I have been reflecting a lot during January 2012, and have not posted since mid December. Our family Christmas was joyous and the first week of 2012 was a wonderful family vacation memory with the kids out of school. Our ministry Music to Light the World had its biggest December and 4th quarter ever, which filled my heart with awe, wonder and humility. It was so evident that God orchestrated everything. It made the year 2011 like winning the Super Bowl. Which brings me to my reflecting on “giants.”

I have loved sports since I was a boy, so I have been watching the NFL playoffs. There have been a lot of great games, but the New York at Green Bay game made me think. The Packers won the 2011 Super Bowl, so they couldn’t go any higher. They had an amazing 15-1 regular season, and were striving to win the 2012 Super Bowl for back-to-back titles. There was more pressure. The Giants were the underdog, were on the road, barely won their division…and had nothing to lose. No pressure. Then the upset happened, 37-20, then they beat the 49ers in overtime, and now they are one win away from the title.

I have told friends it takes just as much faith to work hard on a project or be focused on a goal as it does to rest from work or take a family vacation. Whether you had a “super bowl” year in 2011 or more of a struggle, the “giants” of this world are lurking to make you feel pressure, to doubt, to fear, to lose focus on living by faith. Jesus said, “my yoke is easy, my burden is light.” Trusting him with the future is simple, but not easy. Whether the Giants win or lose Super Bowl 46, let them inspire you to overcome life’s “giants” in 2012 with God’s help. And, remember to smile, to live with joy and to love others well along the way.

 

In the fullness and busyness of the Christmas season, I was just reflecting on Luke 2 as I spent some time sharing with 5th grade boys about the Christmas story from Joseph’s perspective, and the trust and faith he demonstrated through his life. We finished our time by watching the “Shepherds and Stars” music video, a piece I composed in 2009 for the award winning album December Peace (2009 Best Holiday Album, ZMR Music Awards). This video can be viewed at https://www.stantonlanier.com/videos/default.php

Two thoughts come to mind from the account of the angel telling the shepherds that a Savior had been born to them, followed by the night sky filling with countless angels, a great company of the heavenly host, saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 1) The shepherds decided that the event described to them was worth a visit, and 2) We are all “shepherds in the field” going about our lives, and God wants to encounter us, to speak into our lives, during this time of year, which can be stressful and busy.  Remember to “Be still and know that I am God” this Christmas (Psalm 46:10).

Obedience brings joy and uninterrupted fellowship with God (from Unit 9, Day 2 in the Experiencing God study by Henry Blackaby). JOY always catches my eye, and it really jumped off the page in this context. For much of my life I would have been more likely to associate words like “duty” or “hard work” with obedience. Then verses like the following got me out of my comfort zone, and stirred a longing to experience God’s blessings by trusting and obeying: “By faith Abraham . . . obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). Just two weeks ago I wondered if He was nudging me to go to Arizona to celebrate Music to Light the World donating 10,000 CDs. They are arriving in Tucson this Friday, and will be gifts to children and their families served by Beads of Courage in 106 hospitals this holiday season. Three years ago a lady had discovered my music in northwest Arizona, where her husband was a pastor. One year ago they moved to Phoenix to serve a local church. Maybe this would come together, but if I were to go to Tucson to celebrate and if I got an invitation to play the piano in Phoenix, the logistics would have been difficult over a short 48-hour weekend. As I prayed and watched to see what God might want to do, keeping in mind this idea about joy and uninterrupted fellowship, I learned that the Beads of Courage board of directors happened to be making their annual visit to Tucson this weekend, and they would be coming up to Phoenix. The church invited me to play at all three Sunday morning services, Beads of Courage invited me to join them Sunday afternoon to celebrate at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, and the pastor’s wife and a friend invited me to play a Sunday evening house concert. There happened to be low airfares and a special hotel-rental car discount package. My heart is filled with JOY and I am obeying and going even though I don’t know all that will happen.

I happened to watch Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, and it turned out to be an historic game, with several records broken. I live in Atlanta Braves country, so I wasn’t watching as a Cardinals or Rangers fan.  I wanted to watch because I grew up loving sports and love to see championship games when I can.  As my family slept, all I could whisper was “wow” as Texas was one strike away from winning the World Series, twice.  St. Louis, trailing 7-5 in the bottom of the 9th inning, with two outs and two strikes, scored two runs on a triple. Score: 7-7.  Then, I said “wow” a few more times, as Texas hit two back to back solo home runs in the top of the 10th.  Then, St. Louis had a two out, two strike single that scored two runs to tie in the bottom of the 10th. Score: 9-9.  Wow.  The 9th and 10th innings were a glimpse of life – the ups and downs, the hope and despair, the victories and struggles.  This reminded me how God’s grace, love and forgiveness rises above life on earth.  Then came the 11th inning, when Texas was held scoreless and St. Louis hit a “walk off” home run to win the game.  Wow.  The scene at home plate gave me chills, as all the players from the dugout greeted their teammate with their greatest expressions of joy on their faces and in their jumping and hugging.  It was then that I realized I was watching a glimpse of heaven.  Life’s sweetest moments are but a glimpse of the wonder and awe we will experience in heaven.  As I continued to watch the celebration, it struck me that even though these “glimpses” are all around us, it seems too good to be true that heaven is a gift rather than something to be won.  Lord, help us to put our trust in the gift of your Son, to have faith that your forgiveness of our sins through His death on the cross is for real.  As real as a game-winning home run in the bottom of the 11th.

I have been battling a cough and cold for nearly three weeks, which has made life very frustrating and reduced my blogging too.  Yet, in the midst of this God has shown that He is there and that He is faithful.  This week I took the next steps looking for confirmation that the “Milwaukee Story” was going to come together as it appeared (I shared how this started in my last post).  It now looks like December 16-19 will include performances in three Milwaukee area churches in Waukesha (30 minutes west), Kenosha (30 minutes south) and West Bend (30 minutes north), as well as one of the Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinics in metro Milwaukee.  The experience of seeing this come together has been amazing to watch.  It is “exceedingly and abundantly more than I could ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).

From Wednesday to Saturday I have been exhibiting Music to Light the World in Nashville, TN at a large counseling conference with 6,000 attendees. Before arriving I was talking with a church in Milwaukee about possibly coming there for a December Peace concert this Christmas season, and had shared that ideally I would like to have at least one other place to play if I came so far from Atlanta. I had been praying for direction about this, and in the first few hours on Wednesday afternoon I met a pastor and his wife from 30 minutes south of Milwaukee, followed by a worship director from a large church 30 minutes north of Milwaukee. This was an amazing assurance that God directs our steps one moment at a time by faith (Proverbs 16:9).

Some highlights from Experiencing God Week 1…Watch to see where God is working and join Him (John 5:17). Focus on obedience to go with God in the work He is doing and in what He tells me to do. Entrust Him with the future. Think on one thing at a time. Follow His lead. Do not be anxious (Philippians 4:6). Be free (John 8:32). Discern where God is working. Align my “push” with His “pull.” Wait upon the Lord with active patience.

The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country . . . go to the land I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). Am I willing to follow God by faith and not by sight? “It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). When I trust Jesus to guide me one step at a time, I experience tremendous freedom. Thank you Lord for the freedom I will experience in life today by trusting You.

For the past six weeks I have been immersed in the Experiencing God workbook by Henry Blackaby. This 20-year old, 12-week study had a profound impact in my faith journey in 1998, and resulted in many lifelong effects that are still unfolding and being lived out. I have looked back at this from time to time over the years, but reached a point this summer where I wanted to get a new, empty workbook and go through it again with a friend. There have been some incredible nuggets of wisdom and application jumping off the pages. These revelations and reminders are fresh and exciting. I will be sharing these in the coming weeks. I will include some questions too and look forward to this interaction.

It was Saturday, June 11, 2011 around 4 p.m. I was excited to check my email, expecting a check-in reminder from Delta. In 24 hours I was supposed to be taking my first international trip with Music to Light the World. A 20-minute interview and four-piece piano performance were planned for Monday morning. It was amazing to think that these would be broadcast all across Canada on a future air date. This would be a significant expansion of our vision to offer God’s “peace and rest in a hurried world.”  The email had arrived, confirming my flight from Atlanta to Toronto on Sunday, June 12.

I clicked “check in” and the next screen said “Please enter your passport information.”  Passport!!! How could I have forgotten!? I had been home for several days, so there had been plenty of time to get ready. I couldn’t believe this had escaped my mind for such an important trip. My passport was in a safety deposit box at the credit union, which was closed for the weekend. Thoughts ran through my head…“How can I find a credit union employee to let me in? Should I break in? I could explain later.” I called and got the voice mail. There was no after hours emergency number and no “if you forgot your passport today please press 1” option. I decided to search the Delta website for answers.

It looked like a U.S. passport was required for any international travel, even to Canada.  Toronto seemed so close, and yet so far. I remember seeing the city’s famous needle landmark on a trip to Niagra Falls. Couldn’t the friendly Canadians just let me in to play the piano for a few minutes?  I googled “passport Canada travel” and it wasn’t looking good.  A passport was required to re-enter the U.S. I called Delta and they told me to call TSA (Transportation Security Administration). I called TSA and to my astonishment, a message said, “Our office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 to 5.” It was Saturday.  Very embarrassed, I called my transportation contact in Canada. She said there could be a chance I could make it. More embarrassed, I called our public relations contact who had arranged this trip. I had told my wife about my dilemma and she was doubtful.

At 5:15 p.m. I stopped by the dry cleaner to pick up some shirts I was planning to wear in Toronto. My transportation contact called back and said, “you should be okay.”  My last trip out of the country had been in 2008. We were instructed to make a photocopy of our passport. This gave me a glimmer of hope. Maybe if I could show this along with my driver’s license I could make it through. I also found my social security statement and my son’s birth certificate that said I, his father, was born in the United States. I told my wife I at least had to give this a try. I said a prayer and let go for the night.

Sunday morning my wife had volunteered us for the infant nursery at church. My flight was six hours away and the little babies were reminding me to have child-like faith. I thought about how nice it was when I was four months old and didn’t have any worries.  It turned out that our pastor’s sermon was on 1 Samuel 30 and 31, which chronicles some of David’s ups and downs. He said that God is gracious, yet there is no guarantee that all will go well. Great. Would God be gracious to me at the airport?

I said another prayer with my wife and kids and we said our goodbyes. On the 30-minute drive to the airport I decided I would not stop at the Delta counter, but would go directly to the TSA security checkpoint. I had been able to enter my passport number on the Delta website from the photocopy. This allowed me to print my precious boarding pass. I didn’t have any bags to check, only a carry on that could fly free. I reflected on gratitude and peace in the car. There was nothing else I could do.

I stood in the security line, having my passport photocopy and driver’s license out. As I gave them to the young TSA man, I said “I am very embarrassed, but my passport is in my safety deposit box.” He looked things over and said, “You’re okay here. You should be okay there.”  Wow, that was easier than I thought. Shoes off, computer out, empty pockets, smile, say “thank you” and I was in. Now all I had to do was catch the train out to Concourse B to my departure gate.

As I stepped on the subway I had the sense that I was on an adventure that was being written one sentence at a time. It was getting more interesting not knowing what was going to happen in the story, not knowing how it would end. Wham! As I was about to step off the train at the Concourse B stop, a guy swung his luggage over his left shoulder and hit my glasses harder than any time in my life! They went flying to the floor and my vision went blurry. I saw something shiny around my feet as people were walking by and I managed to grab them. I eased off the train just before the doors closed and began to inspect. I had gotten my first pair of glasses at age ten. Along the way you learn that getting your glasses knocked off is one of life’s greatest evils. This pair was only a few months old, my first time with progressive lenses for distance and for reading. They were all I had with me. Somehow they didn’t break. The left nose piece was bent, so I tried to return it to its proper position. As I was doing this, the man who had launched my glasses asked, “Are you okay?” I said, “Yes, I think so” and he walked away. I was ready to say “I forgive you,” but he never said he was sorry. I knew for certain now that this adventure would have some twists and turns.

I gathered myself and made the long walk out to gate B36 at the very end of the concourse. I had made it through checkpoint #1 and had my boarding pass in hand, so I told myself, “Maybe it will be that easy again.” Maybe not. My zone came up for boarding and the lady scanned by boarding pass. Instead of the nice “beep” sound that means “good to go” the screen said “Document Review.” She said “Step to the counter please.” After waiting a few minutes for the gentleman in front of me to finish it was my turn. I repeated my plea from the first TSA checkpoint, “I am very embarrassed, but my passport is in my safety deposit box.” Then I said, “This is an important business trip to Toronto and I am coming back to Atlanta tomorrow. I have a copy of my passport and other I.D. and hoped this would be okay.” She said, “Sir, please stand behind the counter.” I guess I had gotten a little too close to her in calmly making my appeal.  She was typing, typing, typing and a minute or two went by. I was waiting, waiting, waiting, wondering what the next sentence in the story would be. Was I getting on the plane or heading back home? She printed a new boarding pass, scanned it, and said, “You may board now.” I said, “Thank you.”

Wow. What a relief. I experienced a sensation of grace, unmerited favor. God is gracious, yet there is no guarantee that all will go well. So, in this story, I was going to fly into Toronto now, and see if I would be allowed to enter Canada without a passport.  The plane became a symbol of faith in God, and how I cannot get on the plane by being nice, or being good, or having it all together. It is only by grace that I can have a seat on the plane, so to speak.

At Canadian customs I told the young man, “I am very embarrassed, but my passport is in my safety deposit box. I have this copy and other I.D. and am only going to be in Toronto for a day.” He gave me a funny look, like this was a little outside the box from the normal flow of his day and his training. He said, “Things happen,” and sent me to a special review area for conversation with a higher up customs official. This lady looked things over and was surprised I had made it this far. I said, “I am very embarrassed…” and she initialed the customs form that allowed me to enter Canada. Thank you Lord.

I called my shuttle to the hotel to let her know where I was for pick up. Then, as I moved to put my mobile phone back in its holder I bumped my arm and the phone went about two feet in the air. I had moved it to my weaker left hand, and lunged to catch it so it wouldn’t bust into pieces on the concrete below. It was like a hot potato, bouncing up off my left hand about one foot in the air. This happened twice more and I managed to catch it. I shook my head as this adventure continued. It wasn’t as bad as the glasses crash, but I was that close to watching my phone hit the pavement.

All of this became our conversation in the van ride to the hotel. Fear and uncertainty.  Grace and mercy. Adventure and mystery. Faith and trust. Lord, I believe. Help thou my unbelief. It had become clear that this was a story to be told. And it was only half over.

The interview and performance tapings went exceptionally well. It was so affirming to know that I was supposed to be there. That the obstacles I had overcome were for a greater purpose. It is beautiful, wonderful and scary to see our lives as a story being written moment by moment. Embracing the unknown has been hard for me in life, so this was another opportunity to be stretched. Somehow God sees us through each challenge by grace.

I remembered reading online that the real reason you need your passport when going to Canada is to get back into the U.S. This had stayed in the back of my mind, since I wouldn’t have to deal with it until my flight back to Atlanta. Surely I would be allowed to go home.

I wasn’t able to automatically print my boarding pass this time, so I had to go the Delta counter. Since every other passenger had their passport, once again I was the curve ball in the Delta representative’s day. She quietly went about her typing. It felt like there were more key strokes than normal, like notes were being added to my permanent record. Watch out for this Lanier guy. He has the nerve to think he can travel around without his passport. She handed me my boarding pass.
Now I had a 30-minute wait in line at what looked like a serious border patrol station. I wasn’t sure where the actual geographic Canada-United States line was, but this sure looked like it. Again, everyone but me had their passport. There were five customs agents with open stations. I was studying each one, wondering who would be the lucky one to take a swing at my curve ball. It turned out to be Sharma. I went through my “I’m so embarrassed” speech. She said, “Why did you come to Canada without a passport?”  She shook her head and started typing. She pulled out a folder and put several items inside. She directed me to a door on the right that nobody else was going through. I was headed to a special screening room and was thinking, “I am so glad I remembered to leave my key chain pin knife at home.”

There were three guys in the special screening area who didn’t seem to be doing much.  Tanabe, the customs agent I would meet, sighed as I stepped up to the counter. I shared my story of embarrassment and that I was headed back home to Atlanta. He asked me, “You know a photocopy of a passport is not valid, don’t you?” Then he told me to go have a seat. As he began typing he murmured, “I can’t believe those Canadians let you in. I guess we have to let you go back home.” Shaking his head, he gave me my papers and pointed me through the door to the United States.

By this time I had forgotten that one more person stood between me and getting on the plane home. He was the gate boarding agent, asking everyone to have their boarding pass and passport out. Again, I was the only passenger on the entire plane with a photocopy, and for the seventh time on the trip I briefly explained my story. He said, “You’re lucky. Have a nice trip.”

This adventure will always remind me that God is gracious, even though there are no guarantees that all will go well. I was humbled and things were beyond my control. God taught me to be even more thankful for His grace and forgiveness; to be strong and courageous; to embrace fear, mystery, uncertainty, beauty and wonder in life’s journey. To have faith. And of course, to always remember my passport.