God Is Wild About Us!

Last week we had Vacation Bible School at our church.  The theme was; “God is wild about us.”  One of the things I did was I took pictures of the children, so they’d have a keepsake to remember their week of VBS.  The picture with this posting is of my granddaughter Grace.  Grace is 3 ½ and she likes to wiggle, so the first picture I took of her wasn’t so good, she couldn’t stand still, her arms were everywhere and she wouldn’t look at the camera.  So the next night of VBS we did a redo and Grace, graced us with less wiggles and more cooperation and the picture turned out much better.  It looks more like the beautiful, fun loving little girl, her grandfather is wild about.  The theme of VBS was right on, and I’m convinced that God IS wild about us.  God is so wild about us that the final portrait of our lives will have no trace of the errors and blunders we have made.  What will be there for all to see and admire is the working and wonder of God’s love and grace made visible in and through our lives.  The good news of the Gospel is not just that God offers us a redo and lots of them, but that God’s love is powerful enough to perfect and capture the right image of us. 

Free At Last

Last week my wife and I went to the Henry Doorly Zoo with some of our children and grandchildren.   It was great fun watching our grandchildren’s reaction to all the different animals in pens, cages and aquariums.  The picture of this beautiful parrot was taken at the zoo with my phone camera.  This parrot was not in a cage, nor was it tethered to its perch.  Along with some other parrots, it was in the garden section of the zoo and it appeared to be free.  However upon closer inspection, I’m sure a couple of its wings were clipped so it couldn’t fly.  We humans appear to be free as well, but the harsh words and opinions of others along with our own self-doubt and mistakes clip our wings and keep us from really soaring as God intended.  God is not afraid of our freedom, in fact that’s what the heart of God longs for us.  Jesus said that whoever the son sets free is free indeed.  Free to be loved by God.  Free to love others as God loves us.  Free to achieve our God given potential.  And yes, free to stumble and fall in the process and know that we are held in the grip of our Heavenly Father’s unfailing love and grace.      

A Thing Of Beauty!

I don’t know what you see when you view this photo? I see a thing of beauty, and as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  I dreamt up the design for this pergola and then built it.  My wife planted the clematises, one on each side.  This year they have met each other at the top and now they are starting to bloom.  To me it’s a thing of beauty, but I’m admittedly biased because I’m the creator.  I wonder if it’s the same way with God?  God dreamt up our design and then created us.  We are marvelously and wonderfully created to bear the image of God.  Is it any wonder that God calls us (humanity) the apple of his eye?         

God’s Marvelous Work In Progress

A couple of years ago I got the idea of building a waterfall and fish pond in our backyard.  The photos above show the beginning stages and the finished project.  Even now when I look at the photo of the early stages of our backyard paradise, (that’s what my daughter calls it) it’s hard to believe that it once looked so raw and undone.  That picture reminds me of what God is doing in each life, in spite of the fact that we and others may look very rough and far from God’s blueprint for our lives.  We have the promise and the hope that the God who created us and began a good work in us will bring it to completion.  If I’m faithful to complete the projects I start, (at least this one) how much more can we trust God with ourselves, our loved ones….yes, and even with the whole world!

We Remember

Memorial Day gives us pause to remember those we love who have died and those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country.  We are reminded that we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us.  We are who we are today because of what others have sown into our lives.  The apostle Paul reminds us to live with a deep sense of gratitude and humility when he asked the question; “What do we have that we didn’t receive?”  There’s no such thing as a self-made person.  As a person, as a Nation, and as people of faith, we stand on the shoulders of many, many others!  We remember and we give thanks.

Life Is Fragile

The saying; “Life is fragile handle with prayer,” is more than just a religious slogan, for there are times when life punches us in the gut and reminds us of just how fragile, delicate and fleeting life is.  It could be the unwelcomed news that a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer, or the evening news reporting the loss of lives in a flood, or a tornado, and again we’re reminded.  We would like to think that life is (we are) indestructible and when we were younger maybe we thought so, but as I get older, not so much anymore.  The idea that life is fragile and needs to be handled with prayer, reminds us that there are things in life beyond our control.  And the only real way to get a handle on these things is through prayer, through trusting in a wise, caring and loving God who created us and holds us and all of our tomorrows in his hands.  Well, if you haven’t done so already today, give someone a hug or a phone call and let them know you’re so glad that God has planted them in your life!  

Loving The Process

I admit that I’m a backyard BBQ enthusiast.  I enjoy grilling steaks and hamburgers, but what I’ve come to enjoy most is smoking babyback pork ribs.  For many years my wife and I have gone to the ribfest in Lincoln.  I got to thinking that I could make ribs just as good.  Last year I humbly confess that I mastered the feat of making some of the best  babyback ribs I have ever tasted.  It’s quite a process.  It takes about six hours to produce some of the most mouth watering, tender, wonderfully smoked flavored ribs you can imagine.  First I apply a special dry rub to the ribs and then I brush them with a special blend of apple juice and BBQ sauce.  I smoke them for three hours on a special smoker, adding apple wood chips to compliment the BBQ sauce.  After three hours of smoking at around 230 degrees, I finish them off in the oven, wrapped in foil smothered in my special sauce.  When they are done the meat literally falls off the bone, it’s delicious! Best ribs I’ve ever had, but then again I’ll admit that I’m a bit biased.  The thing of it is, I enjoy the whole process.  Not just the eating of the ribs.  For me it’s the process that makes it all worth while.  I’m thinking it’s the same way with God.  We might be tempted to think that what thrills God the most is the end result….us being conformed into the image of Christ.  But, I’m thinking that God enjoys the process just as much, as God interacts us with, marinates us in his grace, so that eventually our whole lives will be flavored with God’s love and goodness….so that when others taste of our lives they will be tasting of the goodness of Christ who lives within us!  Gotta go, it’s time to have some ribs…