God Understands

Thanks Scott for sharing this...

Thanks to Logan for calling in to KSJB 89.3 Radio with wisdom beyond me

You can listen to KSJB at www.ksjb.org

Hmmm...Could this be the one?

Eleven years ago, I purchased a used snowblower from a dear friend in ministry. The machine had just been gone over by a local repair shop, and was set to go. But now, all these winters later, the tires (hard rubber, not inflated) are worn down to no tread, the motor doesn't want to start, and even when it does, it struggles to move snow at all. I end up huffing and puffing a lot ...almost as much as when I shovel.

So, I've started to look at getting a different snowblower. This one, by Craftsman, has pretty good reviews, has lots of power and features that would make cleaning the driveway a LOT simpler.

But...yeah, I'm not sure purchasing it now.

Need to think more...look more...pray more.

Is Jesus saying something to you this Thanksgiving?

For our guy El Hadji in Mali...


Thanks to Compassion International & World Vision,

Thanks to You, Jesus.

A Web Master's Phenomenal Artistry Mirrors One Greater

Just out for a walk with Angel, our Westie. Passing through the neighborhood, midday, checking out the flowers and bushes without a great deal of attention, when there it was...one of the larger spiders I'd seen, just hanging in the sun. I'll bet it was close to 4 inches long including the legs, the body about 1.5 inches or so.

I had to return with the camera; so I walked Angel home and returned with the Nikon, hoping that it hadn't left for some other web. Sure enough, still there, and more than willing to be photographed. I didn't have the macro lens along, but I moved around to the other side of the web and got as close as I could and still have focus....WOW, the colors and beauty of this spider!



Granted, spiders aren't everyone's idea of beauty, but you have to admit, this one is amazing. Yet another example of The Creator's Phenomenal Artistry and Joy in HIs Work!

And so easily I could have walked right by, missing His Handiwork.

I do this more often than I'm willing to admit, with more significant creatures than a spider.

I wonder...how many times have I walked right by others....probably even you, and missed the Creator's Phenomenal Artistry and Joy in Having fashioned YOU?

Not today. Today, I want to proclaim God's Glory for YOU, designed right into YOU!

Yes YOU...You're Phenomenal!

I've Got A PROBLEM...and so do YOU!

Look...you've got to read this book...Don't let the title give you reason to ignore it...this book is for anyone who ever interacts with any other person. Couples, families, groups, businesses, office staffs...anyone.

A close brother recommended that I read it, so yesterday I went to Barnes and Noble and found a copy, thinking I might get a chance to read it while traveling. I did...like FAST...I read the book on the plane here and encouraged (did I mean to say "ordered"?) him to read it...FAST!!!

I don't even know where to start, but I'm convinced we all have the same problem that is talked about in this little book. And as the writers suggest, we don't even know we have the problem which actually keeps us from getting help! And within one single reading, I'm more than convinced that the problem we all have can only be addressed in the manner the writers of this book prescribes.

HINT: When you and I are prompted to put the needs of another out front, but then fail to act on them, we're betraying ourselves. We begin responding to other persons from inside our box. Ever pretend to be asleep when the baby cries? (Ahh, she'll get up, besides I work early) Or consider filling up gas tank for someone else, but then deciding to just go home and let them do it?

Get the book...please. Read it...FAST!!! (Or SLOW, or MEDIUM, or Read it TWICE!) Just READ it!!

This "box thing" that all of us do...it's hurting everyone...

Sometimes the water

Sometimes, the water is just not deep enough.

The huge iron ore carriers that sail the Great Lakes are long, narrow giants that plow their way from Duluth/Superior to the eastern steel mill cities. They are weighed down with hundreds of tons of ore, the raw material that is smelted in furnaces of Nebuchadbezzar temperatures. But the danger for those who sail such ships does not lie in the smelting furnaces, but in the cold depths of the Great Lakes on which they sail.

Icy cold, even in the summer months, the water runs deep and dark. The waves roll and toss, and in the late shipping months of November/December, gale force winds have taken way too many ships to the dark depths.

But sometimes, the water is just not deep enough.

When the ships come in for repair, or drift too near the rocky coast line of the North Shore of Lake Superior for example, there is simply not enough water to float the massive carrier. In the latter, the ships run aground, often ripping huge holes in their hulls, taking on water, losing fuel and cargo, and sometimes life. In the former, the ship is brought in on purpose, the water is drained slowly from its berth, leaving the ship's hull exposed to the elements of air and sun, something that parts of the hull have not seen since construction.

At such shallow depths, propellors will only grind away at the sand or rock; rudders are locked in place, frozen not by the cold water, but by its absence. The ship is going nowhere...for awhile anyway.

But while it lies in dry dock, it is being cared for, repaired and refurbished. New iron panels, new rivets, new paint, enhanced electronics, more comfortable crew facilities. The owners who rarely step aboard these beauties, are detemined to see them perform at top speed and with top loads. These ships are made to haul...and then do it again.

Perhaps...right now in my life...the water is just not deep enough because my Owner has determined I'm in need of some refurbishing, some repairs. Such a thought, while only that, is a bit reassuring in this dry dock called now.

A Not-So-Distant Shore Shrouded in Fog

So much seemed clearer...not so very long ago.

Work

Calling

Relationships

Family

Friends

Love


But that's no longer the case...

The shoreiine that once seemed firm and well defined
has eroded; washed away by an undertow
I did not see coming.

With it came an uncertainty,
a lack of clarity in most everything...I think.
And this fog has crept inland,
swallowing what lies just beyond...what once was seen.

Angry inside, disappointed with so many aspects of life
Aiming angst at those who are closest.

Tired...but cannot sleep
Sinking in expectations...never was very good at swimming.
Disabled by mountains of the undone.

Anxious...but struggling to trust
Fearful of what's to come...
like a child in the night on a fold-up roll away bed
whose closet curtains move too much
when there is no window open.

I know
I know
I know

Like the shore that I know is there,
the knowledge too has been eroding...slowly
Like the fog that my eye sight cannot penetrate,
my soul sight struggles to perceive.

Going Home: Image as spiritual pathway?

The Fog rolls in...

Not all who wander are lost (but some not lost do wander)

If we don't cry out...

Right there, on the street outside the little church on Delfin Street, was this incredible tree. The closer I got to it, the more amazing it became...It was similar to trees I'd seen before, except for these incredible "blossoms" or petals.... Look at this....this beautiful blossom is about the size of your hand, and the tree was covered with just such beauty...



(Click on the photo for a closer look at this incredible blossom!)

Everywhere...everything is crying out....GLORY, GLORY TO GOD...The Creator of EVERYTHING!

What did YOU see today that invited you to join in the praise?

Did you? Go ahead...do it...Praise!

My Brother Larry

One year ago today...

I miss him...not because I lived very close to him these last years...in fact, we lived miles apart, my life having taken on the usual twists and turns, moves and changes...his having remained steady, constant in the face of so much change-just the way he liked life. No, I miss him because he profoundly impacted my growing-up years, who I became and who I am today.

Larry loved photographs, phonographs, 8-track tapes, and the boxes that housed them.

He was a collector, a keeper, a horder of all things he could find. Nothing was not good enough to save...and he did so admirably.

He loved processed cheese, regular cheese, and diet soda... usually all three before he went to bed at night...that is, before he went to live at the Range Center. After that, he was placed on a diet...for his weight and his diabetes...and he did so well.

Larry loved Christmas...he'd light up long before anyone's trees or decorations were up, and his worn-out catalogues from JCPenneys or Montgomery Wards and Sears were the usual fare come fall at the DeLong household.

Dad wouldn't put up the tree too early; Larry simply couldn't handle the excitement. But then, just days before the big opening, he'd be there supervising the set up of the tree and wanting to help bring out all the gifts to sort them under the branches.

He'd sit in his worn-down, much-loved recliner next to the tree..half on the edge of his seat...counting and recounting the gifts. His teachers didn't believe he could read...but we knew otherwise...he knew which gifts were his...and he would stack them just a bit closer to his chair each day as we approached Christmas Eve.

On Christmas Eve, when Grandma still lived on 39th Street, Dad would pack us into the old '57 Chevy and take us over to her little house, where Larry and I would sit on the fold out couch/bed, waiting for Grandma to finish wrapping each gift. It was there that I learned to love ribbon candy, and where Larry would wait and wait for all the gifts to come out, signaling to Grandma which ones he thought were his.

Larry wasn't able to speak like the rest of us, but he knew how to communicate...in ways that always amazed me, often frightened me (he did have a temper!) and in ways that reminded me of how limited I was in my own communication...especially in communicating love...something Larry was able to do with a simple smile ... like in the photo above.

Somehow, though all my theological training gives me little information about persons like Larry, I do believe that the Lord has grace and mercy in special measure for persons like my brother.

I know, because God graced me with the special privilege of having many years growing up in a little house in a shared bedroom with Larry, my brother.

In the past 12 months, two very significant men in my life have died...first, Larry - just one year ago today. And second, and somehow I believe in response to or relation to the first, my Dad - just 6 weeks ago.

My life has been so touched by these two people...and is now so empty without them.

Over Our Heads - Way Over!

An army surrounded our house while we were in Mexico...a heavily armed militia that had been assembled, not so much in the usual way, but through a call that went out via many avenues. And they answered...in droves. This army lay seige upon our house, landing on the roof as their point of entry. They took chainsaws to offending trees, causing the branches to fall and the menace to retreat from the roof.

Ripping, scrapping, shoving...this band of warriors skinned the roof, slicing away layers of old asphalt shingles (in some cases two layers). They found water-logged boards here and there, and ripped them from their moorings. The bricks of the chimney came toppling down, the inner pipe dislodged and heaved from its once glorious heights. The television attenna, no longer connected nor functional, was given flight...as was the rooster weather vane...banished to some more welcoming home.

And then...the army of well-trained if not well-loved and selfless workers...proceeded to rework the roof, to lay down new water and ice shield, new valley tin, new board, new paper and finally most beautifully, new shingles.

Okay...enough dramatics...but can you blame me? Our roof was in such dire straights...rotting away, shingles deteriorating in the 20+ year sunshine and brutal weather of Wisconsin. I knew it needed replacing...but such a task simply wasn't in the budget...nor the time schedule.

Little did I know that while hosting a grad party for our son, the "contractors" of this secret invasion were scoping out the project of love, determined to get this work done on the sly...they had chosen a time when we'd be gone...to Mexico, and had begun to work on all the details. Even a serious motorcycle accident to one of the "founding contractors" couldn't stop the work.

The week before we left, the insurance agent informed me that the company we'd recently switched to for homeowners had decided to cancel our policy because the "roof was in need of replacement" and the "tree branches were touching the roof" unless we replaced it quickly (like in days!!!). That same day, later in the afternoon, our son (in-law) called to break the silence re: the roof and let us know that it was indeed happening.

The roof is spectacular...the army of many unknowns to us worked so beautifully. Sue and I are blown away (not the shingles, they have a strong warranty against wind damage)...we are so thankful for such love and concern. We praise the Lord above who knows all our needs...we know that He is glorified through this invasion.

To all who helped ... in any way and in all ways... we say THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH! You have touched our hearts and lives in ways we cannot begin to explain....know this, that God has used your actions to bring about special healing to our hearts, and your selfless actions have touched more people than any of us may ever know. The story of all this will be retold again and again....You are all loved...Thank You...for your actions are over our heads...your love...and HIS...is WAY OVER OUR HEADS INDEED!

Tluhauc, Mexico: 8/3-13/2007

A Journey in Faithfulness (not mine, not the team's, but God's Faithfulness) began with a restless night (make that a couple of hours) of attempted sleep at a church in Chicago, followed by an early morning wait for NWA (read "North Worst Airlines) ticket counter folks to arrive. Once checked in and on board, we had an uneventful flight to Detroit, followed by a great cup of CARIBOU COFFEE (available in the Detroit airport...why not O'hare or Mitchell??). Our 3+ hour flight to Mexico City was smooth and relaxing, with a meal served to boot.

Upon arrival, an army of local believers was present to help us with luggage and transportation to the suburb of Tluhuac on the southeastern edge of the largest city in the world. The colors and sights were awesome, the people smiling and friendly, the reception far more than we deserved.

God is faithful...leading others to His Son, providing health and strength to the team, and blessing us with new incredible friendships that we trust will last through eternity.

LESSONS:

"-ish" time is more relaxing and more relationship-focused than North American time

-People with little to give often give more than they have to those of us who have more than we should.

-Futbol (soccer) can be played with the heart when the feet don't know what on earth they're doing.

-"In a Park," like many ideas, can be easily "lost in translation"

-Don't believe the skeptics re: temperature in Mexico in August; children on mission trips; hail storms in worship!

-God knows where the funds come from and where they end up, even when we don't have a clue.

-Seeking God (like seeking a precious jewel - say a diamond from a wedding ring?) - to give up I'd be a fool.

-Children are more apt to continue seeking long after adults have given up.

-I am, way too often, a fool.

-Preaching through an interpreter leaves all results to His Holy Spirit - Gloria Dios!

-God's gifting is to be used for His glory...and must be...even after the world seems to steal it from you.

-I miss the pulpit; I love cross-cultural ministry; I feel God's pleasure when I am about both.

-My wife Sue is my best friend and partner in all the world...I love her so very much and serving God with her is the VERY BEST.