Thump - Thud by Max Lucado

Another great bit of inspirational wisdom to ponder from Max Lucado. Read it. Ponder it. Enjoy it.


Thump-Thud, Thump-Thud

by Max Lucado

When a potter bakes a pot, he checks its solidity by pulling it out of the oven and thumping it. If it “sings,” it’s ready. If it “thuds,” it’s placed back in the oven.

The character of a person is also checked by thumping.
Been thumped lately?
Late-night phone calls. Grouchy teacher. Grumpy moms. Burnt meals. Flat tires. You’ve-got-to-be-kidding deadlines. Those are thumps. Thumps are those irritating inconveniences that trigger the worst in us. They catch us off guard. Flat-footed. They aren’t big enough to be crises, but if you get enough of them, watch out! Traffic jams. Long lines. Empty mailboxes. Dirty clothes on the floor. Even as I write this, I’m being thumped. Because of interruptions, it has taken me almost two hours to write these two paragraphs. Thump. Thump. Thump.
How do I respond? Do I sing, or do I thud?
Jesus said that out of the nature of the heart a man speaks (Luke 6:45). There’s nothing like a good thump to reveal the nature of a heart. The true character of a person is seen not in momentary heroics but in the thump-packed humdrum of day-to-day living.
If you have a tendency to thud more than you sing, take heart.
There is hope for us “thudders”:
Begin by thanking God for thumps. I don’t mean a half-hearted thank-you. I mean a rejoicing, jumping-for-joy thank-you from the bottom of your heart (James 1:2). Chances are that God is doing the thumping. And he’s doing it for your own good. So every thump is a reminder that God is molding you (Hebrews 12:5-8).
Learn from each thump. Face up to the fact that you are not “thump-proof.” You are going to be tested from now on. You might as well learn from the thumps—you can’t avoid them. Look upon each inconvenience as an opportunity to develop patience and persistence. Each thump will help you or hurt you, depending on how you use it.
Be aware of “thump-slump” times. Know your pressure periods. For me, Mondays are infamous for causing thump-slumps. Fridays can be just as bad. For all of us, there are times during the week when we can anticipate an unusual amount of thumping. The best way to handle thump-slump times? Head on. Bolster yourself with extra prayer, and don’t give up.

Remember no thump is disastrous. All thumps work for good if we are loving and obeying God.From On the Anvil:Stories On Being Shaped Into God’s Image

Bath Time

Some day Lizzie is not going to be happy with us for posting this picture of her for others to see, but that is what parents are for. We all know that parents don't always do what their children want. Besides, I couldn't resist showing all (or at least most) of her very adorable features. She is such a ham in the tub; she loves drowning her duck. Bath time is a family affair. Mom gets to get wet, keep Lizzie from face planting in the tub, and be the bad one who washes Liz up. Daddy gets to dry Lizzie up - make her into a burrito as he calls it; put on her diaper, and put her in her PJ's.

THIS is the day that the Lord has made.

Did I ever mention that Max Lucado is my absolute favorite author. If you've never heard of him, which I can't imagine that you haven't, check out his website: http://www.maxlucado.net/.

I recently read the first chapter from his book, "Everyday Deserves a Chance" and it was exactly the thing that I needed from God to get me through the day. Lucado's imagery and explanation of God's word always cause my heart to flip and say, "ah hah".

In reference to a bird taking a dump on him while he was writing on a beautiful beach, Lucado says the following: "Birds have a way of messing things up, don't they? Count on it: into every day a bird will plop.

Traffic will snarl. Airports will close. Friends will forget. Spouses will complain...And what about those days of crisis? You never leave the hospital bed or wheelchair....who has good days on these days?

Most don't but couldn't we try? Such days warrant an opportunity. A shot. A try. An audition. Doesn't every day deserve a chance to be a good day? After all, "this is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24 NKJV).

Lucado goes on to say that the word This doesn't just refer to vacation days, wedding days, Christmas...you get the point. This is the day includes every day. The days that you pay taxes, get a rotten phone call, send your first child off to college etc. God made this day and ordained each hour of it; so he calls us to rejoice in it. When rejoicing in it, especially during the difficult times we need to remember that "You no longer have yesterday." "You do not yet have tomorrow." "You only have today." This is the day that the Lord has made.

I leave you with Lucado's final thoughts:

Saturate your day in his grace - "I tell you in solemn truth," replied Jesus, "that this very day you shall be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43)

Entrust you day to his oversight. - "Give us day by day our daily bread" (Luke 11:3)

Accept his direction. - "If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross each day and follow me" (Luke 9:23)

Grace. Oversight. Direction ...see it G-O-D

Lizzie's first ear infection

Yesterday I took Lizzie to the walk-in doctor appointment because she had been pulling on her ear and not sleeping through the night. Unfortunately, Dr. Addy said that she had her first ear infection. In some regards I was happy to hear that she had an infection because she was not acting herself, so it was nice to know that we could get some antibiotics to help make her feel better. We are on day 2 of 10 with the medication and she is already acting more liker herself. As you can see she seems happy in the picture that Grandma G. took of us today.

Made in God's Image

As of this past Sunday, Liz is now 6 months old. I can't believe how quickly time passes. It seems like just yesterday we were waiting for her to be born. Now she is sitting up on her own, rolling over, saying "dada", giggling, making faces at us, loving her tongue, and exploring anything she can get her hands on. God is good. When I think of all that Liz has accomplished in her short life I can't understand how someone could look at a baby and not believe that we have a creator - God, whose image we are made in. Praise God for all of his blessings!

It's a girl!

It's a girl! Kim called me this morning to tell me that they had their baby by way of c-section at 5:30. I guess she went to Marshalls last night to pick up a few things (probably baby clothes for the girl that she was sure they weren't having) and she started to feel contractions come on. Kim was hoping for a girl, but they didn't know what they were having. Kim wanted a girl so bad - partly so that she could buy cute baby girl clothes.

At any rate, her name is Cassidy Ann and she was born at 5:30 weighing in at a small 6 lbs. 4 oz. I will post a picture when I get one, but I wanted to let everyone know Elizabeth has a new baby girl cousin. Dylan is now outnumbered 2 to 1. I guess it is time for Jason and Julie to try and make the number even - no more dogs, just babies :) (sorry Jason and Julie...I'm not trying to pressure you guys...I know that it will be a few years before this could be reality).