In Search of The Granny Egg

Every Easter our family has a traditional Easter Egg Hunt after our lunch has settled and we can no longer endure the kids begging us to hide eggs for them.  Several years ago my dad started hiding a Golden Egg that has the one thing inside that gets the teenagers involved in the hunt - CASH!  I remember one rainy Easter when it was too wet to go outside, my dad hid the egg in the house.  Every child, teenager and adult ripped through cabinets, drawers, closets and couch cushions in search of the prize.  My sweet mama threatened to put an end to the Easter Bunny if he EVER hid another egg in her house!  I'm pretty sure she said EVER in all caps.

This year the Golden Egg was renamed the Granny Egg in honor of my grandmother who is in a rehab facility and was unable to join us for the weekend. The boundaries of the hidden eggs were given and the kiddos were off to the hunt.  All the small, empty (yes, empty because MRS. Easter Bunny failed to fill them with candy) plastic eggs were found, but the Granny Egg was still up for grabs.  Everyone was begging and bribing my daddy to give them hints as to where the prized egg might be hiding.  He finally specified a small area of the yard and said, "Everyone of you have walked within an arms length of the Granny Egg."  Now it was on!  Fifteen people hovering in one small area leaving no blade of grass unturned.  The little kids gave up.  The teenagers grew frustrated and began whining, "Papaw, just tell us where it is!"

Just when things were getting tense we heard, "I found it!"  Jayleen, our neighbor and unofficially adopted family member, held up the Granny Egg with a great big grin on his face.  While everyone was looking in the easy and obvious places, Jayleen was thinking about Papaw's clue.  He dove head first into the large azalea bush that was within an arms length of all of us, looked underneath it's limbs and a strategically placed pink blossom, and came out with the giant egg.



"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you," declares The Lord, Jeremiah 29:13,14a.

The Granny Egg wasn't hidden so that it would never be found.  It was hidden in order to be found.  But we had to search for it.  The heart and the purposes of God are found the same way.  They are hidden and must be discovered.  The hunt can be fun or it can be frustrating.  We can get bored or we can stay engaged.  We can beg and bribe the Hider to just give us the prize or we can listen to his directions and trust that the prize is worth the hunt.  We can get mad and jealous when others find their Granny Egg or we can rejoice because we're all on this journey together and the GRAND prize is big enough for all of us.

Incidentally, an egg from last year (which Mrs. Easter Bunny HAD filled with candy) was discovered buried underneath some shrubbery.  What would have been a treat a year ago, was melted, decayed and rotten.  Some treasures aren't meant to stay hidden.

The Empty Tomb

Every year our pastor calls a church wide fast during Lent.  We are asked to fast things as a church, corporately.  We are also asked to fast things individually, like certain food items or entertainments.  I usually begin preparing my heart and my mind for the fast shortly after the new year.  The discipline of unplugging from the world and getting my body, soul and spirit into proper alignment is something I really look forward to each year. 

This year my fast was a flop.  It started out great but two weeks into it spiritual attack came from every side and I could not stand.  The things I chose to sacrifice became familiar comforts to me.  My body fatigued, my will weakened and my spirit submitted to my flesh.  For 40 days a spotlight seemed to shine on my sin.  I was so aware of my sin nature.  My thoughts, words, actions, motives, and emotions seemed to fall short on every level and I felt powerless to gather them up and wage war against them.

An Easter craft my mom did with the kids Sunday afternoon

This morning I was deeply convicted of an attitude that has invaded my heart.  It is ugly and it is dangerous.  As I was confessing my sin I thought, "This is what the cross means to me.  This is the beauty of that empty tomb."  I can sit on my couch in the early hours of the morning and pour out my heart to my God.  I am assured that He hears me, forgives me, cleanses me, and empowers me to overcome.  Excitement arises in my spirit!  This is the difference between the days before the cross and the days after the cross.  The days before the cross brought an awareness of my sin and a return to familiar vices to ease the sting.  The days after the cross still bring an awareness of my sin, but with it comes the hope of change.  I have power to defeat this nasty attitude and every other sin that comes under the spotlight.  My heart sings loud an anthem of celebration that we sang at church this past Easter Sunday...

The stone was rolled away

His perfect love could not be overcome

Now death where is your sting

Our resurrected King has rendered you defeated

Kari Jobe - Forever

Rugged, Yet Elegant

Many years ago I read a book that asked the question, "What are your husband's dreams?"  It issued a challenge to let your husband's dreams become your dreams. The question stopped me dead in my tracks.  I had no answer.  Through many years of our marriage I was so focused on just surviving the moment and trying to achieve my own personal dreams, that I never stopped to ask Ted about his dreams.  I guess I assumed they were similar to mine.

My life dreams consisted of women's ministry and a large antebellum style home, complete with big, white columns and oversized windows that you could walk right through to get to the wrap around porch.  I dreamed of parlors that I could fill with guests and extra bedrooms where they could rest and renew their strength.  Something similar to this house I toured a few years back in Natchez, MS.  I can dream, right?

I hesitantly asked my husband the question, half expecting him to say he'd never really thought about it.  "What is your dream?"  I was stunned when I heard the answer.   It was not at all what I expected.  His dream?  A hundred acres with a cabin and a lake.  WHAT?  No antebellum house?  No white columns?  No live oak trees ushering me down a long winding driveway?  Oh, dear!  Our future seemed to be going in opposite directions. 

I was speechless.  All I managed to get out was, "Really?"  I am certain my face showed my disappointment and my horror.  A cabin?  A lake? Woods?  But I was more horrified that I had never even thought about asking him this question.  My heart ached with grief over my own self-centeredness.  My husband, who had always supported everything I had set my mind to do, had never even voiced the secret desire of his heart.  That very day I began praying, "Let my husband's dreams become my dreams."  It is amazing to me how God can change a heart when it is yielded to Him.  A heart that is determined not to go its own way but to surrender its will.  

Over the course of time the thought of a cabin in the middle of the woods began to appeal to me.  I even gave up the idea of hosting parties and weekend retreats, for the idea of being lulled to sleep by the serenade of crickets and bullfrogs.

Earlier this year my dreamer found his promised land.  I was a little skeptical as he drove me to the middle of nowhere to view what was to be my future.  It is indeed all that he ever wanted.  But what reveals the faithfulness and goodness of God is, that it's all I ever wanted, too. 

There are small live oak trees that escort me down a long winding driveway.  The wrap around porch has a bonus tucked in the back corner - a swing bed overlooking the lake.  

The cabin has plenty of room for those weekend retreats and parties that I've dreamed of hosting.  It doesn't have large white columns.  Instead, the cabin is built around beams that came from an old bridge just down the road.  I can't seem to take my eyes off of them.
I think those old beams just might be my favorite part of this place. They are so rugged and rustic, but somehow seem to add a touch of elegance.  Rugged, yet elegant.  The perfect symbol of our two dreams.

Lookin' For Jesus

When my son, Mason, was a pre-schooler, he would look for Jesus.  Sometimes as we would ride along the road he would look out the window and say, "Is Jesus coming today?"  "He just might", I would reply, "you better look for Him."  Other times he would crawl on top of the kitchen counter while I cooked his breakfast and look out the window.  "I'm gonna look for Jesus", he would announce.  I can still remember the look on his face and the twinkle in his eyes as he looked for Jesus.  Such excitement and sweet anticipation.

When did we loose that?  When did we stop looking for Jesus?  I'm not talking about staring out the window and waiting for the eastern sky to split wide open.  I'm talking about looking for Jesus in the small, everyday things.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.  Over the next 40 days or so I will be disciplining my heart and my mind to return to the faith of my child and look for Jesus.  He is everywhere and in everything.  I simply must take a pause from this busy life to find Him.  As I write, I hear the crickets and frogs outside my window declaring their morning praise to their creator.  They found Him!  The birds are chirping an anthem of worship as the sun is trying ever so hard to break through a mass of thick, grey clouds.  They found Him!  And so will I.  I will be mindful of Him.  I will meditate on Him.  I will align my body, soul and spirit to His Spirit.  I will look to the sacrifice of the Cross.  I will weep over the depravity of my sin.  I will rejoice over the Redemption offered by a Risen Savior.  I will depend on His Grace as I deny my stubborn flesh.  I will look for Him and I will find Him!  "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares The Lord.  Jeremiah 29:13-14a.

That little pre-school boy is now a grown man.  I saw him yesterday, and with the same excitement and twinkle in his eyes he exclaimed, "Mama, I had some God moments today!"  He proceeded to share about the goodness of God's specific provision for that day, and His sweetness of reconciliation and restoration of a friendship.  I think he found Him.

Signs of Life

“There is a time for everything, and a SEASON for every activity under the heavens”, Ecclesiastes 3.  I don’t like all seasons, specifically, the current season of winter.  I do appreciate the winter season in August when the mosquitos are biting and West Nile lurks under every blade of grass.  But now, I only wish it good-bye and good riddance.  

Each January I start off with a renewed sense of purpose for the year, only to quickly lose it to the grey skies, soggy ground, cold temperatures and four walls which confine me.  Since I can’t get outside I tend to look in the mirror a little more.  From boredom, I suppose.  Yikes!  Do I need a tan or what?  No amount of blush or lipstick will perk up this pale face.  There’s nothing more to do other than hunker down and wait for spring.  Or, wait!  Perhaps I can look for signs of life among all the dead things around me.

I found this last week on my usual morning trek to the post office.  A mushroom of all things!  Just being all bright and beautiful on a day that offered nothing more than a sky colored somewhere between black and white, and a ground scattered with the needles of pine trees that have long lost their verdant charm.

This week this smiling face said, “Hello! Aren’t you glad you took the time to plant me last October?”  Oh, yes I am, you delightful little thing!

As I begin to get my eyes off the dead things and look for signs of life, I see life all around me.  A stolen kiss and clasped hands by my newly married son and his bride.  Life.  Tears streaming down my daddy’s face because he is laughing so hard at the antics of his grandchildren. Life. A bedtime text from my husband who is working out of town that reads, “Sweet dreams, my love.” Life.  A phone call with a friend who breathes laughter over me.  Life.  Hands raised in worship at church on Sunday.  Hands that tell stories of hardships and trials, yet still thrust toward heaven giving praise to the One who gives and takes away. Life.

Sometimes my own heart grows grey and cold and lifeless.  I collapse under the weight of it and wonder if I will ever conquer the sins that seem to have no other purpose than to kill me.  And then, when I think I will never see the sun again...Life comes upon me.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  John 10:10

Just Do It

Another Christmas season and another year have come to a close, and now it’s time for my yearly ritual of reflection, self-examination, and goal setting.  Ahhh, this has to be my favorite time of the year!  I scheduled a goal setting retreat for Ted and I to discuss and make all of our plans for 2013.  I showed up with my agenda, recently read books highlighted with inspirational quotes, and my typed list of goals - short term, long term and BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals).  Ted showed up with a horrified look on his face that said, “Uh, was I supposed to come prepared?”  My response, “Would you walk into the woods on the first day of deer season with a rifle that had not been sighted in?  Of course not!  You would be prepared! So how could you show up on the first day of a new year, unprepared, without a goals list?”  We just stared at each other like we were looking at aliens from other planets.  We are living proof that you can be married for 25 years, be madly in love and still not completely get each other.

Each year I ask God to give me a “word” for that year.  The word comes to me in different ways, but generally its just something to which my spirit tunes in and I begin hearing the same “word” from different people, places, books, songs, etc.  When I get my word I begin studying it, meditating upon it and listening for it.  My word for 2013 is really a phrase - Just Do It.  

I have had the privilege of sitting under some mighty fine teachers of the Word.  I have been mentored and taught by some of the finest men and women of God.  I have participated in more bible studies than I can count.  I have read book after book on spiritual growth.  I have been challenged, corrected, trained and discipled.  I have more good stuff in me than a stocking on Christmas morning.  So what am I doing with it?

I can come up with excuse after excuse on why I’m not doing the things that I know I should be doing for the advancement of the Kingdom.  Fear.  Intimidation.  Lack of time.  Lack of resources.  Lack of talent or skill.  All excuses.  The Spirit of God is looking me square in the eye and saying, “No more excuses.  Just Do It!”  Just do what God is telling me to do.  Just write the note, make the phone call, pay the visit, give the money, spend the day.  I know WHAT to do, now its time to Just Do It.

There have been several challenges placed before me and a stirring is taking place in my spirit that is both exciting and terrifying.  Perhaps I’ll write about them as I experience them.  Until then I am just going to do this thing!   I will quit talking about the Kingdom living stuff and I will DO the Kingdom living stuff.  All that I need is already in me.  I just need to do it.

My favorite Alien and I wound up with a mighty big list of goals, dreams and desires, not just for 2013 but enough to keep us good and busy for another decade or so.  Unless we DO something with that list, its just another piece of paper full of great ideas gone to waste.  This is the year I’m going to push the envelope on my carefully scripted life.  I’m going to take some risks.  I’m going to Just Do It!  And for the record, hiking and tent camping were MY ideas!

A Very Goodly Harvest

My family held our Thanksgiving feast a few days early this year.  When trying to get 20+ plus people under one roof on the same day, a little re-scheduling of the calendar and national holidays is necessary.  The Grand Princess did her part in bringing a dish to the pot-luck by helping me make macaroni and cheese.  It was especially yummy and the first pot to be emptied.  Look out Rachel Ray!

After lunch we had a Harvest Party, complete with a game of horse shoes, a bow shoot competition, sack races and a hay ride.  The little kids had an “Acorn Hunt”.  They each were given a cup and told to see who could find the most acorns.  They proudly turned in cup after cup of acorns.  My seven year old nephew, Jackson, wearily said, “Aunt Neen, you and Mammie sure did hide these acorns very goodly.”  Sweet little guy thought we had spent the day hiding those acorns all over the yard just so they could find them!  He was doing his best to harvest each and every one.

Tonight Ted & I joined many other folks from our church for a community Thanksgiving service at First Baptist Church of Florence.  The pastor who gave the message asked us to think about the things for which we are thankful.  He challenged us to not just give text book answers, such as my family, my job, my health, etc., but to really dig deep and consider our answer.  To look at our lives and see what is building our character and be thankful for that.  Many times God uses suffering to build our character.  Are we thankful for that?  Disappointment.  Are you thankful?  Heartache.  Still thankful?  Loss.  What about now?

“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”       Romans 5:3-5

This level of giving thanks definitely requires some deep digging.  It is not easy.  It is a sacrifice.  But if we can learn to do this and give thanks in all circumstances for all things, we will find perseverance, character, a hope that will not put us to shame, and a love that is poured straight into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.  

Perseverance.  Character.  Hope.  Love.  Now that is a very goodly harvest!