This Bud's for you

I think it might have been the best one yet.  Of course, I say that every year.  God doesn’t need a marketing campaign but God had one last night.  A horse, a farmer, Stevie Nicks, Paul Harvey, Ray Lewis, the Sandy Hook Elementary School chorus, Dodge and Budweiser all lined up to declare one right after another, that after all is said and done, God does what God does best and that is being good.  God is good still. 

I think my favorite was the horse, though, followed closely by the farmer.  God made horses, cows, farmers, football players, musicians, trucks, wives, mothers, children, footballs, confetti, Doritos, beer, trainers, quiet people, cooks, commentators and God said it was good.  At the end of the day, it was all good. (Well, godaddy.com, not so much and maybe not so much if you were a 49er fan).  

So God took his love and took it down.  We climbed the mountains and turned around and saw God’s reflection in the snow covered hills and it is usually a landslide that brings us down.  We forget sometimes that the mirror in the sky is love.  We forget sometimes to let the child within our hearts to rise above.  We forget that we sail through all the changing tides of the ocean because of the love of God.  We forget sometimes that in all the seasons of our lives, God is somewhere between hope, regret, getting older, being afraid to change and that in the midst of all of that, God built a life around us.  And on some days, God shows up on sidelines watching us parade around and wonders, did we forget?  And on rarer days still after God has looked at us just long enough to be happy that we are growing up, we get a hold of ourselves and realize almost too late, that it was God that loved us enough to let us go and made us who we are.  We remember the long nights that God slept by us in a barn till we were strong enough to stand on our own.  We remember the days that God let us run ahead of him to give us the courage to know we can do this.  We remember the days that God was there just to rub our heads and to remind us that we are always loved and held.   And we turn and see our old friend again standing on the sidelines just smiling.  Our old friend just wanted to see us for a moment to know that we are good.

I don’t know if Budweiser wanted us to go hug a horse, buy a beer, give thanks to those who have gotten us this far, always embrace change or remember how loved we really are.  I don’t know if Dodge wants us to hug a farmer, buy a truck, listen to radio, buy organic, embrace our American roots and heritage, or  eat more meals at home.

But one thing the marketing gurus did say (intentionally or not), in the midst of it all last night, was tying heartstrings together matter.  God needs somebody to keep on loving when it makes no sense because that is what love does.  God needs somebody with the patience and the willingness to hurt because the suffering need someone to come up along side of him or her. God needs someone to see that grace can be cultivated everywhere.

All is grace,

Budweiser
Clydesdales
Football
Trucks
Farmers
Doritos
Children singing
Chili
Homemade butter
Commercials

When you need a feel good moment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPG7PcI67dE