New Beginnings

October 6^th, 2014

There’s a scene in the 2003 remake of The Parent Trap where Hallie, played by Lindsey Lohan, meets her grandfather for the first time at the age of 13.  While hugging him she inhales deeply, which takes him by surprise.  He asks her, “What are you doing?” to which she replies, “I’m making a memory.”

This morning, I opened up a brand new Bible and made a memory.  Yes, I actually smelled it.  Have you ever smelled a brand new Bible?  There’s something refreshing about it.  I don’t know if it’s the smell of the ink or the leather bound cover, but I like it.  The best part of smelling this new Bible was the memories it brought back of other Bibles in my “collection” that were once new. 

In fact, I can recall, as if it were yesterday, the very first new Bible I owned.  It was a black, leather covered, New Kings James Version that I got at Dightman’s Bookstore in Tacoma, WA in 1986 right after accepting Christ into my life.  I took that Bible everywhere and read it regularly.  It was the first time I really fell in love with the word of God – even with all of the thees and thous.  As I listened to sermons, went to Sunday school, and participated in retreats I faithfully highlighted, underlined, and wrote notes in the margins and all the blank space I could find.  That bible still sits on the shelf in my office.

To be totally honest, this is not my first new Bible since the NKJV in 1986, it’s actually my third.  When I was ordained in 1997, I was given a gift certificate to the local Christian bookstore to purchase a Bible as part of my new journey as an ordained elder.  As I read that brand new Bible from beginning to end, I realized the marks in my first Bible had become white noise and there was a renewed excitement about the word of God as I highlighted, underlined, and wrote notes in the margins of the new one. 

Since then, I have purchased a new Bible about every ten years, or so, for the sole purpose of keeping the word of God as fresh as possible in my life.  Now, this is not to say that the Scriptures are white noise in my life, but I believe we have a responsibility to make God’s word an active and vibrant part of our life, and this is one way I have chosen to do so.  There will be passages of scripture I will have forgotten about that will jump off the pages at me; there will be others that will remind me of what I already know; and most importantly, because God’s word is alive, there will be direct revelation that applies to what I am experiencing on a daily basis in life.

My goal, and I would ask for your encouragement and prayers, is to share some thoughts from my daily reading.  It might be a sentence, it might be a book, but I want to reflect on something in writing as I read this “new” copy of God’s word.

May God bless this journey through his word, and may my journey be a blessing to you.

Until Next Time,

David

A Boy and His Tiger

For my 18th birthday, which seems like an eternity ago, I received a copy of the very first Calvin and Hobbes Collection from my friends.  As we read through the first few comics together, I literally received a phone call from my Mom informing me of my Grandfather’s death.  In the blink of an eye, my laughter turned to heavy sobs and a flood of tears.  Since my Dad's father died when I was 5 or 6, Grandpa Loughney was the only Grandpa I had really known.  He was full blooded Irish and would tell me he was going to be a saint one day.  I was in awe of that.  Of course, when you’re ten years old, you pretty much believe anything your Grandpa tells you. 

In reality, Grandpa was anything but a saint.  I’m not sure how many packs of cigarettes he smoked a day, but there were burn holes in his recliner.  The same recliner I used to fall asleep in while sitting on his lap in the evenings.  Grandpa also drank too much.  Yes, he was an alcoholic.  I know his drinking was often a challenge for his children; and yet, even with his issues and personal demons, the only thing I ever experienced was awe and wonder, and more love than I can imagine.

When he died, I was devastated.  As a teenager, I knew people died.  I watched it happen on TV and in the movies, but Grandpa’s death was the first death with a personal connection, which brings me back to Calvin and Hobbes.  In my sadness I found comfort in a boy and his “tiger”.  For short periods of time, I was able to forget about the hurt and instead find humor illustrated through the innocence of childhood. It’s no wonder they say laughter is the best medicine.

What prompted this?  It was this video clip posted by Wil Wheaton on his Google+ page.  When I watched this clip, I was immediately transported back to my 18^th birthday and the months that followed.  I was reminded of how fragile life is, and at the same time, about how much joy can be found in the simple things of life.  I was reminded that, as adults, we can still find joy in the simple things.  We only need to open our eyes and discover what’s in front of us.  It is there, we just need to look for it. 

Watch the clip and let yourself laugh out loud.  Its ok, no one will care.  Then, find someone to share it with, because joy is best shared with others.

Laughing with you,

David

When God Created Mother's

I am thankful for the Mothers who have been an influence in my life across the years, especially my own mom, Sharon Rose Chambers.  Thank you for getting me started in life!

Here's an appropriate poem by Erma Bombeck on this Mother's Day. I'm glad God made my mom this way, I'm sure I put her to the test in every way.

When God Created Mother

by Erma Bombeck

When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into His sixth day of “overtime” when the angel appeared and said. “You’re doing a lot of fiddling around on this one.”

And God said, “Have you read the specs on this order?” She has to be completely washable, but not plastic. Have 180 movable parts…all replaceable. Run on black coffee and leftovers. Have a lap that disappears when she stands up. A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair. And six pairs of hands.”

The angel shook her head slowly and said. “Six pairs of hands…. no way.”

“It’s not the hands that are causing me problems,” God remarked, “it’s the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have.”

“That’s on the standard model?” asked the angel. God nodded.

“One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks, ‘What are you kids doing in there?’ when she already knows. Another here in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn't but what she has to know, and of course the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say. ‘I understand and I love you’ without so much as uttering a word.”

“God,” said the angel touching his sleeve gently, “Get some rest tomorrow….”

“I can’t,” said God, “I’m so close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick…can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger…and can get a nine year old to stand under a shower.”

The angel circled the model of a mother very slowly. “It’s too soft,” she sighed.

“But tough!” said God excitedly. “You can imagine what this mother can do or endure.”

“Can it think?”

“Not only can it think, but it can reason and compromise,” said the Creator.

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek.

“There’s a leak,” she pronounced. “I told You that You were trying to put too much into this model.”

“It’s not a leak,” said the Lord, “It’s a tear.”

“What’s it for?”

“It’s for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness, and pride.”

“You are a genius, ” said the angel.

Somberly, God said, “I didn't put it there.”

Erma Louise Bombeck, born Erma Fiste, was an American humorist who achieved great popularity for a newspaper column that depicted suburban home life humorously, in the second half of the 20th century.

For 31 years since 1965, Erma Bombeck published 4,000 newspaper articles. Already in the 1970s, her witty columns were read, twice weekly, by thirty million readers of 900 newspapers of USA and Canada. Besides, the majority of her 15 books became instant best sellers.