Book of Love

Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
                                                                                                         Psalm 115:1

My grandpa Haines was a great man. By that, I don't mean he was a man of stature, or that he held a position of national importance. He was a great man because he loved his people. He loved his parents and helped care for them in their old age, and he loved his children and grandchildren. He died several years ago. As the Old Testament would say - he is resting with his ancestors.

Recently, my mom gave me some family papers she'd been saving. I, like my ancestors before me, am a archiver. We collect family letters, histories and stories. In the box of papers was a letter written to me by my grandfather in 1984, when I was 16-years old. It starts out like this...

"Dear Erika:

     Some day I'm going to die. (Do I have your attention?) No, don't get excited; I don't mean this year or in 5 years or anything. But some time. So what else is new? Everybody dies sooner or later.
     And what does this have to do with you right now? It's just that every so often I think about dying, and then there is this: Because I love you very much for being my granddaughter and for being the very fine person you are, I want to leave you with something. There's no way of telling what can be left in the way of money, whether a fair amount or a mere pittance. And anyway, money is a thing that's here today and gone tomorrow. Personal possessions? Perhaps some day you might like some little thing as a keepsake, but other than something to glance at on rare occasions it would have little value."

He goes on to say that he wanted to leave me something that lasts. For him, that meant words of advice and wisdom. The letter is three pages long and is very dear to me. My grandfather was a wise man. For most of my life, I thought he was just my nice old grandpa, but now, I can now see, how much he really loved me.

It's the same way with the Bible. For many people, it's just an ancient book filled with outdated, irrelevant words.
                         
                                                                    But it's so much more.

                                   The Bible is God's book of love for us.

In His kindness and faithfulness, He's handed down all the world's wisdom, history and stories. In Jesus, He's given us much more. He's given us his spirit that dwells in our hearts so that we'll have him for eternity.

Do you see God's word as a stale, leftover remnant of antiquity or a living testimony of his mercy and faithfulness?

Tomorrow, I'll post about some ways to make reading this book of love easier, but in the meantime, I'll leave you with this advice from Grandpa Haines.

"As you go through life, have a good time doing it. Wherever you see a chance for clean, honest fun, go after it. Another popular way of saying it is this: As you pass by, don't forget to smell the roses."

Chasing Dreams

Right now I'm at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writer's Conference (brmcwc) in North Carolina. This is going to be a short post because I am exhausted. Lately, something odd has been happening to me. I'll be doing some chores around the house and all of a sudden, voices, scenes and dialog will start playing in my head. It's been disturbing, and yet, I feel like I'm supposed to do something with it.

All my life I've dreamed of writing stories for children and I think this may be the beginning of that dream being fulfilled.

Today, during a workshop with author Ann Tatlock, she explained how she outlines stories and said, "I hope your characters are speaking to you."

Oh thank God, I thought I was going crazy!

Then later, I had an appointment with Steven James, a novelist and world class storyteller. I pretty much flat out asked him if it was "normal" to hear characters talking in your head, and he told me that no one's really normal. We talked a bit more, and he said, "This is what you're going to do for the rest of your life."

Then he explained that it's a gift, and God is the giver of all good things. Somehow that was very freeing for me. So, I'm giving myself permission to tune into the voices and let them have their way.

     Only God knows where it'll take me.

God has given each of you a spiritual gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.  1 Peter 4:9-11

The gift of words

Years ago, my kids attended a Montessori school that had a gentle and loving environment. Each month they held a small celebration for all the children having birthdays. Parents were invited to visit, bring food to share, and we all had an opportunity to present the gift of words to the birthday children.

One child at a time would sit in the middle of a circle, surrounded by parents and peers, and anyone who felt led, would say kind words.

I'll never forget my daughter's five-year old celebration because her teacher, Kathy, gave me a gift of words. I can't remember what the kids said, but she said, "Dania has a quiet integrity." I'd been worried about Dania. She was shy, behind in reading and apprehensive about trying new things, but Kathy's words encouraged me that day. She made me feel like everything was going to be okay.

I'm convinced mothering is one of the most challenging tasks on Earth. It's hard to maintain balance and a healthy perspective when trials and trouble threaten to tear down all the good things you've built into your kids. But lately, I've noticed something. As I begin to question my mothering ability, and try to squash the feelings of failure that frequently arise, I'm being encouraged.

It happened a few weeks ago on the beach. A person I barely know came up to me and said, "I just wanted to say that I admire how tight you and Sam are. It reminds me of me and my mom. I saw you walking home together from school the other day and I bet you walked all the way there and back. You're a good mom." I was delighted by this man's compliment because the relationship he has with his mom is something I've noticed and admired.

Then, the other day when I went to write down the weekly chores on the white board in my kitchen, I saw this note from Kennedi, a teenager who hangs out with Dania.

Yesterday, as I was driving Dania's friend Britt, home, she said, "Britt told me she wants to be just like you."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"She said, 'I want to have exactly what your mom has. I want to get married, have a nice home and be a stay at home mom and raise my kids.'" This young woman is 18-years old and when I came back, I noticed something else had been added to my white board.

I now know the encouragement isn't just coming from people, it's coming from God. Look at what this passage of scripture says:

"But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus."   2 Corinthians 7:6

Is God encouraging you in a way you may not have realized? Has he sent someone to be a comfort to you in a time of need? Keep your eyes and ears open this week and you just may get a gift of words sent directly from heaven.

Dear God, thank you for caring about our deepest struggles and for meeting our every need. Help us encourage each other and thank you for never leaving or forsaking us in our troubles. Amen.

Love Gifts

Every Friday night, my son hangs out with his buddies at a local gymnastics studio for kid's night out. A couple of weeks ago when I picked him up, he had a weird look on his face. One of those, "I'm trying not to smile" faces that doesn't quite work.

 When we were walking out, he looked around carefully to make sure no one was listening and said, "Mom, I'm pretty sure I have a girlfriend." This was news to me because he's nine years old and not allowed to date. Not that he knows that because I never thought I'd have to explain that to a nine year old. Anyway, just for fun I played  along.

"Oh yeah? You think you have a girlfriend? Not sure?"

"I mean, yes I do. She said, "yes."

"She said, "yes" to what?"

"She said, yes we're dating."

"You asked her out on a date?"

He rolled his eyes. "No mom! No one asks. Her friend asked."

"Her friend asked if you wanted to date her?"

He rolled his eyes again.

"Yes. That's how it works."

"Oh. Does she go to school with you?"

"No. I've never met her. I don't know what school she goes to."

"You don't? Well, how do you know her? What's her last name?"

"I don't know. We didn't actually talk. All I know is I have to come back next Friday night to see her again. And I have to bring her a present."

"What?! You don't need to bring her a present!"

"Yes, I do. It's our one week anniversary. I need to get her something special."

At that point, I must admit to being impressed. I've no idea how a girl could be so powerful, but I couldn't convince him that he didn't need to get her a gift. He wanted to buy her a piece of jewelry, but thankfully he listened to reason and we discussed something inexpensive... just in case he was somehow mistaken.

The next day we took a walk on the beach and he found a shell with a hole so he could make a necklace. He didn't think it was special enough, so when we got home he painstakingly colored it. Then he selected a ribbon. That wasn't special enough, so he found a fancy box (swiped actually from his sister's room) and packaged it nicely.

Then he hid it under the couch and made me promise that I wouldn't tell his dad. I didn't because I love to be the keeper of sweet secrets:)

When Friday rolled around, he collected the box and we discussed how he'd react if she rejected his gift. "No biggie," He assured me. I admit, even though it was just a shell, I prayed she wouldn't crush his spirit. He walked nervously into the studio with his hand on his bulging pocket and a shine in his eyes.

When I picked him up, he didn't even give me a hint about what happened, so I finally asked.

"So, did she like it?"

"Oh yeah, she loved it. She put it on right away."

"Really? She wasn't upset that it was just a shell? What did she say when you gave it to her?"

"She said, 'It's the passion that counts!'"

I am in big trouble.

"We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19