Let me add my own preface. If you don’t know anything about Amy Carmichael, I suggest you look her up. A good place to start would be Elisabeth Elliot’s biography called A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael.

She was a missionary in India for 53 years, rescuing girls from temple prostitution. In essence, she fought against sex trafficking before such a term even existed.

Let her words sink in deep:

“Let us end on a very simple note: Let us listen to simple words; our Lord speak simply: ‘Trust Me, My child,’ He says. ‘Trust Me with a humbler heart and a fuller abandon to My will than ever thou didst before. Trust Me to pour My love through thee, as minute succeeds minute. And if thou shouldst be conscious of anything hindering that flow, do not hurt My love by going away from Me in discouragement, for nothing can hurt so much as that. Draw all the closer to Me; come, flee unto Me to hide thee, even from thyself. Tell Me about the trouble. Trust Me to turn My hand upon thee and thoroughly to remove the boulder that has choked they river-bed, and take away all the sand that has silted up the channel. I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. I will perfect that which concerneth thee. Fear thou not, O child of My love; fear not.’

And now…to gather all in one page:

Beloved, let us love.

Lord, what is love?

Love is that which inspired My life, and led Me to My Cross, and held Me on My Cross. Love is that which will make it thy joy to lay down thy life for thy brethren.

Lord, evermore give me this love.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after love, for they shall be filled” (Amy Carmichael).

It’s gonna be a cold one tomorrow. I don’t mean cold as in cold for Tennessee but not necessarily Minnesota or Michigan. I’m talking cold, period. Plus there’s that whole humidity/wet cold that makes the chilliness seem even chillier, if that were even possible.

I’m disappointed that there’s not even a hint of the possibility of snow. In my mind, if it gets below 20 degrees outside, it needs to snow or what’s the freakin’ point? Then it’s just super cold and everyone is sad.

So when does this hibernation thing start? I am super into that. This spell of wintry weather has me feeling like I could nap for days. Either that or Netflix and chill for days.

I love having a job, but I’m definitely not a fan of waking up in the dark. That’s one of the very few drawbacks about winter and fall. It seems unnatural to wake up before the sun is up.

So once again, when does that hibernation thing start and where do I sign up?

“It is no good giving me a play like Hamlet or King Lear, and telling me to write a play like that. Shakespeare could do it — I can’t. And it is no good showing me a life like the life of Jesus and telling me to live a life like that. Jesus could do it — I can’t. But if the genius of Shakespeare could come and live in me, then I could write plays like this. And if the Spirit of Jesus could come into me, then I could live a life like that. This is the secret of Christian sanctity. It is not that we should strive to live like Jesus, but that he by his Spirit should come and live in us. To have him as our example is not enough; we need him as our Saviour” (John R. W. Stott).

I’m fairly certain that I won’t ever write any play or sonnet that comes close to anything Shakespeare ever wrote. But by that power of the Spirit of the living Christ, I can live the life that Jesus lived.

The question is “Why don’t I?”

Why do I rely so much on my own meager and feeble strength when I can tap into God’s unlimited power, the very same that raised Jesus from the dead.

I honestly don’t have a good answer to that. But I believe that today I am becoming a little more like Jesus than I was yesterday. And I’m not quite who I will be tomorrow.

And that’s a good start.

I think that at the end of our lives, what will really and truly matter will be the number of people who will know Jesus because of us. I’m not saying that me or anyone else can save anyone. I’m not even saying that we ourselves will be the ones to single-handedly win someone over to heaven.

I am saying that if we are faithful to this gospel that saved us, if we proclaim it with both our lives and our lips, it will not return void. God will honor a faithful witness.

That’s something I want to do better. I want to be able to have gospel conversations with people— not the kind where I beat people over the head with a Bible or scream hellfire and damnation at them, but where I speak of what Jesus has done for me and invite them to know this God who can save anybody at any time anywhere no matter what.

As I heard in today’s sermon, no one is guaranteed tomorrow. No one is promised the next breath. If you’re reading these words and don’t have the assurance that you belong to Jesus, don’t go to bed without reading these words:

https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/salvation-through-christ-a-matter-of-faith

I finally made it to the sad, sad episode where Amy and Rory go bye-bye. Even though I knew it was coming (thanks to spoilers and me being about 7 years behind on the whole Doctor Who thing), it still tugged at the ol’ heartstrings.

So goodbye to the Ponds/Williams and hello to Clara Oswald. Hello to creepy snowmen made out of some weird alien snow that makes Frosty want to eat people. Definitely not a happy jolly soul this time.

Throughout all the Classic and New episodes, I’ve really loved how they handle the departures and entrances of companions. Well, for the most part (I’m looking at you, Dodo and Peri Brown).

One day, sooner than later, I plan to be all caught up. Then whatever will I do with my life? Start the Sarah Jane Adventures?

I sat at my laptop for the longest and couldn’t think of a single thing to post. Until I saw this.

I’d add that in addition to calling them, go and see them. Talk to them face to face. Tell them that you love them with actual words.

Even if they weren’t the best parents ever, they still deserve to hear it. After all, they gave you life.

You never know when it will be too late. After they’re gone, all the regret in the world won’t make up for lost opportunities.

So start now.

I recently rediscovered the early solo recordings of one Rod Stewart.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a fan of just about everything he’s ever done, starting way back with the Jeff Beck Group and The Small Faces all the way to the present.

But there’s something about the Mercury recordings he did that are magical. I think most people will agree that Maggie May is a classic. There are plenty of other gems from this era, including Reason to Believe, You Wear it Well, and Mandolin Wind, among others.

I listen to these recordings and most of them sound fresh. Maybe it’s because they sound a lot like the Americana/Roots music coming out these days. Maybe ol’ Rod was ahead of his time.

It’s just good driving during rush hour/laying in bed with your headphone on/road trip/anywhere music.

Here’s the link if you’re interested:

https://www.amazon.com/Reason-Believe-Complete-Mercury-Recordings/dp/B07MBLQJ1F/ref=ice_ac_b_dpb?ie=UTF8&qid=1548301278&sr=8-1&keywords=rod+stewart+mercury

“Today, O Lord, I yield myself to You.
May Your will be my delight today.
May You have perfect sway in me.
May your love be the pattern of my living.
I surrender to You my hopes, my dreams, my ambitions.
Do with them what You will, when You will, as You will.
I place into Your loving care my family, my friends, my future.
Care for them with a care that I can never give.
I release into Your hands my need to control, my craving for status, my fear of obscurity.
Eradicate the evil, purify the good, and establish Your Kingdom on earth.
For Jesus’ sake, Amen” (Richard Foster).

Tonight at Kairos, Chris Brooks spoke on the prayer of relinquishment. Basically, you hold your hands balled up in a fist facing downward. As you open your hands, you pray to release any burdens you carry that are too heavy for you or are wearing you down.

You then turn your open hands palms up and pray to receive from God whatever He has for you that day.

A friend of mine prayed something like this: Lord, I come to you with open hands. If all I have from you today is You and the next breath, that will be enough.”

Essentially, all prayer is an acknowledgement of my inability to control my own life and my dire need for God to take over and do for me what I cannot do for myself.

Above all, may our prayer always be that prayer that never fails– Your will be done.

I posted this little poem a few years back, and it showed up today in my memories. I hope it helps you as you process the loss of someone you loved dearly and lost unexpectedly.

I did something completely unexpected and spontaneous. Even for me. I was cruising happily down Franklin Road in my vintage Jeep when I came to the intersection that leads to Radnor Lake State Park.

I’m aware that the temperature was hovering somewhere in the mid to upper 20’s. I’m also aware that it had snowed a bit the night before and the possibility of black ice on the roads existed.

Still, I chose to turn right onto the Otter Creek Road that leads to one of my favorite places on earth.

I confess that not all my spontaneous choices work out. Some end up being rather meh. Some just don’t work at all. This time, I chose right.

All of Radnor Lake was covered with a soft and think white blanket of snow. Fewer people braved the icy weather, so it was much more peaceful and quiet. I could actually hear my self think, hear the sounds of nature hibernating but still very much alive.

I got out my smart phone to snap a few pictures to remember this one day when I hiked in the snow. I even saw a squirrel and a red cardinal. Plus I got in my 30 minutes of exercise for the day. How is that not a win-win?