FALLING by LOGAN SWEITZER

I did not write the article below. It was written by a Facebook friend, Logan Sweitzer (http://brokenhallelujahsblog.wordpress.com/). I first read this post back in February and because it resonated so strongly with me, I have not been able to forget it, so I asked her permission to post it here.

FALLING

In case you don’t know, there are a few things in life that are extremely important to me.  God is my editor in chief. He is the reason that I am here, and the reason I tick. Then family and friends are tied for a close second. Without them, I would be most lonely and lost…but what do you do when you’ve scorned a friend? I know that I have the best friends and that they would forgive anything I’ve done to them, but that is not to excuse the fact that I’ve hurt them.

If you don’t know, in order to write a blog, I have to listen to its namesake “Hallelujah.” I prefer Kate Voegele’s version. Tonight in particular one of the lines brought me to tears and it made my breathing shallow.  “But all I’ve ever learned from love was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you. It’s not a cry you can hear at night. It’s not somebody who has seen the light. It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah.”

Why?

I’ve transgressed against my sister in Christ and a friend. I blame Satan, and my temper. In the words of Josh Turner “There’s an engineer on that long black train, makin’ you wonder if the ride is worth the pain. He’s just a-waitin’ on your heart to say: “Let me ride on that long black train.”  He makes everything look so grand and I find myself falling for it in spite of myself. Even though I know there will be heartache. I let my tongue get the best of me.  Guess I haven’t completely learned how to train my dragon –yet.  I am working on it. I don’t like knowing that I have hurt those who I love.  I guess I let my personal pain get the best of me…

It’s very easy for us to get so wrapped up in our own pain that we forget other’s pain, and that is what I did. I know that I am not the only one who is dealing with stuff, and if you are reading this and you have stuff that you can’t cope with… turn to a friend and talk about it. Don’t let yourself burn a bridge. If you don’t have friends who you can turn to, I am willing to help if I can or point you to someone who can.  Be kind to people because you never know what God has asked them to walk through. Don’t judge someone because they sin differently than you do, and don’t ever forget to “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” I don’t care if you are not Christian, but that is the law of the universe and if every human would abide by it then the world would be a much safer place.

I am sending up my own cold and broken hallelujahs tonight, y’all. I know that I need to lean on God for solace and comfort, but for now, I will weep. Crying cleanses the soul like the way rain brings new flowers.  I pray that my temper never burns the bridges that mean the most to me. I pray that I never get too far from God’s light.  I know that if I work on it and lean on those who mean the most to me that I will be okay –eventually. I am not looking for an easy fix, but rather a holy heart. We are all works in progress and just because things you want don’t come ASAP does not mean they won’t. I need to learn to be content in God’s timing.

If you are reading this and you’re the one I’ve hurt… (you know who you are)…I want you to know that I love you and that I am truly sorry. We’ve been through too much to let this go, and I am working harder at being a better friend. Now can we please move on? ((:

If you need to, send up a broken hallelujah and resume your life. Fall down and pray if you must. Cry if it helps, but remember that the world keeps turning, and another day that you’re alive is another second chance.

Peace and Love.

--Logan Sweitzer

IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

I originally wrote this article not long after Fred Rogers passed away. Cassie used to love him so much (I'm glad she doesn't read my blogs...all the girls are always saying, "MOOOOM! Why did you say that???).

IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

     I have always been a fan of Mr. Rogers.   He just always seemed like such a nice guy.   I have never read anything bad about him anywhere.   All accounts have always been that he was as kind as he appeared on television.   On the occasion of Mr. Rogers’ retirement, Tim Goodman, writer for the SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, had this to say about Mr. Rogers:

     “It's not difficult to fully appreciate Rogers. If you have a decent bone in your body-- even the most cynical among you -- then in your heart you know he's quite possibly the nicest man who ever lived.

     In television, we are given daily doses of little lies. We come to love our characters and our actors, and then our reverence is poked rudely in the eye once we get to know them better.

     But Rogers was the real deal. That wasn't an act he gave the kids of this country for 33 years. When someone yelled, "Cut!" he didn't angrily peel the sweater off, rush out to his Mercedes and lean on his horn all the way home, cursing life. If you ever met Fred Rogers face to face, you were changed forever.”

     You may be aware of the fact that Mr. Rogers passed away on February 27, 2003.   Since    then many articles have appeared about him.   The one following came from foxnews.com:

     “Through the years, Rogers dealt with topics ranging from anger and anxiety to death and divorce. He taught children how to share and even why they shouldn't fear taking a bath by assuring them they would never go down the drain.

  "Mister Rogers was the father who was available. He was the unhurried guy who always had time for the kids," said Alan Hilfer, a child psychologist at Maimonides Medical Center in New York.

  Bob Keeshan, who appeared on television as "Captain Kangaroo," said he and Rogers often spoke of how children's programming had become increasingly violent.

  "I don't think it's any secret that Fred and I were not very happy with the way children's television had gone," Keeshan said.

  Bill Kelly, a professor who specializes in popular culture and television at Penn State University, said, "Some of the shows today are simply the vehicle to market goods, which is really sinister. Fred never did that. He had a clear interest in kids, he was concerned about them and there was no ulterior motive."

  Rogers never stopped trying to make a difference.”

     Wouldn’t that be a nice way to be remembered?   As someone who really cared about others and who never stopped trying to make a difference?

     Mr. Rogers’ theme song was “IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.”   We should always feel that it’s a beautiful day in our neighborhood because we, as Christians, have access to so much that the world—even kindly Mr. Rogers—does not.

     It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood because of divine providence.   We know that God loves us; He loves us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to be our Saviour (John 3:16).   He loves us, and if we love one another, His love will be perfected in us (I John 4:12).   We are important to God.   He did not need us; He wanted us.   God cares so much for us, He knows so much about us, that the very hairs of our head are numbered (Luke 12:6,7).    God listens to our prayers (John 15:7).   He Is always there and He will take care of us.   We read in Psalm 121:

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.  My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.  He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keepeth thee will not slumber.  Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.  The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.  The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.  The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.  The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.”

     With this kind of assurance of how God keeps us in His care continually, how could it not be a beautiful day?

     It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood because of designated people.    Not only will God care for us, He has also provided us with Christian companionship. As the song “A COMMON LOVE” says, we have “A common love for each other, A common gift to the Savior, A common bond holding us to the Lord; A common strength when we're weary, A common hope for tomorrow, A common joy in the truth of God's Word. “ 

     The church in Acts 2 “continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”   Christian fellowship is a very important part of our Christian lives.   Not only does it afford us opportunities to lean on each other and hence become stronger Christians who are able to withstand the “wiles of the devil,” but if we do not spend time together, how will we know the needs of our brothers and sisters?   We have a Christian family who loves us and will help us.   A family to whom we are important; one who will listen to us and encourage us.  

        Paul reminds us in Philippians 2:1-5: “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus…” (Philippians 2:1-5).

     And in Philippians 1:3-6 Paul speaks of his happiness in the fellowship he feels with the church at Philippi:

     “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,  For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: …”

     Truly, it is a beautiful neighborhood with such beautiful neighbors!

     It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood because of decisive participation.   Likewise, we must love our fellowman (I John 4:7,8; I Peter 2:17) and help him in any way that we can, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ (Galatians 6:2,10).   We cannot expect to live in a beautiful neighborhood without helping to make it that way.   Our neighborhood will not keep itself beautiful without our participation.   Without making a conscious decision to help, chances are we will neglect our neighborhood.   It is up to us to make our neighborhood the most wonderful place as possible.   We learn in the story of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) that anyone is our neighbor if we have the opportunity to help.   And we learn in Matthew 28:19 of the greatest way we can help anyone.   If we were to decide to actively participate in evangelizing the world, think what a beautiful neighborhood we would indeed all live in.   We can make a difference one soul at a time.   Every day would be a beautiful day and we would have but an early glimpse of heaven here on earth were all our neighbors Christians.

--Beckye Mosher

I STILL WANT TO GO TO MY HOME :)

The girls and I have been gone pretty much since the end of May. We/they went to two leadership camps, a Bible camp, to see Caiti, Tank, and Kynslee, to see my parents, to see Mark's parents, to see some friends. Overall we had a great time, but we were ready to get home. Cassidy especially. She started saying a few weeks ago, "I just want to go home and sleep in my bed." It reminded me of a bulletin article I wrote when she was only two so I thought I would reprint it here.

“I WANT TO GO TO MY HOME”

     Recently the girls and I were gone for a little over four weeks (which in kid years has to be at least 6 months).   The first week went okay; they were happy to see their grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great aunts.   But one night nearing the end of the week, Cassidy looked up at me as I was putting her to bed and said, "I want to go to my home."   She wasn't whining or crying.   It was just a simple statement with a slight emphasis on the word "my."   I explained to her that we couldn't, but that her daddy would be coming up soon to be with us.   That was the end of that for a few days.   But for the rest of the trip, every few days, Cassidy would stop what she was doing and say, "I want to go to my home."   We'd acknowledge her and try to explain how much longer we would be gone, and she would go on to other things.  Finally on the last Monday of our trip, I told her that we would be going to her home in four days.  After that she would go around holding up two fingers saying, "We're going to my home in four days."   When we finally got to "her" home (it was 5 AM), Mark got her out of the van and carried her in to bed.  She woke up and narrated the trip, "That's MY truck, that's MY HOUSE!, that's my stairs, that's Ish's room, that's my bed."  She was thrilled to be there.

     Now you might think from this description that Cassidy was miserable the whole time she was gone, but she was not.  She had a ball.   She went to an amusement park, the Alpine Slide, two children's museums, two different ChuckECheese's, the Memphis zoo, goony golf, a park, she rode a horse, played with another Katie and Cassidy, fished, went to the beach, and swam in the pool, came home with a few trillion more toys and clothes, and existed the whole month on nothing more than 'roni, candy, and Cool Whip. But even though she got to do all of these things; many of which she cannot do at home, she still kept reminding us, "I want to go to my  home."   Which got me to thinking that that is the attitude that we all should have about heaven.   Our time here on earth should be spent trying to live as Christ would have us to and  in trying to save others.    The Christian life can be an enjoyable one, which is not to say that we will not have problems--everyone does (Matthew 5:45; Romans 2:11)--but unlike non-Christians our problems will end here.  We have something to look forward to, and we should be.   We need to have a goal (heaven) that we are ever working toward and it should always be in the back of our minds.   As Paul said in Philippians 1:24, "For me to live is Christ to die is gain" and in II Timothy 4:7-8  he said, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness..."   Our time here on earth should be spent trying to live as Christ would have us to and  in trying to save others.   And while we should certainly enjoy our time here on earth, like Paul, we should also long to go to "our" home in heaven.

--Beckye Mosher