A Push Broom Epiphany

Have you ever tried to 'pull' a push broom? What kind of stubborn person would do that? Um... I have.

You see, I got this marvelous invention at an estate sale and knew it would make quick work of sweeping grass off my driveway after I mowed. So tonight, I happily pushed my broom- and the grass clipping- along my driveway. Until I saw some grass was under my car that I simply couldn't push away with my broom. So... rather than move my car and sweep the correct way, I stuck the push broom under the edge of my car and pulled it along the concrete, trying to drag the grass clippings out. Needless to say, it was a futile attempt and all that I accomplished way spreading the grass clippings around. The moral of the story is- Can you pull a push broom? Yes. Is it at all effective? Not so much.

So I took something- a push broom- that was intended to be pushed and tried to force it into operating in a way that was never intended. And of course, in the end it just wasn't as effective. After I got over feeling ridiculous, I moved on to cut the back yard and I remembered something from my Sunday school lesson that struck me. We've been watching a video series from Andy Stanley called 'You've Got Style'. Nope, it's not about what you wear or how your house is decorated. Here's premise of this study: Though there's only one way to God through Christ, there are many ways to express our love for Him and many ways in which believers people draw near/ feel closest to God.

Now, I guess I knew that fact... but it has stuck in a new way that has been not only refreshing but very freeing. On any given Sunday there are about 15 people in my class and we are finding that almost all of us feel closest to God when we do different things. One woman feels closest to God and worships Him most sincerely when she is outside in nature. Sure, she can worship in the sanctuary or sing to show she loves Him, but because of the unique way God has designed her, she is 100% engaged in nature. Another person in my class is what we'll call an enthusiast and their way of drawing near to the heart of God is by outwardly expressing their feeling- in outward singing, prayer, etc. Sure, that person can read their Bible silently on Sunday morning but it isn't what reaally feels right when they're wanting to express their love to the Lord. One other feels closest to God when they're studying God's word or contemplating scripture. Sure, singing is ok and serving is great, but Bible study is when they feel God's presence.

And yet- we are all one body of believers.

Now this might not be a revelation to you. But it was huge to me and here's why: I'm one of those people who looovves Bible study and contemplation. I like to read scripture, look up the meaning in the original Greek, and sit back and let it sink into my mind. So, I've spent a LOT of time confused by people like my sweet husband who don't get giddy over a new commentary. (I mean, doesn't he love the Lord? Ha, Ha) And why, I wondered, does he always want to cook for people??? I'm slowly realizing that it's not that people like Lou don't love to read the Bible. He simply needs to worship and draw near to the Lord in his own way- as God intended. As it happens, Lou feels very close to God when he is meeting the needs of others. (Thus, the 'Muffin Ministry' he has every Sunday) It's so easy in an effort to love our family and want them to have a close relationship with the Lord to actually criticize and hurt them if their worship and ways of drawing near to God look different than ours.

Back to the push broom. At times, I have looked around in church and wondered why people didn't participate in things like I thought they should. I even (and I regret it) probably guilted people into serving places and attending classes that didn't draw them any closer to God because I thought it should draw them closer. Now I just realize it was like I was 'pulling' a push broom. I get it now- everyone's relationship with the Lord is unique and...personal.

Draw near to Him in whatever way He has created you, but draw near.

Easter- The Ultimate Second Chance

I remember the first time I saw it. I was driving down 6th Avenue in Huntington when those giant words, "SECOND CHANCE" were right in front of me. It caught me off guard and my eyes filled up with tears.

I know, I know, the billboard is advertising the GED... getting a Second Chance at a high school education. But as soon as I read the words I went back in my mind to a time when I received a Second Chance from the Lord. I certainly didn't deserve it. Since that day, I've participated in a lot of Bible studies and I've read one account after another of people whose lives began again with a Second Chance.

This week, the world will celebrate the ULTIMATE Second Chance we have because of the sacrifice of Christ. As a part of God Himself, Jesus sacrificed His sinless life to pay the penalties I deserved along with the rest of mankind. And although many times some consequences remain as they did for me, when we acknowledge and accept His sacrifice our life can truly begin again... a Second Chance. Absolutely no one is beyond His reach.

Today I heard a song on the radio and some of the lyrics said, "...a second chance is heaven's heart." I believe that's true because I've experienced it. I don't know if the billboard is still up. I actually took this picture in Lincoln County. But I hope it's still hanging over the road to be seen this week by people who need to know about Second Chances. Sometimes God is very subtle and sometimes... well, he advertises on a billboard!

A Collection of Winter Thoughts on a Spring Morning

Wow... that title kind of sounds like poetry. No poetry here. Just a busy mom who hasn't blogged one word or picture since December! (sigh) So it's got to be a collection of winter thoughts... since spring is now here and I have to catch up fast! SO much has happened... I'll just give it to you in chunks:

Christmas was a fun but crazy blur! We fit in a few parties, school events AND a bunch of showings of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, starring Becca Gaunch at the MU Joan C. Edwards Playhouse.

Garrett finally flew home after his very first college final exams. (He did well!) We did the whole Christmas celebration which included visiting the relatives, opening gifts and the Christmas Eve service. This year, Garrett sang "Ave Maria" and it was lovely. Mostly we just tried to chill out together.

Three days after Christmas, Hannah and I boarded a plane for our very long ride... to Ryazan, Russia. This was my second trip and Hannah's first trip to Hope Church- our church, Pea Ridge Baptist has been in partnership with Hope Church for years. Their pastor and his family have visited us so Hannah was ready for this adventure to the other side of the globe. The last time I went, Hannah was in 5th grade.

We were there during the Russian Orthodox Christmas celebration. Unlike most mission trips (including my last trip to Russia), we didn't run around doing physical labor, building things or doing VBS type lessons in a different area each day where you meet a lot of people but never really get to know anyone well. This trip, we spent time with the pastors of the Ryazan region and their families. We saw their churches and how they minister to people. We saw their neighborhoods and their challenges and ate around their kitchen tables. I felt their devotion to the Lord... their broken hearts over the huge number of people around them who don't recognize their need for a Savior... their eagerness to learn more from the scripture. It was a harder trip because our goal for the trip wasn't to 'do things for them'. Our goal was to bring them materials, encourage them in their ministry and see what we could do to help in the future. It's hard to let yourself get emotionally invested... so much easier to stay busy. But, it was worth it. I feel like I have a much better understanding of how God uses ordinary but willing people who have been experienced His love to express that love to other people.

Isn't that a sweet bunch of people? I wish I could take you all there to meet them.

We spent almost every weekday in January running to or from a middle school basketball game or practice. Becca absolutely ran her little tail off! At 5' tall, she's definitely not a high scorer, but she had an important role on the team as a defensive player. She'd get a 'mean look' and block really well and many times ended up with a foul and a bruise to prove it!

With Lou working in Hurricane and me working in Huntington, and a whole host of activities on our calendar, we rarely had time to hang out. But, we would sneak a few occasions to get away. We had a gift certificate to a Tea Room... so a talked Lou into giving it a try around Valentine's Day. And he actually liked it. (I knew he would) Since he doesn't eat a lot, the tiny portions were perfect and everything was homemade and yummy. The only problem? He couldn't sweet talk the waitress out of the potato soup recipe I loved. He certainly tried!

Hannah has served on the Huntington Mall Fashion Advisory Board this year and has enjoyed it. She gets to model clothes and do service projects. February meant 'Prom' apparently... so the fashion shows began.

A late winter ritual at Covenant School is the annual Talent Showcase. This year, Hannah ran the show and I must say, it went very well. (She's pretty organized- where does she get that from?) This year, Becca really was brave and sang a solo from the musical Beauty and the Beast. It took several phone calls to Wheaton for consultations with her brother before she was 100% ready... but she did great in my opinion. Her voice is deeper than I ever thought it would be- pretty cool.

Even the event organizer got to sing a song :)

Along with the Talent Showcase was an art exhibit. Hannah drew these!!! Aren't they great?!?

Finally... Garrett made it home for his Spring Break the first week of March. It's funny how the entire dynamic of the house changes when everyone is home. I love that. (sigh) He rode the train home from Chicago overnight and I think it was an eye opening experience for him- lots of interesting people. He visited grandparents, sat beside me in the pew at church and just enjoyed some much needed downtime with us. We did have to confess that Lou had taken over his closet since he moved out :) Awkward. He took it well. We sent him back to Chicago on the train with birthday money- he turned 19 on St.Patrick's Day- and told him we'd bring him home in two short months!

Oh, how some things change and yet some stay the same. When Becca was just 2 years old, I'd take her with me to the Target at Southridge Center in Charleston where we lived and she would kick off her shoes when I drove the buggy near the shoe department. Not kidding. She wanted to try them on so she'd just flip off whatever she was wearing to let me know she was ready... fast forward 11 years. She's turning 13 and does she want clothes? No. Electronics? No. She wants shoes. Red, sparkly shoes. And they're just enough in dress code that she can wear them with her school uniform.

She had a sleepover and therefore needed a sleepover cake. Yes, each face represented a girl at the party complete with the appropriate hair and eye color. There was eating, dancing, playing games, music, coloring, swimming and well... 13 year old girls stuff.

For the last 2 years, the coming of spring has also meant the filling out of college papers, financial aid forms, scholarship essays and the like. SO much to do before the deadlines that all seem to fall on May 1st. So Hannah has known that she wants to go into Retail/Fashion Merchandising. This degree is a business degree that is specialized in teaching students how to manage/own/buy for/etc retail businesses of all kinds. With retail being such huge business in the US, we need people who are trained well to manage sometimes many operations. And... WVU and University of South Carolina both had programs BUT University of South Carolina is the #2 program in the nation and gave her a big scholarship because of her good grades. SO- we headed south to give it a closer look. Hannah has visited once before with Lou's parents but I needed to see it and ask... well, 'mom' questions. She's trying to find a Christian roommate and a group to get plugged into right away. But, the program is awesome, the weather is just like she wanted and the campus vibe is very 'her'.

And... University of South Carolina is the choice!

So, Garrett is 9 hours north. Hannah will be almost 7 hours south. We can do this. Thank goodness Becca will still be here in her own bedroom for 5 more years.

As we drove back into WV from our So. Carolina visit, it had rained and the sun was out, creating a beautiful double rainbow. Winter is over and spring really is here. And the rainbow was a double reminder that God keeps His promises. He's been faithful before and He will be again... in Barboursville. In Chicago. And in Columbia, SC. And wherever God calls Becca to in 5 years.

The Mystery of the Incarnation

I read the following article on Beth Moore's Living Proof blog. The blog was written by her daughter, Melissa, a theology grad (from Wheaton College!) who read this excerpt from a book and wanted to share it. I loved it because it's full of scripture I'm familiar with and yet, it beautifully articulates who Christ is and why He came. We will celebrate His birth in two days... and then celebrate His resurrection in about 3 months. But... I need to be ever mindful of the years in between those two celebrated events.

Happy reading!

(The following selection is Gregory’s Oration 29.20 The Mystery of the Incarnation: A Scriptural Tapestry of Jesus as Man and God. The English translation is Rodney A. Whitacre’s own found in his book A Patristic Greek Reader (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 2007), 244-246.)

The Mystery of the Incarnation: A Scriptural Tapestry of Jesus as Man and God by Gregory of Nazianzus

“He was baptized (Matt. 3:13) as man, but he destroyed sins (Matt. 9:6) as God; he himself was not in need of purifying rites, but [he was baptized/he came] that he might sanctify the waters. He was tempted (Matt. 4:1) as man, but he conquered as God; not only this but he even encouraged [us] to be courageous, since he had conquered the world (John 16:33). He was hungry, but he fed thousands (John 6:10); not only this but he is indeed life-giving and heavenly bread (John 6:51). He was thirsty (John 4:7; 19:28), but he shouted, “If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink” (John 7:37); not only this but he also promised that those who believe would gush forth [with water] (John 7:38). He was tired (John 4:6), but for those who are tired and heavy laden he is rest (Matt. 11:28). He was heavy with sleep (Matt. 8:24), but he is light upon the sea; not only this but he even rebukes winds; not only this but he even makes Peter light when he is sinking (Matt. 14:25, 29; Matt. 8:26). He pays tax, but [he does so] from a fish (Matt. 17:24-27); not only this but he is even king of those demanding [the tax]. He hears himself called a Samaritan and demon-possessed (John 8:48), but he saves the one who went down from Jerusalem and fell among robbers (Luke 10:30); not only this but he is even recognized by demons (Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34) and drives out demons (Matt. 8:16), and he sinks a legion of spirits (Luke 8:33) and sees the ruler of demons falling like lightning (Luke 10:18). He is stoned, but he is not caught (John 8:59). He prays (Matt. 14:23; 26:36; Heb. 5:7), but he hears [prayers] (Acts 7:59). He weeps (John 11:35), but he causes tears to cease. He asks where Lazarus [is laid] (John 11:34), for he was man, but he raises Lazarus (John 11:43), for he was God. He is sold, and very cheaply, for [it was] for thirty silver coins (Matt. 26:15), but he buys back the world, and [it was] for a great price, for [it was] for his own blood (1 Pet 1:18-19). He was led as a sheep to slaughter (Isa 53:7), but he shepherds Israel, and now, indeed, the whole inhabited world (John 10:11). [He is] silent like a lamb (Isa 53:7; Matt. 26:63), but he is the Word (John 1:1), being proclaimed by a voice of one shouting in the desert (John 1:23). He has been weakened, wounded, but he heals every disease and every infirmity (Isa. 53:5). He is lifted up upon the tree (John 12:32), he is fixed [to it] (Acts 2:23), but he restores by the tree of life (John 6:51); not only this but he saves even a robber crucified with [him] (Luke 23:43); not only this but he darkens everything that is seen (Luke 23:44). He is given cheap wine to drink (Luke 23:36), he is fed bile (Matt. 27:34). Who? The one who changed the water into wine (John 2:1-11), the destroyer of the bitter taste (Heb. 2:9), the [one who is] sweetness and all desire (Song 5:16). He hands over his life, but he has authority to take it again (John 10:18); not only this but the curtain is torn apart (Matt. 27:51); for the things above are exhibited (Cf. Rev. 11:19; 15:5) not only this but rocks are split; not only this but dead are raised beforehand (Matt. 27:51-52). He dies, but he makes alive, and by death he destroys death. He is buried, but he rises. He goes down into Hades (1 Peter 3:18-19), but he brings up souls; not only this but he goes up into heaven; not only this but he will come to judge the living and the dead . . . ” (Gregory of Nazianzus Oration 29.20, translation by Rodney A. Whitacre)

Jesus in my Pocket

One of my favorite days of the year is when we have our freshly cut tree in the stand and I open the first box of "Christmas". The layers of decorations are like layers of years and when I dig through them it makes my heart swell every single time. 'Our First Christmas Together' complete with photo of two very young adults, a toddler's hand-print creation, a kindergartner's big grin surrounded by hot glued buttons, a felt-covered bird from great-grandmother's tree, the angel that's been proclaiming the Good News over our family tree for 20 years. Each item has a story that seems to get retold as we unpack the boxes.

One little random item caught my attention this time. It's very familiar. A tiny porcelain baby Jesus mismatched from a set long ago. But what's special about this little figure is the image it immediately brought to mind.

When Hannah was preschool age, I guess 3-4 years old, she loved babies. And when Christmas came and she heard there was a baby in that manger, she was ALL ABOUT Baby Jesus. Everywhere we saw Him, she pointed Him out. "There's Baby Jesus! I want to hold Him!" would be her cry. It seemed so sweet and sometimes I was able to grant her plea... like if we were at church or a friend's house and there was a plastic nativity set. It wasn't so great, however, when when she would lunge out of the stroller at the Town Center Mall toward an expensive porcelain set in hopes of kissing the Baby Jesus one more time.

So one day, Hannah apparently slips the tiny Jesus figure from a small set at home into her pocket as we headed out the door to preschool. Of course, in the hustle and bustle of getting a four year old and a three year old out the door I never missed it. Late that morning when I picked them up- Hannah from the downstairs class and Garrett from the upstairs class- I loaded them in matching car seats and off we went. But on the way home, I noticed the Baby Jesus from home. When I asked Hannah where it came from, she didn't hesitate for a minute.

"Jesus was in my pocket." Um, Why? "I needed Him to stay with me".

Well, after reminding her that her teacher doesn't like the kids to bring toys from home... and my three year old telling me that Jesus isn't a toy... we decided came to a compromise about taking Him to school.

As I rubbed this little figure in my hands 14 years later, I immediately heard that tiny voice say to me again, ""Jesus was in my pocket... I needed Him to stay with me". I've read the Christmas story this season and the familiar words often have the same effect as unpacking those boxes- my heart swells with familiarity and love. But now, I want to go beyond just appreciating the story of Jesus birth and how it fits into God's story of the redemption of mankind.

I really want to adore Him. And like Hannah never wanting the Baby to be far from her, I NEVER want to be far from Him- this season or ever.

As He prepared to leave this earth, that grown-up Baby Jesus said, "Remain in me and I will remain in you. Remain in my love" (John 15:4,10)

Garrett, Son of Johnna, Brother of Becca

This weekend was Family Weekend at Wheaton College. Since Louie and Hannah had a busy weekend and Rebecca had never been to visit, she and I drove the 9 hours north to see Garrett. Becca has been missing her big brother something fierce and had her bags in hand when I came home early from work Thursday to get her.

The drive isn't hard- but it's boring. Somewhere outside Cincinnati (I think) we saw a truck in front of us that was a triple-decker animal truck... full of baby pigs! As we passed, Becca snapped a picture. It was hilarious looking to see hundreds of tiny pink snouts and tails sticking out of a huge truck.

Even though we got in late, we stopped by Garrett’s dorm just to grab a hug before heading to our hotel. The next day was Friday and Garrett had an 8am class, so we met him afterward for breakfast in Wheaton’s ‘famous’ cafeteria to breakfast so we could start catching up. I was surprised to see that he’s lost weight- maybe 10 or 15 pounds. When I asked him about it he just shrugged and said he’s busy and walks everywhere and the cafeteria food has a lot of good, healthy choices he likes.

Then we headed out to attend chapel with him. All students attend chapel Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10:30. Sometimes the chapel is done by the school chaplain, a concert or a guest speaker. That day it was the chaplain. (Guest speaker next week is Richard Foster who wrote “Celebration of Discipline” among other classic Christian books) Students have assigned seats, so we sat in the balcony.

After he had Biology and Chemistry class, we met up with him to check out his dorm. Becca loved it. She checked out his desk…

His bed…

His mini-fridge…

And snuck in a few more hugs. Then she left notes in sneaky places around his room for him to find later… so sweet.

Then, we went to the annual Wheaton Talent Show- a sell out with 2500 in attendance. We saw everything from a girl who whistled a song so well I can’t even explain, to a one man band who sang and played 5 instruments he wore, to a comedian, to a super talented guitarist. In between acts, the emcees were great and introduced the new Wheaton mascot, a mastodon named “Tor”. Fun fact: He’s the largest mascot in NCAA history… but also has to be the gentlest. He looks like Mr. Snuffalupogus!

Saturday, we spent the entire day with Garrett, just hanging out- which is exactly what we wanted. In the morning, we stopped in the Wade Center. It’s a museum at Wheaton College that came about because a Wheaton English professor and CS Lewis wrote regularly and in his will, Lewis left some of his things to the school. Then a businessman funded the museum.

Becca touched CS Lewis’ desk for writing inspiration.

Garrett loves that they also have J.R.R. Tolkein’s desk where he wrote all of the Lord of the Rings books.

They even have the actual wardrobe that belonged to CS Lewis that his brother says inspired his book, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”. Becca wondered what would happen if she looked aaalllll the way in the back!

We looked all around the cute little town of Wheaton. It was trick-or-treat in the downtown businesses, so the sidewalks were teeming with toddlers in costume. We got Garrett a haircut (yep, he needed it), made the all-important “Target run” and headed over to Wheaton Bowl. He’d been wanted to check it out but it was too far to walk from campus… and a long bike ride. None of us bowled our best, even though Garrett put his game face on..

All I’ll say is, it was no Strike Zone. The shoes were… rough. When Garrett took his off, the inside of the shoe was flaking off onto his socks. (Eeewww.) I’ll not elaborate any more, but we still had a good time.

Like my cool shoes?

They look all sweet but there's a competitive spirit lurking beneath that 12 year old grin.

We had to introduce Becca to Chicago style pizza, so we took her to Ginos East, a fairly famous eatery. Since it takes a while to make a Chicago deep-dish pizza, we had time to kill… before long, I thought they were in elementary school again. Becca grabbed crayons and started coloring on the back of the placemat while Garrett leaned over and said, “Hey mom, can I have a few quarters?” I was seriously having flashbacks- if Hannah was there, it would have been perfect!

Becca was about to blow a gasket when I took her picture coloring… until I told her she could take my picture coloring… ok, it’s a little close, don’t you think?

Yum!

We hung out the rest of the night watching a movie at our hotel and talking. The next morning, we went to Egg’Clectic, a fun breakfast place downtown that’s becoming our tradition. They have a ton of fun and creative breakfast foods and the service is fast. That way, we could get on the road. It was early and we were really in need of some coffee.

We hated saying good-bye. It’s never feels right to leave your child and drive away- far away. I felt better to see that he’s doing ok. Although its difficult, his grades are good. He’s adjusting to the climate- he’s drinking a lot of hot tea, he bought a humidifier (that looks like a penguin) and he doesn't go anywhere without Chapstick. He has plenty of friends- it made Becca laugh that everywhere we went- cafeteria, chapel, talent show, bookstore, even Target- people would say, “Hey, Garrett!”.

My favorite song right now on my iPod is “Remind Me Who I Am” by Jason Gray. It says, “Tell me, once again Who I am to you, Who I am to you Tell me, lest I forget”. The lyrics speak about a person who says that when they don’t like what they see in the mirror or loose their way in life, they want to be reminded of who they ‘really’ are.

When we arrived on campus, Becca and I received a packet of info about Wheaton and name tags. This was mine:

I love it. Becca’s read, “Sister of Garrett”- she liked it a lot. I’m glad we drove up this weekend. (Sigh- even though it was 18 hours of driving- not fun) I think it’s important that Garrett not forget who he is. Yep, he’s a college freshman, and a biology major, and a member of the Wheaton Glee Club, etc. But… he’s still the son of Johnna Gaunch, brother of Becca Gaunch, brother of Hannah Gaunch and son of Louie Gaunch. The other ‘status’ will change, but these won’t… so I hope our visits- weekends and longer visits- will remind him of who he is.

A member of this family, forever.

There you are!

Since mid-September, our church has been asking one question... "What does God expect of me?"

It all started when our pastor read a book entitled, "The Hole in our Gospel" by Richard Stearns, the CEO of World Vision. Basically, the book tells of his personal struggle to accept the job God placed before him as well his suggestion that the American church leaves out a part of the gospel message- that is, we accept God's free gift of salvation by grace and then ignore all the scripture that says we have a responsibility to make God's kingdom come on earth by meeting people's needs. He suggests that our Americanized version of the gospel that is too often preached is one that teaches us to simply pray for the poor or needy without requiring us to get our hands dirty or actually becoming personally involved in people's lives. So for the last several weeks, we as a church have asked some hard questions... of ourselves as believers and ourselves as a church.

One of the passages of scripture that we've read is from Matthew 25. Here, Jesus says basically that when you feed the hungry, look after the sick, visit the prisoner, clothe the poor... when you do these things for the least of society, it's the same as if you're doing those things for Christ himself. Strong words. And a little hard to take. After all, the typical person I see that needs help in those ways... I tend to immediately start making assumptions about how they got into that situation and begin passing judgement over whether or not I feel they 'deserve' to be helped. Without knowing all the facts, that's where I often go in my brain. Unfortunately, Jesus didn't mention that I get to choose who I should help. He simply said, when you help people...

So I had the weirdest thing pop into my head this week! (I've lived with Lou a long time and I think he's rubbing off on me- in a great way!) Back in the 1991 (the year Lou and I got married), a movie came out called, "Hook". It's about Peter Pan and starred Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman and ironically Julia Roberts who is crazy tall played TinkerBell. Anyway, there's a scene in the movie that I immediately thought of when I read this Matthew 25 verse this week- and this scene almost always makes me tear up.

Here's the gist- Robin Williams is Peter Pan, who fell in love with Wendy's grand daughter and so he left Neverland and grew up. One night, Tink shows up and kidnaps him, taking a full-grown Peter Pan back to Neverland because Captain Hook is about to capture the whole place! In this scene, Tink brings Peter to the Lost Boys, who are throwing things at him because they don't recognize him. Then, one Lost Boy steps forward, hushing the crowd. He looks very closely into Peter's eyes, then pushes Peter's 40 year old cheeks and eyes back a bit, squinting as he does. Then, that Lost Boy's eyes light up as you can tell he suddenly recognizes Peter. He whispers, with a great deal of joy, "Oh, there you are!"

I wonder how many times I've acted just like those Lost Boys, running around people, even (figuratively) throwing things at them. They had invaded my space- they weren't like me- I was maybe scared of them- and I stayed away. But... what would happen if I had the courage to take a step forward and look closer... into the eyes of one of those people God placed in my path. What if I was able to push past the heaviness that covered their face. Who would I see underneath? Would I be able to whisper... with joy... "Oh, there you are, Jesus!"