The Bible is the best-selling book of all time, but when was the last time you sat down to read it straight through? Have you ever read the Bible from cover to cover? What about just the New Testament? This year, the RCA community is endeavoring to read through the entire New Testament from Matthew to Revelation together... won't you join us?
Go to our new blog, http://thentchallenge.blogspot.com and you'll find resources to help us do this together, keeping ourselves accountable and making the journey through Scripture come alive, as we seek not only to read God's Word, but to live it every day. We want to encourage each other and your thoughts may help somebody else understand something a little bit better. We invite you to post your thoughts and comments as we read together. Go to the link "Reading Plan" to download a copy of our schedule. We'll be reading about 3-4 chapters a day... Monday - Friday with breaks during the weekends and week-long holidays (Fall Break & Thanksgiving Break)... you can use those to catch up if you get behind!
We also invite you to subscribe to the blog so that you'll recieve e-mail notifications as new articles are posted. As we go, book introductions will be posted, providing some background information on each of the 27 books of our New Testament. Also, you'll find study guide questions which our Middle & High School students will be discussing in their Bible classes at Riverside. These will also include "journaling thoughts" questions which are intended to help our students apply God's truths to their real world situations.
In addition to our Middle & High School students, we are inviting the entire faculty, staff, Board of Directors and RCA families to join us in this challenge. Won't you read along with us?
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Uncle Bob
If you'll indulge me once again... on my mind tonight is my Uncle Bob. He passed away on Friday and I'm traveling back to Chattanooga in the morning to conduct his graveside service. I've been thinking about what words might be comforting to our family. He and my aunt, BeBe, have always been very close to me. I was always over at their house growing up (they had a pool!) They spoiled me as if I was their own... no, actually they spoiled me as if I was a grandkid! I definitely had it better than Bobby & Kim, my cousins. When their own grandkids came along... they doted on and spoiled them, too! My uncle Bob was a larger than life kind of fellow... a big teddy bear that was constantly having fun with people... finding out what got on their nerves and then using that information to constantly get on their nerves! He loved that and he loved life! As I think about what I'll say tomorrow... I also want to speak a word for the Lord. The last couple of years have been rough on Bob, as he battled cancer with increasing difficulty. I want my words to be encouraging and light-hearted as we remember Bob as a fun-loving sort, but I also feel the need to speak to the unfairness of it all. Cancer... heartache... sickness and death are all a part of where we are in our fallen creation. But the Scriptures give us hope that this life is not all that there is! Here's what I'm working on:We are not really here for Uncle Bob this morning… Oh, all of us have loved him and he’s been a big part of all of our lives… as a husband, a father, a Poppa, a brother, a son-in-law, and as a friend and an uncle… but its not really Bob we’ve come to see this morning. We’re here because we’re family… and our family is hurting. Uncle Bob’s sudden passing last Friday has left a hole in our family… and our hearts are low because he is SO going to be missed. I hope that this time will be a time you look back on as one that brought some comfort and a measure of healing.
And I say that we’re not really here for Bob this morning because he is going to be just fine… he has gone home to be with the Lord… to receive his reward… something he looked forward to for SO long… and especially after the battle he has fought these last few years- and particularly the last couple of months… what a comfort that is!
At the end of his life Paul wrote these words… 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 2 Tim 4:7-8 NIV
Couldn’t Bob have said that? Uncle Bob has gone on to receive his reward… and we sure wouldn’t begrudge him that… even though selfishly we would have loved to have kept him around here for much longer. I know that with confidence this morning, NOT because Bob was a perfect man (none of us are) - a good man, yes, BUT because Jesus was… Bob put his trust in the Lord… the blood of Jesus assured him a place in Heaven.
Robert Hiram Smith…
• Born Feb. 10, 1939 departed this life on Friday, July 2, 2010
• He was the son of the late James Bart Smith and Martha Jo Smith Park, whom I knew as Granny.
• He is survived by his wife of 51 ½ yrs… Bettye Crowe Smith. By his children Bobby & Kim… and by his grandchildren, Travis & Kylie whom he talked about ALL the time and doted over as a proud Poppa! Also by his Father-in-Law… Boyd Crowe.
• Bob served his country in the US Navy and worked for TVA, but his real love was for his family and for his church, whom he served as an Elder for over 20 years.
• He loved singing… and loved to lead the congregation in worship as a way of serving the Lord. I know he also sang in Barbershop quartets and I have this strange memory of him on stage at the Memorial Auditorium in a wig & a dress but I have NO idea what that was about!
• Unexplainably, he was also a die-hard UT Fan… a source of all kinds of family bonding experiences, right Bobby? Tragically, I believe he is responsible for Travis’ first words being “Touchdown TN!”
• But, in his living room you can tell what Bob loved the most… because all over his walls are pictures of his kids & grandkids (& the TN Titans cheerleaders)
• And also, his heartfelt desire is found by the door on the porch… a reference to Joshua 24… “Choose you this day who you will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
I bet we could go around the room, each of us sharing our favorite “Bob” memories and we would be here all day!
Whether it be the “mis-adventures” of his many hunting trips… that Dad could tell us… those stories alone would fill an afternoon! Or all the pilgrimages to Neyland Stadium often bringing along Kim & Travis… and occasionally Bobby when UT played Notre Dame. But no matter who won, my Uncle Bob and cousin Bobby always handled it with the utmost maturity and respect. Memories of catching Bob in the drive-thru at Wendy’s… knowing BeBe would have a fit if she had known he was sneaking a frosty! BeBe told me of the time she came home to find the kids with a new puppy, MAX… she got a dozen roses that afternoon.
I’ll remember my Uncle Bob as the uncle who always wore out the batteries on the new arcade games I’d get at Christmas… the uncle who loved the latest gadgets & gizmos and computers… the uncle who introduced me to James Bond movies when I was probably too young to watch them… and the uncle who plotted revenge against my mom by bringing me and Debbie a pair of baby ducks one Easter! Donald & Daisy. Bob loved that!
Its those memories of a man who loved life… that I hope we’ll all always carry with us.
I don’t know if my Uncle Bob knew who Bon Jovi was, but surely he’d agree with the sentiment in one of his songs… “Everybody’s broken in this life.” I look around in our world and I see so much brokenness! Your neighbor who came over on Friday to give you a hug, BeBe is herself battling cancer. We’ve got a good friend whose Mother has been diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. On Saturday night we heard of a 16 yr old girl killed in a car accident not far from our house... it seems that everywhere we look we see brokenness! Relationships get broken, lives get broken and bodies get broken… because we live in a fallen world.
I don’t know why things happen the way they do… why people get sick… why there’s such a thing as cancer… it seems horribly unfair… but it’s a part of the broken world we live in. The Bible tells us it’s a fallen world… characterized by sin, by sickness, by death & decay. I have found that the only way to make sense of this crazy world in which we live is to believe that there is a God who is ultimately in control of it all… a God who is working in our world to bring about what he would have it to be.
I think that’s the message of Romans 8… as it tells us of a day…
21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
God never promises us that our lives will be free of heartache and pain… but he does promise us that WHATEVER happens… he can work it out for good to accomplish His good purposes.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. NIV
To me its also comforting to look at the wonderful picture of that day given to us in Revelation…
Revelation 21:1-5
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." NIV
What a wonderful picture! No more death… or mourning or crying or pain! No more doctors or needles or pills… no more diets or rehab therapy! Those things will be things of the past! God will make everything new!
And that includes my Uncle Bob! He will be made new… in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye…
“Where o death is your victory? Where o death is your sting? … Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Until then we wait… in eager expectation… but we wait… and we remember…
Monday, June 14, 2010
Red Cross Blood Drive @ Washington St... June 23rd
An Important Encouragement…
Wouldn’t it be great if we knew when an emergency would happen? That way we could have plenty of time to get ready, call our family, and friends and wait for things to return to normal. Unfortunately, emergencies just don’t happen like that.
Like most days, I left home at 5:30 am on Tuesday, November 3, to go to work. That day I never made it to work. I spent the next 21 days on the trauma floor at Vanderbilt Hospital where they use a lot of blood. If people had not donated blood, my life could have been at risk.
With the healing hand of God, my family and friends, many prayers and the American Red Cross, I am alive today!
I’m asking each of you to please consider donating blood when the American Red Cross comes to Washington Street. One simple act can make a huge difference and save a life.
Thank you,
Eric Yatsko
To register, go to www.redcrossblood.org and enter code: Fayettevilletn19 or call the church office
Wouldn’t it be great if we knew when an emergency would happen? That way we could have plenty of time to get ready, call our family, and friends and wait for things to return to normal. Unfortunately, emergencies just don’t happen like that.
Like most days, I left home at 5:30 am on Tuesday, November 3, to go to work. That day I never made it to work. I spent the next 21 days on the trauma floor at Vanderbilt Hospital where they use a lot of blood. If people had not donated blood, my life could have been at risk.
With the healing hand of God, my family and friends, many prayers and the American Red Cross, I am alive today!
I’m asking each of you to please consider donating blood when the American Red Cross comes to Washington Street. One simple act can make a huge difference and save a life.
Thank you,
Eric Yatsko
To register, go to www.redcrossblood.org and enter code: Fayettevilletn19 or call the church office
Friday, June 4, 2010
Run for Ella... to benefit my friend, Jules Mayes.
Run for Ella 2010 Benefiting Jules Mayes - June 12thRegistration is now open:
http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1860372
The cost to run/walk the 5K is $25 and the 1 mile fun run/walk is $10. The 5K Trail Run will start at 8:00 am followed by The Fun Walk at 9:30 am.
Registration Closing Date
Thursday, June 10, 2010 @ 11:59 PM
The Run for Ella has been established as an annual fundraiser. Both routes are on dirt trails. The 5k will have moderate hill climbs whereas the 1-mile will be flat terrain. Both events will be timed but we encourage both runners and walkers alike. Awards/ribbons will be given to the top three finishers in each age division as well the to the overall top female, male, oldest and youngest competitor. The age groups will be broken down by decades.
Run for Ella began in 2009 as a benefit for Ella Brown. Ella was injured in a tragic accident when she was pinned between two vehicles. She received serious trauma to her chest, lungs, several broken bones, and brain trauma. She was med flighted from the scene to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital where she spent 16 days and then spent time at Atlanta’s Children’s Rehabilitation Unit. It has been a little over a year and Ella has progressed further than many expected. She still has many battles ahead but this little girl has touched so many lives with her determination.
This year’s Run for Ella will benefit Jules Mayes. She is an active 4th grader that was in an automobile accident in April 2010. She suffered a broken femur, pelvis, and several ribs. Her lungs were bruised and she suffered a severe concussion that caused short-term memory loss. Jules will need a second surgery and extensive rehab to recover from her accident. The “Run for Ella” is a fundraiser created by friends and family to help cover unexpected financial burdens that go along with such a devastating accident. 100% of the profits will go directly to Jules.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Why I love Riverside Christian Academy
People choose schools for different reasons... some for the opportunities to play sports... some for the opportunity to excel in academics. But there are other reasons, too! The following essay by one of my senior girls at RCA illustrates why I love Riverside Christian Academy and why I'm so proud not only to send my kids there, but also to teach Bible there. This was written as a part of a senior paper, the final project required for graduation from RCA. It is supposed to be a "Philosophy of life" kind of paper. Here's what she wrote:
May 12, 2001
“How God has changed me through RCA”
I thank God that He directed my path to Riverside Christian Academy! I believe that I have truly been changed by it and that it has truly altered my future. First I will discuss my SHAPE.
Spiritual gifts. My first would (from the studies) be compassion. I feel deeply sorry for people even if I don’t know them. My mother says I have "sucker" written across my forehead when it comes to homeless people. Steven has had to forbid me for picking up sad looking hitch hikers. I used to have wet dog/cat food in my trunk so I could give poor starving animal’s food.
My second would be Mercy; I can easily look over the faults in people and see the good in them. This tends to get me in a bad position when I really care for some one who is really self-destructive. When I come home upset about something some one has done to me and tells mom it seems like I always get over it before she does.
Heart. Well I am sure that everyone in the school by now knows that I love art. That is one thing I think I am just naturally good at. One thing most people probably don’t know is that I love animals too! I thought through most of my childhood I was going to be a vet. I probably still would be if it hadn’t been for Mrs. Jones’ biology classes to be honest. Now I think I will be an art teacher.
Abilities. Art and I and socially gifted. My mom says I have evil gifts to get my way because I pull the dumb blonde’ act a little to well but I think she is just a sucker. Just Kidding
Personality. I am a giving person. I make my mom mad some times because some times I will just give away every thing I have in my pockets if some one needs it. She was really mad when I gave my whole paycheck to one of the girls at McDonald’s because she was about to lose her house and her husband go to jail. Everyone laughs at me because I will throw all my change on the ground at Wal-Mart. There is a really old Poor man that looks for change out there every morning.
Experiences. Well I have quite I few to go by really. The first would be the divorce of my Parents when I was 6. This really affected my mother and this is when we really stopped going to church I think. I guess I kind of had to sort of grow up at a young age. My dad was in an out at the age of 7/8 and he married Kim. I remember this is when I really started to act out. When I was 12, I was accepted in to Barbazon and I think that’s when my opinion of girls really went down the toilet. I really started to get that nasty little attitude like you see off mean girls. When I got in to Riverside I could see a huge difference in my life. I cleaned up my mouth and I started to get a little better with the grades. A year into Riverside my father’s drug addiction was at an all time high and I had to tell him I wasn’t going to talk to him any more until he cleaned it up. That was a hard time in my life. He still hasn’t cleaned it up though. When I got baptized, I really turned it around.
Riverside has had such a profound difference on my life I don’t like to think what I would have been if I hadn’t gone. Every friend I used to have at my old house that I still talk to has fallen in to drugs and sex. That scares me. I have done so many things through RCA. Spiritual Emphasis Day is some thing the impresses me every year. Mrs. K got me in to going to church. She is the reason my whole family goes now. We went to pack peaches. When the chorus went to go sing at the nursing homes, that really helped. Just hearing chapel ever morning is good for us. If I didn’t go to Riverside I don’t know if I would have a Christian boy friend or a Christian relationship. Now I go to his church. The Mission trip we went on last summer will be with me for the rest of my life. There's a difference here and the there, but their faith is so strong! The pastor is coming up here for the summer and I am really excited! The area we stayed at was kind of "dodgy". It was a bad part of town. We went door knocking and we spread the word of God. It was real rewarding and at times scary. I also help run Vacation Bible School every summer and that are always of fun. I get to paint all the murals and posters for the booths and activities!
Through all these experiences I have learned so much about God. First would be that he is way to big for us to ever comprehend! I love looking at the stars and thinking that God is billions beyond that. He created the heavens and the earth just because he love us. If that doesn’t stir you then you need to check your self. I love knowing that nothing is an accident and that everything in life is there for some reason. When I get stuck in traffic or my car breaks down it helps me to have that kind of mind set “ this must have happened for a reason”. It makes me look at trails not with hate or despair but a challenge to show Gods grace!
The love and grace of God has given me a purpose in life, no longer do I wander aimlessly but I strive for a goal, work for the cause. The thought that the creator of the universe would care anything about me blows my mine, and that he gave his one and only son to take my place is beyond me. It feels me with a sort of fear ans awe I guess is the right word. That God would love me that much when I can’t think of a single person I would be willing my son to die for. Without Riverside's influence in my life I don’t know if I every would have found these things that give me such peace now.
I feel that I was kinda picked from my old life and put in this one and I am so happy for the chance. I can’t wait to see what God has for me and to take up his challenges.
May 12, 2001
“How God has changed me through RCA”
I thank God that He directed my path to Riverside Christian Academy! I believe that I have truly been changed by it and that it has truly altered my future. First I will discuss my SHAPE.
Spiritual gifts. My first would (from the studies) be compassion. I feel deeply sorry for people even if I don’t know them. My mother says I have "sucker" written across my forehead when it comes to homeless people. Steven has had to forbid me for picking up sad looking hitch hikers. I used to have wet dog/cat food in my trunk so I could give poor starving animal’s food.
My second would be Mercy; I can easily look over the faults in people and see the good in them. This tends to get me in a bad position when I really care for some one who is really self-destructive. When I come home upset about something some one has done to me and tells mom it seems like I always get over it before she does.
Heart. Well I am sure that everyone in the school by now knows that I love art. That is one thing I think I am just naturally good at. One thing most people probably don’t know is that I love animals too! I thought through most of my childhood I was going to be a vet. I probably still would be if it hadn’t been for Mrs. Jones’ biology classes to be honest. Now I think I will be an art teacher.
Abilities. Art and I and socially gifted. My mom says I have evil gifts to get my way because I pull the dumb blonde’ act a little to well but I think she is just a sucker. Just Kidding
Personality. I am a giving person. I make my mom mad some times because some times I will just give away every thing I have in my pockets if some one needs it. She was really mad when I gave my whole paycheck to one of the girls at McDonald’s because she was about to lose her house and her husband go to jail. Everyone laughs at me because I will throw all my change on the ground at Wal-Mart. There is a really old Poor man that looks for change out there every morning.
Experiences. Well I have quite I few to go by really. The first would be the divorce of my Parents when I was 6. This really affected my mother and this is when we really stopped going to church I think. I guess I kind of had to sort of grow up at a young age. My dad was in an out at the age of 7/8 and he married Kim. I remember this is when I really started to act out. When I was 12, I was accepted in to Barbazon and I think that’s when my opinion of girls really went down the toilet. I really started to get that nasty little attitude like you see off mean girls. When I got in to Riverside I could see a huge difference in my life. I cleaned up my mouth and I started to get a little better with the grades. A year into Riverside my father’s drug addiction was at an all time high and I had to tell him I wasn’t going to talk to him any more until he cleaned it up. That was a hard time in my life. He still hasn’t cleaned it up though. When I got baptized, I really turned it around.
Riverside has had such a profound difference on my life I don’t like to think what I would have been if I hadn’t gone. Every friend I used to have at my old house that I still talk to has fallen in to drugs and sex. That scares me. I have done so many things through RCA. Spiritual Emphasis Day is some thing the impresses me every year. Mrs. K got me in to going to church. She is the reason my whole family goes now. We went to pack peaches. When the chorus went to go sing at the nursing homes, that really helped. Just hearing chapel ever morning is good for us. If I didn’t go to Riverside I don’t know if I would have a Christian boy friend or a Christian relationship. Now I go to his church. The Mission trip we went on last summer will be with me for the rest of my life. There's a difference here and the there, but their faith is so strong! The pastor is coming up here for the summer and I am really excited! The area we stayed at was kind of "dodgy". It was a bad part of town. We went door knocking and we spread the word of God. It was real rewarding and at times scary. I also help run Vacation Bible School every summer and that are always of fun. I get to paint all the murals and posters for the booths and activities!
Through all these experiences I have learned so much about God. First would be that he is way to big for us to ever comprehend! I love looking at the stars and thinking that God is billions beyond that. He created the heavens and the earth just because he love us. If that doesn’t stir you then you need to check your self. I love knowing that nothing is an accident and that everything in life is there for some reason. When I get stuck in traffic or my car breaks down it helps me to have that kind of mind set “ this must have happened for a reason”. It makes me look at trails not with hate or despair but a challenge to show Gods grace!
The love and grace of God has given me a purpose in life, no longer do I wander aimlessly but I strive for a goal, work for the cause. The thought that the creator of the universe would care anything about me blows my mine, and that he gave his one and only son to take my place is beyond me. It feels me with a sort of fear ans awe I guess is the right word. That God would love me that much when I can’t think of a single person I would be willing my son to die for. Without Riverside's influence in my life I don’t know if I every would have found these things that give me such peace now.
I feel that I was kinda picked from my old life and put in this one and I am so happy for the chance. I can’t wait to see what God has for me and to take up his challenges.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
The Call of Discipleship
I'm having trouble living up to my sermon from last Sunday. I challenged our church to choose something in his or her life that they would "drop", give up for the sake of Christ. I'm having trouble because I've got so many things that I ought to give up, its difficult choosing. But, I'm convinced that Jesus calls us to be willing to give up everything in order to follow him. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that.When he called his first disciples, his invitation to them was simple, "Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men." And they did! They dropped their nets right there and followed him. I'm not sure we realize the significance of that statement. They "dropped their nets"... wow! Those nets had to have been so important to each of those men! Those nets were their livelihood... fishing was how they earned a living, fed their family and paid the bills. But they walked away from that when they dropped those nets in order to follow. And us guys know how important our jobs can be to us. They can become our identity... and even our source of self-worth or finding meaning in our lives. They gave up their identity as "fishermen" when they dropped those nets. And they also left their family... at least their father... as they left and he stayed behind holding on to his nets. Imagine... being willing to drop everything for the sake of being a disciple, i.e. a follower, of Jesus! The problem is that most of us can't imagine it, but isn't that what Jesus still calls us to?
Doesn't he still want our relationship with him to be THE most important thing in our lives? Doesn't he still want us to be willing to leave it all behind in order to follow him? If I'm not willing, doesn't that reveal a heart of pride, arrogance or self-determination over a heart of submition and obedience to Christ? Doesn't that reflect a heart unwilling to TOTALLY give myself over to him, a lack of trust or a reluctance to make any substantive change in my life?
What did you choose to drop this week for Jesus? Its not that Jesus commands all of us to quit our jobs, leave our homes, give up our caffeine or our sweets... but he wants us to be willing to. Are we? Am I?
BTW- I chose to give up coffee and soft drinks all week. I made it a half-day without coffee. (got a ways to go!) So far I've stayed away from any soft-drinks... Yeah!! (but it IS only Tuesday.) I hope you are faring better than I.
Next week... the Marks of a Disciple. What does a disciple look like? How can one tell a disciple from everybody else around him? Any thoughts?
Monday, May 10, 2010
May 10... Grandmother's Day
[caption id="attachment_523" align="alignleft" width="229" caption="Katherine Crawley Black"]
[/caption]
I know yesterday, May 9th, was actually Mothers' Day, but I can't help but think of today as "Grandmother's Day." Today, my Grandmother would have turned 90! She was born on May 10, 1920... ninety short years ago today. She left us over eleven years ago, now, in March of 1999, but we haven't forgotten her. Her ear to ear smile, her warm embrace and her soft lap are still just as sharp in my mind as if I had crawled up on her couch for her to read me a story yesterday.
I can't believe she has been gone for so long, but then again, I can't believe these last eleven years have flown by so fast. I've got four kids of my own now. I wish she would've gotten the chance to meet them... I know she would love them, too. Her life was always just about the children, at least as long as I knew her. My grandfather died in the 50's when my dad was just five. She raised him and my uncle, Charlie, all by herself... a working, single-mom at a time when that was rare, and exceedingly hard. She did it, though, and raised two men that she was proud so proud of. Then it was all about us grandkids. My uncle Charlie and his wife, Jan, had April and John who grew up just down the road from me and my sister. Grandmother's house was (literally) just over the hill and through the woods, so we were together often. We always spent holidays all together... Christmas Eve, Easter Sunday and Thanksgiving. Grandmother never sat down to eat until we were all just about done, since she was always so busy serving the rest of us. Wow... its funny how some memories are still so powerful, even after all these years. Boy, do I miss her.
I miss her love most of all. She was full of abundant, unwavering, unending and unfaltering love for us kids... the sort of love that God must have for us. It hit me as I was preparing my Mothers' Day sermon last week that a mother's love is the closest thing we ever really experience in this life to the kind of love God has for us. Agape is the Bible word for it. Unending, unwavering, unconditional are some others.
I also realized why William Young, when he was searching for an image to represent God in his book, THE SHACK, that he chose a mother. When I first read God being depicted as a woman, it struck me as more than a bit odd... but then I hit upon Isaiah 66:12-13, "I will extend peace to her (God's people) like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.." And I realized that while the dominant image of God in Scripture is as 'Father'... he is also 'Mother.' At least that's another image of the way he cares for us.
I owe my Grandmother Black so much... not the least of which is a greater understanding of the way God loves me, because I saw it in the way she did. Thanks, Grandmother.
Happy Birthday!
[/caption]I know yesterday, May 9th, was actually Mothers' Day, but I can't help but think of today as "Grandmother's Day." Today, my Grandmother would have turned 90! She was born on May 10, 1920... ninety short years ago today. She left us over eleven years ago, now, in March of 1999, but we haven't forgotten her. Her ear to ear smile, her warm embrace and her soft lap are still just as sharp in my mind as if I had crawled up on her couch for her to read me a story yesterday.
I can't believe she has been gone for so long, but then again, I can't believe these last eleven years have flown by so fast. I've got four kids of my own now. I wish she would've gotten the chance to meet them... I know she would love them, too. Her life was always just about the children, at least as long as I knew her. My grandfather died in the 50's when my dad was just five. She raised him and my uncle, Charlie, all by herself... a working, single-mom at a time when that was rare, and exceedingly hard. She did it, though, and raised two men that she was proud so proud of. Then it was all about us grandkids. My uncle Charlie and his wife, Jan, had April and John who grew up just down the road from me and my sister. Grandmother's house was (literally) just over the hill and through the woods, so we were together often. We always spent holidays all together... Christmas Eve, Easter Sunday and Thanksgiving. Grandmother never sat down to eat until we were all just about done, since she was always so busy serving the rest of us. Wow... its funny how some memories are still so powerful, even after all these years. Boy, do I miss her.
I miss her love most of all. She was full of abundant, unwavering, unending and unfaltering love for us kids... the sort of love that God must have for us. It hit me as I was preparing my Mothers' Day sermon last week that a mother's love is the closest thing we ever really experience in this life to the kind of love God has for us. Agape is the Bible word for it. Unending, unwavering, unconditional are some others.
I also realized why William Young, when he was searching for an image to represent God in his book, THE SHACK, that he chose a mother. When I first read God being depicted as a woman, it struck me as more than a bit odd... but then I hit upon Isaiah 66:12-13, "I will extend peace to her (God's people) like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.." And I realized that while the dominant image of God in Scripture is as 'Father'... he is also 'Mother.' At least that's another image of the way he cares for us.
I owe my Grandmother Black so much... not the least of which is a greater understanding of the way God loves me, because I saw it in the way she did. Thanks, Grandmother.
Happy Birthday!
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