Uncle Doug Lawrence

Doug Lawrence was my uncle. Sooo... many people are, and will be, saying things about him right now, because he knew...soooo...many...people... If he were here right now I would be lacing that statement with a bit of sarcastic tone and eye roll, just to jab at him. It's true, He was well, well known and loved in the music world and in his inner circles and it will rightfully be talked about and cherished by many. But still. [Insert affectionate eye-roll and head-shake right here] (He would expect no. less. of me.)
I came in to the world when Doug was still in high school, and POOF! he became Uncle Doug. He instinctively knew he was supposed to be one of my fans, and so he was. He also accused me of being a weird kid and never... dropped that ATTITUDE. I did my best to own it and hey, I was not the only weird one in the relationship. Just sayin'.
I think that my fondest memories came from the years that we both found ourselves in a bumpy season of life. We talked, we confided. We had lunch. One or two or... three of the best lunch date memories of my life.
Through the years there were all of those shared Thanksgivings at Grandma's, Christmases, July pool parties and all of the lovely family things. When he sang at my tiny wedding, I wanted to appreciate that a celebrated baritone was singing at my* wedding, but really, my heart just loved that Uncle Doug was singing. He was the best.
I'm convinced that some of the best relationships in life include some serious eye-rolls, good conversation and great hugs. I am grateful for all of those Uncle Doug memories, and so wish that the many miles between us, had allowed for far more.
Congratulations Uncle Doug! You now know grace, face to face.
Till we meet again. ♥

Having known his life was nearing the end I always thought I would share this video of him when the time came. Turns out, a lot of others wanted to share the same video.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=FaEWqheh3Mc&fbclid=IwAR1Xs_5CaBUyCI9AtqDxq2-MQiy2Lp0M8x_21uYR5JCTYpZcEuEc2QipuOE

His professional bio in a nutshell:
https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Lawrence-Douglas.htm?fbclid=IwAR28Mpfav02G0yHfNFgNMYdF6OpkrCsu9aWh5bdFOKWO9eIf7jtEG-QOok0

My Mother Was...Tenacious

My mom was a tenacious woman. If you were a part of her family, this was difficult to navigate at times. You could see it on her face when she was in mode...a disgruntled determination that could make for difficult conversations. (In later years these conversations were often about the frustrations with technology.)  But here's the big legacy-forming thing, she had a tenacious faith. Not the kind of stubborn, here are the tenants of my faith, don't argue with me faith, but a deeply rooted in God's love* and word, faith.

From the time she was a child, she lived with this nagging belief that she was the least favorite person in the room. It dogged her, her entire life. This could have influenced a jaded view of God's love, but instead, it was the anchor of her soul. She was fully convinced of His love for her and she wanted others to believe He loves too. "He loves us more than we can even imagine!" she would often say. If she was speaking directly to you, she would lock eyes and you might wonder how long the eye-lock was going to last. She would also declare her love for us with that eye-lock. Tenacity!

My mom was also a feed-your-faith woman. She tenaciously read and studied and took notes and ...worked* at knowing and memorizing God's word. There were bible notes and noted verses scribbled everywhere. EVERYWHERE! On stickies, note pads, junk mail...and of course, in bible margins...in several bibles. There were handwritten index cards for memorizing. The Word was a part of her very fiber,  and the Bible was a foundation for her also tenacious, prayer life.

The disgruntled and sometimes unpleasant, determination of my mother may have seemed like a contradiction of faith in the difficult moments but looking over her lifetime of tenacity, it became a beautiful picture to me. She was a flawed woman, as am I*, but most of all she held on to what was good and fixed her eyes on Jesus, the author, and finisher of her faith.

The memory of her tenacious faith, reminds me, that I need to be ever in the Word, persevering in prayer, and fully convinced of God's love for me, and others. It reminds me that ordinary people can and will, finish the race well. This is legacy at its best. This is amazing grace.

(And you know what? I kind of miss the disgruntled determination face. It was part of my mom.)

"But test all things carefully so you can recognize what is good. Hold firmly to that which is good." 1 Thessalonians 5:21 AMP 

 

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 1:3

"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments." Deut 7:9

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12

Unplugging Your Playlist

Often, when a song pops into my head, I don't yet clearly see why it's the song for the moment. Then, as I sing it through, and the lines unfold, I get it. It is that reminder, that reinforcement, that perspective... that I need at that very time.  Sometimes the songs are contemporary, sometimes an old hymn or worship chorus, and sometimes a bouncy sunday school chorus from long ago that makes me giggle. Always, they soothe the soul.

Have you tried this?

(click image to view large)

Tandem Hearts

This morning's listening to "Come Thou Fount" was both soothing and directional.

"Let thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee."

Ah, the goodness of God toward me...soothing, needed, and not something my heart really wants to wander from. Wanting to stay put in the streams of mercy is something very appealing in a drought weary land. But there is something more to having our hearts bound to Him. It's about our hearts toward others.
Grace and mercy can be a difficult concept when we are looking at our relationship with all of those imperfect humans. This is where having our hearts bound, fettered to God's is crucial. Our hearts can't go the distance. We must be so closely connected to His that we understand His heart toward all of those difficult, I mean *precious...people around us. It's a tandem journey. Our hearts following His. Right behind, right in sync. He is the one that provides the pedal power. We are the weak passengers behind. When we are bound and fettered to Him we will end up in the the right place even if we take our feet off of the pedals.

Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

Gateway Worship- Come Thou Fount

UPS- Special Delivery: Encouragement.

Not by chance... a praise/worship song from back in the day...so many, many moons ago...popped into my head today. There was a part of it that could easily mix you up, okay, ME up when trying to sing it through so I had nick-named it the UPS song. Uphold. Preserve. Sustain.


The song starts out with, "Rejoice, for the steps of the righteous man, they are ordered of God..." This was the thought that brought the song to mind. There is a cool side effect that comes from this song. Because it is bouncy and catchy, it helps to simulate bouncy brain chemicals. This was something I had specifically and sincerely brought before the Lord this morning. This week's schedule, out of routine sleep hours, minor health issues etc had caused a significant brain fog. The kind of fog that you ponder with your last 1.5 functioning brain cells and you say to yourself, "wow, this is some fog." Really. Needed. Something... bouncy in the ol' brain.

So, without further ado, I will share the bouncy oldie via link, and the upholding, preserving, sustaining, scripture that goes with.

(Just for fun, the hebrew word for sustain is kuwl. Pronounced kool. So now I hope it sticks in your head, God's kool delivery of encouragement.)


Psalms 37: 23, 24 The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand.


UPHOLD

Isaiah 41:10
Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.


Psalm 63:8 My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.


PRESERVE

Psalms 32:7
You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.

Psalms 40:11
You, O LORD, will not withhold Your compassion from me; Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.


SUSTAIN

Psalms 55:22
Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S1ssljLo7A

Out loud

I like praying out loud in the car. It's not about lofty stuff. I don't use formal words or rhythms. It's my chance to say, hey God, I'm so glad you're listening. It's usually about the hard stuff in life. The stuff that makes me weary and tries my soul. The stuff that would sink me if God wasn't listening. He's listening. Listening with compassion and affection,  measuring out mercy and wisdom, grace and strength.

Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

Psalms 66:20

As Lavender

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I want to age like Lavender. This morning as I looked at the Lavender in my garden I felt a little sad in seeing that the flowers were already drying. In a moment I realized that this was the point that the Lavender quality became even more evident. It is when the blooms of the Lavender fade that the fragrance matures. Strong, distinct, lingering. A testimony of it's true character. The fragrance is unmistakable and is contained even in the leaves and wood and it is in the pressing and crushing that the fragrance comes forth the strongest.

As youth inevitably fades, I want to be found fragrant. I want the strong, distinct and lingering fragrance of Christ to become mature and evident in me.

Ephesians 5:1,2
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

2 Corinthians 2:14,15 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.