Heat Relief!*

 

Credit: All Things Thrifty

One really hot Summer in Nashville, we tried to find ways to keep the kids cool and have some fun at the same time. This was before we had joined the East Nashville YMCA, a.k.a. The East Nashville Country Club. We had tried the wading pool and it provided some relief, but with 4 preschoolers the water was soon dirty and filled with grass clippings. However, the water quickly became hot from  solar heating, and maybe some swim diaper leakage… eeoowh! We decided we would try a place called Nashville Shores. It looked like loads of fun on the commercial, but when we checked the cost for a family of 6,  it meant we could either go to the water park or have groceries next week. In looking at the backyard of the parsonage, I thought, "That is a huge hill, why not make our own waterslide?"  I went to Walmart and looked at the pre-made 10 foot slip-n-slides, but they seemed so dinky. So, I went to HomeDepot and found a 100 foot roll of plastic sheeting, the thick stuff that wouldn’t tear. We unfurled the rolled up sheet of funness and turned the water on and tried to slide, but nope! Then we got a little dish soap (then baby shampoo for less eye discomfort) and just like that we had a water slide. I discovered that the soapy slide also replaced bath time, but only when Anita was not home. It had to be carefully placed in the yard because there was a big immovable rock that smarted a little when you hit it with your posterior gluteal area if not. We had hours of fun sliding down that redneck water slide and running back up the hill to do it again that Summer. Neighborhood kids would come by for slip-n-slide, pizza, whale crackers (the Aldi version of Goldfish), cheese sticks, and apple slices.  We would hang the big plastic on the fence to dry and allow the grass to grow back when we weren’t sliding. It was the perfect solution for Summer heat and boredom! 

 

According to the Disciple John in the book of Revelation, during the Great Tribulation, there will be a time that among other horrible things, the scorching heat of the Sun will be unbearable.  Unlike my temporary and short lived slip and slide solution, John says that Christ Himself will be a permanent relief and shelter from the harsh elements for those who belong to Him.  John says, “Therefore,   “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.

 ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat.

 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”(Revelation 7:15–17) Air conditioners break down, droughts happen, slip and slides will rip, life on this earth can be sad and tough sometimes, but those who belong to God will be refreshed.  John the Revelator reminds us that Jesus, who loves us, will not forget us or abandon us. He will protect us and save us for all eternity, in spite of the things we may have to endure here on this earth. 

 

Hang in there people! God is glad to be with us! I’m praying for us all! 

Made of the Mist!*

 

A little reminder to live humbly, because our lives are but a mist. We had moved to a Georgia town to engage in my first ministry out of seminary. The congregation was very kind and welcomed us well and the students and leaders in ministry were exceptional. One lady graciously let us live in her pool house until we could find a house to buy. We found a house that would satisfy all of the most important Real Estate factors that we had heard from my mother, who was a real estate agent who repeated: “The most important factor in real estate is: Location, Location, Location!” My father-in-law was also an expert house hunter who had bought several houses as a corporate nomad. God, and our parents' experiences had led us to wait patiently to buy a house while in seminary that was in the right place at the right price. We gave it some cosmetic TLC and realized a little equity in the couple of years of owning the house. In our new town, there was a great home in an established neighborhood that was the best choice of location, however, we also looked at a new build in a yet to be established neighborhood. We were enamored with the shiny clean and brand new everything. It had all the modern upgrades. Against all the wise advice and God’s inner urging, in our arrogance, we bought the brand new house. We enjoyed the house for a short time. Unfortunately, when it was time to sell this house after I was called to another ministry, the location was not the right location, location, location. The house sat vacant for almost a year, and we had to keep paying a mortgage. We finally took a huge loss.  Family, friends, and a church also sacrificially invested in trying to help us sell this house as we were a 1000 miles away. We couldn’t buy a house in our new city, because we were still tied to that house. We felt horrible. We knew the house God was leading us to buy, yet we said to ourselves, “we will buy this other one.” It was a painful lesson that injured several relationships with people who were special to us.  

James the brother of Jesus, tells those in the early church to be humble and listen to God’s wisdom and advice. He tells them, “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”(James 4:13–17) We definitely missed the mark on that house, and learned some difficult lessons. Living in the real world and making decisions based on our own prideful desires, ended up hurting us in several ways. Though I was Christian, I acted like a nominal God follower, one who says I have a relationship with Jesus, but not listening to Him when He spoke to me.  The painful consequences of ignoring God played out in our finances, our relationships, and even our ministry focus for the year of having the stress of an unsold house.  Nothing happens in a vacuum, our sin affects us spiritually and relationally, but also with missed opportunities in our future. James reminds us to walk humbly with God, because our lives are like the Niagara Falls boat, we are (Made) of the Mist! 

Hang in there people! God is glad to be with us! I’m praying for us all!