Meeting Saban

To fully understand the importance of this post, you must know that we live in Alabama.  The Alabama of the University of Alabama.  As in football.

In our state, football is big.  In the last five years an Alabama team (either Alabama or Auburn) has won four of the National Football Championship titles, with Alabama winning it three of those years.  (Just as a note, a southern team has won this championship every year since 2005.  What is it with those southern boys and football?)

This is perhaps one reason why it was so special for us to meet Saban.

We were walking through Washington Square in our city, a beautiful park in the historic, garden district near downtown when we saw him.  He was absolutely handsome. . .not a hair out of place, athletic and graceful.  He came over to us right away and was friendly, gregarious and full of energy. Those with him did the honors of introduction and we were immediately impressed with every aspect of his visage and carriage.

I guess I should explain that this Saban was a black lab.

His owner (wearing the appropriate Alabama hat and shirt) was walking with him through the park.  As Saban bounded over to us, we asked his name.  When his owner told us his name was "Saban" we both just laughed at the appropriateness of that name in this state.  We enjoyed petting Saban and chatting with his owner before we continued our walk.

In our state, any mention of the name "Saban" brings an image of a man whose passion is coaching football and helping to shape the lives of young men.  To many in this state, there is no other Sabin.

Conversely, to those we encounter in our lives, the name "God" conjures up many different images.  While we may clearly be speaking of the God of the Bible, but "God" to them may mean Buddha, Allah, or even a vague ethereal force existing in the universe.

The Bible tells us, however, that "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved," (Acts 4:12.)

The idea that there are many roads to God is one created by those who seek an easy way, a way apart from the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and of His Son. 

It is also untrue.  The Lord Himself told us :

"I am the way, the truth, and the life: 

no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me,"  John 14:6.

While it is true that we met Saban that day in the park, we did not meet the Sabin that has earned the fame associated with that name.  While many use the name of "God" quite loosely, they may not be speaking of the God which framed the worlds and "upholds all things by the word of His power."

This should make us more careful to present the one, true God to our world and encourage others not to seek any way, but the One who is the only way, the truth and the Life.

UPDATE: The dog Saban may be spelled with an "i", but the man Saban likes his name spelled correctly!

The Rustling Grass

Two weeks ago Glen and I experienced our first hiking trip and slept in a tent in the Smokey Mountains.  There were several people at the site we were and at first when we settled into our sleeping bags for the night there was a lot of sound and activity.  Gradually, every one went to sleep.  I know this because several people were snoring, loudly.  

As the night wore on, I noticed the sound of rustling outside of the tent.  It was a very windy night, so I knew this was probably just the wind blowing through the grass, but still, when one is in the wilderness the thoughts of bears come quickly to mind.  I wondered what type of critter -- be it bear, squirrel, chipmunk or even mouse -- could be making the sounds just beyond my tent flap.

Today I was reminded of this as we sang the hymn "This is My Father's World" in one of our services.  In this hymn is the line, "in the rustling grass I hear Him pass, He speaks to me everywhere."

In our Christian lives we live in a world of "rustling grass."  We face difficulties, problems, pains and troubles.  Sometimes our "rustling grass" may be just the wind, or maybe a chipmunk or even a bear. But the truth of the matter, whatever it is that stirs the grass of our lives, it is ultimately the Lord speaking to us.

Sometimes we have trouble hearing that voice, though, because He speaks to us with a "still small voice," and our fears (of the bears, perhaps?) speak with loud voices, shouts and screams.  We must choose to quiet ourselves to hear His voice above all else.

"Be still and know that I am God," said the psalmist.  He ends that song with the line "The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge."  When we make the choice to still ourselves to know God, we will begin to know Him as our refuge and to know He is always with us.  Our peace will move from people, things and circumstances to Him and Him alone.

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: He uttered his voice, the earth melted. 

The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah."Psalm 46

I Get To. . .

We have a special treat every Sunday afternoon when we come home from our Chapel Services at a local nursing facility.  Glen makes homemade pizza.  He makes the dough, he makes the sauce, the pepperoni is freshly sliced in our kitchen as is the cheese piled high on top.

This pizza is my very favorite in all the world to eat.  I have had incredible Chicago pizza (which I love.)  I have had great New York pizza.  But given the choice of eating either of those and eating my husband's pizza I would, without hesitation, choose his.

One of the things I love about this pizza is the process, which begins the moment we come home.  (Actually, Glen makes the dough early in the morning even before we leave.  This allows the dough time to rise sufficiently.)

While Glen works the dough, I prep the pan applying a thin coat of olive oil.  The oven is turned up to 500°.  I slice the pepperoni and Glen shreds the cheese.  Then we both begin assembling the pie.  Glen applies the sauce (because he knows if I did it there would hardly be any on the pizza.)  He sprinkles a light dusting of spices brought to us from France by our daughter Marie on her recent trip there.  The cheese is piled high and the pepperoni applied.  Of course the pepperoni and the cheese must have a "quality assurance test" to make sure they are worthy of being put on our pizza.  I prefer that to be my job.

One of my goals in this process is to have any tool Glen will need at his hand when he needs it and to remove, wash and dry any tool after it has been used.  I love it when, just as the pizza is sliding into the oven, the last dish is dried and put away.

We have done this so many times now, there is hardly any need for conversation.  We both know what needs to be done, which activities we will each perform and then we just do it.  We mutually enjoy the activity.  This is what my friends didn't understand.

I was telling them about this incredible pizza that is worth burning the roof of your mouth each Sunday, and they said, "You have to do that much work each Sunday just for pizza?"

What they didn't understand, our pizza is not a "have to"  it is a "get to."  We surely don't have to do it.  We could easily pick up a pizza from any number of pizzerias along our way home.  Or we could pay $5 for a frozen one.  But the outcome, the pleasure in the eating, would not nearly be the same.

We "get to" create this pizza for the joy of eating it, for the joy of our daughters eating it with us, and for the enjoyment the process of it's creation brings mutually to us both.

This reminds me so much of our walk as Christians.  There are things the Lord has called us each to do.  Sometimes we will be tempted to see these things as "I have to," when the truth of the matter is they are clearly "I get to" things.  I know when we do services at area nursing facilities we receive so much more blessing than we could ever give to those dear ones.  

The change in attitude, the choice to see it differently, changes our whole outlook, our focus and our experience in the matter.  We choose to see things not according to the physical, temporal view, but according to the spiritual, eternal view.  In doing so, we enter into His joy and pleasure in doing those things which He has called us to do.  It becomes not a solitary, individual event, but an event shared with the Lord who strengthens and enables us to do His will.

"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, 

worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 

While we look not at the things which are seen 

but at the things which are not seen; f

or the things which are seen are temporal; 

but the things which are not seen are eternal."  

2 Corinthians 4:17,18

Diesel Fuel

My father passed away seventeen years ago, but even now when I think of him I remember a scent that was a combination of diesel fuel, Vaseline hair tonic and garlic.

He was a Marine engineer and spent his life in the engine room of tugboats.  He didn't have to tell anyone, though, that he worked on diesel engines.  The smell just seem to exude out of his very pores.  His hair, his clothes and his skin had absorbed the odor.

For those who know the Lord Jesus as our Savior and who consistently follow a walk with Him through time in the Scriptures, prayer and fellowship with other Christians, don't usually have to blatantly tell anyone they are Christians.  His attitude of humility, kindness and love will exude out of them because His Spirit lives within them.  If that is not the case, then there is a problem somewhere along the line.

When we become Christians the Bible says we are become "new creatures."  The old us is passed away and we enter a life characterized by walking "in newness of life."  We may not always choose to walk by faith in this newness, but our choices do not change the fact of the matter.

Let us pray that our lives will always "exude" those qualities of our Lord's Holy Spirit who indwells our own spirits.  May we, by faith, make those choices which reveal to the world the great work of a new creation which has been wrought in us.

"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him:

Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, 

as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving."

 Colossians 2: 6,7