Love, Fun and Heaven on Earth

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  Oh, I love Christmas and Easter because of what they represent, but after Christmas there is the inevitable letdown that comes from weeks of preparation and anticipation.  Easter is different because after it passes, the days get longer, warm weather begins to settle in, and we get to box up the woolies and pull out the spring clothes.  Oh yeah, and baseball season starts :)

But thanksgiving is different to me.  It comes at the end of college football season (yeah, sports are big at our house) and it ushers in the Christmas season.  So once the roaster is washed and the china is put away, it's finally time to unpack the decorations and plan for the holiday.  But more than that, it's a special time for my Rinehart family because it's the weekend of our reunion at Alpine Lodge

We began this tradition about 15 years ago after the death of my grandmother.  She and my grandfather had a quiver FULL of children, nine total with eight surviving.  In fact, my middle given name (Hope) comes from my aunt who died in infancy.  With eight adult children and 20 grandchildren, many of whom were married with children of their own, the Alpine Lodge provided a place for the entire family to stay and all be together.  I think that year there were about 70 of us, and while we mourned the death of Grandma, we also rejoiced in her life and had fun spending time together.  So thanksgiving weekend at the Lodge was born and became a family tradition.

It is a weekend full of catching up, eating, playing games, eating, looking at old photos, eating, singing, eating... did I mention eating??  This is a family that can put a serious hurtin' on some grub, and having a constant spread of food is something that we all love.  The little kids love it because, for the most part, the healthy eating rules that are in place at home are tossed out the window at the Lodge.  The big kids love it because it means nonstop noshing and we have some fabulous cooks, including sweet Rachel who is a professional cookie caterer.  I hope someday she is able to offer shipping, but for now I will just drool over her website and look forward to having them once a year.  They are worth the wait :)

We are also a family of gamers, and I don't mean Xbox and Playstation.  Once the tables are cleared of the dishes, they become full of every sort of game you can imagine.  It seems that every year we are introduced to a new game, and this year (for me, at least) it was the card game "Set"and it will be under our tree Christmas morning :)  We also love Mexican train Dominoes, spades, spoons, progressive rummy, Boggle, goop (or nertz)... there is ALWAYS a game to join and extras are ALWAYS welcome.  Pull up a chair and you're in on the next round.

We are also a family of praisers.  Several years ago we had family reunion tshirts made that were captioned "a weekend of praising and grazing" and that captures the spirit perfectly.  Our Christian heritage is RICH and also musical, so at any given time you can hear some instrument being played and voices being raised.  Part of the weekend includes what we call "Share Time" and it's an opportunity for us to give testimonies of what the Lord has done in our lives the past year.  Some events, like the passing of my sweet niece Karis in February, rock the entire family.  Others, like new job opportunities, are news to many of us and give us a chance to get filled in with the details -- everybody all at once, instead of  having to tell the story 20 times :)

But in addition to all the fun and fellowship, for ME this weekend is also a foretaste of Heaven.  In fact, when my kids were young and asked me what Heaven was like, I compared it to the Lodge weekend.  All of your family is together in one place and is happy and hugging and laughing, there is plenty of food and fun, there is always somebody to catch up with, and at any given moment you will hear voices singing and praising the Lord Jesus.  Everybody will have their own places to retreat to, but it's so much fun being together that you're drawn to the group. Yes, there will be jobs for us (so don't be surprised and think you'll be playing a harp and sitting in the clouds all day), but the work won't be toilsome because you'll be doing it WITH those you love FOR those you love.

I've missed the past two thanksgiving weekends because I was recovering from surgeries, and not being with the family was more painful than the belly full of stitches!!  So this year was particularly precious to me, but it was also bittersweet because we were all missing Karis.  As we were singing on Friday night, my heart was torn as we sang contemporary praise songs and familiar old hymns such as "Amazing Grace" and "I'll Fly Away."  Two of my grandmother's favorite hymns were "When We All Get To Heaven" and "Glad Reunion Day," and as we sang those songs my eyes met those of my Uncle David and Aunt Lula whose eyes also brimmed with tears.  I knew we were all thinking of Karis, and as the tears spilled down my cheeks I envisioned the day when we all got to Heaven and had the ULTIMATE family reunion.

And NOTHING will compare to that, not even the Lodge!

The November of Thankfulness

I am a fan of Facebook.  It's been so much fun to see what is happening with my friends and their families, reconnect with old friends and meet new ones.  I especially like to see what my friends are thinking from day to day, and I'm so encouraged by a lot of their posts.  I'm also amused by a lot of what they say, but on November 10th I came across a post that challenged the FB community to spend the rest of the month listing things they are thankful for.  It was great to see how many took that challenge and how profound so many of them were.  Last week I listed some of the things I was thankful for on a daily basis, and since I spent the weekend with my family and missed Bible study on Sunday, I thought I would recap the my list from the month.  

Nov 10 (initial post) - "Let's see how many people can do this - Every day this month until Thanksgiving, think of one thing that you are thankful for and post it as your status. 'Today I am thankful for...' The longer you do it, the harder it gets! Now, if you think you can do it then repost this message as your status to invite others to take the challenge, then post what YOU are thankful for today....."

Nov 10 - Today I am thankful for... Steve, Scott and Sarah :)


Nov 11 - Today I am thankful for JESUS and everything He is! 


Nov 12 - Today I am thankful for my fabulous sisters!!


Nov 13 - Today I am thankful that the rain has let up enough for me to walk this morning!!


Nov 15 - Today I'm thankful for GREAT and SPECIAL friends, and thankful to live in a country where we can freely worship our LORD :)


Nov 16 - Today I am thankful for God's MERCY -- that I don't get what I deserve!


Nov 17 - Today I'm thankful for God's GRACE - that He gives me blessings I don't deserve!!


Nov 18 - Today I am thankful for Christian parents who brought me up in the Truth. I do NOT take that for granted!!


Nov 19 - Today I am thankful for friends who love, encourage & pray for me & my family. I LOVE y'all!


Nov 20 – Today I am thankful for Dr Bob Williams, who performed surgery on me two years ago today.  He and Kim are two of our dearest friends.


Nov 21 – Today I am thankful for Dr Pat Saul, who performed a tenuous gyn surgery on me one year ago today.


Nov 22 – Today I am thankful for God’s LOVE that’s unconditional, infinite and eternal.


Nov 23 – Today I am thankful for the HOPE I have in Jesus Christ, that this life isn’t all there is.


Nov 24 – Today I am thankful for the JOY I have in Jesus Christ, that I can wake up every morning knowing He loves me.


Nov 25 – Today I am thankful for my health, and that I am spending Thanksgiving AT HOME instead of in the hospital =D


Nov 26 – Today I am thankful for lessons that have taught me to be CONTENT.  They aren’t easy but they are effective.


Nov 27 – Today I am thankful that I do not have a hose up my nose, aka a nasogastric tube.  On this day two years ago I DID!


Nov 28 – Today I am thankful (again) for the Godly heritage He has given me in my wonderful family, and for the huge blessing of spending this weekend with them.  I’ve missed the last two thanksgiving weekends because I’ve been in the hospital!!


Nov 29 – Today I am thankful for FAITH, the confident assurance that God is in control & working out all the craziness of life.


Nov 30 – Today I am thankful that I live in the Church Age -- after the birth of Jesus. Think about all the blessings we have because He came to live among us!  I can’t imagine living without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit or the many copies of the written Word (and study resources) that are in my possession!

The originator of that post said "The longer you do it, the harder it gets" but I didn't really find that to be the case. I guess because it put me in the mindset of looking for things to be thankful for, the more blessings I realized.

And THAT is a good lesson :)

Psalm 116

This week we studied another praise psalm with an anonymous writer.  Like so many of the psalms it begins with praise, recounts a time of hardship, remembers the Lord's faithfulness and deliverance, and then concludes with praise.  It's an overall picture of our lives:  good times, hardships, questions and struggles, learning curves, restorations, good times... and the cycle repeats.

Since we are entering the week of Thanksgiving, we took time in our class to share some of the things we are thankful for this year, and I went first!  This year I am thankful for my good health.  I've spent the past two Thanksgiving weeks in the hospital recovering from surgeries.  It's a long story, but the timeline is this:

• Nov 2007 - partial hysterectomy, 10 days later developed a complication which led to
• Nov 2007 - surgery to correct an obstruction, which resulted in
• Nov 2007 - staph infection in the surgical incision
• Nov 2007 - Feb 2008 - antibiotics & wound care, which didn't kill the staph and heal the wound, so
• Feb 2008 - debriding surgery for the staph
• Nov 2008 - pelvic pain caused by a large ovarian cyst
• Nov 2008 - gyn surgery to remove the cyst and remaining ovary

Since I've spent the past two Novembers in the hospital, I was a little anxious this year as I flipped the calendar over!  I have actually asked friends to pray for what we've termed my "November Nerves," and so far, so good!!  But I've learned so much through that experience, and I am thankful every single day for the blessing of restored health.  I do NOT take it for granted and do my best to take care of my body.

But I am also thankful for little things every day, things like:

• having enough milk for breakfast
• clear sinuses
• a paid-for car
• technology (computers, cell phones, my blackberry, online banking, Facebook, cable tv, wireless internet...)
• good weather for a morning walk
• comfortable shoes
• good hair days
• jeans that fit
• family, friends and neighbors
• our community and the great schools my kids have been blessed to attend
• text messages from the kids telling me about their days
• emails of ALL kind - funny ones, uplifting ones, prayer requests...
• my Bibles and all the study resources I have
• my independence and mobility

And then I remember the spiritual blessings, which are endless -- salvation, hope, joy, peace, faith, grace, mercy, love, protection, victory...  I've found that it's hard to be "down in the dumps" when I count my blessings, so I try to make it a part of my day - EVERYDAY.

I recently heard a wonderful sermon on JOY, and it came right after a great devotional I read that was written by one of my favorite men, Andrew Murray (who had to be one of the most joyful, faithful, peaceful dudes in all of south Africa, and I can't wait to meet him in Heaven).  He wrote, "... there is nothing so attractive as joy, no preaching so persuasive as the sight of hearts made glad.  This makes gladness such a strong element in Christian character.  There is no proof of the reality of God's love and the blessing He bestows, which people so quickly feel the strength of, as when the joy of God overcomes the trials of life.  And for the Christian's own welfare, joy is just as indispensable; the joy of the Lord is his strength (Neh 8:10)..." (taken from Abiding  in Christ)

So as I enter Thanksgiving week, I remember the cycle of the past two years and the various struggles I've had.  But I also continue to remember God's attributes and His blessings and His faithfulness, and like the apostle Peter, "[I'm] filled with an inexpressible and glorious JOY." (1 Peter 1:8)

My latest "last"

I'm having a hard time believing that in ONE WEEK it will be Thanksgiving!!  We've had a busy fall, but it still doesn't seem like it should be this late!  Is time flying at everyone's house or is it just mine?


The changes in the season also bring changes in activities at my house.  I hope to get started on Christmas shopping and decorating in the next two weeks, and then before I can turn around a time or two it will be February!!  In March (Lord willing) I will return to Israel to tour with some friends and I CANNOT WAIT for that fabulous trip!  When I return I'll be thrust into spring, which means SAPC baseball with Scott and helping with senior activities with Sarah's class.  My years of being a team mom, homeroom mom and pta volunteer are coming to a close and it's bittersweet.  


I loved helping with all those things.  I loved being part of the educational and recreational communities.  I loved getting to know so many of the kids and becoming friends with their parents.  A tennis buddy once told me that you never realize how your kids connect you to the community until they're gone.  I've kept that in the back of my head for a long time and have tried to savor these last few years.  And I will savor these next few months as this phase of my career comes to an end.

My latest "last" is Sarah's cheerleading.  She's cheered for almost as long as Scott played baseball, so it's been a big part of the fall months at our house.  This past weekend was the Virginia High School League State Championship for her competition squad.  She and her friends are some strong and focused ladies, and they are some of the hardest working and dedicated gals I've ever met.  August 1st begins their season which includes practicing 2-3 hours every day after school and then a couple of hours every Saturday.  They spend the off-season taking tumbling lessons or traveling with a recreational competition team, so they are serious about what they do and they work hard to have successful varsity seasons.

This year was no exception.  They won their district competition for the 6th time and then won their regional competition for the 3rd time.  Not bad for a school that is only 8 years old, huh?  And they had another commendable performance at the state competition and finished 7th overall.  Their routine was solid and flawless, their best performance to date, so they finished their season with heads held high and in great spirits.  But for six of the girls and two of the coaches it was the end of a fun chapter in their lives and one that many of us will miss.


I will miss going to football games and watching Sarah and her friends cheer for their friends on the field.  I'll miss the noisy chants and brassy tunes from the marching band beside us.  I'll miss seeing my kids' friends cheering in the stands, all of them donning some form of blue, gold and white TITAN wear.  Or paint :)  I'll miss sitting in the stands and chatting with the other parents and planning for the next cheer competition.  I'll miss the emails and the handouts and coordinating our calendars.  I'll still attend some of the home games but it will be different.  I'll be on the outside looking in, and I will miss being "in."


But most of all I will miss the GIRLS.  Many of them have been Sarah's friends since elementary school and it's been fun to watch them grow up into such beautiful and talented young ladies.  Their work ethic is remarkable and will serve them well as they enter college and begin their careers.  But they will go different directions and explore other interests, and they won't be a part of each other's lives like they have been.  Sure, they will stay in touch with each other, especially with all the social networking that's available, but it will be different.  Their worlds will expand as they leave home, and they'll have so many opportunities to learn and mature and grow.  They'll make new friends and become part of new communities.  They'll make good choices and stupid ones... they'll date nice guys and jerky ones... they'll have fulfilling jobs and frustrating ones...  they'll wrestle with their faith and their beliefs, and they'll need friends and mentors who are grounded and can help them navigate those waters.



So I hope they will foster a good relationship with their own parents and will stay in touch with some of their friends' parents.  Several of those parents have encouraged Sarah when she turned a deaf ear to Steve and me, and I know they would give her good advice again.  We love it when the kids' friends stay in touch with us, and it's an honor to share in the excitement of their new experiences.  Even though we'll always be "Scott and Sarah's parents," we look forward to the day when we become their friends.  And that can only happen with the passing of time, so I guess time passing isn't ALL bad ;)

Psalms 111 & 112

I love bumper stickers.  I don't have any but I love seeing how others advertise themselves on their vehicles.  Even though the November elections have passed there are still plenty of political bumper stickers.  It is college football season so I see a lot of fans sporting celebrations their favorite teams.  Religious bumper stickers abound where I live and while some of them are amusing ("Wear your Bible belt") some are thought-provoking.  "FROG - Fully Rely On God."  "WWJD - What Would Jesus Do?"  "No Jesus, No Peace. Know Jesus, Know Peace."  I found this one particularly interesting, "Think Spiritually. Act Righteously."


Righteous is defined as "characterized by uprightness or morality; morally right or justifiable; virtuous."  We so often hear this word with "self" slapped on the front of it, which totally changes the definition.  Self-righteous is a smug satisfaction and confidence in one's OWN beliefs & behavior while being critical and judgmental of the beliefs & behaviors of OTHERS.  God's Word has a lot to say about righteousness, both His and ours, and the psalms are a great place to learn about the two.


This week we look at Psalms 111 and 112.  They complement each other in that the first is a description of what God is like and what He does, and the second is focuses on how we are to behave in light of His character and works.


As you read through Psalm 111 we see the words righteous, glorious, majestic, gracious, compassionate, faithful, trustworthy, steadfast, upright, holy and awesome.  We know that He is also eternal, infinite, incomprehensible, loving, just, merciful, gracious, wise, generous and victorious.  And this is just a PARTIAL list! By studying His works in this psalm we see they are great, pondered by all, wondrous, powerful and redeeming.  But again, these few descriptions are just the tip of the iceberg and the author of this psalm is laying the groundwork for us:  Psalm 111 is WHY we are to live out Psalm 112.


Psalm 112 begins with praise and a blessing:  "Blessed is the man who fears (reveres, respects, values) God, who finds great delight in His commands." (emphasis mine)  This person will be provided for, leave a godly legacy, be firm in his faith, never fear bad news, have a secure and steadfast heart, be generous & trustworthy, be honest & fair, be honored & remembered, be victorious, and will have the attitude of an overcomer.


Verse four is one of my favorites because it hearkens back to Exodus.  "Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man."  As Moses confronted Pharaoh to get him to release the children of Israel, the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart as He plagued the Egyptians.  In Exodus 10:21-23 we read, "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt - darkness that can be felt.'  So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days.  Yet ALL the Israelites had light in the places where they lived." (emphasis mine)


Imagine an entire country being dark except for one area!  And it wasn't just the darkness that the Lord spared His people from -- they were spared from EVERY plague.  Boils, frogs, bloody water, disease, hail, DEATH...  While the nation in which they lived was experiencing His punishment, God's people were experiencing His provision.  His mighty hand NEVER left them because they were HIS chosen ones and He delighted in them.  And even in the midst of fearsome and trying times, He revealed Himself and provided for them in amazing ways.


How encouraging are these words to believers today!!  Even though we aren't exempt from bad news and bad times, we know that He is providing for us and that His mighty hand will NEVER leave us!  Ps 112:7a says "He will have no fear of bad news."  Notice the psalmist doesn't say he won't HAVE bad news.  We WILL have bad news because Christians don't live in a protective bubble, but we won't FEAR bad news because the verse continues: "his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord."


Proverbs 3:5-6 and Romans 8:28 are familiar reminders that God is working in the lives of His children and we are to trust Him no matter what our circumstances may be because His hand is on us and we are moving along a path that will grow us and glorify Himself.  As we navigate the storms of life it's important that we remember WHO GOD IS and that He has a plan and a time table and everything is RIGHT ON SCHEDULE!  He is in control and is faithful and loving and kind and gracious and watching over His children.  


John 16:33 sums it up beautifully, "I have told you these things, so that IN ME you may have peace.  In this WORLD you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have OVERCOME the world."   


So... "No Jesus, No Peace. Know Jesus, Know Peace."

"The Love Of God" lyrics

This is a gorgeous song with fabulous lyrics. I am serenaded by Mercy Me every morning as I get ready and I thought it'd be good to share.

"The Love Of God"

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell
It goes beyond the highest star
And reaches to the lowest hell

The guilty pair, bowed down with care
God gave His Son to win
His erring child He reconciled
And pardoned from his sin

Could we with ink the ocean fill
And were the skies of parchment made
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade

To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky

Hallelujah 3x

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints' and angels' song


Here is a link to a video on YouTube, and the song is available for download on iTunes.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fla6EO07I3E&feature=fvw
LOVE IT!

Psalm 1

This is a gorgeous time of year in Virginia… the mountains are ablaze with color, the skies are clear, the air is crisp and cool.  I love unpacking my sweaters, boxing up my summer shoes and pulling out my jeans.  For the most part I like working in the yard and cleaning up the mulch beds, but I’m not all that crazy about the leaves.  I don’t have a huge yard with towering trees, but I spent several hours on Tuesday blowing and vacuuming and bagging leaves – six jumbo bags to be exact, and that was the first pass.  There will be at least one more unless I take my neighbor’s advice and just hope the wind blows them down the street.

This week I taught a lesson on Psalm 1 and one of my favorite verses in this short passage is verse 3, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither…”   Whose leaf does not wither… those kinda trees aren’t found in the greater Roanoke Valley, but what expressive imagery!  The psalmist has just described a faithful person who seeks godly advice, walks obediently, and who continually mediates on the Word of God.

“… his delight is in the Law of the Lord… he meditates day and night…” records verse 2.  I like the picture of constantly pondering scripture to understand how it applies to life.  But what about today’s Christian?  Is meditating on God’s Word still important?  With dozens of self-help books written each year (many of them written by Christians) and hundreds available with the click of a mouse, is the Bible still relevant today?  YOU BETCHA IT IS!!

The Bible is as relevant today as it has ever been!!  As I prepared the lesson for Psalm 1, I thought of the Bible as God’s “record.”  (Before I get slammed by any theologians, I understand that God’s Word is WAY more than a mere record, but Psalm 1 is a simple psalm that called for a simple illustration!)  In the simplest of terms the Bible is a record of (1) God and His attributes, (2) us and our sinfulness, and (3) Jesus and His sacrifice.  Every page of scripture contains truth that instructs us and applies to our lives.

Not only do we have the written Word, but we also have the Holy Spirit of God.  If we think of the Word as the “Record” then think of the Spirit as the “Revealer.”  He illuminates the truths of scripture and causes them to jump off the page and plunge into the depths of our hearts. 

• He reveals Who God is – holy and perfect and just, but gracious and merciful and compassionate.
• He reveals who we are – sinful and separated from Him, but not without hope.
• He reveals Who Jesus is – the One Who was punished for our sin and the ONLY way we can come into the presence of God.

When the Holy Spirit reveals these truths to us, we are faced with a decision.  Do we believe God’s Word and respond with a prayer of confession, or do we disregard God’s Word because it doesn’t line up with our personal beliefs?  Remember that our belief system is influenced by any number of factors:  our upbringing, our religious background (or lack thereof), our education, our friends, our culture, our experiences… but our notions are just that – OUR notions, and they are inconsequential in light of our holy and righteous God.  It really doesn’t matter what WE THINK, it only matters what HE SAYS, and what He says is written in His WORD.  “Your Word, O Lord, is ETERNAL.  It stands firm in the heavens.”  (Psalm 119:89)

How very different God’s view is from the world’s view!!  Many believe we live in an age of enlightenment and should be open to new ideas and revelations of “truth” which point to multiple paths to God that are all equal and valid.  Religion, some would argue, is personal and is best approached like a cafeteria – a little of this, a little of that… incorporate some of Jesus’ teachings but also some current popular teaching…  It’s almost as if there is an attempt to cover every religious “base” while fully committing to NOTHING…  Just figure out what works and seems right to you!?

Hmmm…  so do we base our beliefs on God’s Word – something that has endured for hundreds of years and has proven reliable through generations?  Or do we base our beliefs on our thinking – ideas that come and go and crumble like autumn leaves?

King Solomon said, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death“  (Proverbs 16:25).  Several hundred years later, Jesus provided the answer, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No man comes to the Father except through ME” (John 14:6).

 I know which WAY I choose!!