Gorilla

I went to the zoo with my niece and nephew today. We got to see a lot of neat animals, and I even got to see two things for the very first time: the koala bears awake and the grizzly bears swimming!

As is typical with brothers and sisters, my niece and nephew had a few points of disagreement during the day--the biggest of which was over the stroller. My niece did NOT like that my nephew wanted to ride in HER stroller :-).

My niece also didn't like when my nephew got too close to the gorilla. Both of the gorillas were hanging out in the shade by the observation window--one of them sprawled out with his arm on to top of his eyes--the other sitting up with his back against the window.

As my nephew was trying to measure how tall the gorilla was in comparison to him, my niece started screaming. "No G, no! No!!!!!"

I thought she was upset because he got the best window spot. Their mom figured out that she was upset because she thought the gorilla was going to get her brother. In her 2 1/2 year old mind, the separation glass was not enough to keep him safe.

My niece screamed until G walked to where she was standing and she knew he was safe. As soon as he stood beside her, she was okay.

When you see a friend or family member "in danger" do you "scream" until they reach "safety?"

We cannot control other people's choices, but we can passionately communicate when we sense that something is wrong.

Can you think of a time when you've voiced your concern for someone you love? What happened when you did?

If These Walls Could Speak

I didn't think it was possible. My mom didn't either. Yet my sister, her husband, their two children, and I all fit--rather comfortably--into my studio apartment for the weekend. And we had a super good time!

Tonight, as I sit in a very quiet room, I'm reminded of a song by Amy Grant that I used to want to play as the background to my farewell speech after reigning as some version of a Miss Tabor City pageant queen. [No. I was never in a pageant--go figure--but I must admit that I secretly got swept into pageant fever by my friends :-).] The song ponders the very simple question of what these walls would say should they be able to speak.

Here's what I think mine would say:

Deanna, you are loved.

Remember the sounds of Griffin and Amelia playing, laughing, and feeling a deep sense of excitement because they were with you. Those sounds are precious and can never be replaced.

Remember the happy anticipation of a sleepy Griffin, in your bed, looking forward to waking up next to you in the morning so that you could "roll around and bang on each other" and then spend the day at the zoo together. Remember how he overflowed with the words, "I love you, Dee," just before falling asleep.

Remember Griffin and Amelia giving each other sweet little hugs and snuggling with mama and daddy. Remember Griffin getting Amelia a little cup of water to go with his cup of water beside the bed.

Remember having your family around the picnic table by the lake, eating together, and then running to my walls to get out of the sudden rainstorm that you watched move across the lake.

Remember the generosity and carefree spirit of Dana and Finley and how they showed you new parts of the town and made you feel proud to live in this place.

Remember the look of content innocence that Amelia gave you as you held her and read to her and she said, "I love you very very much."

Remember how Dana and Finley cleaned my space so that you could walk out on the dock one last time with Griffin and Amelia.

Remember that you watched them come into this world.

Deanna, you are loved. And it's okay to miss them and cry. But remember that the love is still here, in these walls, in this space, in your heart...

"And these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."

My Commentary on Isaiah 43:1-13

Yesterday on the South Carolina Acteens page, I posted the following "note," only I didn't indicate or comment on what jumped out at me as I read the passage for myself. I'm going to do that here, indicating my points of interest IN ALL CAPS and then briefly writing my thoughts (in bold parenthesis):

Read these verses slowly and carefully, even if you get bogged down in them or don't know exactly what they mean.

Maybe even read the verses two or three times.

What words or phrases jump out at you? Jot those down and/or share them with other Acteens/Acteens Leaders.

Pray that the Holy Spirit will help you make sense of God's message to you today.

1-4 But now, God's Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob,
the One who got you started, Israel:
"Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you.
I've called your name. You're mine.
When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you.
When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you're between a rock and a hard place,
it won't be a dead end—
Because I am God, your personal God,
The Holy of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you:
all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That's how much you mean to me!
That's how much I LOVE YOU (even though we know that God is love, the words "I love you" don't appear very often in scripture. I love that this says, point blank, I love you."
I'd sell off the whole world to get you back,
trade the creation just for you.

5-7"So don't be afraid: I'm with you.
I'll round up all your scattered children,
pull them in from east and west.
I'll send orders north and south:
'Send them back.
Return my sons from distant lands,
my daughters from faraway places.
I want them back, every last one who bears my name,
every man, woman, and child
WHOM I CREATED FOR MY GLORY (the NIV says "the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise." I think it's interesting that I read this yesterday, after posting the question, "What is the meaning of life?" According to this, it is to proclaim God's praise. Interesting timing, eh?)
yes, personally formed and made each one.'"

8-13Get the blind and deaf out here and ready—
the blind (though there's nothing wrong with their eyes)
and the deaf (though there's nothing wrong with their ears).
Then get the other nations out here and ready.
Let's see what they have to say about this,
how they account for what's happened.
LET THEM PRESENT THEIR EXPERT WITNESSES
AND MAKE THEIR CASE;
LET THEM TRY TO CONVINCE US WHAT THEY SAY IS TRUE (The NIV says "Review the past for me, let us argue the matter together; state the case for your innocence." I find it interesting that God says, "Let us argue the matter together." To me it raises the question of whether or not what we say influences God's decisions. If it does, then it sounds like the person with the best, most convincing argument, wins. And, well, for some reason, that makes me a bit uncomfortable.)

"But you are my witnesses." God's Decree.
"You're my handpicked servant
So that you'll come to know and trust me,
understand both that I am and who I am.
Previous to me there was no such thing as a god,
nor will there be after me.
I, yes I, am God.
I'm the only Savior there is.
I spoke, I saved, I told you what existed
long before these upstart gods appeared on the scene.
And you know it, you're my witnesses,
you're the evidence." God's Decree.
"Yes, I am God.
I've always been God
and I always will be God.
No one can take anything from me.
I make; who can unmake it?"
(The MSG translation)

The Meaning of Life

I suppose we all do it at some point--question the meaning of life. I've been doing it off and on for the past few years, passing through periods of contentment and peace only to have them shaken by philosophy once again.

I don't remember exactly what's triggered my latest episode of questioning, but it's been going on for a couple of weeks now. No matter what else I'm thinking or doing, there's the constant underpinning of the question: What's the point of this all?

And so, like always, I've been asking different people their thoughts, and I've gotten a variety of answers:

We are here to worship God.

We are here to see how much hardship we can endure before we die.

We are here to learn to love deeper and deeper, more and more fully, to grow and expand in our ability to love, until we are ready to meet Love face to face--until we are ready to return to the Love from which we came...and I think we should enjoy the journey along the way. I think that we should find joy and purpose as we seek to expand our love and in end be ready to crawl into God's lap.

We are here to eat, drink, and find pleasure in God's creation.

We are here to help eliminate the evil and suffering in this world by not responding in kind. When someone hurts us but we refuse to react out of hurt or negativity, then we can successfully allow that hurt to die and replace it with the love that comes from God. God is all goodness and wants goodness to exist, and so we must help create that goodness in addition to helping stop its opposite.

We are here to provide God comic relief.

We are here to make this world a better place...just as Jesus made this world a better place. --------

What about you? What is your answer to the question (albeit in different forms at different times) that has risen from its dormant place in my heart?

What is the meaning of life? What's the point of it all? Why are we here--on this earth--in this space and time? Is there a reason?

Come To Me

It started with a chord.

My friend Amy and I were playing guitar on Saturday afternoon when she played a chord that I really liked. It was rich and mellow and its vibration rang in my ears.

From that one chord we added more chords until we had a progression that we liked.

Then I asked a crucial question: "What's your favorite verse or passage of scripture?"

After searching through her Bible and reading numerous verse and passages that were powerful but just didn't fit with the music, we finally stumbled upon Matthew 11:28-29.

A few minutes later, we had a song.

It's a simple song, really. A paraphrase of the words of Christ that seem to be more poignant now than ever. We are so busy. And so many of us are so tired. Yet somehow, in the midst of it all, Jesus promises that his yoke is easy and his burden light. Jesus promises peace. Jesus promises rest.

And I don't know about you...but I need to rest.


Come To Me
7/3/10
Matthew 11:28-29
with Amy Humphries

Come to me
All you who labor and are tired
Come to me
And I will give you rest

Take my easy yoke
And learn from me
For I am gentle
And humble in heart

Yes, you will find rest
For your weary soul
Just come to me
My burden is light

Come to me
My burden is light
Come to me
Come to me

*listen at http://www.reverbnation.com/deannadeaton*

Special Gifts

Monday was my mom's birthday.

When my sister asked her son, Griffin, what he thought they should give Nana for her birthday, Griffin said clothes.

When asked what kind of clothes, Griffin said colorful clothes.

"Colorful clothes?"

"Yes. Colorful clothes with little sparkly things on them."

For those of you who know my mom, you know that this description of her clothes is quite accurate. Her clothes are always very nice and often quite colorful and decorative--with sparkly things on them.

Griffin is four and a half :-).

After finishing my mom's birthday lunch, during which Griffin randomly looked at his daddy and said, "Daddy? What if your name was Tootington?" [this coming from the same child who, on his own, named the trees in his backyard the Near and Far Trees of Knolls], we went to get some birthday ice cream.

In the upstairs of the ice cream store, there was a gift shop. In the gift shop was a rack of clothes. On the rack of clothes was a plethora of colorful shirts with little sparkly things on them. Amazed at their good fortune, my sister and Griffin chose a pink shirt with sparkly sea shells.

My mom loved her gift.

In addition to the pleasure of my family's company and my mom's birthday happiness, I received a gift that day, too. In the same room of the gift shop as the colorful, sparkly shirts, I found a stack of prints by an artist to whom I had been drawn before. As I sifted through the pile, one of the prints captured my attention and brought tears to my eyes:

"Speak quietly to yourself and promise there will be better days.

Whisper gently to yourself and provide assurance that you really are extending your best effort.

Console your bruised and tender spirit with reminders of many other successes.

Offer comfort in practical and tangible ways—as if you were encouraging your dearest friend.

Recognize that on certain days the greatest grace is that the day is over and you get to close your eyes.

Tomorrow comes more brightly…"

--Mary Anne Radmacher

I bought the print for myself, and I will frame it soon. It will be a gift from myself to myself...and it will be tied not only to the beauty of its very existence and message but also to the story of the day...my mom's birthday...and her pink, sparkly shirt.

Matthew 6:25-34...A Paraphrase

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Creator feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to her life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the creatures of the sea are clothed. They do not labor or spin, yet they are covered, shielded, and protected with unique and intricate colors and patterns. I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the creatures of the sea, that are here today and tomorrow washed ashore, will God not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Creator knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Isaiah 58

Read these words slowly and carefully (even if it takes a few minutes) and listen to what they say:

1 "Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins.

2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.

3 'Why have we fasted,' they say,
'and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?'
"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.

4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.

5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?

6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD's holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

14 then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

I recently came across this chapter in Isaiah, and I've been drawn to it ever since. In thinking about what to write today, I couldn't think of anything more piercing or penetrating than the words you just read.

I must admit that when I first read the passage, I heard something wrong. I heard God called the "Repairer of Broken Walls" and the "Restorer of Streets with Dwellings," not that God's people would be called those names should we choose to follow God's desires for us.

God: Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer; Father, Son, Spirit; Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, Jehovah, Jirah, Alpha, Omega, Beginning and End. God: Repairer of Broken Walls.

To me, that is a beautiful, hopeful, strong image of God...

Even if I heard the original text "wrong."

I find it amazing that scripture is so alive and that God still speaks through words that were written thousands of years ago. I also find it amazing that what we hear one day can be slightly different than what we hear the next--depending on how God is working in our lives in that particular moment of time.

When I first read this passage, I felt as if parts of my heart were breaking because of the events going on around me; therefore, I needed the image of God as Repairer of Broken Walls.

Today, I am drawn not only to that image but also to the reality that God is saying that I, Deanna Deaton, can be a Repairer of Broken Walls if I live out God's call on my life. Wow! Me as a repairer of broken walls...

What about you? How is God using Isaiah 58 to speak to you today?

Life-Changing, Extraordinary Effort

1A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

6Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7"Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

8Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? 9Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? 10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, 11"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 12He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

Mark 2:1-12 (suggested reading in The Mag, June Issue, pg. 27)

-----------

I don't know about you, but I find it pretty amazing that the paralytic's friends cared for him enough to go to extreme measures to get him to Jesus.

Imagine carrying a paralyzed adult, which amounts to around 150 pounds of dead weight, any distance. Now imagine figuring out a way to get him onto the roof of a house. Then imagine figuring out how to create a large opening in the roof of the house (albeit it a much less durable roof than today's American homes). And finally imagine having to lower him into the house in such a way that no one got hurt! That's pretty remarkable focus and determination...for a friend.

While it's safe to assume that most of us will never be faced with a situation such as the one in this story, it's also safe to assume that all of us will be met with circumstances in which we are compelled to go to extreme measures for our friends (or family members).

A friend may lose a parent to divorce, sickness, death, or disease and may be very angry with God. Another friend may haphazardly experiment with drugs or alcohol and suddenly find herself addicted. Yet another friend may feel lonely and doubt that she is loved or may see the injustices of this world and rage against them. Or another may live in an abusive home and see no ray of hope for the future.

Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace, Repairer of Broken Walls, is that hope that all of us need.

Jesus Christ, God with us, shows us in this passage that he has the power to work in our lives even when we cannot see. Can we literally see when sins have been forgiven? Can we literally see the moment when attitudes and hearts change? No! But we can see when someone is physically healed. And that's what Jesus did. Through physical healing, he demonstrated, or made manifest, his ability to heal the soul. He made clear the power of his being!

So I guess the question for us becomes: 1) Do we believe in Christ's power to transform lives? and 2) Will we go to extraordinary efforts to introduce our friends to Christ--not just in words--but in steady, patient, present, life-changing action?

What's The Most Difficult Thing About My Christian Walk?

I’m spending a few days with Acteens at Camp La Vida in Winnsboro, SC. This afternoon, as my part of my work here, I spent about twenty minutes in a question/answer session with the Acteens. One of the questions that has stuck with me since was the question: What’s the most difficult thing about your Christian walk?

Without hesitating, I said something like this:

“Remembering to love myself and show myself grace. I’m really hard on myself—a perfectionist of sorts—so if I’m not mindful of what I’m doing, I’ll catch myself speaking negative self-talk to and about myself. I don’t think that’s what God wants for me, though. I know that God created me uniquely and wonderfully—I’ve finally learned that in time—and I know that God wants me to love myself with the same love that God shows me and that I show those around me. But sometimes I have such high expectations of myself that I’m not really good at showing myself grace when I mess up or remembering that I’m not the only person in the world who has ever struggled or goofed. So that’s my biggest struggle—living as the girl that God created me to be and allowing God to speak God’s truth into my life rather than only hearing the world’s lies.”

For one reason or another, I’ve found myself battling negative words and feelings for the past couple of weeks. Though I know that the negativity is not all true—that I’m not worthless, that I’m doing my best with my job, that I’m where I need to be, that strains on relationships are not necessarily my fault, that I am worthy of being loved, that I’m not a failure, that my passion for worship and spiritual formation really is a gift, that it’s okay to be aggravated and sad and heart broken and that I don’t have to battle against the feelings but that I can simply feel them—I still find myself struggling to embrace words of loving-kindness and grace toward myself.

In staff training last night, I told the girls that their job was to remind themselves, their campers, and their coworkers that we are all uniquely designed and gifted masterpieces of the Creator.

So tonight I will remind you and myself of the same:

I am the uniquely created, redeemed child of the living God.

You are the uniquely created, redeemed child of the living God.

I am loved and lovable.

You are the same.

No matter what anyone may say or any outside influence may indicate.

We are the uniquely created, redeemed, covered by grace, gifted, loved, children of the living, loving God.

Amen and amen.