I heard a sermon last Sunday morning from a favorite pastor, Jentezen Franklin. He's on my "bucket list" of things to do before I die, mainly because he preaches with passion and he puts his money where his mouth is. Anyway, he preached this amazingly simple, 3-point sermon about the Wise Men, but there is one part I want to share today.
This is Christmas, and our focus should be on the greatest gift ever given: God's Son. He gave Him to us, knowing that it would result in unimaginable suffering on the Cross not too many years later. So what do we need to remember as we encounter Jesus at Christmas? After the Wise Men visited him and gave Him the best gifts they had, they left and traveled a different way home. When we encounter Jesus, we should travel a different path. We should be changed by Him, and every step we take after that should be different . . . by a different route, if you will . . . because we have met Him and been changed by that meeting. If you have met Jesus and not been changed, sit down tonight, tomorrow, and in the final days of 2010 -- meet Him again, because He desires to meet you, know you and transform you from the inside out. He wants you to love Him supremely, love yourself as He loves you, and then love others the way He does. To do that, we simply can't be like we used to be. We need a new path, a new journey. Allow your meeting with Jesus to send you along your way on a different road . . . a road of blessings and grace. You won't be sorry.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Merry Christmas!
It's Christmas Eve, and as I sit here to write, trying to stay warm, I can't help thinking about a few things. First of all, it sounds like such a cliche, but we have so very much for which to be grateful. Sometimes I have to remind myself that there is more to celebrate than to grieve, but then my whole perspective changes. So maybe you're like me and you need to talk yourself into a celebration today. It kind of sounds like this . . .
I didn't hope to be battling so much cold weather so early this winter, but I have a warm house, warm food, and a warm heart. I am blessed so warmly. I didn't expect my daughter to be living with us again, but she is making positive moves for her future, she is helping me around the house, and she is reconnecting with good people in good ways. Tonight we will attend a Christmas Eve Service together . . . her idea . . . and I am blessed. I expected our precious church to be growing numerically by now . . . it is not, but I am surrounded by people who love the Lord supremely, and my praise team led in incredible worship last Sunday night. We also hosted Palmetto Missionary Baptist Church as our guests, and their presence put a smile on my face. We are blessed to have the right to worship God in whatever way we desire. I lost my computer to a terrible virus three weeks ago, but my son has a computer I can borrow, and I have enjoyed the time away from the keyboard. (I miss it now and I'm ready to blog again!) I have had some interesting health issues in 2010 . . . a hysterectomy, allergy problems . . . but today I am healthy, and the allergy shots seem to be working! Hallelujah! My father just turned 83, and he is healthy . . . wow! This is my 31st year of teaching, and I had hoped to be retired by now, but I am so blessed to have the most wonderful students imaginable, and I love my co-workers and my school.
This list could go on and on . . . for every single negative that I could mention, there are positives that outweigh the bad every single time. And here's the big one: I have felt under attack by Satan in a mighty way in the last month. He has hit me repeatedly, trying another varied attack when the last one was not successful. He has attacked my attitude, my health, and my mouth (he won there a few times, but no more!), and now he is trying to get me to doubt God's promises, but here's what I know: this trying time has brought me closer to God. I have sought Him and His strength, and I have developed a hunger to be closer and closer to Him. With every victory, I have celebrated God's strength, and when Satan continues to come after me, it gives me a very quirky joy: if he is so worried about me, God must be up to something incredibly good in my life. I want to be a woman that causes Satan to shake in his boots every time my feet hit the floor, every time my mouth opens to praise God, every time I do what God expects of me. I want to be standing in the middle of God's will, celebrating every moment in which He allows me to serve Him.
So my advice to you on this Christmas Eve? Stay positive, look forward to every day, love others the way God loves you, and do everything you must do or choose to do as unto the Lord. If you need to see it in print, make a list of God's blessings, and put it on your refrigerator and your bathroom mirror. Read it every day, and add to it each evening before going to bed. Thank God for every single gift, and ask Him to continue to bless you in ways that are "exceedingly and abundantly" bigger than you can ask or think! You won't be sorry!
Merry Christmas!
I didn't hope to be battling so much cold weather so early this winter, but I have a warm house, warm food, and a warm heart. I am blessed so warmly. I didn't expect my daughter to be living with us again, but she is making positive moves for her future, she is helping me around the house, and she is reconnecting with good people in good ways. Tonight we will attend a Christmas Eve Service together . . . her idea . . . and I am blessed. I expected our precious church to be growing numerically by now . . . it is not, but I am surrounded by people who love the Lord supremely, and my praise team led in incredible worship last Sunday night. We also hosted Palmetto Missionary Baptist Church as our guests, and their presence put a smile on my face. We are blessed to have the right to worship God in whatever way we desire. I lost my computer to a terrible virus three weeks ago, but my son has a computer I can borrow, and I have enjoyed the time away from the keyboard. (I miss it now and I'm ready to blog again!) I have had some interesting health issues in 2010 . . . a hysterectomy, allergy problems . . . but today I am healthy, and the allergy shots seem to be working! Hallelujah! My father just turned 83, and he is healthy . . . wow! This is my 31st year of teaching, and I had hoped to be retired by now, but I am so blessed to have the most wonderful students imaginable, and I love my co-workers and my school.
This list could go on and on . . . for every single negative that I could mention, there are positives that outweigh the bad every single time. And here's the big one: I have felt under attack by Satan in a mighty way in the last month. He has hit me repeatedly, trying another varied attack when the last one was not successful. He has attacked my attitude, my health, and my mouth (he won there a few times, but no more!), and now he is trying to get me to doubt God's promises, but here's what I know: this trying time has brought me closer to God. I have sought Him and His strength, and I have developed a hunger to be closer and closer to Him. With every victory, I have celebrated God's strength, and when Satan continues to come after me, it gives me a very quirky joy: if he is so worried about me, God must be up to something incredibly good in my life. I want to be a woman that causes Satan to shake in his boots every time my feet hit the floor, every time my mouth opens to praise God, every time I do what God expects of me. I want to be standing in the middle of God's will, celebrating every moment in which He allows me to serve Him.
So my advice to you on this Christmas Eve? Stay positive, look forward to every day, love others the way God loves you, and do everything you must do or choose to do as unto the Lord. If you need to see it in print, make a list of God's blessings, and put it on your refrigerator and your bathroom mirror. Read it every day, and add to it each evening before going to bed. Thank God for every single gift, and ask Him to continue to bless you in ways that are "exceedingly and abundantly" bigger than you can ask or think! You won't be sorry!
Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
It's Advent, and God Is Calling!
There are two big things on my mind this morning as I sit down to write. Both of them are so obvious, and yet we miss them on a daily basis. So indulge me . . . just in case you missed these two "A-ha" moments as well.
God calls us every day. He calls and calls and calls. He doesn't get frustrated and fall into despair when we don't answer. He just comes up with another way to draw us close to Him. I'm sure you're thinking, "Well, that's not exactly profound." But here's why my neurons are firing: we get bent out of shape with our children when we reach out to them and they don't respond in the way we want, or they choose to spend time with friends and boyfriends and well . . . anybody other than us. I felt this strongly when my girls were teens. Everybody and everything sucked them away from me, and I allowed myself to be frustrated. We also find ourselves a little empty when our friends are too busy for us or our spouses disappear for one more golf game or one more hunting trip. And yet, we do the very same thing to God. We put things in front of Him, above Him, and in place of Him, and we expect Him not to be disappointed. We let our earthly idols . . . Christmas shopping, watching television, going to ballgames, and hundreds of other passtimes . . . keep us busy -- too busy to put God front and center in our lives. Isn't it amazing? We get it when we are the ones who are disappointed, but we totally forget that God simply wants a personal, loving, fatherly relationship with us. He wants the first fruits of our time, our energies, our love, and our devotion, and when He comes first, so many of the other things seem so small.
Second sticking point this morning: Christmas is about Jesus -- pure and simple. We can spend our days and our pocketbooks making it about something else, but it's about Jesus. I get tired when I hear people complain about their busy schedules in December . . . one more party, another casserole to cook, more gifts to buy . . . but the answer is so simple: do it all as unto the Lord. Remind yourself every day that we are in the season of Advent, and if you check your Latin (I'm a vocabulary geek . . . sorry), ad means "to" and ven means "come." Advent celebrates Jesus' birth because He chose to come to earth for us, and it anticipates His second coming. Advent is also a time when we desperately need "to come" to God. We need to seek Him every morning and throughout the day. We need to examine our schedules and remove the things that are not urgent, refocusing our attention on the One for whom this whole party is happening. We need to celebrate Him in our hearts and minds and with our praises every day because, in the words of a favorite song, "He Came Down." He didn't have to do it. God didn't have to gift us the precious gift of His only son, but He did. What amazing love!
My prayer for myself, my family and friends, and all of you is that this Advent season will be one of joy, love, hope and peace. When you begin to feel yourself slipping into "busy-ness" and starting to complain about the wrapping paper and the fact that you ran out of tape, go to Wal-Mart for more tape and be intentional about spreading Christmas joy while you are there. Be kind to everyone you meet, especially those who are not kind to you. Reach out to others who desperately need a touch of love and kindness. Take a meal to a person whose job has been lost in this recession, or offer to purchase gifts to help a family that is struggling. Love people the way God loves you. I promise you that this Christmas season will be the best if you just keep your eyes on God, allowing Him to nudge you into worship, praise, and action.
As a final note, I had a chance yesterday to share kindness when I really wanted to get frustrated. I had to call the IRS about a letter they sent to me. I had just sat down in Atlanta Bread Company to relax and have a quiet cup of coffee when I opened the dreaded letter and felt I had to call, so call I did. I was on hold a very long time, but the gentleman who helped me was patient and we resolved the issue at hand. Just as we finished, I felt a strong nudge from God to thank this man for the very difficult job he does every day: dealing with people who would rather not talk to him. I can't remember all that I said, but I know that when I finished, we shared holiday greetings and ended our call. Not a big thing, but it's not always the big things that matter at this season. He knew that I am a Christian because it came up on my W-4 about working in the church, and we discussed the nature of my work. God quietly reminded me to be more than generous in my thanks and praise for this man who does a thankless job. Maybe it was the only "thank you" he got yesterday, and I'm glad it came from me. As you journey through Advent and feel a nudge from God Almighty, slow down enough to be kind, letting others know that as Christians, we love them with the love of the Lord.
Blessing to you at this Advent season!
God calls us every day. He calls and calls and calls. He doesn't get frustrated and fall into despair when we don't answer. He just comes up with another way to draw us close to Him. I'm sure you're thinking, "Well, that's not exactly profound." But here's why my neurons are firing: we get bent out of shape with our children when we reach out to them and they don't respond in the way we want, or they choose to spend time with friends and boyfriends and well . . . anybody other than us. I felt this strongly when my girls were teens. Everybody and everything sucked them away from me, and I allowed myself to be frustrated. We also find ourselves a little empty when our friends are too busy for us or our spouses disappear for one more golf game or one more hunting trip. And yet, we do the very same thing to God. We put things in front of Him, above Him, and in place of Him, and we expect Him not to be disappointed. We let our earthly idols . . . Christmas shopping, watching television, going to ballgames, and hundreds of other passtimes . . . keep us busy -- too busy to put God front and center in our lives. Isn't it amazing? We get it when we are the ones who are disappointed, but we totally forget that God simply wants a personal, loving, fatherly relationship with us. He wants the first fruits of our time, our energies, our love, and our devotion, and when He comes first, so many of the other things seem so small.
Second sticking point this morning: Christmas is about Jesus -- pure and simple. We can spend our days and our pocketbooks making it about something else, but it's about Jesus. I get tired when I hear people complain about their busy schedules in December . . . one more party, another casserole to cook, more gifts to buy . . . but the answer is so simple: do it all as unto the Lord. Remind yourself every day that we are in the season of Advent, and if you check your Latin (I'm a vocabulary geek . . . sorry), ad means "to" and ven means "come." Advent celebrates Jesus' birth because He chose to come to earth for us, and it anticipates His second coming. Advent is also a time when we desperately need "to come" to God. We need to seek Him every morning and throughout the day. We need to examine our schedules and remove the things that are not urgent, refocusing our attention on the One for whom this whole party is happening. We need to celebrate Him in our hearts and minds and with our praises every day because, in the words of a favorite song, "He Came Down." He didn't have to do it. God didn't have to gift us the precious gift of His only son, but He did. What amazing love!
My prayer for myself, my family and friends, and all of you is that this Advent season will be one of joy, love, hope and peace. When you begin to feel yourself slipping into "busy-ness" and starting to complain about the wrapping paper and the fact that you ran out of tape, go to Wal-Mart for more tape and be intentional about spreading Christmas joy while you are there. Be kind to everyone you meet, especially those who are not kind to you. Reach out to others who desperately need a touch of love and kindness. Take a meal to a person whose job has been lost in this recession, or offer to purchase gifts to help a family that is struggling. Love people the way God loves you. I promise you that this Christmas season will be the best if you just keep your eyes on God, allowing Him to nudge you into worship, praise, and action.
As a final note, I had a chance yesterday to share kindness when I really wanted to get frustrated. I had to call the IRS about a letter they sent to me. I had just sat down in Atlanta Bread Company to relax and have a quiet cup of coffee when I opened the dreaded letter and felt I had to call, so call I did. I was on hold a very long time, but the gentleman who helped me was patient and we resolved the issue at hand. Just as we finished, I felt a strong nudge from God to thank this man for the very difficult job he does every day: dealing with people who would rather not talk to him. I can't remember all that I said, but I know that when I finished, we shared holiday greetings and ended our call. Not a big thing, but it's not always the big things that matter at this season. He knew that I am a Christian because it came up on my W-4 about working in the church, and we discussed the nature of my work. God quietly reminded me to be more than generous in my thanks and praise for this man who does a thankless job. Maybe it was the only "thank you" he got yesterday, and I'm glad it came from me. As you journey through Advent and feel a nudge from God Almighty, slow down enough to be kind, letting others know that as Christians, we love them with the love of the Lord.
Blessing to you at this Advent season!
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