Jesus is Ridiculous

So last weekend I got to relive some of my Roll Tide days and spend a few nights in Alabama.

OK, not really.  I don't believe I ever once said Roll Tide unless the Cats had already been eliminated from any possible run at a title and Alabama was the only other team left standing.

I digress.

Anyway, I was down there for a yearly homeschooling moms' retreat that our church sponsors.  Some incredible ladies plan for more than half a year to come in and encourage and speak a little truth into our lives. 

And that is just what happened.  And I was able to walk away having worshiped and grown and learned. 

I could go on and on about some of the conversations the Lord and I had.  But I don't like to gossip.  ;)

I will say though that one major thing we talked about was my participation with the Yahoos.  Notice that I did not say my time with the Yahoos.  Because we all know that I spend plenty of time with them.  But being with them is not the same thing as being engaged with them.  And I was not being engaged.  I have become lazy in my investment in my kids life.  I was feeling justified in my feeding and clothing and band-aid applications of them.  But honestly I was letting the eternal things slack. 

I get tired of being intentional.  It requires so much prayer and thought and energy.  And I'm lazy.  And thinking has never been high on my list of things I like to do during my free time.  So I found myself going through the motions.  Forgoing the permanent at the altar of the immediate.

But as in typical Savior fashion he gently reminded me that I'm an idiot without Him.  And that I can never do anything of significance apart from Him.  And if I want this whole 'train your child up in the admonishion of the Lord' thing to work that I am going to have to be completely, wholeheartedly devoted to the things of Him.   And to do it in His strength.  Not mine.  And to do it in His wisdom.  Not mine.

So I am thankful for his mercies made new each morning and second and fourteenth and one millionth chances to try again.  And this week has been nothing short of miraculous.

Because I have gotten to have conversations with two Yahoos about saving their hearts for the ones they marry.  And we sat in the van for 10 minutes after we pulled in from church one night and we all shared our greatest fears and what Scripture says we should do with our fears.  And then I got to talk with Ninja about how to witness to a neighbor boy that he has been building a relationship with.  And I also got to talk to him about temptation and how we handle those areas of weaknesses. 

Holy Buckets of Glory.  All that and I've only been home since Saturday.

And I'm telling you that none of those things are me or my Yahoos.   It is only Jesus and his ridiculously relentless love and working in our lives. 

And Jesus is ridiculous isn't he?

ri·dic·u·lous

[ ri díkyələss

 

unreasonable: completely unreasonable and not at all sensible or acceptable

His constant love is completely unreasonable.  His faithfulness to me is senseless.  I don't deserve such love.   But He does.  He does keep loving.  And that overwhelms me.  And the more I experience Him the more overwhelmed I am.

So I'll leave you with this incredibly powerful song we sang this weekend.  Go ahead, sit back.  Be overwhelmed.

The Big Finish

Though not technically done, as in most things in life I am going to go ahead and jump the gun and say.....

It Is Finished!!!


Yesterday I said goodbye to my plywood countertops we had been using since Christmas and finally installed our new ones.

And besides a few minor tweeks we are up and running.

And I am glad.  And thankful.

Tell me what you think.



Before




After


 




Before




 



After

And I'm curious.  What's the first thing you notice in these shots? 

 

A few years ago I might have said the new countertops or the wall color or definitely the floor.  The glorious non-white tile floor. 

 

But not now.

 

Now the first thing I see is love.

 

I see love slathered all over the place. 

 

On the walls that have 5 different colors of paint underneath because I couldn't find the one I liked. 

 

On the countertops that were more expensive but the kind I wanted so he said 'Whatever you want, Baby.' 

And on those floors.  Those back breaking, bloody knuckled, up all night floors.

I tell you I don't deserve this diligent, selfless, determined, sacrificial man.  And he doesn't deserve the nagging, fickle, moody, ditzy wife that he has.  But we are sure made for each other.  And I'm glad when we get to the end of our days and look back over our life we will be able to see love slathered all over it.

 



 

There Was Once A Girl Who Was An Idiot

There once was a girl who was an idiot.

And she raised 4 incredible kids and was married to the greatest man living.

And they tolerated her idiotness because:

1.  They had to.  And

2.  She kept feeding them to keep them quiet.

And some days this girl could be nice enough and might even smile at them, but a lot of days she just looked all stern and cold and kept barking out orders.

And she showed her true idiot self by missing all these great opportunties to hug and cuddle and work puzzles and play charades by choosing to paint furniture and clean windows and Facebook. 

And then one day God said to her:

You might want to stop telling all these great stories about your Yahoos on Facebook and instead get off Facebook and start spending time with them.

and He also said:

You might want to stop cleaning the house and instead create a home.

Every day He would say that to the idiot girl.  And that girl, she would sometimes blog about what He said or tell her husband or preach to her Yahoos about how they should do what He said.  And if she was feeling really fancy she might even look up a Bible verse about what He said.

But then one day, still in her idiotness, that same Patient, Loving, Jealous God grabbed her by the nap of her neck and said:

I love you.  Let me show you a better way.

 

 

And He helped that poor pitiful girl see the depths of His love for her.  And that her old way of doing things would never get her what her heart was really looking for.  And that a mother's love can change the course of a child's life.  And that a kind word aptly spoken can soften a husband's heart. 

So that girl laid down herself for some spiritual surgery.  And her Maker started reconstructing her heart.

The surgery.  It is ongoing.  It is often painful and bloody and ugly to watch.

And that girl.  She is still mainly an idiot.  But she is learning to study the One who can change her. 

And together they will live happily ever after.

 

 



God Made A Farmer

One November day God made a farmer.

He grew up corn and tobacco and four strong children.

He loved the land and his beautiful bride.

He took care of the cattle and the cooking and the grandchildren.

He did the hard things and did them well. 

All his 85 years.

Then one February day God took the farmer Home.

And the corn and children and the land and the bride and the cattle and the family all died a small death.

But somehow we kept growing. Slow and painful at times.  But still growing.

Today, we remember our farmer.  Gone from us for two years now.

We remember him in the stories we tell and retell about him.  We remember him when we see a school bus or the color John Deere green.  We remember him when we see other men of courage living their lives of integrity and true grit.

We keep remembering.  And up from the comfort of those memories springs a hope of better days.  More beautiful things that lie ahead.  More stories to be told and more men of courage living out their lives.

Ninja Turns 10

This is Ninja.

And today he turns 10.

10, I say.  I can hardly get my fingers to type that.


Because the day he entered this world is still so fresh and near. It was the day I changed forever.


10 is all little boy and grown up man rolled into one.

He fences with his father and plays Daniel Boone with his brothers.

He reads grown up books like Narnia and The Hobbit and still loves being tucked in at night.

The two great loves of his life are his father and books.  In that order.

And he hates being made fun of and long division.  In that order.

This man child has grown up so much this year. 

He learned how to diagram a sentence and the date of the French and Indian War.  He learned how to hit off a pitching machine and train a dog to sit.

But he's learning other things too.  He's learning to recognize the sin that plagues us all and how to ask for forgiveness and how to create peace.  He is learning self control and selfless love. 

And he is just like who I used to be.  Because he is a worrier.  Underneath that tough exterior is a kid that is concerned about what he looks like to the world around him.  He struggles to be his own self.  And that was me. All about image.  Until that wet Alabama day in February when God did a work on my heart all through the birth of a boy.

Because through this child God changed who I was.  He showed me how desperate I was for Him.  He showed me that my worth isn't wrapped up in what others think of me.  Only in what He thinks of me.  He taught me that even though I don't have all the answers, He does.  And thankfully I don't have it all figured out.  I just have to know the One who does.

And now I have the privilege of passing down these lessons learned to this changing, growing, maturing, understanding young man.  And it is a beautiful thing.

So, Ninja, happy happy birthday.  I wouldn't want anyone else but you as my firstborn.  I am so excited to watch as you continue to grow and mature into a fine young man just like your daddy.  I am praying for you this year, every year.  Praying that the lessons you learn will not always be learned the hard way.  Praying that you continue to trust your Father for all things.  Praying that you continue to smile that beautiful smile and maintain the full throttle, no holds barred passion for life that you possess today.  I Love You!