My Wish for Paris

Last year we traveled by train through France and stayed for a week in Paris the city of love or the city of light perhaps depending on your frame of mind. We had heard the stories of rude Parisians and so we were surprised by the kindness and hospitality of its citizens.  They were by far the nicest individuals on our entire trip through Europe.

I couldn’t wait to see the Eiffel Tower. My grandmother kept a miniature on the top of her upright grand piano. The tiny figurine looked magical and I dreamed of someday visiting the real one. When we walked from our apartment to an embankment overlooking the city, a hint of mist shrouded the base of the incredible 1063 foot tower.

Gustave Eiffel built the tower, amid controversy, over one hundred twenty years ago for the 1889 World Fair. More people pay to visit the Eiffel Tower than any other monument in the world; it takes forty kilometers of lighted garlands and twenty thousand lights to light it at night.

We continued our walk through the city streets, across a bridge, and past several rows of tents selling trinkets before reaching the lush park where the monument stands. Magical indeed! The lacy iron work stretched on forever above our heads poking into the now blue sky. Awe mingled with joy as I looked up through the intricate layers of metal. How could something so fine and delicate extend so straight and high? The answer: a hidden foundation of twenty foot thick concrete slabs sitting on twenty foot diameter pilings descending forty-nine feet into the ground.

Paris suffered a terrible loss in the last month and my thoughts are with them. As they view the Eiffel Tower may they be reminded of their strength and courage, and may the foundation of compassion and generosity they share with visitors extend to one another in the difficult days ahead.

What a Fridge Taught Me About Marriage

Greetings! I've been blessed with the opportunity to guest blog on www.thekoalamom.com today. Check out Bonnie's page where she shares her thoughts on motherhood, marriage, and homeschooling. 

      The salad dressing thumped into the correct slot in the fridge door. And then I stretched and rescued the mayonnaise from obscurity behind the Apple Cider Vinegar.  Why are yesterday’s leftovers on the bottom shelf behind a bag of oranges?  Is it really so difficult to put things back in the fridge where they belong? I didn’t think so. It was very reasonable to expect the ketchup to be in the same place every time I opened the fridge door. The issue needed to be addressed.

     "Matt."

     No Answer.

    “Matt! Can you hear me? I need to talk to you about the fridge.”

     My husband appeared from around the corner. “What?”

     "The fridge – you never put anything back where it belongs.”

    “So?”

    “What do mean “so”?

    His eyes locked on mine; his lips wrinkled against one another, and then he opened the cupboard door to his right. “See these bowls; I put them back where they belong.” He pointed to the glass cabinet on the far wall. “See those Starbucks mugs; I put those back where they belong. What more do you want?”

    “What more do I want? I want you to put stuff back in the fridge where it makes sense!”

    “I never remember where things go; I really don’t think it matters.”

     He didn’t think it mattered? Our home may be his castle but it was my whole world - a mini corporation. It wouldn’t thrive on disorder. And, I had a million things to do every day; I couldn’t be playing hide and seek every time I needed something from the fridge. Never mind that he managed a gas plant facility and dealt with the headaches that went with it. How could he possibly think our fridge didn’t matter?

     I saw three options to deal with our problem:

      1)   I could put everything away myself, all the time, and resent Matt for it.

      2)   I could let the issue go, waste time looking for fridge items, and resent Matt for it.

      3)   I could throw a fit, until he gave in, and he resents me for it.

     Option number three promised to save me the most time in the future.

    Married for twenty-nine years, Matt and I have gripped hands and weathered huge waves determined to swamp our relationship. We’ve poured prayers and God’s Word on hopeless situations and celebrated the Lord’s faithfulness. So why would such a simple thing like the arrangement of our fridge threaten the harmony of our home? Perhaps I’d already discovered the answer. Even the everyday situations in our marriage needed an application of prayer and the Word.

      So, I used option four. The one where my heart was telling me “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1 ESV) Lord, help me!

     "Matt … do you care that I care?”

     "Yes, I do.”

     Great answer!

     Lord, thank you for your faithfulness in big and small situations and, Lord, thank you for Sharpies. Amen.

The Tale of the Super Joint

“But I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.” (Romans 16:19b ESV)

The rows of colourful shelving units sitting outside the beleaguered warehouse called to me as we sped past. Matthew turned the truck around and pulled up in front of the shop so we could take a look. When we are on holiday, it’s my prerogative to stop at every quaint shop along the way advertising hubcaps to dog coats.

With patient friends in tow, we browsed their selection and my heart settled on a barn red design which would complete our downstairs bathroom. I bartered with the proprietor and we settled on a price; however, when he mentioned needing to go upstairs, where it was less dusty, to use the debit machine my stomach did a flip flop. I crushed Matt’s toes as I walked by and he caught the subtle hint and followed me as I followed Johnny Depp gone to seed through the half door of the workshop. Two Saint Bernards and an enormous pit bull nuzzled at my waistline as we crossed the floor of the long workshop heaped with sawdust. We ascended the stairs under the cardboard “Caution Dogs Eating” sign and meandered through a makeshift kitchen and warehouse/living room. In a dusty corner, perched atop an even dustier desk sat the elusive debit machine.

It was about this time Johnny began regaling us with the benefits of smoking pot to combat the summer’s heat on the upper floor. I wondered why he didn’t just go outside and sit by the lake; it would be cooler and had the added benefit of a stunning view. He continued sharing the benefits of his habit and we nodded our heads politely as we traipsed our way back through the labyrinth. Upon arriving at the front door, he raised his arms with a final flourish and pointed to a ghastly seven foot gargoyle.

“The stuff is so good, you light up one joint and by the time you’re done you’ve created a masterpiece.”

Eeks, I don’t think I need any! Perhaps I should have listened to that still, small flip flop.

Tear Your Heart Out

Sometimes when reading the Bible a phrase will shoot from the page like an arrow and pierce my heart. In chapter two of the book of Joel the words “rend your hearts and not your garments” hit their mark. Joel, which means the Lord is God, wrote his warning in the ninth century B.C. during a time when locusts ate every green thing across the entire nation and a severe drought destroyed the rest. 

The people must have been discouraged. “What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten.” (Joel 1:4 ESV) Some days doesn’t your life feel similar? What the cutting economy left, the swarming tax department has eaten. What the swarming tax department left … (sorry, we’re dealing with some ridiculous tax issues - insert whatever’s going on in your life.) Joel’s lament crosses the barrier of time. 

But Joel doesn’t leave us lamenting. In the middle of chapter two he says, “’Yet even now,” declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.’ Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.”  

Am I willing to tear my heart before the Lord? Am I willing to be real before Him and call upon His mercy? Can I set aside the pretention of torn garments or outer repentance and trust the Lord enough to bare my very soul? I sure hope so. What could be better than abandoning myself to His infinite grace, mercy, and love?

Book Cover Phase – All That Glitters

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve gone back and forth with the publisher deciding on an appropriate cover for All That Glitters. Arriving at this stage takes a lot of work. I thought I would give you a brief rundown of my journey.

The book rattled around in my head for about five years before I put a single word on paper. Partly because I procrastinated and partly because I never thought I would finish the manuscript – judging by the multitude of unfinished projects lying around my house. As the kids were leaving the nest, I decided to get serious and began writing. I still didn’t set any schedule for myself and wrote in stops and starts. Within two years, I finished the novel up to 52,000 words and then worked with a well-known editor out of the US to improve glaring grammar errors and to work out plot issues. She encouraged me to lengthen the novel so it would be considered full length and not a novella; however, I chose not to listen.  

In 2012, I submitted the novella to a couple of publishers and it thrilled my heart to have a complete manuscript requested by a Canadian publisher from Ontario. It could have been the end of my journey; but it wasn’t. The publisher has not contacted me since.

I realized I needed to learn more about the writing process. I read books on writing, entered writing competitions, and attended writer’s conferences which were huge factors in developing my writing ability, and I still have much to learn. 

2014 brought the year of the rewrite; I buckled down to a schedule and added another 20,000 words to the manuscript. In early 2015, I submitted the new and improved version to quite a few publishers and Ambassador International offered me a contract.

Edits, edits, and more edits followed and we are now at the fun stage of choosing some of the creative elements. The publisher developed several cover concepts and we decided together on the best one. Attached you will find a cut and paste mock-up of the cover for All That Glitters set to release in February 2016.

PS Please keep it our secret. We wouldn’t want the concept stolen.

Even the Little Things?

         As we settled into our chairs at ladies Bible study, the woman sitting next to me gushed,“I just have to tell you guys something. You know at night - when your husband reaches over in bed …”                                                                                                                              She reached her arm out; it hovered uncomfortably over my chest. I wasn’t sure what was coming next. I know her, but not that well, and I didn’t really want to complete the illustration.               “And you’re just … like …”                                                                                         “Talk to me next spring?” I filled in the blanks hoping she would drop her hand, and she did.                                                                                                                             “Ya, because you’re just so tired, running around with the kids, trying to get everything done.”                                                                                                                          That I understood, I may not be running around with kids anymore but I am trying to get everything done and some days even my tired is tired.                                                                She continued. “So I prayed that the Lord would make me attracted to my husband.”                    Interesting. Over the last week, I had been praying a similar prayer. Lord, help me not to be too tired to be attracted to my husband. But there was no way I was going to admit it. She’d roused my curiosity though; how had the Lord answered her prayer?                                                         “So later on, when I was watching my son playing hockey, my husband walked in. Even though he was wearing dirty coveralls and a grubby, baseball cap, I thought, wow, he is a good looking man. The Lord is so faithful even in the little things!”                                                          I was happy for her; the Lord had answered her prayer right away. And it encouraged me to persist in my prayers. But the Lord does all things in his own time, so I will continue to wait on him:)

         “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (Romans 12:12 ESV)   

Seriously?

My cell phone warbled late at night. What would the “picture message” sent from my youngest son hold? Maybe it would be a picture of a giant fuzzy heart with the words “I love you Mom!” or a picture of one of his four dogs performing some crazy stunt. Nope, I received this. The sight of my son with his new, ball python wrapped around his head; however, did not warm the cockles of my heart nor bring me sweet slumber through the night.

According to Genesis 3:15, I wasn’t supposed to like the picture. In the passage the Lord says to the serpent “I will put enmity between you and the woman,” (ESV) and I can honestly say I have enmity between me and snakes. I hate them.

The baby of the family, Joel, is our rebel child and he sports tatts, piercings, and muscles. When we walk down the street together, people crane their necks. I don’t know if they want a second look at my son or if they want to provide assistance to the woman who might be in mortal danger.

Have I lost sleep over him? Yes, I have. Has my chest clenched with near panic when I think of him? Yes, it has. And then I remember the sweet, towheaded, little boy, who loved people - the one who could draw a crowd into joy within moments.  I remember the five year old boy who poked his head out of the camper door and said “I need to invite Jesus into my heart.”

The Lord doesn’t forget our rebels. His presence follows them wherever they go. “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28) Mothers of rebels take heart; in the end Jesus wins. The verse in Genesis tells us the serpent merely bruises Jesus’ heel but Jesus bruises the serpent’s head! 

Are We Toast? Nope.

Camping – Lisa’s Definition  – Leaving the trappings of home to enjoy the simple life and the                                              beautiful outdoors.

Camping – Matt’s Definition – Figuring out how to make the contraptions of home work in the                                           wilderness.    

Why does my frame shudder every time my husband lifts his large palm toward me and says ‘Don’t worry, Baby, I got this.” It might be the memory of black smoke curling across the living room’s white ceiling after it billowed from the fireplace. Or perhaps the fused plastic concoction I removed from the microwave when I returned home from grocery shopping. Or maybe the reason is one of the many other similar disasters.  

After twenty-nine years, I realized it was nigh time to try and deal with my lack of trust. So I held my tongue when Matt suggested he had the perfect solution for warming the cinnamon buns while we were camping.  And why wouldn’t a small tray placed on your toaster and attached to a plug in powered by your nifty, commercial, solar panel not work?

Like any relationship, we both bring something to the table to share. In our marriage, it’s often him - innovation, her - caution. A healthy relationship explores the capability of both parties and allows for the possibility of mistakes. We’re two parts to a whole. We are not perfect parts and we are not a perfect whole - but we are committed. “So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Mathew 19:6 ESV)  

The cinnamon buns tasted delicious. Melted glaze dripped like honey onto our tongues. And you know the new burnished browns and scalloped edges of my toaster bring a smile to my lips every time I see them.  

All Roads Lead to Rocky! Federal Election 2015

My piping hot Crème Brulee sputtered in my throat as my normally quiet friend’s skinny arms flailed in the air and she declared “Saying all paths lead to God is the same as saying all roads lead to Rocky Mountain House.” The boisterous discussion in the coffee shop had begun when I shared about a recent Christian conference I attended where the key note speaker appeared to believe the above notion.  

After the loud declaration of my friend, a young mother sitting at the table next to ours told the group she appreciated our passion. (So nice to know somebody does!) She then went on to tell us how she’d never fasted and prayed before but felt the Lord impress upon her heart to do so for the upcoming federal election.  

I don’t know who will win the election next Monday, but I do know the Lord chooses our leaders. “There is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” (Romans 13:1 ESV)

A big thank you to the young woman, wherever you are, for your bravery in reminding strangers that practicality should win out over philosophy. I pray the Lord will hear from the faithful, down on our knees, across the beautiful country we call home and heal our land - Canada.

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Where’s the Knight in Tarnished Armour?

“They say unto him, Master this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.”  (John 8:4 KJV) 

Spiritual leaders brought a woman to Jesus who was caught in the “very act” of adultery and asked Him if she deserved to be stoned. Where’s the man? The woman didn’t commit adultery by herself; and yet, her accusers tossed her in front of Jesus alone and humiliated. History says the event happened during a feast and immorality was not unusual. The woman still risked her marriage and reputation on a man who slunk away way when their sin was discovered. Why wasn’t he by her side as she faced her accusers? Why didn’t he shout out, “Don’t take her. Take me if you want to punish someone.”

No knight in tarnished armour rode in to save our damsel. He left her to face the band of merry accusers alone. But Jesus ignored them and their question bending over to write in the sand with his finger - twice. We don’t know what He wrote, but it could have been the sins of the men in the crowd. We do know; however, one by one, the men convicted by their own conscience departed until Jesus and the woman stood alone.

Jesus then asked the woman if anyone remained to condemn her and she answered, “No man, Lord.” Jesus didn’t condemn the woman either. He said, “go, and sin no more.” Step into forgiveness. Walk away from your sin. Keep walking.

Jesus offered the woman a hope and a future, a future without condemnation or guilt, a future full of life and free from the entanglement of sin. The tarnished knight didn’t ride in, but Jesus did.

Do you think the woman listened to Jesus?

Good Fences … Poor Marriages

If good fences make good neighbors, good retaining walls make poor marriages.

First warning, the quarter turn of my stomach when the bespectacled fellow behind the counter in the landscape store looked out the window and said, “Is that what you’re driving? You won’t be able to take all the blocks in one trip.”

No? The retaining wall would rise only eighteen inches and extend only forty feet. How much could it weigh? Three trips with a truck and trailer and four tons later the blocks sat in lopsided piles on the back lawn. And over the next week, the neighbors were treated to several high volume remakes of I Love Lucy similar to this one:

Lucy    (hunched over, knees in the mud, attempting to level a  foundation block) Ricky, I can’t do it. I’m telling you I just can’t.

Ricky    What do you mean you can’t? This was all your idea!

Lucy    My Idea! Look, the wall became our idea when you agreed. Now help me!

Ricky   I’ll help you all right, Lucy, but you’re going to do what I tell you!

Lucy   (raising her fist in the air) Listen, mister, if you think for even a minute I’m going to do it your way, you’ve got another thing coming.

I slogged on alone with my makeshift strings and levels. One evening Matthew leaned on his shovel handle and said, “Come here and take a look.” Knees creaking and back breaking I crawled to the end of the wall. It looked level and straight … but it veered six inches off course.

We apologized, hugged, and then began working together. By using our strengths to help one another, and not to hinder, the wall was built.  

 “Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21 ESV)

Crucifixion for Two, Anyone?

Tradition tells us Peter the Apostle died by crucifixion under the Emperor Nero in the first century A.D. When reading a bible commentary on 1 Peter, I learned Peter’s wife also gave up her life in martyrdom. As she walked toward her executioners, the words that fell to her ear from her dear husband’s lips were “Remember the Lord.”

Peter recognized his inability to rescue his wife and to change their circumstances. He didn’t fill their last moment with an empty promise, nor did he thrust out false hope as a panacea for her fear. He ushered his wife into the presence of the only one who could provide her comfort and peace in a terrifying time.

“Remember the Lord.” Remember the One who loves you more than you will ever comprehend. “Remember the Lord.” Remember the only One who can keep His promise to “never leave you, nor forsake you.”

It takes a hero to know when he has reached the end of his own ability and to lead the heart of the one he loves into the presence of the Lord. Romantic, don’t you think?

Lord, may You hear the prayers of the everyday heroes for their loved ones. Amen.