Till There Was You

I was recently driving my 14-year-old grandson to school when he asked: "What's your favorite song, Nana?" Without much thought, I said, “‘Till There Was You” and I proceeded to explain that song was Papa’s and my wedding song. He had his phone connected by Bluetooth and searched for it and up came the Beatle’s rendition. We listened to the whole song and, to my astonishment; he said: “I like that song!” I went on to tell him that we loved going to musical theater performances and that song was from “The Music Man”. I’m sure he was in a fog about that production, but I was pleased with his acceptance of my “oldie but goodie”.

During the tenderness of the Christmas season, I was having the sweetest of times with God one morning and I started singing that song, but this time I wasn’t singing it to my sweetheart but to God. And the words are so befitting to a relationship before Christ, and after falling in love with Him.

"There were bells on a hill, but I never heard them ringing!
No, I never heard them at all, till there was YOU!
There were birds in the sky, but I never saw them winging!
No, I never saw them at all, till there was YOU!
Then there was music and wonderful roses.
They tell me, in sweet fragrant meadows of dawn and dew.
There was love all around, but I never heard it singing.
No, I never heard it at all, till there was you.”

That’s how I feel about my Lord – who turned my sadness, gloom, despair into joy and gladness. He gave me purpose and hope. Now I see through rose-colored glasses of positivity and great expectation every day. My family and I went to see the new “Mary Poppins Returns” movie on Christmas Eve. Yes, we are that family that embraces “good feeling, happy ending” movies. Afterward, my granddaughter said, “I guess that’s what life on drugs is like!” We laughed, but my daughter, with her Godly insight, said, “That’s what perspective looks like. Most people escape their realities by drugs or other vices to have a utopic experience. But those of us in Christ with Holy Spirit living in us have those experiences because Holy Spirit enables us to have joy in the midst of fear; gladness instead of sadness; peace instead of turmoil; hope instead of hopelessness; love instead of hate; dancing instead of mourning.

Maybe you’d like to get off the doom and gloom track and get on board this “Joyful, joyful we adore You!” train, too! It sure makes for a gumdrop and roses and whiskers on kitten kind-of-day and life. Let me introduce you to the Conductor! He’s known as the Prince of Peace, the Solid Rock, the Great I Am! Once you get to know Him, you, too will be singing “There were bells on a hill and I never heard thing ringing – no I never heard them at all TILL THERE WAS YOU!

“You turned my mourning into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing Your praises and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks forever.” Psalm 30:11,12

What is Blocking Your View?

IWhat is Blocking Your View?

If you’ve been a musician in an orchestra, you know that seeing the conductor throughout the symphony, is of paramount importance. That’s why you’ll notice that the placement of every chair is in direct eyes' view of the one that is directing and leading the music. The conductor is responsible for the start of the symphony, setting the tempo, ensuring correct entries by various members of the orchestra and communicating to the musicians through hand and eye gestures.

The question is….who or what is blocking the view of YOUR Conductor? Maybe someone mistreated or spoke falsely about you. That one is all you can think about, so they are keeping you from seeing your Conductor. Maybe your children are blocking your view of the Conductor. Maybe your financial or health situation or the stress and press of the holidays are blocking your view. The point is – anything that keeps our eyes from seeing from first seeing our Conductor is what causes our faith to wane. The anxiety of our circumstances is what keep us from focusing on our Lord. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6. When we keep our eyes on Him -- He will handle the symphony of our lives.

When we focus on the ONE who said, "I am the LIGHT of the world, whoever follows ME, will NEVER walk in darkness" (John 8:12), then the darkness will diminish. As we're drawn to focus on and spend time with the LIGHT, (our Conductor) and stay in fellowship with HIM, spending time in His Word, thinking about HIM -- our Conductor and He Who knows everything about everything, the answers we need will come from Him. The divine set-ups and divine appointments and the divine "suddenlies" will start providing what we need. Our music will reflect His tempo, His starts and His finishes of our symphony.

Maybe it's time to get a new seat in the orchestra -- one that SEES our Conductor -- His hand gestures and His eyes that are on us. His LIGHT shines so brightly and desires to dispel the darkness that is around us. I promise you, He is the most reliable Counselor, the most indescribable Prince of Peace and the ultimate source for restoring LIGHT to our world as the Conductor of our "unfinished" symphony!

“THE END -- And They Lived Happily Ever After”

That’s the big finale of most Disney movies and so it was for us. Our Disney journey came to an end last night, and of course we will live happily ever after….well, once we cross over to heaven, that is. But for now, we’ll carry so many precious memories from 10 years ago (yesterday morning we watched those photos and “remembered” together).

Then we made our way to the water park for a relaxing, fun, and “wet” morning. Then off to our final Disney adventure at Hollywood Studios again. It was my favorite day because we were able to get to do “do-overs” or our favorite rides with Fast Passes, watched several shows -- Indiana Jones movie set and stunt actors performing, Beauty and the Beast and the grand finale was Fantasmic. Waiting for Fantasmic to begin, I had just said to Staci “I need inspiration for my post for tomorrow”, and then the show began. My inspiration came immediately. A mountain-set surrounded by a water lagoon was a great backdrop for Mickey Mouse and his magical laser light show where the forces of good and evil were battling it out in Mickey’s dream. We saw Disney heroes, princesses and lots of villains from many of Disney’s best: Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, The Lion King, 101 Dalmatians and many others. But when the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with Cruella de Vil, and a larger-than-life Maleficent turned Mickey's dreams into a nightmare, Mickey and his ability to overcome evil with his good saved the day again. The add on of pyrotechnics, laser lights and lots of dancing water made the dream come to life. Lots of Disney tunes were heard.

While Disney has taken a lot of hits because of what people see as underlying hidden messages and controversial storylines in their films, we still can see their efforts to make us become better people who believe that good always wins over evil. Kids today still love watching the Disney movies that we all loved when we were kids. I even found myself getting goosebumps when the Beast turned back into the prince as we watched the show yesterday. The Beast learned to love instead of being the conceited, hateful monster that he once was. How's that for a love story?

Here’s my take-aways from our Disney adventures:
~ Family time equals special and intentional “I love you so much that I want to spend time with you and celebrate you.”
~ Always remember that you are absolutely unique.
~ Never lose that childlike spirit, no matter what age you are, or what your circumstances might be.
~ Always learn and discover new things, new horizons, be open and ready for new adventures and new experiences.
~ Never let others’ negative thoughts affect your life.
~ Never give up on your goals. Do your best and work hard to achieve your dreams and potentials.
~ Life can be hard sometimes. We all know that. However, the message Disney sends us is not about despair, it’s that there’s a light at the end of every tunnel. It often appears when we least expect it. And, in those of us who believe in THE LIGHT -- we can ALWAYS expect Him to show up for us!
~ Never stop dreaming and give your best to everything you set your heart and mind to do!

In the “Mickey/Disney” world it’s “Never stop believing in magic.” But, I like to say it this way “Never stop believing in a God in Whom ALL things are possible. And in His grand scheme of things…. “Good not only overcomes evil, but it is so good, that we will get to live happily ever after with the Prince of Peace who was willing to give His ALL for you and me.” That's a true LOVE story that never says THE END!

On the Right Track

Day 83 of Photo Inspirations -- On The Right Track! 
Driving down Hwy 75, it was "photo inspiration time" -- as I drove past the BNSF trainyard in West Tulsa and saw what seemed to be the longest train I've ever seen.  I was amazed at all the oil tankers that were a part of the moving train I saw -- probably at least a hundred.   And, as "off-the-beaten-path" as it may seem, that trainyard holds sweet memories for me -- so much so, that I had to dig in my photo archives for those photo memories.

I well remember the love our first grandson had for trains.  Actually, he was consumed with them.  And we did everything we could to embrace that love with him.  We loved taking him to Ollie's Station Restaurant.  If you haven't taken your kids or grandkids there -- it's a MUST SEE -- besides country home cooking!   Model trains all throughout the restaurant that go around their ceiling tracks quite often, as well as an amazing train city all laid out.  Of course, that was Braden's favorite place to go.  When he comes to Tulsa, he still likes to go to Ollie's.  And, these photos brought back the memories of Papa and Braden going to the BNSF trainyard here where they watched the trains coming in for hours -- locking and unlocking their cars.

And, there's also the memory of the little powered train that he drove around the house with his little brother.

And, I think about THE CONDUCTOR of our lives and desiring that He guides us in making the right decisions on our "life" tracks.  I pray, with the Psalmist, "Show me your ways, Oh LORD; teach me your paths." Psalm 25:4. The Conductor knows what's up ahead, but we don't, and sometimes the great unknown causes us fear and apprehension.  Putting confidence in THE Conductor of our lives is where we find the greatest peace and comfort.  He knows the beginning from the end and the tracks He's laid out for our lives are for our ultimate good.  So we pray, "Show me YOUR way -- Teach me YOUR path", because when we seek His wisdom and direction....we'll arrive at our destination in just the perfect time -- HIS TIME.

Continuing to remember back to my grandson's love of trains, we took him and his little brother to the Tulsa Zoo where they have a fun train that goes all around the zoo.  Sitting in their Papa's lap, of course, was their security blanket, but what admiration they had for the Conductor.  He was the King Pin that knew his way around those tracks.  And, he would get them safely back to the station.  

Our lives are all about getting on the train, allowing the Conductor to take control, and not getting derailed. Remember the story about "The Little Engine That Could?" When he was trying to go uphill, he kept saying, "I think I can!", "I think I can!".  Great story about optimism and determination.  But, better than that, we can say, "I KNOW God can!", "I KNOW God can!"  Staying in close communication with our Conductor, keeps us "on track" and ready to move forward and follow His leading at a moment's notice.    He just might be saying "ALL ABOARD" -- right now.