Failure or Adventure

Circumstances change. 

Numbers change.

Policies change.

What was so sure becomes impossible. 

The green glass lit from behind; signaling forward move, with a switch of electrical currant, flicks to red. 

Stop. 

No. Go.

Only One knows all; sees all; 

controls all.

Electrical currents only run because He spoke -

And there was light. 

Green? Red? 

He made those colors. 

Existence- 

my existence and where/how  it happens-

It belongs to Him! 

The WORD's word: 

"To HIM be the dominion forever and ever. Amen." 

One of our greens flicked to red. 

Recently. Suddenly. 

School boards. 

The districts they serve. 

Policy changes. 

We look back and wonder? 

Did we plunge? 

Did we not listen or hear wrong? 

"to HIM be the dominion forever and ever. Amen."

A house bought- revamped- loved....

Made into a home.

A house that no longer provides access to the where God has called our seeking of education for our three gifts. 

A house - where we wanted to spend forever, but will likely boast a "for sale" sign once again. 

Is this a failure? 

"to HIM be the dominion forever and ever. Amen."

Right before that in the word:

"… the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." 

There is One immovable Anchor.

One Unchanging!

There is a forever, never-gonna-leave, home.

It's not here. It never will be here. 

But it's coming. We will never leave! 

Failure? Or Adventure? 

A King wrote this: 

"oh my God, in you I trust; 

let me not be put to shame;… 

Indeed none who wait for you shall be put to shame… 

he leads the humble in what is right, 

and teaches the humble his way.

All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, 

for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. ...

Who is the man who fears the Lord? 

Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. 

His soul shall abide in well-being, 

his offspring shall inherit the land.

The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,

and he makes known to them his covenant. 

My eyes are ever toward the Lord." 

Ps25

With great hope and a sure confidence-

Open-handed following.

Failure free. 

We Schulzes Adventure On.... 

Little Servers

Two fellas.

Their jaws and lips aching. 

The pain med had been forgotten at home. 

She apologized over and over

because she felt horrible and kept imagining their growing discomfort. 

She's their mom and moms are supposed to be prepared.

She apologized again. 

Time moved along quickly; the comfort of a previous dose worn off, while little sister's gymnastics class seemed to stretch on forever. 

8 hours prior had seen them - 

the older courageously going first- 

take turns in the orthodontist's chair as brackets and wires were attached. 

Excited and terrified all at once. 

Their young understanding of God's trustworthy care sustaining them. 

She patted their legs now and then. (Maybe that was more for her own comfort than their's.)

They both hold more physical courage in their pinky fingers than she'll ever have!

No one -not even the orthodontist- knew they would be returning just four short hours later because two little brackets did not seal right. 

Their trustworthy Abba knew.

One fella braved the chair twice. 

Now finally returned home from all that the day held. 

New doses of med given.

They found her in tears. 

Sobbing. 

In the pantry. 

It was simple really. 

She had forgotten to buy bananas while at the grocery. 

That and there was the hard news with unfolding even harder implications. 

Daddy had heard first and told her. 

They had been praying a lot and waiting hard for several days.

They will be doing this for awhile. 

This was not the first time their "earth seemed to be moving into the sea" (ps46)! 

It would not be their last, but it was their now, and the tears had not fallen until the banana void was realized. 

They were falling now.

Enter grace! 

Rich and free and bulging with demonstration of His power-filled love!

Served up by young, but well equipped servers... 

One moved into action to finish sorting both the groceries (and the younger siblings) into their proper places, running his little sister her warm bath, and changing the laundry. 

The other rubbed his momma's sholders, offering tissue, set the dinner table, and prepared a salad. 

All this done with few words and interspersed with squeezes to silently remind her of their love. 

Their jaws and lips ached still. 

But the fellas moved outward towards her.

When the Hero arrived home, he was greeted by hot supper and laughter.

She was smiling, tears still fresh but now literal drops of humbled joy.

The brackets and wire were shown with the relieved pride of those who have been through a hard. 

There were still too few bananas 

and an "earth moving into the sea".

But there was grace. 

Rich and free. 

It's reminder strong of His might and sovereign ordaining. 

Served up -οικονόμος 

By two young fellas to their momma! 

Οικονόμος χαρις

Stewarding Grace. 

Two words imbedded in the Word because THE WORD spoke them there. 

And here in my heart. 

"as each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace."  

1 Peter 4:10

In Greek they look like this, 

"οικονόμος χαρις" 

and read like this, 

"oikinomos charis". 

I am oikonomos of charis. 

These words, first Greek, now English - 

are me. 

I am steward of grace because HE was oikinomos of charis first;

because the WORD became these words.  

He took on the form of a steward and bought me for the rich feast of His loving favour. 

"One entrusted with the care and duty of serving the Master's resources to others; resources of merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in faith; kindling their exercise of Christlike virtue."

They tell me this is what it means. 

I read words on paper; their purpose to define, wondering how the most radical and glamorous of loves can be housed in these common groupings of letters? 

These words, and it is! 

The most glamorous of loves housed here. 

Brought to the feast of His boundless love. 

Served on overflowing, never-ending favour;  facets and depths, 

innumerable. 

inexaustible. 

infinite. 

GLORY.

I partake by becoming oikonomos. 

In serving of His vast mercies to another, -many anothers -I am filled.

This is beauty. This is love. This is life. 

In the giving, the laying aside, 

the dying. 

This is where I live. I feast here. 

And I am filled. 

As the days flow in and evenings fade out. 

As the hard comes; aches, tears, and always the more dying. 

As laughter splits sides; hearts bursting under joy's full and glorious weight. 

Always it is there. 

The feast. The favour. The WORD.

The partaking by oikonomos of charis. 

Serving up favour! 

Stewarding Grace.