No Words Worthy

The wind is blowing here on my lane. Across the field the tree tops move like they're dancing. Voluminous clouds lounge in the sky. Bright blue...Soft white.

How quickly all this can change. This same atmosphere holds the culprit that causes tragedy and destruction while other times receiving lost balloons and soaring birds. This same sky hangs over flooded cities and still shines bright and beautiful in reflection against water that has caused tremendous destruction. That same wind grabs cities and lays them flat.

These days have been silencing. I have nothing to say.

I am so human and all that is swirling around...from water to winds ....is so much bigger and stronger than I. Guess I am just a little intimidated , sitting fragile in a world that is groaning with powerful, life-altering forces.

but ...there is Someone to talk to about those who sit in the midst of chaos, cry over losses I have never experienced... who brush away rubble and mud to try to find part of the life underneath.

I'm over whelmed and it makes me realize that my words are insignificant in the face of such loss.

My "tornadoes" have been like the wind of a box fan...my "floods" like bathtubs running over...my "tsunamis and earthquakes" like raining on a roller coaster ride. So here is my plea...

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy

on us...

Now we wait in faith for the renewal that will come.

Momma's Smile

I sat at my momma's side in church for 15 years. Always in the same pew. I noticed something different about her, she smiled when our pastor spoke. Since that was not the norm, I always wondered. One day I couldn't stand it any longer and I asked, "Momma, why do you smile at Dr. McCall when he is speaking?"

Her answer was classic Mable Thomas.

You see, my mom is a giver. An unselfish, no holds barred, giver. She doesn't have another mode. It is who she is and who you experience when you meet her. If you squelch that in her you would rob her of her joy. The world doesn't always know how to handle generosity of spirit and self. That's not her problem, she'll just keep it up a hundred percent no matter what.

Along with that comes unselfishness and lack of self-consciousness. Natural friendliness and passionate loyalty follow up . Needs met make her happiest.

So what was her answer to my question?

"I feel like he needs to see at least one person smiling at him as he looks out on the congregation." A gift from the heart. An encouraging one, at that.

Here we are at Mother's Day once again. What gift do I receive every time we are together?

Whether she is opening the back door to welcome us in, sitting at her table full of food that she's prepared, cleaning up the kitchen after the fact, holding a great-grand baby just days or moments old, or giving my dad his marching orders....her smile.

So here is her legacy,

"So let each one give as he purposes in his heart,

not grudgingly,

or of necessity,

for God loves a cheerful giver."

2 Corinthians 9:7 NKJV

Distant Thunder

It's raining again. The prognostactors are predicting thunderstorms. The Cumberland River, the river that gulped down Nashville, is once again looming large. There is thunder in the distance. But the robins still sing.

Here on my lane, there is a lazy, kind of still. The rest of the world however is in an uproar.

An evil, wealthy, murdering, fanatic was killed yesterdayby our military and intelligence at it's best. The US streets drew crowds of elated patrons. Just a couple of days ago a prince and a princess were officially married and the throngs of admirers were jubilant. Almost a week ago so many of us were hunkered down in our basements, closets and bathtubs, awaiting the arrival of tornadoes. The throbbing beat of rising tension in the middle east still stays constant in the background.



Gazing out my window, I can't help but think of those that are not jubilant today. Those who did indeed suffer from the weather's worst. Those who have no windows to look from. Those whose material belongings are tattered to shreds and now will be soaked by rain. Some have lost their entire town. Some lost a part of their family. Some will never recover. There are no words for this, just tears. I've been speechless with sorrow. The trail of tornadoes leaves a mark none can erase except with much time. Trees will grow back. Foundations will be rebuilt on. Trailers will be replaced. Businesses will someday reopen. Family pictures will be longed for, any glimpse of the only thing that matters in our lives...those loved and now missed.





The robins continuing to sing. The earth continues to spin on it's axis. There are somethings that are beyond our control, but nothing is beyond God's. That old song goes:


"He's got the whole world in His hands.


He's got the whole wide world in His hands.


He's got the whole world in His hands.


He's got the whole world in His hands."





Happy or devastated, tattered or celebratory, on fire or burnt out,


we are all in His hands. You can count on it. I know I am.