Flyover country

It's a beautiful autumn morning here in the Midwest. The sun is shining, the sky is bright blue, and the birds are chirping. If I didn't have my calendar to remind me it's November, I'd think we'd skipped right over winter and gone into spring. But that's not the case, and thankfully so--the holiday season is just around the corner!

On my walk back from class a couple minutes ago, I counted a record number of contrails in the periwinkle-blue sky: 12. Twelve different jets making their way over Iowa. Twelve separate loads of passengers soaring high above America's heartland. It's no wonder they call this flyover country. Seeing those many telltale signs of busy holiday travel, I stopped to ponder: do we too often get caught in the rush of life to slow down and enjoy the scenery?

I understand that today's society is largely mobile--and I have no problem with that. Careers and job opportunities spread families across the country, yet technology allows us to stay connected in a way unimaginable even 50 years ago. But that technology has also sped up the culture in which we live to the point that when Thanksgiving comes around, we're forced to hop on a jet for a quick trip to Grandma's, all the while continuing to work on our Blackberries and think about the tasks that await us when we return from the holiday.

This Thanksgiving, I'm driving south to my grandparents' in Missouri, and you know what? I'm looking forward to the drive. Sure, it would be faster to hop a plane here and meet them in baggage claim there, but I'd rather take the drive. America has so much beauty to behold, and even here in flyover country, we have a lot to enjoy. It's too bad so many people are forced to travel by air--seeing a sunrise on a country road just gives me that much more for which to be thankful, and one more thing to make me smile.

The subject of my verbs

This weekend, I spent my Friday night and Saturday at my last All-Campus Retreat. This year our speaker was Rev. Aaron Baart from Bridge of Hope. Since our theme this year was "Amazingrace!", he spoke on the hymn, Amazing Grace, focusing on the verses from the original lyrics penned by John Newton.

Throughout his messages, Pastor Aaron focused on redefining God's grace in our lives as us accepting Him as the subject of our verbs. When we accept God's grace and let it penetrate the darkest recesses of our hearts, we allow God to work through us, and He becomes the subject of our verbs. In other words, the actions we take aren't our actions--they're God's. That's grace. Letting God's love work through our lives.

This year was my last retreat, and I'm sad to see my work on the planning committee coming to a close. It's been fun, and I've enjoyed serving. But most of all, I've enjoyed seeing others encouraged through the retreats I've helped plan. It's in those moments that I--along with all the many others who help plan the retreat--can stand back and say no, we aren't to take credit for the success we see each year during this weekend. It's grace. Grace brings us through each retreat, and we can only stand in awe at the hand of God working in the lives of those who attend.


...'tis grace that brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home.

Quick a minute

Why is it that as soon as I'm back to college the days fly by? Maybe it's the speed of things to begin with--college schedules are packed full of activities, classes, and homework, not to mention the social life. So naturally, I'm forced to make decisions that leave smaller, less important things for the "quick a minute" stack. "Let's see, I'll put these papers away quick a minute before breakfast."
"Here, I'll write a blog post quick a minute before class."

Well, class is coming up in a minute or two, so I best not make this long. I just needed to slow down...quick a minute...and gather my thoughts. The sun is shining today--you should see the view out my window. Maybe I'll take a picture. It's a beautiful panorama of Iowa: farms, school, gently-rolling plains. I like it. And I don't think God just created it "quick a minute," either.

Ok, deep breath. I'm going to head to class--I'll walk a little slower today. Maybe then I'll have a chance to enjoy the scenery on my to the Campus Center. Of course, when I get there, I'll go talk to a prof "quick a minute." We'll see :)

Ok, Elaine, here you go...

It's been well over a month since I last posted...my efforts as a blogger are quite lacking, I must say. But, you can't say I haven't been busy. Oh, I have, I have! Summer has flown by, and yet crawled at the same time. How does that happen?

Time seems to be such a malleable substance, doesn't it? 12 days--maybe 11?--until I see Elaine again. I have a feeling that time will creep past until then. But looking back at summer, I can see just how fast the last few months have gone. I guess I should just take each day by itself and trust God for his timing. It's perfect, you know. And he's been in this business of life a lot longer than I, so I think I'm safe to put things in his hands.

So, Elaine, here's a post. Sorry, not a toast. But, hey, here's to Elaine! And only a little over a week and a half until I'm back in the heartland :)

Small pleasures

Elaine, I think I'm going to leave you for a pair of flip-flops and a shade tree.

Well, ok, nevermind, they could never like me back in the way you do :) But in all seriousness, there's something to be said for the small things in life. That's the title of my blog, after all. And yesterday I realized how much I take those things for granted.

I cut my heel on the faucet in the shower the other day (don't ask me why I was kicking around like I was), and as a result, my foot was slightly swollen and uncomfortable rubbing in my shoe at work yesterday. When Dad came to get some fertilizer mid-afternoon, I was busy with customers, limping around from sale to sale. Noticing my discomfort, he asked if I would like my flip-flops. I smiled. Sure, Dad, sounds good.

Well, between the heel chafing taking place and the warm temperatures, as well as my general busyness with customers, I was feeling rather hot and bothered. But Dad soon showed up with my favorite $5 pair of Old Navy flip-flops. In moments I had shed my socks and shoes and traded them for the feeling of being free.

And just like that, the customers left. For a few minutes, anyway. Left to catch up on watering, I dragged my hose around a tree and started giving the plants the drink they'd been waiting all day for. Soon, I realized just how good I had it. Standing in the shade of a beautiful Japanese Maple, cooled by a gentle breeze, and free of my stuffy work shoes, I came to appreciate the small things in life anew.

So, Elaine, I'm not leaving you. Don't worry. But I think I've got reason to smile, if only for a few moments, when I remember the small pleasures in life. I have to work again tomorrow...I think I'll wear flip-flops.

What is it about music?

So what makes music so incredibly powerful? I'm humbled by the power of music to change a situation. We often forget how prevalent music is--just listen to a radio commercial and hear how music changes the whole mood of the spot. As I sit here at the computer, doing number crunching for my work, I'm listening to a CD that strikes me so powerfully right now.

Have you ever noticed how music can also affect you differently at different times? One day, you might pick up a certain line in a song that catches your heart and runs with it. The next day, maybe it's a chord or a subtle tune that stirs a different emotion.

That's why I love music--it's got a power that only can be explained by the creativity and providence of God. Only He could create something so simple yet profound such as music. Thanks, God, for another reason to smile.