Awesome Day

I was so tired and had taken on a cold. We had spent Friday night and most of the day Saturday, cleaning the house, cooking food and getting ready for the big birthday bash to honor Malachi and Maleah with all the grandmas, grandpas and cousins. After 3 or 4 hours the house was quiet, the party over and it was time to clean up - again! I have long contended that we should not waste our time cleaning up BEFORE folks come over, let's just wait until after and do all of the cleaning then. Lee Ann has never bought into that. So finally, about 11 PM my head hit the pillow.

Sunday morning, the alarm clock sounded and even though it was the time I had set, it seemed way too early! My head was pounding and my chest heavy with cold now. I had a small inkling of staying home in bed. After a hot shower, I was feeling better. It soon became apparent that the kids were not going to make it to early service without getting them up and they had had a busy weekend so we decided to let them sleep in. I went on to the building for early service since I had a meeting scheduled for late service.

The morning was fairly uneventful, just people paying for Winterfest and making Honduras deposits but nothing out of the ordinary. We had a lot of visitors and I try to meet them all - especially the ones with teens - a difficult task with two services and so much going on. I had an encouraging meeting with a family that we have been close to since the day we moved here 12 years ago! Then I went to what was left of late service to sit with my wife. At the end of services a young lady (teen) who has been visiting made a bee-line for the front. In fact I almost missed her, she was going so fast. Lee Ann and I went to the front to be with her - she had been studying and wanted to be baptized! Lee Ann had been able to connect with her through a Sr. High girls class last quarter and was able to develop a bit of a relationship with her. (side note: I have an awesome wife who is far better at youth ministry than I could ever hope to be).

After getting ready, I helped her into the water. As she swung around, she looked at me with tears flowing down her cheek and said, "I am deathly afraid of water!" So I talked to her for a moment and then addressed the congregation and took her confession. I started to lift her arms and lean her back and she went stiff as a board! Uh oh...so I stopped and tried to reassure her. Nothing doing - when she said "deathly afraid", she meant "terrified!" After what seemed like 10 minutes (I'm pretty sure it wasn't more than a minute or so) she relaxed just enough. We were both soaked :) but it was awesome. A huge hug and an awesome smile from this young lady who has been through so much in her short lifetime. The very act of being baptized tested this young lady's faith. That's why she had bolted for the front...she was resolved to do it and didn't want anything to hold her back any more. She knew God's calling in her life and knew that unless she laid down her fear, she could not be in full submission to Him!

Many of us are fortunate - we do not struggle with the fear of water - so the "walk of faith" has not been so dramatic. I can't help but wonder how many people keep their lesser-seen fears from letting them do the right thing.

Cat Story -Part 2

It had only been 4 or 5 hours since Maleah had received her cat for an early birthday present. She had it in her room playing and I walked in. She was holding the kitten tightly against her chest and she looked up at me and said, "Daddy, this is the third best day in my life". I was a bit puzzled. You mean I had gone to all this trouble and expense of getting this thing and surprising her with the one thing that she had repeatedly asked for since she could talk and it only ranked third!!! I had been outdone by some Polly-Pocket or other goofy toy - I should have just gone to McDonalds to get a Happy Meal!

Fortunately, my external reaction was a bit more subdued. I knelt down and and said, "The third best day of your life, Maleah?"

As she pet Sadie (that's the kitten's name) on the head and under the chin - it's so small both can be done at once, she looked me in the eye and said "My first best day will be when I get to heaven, and my second best day will be when I get married, so my third best day is today." I kept my composure long enough to reaffirm her priorities and walk out of the room. Then I wept.

Shhhhhhhh....

I did get that chance to be quiet! Usually when I do something that I like to go away. To a cabin in the woods, a walk on the beach, a weekend away. It was too cold to go to the cabin, to far to go to beach and I just didn't have the time to get away. So I sat in the chair...just the little chair in the corner. I read a little, prayed a little and listened a lot. God is faithful, he answers our prayers - not always as clearly and decisively as I would like - but he does answer.