Archive for the ‘God’ Tag
July 17…a reminder from Ecclesiastes
The author of Ecclesiastes in the bible tells us:
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance…
Well July 17 was like that in our home.
At 9:00 am we took our faithful family dog to the vet for s checkup and a bath.
We heard she was suffering from cancer and should be humanely put to sleep.
At 1:00 pm five of us said our goodbyes to our pet of 12 years.
At 4 we decided we needed a new puppy to turn our mourning into dancing.
At 6 pm Zoie came into our lives.
Zooey was scheduled to be put to death because she was an orphan and there are too many unwanted puppies in the world.
Being in the business of rescuing people we may as well add puppies to that list.
What a emotional roller coaster ride or maybe it was more like finding hope in the midst of calamity.
The truth about Twelve
Filed under: God, Reflection | Tags: God, Children, Grace, Hope, Be the change
Leave a Comment Twelve is nine weeks now and a joy to all of our lives.
She will undergo open heart surgery in just 28 days.
I spend a lot of time just rocking her.
Six asked me if I ever got bored doing that.
Sounding a lot like Seven I said, “what…showing her God’s love?”
Maybe Seven is rubbing off.
At another time in my life I probably would not have had the time to spare for her…too many meaningless meetings to attend and so-called important memos to write.
But the truth is three other families considered taking her into their home and then turned her down.
Too much work?
Too much risk?
A ship is safe in harbor – but that’s not what ships are for.
God is in the business of saving lives.
We are in the business of helping God save lives.
But here’s the question…arr we saving Twelve…or is she saving us?
From selfishness?
From not caring?
From a wonderful to show the world the love God has shown us?
To be that conduit of God’s love?
Yes…yes…yes…
Seeing change in me
I’m not the same person I used to be.
Multiple personalities?
Not exactly…changed…for the better.
My priorities have been rearranged…maybe …or maybe I just have new priorities.
I was up late getting Twelve to sleep for the night.
Once that would have upset me because I needed to be on top of my game in the morning…for what?
For pointless meetings and emails that lead to what?
Twelve slept all night…good for her…good for us!
That’s a change in priorities.
I think…if I can sum it up…the biggest change is that all that I do is not just about me…and I’m good with that.
It sounds strange to say it out loud…but you can feel fulfilled…significant…even when it isn’t all about you.
No…you can feel better.
I sense God in this.
“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight…” (I Corinthians 3:19)
I’m finally getting it.
When a baby spits-up on me today, my heart goes out to the baby…not for me. After all…its just a t-shirt…I can change.
I like me better this way.
“Therefore, whoever is in Christ is a new creation…the old has gone…the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Amen for the new!
Better by the dozen
Filed under: God, Reflection | Tags: God, Children, Big Family, Blessings, audacious
Leave a Comment Our new Twelve is coming!
I met her today.
Twelve is just five weeks new…a sweet little girl…with Down’s Syndrome and a heart problem.
The heart problem can be fixed just as soon as she reaches the ten pound mark.
Or as Eleven put it, “we’re going to open her heart and pour in love so she she can get better!”
Pretty accurate.
You never remember how small and helpless they are…but I’m going to have the opportunity to live through every day, Lord willing, for this starfish.
Like I often say, God has given me a wonderful gift…the chance to re-live the best days of life here on the planet again and again.
Like the movie Groundhog Day but starting from good and getting better.
She is an amazing gift…she makes us rich beyond our wildest dreams.
Life is good…God is good…God is audacious!
I’m very thankful.
A reminder of the fragility of life
Filed under: Reflection, Uncategorized | Tags: Blessings, Children, God, Grace
Leave a Comment So we were in Lincoln Park scoping out Four’s possible new digs for next year.
Seven called from the back of the car…”Ten doesn’t look so good!”
Yikes – she was having a siezure!
We had only seen this once before…about three years prior…and that was scary!
I still have the image burned into my brain of a small three-year-old on a gurney in the ER with 14 doctors and nurses anxiously hovering over her.
Three days later she was ready to go home but we knew she would forever be prone to seizures.
Three years is a long time…time to be lulled into forgetting about bad stuff.
But just when you think everything is going smoothly…when you are half way through your TO Do list…the unexpected pops up.
This was a reminder of the fragility of life.
Not something that could be hugged away like a oowieee or a loose tooth.
She needed professional medical attention and fast!
But we were in traffic in the middle of nowhere.
Not exactly the middle of nowhere…that DMZ between downtown Chicago and the ‘burbs.
What kind of hospitals do they have around here?
Then Four sprang into action.
She jumped into the back seat and began talking softly to Ten while relaying her condition to me.
I pulled a fast U-Turn and floored it for Children’s Memorial.
Four kept Ten awake and her brain focused.
The longest 12 minutes of my life!
In the ER she came to life the minute they stuck her with an IV. Thanks God!
Two hours later we were on the way to McDonald’s to get her favorite meal.
Thinking about the days events as a dozed off, it occurred to me that we saved her life today. We know God saved her life but we get credit for an assist.
What a reminder of the fragility of life and the role we can play in each other’s lives.
We’re watching each other very closely and carefully right now but I’m sure we’ll start taking each other and life for granted in a few…
But I hope we don’t!
Paying in forward
Filed under: God, Uncategorized | Tags: Big Family, Blessings, God, Thanksgiving
Leave a Comment It was a movie in 2000.
It is a great concept…instead of paying someone back for a good deed…pay it forward and help someone out in the future.
I’m seeing it in action in our home.
Children we have, with God’s help, rescued are rescuing Pete.
Pete?
Pete is the code name for the new little guy Mom brought home a week or so ago.
Pete has a lot of issues…maybe some of them can be fixed with a lot of love and attention.
And we have the gang that can supply the remedy.
He was an only child.
No any more.
When one of us get’s tired of playing with him, another steps up to the plate.
It worked for many of them…us.
It helped Lucy have seven times more life than the doctors predicted.
I’m praying…we’re praying it can work for Pete.
Here’s a quite from the movie, “Do me a favor…save my life!” (Jerry)
We’re trying Pete.
Bringing work home
Filed under: God, Reflection | Tags: Be the change, Blessings, Boot Camp for the Real World, Children, God, Hope, Thanksgiving
Leave a Comment She’s at it again…bringing her work home.
I’m talking about Mom and the child she brought home from work yesterday.
A child in need with lots of issues.
A boy.
Is he #12?
Didn’t we retire that number?
Is he 13?
Do we assign a jersey if we’re not sure how long he is staying?
Do we call him #71 for the number who have passed through our family…sounds like food going through the digestive process…not a bad analysis…we need to process…digest the newcomer.
Here’s what blows me down, Popeye…he has some serious issues…not to mention 12 toes and 12 fingers…or that he barfs every time he eats…we are not phased by this.
I think we are amazing…I’m so proud of my family…Lucy taught us to have compassion for those less fortunate…the least of our brothers and sisters.
Our children have love to spare for those that are otherwise unlovable.
Well blow me down!
God has given them…given us the gift of compassion…a priceless gift…we REALLY are being conformed to the character of Christ!
How can you say this without sounding proud?
I don’t want to…I’m mostly surprised…I feel like the caterpillar that all of a sudden notices he’s grown wings.
What am I trying to say?
I think I am realizing that caring for Lucy changes us all…for the better…eternally speaking.
It gave us all hearts…hearts for those in need.
This isn’t the last you’ll hear from me about this. I need to ponder this some more.
Feeling the LOVE more than ever before
This may sound strange but I feel more loved these days than ever before.
Hard to explain.
Maybe because I’m around my loved ones more than ever before?
Maybe because the older ones have a better appreciation for me…
And, maybe its because the younger ones are getting older and are better able to express their feelings?
Maybe I’m more in touch with my feelings these days?
Maybe blogging is a catalyst for me being in better tough with my feelings?
Maybe it is that sermon I heard last winter where the pastor suggested that we were not capable of serious love and we needed to ask God to love through us?
I’ve been praying that God would love me through my family and would love my family through me.
Maybe because of that prayer all of the above has happened?
Could it be…more people are praying for me and this is
what it feels like?
Maybe I shouldn’t think about it so much and just pray and feel the love.
Anyway…I’m very thankful for the love.
The problem with memorizing Bible verses…
I’m in a discipleship group for men. I’ve mentioned this before. I’m in year two of a three-year commitment. I’ve been a part of the program for about nine months and am assisting the leader in a first-year program.
I’ve memorized four…almost five big chunks of scripture appropriate to all of us and especially to men and to ME!
The problem comes not in the memorization but in the automatic reminder device God has built into us.
Psalm 119:11 says “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
I’ve heard that for years and taught it to kids…but now I really understand what it means.
Psalm 119:9 asks and answers the question: “How can a young man (or old man I guess) keep his way pure? By living according to your word.”
Again, I’ve quoted this to Awana kids and taught it but never…never…really lived it…because I didn’t really didn’t hide it in my heart.
Where am I going?
When I feel like being mad at someone Romans 12 pops into my mind: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse (12:14)”
Or I remember, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody (12:17).”
Or, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written, “it is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord (12:19).”
And finally, “Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good (12:21).”
You get the picture?
Before this I could argue with myself when I felt like being cranky and letting my bad mood show…My conscious might have prodded me: “this isn’t right”…but I was fuzzy on the exact reason why…was it really a command from God…or more like a suggestion….but it was OK if you felt wronged or not appreciated.
Now there is no hiding.
And to make matters worse, we’re reading books like Experiencing God where it is clearly explained that a love relationship with God is based on our obedience!
So this means no more self-satisfying anger…no pity parties….no rage…no name calling….no pouting….no selfish behavior.
No fruits of the flesh!
This isn’t meant to be tongue-in-cheek.
We all gain temporary satisfaction from these tirades.
But when they don’t satisfy us long-term they just breed guild, shame and disappointment.
So I guess hiding God’s word in our hearts is like an early warning mechanism that can ward-off the shame etc.
I used to be an unconscious incompetent.
Now I am somewhere between a conscious incompetent and a conscious competent.
I guess God’s goal is for us to become an unconscious competent when it comes to living according to His word.
So I’m really glad I’m doing this most days.
I guess it is further evidence that God really does love me and is active in my life…hard at work developing my character…conforming me to the character of Christ…just like the Bible says.
That’s a reason to be joyful and hopeful.
Probably means everything that has happened in my life has lead up to this goal.
It’s my prayer anyone reading this will learn what I’m learning at a much earlier age.
I heard birds this morning
I can’t say that they woke me up this morning…I have too many other helpers who take that responsibility 
seriously…and they are all back fast asleep now.
But I hear the birds…they’re back!
I can remember a time when the birds meant I had to get up and drive 20 miles to spend the best part of the beautiful day inside doing things I really didn’t want to do.
But now the birds are a wonderful reminder that it will be a beautiful spring day that I can spend with those who mater most in my life.
Blessings do come in disguise sometimes.
I want to savor every day the birds wake me up this season.
The next three seasons are like my manna from God that only lasts for the day. It can’t be stored up so it must be consumed…enjoyed…for the day.
Isn’t that like our lives?
So I’m up for fresh air, sunshine, exercise, outdoor work (even picking up after the dog is a joy when you don’t have to wear a coat), and grilling for eleven.
What a gift to be able to open and enjoy God’s gifts in the midst of the world’s confusion.
Said another way…finding hope in the midst of calamity!
