A Post-Christmas Miracle

We dared the mall today to exchange a coat at American Eagle. Bailey, Beth, and I arrived at around 5 PM. The parking lot was near the overflow mark. "Uh, oh," I thought. Bailey didn't think that we would be able to find the right size coat and was content to wear the one she received from Santa even though it was a size too small. She just knew that there would not be another one like it.

We walked into American Eagle and they had a special table at the front of the store set up for exchanges. (I was very impressed with American Eagle today BTW.) While Beth took care of that business, Bailey and I walked back to the coat rack. From a distance, I could see that there were only a few hanging there. "Aaaargh!" But then I spotted a pink and white coat exactly like the one she had. "Oh, God, let it be the right size." Bailey pulled it off the rack and sure enough, it was the size she needed.

I said, "Bailey, this is a God-thing." She was so happy. She tried it on and it fit so much better than the original. We went back to the exchange table and surprised mom with the good news. As the clerk was checking our receipts, she said, "This coat has been discounted. If you want to stand in line you can get some money back."

"How much?" Beth asked, expecting them to say a few dollars. The girl worked her magic with the little laser wand thing and said, "It's on sale now for $69."

$69? We paid $119 for it! Yeah, I guess we'll stand in line for $50. Turned out to be $51 and some coins. Cash - not a gift card. We gave BJ the money.

Was it a miracle? Was God really concerned about the size of that coat? Did God really answer my flippant little prayer as I approached the coat rack? I don't know. I do know that God cares about all of our needs but it is hard to imagine that he would be concerned about our little coat exchange. I guess at this point we could get into a discussion about the sovereignty of God and all but to be honest, I don't have the mental energy for it. Besides, my wrists are tired.

But here's a thought: 25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (Matthew 6)

It's A Wonderful Life

We don't have many Christmas traditions at our house but one thing we always do is watch the classic movie, "It's A Wonderful Life." I tear up at the end of it everytime. What a great movie! If you've never sat down with your kids to watch this, you're missing a treat. It is an excellent reminder that life is more than material things, money, power, or prestige. It's about the importance of relationships and the influence we have in other people's lives.

We watched it tonight and it speaks to me everytime I see it. As Clarence the Angel (2nd Class) wrote to George, "Remember no man is a failure who has friends."

If you haven't seen it yet this year, I encourage you to do so. If you've never seen it, you must watch it. You'll never regret it.

Enter Here for Drawing

Send a comment to this post including your full name and email address and you will be entered to win a $25 gift certificate to Family Christian Stores. The drawing will be held on 12/31/04.

If you came to this site as a result of my book signing at Family Christian Store in Augusta, GA. Welcome! Please drop by here frequently for more Timely Words.

A Winner's Perspective

On June 28, 1939, Joe Louis defended his heavyweight boxing title against Tony "Two-Ton" Galento in Yankee Stadium. Galento wasn't a particularly talented fighter, but he could take a punch and he was a big hitter. In the second round, Louis knocked Galento down and seemed to be controlling the fight. But in the third round, Galento knocked the champ down.

Louis immediately jumped back to his feet and went after his opponent. When Louis went to his corner, his trainer chastised him, "You know you're supposed to take the full count when you go down. Why didn't you stay down for nine?"

"What?" answered Louis, "and give him a chance to rest?" Louis pummeled Galento so badly in the fourth round that the referee stopped the fight. (John Maxwell in Today Matters)

Welcome!

I've decided to publicize my blog site after tinkering with it for several weeks. Thanks for visiting. I hope to post a few inspirational thoughts, anecdotes, and stories. Maybe sometimes I'll post something random or stupid or maybe even funny. This is mainly a way for me to get in the habit of writing at least a little something each week and to promote Timely Words.

Speaking of Timely Words, I'll be at Family Christian Store in Augusta for a book signing this coming Saturday from 1 PM to 3 PM. If you're out shopping in that area come by and see me.

The Gift of Life

When I was in college I was a lifeguard at a local swimming pool. Prior to the summer, I was certified in Water Safety, Life Saving, and CPR. Because it is dangerous to practice CPR on a person, we had to practice on a dummy. We laughed about having to put our mouths on our artificial victims and we made sure to swab the areas clean with plenty of alcohol before passing it on to the next student. It was hard to be serious about it because we all felt a little silly administering mouth-to-mouth to a plastic person. However, a few months later, during a busy July 4th weekend at the pool, I learned the value of knowing CPR. I helped resuscitate a victim who had fallen off a ten-foot high dive. It was definitely no laughing matter. It was critical.

I learned the value of life that day. I learned how quickly life can pass and how important it is to live each day to the fullest. I learned that God has breathed life into each one of us and that we have been given something very special. Do you realize that God has chosen to breathe life into you? It is a precious gift that we must use for His purposes each and every day.

What will you do with your one and only life?

Busyness: The Devil's Workshop?

I heard a cell phone ad the other day that reminded me of the busyness of life. A wife was talking to her husband about the need for a family meeting. They needed to discuss the kid’s schedules, i.e., gymnastics, scouts, ballgames, practices, school plays, etc. The couple decided that they could work in a family meeting on November 16… 2006. (Of course, the solution to this family’s dilemma was to buy cell phones for everyone so that they could talk together anytime.)

We really struggle with the busyness of life. An old English proverb says, “Idleness is the devil’s workshop.” While that may be true, I believe that the opposite is true too. “Busyness is the devil’s workshop.”

Busyness can be an obstacle to your spiritual life. If you have school-aged children you may feel more like a cab driver than a parent. You may feel more like a short-order cook instead of a mom. If you have one child in scouts, another in karate, and another taking ballet and all three in school and active in the church, then you’ve got a full and busy life.

But even if you’re beyond that stage of life, you’re probably busy. You don’t have to have small children to be busy. Busyness is the American way. It’s an expectation. It’s a status symbol. We greet each other with “How’s it going?” “Busy.”

You don’t have to have small children to be busy. You can have a job, serve in a volunteer organization or two, take a class, and be active in the church and you’ll have a full calendar. My in-laws have been retired for many years now and they claim that they are busier now than ever.

There’s a line to be drawn somewhere between busyness and laziness. If idleness is the devil’s workshop and busyness is the devil’s workshop then how do we get into God’s workshop? As God’s people, we are to be progressing, moving along, and growing. But it is necessary for us to know the difference between progress and pressure. A Christian should always be progressing but rarely in a hurry. Where to draw the line between busyness and laziness can only be determined by you and God.

It isn’t wrong to be busy. Look through the Bible and you’ll see godly men and women who were busy. Moses, David, Joshua, and Paul were busy doing God’s work. But you need to know that a busyness that is not directed by God is not blessed by God. Busyness can devastate your spiritual life as easily as idleness can. Jesus did not say, “I have come so that you can be busy.” He said, “I have come that you may have life.”

One of the keys to living a satisfying Christian life is finding that path that allows you to progress and grow and serve as a Christian at a pace that doesn’t create burnout and broken dreams.

The Benefits of Suffering

One day a man found a cocoon. He noticed a small opening in the cocoon and could see a butterfly trying to make its way out of the cocoon. The man watched the butterfly for several hours, as it struggled to force its body through the little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further. So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would expand and be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into the wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

The butterfly needed to struggle and fight his way out of the cocoon in order to fly!

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would never be able to fly.

Malcolm Muggeridge said, "Indeed, I can say with complete truthfulness that everything I have learned in my 75 years in this world, everything that has truly enhanced and enlightened my experience, has been through affliction and not through happiness" (Homemade, July, 1990). It is through affliction and suffering that the greatest lessons of life are learned. This truth is echoed by some of history’s great preachers. Samuel Rutherford said when he found himself in the cellars of affliction, "The Great King keeps his wine there." Charles Spurgeon said, "They who dive in the sea of affliction bring up rare pearls" (John Piper, "Why We Can Rejoice in Suffering").

Thanksgiving List

Things I can list that I'm thankful for in less than 60 seconds in no particular order:

my wife, Jesus, my kids, my dog (Deacon), my church and job, my dad's successful knee replacement surgery, my friends, good health, great opportunities in America, decent salary, the ability to read and write...