Monday, April 16, 2007

Grampy

(August 26, 1920 – April 15, 2007)

Brant J. Parker, award winning cartoonist of the syndicated comic strip The Wizard of Id, died Sunday, April 15th in Lynchburg, VA. He was 86. He died as a result of complications of Alzheimer’s disease and a stroke he suffered in October, 2006. He is survived by his beloved wife of sixty years, Mary Lou, and his children, James Parker, Julie Shackleton, Laurie Tannenbaum, Kathie Borkowski and Jeff Parker and his brother John Parker. He is also survived by thirteen grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and the Korean War. He worked for Disney Studios animating Donald Duck before moving to New York where he met Johnny Hart, the creator of the comic strip, BC. Together their creativity sparked The Wizard of Id which has run since 1965. The strip continues today, in his name, by son Jeff and his wife Nicola Parker. Brant loved his work and had a passion for sharing his talent with people of all ages and would regularly visit his children’s and grandchildren’s classrooms and teach cartooning to aspiring artists of all ages.

Monday, April 9, 2007

choosing to trust...

Every time I think I finally have things figured out they come crashing down again.

But maybe that’s the problem.

Even when I am searching out God’s plan for my life I tend to think I have I figured out and take it into my own hands again.

Why is it so hard to give it up? I mean…normally if someone were to volunteer to take care of everything for me and all I had to worry about was following that person I would have no problems. God’s doing just that: volunteering to take care of everything, to relieve me of all my worries, and he promises he won’t mess up and accidentally screw me over. I won’t wake up one morning and find myself in the sewer and hear God say “oops, I took a wrong turn”. Why as humans are we so intent on always having control? It just seems to me it would be easier and less stressful for us if we just gave it up.

The only reason I can think of why it is so hard (for me at least) to give up and trust my life completely to God is because of fear of being hurt, being let down. I can only imagine that others feel the same way. It's sad. As humans we have hurt each other and destroyed each others trust so much that we can't even trust our King, Lord, Savior, and the one who loves us unconditionally.

I’m gonna try really hard.

I’ve heard them a million times but sometimes you just need a reminder of the truth:
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Proverbs 19:21

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

Saturday, April 7, 2007

And so it begins...

what better way to start off a blog than explain the name of mine?

ok maybe i can think of a few ways that would be better but you are just going to have to accept this.

Beggar's Heart is a new song by Bethany Dillon (that's right i decided to the typical blog route and steal some song lyrics). the song is all about brokeness. something we
all go through, but more so it's about how God changes us through it. it may sound sad but i think the lyrics are so real:

When you build it feels like you tear me apart. When you heal it always leaves a scar, and even when you fill you leave me with a beggar's heart.

God loves me enough to never let me stay where i am at but whenever he asks me to change it ussually is painful in some way, only because i am human and i like to cling to what i know now rather than embrace the greatness that he has for me ahead (and he has not dissapointed yet). when he builds me up it feels like he's tearing me apart...at the time. later i can always look back and praise God for that time. i look back on times in the past and i am so grateful for them.

hence the scar that is left. i am always healed but i always remember those times. i bet you can look back at scars you got when you were little and you can still tell the story of how you got them. i think it's the same way for when God changes me. the scar that is left is the stories and experiences i can now share and that God so often uses for his glory. hallelujah.

and everytime he fill's me...i want more. i can never have enough of what he so willingly gives me. my heart begs for more.

i hope i always am left with a beggar's heart.