Providence and the "pasture house"

When I moved my family to the Atlanta area in 2003, God blessed us with a Christian school where all four of our children could attend and my wife could teach. We decided that we would look for a house in the vicinity of the school rather than near my workplace in Suwanee, about 20 miles east. Sure, we knew I'd have a long commute, but I can redeem time in the car by myself; that wouldn't have been possible for my wife with four kids along.

We instinctively liked the area of the school. It's near Cumming in Forsyth County, on the northern fringes of Atlanta and almost within sight of the North Georgia mountains. Both Kathy and I grew up in rural areas and treasured that experience, but throughout our adult lives we have found ourselves living in gradually larger metro areas--we moved from Richmond, Va., to Orlando, Fla., to the Atlanta area--and we have gradually become more "citified." We thought moving to Forsyth, with its piney woods and gently rolling pastures, would be a step backward toward our roots. We're not agrarians and we weren't looking for a farm, but we felt that being able to drive by cows and hay bales would be quite nice after living in the suburbian wastes of Orlando.

However, almost as soon as we began the house search process, we got quite excited, because it appeared our Realtor had found us something far more special than a functional house. We were still in Orlando making preparations for our move when she sent pictures of a house we instantly liked. It was in a quiet subdivision, but it was located at the end of a dead-end street adjacent to a pasture, across which there was a stunning view of Sawnee Mountain, our local landmark. The house was the right size and was in our price range, and the pictures the Realtor emailed made it seem ideal. We couldn't wait to see it. Here's a pic of the pasture and Sawnee Mountain.

Of course, it WAS good, for which reason some other buyer put a contract on it before we got to Atlanta to take a look at it.

The positive upshot of that whole deal was that the "pasture house," as we called it, was in a neighborhood we liked a lot. There we found another house, located on an interior cul-de-sac, that was just right. And there we've been for two-plus years now.

However, I pined for a while over the loss of my vision of sitting on a deck and gazing out across a pasture toward Sawnee Mountain on a misty morning while sipping that first cup of coffee. And then my wife said a very prescient thing. The day will come, she predicted, that that dead-end street will be extended into that pasture and the folks in the "pasture house" will see the countryside ripped up for new homes.

Well, in the two-plus years we've been here, Atlanta has arrived. The two-lane road that runs by our subdivision has been marked by "For sale" and rezoning signs by the score. We estimate that about two thousand new homes are going in along a five-mile stretch. One of those new subdivisions is to the west, just across the road from the entrance to our neighborhood. To the south, a new high school is being built. And to the north, where lies my pretty pasture, a neighborhood of expensive homes is planned, just as Kathy predicted.

Today, as I walked around the neighborhood in an effort to lose an ounce or two of Christmas fat, I heard the news, oh boy. It was the sound of heavy machinery. Yes, the pasture's days are past. Earth is being moved.

I hate to see the pasture go. I will miss hearing the cows lowing on those mornings when I walked out to get my paper and the wind was just right. But how thankful I am now that kind Providence did not let me buy a house where I would have had to sit on my deck and gaze across a muddy swath of earth while bulldozers rumble by in the misty morning. How thankful I am that I do not have to dwell in the land of hammers and circular saws. How thankful I am that I do not have to dread the day when Sawnee Mountain will be concealed behind someone's roof. Praise the God of real estate contracts.

GtG

Out of the quiet, equilibrium

I'm spending a quiet morning at home today, wrapping up a week off with a final holiday. I've been addressing a few editing tasks this morning, including putting the finishing touches on one big job and starting a sample edit on another. This afternoon I'll switch on the Gator Bowl game, matching my Virginia Tech Hokies against the Louisville Cardinals, and after that I'll head down to my kids' Christian school to watch my sons play basketball (Ben on the JV team and Nathan on the varsity).

But for now it's especially quiet here because my wife and three of the kids are back at school today, while the fourth, our youngest, is sleeping off an upset stomach upstairs. I haven't put on any music (current favorite: the Moviola channel on www.Live365.com) so I'll be sure to hear my daughter if she calls. All I can hear is the sound of raindrops in the downspout just outside my basement office and the soft whirring of the computer.

Everything about this kind of morning appeals to me. I never mind being by myself; I like solitude and often have to push myself to be sociable. I like being in my home office. And I like the clear-cut requirements of my editing business: I know what I need to do this morning, and nothing else is clamoring for my attention. In short, I feel as if I'm in a bubble of contentment.

Yes, I know the quiet won't endure. My daughter might wake up crying. Another thunderstorm, like the ones we had last night, might rumble through (and I think I just heard thunder). A phone call might bring some unexpected crisis. But I'm thankful for these precious few hours this morning, a chance to relax, think, and catch my breath before life gets back into its normal routine.

If there's one thing I need to do this year, it is to find a way, with God's help, to keep that bubble of contentment intact through all the ups and downs, twists and turns, of a normal day. I'm much too quick to let my circumstances dictate my mood. I need greater equilibrium.

I see again the need to set aside a "quiet time" at the beginning of each day, a time in which to seek God and re-establish my equilibrium by turning my cares over to Him and by turning to His Word to be reminded of the great truths that govern my life. I'm pretty good at gaining the quiet time; I get up well before the rest of my family. But I don't always use that time wisely.

So that little window of time was on my mind as I made my New Year's resolutions. I'm starting another systematic read through the Bible. And I'm going to try something I haven't done before: slowly studying through a book (Philippians) with the help of a commentary (James Montgomery Boice), slowly digesting. I think the exercise itself will be good for me, and Paul's emphasis on joy is something I need to absorb. Finally, I've written out a list of specific prayer needs, and plan to use it each morning.

Basic stuff, I know. I'm just getting back on the bicycle one more time, as I have been doing for years and will be doing for the rest of my life. Hopefully, writing about it here will be an extra motivation for me to keep at it.

Looking for greater equilibrium? I recommend starting each day in the quiet before the throne of grace.

Farewells

I slapped a working title on this post before beginning to write, something like, "Farewell 2005, we hardly knew ye." Yes, I was conscious that it sounded rather silly to bid farewell to a nebulous thing such as a year, but hey, I wasn't feeling creative at the moment.

Only as I prepared to write did it occur to me that farewell might be the best word to describe the year my family and I have experienced. By God's grace and mercy, we have fared well this year.

I could put together a long post about all the many blessings for which I am thankful. We have had our share of struggles, just as any family does, but in this year of wars and natural disasters, I can easily think of greater struggles that might have come our way and did not.

We have fared well this year, for our heavenly Father has fared us well. As I look ahead to 2006, I rest in the assurance that He will fare us well still, no matter what He ordains for us, for He works all things together for good for those who love Him, for those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

In other words, all His providences are good to a fare-thee-well (n. 1 : the utmost degree 2 : a state of perfection).

GtG

The Word in flesh among us

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

"He was in the worold, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become chiodren of God, to those who believe in His name; who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

John 1:1-14

"The very highest"

Here's another installment in my "Lord of the Rings" appreciation posts. For this one, I skip way ahead, to the second book, The Two Towers, to the chapter titled "The Window on the West." Frodo and Sam are trying to find a way into Mordor to destroy the One ring, and are captured by Faramir, brother of their former companion, Boromir, and son of the steward of Gondor, Denethor. Boromir was enticed by the ring and tried to take it from Frodo, and the hobbits fear that Faramir will do the same, so they try valiantly to conceal the purpose of their journey. But Faramir soon realizes what they are carrying.

One reason I like this scene so much is that Faramir is shown as a great, noble man, a true leader--as Sam recognizes. I've never been sure what to make of the character of Faramir in the movies. One moment he seems to be all he is pictured as in the books. The next, well, he seems to be a sniveling little boy trying to impress his dad. I guess the filmmakers felt he was a little too perfect in the book and wanted to introduce some conflict to his character. In my opinion, it didn't work. Here's a glimpse of the real Faramir.

The hobbits came back to their seats and sat very quiet. Men turned back to their drink and their talk, perceiving that their captain had had some jest or other with the little guests, and that it was over.

"Well, Frodo, now at last we understand one another," said Faramir. "If you took this thing on yourself, unwilling, at others' asking, then you have pity and honour from me. And I marvel at you: to keep it hid and not to use it. You are a new people and a new world to me. Are all your kin of like sort? Your land must be a realm of peace and content, and there must gardeners be in high honour."

"Not all is well there," said Frodo, "but certainly gardeners are honoured."

"But folk must grow weary there, even in their gardens, as do all things under the Sun of this world. And you are far from home and wayworn. No more tonight. Sleep, both of you--in peace, if you can. Fear not! I do not wish to see it, or touch it, or know more of it than I know (which is enough), lest peril perchance waylay me and I fall lower in the test than Frodo son of Drogo. Go now to rest--but first tell me only, if you will, whither you wish to go, and what to do. For I must watch, and wait, and think. Time passes. In the morning we must each go swiftly on the ways appointed to us."

Frodo had felt himself trembling as the first shock of fear passed. Now a great weariness came down on him like a cloud. He could dissemble and resist no longer.

"I was going to find a way into Mordor," he said faintly. "I was going to Gorgoroth. I must find the Mountain of Fire and cast the thing into the gulf of Doom. Gandalf said so. I do not think I shall ever get there."

Faramir stared at him for a moment in grave astonishment. Then suddenly he caught him as he swayed, and lifting him gently, carried him to the bed and laid him there, and covered him warmly. At once he fell into a deep sleep.

Another bed was set beside him for his servant. Sam hesitated for a moment, then bowing very low: "Good night, Captain, my lord," he said. "You took the chance, sir."

"Did I so?" said Faramir.

"Yes sir, and showed your quality: the very highest."

Faramir smiled. "A pert servant, Master Samwise. But nay: the praise of the praiseworthy is above all rewards. Yet there was naught in this to praise. I had no lure or desire to do other than I have done."

"Ah well, sir," said Sam, "you said my master had an elvish air; and that was good and true. But I can say this: you have an air too, sir, that reminds me of, of--well, Gandalf, of wizards."

"Maybe," said Faramir. "Maybe you discern from far away the air of Numenor. Good night."

A sky-high day

Several things high in the sky left me sky-high today (or at least feeling blessed).

I usually head out to the end of the driveway to get my morning paper well before dark, and today was no exception. When I make these brief excursions, I always enjoy taking a look at the night sky. I'm not much of an astronomer, but I can spot the Big Dipper, Orion's belt, or Mars, and I usually can tell you what phase the moon is in. This morning the sky was two-thirds clouded over, but the western sky was clear and a beautiful full moon hung low there. At the sight of it, I remembered that the annual Gemenid meteor shower was peaking this morning. It was not supposed to be spectacular due to the overpowering light of the full moon. But coming back up the driveway, my house obscured the moon, and I happened to glance up just in time to see a falling meteor streak through a gap in the clouds--always a delightful experience.

Here's a photo of a Gemenid meteor (taken by Alan Dyer in British Columbia, Canada, on Tuesday night) that looks like the one I saw this morning:

Later, as I headed for work, I noticed a beautiful sundog. What's are sundogs? Also known as a parhelion, it's an atmospheric effect that looks like a little patch of rainbow. They're produced by the refraction of light in tiny ice crystals in the air. They always appear 22 degrees on either side of the sun, but I could see only one today. Still, it was a pleasant sight. Here's a picture, shot by Clay S. Turner (the sundogs are off to the sides):

Finally, heading home, I had the neat experience of following a low-flying red-tailed hawk for a quarter-mile or so. He kept ahead of me, even though I was doing around 40 mph, then swooped to the side to perch in a tree. I always enjoy the sight of raptors in flight, but seeing one "going my way" was a new, uplifting experience. He looked like this fella:

All these celestial treats follow the wonderful sight of Venus shining powerfully in the southeast in the early evening here in the Southern United States, as well as the sight a couple of nights ago of the moon and Mars side by side.

The heavens declare the glory of God. . . . (Psalm 19:1).

"Integrity" rules!

If you were asked which word in the English language was looked up most often on Merriam-Webster's online dictionary in 2005, what would you guess?

Would you guess inept? Sorry, that was only No. 10 on the list. By tracking when various words got the most hits, the Merriam-Webster editors linked the popularity of that word to a prime-time news conference by President Bush that ended with the networks cutting away to regular programming.

In a year of disasters, you'd be on the right track to guess that refugee, tsunami, and levee were popular searches. But those words were Nos. 2, 6, and 9 respectively. Likewise, with all the news stories about bird flu, the word pandemic would be a good guess, but it was only No. 7.

How about contempt or filibuster? The CIA leak probe in Washington landed New York Times reporter Judith Miller in jail for contempt of court. And judicial filibusters were a huge issue in the nation's capital. But those words were only Nos. 3 and 4 respectively.

The election of Pope Benedict XVI during a conclave in the spring sparked a lot of curiosity, but that word came in at No. 8.

Would you have guessed insipid? I wouldn't have. But after American Idol judge Simon Cowell used that term to describe a performance, lots and lots of people went looking for the definition, enough to make it the fifth most looked-up word on www.merriam-webster.com.

No, the word that drew the most hits this year was one that seemed to be a part of discussions across many segments of society: integrity. Almost 200,000 people went looking for a definition of integrity this year, the Merriam-Webster folks say. They attribute the word's popularity to a concern about values and morality.

Of course, they needn't have gone to Merriam-Webster for a definition of that word. They can find it on the home page of my business: www.integrityeditorial.com.