I’ve been reading a new bathtub book, recommended to me by one of my blogging friends.

Set in the era of “I Love Lucy” and “Leave it to Beaver”, The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio (How My Mother Raised Ten Kids on 25 Words or Less) has tons of charm with specific focus on the hard-working creative energies of a mom who has obstacles aplenty to manage: a husband who drinks his paycheck away each week, the lack of a driver’s license and ten children in a house the size of a cracker box.

And yet, in spite of her circumstances (or perhaps because of them) she uses her wit, her choice to be cheerful, her creative skills, her decision to overlook the icky, her stick-to-it-attitude to manage her household and provide for her children as they each adore her.

I like her spunk. I like her determination. I like the way she decided to get up every morning, put her skills to work and wait for the postman to deliver her winnings.

If you are looking for a charming book (or a movie) for the weekend, try this one. I think you will enjoy it.

When I was an art teacher in a public high school, I enjoyed the company of many awesome students. Most were young adults who wanted a place to unwind while they learned a bit about art. Many were artists in their own right, painting and drawing in their free time with aspirations for a career in art or architecture.

I have written about one of my favorite art students who’s abilities far exceeded mine as the instructor. While I loved teaching those students with paintbrushes in hand or clay under my fingernails, some of my favorite memories in my classroom have nothing at all to do with art.

During the senior year of a particular group of young men, I already knew these to have a heart like few others. Some of them had been in my classroom when they were in eighth grade and I knew then that they were extraordinary in their committment to their faith. And during their senior year, they were giants.

They were serious about their walk with Christ: their determination to know Him and make Him known. They were kind hearted to others in their class and were well known amongst their peers as being unique in their life choices and their committment to God. Each of the young men were handsome, intelligent and strong. Their fellow classmates looked up to them and admired them.

When they discovered I shared their love of the Word of God, a game began.

They would come to class with a puzzle for me in the form of an obscure verse. One of them would tell me the verse and ask me to tell them where it was in the Bible. Often I knew the answer. Othertimes, they stumped me. There are some bizarre scriptures in there!

Even after they graduated sometimes a few of them (along with one from another year) would stop by my classroom during my lunch break. I’d get to hear what God was doing in their lives. Their visits were some of the highlights of my year. They were evidence of growth and work outside the realm of normal education.

From time to time I find evidence of these men in other people’s lives as they continue to know God and make Him known. I am proud of these young men and I’m grateful the Lord brought them into my life as an encouragement to me.

To those young men:

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. … And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. From Philippians 1

Yesterday was an odd day. The wind started to kick up. With strength. We had been warned of thunderstorms and rain with hail but that never came.

Instead it “rained” red dirt, blowing sideways, coming in from Oklahoma or Lubbock. I’m not sure of the direction since I didn’t stay outside long enough to gauge it. Walking from the car to the house hurt. It was like walking through a sandblast.

The sky was a yellowish color with a half mile of visibility.

DFW flights were grounded. We hid our cars in the garage so that they would have paint still on them when the sand and dirt storm was over.

I half expected locust to arrive this morning but instead, the sky is bright, clear blue. The sun is shining. The dogs are asleep in a sun puddle near a window.

For God is the King of all the earth;
sing to him a psalm of praise.

God reigns over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne. Psalm 47:7-8

Today during bible study one of the gals was talking about her new job and how she was dealing with culture shock at the icky attitudes, behaviors and foul mouths of her new co-workers. She grinned with her gorgeous smile: “I’m gonna fly my flag early.”

I loved her decision. I loved the imagery of her words.

It reminded me first of what I knew about banners in the Old Testament. The tribes of Israel were designated by symbols on the end of a pole. They were called banners or standards. Whether the individual tribe was in a group of other tribes or alone, a passerby would know “who” the tribe was because of that pole and the symbol on the top.

They carried their banner everywhere to denote who they were and who they belonged to….And they especially used their banner when they were victorious over an enemy. The victor of any battle raised their banner high in a show of strength and a badge of honor.

A specific incident where an image on a pole was used was Moses as he led the children of Israel through the wilderness. Poisonous snakes were sent throughout the children of Israel as they whined and complained. They were bitten and many died. When Moses asked God for help, God told Moses to put a bronze snake on a pole and lift it up. Whoever looked at the snake on the pole would be saved.

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. John 3:14-15

The Old Testament tribes’ banners were a foreshadowing of the banner of victory yet to come.

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious. Isaiah 11:10

The Root of Jesse.

Jesus.

Lifted high on the pole, the cross. Look upon Him to be saved from your sin. Lift him up to demonstrate victory.

Instead of sneaking into our circumstances, hiding our identity, I like what my friend plans on doing. She’s going to fly her flag. She’s going to make sure others who pass by know to whom she belongs. She’s going to let others see Christ in her from the get-go. She’s going to love them until they ask “Why?”

His banner over me…is love.

I’m going to fly my flag too.

It dawned on me when I pulled on my jeans last week. It dawned on me as I sat with a bowl full of pretzels after having enjoyed a helping of peach cobbler. It dawned on me when I stepped on the scales.

I’ve been winter-eating too long.

I define this style of “winter-eating” easily. Its eating through the winter as a means to keep you warm and entertain you during the boring moments. Its eating without reserve because after all, you are hibernating. Fuzzy is hip in the winter.

Winter is about over here in North Central Texas. Today, the temperature is hovering at 75 degrees. Today fuzzy is no longer charming.

Water. Healthy food. Water. Walking. Working out. Water. Its my effort to take control once again.