Waiting

I have always had a thing for pumpkins. When my cousins and I were kids, my Granddaddy Settle would plant a whole field of them on his farm in Southside Virginia just so he could have the pleasure of watching his grandchildren run through the vines in autumn, seeking out their "perfect" pumpkin for Halloween. Naturally, when we were young the rule of thumb for picking a pumpkin to carve was size and, to the dismay of our parents, bigger was always better!

When I grew older and had children of my own, I enjoyed the pumpkin carving tradition just as much, but from a different perspective. I always urged Ben and Hannah to opt for a "friendly" face over a scary one, but truth be told it didn't matter to me, because it was all about them. We never had trick-or-treaters. Our house was too out of the way, in the woods up a rough gravel and dirt road. Still, we carved our Jack O'Lantern and I bought candy...just in case.

Fast forward a few years and everyone's older, meaning the kids have caught onto the idea that trick-or-treating in subdivisions is much more lucrative than trick-or-treating in Brumley Gap. We still carved pumpkins and bought candy. But after that we piled in the Suburban and headed for town. And I started buying more pumpkins, so when the Jack O'Lantern was compost I would still have bright, beautiful, firm pumpkins to color my world when all of the leaves had fallen in late November.

Tonight my kids are enjoying Halloween elsewhere. It is, after all, probably the biggest holiday on college campuses across America. Hannah is a ladybug and Ben is the dead guy from the movie, "Weekend at Bernie's." And I didn't carve a Jack O'Lantern this year. So my pumpkins, large and small, may just last until my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. I bought candy, but as usual I've had no takers.

It's probably no surprise that, as a kid so taken with gourds, one of my favorite seasonal television treats was, "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." Charles Schulz was a genius, and in his 1966 classic (which, according to the Wikipedia entry, preempted "My Three Sons" that year), the Peanuts gang celebrates Halloween minus Linus and Sally, who are waiting in a pumpkin patch for "The Great Pumpkin" to appear. Long story short, The Great Pumpkin never makes an appearance and Sally's not happy with Linus, to put it mildly. But he hangs tough, vowing that next year will be different. In one of my favorite lines, Charlie Brown tries to comfort Linus, telling him, "I've done a lot of stupid things in my life, too."

It may be a cartoon, but Linus’ vigil reminds me of our own, as Christians waiting for Jesus to return. At times it may feel futile, and yes, non-believers may even ridicule us, saying it’s a “stupid” cause. But I’m trusting in Christ’s promises. After all, we’re not talking about the Great Pumpkin, but the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. So here are six ways the two differ. (Please, don’t send comments about how blasphemous this is. Just stay with me...)

Six Ways Jesus Is Different From The Great Pumpkin

1. You can’t “carve” Jesus into whatever you want him to be.

2. You can’t blow out his light.

3. He’s the vine, not the fruit.

4. He’s unchanging, unlike a pumpkin that grows, peaks, then withers away.

5. His seeds produce wisdom, love, and mercy.

6. He is coming back!

Like pumpkins, but love Jesus. And never, ever give up on waiting for Him.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.” ~ John 14:27-29 (NIV)

Taking a Stand

I live in place where you’re all but legally required to declare your allegiance to one of two colleges: University of Tennessee or Virginia Tech. So let it be known that I am a fan of my father’s alma mater, Virginia Tech (or VPI, as it was called back in the day). I tease my friend Debbie because she has a cozy blanket that sports the UT logo and colors on one side and VT’s on the other. She graduated from Virginia Tech, but is a big fan of the Lady Vols basketball team, and her daughter Sarah also recently graduated from Tennessee. So depending on who’s playing any given evening or weekend, Debbie can curl up on the sofa with the right gear.

These two schools never even meet on the football field, but the divide isn’t just collegiate. It’s a tale of two states, and Bristol is a city divided right down the middle of its downtown by State Street, where my daughter took this picture at the Rhythm & Roots music festival last month. Bristolians have to choose between living in Virginia or Tennessee, and sometimes the people even go so far as to buy their tomatoes according to what state they were grown in. (I’m not kidding.)

People take a stand on a whole host of personal issues, from coffee vs. tea (coffee, please) to mountain vs. beach vacations (since I live in the mountains, I’ll pick the beach). The church is especially prone to division on issues like contemporary or traditional worship, King James or NIV Bibles, and baptism by dunking or sprinkling.

And with a presidential election just days away now, the clamor to take a stand for the candidate or party of your choice is reaching a fever pitch. Obviously, who wins is important. But no matter who’s in the Oval Office, it’s who’s on the Throne of Grace that matters even more, Amen? That said, I received this list of “predictions” in an email recently:

TEN PREDICTIONS NO MATTER WHO WINS THE ELECTION:

1. The Bible will still have all the answers.

2. Prayer will still work.

3. The Holy Spirit will still move.

4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.

5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.

6. There will still be singing of praise to God.

7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.

8. There will still be room at the Cross.

9. Jesus will still love you.

10. Jesus will still save the lost.

I don’t know about you, but these truths give me some welcomed perspective for the next 10 days. So no matter who you’re voting for President, you can get out there and campaign for Christ, in your homes, workplaces, and communities, through word and deed. We’re called to run the race, and there’s no question that He’s going to win!

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ~ Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

Don't Panic

www.nataliedee.com

What a week. You'd have to be living in a cave (unlikely, since you're reading this) not to be aware of our downward spiraling economy, and concerned about how it affects you. The stock market's wild swings have felt like a carnival ride, and the resulting media frenzy has been enough to make you dizzy with fear. I got off of the treadmill at the gym last night more stressed out from watching the nightly news than I was when I got on 30 minutes earlier!

I recognize, as well as any of us can, the magnitude of the problem. But I still have to believe the glass is half full. (Have you been watching gas prices this week?) It's a healthy and wise thing to be concerned. But the question is, where are you on the "anxiety scale" of 1 to 10?

Apparently the only AP file photos suitable to accompany bad stock market news are variations on this one, although this is the worst I've seen this week. No one wants to see the guy handling their retirement money making this face! All the same, as my friend Connie reminded me today, "Life can be hard and doesn't always go the way we think it will—yet Jesus is still Lord." She also said she's quit praying about finances, and instead is just praying for Him to grow her trust and obedience. That was a powerful witness to me.

She shared these thoughts with me in response to some lyrics and scripture I emailed to her earlier in the week. A few years ago Amy Grant put out a collection of old hymns done in a new way (I love those). It's called, "Legacy," and more times than I can count, when I've had a heavy heart, "Fields of Plenty" will come up on my iPod. Amy sings a couple of verses from, "Be Still My Soul"...

Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
leave to thy God to order and provide;
in every change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy heavenly friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake
to guide the future, as He has in past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious will be bright at last.

Sweet music, and a balm to my soul...and if that weren't enough of a reminder to trust God, Amy Grant quotes the very verse I cling to when I'm struggling:

Delight yourselves in the Lord, yes, and find your joy in Him. Be known for your gentleness, and never forget the nearness of our God. And don't worry, whatever's going to come...Just tell God every detail. And the peace of God that no one understands will come to you. No, don't worry...just tell Him every detail, and His peace will come to you." ~ Philippians 4:4-7

So yes...BE CONCERNED. But I just wanted to remind everyone that there's an alternative to panic. Because apart from Jesus, none of us really have anything.


Photo: A broker on ICAP's dealing floor calls for prices on October 9, 2008 in London, England. Peter Macdiarmid/Getty