Hymn of Praise

I like subtlety. Start out with some provocative line, add a humorous or touching story, then bring it home with some observation about life or love or God that makes the reader walk away considering some new way to look at their world.

This weekend I just need to tell you about God.

This weekend began with great anticipation. It was birthday weekend for my youngest son and we had a days of partying all planned out. As a father, there are few things, if any, in this world more important than the celebration of my sons. Friday began with the four of us eating, dancing, and telling stories about my boy. My three sons getting increasingly drunk off of cokes and birthday cake. Friends came by and the celebrations continued into the wee hours. The night ended with a confidence in love and final tucking in of my young princes.

Now, for the next part of the story it should be noted that I've become a fairly good financial planner. I've had to. Work has been scarce. This month has been the hardest in a year. I'm confident in what is in front of me, and quite excited about the possibilities, but I was now dependent on only one part-time job. I've been able to choose what I spend fairly well so that I could do all of the things that are importiant to me. Of course, a Saturday celebrating my child was high on the importiant list, so I drove the hour into my office in order to pick up the paycheck that I assumed was there so I could get to the bank and fund the day. We were going to hit Starbucks for breakfast, Rainforest Cafe for lunch, then dinner and a movie to round out our night.

There was no check.

All my money was now in the gas tank and I had a son ready for a party day. I stood for a moment looking at the mailbox thinking that maybe I'm just missing it. Maybe it's on my desk. Surely...it has to be here.

As my mind slowly came to agree with reality I walked down the hallway toward the exit whispering a prayer..."God, I'm not sure what to do".

I was trusting the fact that He is a dad...he knows what I'm feeling. I needed Him to show up. It had only been about 24 hours since the last time I had prayed that prayer. It's funny how challenges come in multiples.

I climbed back into my truck and headed back out of the parking lot, breaking the news that Dad didn't have the money that he thought he was going to have...I'd have to make it up.

I didn't want to have to make anything up to him. I wanted today for him. I toll the boys we would follow the adventure of the day...no matter where we were, we were going to celebrate.

I had one more stop that day. It was a work thing. Honestly, I was now in no mood to do this...but I've been trying to make a practice of following the path in front of me, so we drove to the Paterson museum where my church is doing a Habitat for Humanity fundraiser. I was just praying I had enough gas to get us home.

As we pulled up to the museum, the first thing we all noticed was the giant steam locomotive. I smiled as Calvin yelled with delight. The picture hadn't dawned on me yet, but I was starting to feel the weights begin to lift just a bit.

As we entered the fundraiser, The boys were given hammers and nails (yes, my boys were given hammers and nails) and invited to help nail studs together that would become walls in people's homes. It was thrilling to watch and to teach Cal how to hammer a nail into a stud. Afterwards we got to look at the cutaways of walls and I got to show the boys how a house is built; studs. insulation, wiring, plumbing, etc. It was a pretty cool dad moment.

We left the fundraiser and someone called us over and asked if we wanted to just see the rest of the museum. We redily agreed.

Something that is worth noting about my son is that he is all about transportation. Trains, cars, planes; whatever goes makes him go. That's why, as we walked through the first room filled with model trains, I started to understand grace. What I didn't know about the Paterson Museum is that it was jam-packed with trains, planes, and race cars. Cal walked from exhibit to exhibit filled with wonder.

Then the most amazing thing happened.

We were walking through one room of the museum, one where there were some habitat displays up that I'm sure inspired the question you are about to read, when Cal said "Dad, it's Saturday, we could go to Home Depot and do one of the Kid Workshops".

Now, I knew I was already low on fuel and out of funds. But it was my son on his birthday.

"We can go check it out after we finish here...let's go check out the final room".

My heart was pondering this little trip...wondering if Home Depot would even have the set up once we got there..when we turned the corner to see Home Depot.

They were here.

In the musuem

The Home Depot Kid Workshop was here.

For Cal.

I bent down and said "see Cal, for your birthday Home Depot comes to you"

He looked at me like I was made of magic.

Cal walked over to the table, being just cute enough to secure the help of one of the young women who worked for the store. He put on his apron and built a beautiful flag holder while me and the other boys found our way to the continental breakfast adjacent to my little carpenter.

We sat, ate, admired Cal's craftsmanship, and I pondered grace.

The next stop was the toy store to spend a gift certificate...an electric race car track that was to fill the rest of our afternoon.

It was fun.

Today was a day filled with more grace. The boys got picked up by their mom and I went on to work. It was a day filled with good work and good love. I went home and took a big fat nap.

Right now I'm sitting on my bed, having watched a few episodes of a favorite TV show that I rented from Blockbuster using a gift certificate I got at Christmas. The certificate also gave me popcorn, candy, and two cokes. (I think now God is just showing off). My fuel tank is completely empty, but I recieved a call this evening to tell me that my funds will be deposited as cash into my personal account in the morning.

I don't even have to drive to the office.

I say all of this for one reason; to encourage you in your journey, wherever you are. This entry isn't about being subtle or creative. It's just to say that life is hard...but God is paying attention. He knows those things that are important to us and wants to give us good things.

We just need to follow the path in front of us and stop carrying weights that don't belong to us.

See...He is the kind of Father who loves His kids. He doesn't just gives us what we need, He often goes out of His way to give extravagantly.

Just at the right time.

If I had gotten paid on time...there wouldn't have been any room for Him to let me see His smile. He just wanted to tell me He loves me...and those I love.

And He wanted me to tell you He loves you too.

let it snow

it's snowing again.

I've finished up all of the things that a man needs to do before he takes his body into the world and I've curled up in my chair with a cop of coffee to listen to my soul.

I'm just watching the snow.

It's snow globe snow today, softly falling to the earth without a hint of aggression. I like that image. If the world we inhabit was some kind of cosmic snow-globe on the shelf of a far greater being than ourselves, then this snow means we've been picked up and enjoyed. We have his or her full attention as feelings of magic and memory are brought to the surface. This is definitely snow-globe snow.

I'd love to say today is going to be spent here, letting God watch us and remember a better time and making our plans for the future. However, there are to-do lists and appointments and responsibility. The snow will have to be relocated and managed in order for my plans to go forward as I intended. It will take time and expense, but there are things to do.

I wonder how life would change if we let snow days happen. What would we find if we let the snow cause us to stop for a moment or change our course for the day instead of seeing it as a nuisance. What if we started to look at the world around us for guidance as to how we must spend our day.

What or who would I see?

I've had a lot of snow in my life these days. In some ways, me and this winter have looked a lot alike. So much that was familiar has been covered and frozen and roads I'm traveling have either become slippery, slow, or just simply impassable. I'm the only one who can decide how to react. I can quit, which many do, I can spend my resources to continue on my original trajectory or I can simply stop and ask the snow...

it's a beautiful snow.