In The Shade

Psalm 91:1 -- "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."

photo: University of Florida - Urban Landscaping Solutions

Even with the A/C blasting as high as it could possibly go, sweat dotted my forehead and rand down the side of my husband's face. Rather than sit down and buckle up, we melted into the seats of our car. We both sighed and grabbed the cold water just purchased from the machine at BJ's, guzzling it down as if our lives depended on it. We had but one more stop to make before we could head home and stay inside.

Usually we scour the abundance of grocery stores in Julington Creek for the best deals on what we need, on this day however, we shopped according to shady parking lots. It was just too hot. The official high for Saturday, August 23rd was 101, but according to the NOAA our heat index was 117 -- and I could feel every single bit of it.

There is a lot to be said for the humble parking lot shade tree. A whole lot.

On hot days there is no blessing like finding a spot underneath one and on rainy days the trees offer shelter from fat rain drops and a buffer from the wind. Within a parking lot tree's branches rest song birds and gulls who hope you drop tasty morsels as you get into your car. There are tree frogs who sing and geckos that relish the heat emanating from the black-top. Some of the myrtles are jeweled in fragrant blossoms that offer a rest for hummingbirds and butterflies in an otherwise wide ocean of concrete. And there is peace in the gentle rustle of leaves while car tires screech and car alarms beep.

The wonderful parking lot trees offer shade and shadow.

In Psalm 91:1 our Father, our Most High is compared to a shelter and a shadow. We can cool in the shade of Him and find comfort against the weather in His shadow. When our lives heat up we can rest in Him and when the storms roll in we can wait them out in safety in the wide-spread arms of our Lord.

How very lovely are the sprawling branches of our Almighty, our Most High - our Savior and Lord.

Say What?

John 11:41 -- "Then Jesus looked up and said, 'Father, I thank you that you have heard me.' "

His blue eyes met mine from across the room and shared with me a private acknowledgement and empathetic understanding. With a gentle and subtle shrug on his shoulders, Steven was letting me know that he had heard me, even when the target of my comment had not. In fact, the target of my comment had all together forgotten that we were even in a conversation and had gone on to put full attention into the interruption - in this case, an entirely new conversation with someone else. At least, that's where her attention would focus until that conversation was interrupted by yet another .... and so goes the cycle when we indulge ourselves in a large gathering of family.

There are moments when there are too many of us in a small space and it becomes difficult to keep up. But my husband quickly let me know that he was paying attention, even when those around me had chased the proverbial rabbit into another hole.

More often than not, these moments are seen to be par for the course, but there are times when this sets my teeth in a tight clench and my head into what will be a lasting headache. So as I propped my feet up on the cushions in front of me I smiled at my husband, relaxed into a deep full-body sigh, and reached for my Clive Cussler book. There didn't seem to be a point to any effort in an attempt to continue my verbal expression.

Steven and I had a conversation about this last night - about focus, attention, and interruption. It gave me food for thought. Do I really listen when a person is speaking to me? Am I paying attention to the words, the expressions, the emotion coming from people when they try to talk to me? Or do I jump from one mental thought to another in anticipation of what I might say next?

Sitting across the room from my husband with the walls vibrating from the din of so many voices and his amazing eyes locked on mine, I knew that his focus was on me. It usually is, actually. I'm very blessed and sadly I DO take this for granted often. 

As I read John11:41 this morning, the words sunk in and resonated on a deep level. I was drawn to something that I take for granted every single day - the confidence that God will always listen to me. So many, many times during the course of a single afternoon will I mutter things to my Father. Everything from thanks to praise to requests. Sometimes I belt out in song, sometimes the hopes and fears are silently cried out from my heart. However these words are expressed, I know beyond any doubt that Jesus hears them.

I LOVE that in verse 41 Jesus expresses gratitude for the act of listening. He didn't say to his Father that he was grateful for the granting of his requests or the fulfillment of his needs. He thanked God for listening.

That hits home.

God doesn't have to listen to me. I'm sure there are other things going on in the world as I send a sentiment His way while vacuuming my living room or loading the dishwasher. But I know He will hear me. No matter what.

Father, I thank You that You have heard me. I truly, deeply thank You.

Way Breaker

Micah 2:13 -- "One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their king will pass through before them, the Lord at their head."

photo: desktopnexus.com

As the muscles in my legs burned and the bottoms of my feet began to radiate heat, I swiped at the sweat starting to run down the sides of my face. Chris Thompson was just in front of me or the trail would have been unbearable. I was careful to follow closely, to step where he stepped, and push through the dense bamboo where he'd broken branches to make a path.

So intent on following in his footsteps was I, that I nearly ran into him when he stopped suddenly and turned to face me with his finger pressed to his lips. He made a soft shushing sound and pointed to my left.

There stood the largest wasp hives I had ever seen in my entire life! They were as tall as I was and about four feet around. I had no idea that hives could even get that big.

photo: Dr. James L. Castner [felinepress.com]

Had it not been for Chris's sharp eye, I might have inadvertently disturbed them and our spirited hike up the side of the Mount Apo foothills at Mount Carmel would have gone from eager adventure to medical emergency. That many angry wasps would have put all of us in the hospital - which was way-too-many miles away. [and Chris was very allergic].

The thing is, the rest of us could avoid the hives because Chris went ahead of us. He stepped carefully, quietly, and diligently to break open a path through the bamboo thicket in which we had managed to become intrenched.  For the longest time we were unable to find our way through the jungle and back down the mountain - but Chris's determination and common sense pulled us through what could have been a very bad end to an otherwise great afternoon.

We dragged our dust-covered, sweat drenched, mosquito eaten bodies back to the camp grounds as the sun was just starting it's descent behind the mountain ridge around us. I don't think I'd ever been so happy to see the babbling creek near the food hut or the long rows of weathered picnic tables under it's thatch roof. Since the dinner bell had already rung, our parents were sitting at the tables, deep in conversation over the din of flat-wear hitting plates and ice rattling in glasses. None were aware of the all-consuming relief we felt to see their smiling faces again.

It's true, most of us don't find ourselves entangled in thick tropical jungles with vines reaching out for our ankles and bamboo shoots slapping at our faces - but on so many levels our lives can FEEL like we do. We do experience times when we are left scratching our heads, looking around in confusion as we try to determine which path to take.

The wonderful thing is, there is One who has gone ahead of us - One who has pushed through the dense foliage and broken open a clear path for us. There is One to warn us of giant wasp hives and deeply rooted ground that catches the laces of our tennis shoes and threatens to trip us up.

All we have to do -- is follow closely. We step where Jesus has stepped before us and cling to God's' Word. He has gone before us and broken open the way, we need to stay on the trail He's set.

Petrified Lightning

Luke 17:24 -- "For the son of Man in his day will be like lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other."

photo: John Shippee - johnshippeephotography.com

Beach combing is an absolute favorite of mine. In this regard I am richly blessed with several types of beaches from which to choose to hike - according to mood and energy level. If I want a good stiff climb and lots of photo ops, I choose Big Talbot Island with it's rocks, fallen oaks, and jagged out-crops. If I want slow and lazy and shark's teeth, it's Mickler's Landing at Ponte Vedra. If I'm in the mood for dipping my toes and a gentle natural pedicure, I drive on down to Crescent Beach with it's miles of soft white sand and wide open coast line. For nature trails, tidal lagoons, natural wetlands, and inter-coastal run-off, it's Guana National Reserve with it's lush vegetation and historical remnants of lost Indian homesteads. [just be prepared for lots of mosquitoes] Want a little mixture? Head up to Fort Clinch with it's old revolutionary war reinactors and fort ruins - where the Amelia River runs into the Atlantic.

There are so many, many options and to be honest, I take this glut for granted.

photo: Bruce Lipsky, FL Times Union

The one thing that will keep me off the beaches that I love so very much - is lightning. And we get it all the time. In fact, the hub of lightning research is right here in my home state and we often bear the nick-name "lightning capital of the world" [though statistically speaking, that isn't really true]. There are few places on this planet of ours that can boast of more cloud to ground strikes and we Florida residents can prove as much with the millions of dollars in repairs and/or replacements due to damage caused by these strikes on an annual basis.

In fact, having gone a week without internet access due to a doozy of a lightning storm last week, there are often times when I hate the stuff. Don't get me wrong, I love a good thunder storm - but last week as the boys and I huddled in the middle of the living room with our hands over our ears and our shoulders hunched in fear we counted at least four - count 'em FOUR - cloud to ground strikes within one square block of our house. One of them hit a pine tree in our back yard, and another had me seeing smoke billowing up from our neighbor's house - and let's not forget the all annoying strike that hit the Comcast relay and networks of communication wires resulting in said loss of internet access. In all of my history in the Sunshine State, I have never been in a storm with that much electricity flying through the air. It was very truly terrifying.

When I came across Luke 17:24 today it took me a few moments to wrap my head around the comparison between our Lord Jesus Christ and lightning. At first, I felt like that was a very negative and even a little disrespectful analogy and puzzled over the use of it for some time. But then I gave it a bit more thought and realize the verse is actually, spot on.

It is true that there is great power in lightning and there can be no denying that when electrified storm clouds go crazy, a dark sky lights up brilliantly. There are also things that happen during a lightning strike that could not happen any other way.

For example; lightning cleans the air. Dust, pollens, and other pollutants fuse together due to intense heat and are more likely to fall heavily to the ground bound together than on their own. An electrically charged atmosphere also encourages the release and burning off of aromatics such as pine sap and floral pollens. The air often smells wonderful after a lightning storm.

Heat and pressure from lightning also turn nitrogen and other air born gasses into useful compounds like nitric acid and nitric oxide. These act as natural fertilizers that encourage plant growth by allowing them to make vital proteins.

There is obvious beauty in lightning. Just look at some of the amazing photography shot during storms over the years.

Petrified Lightning

But a little surprise that's often hard to find takes the cake when it comes to the benefits of cloud to ground lightning strikes and sheds some light [pun intended] on the chosen description of Jesus in verse 24.

It's called petrified lightning and it only happens when lightning hits the sand.

When intense heat mix with sand and other minerals - fulgurites are formed. Where once were tiny grains of broken sea shells, coral, and almost microscopic traces of iron, ruby, and quarts - a clumpy, sometimes shiny mass of "beach glass" greets the eye in fascinating shapes and structures. There is beauty in petrified lightning. There is a wonder in the tubes etched out and frozen into existence where the lightning digs through the particles of sand in it's journey to the ground from the sky. There is something special about this process and the very rare opportunity to find this little gift in nature.

Inside Petrified Lightning

There is strength, might, and light in a cloud to ground strike. There is a cleansing that happens in the air that becomes so super-charged with electricity. There is beauty when lightning hits the earth in just the right spot and the heat forms fulgurites.  And there is life when a long buried seed bursts open in the flash of an electric jolt and a brand new tree starts to grow.

I can see that Luke 17:24 has it exactly right. Our Savior, Jesus Christ is all of these things - and so very much more.

'Round Robin

II Corinthians 1:9-10 -- "Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God . . . and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us."

 

I could not help but bust a gut. Seriously. I think it was actually the first time I really, really laughed since packing up my whole life into my little red Pontiac Sunbird - to slowly close the distance between Murphreesboro and Dixon Tennessee. I left behind what was supposed to be till death do us part and anxiously, nervously, darkly - stepped into the role of a divorced single mother.  The miles that slipped in line behind me were devastating, sad miles and the carcass of my very brief marriage loomed in the rear-view mirror. 

Even while I could still feel the shadows of marital failure pressing in around me, there I was, three months later, enjoying Mrs. Doubtfire on the tiny screen of my old bedroom at Mom and Dad's - laughing so hard the tears ran down my face and it was a struggle to keep from wetting my pants.

There just isn't any laughter like a Robin Williams laughter.

Mrs. Doubtfire resonated with me on so many levels and I sympathized with the freshly single father in that film. . . . and I LAUGHED. Could it be that there might be found some tiny trace of humor in my own situation? At least I could envision the light at the end of the tunnel as Robin pulled us into the fridge with him and planted his face into a meringue pie.

For me, there was some soothing - even perhaps a little healing - in the works of Robin Williams. In the past few days, I find myself wondering if he knew just how many lives he'd touched. Was he aware of the impact he'd had? Did he know that there were elements of hope tightly woven into each comedic performance? Did he know that in the middle of his own personal darkness, he brought light to so many people?

Did he know there is hope?

While the media circus makes wide circles around Robin Williams and the details of his death are made public, I find that I harbor a deep ache for him and the private pain he felt he had to conquer on his own. I have been thinking of Paul's words in II Corinthians.

It surprised me to think about Paul being suicidal the first time I read verses 8-10 in II Corinthians 1. At least, that's what I see when I read these verses. I see that Paul felt so defeated that he seemed to wonder if there was any value in staying alive. We see him reach out, almost in panicked desperation, for the light and hope in Jesus Christ. In verse 8 Paul says very plainly that he "despaired even of life."

And then he tells his friends in Corinth that he understands this darkness happens that we may learn to fully rely on God. Paul then claims victory by standing firm in his absolute certainty that "He [God] will deliver us."

Yes, God WILL deliver us from our darkness, from our anger, from our heart-ache - from our depression. He always, always, always will.

These words may sound easy to say and difficult to practice. But I know the darkness of which I speak. I can share these words - these verses - with you in the utmost of confidence, not only because I was raised to memorize God's Word and know where to turn when things get chaotic - but because I have fought these demons, myself. I have personally struggled with chronic chemical depression my entire life. And as we sadly say good-bye to a well-loved actor, I want to express this:

Please, please, PLEASE, do not wait until it's so dark you can't find your way to a flashlight. Cling to the hope we have in Jesus Christ. CLING! And when the lights start to go out - when the shadows start to creep in to sap the daylight out of your hope - pick up the phone and tell someone who loves you that your own batteries are failing and you need to borrow a few for a while - so that your flashlight stays brightly lit. Please don't stubbornly try to will life into your dying light by yourself. A recharge - emergency back-up generators - are just a phone call away. Even if you detect a small flicker in the bright around you, go ahead and call. Don't wait until you no longer have the will or the desire to pick up the phone. By then, your fading strength might not be enough to hold onto God's' hope on your own. Get a friend to help hold your arms up and reinforce your grasp.  Jesus will not let go of you. Do not allow yourself to let go of him.

On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us. And He will deliver us.

Better Than Glue

Proverbs 18:24 -- "But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."

I could NOT believe the words I just heard from my youngest son, trying to enunciate through clenched teeth, as he once again attempted to use his big brother as a foot rest. This, by the way, is not tolerated by big brother.

I had ducked into my bedroom to retrieve a favorite pillow for family movie night when out came the words - I kid you not - "You started it!"

And then: "nuh-uh, YOU started it first because you do that to me all the time!"

Really?!

My twenty year old and my sixteen year old were back to intentionally annoying the snot out of each other. I thought I might need to run in and check their birth certificates but nah, I'm pretty sure Brian is twenty and Tyler is sixteen. Even though they were behaving like they were still eight and four.

I have a sneaking suspicion that they arrange themselves in the living room in just the right places so that they can't help but be in each other's way when the movie starts. It's not like we don't have room for them both.

I have learned something about my guys over the years. I don't know if it's this way for every male dominated family, but to display affection toward one another the boys [all four of them] usually crack wise at, poke, punch, and or kick the seat of the intended "admired" target. So the touching battle that had begun just before my hubby started Hitchcock's North By Northwest was actually a display of brotherly love. Hard to see it that way when the situation turns to a verbal screaming match that only ends when Dad puts his foot down [sometimes loudly on the tile] and tells them both to knock it off.

The thing is though, no matter how loud the word war - I know what they know - they will always be there for one another. ALWAYS. Deep down [sometimes way, way deep down] these two gentle giants of mine are still the boys that used to leap off the couch together, laughing hysterically as they landed on the floor in a large pile of pillows. They still look out for each other and will even split the last french-fry on the tray from the oven. It's sometimes even a comfort to me when they start to intentionally invade each other's personal space.

When you have exciting news or something sad to share, who is the  first person you think of with which to share it? A parent? A spouse? A best-friend or a brother?

Whatever role that important person plays in your life you can rest assured that Jesus is even more reliable. Even more interested. Even more excited with you and aches with you even deeper when things don't go well. Proverbs reminds us that Jesus is closer - even closer than a brother. He'll stick, even better than glue.