Rockfest Day 20 - Ring Around the Collar

I have a little black and tan dog named Gracie. I adopted her from the city pound a few years ago when she was a puppy. I don’t know what breed she is specifically but she has lots of Border Collie in her genes. She’s great at herding me down stairs and staring at me for hours. The staring part can get a little disconcerting after a while. It’s like living with a stalker.

Gracie loves toys. She loves to play tug of war with them, pull out the squeaker and pull out all the stuffing (she calls it “brains”). She is very happy when my freshly cleaned living room is full of brains and toy debris. But what she loves more than her toys is her collar. She is crazy for her collar.

Every once in a while I will take off her collar to give her a chance to be free. To give her neck a chance to rest from the constant rubbing and her ears a rest from the constant clink-clink of the tags. She has great, crazy hair and I love to run my fingers through her scruffy coat when she is collar-free. She looks like a small wolf and I want her to have the chance to roam around looking like one for a little bit.

She hates it. She hates to have her collar taken off. She will mope around, hide under the bed and generally act as if she has done something wrong. I don’t really understand this reaction. I would think Gracie would love her freedom, but she hates it.

She gets so excited when she sees the collar in my hand. She will sit very still and stare at me with those wonderful light brown eyes and give her tail just a tiny wag imploring me to put her necklace back on. And she is so joyous after I do. She struts and prances around, runs crazy all over the house as though I have showered her with love and put a diamond necklace around her neck. And perhaps I have.

Without the collar Gracie cannot tell the world who she is. She cannot tell the world that she belongs to someone and someone loves her. Her collar gives her an identity. When people see her with her collar they can call her by name. Her collar says to the world that she is mine and I am hers.

What Gracie does not know is that she does not need the collar to do those things. Her collar does not make me love her more. Her collar is not what makes her mine. She has belonged to me and me to her since the day I adopted her. Nothing will ever change that. She is free to roam wildly about collar and tag free and she would still be mine. I don’t need the collar to know who she is and what her name is. I have known her from the beginning.

We don’t need collars or name tags ourselves for that same reason. Our Heavenly Father loves us and adopted us from the beginning. We belong to Him and He belongs to us, and nothing will ever change that. We can destroy all our toys and throw all the brains and debris around the room and our Father will still love us.

When we roam about in the world we don’t need a collar or necklace to identify who we belong to, our actions will tell the world who we love and in whose house we live. We will be “known by our fruits.” (Luke 6:44). We don’t need fancy jewelry to indentify who we are; our Father knows each of us “by name.” (Ex. 33:17).

I understand Gracie’s hesitancy to be without her collar. It’s a scary world out there and I am not always within barking distance to hear her when she’s lost. If she gets separated from me the collar is reassurance to her that she will get home. When we find ourselves lost and separated from our Heavenly Father we must remember that He is always within barking distance of our voice. In fact, we are never truly lost, it just feels that way; He is right beside us wherever we go, always was and always will be. (Gen. 28:15, Matt. 28:20).  We are free to roam this world and be who we were created to be and our Father will always be there for us. 

With his love and the freedom that brings, our Heavenly Father has given us something much more valuable than any diamond necklace. Gracie’s right, that does make me feel like strutting and prancing.

~

Rockfest Day 19 - No Truer Words

I don’t know if Rod and Van set out to create a beautiful psalm/hymn, but the words speak for themselves.

Have I told you lately that I love you,
Have I told you there's no one else above you,
You fill my heart with gladness,
Take away all my sadness,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do.

For the morning sun in all it's glory,
Greets the day with hope and comfort too,
You fill my heart with laughter,
Take away and make it better,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do.

There's a love that's divine,
And it's yours and it's mine,
Like the sun,
And at the end of the day,
We should give thanks and pray,
To the one, to the one.

Have I told you lately that I love you,
Have I told you there's no one else above you,
You fill my heart with gladness,
Take away all my sadness,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do.

There's a love that's divine,
And it's yours and it's mine,
Like the sun,
And at the end of the day,
We should give thanks and pray,
To the one, to the one.

Have I told you lately that I love you,
Have I told you there's no one else above you,
You fill my heart with gladness,
Take away all my sadness,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do.

Fill my heart with gladness,
Take away all my sadness,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do.

"Have I Told You Lately", as sung by Rod Stewart, lyrics by Van Morrison.

So, have you?
~

Rockfest Day 18 - Masterpiece

Michelangelo Buonarroti is considered by many to be the greatest artist that ever lived. His works encompass all art forms including frescos, paintings, and sculptures. One of his most famous of course is the fresco he created on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican in Rome.

The work is a masterpiece. It took Michelangelo more than 4 years to complete the Sistine Chapel ceiling. During that time he was very jealous of its privacy – only allowing Pope Julius II to climb the scaffold to see it. The work includes images from the Book of Genesis – from the creation of light, the creation of Adam and Eve, their fall from grace, and the flood, David and Goliath, Christ’s ancestors and so much more. The world knows of Michelangelo from his Chapel ceiling but it is not what brought him his early fame.

It is two of his earlier works for which the art world of his day really began to sit up and take notice. From 1498-1500, before he was even 25, Michelangelo created what some still consider one of his greatest works. And it still sits in the same spot today in Saint Peter’s Basilica as it did 500 years ago following its completion. The Pieta`.

The sculpture is of Mary holding a dead Christ across her lap. It is a stunning masterpiece. From the folds in the clothes Mary is wearing to the muscles and flesh in the nude body of the Christ it is almost impossible to imagine the work is made from marble. It is the only work Michelangelo ever signed.

Georgio Vestri, an Italian artist and biographer of Michelangelo’s day, wrote at the time “It is certainly a miracle that a formless block of stone could ever have been reduced to a perfection that nature is scarcely able to create in the flesh.” Following the Pieta`, Michelangelo was commissioned to create perfection once again; this time with the statue of David.

Michelangelo was given a massive block of stone – 19 feet high – from which he was to bring David to life. And that is precisely what he did. Michelangelo did not so much carve David out of the giant stone block as set him free him. It took 3 years for David to be fully realized.

David was and still is one of the most important works he ever created. No one would think it anything other than a true masterpiece. It stood in a Florence square for ages, until it was brought indoors to protect it, as a symbol of strength, duty and faith – and human form. David’s only indentifying features are the sling over his shoulder and the small stone in his right hand.

Michelangelo had an interesting approach to sculpting. He once wrote in a letter that sculpting was “taking away” from that which was already there. It might take him years to choose just the right piece of marble for a particular sculpture. Where some saw only a giant chunk of white rock, Michelangelo saw a shepherd boy facing down a giant. Where others saw only cold, hard marble Michelangelo saw a mother grieving over her son’s broken body. Great artists have great vision.

The Artist that created you and me, and Michelangelo, has that vision. When I look in the mirror I see nothing but a giant hunk of marble, hard, full of flaws and not what I want it to be. But when my Artist looks at me He sees something completely different.  He sees perfection.  He sees the heart, the love and the beauty that He created in me and that only He can release. He sees a masterpiece.

Just as the patrons viewing Michelangelo’s masterpieces do not dwell on his many stops, starts and re-dos during a project. Just as they do not see the rubble that he had to chisel away to release his figures from their stone prisons, God does not see our flaws and faults. “As far as the East is from the West” God casts our transgressions from us. (Ps. 103:12).

Where we see only a blank slate God sees all our potential and what we can become. He is waiting to create His work in us and all we have to do is ask. He is the original Artist and we are His masterpiece. There is nothing more stunning than that.
~

Rockfest Day 17 - Sunday Contemplation

“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
(Mark 11:25-26)

Never underestimate the power of the words “I’m sorry, please forgive me.”

~

Rockfest Day 16 - A Little Texas Howdy

It is said that life is a journey. Well, if that’s true then it is one big car trip because there is just no way to fly to our destination. If we want to get where we are going we are going to have to drive. The road is long and the miles add up. There are certainly lots of days when the drive is hard and lonely. It sure would be nice to get a little Howdy from time to time to encourage us along the way.

Texas knows something about long journeys. We are a big state and have lots of long runs of road where you are likely to pass nothing more than a tumble weed for hours. As you travel the Texas highways one thing will come into sharp focus as you drive along. The cars and trucks that you pass engage in a little ritual, a little greeting. Drivers in Texas greet the people they meet along the way. Its a little ritual called the Texas two-finger wave. It’s a little Texas Howdy. Two fingers raised above the steering wheel just as you pass each other.

I love this ritual. I feel a kinship with my fellow road warriors. We may never meet but for a brief second we have made a connection, we are not alone. The two-finger wave says a lot for a little gesture. It says “Hi, nice to see you. Glad you’re here.” One little Howdy from a passerby and I don’t feel so on my own out there. I don’t know who started it or how it began, but Texans have been welcoming each other this way for as long as I’ve been alive.

The Texas two-finger wave doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t matter what you drive, what state your license plate announces you hail from or which direction you are headed. If you are on Texas highways and byways you will be welcomed with a little Texas Howdy.

The Texas two-finger wave is a strong comfort as we travel on our journey. “Hi, nice to see you, I’m glad you’re here.” – its unspoken greeting looks simple and unassuming but it packs a mighty big message.

On second thought, I think I do know Who started it.

~

Rockfest Day 15 - Unfinished Business

A coach once said “winners never quit and quitters never win.” That is as wise a statement as you’re likely to find. I am here to report I have been a non-winner many times in my life.

I have quit on things more than I like to admit. I’ve gotten so well practiced and good at quitting that sometimes I quit before I ever start. I always have good reasons though - I don’t have enough time, it’s taking too long, I don’t want to, I don’t know how, I’ll do it when ... [fill in the blank with a million excuses] - which is really a way of quitting without admitting it. And my favorite: I’m too tired.

Do you see a recurring theme in my very real but very weak reasons for quitting? Its there, right behind the tiredness – fear. Fear is the reason I most often quit. I can wrap it up in any number of ways I want to but when I rinse all the posturing away, fear is what is propping me up. And stopping me from finishing what I started.

You can call it a fear of success, I’ve heard that term used, although I don’t actually know what it means. I’ve heard it called a fear of failure. That term I understand; who wants to fail? Nobody looks or feels good when they fail.

There are days when the pull to quit are so strong it has thrown me into a panic. I have had physical reactions due to my desire to quit something. Now there are times when quitting is a must and that anxiety I feel is a signal to get out while I can. But most often it’s just me not wanting to live up to my commitments.

Right now I want to quit on something so badly I can feel it. I strongly dislike what I do for a living. I am good and effective at what I do. The people I work with are great. I love having a job and a paycheck. I have done what I do for a long time and I used to love it – now I don't find it fulfilling. So why don’t I quit? Good question.

Jesus wanted to quit – big time. When I think of Jesus I don’t think of a quitter, and he wasn’t, but He sure gave it some strong consideration. And being in His shoes who wouldn’t?

Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane the night the soldiers came to arrest Him. He went there because he was “deeply troubled and distressed” and wanted to pray. Jesus knew His fate and the cross that was in His future. We are told that three times He asked God to “take this cup away from me.” (Matt. 26:36-44, Mark 14:32-39). His desire to quit was so strong He sweated “great drops of blood.” (Luke 22:44). I don’t know if fear is what Jesus was feeling but whatever He was going through He really really wanted to quit at that moment.

Jesus wasn’t a quitter. Jesus was a finisher. In the same breath that Jesus asked His Father to stop what was about to happen, He also said “nevertheless, let Your will be done.” (Matt. 26:39, Mark 14:36). We know the rest of the story, Jesus did see His task to its completion and He said those glorious words – It is finished. (John 19:30).

I want to finish my business. I want to see this task to its completion. I won’t be at this job forever; I know it’s just a stop along the way. I will move on when the time is right and I want to hold on until then. And when the time is right I can say those glorious words, It is finished.

Whatever it is I am facing, it will never be as bad or as scary as what Jesus faced - and finished.  If I give into the fear that stands in my path I will never finish anything. Whatever label I put on my fear - weariness, I don’t want to, lack of know-how, lack of time - it’s still the same old quit at the end. I want to turn my quitting into non-quitting and my non-winning into winning.

I think that might make that old coach proud.

~

Rockfest Day 14 - The 11th Commandment

Ever have one of those days? One of those days when everything and everyone around you is going haywire? When everyone has lost their mind and they are making you lose yours? Days when, quite frankly, everyone you encounter is playing the part of the fool?

It begins by retrieving your newspaper out from under the bushes because the paperboy missed the driveway, again. Then the guy at the coffee shop didn’t put the lid on the coffee tightly and it spilled on you during your drive to work. Speaking of the drive, is it you or is everyone driving like a crazy person today cutting you off and stopping suddenly?

Work offers no safe haven, your computer keeps crashing. Despite what he says are his best efforts the IT guy can’t figure out the problem. Your lunch order is completely wrong and now you’re late for your meeting. Given the morning you’ve had, you have no optimism for this meeting going well, and it doesn’t. No one is prepared and no one agrees on anything; a second meeting will be now required.

You leave work early to meet the A/C repairman, who promises to be there between 2 and 5. At 7 you’ve given up all hope. The day has just about worn you completely down and all you want is a little peace when your teenage neighbor suddenly fires up his garage band for a little practice. As you sink lower into your couch turning up the TV volume with the remote control, one recurring thought keeps running through your mind – Where did all these fools come from and why am I a magnet for them??

Its days like this when you look Heavenward for a little guidance. So you do a mental check of God's handy dandy List of helpful tips to live by and realize you’re not even safe there. #3 was violated early on in the process (thou shalt not take the Lord’s name in vain), while you didn’t technically break #6, you really really wanted to several times (thou shalt not commit murder) and #10 is in serious trouble (thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house) because while you don’t covet at this moment you do want to take control of it and shut off the racket emitting from its garage, which also may lead to breaking #6.

The 10 commandments really are of no use to you here. There is not a one of them that you could have said to one of the people during your day to help them, and you, out. What you need is an 11th commandment. Something easy to understand. Something that can be easily taught to others when they need a quick education. Something short, simple and to the point. One you could use all day long to espouse wisdom and at the same time vent your frustration. Sort of a dual purpose commandment.

Scripture tells you that God uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and He uses things that are weak to confound the mighty. (1 Cor. 1:27) This is good news – you’re completely confounded so you must be wise and mighty. You’re getting close to #11 but it still does not stop the fools from fouling up your day. Then you realize that perhaps #11 already exists.

The Ephesians were having trouble with fools themselves. They didn’t know what to do. Paul wrote to them and told them not to take up with them, don’t get sucked with the fools. He told them to make sure they “walk carefully in all situations not as fools but as wise.” (Eph. 5:15).

So there it is in black and white - #11 – Thou shalt not be a fool.

You feel so much better. This is going to come in very handy. You’re thinking about printing it on easy to hand out business cards and bumper stickers. You get up to go to bed, so pleased with your new found weapon against the fools of the world, and you put your foot into your half-eaten bowl of ice cream you placed on the floor next to the couch.  You can only smile and shake your head.  Yes, #11 is going to come in very handy indeed.

Let the confounding begin.

~

Rockfest Day 13 - The Shape of Things

Life is full of extraordinary circumstances. As we move through it we encounter chance happenings and unexpected moments that forever change our lives. We try to control the outrageous unknowns we experience by choosing the people in our lives. Its one of the few things we truly have control over.

But the people we choose can be a grab-bag of sorts. Some will fit and some will not. Some will become influential and some will have no effect whatsoever, passing through our lives like mist in the wind. It is probably the people we cannot choose that matter most. It is the people that were chosen for us that have the biggest effect.  It is the people chosen for us, the ones who start early in our lives who shape us most. It is these people we call family.

There are days when family is great and there are days when family is the worst thing that has ever happened. But there is something about this hand-picked group of people that draws us in and motivates us to keep us going.

Even when they’re dysfunctional they are the best thing going. My family can be infuriating. My family can be generous. My family can be unapproving. My family can be forgiving. My family can be indifferent. My family can be deeply loving. My family has made me laugh, made me cry, made me storm out in anger, made me jump for joy.  I am who I am because of my family. I am a part of my family and they are a part of me.

I had no choice about the matter. God put me into the family He did for the reasons He did - and one day He will explain those reasons to me. And I will thank Him profoundly.

I am a firm believer that there are no coincidences in this world. God has a plan. And part of His plan for me was to put me into a family full of wonderful women. Wonderfully diverse women. I have put a picture of some of these women below (there are wonderful men in the family too – they were just too busy watching football). It is a picture taken some time ago. I know it was taken ages ago because I’m still a small girl being held in her mother’s arms.

This is some of the family who shapes my life. Four of the women are no longer here. One of them, my aunt in the white dress, died prematurely just yesterday. She was a vibrant and gregarious woman. She had a wonderful laugh. She was my mother’s older sister; they were close and got into lots of trouble together. She will be deeply missed. But she will remain on in those she touched and who love her. And that’s a wonderful thing about family – once you are part of it, you never really leave it.

I am not discounting the fact that there are people we choose who become our family too. God had a hand in selecting those people for us also. They are a vitally and richly important part of our lives.  But it is those in whose histories we share for generations that help steer the course and color the world in which we grow up and live.

One thing about family is we completely take it for granted most of the time. But when “the chips are down” its family who sustains us. Its family who shapes us with its collective wisdom. Its family who protects us with its strength in numbers. Its family who loves us with its heart so big God could not fit it into just one person.

The women in this picture are my part of my foundation and my future. They are my family and the well from which I draw strength. I don’t know why God chose me for their tribe, I’m just thankful He did.

Family. God’s extraordinary way of showing he loves you.

~

Rockfest Day 12 - The Long and Winding Road

The beginning of the journey is generally an exuberant time. There is the anticipation of what lies ahead, the expectation that goals will be met and dreams will come true. We are full of energy and determination. Nothing can stop us now.

Then reality sets in. The road along the journey is longer than anticipated. It is steeper and harder than it first appeared from the safety of our living room. We find ourselves lost in a detour we didn’t expect and come upon hostile situations. It is enough to make us want to quit and give up mid-trip.

Journeys are long and tiring. That’s why its good to take a few friends along for company.

Dorothy learned this early in her journey. At the outset there was high anticipation and excitement for her journey ahead. There was singing and dancing. Heck, the whole town showed up to wave goodbye and wish her luck. But not too far down the road she encountered her first problem – a fork in the road.

Her instructions were simple enough – follow the yellow brick road. But now the yellow brick road split in to two parts. Which way was she to choose? That’s when her first friend joined her on her journey. Scarecrow wasn’t much help, he didn’t know which way was the right way but he would do his best. So after collecting themselves, they were off singing and skipping.

The journey was interrupted again, this time by a grove of hooligan apple trees. Hungry, and what journey doesn’t make us hungry, Dorothy and Scarecrow just wanted an apple or two to eat. But the local trees didn’t take too kindly to that and threw the apples at them. That’s when companion two joined the team – Tin Man. He wasn’t afraid of the trees, he chopped them down.

Tin Man wasn’t much help, being rusted and everything, but his heart was in the right place. So off they all went, still skipping and singing with great anticipation. Until the road got dangerous again.

Our friends encountered near death at the hands of a dangerous beast – at least that’s the way Cowardly Lion tells it. Dorothy and company were walking through his territory and he was going to protect it. He wasn’t much of a protector as it turns out. But he was good at joining the journey.

Our friends had had quite a time along the road. They were really beginning to wonder whether they’d ever reach their destination. And just at that moment when each wanted to turn back their destination was in sight. Only problem was by this point in the trip Dorothy didn’t have enough energy to get there. She wanted to lie down in the beautiful flowers and nap first.

Laying down on the journey, it’s a strong temptation – it’s a bad idea. If she kept laying there she would never each her destination. Luckily for Dorothy she had another companion on her journey watching over her and she made it snow, waking Dorothy up and setting her back on the right path.

Dorothy encountered several more terrifying twists and turns along her journey but she ultimately did reach her final destination. She did not do it, however, without her traveling companions. Each time there was a new set back Dorothy was not alone. One of her companions would step up and help her through.

The end of a journey isn’t always the great fanfare we experience at the beginning. Most of the time we arrive at our destination, if we arrive at all, tried, worn out and bedraggled. There is not much skipping and singing at that point. We are just happy to have survived.

But we can have the singing and fanfare. Dorothy did. There was just as much celebration at the end of her journey as there was at the beginning. She didn’t look like someone who had battled a long winding road, angry trees, flying monkeys and been held captive by an evil sorceress. She looked like someone who conquered her journey instead of the other way around.

I want to travel like Dorothy. The road to anything worthwhile is never straight and smooth. We were never meant to walk that road alone.

I’m going to encounter my own long road, angry trees and flying monkeys. I hope to avoid capture by the evil sorceress as much as possible. The temptation to give up will be strong at times. But in the event that happens I know my Traveling Companion is right there with me protecting me, guiding me with knowledge and giving me his heart to see my journey to its end.

You’ll recognize me on the journey – I’m the one singing and skipping.
~

Rockfest Day 11 - Blind Man's Bluff

“Tag, you’re it!” That is the point of Blind Man’s Bluff, a children’s game I spent hours playing with the kids in the neighborhood growing up. One of us was wearing a blindfold chasing the others in a game of tag while the others shouted things bluffing about their location. A sort of Marco-Polo on dry land.

Being “it” was terrible. You had to wear the blindfold and fumble around with arms outstretched groping for people. You felt completely foolish. People could sneak up on you and poke you or say “not it” right in your ear and run away before you had time to whirl around and tag them. Unless you had goods ears, quick hands and the tracking abilities of an Indian, you could be “it” for a long time. Being the “it-girl” in Hollywood is good, being the “it-girl” in tag is bad.

I am so glad I no longer have to play that stupid game. Which is why I do not understand why I continue to play it.

It seems as if I find myself wearing that darn blindfold every few days or so. I try not to play but I get lured into a game. It usually starts with the bluffs. I hear whispered in my ear things like – you’re not good enough, you’re not smart enough, it will never work, your dreams will never come true, you’ll be alone forever, it’s all your fault, things will never change. As soon as I hear those whispers that blindfold is on and I am playing the game.

A game I do not want to and should not be playing.

The enemy loves it when I listen to his bluffs and accept his invitation to play. He knows that as long as I chase him with my blindfold on he can shout lies in my ear all day long and I will never catch him and I will remain “it.”

The thing about the bluffs the enemy whispers in my ear is that is exactly what they are – bluffs. Not a thing I hear in my head is true. I am good enough, I am smart enough, it is working, my dreams are coming true, I am not alone, it is not my fault, things are changing. What I have to do is call the enemy on his bluffs.

When you call someone on their bluffs they generally fold like a house of cards. He tried to bluff Jesus. Three times the enemy tried to convince Jesus He was not the Son of God and three times Jesus refused to take the bait and put on the blindfold. Jesus called him on his bluffs. Each time Jesus referred to His Father, to the truth, and each time the enemy backed down and eventually gave up altogether. (Matt. 4:1-11).

When I hear that old familiar whisper begin in my ear instead of reaching for my blindfold I need to do the same thing and call the thief on his lies. This game of blind man’s bluff isn’t just a game of tag, this game has me as its prize. At stake are my peace and joy and future. And I don’t put those at risk for anybody, I don’t care how sweet your lies are.

So I am retiring from blind man’s bluff. Next time I find myself being the “it-girl” it will be without the blindfold. Hollywood may never be the same.

~