Saturday, November 28, 2009

Make a wish!



HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
sweet, sweet WILL.

Will (aka "Dubya," "Willby," "Someone Thrilling" or our "Spare Heir") turned 14 fabulous years old today.

We are celebrating down at Topsail with steaks and the traditional M & M cake.....what else??
If you look closely at the frosting, you'll see where Will either licked it or swiped his finger through it.
He's not saying which.

("I won't yell at my son on his birthday. I won't yell at my son on his birthday. I won't.....")







Wednesday, November 11, 2009

This Will make you smile, #3



Will was sitting next to me at the Orphan Sunday concert the other night. We listened as things got going and the broadcaster in Nashville announced the program for the evening. She rattled off the laundry list of performers and speakers:

"With us tonight, Jim Daly from Focus on the Family.....Dennis Rainey of Family Life....and from the Christian Alliance for Orphans, Jedd Medefind!"

Will leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Jedmedefin?? Isn't that the new cholesterol drug?"



Monday, November 9, 2009

Orphan Sunday, 2009

Yesterday was Orphan Sunday in the United States. Did your church acknowledge it? Did you know there even was such a day?

I got to be part of logistics planning for a local "live-stream" event here in Winston-Salem. Steven Curtis Chapman, Geoff Moore, some guys from Focus on the Family and the Christian Alliance for Orphans all spoke and performed "Live from Nashville" and the event was carried via satellite all across the country.

Attendance here at the local event was dismal. Maybe 25 people showed. All the radio spots and FaceBooking and Twittering and emailing didn't bring people out.

I won't lie to you; I was so, so disappointed.
Drew and I alone invited 139 families. One of them came.


You know....

I've been thinking about it and I'm not sure why people didn't come out. Maybe it was the beautiful, warm weather or because it was a school night. Maybe turnout was low because the Carolina Panthers were on tv.

Or maybe....it was because people find thinking about the world's orphan problem too difficult......too overwhelming.....too uncomfortable. Maybe people think that they aren't gifted or called to serve that way. Maybe folks think that "someone else" is handling the 140 million orphans that live in our world.

The thing is........it seems to me that the Bible couldn't be more clear about how to walk in God's will. Praising God and serving Him by caring for the orphaned and widowed and poor seem to be exactly what we are ALL called to do.


He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow,
and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. (Deut. 10:18)

A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,
Is God in His holy habituation.
God sets the solitary in families;
He brings out those who are bound into prosperity. (Ps. 68: 5-6)

Pure and faultless religion is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress. (James 1:27)

"But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?" (I John 3:16-17)


If I'm reading even just those Bible verses right, I get the idea that we can't call ourselves Christians and say we love God if we aren't caring for widows and orphans and showing needy people around the globe the love of Christ.

I don't think we can serve God and be selective about it. His call is so clear. Being the hands and feet of our Saviour must mean doing the tough stuff....the overwhelming stuff.....doing the stuff that challenges us and makes us feel uncomfortable.

And doing it in His name, to His glory.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Baby, we were born to run....






I got to see Bruce tonight.

Our 14th date.
And I have to say, it was just as special as our first time together.

That sweet man sang every song on the Born to Run album from start to finish.....plus "Bobbie Jean," because that's our song.

He laid off the whack political ramblings. He was only mildly jealous that Drew was there (singing every word to every song, loudly in my left ear).

Bruce made it a night to remember and at the end of our time together, we caught eyes and said our secret goodbyes.

Until next time, Boss. Until next time.