Raising Magnolias

Emmanuel. In case you missed it, that means God with us!

We were studing Isaiah. Coulter was drawing. And occasionally conferencing with his buddy sitting next to him. He’s not listening, but he’s 7 and I’m OK with that.

But Pastor makes a joke about pink, frilly Christmas trees and Coulter laughs.

And then Pastor says David’s descendants have been idiots. (Wait. I think it was David).

Anyway, Coulter’s head pops-hard to his Mom and he whispers, “he just said idiot!”

My pastor said the word idiot. This is awwwwesome!

More drawing. More prophecies. More conferencing.

Pastor tells of the King to come. He preaches on the promise of this King, that he will have knowledge and understanding and will judge fairly and he reads the verses and he reads the promises and Coulter, pencil still in hand turns to me and says, “Mom, I know it’s God. Can I go to the bathroom now?

I don’t need to hear the rest. I know it’s God.

And as our hearts break, weary-torn, aching, searching, yes breaking for the families, for the children, for the lost and the changed, for those 6 and 7 year olds whose rooms lie empty and for the 6 and 7 and 8 and 9 year olds whose rooms are caving in and threatening to swallow them up as they face a future that is forever changed.

By evil.

Yes, in all of this, Coulter gets it right. “Mom, I know it’s God.”

The answer is always God.

Always Jesus.

Jesus is the Reason for the Season. That’s what all the plaques say, but maybe EVIL is the reason for the season.

It’s why He was sent. It’s why He came.

I love my friends. I love their hearts. I love that we are all sinners, together, loving on Jesus the best we know how, but I am seriously gonna lose it, like flippin’ lose it if yall tell me one more time how we have taken God out of the schools, so how dare we call upon Him now?

Shame on you, Mike Huckabee!

You cannot take God out of anywhere. He is here. Emmanuel. God with us. He was there that day. We can’t say where was God? He was there. He is here. The question is where were WE?

Have your debates about guns and prayer in school and the NRA or the NBA or whatever the HALE it is that yall are arguing about, but let them bury their dead; mourn their loss; mourn our own loss of feeling safe when we drop off our children at our public, non-praying, satan-filled, where is God schools. (In case you missed it, the later part of that sentence was sarcasm.)

Urgh!

You think He’s not there? He is there. And if you think He doesn’t want to be called upon now, if you think it’s too brazen, too bold, too arrogant to cry out His name now, then you don’t know Jesus.

You have missed the Gospel. Entirely.

Man, I’m on a roll. Perhaps I should take on abortion today, too. Perhaps I should be so bold as to say that if you really want to abolish abortion then quit giving all your money to candidates who seem to change nothing. Give your money to lost teens, scared mommies and walk beside them. Give your money for diapers and food and tell these girls, I will be your village. I will help you raise your babies. Mentor, adopt, walk beside and let’s give girls a different way to feel love. Let’s abolish the need for abortion.

Let’s quit killing our children and let’s quit leaving our children and let’s quit blaming and using every flippin tragedy as an opportunity to bring a little politcal clout to our side.

Shame on us. Shame on me.

Coulter gets it right. The answer is Jesus.

Always. Jesus. And if you don’t get that, then you’re no smarter than a 7 year old.