/cast for a couple of weeks now. What once was extremely painful soon became doable with a wince and then became done as normal (pretty much normal anyway). I can remember not being able to reach to a certain degree with my arm. Now I can. The little I did use it caused soreness. Now not so much. There were many limitations to how I could use the arm. Now…well, there are still some, but progressing nicely, thank you very much.
So here I am. Seven weeks later. Amazed at the healing that can take place when you just allow the body to do its thing. And thankful for the grace that makes it possible.
The author of that grace and these bodies has much more in store for those who place their trust in Him. So if you find yourself in an ‘urgent care’ scenario and are tempted to start adding up the bills, the ongoing pain, and never-ending problems of what lies ahead, try and re-direct your trust. Who knows what seven weeks and a towel might bring?
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