He Grew

All 4 pounds and 5 ounces came into this world on June 3.  It was 26 years ago.  I held on to my son with everything I had.  He wasn’t much bigger than the palm of my hand.  He is how I learned God gives immeasurably more than I could ever hope or imagine.

And then he grew.

He grew right out of my hand and onto my lap.   The lap that held his sleepy-self, cushioned his hurts, softened some sorrows, and cradled my little snuggler.   It was the lap that rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

And then he grew.

He grew physically for sure. All he wanted was to be taller than his momma and one hairdo taller than his dad.  He always wanted to out us. Out run us at the park, out muscle us in the gym, and one or two times try to outsmart us, and especially at night, always out last us.

And then he grew.

He grew in confidence, in interests, in independence, and even in mistakes.  Here at home he would be present, then at times vanish, but always reappear.  And, by all physical evidence he ate here, changed here, slept here, but then he would disappear.

And then he grew.

He grew in love.  They say when a boy finds a girl, he breaks up with his momma.  This is a boy who wanted to marry me.  Yet, in mere days this baby boy will marry his bride to be.  I could not be happier for this other woman. She is the woman for whom I’ve prayed.  The woman who loves him the way we do, but more than that, loves him the way the Lord does. That’s what I prayed.  A woman who has added to his life wisdom, joy, maturity, experiences, faith and love.  It’s to her that I give my son.

And then he grew.

Ephesians 3:20

Romans 12:10

Sound of Silence

What if the sound of silence is God raising His voice?

My garden seeds have been sowed.

What if God raising His voice are the sprouting seedlings.

My flowers are budding.

What if God raising His voice are the signs of blossoms emerging.

This growing environment is weather dependent.

What if God raising His voice is the cloud formation and precipitation.

There are pesky threats.

What if God raising His voice is pollination and habitats for beneficial insects.

Wild plants will compete with cultivated vegetation.

What if God raising His voice is regeneration of natural life in the soil.

He calls out.

Raises His voice.

Listen.

It’s the sound of silence.

Proverbs 8

Isaiah 41:1

1 Corinthians 1:30

Word of God

This Bible has been by my side for over half my life.

For years, that is literally all it was.

By my side.

I would always keep it near just in case I might read it.  I wanted the visual reminder.  So there it sat on every bedside table I ever had.  I felt guilty reading other books over the years while I was neglecting this important one.  I got hung up thinking I had to start at the beginning every time and read it in the order it was bound. Three to four books in and come weeks maybe months later, I was out!

Then there came a time when I heard of a simple breakthrough.  Sixty-six books are in this Bible and I don’t have to read them in order.  This challenged my strong tendency to follow what seems like a natural defined order.  I mean, I could read the gospel chapters.  I could read the prophet chapters.  I could read from back to front.  This was a developmental discovery that removed my self-imposed restrictive barrier.

This unintentional barrier kept me distant and away from God’s word for years. In its place I found opinions and worldviews of other respected and trusted sources around me that were becoming my own. Without being in the word itself, my belief system was being formed by theirs. This wasn’t right.

It’s the word of the Lord that is right.  It’s the word of the Lord that holds true. God says hear the word of the Lord.  Blessed are they who obey it and put it into practice. It’s not outdated or irrelevant. It’s infallible, inerrant, authoritative, complete, and effective, It endures, lasts, lives on, and remains forever.

The Word of God has its place.

It’s on the inside.

“He was dressed in a robe dipped in blood and He has a name.  Word of God.”

Psalm 33:4

Luke 11:28

Revelation 19:13

First Responders

First responders are in my family.

If they are in yours, too.  I’ve been praying for them.

I wish we could all pray for our city’s responders.  Please pray for mine.

In the last days of Moses, he blessed a tribe of trained warriors and said this about them. “You are loved by the Lord and live in safety beside Him.  He surrounds you continuously and preserves you from every harm.”

I wanted this same blessing for my trained warriors.

Just yesterday, I was unnerved by a plume of black smoke in the distance and knew that someone’s first responder was on the scene.  I definitely knew at least 3 more trucks of them were on the way because each one hurried with sirens informing this as they passed.

I pray to the Lord,  “Surround them continuously and preserve them from every harm.”

Just today, I hear sirens wailing.  Two police cars are in pursuit. I know someone’s first responders are attending to a situation. The speed indicated this as they raced to the scene.

I pray to the Lord,  “Surround them continuously and preserve them from every harm.”

In our heightened state of affairs, the sight of these vehicles and sound of screaming sirens have caused me to pray.  On different occasions when my car pulls up next to one of these trained warriors,  my praying hands go up, too.  I want you to know.

I’m praying to the Lord, “Surround you continuously and preserve you from every harm.”

Every day.

Deuteronomy 33:12