Monthly Archives: January 2014

Panic Over Pittsburgh

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Most people can count on one hand the moments in their lives when they’ve been terrified, heart-pounding scared, rushed with adrenalin. For me, one of them occurred last weekend.

I was flying home after two exciting weeks in Florida with my daughter’s newly expanded family of six.

???????????????????????????????Though I usually buy non-stop plane tickets, this time the route from Orlando to Chicago included a stop in Pittsburgh. I’d taken time to check Chicago’s wacky weather (not bad at 19 degrees and sunny) but hadn’t checked Pittsburgh.

After an uneventful flight north, our plane began its descent over Pennsylvania and suddenly hit a few rough bumps. The captain came on the intercom, telling us to be sure we were buckled in. “We’re coming into some choppy air,” he said in a calm voice, “and want you to stay safe. By the way, it’s snowing in Pittsburgh at minus-4 degrees.”

Then he instructed the flight attendants to buckle up, too, which seemed well ahead of their usual last-minute sit-downs. “Yes,” the head stewardess said, “tighten your belts. The captain wants to try something new.”

Black cloudsWe laughed at her joke, but the plane’s rocking and creaking continued to escalate. Outside our windows we were wrapped in threatening black clouds, despite it being noontime. I tried to read, but my book wouldn’t hold still, bouncing up and down with force.

As we got closer to the ground, the lurching became more pronounced, and our captain came on again. “Ok, folks,” he said, still talking smoothly, “let’s double-check those seat belts. Pull your straps tight, low on the hips. We’ll be landing in a few minutes.”

I hoped on a runway.

As the plane shuddered violently and jerked every-which-way, I wondered how much more it could take before a wing would snap. Normally I loved take-offs and landings, but this time I found myself replaying the last thing I’d said to each of my children.

“This might be it!” I thought, adrenalin surging.

Staccato reflections darted in and out of my head as my heart pounded. “What a shame for our kids to lose their dad and mom so close together. I hope they know how much I love them.”

Suddenly we got a glimpse of the ground, and it seemed shockingly close. “Jesus, here I come!”

Snowy runwayThe flashing lights at the end of the runway shot beneath us and then boom-BOOM! Our wheels slammed down on a snow- covered runway just a few feet after the pavement began. “Wow!” I thought. “He barely got there!”

Billowing walls of snow surrounded us like a monster wake behind a high speed boat, and we zoomed all the way to the other end of the runway before he could rein in his speed. Passengers applauded, and the flight attendant said, “Welcome to Pittsburgh!”

As my insides began to calm, I thought about a statement Mom frequently made: “Be sure you know your bottom line.”

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

Back to Zero

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ZeroMost of us think of zero as a big nothing. Emptiness. A non-entity. Blank. But in the last two weeks of staying with my daughter Linnea and her family, I’ve seen the immense value of zero.

Each night, just before the 3 older children (ages 5, 3, 1) had their baths, Linnea and Adam orchestrated a major overhaul of the house. Phase One included dinnertime clean-up of dishes, high chair, table, under-the-table, leftovers, and kitchen.

Phase Two incorporated the living room play area, sorting toys and putting them into their proper containers. It also meant vacuuming the carpet which somehow became cluttered with all manner of debris during a busy day.

???????????????????????????????Phase Three took place in the children’s bedroom where they all bunk together. Wall-to-wall toys, evidence of a day of creative play, had to be “binned” and lined up beneath the bed. Stuffed animals were gathered into a big plastic tub in the corner, and clean laundry was put into the proper drawers.

These 3 Phases sound complicated, especially since tired children are difficult to motivate, but the process is usually complete in 15 minutes. I watch and marvel as the whole house “gets back to zero.” It’s that magnificent zone of neat-and-tidy.

The people-parallel is obvious. Our lives can quickly get cluttered with debris of all sorts: the burdens of others we’re not meant to carry, unrealistic expectations of what we can accomplish in one day, over-commitment of our limited time or resources, anxiety over circumstances we can’t change. Everywhere we look we see disorder, and it can overwhelm us.

That’s when we need to initiate our own Phases One, Two, and Three. We can focus on the situation that bothers us most and start by tidying it up in small ways. We should think of it as working from the edges in, rather than redoing everything at once. By slowly tackling one area and then another and another, as time passes we can get back to zero-order in all the disorderly areas of our lives, freshening up our perspective.

???????????????????????????????At Linnea and Adam’s house, as we’ve sat together while the children slept, each night we silently appreciated a zero- cluttered house. In those precious moments, no one talked about how 3 imaginative children would be pulling out bins and baskets in a few short hours, leaving our orderly zero far behind. In those quiet, late evening hours, sitting in the midst of back-to-zero was deeply satisfying.

And if anyone tells you that zero amounts to a-lotta-nothin’, don’t you believe it.

“Be sure that everything is done properly and in order.” (1 Corinthians 14:40)

Music from the Heart

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Jeremy and NelsonNelson has a friend who’s a professional song writer. He lives in the Music Capital of the Nation, Nashville, and works daily at his craft. Jeremy (left) also records his music, performing what he’s written on his skillfully-played guitar. He’s a talented guy, and once in a while the music world shows its appreciation by purchasing one of his tunes.

 

 

Isaac's SongToday I bought a song, too, but it wasn’t one of Jeremy’s. The price was right (5 cents) and the writer was someone near and dear to me: granddaughter Skylar.

It all started yesterday when I accompanied her to her weekly home school gathering where each child was expected to make a “presentation” in front of the class.

This weekly exercise helps the students gain confidence in public speaking, even though each one lasts only 2 minutes. The topic was “missionaries”, and Skylar’s speech began with a brief report about her Uncle Nelson’s recent teaching effort in Russia’s Siberia.

But she quickly diverted into her song-writing business and said, “I wrote a song for my new baby brother, and I’ll sing it for you now.”

???????????????????????????????Without so much as a nervous pause, she sang her original song acapella in front of her class and received applause and rave reviews. Although many in her audience have baby siblings at home, none had ever written a song of welcome.

  • Dear Baby.
  • I love you.
  • And I love you more
  • With my whole heart.

When Skylar returned to her chair, her seat partner Sarah wrapped her arms around her in congratulations, and I glanced at the classroom door, half expecting someone to rush in with a bouquet of roses.

God has gifted both Jeremy and Skylar with a love for words and notes and then added the ability to put them together. The rest of us might feel short-changed if it weren’t for the biblical assurance that all of us have been given talents. God endows each of us with skills and capabilities he expects us to share with others. Sometimes these are lifelong gifts and other times are given just temporarily, for specific short-term use.

When I study my 7 grown children, I can point out special aptitudes in each of them that have been put there by God. This isn’t surprising, since every person is a one-on-one creation, no two exactly alike.

Surely the Lord delights in combining different bents and proficiencies within people (just as he does with physical features), then excitedly waiting to see what we’ll do with them. If we use them just to please ourselves, we’ll miss out on a big blessing, but if we share for another’s benefit, God will be pleased. He may even give us additional talents.

Midgee's SongTonight Skylar approached me with another musical piece, this time about me. It was short but very sweet:

  • Dear Midgee.
  • I love you.
  • And I’m very happy
  • That you came to Florida.

SOLD!

As for Jeremy? He’d better keep an eye on his competition.

“We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10)