The boys were stunned to see frost on the grass and feel a legitimate 33 degrees on their faces this morning. Tanner’s asked,
“Did it snow?” Taylor asked, “Will it snow tonight?” Trevor said, “What is it?” Tucker said, “That’s cold.” It was extraordinary to witness our first cold morning in almost five years. It brought along with it all kinds of considerations, especially those in the areas of clothing and wardrobe accessories. Beyond the much needed gloves, hats, and coats, though, was the wonder of it all. There to witness the silver colored grass and intermingled leaves of yellow, orange, red, and green; the tightness in our chests as we inhaled the cold air; the wonder of smoky breath whisked away by the morning breeze; and the sunrise which magnified the beauty and marvelousness of it all by twenty fold: we stood, in awe of God. For the moment anyway. The boys became more interested in how a fire log burns and what it is made of. Louise and I made sure to get our exercise in. Before we knew what had happened it was gone. As well, that moment, that opportunity, to remember and worship dissipated along with the melting frost as we went on with our day without the deeper pondering that God deserved. How often that occurs. We are called to worship as God prepares us for the battles of the day, and we give him an, “oh, that’s nice,” and just keep right on going. Then, we wonder, later in the day amidst our struggles and failings, where it all went wrong and why we were unprepared.
The realization of God’s grandeur, mercy, love, and grace and the worship that ensues is just what we need at the beginning of each and every morning as we begin a new day.
Psalm 147:1 Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him! Maybe on the day of the second frost, we’ll do a little better.
I heard about the concert several months ago. I wanted to go immediately, but, you know, sometimes we even procrastinate doing the things that would bles
s us greatly (especially if it involves money). Then, I just forgot altogether. It would play out that on a busy Saturday while we were hurrying between soccer games and feeding our little troop; we heard that the concert for Stephen Curtis Chapman was that night. Well, not to miss out on the fun, especially that which I wanted to participate in so much earlier; and even though I had my sermon and class to still write for Sunday (which I knew that God could handle), we decided to go with our friends the Wheelers. The boys impressions were varied. It’s LOUD, was the most common comment. Mostly, though, they danced around and clapped for about ninety minutes and then started, one at a time (from youngest to oldest) dropping where they stood. I guess the soccer matches caught up with them. For Louise and I, though, the concert held great nostalgia. We were amazed at all the songs that he sang that had been used by God in our lives to speak to us about missions such as “The Great Adventure” and “For the Sake of the Call”. It was a wonderful night and we were really blessed. Oddly, even though I was so tired physically, I was deeply renewed spiritually. In the end we woke the seemingly dead sons of ours and headed for the car with sleepy smiles. Upon arrival at home, I thought, “You know, that kind of inspired me, I really ought to think about becoming a missionary.”
On this dreary day where it has rained now constantly for 72 hours, I miss Togo. On this busy weekend as we prepare for yet another fifteen hour drive, I miss Togo. As we are in our friends’ houses petting their wonderful dogs and we remember our wonderful dog Penny, I miss Togo. As we go about being busy as busy Americans should be, I really miss Togo. As I run daily trying to lose some of the seventeen pounds that I’ve gained since furlough began, I miss Togo. Deep down inside, though, there is so much more that I miss. I miss praying desperately daily to God for solutions to problems that are much bigger than me. I miss being dependent on God’s word as I battle daily against the forces of evil. I miss being able to ascertain my enemy. I miss living significantly daily. I guess in reality, I don’t miss Togo, itself, I just miss being tuned in to God as we must be in order to live and work in Togo. Just three more months to go to Togo.
Whether it is pretty to you or a rather dry one, it matters not to us. After five years of no Fall, this one is a beaut! Of course we are ready to break out the jackets and gloves on any day when the temperature dips below sixty-five. Seeing the trees change so quickly and dramatically has been an amazing event to witness. For myself it is a reminder of how dramatically we can change if we submit to obedience of God’s Spirit. Yet, unlike the trees whose beauty is so fleeting as the winter winds whisk the leaves away and as the colors fade, the beauty of a life changed by the effect of God’s Spirit continues on.
II Corinthians 3:18
