Dreams of God, Dreams of Man

Many years ago (and doesn't that sound rich!), YWAM (Youth With a Mission) put out a CD titled, "Dreams of God". It is and was an excellent worship CD and the cover had a picture of a silhouetted man holding the earth in his cradled arms. I've searched the interwebs to no avail for that picture.

However, another picture came to mind regarding the Dreams of God and it is found in Matthew 23:37. To take some liberty, this is a Dream of God. Longing to take his kids and hold them. There are days when I wish my sons were still that age, young enough to come barreling into my lap with a book and say, "Daddy, Read." Good moments, and I think most parents would like to keep their kids that age, or at the very least, have those days visit once a month. I'm mindful those are the times that are precious and, conversely, there have been days where most parents have thought, "Grow Up!" So, yea, it's a beautiful paradox.

Here's an illustration from a story I read regarding what Jesus spoke of in the verse above:

Mother hen seemed to have a terrible time trying to get those fast-moving, hardheaded chicks to obey. She would cluck them to her, settle down on them to keep them warm, and then, one by one, we would see heads start peeping out from all directions. She would settle down again and fluff out some more, and in a moment, heads would all pop out again. Hard as she would try, those chicks were deter mined something was more interesting than staying warm and safe under her wings.

The chicks were only a few days old when the weather forecaster predicted a hard freeze. We threw extra hay in the barn, shut all the windows and doors, and watched as the horses snuggled together in their cozy stalls. The chickens all nested for the evening in their chicken house side. The hen and her brood settled in their soft nest. As we could have predicted, those curious little chicks would not stay under her. She went all through the routine fluff and rearranged several times, but heads continued popping out. We left for the night, wondering if the hen would ever get a wink of sleep because of these 14 rebellious chicks.
When we opened the farm doors the next morning, the mother hen's usual patience gave way to panic. With agitation and frenzy, she cackled incessantly. Strewn around her were eight frozen dead chicks. The other six were huddled together deep under her feathers, never moving.(1) (emphasis mine)

As Jesus mentioned, Jerusalem was not willing to be under anything, let alone the protective place afforded by God. In the case of the story above, six knew their place and eight didn't. I don't think that ratio is indicative of anything with us, but it is interesting how the eight chicks were that close to the protection of the mother and didn't go back.

At some point, they were probably instinctively aware they were in trouble but were at a point too late to make it back. They, no doubt, heard the concerned calls from Mom, but maybe they wanted to get just a bit further before turning back, or maybe they were already on their way back and didn't make it. I can imagine the communication between the Hen and the chicks in those last moments. Can you hear them?

"Yea, Mom, I got it."
"Yea, Dad, Whatever you say."
"Yes, God, but not today."

Guess what? Jerusalem isn't alone. 

There is quote above my wife's office reading "It's never too late to turn the day around". It takes some turning and effort, but it can be done. Likewise, it's never too late to turn your life around.

We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive. - C.S. Lewis

So, what? What does this have to do with the Dreams of God?  Well, it's more like the Dreams of Parents and understanding that what we want for our kids isn't going to happen just the way we'd like.

God does have dreams for us. Not literally, because, you know, he doesn't sleep! Psalm 121:4
Yet, he shows his heart for us in this verse and it is somewhat startling, if you've never thought of God in that way. The hen is quite vulnerable. A hen isn't leaving her brood in those moments of protection. That leaves the hen in quite a place if some chicks run off, or if she becomes prey.

God is near to all of us (Acts 17:27) and he's calling out to come under his wings. Not continuously under his wings, because we've got to grow up and all, but when protection is needed, there is a place. But the act of coming under His wings is something we must do.  Watch this video and see what the hen does and what the last chick does:

The chicks have to be present and in the spot, so to speak, and the hen does the rest. You've got to be there. Now, certainly, God can meet us where we are, but God has institutionalized certain protective places such as the family and church (the gathering of believers anyplace). More abstract places such as obedience and submission are places of protection, just not so visible of a haven. That type of haven is more for protection of our soul and mind.

At any rate, our sons and daughters are going to do some things outside of those coverings. Things we do not want for them. And there are times the things we do want for them are not going to happen, either. Parent's dreams either fade or are fulfilled in the midst of decisions by their sons and daughters.

Sometimes that is a good thing. Some of our dreams for our kids are simply ours. There are plenty of stories, songs and novels about this phenomenon. Yet, every parent must experience and awaken to it.

God has his dreams for us, we have our dreams for our own kids and one day, our kids will have dreams for their own kids, too.

I would say God's dreams for his kids are of the much purer variety and will ultimately lead to our good. That isn't too much of a stretch. But we've got to be "place" for God to offer some things found exclusively under his wings.
 

(1)https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1995/03/a-hen-and-her-chicks

Work, It's What Is For Breakfast

Proverbs 10:4-5, among the many jewels of wisdom found in Proverbs, is explicit in the remedy for poverty: Work.

God qualifies what work is in the NT. Colossians 3:23 says anything my hands find to do. 

Furthermore, work is worship to God and it is what God does, that is, he works. John 5:17 tells us what God is doing in perpetuity.

 "There can be no joy in living without joy in work." - Thomas Aquinas

 "Work is the refuge of those who have nothing better to do" - Oscar Wilde

The ancient, biblical truth is work is a form of imitation of God, an activity which brings healing to the soul and acts as an avenue of worship to God(1). 

In the Hebrew text, work can mean both to worship or to labor. They are tied together and we shouldn't separate them so as to lose our sense of purpose and value, found only in Him and through the life he gives us.

Thank The Lord for your work, no matter the chore or vocation, and give it to Him in worship.

1) CBN Blog, 1/28/11, Dr Corne Bekker, "Work As Worship"

Dangerous Roads

This is a dangerous precipice

“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

There are roads we all must travel to become the person God has intended. All that is different is the means by which we go along those roads. 

It seems the road to Atlanta, as well as the roads in Atlanta, is littered with signs reading "Danger, Men under Construction". 

Well, at least that is how it feels to me.

C.S. Lewis commented on God doing work on us in this illuminating passage:

Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

I remember getting "asked" to leave my Mom's house when I was a junior in high school. I can't remember the events leading up to the point at which my Mom had reached the breaking point, but all I know is I was out. I moved in with my step dad and his wife for the remainder of that year and through my senior year. 

It was a tricky time and I didn't have much room for error. 

A few months into my stay, I was given the opportunity to drive the prized possession: the clutchless Orange Volkswagen. One night, on my way to a youth group gathering, I went down a famously dangerous road, at night, after rain. 

The road was steep downhill and had a sharp turn coming out of the downhill portion. The thing everyone liked to do was to coast down the hill, day or night. I had never done it and thought that night would be a good time to try it, once again, at night.

I tried it. Hit a tree. Knocked myself out. Totaled the VW and staggered to a house to call home. 

Dangerous road. Sometimes we know the dangers, and continue on; in the wisest of moments we may actually apply what we've learned. Other times, we simply go through life and get introduced to them for the first time.

In parenting, it is hard to know, when taking the offense for your son or daughter, if it is for them or for you. Clearly there are times when it is evident. But I'm referring to encountering these emotions for the first time (or perhaps seven or eight) and then struggling to navigate them without crashing the VW. 

I've crashed the VW again. 

Our first trip to Atlanta was very frustrating. Yes, unmet expectations play a part at any level of frustration. Z was with the 18u team after having just turned 17. We knew going into this summer it would be his toughest challenge in baseball. We didn't know he would appear in only two of those games out of six in Atlanta with no communication from the coaching staff to Z.

Z communicated with his coach regarding his role and the opportunity to find a team within the organization with which to gain more time. Over the years of coaching, I've learned what's important to the parents isn't necessarily important to the athlete, so there's no need for me or my wife to speak for our sons thereby muddying the already murky waters. We know how that works.

So, we all agreed the best thing for Z was to move to the 17u team for the remainder of the summer. The hitch was this team was coming back to Atlanta for another tourney two weeks after we were getting back from the first trip. 

So, we are here again and, true to any proving ground God uses, guess what happens the first game? If you guess Z wasn't in the starting lineup, you guessed correctly. 

My reaction? I vacillated between submitting to God for greater purposes and petty thoughts of "why are we here again, doing this? What a waste of time and money! Stewardship! Etc!". 

{sarcasm tag}I'm getting the hang of this Christian living. {\sarcasm tag}

In between texts of my wife telling me to let it go and enjoy and God telling me the same, I really tried to keep perspective. But, I'm an irrational parent in select sports. So, I pouted. 

I confess this is new ground, I don't handle this well. The practical side of me as a coach knows what is going on but the impractical side sees conspiracy and other nefarious factors at work. 

I asked Z after the game about his thoughts and for the first time, he admitted to checking out and couldn't wait for the last out so he could leave. I was already in the car. We've had to discuss how to be a good teammate when not playing, but quite frankly that hasn't ever been a point to have to discuss...until this summer. That's why this summer has been good for both of us. 

PERSPECTIVE. Get some.

But, what a perfect time to get him to go to Cracker Barrel. He was all in. Our boys have a serious dislike for all things Cracker Barrel. I don't know if it is rocking chairs or the Gaither Vocal Band tracks. Z says he liked it last night, but we were drowning our sorrows together with Sprites, cornbread and pancakes, so I'm sure that helped. It just opens the door for more Cracker Barrel.

I bought a Gaither Vocal Band Reunion CD, because you can't walk out of Cracker Barrel without buying something, and we played it on the way back to the hotel. I made him clap his hands to "When the Role Is Called Up Yonder" and by the time we got back to the hotel, all was right in the world again.

Matthew 6:33-34 is always pertinent to our will and God's will. Tension in our lives always comes down to when the wills are in conflict. Our prayer is more emphatically today, "nevertheless, not my will, but Your will be done".

Badges? We Don't Need No Stinking Badges

No baseball? No problem.

Z and I moseyed our way to downtown Atlanta in hopes of getting into the World of Coca-Cola. A half and hour and two parking garages later, we made a run for Bobby Dodd Stadium, where the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech play football.

The first sign we were supposed to go inside the stadium was a small parking lot next to the stadium with its gates open, as construction men were working on...something. The next sign was an open gate into the stadium. 

You should walk through open doors (and gates) badges or not, unless there happens to be wild boars in the entry way. 

We did go through the gate, and it was narrow, so we felt like God was in it. We worked our way on to the field, walking from one end to the other. 

Z at the upper level end zone walkway



Home Sideline w/ a view of our favorite Atlanta Building, which is a bank, which has no observatory (we checked)




Z and I at Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd Stadium



On The Home Side Sideline

We tried most of the doors below the stadium in hopes of finding their weight room, which we eventually did, but it, too, was locked. 

It was a simple, fun time of exploration and daring. Z can now lay claim to being on Tech's baseball field and football field. Here are some pictures of the non-baseball event. 

We also stumbled onto another classic landmark, The Varsity. We remember watching on the Travel Channel about good eats across America, and The Varsity was on the show.


The Varsity did not disappoint. Even after having eaten a couple of hours earlier.

Z entering the Awesome Zone

We then got lost with a GPS from Hertz that boasts, "Never Get Lost". 

Finally out of downtown, we got back to our rain soaked hotel only to hear Flash Flood Warnings are in effect until Sunday morning. 

Where we go, we don't need no stinking badges.

Opposite End Zone on the Field

Rain, Rain, Go Away?

In Job 37:6-7, God uses rain to stop us from working in order that we may know his work. I wonder in these moments, when a major baseball tournament is stopped, if parents and players who have invested $$ and time see it that way?

I recall in the movie Bull Durham an artificial rain storm appeared due to Crash Davis' team needing a respite from the game due to their losing streak and bad baseball. Crash promised to get the guys a rainout because years before he had played in this ballpark. So, he fired up the sprinklers and they ran all night. The next scene was the bus heading for home.

I don't think the folks in Atlanta that have traveled from all over view the rain as any type of respite. However, God uses the rain to grow the crops and at the same time, stop us in our work to "grow" us. There is something therapeutic about the rain, although when trying to play baseball games, tournament directors probably miss that blessing.

I have to add something to the square peg post from yesterday. As I was reading Dave Thomas' latest collaboration with athletes and coaches in print, God reminded me about what the real square peg in a round hole really is: a person who says he loves God but doesn't love his people. I've been focusing on the inward part of how this summer's experience effects the Postema family and the lessons therein. One thing I've missed completely is how we are supposed to be giving glory and thanks to God for the summer experience.

When the focus goes inside instead of outside ourselves, nothing good comes from it.

People. People. People.

Here's to a full day of blessings, baseball or not.

Square Pegs, Round Holes

Zach and I sit in the DFW terminal, preparing for our second trip to Atlanta.

Whither Atlanta?

Exactly.

Well, I suppose there are a few legitimate reasons for the trip, but it sure feels like we have been chasing our tails since the beginning of summer. Zach, Noah and myself drove out to Atlanta in the middle of June for Z's first tournament with the 18U Mustangs. As a family we had a great time but the baseball side yielded a few lessons, along with some ne'er before felt emotions.

God has been reminding me about trust and his plans. God has a place for Zach next year and the years to follow. If that is the case, why the pursuit now? The primary reason for the summer has been for Z to find out if he "fits" at this level of competition. We can see he does fit, but now that we know, is the pursuit this summer yielding anymore information?

I'd say the answer is "No". We don't need more exposure, more scouts or more games. What we need is more of God's direction, blessing and wisdom. Isaiah 30:21 is a comprehensive view into the signposts from God.

He takes care of these items and it is awfully easy to take these pursuits and wrestle them away from the providence of God. "But if we don't do this, what will happen?".

I don't know, but I'm pretty sure God does. So, square pegs into round holes is what we get when we minimally trust God for the provision. That means less peace and more frustration. I can't say I'm frustrated at all, as the family has enjoyed watching Z find his place. He's found a fit and above all else, has honored God in all he has done. I'm proud of him for being a great teammate and showing poise in the trying times of the summer.

However, there is a small place in my heart that points out, not necessary, trust me. But many times the roundabout paths are the paths where God must take us, at times, to teach what he could not in times of ease and comfort.

Not necessarily Zach or myself.







Alright, more to come from Atlanta, rd 2!