Takes one to know one

"I have given you an example"

John 13:15

Well, in between watching the Olympics, and trying to stay cool as the mercury rose, I found myself doing some Algebra today.   I know it's summer, but we never stop school completely for the summer.  There's always more to learn, and I think if we're not careful, our brains can atrophy if we stop learning!  And that goes for all of us! 

Awesome Girl has just a few more lessons in her Algebra book, so we're getting those completed so that she can start the next level of math in a few weeks.  She's pretty excited.  No, really!  :)  She's good at math, and enjoys the challenge. 

But before we could start today's lesson, we had to go over yesterday's.  If she gets any problems wrong, we go over those and make sure she understands whatever she didn't understand when she originally did the problem.

For one of those problems today, she had an interesting response when we went over it.  She said she had been unsure how to proceed with the problem, because it was unlike any of the "practice" problems in the text, so she couldn't see the step-by-step to solving it.  She kinda said, "Ohh.... there weren't any examples of that kind for me to follow."

That statement really gave me pause.  She was right; it was a new concept, and it would have been helpful for her to see a couple of different kinds of possibilities she might encounter.  And I started thinking about Scripture, and how the Bible is full of examples, of many different kinds, for us to follow.  Maybe that's why the book is so big!

Kings and queens, shepherds and soldiers, teachers, farmers, priests, midwives, artists, tentmakers and a carpenter.  Impatient, disobedient, weak, cowardly, discouraged... leaders and followers, rich and poor, fathers and mothers and grandmothers.  And more.  Men and women, and even children showing us how ~ or how not to ~ live for God. 

I love that about the Bible.  I love that there is someone you can relate to.  Probably several someones, depending on the circumstance you are living through.   Some of them are more "famous" than others.  But they're there for you.   Find them, and learn from them.

"all these things happened to them as examples, 

and they were written for our admonition"

1 Corinthians 10:11

I know you do. But do it more.

"What do you wish?"

Judges 1:14

"I wish he'd come home"


"I hope she'll succeed"


"I want to, but I don't know if I can"


Wish on what?

Hope in whom?

And what are you doing about your wanting?


Is it idol worship to wish upon a star? 

To hope in nothing specific? 

 To just desperately want something, if your desire is not expressed to Him?


We want.

We wish.

We hope.

Why don't we pray more?

~ "in everything,

by prayer and supplication,

with thanksgiving,

let your requests be made known to God" ~

Philippians 4:6

Offering out of your abundance

"put in all"

Luke 21:4

Okay, let's stay on the Olympics theme, shall we?  I'm enjoying this.

I love the Olympics. I can't wait until the time is right ~ finances and family and God's will ~ for us to attend again.  2014 is in Russia, and 2018 is in South Korea.  We don't anticipate being able to attend either of those.  And I'm really only interested in the Winter Games, so that rules out Rio in 2016, and whoever wins the bid for the 2020 Summer Games.  So that leaves me with looking toward the 2022 Winter Games.   The countries who have applied for those games are Kazakhstan, Finland, France, Germany, Poland, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Norway and Ukraine.  I would love to visit any of those places.  The IOC won't make the decision for a few years, though, so I've got some time to daydream.

Anyhow, today's Olympic story is about a wonderful athlete named Eric Moussambani.  Remember him?

Oh, you don't?

Do you want me to wait while you look up his story on the internet?  Or should I just tell you?  It's a great story. 

The year was 2000.  The host was Sydney, Australia.  The event was 100 meter Freestyle Swimming.  Moussambani was an athlete from the country of Equatorial Guinea.  Near as I can tell, he was one of only four Olympic athletes from that country, ever.  He and a woman named Paula Barila Bolopa were both swimmers invited to compete, without having qualified for the Olympics, through a program designed to encourage developing countries.

But he had never swum 100 meters before.  There wasn't even pool that big in all of Equatorial Guinea.  And he'd been told he'd be swimming in a heat to qualify for the 50 meter event.  Now, all of a sudden, he'd be swimming twice as far. 

And if that wasn't hard enough, he'd be swimming the heat alone.  There were to be three of them in that heat, but two were disqualified for false-starting.  So when the gun went off, in he went.  And he swam and he swam.

You can probably find a clip of it online.  I vividly remember watching it.  He was clearly struggling, but he kept going.  And the crowd just kept cheering.  It was a wonderful moment.  It was inspirational; exactly what the Olympics are supposed to be about.  Because Citius, Altius, Fortius sometimes means Faster than you thought you could.  Higher than you ever tried.  Stronger than you used to be.

Eric Moussambani didn't win a medal.  He didn't even qualify for the 100M.  His Olympic experience was done after his heat.  So by a lot of standards, he was a failure.  But from his standards, it was huge.  Enormous.  Herculean.  He gave all he had.

photo credit: guardian.co.uk

God loves that.

~ "He saw a certain poor widow

      putting in two mites.  

So He said, ' Truly I say to you

that this poor widow has put in more than all...

out of her poverty 

she put in all the livelihood that she had' " ~

Luke 21:2-4

And don't worry about all the pronunciations

"Have you not even read this Scripture?"

Mark 12:10

Some more thoughts on the Olympics today.  I'm fortunate to be a stay-at-home mom, so my Amazing and Awesome kids and I are able to watch some TV during the day, not just the prime time events.  That means we get to watch some sports that are "less popular" (at least by the standards of NBC).  It also means we get to watch events in their entirety, as opposed to seeing the highlights NBC thinks we'll enjoy the most.  I think probably that all, or most of the events are available online, too.

It's fun to have so much of it be accessible to us nowadays.  Can you believe there used to be a time where the Olympics weren't even on television?  I did a little research, and it appears that the 1936 Berlin Olympics were the first ones televised, but only in Germany, and people had to go to special "television booths" to watch.  I guess like a movie theater.  And then the 1960 Olympics were the first to be "televised" as it means to us today.

I love watching obscure sports.  Competitive badminton?  Fascinating.  And what exactly are the rules of team handball, cuz it's a little hard to follow.  Archery?  Astounding.

One sport that I've always been a little confused about though, is indoor volleyball.  I mean, I know volleyball.  I played volleyball in school, and recreationally.  But it never looked like that.  The rotations, the digs and spikes, even the rules are different.  And, I think because they are trying to fake out the other team, they bounce a lot.  They jump up to make it look like they're going to hit the ball, even if they're not, so the other team might not know where the ball is going to be coming from.  I know four years ago when I watched, I had trouble following, because it was like watching whack-a-mole.   So when we sat down the other day to watch volleyball, I was prepared to be just as confused as I was four years ago.

But I wasn't.  It was much more organized and logical looking.   And you know why?  Because in the meantime, my Awesome Girl has taken up volleyball.   Since the Olympic games in Beijing, I have been to countless volleyball practices, games and tournaments.  I have observed it, studied it, asked questions and observed and studied some more.  And while I don't understand all of its intricacies, I understand a lot more than I used to.  And besides, not understanding everything means there's more to learn.  That's good; I love learning.

So:  study, observation, questions.  That's how we learn, right?

So why are we so afraid of the Bible?  Oh, maybe not the whole thing, but for most of us, there is a book or two that we're intimidated by.   Chronicles, Leviticus, Ezekiel, Revelation, Daniel... what's the book you're afraid of?  Length, style, language, tone... what's your reason for being put off?

It's understandable.  To me, one of the beautiful things about the Bible is that there's something for everyone.  A book that you find tedious, or confusing, someone else finds comfortingly methodical or intellectually stimulating. 

But the only way to understand the book you don't understand, is to challenge it.  Read it.  Make observations.  Study it, ask questions, and read it again. And pray, for the wisdom you need, and the revelation of the Holy Spirit.

He wrote it for you.  Every word.  You owe it to Him ~ and to yourself ~ to read every word.

~ "You are mistaken,

not knowing the Scriptures,

nor the power of God" ~

Matthew 22:29

Everlasting Love

"I have loved you"

Jeremiah 31:3

Are you enjoying the Olympics?  I love watching the Olympics.  I've even had the wonderful fortune to be a part of them, attending events at the Winter Games in Salt Lake City (2002) and Vancouver (2010).  There's nothing like being part of the crowd, cheering on your compatriots.

But you know what's just as much fun?  Cheering for athletes from other countries.  Sometimes it's because there isn't a competitor from your country in that event, but sometimes it's simply because something about that athlete, or their country, has touched your heart, and you really want them to win.

In 2002, I went to a slalom skiing event with the Apple of my Eye, and the gold medal winner was a gal from Croatia.  Her name is Janica Kostelic, and she won four medals in 2002 ~ three gold and one silver.  Those were the first medals ever for Croatia in the Winter Games.  And I mean to tell you, the Croatian fans went nuts.  Cheering and singing and waving their flags, it was impossible not to join their excitement. 

I honestly don't even remember if there was an American in that event or not.  And ten years later, I still find myself rooting for Croatia just a little bit extra, when I watch the Olympics.  The athletes and their fans have found a little nook in my heart.

When I'm not attending the Olympics ~ which, of course, is most of them ~ I love to watch on TV.  And one of my favorite aspects is the "human interest" stories.  You know, when they give you some amazing and wonderful back story on an athlete that makes you appreciate how hard they've worked to get where they are, or what they had to go through to reach this point. 

Some of the athletes are household names, like Michael Phelps, and Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings.  But most of them are names I've never heard before the Games.  And some of those stick with me for a long time, because I learn about them.  They become people, not just the athlete in Lane 6. 

And the thing I love, is that God knew them all along.  He knew every painful, hardworking step of every Olympic athlete.  He knew every effort made and every emotion felt on the part of family members.  He knows the sweet joy of success ~ however an athlete defines that ~ and the agony of competitors at home who were this close to making the Olympics. 

He knows us so well, and He loves us so much.  There's nothing He doesn't know about you, good or bad.  And He loves you.  You are His beloved.  I hope you know that.

~ "Yes, I have loved you 

    with an everlasting love; 

Therefore with lovingkindness 

     I have drawn you" ~

Jeremiah 31:3

All in all, better off than the donkey, though...

"we circled round"

Acts 28:13

I had a migraine headache the other day.   I don't have those very often, but when they do, my trademark is impaired vision and vertigo.  I get those symptoms even before the pain starts.  It usually responds well to pain relievers, but until they kick in, I'm blind and dizzy.  And fairly miserable. 

And for some reason, I started thinking about that old children's party game, Pin the Tail on the Donkey.  Which, now that I think about it, is an odd game.... Why a donkey?  How was he mutilated?  Veterinary surgery, as a child's game?  Odd....

Anyhow, remember when you played Pin the Tail on the Donkey when you were a child?  Blindfolded, right?  And then, as if that didn't make it hard enough to pin the tail on said donkey, you were spun around.  And around and around.

After you were spun in a circle, someone stopped you from spinning, and gave you a push in the general direction of the donkey, and then you had to move forward with the tail outstretched, and hope for the best.

But sometimes I think we have that feeling, and it's not because we're at a child's birthday party, and it's not because of a terrible headache.  Sometimes we feel that way because.... well, because life sometimes feels that way.

Do you know that feeling?   In your career, in your education, in your family?  In any decision that's bigger than you are? 

When I am feeling blind and confused, I think the last thing I should do, is head off in the direction of my goal.  That's me, aiming for what I think I want.  But what I need to do, is stay close to the One who helps the blind to see.  The One who stops the spinning by giving us the wisdom we need.

But here's the trick:  realizing the choice we have to make.  Because once the spinning has stopped, we have a tendency to head off again, unaware of how blind we are without Him.  I have felt, sometimes, that I'm glad He stopped the spinning, but I still don't know what to do or where to go.

We sing a song in church sometimes called "Came to My Rescue" and there's a line that says "You came to my rescue and I wanna be where You are".  The last time I sang that line, I thought, "He rescued me ~ why would I want to be anywhere else?"

Whether you know it or not; whether you can feel it or not ~ without Him, you are blind and disoriented.  Be where He is.

"Jesus said to the twelve, 

'Do you also want to go away?' 

But Simon Peter answered Him, 

'Lord, to whom shall we go?

  You have the words of eternal life.' "

John 6:67-68

Lift your eyes to heaven

"the moon moving in brightness"

Job 31:26

"He appointed the moon for seasons"

Psalm 104:19

"the moon and stars to rule by night, 

for His mercy endures forever"

Psalm 136:9

Man, did you see the moon last night? 

Beautiful. 

Cool and peaceful white with shades of blue-gray.

I just sat and looked at it. 

Watched it move ever so slowly.

It peeked out from behind the trees, then hid, then peeked out again.

One of God's most beautiful creations.

I hope you saw the moon last night.  

"I consider Your heavens, 

the work of Your fingers,

The moon and the stars, 

which You have ordained"

Psalm 8:3

"the moon, the faithful witness in the sky"

Psalm 89:37

"Praise Him, sun and moon;

Praise Him, all you stars of light!"

Psalm 148:3