Worth Repeating Wednesday {Wild Cards}

I watched this video from my bleacher seat in the fifth row behind the center fielder at Busch Stadium on Sunday. Then, in the thick of the wild card race, the celebration sprinkled hope throughout the stadium of Cardinals fans.

It's just normal people celebrating, but it gives me chills. And, seriously, isn't that grandma the cutest thing dancing around in her rally squirrel T-shirt?

Now that the St. Louis Cardinals have clinched the wild card spot, which gives them a postseason play-in game on Friday against the Atlanta Braves, this video makes me think perhaps the Wild Cards are at it again. Just maybe the pieces are coming together just in time.
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{Worth Repeating Wednesday} Like letters

Photo from allmoviephoto.com.

"I started with a simple problem, a key with no lock ... and I designed a system I thought fit the problem. I broke everything down in the smallest parts and tried to think of each person as a number ... in a gigantic equation. People aren't like numbers. They're more like letters, and those letters want to become stories. And dad said that stories need to be shared."

--Oskar Schell in "Extremely Close & Incredibly Loud"

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{Worth Repeating Wednesday} Parenting like Him

You know sometimes you read things and you soak in every word because you know the author is writing directly to you? Well, that happens to me. And it's happened multiple times this week. And it's only Wednesday.

Perhaps you can be encouraged too.

First, from "I don't want to raise a good child" by Lysa TerKeurst ...

"I would beg God to show me how to raise a good child. One that stayed in her stroller. One that other people would comment about how wonderfully behaved she was. ... But God seemed so slow to answer those prayers. So, over the years, I changed my prayer. "God help me to raise Hope to be who you want her to be.” Emphasis on, “God HELP ME!” I think I changed my prayers for her because God started to change my heart. I started sensing He had a different plan in mind for my mothering of Hope."

But, mommas, click on the link and read the whole thing. Seriously.

And then there was another parenting piece that I read this morning, know I was supposed to take it to heart. I emailed it to a couple friends who are parenting young boys beside me and my husband, who has influenced me in ways that definitely make me a better mom.

"Loving a Wild One" by Sarah Mae softened my heart and gave me perspective ...

"You, my friend, are not perfectly obedient. You and I, we mess up, we try, we fight, we are stubborn, we believe lies, and we sin. But we love God, and He loves us with a wild, unyielding grace. He is slow to anger and abounding in love, graciousness, compassion, and faithfulness. Remember who your children are, little ones with a sin nature, and yet made in the image of God. Train them up in love and discipline, with compassion, kindness, and grace, just as your Father does to you."

Again, read it. You won't be sorry.

And then later this afternoon I happened upon those characteristics of God the Father that I long to possess for my family:

"The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. ... As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him ... But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children -- with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts." --Psalm 103:8-18

Take heart, mommas, we are not alone. I sense God doing a mighty work in my heart and life. And I get the feeling he wants to do something for you too.
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{Worth Repeating Wednesday} Nevertheless ...

We all need a nevertheless. And God has plenty to go around. Strongholds means nothing to him. ... You and I fight with toothpicks. God comes with battering rams and cannons. What he did for David, he can do for us. The question is, will we do what David did? ...

Peter stuck his foot in his mouth. Joseph was imprisoned in Egypt. The Samaritan woman had been married five times. Jesus was dead in the grave ... Nevertheless, Peter preached, Joseph ruled, the women shared, Jesus rose -- and you? You fill in the blank. Your nevertheless awaits you.

--Max Lucado in "Facing Your Giants"
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{Worth Repeating Wednesday} Emmanuel

... An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel" (which means "God with us"). --Matthew 1:20-23

O come, O come, Emmanuel. God with us.

That was brought to life for me this week when I read the following quote in another blog post:

He was baptized (Matt. 3:13) as man, but he destroyed sins (Matt. 9:6) as God; he himself was not in need of purifying rites, but [he was baptized/he came] that he might sanctify the waters.

He was tempted (Matt. 4:1) as man, but he conquered as God; not only this but he even encouraged [us] to be courageous, since he had conquered the world (John 16:33).

He was hungry, but he fed thousands (John 6:10); not only this but he is indeed life-giving and heavenly bread (John 6:51).

He was thirsty (John 4:7; 19:28), but he shouted, "If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink" (John 7:37); not only this but he also promised that those who believe would gush forth [with water] (John 7:38).

He was tired (John 4:6), but for those who are tired and heavy laden he is rest (Matt. 11:28).

He was heavy with sleep (Matt. 8:24), but he is light upon the sea; not only this but he even rebukes winds; not only this but he even makes Peter light when he is sinking (Matt. 14:25, 29; Matt. 8:26).

He pays tax, but [he does so] from a fish (Matt. 17:24-27); not only this but he is even king of those demanding [the tax].

He hears himself called a Samaritan and demon-possessed (John 8:48), but he saves the one who went down from Jerusalem and fell among robbers (Luke 10:30); not only this but he is even recognized by demons (Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34) and drives out demons (Matt. 8:16), and he sinks a legion of spirits (Luke 8:33) and sees the ruler of demons falling like lightning (Luke 10:18).

He is stoned, but he is not caught (John 8:59).

He prays (Matt. 14:23; 26:36; Heb. 5:7), but he hears [prayers] (Acts 7:59). He weeps (John 11:35), but he causes tears to cease. He asks where Lazarus [is laid] (John 11:34), for he was man, but he raises Lazarus (John 11:43), for he was God.

He is sold, and very cheaply, for [it was] for thirty silver coins (Matt. 26:15), but he buys back the world, and [it was] for a great price, for [it was] for his own blood (1 Pet 1:18-19).

He was led as a sheep to slaughter (Isa 53:7), but he shepherds Israel, and now, indeed, the whole inhabited world (John 10:11).

[He is] silent like a lamb (Isa 53:7; Matt. 26:63), but he is the Word (John 1:1), being proclaimed by a voice of one shouting in the desert (John 1:23). He has been weakened, wounded, but he heals every disease and every infirmity (Isa. 53:5).

He is lifted up upon the tree (John 12:32), he is fixed [to it] (Acts 2:23), but he restores by the tree of life (John 6:51); not only this but he saves even a robber crucified with [him] (Luke 23:43); not only this but he darkens everything that is seen (Luke 23:44).

He is given cheap wine to drink (Luke 23:36), he is fed bile (Matt. 27:34). Who? The one who changed the water into wine (John 2:1-11), the destroyer of the bitter taste (Heb. 2:9), the [one who is] sweetness and all desire (Song 5:16).

He hands over his life, but he has authority to take it again (John 10:18); not only this but the curtain is torn apart (Matt. 27:51); for the things above are exhibited (Cf. Rev. 11:19; 15:5) not only this but rocks are split; not only this but dead are raised beforehand (Matt. 27:51-52).

He dies, but he makes alive, and by death he destroys death.

He is buried, but he rises. He goes down into Hades (1 Peter 3:18-19), but he brings up souls; not only this but he goes up into heaven; not only this but he will come to judge the living and the dead ...

From "The Mystery of the Incarnation: A Scriptural Tapestry of Jesus as Man and God" by Gregory of Nazianzus, translation by Rodney A. Whitacre
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{Worth Repeating Wednesday} Unclench ...

Stop trying to protect, to rescue, to judge, to manage the lives around you ... remember that the lives of others are not your business. They are their business. They are God’s business ... even your own life is not your business. It also is God’s business. Leave it to God. It is an astonishing thought. It can become a life-transforming thought ... unclench the fists of your spirit and take it easy ...

--Frederick Buechner

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{Worth Repeating Wednesday} Courageous

Casting Crowns sang this when we saw them in concert last week. I'm thankful for the song, and, more importantly, the message. The movie by the same name is also worth watching. I'm grateful Greg prioritizes his roles as my husband and my kids' dad. I certainly wouldn't want to do life without him, but I do it even better when he's with me.

... Where are you, men of courage?
You were made for so much more
Let the pounding of our hearts cry
We will serve the Lord

We were made to be courageous
And we're taking back the fight
We were made to be courageous
And it starts with us tonight

The only way we'll ever stand
Is on our knees with lifted hands
Make us courageous
Lord, make us courageous

This is our resolution
Our answer to the call
We will love our wives and children
We refuse to let them fall

We will reignite the passion
That we buried deep inside
May the watchers become warriors
Let the men of God arise

We were made to be courageous
And we're taking back the fight
We were made to be courageous
And it starts with us tonight

The only way we'll ever stand
Is on our knees with lifted hands
Make us courageous
Lord, make us courageous

Seek justice
Love mercy
Walk humbly with your God

In the war of the mind
I will make my stand
In the battle of the heart
And the battle of the hand ...

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{Worth Repeating Wednesday} Hope

Our problem is not so much that God doesn’t give us what we hope for as it is that we don’t know the right thing for which to hope. ...

Hope is not what you expect; it is what you would never dream. It is a wild, improbable tale with a pinch-me-I’m-dreaming ending. It’s Abraham adjusting his bifocals so he can see not his grandson, but his son. It’s Moses standing in the promised land not with Aaron or Miriam at his side, but with Elijah and the transfigured Christ. It’s Zechariah left speechless at the sight of his wife Elizabeth, gray-headed and pregnant. And it is the two Emmaus-bound pilgrims reaching out to take a piece of bread only to see that the hands from which it is offered are pierced.

Hope is not a granted wish or a favor performed; no, it is far greater than that. It is a zany, unpredictable dependence on a God who loves to surprise us out of our socks and be there in the flesh to see our reaction.

--From "God Came Near" by Max Lucado
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Worth Repeating Wednesday

I am mentally and emotionally revisiting these words that I read earlier this summer.

Your attitude can't help slip out through your behavior, and children are always watching. That means if you want to see your child change, you have to change yourself. ... We parents so want our children to be perfect (like us, of course) that we are masters at making mountains out of molehills. ... Every child will fail, make mistakes, and embarrass you. ... Correct the behavior and move on. What is most important, in the long run, is your child's character. ... You are the one who ultimately decides when you get angry. Don't let your children control your moods. If you get angry, an explosion of anger is like throwing up all over your child.

--Kevin Leman in "Have a New Kid by Friday"

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Worth Repeating Wednesday

Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference.

I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving. Today I will make a difference.

I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. ... Today I will make a difference.

I will spend time with those I love. My spouse, my children, my family. A man can own the world but be poor for the lack of love. A man can own nothing and yet be wealthy in relationships. Today I will spend at least five minutes with the significant people in my world. Five quality minutes of talking or hugging or thanking or listening. Five undiluted minutes with my mate, children, and friends.

Today I will make a difference.

--Max Lucado

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Worth Repeating Wednesday

Ours is a God who delights in a perfect concoction of creativity and order. Though He could have though the entire cosmos into existence in a millisecond, instead He brought it about with great patience in six distinct increments.

Then rested on the seventh.

Then later insisted that His children do the same.

God likes order. He likes repetition. A God of fundamentals, He brings up the sun every morning and the moon every evening, but His creativity within that order is gorgeously displayed in the changing sunsets and sunrises surrounding them. The same is true for us. Faithfulness in our Christian walk requires order, some black-and-white fundamentals, but within that order is glorious room for color and creativity.

--Beth Moore in "Believing God."

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Worth Repeating Wednesday

I can't get enough Darius Rucker these days.

Maybe it didn't turn out like I planned
Maybe that's why I'm such, such a lucky man

For every stoplight I didn't make
Every chance I did or I didn't take
All the nights I went too far
All the girls that broke my heart
All the doors that I had to close
All the things I knew but I didn't know
Thank God for all I missed
Cause it led me here to
This ...

I didn't understand it way back when
But sitting here right now it all makes perfect sense

Worth Repeating Wednesday

I love this song I heard for the first time yesterday.

In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

Worth Repeating Wednesday

A legalist looks at life and says, "Everything is wrong unless you can prove by the Bible that it is right. Therefore, we must have nothing to do with anything that the Bible does not say is right." That reduces life to a very narrow range of activity. But the biblical Christian looks at life and says, "Everything is right! God has given us a world to enjoy and live in. Everything is right, unless the Bible specifically says it is wrong." Some things are wrong; they are harmful and dangerous. Adultery is always wrong. So is fornication. Sexual promiscuity is wrong. Lying and stealing are wrong. These things are never right. But there is so much more that is left open to us. If we are willing to obey God in the areas that he designates as harmful and dangerous, then we have the rest of life to enter into company with a Savior who loves us, and who guides and guards us in our walk with him.

--Ray Stedman's commentary on Colossians 2:20-23
as quoted in "Made to Crave" by Lysa TerKeurst

Worth Repeating Wednesday

Never got anywhere
By running away
Never learned anything
Without anything
without a mistake
Never loved anyone
By playing it safe
It's a long way down, but
I'm here right now, so

Here goes nothing,
Here goes everything
Gotta reach for something
or you'll fall for anything
Take a breath
Take a step
What comes next
God only knows
But here goes

I don't wanna turn around
and wonder what happened
Never lost and never found
Are one and the same
I wanna run across the battle line
And take my chances
Not the long way 'round
When I'm here right now

Here goes nothing
Here goes everything
Gotta reach for something
or you'll fall for anything
Take a breath
Take a step
What comes next
God only knows
But here goes

What good is chance not taken?
What good is life not living?
What good is love not given?

Here goes nothing
Here goes everything
Gotta reach for something
or you'll fall for anything ...

--"Here Goes" by Bebo Norman

Worth Repeating Wednesday

Both pity and judgment are too easy and are therefore the enemies of genuine understanding, which, to some degree, requires that we enter into at least a portion of the struggle of those we would genuinely understand. But because that might be painful, and because we are allergic to pain, we flee to the less costly emotions of pity and judgment.

--Jason Gray in his blog post that is worth reading in its entirety

Worth Repeating Wednesday

I think God brings us to the land of the impossible because it shines us. It reveals his glory in a way that shallow water never could. Nations are rarely swayed through tiny domestic miracles. Families are rarely changed through quiet acts of wonder. And Moses knew this. In Exodus 33:16-17, he asks God, “How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

In the next chapter God answers him as he makes Moses’ face radiant. It literally glows with the glory of God.

--Jon Acuff on his blog today

Worth Repeating Wednesday

God has planted dreams in all of our hearts. He did not intend for our dreams to get trampled by our own busy feet.

--Marybeth Whalen in a Proverbs 31 devotion today

Worth Repeating Wednesday

Our problem is not so much that God doesn’t give us what we hope for as it is that we don’t know the right thing for which to hope. ...

Hope is not what you expect; it is what you would never dream. It is a wild, improbable tale with a pinch-me-I’m-dreaming ending. It’s Abraham adjusting his bifocals so he can see not his grandson, but his son. It’s Moses standing in the promised land not with Aaron or Miriam at his side, but with Elijah and the transfigured Christ. It’s Zechariah left speechless at the sight of his wife Elizabeth, gray-headed and pregnant. And it is the two Emmaus-bound pilgrims reaching out to take a piece of bread only to see that the hands from which it is offered are pierced.

Hope is not a granted wish or a favor performed; no, it is far greater than that. It is a zany, unpredictable dependence on a God who loves to surprise us out of our socks and be there in the flesh to see our reaction.

--From "God Came Near" by Max Lucado

Worth Repeating Wednesday

I can't get enough of this song ...

Dancing in the Minefields
Well I was 19 you were 21
The year we got engaged
Everyone said we were much to young
But we did it anyway
We got the rings for 40 each from a pawnshop down the road
We said our vows and took the leap now 15 years ago

Chorus:
We went dancing in the minefields
We went sailing in the storm
And it was harder than we dreamed
But I believe that’s what the promise was for

Well ‘I do’ are the two most famous last words
The beginning of the end
But to lose your life for another I’ve heard is a good place to begin
Cause the only way to find your life is to lay your own life down
And I believe it’s an easy price for the life that we have found

Chorus:
And we’re dancing in the minefields
We’re went sailing in the storm
And it was harder than we dreamed
But I believe that’s what the promise was for
That’s what the promise is for

Bridge:
So when I lose my way, find me
When I lose loves chains, bind me
At the end of all my faith
to the end of all my days
when I forget my name, remind me

Cause we bear the light of the son of man
So there’s nothing left to fear
So I’ll walk with you in the shadow lands
Till the shadows disappear
Cause he promised not to leave us
And his promises are true
So in the face of this chaos baby
I can dance with you

Chorus:
So lets go dancing in the minefields
Lets go sailing in the storms
Oh lets go dancing in the minefields
And kicking down the doors
Oh lets go dancing in the minefields
And sailing in the storms
Oh this is harder than we dreamed
But I believe that’s what the promise if for
That’s what the promise is for

In fact, if you're looking for new music, Andrew Peterson's entire "Counting Stars" album is worth having.