Monthly Archives: May 2012

My country, ’tis of thee
sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing;
land where my fathers died,
land of the pilgrim’s pride,
from every mountainside, let freedom ring

My native country, thee,
land of the noble free, thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
thy woods and templed hills;
my heart with rapture thrills, like that above

Two generations taking photos of the third generation. 🙂

Let music swell the breeze
and ring from all the trees sweet freedom’s song;
let mortal tongues awake;
let all that breathe partake;
let rocks their silence break, the sound prolong

Our fathers’ God to thee,
author of liberty, to thee we sing;
long may our land be bright
with freedom’s holy light;
protect us by thy might, great God, our King

Last night was the spring concert at the high school. Our son Josh plays the oboe and the saxophone and our daughter Julia plays the flute.

The kids all did a fantastic job and everyone enjoyed a wonderful night of music.

Afterward, Doug, Julia, her friend Diana, and me struck up a conversation with the father of one of my friends who is well into his eighth decade. In fact, he and his lovely bride have been married for 64 years.

He began to share his love of music with us, including the fact that he still performs shows at nursing homes…”for the old people,” you see. 🙂

I motioned to Diana and told him that she plans to be a Broadway star one day.

His eyes lit up and he said, “Do I have a piece of advice for you!’ He paused for a moment then said, “Every song tells a story. You have to believe  the story with every fiber of your being. Then you look people in the eye and you sell that story! They’ll never forget you!” 

I thought about his advice long after we went home that night. Specifically, how it relates to the greatest story ever told…the Gospel of Jesus.

As Christians, we possess the most incredible, surpassing, breathtaking, beautiful story that this world will ever hear. And we have been given the privilege of sharing that story with those who cross our paths…some for a lifetime, some for a moment.

Do we believe it with every fiber of our being?

Are we courageous enough to look people in the eye and boldly but gently tell them about the unfathomable love of such an extraordinary Savior?

No, we do not “sell” the story with slick words or fancy techniques.

Rather, we share out of the overflow of a heart that is forever grateful for so great a salvation.

We share out of a heart eternally in love with the One who was willing to die rather than live without us.

We share out of love for those who are still living in darkness and desperately need the Light.

We share from wounded hearts that have been made whole by the Healer.

We do not need to be brilliant theologians. We just need to tell our stories about how we came to know Jesus and the difference He has made in our lives, both for time and for eternity.

Then we pray that they will never forget the words of life that we have shared.

Who will you tell your story to today?

My cell phone rang just as the Moms In Touch prayer meeting was ending.

When I saw my husband’s name, I was surprised since he was supposed to be at work.

“I hit a deer,” he told me.

It felt like ice water was suddenly running through my veins. Relief flooded my heart when he told me that although the car had been damaged and the deer was dead, he was okay. His next step was to contact the insurance company and obtain a rental car.

When we disconnected, I left the meeting and headed for the high school track where I had intended to walk. The entire time I drove, I was praising and thanking God that Doug was okay.

It was a fresh reminder how life can change in an instant. 

We can never take it for granted.

I turned on my iPod as I started to walk and Chris Rice’s song “Life Means So Much” began to play. So appropriate.

“Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
That somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much…

Every day is a gift you’ve been given
Make the most of the time every minute you’re living

Life means so much…

I looked all around me with new, appreciative eyes. Elementary school kids were running around the track, bursting with energy and excitement. High school kids played flag football on the field. An English class was taking advantage of the glorious spring day by discussing their assigned book on the bleachers instead of inside the four walls of the classroom. An elderly man was also making his way around the track talking quite loudly on an enormous cell phone. A dear friend and I texted back and forth.

On a sun-drenched spring day in New Hampshire, we had all been given the privilege and the gift of being alive.

And it was beautiful.

Cherish today.

Photo credit: punkmarkgirl

Since my blog is called “The Power Of A Moment” I am always on the lookout for moments that reach out and grab me by the heart and don’t let go.

Between that and counting my 1000 gifts, it makes life a wonderful adventure and fills me with joy.

I witnessed one such moment last week. I pulled up to the high school entrance to wait for my son to finish jazz band practice. At that very moment, the sky opened up and the rain began to fall.

Seeing movement from the corner of my eye, I glanced down at the football field to see about 20 teenagers. The rain had clearly interrupted whatever they had been doing. However, rather than running for cover from the raindrops they…danced.

Every single one of them.

Their arms were open wide, faces upturned to catch the raindrops. They twirled with joyful abandon.  They locked arms and skipped round and round. They ran the length of the football field and made it look as effortless as if they were being carried by the wind. I slightly lowered my window and could hear the sound of their laughter wafting up the hill to fill my car.

I was transfixed and wished I had my camera with me to capture the moment. (I really need to just take it with me everywhere I go at this point!).

It was a moment of such joy, such freedom, such playfulness that it made my heart sing.

Why do we lose that? When do we begin to look at the rain that falls literally and figuratively in our lives and always run for cover rather than fully embracing the moment and allowing our spirits to soar?

No, life is not always fun and storms do come. Yet in the midst, if we look hard enough…there is joy to be found. Just a sliver of light to pierce the darkness. Gratitude for even the smallest grace.

“Whenever thanks is possible, joy is possible.”—Ann Voskamp

The next time it rains, I will remember that scene on the football field. And I just may leave my umbrella at home. 🙂

If you do nothing else today, please take the time to read this article and watch the short video at the end.

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/why-we-got-married

I don’t think I have ever seen anything so heartbreakingly beautiful in my entire life. I sit here with tears streaming down my face, absolutely amazed that I have just seen the unconditional love and power of Jesus Christ on display in a way I have never seen it before.

I have been painfully humbled by my shortsightedness, by my sometimes petty concerns, by my frequent lack of an eternal perspective when I allow the tyranny of the urgent to eclipse what really matters.

On a day when the subject of marriage is in the national news, this is a shining and glorious example of the exquisite beauty of a Christ-centered marriage.

“When God stands as a witness to the covenant promises of a marriage it becomes more than a merely human agreement. God is not a passive bystander at a wedding ceremony. In effect, He says, ‘I have seen this, I confirm it, and I record it in Heaven. And I bestow upon this covenant by My Presence and My purpose the dignity of being an image of of My own covenant with My Wife, the church.’ ” —John Piper

My son plays in a band called New Horizons. It is an international organization that was established for the purpose of giving adults who have always dreamed of playing an instrument an opportunity to do just that.

At 16, Josh is the youngest member of the band but he loves it. He enjoys the people and it gives him another venue to play his beloved oboe.

This past Saturday was their first concert of the year and it took place at the local Veteran’s Home.

The band arrived an hour before the show to practice. Some of the residents came early so they could listen in, including one man who seemed particularly excited to be there. He asked the aide to wheel him right up front and his face was wreathed in smiles.

However, it soon became apparent that he didn’t understand that the band was only practicing. As soon as they would begin to play, he moved  his arms enthusiastically, as if he were conducting. But when the band would stop in order to go onto the next piece of music, he would drop his hands back into his lap and plead loudly, “Continue! Make melodies!”

When this happened a couple of times, an aide walked over to him and explained that the band was just practicing and the concert would begin soon enough. He waited patiently from that point until the concert began. Once it did, he continued to “conduct” with abandon and joy. The look of sheer happiness on his face was wonderful to see.

I was particularly intrigued when these two women were wheeled into the room…

What beautiful faces of two brave women who chose to step up and serve our magnificent country during WWII.

In a room full of mostly men, their lights shone brightly.

I so wanted to hear their stories but uncharacteristic shyness kept me in my seat. Instead, I asked one of the aides where the women had served. I was told that some were nurses, some served in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, and one of the women was actually a gunner on a battleship!

Amazing.

The room was full by the time the concert started.

When the band played the service anthems for each branch of the military, the veterans were asked to raise their hands when the song representing their branch was played. Hands shot up proudly all over the room.

As the first strains of “National Emblem” filled the air some felt the need to stand (most with great difficulty) and salute the flag at the front of the room.

Tears filled my eyes as I watched these great American warriors proudly salute. I felt so honored to be in the same room with these incredible men and women. My father served in the Korean war and both of my uncles saw combat in World War II. They are my heroes.

Will America ever see such a spectacular generation again?

I wanted to personally thank and shake every single veteran’s hand once the show ended.

Someone I was thrilled to meet was the “conductor.” His name is Robert and he served with the Navy. I was able to shake his hand and thank him for his service.

He was very intent to meet the band’s conductor, Mary.

He thanked her over and over again for coming to the home.

I am continually amazed at the power of music to unite people, to soothe, to bring joy, to cause one to go back and relive times that now exist only in the memory.

It was a wonderful way to spend a few hours on a Saturday afternoon. I am so grateful for the band members for giving of their time and talent to bring such joy to these men and women who have given so much.

“Freedom isn’t free.” —Anonymous