Pumpkin Patch Mountain

Yesterday was weird. I left at 2 in the afternoon to drive to Bakersville, NC to attend the viewing and funeral of my Uncle, Oscar Carl Webb Jr. Everyone called him Jr. I passed through the big towns of Unicoi, Bulladean, Loafers Glory, Red Hill, and Toecane. I arrived at 6:30, saw the family, sat through the funeral and left at 9:30 and pulled back in my driveway at 1:21 am. I used to visit my Aunt Naomi and Uncle Jr occasionally as a kid. As I arrived into town though, it was dark so what I could have recognized I couldn't even see. I have fond memories of their house and the surrounding area.

Jr was married to my moms sister. Funny part is, my dad dated Naomi before he broke up with her because her younger sister (my mom) was prettier. We weren't real close, but my mom and dad were very close to them. I remember my Uncle Jr telling me one time that for fun, he, Naomi, and my mom and dad, would dress up as railroad hobo's and go to families houses and beg for food and sit in their house until the family recognized them. That was a big night out for them! As I sat in the service and listened to some family and the Pastor say things about my Uncle, I was struck that He was exactly the kind of man I want to be. He loved God. He was always faithful to the Lord and to his church. He loved my Aunt and all of the family. He was fun and the family celebrated his life last night. Life is short and I want my life to be celebrated when it is all said and done. I have failed, stumbled, but the great hand of God has helped me and lifted me up and set my feet on a rock.

As I drove home, I remembered one time when I was around 7 years old, Jr asked me if I liked pumpkins. I said yeah, of course. He put me in his truck and drove me up Pumpkin Patch Mountain there in Red Hill, NC. There was an old shack up there and we went and sat on the porch and looked around at hundreds of pumpkins. He then turned my attention a little higher to the breath-taking view of the Blue Ridge mountains. It was beautiful. I remember my Uncle Jr saying, "Isn't it something to know the One who made that?" Well Uncle Jr, you are now with Him. We miss you, but we long for the day that we will all be together again.

Turn Ahead

I love when the Lord shows me something fresh in the Word. I am studying 1 Thessalonians right now, and I came across a part in v.9 that says, "...and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God." I remember hearing a message in which this was referenced. I was struck with the truth.

I think too often we get repentance wrong. Have you ever struggled with something and could not figure out how to quit running to it? I know I have, and if you are honest with yourself, you probably have too. The struggle is consuming and frustrating. At the end of the day you feel like a failure and a horrible Christian. The wording in this verse is incredible because I think we get the equation wrong. We identify the "problem" or "thing" and we just "try really hard" to not go back to it. We label it and set boundaries, both of which are good and sometimes even necessary. We attempt to just turn "from" it rather than just turning "to something. The verse says "how you turned to God from idols." I am not suggesting that all issues will be solved, however when we turn to something, it is much easier to leave or forget the previous. I remember when I purchased my PS3. It was very easy to let go of the PS. The few times we have bought a new vehicle, we like to drive it rather than the old one.

As we walk our faith we will encounter resistance and traps from the enemy. Take heart, He has overcome them. Turning to Him is much better than trying on our own power.

I love the Words in the hymn penned by Helen H. Lemmel, " Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full on His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace."

Potato Chips

I am continually amazed at the lessons God reminds me of through my children. James 1:17 says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." I know we have heard all of our lives that everything is from God, but let's be honest, we don't always have that mindset. At least I don't. This last week a few things happened that made me realize that God enjoys giving gifts! (I'm really tempted to quote the cheerful giver verse right here). It's not just that God is obligated to give us things because He is God, rather it's part of His nature to give. See John 3:16. He loves giving to us.

This past week was Madelyn's birthday and we loaded her with gifts, but that's not when I was struck with my glimpse into God's heart. On Tuesday, Sue was working late and I was in charge of dinner. Sandwhiches and chips! As we were eating, Madelyn ate all her chips first, of course. (So did I). Then Madelyn asked for more chips, and I told her I would get her some. She said "No Daddy, I want to share yours." At that moment it struck me that our Father has it all and we are just sharing it. It was with the utmost pleasure that I set her in my lap and shared my chips with her.

God owns all the potato chips in the world and has pleasure in sharing them with His children. The best place for us is in His lap enjoying what He has for us!

An Extremely Important Meeting

I came home one day this week on my lunch break to see the girls. They love when I come home which only fuels my ego, unfortunately. Madelyn was begging me to stay and play with her. I desperately wanted to, however, I had a meeting at work with my boss and I would be home late. Madelyn suggested that her and I have a "very important meeting" tonight, just the two of us. Mommy and Casey "were not invited." I asked Madelyn, "what will we do at the meeting?" After careful deliberation, Madelyn announces that we will "play the Big Bad Wolf, eat ice cream and potato chips." Sounded good to me!

I arrived home and we had dinner, bathed the girls, read stories, and finally laid Casey down for "night-night." Sue asked Madelyn if she was ready for bed. Madelyn responded with a convincing no, comes over to where I was sitting, crawls up in my lap and whispers in my ear, "Daddy, it's time for our meeting." She hadn't forgotten. So, we made our way to her bedroom and we took turns huffing and puffing, and blowing each other's houses down. We laughed and had an awesome time. She ran to me to hug me and said, "daddy, I love you so much."

I thought it was time for bed now. How quickly was I reminded that meeting was only half over. It was now time for ice cream and potato chips. I retrieved our snack and we cuddled in the chair to watch Olivia and devour our delightful cuisine. I asked Madelyn how the meeting went. She gazed back up and simply stated, "perfect, dad."

I reflected as we sat there a few more minutes. We can get so caught up in life that we forget all the important things. I can't wait until our next meeting! It was so easy to take thirty minutes and totally make her day. Or, did she make mine?