Without ceasing?!?

The idea of praying without ceasing is a difficult one to wrap my head around.  I mean, how long can you keep you head bowed before you get a serious crick in it?

There's a story I once read on the internet that sheds some light on the issue:

A group of theology professors were debating the efficacy of pray within the sovereignty of God and the meaning of "pray without ceasing".  Obviously it had to mean something other the most direct interpretation.  After all, no one can continually pray, there are other aspects of life.  Finally, they settled on the concept that to "pray without ceasing" is an ideal we strive for, but never attain in this life.

Just then a cleaning woman comes in and one of them asks her, "Do you think anyone can pray without ceasing?"  She replies, "Of course!  When I first wake up in the morning I thank God for the new day and ask Him to direct me in a path that is pleasing to Him.  When I put my feet on the floor I thank Him for the health he has given me and I pray for those that I know are ill.  As I pick up my Bible for my morning devotion I ask Him to open my mind to understand, and my heart to want to do what I read in His book.  When I lay it down I ask Him to show me where His word applies in my life and relationships as I go through my day.  When I take a shower I thank Him for his provisions of my home and running water and electricity that puts me among the wealthiest 10% in the whole world.  As I prepare my breakfast I thank Him for His generous provision that is so far beyond what most people in the world have and ask Him to provide for those in need of the basic necessities of life.  And on and on through my day.  Everything offers me a chance to continue my conversation with Him!"

Sometimes I think we over think things a bit in order to give us a way out.  Maybe it does mean exactly what it says - "pray without ceasing."

Just sayin' ...

Edwin L. Freeman Obituary

Edwin L. Freeman Obituary: View Edwin Freeman's Obituary by The Herald

At the memorial service in Boston, Georgia, I spoke of my father's life as a servant.

Mat 5:16 - "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven."

I don't think I have ever heard this verse used in a memorial service and I didn't see it on any of the "list of memorial scriptures", but it seemed the most appropriate for dad. He was truly the definition of servant.

On of his favorite movies was "Remains of the Day". There is one scene where Anthony Hopkins character is out on the hunt with the master of the house. His master is just sitting on a horse conversing with another huntsman and Hopkins is standing in the drizzle with a cup upheld just in case his master wanted to drink. Winston Churchill said, "Those also serve who ready stand in wait." Dad was always ready, but he rarely stood. He was always serving.

Her served his family. He provided, sometimes through three jobs. And so, we learned the value of hard work. He could and did fix anything. Some of the most dreaded words came when we would ask him to replace something and he would respond with "I can fix that". We just wanted a new one and instead we ended up with a fully functional, however very ugly, repair. And so, we learned to be content with what we had. He helped people. I remember a time when he had sold a van to a woman. The next week, she called. The van had broken down. We went to pick up the van and he gave her the money back. And so, we learned to help people even when it hurt.

He served his church. Every church he has ever attended recognized that he was a man full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6:3). He became a councilor to every pastor he sat under. He served as Sunday School director and deacon, building , maintenance and sound committees and just took care of things whether he was on the committee or not. And so, we learned the value of church family.

In all of this, he served his god. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Josh 24:15). His house served the Lord, but it was not by command or coercion. He led us by example, service and love. And so, we learned that service of God is no burden, but an expression of love.

I miss him.

In a Post Dad World

It seems strange that nothing has changed.

The chair needed to be fixed.  The grass needed to be mown.  Bills to pay, dishes to wash, sermon to prepare, budget review to present, children to raise.  Gas in the car, check the e-mail, go for a walk, take a shower, clean the gunk out of the sole of my shoe.

It all seems so normal.

Shouldn't something change.

Maybe the herald who trumpets the differences in this new 'post dad' day and world is late.  Did we fail to convene the conference for the Committees to Pronounce Change in this new age?  Did I miss a memo?  I swear, I checked my email.

Something just has to be different!  It's not possible for there to be a hole this big in my soul and everything remains the same. 

Even so, it is well with my soul ...

On the Day Dad Died

Up from the nap

Planning, calling.

Outside swinging.

The pecan tree drops a limb on the car.

I swallow a gnat.

A black cat screams, “Meow” as it slinks past.

A breeze picks up.

I circumnavigate this 10 acre world.

The ground here is dirty.

My bare feet are black.

I swallow a gnat.

Inside and up the stairs for a shower

Black water swirls in the bottom of the tub as it heads to the drain

My feet are clean

Comfortable shorts and t-shirt.

Yahtze and Rummy – the Freeman social exchange

Glasses of sweet tea our social lubricant

Sarcastic observation and laughter our social language

Memories of moments 

A breeze picks up and a storm blows in.

In a deep place, healing begins

I LOVE young adults!

Spent some time in conversation today with a young woman working as an intern at Orphan's Heart.  Morning devotions have been uniquely God orchestrated.  Even though we are here to minister to these kids and by extension the adults that work with them, I think a good deal of the ministry is coming through our fellowship with one another.

Welcome (But you can't come in)

Hurry, Worry and the Life Abundantly Unlived

Time and again, someone will lament the lack of time.
There is too much going on, too many bells to answer, too many balls to juggle, too many people to see, too much work to be done, too many things left undone or unsaid ....
Then there are those who are concerned about how much they worry.
Will there be enough money, enough equity, enough savings, a steady income.  Will the neighborhood stay safe, the school district maintain excellence, the children make it into the right school to get the right education to land the right job so they can buy the right house in the right neighborhood to raise the grandkids to repeat the cycle.
Is that all there is?
What if the abundant life Christ came to bring us has nothing to do with our stuff, our status, our comfort, our security?   What if He really meant that in order to find our lives, we have to lose them?  To walk away from the "rat race" and pursue God with everything in us.  What if He literally meant Luke 6:20-25?
Just sayin'.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

To the tune of Bobby McFerrin's Don't Worry, Be Happy (here it is if you don't know it).

Here's a little song I heard
I might've had to change a word
Don't worry.  Be happy.

About to head out on a journey
Me dad is laid up on a gurney
Don't worry.  Be happy.

Don't worry.  Be happy now.

The doctor say to call back later
We put him on a ventolator
Don't worry.  Be happy.

Yesterday I called me dad
If I don't go it make him sad
Don't worry.  Be happy

Don't worry, Be happy now.

In this life you have some trouble
But when you worry you make it double
Don't worry.  Be happy.

Sometimes life it seems so frail
But our God will never fail
Don't be worry.  Be happy.

Don't worry.  Be happy now.

Dad updates below coutesy my sister, Sandra:

7/22 4:30a
Had a bad night with breathing. Tried the bipap but had claustraphobia issues with the mask and had to remove it. It started to get some rest around 3 am. He is very tired and breathing is hard. Cardiology will be in to see him in a few more hours for some testing. I will be calling again around 1pm for that update. He does not have a phone in his room so phone calls will not be easy to arrange. If you feel like you must speak to him please let me know so I can get with Virginia to get a good time and the call can only be 5 min. He is tired and having trouble breathing and it is hard to talk. The exception will be my brother James as he is going on a mission trip to Guatamala Sat. and will need to talk with him some. Thank you for sharing this with those who need to know and who want an update so they know how to pray. I will put a new note up everytime I speak with someone about Dad.

7/22 3pm
Had to intubate dad today he was having to hard a time breathing. His infection is responding to the meds. They just need the fluid to go down faster. Intubation was a comfort measure so he could rest and not have to work so hard breathing. Cardio was in last night and they along with Pulmanary and Infection control docs agree that there does not appear to be any heart issuses. His white blood cells are still way to high but are coming down. He still has a while to go. Hopefully he will be off intubation in the next couple of days and breathing better on his own. I will be calling again tonight around 8pm to get the lastest info from the docs who go to rounds later in the day.

7/22 8pm
Just spoke with the night nurse, Dad is resting and all vitals look good. Nothing new, still on the double antibiotic and anti anxciety meds. They were going to do another test to check the bacertia levels in a few min. just to see if they need to change his meds. He has nothing new going on right now. Thank you for all of your support and prayers I know they are being heard in a big way. I know the group going off to Guatamala is thankful as well for the prayers. All is calm now.

Background Music

So I was doing my morning walk and I had been singing Revelation Song out loud (and not sounding too bad, either(which is easy to say when there is no one else around to provide an opinion on the overall vocal quality)) when I noticed that at some point I was no longer singing out loud, but the chorus of the song was playing in the background of my mind as I contemplated the best way to confront an individual on a somewhat messy issue.  I'm singing in the back of my mind somewhere "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty ..."  In a time that I set aside to be alone with the God of all Creation, who truly is Lord God Almighty, I relegate Him to the background ...
Wow!
I've got such a long way to go ...

God help me ...
'Cause I don't think there is anyone else who can!

If I Had Remembered

I really hurt bad.
Saturday was day three - or the second day after surgery.  It didn't matter how many times I pushed the button on the morphine pump.  There was not a single moment I was not in pain.  Every millimeter of my 7 and 1/4 inch incision hurt.  Pain radiated out from my gut about 6 feet in every conceivable direction.
It hurt to be still.  It hurt to move.  My back hurt hurt from laying still, but the pain of moving was worse.  It hurt to lay flat.  It hurt to sit up.  It hurt to drink.  I couldn't lay on my back without pain.  I couldn't lay on my side without more pain.  The catheter hurt, the IV lines hurt, the drain in my stomach hurt.  My guts were in knots.
Like I said ...
I really hurt bad.
Laura had the night off to fulfill some family obligations and spend some time with the younger boys - it had been a long three days.  But, in her wisdom, she had provided a "sitter" for me.  One of the elders of the church was there to keep an eye on me and make sure I had what I needed.  I acknowledge I was not a very congenial host.    Fortunately, my "sitter" did not require any entertainment.
It was day two.  That means, it was time to walk.  I'd played abdominal surgery before (okay, nowhere near this extant, but I had some experience).  I knew how important this was.  You have to get up and walk around.  It's good for the lungs.  It's good for the bowels.  It's just plain necessary to to get things working again.  It speeds recovery.  And it HURTS!
Around 9:30pm I had my final visitor of the evening and it was time to attempt my endless string of 10 to 15 minute cat naps through my 10 hour night.  I remember clearly my final thought as my "sitter" prepared to leave ...

If I had remembered how much this hurt, I don't think I could have done it!

God often takes us on many side roads, back roads, dirt roads, winding roads and even some off-road paths in order to get us to our destination.  To be honest, there are many places we just wouldn't go if we understood in advance where we were headed.  The most beautiful destinations of vital relationship and fulfilling life are often only reached through difficult potholes and painful detours.  Through the valley of the shadow of death ...
Life hasn't always been easy.  I've messed some things up.  Some bad things have happened.  There are some things I just don't understand.  A lot of them seem absolutely unfair.  Sometimes that path I was on seemed more like hacking my way through the jungle.  Yet, here I am ...
20 years ago if you had told me I would end up right here, right now, you couldn't have made me come.  Now, I couldn't image not taking the journey.  I've made a lot of good friends along the way, not the least of which is my God.  Every time I went around that blind corner into the unknown, there He was!
I have no idea where I'm headed, but I look forward to the next bend in the road.