Advent Thoughts

Advent is coming to a close, and my heart has been preparing for Christ to come anew. The weeks of planning, and days of preparation are now mostly done. The tree is trimmed and the house is decorated with familiar Christmas things... the frig is filled with food, gifts lovingly wrapped and under the tree....it is almost time for all the kids to come "home for the holidays!" How I love having the "kids" home to celebrate Christmas! I was praying this morning, giving thanks for God's blessings on our family, and praying that our home would be filled with His presence as we gather together to celebrate the birth of Christ. All of our gifts and traditions are an expression of the joy and love that He first gave us. I can't wait to share all of this with them. It all starts with worship on Christmas Eve, and the remembering of the story...giving thanks for the gift so generously given.
Matthew 2:9-11
“9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.”

Open My Heart to Jesus

     Each morning this Christmas season, I have pondered whether or not I am giving room to Jesus in my day.  As I read my advent devotional, the details of my day crowded in.....the responsibilities at school, the people I wanted to contact, the Christmas to-dos at school, for family, for friends.  Then, in my car, the music of worship, wooing my mind to be more yielding to your mind for it all, God. More asking you to take over and bring your priorities into my day...making more room for Jesus.  Now, the gift of vacation time, and more time to spend with family and friends....time to focus on the shopping and wrapping and planning.  Still, where is Jesus in it?  Is Jesus in the extra smile, the extra kindness to a stranger, the touch sent to a friend?  Is Jesus in the gift bag given to a homeless man on the corner, or a shoebox of gifts shipped to Peru?  Is Jesus in my heart as I consider how to share His message with an unbelieving friend? As I celebrate the birth with my family?  Is it enough?
      How can I ever put into words what you mean to me?  Loving Father.  Abba, Daddy.  Rabboni, Teacher.  Saving Grace.  Friend and Counselor.  You are my life, my deepest everything, my foundation.  You make me whole, you transform me, you stretch me, you grow me.  You put hope in my heart, you calm my mind, you quiet my hurts, and you light up my life. After so many years of loving you, how can I begin to share the complexity of all you have done in me and through me?
     Your answer is simple, Father God.  Your answer is a babe, announced by angels, born humbly, and welcomed by the marginalized shepherds.  Loved, adored, worshiped, despised and denied, He grew to teach of that love and share that love with us...the first Chritmas gift, sacrificial, the unearned gift of grace. Is our heart open to receive?  Are we stuck on establishing if the turnin is scientifically proven to be real? Does it matter? Faith is the key to open the heart, and joy is the gift.  May we be the child, eager to receive the gift of love and grace once again. May the shine on our face be like an angel, sharing the message of that love with everyone we meet today. 

Hope in Tough Times

Lord, as we approach tomorrow and the holiday of Thanksgiving, there are many who cry out for help, from the place of despair. Bad news comes at us from all directions. The whole world is filled with conflict and economic depression. Families in our towns struggle to meet their physical and emotional needs. For many, there seems to be no hope. Others of us are blessed with warm homes and food on the table. Some of us have homes filled with reminders of your love. I thank you, Lord, for the abundance that is mine. I pray that you will use what I have to reach out to others. I pray that you will use the love you have given me to shine your light to others, both near and far. You have a purpose here, Lord. Let your Word speak. Let it do your work:

Psalm 4
6 "There are many who say, 'Who will show us some good?
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!'
7 You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.
8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety."

Grateful

Lord, Jesus, I am grateful.  My thankful heart overflows with gratitude for all you have done in my life,  the blessings you have given, the grace you have offered, and the availability of your presence to me. You have opened my heart to worship you, which is the greatest joy of my life, and you have given me the desires of my heart.  Yet, I was made to live for you, and I am an infant in that.  During this time of thanksgiving and this advent season, I pray you will continue to open my heart to others.  Open my eyes to see those around me, so that I reflect your love and your acceptance. May I show justice more and more every day in your world. Heal my heart. Restore my broken image of myself, so that I have the vision to see others as you would see them.
Mark 32-33 "The scribe said to Him, 'Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that He is one, and there is no one else besides Him; and to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength,  and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.'”

Speaking Without Stopping

Back to School Night is finally over, and the basic organizational pieces are in place in Room 13! I have stayed home today to breathe deeply and rest my way out of a little illness. With the giftt of time, after the season of busyness (ok, craziness!!) I finally took the time to listen to a CD sermon from August, that I picked up a couple of weeks ago. I am inspired by the words of the apostles, "We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard," and the call to action. I ask your prayers, now that my days may come back to equilibrium, Lord, that I would thirst for getting into the Word on a daily basis again, and that I, too, will be unable to stop speaking about what I have seen and heard. Thinking about serving and surrendering to Him, is so different from actually prioritizing it and doing it! I know what I am to do, yet I do not do it, letting myself be trapped by the duties of the day. Lord, do what only you can do, in me. "Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant, Jesus." Acts 4:29-30

Singing to Jesus

"Sing to Jesus, Lord of our shame
Lord of our sinful hearts.
He is our great Redeemer.
Sing to Jesus, Honor His name.
Sing of His faithfulness, pouring His life out unto death

Come you weary and He will give you rest
Come you who mourn, lay on His breast
Christ who died, risen in Paradise
Giver of mercy, Giver of Life"
(by Fernando Ortega) 

Lord, my redeemer and life, how I need you!   I fail to do the things you want me to do, and I do the things I ought not do!  I take my own path, spending my hours and days as I would have them.  I fail to give you my time....even when I think I am!  I decieve myself. Your blessings on my life are so many and so rich.  I thank you for time to rest and gather my strength, and for time with my family. I thank you for my husband and his faithfulness to me.  I praise you, Lord. I long for you...you who are always here.

Trust

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him , and He will make your path straight." Wondrous Lord, please help me turn my will over to you. I insist on my way. I want to manipulate the circumstances of my future. I fight for my relevance in this world, when I have such a precious place in you.   I am the salt of your earth. I am the light of your world. Help me to trust that I am valuable because of You. Help me drop my cloak of useless thoughts and and beliefs. Erase my anxieties about the future by overpowering me with your love and presence today. You alone are mighty. You alone are the power. You are soverign. You are generous with your grace, and your love knows no end. Help me to rest in you, and trust in your provision for today and for every today in the future. Thank you, Father God.

Pressing on through Anxiety

"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Phillipians 3:13b-14
Lord, this is my call.  And I thank you for Paul, who exemplifies what it is to live in you. His words guide us as we, like him, strive to live the Christ life.  His prison walls are mirrored in the prison of our minds, where worries and anxieties take hold.  Lord, with all of the blessings and joys that fall on me from You, why do anxieties have a foothold?  Day to day troubles that have no lasting damage, prayers of intercession that carry through the day, little relationship issues that bother...pile up and land in my stomach, run through my mind. I am so thankful to You, God for your Word, and there I head now.  I pray your words will inscribe themselves on my heart and mark my day.  Thank you, Father.

Giver of Life

"My World is filled with beautiful things that point to Me, reminders of my abiding Presence.  The earth still declares My Glory to those who have eyes that see and ears that hear."  Sara Young, Jesus Calling.
Psalm 105.4 "Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his Name; make known his deeds among the peoples." Lord, Thank you for this scripture and this reading, right on the heels of my seeing "The Tree of Life.." Your beauty is unfathomable, and the details of our life are so small, yet still under your Grace.  You treasure us as a parent adores a growing child.  I praise you for this life giving movie, which is a clear reflection of your abundance and benevolence.  We wrestle with you....our will against yours, our control against your grace, our anguish questioning  your sovereignty. Your love and grace cover all.  We stand amazed and humbled.  You have the saving plan. Thank you Father.

Blessed is Your Name

God of one power, but many names, hear my prayer...Elohim, The Creator; El Elyon, The God Most High; El Roi, God Who Sees; El Shaddai, The all-Suficient One; Adonai, Lord and Master; Yahweh, Lord; Jehovah-jireh, The Lord Will Provide; El Olam, The Everlasting God. Who can fathom your greatness?  Not I, Lord. I can feel your awesome power at times, yet at other times it seems so far away.  Lord, today I so fully feel your blessing on our family, and I have much to be thankful for.  We have  a new baby about to join us, great jobs, comfortable homes, wonderful families, rich faith, and a love for you and one another.  We have much to celebrate! Yet, Lord, several of my dear friends in Christ endure a time of suffering.  Blessed by you in so many ways, their circumstances of suffering are long and requiring extreme perseverence.  I thank you for the song you gave me to sing through my days, as I remember each of them:
Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name
Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name
Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name"
by Matt Redmond

Sheep

“‘For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.'" Ezekiel 34:11-12 Father God, how I thank you for this promise. Thank you for bringing this scripture to my attention on the morning I awoke from disturbing dreams. How precious to know that you seek us out and you care for each one of us, like a shepherd his sheep. These are troubling days, Lord, and all I know to do is to stay fixed on you ... and to pray. So many people close to me need answers to prayer, so Lord I call on you, and wait for your answers for them, as well as for my own. You are trusted. You are holy. You are a caring God, and Lord I long to live in obedience to your will for my life. I praise your magnificent and powerful name. In Christ I pray!

Our Jars of Clay

2 Corinthians 4:6-7: "For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."
Precious Lord, Thank you for your amazing, lavish grace. Because of your love for me, I will boast of my wekanesses.  Where all the holes in my ability to be God's face show up, He, the face of Jesus, shines through.  Lord, use my holes, myu lapses and failing words as places you make yourself and your glory known to others. Let this idea guide me, be my dialogue with you, and my prayer.  Thank you, Father.

Holy Week

John 20:16 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). Dear Lord, it is during this wondrous Holy Week, that we turn to you once again to have the blinders pulled off of our eyes. We see a vision of you, standing there in our midst, yet unrecognized by us. Unseen. You are patiently, gently, waiting for us to call out to you. And, how often we repeat this story! Lord this year, let your call resonate deep within us. Open our ears to hear you, our eyes to take in the majesty of your Holy light. Move us to kneel at your feet and reach out to touch your garment. Stir us into prayer and take over our daily lives. We are nothing without you, Lord. You are our breath and our provision. Teach us your ways, Oh Lord. "But now, this is what the Lord says - he who created you,....'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.'" Isaiah 43:1

Imperfections

Jeremiah 25:7 “But you did not listen to me,” declares the LORD, “and you have aroused my anger with what your hands have made, and you have brought harm to yourselves.” Lord, how you love us! Though we are imperfect, you searched us out and called us to be yours. You sent your son to forgive us and the Holy Spirit to sanctify us, growing us toward your likeness. You are patient with the process, planting desire in our hearts to reflect your face in our lives. To each you have given a purpose, one which compliments the community of the body of Christ. We lose our step, you redirect us. We fall, you catch us. Jeremiah tells us of your wrath toward those who turned away from you, yet you offer us forgiveness if we repent and follow you, wrapped in the gift of your son. You have protected us from evil, you have sheltered us from storms, and you offer hope in apparent tragedy. Lord, I praise you and thank you for the power in calling on your Name. We are humbled before you. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Thankfulness

Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Lord, it is important during this catastrophic time to continue to look to you. As our hearts and hands go out to the people in Japan, we must guard our souls against carrying the burden. You are here for that, and I praise and thank you! Lord, you are bigger even than this looming crisis. As my heart aches for the thousands affected, and for the one, I praise you for simple things here. I thank you for fresh water, for callas that reach up to you with their blooms, for sunshine, and for comfort. You know your purposes, and your will is somehow in this. I trust you. "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8

Everlasting Light

Isaiah 60:19 "The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory." Lord, I need your light. It is always there for me, but I let circumstances bog me down, I can't see it! Lord, I pray the Hoy Spirit will take over! I give my circumstances to you...but the tension in my body creeps back, overwhelming me! Where, then, is my trust in you, I have to ask? Your power can accomplish all that needs to be done, and can make way for calm. Wash over me, oh Lord, with your peace! Be my light. Calm my nerves. Right my path. I pray in Jesus' precious name.

Love

John 3:16 "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." This is the BEST gift! Lord, your love is unfathomable. Your love is sacrifical, and your love is deep. Valentine's Day is a fun day to honor those we love, whether a friend, a family member, or a love! But I pray we remember the true love of Christ, and that you first loved us. Any love we have for one another or for you, God, is purely bccause of your grace. It is wonderful to feel loved by others. But, is is amazing to feel loved by you and to receive your gift of eternal life! Others may come and may go, Lord, but you never change. I praise you for the knowledge that I am yours. Thank you, Father!

Fire

Words from Isaiah 43 "I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.....do not be afraid, for I am with you." Lord, your Word clarifies and comforts, and how I praise you for your promises! I am yours! Thank you, God, that you speak to us through scripture. Lord, today these verses just jumped out at me! I have been praying for so many friends who are walking through "fires" right now. Prayers are poured out, but answers are long in coming. It is so difficult to see them there. But, ah! You did not promise to keep fires away from us! You promised that we will not burn and that you are with us. You keep your eye on us. I can affirm that as I pray, and I am calmed. You will manage it. You will answer. We are to wait upon you. How precious is your presence, Lord. Help us to seek it. Put a thirst for your Word in our hears, and beckon us to come sit down with you. These things I pray, in your Son's precious name.

God Speaks

"The Word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him." God spoke to me today. In my calling out to Him, He answered...at the gym!!....interrupting me as I was listening to a book on my iPod. I had left for the gym singing, "strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord." And I had been asking Him about this "gift of giving" He planted in me. It swells up in me like tidal waves, and for so many years I had aging parents, elderly friends, young needy children to let it out. I had the freedom of time to spill it out. Now that gift is often trapped in there, ready to crash in the wrong places or at the wrong time, and my days filled with demands of a different sort. I cried out to Him. He answered. His omni presence filled me, and time stood still. "Come to me." "Rest in me." "Rely on me." Tears flow with His godness and grace. My little awkward self...He will use me. I am here, and I wait expectantly for Him to direct the next Tsunami.

Your Word

Lord, how I love your Word and the wonder of your ways. "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." Isaiah 26:3 is such a great reminder to keep our minds on you. I love the visual image of a painting, with the figures in the foreground appearing large, while the figures in the background appear small and farther away. So it is with our minds during each day, amidst each problem or joy. What we focus on seems to be large, and in the foreground. While those things we are not focusing on, seem distant and small. Lord, help me to keep you in the foreground of my mind! If you are near and you are large to me, everything else fades to the distance. Draw me to your Word, and give me a thirst for prayer and quiet in your presence. Then my mind with be steadfast, and I will trust in you. I will call to you and you will hear me! Lord, thank you for your ways, and for calling me into relationship with you. Use me to glorify you, precious Lord.

Confidence

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 Lord, and we have confidence in this, as we know your word is true! Lord, today is a day of quiet, of prayer, of reading your word. How I needed that extra time to spend with you. You know just what I need....a call from a friend, a quiet walk in the sunshine, time with you. The grief is there, but the load is lightened through you. I love how you put sisters around us to walk your path in faith together. I am so very grateful for that. What a comfort. And, Lord, the laughter! Laughter with our precious sisters refreshes our souls. Life can bring worrisome circumstances, but as we walk together in joy and in the confidence of your Word, we can let go. We can rest in your assurances. Thank you! Lord, I ask that each of my sisters in Christ, with their individual needs, can feel the balm of your assurances, through your quiet whispers. Thank you Father.

Grief

Lord, I grieve. The cloud of it is heavy for me, and my many friends who have lost loved ones in the past months live under rays of sadness as they move forward in their lives. I long to encourage them, yet as the numbers increase, I falter. The time feels dark as I tire. Lord, help me understand as I pray for them, and as I, too, share in their losses, that your wings lift me up and the weight is not mine. Thank you for this long weekend coming up. Your spirit restores me. May I rest in you. Psalm 23:2 "He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul." Father, your love and your promises are treasures, and light in the darkness. Thank you Father.