Merry Christmas

I wish each of my sisters and all our readers a blessed Christmas. May you experience peace in your heart because God is with you. May you have joy in your heart because of the hope we have through Jesus Christ. No matter how good or bad your Christmas may be, may Christ's love embrace you and may you know that He cares for you and that He is good.

Grace, peace and love to you. May God's blessing be on you.

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Luke 1:35

And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God."

I can't deny it...I've thought of Mary in awe my whole life. I've tried to imagine what she must have been like and what kind of personality or character would have made her the young woman God chose to be the mother of his only Son. I don't think she was perfect by any stretch of the imagination. I do believe however, that one of the things that set her apart was her complete trust and submission to her Heavenly Father. She pretty much sums that up with her response to Gabriel's life changing news for her in verse 38. And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." I love that.

Another thing I love is that God is seriously the King of Gift Giving. You know that when He gave us Jesus, His precious and only Son....He gave us the gift that just keeps on giving. Our blessed Lord, Immanuel, Prince of Peace...with his birth brought hope...and with his death brought life.

What was available for only a select few, before his foretold coming, is now available, accessible and life changing for us as His sons and daughters...His precious ones.

That amazing gift given to Mary to help her do what God had called her to do...is yours and mine today...for the exact same reason. We have intimacy with our Saviour. We have His Spirit to help us grow and fulfill God's will in us. We are part of his purpose and part of his plan.

Thank you Jesus for your beautiful sacrifice. Thank you for sending us your Holy Spirit. Thank you Father for loving us that much.

For whatever seems impossible for you right now...remember what you have and what you have been given.

And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you....."

Eyes to See

I love this story about Elisha and his servant, Gehazi. It's a great reminder of reality. The king of Syria is after Elisha, because he keeps sending word to the king of Israel, warning him of the whereabouts of the king of Syria who is warring against Israel. He finds out Elisha is in a town called Dothan...

So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city. When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city.

And the servant said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?"

He said, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."

Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see." So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:14-17

God opened Elisha's servants eyes to see the reality of the situation and invited him to be courageous. "Don't be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."

I also think of when the angels appeared to the shepherds at the time of the birth of a little boy. God allowed them to see the multitude of angels rejoicing and praising God. What a gift! I would have loved to have seen that, and heard their voices. How could you not want to go see for yourself "this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us"? They got to see the reality of the situation and were invited to rejoice. "And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen..."

May the Lord give us eyes to see the reality of the situation, whatever it may be. Sometimes he opens our physical eyes to see spiritual realities, sometimes our spiritual eyes are opened by faith to see, to know, what's really going on. May we gladly accept the invitations to be courageous and rejoice!

Those who are with us, are more than those who are with them!

If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

Peace in the Valley

We talk about mountain-top experiences; we talk about being in the valley. I was reading an emailed Christmas letter from friends this morning. In response to a song "God of the Mountain" by Lynda Randle, she writes how she relates to the idea of "God meeting us in the Valley – the place where there is shelter, warmth, people and also all of the conflict and disorder that is part of real life." (italics mine)

I love that. God meeting us in the valley; God with us in the valley...and being our peace.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

I want this God with me in the valleys of life. I want the wisdom of His counsel, I want the power of His might, I want the faithfulness of His love, I want the reign of His peace...in EVERY day of my life!

Glory to God in the highest,and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:10&14 (And I hope by now that you know He is pleased with His own. Isn't that amazing grace?!)

The Prince of Peace, the God of peace (1 Thess.5:23) is with you in "the conflict and disorder that is part of real life" as my friend writes.

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3 Who does He keep in perfect peace? You and me as we are mindful of the "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" and put our trust in Him to be all that for us personally. As our focus is on Him peace comes. He keeps us in perfect peace as our mind stays on Him. That's the challenge, isn't it? When we get conned into worrying about our concerns and problems ... poof! ...our peace is gone.

This is my Christmas prayer for each one of us, that in our lives "the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. Isaiah 32:17

Throughout this last week before Christmas may you "go out in joy and be led forth in peace". Isaiah 55:12

My Jesus Coat

(This post has been re-cycled from December 2008)

A few years ago I was invited to several "fancy" events that just so happened to be in the middle of winter.

I'm typically a jeans girl, but I must admit...I do get that nervous excitement of dressing up on the rare occasion that sends me back to that same girly sensation of getting ready for the senior prom.

The first event was an elegant evening wedding. I went shopping and bought an appropriate dress and shoes for the occasion. How fun. I had not, thought ahead, however, to what coat I might wear that would suit such pretty attire. I did not think of the coat at all, actually...until a couple of hours before we were supposed to leave for the wedding when I noticed it was freezing outside!

Out of time and not wanting to spend a lot of money on a coat that I would only wear a couple of times a year...I called my girlfriend and asked if she had anything I could borrow that would look okay with my elegant dress and shoes. She said she'd bring me something when her and her husband picked us up to go to the wedding. When she arrived...I tried on all of my coats, plus her coat that she had brought for me, to see what looked best. We decided that her coat was the best of the options and so I put it on and we went to the wedding. The only problem was that the sleeves were seriously about 5 inches too long and no matter how we tried to fix the sleeves...it just looked a little funny. I wasn't too worried though because I thought that I would just take the coat off as soon as we got there. It would be fine.

Well....something wasn't quite right with the heat and it was freezing in there. I tried to take the coat off, but every time, I was miserably cold. There I was...a woman...dressed like a princess...but feeling like a little girl...playing dress up in her Mama's coat. We laughed a lot that night and eventually I got warmer....and we had fun. But I told Jesus....that I had at least 2 more fancy events to go to and that it really would be nice if I had a nice dress coat to wear.

Sometime later....my sister and I were out "treasure hunting".....(browsing around in thrift stores)...not looking for anything in particular....when I saw it there on the rack....

A beautiful...chocolate brown, faux fur, vintage, full length coat in mint condition and it was just my size....I trembled with excitement as I took it off the rack...it was so heavy and beautiful...I couldn't believe it.....this time....I felt like Lucy from Narnia as I put it on....

I couldn't stop smiling as I found my sister to show her my treasure...."Jesus totally loves me," I told her, "this coat is from Him." And I knew it...with all my heart.

I hadn't grown up with a lot....and I had experienced Jesus providing huge needs in my life...but this wasn't one of those times....this was simply...My heavenly Daddy showing his little girl that He loved her....it wasn't a need....just a petty little desire....but I had shared my heart with Him and He had shared His with me.

I love that coat! I feel like a million dollars when I put it on....It is my Jesus coat.

What ever your needs are....share them with Jesus....give Him your heart and ask Him what His love looks like for you today....

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

In His Shadow

Psalm 91:1

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High

shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. KJV

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. NIV

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. ESV

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High

will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. NLT

I love Psalm 91. You should go read the whole thing.

The other morning I awoke to Psalm 91:1 running through my mind. It is a verse that I am familiar with but not one that I have chosen to memorize and since I did not consciously put it in my mind, I have been joyfully meditating on it ever since. I have been asking the Lord to speak to me through it and to reveal to me specifically how it applies to me in my life right now.

Well...it's December. Which translates "crazy busy...everyday, every night seems like something's going on."

Lord...How do I manage the life I live, in the world I live...keep up, keep it simple and not lose focus of You in the most wonderful celebration of Emanuel--God With Us?

You readers out there may have some good suggestions for us because I know I'm not alone in this.

But for the meantime,I will tell you what I try to do...I pray alot and I meditate on God's words...It's the only way I can stay focused on what's important. It's the only way I know how to enjoy what I actually love and that is... Christmas!

So back to Psalm 91:1...What does it mean to dwell in the shelter of the Most High? What imagery does that conjure up for you?

What does a shelter do? What do you need sheltering from? Dwelling doesn't mean here for a few days, gone for a few days. It means living, residing, decorating, being at home. In your everyday busy life, in your work, in your relationships, in your thought life....what does it mean to live everyday in God's shelter?

And the promise is this....if we dwell in the shelter of the Most High...we will rest and abide in the shadow of the Almighty, the El Shadai.

When I think of resting and abiding in the shadow of my Lord...I get a whole new sense of what is important. He's helping me with all "my plans" for His Birthday Celebration. We're close. I'm still a bit scatter brained but I'm 'resting' in the doing and not 'fretting' in the doing.

Let's dwell with Him together. Bless His Holy Name. What Joy He brings in the peace of His Presence. Celebrate His Birth. Rest in His Shadow. Know the Truth. Live in His Shelter.

Grace and Peace and Joy to you my sisters.

Joseph the Carpenter

The Birth of Jesus Christ

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.¹⁹Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

²⁰But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."

²⁴When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
~ Matthew 1:18-25

Let's put this scenario in today's time. There's so much infidelity going on in today's society that it makes me sick. What's been on the headlines this week: Tiger Woods and his admissions of infidelity... him taking his wife and 2 kids to Sweden to work on being a better parent, husband and to work on himself.... 13 women have come forward admitting to affairs with Tiger. That's only one example of what's going on this world. There's so many I could list off.

No man had ever slept with Mary. God incarnate placed His son Jesus into her womb. In those times a woman could be stoned for becoming pregnant before marriage. Mary was carrying God's son and Joseph, not knowing or believing that this was true, loved her so much he chose to do the honorable thing and not have Mary stoned but to divorce her quietly. An engagement was legally binding in those days and was totally different than how we go about getting ready for marriage. God intervened and Joseph obeyed. He took Mary as his wife and had no union with her until Jesus was born. Wow!

Look at how many teenagers are having sex before marriage. Look at how many couples live with each other to see if they're compatible for marriage. How many marriages are falling apart or have fallen apart because of extramarital affairs either by the husband or wife. Divorce is so predominant in today's society. It's quite sad.

Joseph could have walked away from Mary. He could have chosen to make a spectacle and have her stoned and her pregnancy exposed publicly. Mary could have walked this journey by herself and suffered alone. Joseph chose to stand by her and shared the "shame" she would have endured by this pregnancy. That's a man! Not many men would do that today. How many of us would wait that long to have sex? It's advertised and glamorized on TV that sex before marriage is okay. The temptations are there and were real I'm sure for Joseph and Mary once they were married yet he chose to have no union with her until Jesus was born.

The true Christmas story is truly from God. No one could ever carry a child conceived by the Holy Spirit on their own. Joseph and Mary walked this journey by God's strength. That sure is a testimony of God's power and amazing strength.

Joseph the carpenter was a role model that we can look to. How many of us are willing to walk the other way when things get tough and challenging.... sometimes embarrassing... so we run and hide. How many of us would choose to walk the road that's got rough terrain, even though we know there's gain by walking the tougher journey. I find that difficult myself. It's easier when things go smooth and my way. I am in a place where the journey is tough yet I long for the simpler life I had without as many challenges. Yet, knowing I'm growing deeper in love with Jesus in this journey would I still trade it? Today I realized that I wouldn't. I praise God for showing me the strength of Joseph.... I have alot to learn from him.