fourth of july

Happy Independence Day! It is now past ten o'clock, so please let's all be quiet and get to sleep. This second photo was kinda funky. I must have jiggled the tripod. It was an accident, but I like it anyway.

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I hope to get an appointment for an ultrasound this week. No, I'm not pregnant! (lol) The doctor can't decide whether I have an ulcer or pancreatitis. I do not expect to know until next week. I'm feeling better now than the past few days. Who knows? ...Maybe it was just food poisoning. I'll keep you updated.

holiday elf

Rylan (my grandson) came to visit on Christmas Eve. The whole family instantly became paparazzi when he showed up. We even have voice recordings on cell phones. He is exceptionally vocal and his voice has impressive dynamic range. (That means he likes to hear himself scream.)

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He brought his mom and dad with him, which was nice. I like them too, and we had a pleasant visit with my daughter and son-in-law. I hope they don't mind that we gushed so much over the baby.

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When I first heard that they were going to visit, I wondered what it would be like to see my grandson. The last time we saw him, he was only a week old. He is ten months now. I prepared myself for a shy baby, and decided not to take it personally if I freaked him out. What a delightful surprise then, when he freely allowed himself to be held, and did not cry, except for when he needed to be fed and changed. I held him for a little while, but naturally, we wish we could spend a lot more time with him. I offered up a silent prayer for him when I picked him up, and I remembered doing the same thing the first time I held him at the hospital as a newborn.

praying hands

I have two stories about prayer.

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1) I was in the middle of a sloppy conflict resolution at church some twenty years ago. When I offered my two cents, one of agitants retorted, "Well Craver, did you pray about it?" That snotty remark made me feel angry, but she made a good point. I had not prayed before speaking... but I should have.

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and...

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2) One night, while on a missions trip in the Philippines, a young man asked my pastor if he could pray for him. Pastor said yes. The next day at morning devotions, the young man looked like he hadn't slept a wink. That's because he didn't. He labored intensely through the morning, interceding for my pastor. That moved me; I have never prayed like that.

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Incidents like these force me to evaluate my prayer life and ask myself, "What do I really believe about prayer?" And, "Do my practices match my theology?"

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Warren Wiersbe was talking to Christians about prayer and said: "In whatever man does without God, he must fail miserably, or succeed more miserably."

besos para abuelita

One of the grandchildren planted a wet one right on Abuelita's kisser. It was so cute to see him slobber unashamedly. He loves his grandmother, and she is quite lovable.

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This precious lady is scheduled for a procedure Thursday morning to fix an irregular heartbeat. In this "cardioversion" they will sedate her, then attempt to put her heart back to normal through electro shock.

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(heavy sigh) There are some risks. I sure would like to see her in relative good health when I go to visit them after my grandson is born. I am more than a little nervous for her.

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Please pray for her heart. Literally and figuratively. I want her to know deep down that God alone is perfect and holy. That she know the reality that she is a sinner; her best efforts fall short, so she needs a Savior. That Jesus alone paid the price for atonement. He paid it in full. And finally, that she receive Him by faith, placing all her trust in Him.

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Update on Abuelita: She pulled through just fine; praise the Lord! Thank-you to all who interceded on her behalf.

linger

A portion of last Sunday's message (a lesson in prayer from the book of Job) went something like this:

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We do not find ourselves chastised in the Scriptures for bringing our requests to the Lord. No; in fact, He wants us to come to Him with our needs, hopes and concerns. It's more than just okay to approach the throne of grace with supplication and intercession...

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But when we get there, do we linger? Do we... stick around?

(Paraphrased from a sermon delivered by Rev. M. Voltz on Jan. 11, 2009)

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Wow, if the old Quaker hadn't said another word, he still would have left me with a strong message and a conviction to make changes in my own prayer life. It was like, "Okay Preacher... you had me at hello."

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The wood burning stove in the photo is at a friend's house. This family is near and dear to our hearts. We love to go and hang out. If there is ever anything that we need or they need, there is no offense in asking. The main reason we spend so much time together is not out of obligation or need... we just want to. We linger. We stick around.

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What would my prayer life be like, if I didn't rush off so quickly, but instead learned to linger?

praying in secret

Hey, that's some stealthy camouflage, Mr. Mantis!

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I like to tell people that I'm praying for them. Not just thinking nice thoughts for someone, but when I say it, I mean that I seriously intend to exercise supplication to the Lord on their behalf. Often, I will stop right then and there to pray, so that I don't forget later.

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Didn't Jesus teach his followers to pray in secret? Why? Some people were using prayer as a means to show off. There is more to public prayer than pharisaic piety and warm fuzzies. The big reason I like to tell people how I'm interceding for them is so that God would be glorified. When God does a thing, He should get the credit for it. It's as simple as that.

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Oh, back to camouflage... have you ever seen pink camo? What's the deal with that?!

passing the time away

There were no soccer games for our club on Saturday. Instead, this busy Labor Day weekend gave me several events I could talk about. I might blab on and on about each and every one, but instead I will choose a single episode and leave the rest of the stories in their potential state for now.

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(I know I have a lot of "visiting" to catch up on as well, so please bear with me as I try to catch up.)

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The very first thing I did when I got home on Friday was "make dinner." The joke is in how the men in my family traditionally make dinner. We get pizza.

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I took the older son with me, and we had some time to kill while waiting for the 'za. I took the soccer ball out of the car and we just passed the ball to each other for a while. I have bad knees, and he has never shown great interest in sports, but that was definitely one of my favorite moments in a weekend full of good things.

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When he was little, I tried to get him into playing catch. One ball hit him in the face, and we never got to play like I always hoped we would. Here, while waiting for dinner, I found that we were playing a form of catch.

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It was everything I had hoped for. Just a father and son passing the ball. Nothing major. Nobody else was involved. The activity wasn't forced; we were both bonding naturally.

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With all the tasty food and celebrations these last few days, I would still say that this was the single greatest thing that I was involved with on this long holiday weekend.

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Thank you Heavenly Father, for special, bonding moments like these with my biological son, whom I love. Please Sir, I want more of the same. I pray that I might also have more quality time with you as your adopted son, and that you would continually draw me closer, making me who you want me to be. Amen.

morning dew

Immediately after rolling out of the sack on Saturday morning, I opened our front door and was greeted by eutopian weather. Not too hot, not too cold. It rained overnight. A mild breeze pushed it's way through the screen. I filled my lungs with a long draw or two of the morning's perfect air. Aaaah...

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There was a soggy newspaper smack-dab in the middle of the driveway. Hmmm, that would be the spanish one that I never read. It usually has a tacky hoochie-momma on the front cover. No thanks; I'll take it to the recycling bin right away.

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Normally, I don't go anywhere without socks and shoes, but right now, I'll fetch the newspaper just as I am. Bedhead, pj's (shorts) and I probably have crusty eyes, but who cares. Tiptoeing slowly, I feel every little twig and pebble under my sensitive city-boy feet. I'm sure I look ridiculous, but nobody's out to take notice.

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Yup. I was right, and the newspaper is thoroughly drenched! It's remarkably heavy for it's size. That's all the water of course. Next, I yank the few sprouts emerging from the roots of our honey locust. Man, these weeds don't ever quit! The lawn needs cutting, but right now, I just enjoy the cool wetness of the incredibly soft, fine fescue. It will be pure pleasure as long as I watch where I step, because my eyes spy some robust thistle, waiting for an ambush. Not today Spike, I see you!

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I take a moment to remember those who I said I would pray for. It appears that the flowers this morning shed tears of sympathy. The tears of my friends are real. God knows their need and I trust Him, however He chooses to answer.

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The wet grass and gentle breeze was nice, but as I wipe my feet inside the front door I notice someone is toasting cinnamon bread. That's worthy of another deep breath!

take two

This first picture came back looking so different from what I had in mind. I have never taken photography classes, but green on green on green... what was I thinking!

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I went back a week later sans camera and cased the same location for a better shot. I'm sure I looked like a fool, standing there without any equipment, staring at the statue, putting my hands up to frame the picture, leaning and squatting very low. I was surprised that it would be so difficult to get a decent snapshot of this guy.

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Two weeks later, I went to the same spot. This time, I had my camera. The picture was such an improvement in my own eyes, that I was happy to carry a print around with me and show a couple of photographer types. The way I told the story, you'd think this picture was the climax of a great adventure novel! But I listened, as they gave me constructive feedback, and as much as I like the second picture, there is still a lot of room for improvement, such as:

• One background... sky or bushes
• better use of depth-of-field
• use angle or photo-editor to remove lamp post
• don't shoot at noon for a better color of the sky, etc.

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Sometimes things don't turn out as expected. We can't think too much of our plans and just accept the fact that we are fallible. We learn, maybe improve, and then sometimes find that there is still more room for improvement.

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As I have been drawn more to prayer in recent times, I find that this lesson can overlap in that area, too. Admittedly, we do not pray as we ought. If God doesn't answer our prayers the way we first ask, we may need to rethink our conversations and take the time to reflect, asking if there is a better way. Stay teachable.

fervent and focused

I used a word this week that probably had more of an impact on me than on the intended recipient. "Breakthrough."

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Here is a truism. I first heard it applied to math problems. For most people who don't get it, it's because they give up too soon. They may be just moments away from reaching a solution, and the difference between some of the people who get it and some who don't may just be a matter of minutes or even seconds. This idea can be applied broadly to our shortcomings, don't you think?

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I have two pictures. They both represent prayer, but while the first one is focusing on the activity of prayer, the second one would be the act of praying, and our eyes are drawn up to the cross. The second shot is not focused on the act so much as the One to whom we are praying. The difference may be subtle, but it's there.

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[Theological clarification: We are not actually praying to a wooden cross, but to Christ, Himself. The wooden beams are not in any way infused with Deity or Sacred (with a capital S). Simply, they serve as a reminder of what He did, and therefore draw our minds to Him.]

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"Over a month ago, I was challenged that my prayer life could use a boost. I could not recall any recent incidents of God answering personal prayers. It did not take long to realize on which end the problem lay. If I could not point to God’s use of prayer in my life, either I’m not praying as I should, or have not taken the time to realize where He is at work...or both."

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This excerpt came from a friend's letter. (Sorry, but this friend shall remain nameless.) Can you identify with this? Could this excerpt have been written by you? Keep praying. You may be on the verge of a breakthrough.

keepin' on

click, click, click, click... Pull one steel sphere away from the group and let it drop. When the ball swings back into the set, it causes another ball to swing out from the opposite side. It's called Newton's Cradle. Like most people, I am amused by this device. I'll come back to that momentarily.

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Worship artist Don Moen told the audience that he used to keep prayer requests in the front of his Bible. He said that as he kept bringing this same list of petitions before the Lord, he wondered if God didn't get just a little bit tired of the repetition.

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When he said that, I thought of Charity. Because of her cancer, she has been the subject of many prayers, and my intention is to continue to hold her up to God's throne until He answers our supplications.

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Don told the audience that God does not get tired of hearing the prayers of His beloved children, and I think he's right. I felt a lump forming in my throat as that assurance settled warmly in my heart.

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It is the constant and repetitive nature of Newton's Cradle that I take pleasure in. How much more would the Lord delight in His children who daily rely upon Him and faithfully express their desire for the good of one Indiana sister?

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(A prayer)

Gracious Lord, today would you please give Charity the strength and faith she needs as she struggles with medical (and now financial) concerns? Be her shelter in this storm. Let her sleep soundly tonight, and as she rises up tomorrow morning may Your praise be on her lips.

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.See also Charity's blog and LL Barkat's recent update.

Image by: ivgota20dllrbill

wet cat

This goofy cat has nothing to do with what I wanted to say today, except that it was attacking the umbrella stand. I really wanted to talk about umbrellas.

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But first, it is worth noticing how Hannah (from the Bible) prayed. At one point, she was so distraught that she would not eat. She prayed from her heart, and made a vow (but not a foolish vow). After the priest blessed her, she went on her way, but here’s the thing… her countenance lifted and appetite returned. She trusted God for how He would answer, and expected something good. It reminds me of a story I heard a long time ago. I do not know whether it is truth or legend, but it’s worth retelling.

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Some men gathered to pray because of the severe drought. Their livelihood was endangered, because they desperately needed. One by one, they filed into the house where they would pour out their hearts before the Lord, and make supplication for the rain they so urgently needed. But when the host spoke up, instead of ushering them into a time of prayer, he asked that they go back home! He chose not to pray together with these men. Why? Well, they gathered in order to pray for rain, but not one of them thought to bring an umbrella.