I Don't Know...

Questions I have heard this past week and don't have answers to:

How were 4 people I know diagnosed with breast cancer last week?

Why did a 35 year old mother die and leave her one week old son?

How does a simple hip replacement end like this?

How were there 3 funerals in one week in our community?

I. Don't. Know. 

I do know, when I asked God how I should be answering people....I got this...

You don't need to defend Me.

You don't need to understand or explain.

If He needed us to do either of these things...He would have equipped us to.

On the contrary, He has made clear that we are not able to understand many things...

Although one day we "shall see in full..."

And until then....we will

"Trust in The Lord with all our hearts 

and lean not on our own understanding."

- Proverbs 3:5

  

These times are an opportunity to show and tell what we DO know. God is good...all the time. And all the time....God is good.

God, Thank You for loving us enough to remain Constantly Present.

In His Dust,

DCC

Questions And Answers...

So last week I got a call from an 11 year old with some questions about what she read in The Bible. 

I felt confident in my knowledge....because it was an 11 year old...

how hard could her questions be??? 

Ummmm.....very. 

They were from Leviticus. 

Leviticus. 

Good times.

You can imagine my excitement...since I am practically an expert on Leviticus and by expert, I am referring to.... I am able to spell L-E-V-I-T-I-C-U-S

I tried to remain calm as the kid asked me 224 questions on God's Laws and Why He made them. 

I have to tell you, I loved the conversation I had with her. She was honestly seeking and digging in The Text.

I thought to myself, I wish I had an expert on Leviticus here to help me....and then realized, if God wanted her with an expert, He would have put one in her path.

He didn't.

He put me in her path.

He told me not to be intimidated about what I didn't know....

But, to be confident in what I did know.

I know God's Character.

I know He is loving and just...and therefore, if He makes a rule, it is for our best interest....

no matter what. 

I think it is important for kids to know that we don't have all the answers...

because we don't need to have them.....God does.

God, Thank You for not commanding us to understand You, but to love You.

In His Dust,

DCC

Signs...

So.....Friday I was walking down Broadway and came across this magnetic sign.

(It had fallen off of the Superintendent's car during a parade.) 

As you can imagine the upgrade from Mule to head honcho, 

felt warranted and quite honestly, long overdue.

As tempted as I was to slap it on my Tahoe and start making some serious decisions...

I refrained and walked it back to the district office.

I got several weird looks and honks as I walked the mile with it.

The people seemed perplexed....so, I just smiled and waved back.

After a while I realized...

the only thing they saw on the other side of the sign, 

was a "certain broken finger" sticking out at them.

This impostor superintendent, was unknowingly giving a signal at those passing by. 

(see below)

Of course the icing on the cake, was that I was also wearing a 

neon t-shirt, covered in Bible verses.

Who I was and why was I angrily running a school district while proselytizing on Broadway?!?!? Lots of mixed signals.

Made me realize how quickly I judge people on what "signs" they "show" me.

Which lead me to thinking about signs from God.

"This is the Lord's Sign to you, 

that He will do what He has promised." ~Isaiah 38:7

How we look for them.

How we miss them.

How we forget them.

His Sign that we must find and must not forget.

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son. 

By believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life." - John 3:16

God, Thank You for loving us beyond what we show others.

In His Dust,

DCC

Blue Jean Related Incident...

Well....perhaps you have heard.

There has been a Blue Jean related incident.

(Look for it on CNN)

I would not have guessed there was any risk off pulling a tag off of my new jeans...

However, now....I am wiser. 

Today, I am also the recipient of one freshly broken Mallet Finger. 

What never heard of it? Yeah, me neither before Tuesday. 

Today, I type as a schooled veteran on the subject...

and by type, I of course mean peck like a lethargic chicken.

 What are the odds Brooke Shields ever had this problem?

Slim. 

Like her jeans.

As I was complaining about how hard painting my nails and texting have become....

God sent a reminder across my TV by way of Bethany Hamilton on Amazing Race.    

Crickets.

Jesus has made beauty from the ashes in her life. 

He wants to do the same in each of our's.

All of us have something broken, don't we?

"My body and my heart may grow weak.

    God, you give strength to my heart.
    You are everything I will ever need." -Psalm 73:26

God, Thank You for not just being our splint, but being our Healer. Thank You for making the broken...beautiful.

In His Dust,

DCC

Waiting...

So I may or may not have waited in a long line on Friday morning.... 

in the dark, for this....

On the brighter side....

I did not however build a fort and spend the night in one of these, like some people....

The excitement in the waiting was palpable.....

and in some areas, a tad disturbing. 

As I waited, I was reminded, that I am not good at waiting. Not just for an iPhone but for bigger things....things that keep you awake at night, and cause anxiety in the day.

I thought about how God rewards those who wait. Those who rest in Him during the storms will be and are blessed.

For example....an unexpected late arrival of the right color and size. (It's the little things....) 

When we Trust God in our waiting, He gives us the strength to keep going.

"Wait for The Lord;Be strong, and let your heart take courage; 

wait for The Lord!" ~Psalm 27:14

God, Thank You for your patience with us....over and over again. You show up for us in the exact way and time we need it.

In His Dust,

DCC

What Can You Bring....

15 years ago, we set up folding chairs on a Sunday morning 

and attempted to worship God in cold looking gym.

We showed up and Jesus was waiting there for us...

with much bigger plans than we could have imagined.

15 years of faith and stepping out of the boat.....

God has blessed this place and the people touched by it.

Similar to the little boy who gave Jesus his lunch in order to feed the 5,000. (John 6:9-15)
Neither of us had any idea how big, how far and how wide God would show Himself this place...and to the people in and outside of its walls.

 "When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, The people realized that God was at work among them in what Jesus had done." ~John 6:14

The boy brought a little bit of lunch. 

We brought uncomfortable folding chairs 

What can you bring today?
Can you bring Him a little bit of your fear?

A little bit of your pain? Little bit of Your anxiety?

I bet you will be blown away with what He can do with it.

He can take it and make it better.

I promise and more importantly He does too.

God, We bless You for the amazing things you do and for letting us see them.

In His Dust,

DCC

Backpacks...

Last week our church community had the opportunity to take backpacks, filled with school supplies, to Somalian refugees right in our backyard. 

Somalia....hmmmmm.

Here is what I know....In 1985 we sat in Mrs. Moore's Geography class.

 (1st period, our Senior Year) 

Stacey, Francie and I were way to busy flirting with Shawn, Harding and Grady 

to be worrying about where Somalia was....

Which is how I ended up Googling "Somalia" in 2014....

Which is what lead me to believe I would soon be meeting up with Johnny Depp.  

He was not there when I arrived. Nor was he there when I left hours later.

Here is who was. 

and here is what I actually learned about Somalia.

It is filled with people that God loves and listens to.

Little girls who just want to go to school safely 

 parents who want to provide an education for their children.... 

I was reminded that Our Father, cares about details....not just starving kids in Africa.

Sometimes God knows his children would be thrilled to pieces over a box of Kleenex..

and He shows up with it!

He hears all of our hearts...

He carries them, as well as us on His Very Own Back.

I quickly noticed this angel face in red, 

She began to put her precious self and smiling face into every family picture we took-

 (Which tickled me to no end.) 

She locked eyes with me and stepped right up to the camera....

like she had 90 problems, but being precious wasn't one of them.

As I watched family after family walking up to receive their backpacks...

I was shown by God, that these Somalian Refugees were giving US the gift. 

"How beautiful the feet of those on the mountain

    who declare the good news of victory, of peace and liberation." -Isaiah 52:7

THEY were bringing us the good news, that God answers prayers.

    

Some people just take your breath away and with one glance, 

you might forever be changed....

 "Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce 

The Message of God's Good News to one and all." ~Mark 16:15

Most days, going "in to the world" might mean you don't even have to leave your zip code.

God, Thank You for making it so easy for us to serve you...and in doing so, receive ten-fold.

His Dust,

DCC