Once again, I heard the sweet whisper through the rain. I was out driving late one night when the familiar words started playing over the radio, “I was sure by now, God you would have reached down, and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day. But once again, I say amen, and it’s still raining….”
My mind took me back to where I stood listening to the same song at the Casting Crowns concert years ago. Tears streamed down my face as I sang along in the dark crowded room. For the first time ever, I felt compelled to raise my hands in worship as the song continued, “As the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain, ‘I’m with you.’ And as your mercy falls, I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away….”
Raising my hands in worship was something that I was not used to or had ever been comfortable with, as it was not practiced in my church home. However, as I thought about my current storm that had lasted for many, many years, I could so relate as I sang along, “But once again, I say amen, and it’s still raining.”
I desperately wanted the rain to stop, and I didn’t understand why God didn’t “reach down & save the day.” But I had learned through the storm that God was my only hope. He was the only one who could fix it, and through it all, He was whispering, “I’m with you.”
I couldn’t help but raise my hands as my heart surrendered to the fact that in this storm, God was still God. And though I was tired of fighting, I would continue to look to Him and praise Him…even if the storm never ended.
That particular storm finally did calm down for a while, but it still pops up and rages from time-to-time. The thing that God has taught me though, is that He is always with me no matter what is going on in me or around me. I have learned that He is the only One that I can always count on, and that I should never try to let anyone else take His place as my Rock.
I have endured many other storms besides that one. Some were shorter but more intense. I’m sure there will be worse ones yet to come.
God doesn’t promise to keep us free from trouble. In fact, Jesus says in John 16:33, “…In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Whatever storm you are going through, I hope that you can quiet your heart and hear God’s gentle whisper through the rain; He is with you, and He is working out his very best.
“I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2).
Here’s a link to Casting Crown’s “Praise You in This Storm.” I hope that you can hear God whispering to your heart and that you can sing along.
I wasn’t prepared for the email I received from my boss that Monday morning back in April. The subject line read, “Please join this Zoom meeting in progress.” To say I was panicked would be an understatement.
Because of the Covid-19 threat and our “shelter in place” orders, the staff in our office had been told in March to start working from home as much as possible. I was very well-prepared for this. My files are all accessible online, and most of my job as a Pastoral Care Associate can be done from my cell phone and laptop.
I had already been faithfully working for hours that day. However, I went straight to work that morning IN MY PAJAMAS. I was not prepared for a video chat.
You might be thinking to yourself that I could have just thrown on a shirt and joined the meeting. But, being in my pajamas also meant that I hadn’t put my makeup on, and this lady DOES NOT make public appearances without her makeup on.
There was no time to get myself ready. I ran around until I found a gift sack. I tried putting it over my head, but it was too small. What could I do?!
I finally found a pink paper plate and cut out two slits just large enough to see through. I drew on a smile, pretending that all was well. Prideful? Yes! Childish? Absolutely! I was the product of desperation.
I hurried as fast as I could, but by the time I clicked the link to the meeting, it was invalid. I was too late.
I was reminded the next night when our family was reading in Matthew 24-25, of another important meeting that every single one of us is going to be called into one day. Jesus was talking about a day when He will return. He said that He will return at a time when we don’t expect it. Those He finds living for Him will be welcomed to spend eternity with Him in heaven, but those who are caught off guard will be sent into eternal punishment.
With the Covid 19 pandemic, the rioting, the political upset and everything that our nation has been experiencing as a result, I have heard comments that “the end is near.” We cannot know for sure when Jesus will return, but we should be living as if it could be any minute. Are you prepared? Are you living for Him and sharing the hope of the Gospel with those around you who are not prepared? One day, it will be too late.
It’s Not the Place That is Important…. Family Easter Gathering via Zoom
It’s not the place that is important. What’s important is the event.
This Easter has been very different. Over the years, I have always looked forward to putting on my “Easter dress” and going to church to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. After church, I have always gotten together for brunch with my parents, my siblings and our families. That is the way it has been since the year I was born—put on my Easter dress, go to church, get together with my family.
This year was different. I didn’t put on an Easter dress. I didn’t go to a church building. I didn’t gather with my family for brunch.
It was very strange for all the churches to be closed due to the Covid-19 “quarantine.” However, Christians all around the world were able to celebrate together live via online services. My family sang along, listened to the message, visited via online chatting and even had oyster crackers and grape juice for communion.
The quarantine also kept our extended family from gathering under one roof for our annual Easter brunch, but we were all able to see each other and visit through an online session using Zoom. All twenty-two of us plus two dogs and a cat shared the screen talking, singing and laughing.
It’s not the place that is important. What’s important is the event. The first time I heard this phrase was in Israel.
“The Garden Tomb” is one of the places my husband and I visited recently in Israel
One of the places that my husband and I visited on our recent trip to Israel was “The Garden Tomb.” The tomb which was actually found by accident, fits the description the Bible gives of the tomb where Jesus was buried. We know that Jesus was taken to Golgotha for his crucifixion. Mark 15:22-24 says, “They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him….” Just beside the site of this garden tomb we visited, is a rock face called Skull Hill (or Golgotha).
Just beside the site of the garden tomb we visited, is a rock face called “Skull Hill” or “Golgotha.” You can see the skull just left of the center of the photo.
We also know that Jesus was buried in a garden tomb near the place of His crucifixion. “At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.” (John 19:41-42). Not only is this tomb near Golgotha, there is a winepress near the tomb indicating a vineyard or garden.
This wine press close to the tomb indicates not only that the tomb was in a vineyard or garden but also that the owner was rich
The fact that there is a wine press nearby would also indicate that the owner was rich. Matthew writes, “As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away” (Matthew 27:57-59).
The Garden Tomb
Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell us that there was a rolling stone that closed the opening of the tomb. The garden tomb that we visited has a shaft in place for a rolling stone. To the left of the opening of the tomb, we find a metal pin embedded into the rock which was used to seal the stone in place and keep it from rolling.
The red circle in the upper left section of the photo marks the remnant of the metal pin still embedded in the outside wall of the tomb
Though the Garden Tomb we visited has many similarities as the tomb described in the Bible, we cannot be certain that this tomb is the actual place where Jesus was laid after he died on the cross. But again, it’s not the place that is important. What’s important is the event and the fact that Jesus body is not there. He is risen! He is alive!
The body of Jesus is no longer in the tomb. He is risen! He is alive!
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’” ~John 11:25-26
What about you? Do you believe?
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.”
I believe! Thank you, Jesus, for dying in my place and rising from the dead so that I can have eternal life through you!
Standing in The Garden Tomb, forever thankful that Jesus died in my place and rose again from the dead so that I can have eternal life in Him
Nothing to Fear! Praising God at the Valley of the Shadow of Death
I decided I had nothing to fear. I was blessed with the opportunity
to visit Israel last month. I admit that I had a few fears that I faced in deciding
whether or not to go. After lots of prayer, I decided to trust God and go.
On day six of the trip, our bus drove down a long and
winding road with hairpin turns through the Judean desert. I could see drop-offs
out the window. After several miles, we backed into a “wide” area on the side
of the road to turn around so that we could exit the bus on the opposite side
of the road. I held my breath, trusting we would not go over the edge as the
back wheels of our bus neared the brink of the cliff.
Double-rainbow over cross at the top of the hill
The first thing I saw as I stepped down from the bus was a double-rainbow brightening the dark sky above a cross at the top of the hill. Pretty little flowers poked out between the rocks beneath my feet. God had painted a beautiful scene to greet us!
Pretty flowers poking out from the rocks
When the rainbow started to fade, I carefully ventured closer
to the edge of the steep drop-off. The valley below was deep and hard to see
into. I could hear the water below before I could see it.
Across the valley, I could see St. George’s Monastery built
into a cliff of the Judean Mountains. Little dots moved about on the mountainside
above and to the left of the monastery. A
closer look through my zoom lens revealed that the dots were a shepherd and his
sheep.
St. George’s Monastery on the right edge of photo; sheep grazing on the center mountain topA shepherd and his sheep (a little pixelated through my zoom lens)
My senses were heightened. Physically, I could feel the wind. Spiritually, I felt the presence of God. Emotionally, I felt a wonderful peace.
I stood in awe, taking in all that I heard, saw and felt. I had prayed before I ever left home that God would open my eyes on this trip to see what He wanted me to see so that I could share those things with others. This was one of those moments that He really went above and beyond what I ever could have imagined. God was allowing me to not just read the words of Psalm 23 (as our group did together), but to also see, hear and feel Psalm 23.
Experiencing the peace of Psalm 23
“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want” (Ps.
23:1). I can call the Lord my shepherd because I have a personal relationship
with Him. Jesus says in John 10:14-16, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep
and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay
down my life for the sheep.”
Because the Lord is my shepherd, I have nothing to fear. He
cares about me so much, that He laid down His life for me. He knows what is
best for me and provides everything I need; I lack nothing. I trust Him for my
daily bread, for wisdom, for guidance, for my salvation and peace.
“He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside
quiet waters, he restores my soul.” (Ps. 23:2-3a). “Quiet waters” literally
means “waters of resting places.” I sat down on the side of the mountain
listening to the water while meditating and praying. My soul was at rest in
this peaceful setting, and my heart exploded with joy. I could have stayed for
hours, and I still long to return to that place.
“He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake”
(Ps. 23:3b). My prayer for the past year had been for absolute surrender to God,
and that He would move any mountain standing in my way of serving Him. I know
that I can trust in His name as He leads me, for His way is perfect.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil for you are with me” (Ps. 23:4a). Jesus told us, “In
this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”
(John 16:33b). I have walked through dark valleys, and I know that I will face
more of them. No matter what darkness lies ahead, no matter how hard the enemy attacks,
I have nothing to fear. The Good Shepherd will walk with me through the darkest
valley, even death.
“Your rod and your staff they comfort me” (Ps. 23:4b). Just
as a shepherd uses his rod and staff to fight off wolves and to pull his sheep
back when they wander in the wrong direction, so Jesus does the same with me.
He defends me and helps me fight against the enemy. He guides me and helps me get
back on track when I get distracted.
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows (Ps. 23:5). He welcomes me into His presence as an honored guest as my enemies watch but are unable to keep me from this magnificent feast He has prepared. He anoints me and blesses me overflowing in ways far greater than I could ever ask or imagine.
“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever (Ps. 23:6). The word “follow” literally means “pursue.” That’s what Jesus does; He pursues me with His goodness and love. He died for me and pursues me so that I can dwell in His house forever! I am His, and He is mine for eternity!
Standing at the Valley of the Shadow of Death
I will forever remember when I walked along the edge of “the
Valley of the Shadow of Death” in the Judean Mountains. Those memories will
come alive every time I read the 23rd Psalm. I know the Good Shepherd,
and He knows me. The God of the universe, the King of Kings, is my Shepherd,
and I shall not want. He gives me peaceful rest and restores my soul. He leads
me and guides me in the right path as I trust in His great name. I have nothing
to fear, not even death, for He walks with me through the darkest valley. He
blesses me overflowing in ways far greater than I need or deserve. His goodness
and love pursues me wherever I go; He will never let go of me. In His Father’s house
are many rooms, and He is preparing a place for me where I will dwell in the house
of the Lord forever!
If you are part of the Good Shepherd’s flock, let Him lead you
beside the still waters and restore your soul. Let Him guide you in the right
path; you have nothing to fear.
If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus but
want Him to be your Shepherd too, talk to one of us who follow Him. Or, simply
talk to Him yourself. He is a good, good shepherd who lays down His life for
His sheep.
“For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only
Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John
3:16).
They spread the word. I thought about the shepherds in Luke chapter 2 as I opened a Christmas card from my friends in Belgium tonight.
They spread the word. God sent an angel to announce the birth of Jesus, the Messiah that God’s people had been waiting on for hundreds of years. God didn’t choose to reveal this exciting news to the priests or religious leaders who were familiar with the words he had spoken through the prophets. Instead, God chose some ordinary shepherds who were out in the field keeping watch over their flocks at night.
“Do not be afraid,” the angel said to them. “I bring you
good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of
David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign
to you: You will find a baby wrapped in
cloths and lying in a manger.”
The shepherds rushed off to Bethlehem to see for
themselves the things the Lord had told them about through the angel.
Everything was just as they had heard.
Luke recorded how this impacted not only the shepherds but
those who the shepherds shared the news with, “When they had seen him, they
spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all
who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them…. The shepherds
returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and
seen, which were just as they had been told” (Luke 2:17-18 & 20).
I love the 2nd chapter of Luke that tells
about the miraculous birth of Jesus. I can only imagine what it was like for the
shepherds as the glory of God shined around them on that dark night. I can just
picture them racing off to see for themselves and then finding themselves in
awe that the Savior had really been born. What an honor it must have been to
have received this news straight from God and to have the opportunity to visit God’s
Son.
My heart is filled with joy when I read that they spread
the word and that all who heard it were amazed. The shepherds didn’t keep this
news to themselves; they had to share it.
I thought about those ordinary shepherds as I opened a
Christmas card tonight from my friends Hary and Janee’ who are serving God in
Belgium. Janee’ is just an ordinary woman who grew up in a tiny town here in the
Midwest, and Hary is an ordinary guy from Syria who works part-time as a welder.
The spiritual battle rages in their Muslim community, and
the government sometimes makes ministry difficult. But despite one of their
partners being thrown into jail for five months this year and despite the challenges
they face to simply gather to worship, they spread the word about Jesus.
They spread the word because of the things they have heard
and seen. They share the Good News because they know that Jesus is the Savior
and that life is found in him. They spread the word because of the impact that
Jesus has made on their lives and their desire for others to know the love, joy,
hope, salvation and peace that is found in him alone.
Those who experience Jesus cannot keep from sharing the
ways in which he has blessed them. They spread the word just like the
shepherds. Who do you know who needs to hear about the hope that comes through
Jesus? Go spread the word!
“For nothing is impossible with God.” The powerful words
leaped off the page.
Since Advent began on December 1 this year, and the book
of Luke has 24 chapters, I decided to read a chapter of Luke each evening of
Advent and go back to chapter 2 (the birth of Jesus) on Christmas day. Luke’s
introduction of the book makes it clear that Luke had “carefully investigated
everything from the beginning” and wanted to write an orderly account to tell
the truth about Jesus. His writings would confirm the teachings of the apostles
who had been with Jesus up to his death, burial, resurrection and ascension.
And so it seems a good book to study and meditate on through this season that
celebrates the birth of Jesus.
As I attentively read through Luke chapter 1, many things
caught my attention, but the words in verse 37 burned in my heart, “For nothing
is impossible with God.”
I read through the chapter again. God was doing some seemingly impossible things for sure. First of all, an angel appeared to Zechariah to let him know that his prayer had been heard, that Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth would have a son and that they were to name him, “John.” Zechariah didn’t understand how this could be. He and his wife were both old.
Not only would Elizabeth give birth in her old age, the
baby would be very important. He would be filled with the Holy Spirit, even
from his mother’s womb. He would be a joy to many as he would go before the
Lord to prepare their hearts for his arrival.
Elizabeth’s pregnancy of this special baby wasn’t the
only seemingly impossible thing that God was doing in chapter 1. An angel
appeared again in the chapter, but this time to a young woman named Mary, a
virgin who was pledged to be married.
The angel spoke to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have
found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you
are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of
the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he
will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
Mary didn’t understand how this could happen since she was
a virgin. So, the angel explained, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the
power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be
called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in
her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing
is impossible with God.”
For nothing is impossible with God. He can open the womb of a barren woman. He can cause a virgin to conceive a child by the power of the Holy Spirit. And greater still, He can raise a man to life and save man for eternity.
God sent his Son, Jesus to fulfill what he had spoken through the Old Testament prophets. Jesus would be the Messiah God’s people had been waiting for.
You see, God is holy and perfect; he can’t tolerate sin.
He created man in his image. However, man sinned when he chose to disobey God.
The punishment for sin is death, eternal separation from God. We can’t fix that separation on our own.
Matthew, Mark and Luke all touched on this when they wrote about a rich man who later came to Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. The man claimed to have kept God’s commandments and wondered what else he needed to do. Jesus told him to go sell his belongings and then come back to follow him. The man sadly walked away because of his wealth.
The disciples questioned Jesus about this, “Who then can
be saved?” they asked. Jesus replied, “With man this is impossible, but with
God all things are possible.
There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. Only God can give us salvation. We are saved by the grace he extends through Jesus. God sent Jesus, the promised Messiah, to pay the price for our sin.
The baby growing inside Mary’s womb by the power of the
Holy Spirit was Jesus. He was born of a virgin just as the Old Testament said.
He was both God and man. While he lived here on earth, he was tempted in every
way just like we are. However, he did not sin. He lived a perfect life, and the
blood he shed for us when he died on the cross paid the price for all of our
sin.
Jesus conquered death when God raised him from the dead, and because of his great sacrifice, his death and his resurrection, we too can live. Do you understand this? We were given the death sentence because of our sin. There was nothing we could do to make things right. Salvation was impossible for us, but salvation is possible with God, for nothing is impossible for God!
When we realize our sinfulness and cry out to Jesus to
save us, he will. When we accept God’s gift of grace, God sends the Holy Spirit
to live in us, to guide us and transform us. The Holy Spirit gives us the desire
to do things God’s way instead of ours.
No one is out of God’s reach. He is able to transform any heart that is willing to surrender to his will. For nothing is impossible with God, and that’s the best news ever!
The first day of advent is today! We light the “Prophecy Candle” or “Candle of Hope,” and remember both the fulfilled prophecy of Jesus’ birth and the prophecy of his second coming, for which we continue to wait and hope for.
December can be a pretty hectic month! The calendar can get
pretty full with Christmas programs, parties and family gatherings. Our to do
list can get pretty long with decorating our homes, sending Christmas cards,
shopping for gifts, baking cookies and cleaning our houses for guests. Our
schedules can get pretty tight leaving little time for enjoying our families,
resting our worn bodies or reflecting on the actual miracle of Christmas
itself. We must remember the reason we celebrate.
Today is the first day of the Advent season, a time to
remember when God’s people were awaiting the birth of the Messiah who would
save us from our sins. Advent is also a time for us to anticipate Jesus’ second
coming when He will return to take us home.
My prayer for each of you is that during the hustle and
bustle of the season, you will keep your focus on Jesus. I pray that you will
reflect on Him, be aware of His presence, become overwhelmed by His love, grow
closer to Him and experience His peace and hope. As you excitedly prepare to
celebrate His birth, I pray that you will also anxiously anticipate the day
that He will return again to take us home.
Don’t let yourself get too caught up in thinking you have to
stick to every Christmas tradition in effort to make the day special for your
family. We can easily miss the beauty of the season when we go overboard in
decorating, shopping, gift wrapping, baking, cleaning and involving ourselves
in every single program and party that pops up.
Keep things simple, reflect on Jesus, the Greatest Gift of all.
Remember how He left the comforts of heaven to be born in a stable. Be thankful
that He lived a sinless life and took the punishment for our sins by dying on
the cross in our place. Focus on His love, goodness, mercy and grace. Share the
Good News with others. Anxiously wait for His return.
Throughout the Advent season, may your life be full because
your focus is on Jesus and all that He is, yet simple because He is all you
need. We must remember that He is the reason.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the
government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” ~Isaiah 9:6
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only
Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For
God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the
world through Him” ~John 3:16-17
This man was different. A man like him would never associate with a woman like her. Yet, not only did he speak to her, he asked her for a drink.
This
man was different. A man like him would never associate with a woman like her. Yet,
not only did he speak to her, he asked her for a drink.
She
longed to be loved. She turned from one man to the next, but nothing ever
lasted. And then, he came along. They had never met, yet he knew everything
about her, her darkest secrets and her deepest desires. Still, he didn’t look
down on her. He didn’t shun her. He would never had joined in the whispering as
she walked by on the street.
Yes,
this man was different. For he saw through her imperfections and brokenness; he
offered her the most perfect unconditional love that she had ever known. This
man didn’t want to take anything from her except for her hurt, her sin, her
shame…. He wanted to help her by giving her a joy, a hope, a love, a peace, a
life that would last forever.
She
questioned how he, a Jew, could ask her, a Samaritan, for a drink. He replied, “If
you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you or a drink, you would have
asked him and he would have given you living water.”
She
wondered where he could get this water when the well they stood at was so deep
and he had nothing to draw water with. He answered, “Everyone who drinks this water
will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never
thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water
welling up to eternal life.”
“Sir,
give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to
draw water,” she said to him.
He
knew though, that she needed so much more quenched than her physical thirst for
water. She didn’t realize her need for living water to satisfy her spirit.
He
told her to go get her husband and come back, but she replied that she had no
husband. “You are right when you say you have no husband,” he said to her. “The
fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your
husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
She
thought him a prophet and began to ask questions of the correct place to worship
since the proper place to worship was not agreed upon by the Jews and
Samaritans. Again, the man spoke of something more important than the physical
realm. “A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship
the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father
seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
Then
he revealed himself to her as the Messiah, the Christ. Jesus himself was
speaking to this woman who lived a life of shame.
His
disciples returned from an errand they had been running, and the conversation
was interrupted. The woman went back to town, leaving her water jar behind, but
she didn’t run away in shame. She left excited to tell everyone about the man
who knew everything about her and who had revealed himself to her as the
Messiah.
She
brought the people to Jesus, and he agreed to their request to stay a couple of
days. When the people heard the words that Jesus spoke, many of them believed in
him as the Savior of the world.
You
can read this beautiful love story in John 4:1-42, and you too can accept His
invitation to drink and be satisfied.
We
have a deep desire that can’t be satisfied by anything here on earth because we
were made for something more. What are you trying to quench that thirst with? If you’re tired of drinking only to be thirsty
again, drink of him.
He
knows everything about you, yet he still loves you and wants to reveal himself
to you as the Savior of the world. When you accept his gift of forgiveness and
surrender to his Lordship, his Spirit will dwell in you. Your life will be
forever changed as the Spirit gives you wisdom, strength, peace, transformation
and hope of eternal life in a perfect place with the perfect Savior who loves
you more perfectly than anyone ever could.
How has your encounter with Jesus
affected you, and what impact has that encounter made on the lives of others?
So many are thirsty for something they don’t even know exists. Share the Good
News with them so they too can drink the water he gives. Help them to know this
man who is different.
My cape is at the dry cleaners. I dropped it off over Christmas break last year and just haven’t been able to pick it up.
It’s been nearly three months since I published my last blog
post, (eighty-five days to be exact), and it’s been killing me that I haven’t
written. I love to write and create!
Since today marks the second anniversary of my first blog post,
I couldn’t resist resurfacing if only for a brief moment. I had faithfully
posted at least once a week for twenty-two consecutive months, and I posted
every single day for Advent season two years in a row. So, this slump I’ve been
in since Christmas has been driving me crazy. How has this even happened when I
love blogging so much?!
Last summer, one of the ministers I work with mentioned in a
staff meeting that our church was going to start the “Discipleship Training
Institute” (DTI class). This pilot program they were getting ready to offer
would be like taking college level Bible classes such as Old Testament Survey
and New Testament Survey. I knew it was something I needed to do; I could feel
it in my heart.
It didn’t make sense to take the class because I was already
juggling too many activities in this season of my life. I was working full time
in a church, and though office hours are 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM Monday through
Thursday (plus Sunday), ministry often needs to take place outside those
limited hours. My husband and I were also leading a high school life group in
our home, and I was faithfully writing a blog each week and creating designs
for my Etsy store that offers Christian greeting cards and gifts. Then, there were
all of those many things that we women must do to take care of our families and
homes.
I prayed what I always pray when my schedule gets too full
and I want to take on something new, “Lord, what am I doing that is of you, and
what am I doing that is simply my idea? What would you like me to continue, and
what can I drop? What are ‘You’ calling me to do?”
Normally, when I pray those things, God makes it clear to me
what I need to let go of. Yet, this time, I couldn’t’ hear an answer.
I talked to my husband and kids. My husband was not too keen
on me giving up the housework, my least favorite thing to do. Ha! Since that idea
didn’t work, it seemed that the logical thing to do would be to give up my
blogging and Etsy store. They were taking a lot of my time but weren’t really
flourishing. However, when I mentioned letting those things go, my wonderful
husband said, “I think you need to give it more time,” and my kids said, “But,
Mom, that’s what you love to do.”
So, I decided that I would take the classes, prioritize
everything else and see what fell. I did well for a while. I combined my
homework and blog for my writing assignments. That worked well for about five
weeks until my assignments changed. After that, I began to struggle in my
writing. I made it through Advent by tweaking many of my previous Advent posts
and adding a few totally new Advent posts when inspiration hit. I made it
through Christmas day, and anticipated my traditional New Year post which is
one of my favorites to write.
For the last four or five years, I have spent New Year’s Eve
reflecting on the year that had passed and seeing where God might be leading me
or challenging me for the New Year. However, when I reminisced over the entries
I had written down each day on my 2018 blessings calendar and read through my
2018 journal entries, I was sad because I couldn’t see much fruit.
I had certainly been busy. I was even spending my time on “good
things!” Yet, somehow, something wasn’t right. It was then that my blogging
fell apart.
Reluctantly, I decided to take a week off and sort things
out, but I was in no better shape the next week. For several weeks, I would
think to myself, “This is the week I will write again!” I’d even get some great
ideas… but, the words wouldn’t come. My mind was jumbled. After two months, I
started wondering if I would ever write again.
During this season of being a bit silent, I have been taking more time to listen for the quiet whisper of the One who has all the answers. It took a while for me to hear anything because my mind was too cluttered. Slowly but with His perfect timing as always, God began to unclutter my mind and untangle my heart. I have been learning some things about myself that I don’t like, but they are things that need addressed. This is both good and necessary if I am going to move forward.
I have many dreams and goals, and I often feel a need to
make things happen “right now.” But sometimes, we have to let God do some work
inside us before we can proceed with those dreams. Sometimes, we have to let
the Holy Spirit produce His fruit in us rather than through us.
Hopefully, I can share more about these things soon, but for
now, I am taking life one day at a time and trying to work on the things that
God has brought to my attention. I am thankful that God didn’t let me get too
far off course before wooing me back close.
I’d rather live each moment exactly where God wants me to be than to rush ahead and miss out on His blessings. And so, for now, my cape is at the dry cleaners, and I’m not quite sure when I will pick it up. I’m anxious to see what God’s plans are! Whatever would we do without Him? He knows us better than we know ourselves. All praise to Him, always!
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“Oh. come let us adore
Him. Oh, come let us adore Him. Oh, come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!”
On Christmas day we light
the white Advent Candle which represents purity and light. Jesus is pure and
sinless. Those who receive Him as their Savior are washed of their sins and
made whiter than snow.
The white Advent candle represents purity and light. Jesus is pure and sinless. Those who receive Him as their Savior are washed of their sins and made whiter than snow.
“’She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’)” (Matthew 1:21-23).
“’Come now, let us settle the matter,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are
like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool’” (Isaiah 1:18).
In Jesus, we find comfort,
strength, joy, hope, peace, salvation, life, eternal life…. His love is pure, unconditional
and perfect. Let us praise Him, worship Him and adore Him today. He is worthy.
Merry Christmas! I pray that your Christmas will be full because your focus is on
Jesus and all that He is, yet simple because He is all you need.
