My little Lily

The cuttie in the race car bellow is my daughter Lily. She is a handful. When she was born at 2 lbs., I knew she was special, but I didn't understand just how special. The picture above is her and her moma, Sondra, while she was still in the NICU unit at CMC.

Lily is very smart and understands much, except the difference between children and adults. She considers herself on equal footing in conversations and decision making. This makes for an interesting, all-be-it exhausting day. As of this post, she has just passed the 3 year mark, and is about 24 lbs.

Lily's favorite pass-time is stories. She wants you to read her books, or she will give you a list of real and imaginary characters and ask you to tell her a story about them.


Lily also likes to talk alot about Heaven, where her momy is. Ovarian Cancer took her momy away from us last December, and she really wants to see her again. She seems to remember everything we tell her about Heaven, but she continually wants more details. Her questions constantly explore possible meeting places. She accepts that momy can't come back here, but this week she asked: "Can momy come to the beach with us."
Last week she asked: "Can momy come sleep with us if I snuggle up really close to you?"
She also asks: "How is Jesus gonna take us to Heaven, does he have a car?"
Her Pawpaw told her we would just fly up there, to which she replied: "Silly Pawpaw, we're not birds, we can't fly!"
I finally told her that Jesus knew how to get us there, and we would all be together one day.
Of course, now her question is : "When are we going, Daddy, do you know when?"

As I said, a very exhausting day. But I always listen to her questions about Momy and Heaven, and I try to tell her as much as I know. Even with a Master's of Devinity, I'm gonna have to dig deeper into the Bible to stay ahead of her questions. She is not one to take "I'll have to get back to you on that" as an answer.

Most of our discusion sessions end in "I miss Momy, too!" Lily is such a good hugger!

"The Race"

"let us run with endurance the race that is set before us," Hebrews 12:1

"looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross," Hebrews 12:2

Even Christ had a post to aim at, a goal he desired, for it says he endured the cross not just for you and me, but for the joy that was set before Him. He had an assignment from the Father! He knew his purpose!

We each have a race set before us, and I believe when we understand clearly the race that is set before us by God, we will find joy in the running of it that will inspire and motivate us beyond our wildest dreams! Run, Forest, Run! Run, Lily Run! Run, Mike, Run!

What does "POST" mean to you?

As I start my first post, I can't help but think about how so many words today have taken on so many meanings. The word "post" can be like a sign post, Post Toasties (cereal), an athletic term in basketball, a re-stickable note (PostIt!), something coming after (Post Tramatic Stress Disorder, PTSD), a goal post in football, a US Mail term, a term for putting information on your Blog . . .
Just the other night, I was listening to a young preacher (Jason) preach at a revival (Chestnut Ridge Baptist Church-Pastor Richard Brown) who shared about how his grandfather had used a post at the end of each row to keep the rows straight as he plowed with the tractor. Grandpaw had to take a break and put his grandson in the driver seat. He instructed his Jason to loop around the post at the end of the row and then plow straight for the post at the oposite end. All he needed was focus. Some good lessons are in that story, not to mention some funny ones about when Jason lost focus in that driver seat.
The text was Hebrews 12.
As I begin this, my first post, I hope and pray that words I share here can help those who read them focus on Christ and the Cross of Calvary, and that they will be able to plow some straight rows, sow some good seed, and we will all rejoice at the harvest!

Events of this past year have made it very dificlut to focus. Instead of plowing a field, I feel more like Hansel and Gretyl dropping bread crumbs that the birds are devouring behind me. Yet, I know that even though we may be seperated from those we love for a time, there is nothing that can seperate a child of God from the Love of the Father. Please keep Lily and myself in your prayers!