I made it to the highway patrol office, where I was given a number and told to sit down. The last time I was there, I’d waited for 3 hours and, frankly, I didn’t have 3 hours to spare on this day. Surprisingly, my bottom hadn’t hit the chair good before they called my number- B344. Woah, that’s me, I realized! I wanted to yell BINGO as I jumped up looking for the station assigned to me. 

Now there are a lot of good things to be said about the Mississippi Highway Patrol, but their emphasis and commitment to friendly and personable service in their Driver’s License Department is not one of them. Most of the workers there are women and they look as if they wish they could just taze you and move on with their day. Their natural gifts of being snippy and degrading are really wasted at their desk jobs. Their personalities really could better shine at, say, death row of a maximum security prison. So, that’s why when you walk up to their desk, you better have your stuff in order unless you enjoy public humiliation. Clearly state what you need, have the proper paperwork in your hand, and follow commands quickly and completely. Don’t make them repeat themselves. They don’t play and nothing is funny to them. It’s a good time for sure. 

Anyway, I told her what I was there for and she asked a few questions and then told me to stand in front of the blue backdrop for my picture. This is where things got awkward. It’s hard to smile or look natural when the photographer is so ornery you’re trying to watch her hands for any moves toward her holster. “Look at the blue circle,” she said in her gruff, monotoned voice. No warning or countdown or prompting to smile- just click. I waited nervously for the big reveal. I’d been cleaning toilets and folding laundry until 30 minutes earlier and here I was waiting for the picture that would go everywhere with me for the next four years. She handed me the final product and it was worse that I could have ever imagined. It made me wish the mugshot photographer had been available. I looked like a deer in headlights- a pale, sweaty, terrified deer who was being photographed by an armed hunter. I don’t care what it costs. I will be going back for a remake. You know, like picture make-up day at school. I told Davis if something happens to me before I get back down there, he is not to let them flash my license photo up on the news while they tell about it. 

So, before I go on to the rest of our trip, there was a redeeming twist. We were in the endless security line at Reagan National about to head home. The guy who’s checking facial recognition and ID is passing everyone through after a quick glance…. except me. No, after looking at me and then looking down at the license, he told me to step aside. He asked for additional proof of identification and what music that was to my ears. I didn’t care how long he detained me or if Homeland Security was en route. Just knowing he didn’t think I looked like my license photo was a real morale booster. 

We had a great time on our trip. We met up with American Family Association/American Family Radio on one of their Spiritual Heritage Tours. Stephen McDowell was the historian who traveled with us and we learned so much about the providential beginnings of America. In a group with fellow Christians, we got the history including the spiritual foundation of our nation- the stuff the local tour guides omit. The AFA, based in Mississippi, was founded by Tim Wildmon who was also on the trip and a whole lot of fun. They do annual trips to D.C., Colonial Williamsburg, Boston, and the Holy Land. You can click here if you want more information on those. 

When we met up with the group at the Arlington hotel, we had no idea what to expect. Having never been on one of these kinds of trips, we didn’t know how large the group was or how old they’d be. Honestly, we thought we might be the only ones not on Social Security and blood thinners. What we found when we got there were around 120 people of all ages from Iowa to New Mexico to Pennsylvania and everywhere in between. There was a mom with her young sons, parents with their teenagers, couples, moms with their grown daughters. There were young adults all the way up to senior adults and we fell somewhere in the middle. I can honestly say we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and would recommend it for anyone who loves history. 

The places where God, scripture, and Christian faith are mentioned in our nation’s capital are almost innumerable. It’s also in inconspicuous places I had no idea about until last week. It’s etched in marble, inscribed in bronze, engraved on brass, stamped in aluminum, woven in tapestry, painted on canvas, chiseled in stone, and handwritten on parchment and still a growing part of our nation today believes God had nothing to do with our country’s beginnings or success and that He has no legitimacy or bearing on our modern lives. There have been miracles in battles that can be explained no other way except God’s protection and favor on our young nation. He spared our forefathers so they could set the foundation of America. In different battles, George Washington is said to have had his hat shot off of his head, four bullet holes shot in his clothing, and two horses shot and killed underneath him, but he was unharmed. He lived to win the American Revolution, become a key figure in creating our Constitution, and was, of course, our first president. He credited God’s providential care for his survival. To be reminded of the unedited, untwisted version of our American history- the good and the bad- from a Christian perspective was an inspiring and timely reminder of the gift we’ve been given and the responsibility we have as God’s people to be engaged in order to preserve it for our children and their children. You know what they say about silence and consent. American Family Association/American Family Radio also have apps and newsletters which are great ways to stay informed on issues that we may not even realize are happening and gives us convenient ways we can voice our support or opposition to things going on in our government and country. 

It’s election season and we know what a loud and dreadful time that always is- no matter your party. We just have to make it 41 more days. We can do this, people! Let’s just be kind to our fellow citizens and don’t forget to vote! Four years is an awfully long time for a bad president…..and a bad driver’s license photo. 

Y’all have a great week! 

JONI

“The more thoroughly a nation deals with its history, the more decidedly will it recognize and own an over-ruling Providence therein, and the more religious a nation will become; while the more superficially it deals with its history, seeing only secondary causes and human agencies, the more irreligious will it be.” -A.W. Foljambe

It was the 6th day of September- only 6 days since she’d dragged herself over the finish line of another miserable southern summer. As was always the case with her, it was an ugly and pathetic finish, but it was indeed a finish, and that was all that mattered to her. Another Mississippi June, July, and August were in the books and, while she didn’t like to wish her life away, it seemed like the only option in those hottest, most humid, and unbearable months. For 92 days, she’d sweated, perspired, and sweltered which had caused her patience to sink to dangerous levels and her mood to descend into the crotchety range. She didn’t know why she felt this way about summer, but she always had- even as a child- and the hatred had only intensified as she traveled deeper into the weeds of menopause. After 56 summer endurance competitions, she was well aware that September does not the cool weather bring when living in the Deep South, but September 1 was always a psychological victory for her. She took comfort in knowing that the worst was behind her even as sweat rolled down her back and her pulse pounded in her flushed face. - excerpt from Joni’s memoirs, Hell’s Not For Me

We’ve all made it to September and I’m just completely giddy about it. I’ve even felt this strange movement of the air already. It’s been a long, long time, but I think I remember the phenomenon being called wind. It was hot wind- like a convection oven, but moving hot air is a modest improvement to still hot air. I’ve filled my pumpkin jar with candy corn and have my fall candles doing their thing. The sound of college football on TV, the azure blue sky, and the smell of pumpkin-apple-vanilla-maple-clove-cider-spice all in the air at once have awakened a part of me that dies each summer. I realize we’ll have many ups and downs in temperature yet to traverse. There will be many “fool’s fall” days where we’re tricked into thinking the heat has finally passed, but all southerners know that Santa will come and go before we can really be sure. We’ve experienced enough Thanksgivings in shorts and Christmases with the AC running to know the war has not been won. We’re not naive about what stage of fall we’re in- but we can pretend, can’t we? 

This last month leading up to fool’s fall has really been fun….and exhausting. We’ve had a busy few weeks and three BIG Saturdays in a row. We had the gender reveal for the expectant parents and found out we’re getting a grandson, Jack! That was all the information I needed to start picking up little things here and there. Punkin is just beside herself. The next weekend, we moved into a townhome we bought in the area where both of our kids live. I guess you could call it the grandparent starter kit. We’ll have a home away from home for when we go visit or help with the baby. We’ll be 15 minutes from one of our children and 20 minutes from the other. We have no interest in moving. Let me repeat- no interest in moving. Our life is in Mississippi and that’s where we’ll continue to live, but it’ll be nice to have a place of our own to stay since we’re sure our desire to see Jack will be stronger than their desire to see us coming. And, finally, last Saturday, we went to the first Mississippi State football game (got soaking wet) and we met Carson’s girlfriend’s parents for the first time. It was a great day and we loved them! We’re 2 for 2 in the category of significant others’ family compatibility and likability. You hear horror stories where that’s not the case, but I’m happy to say our kids chose wonderful families to bring into the fold. 

We’re in a happy time and just thanking God with every other breath. You know how life is- it’s a tapestry of joys and sorrows. As sure as the sun rises and sets, we’ll go in and out seasons of laughter and tears our whole lives. I’m just rejoicing and praising God for the joys of today and the promise of the coming cool air of tomorrow……or, you know, whenever. Eventually. 

Then at the proper time, Jesus and the twelve apostles sat down together at the table. Jesus said, “I have looked forward to this hour with deep longing, anxious to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. For I tell you now that I won’t eat it again until it comes to fulfillment in the Kingdom of God.” Then He took a cup of wine, and when he had given thanks for it, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.” Then He took a loaf of bread; and when He had thanked God for it, He broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples saying, “This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” After supper, He took another cup of wine and said, “This wine is the token of God’s new covenant to save you- an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you.”

Now Jesus was in great anguish of spirit and He exclaimed, “The truth is, one of you will betray me!” The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom He could mean. One of Jesus’ disciples, the one Jesus loved, was sitting next to Jesus at the table. Simon Peter motioned to him to ask who would do this terrible thing. Leaning toward Jesus, he asked, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus said, “It is the one whom I give the bread dipped in the sauce.” And when He had dipped it, He gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, “Hurry, do it now.” None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant. Since Judas was their treasurer, some thought Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money to the poor. So Judas left at once, going out into the night. 

As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come for me, the Son of Man, to enter into my glory, and God will receive glory because of all that happens to me. And God will bring me into my glory very soon. Dear children, how brief are these moments before I must go away and leave you. Then though you search for me, you cannot come to me- just as I told the Jewish leaders. So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” 

Simon Peter said, “Lord, where are you going?” And Jesus replied, “You can’t go with me now, but you will follow me later.” But why can’t I come now, Lord? he asked.  I am ready to die for you.” Jesus answered, “Die for me? No, before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” 

“Don’t be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know where I am going and how to get there.” “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. We haven’t any idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus told him, “ I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit who leads you into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you do, because He lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans- I will come to you. In just a little while the world will not see me again, but you will. For I will live again, and you will, too. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father and you are in me, and I am in you. Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them.” 

“I am leaving you with a gift- peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but will come back to you again. If you really love me, you will be very happy for me, because now I can go to the Father who is greater than I am. I have told you theses things before they happen so that you will believe when they do happen. I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the prince of this world approaches. He has no power over me, but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father.”

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who parts from me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.” 

“When the world hates you, remember it hated me before it hated you. The world would love you if you belonged to it, but you don’t. I chose you to come out of the world, and so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? A servant is not greater than the master. Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. The people of the world will hate you because you belong to me, for they don’t know God who sent me.” 

Jesus asked, “Do you finally believe? But the time is coming- in fact, it is already here- when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” 

Luke 22:14-20, John 13:21-John 14:6, John 14:16-21, 27-31, John 15:5-6, John 15:18-21, John 16:31-33

There’s been a lot of talk about the Lord’s supper in the last few days. A lot of disgust, indignation, outrage at the recent irreverent portrayal. I don’t think I could express mine any differently than what has already saturated the internet. Instead, I thought we could all use a simple reminder of just some of the things Jesus thought to be important enough to discuss on that night in question during His final moments with His disciples. 

Remember Me. 

Love each other. 

I’m going to prepare a place for you. 

I will be back to get you. 

I am the way to that place where I’m going. The truth, the life. 

Obey my commands. 

I will send a Counselor to teach and remind you of everything I’ve taught. 

I leave you with peace of mind and heart. 

Don’t be afraid. 

Stay close to me and you will be fruitful. 

Apart from me, you can do nothing. 

The world hates me and it will hate you, too. 

You will have trouble and sorrow in this world. 

Take heart. I have overcome the world. 

The world seems too evil for words, sometimes, and, last week, it got right up in our faces. It mocked our Savior who gave His blood for us all. At the last meal- the very one that was portrayed at the Olympics, ironically, Jesus warned about the world’s hatred for Him and also for us. With the warnings, He also gave instructions and encouragement. Love. Obey. Don’t be afraid. Stay close. Be fruitful. Take heart. The world’s gonna to do what the world’s gonna to do. Let’s just make sure we’re doing what we’re supposed to do. God, helps us be bolder, more committed, and more unified in our faith as your people. 

JONI 

Hot and cranky, I was on the road headed home last Tuesday. Roofers had arrived at our house before sunrise that morning and, to escape the noise, I’d been out with a friend all day where my heat tolerance had been pushed to its upper limits. Admittedly, that’s not very hard to achieve. I couldn’t wait to get home, peel off my tight-fitting clothes and cute shoes, and put on something stretchy and cool. The previously mentioned roofers had arrived at 5:45 a.m. for two mornings straight with their hammers, nail guns, and flat shovels and I was tired and did I mention hot and cranky? As I was driving home, I was on auto-pilot while daydreaming of getting comfy, cranking down the AC, and stretching out for a while with my fan on the “hurricane winds” setting. I suppose the anticipation of all of my favorite things distracted me from my speedometer and I was quickly jarred back to reality by the flashing blue lights and a highway patrolman making a U-turn to get behind me. 

I pulled over on the shoulder and waited while he got his hat situated and exited his patrol car. This might be a good time to confess I’m no stranger to the law. You might as well know who you’re dealing with here. I’ve had brushes with the badge in my day. I may not look like the type, but underneath this Protestant Sunday school member, Highlander-driving, menopausal empty-nester, motherhood blogger facade is a checkered past. It started in my preschool years when I shoplifted a Charms sucker from the store and was forced to take it back and apologize. I stayed clean until high school when a handful of tickets for speeding and stop sign rolls started trickling in and on into college where the Mississippi State Campus Police had quite the file folder with my name on it bulging with parking tickets. Of course, there were the unsolved juvenile crimes that I got away with like when my squad and I stole some road signs and I only mention this because the statute of limitations has expired. It had been years since I’d gotten a ticket though. Maybe I was tired of living life on the run, but here I was again being grabbed by the long arm of the law. 

The officer came walking up to my window and proceeded to tell me why he pulled me over and how fast I was going versus the speed limit. I didn’t think the two numbers were that far apart, really. It was a four- lane highway and I’ve always heard they give you a 10 mile grace span. This was just a tad above that. Anyway, this was the point where, in the past, I’ve apologized to the officer and offered him some kind of excuse like I was late for a meeting at church or a doctor’s appointment, but I wasn’t in the mood to grovel on this day. Did I mention hot and cranky? Even though I’d been successful on several occasions in getting a reprieve with some of my well-worded excuses, it was 98 degrees and too hot for humility and flowery speech. Those encounters when I pled for mercy with contriteness in my voice must have taken place in cooler months when my humor and patience were more robust. I just shook my head as if to say I understood the charges and handed over my license and insurance card, so we could get on with the show. 

He went back to his car and I knew this could go one of two ways. He could come back after calling in my number and seeing my multi-year streak of keeping my nose clean and tell me to slow down and that he’d let me go this time. Or he could come back with a white sheet of condemnation in his hand listing a court date and a number to call to pay my fine. He finally got back out of his car with a piece of paper blowing in the breeze- obviously not unlike my money as it would soon to be thrown to the wind. He came over and explained the high spots of the citation and told me to drive safely as he handed me the “Violator’s copy.” I’m never sure what speeding ticket etiquette is, but the southern girl in me always defaults to “thank you” when someone gives me something. So, I thanked him, but it had the sincerity of when my Mama used to make my brother and me apologize to each other after a fight. 

This is just a silly story about me and a road I’ve been driving for so long at that very same speed- only this time it had consequences. I’d gotten so comfortable with the way I’d been going at that speed that I’d forgotten I might have to pay a price, one day. I’m certainly not the only one going faster than I should- figuratively and, yes, probably literally, too. We’re all moving faster than we’re designed to move and think and interact and work and connect. Everyday, our world is finding news ways to spin faster than it did the day before. Finding places we can cram in more and more. Moving us along in a hurry. Sacrificing quality for quantity. Streamlining systems. Getting us on our way to the next thing. In the process, there have been consequences emerging that we didn’t even realize were coming because, for so long, life’s been going at this speed and we’ve been lulled by the hum of this familiar pace. When we live fast and work fast and love fast, those things are eventually going to pay a price and I think we’re seeing that around us. 

Living life at this clip, it’s so easy to overlook people and the needs of those around us. In our stress, we can speak or type and not think through the consequences of our words. The quality of our work or calling may be compromised. To make it all fit, we might skip over our time with God and staying near to Him. We may be doing many things but not feel like we have time to do any of them very well. We can get overloaded and anxious and become short with each other. Relationships may stay on the surface because we don’t have time to devote to going any deeper with people. We might skip over modeling really important things for our family as we’re constantly cramming more in and something eventually has to go. Shallow relationships, thoughtless words said in haste, forgotten quiet times, less attention to detail in our responsibilities, overlooking the needs of others, widespread anxiety and mental issues. When we’re speeding in our car, it may take a ticket to slow us down and reconsider our choices. When we’re speeding through life, it may take some unfortunate event to stop us in our tracks to reevaluate how we’re doing things. I think we’ve all seen those red flag reminders, lately. They’re everywhere we look, really. It’s like everything around us is screaming- it’s not supposed to be this way! This way isn’t working! 

Psalm 46:10 is a timely reminder for us as we live in a world that’s spinning us around at a dizzying pace. “Be still and know that I am God: I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”  The definition of still is- not moving or making a sound. Deep silence and calm. Synonyms include motionless, at rest, at a standstill. How often do those words describe us? Loud, fast, full, chaotic, busy living may be the biggest barrier between us and God and, without Him, there is no peace. He is peace. When was the last time we sat motionless, silent, and calm and really considered who God is and what this life is really about? He is our Creator, Redeemer, Provider, Protector, Sustainer. The Lifter of our heads. I hope I won’t let myself go a day without stopping to sit still and quiet in awe of what He’s done for me. “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

Hope y’all are having a great week! If everyone will just send $1, we can get this ticket thing put to rest. 

JONI