Reviewing BuyTheField

One more review and then a farewell for now.

Mentor

(originally written February 18, 2018)

In a couple of days Lea and I will both be 50. Lea turned 50 about 4 months ago. I catch up in a few days. The picture above was on our wedding day. This was the last picture that Larry our photographer took of us before we drove from Cleveland, TN to Knoxville, TN to spend our first night together in our apartment in Knoxville.

A few hours earlier before this photo Lea was Lea Paige Johnson. In this photo she willingly chose to be Lea Paige Kelly. As we stared into Larry's "film" camera on that late afternoon of May 26, 1990, I had no idea how soberly grateful I would be for this woman in Christ.

Lea and I spoke those words to each other the other day. "Sober gratitude." I've never spoken those words together I don't think. They almost don't seem like they go together. To have gratitude seems to be associated with your heart being light and joyful enough that thanksgiving is just kind of coming out of you...maybe being pushed out along with some measure of happiness. Sober seems like a word primarily used to describe that state of not being drunk anymore. But when you merge sober and gratitude together with new definitions, they take on a fresh meaning. The weighty realization that the heart can be full of the weighty glory of God producing an accurate view of our combined need for Him and our abounding gratitude for the life He is living in us. And it spills out into a moment. And another moment. And in a life. And in another life.

I'm scanning my life right now. Here are things I am aware of inside and around me. I have unspeakable joy to be moving towards the weddings of our two older sons in 24 and 45 days from now with Lea. Last night Lea and I watched Trey play his first soccer game of his junior season at Bearden in Knoxville. I am aware that some extended family lost their dog of 15 years yesterday. I have friends who ran in a 10K and half marathon this past weekend after training for a long time. I have friends who attended a marriage conference this past weekend who wondered how God would meet them again. My parents are just before leaving their last free standing house in Charlotte to move into assisted living. A friend's mother in law died yesterday and she will not be able to attend her funeral because of health concerns. I have two friends who are in dating relationships who have waited a long time for that to happen. I have a friend who had what they called a panic attack yesterday in facing the weight of all that is happening in their life right now. Our two older sons are about to say vows to the women that God has chosen for them. A student I know is really close to turning to Jesus for salvation. A friend is shepherding a new church congregation.

Why did I write all this things down together? Sober gratitude. How can all of these weighty, real life things be happening simultaneous and God be aware, alert and affectionate towards them all at the same time? Because He is I AM. "If there are millions down on their knees, among the many, can you still hear me?"

Yes. He says.

That brings sober gratitude.

Sober gratitude doesn't have to know how.

And so, among many things that I could spell out here. I will risk one in this printed space today to speak of my sober gratitude to Trinity.

When I think back over the almost 50 years of my life, I am stunned at the men and women that God has placed in my path as mentors. The Holy Spirit is chief among them. I can literally begin to list out the names of dozens of people who in various and specific ways have been used by God in the shaping of who I am as a pilgrim man in this dry and weary land. Men. Women. Children. The Holy Spirit not withstanding.

But alas there is one that stands out among the mind and heart blowing gathering of quality hearts and heroes in my 50 years of life.

One name on the earth.

Lea.

Lea is my mentor. Outside of Trinity, I have learned more from my best friend than any other human I have ever known. It's just true.

Here, I will intentionally let my words be few. The words can't declare it.

Sober Gratitude.

There's more.