Psalm Attributes Part 8

106.  ABHORRER OF IDOLATRY

107.  REBEL DELIVERER

108.  DELIVERER

109.  JUST

110.  THE LORD (SUPREME EMPEROR) OF ALL

111.  AWE-INSPIRING

112.  TRUSTWORTHY

113.  HUMBLE

114.  ENTHRONED RULER/LEADER

115.  SHIELD/BLESSER

116.  HEARER, RESCUER

117.  EVERLASTING TRUTH

118.  FOR ME

(Since Psalm 119 is so long, it has multiple attributes)

119.  LORD, RIGHTEOUS JUDGE, BLESSED, REVIVER, ESTABLISHER, PORTION, GOOD, FAITHFUL, AFFLICTER,
          COMFORTER, COMPASSIONATE, SAVIOR, BOUNDLESS, SWEET, LIGHT, GUIDE, HIDING PLACE, SHIELD, 
          SUSTAINER, GRACIOUS, TEACHER, UPRIGHT, EVERLASTING, NEAR, RESCUER, REDEEMER, MERCIFUL

120.  HE HEARS

Click here for Psalm Attributes Part 7.  Click here for Psalm Attributes Part 9. 

My Grandpa, the Pirate

This is my grandpa, T.L. Smith. 

As my only living grandparent, I decided to dedicate a blog post to him.  He is more affectionately known as Pap-pa.  He was born in 1935 and was supposed to be called Tony Linvel but the doctor who delivered him was drunk and only managed to write T.L. on the birth certificate.  

As you can see, he wears an eye patch.  Many years ago (before my days began) he worked in a mine.  One day the mine caved in on top of him and he was extricated and taken to a nearby hospital.  The doctors didn’t think he would make it so they left him alone.  One day he told them that he wasn’t planning on dying so they should start working on him.  The mining accident left him with a broken and disfigured eye.  He has worn an eye patch as long as I can remember.  

One day he was at my house for a birthday party.  A little girl was there and saw my grandpa.  She leaned over to my oldest niece and whispered to her that there was a pirate in the room.  Many people who have disfigurements are embarrassed but not my grandpa.  He laughs about it and tries to make people enjoy his pirate-esque eye patch. 

He has always been a fun loving person.  See the picture below of how he showed up to my nephew’s recent birthday party.  My grandpa is always up for a good laugh.  He married my grandmother in 1955.  She was 15 years old when they married which always makes me cringe a bit.  They somehow stuck through the young love, hard times and were married for 54 years before her death in 2009.  Almost every time I see him, he tells me, tears in his eyes, "I miss that gal, sure do, she was a good ‘un."  He has not been the same since her death and has lost a bit of his fun loving spirit.  He also loves Jesus.  He can't discuss his gratefulness for the sacrifice Jesus made for someone as filthy as him without getting choked up about that level of extravagant grace.    

He holds the nickname Blossom.  One of his friends or coworkers asked him one day if his name was Blossom.  My grandpa said no and asked why.  The man said to him, “Because you are a blooming idiot.”  The nickname stuck.  

My grandpa likes nicknames.  My brother was the first official grandchild.  My grandpa tells that on the day my brother was born he was only a few minutes old but he was bright-eyed and looking all around seeing how he might improve the place like he was the boss.  My grandpa immediately nicknamed him Boss and from that point on, my brother had no other name.  

This began a pattern for my grandpa.  Each new grandchild was given a nickname on the day of their birth.  I was nicknamed Peanut because my head was as tiny as a peanut when I was born.  I have rarely heard him use my actual name and when he does it takes a minute to register.  Other grandkids filtered in from new marriages and were eventually given names as well.  I will share those nicknames and the stories behind them as best as my memory allows.  

Siblings

Boss - my brother, aka Chris - So named because he looked like a boss on the day of his birth.

Tylenol and/or Headache Pill - his wife, aka Tilinia - So named because the first syllable of her name sounds like ‘Ty’ in Tylenol.

Twinkie - my niece, aka Kyla

Cookie - my niece, aka Aly

Skipper - my nephew, aka Zeke

Peanut and/or Nut - me - So named because of my tiny head.

Cricket - my sister, aka Caley - So named because her cry reminded him of a bunch of crickets.

Cowboy - her husband, aka Josh - So named because on one of the first times my grandpa saw him he was wearing brown pants.  My grandpa associated the brown pants with a cowboy, no matter Cowboy was also wearing a black leather jacket.  

Cousins  

Misty Moonlight  

Knot Head - So named because he had a knot on his head when he was born.

Swinger - Knot Head’s Son

Chatter Box - Knot Head’s girlfriend's son - So named because the first time he sat with my grandpa he talked non-stop.

Drive Shaft and/or Double Trouble - So named because the drive shaft fell out of his car on the way to see her at the hospital.  She later became ‘Double Trouble’ because he said she was double trouble.

Whistle Britches - Double Trouble’s son - So named because he passed gas one time as a baby.

June Bug - Double Trouble’s daughter 

Trooper - Double Trouble’s other daughter - So named because of being a trooper while in the hospital for severe burns.

Rooster - So named because a certain body part was red when he was born.

Trotter - So named because he was always trotting along behind his brother Rooster.

Sticker - So named because Holly bushes have stickers on them and her name was Hollie.

Jeroboam - So named because it sounds like his actual name, Jeremy.

C-Note - So named because he heard the C-note can shatter glass and apparently her cries were so loud he thought they could also shatter glass.

Stormy - C-Note’s daughter - So named because her actual name, Abigale, has the word ‘gale’ in it and she had a stormy entry into this life.  

Blue Jay - So named because he looked blue from a lack of oxygen after his birth.

Jake 

Teardropper - Jake’s daughter - So named because when he first saw her she had a single teardrop on her cheek.

Two Shoes - Jake’s son - So named because he had new shoes and was just learning to talk and could only say ‘shoes’.  There was also a new song my grandpa heard called ‘Two Shoes’.

Smiley - Teardrop’s son - So named because he just smiled at my grandpa one of the first times he was around him.

Cyndi Kook 

Did It - Cyndi Kook’s daughter - So named after katydids because her actual name is Caiti.

Tara of the South - Named partly after the ‘Gone with the Wind’ homestead and the fact that as a young child she was beautiful but also a terror.

Family members, feel free to chime in with more correct and current information.  I will update facts or names that I may have incorrect.

Psalm Attributes Part 7

91.  FEAR REMOVER

92. MOST HIGH

93. ESTABLISHED

94. TEACHER/DISCIPLINER

95. GREAT KING

96. STRENGTH AND BEAUTY

97. EXALTED ABOVE ALL GODS

98. PRAISEWORTHY

99. HOLY REIGNER

100. GOOD

101. WORTHY

102. FOREVER EXISTENT

103. RULES OVER ALL/COMPASSIONATE FATHER

104. MAJESTIC

105. NEVER FORGETS, ALWAYS REMEMBERS

Click here for Psalm Attributes Part 6. Click here for Psalm Attributes Part 8.  

Good News

My dad came up for an afternoon, evening, and morning. We watched the movie October Baby. [SPOILER ALERT] 

The movie tells the story of a girl named Hannah whose mother unsuccessfully tried to abort her. She found out as a college student and decided to search for her mom over spring break. She eventually found her mom but her mom dismissed her as a stranger. Later Hannah returned home to her adopted parents wondering why her own mother wouldn’t want her. Then her adopted father told her that he and his wife did want her, they had always wanted her to be their daughter.

The next morning I rode with my dad while he drove to Nashville. He told me, his voice breaking, that he wanted me, my brother and sister. He said he wanted to make sure I knew that.  

I realize that the fact that my dad is still a part of my life, that he would make a special trip to come to spend a night with me, and that he wants me makes me a rarity in this world. This is abundant grace in my life but it is merely the tip of the iceberg. I also have a heavenly Father who says the same thing. He says it for me, says it for you. He wants us to be a part of His family.  

“God in eternity looked upon me foreseeing my faults, my pride, my sin and said ‘I want that man in My family, I will pay for him to be in My family with My Son’s life.’ That’s Love folks. That is mega, off the charts, Love!” -John Piper

“There is nothing you can do to make God love you anymore than He does right now.” -Matt Chandler

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” -John 3:16

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” -Romans 5:8

I don't know where you are in your relationship with your earthly dad. But I KNOW there is a God who loves you like a Father and He is perfect in that love. He wants you and yearns for you to know Him. If you would like to know more, email lookingforgreenergrasses@gmail.com  

Psalm Attributes Part 6

76.  TO BE FEARED

77. WONDER-WORKING

78. RESTRAINER OF ANGER OFTEN

79. A GOD OF ALL PEOPLES

80. ENTHRONED ABOVE THE CHERUBIM

81. DISCIPLINER

82. OWNER OF ALL NATIONS

83. ALONE THE MOST HIGHT

84. SUN AND SHIELD

85. LOVINGKINDNESS AND TRUTH, RIGHTEOUSNESS 
      AND PEACE

86. A GOD OF ALL NATIONS

87. A GOD TO BE KNOWN

88. WRATHFUL

89. RULER OF THE SWELLING SEA

90. HE IS

Click here for Psalm Attributes Part 5.  Click here for Psalm Attributes Part 7.

Greener Grasses of Cleaning Floors

For years now I have wanted to have a staycation. When I was a full-time working woman I only had 12 days of vacation. Those few days were precious and I usually tried to use them wisely. Because I had so few vacation days, I usually spent them traveling and would return from my vacation exhausted. The first time I heard the term ‘staycation’ I yearned to have one for my own but felt like doing so would not be the best way to spend those days.  

Anyway, I found myself last weekend looking ahead to a week where I had absolutely zero work opportunities. I decided this was finally my chance for a staycation. My goal was to tackle all the things I never have time to do and to hang out with as many friends as possible. So I did. I managed to spend time with my best friend, a friend who is moving, four families and three other individuals and had a skype date and a phone date.

In my unscheduled slots, I worked on various things. I caught up on some blogs that I have been meaning to write. I finished a book and book review for my upcoming Seminary class. I prayer-walked. I finished an art project. I watched several movies, a tv series, and a documentary.  

I also had some cleaning goals. My main focus this week was to clean my kitchen floors. I thought the floors were stained due to years of use since mopping would not remove the marks.  Then several months ago I was sitting in the filthy floors and realized if I tried hard, I could scrape away the grime. Suddenly, the filthiness of the floors was not lost on me and I could no longer ignore the grime.  

Ewww...

So I set myself to the task of cleaning the floors. I got some Mean Green, a mop bucket, a scrub brush and my elbow grease and got to work on the floors. The floors are poorly designed with small grooves around each square and among the diamonds. They also contain tiny indentations in the larger white spots. Those places have trapped seven years of dirt and grime. The task ended up taking me twice as long as I had estimated and I ended up with about 15 hours in the project.  

Note the stunning progress on the lower left corner

As I was sitting in the floor I mused that the task was not a fun one but it was rewarding. As humans, it always brings much satisfaction when we can bring beauty from filth, order from chaos. I also thought about how this is one of the many ways I know that I am created in the image of God. He too delights in bringing beauty from the dirt. I also realized that He too bends Himself low and painstakingly gets to work chiseling away at the grime of sin that accumulates within me. He is much more patient and effective in His work. Fifteen hours is nothing compared with the amount of time He has spent and will spend hunkered down polishing my life, making something beautiful and pure from my filth. At times, the bristling of His work feels uncomfortable but in the end I will come out looking more like the Beautiful One, Jesus.  

Finished!

The Trickery Behind Temptations

I recently read a rather dry book for one of my seminary classes. Most of the book left me with my eyes crossed trying to figure out if anything I read made cognitive sense in my head. But then I read the last chapter and there was a little treasure waiting for me. An example was used that was quite helpful for me and so I wanted to share it here.  

The subject being discussed was temptations to sin and how there are usually six steps we face with temptations. The focal passage and example used was the Fall in Genesis 3:1-6:

“1. Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God actually say, You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’? 2. And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden’, 3. but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ 4. But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. 5. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ 6. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.”

Step number 1: Satan maximizes the restriction.  

In verse 1 the serpent asks if God really said Adam and Eve could not eat from any tree in the garden. Henry Virkler in the book mentioned above says, “What is the dynamic here? Why did Satan ask this question? He obviously knew what God had said to Adam and Eve, or he would not have been able to ask what he did. Furthermore, he deliberately distorted what God had said, ‘Is it really a fact that God has prohibited you from eating of all the trees of the garden?‘ Satan’s ply is rather obvious: he was getting Eve to take her eyes off all the things God had given her to enjoy, and to focus on the one thing that God had forbidden. There were probably a thousand pleasurable things Eve could have done in the garden, but now all her attention was focused on the one thing she could not do.”

Step number 2: Satan minimizes the consequences of sin. 

In verse 4 Satan tells Eve that she won’t die. To quote Virkler again, “The results of such-and-such an action won’t really be as bad as God has said.” Satan eventually turned Eve’s attention so much on the tree that she forgot about the consequences altogether.  

Step number 3: Satan relabels the action.

In verse 5, Satan tricked Eve into thinking that God was holding out on her rather than the fruit of the tree being something harmful. Virkler again says, “Satan deftly tried to remove his temptation from the category of sin by relabeling it. In this particular instance, partaking of the fruit was relabeled as a way of expanding her consciousness.” Eve is slowly exchanging the idea of the temptation as disobedience and seeing it more and more as a need in her life.  

Step number 4: Satan mixes good and evil. 

In verse 6, Eve saw that the fruit was good for food. Virkler quotes C.S. Lewis this time, “C.S. Lewis has commented that evil is often a perversion of something good that God has created.”

Step number 5: Satan mixes sin with beauty.

Verse 6 says that the fruit was “a delight to the eyes.” Virkler says, “Eve failed to discriminate between the beautiful package and the sinful contents that the package contained.  

Step number 6: Humans misunderstand the implications. 

Verse 6 also states that Eve saw that the fruit could make her wise. Virkler says, “In essence she swallowed the devil’s lie. - In effect by accepting Satan’s statement, Eve was calling God a liar, even though she might not have recognized those implications of her action. She accepted Satan as the truth-teller and God as the prevaricator: by partaking of the fruit she was implicitly stating her belief that Satan was more interested in her welfare than God was.” 

Psalm Attributes Part 5

61. HE HEARS

62. REFUGE

63. CURE FOR THIRST

64. BRINGS EVIL TO RUIN

65. HOPE OF ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH

66. MAKES ENEMIES CRINGE

67. WORTHY OF ALL PRAISE

68. FATHER OF FATHERLESS

69. STEADFAST, A GOD WHO HEARS

70. GOD IS GREAT!

71. WHO IS LIKE YOU?

72. TO BE FEARED

73. WITH ME NOW, WITH ME FOREVER

74. OWNER OF NIGHT AND DAY

75. STABILIZER

Click here for Psalm Attributes Part 4.  Click here for Psalm Attributes Part 6.