Wednesday, November 28, 2007

What's Your Plan?


God Speaking

Written by Ronnie Freeman

Have you ever heard a love song,
That set your spirit free?
Have you ever watched a sunrise,
And felt you could not breathe?
What if it's Him? What if it's God speaking?

Have you ever cried a tear that
You could not explain?
Have you ever met a stranger
Who already knew your name?
What if it's Him? What if it's God speaking?

Who knows how He'll get ahold of us?
Get our attention to prove He is enough.
He'll do, and He'll use whatever He wants to.
To tell us, I Love You.

Have you ever lost a loved one
Who you thought should still be here?
Do you know what it feels like
to be tangled up in fear?
What if He's somehow involved?
What if He's speaking through it all?

Who knows how He'll get ahold of us?
Get our attention to prove he is enough.
He'll do and He'll use whatever He wants to
To tell us, I love you.

His ways are higher
His ways are better
And though sometimes strange
What could be stranger than God in a manger?

Who knows how He'll get ahold of us?
Get our attention to prove He is enough.
Who knows how He'll get ahold of you?
Get your attention to prove he is enough.
He'll do and He'll use whatever He wants to,
To tell us I love you
God is speaking, I love you


If you’re not an American Idol fan, you may not have heard of Mandisa. She was a finalist during the series’ fifth season, and she released her debut album on Sparrow Records this year. God Speaking is absolutely my favorite song on that CD, which my dear friend Debbie gifted me with as soon as it came out.

Debbie also invited me to a Beth Moore conference in Boone, North Carolina last May, where we saw Mandisa perform live with Travis Cottrell and the praise team that travels with Beth. I remember thinking, “Why in the world would anyone want to be the ‘American Idol’ when they could get paid for singing and praising God with thousands of other people, and tour with Beth Moore, to boot?” I understood a little better after I read her book, IDOLeyes, also courtesy of Debbie, but I still think Mandisa has a very cool job!

Last Thursday our family held hands and each proclaimed something we were thankful for before our Thanksgiving meal. As it got closer to my turn, my mind was overwhelmed with the possibilities. Of course I am thankful for my family, good health, God’s provision for my needs. But when I opened my mouth, something like this came out: “I’m thankful for all of the ways God works in our lives, when we see Him at work and especially when we don’t.”

I could tell you so many ways He has worked and is still working in my life, and for every example I could give, there would be countless others that I’ll never know about. Sometimes I’m just not as aware of His providence as I should be. In other instances I don’t believe it’s for me to know His ways, even when they have to do with me.

But here’s what I do know beyond a shadow of a doubt: I’d be lost without His hand guiding me. I don’t have to know the plan. Just knowing that it’s His is enough.

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” ~ Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Thankful Hearts


"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." ~ Colossians 3:15 (NIV)

No question about it - Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I didn't feel that way when I was younger, of course. Then the "holidaypalooza" that Christmas has become was my first pick. After all, Christmas had a lot going for it: Gifts, flashing lights, a tree inside the house, and what seemed like an endless vacation from school. But the older I got, the more I could appreciate the simplicity of Thanksgiving.

Maybe it's because I don't have to fly anywhere during Thanksgiving week. But I think it has more to do with a holiday that's all about friends, family, food, and fellowship (ok, and football, if you're a fan). There's no pressure; it's just a day to be more aware of all we have to be thankful for. And no matter who you are, you have much to be thankful for. From each individual breath we take to our very lives, and everything in-between ... it's all from God, and it's all good.

So I wish you a wonderful day, filled with turkey that's not too dry, your loved ones holding hands around the table, and, if you're lucky, a nap in the afternoon. But most of all, I pray we will all have thankful hearts, each and every day.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Making Lists



I am a list maker. Makes no difference what needs listing – groceries, gifts, things to do – I’m an equal opportunity lister. I think making lists makes me feel like I’m in control. And I know I get it honestly, because my mother keeps a list of things to tell me by her phone, waiting for my next call.

There’s not much gray area when it comes to listing things; you’re either a list maker or you’re not. But lately everyone seems to at least be interested in lists, even ones that don’t belong to them. One of the most interesting websites I’ve seen in a long time is FOUND, self-described as follows:

“We collect FOUND stuff: love letters, birthday cards, kids' homework, to-do lists, ticket stubs, poetry on napkins, telephone bills, doodles - anything that gives a glimpse into someone else’s life. Anything goes...”

FOUND is one of those sites where I could easily waste an hour or more just drifting through other people’s stuff, sort of like other people do at yard sales. I always check the “Find of the Day.” It’s fascinating, but I can’t really say why. The other day I even caught myself wondering if people ever make things up to send in. You know … they write a love letter, “spill” some tea on it, crumple it up a bit, and send it in with a great story about how they found it.

And FOUND isn’t new, so there’s much more than just the website. There are magazines, tee shirts, and “events.” Hannah even told me she discovered a whole book of FOUND grocery lists that she wants for Christmas.

Another interesting book I heard about recently also dealt with one man’s attempt to live his life according to lists. The Today Show billed, “The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible,” by A.J. Jacobs, as, “52 weeks, 10 commandments, 1 extreme makeover.” Jacobs, who says he’s Jewish in the way the Olive Garden is Italian, changed his routine, diet, and even appearance in an attempt to “live Biblically” for a year. (I never would have thought “living Biblically” meant all that, personally.) Describing himself as a “reverent agnostic,” he admitted that he never could fulfill the law, not even for one day. He was truly astounded by how much and how often he sins – coveting, gossiping, and lying, just to name a few.


The Today Show piece was tongue-in-cheek, and clearly Jacobs was trying to sell books, but he insisted his quest was in earnest. He also said keeping the Sabbath enhanced his life, and that he’s much more thankful now. As a Christian, none of what he said really surprised me, but some of his revelations were encouraging.

Aside from the control issue I have with lists, I have also put myself “under law” with lists. I’ll tell myself, “Ok. If I accomplish 1, 2, and 3 on my list, then I will allow myself to ______.” Or I may rationalize, “Things will be different if I can just manage A, B, and C.”

But here’s a truth straight from the Bible:

“… if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
~ John 8:36 (NIV)


I am FREE. How can I forget that and put myself back under law so easily? It seems unimaginable because my freedom is such a treasured gift. But it happens all the same, and even worse, when I do that I not only offend the one who freed me, but I belittle His sacrifice to do so. As much as it grieves me to admit that, how much more must it grieve Him?

So what can I do but try to stick to grocery lists, to-do lists, and my Christmas list from now on. And the next time I catch myself struggling to fulfill my own list of “laws” in order to be “good enough,” I’m going to tear that list up (no, I’m not sending it to FOUND) and I might just work on a list of blessings, instead.

Friday, November 9, 2007

Men of Honor



Memorial Day

They played Taps today, Daddy
Bright sunshine
Fluttering flags,
Tear-stained rugged faces.
We sang about out country, Daddy
Voices together
Blue sky and mountains,
Wheelchairs on the grass.
Pride and sadness
Interwoven like a tapestry,
Pieces on a quilt
We call America.
I decorated graves with a Flag, Daddy
Under that oak in South Carolina
Maybe someone honored you.
Liberty, Freedom, Peace
All that we cherish
Earned with a sacrifice unimaginable
Innocence lost, hearts broken,
Young lives abruptly ended,
And all too soon forgotten.
They played Taps today, Daddy
Did you hear it?
Somehow, I know you did.

For my father and all Veterans
Randall W. Smith


We paid tribute to the veterans of our church family last Sunday. It was a week early, but I was left wondering why we don’t honor them more often than just this one day each year.

One of my favorite people, Randy Smith, shared his thoughts about Veteran’s Day, and it was a sweet time of remembrance. When his father, a veteran himself, died, Randy had hoped Taps could be played in his honor, but it didn’t work out. Shortly thereafter though, Randy attended a Memorial Day service during which they did play Taps, and it prompted him to write “Memorial Day” for his father, “and all Veterans.”

Randy is a great guy… He is an amazing teacher, a lover of literature and good music, and the most enthusiastic Appalachian State fan you’ll ever meet, (In fact, he’s graciously making it possibly for our family to enjoy the last home game of ASU’s season next Saturday … is it any wonder we love this guy?) But more than anything, I think the thing I appreciate the most about Randy Smith is the way he’s living out his faith, each and every day, with everyone he meets. Randy is constant, a living witness to the God who loves us enough to seek a real and personal relationship with us … through the miracles of nature, the emotions of music, the lessons of history. I particularly admire his calling to teach young people, offering them a new and different perspective on religion that might not otherwise dawn on them.

Randy’s Veteran’s Day message was bittersweet, because one of his ‘heroes’ of faith had died in the previous week. H.C. Kiser, Jr. was also an amazing man with an even more amazing story, well known and loved by many people in these parts. H.C.’s plane was shot down while on a mission over Nazi Germany during World War II. He spent seven months as a prisoner of war, a circumstance during which God intervened in his life time and again in miraculous ways. Through the hardships of battle and imprisonment H.C. held fast to his faith, and he emerged having made a covenant with God, promising to share his story, in captivity and freedom.

And although he lived a very humble and quiet life locally after his service to our country, H.C. did share his faith whenever he had the opportunity. I was blessed personally to hear him give his testimony on more than one occasion, and in 1998 Beverly Harding-Mullins wrote his biography, Called to be His Servant – H.C. Kiser, Jr.

H.C.'s favorite Bible verse was,

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” ~ Hebrews 13:5 (KJV)

Randy Smith always had great admiration for H.C., who was a personal friend of his, and I think it would be safe to say he aspired to be the kind of authentic witness H.C. was. I also think it’s accurate to say that, although his experiences have been different, Randy’s life speaks to people much the same way H.C.’s did, and that’s a powerful thing.

Randy’s poem, “Quiet Man” was included in H.C.’s biography, but he wrote this one for him, as well:


First Violet in the Spring

I have looked
upon the mountains
and seen the grandeur there,
the beauty of
the autumn leaves
birds sweet song so fair
Yes, and many a sunrise
I have pondered
and felt God everywhere
But this man
taught me more
than I could ever learn alone,
He loved the gift of life
his smile could melt a stone.
He taught us all
to love the Lord
to love our fellow man,
he never failed
to share a story
or lend a helping hand.
His presence will be
forever felt
my soul will always sing
whenever I look down upon
The first violet in the Spring.


For H.C. with respect and love, Nov. 7, 1998
in Blowing Rock, NC, 7:00 a.m.
Randall W. Smith