Me and My Arrow

When I was a kid I used to have a toy bow and arrow set my folks bought me. Now, this may not have been the smartest move for my parental units; giving flying projectiles to a boy with no ability to restrain his desire for destruction and mayhem. But hey; it was the Sixties and we lived in the shadow of Tonto, the Lone Ranger, and F Troop. The tip of these arrows had those little red rubber suction cups on them. They looked like miniature toilet plungers. We never got the sharp steel-tipped kind. Mom and Dad had some sense. And I'm sure our dog Tanya was grateful, too. We loved to shoot them at flat surfaces like the wall paneling in the living room only to yank them off to hear that distinctive "pop" sound they made...yea, you know. That sound! THOP! I think that's how you spell it.

Usually we had to lick the suction cups beforehand to ensure they stuck to the target.

I think when God uses arrows He uses the ones with sharp points on them. His arrows make it to their target and have no trouble sticking to it. In the book of Isaiah chapter 49, Isaiah writes of Israel's servant being like a sharpened arrow hidden in the quiver of the Lord. Not just any arrow, but sharpened, prepared to pierce their target. And not just anywhere in the quiver, but hidden, protected, stealthy. Hidden and sharpened, these arrows have a more specific purpose; ready to strike and accomplish their mission.

Yet the reader in the passage contrasts this imagery with his own admission, "I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and futility." Not feeling very sharpened or purposed. I admit I can also feel just like that. I don't want to labor in vain in serving the body of Christ as a worship leader, putting hope in my own strengths and abilities versus God's more sharpened, purposed efforts. All the "suction cup-licking" in the world won't make my good intentions stick.

So let us take great hope in being that arrow, you know, that one. Sharpened ahead of time by the Lord and pulled from the hidden, protected place of God's quiver to be used in His service. Then there will be no mistaking we met God's target because everyone will see that we did, and everyone can hear that sound you make when you are retrieved from the target. Yea, you know. That sound...THOP!

One Flesh; 27 Years

27 years! It has been 27 years, from August 24th, 1982, to this day that Kay and I have been married. But the most amazing aspect of this is not the longevity of years. No, the truly amazing thing is that we are the very best of friends after all this time. We have remained together through some pretty amazing and incredible experiences. We met, married, and had both of our children all while living overseas, working in ministry together. As we returned stateside we struggled and scraped out a living. We got ourselves planted, uprooted, replanted, reinvented, tooled and retooled, jobbed and rejobbed (are those real words?) And through all the ups and downs and twists and turns we are by the mighty grace of God better friends than when we started...in 1982.

After 27 years, we do still look at each other from across the room and get all mushy, smile, then dive into each others arms, nearly breaking the furniture. We laugh together about the same things. We cry during the same scenes watching the same movies. We love the same foods (oh wow, do we love food!) We often finish each others thoughts. That is when we aren't reading each others' minds. And after 27 years all this still amazes us both. Kay and I have something very special between each other. A marriage of flesh and soul. We are "one flesh" as scripture says.

Thank you babe, for 27 glorious years of an amazing relationship built on amazing grace; yours and God's. I love you!