Leading & Learning

Rick and I took a roadtrip this weekend. We were headed to Steamboat Springs to attend my nephew’s birthday party for the day and decided to take the scenic route. For those of you familiar with Colorado by-ways, we went north on I-25, up through Ft. Collins and through the Poudre Canyon. It was beautiful. The leaves were turning and the weather was perfect.

Like many other road trips, we were also listening to a book on tape. This particular book wasn’t one of our favorites, but it did have an interesting plot and provided an interesting insight about the word “sincere.” We wouldn’t have thought much about it except that the very next day, as we were visiting a friend’s church, the pastor brought up the same thing in his sermon!

I honestly believe that coincidence is God’s way of trying to get through to us sometimes, so after the sermon I began to really think and pray about what He might be wanting me to learn. Let me try to explain…

My understanding is that the word “sincere” was first used as a description of a statue that was perfectly made. The etymology of the word meaning “without wax.” Apparently many statues contained wax where the sculpturers covered up flaws and mistakes. Sincere meant that the art was in its purest form.

How sincere am I? How many times have I written “sincerely” at the bottom of a letter without really understanding what that meant? Are my motives always pure? I’m thankful for this reminder to consider my words and actions more carefully and to listen more attentively.

Without Wax,

Debb

It’s getting closer to the beginning of Fall in Colorado and our mornings are starting to become brisk. I love the weather this time of year because it always seems to come right when my tolerance for the summer heat is wearing thin. Today’s weather though… “keep the armour close” weather. Just like having that umbrella handy for those late summer rainshowers. Take a look at what I mean:

3:00 am:

• I awake with a burning in my chest that I just can’t shake. Do I get up and down a few “tums” to make my heartburn supside? Of course not. I just lie there and be miserable and fight with the dog for some extra legroom at the foot of the bed.

4:45 am:

• Yep. Still awake. The dog growls. Rick is up and looking out the window. Teenage boys have decided to take up residence at this early hour in front of our house. They’re in and out of their vehicle doing “who knows what” but in any case, they shouldn’t be there.

5:10 am:

• Rick calls 911.

5:18 am:

• Police arrive. I finally take a tums. Both Rick and I sit in the dark, watching the “drama” out front through our bedroom window.

5:44 am:

• Teenagers gone. Police gone. Back in bed and fighting again with the dog for legroom. I’m thinking I should just get dressed and go work out. Instead, I quietly fall back to sleep.

6:50 am:

• OK. This day is officially starting. Guess I’ll get up and get ready to go on a walk with Rick and Schultz.
• Guess not. Schultz went outside and ate weeds and then decided to come in and vomit on the newly cleaned carpet. Rick says there’s no walk for him today.

8:00 am:

• Coffee. Deep breath. Talk with Greg. Maybe the “weather” today won’t be so bad.

9-11:00 am:

• Business as usual… good.

11:00 am:

• Message from staff. Even though there’s no execs in today the leader’s are feeling the “heat.” Oh yeah, it’s September. Only a couple of months before our teen conference tour. Stress is high and the warfare gets heavy. Hmmm… check my armour and pray while heading for a pastor’s lunch in the city.

1:10 pm:

• The lunch went pretty well. Headed to the hospital. Mom has hand surgery scheduled at 2.

2:30 pm:

• The surgeon’s late and mom is nervous. Dad’s cell rings and it’s my brother Dave. Bad news. He’s heard word that our youngest brother, Darin, has been in some sort of motorcycle accident but no one can reach him in Steamboat Springs to get more details firsthand.
• Mom goes from nervous to worried.

3:50 pm:

• Surgery went well. Mom’s ok.
• Still no more about Darin.

4:30 pm:

• Mom and Dad on their way home.
• I decide to head home too making calls on the way.

5:00 pm:

• Flowers and card from TJ. How sweet! They dress up the kitchen along with the roses from Rick last night. Did I mention today was my birthday?
• Called Rick — “let’s get takeout.”

6:15 pm:

• Dad’s talked to Darin. His hand is broken and he has staples in his elbow. His face is also pretty cutup but he’s ok. Whew! Another deep breath. Prayer – thanks for the armour Lord!

Then til now… quiet and reflective. Glad that armour was close by. (Read more about the armour.)

I’m reading this great book entitled, The Life You’ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg. It’s a book about spiritual disciplines, something I know very little about. As I began to read it a couple of weeks ago, I realized that Mr. Ortberg knows how to communicate this heavy subject in a very practical way, using language that even I understand.

One of the chapters that really hit me between the eyes was titled “An unhurried life.” He talks about how people these days take time more serious than eternity. He describes how obsessed we are with “fitting it all in” and describes how hurry and love are basically incompatible. Upon reflection it was easy to diagnose.

I most certainly have “hurry sickness.” I am always wishing for more time. I wonder if I will ever be content…

The scariest part is that I believe him when he writes, “The most serious sign of hurry sickness is a diminshed capacity to love. Love and hurry are fundamentally incompatible. Love always takes time, and time is one thing hurried people don’t have.” Wow! How convicting is that!

God has provided several opportunities for me within the last two weeks to prove my patience and dependance on Him. My prayer is that I continue to heed Mr. Ortberg’s advice and practice “slowing” my life down in order to wait on the Lord and expand my capacity to love (especially those closest to me).

This passage in James provides a reminder to continue to “stay the course” and rely on God:

“Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You’ve heard, of course, of Job’s staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That’s because God cares, cares right down to the last detail. “

Pray that I stick with it.

For the last couple of months Rick and I have been taking our new family addition on short walks every morning around 7. We adopted Schultz right around Father’s Day. The whole family took some time on a warm summer evening to attend an outdoor concert at Flatirons mall and well… came home with a 4-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer.

The walks have been great for us. They’re short (less than 15 minutes) and give us a chance to chat about the day ahead. What has been surprising for me is that these brief walks have revealed something about my wonderful husband that I had never known. Here we are, almost 25 years together, knowing virtually everything there is to know about each other. Or at least I thought…

My Bambi-killing, hunter/gatherer, mountain-man husband stops and “rescues” EVERY single worm that has somehow made his (or her – I’m not so sure how you tell the difference) way on to the cement path! It’s crazy! As soon as he sees one, he stops and gently picks it up and places it back on the grass. He says “it’s good for the grass” but I am not sure I believe him All I know is this… Every time I see him do it I smile. I take a moment to think about how easy it is for me to forget seemingly “small” things in my path – so consumed by where I am going that I don’t even take a second to look down at where I am.  I sure appreciate my guy – the “worm saver.”