Blessing Bags

Tonight our friends, Lauren, Mac and Graham Loper came over and we made blessing bags to share with people who might need them.  Lauren shared this idea with me and we each gathered toiletries and snack items to fill a Ziploc bag.  The plan is to keep these bags in our cars, so that we can share them with someone in need.  Our 5 kids decorated cards that read “Our family hopes these item will be of help and remind you that you are loved” and then they filled the bags.  The bags are by no means perfect.  Some have 2 bottles of water; others are missing deodorant or chapstick, but one thing for sure, each bag is filled with love. 

Jesus said, “When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat and when I was thirsty you gave me something to drink” (Matthew 25).  I pray that my girls encounter Jesus when we reach out in love to our neighbors in need.  These blessings bags will not solve the issue of homelessness and they will not offer anything long term, and yet they can help transform our hearts to be more loving and generous. 

Snow Days

Some little girls trouble falling asleep last night.  The snow had started falling and the anticipation of how much would cover the ground and all the grand plans of sledding, building snow people, watching movies, and having a fun and lazy snow day made it difficult for Ella and Mattie to fall asleep.  “If we wake-up at night, can we look out the window?  Can we go outside as soon as we get up?  How much is it going to snow?”  I, too, was filled with excitement and anticipation.  When I woke-up at 2, I peeked out the window.  And I was ready to get moving this morning (we were outside before 8). 

There is something mysterious about going to bed and waking-up to a winter wonderland.  The blanket of white is a complete transformation to the outdoor world.  Though this snow was not as deep as we had hoped, it was just as transformative and beautiful! 

God daily promises to transform our hearts and our lives and change us into something more beautiful.  The season of Lent affords us the opportunity to intentionally reflect on the things that separate us from God and prevent us from fruitful living.  Perhaps we should approach God’s promise with as much excitement and anticipation as we do the promise of snow. 

“In Christ, we are a new creation.  Everything old has passed away and been made new.” 

                                                                                                                                    2 Corinthians 5:17

Words are Important

I remember learning the rhyme, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”  I believe that is not true.  Words do matter.  They are powerful and communicate a long lasting message to those who hear them. 

My morning devotion was from Jan Richardson who shared a description of a man suffering from a brain tumor that affected his speech.  This man was able to randomly articulate words and Jan reflected that perhaps these words “Blessing, blest, grace, friends, church, my voice, your voice” were words that he regularly used in life and thus provided a definition of his life.  She then said,  

 

“I find myself wondering: if I were able to speak only the words that I had used most often in my life, which ones would come to the surface? Which words would I remember best? Or perhaps the question is, which words would remember me best, finding their way to me because I loved them and used them so frequently?” 

 

The devotion has challenged me to think of the words I commonly use and what they might convey about me.  I would hope these would be words like “love, grace, inclusion, promise, hope, and life.”  And yet, I fear, that to my family the words, “no, stop, be nice, don’t, not now, come here, and hurry up” are some of the words frequently heard.  These are totally opposite sets of words.  One set of these words opens opportunity and creates space; while the other closes and shut downs.

I think of the words the church uses.  My own denomination has a slogan, “open hearts, open minds, open doors.”  And yet some hear, “no, we’ve never done it that way,” “stop running in the sanctuary,” “don’t show-up dressed like that,” “you’re not welcome come here.”  Again, two opposite sets of words spoken by the church.

I realize I must continue to  correct my children, and yet I can find ways for my words to reflect my heart.  And my heart deeply cries out, “love, grace, inclusion, promise, hope, and life.”  I hope these are the words that find their way out of my mouth.       

Juggling Life

Coach Proffitt taught us how to juggle in PE class using red, green, and yellow handkerchiefs.  I remember asking for a set one year for Christmas, so that I could improve my technique.  I never really advanced beyond the handkerchief stage, but I did learn that it takes skill to juggle. 

Life puts my skill and ability to test as I daily juggle work, drop-off, pick-up, after school activities, Kevin’s work, church, and life.  Many days it feels like everything is up in the air and I don’t have a tight hold on any one role or task to which I am called.  Today it feels like everything is piled-up in a big mess on the floor.  We woke-up to a surprise snow this morning resulting in a school delay and later closure.  Tuesday, February 24 was full on my calendar.  Meetings and phone calls were lined-up at 10, Noon, 1:30 and 4:00.  Kevin’s calendar was similar and just when we worked out a compromise his morning meeting was postponed to the afternoon.  My pile kept rearranging. 

So, here I sit in my living room at my house where I have made some calls, done some work, and am now typing my blog.  And yet, I have also snuggled with my 3 girls, sang songs and read to Kate, made “the best grilled cheese” for the girl’s lunch, and taken the chance to soak in some extra moments with my girls. 

And I have to remember that most days my juggling is manageable, but not solely because of my skill or technique, but because I don’t juggle alone.  I have a wonderful support system that helps to take hold on one piece, so that I can tend to another.  A husband that cooks dinner and does bedtime, so I can chair a PTO meeting, a wonderful babysitter that picks my kids up, does homework, empties my dishwasher and gladly receives strange requests via text from me, and a mom who for over 7 years has come to our house most every week to help out a day or two or more.  In addition to Kevin, Caitlin, and mom, we have a lot of others who willingly jump into the mix and keep the juggling from crashing to the ground.  In this Lenten season, I am grateful to be part of the Body of Christ where no one ever juggles alone.



Angels? Guiding Others with the Light of Love

I have always been interested in angels.  I have collection of willow tree angels, dreamsicle cherubs, angel ornaments, and other angel figurines.  I am a 2000 graduate of Meredith College home of the avenging angels.  One of my favorite childhood pictures is of me dressed as angel for the children’s Christmas play at church. 

A literal translation of the Greek word for angel is “messenger.”  Throughout scripture we find angels coming as messengers to deliver news.  Perhaps most familiar are the angels in the Christmas story.  These angels come with a message announcing the coming of the Christ Child.  In Genesis 18, Abraham encounters 3 strangers and offers them food and rest, and we are also told in Hebrews 13:2 to show hospitality to strangers because sometimes the stranger is an angel in disguise.  The Psalmist writes that God will command angels concerning you to guard you and go with you (Psalm 91:11).  When Jesus entered the wilderness for 40 days we read that angels cared for him (Mark 1:13).  It seems clear that God uses angels to interact with humanity in order to reveal God’s message of love, comfort, hope, and compassion. 

In High School I enjoyed the Alabama hit song, “Angels Among Us.”  The chorus says,
               

Oh, I believe there are Angels Among Us,

Sent down to us from somewhere up above.

They come to you and me in our darkest hours

To show us how to live

Teach us how to give

To guide us with a light of love.

This songs seems consistent with the biblical description of messengers that God sends to convey God’s message of love, comfort, hope, and compassion.    So, this gets me to wondering, when have I encountered an angel?  Or perhaps when have I been privileged to be used by God to carry God’s message to someone else?

I think of the precious lady who mopped my hospital room late one night.  I was in one of the dark places of life because of the uncertainty surrounding Ella and Mattie’s premature birth.  She came in my room and saw the picture of their tiny frail bodies lying on my bedside table, and she said, “Honey, they are beautiful.  God’s gonna take of them, now don’t you worry.”  As soon as she had said it, she was gone.  I needed that message.  I needed to remember that God was with me and that God was with Ella and Mattie.  An angelic encounter.  This lady did not come clothed in white and with wings and a halo, but as a human being carrying a divine message.

As I continue my Lenten journey, I am going to be looking for the angels among us and I am going to trust that God will use me to guide others with the light of love. 

 

Dads and Daughters

I have anxiously been waiting for Kevin and the twins to get home.  They went to the Daddy/Daughter Dance at church tonight.  Ella and Mattie got new dresses and black paten shoes with heels (all from the clearance rack).  We fixed their hair and painted their nails.  We found fancy purses and shawls in my closet.  They were so excited!   I remember a similar date with my dad.  My sophomore year at Meredith, we had a Father/Daughter dance.  It was such a fun evening dancing the night away with my dad.

Dad and daughters share a special relationship.  I have always admired my dad and he has always made me feel like his special princess.  While in seminary I had some car trouble.  My dad drove all the way from Cullowhee to Durham after work to check on me and trade cars.  He drove the 5 hour drive back that night.  I remember thinking then, “my daddy sure loves me a lot.”  I also know that as much as my dad loves me, that God’s love for me is even greater. 

My Lenten devotions this year are coming from Jan Richardson who is a author and artist and ordained United Methodist clergy person.  She began the reflections reminding readers that we are BELOVED.  Our beloved-ness is because God has chosen us as God's children.  We are created in God's image and loved beyond imagination.  I am grateful that my dad gave me a glimpse of God’s love, and I am so thankful that Ella and Mattie (and Kate) experience God’s love through the gift of their daddy. 

Weird People

Yes, we are weird!

On our way home from the Ash Wednesday service, the girls asked to get a milkshake.  As we are waiting in the drive through one says to me, “I bet they think we are weird because we have ashes on our heads.”  Well, girls, we are weird!  The sign on our forward reminds us that we choose to live life God’s way.  We love the unlovable.  We pray for those who hurt us and are mean to us.  We practice peace and speak out against injustice.  We spend time feeding the hungry and visiting the prisoner.  We worship on Wednesday night and put ashes from the previous Palm Sunday on our heads.  We remind ourselves that our lives are temporary.  And we rejoice in death.  To the world these are weird practices.

Our identity is found in the reminder that we belong to God.  In a world, that puts so much emphasis on appearance, power, and prestige, we can find comfort from knowing that God loves us no matter what.  There is nothing we can do to earn God’s love and nothing we can do to have it taken away.  God’s love is unconditional and comes with no strings attached.  To the world, that is pretty weird, too.

Lent invites us to recommit ourselves to this weird way of being.  Today my forehead is clean.  I hope my actions will convey the weirdness of God’s love.   

Repent and Return

Most toddlers are fascinated with potties.  I watched Mattie walk towards the potty one day carrying a plastic ball in each hand and shaking her head “no, no” as she walked faster and faster towards the bathroom.  She stopped, looked in the potty, looked at me, screamed “no, no” and slam dunk both balls landed in the potty!

Our hearts often say, “no, no,” but our actions are reflective of something else.  Over and over again, we make the wrong choice and we say or do the wrong thing.  In moments of frustration, I yell at my kids instead of taking a deep breath.  When I am in a hurry, I neglect quality time with God in order to get my to-do list completed.  When I am tired, I am irritable with those around me.  I need days like Ash Wednesday to remind me of my sinful nature and my need for God’s grace.  To remind me that I fall short and that I am not always loving.  I need to remember that I do not have it all together.  I need to acknowledge that I am broken.  I need to hear the words: repent and return to remind me that God desires for restoration, reconciliation, and renewal. 


Lent is a journey inward offering us a chance to remove the obstacles that keep us from fully living into a deep relationship with God.  These 40 days remind us of the second chance we have been offered because of God’s great love.  Many of us will receive ashes on our foreheads today to remind us that apart from God we are nothing but dust.  At the end of our Lenten journey, toddlers will continue to be fascinated with potties and all will continue to sin and fall short from the glory of God, but we can emerge changed and recommitted to faithfulness. 

 

Psalm 51: 1-12

Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
    blot out my transgressions.
² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
⁴ Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
    and blameless when you pass judgment.
⁵ Indeed, I was born guilty,
    a sinner when my mother conceived me.

⁶ You desire truth in the inward being;^[a]
    therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
⁷ Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins,
    and blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and put a new and right^[b] spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me away from your presence,
    and do not take your holy spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and sustain in me a willing^[c] spirit.