A few weeks ago, our community lost a young man in Afghanistan. He’d been there less than three weeks. I didn’t know the soldier or his family, but I was so moved by the outpouring of support from our citizens. While people lined the highways and gathered to protect the grieving family from protesters, I began to read a devotional written specifically for military families.

Fighting Fear: Winning the War at Home When Your Soldier Leaves for Battle addresses the battle on the home front. How do you go about your life when your husband or child or parent is half a world away and in constant danger?

Edie Melson knows.

She watched her oldest son leave for Iraq. Twice. She spent many nights clutching her Bible and pounding the gates of heaven as only a mother can. She writes from an honest heart. Sometimes with humor and sometimes with raw emotion. There’s no attempt to gloss over the challenges experienced by the families of the deployed.

But there is so much hope.

From the stories of now grown children of WWII servicemen to spouses of 20+ year career military personnel, a beautiful picture of God’s faithfulness emerges. We see prayers answered, relationships restored, and challenges met.

From the hearts of mothers, wives, and daughters we see irrefutable evidence that God cares. He knows the battle is being fought on both fronts and He is the only One who can be in both places. He is the Constant. He is the Peace.

If you love a soldier, or love someone who does, Fighting Fear: Winning the War at Home When Your Soldier Leaves for Battle is a must read. It belongs on the bedside table of every spouse, parent, child, or sibling of our soldiers in harm’s way.

On a cool, clear night several months ago, I sat on the back steps with our three-year-old son. As we stared at the sky, we talked about how big the moon was and how bright the stars were. Well, I talked. He jabbered in that special just-turned-three language that is part English – part who knows what.

After a few minutes of hearing the same phrase repeated, I finally realized that he was asking me to go get a ladder.

Me: What do you need a ladder for?
James: To go to the moon.
Me: Honey, the moon is too far away. We can’t reach it with a ladder.
James: Yes you can.

He had complete faith. He saw a bright, shiny object floating in the sky. And there was not a doubt in his mind that if I put a little effort into it, I could take him to the moon. I think he assumed I would be able to grant this request in the same easy way I provide milk and chicken nuggets.

Pizza – sure. Moonwalk? No problem!

Our conversation lasted several minutes, and I don’t think I ever convinced him that no one had built a ladder long enough to reach the moon. Not to mention issues of oxygen and atmosphere and freezing temperatures and gravity. And yes, I mentioned all of them in my effort to convince him that I wasn’t trying to be difficult, but I couldn’t produce a ladder and take him to the moon.

I’ve been thinking about this as I’ve been praying for God to grant me what I desire or give me something better.

Do I really think He can? I mean . . . really?

I know – intellectually – that He is God. Omnipresent, Omniscient, All-Powerful.

He is God. He can do anything.

But do I believe it enough to ask? And not only to ask, but to ask knowing that it’s not too hard for Him. That He not only can but will answer that prayer? He will either give me what I’m asking for, or give me something far better.

I’m trying to pray believing and asking God to help my unbelief.

Because when I ask for the moon, He doesn’t say, “Honey, the moon is too far away.”

He says, “Honey, have you thought about Jupiter?”

A few months ago I posted a review of One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I’ve been counting gifts ever since. I’ve found it’s impossible to be grouchy and grateful at the same time so gift counting is something I wanted to be intentional about in 2012.

In December, I wrote about Joy. Joy in suffering. Joy in the Moment. Our real reason for Joy.

So imagine my Joy when I discovered the Joy Dare for 2012. An opportunity to count 1000 gifts in 2012, along with thousands of others, and rediscover Joy all year long.

If you look at the top of this page, you’ll see a “One Thousand Gifts” tab. You can click there to see my one thousand gifts in 2012. Ann’s made it as easy as imaginable with a calendar and prompts for every day.

I’ll also be tweeting (@LynnHBlackburn) my gifts (#1KGiftsDare) several times a week.

Won’t you join me in intentional joy and thankfulness this year?

I’m a Clemson Tiger. My blood runneth
Orange. And when it comes to my team, I’m all in . . . all the
time.

But sweet mercy.

For those of you who don’t follow
college athletics, Wednesday night the Clemson Tigers faced the West
Virginia Mountaineers in the Orange Bowl.

Clemson was favored to win.

Clemson got juiced.

When the last drop of dignity had been
squeezed from our orange peel, the Mountaineers were victorious in a
stunning 70-33 final.

It takes a true believer to wear the
colors on the day after a loss like that. To acknowledge that we blew
it in every way imaginable, but still have hope for a new day, a new
season, another opportunity to return to the Orange Bowl and emerge
victorious.

I love the idea of being all in. It’s
how I want to live my life. All in . . . all the time.
Whatever God
has for me, I want to charge down the hill onto the field and face it
head on. After all, if God is for us, who can be against us! I’m
favored to win. All the time.

And some days, I do. I take the field
full of the Holy Spirit and when children whine, I pray. When laundry
mounts, I praise. When agents reject, I rejoice (ok . . . maybe not .
. . but you get the idea).

Then there are days where the score
swings wildly. I stumble, make poor decisions, and drop passes.
Thank goodness for half-time where I regroup and end the day on high
note.

But some days . . . the kids take turns
getting up all night and my defense is worn out before the sun comes
up. I’ve been sacked six times before breakfast, and even three
cups of coffee aren’t enough to prevent me from throwing two
interceptions before lunch. There are missed tackles, fumbles, and
poorly executed plays.

I have to wonder if that “great cloud
of witnesses” is squirming in their seats wondering what happened
to their girl. Where’s the mighty warrior of yesterday? Where’s
the comeback kid of last week? Why can’t she throw up a few blocks?
Why won’t she use her shield of faith? Her breastplate of
righteousness?

Do they watch as I collapse into bed,
sick with the knowledge that not only was today a poor showing, but
one I’ll regret forever? Do they wonder who will show up the next
day—the star quarterback or the third string kicker?

‘Cause lets face it, in this game, no
one can blame the Coach.

I’m so thankful God doesn’t watch
my “Orange Bowl” performances and give up on me. When I’m in
the locker room, spent and humiliated, He reminds me that I may have
lost this game but the Eternal Championship is already in the bag.
His Son won that battle on the cross (talk about being “all in”).
And while I sometimes embarrass myself on the field, the truth is
that His Spirit lives inside me and empowers me to run the plays God
calls.

Have you already blown it in 2012?
Yeah. Me, too.

Let’s put the “Orange Bowl” behind
us.

Our Coach forgives when we ask and He
never gives up on us.

Today is a new game day. We can choose
to wallow in past defeat or charge the field confident we will win.

I’m all in . . . who’s with me?

The steadfast love of the LORD never
ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my
soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” (Lamentations 3:22-24)

*****
Congratulations to Liz! She’s the winner of the Tony Dungy One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge! Thanks to all who participated!

It’s the first Thursday of the month, so I’m blogging over at The Write Conversation today.

Have you ever dared to pray, “Lord, this is what I want?” Should you?

Could you be so bold?

We’re talking about shooting for the stars so come by and tell us what you are praying for during 2012.

A new year.

What’s a task-oriented, planner-toting, stressed-out-mom-of-three, wanna-be-writer to do?

There’s a part of me that longs to open a spreadsheet and plan the next twelve months.

There’s another part of me that knows just how long that spreadsheet will hold up under the steady stream of daily life.

So this year, I’m trying something new.

Well, it’s not new. It’s new to me.

Instead of resolutions and detailed plans of attack, I’ve chosen one word for 2012. One word to focus on, to filter decisions through, to pray for and about.

One word.

And let’s face it. For a word-loving girl like me, narrowing anything down to one word should have been challenging. But this word floated to the surface with ease.

I tried a few other words, let them bob along in my mind for a few days, but they couldn’t stay afloat. So I’m stuck with this word. For 366 days.

My word for 2012?

Intentional.

My prayer for 2012? That I’ll use this word to remind myself that I don’t want to bob along without direction. I don’t want to parent by accident. I don’t want to write on whims. I don’t want to worship only when the mood strikes. I don’t want to be so busy ordering my day that I fail to rest in His plans for me.

Ten years from now, I want to be able to look back on this time of my life and see trips to the library, the zoo, and the children’s museum, sprinkled in with Bible studies, date nights, and, dare I say it, maybe a novel—or five?

Life is short. I want to live on purpose.
Not regimented. Not legalistic. Not even with a ten-page spreadsheet. But I don’t want to miss the things that matter. And it would be so easy to let that happen in the whirlwind of everyday life.

So here’s to a year of intentionality. I hope you’ll hop Out of the Boat and walk the waves with me.

How about you? Do you have a word for 2012? I’d love to hear about your New Year’s plans and possibilities!

Are you feeling a little blue? Post-Christmas malaise settling in? Are you thinking that there will be no more gifts for a year and you’re a bummed about that?

Well, then I’ve got great news!

The fine folks at Tyndale House Publishers will be giving one of my blog readers a copy of Tony Dungy’s latest book, The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge.

**If you don’t know who Tony Dungy is then you are obviously not a football fan. And that’s OK. But you should definitely click on the link above and check him out. He’s a Super Bowl winning coach with a passion for God.**

The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge focuses on seven themes: Core, Family, Friends, Potential, Mission, Influence, and Faith. The devotions rotate through each of the seven themes and each devotion stands on its own.

Each day’s reading begins with a passage of Scripture. Not just the reference, but the entire verse or verses, already printed on the page. I love that!

The devotion that follows ties to the verse and the theme for the day, usually with a story from either family or athletic life. Each day concludes with an Uncommon Key – a brief take away or action point based on the day’s reading.

I found the devotions to be straightforward and easy to read. The devotional is geared toward men (and I think that’s great!) but I found the readings to be quite applicable to me as a mom as well.

While I like the book, I like the purpose behind the book even more. Coach Dungy is challenging men – and women – to live Uncommon lives and the key to beginning that process is to spend time with God. EVERY DAY.

Check out this video from Coach Dungy as he describes the One Year Uncommon Life DAILY challenge. It’s only two minutes long and well worth it.

To enter to win your free copy, just leave a comment (include your first name and last initial). I’d love to know if you’re a football fan and would keep the book for yourself, or who you plan to give it to if you win! The contest is open through Friday, January 6th.

My regular blogging schedule will resume on Monday, January 2nd. I hope you’ve had a blessed holiday season!

The super fine print: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Merry Christmas!

It’s something we struggle with—this
whole concept of suffering. We have an ingrained worldview that
suggests suffering is only “fair” if it’s deserved. When we know
our desire is to serve God and we are still clobbered by life, we
wrestle with “why me” and “this isn’t fair” thoughts.

These are the time when I have often
found the lives of Paul and Peter to be a source of comfort. These
men served God and on a regular basis took a beating for it.

But never, before this year, have I
ever realized that there’s someone else who we know—know it from
the very mouth of an angel—was favored by God and from the moment
of that proclamation—suffered.

Mary.

Think about her for a moment. A young
virgin with life cruising along as planned. Getting ready to marry a
great guy. Then an angel shows up and says “God thinks you’re
awesome and He’s going to give you a remarkable gift. You get to be
the mother of the Christ.”

What the angel didn’t say? “Oh, by the
way, you’ll live the rest of your life under a cloud of scandal. And
you’ll have to flee the country in a few months. When He grows up,
He’ll traipse all over the country doing miracles. And people will
talk. Oh yes, they will talk.

But none of that will compare to what’s
coming. There will be a day when you will watch Him beaten to a
bloody pulp, groan under the weight of a cross, hang from that cross,
and eventually, breathe what everyone will believe is His last
breath.”

We don’t know how much Mary understood.
We know that from day one, she’d been pondering everything. The
angels, the shepherds, the star, the wise men. We know she’d been
warned, when He was only a few days old, that a sword would pierce
her soul. You can bet she never forgot those words.

We know from the very beginning of His
public ministry that she knew He could perform miracles.

But we don’t know how she coped. Did
she live all of His thirty-three years wondering when it would
happen? Was she ever able to look at Him—tiny baby nestled against
her, chubby toddler wrestling with His brothers, gangly teen helping
Joseph craft a table—and enjoy being His mom without wondering how
it would all end?

Did she know that the end would be the
beginning?

When she watched Him hanging there,
even if she knew He would return in three days, would it have
mattered? Would it have lessened the agony? Would if have prevented
the tears?

I don’t think so. You won’t find this
spelled out in Scripture, but my mother’s heart tells me that on the
day He died, no one hurt the way she did.

Knowing the rest of the story, we can
say it was worth it. Mary undoubtedly would agree.

But in the moment, Mary suffered.

I wish the Bible gave a us picture of
the reunion. The joy on Mary’s face when she saw her resurrected son,
her resurrected Savior. I’m sure her tears dripped onto His
nail-scarred hands. Surely He held her close. Thanked her for being a
great mom. Assured her that it had all been part of God’s plan.

Can you see it?

He’d like to do that for us as well.

When life is hard. When the loneliness
is overwhelming. When the pain won’t go away. When it’s all over.
When nothing will ever be the same.

He is.

He knows.

His sacrifice makes Joy possible.
Continuous Joy. Even in suffering. Not because we think pain is fun.
But because we know there’s a purpose. There’s a plan.

There’s a future.

He will wipe away every tear from their
eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning,
nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
Revelation 21:4 (ESV)

As I’ve been mulling over the idea of how big God is and the miracle it is that He became flesh, I’ve also been thinking about how often God does things in ways that are both unexpected and incomprehensible.

I’m wondering how often I don’t see God’s hand because what’s happening doesn’t make sense to me.

I’m wondering how much Joy I miss out on because instead of resting in His plan, I’m arguing with Him about His methods or pointing out to Him that what He’s doing doesn’t seem like a good idea.

I could go on and on about it, but Christmas is ten days away and my guess is you don’t have time for me to go on and on!

So instead I thought I’d leave you with one of my favorite passages from The Last Battle.

I love The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. (Please don’t ask how many times I’ve read them – the answer is, “I have no idea and if we don’t quit talking about it I’m going to have to start reading them again!”)

At this point in the story, the characters have been fighting all around a small stable and are now inside.

Ponder this, and find the Joy!

“It seems, then,” said Tirian, smiling himself, “that the Stable seen from within and the Stable seen from without are two different places.”

“Yes,” said the Lord Digory. “Its inside is bigger than its outside.”

“Yes,” said Queen Lucy. “In our world too, a Stable once had something inside it that was bigger than our whole world.”

C.S. Lewis ~ The Last Battle

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