Month: August 2023

Carry each other’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

This week marks the beginning of another season of football for colleges around the country, so it’s time to Huddle Up and get ready. Of course, this household will be “barking like Dawgs” while adding a few “Hotty Toddy” cheers in the mix to honor the majority of our family’s allegiance. Football has been a favorite sport of mine since high school days when my cousin played and subsequently taught me the rules so I could critique his performance in games!

There are many things about the game which remain a mystery, but nothing more so to me than the question, “why do players huddle and what goes on in there?” We all know what a huddle looks like on the field. Basically, it is a tightly formed circle of players in which the team strategizes, motivates, and celebrates. The center calls the huddle, and the players gather around him while the quarterback calls the next play, and the team uses that time to make adjustments. These days our grandson plays center and calls the huddle so our eyes are on him, but I still wonder what all happens in there??

The huddle began in the 1890’s when a deaf quarterback by the name of Paul D. Hubbard, who played at Gaudett University, developed the concept. He and his teammates would gather regularly during the game to discuss strategy, but they had to communicate using sign language. This method made it really easy for the opposing team to pick up on the signs and catch key information just by observing them. One day, Hubbard had an idea which changed sports forever! He asked the players to form a circle so that everyone could exchange information and put their strategy in place in absolute privacy, thus the huddle was born! Although the concept has been tweeked a little, the premise of close team communication and self organization for a common goal remains the same.

Huddling Up makes me think of different groups in my life who have used this same idea to work together. Groups such as team members in school, small groups of new Church friends, or our small group of long time friends. These groups huddle up to give other members a hand up when one of us is down because no one should have to face life alone. We would all be in real trouble if we had no one to pick us up when we fall. We huddle up and motivate.

We huddle up to talk through a situation, be objective, offer counsel, and exhibit love. We huddle up to strategize. Proverbs 27:9 says, “The sweetness of a friend gives delight by hearty counsel”. Sometimes family members are just too close and as much as they want to help, they can’t be objective. It’s easier to open up sometimes to somebody who has another perspective to help us strategize through our situation.

We huddle up to hold each other accountable. Sometimes we all act or move in a way that is contrary to God’s word. It’s easy to fool ourselves into thinking that we are on the right path when we are not. It takes a huddle to offer advice and point us in the right direction. The huddle is there for us.

We huddle up to celebrate and laugh. Someone once said, “If you have no wrinkles, you haven’t laughed enough.” There’s nothing like a huddle to help us find the humor in situations usually because many of us already been there. Hazel Lee said, “Laughing at ourselves as well as with each other brings a surprising sense of togetherness.”

One of the best things God does is provide Godly huddles along this game of life. These folks are the ones who are always willing to huddle up to strategize, motivate, hold us accountable, and celebrate! Thank God for those He has placed in our huddles to be encouragers and supporters! Let’s Huddle Up!

Be still and know that I am God. I am exalted in all the nations; I am exalted in all the earth. Psalm 46:10

Early one morning last week while daylight was just breaking, I went out on our deck to hang the hummingbird feeders. Everything was so still, and I was looking out over the back yard when a deer raised her head and looked back at me. She was sleeping in the grouping of hydrangas, and my presence woke her. I quietly said, “Good morning, beautiful!” She slowly got up, watching me all the time, and quietly walked out of the yard.

I began to marvel at all the things we miss if we don’t take the time to be still, watch, and listen. “A still pond reflects the sun perfectly. God is the sun. We are the lake. When your soul is still and clear, you reflect the truth, beauty, and goodness of God to everyone you encounter. As the day goes on, the wind will pick up, the lake will be full of ripples, and you will barely be able to see the sun’s reflection in the water.” copied This is a perfect illustration of the society in which we live.

In our culture, people don’t like to be still, be quiet, or be silent. It drives us crazy to be without noise of some kind because we’ve been accustomed to it. We have this philosophy that if we are not doing something, saying something, or planning something, we are not being productive and that is a waste of time.

It is true that God can speak to us anytime, anywhere, through anybody, by dropping a thought in our mind, but busyness can crowd out the thought. In stillness we can hear God more clearly.

There is an example of this in the “Be Still” necklace which one of our small group ladies introduced while we were discussing how hard it is to be still in this life. The necklace is made of two pieces which move independently of each other. Any time you are moving or busy, the pieces seem random, but if you take a moment and are still, the pieces come to the center and form a perfect cross. A simple reminder to slow down and re center your life.

There are a few reasons that being still and quiet is good for us. First, these days we don’t take enough time off to regain our strength, renew our spirt, and find ourselves in the busyness of life. If we take the time to be still, we can rejuvenate out soul.

Next, being still and quiet is good for our relationships with others. We often think that people around us need chatter, but sometimes the best thing we can do for others is just be there. There are those times when it’s best to be silent while we give them someone to lean on.

Finally, being still and quiet is good for our relationship with God. We rarely find God in the hectic moments of our life, but often we find him in the quiet moments. Mother Teresa said, “God rarely is found in the midst of noise and restlessness; instead, He is the friend of silence.”

We are easily distracted and upset by this busy world of today. God would have us just be still and quiet in His presence. Gail MacDonald writes, “The ancient desert fathers used to commit themselves to a disciplinary creed: silence, solitude, and inner peace. Only after adequate listening did they consider themselves ready to speak. Today there’s a strange logic that spiritual resource and renewal are found in constantly seeking new voices, attending more meetings to exchange half thought out opinions. We fall into the trap of believing that God is most pleased when we have maximized our information, our schedules, and our relationships. Disengagement means silence before God, a time of heavenly discussion during which we listen more than we speak.”

There is a story told of a father who was always short with his family and children. His daughter wanted to tell him a story, and she said, “I will hurry and tell it.” The father replied, “You don’t have to hurry. You can tell it slow.” The daughter replied, “If I tell it slow, will you listen slow?”

Being still and quiet is difficult, in fact, almost impossible for many of us. Once we take time to be still, we will discover that our minds and souls have been starving for stillness for a long time. Once we give our souls a taste of stillness, we won’t be satisfied unless it’s a major part of our day!

Only to sit and think of God, oh what a joy it is! Frederick W. Faber

Doom to you who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness in place of light and light in place of darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20 The Message

One of the scariest times that I ever remember was in October of 1962 when the world just seemed to pause while we were living under the threat of a nuclear war. A U.S. spy plane secretly photographed missile sites being built by the Soviet Union in Cuba. President Kennedy met with advisors in secret and decided to put a naval blockade around the island to keep Russia from building any more sites. He then demanded the removal of missiles already there, and the destruction of the sites.

It was a secret until he addressed the nation. After the address, I can remember the utter panic in our community. People were canning water in anticipation of nuclear fall out, plans were made for a safe place for families to gather, and each day was scarier than the next. Randy recalls with great clarity troops moving through his small town in route to areas in southern Florida close to Cuba. Nobody knew what would happen next, but fortunately the leaders of both superpowers realized the devastating possibility of a nuclear war and an agreement was reached. It was a few days of good vs. evil.

In our world of today, I am certain that negotiations and threats go on daily on a much larger and more intense scale, but most of us are oblivious to the evil that threatens us everyday on a national scale. However, we should be much more worried about the shootings, the muggings, the burglaries, the drug and human trafficking, and general decline in Christian principles and observance of The Ten Commandments right here in our own neighborhoods and community. Evil is alive and real.

Satan first appeared when he and his angels rebelled against God in heaven hoping to match their strength with His. God overcame Satan and his followers, and the Bible says he sent them like lightning from heaven to hell. From that time to this, there seems to be something akin to a chess match between God and Satan. Every time God makes a move for good, Satan tries a counter move for evil. We know who will win in the end, but in the meantime, the war rages, and it seems that people are just content to let the evil continue.

Charles Martin says, “The greatest trick ever pulled on mankind is that somewhere, somehow, somebody convinced us that evil isn’t real.” The truth is that evil is alive and very real in this world of today. It has always been here, but recently the pure senselessness of it all has begun to frighten even the most trusting and strongest of us all.

A battle for our very existence is raging all around us, and whether we win or lose depends on the common people, not the politicians. Whether we like it or not, this is a battlefield. It has been since Cain killed Abel. There is no reason to complicate the issue because there is no gray area in this battle. It is either good or evil, and we might as well go ahead and choose sides right now! Charles Martin

There will come a time when we will have to choose a side and begin to fight. David says in Psalms144, “Praise to the Lord, my rock, He trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.” It is time to begin training for the battle that is surely coming in our community, our schools, even our churches, because if Christians won’t stand up against evil and injustice, then who will? As Louis L’Amour once said, “If you go amongst the Philistines, it’s best to go armed.” The way to “arm ourselves” is to be courageous enough to stand for good and strong enough to fight against evil. Remember “courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway.”

There will come a time when God will announce “checkmate” in this game of good vs. evil, but until then: Rise up o men (and women) of God, Have done with lesser things. Lift heart and soul and mind and strength, to serve the King of Kings. William Merrill

A man from the family of Levi married a Levite woman. The woman became pregnant and had a son. She saw there was something special about him and hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a little basket boat made of papyrus, waterprooofed it with tar and pitch, and placed the child in it. Then she set it afloat in the reeds at the edge of the Nile. Exodus 2:1-3

This past week school started in many systems around the state. I’m always torn at this time of year becuase I loved my role as a teacher, but on the other hand, I am glad I’m retired! Every teacher with whom I have ever been privileged to work has a deep love for children and a great desire to help guide and direct their lives.

The kindergarten team with which I worked was a loving group of teachers, but we all agreed on one thing: parents really shouldn’t walk their children into their kindergarten class on the first day of school. There was always one child who didn’t want Mom or Dad to leave, and I’m pretty sure Mom or Dad felt the same way! We knew that a crying child or crying parents experiencing separation anxiety would be temporary, but it was hard on all of us to try and convince the parents to let go and let us handle it! The child and the parents had to learn to trust us to do our job.

The story of Moses is a great example of a mother who trusted God enough to put her child in a basket made of reeds and tar and set him afloat in the river. We all know the story of Moses and how he was pulled from the water to be raised by the daughter of Pharoah, the very man who had ordered the killing of the first born males. God had a great plan for Moses, and he became the very person who led the Israelites from bondage. All of this happened because in order to save her son, his mother let him go!

A friend sent me this quote from Ashlei Woods, and it sums up what many parents are experiencing during the different phases of the lives of their children. There comes a time – many times actually – in the lives of our children where we have to put the basket in the water. We have to let go and trust the plan of the Father. The world is a scary place – a place where we fear our children could drown, but we must remember that we have to let go so that God can draw them from the waters for His great purpose. He has called us to be their parents, but they were His first.

This fall many of the young people that we have watched grow up are leaving for college or other pursuits. It’s hard to imagine those same young people who were born, baptized, confirmed, and loved are heading out on their own! I can’t help feeling for the parents and grandparents because the void will be hard at times.

The good news is that they are ready, and we can let go with confidence. These parents, teachers, and friends have equipped them for bigger and better things, and they are headed out to blaze their own trail and make their own mark in this world! It is comforting to know that wherever they go, God goes before them, walks beside them, and follows them in all that they do.

As the day approaches, let these words by Ashlei Woods comfort you, Parents whatever water you may be getting ready to put your basket into, remember that you have to put them in the water for God to draw them out and place them into His perfect plan. Though you might not be physically present with your child as much during the next phase of life, you can always petition the heart of the Father on their behalf.

Good luck, prayers, and God bless! We love you!