Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Great Is His Faithfulness

I was just browsing through my Facebook page and came across a post requesting most meaningful and inspiring passages from the Bible to be read when someone I hold in high regard travels to Israel in the near future.  How can one choose, one most meaning and inspiring passage?  That is a tough assignment, at least for me.  I thought of many, and the one that I kept coming back to me is Lamentations 3:22-24.


Lamentations, an Old Testament book, was written during the years Judah was in exile in Babylon.  It  shares the torment of the Jews, having been ripped from their homeland and separated from the temple which had been destroyed, because of their rebelliousness and many sins.

Fast forward a few thousand years, and those verses resonate even today.


         22      Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
         23      They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
         24      I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
Lamentations 3:22-24
The Holy Bible: New International Version.

 I often feel as if I am exiled in a strange land, out of touch with the culture and mindsets that currently prevail, and especially alienated by the divisiveness of my own country.  (Of course, some may still argue in this the 21st century, that I, and people like me, have no right to be here in the first place; but that is for another day.)  Just a minor example:  someone else posted a picture of a very large woman wearing a top that sported so many horizontal back straps that I saw more flesh than fabric, and shorts cut so high that they were more like denim panties than shorts, revealing more than 50% of her buttocks.  And that was a lot of flesh.  While I don't consider myself a prude (at least not the last time I checked), the need for anyone, male or female, to display her (or his) body in that fashion, and the need for someone else to share a picture of that to the rest of the world, are both beyond my sensibilities.  We celebrate and glorify the ridiculous and outlandish, and scoff at just about anything of redeeming value.  And, unfortunately, who constitutes the "We" includes people who profess to believe in the One who is The Word . .  and The Way.  That, indeed, is scary.  

Am I saying that I am perfect and am sitting in judgment on the rest of the world?  Absolutely not!  I cannot help but think, however, that some of the We forge ahead with frolicking, funky fashions and frivolities without considering the long-term effects or broader implications.  Those pictures are all over the place and will come back to haunt someone . . . someday.   I'm just saying . . .  

Just one more "for instance" -- just one more:  My daughter and I discussed the recent Time magazine cover featuring a young boy at his mother's breast.  Are we against breast feeding?  Absolutely not!  We merely discussed the long-term effects that kind of exposure will have on the boy as he gets older:  "Dear mom of the little boy:  what will your son be confronted with in the future because of that cover?   Was it worth it?"

Now, back to Lamentations.  This passage is also the basis of one of my favorite, favorite songs:

Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
there is no shadow of turning with thee;
thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
as thou hast been thou forever will be.
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided;
great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Words: Thomas O. Chisholm

So what is the big deal?  

The big deal is this:  Things can look pretty, pretty bad sometimes.  Trust me on that, 'tis very true.  Yet, things can also be a lot worse than what they are.  And, take it from someone who awakens some mornings and has no clue about the course of her day:  all that I have ever needed, He has provided.  All that you will ever need, He will provide.  Today was a day like that.  As far as I knew, I had three things on my "to-do" list, none of which constituted billable activities:  1) scan documents for my archives; 2) assist my nonagenarian mother, The Boss, at the polls; 3) look in on my Sweet Pea who has an internship with a District Judge.  Yet, while parking my car in the most unlikely spot that was just be vacated as I turned a corner, a woman in a wheelchair stopped and asked me if I would talk to her about Medicare.  Out of nowhere, after agonizing over 1) having to dress (I don't care what folks say, when one enters a courtroom, proper attire should not be optional.  Hint -- hint to you trendy lawyers and social workers who look as if you're going out to party hard) in a suit, and 2) driving across town to help The Boss, I gave up my resistance to honor my commitments to the two most important women in my life.  And still, He was looking out for me.

He is always keeping me, cheering me, ever guiding me. He is always with me -- even when things look pretty, pretty bad.   So, how about you?  If He gave you another day, it is not too late to turn to Him, and you will find that He has been, is now, and will be faithful.




Monday, May 28, 2012

Dirty Words and Phrases

It is that time of year in Texas.  There is an election tomorrow.  This morning in the span of 30 minutes I  was been subjected to more nastiness of political advertisements than local news.  From those ads, I have gleaned this list of dirty, filthy, nasty words and phrases that serve more to foster negativity, hate, distrust and division in these supposed-to-be United States of America.


Democrat
Republican
Liberal
Conservative
Moderate
Left
Right
Obama (NOT President Obama, or Mr. Obama, just Obama)
Take back our country
Tea party (when I was a little girl, this was actually a fun thing)
Represent
Defend
Stealing jobs
Balance the budget


It was already an effort to start the day, and hearing the drivel spewing from some smarmy-mouthed hireling with vocal inflections designed to stir up angst and animosity, my mind and body all but begged me to stay put, in the safe confines of my bed, turn on Pandora and tune into any channel -- Richard Smallwood, Tony Bennett, Claude Debussy, Gladys Knight, Anthony Burger -- ANYTHING except broadcast television -- or go to Netflix and watch the 121st episode of Law & Order SVU -- ANYTHING except broadcast television -- even scroll through my Facebook photos and videos, streamed to my TV via Roku -- ANYTHING except broadcast television.  


Times like these validate the about me blurb at the bottom right of this page:


I am a peace-loving, nonconforming traditionalist, often misquoted and misunderstood, but still refusing to march to the beat of anyone's drum except my own, as led by the Triune God. I live on a roller coaster with more climbs, dips, twists and turns than the average, but am sustained by the One who leads me. I am perplexed, dismayed and saddened by the insanities that constitute today's norms and hope for a return to civility and morality, neither of which can come soon enough.


I am truly saddened by the nastiness of current political events.  Just as the entertainment industry has devolved over decades, so has the American political process.  What is seriously pathetic is that people buy into those sordid advertisements and never take the time to research the candidates for which they vote, that is, if they even bother to vote (that subject to be dealt with another time).  


Indeed, this is a nasty, nasty mess we're in.  People want labels rather than leaders, color rather than character, wealth rather than wisdom, orientation rather than objectivity, and vilifications rather than values.  


Then there are those who cut off their noses to spite their faces:  they want/need scholarships, financial aid, medical care and Supplemental Security Income; yet they hate the ones who seek to help make those provisions.  And let us not leave out the ones who want less government and less spending; they are forced to pay a fair wage for a day's work; they are forced to pay employment taxes for their domestic workers -- including the women who raise their children.   


And let's be fair now:  EVERYONE wants a military force that will DEFEND this country and KEEP IT/US SAFE


So, why do we elect politicians who shield their children from military duty while the children of others sacrifice their lives?  Why do we elect politicians who legislate great perquisites and benefits for themselves and have no sense of urgency about taking adequate care of our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines when they come home physically and psychologically maimed and crippled?  And why have American citizens been driven to have fundraisers to purchase protective gear for soldiers who were shipped across the pond to fight on foreign soil?  And WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY WHY, do we keep sending back to these offices, people who set themselves apart from the rest of us by referring to us as ORDINARY AMERICANS (also to be dealt with later)?  Some have held office for more than a decade (or two), and every election year, resurrect that old, stale, nonsense about how effective they have been.  I AM JUST ASKING.


I dare you:  when you hear that divisive drivel on television or radio, or see it in print or on the internet, ask yourself what is really important to you, and look for the candidate who espouses what is important to you.  You may have to look past gender, color, religion, socio-economic status, or religion.  


There is something terribly wrong with a country as diverse as the United States of America fostering an "Us vs. Them" mentality when both the "Us" and the "Them" are American citizens.  I AM JUST SAYING.







Tuesday, May 15, 2012

When You're in the FOG



There is fog that is a collection of tiny water drops suspended in the air that reduces visibility sometimes to nothing, wreaking havoc on morning rush-hour driving conditions, sometimes resulting in car crashes, caused especially by folks who have insufficient common sense to respect this natural phenomenon over which they have no control, and adjust their ragged driving style.


And there is FOG -- "free online games dot com" (I know because I just Googled it). On freeonlinegames.com one can engage in driving games (more car crashes?), or shooting, killing or war games, among others.  I would rather not explore the site to write more intelligently on this matter; at first glance it has no socially redeeming value.  Of course, many may say the same about my blog.  Suum cuique.


And . . . there is the state of being in a "fog" -- you know -- when one's thoughts are just not clear.  A decision is out of reach.  The uncertain state leaves one stagnant; there is no movement, no growth, no progress.


These are not the kinds of FOGs of which I write.  The FOG that occupies my thoughts today is my Family Of God.  Yeah, yeah, I know everyone does not share my belief.  Well, that is everyone's right.  And those who find this topic unworthy of exploring, and perhaps may be more interested in the FOG representing freeonlinegames.com, are all free to close this tab, or window, or whatever, on their browsers.    Again, to each his own.  If you do, however, you may miss something you really need for yourself, even if you are unaware the need exists.


So what is the big deal about Andrea's Family of God?  Wow!  I am sooo glad you asked!  Keep reading.  Please.


Humans are gregarious creatures, for the most part.  (There are some anomalies –  like folks who intentionally maintain reclusive lifestyles – but that is for another time.)  We humans like to socialize, preferably among  our own kind.  There is something to be said for birds of a feather . . ..   This gregarious nature of man (if one has read my blog before, one knows well that I mean all of humankind and I am not particularly fond of being politically correct, so please deal with man and let us continue) is responsible for private clubs, single-gender institutions (even though the excluded gender raises a stink if not admitted), hunting clubs, bowling clubs, genre-specific music groups, gender-specific music groups, thousands of Yahoo, Google and other online groups specific to a particular subject or interest, and much more.  Men of the same ilk tend to seek each other out.


Sometimes you can look at a cluster of people and have a good idea of their common bond.  This is something that fascinates me about the Olympic Games.  Generally, one can observe groups of athletes and know they represent a particular country, simply by their physical characteristics, or their outward appearance.  Except, of course, for the United States.


We Americans are a mixed bag, and until you reach in and pull something out, there is no telling what one will get.  That is the way Heaven will look.  (Note to theological scholars:  let’s not get bogged down with this, just go with it).  Because that is the beauty of the Family of God.  We are young, old, tall, short, rail thin, average (whatever that means) plump and plumper.  We are black, brown, white, and yellow, and various mixes of those.  We are professionals, laborers, technicians, artists and craftsmen.  We are on all points of the socio-economic spectrum.  However, unlike society's measure, whether we live in a row house, boat house or mansion -- or drive a Honda or a hoopty or a Hummer -- live from day-to-day or week-to-week or get direct deposits from trust fund distributions or are "set" for the remainder of our natural lives -- we are all super rich!  And why is that?  Because we are FOGs.  And all members of the FOG are children of God, Creator of the Universe.  And the earth is His and everything in it.


Being in The FOG is a nice place to be.  It means not only is God with me in spirit; it means also that He has hands to hold mine, arms to hug me, ears to listen to my woes, lips to pray with and for me, and voices to join me in praising Him in song.  My FOG (you can find them online at www.smbc.org) does all that for and with me, and more.  And, there is even more:  One of the neatest things is wherever I am, there are other members of the universal FOG, folks I had never met until my Father caused our paths to cross.  They have come to my rescue, and I to theirs.  And, being the wanna-be-so-independent woman I am, even over my protests, they have said to me “just make my day and let me help you.”


So, does that mean that we have no problems, no pitfalls, no puzzling situations?  Absolutely not!  What it does mean, however, is that none of us is alone with those pesky P's,  because we bear each other’s burdens, in thought, word, prayer and deed.  In good times and bad times, we are family, offering each other our love, care, kinship and hope.  We learn from each other, give to each other and receive from each other by God's grace.  


Even when we are dealing with our own stuff, we are with each other, helping each other carry those burdens.  Have you ever, in your own misery, turned away from yourself and did something for someone else?  Was it not the most exhilarating thing you have ever experienced?  Did you then rethink your perspective of your own situation and determine perhaps it is not as bad as you once thought?  Being in the FOG can do that for you.


When you are in the FOG, you are never alone!  Do you think you would rather be in the CLOUD than the FOG?  Do you know what happens in the CLOUD?   Think about some of the conditions of the Cloud: 

  • Cloud-dwellers live with clenched hands, and in so doing they are unable to give or receive to and from others.
  • Cloud-dwellers live by, for and within themselves, and are often contaminated by the company they keep.
  • Cloud-dwellers never see anyone beyond their own mirrors, and miss the joy of sharing even the most mundane tasks and occasions.
  • Cloud-dwellers are self-deluded, thinking they have succeed by their own efforts alone, routinely refusing to acknowledge the shoulders on which they stand.

Trust me on this:  being in the FOG is much, much better than being in the CLOUD.  Which do you choose?  the Family Of God?   or the Chaotic Lunacy Of Ungodly Deportment?


I’m just asking . . .


So, if you ever tire of dwelling in the CLOUD, we members of the FOG will welcome you with open arms and hearts, and we will pledge ourselves to be the Family Of God for you.


Be at peace.