LOL 8-25 Luck Or Love

Death, in the form of an untethered construction gate, almost took my life a few years ago. A freakish gust of wind caught the heavy metal pole and swung it in a deadly arc across the hood of my truck, through the front passenger window, across my dashboard, and out my window. Had my daughter, who I was on my way to pick up, been in the passenger seat, she would most surely have been injured. Had my truck sat lower to the ground or my driving speed been faster, I would have been impaled at the end of the pole. Had the band teacher let the students out a few seconds earlier, one of them might have been on the receiving end of the gate instead of me. As it turned out, my hood was ruined, my windows shattered, and my front end alignment completely torn up. Yet me? I backed off the pole, drive back up the hill to the school, stepped out of the truck, and crumbled to the curb in shock. A few glass cuts on my arm and feet (where glass fell in my shoes) were my only visible injuries. Some would say I was lucky because I walked away alive. Others, that I had bad luck since my truck was torn up. I prefer to see it as love- love of the God who created me. Who has a plan for me. Who cradles me in His arms whether I'm facing joy or fear or sadness or worry. Although I may not always understand His method, I do understand His motivation and it's not a flip of a coin, or a roll of the dice. I don't believe in luck, good or bad. Rather, I believe in love. LOL...

LOL 7-28 the Lord's Outlook on Life

I don't know about you, but with all the concerts and plays I've attended in my lifetime, I've never once sat in first class seats... But after looking again at this photo I took yesterday of my view of Matagorda Beach, I realized God gave me the ticket to the best seat in the house- His house. For several hours yesterday, I sat in a front row seat and watched the most amazing show on earth- majestic waves that rolled in without ceasing and crashed upon the shore; dozens of different seabirds that dove and plummeted for food; busy little sand crabs that tossed sand to the left and right as they tunneled into the sand; an ever-changing horizon of azure blue sky and wispy white clouds and aqua-green sea... From God's outlook, His Creation is the best show on earth. The best part? This wasn't just a one-time performance. God offers us the best seats in the house every moment of our life... We simply have to take a seat, open our eyes, and wait for the show to begin. To my front row seat moments at Matagorda Beach... LOL!

LOL 7/8 Links Of Loopholes

I love using square knots to weave jewelry. When woven right, the links of loopholes tighten into perfect symmetry and form beautiful patterns. Key, though, is making sure the two middle strands always stay tight- if I let them droop, no matter how I might tighten my loopholes, my final pattern will end up looking disfigured and knotty. Then I have two choices- I can compromise the piece's beauty and just ignore the flaw or I can undo my work and try again. I like to look at my life in the same way. Each day is like a single loophole... Another knot in the pattern of my life. Critical to the look of my finished life will be those two strands- I see them as what Jesus said were the Law's greatest commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" and "Love your neighbor as yourself." When I hold these two strands firmly each loopholed day of my life and tighten my choices around them, I form beautiful, symmetrical patterns that are pleasing in God's eyes. But when I let the temptations of this world compromise that tautness, my patterns look disfigured and unbalanced. Then, again, I have a choice- ignore the flaws as if they don't exist and compromise the final witness of my life or "undo" them by asking for God's mercy. Only then can I "unravel" my "loose" choices and reweave them again. Inspired by God's continuous hand in the crazy loopholes of my life. LOL...

LOL 7/7 Lessons of Looking up

I love this old temperature gauge. It's hanging on one of my porch's pillars, right outside my kitchen window. Manufactured originally as a catchy advertisement for RC Cola to promote their cold drinks as a remedy for hot weather, I've come to love the upward pointing arrow on the sign as my symbolic reminder that when my personal stress temperature heats up, I need to look "up" to find relief. God has proven time and again that He is my "best by taste test"... All other things that I've tried to substitute could never quench my thirst when I was spiritually, physically, or emotionally stressed. Now, when that red mercury of life starts to rise up a little too high, I turn my eyes heavenward, drop my knees earthward, and bow my head in prayer. Only through my faith can my thirst be quenched. Thanks, RC Cola, for the inspiration. LOL...

LOL 6-20 Layer Of Lacquer

Take a long look at these two shells. I picked both up off the shore at Matagorda. Both are calico scallops. But other than their size, what do you note that is different about them? Even with lousy pixels, you can probably tell that the larger one is more vibrant and colorful... It's far more attractive to the eye. Why? Because I shined it. I added a layer of lacquer to preserve and heighten its colors. Before I did, it was just as plain and dull as the shell next to it. I like to think that God does for my life what I do with my shells. He picks me up off the sifting shores of life, cleans me up, and polishes me to heighten and preserve the colors of my soul. Brushing me with mercy and love, He brings out hues in me that I never knew I possessed. In His hands, I become more than just a shell of my former life- I became a work of art. Thank you, Matagorda Beach, for your continual inspiration, and to my artist friends- Marian, JB, and Nan- for beautifying the world with your art. LOL...

LOL 6-17 Light One Life's fire

Last October, a student that I dearly loved took her own life. 180 LOL postings later, I still struggle spiritually and emotionally with her decision, mostly because I feel guilty... Guilty that I wasn't able to save her. But during our praise and worship time in church this morning, God opened my eyes to a new perspective. I am not God. I am not meant to save the world. My purpose on earth is to glorify Him through my words and my deeds. If, through my life, one person "sees" God, then my life will have been worth living, for it only takes one spark to ignite a flame, one flame to start a fire, one fire to purge the world of Satan's messages of hate, guilt, and despair. I wish I had been the one to save Jordan... I wasn't. However, because of Jordan's decision, my faith has grown stronger, my love for my God has grown deeper, and my conviction to inspire others to live each day with the joy God meant us have has not wavered. If one person hears my message, if one new spark of joy is ignited, then the pain of Jordan's death will have been conquered. To my eternal Abba, thank you for the inspiration. LOL...