I have mostly avoided posting anything about politics, mainly because I have not had the heart nor the mindset to debate.  Not the frame of mind I would have chosen to be in these last few months, given my bent towards soap-box speeches, but there it is.

Here is what I’ve been thinking over the last month and especially yesterday.  It looks long, but it’s where my heart is:
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The thing is, if Trump is a baby Christian, as I’m hearing second-hand—not from media, but from people who are close friends with a few of the men in his immediate circle of influence over the last year—

IF he is a Christian….

1)
Shouldn’t we be rejoicing?  He repented.  He repented!  In other words, his sins are forgiven!  He will be with Jesus in paradise with the rest of us redeemed sinners.  And if that’s a tough nut to swallow, maybe we need to re-examine our view of the Cross and the grace that was extended to US.  Donald Trump may have more crass sins in the eye of the public than I do, but I guarantee you, his sin is not actually bigger than mine.  Neither of us deserves grace and forgiveness.  And yet Christ offers it.

2)
If he’s truly repentant, we have a strong hope that the Lord is working on his heart.  That he will change…even if it’s gradual.  If he is a new creation, we WILL see the old things pass away.  There is hope in that.  Have faith.  God can turn “the hearts of kings” who don’t even believe He exists.  How much more thrilling if a leader has put their faith in Him?!

3)
If there was ever a time to say, “Who are we to judge?”, this would be it.  Certainly we don’t know the true state of Trump’s heart towards the Lord, if he is really saved, if he has actually turned from whatever sins God has the right to hold against him.  God says only He Himself can know for sure.  But even the most adamant disagreements with Trump’s political policies do not automatically disqualify him from Christendom.  He can be saved and still not do everything some Christians think he ought.  Yes, I’m a strong believer in judging the fruit of someone’s claim to salvation.  But I don’t expect a newbie Christian to become Martin Luther by next week.

In conclusion, I don’t have a problem with Christians differing on the economy, national security, abortion…okay, I have a problem with Christians differing on that one.  But I’m saddened to see so many believers turn on one another so harshly, so unkindly.  As if their brother or sister in Christ with different views is now their worse enemy.  If the world can only know we are Christians by our love, well….poo.

 

 

So you know that scene where the woman has a nightmare that all her teeth are crumbling and falling out?  Yeah…, I kinda felt like that for a minute yesterday when my tooth sorta fell apart while I was standing in the middle of Dillard’s. No lie. I wondered how uncouth it would be to ask around the designer purse section for a napkin to put the pieces into.

I laughed in Dillard’s and then cried on the way home. Battling fear. Scared that the pain would hit me hard when it finally did. Worried that this might just be the beginning of a life full of teeth problems. Anxious about how long before I could see the dentist, wondering how to live with this odd half-a-tooth and eating and brushing…. I basically worried about anything that came to mind.

Oh, the Enemy likes to play with our heads. So I turned to prayer instead of thinking. Here are two of the blessings I came up with immediately.

1) It was the problem tooth. The dentist discovered last Saturday that the filling is leaking and chipping so that was getting replaced anyway; now it’ll be easier for him to investigate. In 10 days.  Which is kind of a long time to wait, but I’ll take it. Since we knew this tooth had issues, this is probably not a sign of things to come for the rest of my teeth.

2) It doesn’t hurt.  Unbelievably. Even when I swished with warm salt water. Even when I brushed gently across it. It’s basically a whole quarter of my tooth that is now missing all the way to the gum; I can see a cross-section of my tooth and the filling. How is this not hurting??? I am in awe of God’s hand on me. This tooth has given me so much trouble. We’re assuming it’s been a major–yet invisible–player in my increasing pain and sometimes sinus problems that began last August. Yet here it is with the most sensitive parts exposed and the only pain I feel is in my jaw when my tongue spends too long messing with this freaky tooth. (I’m training it to play with the teeth on the other side for balance.)

God has been so many things to me through this. My Provider and Sustainer, my Comfort, my Shelter…and now my Healer.

Folks, if you have teeth that bite things for you and don’t wake you up in the middle of the night throwing a tantrum, appreciate them. Thank God for them. Whole teeth are wonderful things.

And for those of you who like weird and gross things as much as I sometimes do, I might take a picture….

It’s encouraging to discover that, not only am I a help to the parents/grandparents of my small charge, he misses me, too. Over a month ago, when I had to stay home with a cold, he asked for me: “Grandma, Ra-Ra [that’s me] play, PLEASE!!” So all the work I make him do, all the program activities and therapy…I’m not driving him crazy. Even he feels the benefits.

He continues to improve and amaze us. On days when I’m tempted to just let him play with the iPad while I let my tired brain sort through his program, this pushes me onward. He is growing, his mind expanding. His cleverness finds outlets now. There is hope for his future, not just that he will be happy but that he will learn how to help others. Somewhere in his mind there is brilliance.  We are learning how to tap into it.

Acceptance doesn’t have to equal complacency.  Acceptance doesn’t mean we let him alone.  He will never be like everyone else.  None of us ever are if we know what’s good for us.  He will never be typical, because we cannot erase what God has done.  He will ALWAYS have that extra chromosome.  But we know about potential.  And he has a lot of it.  Acceptance + love = pushing the limits/reaching for the sky/refusing to sit on a diagnosis.  He is special.  I am special.  And we are teaching each other.

*to learn more about his therapy program see this page.

This is the night I’ve been waiting for since September ended. All gray and blustery. A night that makes the lights on inside so homey and welcoming. A night that makes you wonder if the weatherman has it all wrong and you’ll wake up to snow on the ground.  (Stranger wishes have come true.)

This is a window-cracked-open (you must appreciate the cold), large-mug-of-something-hot-in-hand, cheesy-hallmark-christmas-movie-since-there’s-no-football-on kind of night.  And we’ll take all of these we can get for the holidays.  Welcome, Texas winter.

Learning to love Jesus whole-heartedly.  Learning new things every day about brain development as I help children with Downs syndrome.  Attempting dignity and grace in the way I present myself.  Keeping up with ideas, keeping track of thoughts.  Showing off what God does all around me.

• facebook – Sara McFerren
• hisownsixpence.blogspot.com

I feel like Tootles…

     “It’s snowing!”

 

 

It was many years to live…

was it a good life?

 

Was your heart ever touched by God?

Did you love her once upon a time?  Did you still?

Did you stand in awe of sunsets the way I do?

Did I inherit my patriotic heart from you?

Or my love of the rugged outdoors, shooting guns, cold weather, the moon, the ocean?

Is there any part of you in me?

Who were you?

 

I wish someone could tell me what you were like as a boy.

I envy the few who had the chance to know you before the war.

Before life closed you up.

I wish I had known your heart.

All my life it was hidden away.

 

 

Mostly…

 

      …mostly I hope that I will see you again.

 

we made it.
no damage to the house,
no flooding in our neighborhood.
even our trees are fine.

the neighbor lost one of her pines…straight onto our driveway.
we thought something like that might happen,
we just thought it’d go the other way.
we parked our cars in our yard in front of the house
instead of on the driveway.
the pine missed the back of Dad’s car by two inches.
actually the ends of the branches were touching it.
it was pretty exciting–I got to watch it go around 5 am.

right now we’re in Austin with Mom and the little ones.
we decided no a/c in Houston was one adventure we did not want to experience.
it’s amazing how muggy it got as the winds died down Saturday afternoon.

the drive through Houston was equally amazing.
i had no idea wind could do that much damage.
i was out in some of that wind! (yes, we played in the storm…don’t tell the experts.)

according the the news, all of the Texas coastline is devastated.
but there are places where nothing but tree branches and fences went down.
i’m so grateful to God that our neighborhood was one of them.

stacy has some great pictures on her site of Friday preparations.
hopefully she’ll be able to upload some from the actual storm soon.