Why Do You Love NYC?

That’s a question I am asked quite frequently.

I’m not sure where the fascination came from, but I’ve always wanted to “be a part of it”. My mom would occasionally cringe when I would declare, as a teenager, that I was going to be a bag lady in Central Park when I grew up. In fact, until my purse was stolen in college, I carried a newspaper article that Erma Bombeck had written about a bag lady. Now that I think about it, I wonder if my mom stole that purse??!! Sorry, I digress.

My fabulous husband took me there for the first time in 1995 and yes, it was love at first
glance! My adrenalin was pumping faster than taxi cab horns were honking that October day. We were seeing sites we had seen on television shows, in movies, on the news, and had read about in history books. From Wall St. to 67th and Columbus (Regis and Kathie Lee days) we roamed that town and with every step I fell more in love. More in love with my man and more in love with this town.

Often folks here in the deep South will refer to those Yankees as being rude and obnoxious. Now let me tell you something, I’m as Southern as biscuits & gravy, sweet tea and cornbread, and catching fireflies in a jar for a nightlight, but I can’t say that about the Yankees in NYC. Even though my man walked around with his fist ready to take on a mugger at every corner, I never felt threatened there. Trust me, I know things happen, I’ve watched Law & Order/SVU and CSI/NY, but lets face it, my Southern friends, bad things happen in Atlanta, Little Rock, and Dallas, too. That’s just the darkness of this world and it is everywhere, not just the Big Apple!

So WHY DO I LOVE IT? I’ve been thinking about that. Is it the buildings that stretch on and on and up and up? Is it the old wooden escalators one finds in Macy’s at Herald Square? Or Central Park with its changing landscapes and colors? Perhaps its being above Top of the Rock and watching the city turn from day to night right before your eyes?

Maybe its the grandeur of Grand Central Station? Or the lights and hustle and bustle of Times Square? How about standing outside the Today Show and watching all the details it takes to make a morning show run? Maybe even the horse and carriages that roam
Manhattan capture this Southern heart?

Now that I think about it, I know exactly what it is! It’s the people!

*It’s the taxi driver that picks us up at the airport and though he’s not from the US, he came here looking for a better life.

*It’s the hotel personnel that goes out of their way to keep those staying with them as comfortable and as taken care of as possible.

*It’s the doormen everywhere you seem to go that’s there to open the door with a smile and a “Have a nice day!”.

*Its NYC’s bravest and finest taking time to pose for a picture with a little boy who sees real heroes.

*It’s the guy at the corner selling pretzels and the only three Dr Peppers to be found in the city. (okay, there’s one downside)

*It’s those who practice every week to bless our hearts on Sundays as the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir sings. 

*It’s the clerk at Bloomingdale’s telling you the best place to watch the Macy’s Parade is from your hotel room on your TV.

*It’s those dressed as everything from SpongeBob to Elmo to, well let’s just say, some need more clothes!

*It’s the 82-year-old tour bus guide who has NYC running through his veins.

*It’s in the eyes of those looking to make it here, because history proves if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere! Right?

*It’s the faces of those first time visitors walking around with their eyes looking up and their mouths falling open.

*It’s a young boy on his dad shoulders heading to Mickey Mantle’s for lunch while wearing a New York Giants jersey.

*It’s the “real” Santa Claus at the Plaza that captivates a young girl’s heart.

*It’s the couple seeing inside the Statue of Liberty for the first time and thanking God for the freedom He gave us here in the USA.

*It’s the horse carriage driver who sees how your little girl loves horses and allows her to feed the horse a carrot and pretend to be the driver.

*It’s the tour guide at the 9/11 Memorial that tells us about his experiences on that fateful day.

*It’s in his guests that hang on his every word and seeing the patriotism swell in their hearts and shine in their eyes.

Yes. It’s most definitely the people! And with Siri telling me that the population of Manhattan is 1,645,000 within about 33.6 square miles, that’s just a whole lot of people and a whole lot of love!

If you’ve been there, you know its fabulous! If you haven’t, I can help you get there and experience it all yourself! Just send me a message and I’ll get to work!

What do YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT NYC?

Christians, Why You Gotta Be So Rude?

“Sunday morning jumped out of bed

Grabbed energy from the coffee pot

Got in my car raced like a jet

All the way to the church parking lot

Ran in the door to shake some hands
Smile and hug a few necks
At church we are sweet to every man
Yeah, yeah

But get us back to our social media life?
Where devil’s advocate we are
With our words we stir up friction and strife
And cynical and bad attitudes we spar

Why we gotta be so rude
Don’t we know we’re all human too
Why we gotta be so rude
Why can’t we just love anyway
Encourage each other
And love anyway
Encourage each other
In everything we say
Encourage each other
We are actually family
So why we gotta be so… rude?

I hate to say this, you leave no choice
Its time to grow up, man up,
And quit acting like mean girls and boys
Put away the childish ways
Give patience and kindness every day
We are not of this world
So let’s stop the insults mid-hurl
And shine Jesus anywhere we go

Can we love one another for the rest of our lives?
Say yes, because the world needs to know
The saving grace of Jesus before they die
May we be the salt and help them grow.

Why we gotta be so rude
Don’t we know we’re all human too
Why we gotta be so rude
Why can’t we just love anyway
Encourage each other
And love anyway
Encourage each other
In everything we say
Encourage each other
We are actually family
So why we gotta be so… rude?”

There…that’s my version of the raggae-pop band, Magic, song “Rude”.

My daughter loves the father version that was written and sang on You Tube and honestly, the words “Why you gotta be so rude?” go through my head often as I read through social media feeds.

As Christians, we are called to be different in this world.  Why is it, so often, we blend right in with the world? We say things (or rather type things) that are hurtful and yes, just downright rude at times.  I’m challenging myself, and others to go a month without running down anyone, any project, any fund-raiser, any celebrity, any politician, anything….they say what is done for that long will become habit…I’d say that would be a great habit to begin! And perhaps, somewhere in there, a little wisdom will take root and genuine love and care will grow!

Now, let’s do it! Go shine, family of God, go shine!

The Closet

In the day when “coming out of the closet” is heralded as a great act of independence and living a Christian life with your spouse and children is referred to as “an alternative lifestyle”…in the day when drinking and partying is respected and going to church is laughed at…in the day when there are more people in slavery than ever before in our history, we are more concerned about our smart phone not being fast enough…in the day we are more embarrassed to stand for what is right, yet don’t have a problem sitting through movies that take God’s name in vain…in this day, well perhaps its time, we Christians get back inside the closet!

God placed this blog on my heart several weeks ago and He has not let it go. He reminded me yet again this morning as I flicked on the morning news show and yet again sin was being glamorized.  Please don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a post to bash sinners. This isn’t a post to stand up for all those things I can’t stand.  This isn’t a post to say who’s right and who’s wrong. This is simply a post calling Christians back into the closet. The closet of prayer.

“And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?

“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense His grace.

“The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and He knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:

Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who You are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.

“In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part.” (Matthew 6:5-15 the Message)

When we spend time alone with God, I believe it shows in our actions and our speech.  Our actions and our speech to those who need Jesus. Our actions and speech to those who just need to be reminded of His goodness in their lives.  Our actions and our speech to hold accountable those precious brothers and sisters in Christ. Our actions and our speech as we love those living lies that the enemy has convinced them of truth.

Truly the world will not desire Jesus if all they ever hear is what we are against. The world will desire Jesus when they see our closet prayer lives being lived daily in a dark world, shining Jesus to those we come in contact.  The world will desire Jesus, the precious friend of sinners, when they see His mercy and compassion in you!

Oh Jesus, please break our hearts for what breaks Yours!

 

 

 

Jesus was at the Grammy’s?

The stage looked like a cathedral. There were nearly three dozen “couples” there to take part in the ceremony. The song sang  was of love being patient and kind. The words of the one presiding, “We are gathered here to celebrate love and harmony…please exchange rings…by the power vested in me by the state of California I now pronounce you a married couple.”

I didn’t catch much of the Grammy’s, I will admit. My goal was not to catch any of it, but as I crawled in bed last night and flipped on my TV, the aforementioned scene was on. It was like a car wreck you pass on the highway. You don’t want to look, but can’t make yourself turn away either.

This is our world today. A world that takes God and molds Him into what they desire, to make Him fit their world.  The Grammy stage was far from a Cathedral and Queen Latifah was given the power to marry those couples for this one day, this one ceremony. The song sang was about love, and it did mention love being patient and kind. That’s biblical, right??

I had to Google “Macklemore”, because honestly, until last night, I had never heard of him. I also Googled the lyrics to the song sang, “Same Love”…”America the brave still fears what we don’t know. And God loves all his children, is somehow forgotten. But we paraphrase a book written thirty-five-hundred years ago. I don’t know.”

Wow! There is some truth there! People do paraphrase Scripture all the time. They change it to make it what they want it to be. Fact is, God DOES LOVE HIS CHILDREN. God looked down and saw this show last night, with all the mockery of His name, the mockery of the sacred act of marriage, the total disillusionment of those involved…He looked down over two thousand years ago and saw it all.

He looked down and it broke His heart. He loves them all. The ones that speak or sing out against Him. The ones that mock Him. The ones that praise the enemy and deny Him. Oh yes, Macklemore, God does love His children! Maybe we have forgotten that, or perhaps in our finite minds, we’ve tried to make Him like us. Sinful. Lustful. Hateful. Greedy. Proud. Small.

Yes, Jesus was at the Grammy’s. He saw it all over two thousand years ago as He hung there suspended on a cross between heaven and earth. He saw the sin and chose to stay there and to die for it. Not just for those in show business that mock Him and take His name in vain, but also for the stay at home mom that blogs about such things.  He died for my sins just as He did for all those who took part in that fiasco last night. Why? Because He loves us with a kind of love we can’t imagine!

While He loves us unconditionally, Queen Latifah, Macklemore, Madonna, and all the rest of us need to realize He will not share the stage. He will not be mocked. One day, judgement will come. One day, we will have to answer for the things we have done or failed to do. One day, every single knee that was in attendance at the Staples Center last night in Los Angeles, CA will bow before Him. One day, every one of those tongues that sang in mockery of Him will proclaim Him as Lord of  all Lords and King of all Kings. One day, the knee that was curled up in a big comfy bed watching it all play out  will do the same. This tongue will also proudly proclaim He is Who He says He is!

The end of the song last night ended with the words “(I’m not crying on Sundays) Love is patient. Love is kind.”  Well, I did cry on a Sunday, because love IS patient and love IS kind! I cry on Monday morning because God does love us so much that He didn’t make us all a greasy spot on the ground last night! I cry for this world that didn’t see Jesus at the Grammy’s. I cry for a world that is searching for truth, and healing, and meaning to their every day lives.

And I rejoice! I rejoice because I do know that God loves me! I rejoice that I, too, was once lost in utter darkness until He saved my soul! I rejoice because the fields are white for harvest! I rejoice because there is still hope for this world! I rejoice in the faithful spreading the Good News!  And I rejoice in the Love that the world cannot understand!

Oh yes! Jesus was at the Grammy’s! And He’s right here with me today!

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave His Son, His one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending His Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in Him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust Him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to Him.”  (John 3:16-18)

*here’s a bonus of an award winning Grammy winner!

Enjoy The Good Times!

While enjoying a cup of coffee and some homemade bread (thanks to a dear church member!) this morning, I tuned into Good Morning America.  There’s really not much new about this fact, after all, Good Morning America IS the best morning show out there, and I watch it pretty regularly.  This morning, however, I had seen a tweet from Mandisa that she would be on the show singing her new song “Overcomer”, so I knew I couldn’t miss it!

In the midst of throwback Thursday, including old fashions and old recipes, and good deals and steals there was a story that I had heard recently about on KLOVE radio.  You’d have to live under a rock not to have heard about the 96 year old man that entered a song writing competition with a song that he wrote about his widow of almost 73 years.  If you do happen to live under a rock, here’s a video to help inform you:

Seriously?? Is that not the most precious thing ever??  I just want to hug that sweet little Fred Stobaugh!  To a “words girl” like me, one who’s heart language is words, he wowed me!  What precious love and commitment!  Two things lacking very much in today’s society.  I’m certain Fred and Lorraine Stobaugh did not live a trial free, heartbreak free life. I do not know their story, but I do know, for a fact, you cannot be married for nearly 73 years and not have had something go wrong. What makes folks like this different? Commitment. Pure and simple. They didn’t rush out of a marriage when hard times came. They stuck it out.

Fred, you’re an overcomer!  I think the way GMA wrapped it up this morning was not only perfect to get Mandisa’s song some publicity and to encourage Robin Roberts, but also to pat you on the back and let you know you are one as well.  You hung in there with love and devotion.  I pray you and Lorraine will be able to spend a sweet eternity together.

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z29olPjFbqg

Now, ” just hold tight, fix your eyes on the one who holds your life, there’s nothing He (God) can’t do!”

May we all learn a lesson from the Stobaughs and love with that unconditional love and “stay in the fight ’til the final round”!

And to my own personal “Fred Stobaugh” of 24+ years, Jason, thanks for all the wonderful memories! When we finish another 50 years, may we continue to look back with no regrets and enjoy the good times!

Throwback to 1989

Love Chapter (Jason’s version)

Several asked for it so here it is, Jason’s re-write of the Love Chapter for Antioch:

“If we gather in a new building with nice chairs and surroundings but have not love, we are only seeking our own comfort and satisfaction.
If we give our seat so others can have one or park next door so others don’t have to but have not love – we’ve done nothing but walk a few extra steps.
If we have ministries for every age and activities of all kinds but have not love – we are only providing social interaction.
If we feed the hungry and clothe the poor but have not love – we really haven’t given them anything of lasting value.
If we bring our tithes and give our offerings but have not love – we haven’t really pleased or honored the Lord.
If we have beautiful music and passionate preaching but have not love – we’re only making a lot of noise.
But love changes everything.
Genuine Love stirs us to worship whole-heartedly, grow faithfully, and serve willingly.
It blesses and builds up, encourages and helps, it prays for those who need it.
It rejoices with those who rejoice and weeps with those who weep.
It extends the hands and feet and heart of Jesus to a world both near and far.
Where there are buildings they will crumble, and where there are activities they will end and where there is music and preaching it will one day be silent.
But love…real love…will last forever.
And love…real love…can shake the world.”