Category Archives: God

Our Inner Voice

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I just read a poster–

the way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice.

Wow, I thought, true.

I remember my grandmother’s wake–old style, do-it-right southern luncheon. I could hear her voice in my head exclaiming over how delicious the fried chicken was. That was the last time I heard her voice.

My mother’s voice haunts me. I miss her laugh and her intelligence and her occasional generosity. But there are many things she says to and about me I do not miss. I have taken steps to avoid those painful words.

After my daughters’ counselor read Just she said, Now I understand why you are such a careful parent.

I want more than anything for my children’s inner voice to be one of profound wisdom and love.

A love that lasts forever.

The Marriage Vow

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Matthew 22:12-13 KJV

[12] And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. [13] Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 6: 21 NIV

[21] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The Kingdom

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Mark 9:1 (NIV)
And he said to them, “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.”

The Bible is a crazy story. I am not sure I would trust anyone who wasn’t willing to admit that.

But then I think history is a crazy story. Herodotus? Stalin? A kamikaze wind thwarting Genghis Khan? Give me a break!

I seems to me that Jesus (who is Truth) says some stuff that might have been a little confusing.

It also seems like he says stuff that is hard to hear.

This one seems confusing. Huh? Taste death? Kingdom of God?

But then when you think about what he is saying it is…oh! Of course!

He is the King. They are looking at the kingdom.

Look at the King.
Don’t miss the kingdom.

The parable of the lost…iPad?!

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I went on a trip today. God took care of everything. He got us to the airport(s). He got us to and from planes. He let little ones play when they should and sleep when they should.

I praised and thanked Him for each step of a blessed and safe journey. Sure there were some scary times, some kids with spring coughs. Even some upset stomachs. They were troopers.

I doubt my kids noticed the consternation on some people’s faces–so many kids!!! Young! What if they cry? They did not. They were amazing.

But.

We left an iPad at the airport….we think. Coulda been car rental? But no, we figure it was Dallas. That is a big airport. But we figure we left it in the waiting area of C terminal, Gate 37? That is what we think.

It is a pretty beat up iPad and there is a reward for it’s return. So let me know if you find it.

I love it because it has stuff on it that matters–my children’s stories and pictures. But make no mistake–I would rather have the children. I can live without the iPad. But if I lost my kids it would break my heart.

I know this because I have already lost a few.

Don’t wanna lose anymore. In fact I have a crazy idea that the ones that have slipped away will one day return.

Isaiah 49

“Born that Way”

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Let me just say this: we have jettisoned history. We do not know it and it has led us into some serious foolishness.

When Paul wrote:

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NIV)
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders [10] nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. [11] And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

he was addressing a Greco-Roman civilization where children were castrated and bartered as slaves and prostitutes.

We moderns see this verse as divisive and hazardous–separating us into camps of sorts, but we need to work on our reading comprehension.

Read it again.

In my life I have been a few of those people on the list. I am a broken and hopeless person without Jesus.

Most sinners I know go to church often. Most are heterosexual. Most try to clean up their outside and hold on to their mendacity.

Paul is saying,

we all must come clean.

All
Clean
And verse 11 is a triumph, a resounding affirmation of the power of Love in us–to bring about life, healing, safety, and transformation.

Don’t miss God’s outpouring of grace because you refuse to believe you need a bath.

Trust Him. We all need a bath.

Finding

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Pretend you are just a wisp of a thing
Standing in a maze
But…
Someone you
Love is looking out for you.

He says–

Mark 8:34-38 (NIV)
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. [35] For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. [36] What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? [37] Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? [38] If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

Which can be translated–follow Me. Trust Me.

He can see the whole maze so I do. I do trust him. Sometimes in my life I have hoped there was an easier way through. I have always known that others wandered through their mazes and had to slay monsters…or be slain by them.

The ultimate question for me is not how?

He answered that when he came back from hell with my life in his hands.

No. The only question is when?

When will we all
Walk into the Light?
Glorious Light.

Rev. 22

Losing

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We all hope it will turn out ok. We will be the ones–long full life, no pain. We optimists.

You have to be an optimist to foster and adopt kids you already know have problems. You have to believe in miracles.

Our belief in miracles went something like this: yes, we know they are tough kids, but consistency, love and faithfulness combined with God’s healing power will help these kids.

My goal was a picture–all my adult (stable, law-abiding) children gathering with their families for thanksgiving dinner.

So you may imagine what a blow to the gut it was to find out our plan hadn’t produced the picture. Our adopted kids hurt our family, hurt our other children. They committed crimes before they graduated from high school.

I still remember the old me, the believer in the miracle, the picture….

Part 1 of 2

Forever

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He says, I want to live here forever
Can we live here forever?
And I understand what he means–
We are close to heaven
Close to sanctuary

He doesn’t know
What happened to his sister
He doesn’t know
That everything
He does is a reminder
Of how very young she was
The ghost
Hurt my babies.

Easter

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Resurrection
To rise from the dead
To lose your life
Then find it again
Rebirth
Renaissance
To walk out of a disaster and into
Life
Everlasting
The beginning and the end
Only this time
The end is a beginning
Home.

Hell.

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Yesterday an atheist told me he thought it was “arrogant and offensive” to believe in Hell.

Funny, I thought, hell is hard to miss. It has left clues to its existence scattered throughout history.

Genocide is hell.
Pestilence is hell.
Racism is hell.
War is hell.
Abortion is hell.
Child abuse is hell.

These things are not hell in it’s entirety, just clues to it’s easy reality.

Here’s how I would put it–somewhere there is a garbage dump where my personal trash goes. Every week on a certain day a big noisy truck comes and takes away my garbage, my neighbor’s trash, the neighborhood garbage, the city refuse.

I have never seen the landfill, don’t even know where it is located exactly, but the trash, the cans, the truck, and my municipal payment for “garbage collection” all suggest somewhere there is a dump for our foul-smelling discards.

Hell means “garbage dump.” It seems to me the arrogant and offensive thing is to disregard the trash, the stink, the truck, and the brave Man who comes and takes it all away and refuse to see what is clearly apparent–I do not take away my own garbage. Someone does it for me.

Make no mistake. It has been years and years of faithful service and I have never taken the Trash Collector for granted.

How could I? I need him so.