Sonshine!

Letting Go

From the moment I first held my child in my arms, I knew the day of letting go would come. I dreaded the inevitable, secretly crying after birthday parties, the end of each school year….. All the while, my life was amazing. Real, but incredible, except a heartbreaking event was approaching at warp speed…. an empty nest. I would have sold my soul to stop it.

Resentment festered in my heart thinking I would someday live in a house with no children’s laughter, no helpless innocent that needed my expertise in motherhood to sustain them. I did my share of complaining about unending laundry and dishes, but I knew I would do loads a day for the rest of my life if time would just stand still. My closet misery was disguised by a busy life full of wonderful people and intriguing adventures, but I wouldn’t look at photos of places we had been and things done because they were gone, over, never to return. The fact that my desire selfishly robbed those I love of the very natural act of growing up weighed heavily. My oldest shared with me her favorite Dr. Seuss quote, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” I didn’t appreciate her enthusiasm for a future without me in it, but I did indeed smile on the outside and waited for privacy to cry some more.

Logically I knew the manner of my release would have a tremendous influence on the emotional development of my children and so I prayed. One of God’s greatest acts of grace is allowing us to fight until we are exhausted and then reach out to comfort when all other options are gone and hope has faded. His touch is peace and the greatest strength I’ve ever known. I began to realize, I wasn’t raising little girls of today, but rearing women of the future and they were going to need fortitude, strength, skills, encouragement and love if they were going to survive and thrive. The beauty of time entered the secret places of my heart. I became an active part in blazing a trail to the future and a large part of that was appropriately ‘letting go.’

Two of the most amazing young women on earth call me mom. The days of peddling bikes down dirt roads and running barefoot to the fishing hole are now precious memories because I see them as the foundation of greatness rather than time gone forever.

I’ve just spent hours in my kitchen next to my daughter (Thing One) making beautiful food for a neighbor in need and luxuriating in the closeness of the small town that molded her. Tonight there will be a blond headed, green eyed angel (Thing Two) home from school, sleeping in the next room. I will hear her stir as she turns in her slumber, and be reminded, the gift of life covered in Grace and cushioned by unfathomable love, is better than I could have ever imagined because ‘letting go’ is actually a great act of love I wouldn’t have missed for the world.

When I let go, God showed up. He bumped me from the center of the universe, put things into perspective and a blessed life happened.

Love,

Gretchen

But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. Titus 3:9

You don’t have to go to every argument you are invited to. – Bryan Jones to his daughter Gretchen.

This Pastoral Epistle was written to Titus who is given charge overseeing many pastors on the island of Crete. He must have had great strength of character. Opposition to the Christian messages was prevalent. Engaging in heated conflict proves counterproductive. A positive ethic focuses on overcoming evil with good.

Unprofitable and useless are strong words with very unpleasant implications. Who has time for that? However, it is hard to argue with someone doing something loving and kind. The Gospel message of hope and peace garners far more attention than petty controversies over who’s who in a moment that will soon pass away.

Feel free to turn down those invitations!

Love,

Gretchen

“Look, He is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of Him.” So shall it be! Amen. Revelation 1:7

The purpose of apocalyptic scripture is to see the whole history, the big picture, of mankind and know that God will reign supreme in justice.

As a graduate with honors from the School of Hard Knocks, degreed in “Refuse Wise Counsel”, nothing frustrates me more than people that just won’t recognize God’s authority, power and love and learn from the lessons of those that have gone before them. Reading the news, living in a world gone terribly wrong, exhausting one’s self in an effort to leave the air you share better than you found it, brings a defeated end to the day, but the absolute assurance that grants peace is knowing God wove every atom, every molecule of the universe together and He knows what He is doing. I don’t need to understand, I don’t need to huff and puff, I just need to love and spread the Good News of Jesus Christ……God will judge in due time and all will be right.

Have a Fabulous Friday,

Gretchen

In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will. Ephesians 1:11

In the Greek translation verse 3-14 is one long sentence of praise and it reads like a hymn or verse. Paul cannot get over the fact that God has bestowed His riches in Heaven on us, undeserving sinners. God has always had a plan for redemption and restoration and at the heart of this plan is Christ. Christ’s death sets us free.

Like Paul, I hope I never get over the fact that God gave me salvation. I did not deserved it when I received it, and I daily fall short of worthiness, yet God’s grace is sufficient and my restoration is ongoing, 24/7, 365.

God is Good,

Gretchen

Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because “the righteous will live by faith.” Galatians 3:11

Evidence is presented to a judge, the keeper of knowledge and discernment. Based on facts, the judge decides and declares guilt or innocence. When the gavel slams, the decision is made. It is irrevocable. If the accused is declared not guilty, they are known to be justified.

After Paul first visited Galatia and established a church in this Roman province, Jewish-Christian teachers came to continue the work. They insisted that new converts must become sons of Abraham by way of circumcision and strict observation of Jewish law.

This perspective made obedience to the law as important as the crucified Messiah. There is no comparison. By faith and faith alone, we know that Christ voluntarily gave His life for ours. He lived a human existence but remained Holy, died on the cross and rose from the grave on the third day, thus taking away sin’s grip on all who believe!

Do we submits ourselves to standards of righteousness? Yes, but it is through faith that we are saved and stand before our Judge to be found blameless, guilt free, totally justified.

Have a Wonderful Midweek,

Gretchen

This is the written account of Adam’s family line. When God created mankind, He made them in the likeness of God. Genesis 5:1

In the first four books of the Bible the creation story is told twice. Chapter five begins with the words above. Once again it is stated, “In the likeness of God.”

Two things played a part in robbing mankind of our likeness to God: Man’s freewill, and the overwhelming temptation to sin, to chose things of this world over God’s perfect will.

God is Holy. Sin robbed mankind of its Holiness. But from the moment sin entered the world God maintained a means of restoration. By man’s freewill we accept God’s authority and believe that His Son Jesus gave His life in place of ours as payment for sin. When we chose these things of God over the temptations of the world, we return to our likeness of God.

Satan would have you believe this is an impossible ideal. It is not. We are God’s crowning joy, a perfect reflection. Look to Him and mirror His love, His action, His passion. In this way we are restored to His likeness.

Have a Wonderful Day of Love,

Gretchen

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the Throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. Revelations 7:9

Much of our moment to moment existence is universal. Across the globe people arise motivated to maintain life, for themselves and any dependents they may have. No matter the ethnicity or culture, there is a longing for personal prosperity and loved ones to be healthy and whole. We are very much the same in our quest to stay alive. But the reality is far from gumdrop avenues. and cotton candy clouds. Every success comes at a cost of ten failures. From the African savannah to Alpine cliffs, from sea to shining sea, crisis rules the day, struggle is universal.

EXCEPT to those that know the LORD and have found peace. We have the promise of Heaven and a home in the immediate presence of God. The enduring theme of Revelation is “Game Over!” We live in the present and all the trials and burdens it has, but God is not restricted by linear time. He is in the past, present and future. The battle has been won, victory is His and ours by association.

I can’t wait for that wonderful time when I stand before God and every nation, tribe, and people through ages lift their voices in worship to the One that gave us Eternal Life! It isn’t just a celebration of freedom from personal trials, but victory over sin that hurts the world over.

Warming up my vocal chords!

Gretchen

My dad is guest writing for me today and it has been a blessing to set my words aside and rest. He has and always will be my personal super hero!

HEROES
“….in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”
Isaiah 30:15b

What is this fascination we have with people who live something before us that makes us lift them to hero status?  What is the attraction?  Why one characteristic over another?  Why do some of us idolize some traits while others are drawn to something entirely different?   When and why does it begin?   As I meld these questions into one, I realize that the whole question is more rhetorical than answerable.

An athlete, a musician, performer in the dramatic arts or maybe just a common person with a very special genius or skill, whatever ideal we hold, there is someone who epitomizes it for us. A popular female celebrity who is readily recognized for her flamboyant fashion and buxom figure had an early childhood “hero.”  In an interview I witnessed, she told of a certain lady in her small town who was known for her provocative make up and (un)dress.  The trade the lady plied is considered the oldest in the world but our budding celeb, in her innocence,  had no way of making that connection.  “I thought she was pretty and I wanted to look like her”  was her comment about the attractive lady of the evening.  How innocent!  But how influential!

I can’t remember when I didn’t have a hero in my life.  As a little boy, many people provided an attraction that was both, fascinating  and challenging.  I am speaking of real-life people that I could see, touch, hear and yes, sometimes, smell.  Real folks they were.  I confess that some heroes were established via secondary connections such as television,  comic books,  concerts and sports competition  I still think Stan Musial, the St. Louis Cardinal icon of another generation, was the greatest baseball player of all.  That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it. But the influences that really shaped my life were close at hand, people to people connections.

One of the joys of my advancing years is remembering and appreciating a number of personal heroes who have made an indelible mark on my life and are woven tightly into the fabric of who I am.  As I remember them, I see a common thread I will cite in my concluding paragraph.

I was a mere 4 years old when my father, a pastor, accepted an assignment in a new town.  In that congregation was an awesome teenage guy who fascinated my young mind.  He was big…..had some swagger…..could use colorful language that was anathema in my carefully crafted vocabulary monitored by my mom.  He could be his reckless teen-aged self in word and deed without lightening striking him dead.  He had a reputation for driving his dad’s car way too fast undetected.  In other words he was “cool” before cool was an adjective to describe the fascinating hunk of humanity I viewed him to be.  He was elevated in my eyes as the kind of person I would like to become. I wanted to be just like him.

As, hopefully, you have guessed by now, that teenager became an adult who matured into a very fine gentleman, a successful business man in construction/real estate, a loving husband and father.  Since I wasn’t that many years behind him, we shared many years of friendship as mature adults.  When our son was born, my wife gave me permission to select his middle name and I had no hesitation in naming him Lynn.  Until the day my hero passed, I was always a bit intimidated and in awe in his presence.  Thanks, Earnest Lynn Williams, for being my first hero and shaping my life.

In my early teen years,  a man came into my life who was as fine a gentleman as I have ever known. Widely know as “Bogue,”  he was a family man, a churchman, a friend to all and professionally known for his construction skills.  A number of buildings in Arkansas are products of his management expertise.  For me, his character and demeanor were the attractions.  I was just a kid when he showed me how to hang a door and I can remember that “Yankee” screwdriver that he so skillfully used.  I was determined to have one and to be able to hang doors.  I still have my “Yankee” and yes, I’ve hung lots of doors.  Thanks L. E. “Bogue” Price for being my hero.

There were others.  Ray, a farmer/carpenter, accepted me, a young college student into his home as family and took me on my first quail hunt.  His quiet and confident manner was very stabilizing in my early years of adulthood.  Thanks, Ray Haverly, you had no way of knowing the esteem in which you were held.  Then there was Bob, the carpenter/guitar player who had a saying, “There is a way do to EVERYTHING.”  Thanks, Bob Collins, for hiring me as a very young man and teaching me carpentry and construction skills.  By the way, I still have that Gretsch guitar Bob sold me way too cheap.  It is a personal treasure.  But my memories of his personal skill and genius coupled with his impeccable integrity are what I still hold the most dear.

There is a common thread here.  Yes, there was the association with the construction trades that left its mark on me   All were real men physically, emotionally, professionally,  to the fullest extent of the word.  But the common thread that impressed me the most was the quiet confidence each had in themselves, their abilities and their faith.  There was no boisterous bluster, no super-inflated ego, no arrogance…. just simple quiet confidence.  I think it is more than coincidence that they were also men of unshakable integrity.  Isaiah’s words, “In quietness and confidence shall be your strength” were fleshed out in my heroes.

It makes me wonder…..am I someone’s hero?  God, help me!

Bryan Jones

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? I Corinthians 3:16

A temple, the physical representation of God’s presence among us, the anchoring place of the believer, a safe harbor for the weary and lost. We, the church, the Body of Christ, the individual, must be God’s human connection to this lost world, His temple. It needs us so much!

Have a great weekend,

Gretchen

David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2 Samuel 22:1

King David’s life story is wrought with sin’s consequence. The ultimate cost of sin is death, but there is a great deal of life to be lived first. David made some very selfish choices, including adultery and murder. As a result, his household ran morally amok and his children suffered and made equally bad choices. Grief and regret followed David, but he always humbled himself before God and God restored His relationship to him.

Across thousands of years David’s words touch our reality (finish reading chapter 22). God is our Rock as life overwhelms us. A life’s story can be incredibly hard to look back on when more failures than success can be found, but God’s grace is more than sufficient to cover any sin and His joy makes all sorrow irrelevant.

David’s legacy is not his politics, but his humble and God seeking heart. That is a legacy worth leaving.

Happy Friday,

Gretchen