Two Tales of Love & Laughter

One night while Hannah was home on break for the holidays, I casually asked what her favorite Bible verse was. Even though she’s involved with Campus Crusade for Christ and in a weekly Bible study I didn’t really expect her to have a favorite scripture, much less be able to quote chapter and verse.

She promptly came back with, "Job 8:21: ‘He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.’'"

I confess my first thoughts were, “Wow, she has one…but who picks anything from Job as their favorite verse?” I mean, come on…Job is the ultimate hard luck story that we all try to relate to when things aren’t going so hot in our own lives and we’re feeling really pathetic.

But then I thought, “Wow, how absolutely perfect.” That my daughter (the one laughing on the right) would glean this scripture and make it her own brought hope to my heart and tears to my eyes. What a girl.

I experienced another unique interpretation of a classic Old Testament story this weekend at Barter Theatre. (Spoiler alert: Yes, this is a short review.) Playing on the Main Stage now through April 18th, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat is sort of like the Bible on acid. After all, Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber are the same guys who gave us Jesus Christ Superstar. Here’s the “official” synopsis from the Barter’s website:

"A colorful, musical retelling of the Biblical story about dreamboat Joseph, his uncanny abilities and his designer coat, this family classic sings out to young and old alike with a fun score of wall-to-wall hit songs."


www.bartertheatre.com

If you’re a traditionalist when it comes to Biblical interpretation, you probably won’t be into this show so much. But if you’re open to creative costuming and music, and fantastic acting of course, by all means don’t miss this one. I absolutely loved it; what a great way to start Barter Theatre’s 2009 season!

In his Director’s Notes, Richard Rose explores the themes of dreams, family, and reconciliation in the play, and when you break it down, isn’t that much of what Jesus wants to be about in our lives today? We dream of being good enough to be accepted and, if we’re very lucky, maybe even loved unconditionally. The bad news is that there’s no way we could ever come close to being good enough and unconditional love has nothing to do with luck.

But the good news is, through Jesus we’re reconciled to God, all is forgiven and His love never ends. Welcome to the family! I say that’s way more than enough to “fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.”

Joy to the World

For the most part, I get dragged through December kicking and screaming.

I absolutely refuse to acknowledge the Christmas season before Thanksgiving comes and goes. And did you see the news footage from “Black Friday?” People getting knocked to the floor and trampled in a mad rush for half-priced toys and electronics … insanity! I simply don’t have the fortitude or the desire to participate, and besides, I had to work. But my friend Susan called me that morning to say she was on her way to a sale. After I asked her if she’d lost her mind, she said, “Oh my gosh. There’s a line to get into the parking lot!” Fortunately, she made it through the day without injury or incident, and claims she got some great deals. But I maintain the deals will still be out there in mid-December (by which time I’ll have done the majority of my shopping online).

Then there’s the decorating (I hate throwing my perfectly good pumpkins away), the scheduling (jamming three months worth of events into one month and figuring out who’s going to be where when over the holidays), and the cards (which also involves taking a picture both kids are willing to share with 75 of our closest friends and family). I could go on, but I’m probably stirring up angst (which, by the way, grows exponentially until December 25th). And on top of everything, there’s the ever-present Christmas music (Joy to the World, 24/7? Please!)

Now you’re probably waiting for me to exclaim, “Bah, humbug!” But I won’t, and here’s why: The Christmas Season is really no different than any other in my year. The focus of the Christian calendar shifts to encompass the advent and birth of the Messiah, but the truth is my joy remains the same during Christmas as it does during Easter, the Fourth of July, or Halloween, for that matter.

The other day I was walking into work and a co-worker asked me why I was so “up.” I said, “You know, I guess I’m just glad because my joy doesn’t depend on my circumstances … heaven help us all if it did!” And isn’t that the truth? Every day has its own troubles, whether it’s a routine day or the next 20 shopping days before Christmas. That’s a promise straight from the Bible:

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
~ Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

Happiness and joy are two very different things. You may not be happy with the way things are going in your life today, but if you have joy that comes from the Lord and your personal relationship with Him, there will be glimpses of beauty, moments of divine inspiration in even the most trying of days. That’s a promise, too:

“If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” ~ John 15: 10-11 (NIV)

So I say Joy to the World … on December 25th, and the other 364 days of the year, too!

Cause for Celebration

This past weekend was one of celebration.

For one thing, it was a holiday weekend, although I’m not sure how I really “celebrated” Labor Day, other than taking a day off from my paid job and laboring around the house (my unpaid job). But there were other reasons to celebrate, as well…

On Saturday afternoon my son Ben, starting his third year at Appalachian State University, called and asked, “Hey, are you watching the game?”

“No, I’m cleaning the house. What game?”

“ASU and Michigan … we’re beating them pretty good right now. Um, you really should turn it on.”

So I put down my dust cloth and found “the game” on the Big Ten Network, which I didn’t even know we had. It was early in the third quarter and ASU was indeed beating 5th ranked Michigan, much to their delight and Michigan’s dismay. I sat down to watch. I’m not a huge football fan, but it certainly beat cleaning the house, and even I knew this was BIG.

In the end, Appalachian’s Mountaineers – National Division I-AA Champions for the past two years – stunned Michigan 34–32 in one of the biggest upsets in college football history, ultimately knocking Michigan clean out of the ranking of top 25 teams. A great cheer for underdogs everywhere went up across the country, but nowhere was it louder than in Boone, North Carolina, where they tore down the goalpost and paraded it down Main Street to the Chancellor’s house. And I hear the Hardees’ sign read, “Where is Ann Arbor?” It was a not-so-subtle reply to the geographically challenged sportscaster who wondered where in the world Boone was. When the team returned that evening there were thousands of fans waiting to welcome them home. In short, it was one heck of a celebration.

Late Sunday afternoon Hannah and I enjoyed another celebration – the marriage of my friends and co-workers Amberly and Josh. It was a simply beautiful service, held in a perfect outdoor setting on a warm September afternoon. I could feel fall in the air on the banks of the South Holston River, and was glad to know it was exactly the sort of day they had dreamed of and planned for the past year. We were blessed to be a part of their big day.

ASU’s victory and my friends’ wedding were big celebrations, hard to miss in the parade of days we march through routinely. But life is filled with lots of small things to celebrate, too. Rather than once in a lifetime, these small causes for celebration happen more often, but are less noticeable.

My friend Sue keeps a “Joy Journal,” in which she lists things she can celebrate every day. Some days her pages are filled with the blessings she sees all around her, but other days she has to look hard for something to celebrate. It may be something as simple as, “It didn’t rain today,” or more likely this summer, “It rained today!” Either way, it really doesn’t matter what she’s celebrating, but that she’s aware of her blessings on a daily basis. She cultivates “an attitude of gratitude.”

Here’s a Biblical truth that also bears remembering daily:

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” ~ James 1:17 (NIV)

So find something to celebrate and thank God for each day. A grateful heart is a content heart, and big or small, He’s the source all of our blessings.