Happy Birthday, Dad!

A tribute to my Dad, one of my favorite people on the planet--

My Dad worked for the same company from the moment he graduated from college until the day he retired. He is LOYAL.


My Dad had no training in such things, but somehow he learned to fix every appliance, vehicle, toy, etc. that the 5 females in his life tried to break or wear out. :-D He is SMART.


My Dad planned a family vacation every single year to give us something special to look forward to and remember (and it worked! I have such special memories of our family vacations!) Sometimes they were very simple and inexpensive when the budget required them to be so, but I never knew the difference, and they were always so much fun! He is DEVOTED to his family.


My Dad always looked for an opportunity to do something out of the ordinary to surprise his 4 adoring daughters. I'll never forget the time he spent hours on a cold, cold night winding a hose all up into a tree so that he could run it that night and have us wake up to a massive ice castle! It was the most amazing thing I think I had ever seen at that point in my life, and it still ranks pretty high! He is FUN!


My Dad worked hard all week long every week. (I honestly don't think he ever took a sick day.) Yet he still somehow always found the time and energy to play with 4 energetic little girls in the evenings and on the weekends. He is the OPPOSITE of LAZY.


My Dad lived simply (and still does) so that he could save up to bless his future generations. He is UNSELFISH.


My Dad never hesitated for one second to immediately jump to the aid of those around him who might find themselves in a bind. I remember passing a car full of teenagers in a ditch on my way home one day (when I was a teenager myself). I didn't know them, but I felt sorry for them, so I told my Dad about it when I got home. He was in the middle of something, but he dropped what he was doing and grabbed a chain so that we could go pull them out. I'll never forget the look on the driver's face when he realized the car was fine and that he wouldn't need to call his own Dad (or the cops) to get help. Relief is an understatement. He emptied his wallet and tried to hand it to my Dad, but Dad just shook his head and said, "Just slow down around this curve next time, ok?" He is HELPFUL.


My Dad once used pantyhose to fix our broken-down vehicle on the way home from a long road trip. It's a long story that earned him the nickname "McGyver." He is RESOURCEFUL.


My Dad often came home to 10+ chattering little girls having a "slumber party" all over his living room floor. I doubt this was the most relaxing thing he could think of after a long week at work, but he never complained, and all of my friends thought he was just wonderful. He is PATIENT.


My Dad enjoyed rewarding us for our achievements, but he first taught us to work hard to earn them. He is PRACTICAL.


My Dad instilled in me my love of NFL football by sitting with me on Sunday afternoons and just hanging out and talking while the games were on. It was hard to find one-on-one time with him with 3 sisters, but somehow this became "my time." He is AWESOME.


My Dad is never more happy than when he is surrounded by his grandchildren, whether it be helping them learn to fish, pushing them on the swing for the millionth time, skimming the pool so it's perfect when they show up to swim, fixing a bike that one of them has abused, spending weeks building up a wood pile for the perfect bon fire, etc., etc., etc. He is LOVING.


My Dad still gets playfully teased by colleagues for the way he conducted himself in the midst of "big oil" world. Apparently, integrity is not mandatory in this business, and yet he was one of the few who actually had it. He is HONEST.


My Dad didn't just speak; he lived what he spoke. Which is good, because I remember his actions much better than I remember his words. ;-) He is a WONDERFUL EXAMPLE to his children and grandchildren.


My Dad took me for a looong walk one evening shortly after I developed a condition called bels palsy. He had a business trip coming up on the day that I was supposed to go have a bunch of tests run, and he wanted me to know that he would cancel it if I was scared and needed him to stay home. (I told him I was ok, and everything turned out fine, but clearly his willingness to stay had a big impact on me since I still remember it over 25 years later. :-D) He is CARING.


My Dad had a retirement party several years ago, and every single person he had ever worked for (who was still alive) showed up to celebrate with him. He is RESPECTED.


My Dad is the first person I call when I need advice on some big life decision like buying a house, car issues, etc. He is WISE.


My Dad raised 4 daughters (and is helping with 10 grandchildren) who love, adore and respect him beyond words. This is not because he demands this of us. It is because he lives in such a way that he has EARNED it!


I love you SO MUCH, Dad!!! I hope today is just perfect, and I CAN'T WAIT to see you at Christmas time!!!

Photo of the Week 10-31-11

Beyond Today

"We like that our gospel gets our sins forgiven and gives us a ticket to heaven, but we're not sure of its functionality in our lives every day."  --Jared Wilson


This is a line that I read yesterday in the manuscript Jared is finishing up for Gospel Deeps. It's very thought-provoking not just for me personally as I think through what that looks like in my own life, but also as I consider how I might explain this to someone else. This is an exercise I'm trying to become much more consistent with. Jared is a pastor, a writer, a brilliant wordsmith. I learn something new from him just about every single day. And often I find myself repeating words almost exactly as they came from his mouth (or pen). This is not necessarily a bad thing, especially if I am repeating his words to someone who might not have heard them directly from him. But the truth is that my mind is much more simple than his. 


I probably should be embarrassed to admit this, but I kept www.dictionary.com open on my laptop all day yesterday as I proofread his manuscript. ;-) There were some pretty expensive words in there! Not enough to be a distraction or keep the book from flowing had I just kept moving and used the context to help me guess at their meanings, but I looked up each one anyway just to make sure my proofreading was effective. 


But I digress. The point I was wandering toward is that maybe there are some whose minds are more similar to mine than Jared's (although for your sakes I hope not ;-), in which case maybe it is helpful for me to share the ways these things I read work themselves out in my mind. Please remember you have been warned repeatedly that I am not as smart as my husband, nor will I ever be able to write like him, so set your expectations low. :-D


Back to the original statement of this post. Just what IS the functionality of the gospel in our every day lives?


I think it's the music. And I don't mean that in some artsy, fartsy, vague way.


The illustration in my mind is a piano. What a gorgeous instrument, right? I'm sure most of us have seen exquisite grand or baby grand pianos with perfectly polished keys, ornately carved legs, and gleaming finish. Whether or not we play, most of us can appreciate the artistry behind the physical instrument. It's strong and bold and beautiful. Not tucked under a bed or in a closet. It's a vivid and significant presence in pretty much any room it occupies. It carries weight and demands to be noticed. If you place a piano in a room which was previously unoccupied by a piano, people will most likely see it, right?


Such is true of the gospel I think. A life previously unaffected by the gospel should certainly look different once the gospel enters that life. But is that it? Does it end there? Am I different today because the gospel entered my life, but starting tomorrow and the next day and the day after that, I will from now on be the same as I am today? I sure hope not. What happens next then?


Ahhhhhhh, the music starts!!! Close your eyes. Can you hear it? Feel it even? Does it make you want to sway a little? Bob your head? Tap your foot? That piano is not just a decoration. It's an instrument. It was not designed to be shoved into a corner and glanced at occasionally. It was designed to fill the air with melody and harmony and sometimes lilting, soul-soothing ballads, other times energetic, toe-tapping ditties. This is the primary reason for its existence. I suppose one could really appreciate the sight of a piano, but isn't the true joy of this instrument in the music it produces? If you know how to play, don't you want to actually touch the keys and feel the smooth of the ivory under your fingertips? If you don't play, don't you long to hear the music? This is the ongoing gift. Music. Every day all day long and for any occasion, this piece of wood and metal and ivory is fully capable of providing music. We have a beautiful old piano in our church. It's as pretty as any I've seen. Sometimes I actually notice it, but many times I walk right by it and don't pay it much attention at all. But when my friend Leslie or my daughter Macy sits down to play, I cannot ignore it. It's the music that really speaks to me.


Oh that we might all learn to "play" our salvation so beautifully! It is the most precious gift we can ever receive on the day we receive it. And it is enough on that day to change us forever. But let's not stop there. Let's begin to play (or at least listen to) the music. The ballads of comfort and peace, the carols of joy, the epic hymns of awe and wonder. Every day all day long. The ivory keys of our salvation were not meant to lie still and untouched, gathering cobwebs. Let's become the brilliant musicians we were meant to be. A little practice each day until our magnificent opus becomes second nature. And wouldn't it be something if others could hear our music too?

The Good List 10-26-10

10. A waaaaaaarm shower on a cold morning.

9. The mini-laptop (issued by her school) that Macy gets to treat as her very own for the next 2 years. She's so proud and SOOOOO excited!

8. We got Captain America in the mail yesterday. Thanks, Netflix, for a fun family movie night later this week! (I haven't seen it yet, but I've heard it's fantastic!)

7. Macy's pumpkin creation:

6. We currently have a candlelit pumpkin on our front steps and Christmas tree lights shining through the nearby window. Yep. This is how we roll. Sometimes ya gotta do whatcha gotta do. ;-)

5. Positive parent/teacher conferences!

4. Bright, beautiful bluejays on naked white trees:

3. Having Gracie hold my hand through an entire corn maze. Made my day. We love to adventure together!

2. Having Macy lead the way through the corn maze (wandering aimlessly at first), but once she decided to look at the map, she brought us right to the exit! Go Mace!

1. Hathaway Farm, established in 1881. 1881, y'all!!! That in itself is awesome. But there's more. A corn maze, fantastic views, adorable animals, horseshoes, tetherball, a huge pumpkin patch, hay rides. Do I have to keep going? Y'all are with me, right? :-D I love this place!

Photo of the Week 10-24-11

For Us

I read this this morning, and it is too good not to share.


Andrew Murray writes:

Thus dear did God hold the world. How dear? That He gave His only-begotten Son for every one in the world who will trust in Him. And how did He give? He gave Him, in His birth as man, in order to be forever one with us. He gave Him, in His death on the cross as Surety, in order to take our sin and curse upon Himself. He gave Him, on the throne of heaven, in order to arrange for our welfare, as our Representative and Intercessor over all the powers of heaven. He gave Him in the outpouring of the Spirit, in order to dwell in us, to be entirely and altogether our own. . . Yes; that is the love of God, that He gave His Son to us, for us, in us.

Nothing less than His Son Himself. This is the love of God; not that He gives us something, but that He gives us some one--a living person--not one or another blessing, but Him in whom is all life and blessing--Jesus Himself.

"to be entirely and altogether our own. . ."  Just wow. 

The Good List 10-19-11

10. Steam cleaning. It's therapeutic (and very effective)!
9. THIS!

I haven't seen this stuff in years. I kinda think it might just be a Halloween time promotion, so Jared couldn't pass it up when he saw it in the grocery store.

8. My sister's new juicer, which has allowed me to enjoy fresh carrot-apple juice all week. (I promise it's way better than it sounds and sooooo good for you!) Also-- it's a lovely fall color. :-D

7. When the leaves are gone, it's much easier to see the birds and squirrels playing in the naked trees. (I do love me some fall leaves, but this helps me not miss them *quite* so much.)

6. The smell of the blankets that we pull out of the cedar chest when it gets cold at night.

5. The History of Middletown, Vermont that I finished reading last weekend. Fascinating stuff.

4. The absence of physical pain, which I take for granted pretty much every single day. But this week so many of my friends were suffering from various physical pains that I was so much more aware of my health and comfort. I'm so grateful, but not nearly as grateful as I should be.

3. Macy and Grace get a long weekend this weekend!

2. Nana and Papa are on their way to Vermont!

1. Finally getting to see Jared hold this in his hands. It's been in his heart for a long time, but we were ready to see it in person. (Cue "it's like having a baby" references. ;-) So proud of him!