Forever Snow Day

Snow days have always been a rare piece of fruit dangling from the tree of childhood wishes. It's downright impressive to get one.

To have a snow day means sleeping in, frost on the widows, and building snow forts. Snow men come to life on snow days. In a perfect world moms stay home and make the day a special memory with the best breakfast ever and and endless supply of hot cocoa with itty bitty marshmallows.

On snow days there's a blend of cold faces and overheated backs as every child is dressed in layers. Sledding is mandatory. Snow angels are art. Snow ball fights proved the mettle of young warriors.

It appears a school in Michigan may have dealt a death blow to the snow day. This school had a 'dry run' of a new snow day protocol. Students were allowed to stay home, but they took all their regular classes online. The school proved that a snow day could mean classes can be held even when the buses don't run.

The essential hope of a snow day rests in one thing – a gift. Kids know they have to go to school Monday through Friday unless the school plans a day off for in-service or holiday. A snow day is a present to students. They get an unexpected day off.

God gave us a snow day for the rest of our lives. What He did was unexpected, but was a rare piece of fruit dangling from the tree of lifelong desires.

God told us we were responsible for our own action. He gave us a set of rules and we mess up – every day. We owe a debt we can't pay and God isn't satisfied until it's paid.

That's when God gave us the improved snow day. He sent His Son, Jesus to pay what we owe for sin. He invites us to stop trying to improve life on our own and rely on His ability to make us new.

“God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.” Romans 5:8 (MSG)

God told the world, “I've got this. Relax. Sin has been taken care of.”

Snow day?

“[Jesus said], I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” John 10:10 (MSG)

The same joy kids feel when they have a snow day is expanded when we truly understand God didn't just choose one day – but every day until we die – to experience the love, forgiveness, and companionship He offers.

Kids will always see a snow day as good news. All of us can see God's greatest rescue plan as the greatest news. But how often do we treat following God's plans as something we have to do rather than something we can't wait to do?

What if we treated our relationship with God like a forever snow day? Sure it will be different, but when we bring the joy the days we live can bear a resemblance to the radio announcement we all remember, “Due to weather conditions there will be no school today.”

So, the next time there is a snow day, just remember God has a life that is abundant, real, and adventurous – and it won't stop when the day is done. Isn't it time to really live?

Botox for the Wrinkled Blessing Psyche

Have you ever noticed how Thanksgiving day can often feel a bit like that special time right before church when you teeter precariously between the love of God and potential homicide (mostly involving unruly offspring)?

Ah yes, a lovely holiday designed to allow all of us to express genuine moments of gratitude. Yep, that’s how it started, but some turkey farmer took a course in marketing and the holiday morphed into something about as unattainable as three dollar bills. 

The special day arrives and invariably we find that a favorite recipe calls for more items than we have available and the only store opened charges only slightly less that the national debt for things like corn starch. Many times it is whole families that converge on one home and the host family is left with no place to go when they need a good cry. The television is set on ‘consistent blither’, although the only programs worth watching seem to be a fishing show and a football game, the rest of the programs seem steeped in another holiday altogether.

Between the lack of personal space and that unusual smell that seems to coincide with family closeness, someone suggests a strategic plan for the day after Thanksgiving sales. Uncles mumble and occasionally grunt as football players run back and forth on a pretty little pasture. Mostly they just hope they won’t have to chauffeur the following day. If they refuse to pay attention they can claim ignorance.

Someone is dissatisfied with the sleeping arrangements, one nephew is in trouble for picking on the youngest, and a sister really thinks you should have had tofu turkey.

It’s amazing that holidays can become irresistible stress magnets. We promise ourselves that we won’t let the stress get to us, yet we fly into the holiday as if our entire psyche has had one too many Botox injections and we probably won’t resemble our old selves till St. Patrick’s Day.

A few years ago I was left to consider the concept of thanksgiving at a time when I wasn’t ready for some football, and turkeys were still hanging out at the feed trough telling chicken jokes. Nope, this was smack dab in the middle of summer and I found myself understanding the idea of thanksgiving better than I ever had before.

All I had to do was pay attention to the things that I was grateful for and then let the person responsible know that I was obliged. Seemed simple enough.

“Thanks for checking me out.”

“This is a grocery store and it’s my job, sir.”

“OK - thanks for taking the job. Without you being here to check me out I might be tempted to walk out with it, so thanks for saving me from a life of crime.”

“Security!”

Some experiences actually went better. In fact, there were several people that were profoundly overwhelmed that someone would take notice of something they had done. It was clear that many of these people had never been thanked before and it changed the way they looked at the rest of the day. Some thought I was joking and then seemed confused when there didn’t seem to be a punch line.

No football, no eating myself into a stupor, no stressful moment - just a few words of appreciation and my day was as close to perfect as they come.

The Old Testament is filled with moments where a father would bless his son. Jesus spent much time investing in the lives of those with whom He came in contact. He encouraged us to bless our enemies and not to curse them (I Peter 3:9).

If we have such examples that range from blessing our kids to blessing a rude brother-in-law, then extending a blessing to those we rarely come in contact with seems to make sense too. 

The strange thing is you think you’re doing it for them but something happens to you that will amaze and astound.

Oh, and if you really want turkey you can always invite the guy that takes your groceries to the car to the deli for a smoked turkey sub with whatever fixings he wants - then invite him to the park so you can throw the pig skin for awhile. On second thought, maybe he’d take it better if you just said thanks.

Sing Once More For Me

Note: I have had a couple of friends who spent years in the pastorate and after retirement they moved to ministering in nursing homes. Recently Betty Jo left her beloved Don after 60 years of marriage. It was this beautiful soul that inspired this poem. Maybe you know someone like Betty Jo - maybe you are someone like Betty Jo - someone who helps others focus on their future.  

She sits all alone

Her eyes appear vacant

She reacts to no one

Her mind seems distant

Life has been long

Health issues malicious

A bed and a wheelchair

She won't long be with us

But then a merry soul

Paid a visit one day

And sang an old hymn

As old Clara lay

Clara's eyes came in focus

And the tears filled and fell

And she joined in the song

A joyful praise from soul’s well

The nurses can’t believe

The song they are hearing

She has uttered no words

For a year or so nearing

A brilliant smile remains

Lingering after the song

Her mind fixed on Jesus

She’ll see His face before long

While her body seems useless

Her soul still communes

She holds loosely to life

Waiting for one final boon

And it comes in the end

Despite expressions of sorrow

Her soul has found rest

With no earthly tomorrow 

Eternity with Jesus

Following her longest night

Her body is whole

Her spirit is light

"I knew You would come."

She says with a smile

"I waited and remembered

And You came after awhile."

"True, dear daughter,

It’s you I’ve been waiting to see.

I heard your sweet voice, 

Now daughter, sing once more for Me."

- Glenn Hascall -

Different – With Purpose

My wife and I are nothing alike. She notices things I never do. She is a detail person. She is a bright shiny light of goodness.

I am analytical and can sometimes be messy. I am a detail person when it comes to any project I am working on, but that might mean I can lose sight of other things for a time. I tend to be an introvert.

I used to think an introverted person was someone who didn't like people and didn't like to talk. Introverts were shy people, right? My view was challenged in a few recent articles I've read. Introverts are less willing to engage in small talk. If they talk they want it to mean something. They might be engaged in very public work, but when it's all done they need some alone time to recharge. They can be the life of the party, but they don't automatically seek it.

Introverts tend to be creative and can be easily misunderstood. Some may think an introvert is snobby because they can be quiet or because they may seek a place to get away from it all. Introverts aren't necessarily interested in impressing other people, but they are interested in creating things that can impact other people.

My wife used to be very shy, but I don't think she was an introvert. Today it is so easy for her to start a conversation and keep it going. People like being around her. She makes others laugh and feel comfortable. She makes me very proud to be her husband.

It would be easy for me to simply hide away after my work is done for the day, but Nancy has been God's perfect gift. Over the years she continues to encourage me to live outside my comfort zone. We've been good for each other. Neither of us are the same people we were when we met more than 30 years ago – and that's OK. I think both of us are more like the people God intended us to be. Imperfect to be sure, but God has been consistent in shaping us as we cooperate with His plan.

In some ways we are very much alike. We are very interested in how we raise our kids. We want to be very intentional about following God. We want to make the choice to love each other even when we disagree.

Nancy is my best friend. My best conversations are with her. My happiest moments are just being with her. We have a couple of days a week when we go out for a cup of hot cocoa or a meal. These are some of our favorite moments of the week.

All of us bring good things and bad into a marriage. We may want to be as compatible with the other person as we can, but in the end God can reshape two very different people into a couple that can't imagine living life without each other.

“...a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24 (NIV)

I think God makes us different with great purpose. If we were all alike we would be incredibly bored. There would be no mystery, no need to learn, no curiosity. When we learn how we are different we can learn how those differences can compliment the relationship. This works not only in marriage, but in friendships as well.

No matter how different you may feel God has a place where only you fit.

Restoration in Progress

Last fall I went out to my garage, took a leaf blower, and removed offending tree remnants from the concrete floor. A day later? Who could tell.

When our children were small, my wife would pick up after them all the time. When they were asleep the house looked nice. In the morning? Not so much.

We all go from assignment to assignment in the hopes that at some point we get ahead of the potential disaster that seems ready to pounce on our inattention.

The Second Law of Thermodynamics is – in it's basic understanding – a bit like taking a casserole and putting it in the oven hoping to achieve a final temperature of 350 degrees. Once achieved the casserole is removed and placed on the counter. Does it stay 350 degrees? No. It cools to room temperature if you don't either apply more energy to heat or cool it.

In the privacy of your own home you can apply the Second Law of Thermodynamics to so many things. Mom's pick up after kids because the alternative is chaos. We remove leaves from our garages because we appreciate order. But to give up applying energy to anything means that it cools to room temperature. The heat leaves it. It begins to decay.

When we give up, someone has to either pick up what we left - or what we worked for becomes dust.

God's 'heat' will be applied to our lives. We feel the scorch and it's uncomfortable. But perhaps this is God's way of saying, “Hey, I'm not giving up on you.”

God invests in broken people. He keeps repairing, restoring, and applying heat so one day His investment in our future proves His love always outshone our lack.

Maybe this gives us a new perspective on why sometimes God applies pressure that feels uncomfortable. He wants our obedience to transform us into the new creations He promised. The struggle to adjust may be His way of removing the old to make way for the new.

When heat isn't applied to our lives we lose the ability to show compassion, discover real joy, and embrace the hope God offers. We generate our own heat, but that heat always leaves us cold. We mock people, embrace sarcasm, find hate easy to apply, and bitterness becomes easy to accept.

God's heat brings light and understanding. God's heat makes us wise. God's heat makes us better.

“Anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 (MSG)

You can't restore a table without sanding the blemishes. You can't restore a car by simply painting rust. God can't restore you without applying energy to the end result that becomes willing to say, “He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30 (NIV)

The Christian life isn't self-help – it's God helping those who need help.

Defining Your Faith Legacy

Note: A couple of items that are linked together. The poem was written more than a decade ago. The article? In recent years. - Glenn

I talked to my dad recently. It was a time of remembering. The double car garage built in 1975 for around $3,000. Times when we painted houses together. Times when we organized family stuff. The time when an wayward pig nearly caused me to roll my first pickup.

This phone call conversation was intended to wish my dad a happy birthday, but it became more. It had been five years since a major surgery. Fifty-four years since he and mom said their “I do's” (she went on ahead a few years back). He'd just celebrated 35 years with the county transportation department. The conversation obviously centered around the passing of years.

When I was growing up, my dad would be the first one out of bed. He would read his Bible and pray from 4-6 am. I didn't think this unusual. Didn't all dads do that?

It was my grandma's example that my dad followed. By Dad's own admission he only got up early because that's what his mom did. At some point the example became a habit, and the habit became a lifestyle, and the lifestyle become a new example.

Dad told me that there had been a lady who visited with his mom when he was young. His mother had not grown up in a Christian home. This is why the unknown lady was so important to our family story. At some point my grandmother believed and was saved.

In her imperfect way my grandmother shared the faith that was being nurtured within. My dad accepted Jesus and his journey with Jesus started earlier than his mom's.

My faith journey started earlier than his, but God used Dad's faith to influence my interest. The faith of my father was nurtured by his mother. Her faith was the result of a stranger's introduction to Jesus.

Today my own children are the recipients of an imperfect legacy that faithfully relies on the power of a good God. My dad told me he hopes the legacy goes on, “Forever.”

We each have generational curses and blessings that we pass on. Sometimes we inadvertently pass along baggage to our children they were never meant to carry. Sometimes they continue to carry that baggage to their grave. Sometimes we have blessings we can share, but refuse to do so. We may want our children to earn the blessing, hope for the blessing, and understand we believe we control the blessing.

We withhold what we could easily give and give what we should intentionally withhold.

Like anyone else I can look honestly at my dad and wish he were more of this or less of that, but he did provide blessings when he could. He withheld pain whenever he could. Some issues he just didn't know how to handle.

I'm not perfect so I can't expect him to be either. What remains is for me to take the best of my father's legacy and pass it on, break away from behaviors that weren't always helpful, and rely on God to fill in all the gaps, before, between, and beyond.

It was a great conversation with Dad. I like to have them often.

God is the author and finisher of each of our stories. Maybe it's time for you to let Him take control of the pen and help define your legacy not by where you came from, but because of who He's making you to be.

The Faith Legacy

Glenn Hascall

She was up before dawn

Reading candlelit page

Oft times she was cold

As a prayer battle raged

Her youngest boy, Gene

Observed his dear mother

Rising alone in the dark

For one reason and no other.

A spiritual-war-ravaged Bible

Lay spread on the table

Hiding God’s Word in her heart

As long as she was able

She never once asked

For her boy to adhere

To her morning ritual

No punishment - no fear

But the boy is now 70

And each day before dawn

He is filling his mind

As he has for so long

Treating God’s Word as precious

In the quiet of the day

Meeting God in prayer

With so much to say

Like grandma in times past

And like Dad just this morn

I too search God’s Word

Since the day I was re-born

I’m a recipient it seems

Of a wondrous faith legacy

And I’ll be a willing example

So, hopefully, my children see

And perhaps someday they’ll say

He was up before dawn

A lamp lit the page

Sometimes he was weary

As a prayer battle raged

He treated God’s Word as precious

In the quiet of the day

Meeting God in prayer

His life had so much to say.

Follow Hard – Fear Not

Every day people around the world face fears that may seem odd to you, but are absolutely real to them. Sometimes these fears are debilitating.

The fear of a catastrophic event might make it impossible to participate in almost all activities away from home - the one place they may feel safe.

There's a scientific name for the fear of everything (Panphobia). There are phobias related to the fear of sunlight, dirt, loud noises, darkness and almost any other thing you could name.

We know that angels often reminded humans to knock off that whole worrying thing. Someone has even said there are 365 times that we are told to “fear not” in the Bible – one for each day of the year. Actually, depending on the version of the Bible you use there are between 80-110 mentions of this phrase, but still, the reminders are important – every day.

Humans have always been pretty good at holding onto fear like a sword, but fear won't make us live longer lives, fear won't make us promotion worthy employees, fear is a contagious condition, and fear makes life seem like less of an adventure and more like a prison sentence.

We fear what we don't understand or that which makes us uncomfortable.

In certain situations fear induces a fight or flight reaction, which can be helpful in the short-term. This is true for soldiers in war, when we're confronted with real danger, or in protecting our families. But fear is a switch that needs to be shut off once the danger is over.

To remain in a place of high anxiety leads to stress related illness that will actually subtract days from your life. High blood pressure, heart disease, and stomach ulcers are all a byproduct of fear-based anxiety.

Fear attacks your health, but also your mind – and it's never attractive. When you become obsessed with fear you suddenly find yourself thinking of every relationship, activity, and dream in light of your fear. You refuse friendships because they might bring the thing you fear with them, or you're afraid they will be hurt because they might encounter your fear.

“Don’t panic. I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.” Isaiah 41:10 (MSG)

God knows there are so many things we don't understand, but He does. God sees that we get stressed out about what we can't control, but He's in control. God hears our cries for help, and He says, “Fear not.”

You see when we try to control every circumstance we are intentionally telling God we don't think He's able to take care of us. If God can keep all the elements of our world working together to sustain life He is big enough to take care of every fear you could ever entertain. When you refuse to fear you have more time to really live the life God created you to live.

Someone once said that God was a bit like a GPS. If God tells you where to go and how to get there, but you get sidetracked, He will recalculate your route to get you back on track. However, fear always takes you on detours. You will face road hazards God never intended for you to face and the detour means you will have less time to embrace the plan God has always had for you. Follow hard – fear not.

Recalculating.