Life, Death and A Plea to Move Down to Texas

‘Tis a strange title, I know…

Mom called the other day, in disbelief that another snowstorm hit the mountains of the Vail Valley, she would work from home again.  I walked down the stairs and peered through the window, early morning light on trees looked to be crowned with snow themselves.  It’s rare for it to snow this late in Texas.

Ah… glorious spring in East Texas!  Dogwood Trees covered in white blooms look to be decorated with white finery.  I have tried to tell her before that she would gladly welcome the lovely mild winter and charming spring seasons of Texas, and her grandchildren and children would gladly welcome her.  Perhaps the dogwood trees and wisteria and azaleas will woo her down south for the winter?

This is the wonder that I see when I drive the kids to school, down the winding country roads-

tall pine trees adorned with Wisteria, clusters of beauty!  Oh, to capture the scent on my blog!

Then we make our way into the heart of the city, closely approaching the school as we follow the old brick streets through the Azalea Trails of Tyler.

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I love the Lord.  Not only is He wildly creative in the things He made, but the fact that He made seasons!  Winter’s hard cold brings death and then in the spring comes life in its fullness.  It truly has me amazed with who He is.  Not only are we experiencing a great spring here, but I feel like we are really getting a glimpse into the whole idea of creation and passing of life.  We welcomed our new nephew, Silas, into the world on Saturday morning.
{photo credit: Jon Vashey}

He is awesome!  So cute and snuggly and that “newborn smell,” yet another aroma I wish I could capture on a blog.  We took care of his two “big” brothers and let me just say that I couldn’t even get a camera out.  We had a one year old, a two year old, a three year old, two- four year olds and a six year old running (literally) around here.

We are also preparing for Caleb’s very godly and humble grandma to pass into eternity and meet her blessed Savior and Creator.  She has been bed-ridden for a few weeks now since she experienced pneumonia and A-Fib.  You can tell that she is longing to be in the presence of the Lord, she repeats Scripture and hymns of praise are ever on her lips when she is awake.  It is such a joy to open the Word of God and read to her, because her eyes light up and she faintly, but exuberantly utters the words right along with you.  They are written on her heart.

Before she was hospitalized, Caleb went to visit her at her apartment.  After they visited and had lunch, she asked him to write down the names of our kids (her memory is not what it once was) so she could pray for them.  He went into her bedroom and found a spiral sitting on her desk.  When he opened it he could not find a blank sheet, page after page, neatly written scripture covered each page.  And then he looked down to find a stack of about ten more spirals that were just the same.

“Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?" declares the LORD. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” Isaiah 66:2

We really do have much to tremble at- the splendor of His creation, new birth and preparing for eternity.  I am so thankful for all that He is and all that He has done, contemplating it truly does restore the soul.  I am also in awe of how simple He makes it to know Him.

“The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” Psalm 19:7

The fact is we are all dead.  Just as a cold, hard winter allows no blossoms or crops, our sin separates us from a Holy God.

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23

And-

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 6:23

Just as a long winter needs the sun to bring forth life, we need God’s Son to bring forth life in our death. 

Our requirement is simple- faith.  We just need to believe.  Just as God created the seasons and they come as inevitably as new birth and the passing of life, God made the wise the simple.  We just have to believe.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (emphasis mine)

It is a wondrous thing to be a part of the life cycle that God has created.  I really feel blessed!