No Pleasure-- No Gain

Has it really been so long? Haven't had any deep thoughts or ponderings lately, I guess.

Life continues to carry on at its frantic pace. Luke and Caroline are more precious than ever. Sometimes the little moments I share with them are so frighteningly fragile and emotionally powerful I just can't stand it. I just want to capture their little expressions and the way they tilt their heads and how they direct their gazes-- I never want to forget.... it all goes by too quickly.

So much has happened in our immediate circle lately, and it brings this home to me so clearly. Life can turn on a dime, never to be the same again. And, for someone who doesn't particularly enjoy change, this scares me to death. I love my life just as it is-- right here, right now. It frightens me to think about how I might respond to sudden tragedy or loss. Would my faith sustain me, or abandon me....? Or, would I willfully abandon it?

So, the "what ifs" and "why me" surely lie around the corner for me at some point-- it is inescapable on this side of heaven. The true question is, do I believe that He is in control and has a bigger vision for me than the one I am limited to seeing. It is easy to believe when everything in my line of sight at present is full of joy and peace....

It occurred to me that we often discuss how we learn so much during the hard times. We analyze the lessons we must have needed to learn through the pain-- "He works in all things for good", etc. So-- if I am willing to accept that God wants to teach me through the discipline of suffering, why do I never consider what He might be trying to teach me in the midst of the joy? If every good and perfect gift is from His hand, then perhaps there are just as many powerful lessons and truths to be learned when things are good and life is good and my sanity is good, too.

It is odd that I never appreciated the depth of this perspective before. It is almost as if we don't need or call upon God until the rug is pulled out from under us and we have nowhere else to turn-- yet, maybe we need Him even more desperately when we are content and happy in this world-- because isn't that when we stray the farthest from Him? Not sure... but I am pondering....

Headed to Pepperdine tomorrow. Looking forward to being reunited with the extended ZOE crew-- to leisurely nights gazing at the ocean, incredible food, and "star" sightings.... what a fun week.

This year's lectureship theme is based on the Sermon on the Mount-- see one of the key verses they list below which I just now located on the Pepperdine website. It seems eerily relevant to everything mentioned above!! God loves to weave His wisdom together for me sometimes in majorly obvious ways.... guess it is the only way I can comprehend! :)

Everyone then...who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. Matthew 7:24-25

The Return of the Prodigal

I was blessed to experience my first Tulsa Workshop last weekend. ZOE was invited to lead some of the worship times. On Sunday, we visited Memorial Drive Church of Christ and also led during the two morning services. Their worship leader, Shane Coffman, was a wonderful host to us all weekend.

Terry Rush is the minister, and he has been at Memorial for over 30 years from what I understand. We were invitied to tour his office-- a shrine to the St. Louis Cardinals! It was very impressive. He goes to camp with them every spring and has become a huge influence upon the team.

His sermon was entitled, "The Return of the Prodigal Son." I must confess, I wasn't anticipating hearing anything I hadn't already heard before--- I was wrong.

He came at the story from such a wonderful new perspective. He talked about how most of us feel we are only worthy of living in the "barn", but that the Father invites us to stay in the mansion. In fact, his main point from the parable was, "We must party!" His son is the fatted calf who was killed so that we could get back home-- and not have to stay in the barn.

He explained that the early church felt a sense of "awe" and that we should, too. That church should be the party place where we celebrate what He has done for us. Whether we are the older brother who can't accept the celebration or if we are the younger son who can't understand why He would offer us a celebration-- God still wants us to share in the party.

I told Terry that I wanted to bring him back to Nashville with me.... You can just tell that he has a heart of gold. It is obvious that he is dearly loved.