Loving Our Parents

“Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you. Deuteronomy 5:16

RAMBLINGS from Lacy’s dad – Yesterday Connor was working, Evan had a couple of buddies over, and Lacy was with Kris and her mom at a wedding. So after doing some Saturday chores and reading for a while, I hopped in the car to go see Mom. She was spunky as ever. “Made” me sit down and eat some veggies and pork chops with her. At 85 that woman can still cook for herself and anybody that walks through the door.

I can plan on one of two things being on her TV when I drop by. She is either listening to one of the Fox channels, or a Christian channel, often playing gospel music. She is also either in the process of wrapping up cleaning something, or starting. After watching her all my life I know that she:

1) Loves Jesus
2) Likes to stay informed
3) Has a phobia about cleanliness
4) Has two speeds – 1) HIGH 2) SLEEP.
5) And she can shift from one to the other quickly.

I am pretty sure that if she had been born 25 years later and had the resources, she would have been a doctor. Her impoverished family growing up never allowed her any education beyond high school, yet she is one of the smartest people I know.

If you are fortunate enough to still have one or both of your parents. be sure to take a moment today and tell them you love them. If they are gone, find a good friend and tell them you appreciate them….

The Final Page In Life

RAMBLINGS from Connor’s dad – My mind goes back to the days Connor was in high school. Several times come to mind when I would go and check on him and his studies. I’d find him studying his notes, that looked more like microfiche then notes. His writing in microscopic font could have easily allowed War and Peace to be written on two pieces of paper. A whole weeks worth of notes on one side of note book paper! I would literally get a headache trying to read his itty-bitty writing.

I would then walk down the hall and check on his sibling doing their studies. Several times laying beside them would be a trashcan with a mountain of crumpled up paper spilling over the edges. When examined more closely, those crumbled pieces of paper often housed only a few words. Apparently someone was suffering writer’s block, and each failure was met with another piece of paper discarded in frustration. The miserly dad that I am would always think “what a waste of perfectly good paper”!

What if today was the last “piece of paper” you would ever have to write on? What would you spend your time writing? What would your friends and family find written on it tomorrow? Better yet, what would a total stranger learn of you by looking at that same piece of paper?

I pray today that we all live life hoping for another tablet of paper tomorrow, even looking forward to the pages we will pen in months and years to come. But embracing today, enjoying that sunrise or vista, or more importantly that smile or embrace, as if it’s our final page. Because as a friend found out recently, one day, yesterday will turn out to be the last day….

 

 

Patience and Love in a Darkening World

RAMBLINGS from Connor’s dad – Christians worldwide seem to be under attack from all sides these days. If not from the liberal left with barbed verbal attacks and hate filled speech, then from extremist that desire physical harm and death to us.

It is so hard sometime not to lash back out at those who attack us with their words. Don’t get me wrong, we need to be able to defend our beliefs. But we need to do so with respect for the other person. We need to talk and reasonwith them like Jesus did with the woman at the well, with compassion. Over the years this thick headed boy from Lithonia has argued vehemently points to prove my perceived knowledge of the Bible. In those fights, I might have won on points, but lost on the results. The person might have seen that I thought I knew something, but didn’t see that I cared two cents about them.

I am sure I still screw up a lot. I probably run my mouth at times more then I need to. I try to remind myself what Dr. Jim always told me, “There is a reason God gave us TWO ears, and only ONE mouth!” That’s right those ears aren’t just to hold up your sunglasses, they are there for listening.

Last night Connor came in and was sharing with us his day at work. His summer job is as a CNA at an assisted living facility. He is learning that as we get older, we can get cranky, set in our ways, and have very strong opinions…that often are wrong. What he does over and over with these residents is hear them out, reason with them in a way they most likely will understand, ALWAYS with COMPASSION, sometimes firmly, but ALWAYS with LOVE.

He was laughing about a cantankerous resident that the other CNS’s fear. One of them was shocked when he walked in to the room and got a smile out of said resident. They were surprised…I’m not.

There are a LOT of cantankerous people out there. Some of them are friends of mine. I hope today if we interact, that if they don’t see Jesus in me, at least they’ll see Connor….

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. – Psalm 46:10-11

God Will Wait on You

RAMBLINGS from Kris King’s hubby – In reading the story of Herod and John the Baptist, I was amazed at the intensity of his wife Herodias’s hatred. Herod married (stole) his brothers wife, and John the Baptist was outspoken in his disapproval of it.

When her daughter danced for Herod, he found such pleasure with it that he offered her up to half his kingdom. Half the kingdom!! Half his riches!! Here was an opportunity to have financial security equal to the king, for a female whom at that time was considered “second class”…An opportunity that would have been obvious to her mom. Yet, when asked, what did her mom say? The head of John the Baptist!!  Here was a woman so full of hatred that she totally wasted the chance of a lifetime for her daughter. Squandered!! All due to emotions.

Kris often meets with women one-on-one. They talk about life, conflict, emotions, finances, marriage, children, in-laws, and out-laws. It amazes me some of the things that people blame God for. Decisions they, or a family member, made that were so obviously wrong.

Sometimes it’s emotions or ill-will, for things that are not necessarily wrong. Maybe an in-law pointed out a bad financial decision, then again maybe they don’t like the way the towels are folded. Regardless, feelings are raw and decisions are made rashly sometime. Damage is done. Wounds can run deep. Then in the aftermath, when the dust clears, we want God to straighten it out.

Yet often, our heart still isn’t where it needs to be. The healing can’t take place, because we aren’t ready. So God in His infinite wisdom, waits. The hurt continues. The wounds fester. And often we get mad at God for LETTING it happen!

God never rushes things. He is long-suffering, and He is also patient. He will let us wallow in our mistakes for as long as He see’s we need. He is not watching the SITUATION. He is watching our HEART.

I wonder, did Herodias or her daughter pay dearly for the decision made in hatred? Did they ever realize their mistake? Did God let them die penniless?

Hmmm, what bad decisions is God letting me work through, even now?…

And when it grew late, His disciples came to Him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But He answered them, “You give them something to eat.”  (Mark 6:35-37)

God Knows About Your Stress

RAMBLINGS from Evan’s dad –  Evan along with Lacy and Connor, has had the opportunity to travel from time to time on mission trips. The kids have see many things traveling. And they have seen those with many needs while traveling.

In Peru, Evan was as young as 7 years old when he first walked the streets with us. I think he was 10 when we were working with an orphanage in Colombia. He has seen those in serious need. He has also seen people that are very happy, even though they have very little. Even in the midst of poverty, we looked around at the mountains, at the sweet innocent faces smiling back at us, and the beauty of the country, and marveled at God and His handiwork.

This morning I sit here writing this once again from a little cabin up at Cloudland Station. There are no fancy flatscreen T’Vs to distract us. Our phones and tablets get very little signal.  We have to revert to that ancient tradition of interacting with each other.

Last night we sat around and talked. We snacked on food. We laughed and talked some more. A little after midnight we sang happy birthday to Lacy. A few minutes later I went off to bed listening to laughter in the next room. I marveled at God’s handiwork.

This morning there was no CNN or Fox News to watch. There were no sports updates on Sports Center. I went for an early morning walk so I could hang out with God in His creation. It was a wonderful walk. I took in the fresh air while I heard the crunch of gravel under my feet. The only updates I got was from the birds chirping good morning to me. I walked by several brooks and streams and listened to the water tumble over the rocks. I thanked Him for His creation. It was invigorating, yet relaxing. I thanked Him for my wonderful family. I marveled at God’s handiwork.

I wonder how things are back at the house? By now the swimming pool is running, along with the A/C units for the house. The alarm is on and monitoring for any fires or break in’s. The multiple cars need to be checked on. The kids have not learned that they have to be monitored for tires, service and possible repairs, so I still have to worry about that. The office alarm is on and the A/C is hopefully set for “weekend”. Did we water the plants in both locations? Is the rent paid? Is the power bill paid?

Do we really need all this stuff?

Lord, I am noticing things were less stressful when I was just hanging out with You!….

And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do,  for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them,for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.  (Matthew 6:7-8)

You Don’t Have to Pretend

RAMBLINGS from Lacy’s dad – Lacy loves to be on stage. It doesn’t matter if it’s singing or acting, she thrives on it. We have watched dozens of performances since she first started.

Early on we might sit through 2 hours of a performance to see her brief appearance of 1 minute. In those early days there was no iPhone for me to occupy myself. There were no mindless games to play on the iPad, so I actually had to sit there and watch and listen. When Lacy did appear, it was often just her standing there being an evil fairy, or a flower. We might even see her sing with a chorus of other evil fairies or flowers. She was not very believable in those early years, but she enjoyed it.

The years went by and the performances grew in number. The makeup and costumes got more elaborate. And more importantly, Lacy’s acting got more believable. I guess that should come as no surprise with the countless hours of rehearsing and performing.

I recall watching one of her early rehearsals for her most recent show. It was a disaster as people missed their lines, and missed their cues. They bumped in to each other practicing a dance scene. It was like watching an old 1920’s Keystone Cops movie where they were incompetent with everything. It would have been funny, if it they had meant to do it.

Several months later I was there for the opening night. To say I was blown away with the performance would be an understatement. They were a well oiled machine hitting their notes and cues perfectly. The months of practice, encouraging each other, and endless rehearsing was very apparent!

I guess God is the same way. He knows when we first become Christians, we are inexperienced, we are untrained, we are often naive. We go through the motions, but might not be too believable to those watching us. If we are around other Christians, however, like Lacy was around other actors and singers, we can learn from them. If we read God’s word, our “script” for life, we can see how the performance should play out. If we spend time with THE Producer (God the Father) in prayer and meditation, we can begin to understand how we can fit in His show.

But some of us just occasionally run to church for a quick fix at Easter and Christmas. We then go on about life focused on what the world thinks is important. Unfortunately, time and time again, we might be called on to play the role of a true Christian, and not be too believable. Even worse we might falsely lead some of those watching to believe its a low budget movie with cheap props and special effects, and not the real thing….

I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs. (Psalm 69:30-31)

God’s Antidote to Indecision

“He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:3)

RAMBLINGS from Connor’s dad – Connor is in college now.  He and his friends are now navigating life on their own with only the moral tools with which they left home.  Since he is at a Christian college, he says many bad decisions are made with the promise they are doing it “because it’s God’s Will”.  Sometimes that’s true, but sometimes it’s not.

Those who are not followers of Christ do it all the time. They put themselves in a particular situation, and them react to the situation (that they put themselves in) almost in a third person kind of way. “I just happen to be walking through the Fudge Shoppe minding my own business, when out of nowhere this person tempted me with some fudge!”  The only difference us Christians have is we add “…so it MUST have been God’s Will for me!”

Can I let you in on a little secret? If you go hanging out near the Fudge Shoppe, or worse, IN the Fudge Shoppe, your ARE going to be tempted! Even Superman had his Kryptonite. He knew to stay away from it because he got weak. We should be no different. We should stay as far away from our kryptonites (“Fudge Shoppes”) as possible. Take a different route home if necessary.

I grieve at the number of times the scenario has come up where I hear a friend say “But it feels so right, it must be God’s Will. He wants me to be happy.” NEWSFLASH: Very seldom does God direct a married person away from their spouse to another person…actually, NEVER!

We need to start taking Superman’s example seriously, and stay away from our “Kryptonite”. We need to guard our hearts, our eyes, our ears, our, and our bodies, as closely as we do our credit cards. We then need to stay dialed in to God through reading His Word, prayer, AND being quiet, and listening. If we do, we might just decipher what His Will really is!….

We Love Because God Loves Us

RAMBLINGS from Evan King’s dad –  We all react differently. When Evan was little, you always knew when he got upset because he did what we coined the “rolly-polly”. We have theses little bugs that, when confronted, just roll up into a ball. Evan would roll his shoulders and, like the little bugs, visibly react when confronted. Early on,  pointing out to him he was doing the roly-poly would cause him to roll his shoulders even more. Kris and I would sometimes have to bite our lips to keep from laughing at his comical appearance.

As he got older, he learned to minimize the  physical reaction. But when Evan was corrected or confronted about something, the mental reaction still happened. His eyes, his very countenance, gave it away.

One Sunday afternoon Evan had a little attitude about something. I gave him a task and he reacted to it in the wrong way. The improper behavior, and then his reaction to my pointing out that behavior, resulted in him getting quiet on me. I corrected him, discussed his improper reaction and resulting behavior with him, and then went on about the day.

Later that afternoon, we all climbed in the car and headed to church for our evening with the youth ministry. On the way there, we prayed that God would bless our time and help us to love Him more when we left, then we did when we got there, and when we did arrive we had a great evening.

Afterwards, we piled back in the car and did our customary drive to Steak and Shake, one of Evan’s favorites. Our beloved server, Jerome, came up and everyone started ordering. When we got to Evan, he looked at me and asked if he could have anything. I told Jerome “water and a piece of bread for him”. Then I laughed and ordered his typical four sliders with cheese and barbecue sauce, large fries, and a large double fudge shake. Evan gave me this relieved look, a smile came to his face, and he gave me a sincere ‘thanks’.

I can be a little slow sometime, and up to that point, I thought everything was fine between us. I had already forgotten the incident earlier that afternoon. But Evan had not. He was still dealing with the guilt and the hurt. He felt like our relationship was damaged because of his earlier behavior. Of course I had moved on, and still loved my youngest son unconditionally.

When is that knucklehead going to figure out how much I love him?!? A little reprimand is not going to change one iota how I feel about him. I am his dad, and love him every bit as much as I do Connor and Lacy. After all, since his birth we have clothed him, fed him, had a roof over his head, and loved him. Heck, I even paid for him to have braces! 🙂

How often do I do the same thing to God? I do something wrong, I go against what He would like, and then I do the “rolly-polly”. I figure that since I goofed up, He is mad with me. Maybe He doesn’t love me as much. After all, I am NOT perfect.

God is probably thinking “when is that knucklehead going to figure out how much I love him?!? A little reprimand is not going to change one iota how I feel about him. I am his dad, and love him every bit as much as My other kids. After all, since his birth I have clothed him, fed him, had a roof over his head, and loved him. I even blessed him with the money to pay for his kid’s braces!

Like Connor and Lacy, I love Evan unconditionally. The good news is God loves us infinitely more! “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 NIV)

When am I going to consistently remember, and more importantly, live my life in the freedom and grace of understanding how much God loves ME?!?…

We love because He first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:19-21 ESV)

Be Enthusiastic in Your Work

“Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.” ( Romans 12:11 )

RAMBLINGS from Lacy King’s dad – Our church had its VBS (Vacation Bible School) a few weeks ago. Lacy and Connor helped work it, while Kris and I were with Evan up in Illinois for a shooting competition.

It was difficult to be apart with so much going on. Connor was helping in a very visible way teaching the kids Bible, while Lacy was in the praise time helping lead things from up on stage. It was killing Kris not to be able to see her two oldest participate. She plead with her friends to send her pictures, videos, or updates. She got all three.

What we saw, heard, and read, warmed our hearts. Connor and Lacy were giving their all each day at VBS. And then they were doing the same thing again that evening at VBS for a second group of kids. Lacy and Connor told us that they collapsed in bed each night from exhaustion. But they admitted each morning they hopped up out of bed to do it all over again. Why? Because they were doing something they love. And, they were doing it for Someone they love. That enthusiasm was contagious from the updates we read. That enthusiasm was contagious from the pictures we saw.That enthusiasm was contagious from the videos we watched.

They reminded me of the hands of the man who delivered them from their mother’s womb, Dr. Jim. Everything he does is with enthusiasm, from delivering babies, to washing dishes. He held each one of our kids and prayed over them moments after they were born.

His prayers, with enthusiasm, were answered!…

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

God Answers Our Prayers For His Glory

“I thank my God for all of you because your faith is being reported all over the world. I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray now that at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you I’m so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.” (Romans 1:8-15 NIV)

RAMBLINGS from Lacy’s dad – We have always prayed that the kids would be close to each other. We’ve prayed that they would be best friends, seeing that they would likely know each other longer then anyone else they will know during their lives.

When we moved to Cumming, we moved from an active neighborhood with kids, to some property with trees.  The kids were forced to hang out with each other if they wanted a playmate.  They each gravitated to their own interest, but their orbits inevitably brought them back together.

They had their moments where they needed to go to their neutral corners. They had their moments where in arguments someone got hurt, typically their feelings, but sometimes from a pinch or a punch. Yes, there were times where they were around each other too much.

But Kris and I did our best to monitor things, coach things, steer things, in such a way that we were working toward our ultimate goal of them being close. We did have our moments when we doubted. We had those moments where they did NOT like each other.

Most mornings when I got up I prayed for my family. I prayed that God would mold them into the Christians He wanted them to be. That He would use the rest of us to help soften the hard edges and round each one off to be the well rounded adult He wanted them to be.  And I prayed that He would clothe us in His armor.

He has given each of them so many talents. He has also given each of them at least one “thorn” in their side. Some flaw or weakness that keeps them from getting too cocky, and leaning on Him. They are so different, and, they are so similar.

All these years later I look at them interact and realize this journey has molded them into not just siblings, but friends. All these arguments and fights later, down this long and sometimes bumpy road we’ve traveled called life, I realize that God in His infinite mercy, has answered our prayers!….

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.  (Romans 1:8-12)