waiting

Waiting is never something that we wake up in the morning and say to ourselves, "I am going to sit around and wait today."

Waiting creates a new patience and often times an anticipation that runs ahead of us.

These past few days, I have been eagerly reading a good friend of our family's blog as I wait for the news of ... death. Yes, death. Not something that you generally sit around and wait for, but in this case it seems inevitable and since I've been at this point when my father passed away I recognize the waiting as hearts welling up to repose.

The woman who lies on her death bed is someone who is very near and dear to our family. She provided wisdom when asked and always was there with a helping hand even when she was not asked. Most importantly, no matter whether she was asked or not, she smiled and when she smiled her heart rose up and greeted you with enthusiasm. She made you feel welcome and she made you feel like you were the only one in the room. She paid attention and loved when probably no one else wanted to. Yes, she has been a good friend.

I haven't wanted to think about the moment when she will not be around, but I sit back and know that she will be out of pain, out of her misery and onto a much more beautiful place. Not only will she be kickin' it with Jesus, she will no longer have pain. She will be dancing and she will not experience any sorrow. That is a much more pleasurable way to think of this time. It doesn't mean that I won't think of her and miss her dearly. No. I will miss her.

Waiting can be painful, but in this case, I wait prayerfully.

sweet friendship

This past weekend I had the privilege of spending time with some far away friends. They have been in town for a few weeks and I spent what might seem like a short time with them. To others it might have seemed like a long time.

For me, every moment you spend with a friend, whether it be a few seconds or days on end can not be replaced with anything else.

Friends are priceless and God brings friends into our lives for a purpose.

Thank you to my Russian friends who visited and laughed and talked and ate and ate and ate :)

Release and Return

I am thinking today about the two Korean journalists who were released from one situation and returned into a familiar place. As emotional as a return that is, I wonder about the emotions running underneath.

The excitement to see a family member is beyond what we can imagine when we have been in a situation that is demanding and hard, a situation that takes every moment of breath and emotion from you.

Is it a familiar place now or is it something that seems comfortable to them? Is it a return to happiness or is it just better than where they were? Being released makes an insinuation that there is freedom and freedom is important, especially in your heart.

To accept forgiveness and know that you are free is, in itself, a beautiful thing.

The glory

Jer 3:16 “"And this is what will happen: You will increase and prosper in the land. The time will come"—God's Decree!—"when no one will say any longer, 'Oh, for the good old days! Remember the Ark of the Covenant?' It won't even occur to anyone to say it—'the good old days.' The so-called good old days of the Ark are gone for good.”

Being that this is the Old Testament, the Jews no longer glory in the possession of the ark and they no longer miss it. The presence of the Lord shall be an eclipse ( an obscuring of the light from one celestial body by the passage of another between it and the observer or between it and its source of illumination) and this new presence will be so great. The ark, containing the two tables of the law, disappeared at the Babylonian captivity, and was not restored to the second temple, implying that the symbolical “glory” was to be superseded by a “great glory”. We also see this mentioned in Hag. 2:9 ("The final glory of this house will be greater than the first," says the LORD of Hosts. "I will provide peace in this place" —the declaration of the LORD of Hosts.”)

You will increase (multiply) under the Messiah. The time will come when no one will say any longer, ‘Oh, for the good old days! Remember the Ark of the Covenant? The ark of the covenant represents the whole worship with all the rites and ceremonies belonging to it shall cease because Christ has come . The so-called good old days of the Ark are gone for good. Men should not even mention it any longer.

So, this is about separation and an encouragement to come back. This is also about the true shining glory of Jesus Christ (spoken in the OT!) and the fact that He will bring a glory that will outmatch that of the Ark of Covenant. It will be greater than the first (the ark) and it will provide peace.


There will no longer be ceremonies and all figures will cease. If I apply that to my life today, maybe God is saying, “stop the ceremonial, ritualistic stuff that you think honors Me and come to Me, just come to Me.”

friends

They mean alot to me. In the last year I have acquired more friendships of different kinds than I thought imaginable. Each have their own nuances, each have their own personalities, but each one so important to my heart.

Without my friends, new and old, I would not be able to weather through life. Without my friends, I would not be able to see life and taste it so intimately.

This past week has been a connection to friends in coffee houses, restaurants and sitting around in the living room. We worked some, we talked ALOT, we laughed, we vented, we lived life together.

Thank you!

old friends, new friends

Friends are important. They give some sort of outlook on life that you either understand or want to understand or sometimes want to hit them over the head for. I happen to have some great friends. Recently, I've connected with some old, old friends from junior high and from high school. Even if we had a misunderstanding back then, we have managed to step aside and go back to the nurturing of the relationship we once had.

New friends are important to me, especially in the last year because they seem to ground me in my new place in life.

I sit back and think ... where would I be without my friends? Some of my friends have lots of humorous comments to this, but the bottom line is that I treasure my friends. In some way, each and every one of them have touched my heart deeply.

did you disappoint?

Or were you disappointed? Did your heart fall down because you thought something should happen? Or did you cause someone else's heart to be disappointed?

We love not because we know how but because God shows us how to love. One step. One heart at a time.

So, take a closer look and I bet you'll see that expectations were set too high.

The Knock

It happened. The silence broke with a knock at the door.

"Who is it?"

No answer. Carefully, I opened the door to see 2 sets of eyes looking up at me. They wanted to come in. Their mother sent them to spend time with me. They wanted cookies and love. As quickly as they came, they left.