PERFECT DAY

A few weeks ago I saw my cousin Jennifer and she told me I needed more posts about my kids. So this post is partly for her. 😘

But mostly it's for me.

That's because I just lived through one of those days as close to paradise as anyone can reach in this lifetime.

And I want to come back to this page 10 years from now so I can revisit it - like Wordsworth with his daffodils. (Google it.)

The day was glorious from first light. While the girls slept in and Caleb drove to his gym, Melissa and I walked a mile to a cute little coffee shop. 

A latte and gluten free bagel for her, basic drip coffee -black - for me.

Eventually the kids joined us and we made our big plan for the day. 

The Chattahoochee River runs alongside Columbus, Georgia and some clever person has decided to erect a couple of high wooden towers in order to allow people to zipline over to Alabama on the far bank of the river and then back to Georgia again. 

The kids and I were immediately game, but Melissa needed a little convincing - at the coffee shop and again at the top of the tower. 

In the end, she took the plunge with the rest of us.

We all suited up ... 

And climbed the spiral staircase.

Dozens of little moments like this were sprinkled throughout the day. We are so blessed to have kids who love and respect each other and enjoy each other's company. (We missed you, Samuel!)

We made it to the top and waited patiently for our turn to fly. Here's Hannah ...

And Sarah ...

And right behind them, Caleb and Melissa.

Good, clean, adventurous fun together.

Next we went in search of ice cream. 

Columbus has an attractive and active downtown with plenty of shops in walking distance just a block or two from the water.

The girls found quite the milkshake to share.

We capped the day off with some shopping and a fantastic Mexican dinner followed by a walk along the river. Perfect weather from sun up to sunset.

It's going to be difficult, but we plan to top this perfect day tomorrow ... 

Thank you, Lord, for such a blessing. 

ALL IS WELL

A much-too-early alarm.

Last minute packing and loading the minivan.

Later start than expected.

Too many traffic slow downs.

Getting rerouted by GPS.

A longer-than-necessary lunch stop.

Rain and more traffic.

A 9-and-a-half-hour trip in theory becomes a 12-hour trip in reality.

But 3 of our 4 kids are under the same roof with us tonight in a cozy little Airbnb in Columbus, Georgia, and all is well with the world.

TO GEORGIA

 Heading to Georgia tomorrow for an extended weekend to spend time with this guy ...

And I will be doing the lion's share of the driving, so I am choosing to head to bed rather than write some extended post tonight. 

Hannah will be going with us, so we will only be missing Samuel. 

That's a bummer, but these days we take what we can get. God willing, we will all be together at Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

THEY KNOW NOT

We tend to assume the worst about people who sin against us. 

"I know exactly why he did what he did." 

"She knew how much she would hurt me when she plunged the knife in, and then she turned it ... on purpose."

"They did  that just to make me mad!" 

But are we mind readers? And did the one who sinned against us think through and plan every aspect of their words and actions for maximum harm against us? 

If we step back and look at the situation objectively, wouldn't it be closer to say that person wasn't thinking about US at all?  Isn't it more likely their motives were purely self-centered? And possibly quite confused and irrational?

The Bible gives us no wiggle room: We are called to forgive others who sin against us in the same way as God forgives us. 

That's a tall order, especially when you look at what Jesus said from the cross in Luke 23:34: 

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Forgive these people BECAUSE they really have no clue what they are doing.

Wow. 

CONVICTION

When you experience conviction from the Holy Spirit, it might come out of the blue as you are walking down the street, but more often than not it will manifest during one of two activities: reading the Bible or listening to a sermon. 

Of the two, I would rather experience that conviction while reading the Bible on my own.

For one thing, reading the Bible can happen at any hour, giving the Spirit a wider time frame for action, not limiting him to a 25 minute period on Sunday mornings.

Secondly, if God hits you upside the head while you are reading Scripture at home, you have the option of pushing pause and giving his lesson plenty of time and silence to sink in. Not so in a worship service.

Finally, when God's word leads to conviction, it is more direct than when through a sermon. No middleman is needed. We won't be tempted to dismiss the conviction as a mere byproduct of the preacher's skills in oration. 

I say all this because yesterday morning I experienced conviction while reading my Bible and it left me wanting even more.

I don't want to read the Bible looking for confirmation of what I already believe and do. I want to be told the hard things. 

THE LORD'S PRAYER

I have been praying the Lord's Prayer daily for over 3 months now. Not just reciting it, but meditating on each line as a framework for that day's spontaneous prayer.

• God as my Father
• His name glorified across this earth
• His Kingdom come in power
• Asking for my daily bread
• Asking forgiveness - as I forgive others
• Asking protection against temptations

There is so much to consider in regard to each line, but I go with the flow and see which line floats to the top on any particular day.  

Honestly, it is one of the most powerful prayer habits that I have ever developed. 

HOT TOPIC

I bought a secular book the other day about the science behind habit formation, thinking it would be useful for my dissertation. I had never heard of the author but his website said the book had sold 500,000 copies since it was first published in 2013.

In the publishing world, that is a phenomenal number. It can be hard to interpret the book market statistics because there are lots of moving parts, but it seems safe to say the majority of books published each year sell less than 1,000 copies each. 

Only 2% sell more than 50,000.

So, half a million is impressive! Wildly successful.

But what surprised me most was the quality of the writing. 

Honestly, it is not great.  [I am intentionally not using the author's name or the book's title here because there is no need for me to diss either.]

Those purchases were not on account of the sparkling prose.

So why did half a million people buy the book? The logical conclusion is that many are truly interested in the topic. 

I think we all aspire to be disciplined and we are looking for someone to tell us how to do it.