My Boy is Going Back to the "Sandbox"

Last year while having lunch with two old friends from high school, both of which are also in the ministry, I mentioned that Jonathan was deployed to Kuwait/Iraq. One looked at me and as he smiled he said, "You raised a warrior." Well, my "Warrior" will be going back to war. He is being redeployed to Afghanistan.

His Momma and I didn't intend to raise a warrior. We raised a boy/man to love the Lord, his family and life. He does love all three.

But he also loves extremes. He has ridden a tall tree down and busted his head. He has jumped ramps on his bicycle and gotten a busted lip and a black eye. He has looked down the barrel of a potato gun, he built, fired it to check for the spark and burned off his eye lashes and half an eyebrow. He killed two squirrels at 8 years old with two shots. And alot more stuff with BB guns and other guns. He rode on the back of a four-wheeler with a snake wrapped around his arm. He can suck string up his nose and make it come out his mouth. He can hammer a 16 penny nail up his nose and balance a 10 foot long 2 X 2 on his chin. And by the way he has eaten a live lizard, for money.

Yep, we raised him to be all boy and all man and now I found out we raised a warrior.

When you read all this stuff, and it's not near all, now you really know to pray for him as he goes again to "the sand box" in harms way.

I really love my boy.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

A Recommended Short Read

I read several men's writings regularly. John Piper is one of them. This link will take you to a meditation he wrote on his blog concerning the comparison of the plane that went down on the Hudson River a few days ago and the Presidency of President Obama.
It is a good read and will make you think.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

For Those Who are Wondering

It started Thursday morning. DeeDee got out of bed around 6:30 a.m., because of discomfort in her left arm and neck. I soon got up and checked on her and she was hurting seriously.

We talked about what she wanted to do and after back and forth we went to Calera Family Health. Dr. Walker and the nurses there were very helpful. But I want to talk about a short few minutes in which the Lord said much to me and caused me to live what I believe.

They had given DeeDee her third nitro pill. Her blood pressure dropped to 80 over 40. She looked at the nurses and said, "I'm going to pass out." They talked with her a minute and she said, "Really, I'm going to pass out." Then she looked at me and with tears in her eyes said, "I'm going to die." I looked back in the beautiful eyes of my bride and said, "No your not going to die." Soon they got her blood pressure stabilized and we started the trip and work at the hospital.

Someone asked me if I was afraid. The answer is, No. When DeeDee looked at me and said with fear, "I'm going to die" , the Lord assured me she could not die then. She will not have fear when she dies. God will give her dying grace when the time comes. I know that and I live everyday with that. It wasn't a dying day for DeeDee.

Some may ask why was she afraid? Because it wasn't a dying day for her. She still was clinging to me and her loved ones. When the dying day comes she will let go and die with grace.

That is why I could say, "Your not going to die." When the time comes for any one of God's children to go home it will be a time of peace not fear, a time of a home coming celebration with nothing to fear.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

Happy New Year

I got started early this morning because I needed to be at Children's Hosp. early. After that I paid another visit to a hospital then ran some errands for the office, among other things. Up to that point all is well and I am glad to have been used of the Lord to touch some lives.

However,when I have a number of important and necessary things on my to-do list I tend to get my head going ahead of myself and can get frustrated at myself when, by my timing, I fall behind.

Coming into Calera at 11:00 a.m. I decided to take an early lunch and get back to the office to get some things done there before a 2:30 p.m. appointment I have with someone.

I was sitting eating lunch with DeeDee and Aubrey which is a great treat and as I helped clean up a little I noticed I was off my schedule. I put it in high gear and rushed around the house then took off down the stairs to the car. I got in the garage with my calendar, my Calvin's Institutes book and a big bag of garbage and realized I forgot my cell phone, arrgh. So I put the garbage in the can, my calendar and book on the back of the car and ran upstairs to get my phone. I got the phone ran back downstairs and grabbed my calendar and book jumped in my car and backed out. Then I realized I forgot my laptop aarrggh!! again.

I backed into the driveway ran in the house, hollered up at DeeDee, "I forgot my silly laptop!" I was not happy with myself. Then I heard the voice of a two year old from upstairs for no reason say, "Happy New Year, Poppa".

Ouch!! I am preaching the blessedness, (happiness) of the believer from the Beatitudes, yet I am all out of sorts over being behind a little bit, and it's my fault.

Maybe it only spoke to me but I needed to share this with somebody and since I don't blog, DeeDee says I should (arrggh), this was the best place to share this. *** sidenote - DeeDee has posted this on the blog***

Are you in a "snit" over something? Take it from me, it doesn't help matters. Instead listen to a two year old, "Happy New Year". If we live for the Lord even when we fall behind or our money gets short, personally and in business, or any other thing happens, we need to look at the Beatitudes and make sure our life matches up and then we can say, "Happy New Year".

Well, that is what it said to me, anyway.

Happy New Year,
Hal