…of her old website home.
Go visit her new web home at www.ginagsmith.com. Be friendly, say hello in the comments section.
I love the new look. And I love her.
That is all you get, nosy people. Go thither, post haste.
My mother had a birthday yesterday. I won’t say how old she is, but it’s kind of like 30 twice.
I honor my mother, an honorable woman. She has been one of the major influencers in my life.
She was the first to read imaginative literature to me. She was the last person (I think) to read (and help me edit) my own imaginative lit novel (last week).
She was the first to teach me the Bible, something I now love to do with my own kids.
I could go on and on about my mother, but mostly I just want to be thankful in public for this woman who has given me so much.
Mostly, she consistently pointed me to two fathers: my Father in Heaven and my father on earth. This has been the defining orientation of my life, and no one has been more central in directing me to these two fathers than my mother.
So thank you, Mom. And thank you, Oh Yahweh, for my mom.
I had fun with last week’s post about what actually happened last year, and it was true enough. But it’s clear to me that there is a danger for me in being too flippant about the events of life. In particular, there’s a danger in not recognizing, with thankfulness, the sovereign hand of God for our good and, most importantly, for his glory, in all things.
So God himself is, of course, the author and hero of this story that is my life. There’s no meaning, truth, beauty, or goodness apart from Christ. So, with that in mind, I want to be thankful out loud here for a few areas I neglected last week.
Family
The mercy of God in my ordinary life has no greater vehicle than my bride, Gina. She is the primary voice of encouragement in my life (and in my writing) and is a nearly-endless blessing to me in a thousand ways. She is an excellent partner and an enormous helper. There’s no higher calling than that. Our children have been an unbelievable gift, a source of joy and a point of focus for an intentionality in my life I’ve never had before. Thank you, Yahweh.
Our wider family has been a gift as well, from our parents to our siblings and cousins etc. I here include some special friends who have been like family to us. You know who you are.
Vocation
I thank God for the work he has blessed us with. I have never been more satisfied in occupational matters than I am now. I know the idea of vocation (calling) extends beyond occupation, and that we are called to many things. But I am thankful for my job.
I want to thank the saints at my local church. They have been an unlooked for delight to us, and an experience of meeting in the name of Jesus we are deeply happy in. The pastors have been faithful under-shepherds to the Senior Pastor (Chief Shepherd), Jesus.
Suffering
Suffering is an ordinary part of fallen life. I thank God that he has been good to us in and out of pain. Life hasn’t been easy for us in many ways, as I know it isn’t for anyone (though we all feel like our pain is unique and particularly difficult). God’s sovereign hand for good in all things is in evidence in our lives. We are thankful for this mercy.
Finally, I mentioned that we had a son. His name is Micah. We gave him this name as, primarily, a tribute to the unmatched glory of God. Micah means “Who is like Yahweh?” The answer is, of course, silence. There is no one like Yahweh (rendered “The LORD” in most translations). No one compares with him. All wholesome delights originate in him, reflecting glory back to the Source.
We want to find our joy in him, and see with clear eyes that all true delight is a gift from him, and we want to be happy about that. As a naturally somewhat-melancholy, anxious type, it’s my prayer that I can set aside the impediments which sprout in my heart, weeding with vigor at the nonsense fruit of vanity.
A Psalm we learned last year is an appropriate way to end this brief exercise in public thankfulness. Maybe you should consider memorizing it as defensive measure in the war on your soul -for when the inevitable attacks come.
46:1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the LORD,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
May the God of Jacob get glory from us in 2010. He will be exalted, so let’s join in the endless chorus.
In honor of the holy days ahead and seeing as no one in their right mind is reading blogs and such (even ones as brief as this one) I have decided to shut ‘er down for a week or so after tomorrow’s post.
My parting thoughts (except for tomorrow’s post) are thus.
Please don’t get too uptight about people saying “Happy Holidays,” instead of “Merry Christmas” –let’s just do our celebrating on purpose, with an awareness that this celebration centers on the most profound act of humility in history.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
-from John 1
If you have reason to celebrate that goes beyond sentimentality then be glad. And be merciful.
“…And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate…”
-from Luke 1 (from Mary’s Song)
Let’s keep the Gospel in Christmas.
May Yahweh be merciful to each of you. Have a happy Christmas.
Tomorrow’s post will have to do it for a “thought for Christmas” from me this year. Peace to you.
And speaking of humility, here’s a picture of me in the snow. Yippee. Fun times with the little ones.
I steal this from Kevin DeYoung because I love it. And love justifies theft. In this case. Because your rules don’t apply to me.
Sometimes, when I do some mundane task around the house, I’m tempted to think, “Am I the only one who knows how to do this?”
Then I consider my wife, Gina.
It’s then I realize I could never win a “Am I the only one who knows how to do this?” pity-party contest.
Gina = God’s Mercy.
How many other areas in life am I selfishly ignorant of God’s mercy?
In no particular order…
Pictured with his uncle and namesake 4 years ago.
My son, who has provided some giggles to readers of this blog, has been upgraded to a 4. Happy Birthday, son. He is a continual source of joy and thankfulness, and quite a wit. He has been quoted here many times (see here, here, and here, here, and here), but one of my favorite quotes from him is contained in the following note I wrote probably six months ago.
We frequently pray for humble hearts (maybe because I am learning more about myself and afraid/aware of what I am passing on to my kids). After tonight’s Bible study we prayed with open hands (as if ready to receive a gift) for the God of Abraham to give us humble hearts. After prayer my son, who is three, asked this penetrating question.
“Daddy, is us doing a humble heart God giving us a humble heart?”
I was thrilled. My son seems to understand the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man pretty well.
My response was, “Yes. If we have a humble heart then it’s because God is answering our prayer and giving it to us.”
So, if you think about it, pray for us. What for?
Humble hearts.
Why?
“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5 (etc.)
In our little, family Bible study tonight we got to the place where Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, shows up and offers Moses some advice. It’s in Exodus chapter 18.
Some of the things I observed in the passage/story/history…
Moses spoke with God. God spoke back. He was a rare man, with rare access to Yahweh in a personal way which is hard to imagine. He could inquire of God and expect a response.
Jethro comes along and sees the way Moses is governing (Moses is doing too much on his own –will wear himself out). Jethro offers some advice.
Moses does NOT say: “Listen, buddy. I speak to God, I don’t need you coming in here with your advice and telling me what you think. I moved my hand and the Red Sea parted. I struck the rock and water came out. I held up my staff and we won the battle.”
No. Moses displays a humble heart in honoring Jethro, and in listening humbly to his wise advice. He follows the advice and implements a good government.
The application part on that, like so much of the Scripture, is pretty easy. Now to obey…
Moses by Michelangelo Buonarroti
Writing is a business fraught with innumerable obstacles and marked by disappointments. No, it’s not like fighting-a-war hard, but it is simply very challenging if you are serious. That may seem silly but it won’t to anyone who has ever tried to get beyond the “I have a few ideas” stage and actually set to work. I don’t say that to garner pity (alone) but to say that it is easy to get discouraged about a lack of progress. I have been fighting that feeling off with varying degrees of success lately, and trying to keep my frustration in check. Then here comes October.
This October reminds me of last October. Last October was a good month for me in my efforts to be a “real writer.” I got my first paying gig writing fiction for West Virginia South magazine as they accepted my proposal to publish The Fledge Chronicles. The first story was published last October, “The Lion, the Bridge, and the Wardrobe Malfunction.” Since then they have continued to publish an installment of the serial in each publication. I am very thankful for Audrey Stanton, the editor of WVS, for being willing to publish the stories, and for her abundant supply of enthusiasm for them.
Last October I also debuted at the Rabbit Room, by the whimsical invitation of Andrew Peterson. I have posted two, or three times a month there (as AP requested) for the last year. It has been a joy to be in the company of such incredible artists and to get to know some of them a lot more betterer (see, writing is hard). The readers and posters over there have been a big encouragement to me, and I am so thankful to Andrew, and to the whole gang.
So, all in one month, I was being read by a lot more people and getting paid for it. Reflecting on this has been humbling for me this October. Who knows what awaits for me this October? Maybe more literary success. Maybe not. But I have reasons not to grumble.
Further, God seems to be kicking me in the pants with numerous exhortations to be grateful. Reminders of the mercy I’ve been given are jumping out in front of my car in a way impossible to miss. Mainly it’s the Gospel –pardon and peace with God! But it’s also babies, books, and bluegrass and many other things all singing from the same sheet music.
So October comes again. It’s another reason for skipping grumbling and going straight to gratitude. Who gets thanks? The God of Abraham.
