Movie Night: Star Wars

Movie night is usually a Toby and Rebekah event, but this past week Greg joined us for a “Rite of Passage” experience.  The three of us watched Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope.  He got to stay up late and eat popcorn.  Greg (8 year old) did fine with this movie, no nightmares or weird behavior afterward.  We did ask him to close his eyes during the scene that shows the charred remains of Luke Skywalker’s Aunt and Uncle.  A great time was had by all! 

Even Jesus Has Scars

Do you have any scars?  Sure you do!  I bet you’ve got an interesting story to tell about how you got each and every one of those scars.  I’ve got a scar on my right knee with its own story.  When I was four years old we lived in the town of Liberal for about nine months.  It was tough on my Mom, a city girl from the East coast.  Natives of Liberal, Kansas, will tell you that their fair city may not be the edge of the world but you can see it from Main Street.  Mom bemoaned the constant dust.  I think it was even more difficult to leave her supportive network of family and friends to move to the edge of the world.  She befriended a neighbor who had two children just a little older than me.  During our short stay in Liberal, Mom’s sweet friend needed surgery.  When she came home from the hospital, my mother dragged myself and my two brothers to the neighbor’s house for a cheerful visit.  I can’t remember if I was kicking and screaming but I didn’t go willingly.  When God fashioned me He didn’t have a doctor or nurse in mind.  The entire concept of surgery, with the cutting and the bleeding, freaked me out.  It still does.  Mom eventually relented and allowed me to return to our house.  I ran so fast that my feet outran my body and I fell on the rough sidewalk.  Thirty-two years later I still wear the scar.   The wound has healed but a scar remains. 

Did you know that when Jesus appeared to the disciples one week after His resurrection, He had scars?  John 20:27 (NIV) tells us ‘Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands.  Reach out your hand and put it into my side.  Stop doubting and believe.”’  Now the Bible doesn’t explicitly use the word ‘scar’ but we get the idea of a mark left by a wound.  We all have scars. 

Some wounds cut so deep it takes a long time to heal.  Some scars can’t be seen on the skin.  Some scars lie in our hearts and minds; the rough remnant of an old wound.  Some things you just never get over.  The empty space left by the loss of a loved one.  The empty arms left by a stillborn baby.  The lost expectations left by a tragic accident or lingering illness.  No amount of therapy or prayer or compassion seems to completely remove the scar.  These rough spots lie within us as latent reminders that something is seriously wrong with this place.  You and I both know it. 

In Ecclesiastes 3:11, King Solomon observed that God has put eternity in the human heart.  We have some instinctive knowledge of what life should be and we know that reality doesn’t live up to our utopian longings.  According to Milton we live in a paradise lost.  We have a word for this brokenness, evil.  There is evil in the world; things that God never intended for us to experience.  This evil embodies the natural consequences of sin, echoing its brokenness through our hearts, minds, bodies, and relationships.  It’s so wrong, it’s so broken, and it just can’t be saved.  But I do find hope for my scars.  It’s found in Revelation 21-22.  In these chapters I read about Jesus, my Devine Champion, making everything new - even me.  He promises to wipe every tear from my eyes.  He promises a new order of life without death, mourning, crying, or pain.  A garden with a tree covered in leaves that possess healing powers.  I want to go there, don’t you? 

My Devine Champion is so faithful to His promises that the apostle Paul considered it as good as done.  You can read his words to the early Christians about God making us a new creation in 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Philippians 1:6.  My mind always wonders: if God is doing the good work in me, making me new, then what is my part in the work?  What is my responsibility?  Jesus’ teaching in John 15 answers my question.  I am to remain in Him.  He invites me to follow Him, mimicking His attitudes and actions as a young child follows their parents.  I am to receive His word, cultivating His truths within me as a gardener grows tomatoes in his garden.  I am to offer to others the same love and forgiveness that He has already given to me.  Expectantly waiting for the fullness of time, when everything including me will be completely made new. 

Revelation 21:5 ESV ‘And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”’

Movie Night: Pacific Rim

Toby and I are big fans of the creature feature movie genre.  We love films with giant monsters and equally absurd plots.  Last week I checked out Pacific Rim at the public library for our weekly movie night.  We loved it!  It does have some profanity, but it doesn’t have a lot of gore or nudity.  The special effects are pretty decent too.  It’s rated PG-13, so Greg and Phoenix won’t be seeing it anytime soon.

http://www.pacificrimmovie.com/ 

I'm Scared

It was a dark night while our van rumbled north on I-135.  From the middle seat Phoenix said, “Mommy, I’m scared.”

“Sweetie,” I replied in a gentle voice, “I’m sorry you’re scared.  You’re not alone.  I know you can’t see me, but you can hear my voice.” 

“I’m still scared.”

I reached behind my back and held her ankle with my hand.  It was awkward, but I was willing to endure the discomfort to calm her.  “See Phoenix, I’m right here.  Feel my hand on your leg.” 

“I’m still scared.  There could be monsters out there.” 

No one can argue with the logic of a three year old, so instead I prayed.  I asked God to show me how to parent her at this moment.  The memory of a terrible storm flooded my mind.  My best friend and I were walking home from middle school.  It began to rain.  When we got home, I discovered I had left my key inside the house.  Bummer!  Now we were stuck outside in the rain.  We walked around to the covered back patio just in time for the tornado sirens to begin their keel.  Rachael and I huddled between the back door and the screen door.  We were scared.  We prayed, asking God to protect us.  Then we sang to distract us from the storm.  It eventually passed and we were no worse for the wear.  Perhaps a prayer and a song would help Phoenix too.  So I said, “I like the night.  The darkness helps me to rest.  I can only see the twinkling stars at night.  Do you see any stars?  Let’s pray: God, thank you for making the stars to light up the night.  Please fill Phoenix’s heart with the peace of your presence.”

Then we sang “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”.  All seemed right with the world.  A few mornings later, Phoenix told me she awoke in the night.  She felt scared, so she turned on her ladybug night light.  It cascaded blue stars all over her room.  She didn’t feel afraid any more.  I reminded her of a familiar nursery rhyme: 
 I see the moon and the moon sees me.

 God bless the moon and God bless me. 

I'm sure we will have more conversations about fear in the future, but God granted me the wisdom I needed for this incident.  That same God who made you also made the moon and stars to light up the darkest night.  He made the eye in the middle of a hurricane.  May you seek and find His hope in your darkest night.  May you seek and find His peace in every storm that life blows your way. 

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

My experince with a retractable clothesline...

My husband is pretty tall.  When I first mentioned a clothesline, he said no.  He didn’t want to ‘clothesline’ himself on it while he was mowing the grass.  Then we found at 40 foot retractable clothesline from Household Essentials in our local Menards store (I’ve also seen it at True Value Hardware and Amazon.com).   With the help of my Mom we calculated that if we used it once a day for 2 months, it would pay for itself.  Why not try it out?  It was easy to install.  It was a little challenging finding a sunny, bird’s nest free, and 40 ft long spot in my back yard to hang it.  It’s fairly easy to use.  There is a spot where you double loop the line to keep it from becoming too slack that could use a little improvement.  The line is often so slack once I put clothes on it that my dog can’t walk under it.  I can hang an entire average sized laundry load on it if the line is stretched to its full length.  I’ve only been using it for about 5 weeks, so I can’t tell you how durable it is yet.  I do not know how I would replace the line inside the retractable casing when the line becomes damaged.  I think I would buy it on sale again for the $9.99 that I paid for it, but I don’t know if I would have paid the full $25 price.