"FAN THE FLAME" FRIDAY - Heavenly Father

Welcome to "Fan the Flame" Friday.

This is a weekly post that will be "short and sweet" (kinda like me...)

Just a word and a phrase, a sentence or a question...just a little something to "fan the flame" of your creativity!


Today's word: Heavenly Father

What comes to mind when you think about your Heavenly Father?

At this season in your life, which character trait of the Heavenly Father means the most to you - and why?

What is the one thing you want to say to your Heavenly Father today?


Let me know what you think!!


"So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him." (Matthew 7:11, NLT)


***HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all you dads out there!***


"This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you…For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:6-7)


BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

MY GRANDPA'S JACKET

I love jackets. 

I have coats of all sizes and colors and fabrics and patterns.

Yes, I have a bunch.

You see, I have this weird thing about collecting certain things.  Like watches – I've got several of those.  And blankets – ooo, got a whole lot of those.  And flashlights – I love those, too.

It's almost like it doesn't matter how many I have of these items, or if I really need a new one – somehow I am just drawn to collect more.

So, I've amassed a nice, eclectic group of coats.  And it's a good thing, too. Finally, my insistent *pack rat gene* has paid off.  I can actually wear all of these jackets up here.  The weather is finally COLD enough…

But, among all my jackets, among all my favorites, there is one that stands out.

It's a rather dirty, yellowed suede jacket.  It's got this lamb-like fleece lining that is clumpy now.  The buttons are hanging by a thread (literally). And the hems at the sides are tied with tattered leather string.

I can't remember the last time I wore this jacket – or if I've ever worn it at all.

But it is a prized treasure.  With a place of honor in my closet…

Because this jacket belonged to my grandpa – Poppy T.


My mother's parents were just the absolute best.  For most of my life, I lived about four hours away from them.  But, some of my very fondest childhood memories happened either at their house, or on their visits to mine.

For a long time, Nana and Poppy T lived in Atascadero – a rural community close to San Luis Obispo.  They lived in a house on the top of a hill – a house that my grandfather built.  He was a carpenter by trade.

I had the BEST adventures up there!

It was in this house that my life-long passion for rocks was born!  Poppy T would polish and shape them on his rock machines.  I loved watching him work.  It was in this house that I learned many faith lessons by watching Poppy T do magic tricks – tricks with a spiritual twist to them.  It was in this house that I watched fireworks across the lake, developed an unnatural fear of black widow spiders, and played with toys that used to be my mom's. 

It was in this house that I learned that I was accepted and loved – dearly – just the way I was, just because I was alive!

After several years, my grandparents semi-retired to manage a tent/trailer campground in Morro Bay – on the coast.  Oh, the fun we had there!

And you know what?!  It never mattered how sandy or wet we got while out exploring the shoreline.  We were always welcomed into the house to show off the *treasures* we had collected.

And then, of course, there were those wonderful times when my grandparents would come down to visit us.  We'd go to Disneyland or Knott's Berry Farm, we'd go out to eat, we'd go on all sorts of adventures.  But, though those times were great fun, it wasn't what I looked forward to when my grandparents came into town.  

It was them.

The sheer joy of being with them.

You see, Poppy T had a wonderful sense of humor.  And he was a bit of a scamp!  I enjoyed the twinkle he always seemed to have in his eyes, and the smile that was always on his face.  He was kind, and gentle, and thoughtful. He was a dedicated husband to my grandma – who spent the last part of her life in a rest home.

But the thing I most remember about my Poppy T is that he loved the Lord. (For a while, he had been the lay preacher at the small chapel in Atascadero – which he also helped to build).

The last time I visited him, he was hardly there anymore – a victim of Alzheimer's disease.  But that day, I could tell that he recognized me. And I talked to him about Jesus.  As I stared at his gnarled carpenter's hands, my heart was deeply touched.  Because, you see, at the name of Jesus my grandpa, my dear Poppy T, smiled.

Deeply, knowingly, lovingly.

He knew me, and he knew his Savior.

Poppy T died in 2002, an old man at almost 97.

Well, his body died.

Because I know for a fact that my grandpa lives – and will live – on and on and on.

I have saved my grandpa's jacket because it reminds me of him.  But it also reminds me of his unshakeable faith.

I have saved my grandpa's jacket because somehow it reminds 
me of Jesus.

JESUS.

Who accepts and loves me – dearly – just the way I am, just because I’m alive!

A Poppy T Hug!

"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them." (Deuteronomy 4:9, NIV)



Do you have any precious memories of your grandparents?


Linked today with:

Michelle at HEAR IT ON SUNDAY, USE IT ON MONDAY
Hazel at TELL ME A TRUE STORY
Darlene at TITUS 2SDAYS
Tracy at WINSOME WEDNESDAY
Charlotte at SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS


***A very (early) Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dads out there in Blog Land!***


BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

"FAN THE FLAME" FRIDAY - Wisdom

Welcome to "Fan the Flame" Friday.

This is a weekly post that will be "short and sweet" (kinda like me...)

Just a word and a phrase, a sentence or a question...just a little something to "fan the flame" of your creativity!


Today's word: wisdom

How would you define the word wisdom?

Do you think there's a difference between intelligence and wisdom?  If yes, what is it?

Is wisdom a gift or can it be learned?

What is one piece of wisdom you would like to pass on to someone else?


Let me know what you think!!


"And this is what he says to all humanity: 'The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.'"  (Job 28:28, NLT)

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise."  
(Psalm 111:10, NIV)

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."  (James 1:5, NIV)


"This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you…For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:6-7)


BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

AGE SPOTS

OK, does anyone out there have these things??

You know, those lovely tannish-brown spots on my skin that seem to cover more and more territory each year –

(If you do, I feel your pain…)

I actually looked these things up on Wikipedia:

"…blemishes on the skin associated with aging and exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun."

Blemishes – no duh.

Their other names?

Liver spot.  (Yuck – add onions, I feel like crying…)

Senile freckle.  (Yes…senile freckle.  Like it forgot how it got on my face…and hands...and...)

I think they're gross and unsightly.  They are unwanted reminders of my Southern California *worship-the-sun lifestyle*, and the fact that I am getting OLDER.

I've thought about getting them removed.

But electrosurgery, laser treatment, or cryotherapy sounds painful and expen$$$ive…and painful.

Those dark-spot erasing creams?  Not sure if they're very effective or not – (I'm open to suggestions if one of you knows a good one).

So, I hate these things because they're like neon signs that flash out the truth – I. AM. NOT. YOUNG. ANYMORE.

But see, that's the real deal.

The age spots are irritating – the age is disturbing.

Disturbing because the years march on relentlessly, out of my control, and always leading inexorably toward that final curtain.

I don't like getting older.

I've had so many conversations with my mom lately about getting older, about approaching the end.

And even with faith, even with a close walk with the Lord, the Valley of the Shadow of Death is daunting, scary, threatening.

Last night we were talking about my dad, whose mind is drifting away so rapidly now.  Mom told me how it's hard for her to see – both for his sake, and as a reminder that she, too, is getting older.

And out of the blue, I said this to her:

"Mom, don't think for a second that the Lord who has walked with you all these years will let go of you now.  He's holding on to your hand tighter than ever before.  Old age is just a chance to feel Him closer."

We both stopped silent.

You see, I didn't really think those things – I just said them.  (The Holy Spirit has a way of doing that, you know…)

And, the more I thought about it, the more I knew it to be true.

For me, too.

Growing older is a privilege in so many ways.  My walk has indeed grown closer as I've added candles to my birthday cake.  My faith has grown deeper, my sense of God's Presence more tangible, my love for His Word stronger.


I ask myself these questions…

Would I feel Him as surely if I was younger?

Would the walk with Him be as sweet if I could walk without pain?

Would remembering His faithfulness be as powerful if my memory wasn't so flaky sometimes?

Would reading His Word be as wonderful if I didn't have to do it with glasses?

Would hearing His voice be as tangible if my hearing was not growing weaker?

Would my heart not soar as high if I wasn't slowing down?


I don't think so.

Because it is in the aging that I am learning new depths of His character, and about what it means to grow on the inside, while the outside just grows old.

Sagging flesh is weak, but He is making my spirit strong.

I'm going to share these thoughts with my mom today.  And I'm pretty sure she'll understand.  (She will, for sure).  She knows that there is something to be said for the gray hair of wisdom that comes with age (even if you dye it like I do!!).

She will know that the sure hand of the Lord grips tighter with every year that passes.

She will know, because her testimony speaks to me.

A woman of grace and faith and love and humility.

An older woman who knows how to age with beauty.


Maybe that's what those old age spots truly are – beauty spots.

Spots that testify to the mileage of our journeys.  Spots that testify of our flawed flesh but saved souls.  


Spots that testify to years spent with the SON.

Hands to work...Heart to God

"Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life." 
(Proverbs 16:31)


What is God teaching you in the process of growing older?

Linked today with:

Joan at SHARING HIS BEAUTY
Hazel at TELL ME A TRUE STORY
Darlene at TITUS 2SDAY
Tracy at WINSOME WEDNESDAY
Charlotte at SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS


(For a wonderful story about *spots* and flaws, you might enjoy Max Lucado's book, YOU ARE SPECIAL)

BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"