Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Color -- Forwarded from Head Coach @ Home

I just read my brother's blog for today. Those of you who know me know that I am a fanatic about my niece and nephews! I LOVE those kids and mourn every day that I don't get to spend with them. Poughkeepsie, NY is a LONG way from Birmingham, AL. Besides this being a sweet picture of my Derrick, Richard's point just lifted my heart. If you've read my last few posts, you can see how our Lord is reaching out to me over and over lifting my heart. Don't we serve a great God!!!!
When I tell people that my son Derrick's favorite baseball team is the Pittsburgh Pirates, most people ask, "How'd that happen?" Kind of like you would ask a person who comes in a room on crutches. You feel sorry for them, but you want to hear the story of what happened. Well, Derrick's is a good story...
Now, once you look into Pittsburgh baseball, you see the Pirates have alot to offer. Sure, they've been abysmal lately, but they've got a great ballpark and a sparkling history. Still, why does the son of a Braves fan lock into a team that hasn't been competitive for a decade and a half?
For Derrick the answer is simply 'color'. When he was five (he's now 10) I introduced him to baseball card collecting. I bought him some new packs,
but also crawled down from the attic with a handful of my old cards from the 70s & 80s to round out his start up collection. A 1980 Willie Stargell card quickly became his favorite ... because he loved the uniform color. The bright yellow trimmed in black. He asked for more of my old Pirates cards and before long he learned about Roberto Clemente, We Are Family, and even the early years of a curiously skinny kid named Barry Bonds. Now he has an autograph from current Bucs short stop Jack Wilson, has seen them play in person, checks the scores every day, and still hopes out loud every spring - 'Maybe the Pirates will make the playoffs this year!'
He still loves the uniform, insisting the team's catcher's gear has the coolest color scheme in the Majors. The color still matters to him. And I think that's a fine reason for a kid to like a team!
This relates to some thoughts about my relationship with the Lord. It might sound silly, but when I think about what draws people toward God, I think about Derrick & the Pirates. For many of us, something catches our eye - so to speak - and becomes a catalyst for some faith searching. Romans 2:4 tells us that the goodness or kindness of the Lord leads us toward repentance. Like a vibrant color on a piece of cardboard, His love captures our attention. Its not normal love, its unique - Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." This is the love that draws us in.
I've been listening to a worship song by 'Desperation Band' called 'The Beauty of the Lord'. There's a line in the song that says, "Jesus your love has won me over". That's it - His love catches my eye and wins my heart. Over time I learn the back story, the realities of what it means and the big picture perspectives. But it started with Him simply showing me some of the 'color' of His love.
So, we should occasionally return to that simple truth that 'we love Him because he first loved us' - he caught our attention - he won us over. Take some time to think about the goodness, the kindness, the love of God that first mattered and still matters to you. Because its at the heart of your story.
Richard
Here's another way to search God out, look back. Not on our pasts, but on what captured our attention. On the ways He showed Himself when we were just spiritual kids. Enjoy your baseball card.
Lara

Monday, April 21, 2008

GMA Awards

I'm going to be honest here and let y'all know that I've been struggling recently. No particular problem that's bigger than the others. Don't really know why, either. But that changed this week. Through the reading of Bobby Lepinay's blog and then one that he frequents, Robert Pooley, I was encouraged. I have signed up to receive a weekly devotional from Max Lucado's web site. I LOVE the way that man writes! And then...
Last night I sat down to watch the GMA Awards, or Dove's as I grew up knowing them. Throughout my youth, I lived for the Dove Awards. Watched to see if my favorite musicians were honored. And I loved to hear them perform live. I was always disappointed when Sandi Patty beat out Amy Grant. To which my father, the musician, would tell me the hard truth about musical talent. He was right, I just didn't want to hear it. Anyway, to hear the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, proclaimed was incredible for me. And then, they would venture into worship. I sat in my recliner and raised my hands and 'had church'! I know, from working in Christian retail, that the music industry is just that... Industry. If it doesn't sell, they won't put it on the shelves whether it's good or not, God or not. But after watching the Dove's I can honestly say that there is some anointed stuff out there. I could feel it, even through my satellite.
The Word of God truly does 'lift us up' out of our day to day messes. Sometimes our scheduled things; church, quiet times, fellowship, don't quite cut it. That's when we need to search Him out. Dig deeper. Find Him. He WILL be found by us! Do something different. Turn on the Gospel Music Channel. Find Him at the botanical gardens. Find Him. He's just waiting for us to pursue Him.
'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Brothers

You may have noticed that one of the blogs I visit is HeadCoach@Home. You may think that's strange, since it's geared toward encouraging husbands & fathers. But it's actually become a cool way for me to check up on my brother. He's a pastor in Poughkeepsie, NY and it's his blog. I love reading about his perspectives on family, sports, and life in general. I'm feeling quite nostalgic today (shocker), so let me tell you about my brother...

Growing up, I thought he was the most incredible boy in the world. I envied his relationship with our sister, Lisa, and longed for that friendship with him. Before he became a 'cool' teenager, we would play backyard football and he always let me win. When he started to have a life and friends of his own, I became quite the nuisance. I've tried to comfort Richard's oldest, Carlie, when she complains about her youngest sibling, Bryce. All Bryce is doing, and all that I did to Richard, is trying to insinuate himself into her life. And if that can only be done through irritants, so be it. When you see your older sibling growing up and, in your perception, out of your life, you do everything you can to hold onto them. Unfortunately, that usually means making their life, and the lives of the rest of the family, pretty miserable. Mother still says that she wondered if we would hate each other for the rest of our lives.

But then, you begin to grow up and those irritating ways fade as you build your own life. I've always adored my big brother, even when I haven't agreed with him. I still adore him. He has given me a sister-in-law who is just as much my sister as Lisa is. He made me an aunt to three of the most incredible kids. I am amazed at how wonderful he is at being a husband and father. Though I shouldn't be, considering the role model he has in our father. He has made me happier than I could imagine. He has hurt me more than I could imagine. Isn't that the way with family? They bring you the best AND the worst. Only the worse is far outweighed by the best! I hope you enjoy getting to know him through his blog. He's one of the most incredible men in the world.