Saturday, February 28, 2009

Spring Cleaning


www.thomasmichaelcorcoran.com

I grew up in the Methodist church but never observed the Lenten season until I was an adult. I'm not sure why that was, but I've since grown to appreciate Lent as my personal invitation to draw close to God again, and invite Him into the parts of my life that have become dusty, cluttered, or downright dysfunctional over time. The miracle of Easter is so much more real when I allow God to do some extra work on me during the six weeks prior to Resurrection Sunday.

So I went to our Ash Wednesday service this week and once again began my personal pilgrimage to Easter. I liked that Pastor Jim compared the cross he imposed on our foreheads to a “paid in full” stamp. But it also struck me that the cross is the great equalizer—a symbol of the debt of gratitude we all owe but can't come close to repaying. It may be the greatest irony of all, that the cross means I have a zero balance and, at the same time, that I owe Jesus my life. I call it the consequence of grace.

Sometimes I give something up for Lent; other times I don’t. Occasionally it seems more appropriate to take something up for Him, rather than lay something down. One definition I found for the word Lenten was, "suggesting Lent, as in austerity, frugality, or rigorousness; meager." While I understand the concept of sacrifice, it has to have a purpose. There's no point in putting something aside for six weeks just to pick it back up after Easter and go on as if nothing is different. The first Easter changed everything, and every Easter we celebrate should change us.

For me, the point of Lent is to make room for more of what He wants to give me. It's all about less of me and more of Him...a spring cleaning of the heart if you will. And the riches of His blessings promise to make this season of life anything but austere and meager.

"He must become greater; I must become less." ~ John 3:30 (NIV)

Sunday, February 15, 2009

25 Random (Beautiful) Things



Do you have a Facebook page? A lot of people have been telling me I “need” one. And I’ve considered creating one, if only to check up on my kids. But ultimately I tell my well-intentioned friends that I have a daily electronic prayer ministry to 600 people in the body of Christ, this blog, and at least 6 personal and work email addresses, not to mention my day job as a copywriter. So no, I don’t think I do need a Facebook page right now.

One of the Facebook features that the media has been fascinated with recently is, “25 Random Things About Me.” For more about the random things flash-phenomenon, check out this NY Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/fashion/05things.html.


I can’t imagine coming up with 25 even semi-interesting things about myself that anyone else would want to read, but something that caught my eye in my dear friend and co-worker Nicki’s office space got me thinking…

Her husband has a calendar that’s 180º opposite of the “Life Is Good” merchandise. It’s called, “Life Is Crap,” and he sent her this particular page one day, presumably because he knows how much she loves chocolate (don’t we all?).


Anyway, it got me thinking, and I recalled this “Found” item. Some days are more beautiful than others, but I believe the beauty in life outweighs the ugly, and so I offer you, "25 Random (Beautiful) Things About My Life":


1. A living, loving savior who gave it all for me.

2. Two healthy kids in college, both of whom I’d choose to be friends with even if I wasn’t their Mom.

3. Music that has the power to lift my spirits and move my soul.

4. Friends who are always there for me.

5. A church that has been my family away from home for 20+ years.

6. My Keurig coffee "brewing station." (I confess, I'm a coffee snob.)

7. Overall good health that trumps the occasional aches and pains of someone my age.

8. My age.

9. People who read my blog.

10. The amazing ways God works everything out for our good and His glory.

11. The living word of God, “Sharper than any two edged sword,” that comes to my mind and heart at the exact moments when I need it the most.

12. The prayers of others.

13. My little Jetta that has made it up the driveway with flying colors (flying being the operative word) every snowy day thus far this winter, with the added bonus of heated seats. Yes!

14. Parents who raised me right.

15 Days when my gym workout actually feels good.

16. Movies (and Netflix).

17. A clear view of the moon and stars through the rustling trees from my back deck.

18. Birdsong on a warm February morning (and peepers on a cool March night).

19. A job where they pay me to write.

20. Co-workers who inspire my admiration (and my writing).

21. A stack of books waiting to be read.

22. Freedom in Christ and in the USA.

23. A hot shower in the morning.

24. The joy of giving to others.

25. The privilege of reflecting the love of Jesus to the people I encounter every day.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." ~ Ephesians 1:3 (NIV)

Photo #1 thanks to Hannah Link

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Two Tales of Love & Laughter



One night while Hannah was home on break for the holidays, I casually asked what her favorite Bible verse was. Even though she’s involved with Campus Crusade for Christ and in a weekly Bible study I didn’t really expect her to have a favorite scripture, much less be able to quote chapter and verse.

She promptly came back with, "Job 8:21: ‘He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.’'"

I confess my first thoughts were, “Wow, she has one…but who picks anything from Job as their favorite verse?” I mean, come on…Job is the ultimate hard luck story that we all try to relate to when things aren’t going so hot in our own lives and we’re feeling really pathetic.

But then I thought, “Wow, how absolutely perfect.” That my daughter (the one laughing on the right) would glean this scripture and make it her own brought hope to my heart and tears to my eyes. What a girl.

I experienced another unique interpretation of a classic Old Testament story this weekend at Barter Theatre. (Spoiler alert: Yes, this is a short review.) Playing on the Main Stage now through April 18th, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat is sort of like the Bible on acid. After all, Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber are the same guys who gave us Jesus Christ Superstar. Here’s the “official” synopsis from the Barter’s website:

"A colorful, musical retelling of the Biblical story about dreamboat Joseph, his uncanny abilities and his designer coat, this family classic sings out to young and old alike with a fun score of wall-to-wall hit songs."


www.bartertheatre.com


If you’re a traditionalist when it comes to Biblical interpretation, you probably won’t be into this show so much. But if you’re open to creative costuming and music, and fantastic acting of course, by all means don’t miss this one. I absolutely loved it; what a great way to start Barter Theatre’s 2009 season!

In his Director’s Notes, Richard Rose explores the themes of dreams, family, and reconciliation in the play, and when you break it down, isn’t that much of what Jesus wants to be about in our lives today? We dream of being good enough to be accepted and, if we’re very lucky, maybe even loved unconditionally. The bad news is that there’s no way we could ever come close to being good enough and unconditional love has nothing to do with luck.

But the good news is, through Jesus we’re reconciled to God, all is forgiven and His love never ends. Welcome to the family! I say that’s way more than enough to “fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.”

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Some Serious Pruning



Isn’t it funny how a 55º day in early May or mid-October can send us to the sofa with a blanket and a good book, but the same conditions in February are cause to celebrate outside? And if there’s a winter storm on the horizon, it’s all the more reason to get out of the house and enjoy a healthy dose of fresh air and sunshine. After all, who knows how long it will be before we get another nice day?

I’ve been waiting on a reasonably warm weekend to pick up sticks. I live in the woods (or, as Ben once announced in kindergarten, “I live in a big old forest!”), so when I say sticks, I mean twigs, branches, limbs, and what feels like the occasional log scattered around our property. They’re the victims of winter’s war, brutally slain by wind, ice, and wet, heavy snow. My yard is a battlefield, and someone has to clean it up.

So today I slipped on a light jacket and my gardening gloves, plugged into my iPod and set to work. For awhile I’m working with the music, getting into the rhythm of bending over, scooping up as many twigs and branches as I can carry, trekking up to the woods’ edge, and slinging them on top of the existing brush pyramid.

About 20 minutes into my work, this thought appears unbidden: God has been doing some serious pruning here. I start to dwell on that idea for awhile and the correlation to His work in our lives is hard to miss.

We’re promised in the Bible that there will be pruning. Just as He prunes the forest, He will prune His children:

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ~ John 15:2

Although His purpose is to produce an abundance of fruit in our lives, the pruning process itself is never pleasant. It often happens in the dead of winter, the seasons of our lives that are bitter cold and gray, devoid of color and growth. We hunker down and hope to make it to spring, but sometimes we can’t even see as far as then next warm day, much less to a whole new season of life.

But here’s the most amazing thing about winter… Even when we can’t see signs of life and the ground beneath our feet feels as though it’s frozen solid, God’s at work in us, His Holy Spirit coaxing new growth to the surface in our lives. His creation is stirring below my seemingly dead, limb-strewn lawn, and there is no doubt that this season of winter will end and spring will come. All of creation will glorify the Creator, and fruit blossoms will one day begin to appear.

In the meantime, I take a break from my now tedious chore and poke around under the leaves, looking for signs of growth where I know bulbs are buried in my yard. Sure enough, I find a tiny hyacinth sprout and I can almost smell the sweet fragrance it will share in April. I cover it back up (remembering this week’s winter storm warning), and keep searching until I find four hearty iris shoots. My heart is encouraged and winter storm or not, I know spring is on the way. As my dear friend Debbie often reminds me, “God is faithful.”



Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!