Bye Bye Baby

This is one of my all time most favorite in the world top hymns.  It goes all the way back to my earliest memories as a child when my mother and my Mamaw would sing me to sleep with the words,

“Bye Bye baby, go to sleepy

Bye bye baby, go to sleep.”

(or  the Ghetto version sung by Mamaw Ellie)  

Bye YO Baby, go to sleepy/Bye YO baby go to sleep

Always sung to the tune of “Come, Thou Fount”  I clearly and distinctly remember hearing the hymn for the very first time in a church service and thinking, “They’ve taken Bye Bye Baby and changed the words to it!!!”   Not sure when reality kicked in and I learned that Come Thou Fount actually came first, but it never failed to bring a smile to my heart when I saw it in the bulletin or heard the pianist start the intro.  I loved it. 

I was a little older when I began to pay attention to the words and catch a few of the well, weird  phrases like “Here, I raise my Ebenezer.”   What and/or who is an Ebenezer? I don’t HAVE an Ebenezer.  If I did have an Ebenezer I’m pretty little, how do you expect me to RAISE him up? And even if I could, you mean, right here in the middle of church during the Call to Worship? I was a pretty concrete thinker.  Don’t even get me started on the flaming tongues and fetters.  But after a few years, my favorite hymn became one of those songs we sing in church that I sang just because that’s what we did.  No one ever bothered to stop and tell me what they meant and as I grew older and more “spiritual” I figured there was probably something there that meant something significant to its writer, but who cares-just sing it and don’t ask don’t tell.  Kinda like being gluten free.  Does anybody know what that is????

Well, Bye Yo Baby aka Come Thou Fount has made a comeback, sung by most all of our favorite worship bands.  So do you want to know where this Ebenezer comes from? I looked it up (read: googled it).  It’s based on the story in 1 Sam. 7:12 where God comes through for the Israelites and Samuel sets up a stone of remembrance so the children of Israel will not forget how faithful God is.  He calls the stone “Ebenezer, ‘the stone of my help.’” 

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I'm come;

In other words, “you see this symbolic representation of God’s faithfulness, MY Ebenezer? The Stone of my help?? THIS –God’s divine Grace and goodness in the Person of His Son Jesus Christ—THIS is what got me hither-in a constant daily relationship dwelling in His presence! And I acknowledge God, that You alone are my HELP!” 

But that just doesn’t rhyme and would be really hard to fit in the song. So the next time you raise your Ebenezer, what is it you’re raising?  What symbolizes God’s help to you in a time when your own personal philistines were just about to knock you down? Find it.  Raise it up.  Shake it in their faces.  Remind them of your Faithful God and His promise to help. 

One more thing…When googling the lyrics I found this pearl of truth.  It’s a verse from the original version not usually in our hymnals.

“How His kindness yet pursues me/Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me/I cannot proclaim it well.” 

Don’t you just love that!!  Let that marinate in your soul for half a second.  Regardless how hard I try to express God’s pursuit of me which makes no logical earthly sense, I just can’t do it.  Not until we are gathered in heaven will we be able to comprehend it and only then adequately express our praises.    

So…would you like me to sing you to sleep? "¯Bye yo baby, go to sleepy…”¯



Out Came the Son

A few days ago I finished reading, Out Came the Son by Jennifer Marshall.  Because Jennifer is my niece I am familiar with her story.  (She’s married to my sister’s son, but she’s my family!)  I would get updates from my sister quite often as they walked the difficult road of losing their precious Baby Pruitt.  I have a special memory from the day of Pruitt’s funeral in Olive Branch.  Afterwards my husband and I went back to my sister’s house while Jennifer and Jason went to the cemetery.   Their two other children went back to the house as well.  In that time we spent with the kids before Jason and Jennifer got there, Terry played outside with 5 year old Peyton.  They played baseball, soccer, and basketball.  Before each “game” Peyton reminded Terry they had to pray before starting the game.  Peyton prayed for God to keep them safe as they played, that no one would get hurt, and that they would be good sports and not get mad (something I’m sure he need to pray for with his uncle Terry!).  How sweet is that!  This is one godly family who loves Jesus and is teaching their kids to love Jesus.  In just a few days Jennifer & Jason will be taking Peyton to Haiti for a mission trip. 

If you know someone who’s going through any type of loss, please bless them with this book.  It is creatively written and takes an honest look at the hard questions.  I have several ordered to keep at the funeral home where I work.  Because our cemetery has a special section dedication to infants, we often have opportunities to share with hurting families.  Before the book came out I remembered the verses from Lamentations and used Jennifer's poem.

To Jennifer—thank you for sharing such hard things from the very deepest places of your soul.  I don’t know that I would ever be that brave.  Thank you for being so open and honest.  I don’t know that I could ever be that brave.  Thank you for not trying to sugar coat the ugliness of raw emotions.  I know I’d never be that brave. 

But most of all thank you for doing the hard thing for a while, showing us that the Son will come out.  The rain will stop.  Thank you for getting out of bed when you didn’t want to.  Thank you for not giving in to the depression or the lies from the enemy.  Thank you for letting us in on your pain.  That’s a very selfless thing to do.  I see Jesus in your face.  I hear him when I read your words.  I feel him when I cry tears for what you went through.   I rejoice with you in the victory you’ve found. 

http://www.amazon.com/Out-Came-Son-Jennifer-Marshall/dp/1936670879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403709760&sr=8-1&keywords=Out+Came+the+Son

Preschoolers Visit the Nursing Home (A Trans-Generational Small Group Experiment)

Last Thursday night was a delight to my fast approaching geriatric soul!  I think I've mentioned how much I love my small group girls.  We share, we cry, we dig in the Word, we pray, we laugh, we eat!  This summer we found ourselves with a couple of weeks between studies so in looking for an idea I ran across an excellent idea from IF:Table--a night with purposely mixed ages and backgrounds.  So our small group (ie nursing home group) hosted a dinner for a precious group of girls we lovingly came to refer to as the Pre-School Small Group.  The twenty-somethings.  They are a hoot!  After a homecooked meal with lots of laughter and get-to-know-you conversations, we gathered for the deep.  We shared what we love, what we regret, what we pray for and a few hopes and dreams.  Armed with a a few cards with simple questions (go to http://ifgathering.com/if/table/ for wonderful ideas) we launched what I believe may become a new tradition.  This is what I've come away with.

1.  They (the preschoolers) not only need us (the nursing home-ers), they WANT us!  They are not intimidated by our "vast experience and sage wisdom."  Nor are they put off  by a few gray hairs mixed with a bad color job.  They want us to pour into their lives and long for deep mentoring relationships.  They want to learn things like how to sew and garden.

2.  We (the nursing home-ers) not only want to spend time with them (the preschoolers), we NEED them!  We need their fresh ideas and their creativity.  We need their sense of humor and their understanding of the culture.  We need them to update our iphones!

3.  God has someone for us to mentor and He has someone to mentor us.  Regardless of our age, we must be willing to learn and we must be willing to teach.  Find a preschooler/nursing home-er who needs you!

4.  We must be intentional if we are going to maintain these relationships!  Do it on purpose.  Make the call.  Have coffee (or an organic green tea).  Go shopping.  Most of  all, be brave and open up!! We have more in common than you think!

A Father's Day Not to Remember

I don't have a whole lot of Father's Day memories as a child but i do remember one in particular.  The one we all forgot.  My Daddy was not one for fanfare or big on getting gifts.  Not sure why we (my siter, brother and i) didn't remember.  We knew it was Father's Day.  We had to have known.  i was maybe 8 or 9, Susan and Mike old enough to drive.  i just remember my mother fussing at us after church and then the three of us finding a nearby men's store open on Sunday (rare in those days!)  i remember the sales clerk grinning at us three and saying "looks like somebody forgot what today is"   i don't remember my daddy's reaction to opeing the box of black and brown socks.  i remember thinking that's not much of a present and i sure wouldn't like it.  i'm sure he was sweet about it and hugged us.  he was a good daddy.

that was about the time period when we took "field trips" together.  just me and him.  places like the pink palace museum and Memphis Memorial Gardens.  yep it's a cemetery.  but this one had scenes and statues of the life of Christ that were beautiful works of art and he wanted me to see them.  So i got to see these with my daddy on a fun saturday afternoon instead of  a sad stuffy funeral.  My other cemetery memory with my daddy is from a rare Sunday spent in his home town of Louisville MS where his parents are buried.  we went for "Decoration Day."  That was a really weird concept to me at that age.  why would you decorate a cemetery?  but it was a beautful sunny spring day and i became facinated with reading grave markers.  Especially the very old ones-wondering who these people were and what they did everyday and how and why they died.  i remember daddy attending the funeral of his aunt a few years later.  He got to visit with family he hadn't seen in years.  Got to eat really good food.  He said, "I just hope people have half as much fun at my funeral."  And we did. On January 11, 2011 we celebrated his humble life of coupon clipping,  bible reading, church attending, family loving, faith instilling.  even the funeral director made comments at the close of the service attesting to the evidence of this great, yet basically unknown man of God.  And then we ate and laughed as cousins told their granddaddy stories.  he would have had a good time too.

Happy Father's Day.                  

Devon Bell taken January 1, 2011 at his granddaughter, Angela's wedding, just 10 days before he went Home.

Done With Tomorrow:

i made it back!  i'm not the tech-est savy link in the bloggosphere chain!  In fact, i have some issues with google who doesn't seem to understand me and i haven't  quite figured out how to make my page all cute and adorable.  Maybe amy can help me with that right after her sewing lesson!

so about this title, "Done With Tomorrow"  here's the deal on that...
(Jenny Criggler Bowers, I am so sorry about my grammar & punctuation. I know it's breaking your heart.  maybe you can use me as a bad example to all your ICC students!)  anyways, my girls small group is responsible for my being here, along with Jennie Allen and her blasted Restless study.  i open my fat mouth about wanting to write/ blog and well, here we are.  they made me.  i love them.

you remember Little Orphan Annie and her song about tomorrow? how it's always a day away? and the old saying that tomorrow never comes?  and then there's the best representation of all things Southern, Miss Scarlet and her "I'll worry about that tomarra!" (please read with your best Georgian accent)  I have often adopted that same philosophy.  lose weight? tomorrow.  write in my prayer journal.  tomorrow.  clean out my car.  tomorrow.  check on a friend.  tomorrow.  feed the homeless.  tomorrow.  write a blog...you get it.   Well, as of yesterday, I am DONE with tomorrow.  There's no hope there.  no promise.  what's wrong with today? right now? 

okay there is a place for tomorrow.  Josh 3:17 says   “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” And then there's this little gem hidden in I Chronicles 20:17, "You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you.... Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you."  That's the good kind of tomorrow. 

But this never getting around to it, wishing i had, wondering what could have been, what if...that's what i'm done with.  Those tomorrows. i'm all about let's do it! so i did.  wull, the blogging part anyways.  please don't make me feed the homeless or clean out my car today.


Amy, this is for you.  i only wish i had a real video of my POG singing career!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCddCbZShaU  turnt up!!

now what?

Here I go.  I am officially joining the blogger girls I admire so much.  Young things like Amy Ekis, Jennifer Marshall, Blaine Ledbetter (all related to me) and Sarah Marlin, who is my current hero (read HER blog and you'll discover why). Old Hats (maybe I should say Seasoned Veterans, yes-I'd much rather BE a seasoned Veteran than an Old Hat so yeah) like my favorites Beth Moore and Christine Caine (NO I'm not putting myself in their company). 

It's kind of like standing on the platform of a zipline.  It could be really fun! Exciting.  I could die.  Will anyone with half a brain give two hoots what I have to ramble on about?  Who's even going to see this?  Maybe nobody.  That's ok.  I'm down with that.  (we bloggers use cool phrases like that)
This is just an experiment.  Will I even write a 2nd post?  Will I rant about injustice?  Post recipies and cleaning tips? um no.  Will I share the deepest darkest places of my soul? eh, doubtfull, this is the internet and I'm not that stupid.  So why?  What is my purpose? What do i intend to accomplish? I DON'T KNOW! I've never done this before!  But as my almost 2 yeard old granddaughter will tell you, "God made all tings - for his own gory." so that's all-my humble attempt at pleasing the Father.

So here it is.  My Blog, "Done With Tomorrow" and I may change that so you don't have to memorize it or anything.