Thanks for sweet tea, bbq, and Carolina Blue
Couple of great days & productive business meetings south of the Mason Dixon line. And sweet tea.
Did I mention the sweet tea?
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
In 2001...
... I was in New York City, getting to work early because our newly appointed CEO had flown in from headquarters in California to meet the nyc office.
When the news came to our office (of about 45 people) I had three immediate thoughts
1 - "Wow, that was a really big mistake, someone will lose their job over that" [I said immediate, not brilliant, thoughts]
2 - "My mom is going to flip out and be worried when she hears about this"
3 - "My Bible memory verse this week is 2 Peter 3:11-14 ... what a wild coincidence... "
That verse helped me so much that day - helping me remember who God is in light of some odd goings-on all around.
1 - God knew this day and these events would happen.
It shocked me - and everyone around me - but God knows all. He knew enough to put in the Scriptures a visual (heavens on fire) and graciously gave me the verse to memorize. I was comforted that, even though it wasn't in my Day Planner, it was in His and nothing took Him by surprise that day
2 - There is evil in this world.
This is a fact we all know. And as a Christian believer I have hope in "new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells." This world has evil, and God has a plan for new heavens and new earth which will be so much better.
The day passed...
By some miracle I was able to get through on the phone to Mom ("I don't know what you're talking about... [to Dad] hon, turn on the news, Laura says something is going on in New York..."), and to Grandpa ("Grandpa, I'm safe, ok? Tell Grandma when she comes in from the garden. I'm in New York but I'm safe, ok?" "O, K," he replied in heavy German accent, "I tell her"), and to my brother at UPenn ("Dude, I don't know what is going on but stay away from tall buildings in Philly, k?" "Uh, ok Laura, sure, I guess I'll turn on the news or something,")
We left the office as it was four blocks from the Empire State Building and as reports of the Pentagon and Pennsylvanian crash came in, we didn't know which buildings would be targeted next.As we all left, I remembered to send an email to a colleague in California - "We are all fine, but we are leaving the office. Don't be worried if you can't reach us."
At the time I was living in an apartment in New Jersey, just three miles away across the river. All the bridges and tunnels had been closed and the line for the ferry was about six hours long, making it difficult to get home. I reached out to friends, a family from church, who lived in an apartment in the city. They graciously welcomed me to spend the night on their couch. The next morning we all woke up and the mom in the family said, "Happy 1st birthday to my youngest boy!" With the dad of the family, I walked towards my office that morning.
After a few days things began to settle into a somewhat familiar rhythm and pattern. I prayed for friends who didn't know God to be prompted by these events to consider Him and His promises. And I was so grateful that, by knowing God, I saw His comfort and hope throughout that day and ongoing.
When the news came to our office (of about 45 people) I had three immediate thoughts
1 - "Wow, that was a really big mistake, someone will lose their job over that" [I said immediate, not brilliant, thoughts]
2 - "My mom is going to flip out and be worried when she hears about this"
3 - "My Bible memory verse this week is 2 Peter 3:11-14 ... what a wild coincidence... "
That verse helped me so much that day - helping me remember who God is in light of some odd goings-on all around.
1 - God knew this day and these events would happen.
It shocked me - and everyone around me - but God knows all. He knew enough to put in the Scriptures a visual (heavens on fire) and graciously gave me the verse to memorize. I was comforted that, even though it wasn't in my Day Planner, it was in His and nothing took Him by surprise that day
2 - There is evil in this world.
This is a fact we all know. And as a Christian believer I have hope in "new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells." This world has evil, and God has a plan for new heavens and new earth which will be so much better.
The day passed...
By some miracle I was able to get through on the phone to Mom ("I don't know what you're talking about... [to Dad] hon, turn on the news, Laura says something is going on in New York..."), and to Grandpa ("Grandpa, I'm safe, ok? Tell Grandma when she comes in from the garden. I'm in New York but I'm safe, ok?" "O, K," he replied in heavy German accent, "I tell her"), and to my brother at UPenn ("Dude, I don't know what is going on but stay away from tall buildings in Philly, k?" "Uh, ok Laura, sure, I guess I'll turn on the news or something,")
We left the office as it was four blocks from the Empire State Building and as reports of the Pentagon and Pennsylvanian crash came in, we didn't know which buildings would be targeted next.As we all left, I remembered to send an email to a colleague in California - "We are all fine, but we are leaving the office. Don't be worried if you can't reach us."
At the time I was living in an apartment in New Jersey, just three miles away across the river. All the bridges and tunnels had been closed and the line for the ferry was about six hours long, making it difficult to get home. I reached out to friends, a family from church, who lived in an apartment in the city. They graciously welcomed me to spend the night on their couch. The next morning we all woke up and the mom in the family said, "Happy 1st birthday to my youngest boy!" With the dad of the family, I walked towards my office that morning.
After a few days things began to settle into a somewhat familiar rhythm and pattern. I prayed for friends who didn't know God to be prompted by these events to consider Him and His promises. And I was so grateful that, by knowing God, I saw His comfort and hope throughout that day and ongoing.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Take time to smell the fresh cut grass
Yesterday morning walking through Washington Square Park I caught a whiff of something ... took me a minute to place it... fresh cut grass!
I have a note as a bookmark in my Bible - a 'heart check-list' - that I see each morning when I read. One of the items is "Have you praised God for His marvelous creation today?" I find that particular item easy to forget in New York City.
So, as a start to the Labor Day holiday weekend, I'm grateful for God's reminders that His creation is in fact marvelous and beautiful.
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