Gold

Recently, I went on a little search to learn more about gold. It is a very popular internet topic. Wanting to learn more about the processes surrounding this element, I watched YouTube videos, read articles and learned several facts I had not known about it.

Gold is considered a precious metal. Sought after since ancient times, it is highly valued in our society; its value one of the most frequently watched predictors of world economic conditions. Gold usually is found mixed in with other metals, but can be reduced to its purest form through a process of refining. The refining process most frequently involves using extreme heat to separate the gold from other metals. There seems to be some debate, even between scientific minds, as to whether or not gold can be heated to the point at which it evaporates. Affected very little by either oxygen or water, it is considered to be one of the most durable of all metals.

So here is the nugget which started my search about gold:

In this you greatly rejoice,
though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold,
which perishes even though refined by fire –
may be proved genuine
and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
1 Peter 1:6-7 (NIV)


First question: Even scientists seem to debate whether or not gold can be evaporated, so why does the Bible talk about it perishing? I read one article that suggested the passage in 1 Peter chapter 1 is talking about the fact that the Bible tells us eventually everything on earth will perish.

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
Matthew 24:35

Jesus talked about the earth perishing. One day, all that we know on this planet will be gone. Even the gold, that scientists now debate its destructibility, will eventually be gone. But the Bible tells us that something will be left behind. Our faith.

Second question: The Bible acknowledges the worth assigned by the world to gold, how does that really compare to intangibles like faith? Gold is a very valuable substance in our world. You may be picturing objects which can be enjoyed, but affect little change in our world such as pretty jewelry, etc. Yet, gold can be used as currency to affect serious change such as feeding the hungry or providing fresh water wells in countries where children die of water borne illnesses. The value of gold we can get our brains around, but sometimes placing a value on our faith is not so easy. So Peter compares a substance we can understand with one we may know little about. Gold, the substance we do understand, is a very valuable one. But the Bible tells us there is something more valuable than gold: Our faith.

Third question: Gold’s refinement occurs in fire – very hot fire. I do not sleep very well if the temperature in our house gets above the mid-seventies. So how do I find peace, or even learn to rest and sleep, in the midst of the fires (trials) that come into my life? What happens when the heat gets turned up in our lives? Refinement occurs in gold under fire. Refinement of our character can also occur under fire. The Bible tells us what is ultimately refined in trials: Our faith.

What is our faith? It is nothing more and nothing less than our living, breathing relationship with the God of the universe. It is our simple acceptance of His son Jesus’ death on the cross as payment for our sins and turning over of our life to Him. All we have to do is ask Him. It is becoming a part of His family. Being adopted. Becoming His princess.

Gold had a lot to teach me this week. Many of the things I now hold valuable are not lasting, but my faith is lasting. More valuable than anything I own or treasure is being a part of God’s family – His princess. My relationship with Him, my faith, will become even stronger when it is refined in the fiery trials that are a real part of life in this world. What today, my friend, is God wanting to teach you?

A Free Cup of Coffee

Ever had one of those mornings? You wake up with the intention of having a positive outlook, reacting to things in a godly fashion, excited about the day, but before you finish blow drying your hair or even have a cup of coffee – things go downhill. Maybe it is an email you receive, maybe the disaster you found in the kitchen, maybe just the smallest thing or the largest, but suddenly, you find yourself in a place that is not happy, to say the least.

I was having one of those mornings. A combination of issues, large and small, starting mushrooming in my brain and by the time we pulled out of the driveway, I was in tears. Rob patiently listened all the way to his office, in spite of having much weightier matters on his own agenda, held my hand and assured me of his support. But I could not shake the cloud.

Often when I feel this way, writing is a way to process my thoughts and feelings. So, in my cloud, I began to think about taking some time to write. Writing is something that is often difficult for me at home. While the keys of the computer pull at my heart, the demands of 21st century life tend to pull at my mind. Distraction being a major issue for me, I have found that getting away somewhere, even if it is crowded or noisy, will often allow my brain the peace to focus on what I am writing.

One of my favorite spots I what I call my “McDonald’s office.” Pull into Mickey D’s and I can find coffee and Wifi, a great combination for getting some writing done. So knowing I had some time before my next destination, I stopped at McDonald’s to find some peace and maybe a little lift for my clouded spirit. I wanted to email a couple of friends to ask them to pray for me and search for some words from God for myself.

That’s when it happened. I went to the counter and saw a beautiful smiling lady named Amber. She greeted me warmly and asked what I wanted. I ordered my usual cup of coffee as I got out my billfold. She smiled and said, “Oh – then you don’t owe anything. Coffee before 9am is free.” Smiling again, she handed me my cup and wished me a nice day. And I heard His voice.

No, it was not audible. No, there were no bolts of lightning or choirs singing. But it was as real to me as any of those things. The voice of my Father said, “I see you. I know you are struggling. Your struggles matter to me. Enjoy your free cup of coffee. I love you.”

Some of you, by now, are definitely snickering. Right – a free cup of McDonald’s coffee is from God? But honestly, when was the last time you were struggling and just needed to know that someone larger than you, someone who was actually in a place to affect change for you and those you love, noticed your struggles? In those moments, what would you give for a real kernel of love and affection, peace and power? Sounds like a tall order, but that is exactly what God gave me in that cup of coffee.

Yes, I now understand that apparently McDonalds has a promotion this month giving away free coffee before 9am. Yes, my cup of coffee did not change one iota of any actual reality in any situation over which I was concerned. But here is my truth. I have a Father who loves me. And He hurts when I hurt. And just as I strive to “make it all better” when I see my children hurting, He reaches out in love to me.

Some will call it rationalization. Some will call it psychosis. Some will brush it off as another blogger sharing too much of the boring details of their daily life. But some will look beyond and see a Father that loves me and how about that – might just love them as much too. Which “some” will you be today?

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress,
I will not be shaken.
Psalm 62:5-6 (NIV)

The Real Thing

We recently had some favorite friends come to visit. To say that these ladies are troublemakers would be an understatement, but boy do we have fun when they arrive. Their recent visit was scheduled so that they could get a look at the White House all decorated for Christmas. When we started placing their luggage in our car though, I noticed they had brought something extra along. In the words of my twenty-four year old son, “Mom, please tell me we do not have a cardboard cutout of our president in the back of the car.” Yes, my friends had brought a life-sized cardboard photo of President George H. W. Bush.

On the day of the much anticipated White House tour, we met downtown with George in the back seat. After the tour, they brought him into the White House Visitor’s Center to surprise a friend. What happened next was really interesting. As they began to make photos of themselves and the cutout next to a replica White House Christmas tree, a small group began to gather. Complete strangers began asking if they could have their picture made next to the cutout. George was soon packed up and taken to the gate in front of the White House south lawn for more photo ops. Again, total strangers wanted to have their photo with the cutout. We laughed until we cried. How could a piece of cardboard create such excitement?

Is it not amazing how in our culture today, we are often more excited over replicas than the real thing? Sometimes I think we are such a media saturated culture that we relate more easily to an image than to reality. Have you ever been in an auditorium using large screen projections of a speaker and found yourself looking at the screen instead of the speaker – even when you were close enough to see the real thing? I know I have.

There is one particular area in life where we must be ever vigilant that we do not let image take the place of the real thing. Our relationship with God must be based not on images or replicas. We cannot latch onto the faith of our parents or grandparents, spouses or friends. We must not hang onto the ideas of a pastor or the thoughts of a good teacher. Our relationship with God must be a real, vital, personal, living thing with the Creator of the universe.

So how does that look in daily life? What does that mean as I go through the normal routines of my average days? For me, it is about whether or not I am thinking about Him, talking with Him, and spending time in His word allowing it to transform my mind. My real relationship with God looks different from day to day, just like my relationship with my husband has not been the same each day over the past twenty plus years. Some days, we talk a lot. Some days, we do not. Some days, I read His word a lot. Some days, I do not. What does it mean for you?

My relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, is meant to be a living thing. Just like all relationships, it will have ebbs and flows, based on my current moods, disciplines, etc. Thank goodness, there is no ebb and flow in Christ. The Bible tells me He is the same yesterday, today and forever. And that my friend is the real thing.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Hebrews 13:8 (NIV)

Where is my security?

Cell phones are a wonderful invention - when they are not lost, ringing at the wrong place and time, or broken. Recently, it was brought to my attention just how strong my love/hate relationship has become with these strange little devices which have so powerfully changed our world.

Mark was due to come home for an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon. At the arts university he attends, classes are held at a variety of hours during the day and night, so his last class before we could leave was scheduled to run until 10pm. Since Mark could not drive with his broken bones, Rob was away on business and David was working, this meant six hundred miles of driving for me until 3 in the morning. Knowing my ability to fall asleep at the drop of a hat, I decided to leave early and catch a few zzz’s in Mark’s room before time to turn around and come back to Virginia. Ah, the best laid plans. . .

When it was time to leave my home, I double checked my purse for the cell phone that had been in it at 6:30 that morning when I took Libby to the bus. Strangely enough, it was not there. I began to look some of the other places I often leave the phone, only to come up empty handed. I used the house phone to call my cell phone, only to remember that I had placed the phone on silent the night before during Libby’s rehearsal and had probably never changed the setting back. So no matter how many times I called the phone and ran around the house listening for even some faint vibrating sound, no electronic buzzing was heard. Slowly, I began to feel a bit of panic rising in my throat. It was time to leave. I needed my phone. After praying and asking God to show me where the phone was, I resumed my search, confident I would soon be successful. That was not the case.

My mind began to rationalize all the reasons it was critical God show me exactly where this cell phone was located in my home. As the mom, I am the central coordinator for our family. Often scattered across the southeastern United States, they usually each call me to figure what out what is going on with everyone else. I knew with my phone out of commission, no one would know exactly where I was and several of them would be trying to contact me. What if my car broke down? How would I get help? When I arrived at NCSA, Mark was going to be out and about campus. I would have no way to get into his room to sleep if I could not locate him. Without a cell phone, we could be missing each other all over campus for quite some time.

When my mind stopping rehearsing all its human reasoning, the still small voice of God began to speak quietly into my heart. “Where is your security? Do you trust that little piece of metal to care for you or do you trust me?” My response was not exactly humble obedience and repentance. This one would not easily let go of me.

“God, it is only a phone. Could you please just show it to me so I don’t have to freak out my family?” It was very quiet. There was no phone to be found. With the clock ticking away, I had to get on the road sans the now seemingly precious piece of metal.

The summary of the story is this. Some of my family did freak out thinking some of the worst possible things could have happened to me. They quickly adapted though and began to help each other without my assistance. Mark left his room unlocked for me and I was able to take a nap before getting back on the road. We made it back home safely where David had found my phone in a pile of clothing I had moved in the early morning hours (a fact which had completely escaped my brain during my search). The phone crisis was over, but I had at least heard a lesson which I knew needed to be addressed.

Where exactly is my security? If I truly believe God is sovereign, that He alone controls my destiny, then why the panic? How dependent have I become on the things of this world for my protection? There is truth that needs to realign my brain with God’s way of thinking.

This is God's Word on the subject: "As soon as Babylon's seventy years are up and not a day before, I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.
Jeremiah 29:10 (The Message)

Ultimately, God is in control. He decides my future. He is and should be my security. Whether it be my losing my cell phone, losing my position or many other possible scenarios which are much more serious, my faith and trust can only be safely placed in the arms of my Father. Where is your security today?

Having a Good Time

My children are very aware of a strange, but consistent phenomenon that happens around our house in the early morning hours after Halloween. I excitedly race around our house gathering up every vestige of black cats and jack-o-lanterns to quickly replace them with turkeys and pilgrims. True confession – not being a big fan of Halloween, I am in fact a Thanksgiving freak. I just love November. The fall pumpkins are still beautiful, the leaves are falling from the trees and everywhere I see reminders of being thankful (at least in my house – the stores only seems to carry Christmas decorations at this time of the year!).

There is one other key factor that causes my elation each year when the calendar rolls over to display November. I know that it is only a few short weeks until we get to celebrate one of the most special times on our family calendar each year – Dowell Thanksgiving. Twenty-five years ago this year, we began gathering as a family to stay together somewhere in the Southeast and celebrate a week of food and fun. Living in different states across the South, this is the one time each year we are all able to be together. Rob’s mom, who we affectionately call Deedah, her five children, their spouses, their children and now even their grandchildren spend five days and four nights eating and playing. When we began twenty-five years ago, Deedah had three grandchildren. Now she has eight grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Nobody knows how to have a good time like the Dowell family. It is loud, boisterous and filled with laughter. There are only a couple of hours on the clock each day when the entire house is asleep with teens and twenty-somethings playing games until the wee hours and the forty plus generation rising early to cook breakfast and bang around in the kitchen. Competition is a key component of our time together whether we are screaming at the football game on television or loudly debating any issue one might want to imagine. There are normally 8 to 10 conversations going on at once, even when there are only 6 people in the room. Practical jokes are played, charade and poker games won and lost and more butter consumed than should be eaten by a small nation. The Dowells are just plain fun.

My children have grown up in this tradition. They love it. For one week each year, we have pulled away from the demands of life to enjoy the family God has given us on this earth. Many times I have watched as my three had to do hours of homework and makeup work because of the school time they missed. Often they found themselves trying to explain to angry directors why they were missing so many rehearsals. Yet, if ever questioned about why we were pulling them out for this week, I always replied that my children often learned more in these few days with the Dowells than in a month of school.

I think sometimes, as a generation living in the 21st century, we have forgotten how to have a good time. We are so busy achieving, so busy reaching that next goal, so we can reach the next one and then reach the next one, marching on to a distant imagined prize or outcome. As parents, we often begin building our children’s ladders to success at an early age. We strive to keep them on “the master plan” in order to see that they become all they can be. But what has happened to just plain having a good time?

A time to weep and a time to laugh,
A time to mourn and a time to dance. Ecclesiastes 3:4 (NIV)

It may sound silly, but I like to think that week we spend with the Dowells is kind of like what it might be like in heaven. No, our family is not perfect, nor do we fly around with angel wings. But, the fun, the laughter, the enjoying of food and games together, just fit into my picture of what our eternity will be like with Jesus. A place of love, a place of acceptance, a place removed from the fear and anxiety of this world. A place I want to be. A place Jesus invited all of us to be. A place to have a good time.

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me.
Revelation 3:20 (NIV)

The Elastic Den

At the parents’ meeting for the middle school musical Libby was participating in this past winter, the typical volunteer sign-up sheets were touted with the usual “we can’t do this without your help” speech. Knowing my complete lack of sewing talent (thereby eliminating me from the costume crew), my daughter’s desire to not have me backstage during the performances (there goes the stage parent list) and my struggles with even getting my own makeup on correctly (elimination – makeup committee), I signed on quickly to host the cast party. I estimated that at least I knew how to open the front door of my home. Later, it was the look on my husband’s face when I answered his question about the size of the cast (about 70 students) that reminded me that we might have some space issues in our beautiful Northern Virginia home. Being a terrific host and dad, he quickly smiled and assured me it would be fine. After all, they wouldn’t really all show up – would they?

Having raised two other children who had been involved with theatre, we knew that a group of drama kings and queens can rival any sports team with their activity level. Not wanting to see groups of seventh and eighth graders go hang out in our bedrooms for the evening, we realized we needed a plan. Theater kids love few things more than the opportunity to reprise their stage roles. We decided one activity for the evening would be to run a DVD version of the musical the students had just performed. Our 10’ by 15’ den was to be the gathering spot for this particular activity.

As the students began to arrive, it became obvious that watching, laughing and singing along with the DVD was the activity of first choice for the majority of the cast. On a typical evening in our home, you can comfortably seat three to five people in our den. For opening Christmas presents with family, we added chairs from the kitchen and actually squeezed eleven of us in for a brief time. Yet, on the evening of the cast party, teenagers started pouring into our den like ants at a picnic. At one point, Rob counted almost forty of them squeezed into the den which seemed to suddenly have walls of elastic. They laughed, they sang and they had a blast – all sandwiched in on top of one another. If you had told me in advance, I would have sworn the den could never hold so many middle schoolers. But on this night, the walls truly seemed to be made of elastic.



Isn’t that just like God’s love?

Every so often, I seem to pull another stunt which causes me to wonder if I have not finally done it. This time, my mind reasons, I have pushed God’s love right to the edge. I have really messed up. This will be the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. Yet that is never the case. Is this true because I am so special, He just continues to love me? No, He continues to love me because He is Love.

God is love.
1 John 4:16b (NIV)

Isn’t that just like God’s truth?

Viewing the Bible as God’s word is a truth that seems to be pushed against from all sides in our culture. Every so often, there is a new scientific discovery which seems to disprove God’s word. Sometimes there are archeological finds that appear to conflict in time with the Bible’s account of events. Each year the bookstore displays work from a new “scholar” who touts the evils of religion noting that God is nothing more than man’s trumped up imagination. Yet for all these occurrences, God’s word never changes. His truth continues to stand – whole and unbent in spite of tidal waves of change in human culture and discovery. Do I know this because I am a Bible scholar? No, it is because He can be trusted. His word is true.

“I the Lord do not change.”
Malachi 3:6a (NIV)

Isn’t that just like God’s relationship with us?

God wants to place elastic in the walls of our relationship with Him. As women, this can be scary as we sometimes envision anyone coming towards us with expansion on their minds as just wanting more of our already stretched time, energy and emotions. It is not our Father’s desire to involve us in more activities for the sake of expansion. He wants to expand our relationship with Him. As we grow closer to Him, He will suddenly expand the room to hold more of Him. Does He do this because I have performed the right number of steps to be promoted? No, He does it because He is a God who actively seeks out each and every one of us.

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.
Luke 19:10 (NIV)

At Libby’s cast party, my den surprised us. It held elastic within its walls I never knew was there. Every day, I love being surprised by the elasticity of God. Just when I think I have reached capacity . . . . .

His love
His truth
His relationship

The elastic appears and they get a little bigger.

Leaf Geeks

The Dowell family would not qualify as early morning people. Libby has to be at the bus every weekday by 6:35am and Rob usually leaves for work around the same time. This not being our preferred hour of the day, we usually all function around the house in silence. A kiss goodbye and “I love you,” are about the best we can manage some mornings. This morning, however, was different. We were all riding in the car together when we began talking about how beautiful the leaves were all around us. Excitedly, we would point out to one another when we spotted a particularly beautiful tree, bush or hillside. The conversation was animated and definitely unusual for our bunch at that hour. Here is the cold hard truth. We are leaf geeks.

Maybe it was the twenty years in Florida without autumn color changes that sealed our fate. Maybe it was Rob and I’s childhood spent in the beautiful state of Tennessee where trees are everywhere. Maybe, we just have nothing better to do. Whatever the reason, we love to gawk and marvel at what happens to trees in the fall.

When I returned home this morning there was a long list of things that needed to be done. After tackling one or two, where did I find myself? I was on the back patio, taking pictures of leaves in our backyard. I know, the geek factor just shot up considerably. Truly, could I not get something accomplished on my list? (Do these voices speak to anyone else but me??) But may I share with you what happened to me in those moments when I was “getting nothing done”?

Suddenly, I found myself weeping. I was just overcome. Here is the truth I do not think my heart will ever understand as I long as I live on this earth. How could a God who created such beauty have any interest whatsoever in me? I mean, these leaves are spectacular. They are so gorgeous. And the reality is that no matter how many new clothes I buy, how much weight I lose or how many cosmetics I buy, I am not. Please do not misunderstand. I am not being falsely modest or lacking in self esteem. I can certainly dress myself up and look perfectly presentable to the world. The thought that made me cry this morning, is that my Father sees deep into my heart. And in there, things are so not pretty.

So why does He love me? Why does He even bother to turn my way? I truly have no clue. The truth I want to hang onto today is – He does. He does love me. He does turn to me.

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
I John 4:16a (NIV)

He loves me. He really, really loves me. The Creator of the universe, who made beautiful leaves which change color in the fall, loves me. This is a truth that can change my life. It can change my heart. It can change the way I treat others each day. Rude driver cuts me off – no problem, He loves me. Angry family member – no problem, He loves me. Others making decisions around me which highly impact my life, but over which I have zero control – no problem, He loves me. Concerned about the stock market or the future of our country – no problem, He loves me. If I truly understand the truth that the God who paints beautiful leaves in my backyard also loves me completely, it will change the way I live my daily life. I think that is what John was talking about when he said we know and rely on the love God has for us.

So where is your heart today? Many of you are facing obstacles and challenges that far surpass rude drivers and market volatility. Do you know that the Creator who paints the leaves loves you completely? If you do not, please ask Him to show you. If you maybe had just forgotten in the craziness that is life in the 21st century, please stop for a moment and remember. For today, know and rely on the love He has for you.