Remember?

July 4th 2010


           Alice, my mother-in-law, in the living years, used to say, “If I could remember your name I’d ask you where I put my keys.” She had a healthy respect for her memory lapses--particularly as she reached her mid-eighties and then got her vertical promotion at age 87. My memory is more and more resembles Vance’s Milk of Amnesia, For Times When He Can’t Remember Poop”.

But I am not alone. I think you might be a companion de voyage. You and everyone else, including God’s very own people:

“We're certainly warned about forgetfulness in Scripture, both in word and by example. In the Old Testament, the pattern is so predictable, we come to expect it. God delivers his people from the cruel whips of Egypt by a stunning display of his power and his care-the plagues, the Passover, the Red Sea. The Israelites celebrate with singing and dancing. Three days later, they are complaining about the water supply. God provides sweet water from the bitter desert springs of Marah. They complain about the food. God drops breakfast out of the sky, every morning. Then it's the water again. God provides it from a rock. Enemies attack; God delivers. On and on it goes, for forty years. As they stand on the brink of the Promised Land, God issues a final warning:



Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. (Deut. 4:9,emphasis added)



They do, of course, let it slip from their hearts. All of it. This becomes the pattern for the entire history of Israel. God shows up; he does amazing things; the people rejoice. Then they forget and go whoring after other gods. They fall under calamity and cry out for deliverance. God shows up; he does amazing things; the people rejoice-you get the picture. Things aren't changed much in the New Testament, but the contrast is greater, and the stakes are even higher. God shows up in person, and before he leaves, he gives us the sacraments along with this plea: Do this to remember me. They don't- remember him, that is. Do we really think we are any different?”

(John Eldridge, Desire , 2000)

So I’ve resolved to do what this 59 year old swiss cheese mind can do to staunch the flow of memories on their outbound express train. I’ve taken up scripture memory as a discipline. I hope God will honor His Word as I house more of it in my noggin. Thus far Deuteronomy 8, Isaiah 58, and now Romans 7:15-8, all from the Message, are making little creases in my brain, causing tiny synapses to fire familiarly. Getting embodied in my actions more and more. Thank God for His Spirit enabling and impelling.

On a different sort of note, our house is in escrow—after 15 months on the market! We have a hope that it will close later this month, perhaps within 3 weeks, and we will be on our way toward the east coast, then to the UK for a time of sabbatical, and then to wherever He leads us overseas as missionaries under www.interserveusa.org. We are thankful. Pray with us that this escrow will in fact close and we can be about our Father’s business in more needy places of our planet. Thank you, Lord, and thank you, my reader.