Friday afternoon, I drove my mom and children downtown to attend a memorial service of a special person. I knew Mr. O most through his family, who inherited his legacy. I grew up with his daughter, J, who was just like her dad. I met her in public school; she was in fourth grade and I was in sixth. I was amazed with her character, always cheerful and compassionate. If she saw a sad classmate, she’d share Jesus and pray with them. If I got my work done early, I got to help Mrs. O in her first grade class. I always thought it was neat that when they lined up for lunch, they’d pray. This was public school. A few years later, we started attending the local Christian school. This was a small school, so all of us were on the sport’s teams. Being my first basketball game and expected to play, J took me to her house, lent me her team shirt, and I rode with her family to the game. J liked algebra better than geometry. I liked geometry better than algebra. So when she got stuck on her geometry proofs, I’d go to her house and help her out. That meant I got to go to her house a lot! And I loved it! Sometimes on Sunday afternoons, she’d ask me over for lunch after church. Lots of us kids were asked. We’d have so much fun! I felt part of this huge family I had always wanted…laughing, talking, loving on each other, teasing, singing about Jesus, playing games…interacting with each other in a positive way. Those are probably my best teenage memories.

I don’t remember if the O’s became youth group leaders for our church, or if they just "happened" to have all of us teens over to their house one night. After dinner we were going to watch a movie. Mr. O kept smiling (the way he always does) and said it was a soccer movie. He was a huge soccer fan. Now soccer is not really big around here, but it was the autumn boy’s sport at the Christian school. Mr. O would meet the boys at the soccer field for extra practice. This movie also had Sylvester Stallone in it. This combination was not necessarily my cup of tea. But I like the O’s so much, there had to be something good in all of this. Well, the movie was wonderful! I saw it on tv one year and taped it. Of course my dh and dc thought I was nuts when I told them we were going to watch a great Sylvester Stallone movie about soccer. But we all love it. Called "Victory", it’s a WWII movie about POWS and the resistance. It also stars Pele, who choreographed the soccer moves and played one of the POWS. It also stars Michael Caine who is lead officer. Sylvester Stallone plays the lone American officer who only knows how to play American football and only cares about planning his escape. The movie was excellent. We were cheering at the end of the movie. I vaguely recall that Mr. O used the movie to present some spiritual applications. How I wish I journaled back then. Sadly, I can’t remember everything from over 20 years ago, when I last saw him.

When the prayer letter went out a while ago that he had cancer, I was heart sick. Sunday night he passed on to his new home in heaven. I know what he’s doing there. He’s smiling (as he always did) and talking to everyone he’s always read about. He’s hugging his loved ones who went before him. He made sure that the salvation message would be given at the memorial service. One of the men who spoke shared the directions for how to get to his new house in heaven. At the memorial service, I was reminded of a few things about him. When he’d pray, or in these days of sickness when friends would pray over him, he’d break out in song, singing to Jesus. There were more than a few worship services before surgery at the hospital. Yes, how could I forget that? His daughter did that too. She always seemed to have a song on her lips. He had a heart for missions. J would always tell me about the family traveling to his home in Guatemala to share Jesus. Today I learned that Mr. O was orphaned at the age of 3 in Guatemala. He was saved through a Baptist missionary worker. He devoted his life to missions, always sharing Jesus, in town or in Mexico or Guatemala. I knew he was in the National Guard. Now I know he was in the navy too. He retired from the military in 1998. He became a US citizen at the age of 17. During the slide show, pictures of the Texas flag, American flag and Guatemalan flag were shown at different points of his life story.

One day, in my senior year of high school, he asked me what I planned on doing with my life. I told him I wanted to teach in a Christian school. "Laurie," he asked, "why a Christian school?" I said because it’s nicer. He replied, "how do you know but that you’ll be the only Jesus the students in public school will ever see?"

People Need the Lord by Steve Green (sung at the service)

Everyday they pass me by,

I can see it in their eyes.

Empty people filled with care,

Headed who knows where?

On they go through private pain,

Living fear to fear.

Laughter hides their silent cries,

Only Jesus hears.

People need the Lord,

people need the Lord.

At the end of broken dreams,

He's the open door.

People need the Lord,

people need the Lord.

When will we realize,

people need the Lord?

We are called to take His light

To a world where wrong seems right.

What could be too great a cost

For sharing Life with one who's lost?

Through His love our hearts can feel

All the grief they bear.

They must hear the Words of Life

Only we can share.

People need the Lord,

people need the Lord

At the end of broken dreams,

He's the open door.

People need the Lord,

people need the Lord.

When will we realize

that we must give our lives,

For peo-ple need the Lord.

Although we talked many times, this question is the one that impacted me the most, the one I vividly remember. It wasn’t easy, but I did teach 6 years of public school. A few weeks into my first year at the public school, something came up and my principal told the parents that they should feel blessed to have me teaching my children, because I was a Christian and I really cared for their kids. God used a man from Guatemala to help me to see the need and to be aware of opportunities God puts me in. I’m not good at using all of those opportunities, but I think this is the best legacy he left any of us. All of his kids are like this. All of them are tenderhearted smilers, just like him. But J was the one that always seemed most like her dad. But maybe the boys were too, I just didn’t hang with them like I did J. Currently, her oldest brother is preparing to take his family into the mission field in France. It’s been postponed so he could be available for his dad’s final days and to help his mom in the next few months. He (D) spoke a little today. Of course his voice broke. They miss their dad. Mrs. O misses her husband. And I was overcome with tears when the flag laden casket was moved out of the chapel to the hearse. But this was a celebration of life…just the way Mr. O wanted it We sang his favorite songs. We watched a slide show of his love of our country, his service to our country, his love for his family, and his love for others as he reached out on missions trips, abroad and near. Someone got up and spoke about how their house was always full of the neighborhood kids, providing a haven and loving on them. He asked if any of the neighborhood kids were there. I was!

D opened the service by saying that their dad was a man of God who left them a spiritual legacy, pointing them to Jesus, living Jesus, and encouraging them in the faith. I know it wasn’t just talk. I saw it when I was with them; I was blessed to experience it first hand. This is the legacy that will last for eternity. Is this the legacy that I will leave behind. "How do you that you will be the only Jesus someone will ever see?"

Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!

Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain, so
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live!

And like a newborn baby
Don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk
Sometimes we fall...so
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live!

Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live!

O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside, then
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live!

And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!

I am amazed, stunned, dumbfounded. Something big is happening! Last week a group of ladies at one of my yahoo groups for Tapestry of Grace started talking about meeting each other in a city in Texas, about 5 hours away from me. I asked my husband if I could meet them for the weekend, but he’s not keen on letting me travel out of town by myself. For many reasons, that I cannot go into right now, I was really, really saddened by this. In a way, I think my husband was surprised. Being an introvert, I am rather content to stay home and nest.  =)  But this was an extremely special group of ladies in my life that I would love to meet personally.  Nevertheless, I wanted to honor my husband. So I submitted, although I quietly shed more than a few tears over this.

Then we saw the movie, "Facing the Giants."

www.homeschoolblogger.com/teacupsinthegarden/454995/

Well, this was one of my giants. I decided to give it to God. I put this desire of my heart on the altar. I found myself often taking it off the altar, when I would get teary-eyed and depressed. Accepting the challenge presented in "Facing the Giants", I committed my desires to God and chose to honor my husband and cheerfully submit. I had also committed to keeping a thankfulness journal and pursued that despite my feelings.

www.homeschoolblogger.com/teacupsinthegarden/453961/

In a few days of consciously practicing this, the joy returned. In a few days I was able to laugh and rejoice and be happy for the ladies who would getTOGether!, as this event has come to be called. One very special event will be at one of the lady’s houses, who lives in the area. She will host a Sunday brunch and we will sit around the piano and have a praise and worship time!

I couldn’t help myself; I’d joyfully share with my husband all the special things that were building with this event! Last Sunday my husband told me to check into the details of the event. Then he said I could go! I couldn’t believe it! This was amazing! My husband has never told me to do such a thing before!   And he is now at complete peace with it, looking forward to spending special time with the children.  I felt like I was holding a fragile gift in my hands. Carefully, lest it fall apart, I made the announcement to my friends that I was free to come!

We have shed many tears at our group, as we hear of other ladies who are surprising us with the news that they will be able to come. I am now anticipating news on whether my Secret Sister will be able to come.  She thinks she will!  I am so excited to meet these ladies. I am also joyfully tearful. Some of the ladies have expressed their joy over my announcement of my getting to come. This is almost incomprehensible to me. I am not used to others hoping for my presence. I am usually quiet, in the background, unnoticed. This is a group of ladies with whom we have shared our joys and sorrows, our prayer requests and homeschool journeys, our successes and defeats…now many of us get to meet face to face. The excitement of meeting face to face in Texas,  has fueled discussion on what it’s going to be like meeting in heaven!

Tonight I was telling my husband of the latest information. He was so happy to hear of it all. Then he told me what changed his mind about my going. Do ya’ll remember my talking about my quilt friend? www.homeschoolblogger.com/teacupsinthegarden/393547/

I will get to ride with her to and from this event. She has been very special to me and dh is thrilled with how she has been so kind to me. He did not want her driving alone and he knew it would be very special for us to spend time together on the drive. =)

Each moment, as I hear of more ladies announcing the blessing of being able to make the journey for our getTOGether, I think of the coach in "Facing the Giants." Like him, we have felt overwhelmed with God’s blessings for the impossible. Who would think that a bunch of moms who use the same homeschool curriculum would travel from the far corners of the country...Alaska, Hawaii, Washington DC and points in-between  to meet face to face in Texas!  Stay tuned for the rest of the story, after our getTOGether in March! =)

This week I completed Beth Moore’s When Godly People do Ungodly Things: Arming Yourself in the Age of Seduction. It gave me much to think about. So to try to grapple it all, I'd like to summarize the most meaningful parts for me, and apply them to some things in my life. 

She shares how to guard ourselves in these darkening days. First, we need to be aware, that at any time, any of us, can become seduced.

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour." I Peter 5:8 That should be easy enough to spot, right? Lions don’t often stroll down the street.

"…for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light." II Cor 11:14 Satan’s goal is to do whatever he can to make us least effective for God and to destroy our own relationship to God. Masquerades.

Years ago, my husband’s good friend, whom I’ll call Buddy, visited us quite a bit while he was in town away from his family for a 4 month TDY. We all got along great. But dh started getting jealous about how well Buddy and I got along. Believe me, there was nothing romantic about the relationship between either of us. But if dh was feeling jealous, then it was time to pull back. Interestingly, Buddy had a habit of shopping for his wife in the evenings…with other women who were also TDY. Hmmmmm. Then towards the end of his TDY, he started calling me in the middle of the day to chit chat while my husband was at work. Well, I wouldn’t and I just told him I would tell dh that he called. Buddy later told dh he had no romantic inclinations. He’s just really friendly with women. Actually, I believe him. But it’s the subtlety that can surprisingly seduce someone. How often have we seen ministries fall by the wayside because of an innocent beginning that led to a disastrous end? Masquerades. Discernment. Choices.

So does that mean there can never be friendships with others of the opposite s*x while married? Last Sat we were on an Awana club hike with the teens. Sometimes I was talking to one of the dads alone, then someone would catch up with us and we'd join in to the group and new circles formed.  We were all around, open, sometimes just 2 of us and minutes later we’d be caught up with others in the group. When we got home and the kids went to bed, I shared with dh the things said. Masquerades. Discernment. Choices. Openness.

How does one discern? "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." Psalm 119:105 I must admit, reading my Bible over the years got to be more difficult. Although I could read it, I wasn’t getting anything new out of it. I knew there was a wealth of meaning waiting for me to explore. But I didn’t know how to dig. Interestingly, Beth Moore brought out that at a time when we need God’s Word in a dark world more than ever; God has provided more tools at our disposal!? Her studies have been one of those wonderful tools to help me understand portions of God’s Word at a deeper level. Even so, I was pretty much dependant on those particular portions I had studied. Then last year, we started a new curriculum, Tapestry of Grace. We started at the beginning in Year 1 in Ancient history. We read the entire Bible last year. Included in the Bible history part of the curriculum are notes written by a pastor. Wow, what meat! Also, learning world history sequentially from the beginning of time, including the addition of literature books and the understanding of cultures just exploded my comprehension of the Bible!

For example, in Sunday School, we were studying about King Saul. We were reading about how he did not follow God’s command to kill all of the Amalekites and destroy all of their possessions. After all, they usually take plunder, right? Incidentally, before last year, I never understood the plunder part. Now it makes perfect sense. It was the means by which the military officers in each of the cultures back then rewarded and paid their soldiers! That alone gave new light to I Sam 15. Then someone asked why was the king left alive? Our teacher, who is wonderful, supposed it was akin to the Ancient Roman tradition of parading captured kings in victory through Rome. I sat in class wildly waving my hand just busting with enthusiasm! Normally, I sit very quietly with little to add to the deep discussions. This time I had something thought provoking to add from my Bible studies the previous year in Tapestry of Grace.

Fast forward to lunch with our kids when I shared this event. I decided to wow my husband and ask my kids and let them answer the questions. First I asked if they remembered when Saul was told by God to completely destroy an army? They said, "Oh yes, he was supposed to destroy the Amalekites but he let king live." By the way, they never retained this much information with the previous curriculums. Because we are studying sequentially in-depth history, literature of the times, Bible history, art, geography, culture and Christian worldview, all in the same time frame, we understand and remember more! I asked them why wasn’t Agag killed. "Because the kings of the surrounding cultures of that time were king killers. Saul was a fearful man, and not wanting to be killed and tortured if captured, he wanted to have a reputation for being merciful. He hoped that if he ever got captured, the other nation would be kind and spare his life." Isn’t that fascinating? This has made Bible reading more meaningful and applicable to the children and I. I can relate to Saul wanting to be merciful. Quite frankly, I’d feel the same way. But God wanted him to step out in faith. If it’s God’s idea, and He is in charge, He will keep me safe. I forget that a lot. Masquerades. Discernment. Choices. Openness. God’s Word.

May we all have…

"One Pure and Holy Passion"

By Mark Altrogge

Give me one pure and holy passion
Give me on magnificent obsession
Give me one glorious ambition for my life
To know and follow hard after You

To know and follow hard after you
To grow as your disciple in your truth
This world is empty, pale, and poor
Compared to knowing you, my Lord
Lead me on and I will run after you
Lead me on and I will run after you

Give me one pure and holy passion
Give me one magnificent obsession
Give me one glorious ambition for my life
To know and follow hard after you
To know and follow hard after you
To grow as your disciple in the truth
This world is empty, pale, and poor
Compared to knowing you my Lord
Lead me on and I will run after you

Lord to know and follow hard after you
And to grow as your disciple in your truth
This world is empty, pale, and poor
Compared to knowing you my Lord
Lead me on and I will run after you
Lead me on and I will run after you
Lead me on and I will run after you

This weekend we did our traditional pumpkin carving. Thankfully, it was less stressful this year because I already had a fresh pumpkin safely stored in a cool fridge! Assimilating an assortment of various Bible lessons in the past, the children have researched a collection of verses to tell a story with the pumpkin.

The yucky sticky pulp represents sin. Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Heart shaped eyes, to see God’s love. Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

A cross shaped nose, to remind us that Jesus died for our sins. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Fish shaped mouth (there are two of the Christian fish symbols…the tails are in the middle…ds drew them on for me to carve). These are to remind us to tell others the gospel story. Matthew 28:19-20 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Bible shaped ears, to remind us to listen to God’s Word and to apply it to our lives. Romans 10:17 "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."

Then we put a candle inside the pumpkin to enjoy a lovely glow. This reminds us of Jesus’ command in Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Finally, we clean off the pumpkin seeds, dry them and fry them. While munching on the seeds, we are reminded that we as Christians are to bear fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

Busy, busy busy getting ready for the trip. One of the things on my to-do list was to submit an essay I’ve been working on for a contest. This isn’t because I’m trying to win. Actually I’ve labored with this essay because it was difficult. In fact, it’s not even due yet. In addition, it has to be submitted to the very place we will be touring in a matter of days. Since it was due the day we return, and I wanted vacation to be vacation, today had to be my personal submission date.

When the contest arrived in my e-mail a few weeks ago, it smote my heart. It was about the very thing with which I was currently struggling. I tried to delete it. I tried to ignore it. I tried to push on. However the Spirit kept gently tugging my heartstrings, encouraging me to persevere. I had to dig deep. I had to pray. I had to wait on God and read His Word. He gave me glimmers of ideas here and there over the last few weeks. I’ve pondered and wrestled as I questioned what I truly believe about this. I do not expect to win this contest. I know there are far better writers than I am. However how can I ignore God? In the meantime, I learned something about struggle and waiting on God and hearing His voice. The work He has done in my heart over these last few weeks are reward enough. Praise Him!