The Call to Serve is Big; The Call to Serve is Small

I recently flew to Ohio to attend my grandmother's memorial service. I booked my flights the night before leaving, which meant only the good seats were left. I found myself with a direct view into the cockpit, just 5 rows back.

I had "priority boarding", which meant I was among the first to board. And yet, when I arrived at my bulk head seat, there was already a man in the seat next to mine.

The first thing I noticed was that he wore a pair of Beats headphones. Hard to miss. The next was that he had slipped one shoe off. Underneath his bare foot was a cell phone. I watched as he used his big toe to swipe through his music, choosing between tai chi meditations and Wiz Khalifa.

A woman sat down on the other side of him and asked, "Is that your daughter?"

His home screen was a picture of a little girl. When I glanced down to see it I noticed instead the twenty dollars inside his shoe.

I watched him struggle to use a forearm to slide the headphones off one ear. His hands were curled; his fingers useless. Occasionally one arm would wind its way behind him. Either an uncontrolled reflex or to reach a spasm or an itch.

"Yes," he said. "I have three daughters." He looked at her and then at me and added, "You guys would love them."

I watched as he struggled again to slide the headphones back in place, wondering if this was the result of a progressive disease or if he was born this way.

I've been reading about miracles lately and wondered (worried!) if God wanted me to pray with him. Not just for him, because that I was already doing, but actually with him, out loud, with my hands on him just praying in the healing hand of God.

When I think about serving God I think about things like this. BIG things. Life transforming things.

And then, all of a sudden, I knew what I was supposed to do, how I was to serve this man.

Just as we were backing away from the gate, his arm brushed the clasp of his seat belt and it came undone.

"Oh!" he said, and it dawned on me that one of the flight attendants must have buckled him in before I got on the plane. He looked at me and said, "Could you...?"

"Of course," I said, reaching across his lap and refastening his seat belt.

In that moment I knew that I had served.

The Grace Card

This week my sweet friend Grace is celebrating her 11th birthday. I sent her a little birthday gift: a book, a bracelet, and a card.

But this isn't the first time I've sent Grace something this year.

In early January, God put Grace on my heart in a special way. Like a gentle nudge or a light bulb that suddenly goes off out of nowhere, I felt like I should reach out to Grace once a month for an entire year.

I really try to pay attention when God speaks to me in this way. Surprising me with ideas that aren't my own, putting people in my thoughts who I haven't heard from in a while, and things like that. Because He knows better than I do who needs encouragement, love, and just moments of feeling special. And if God wants to use me to bring that to others, I don't want to miss out.

Thus began "the Grace card".

The first "rule" of the Grace card was that this is not a pen-pal relationship. This is me pouring into Grace's life, expecting nothing in return.

Do you remember what it was like to be 11? It was hard! I had glasses and braces and a really bad perm. All of my girlfriends had started their periods except me and they talked about it like it was some sort of glamorous transition into womanhood that "someday" I too would be part of. Some days I had best friends and boyfriends and other days my best friend was flirting with and stealing my boyfriend. I would spend hours on the phone after school (talking about what I have no idea!). I got all of my wisdom teeth pulled and went to Space Camp and was introduced to volleyball, my new favorite sport. And wouldn't it have been nice to be reminded monthly that someone "out there" had my back?

I had a miscarriage about a year before Christina got pregnant with Grace. So I can imagine if my own daughter was now a pre-teen that I would have loved if the women in my life were pouring into hers. That it would have been as encouraging to me as a mom as it was to her as a young lady. To know that there were others out there praying for my family, my daughter, and her future.

The next "rule" of the Grace card was that everything I pour into Grace line up with the values that her parents are already instilling in her. Christina and I have very similar faith and family values, which makes this fairly easy. But if you are considering a "Grace card" of your own, keep in mind that you don't encourage anything the child's parents would frown upon. That doesn't mean I don't try to challenge Grace, but I know I can do that because she has great parents who will discuss any questions or thoughts she has.

The final "rule" of the Grace card is to be faithful in sending them monthly. I made a promise to Grace in January that she would hear from me once a month and it is important that I stand by my word.

So, now that we're in June, we're up to "Grace card #6" of 12. Grace has gotten cards, pictures, postcards from France and Spain, and most recently her birthday present. I follow her mom on Facebook so that I can see what Grace is involved in and try to incorporate that into my letters. I also tell her what is going on in my life and the lessons I am still learning as an adult. And I think it has been as fun for me as it has for her!

I encourage you to listen to your heart and see where God is leading you to serve. Maybe it is a "Grace card" of your own or something similar. Maybe it is picking up the phone or visiting someone in a nursing home. Maybe it is something you have been putting off, or maybe a light bulb will go off and you'll have a new idea you've never thought of. Whatever it is, be faithful to follow through!

National Parks

I think it is safe to say that I have an obsession with National Parks.

This obsession began in 2000 when my best friend Christina and I spent 3 months at the Grand Canyon, living, working, praying, and playing.

It heightened the following summer when I spent the most transformative 3 months of my life at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Which is why, when I graduated from college in 2002, the only move that made sense to me was yet another National Park. So I packed away my degree and moved to California, where I spent 8 months in Yosemite.

While living in California I spent as much time in Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Parks as I did at home among the "Big Trees" of Yosemite.

My next move was to Arkansas to live with my grandmother, but before I could get there I added Bryce, Zion, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, and Mesa Verde in Utah and Colorado to my growing list of National Parks I consider home.

While in Arkansas I of course had to take advantage of Hot Springs National Park. And in the dozen years since, I've added Crater Lake in Oregon, Petrified Forest in Arizona, Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, Cuyahoga Valley in Ohio, and most recently, Lassen Volcanic National Park in California, to my list of happy places.

Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

What is it about these places that continues to draw me back? The purpose of the National Park System says it all:

“The fundamental purpose of the parks is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico

How many other places in our world are unimpaired, undamaged, unspoiled by our hands and constructs, but left to remain perfect, the way they were created by our Creator? How many other places were set aside by our fathers and our fathers fathers for our enjoyment, and for the enjoyment of our children and our children's children? How many other places serve us, as a place to live, work, pray, and play in, at any age?

Lassen Volcanic National Park, California

Our recent trip to Lassen was especially momentous as they had just two weeks before celebrated 100 years since the last major eruption of Lassen Peak, an event that led to their being designated as a National Park. We also learned that next year, in 2016, the National Park SERVice will be celebrating 100 years as an official government organization.

I, for one, am grateful for the service of the National Parks, and will continue to support them through my obsession with visiting, living, working, praying, and playing in their midst.