Monthly Archives: November 2013

Studying the Pictures

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I love looking at photographs of Nate. Now that no more can be taken, each is priceless. When pancreatic cancer came along, a widow-friend advised me to “take lots of pictures of him.” That sounded odd, since I already had 190 photo albums in my basement.

Not himself.But there were two roadblocks to taking those pictures: (1) quickly, as the cancer gained ground, he didn’t look like himself; and (2) how do you snap pictures of someone who knows he’s dying, without making it awkward for them?

Once it was all over, I remembered what my friend had said and wished I’d followed her advice about photos, because we have precious few of his 42 days of illness. That’s why I often find myself in my basement albums studying the face of my husband.

What impresses me again and again is that in most of the pictures Nate has a child or two in his arms or on his lap. Not being a “natural” with children when we married, I’m reminded of how significant this effort was. These pictures, the ones in which he’s busy “doing” for his children (and by that, for me) are the ones that mean the most.

At Chuck E CheeseFor example, here’s one taken at Chuck E Cheese’s. The occasion was Klaus’ birthday (turning 6), and Nate is holding 3 week old Louisa, his 6th child, while trying to manage the rest of his own children and a dozen young guests. The Chuck E Cheese entertainment stage was in full swing with it’s robotic characters singing at peak volume, a frenzy at best.

Nate was working hard, and I knew he must have been hoping the event would end soon, so we could go home to normalcy. But from his place across a mob of children, he caught my eye and flashed a smile. It was one of those very private moments between a husband and wife in a very public place. And today it’s a precious treasure.

Taking care of businessAnother picture I’ve studied recently was taken on Christmas Eve. We’d lunched at Marshall Fields’ in Chicago’s Loop and were on our way back to the suburbs on the “L” train. (We only had 5 children at the time, though a nephew is also in the picture.) But once again, Nate is hard at work, watching over the precarious steps of a two and three year old about to stumble off the bottom of an escalator.

My photos are a poor substitute for the man himself, but they’re wonderful gratitude-boosters for the wife he left behind. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing after all that I didn’t take many pictures while he was sick. Seeing him in action (and in good health) is probably much better.

”Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.” (Philippians 1:3)

A Roundabout Route

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This week when our prayer group of 5 ladies met to pray, Abigail began our time with an effective visual. She opened her iPad and showed us a picture (via Google Map Maker) of the route she would soon be driving between two Colorado destinations: Aspen and Crested Butte.

MapAlthough Abigail assured us the distance between the two towns was less than 10 miles (just long enough to make a nice hike), the quickest way to drive there was to travel in a roundabout way on mountain roads for more than 200 miles to the tune of 5 hours.

“Isn’t this the perfect picture of prayer?” she said, putting her finger on point A. “Here’s the request, and immediately God starts down the road to his answer, which is over here,” she said, pointing to B. If we were God, we’d rush the answer across the quick 10 mile route rather than taking the convoluted circuitous way. So why doesn’t he do that?

So often we pray as if we’re a waitress writing down the ask for a short-order cook, but God sees the process differently. On Tuesday mornings we have over 200 requests to pray over in 2 hours. This means we have to move quickly, which is why we’ve grouped the needs according to topic/subject. (God’s Wish List)

The only reason such a volume of needs doesn’t overwhelm us is our belief that God himself is in the room with us. All we have to do is enter his presence and lay out the requests. Then, much to our delight (and relief), he takes over from there.

But that’s the thing. He doesn’t take someone with problem A and put him/her on a rapid transit line to connect speedily with solution B. He could say, “Let’s see…. I’ll find the right surgeon for that one, put this other couple in front of a good marriage counselor, and arrange the perfect job interview for that other one. Check. Check. Check.”

But that just isn’t him. He’d rather take his time… and ours. That’s because he’s not only concerned about those being prayed for but also the ones doing the praying. All have needs, and when God maps out his choice of a route from request to answer, he’s intending to work wonders all along the way.

DetourGoogle Maps has an interesting caveat at the bottom of its directions page: “You may find that construction projects, traffic, weather, or other events may cause conditions to differ from the map results, and you should plan your route accordingly. You must obey all signs or notices regarding your route.”

What a great summary of how God works, dotting the route from request to answer with unexpected delays. The longer the delays, though, the grander the answers. And maybe that’s the reason we ladies continue to travel the route to our Tuesday morning prayer meetings…. so we don’t miss a single one of those grand answers!

“Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Out of the Blue

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LGLPPRecently I received a gift out of the blue from Tina, one of my blog readers. It was a high quality t-shirt of sky-blue, boasting a powerful one-liner:

Love God. Love People. Period.

Tina and her husband have similar shirts in their wardrobes, and she thought I would enjoy wearing the same simple but potent message. The t-shirts (and other gift products) originated from a man named Eddie, who was looking for an uncomplicated way to share his faith. The inspiration for his straightforward message was Matthew 22:37-39:

“When Jesus was asked by a lawyer which was the greatest of all the commandments, he replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments’.” 

Eddie took Jesus’ words and distilled them down to a couple of short sentences along with a “period” for emphasis. His desire was that this not be just a clever slogan but a way to tell strangers of the hope that was within him.

Eddie passed away in 2012 at age 58, but his shirts continue to speak the Gospel in a clean, no-nonsense way. His prayer had been that the “LGLPP” products would continue reminding Christians what they stand for, while creating opportunities to share the love of Jesus Christ.

Tina wrote, “We appreciate the simplicity of the words and the direct but subtle responses we get in various airports and on planes from people thankful for the ‘short and sweet’ one liner message.”

She and her husband have discovered that along with those who are curious about the shirt’s message, there are others in anonymous crowds who readily agree with what it says. “Hey! I like your shirt,” some say. And others give a thumbs-up approval.

US Supreme CourtBelievers in Christ can feel muzzled these days. For example, last week’s news reported that the Supreme Court will determine whether or not prayer in public places (graduations, town hall meetings, board meetings) is ok, and if the content of those prayers ought to be monitored. One journalist said 80% of public prayer to this point has been Christian, but now that must change. The Court will rule in mid-2014.

So far, though, wearing the LGLPP shirts is still ok. As Tina put it, “We’re wearing outside of our hearts, what’s in them. Hopefully loving God and loving his people will never go out of style.”

LGLPP.Tina’s gift made me question how faithfully I’ve been a public witness to my personal belief in Christ. Have I done as well as Tina and her husband? Or as Eddie?

“In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)