HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Today is Valentine's Day.  I am so blessed to have a husband, family, and friends who love me.  I am well aware for many that is not the case, and today is not filled with joy but sorrow.  What a shame we buy into the whole love according to society's rules, and completely overlook the one who loved us enough to exactly die for us.  Even when Christians say that they are just fine because Jesus loves them, I am not quite convinced they are truly convinced.

I recently read about the way the Zulu people in South Africa greet one another.  When they encounter a stranger there is always that awkward moment of not knowing if they have come upon a friend or a foe.  Unlike our guarded, shallow, and empty 'Hi" the words "I see you" are spoken by the first person. Those three simple words "I see you" pack a wallop.  It conveys that the person is worthy of someone's full attention.  The message expresses a desire to be fully engaged with the other person and make a connection.  It suggests that there is some value to be gained and that their full attention is the gift they are giving at that moment.  The second part of the greeting is just as powerful.  The second person responds "I am here to be seen."  I cringe.  What openness!  What vulnerability!  

Today I challenge you to listen as the God of heaven and earth speaks to you "I see you."  Does your heart race, skip a beat, and melt when you hear those words.  Think about it.  God sees you.  He looks fully into your eyes and sees to the depth of your soul.  He isn't trying to evade you or pacify you.  He sees you with eyes of love and embraces you.  Now respond to Him, "I am here to be seen."  Have you ever been that open?  Have you ever been that vulnerable?  This is a level of intimacy that everyone craves, but few are willing to take the risk.

As powerful as that scenario is, let's flip it.  Look into the eyes of Jesus today and say to Him, "I see you." Take the time to engage Him.  Let the Lord know that He is valuable to you.  He is worthy of your full attention.  Let Him know you are not there because you are in need, but rather because you are in love.  This next part is what blew my mind this morning.  The Lord responds to us, "I am here to be seen."  The Lord God Almighty openly invites us to see Him and know Him. He desires to show us the fullness of His love.  There is nothing he withholds from us.  He makes Himself available to us.  

I believe Valentine's Day will be revolutionized if you do this simple exercise.  It doesn't matter if you are surrounded by people who love you, or if you are sitting all alone tonight as couples go out to eat.  You are loved with a love that is beyond understanding and there is One who is waiting to be seen.  

I see you.      I am here to be seen.  

Try it and let me know what happens.  

Dear Family and Friends,

I am counting down the days!  Yes, I am one of those people who absolutely loves everything about Christmas.  I begin playing Christmas carols in November.  The tree goes up before the turkey gets cold.  I am out on Black Friday with a smile a mile wide.  It is the best!

One of the songs that I love to sing along with is “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere I go.”  Come on and join me in the next line.  “Take a look at the five and ten glistening once again with candy canes and silver canes aglow.”  Yes, yes, yes!  I love the sights, sounds, and smiles of Christmas.  But wait – the song says it is beginning to look a lot LIKE Christmas.  Immediately I put on my thinking cap, tap my finger gently at the side of my mouth, a quizzical look on my face, as I ponder the possibility that Christmas could be faked!!  Heresy!!!! 

Now I have watched Pawn Stars as Rick calls in his expert handwriting analyst to see if a signature has been forged.  Rolex watches may not really be Rolex watches.  Civil War guns may be mere reproductions.  I know women who can spot a fake Coach purse from across a dimly lit crowded room.  Is there anything that cannot be faked, forged, falsified, or reproduced?  How can I make sure I am celebrating the genuine, one of a kind, real deal Christmas?  Could it be possible to get caught up in the APPEARANCE of Christmas and miss the APPEARING of Christmas????

Think about it.  How many people were anticipating the coming of Messiah?  How many prophesies given about what would usher in His appearing.   Didn't God send an angel to Zechariah preparing the way for Jesus to come?  Didn't an angel visit Mary and then Joseph.  Didn't a King send a decree that the entire world would be taxed sending Joseph to the appointed town of Bethlehem.  Do you think there was anyone singing “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas?”

Everyone knows that a great celebration is enhanced by the preparations.  What’s a birthday without a cake and presents?  What’s a baby shower without games and streamers?   What’s a wedding without toile and lace?  But all the preparations are wasted if the person being celebrated doesn't appear.

My tree is the one of the most beautiful trees I have ever had.  I have candles all through the house.  I have Christmas music playing.  I have made cookies, breads, and a ton of candy.  My presents are yet to be wrapped, but that comes right after these cards go out.  I am singing “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.”  All the preparations that I have made are only meant to make to be the backdrop for the real event – His appearing. 

  Isaiah 7:14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).

My prayer for you this Christmas is that you not settle for anything less than the real deal – God with us!  May your song “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,”  climax in a glorious He has come and dwells among us.    

       Merry Christmas

               He Has Come

Him or Me?

I was just happily reading The Presence by Steve Korch.  Who knew I was about to run smack dab into a brick wall.  Taken from a fictional tale by Elisabeth Elliot with a Korch twist I read this -

"The story takes place on one of those days when Jesus was teaching some of those essential lessons of life to His core of twelve.  On this particular day, He stopped along the path and instructed the disciples to each pick up a stone and follow Him.  They all complied, selecting stones of various sizes.  Peter, not wanting to overdo things, chose one that would not be too much of a burden, more in the range of pebble than a stone.
They traveled to the top of a mountain, and there, Jesus turned the stones into bread.  Tired and very hungry, they each had food proportionate to what they had chosen to carry for the Master.  Peter would have had nothing more than a cracker for lunch that day, but John gave him some of his.
It was about a week later that Jesus repeated the stone-carrying instructions to His band of future leaders.  Now, Peter was not about to make the same mistake twice, so he heaved upon his shoulder the largest rock he could find.  He was planning to eat well that day.
Jesus led them down along shaded banks of the Jordan River, looking for just the right place to stop.  When He found it, He simply told them to throw their stones into the river.  As Peter's rock dropped from his shoulder, he stared at the Master in disbelief.  Jesus met his gaze, came close to the hungry disciple and whispered these words,

"For whom did you carry the stone?"

Why do I do the things I do for the Lord.  Is it for Him, or is it really for me?  Running into a spiritual brick wall is not always bad.  Unfortunately, sometimes it is the only way for the Lord to get my attention.  He has it today.

Make Today Your Someday

We (my hubby and I) have lived in the Carlinville area for almost ten years.  For ten years we  have driven Highway 4 to Springfield to shop.  Each time we drive we see a sign that says Sugar Creek Covered Bridge 4 miles.  Each time we pass the sign we say “Let’s do that someday” as we drive on down the road.  Saturday we drove the 4 miles to Sugar Creek Covered Bridge and I absolutely loved it! I took about fifteen pictures of this old bridge.  I love the curved boards that span from one side to the other over boards shaped like X's for strength.  

The floor is made with planks and has two sets of long boards on top for strength.  When you look up, you see those same X's in the pattern of the roof.  Someone took every precaution to make sure that anyone who passed over this bridge was safe.  The simple fact that it is covered was to help protect the bridge from rotting so it would last longer.  What I find fascinating is that along with the focus on strength and safety beauty is not overlooked.  It is for that reason I am drawn to old covered bridges, draw bridges that raise and lower so ships can pass through, and bridges over long expanses of water.  I have pictures of bridges along the California coastline, the Golden Gate Bridge, and bridges on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.  I love the bridges in Florida that go on for miles over the ocean.  I even love the old country bridge that sits at the bottom of the hill from our house.     

So why did it take ten years to drive four miles down a gravel road to see something I love?  I am asking myself that same question.  What changed you ask.  My husband just said that this was the day we were going to take the time to drive the four miles and see the bridge.   Nothing earth shattering.  Nothing monumental.  Just a simple declaration – “today is the day!”

I know a lot of people who have a “bucket list” of things they want to do before they die.  Some things require time, opportunity, and money to make happen, but today I would bet that if you think about it there are some things like my Sugar Creek Covered Bridge that simply require doing.  Maybe someday you want to explore an area close to where you live.  I declare to you that today is your someday.  Maybe someday you want to have coffee with a friend.  Today is your someday.  Maybe someday you want to write a poem, make fancy cupcakes, just sit on your porch and read a book.  Today is your someday. 

What my husband did for me I now want to do for you and simply tell you to make today your someday.  Can't wait to hear what you do!

Chutes and Ladders meets A Christmas Story

Chutes and Ladders is one of those board games that has somehow managed to survive over the years.  Why?  I am really not sure why.  Maybe it is because it doesn't come with 10 pages of rules.  Maybe it is because it doesn't take three days to play one game.  Maybe it is because it does not require a lot of brain power. Whatever the reasons, it lives on.  

I have played my fair share of Chutes and Ladders.  I have held down the cardboard spinner and watched as the little plastic arrow struggles to move around the the circle even once and then stops on the number that determines how far up the board you can move your marker.  The race is on to see who can arrive at the top of the board first.  I can't imagine anyone who has never played this riveting game, but in case you are someone who has not had the joy, let me explain that as you move your marker toward the final destination and victory there are spaces marked with chutes and spaces marked with ladders.  

If you are lucky enough to land on a ladder, you are immediately allowed to move your marker up the board bypassing several spaces and putting yourself on the fast track to victory.  Then there are those spaces marked with the dreaded chutes.  Land on one of those and you immediately take a swift plunge down to a lower level and now are required to travel the very same path you just climbed. 

My life sometimes feels like an unending game of Chutes and Ladders.  Most days are spent just moving along on what appears to be a meandering trail to my final destination with the Lord.  Moving slowly upwards.  But then there are those days when out of nowhere a ladder appears.  Doors open, unexpected opportunities present themselves and I am fast tracked toward my final destination and victory.  I find myself singing "O Happy Day" as I bypass the mundane of the present and am moved further up the road to beautiful new sights.  Just when I am blissfully moving through this wonderful new area, out of nowhere, I am confronted with a chute.  

After you have traversed the path of life for a while, you hopefully develop little spidey sensors that shoot up when you are drawing near to a chute.  You have learned from past chute experiences that when the path you are on suddenly becomes dark, scary, and unfamiliar you need to immediately stop and ask Jesus to take your hand and shine His amazing light on your path so that you can pass safely over the chute.  These are the obvious "slow down dangerous chute ahead" moments.  I have grown pretty savvy about traversing  life's major chutes.  I know that there is no way I can maneuver this portion of the path on my own and have learned to just stop and wait for the Lord to help me.  What gets me more often than not are those little chutes.  

For me, those little chutes represent my own personal inner sabotaging moments.  I am moving merrily up my path when I begin to notice that everyone else seems to be climbing ladders on every spin.  They are moving faster than the speed of light upward.  They are experiencing new heights, discovering new joys, drawing ever closer to the Lord.  Every step seems to open a door and an opportunity presents itself.  Then there is little me slowly putzing my way up.  Nothing new, nothing exciting, nothing awesome.  Just little old me plodding along square by square. 

This is where I had my Chutes and Ladders meets A Christmas Story epiphany.  So leave the land of Chutes and Ladders and move with me to the iconic Christmas movie, A Christmas Story.  Now here again I cannot imagine anyone who has not watched this movie about a million times and will smile when they read these words,"You'll shoot your eye out!"   But for the sake of that one person who has somehow never spent a day with Ralphie, let me set up one scene from the movie.  

     [Ralphie is visiting Santa at the department store, only he can't remember what he wanted]

Santa Claus: How about a nice football?

Ralphie as Adult: [narrating] Football? Football? What's a football? With unconscious will my voice squeaked out 'football'.

Santa Claus: Okay, get him out of here.

Ralphie as Adult: [narrating] A football? Oh no, what was I doing? Wake up, Stupid! Wake up!

Ralphie: [Ralphie is shoved down the slide, but he stops himself and climbs back up] No! No! I want an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!  http://www.tbs.com/stories/story

I too know what I want.  I know that my life verse is

Ps 27:4 The one thing I ask of the Lord—    the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,  delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.

That is my dream and the Lord is directing my steps accordingly.  When Ralphie momentarily forgets his heart's true desire, he is offered the dream of others.  For me, Satan lures me to the edge of a chute and I momentarily forget my heart's desire and he offers me the dreams of others.  If I am not careful, I let go of my dream and begin to lust after the dreams of others and I find myself being shoved down the chute.  

BUT NOT TODAY

Today as I see one of those little chutes in my path, I stop myself.  I press my hands and feet against the sides of the chute and slowly climb back up and make my voice heard - NO!  

Now I am safely past that dreaded chute and doing the happy dance as I proceed on up my path.  I hope that when you find yourself on the threshold of one of those little chutes, or one of those very long chutes, you will stop and take a moment to evaluate what lies before you and choose to say "YES" to the Lord and a very loud "NO" to the enemy.

Give Us Pure Hearts

    Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 

                 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,Psalm 24:3–4  

I have read that Portland, Oregon is a destination for many ship captains.  It is 100 miles from the ocean and is not easy to reach, so why do experienced ship captains seek out this port?  Sea captains know that as they routinely go through oceans that a tiny water shellfish called a barnacle attaches itself to the hull of the ship and will stay there the rest of its life and surround itself with a rock like shell. These tiny little shellfish may at first glance appear to be beautiful.  However, as more and more barnacles attach themselves to the hull of a ship they will slow the ship down, diminish its progress, and decrease its efficiency. The removal of barnacles can take days in dry dock as the barnacles are scraped off, however, wise captains know that Portland is a fresh water harbor and that barnacles will die and fall off.  Barnacles are not able to live in sweet fresh water. 

As Christ followers we collect heart barnacles as we move through life on a daily basis.  Seemingly little hurts, little disappointments, little betrayals, wrong attitudes and many more seemingly tiny impurities attach to our hearts.  These “little sins" will slow us down, diminish our progress, and decrease our efficiency.

Jesus is our fresh water harbor.  When we enter His holiness and purity, we can ask Him to examine our hearts and reveal anything that has attacked itself to our hearts.  As we confess, our heart barnacles are removed leaving us once again with clean pure hearts.

Today I urge you to take this time to come away from the world and enter the presence of Jesus.  We cannot purify our own hearts – Jesus is the only one who can do that.  Let's enter 2013 renewed and refreshed and ready to serve free from all hindrances.  Let our prayer be give us pure hearts.

Get Your Head Into the Game

I just can’t make this stuff up!  This is just way to funny, odd, out of nowhere that I just have to write about it.  Good thing this blog is read by people who already know that the bubble on my level does not quite hit the center and  they love me anyway. So here goes.   On 10 -18-12 I posted a blog titled Oops there goes another rubber tree plant . . about ants based on Proverbs 6:6

Proverbs 6:6  Go to the ant, O lazy person. Watch and think about her ways, and be wise.

There was one fact about ants that I have been thinking about ever since.  Odd I know, but true.

“In certain ant species, the soldier ants have modified heads, shaped to match the nest entrance. They block access to the nest by sitting just inside the entrance, with their heads facing out like a cork in a bottle. When a worker ant returns to the nest, it will touch the soldier ant's head to let the guard know it belongs to the colony.”   http://insects.about.com/od/antsbeeswasps/a/10-cool-facts-about-ants.htm

That was just too good to let pass so I did some more reading.  (I LOVE GOOGLE)  Guess what!  There are other scientific sites that actually verify that certain ants actually use they heads to block the nest entrance from predators.  This is not like the commercial that reminds us that we can’t believe everything we read on the internet.  This stuff is real. 

Here’s what else I have found.

“Supersoldiers are produced with some frequency in at least eight Pheidole species found in the southwestern United States, generally in areas also inhabited by predatory army ants. Pheidole species apparently have evolved different strategies to deal with army ant raids; for example, while some species evacuate their nests and flee, others stay put and rely on supersoldiers for defense. When army ants attack, supersoldiers block nest entrances with their large heads, preventing invaders from penetrating the colony. The giants also use their extra large size to intimidate and fight off the enemy.” http://www.sciencefriday.com/blogs/01/10/2012/supersoldier-ant-evolution.html?series=2

In a laboratory colony, a Cephalotes rohweri soldier demonstrates how she uses her massive head to block the nest entrance. She is essentially a living door. http://www.alexanderwild.com/Ants/Taxonomic-List-of-Ant-Genera/Cephalotes/8714635_7JRV9K/837313118_iaHZU#!i=837313118&k=jsdXn5g

Where exactly am I going with this you may well be asking.  Intercession.  Anyone who knows me even just a little can verify that all roads lead back to prayer in some way in my mind.  

Soldier ants use their heads to plug the entrances to their nests and keep intruders from gaining access.

She is essentially a living door

How cool is that - a living door!

Ezekiel 22:30 “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn't have to destroy the land, but I found no one.

As I close out my blog for 2012 I leave you with this thought - it is time we get our head in the game and become living doors.  It is time to pray.

An Indiana Jones Christmas

This is pretty much my mind’s eye picture of Christmas.  There is Mary with her newborn son while Joseph stands close by looking down on her with eyes of love.  Shepherds are kneeling close by with expressions of wonder and joy on their faces.  Cattle and sheep are lying quietly nearby watching all that is going on.  Then I add to that the Hallmark moment scenes of a loving family all gathered around the beautifully decorated tree and the Folgers coffee moment of the sister waiting up for her brother and mom and dad quietly coming down the stairs watching as their daughter says that her brother is her gift this year.  My eyes tear up and I want those moments, but I wonder if this is an accurate depiction of that first Christmas?  I wonder if that is how Joseph and Mary felt or if it was more like Indiana Jones in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  Indiana stood on the edge of the cliff with seemingly no possible way to get across and retrieve the Holy Grail to save his father from death.  Let’s look at the story.

Luke 1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”  29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel  forever; his Kingdom will never end!”  34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”  35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.

Let’s freeze frame that moment and talk about Joseph and Mary at that moment in time.  The Bible says that she was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph .  So how did that moment in time look to Mary and Joseph. 

When a Jewish young man wished to marry a particular young woman, it was customary for the prospective groom's father first to approach the girl's father with the proposal of marriage.  The two men would discuss this possible union including the price offered by the groom for the bride.  If the girl's father agreed to the suggested amount, the two men sealed the agreement with a toast of wine.

At that time the potential bride then entered the room whereupon the prospective groom proclaimed his love and asked her to be his bride.  If the young woman wished to be his wife, she accepted his proposal at this time.  The validation of the agreement made by the engaged couple was the presentation of a gift by the groom.  He offered it in the presence of at least two witnesses.  As he gave the gift, usually a ring, he said to his intended bride, "Behold you are consecrated unto me with this ring according to the laws of Moses and Israel."

The young man prepared a marriage contract (or covenant) which he presented to the intended bride and her father.   Included in this was the “Bride Price ", which was appropriate in that society to compensate the young woman's parents for the cost of raising her, as well as being an expression of his love for her.

To see if the proposal was accepted, the young man would pour a cup of wine for his beloved and wait to see if she drank it.   This cup represents a blood covenant. If she drank the cup she would have accepted the proposal and they would be betrothed. The young man would then give gifts to his beloved but before leaving the young man would announce, “I am going to prepare a place for you and  I will return for you when it is ready."   The usual practice was for the young man to return to his father's house and build a honeymoon room there.    He was not allowed to skimp on the work and had to receive his father's approval before he could consider it ready for his bride.   If asked the date of his wedding, the groom- to- be  would have to reply, "Only my father knows."

Meanwhile the bride would be making herself ready so that she would be pure and beautiful for her bridegroom.   During this time, she would wear a veil when she went out to show she was spoken for and that she has been bought with a price. The betrothal was binding and could only be undone by a divorce with proper grounds, such as the bride being found not to be a virgin.

When the wedding chamber was ready the bridegroom could collect his bride.   He could do this at any time so the bride would make special arrangements.   It was the custom for a bride to keep a lamp, her veil and her other things beside her bed.   Her bridesmaids were also waiting and had to have oil ready for their lamps.  When the groom and his friends got close to the bride's house they would give a shout and blow a shofar to let her know to be ready.

 The typical Jewish wedding took place at night.  As soon as any members of the wedding spotted the moving torches signaling the groom's approach, their cry echoed through the streets, "The bridegroom is coming."  The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia tells us, "Mirth and gladness announced their approach to townspeople waiting in houses along the route to the bride's house."  Upon hearing the announcement, the excited bride would drop everything in order to slip into her wedding dress and complete her final personal preparations for marriage.

So on the day the angel appeared to Mary what was Joseph doing?  Joseph was preparing to be married.  Joseph was engaged to Mary.  Joseph would have dreamed of their wedding day just as any young man looks forward to their wedding day.  Mary and Joseph were engaged so the bride price had already been set and paid.  Mary and her Father had accepted the bride price and signed a contract of marriage.  The only way the contract could be broken would be if the young woman was no longer a virgin and then the punishment by the law was death by stoning.   Joseph was a carpenter so I am sure he immediately went back to his father’s house to work preparing a place for Mary and him to live and begin their family.  Because Joseph was a carpenter, I am sure he took extra pride in the room that he was preparing.  Each cut of the saw measured not once but twice.  Each new board placed with precision.  Maybe he fashioned their bedroom set.   I wonder how many times he went to his Father and asked if he could go and bring Mary to the home he had prepared.  I wonder if his friends came by to check out his progress and to ask how soon the celebration would begin. 

Now Mary had told him she was pregnant.   Matthew 1:19 says “Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.”

 On this day Joseph did not believe the story that Mary had told him.  He probably felt hurt, disappointment, maybe a sense of betrayal.  His reputation was destroyed.  He was now being asked to raise a son that was not his.  How his heart must have broken.  I wonder if he was angry.  It was within the law for him to have Mary, the one he loved and was preparing a home for, stoned to death.  Joseph stood on the brink of disaster.

And what about Mary’s feelings on the day Gabriel appeared to her.  What were her dreams for her wedding day?  The bride price had already been paid – she was betrothed.  I wonder how often she took out her wedding dress and looked at it – tried it on – thought about her wedding night.  I wonder if she imagined her new home with Joseph and what he was preparing for her.  I wonder if her heart beat with excitement as she thought of hearing the shout and her bridesmaids gathering their torches as she went out to meet Joseph.  I wonder if she thought about her life with Joseph and the family they would raise together, but now she was pregnant and the child was not Joseph’s child.  When she told him, Joseph had left her alone.  Mary was standing on the cliff saying this is impossible. 

Joseph and Mary  both stood on the brink of what seemed to be disaster.  It was the end of their hopes and dreams.  The end of the life they had thought they would have, BUT that is not the end of the story.

Joseph took a leap of faith.  Matthew 1:20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Think about this.  Joseph was not a prophet who was used to having God give him dreams.  Joseph was not a priest.  Joseph was your everyday Joe – a carpenter.  But he took a leap of faith. 

Matthew 1:24  When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

Mary took a leap of faith.  Luke 1: 38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

So what do you think about the first Christmas – manger or Indiana Jones?  Maybe Christmas is not so much like the beautiful nativity set where everything is neat and tidy and everyone looks peaceful. Maybe the first Christmas was never meant to make us think that life would be filled with beautiful Hallmark moments, but rather heart stopping leaps of faith that would change the world. 

Maybe the Christmas story is meant to give us hope when we stand on the edge of our life cliff and we look at the future and we say there is no way possible to move forward.  If you are not standing on the cliff today you probably have in the past or you will in the future or you know and love someone who is teetering on the edge.  I encourage you to share the Indian Jones Christmas story this year.  When we step out in faith God will make a way and change us and the world in the process.

A Heart of Gratitude

Psalm 100 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.  2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.  3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.  4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.  5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and the pumpkin pie is cooling on the counter, the pecan pie is in the oven, and I am overwhelmed by God’s goodness and faithfulness to me.  I have enjoyed reading the posts on facebook as my friends have stopped to thank God for one thing every day in the month of November. I have so much to thank the Lord for this year. 

One of my favorite quotes is “Gratitude fills the heart when the gift has been understood and wonder fills the soul when gratitude is expressed to the fullest.”   R. Zacharias

Psalm 100:4 says “ Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise.”

Gratitude will be followed by wonder as we allow praise to flow to the One who has blessed us. 

It is amazing to me that with God we never reach the end of who He is, but He continually draws us deeper and deeper into His love.  Thanksgiving gets us through the gates but then praise ushers us into His courts.  

Just a Reminder

• The poorest 5% of Americans are richer than 68% of the world’s inhabitants.
• If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, you are richer than seventy five percent of the people in the world.
• If you can attend a church or synagogue meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you have the freedom that three billion people in the world do not have.
• At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day.
• Almost two in three people lacking access to clean water survive on less than $2 a day, with one in three living on less than $1 a day.
• Millions of women and children spend several hours a day collecting water.
• Some 1.8 million children die each year as a result of diarrhea caused by unsanitary water.
• In 2005, the wealthiest 20% of the world accounted for 76.6% of total private consumption. The poorest fifth just 1.5%.
• A mere 12 percent of the world’s population uses 85 percent of its water, and these 12 percent do not live in the Third World.
• 10.6 million children died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5 (same as children population in France, Germany, Greece and Italy).
  
  It is so easy to focus on what we don't have.  I challenge you today to make a list of the top ten ways you are blessed.  

Passwords

Passwords are driving me absolutely and completely crazy!  Every single account I have requires me to come up with a user name and then the dreaded password to protect me.  Protect me from who or what??  I know that there are some really important big wigs who are managing multimillion dollar accounts, doing business that ranks up there with James Bond, or who know top secret information that they would have to kill me if I found out, but come on I don’t even do my banking on line!  Even still I am told not to use the same password for every account because then if my secret password is hacked, I have allowed entry into all of my accounts.  Do I really care if you get into my Pinterest account, my crocs account, or my Mary Maxim account.  Would the world come to an end if you knew my facebook password, my church prayer leader password, or my epatterns password?   None of them have any credit card information on them.  Why does my blog need a secret password?  I thought I wanted people to find my blog.  But I am compliant and scour my little brain trying to come up with some cute little password that I can remember forever.  Now if that was just one password I might be okay, but that is not reality.  I have a lot of accounts and that means I have a lot of those cute little passwords that I thought I would always be able to remember that I have forgotten.  So then to try and remember every password I have ever dreamed up, I am told to be sure I write them down BUT NOT in a word document on my computer.  Oh no!  If someone hacks my computer they now have access to all of my secret private passwords.  So I write down all my super-secret passwords on a plain white piece of notebook paper.  Where is that plain white piece of notebook paper?  I can’t remember!!!!!!!!  When I am even older and even more senile and I am just rambling random words or phrases, write them down because they will  be all those super-secret passwords I have been trying to remember and you will have access to a wealth of prayer and crafting accounts.

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I will have to say that God frequently makes me laugh and when I read Psalm 89: 15 – 18 I just had to shake my head and laugh. It was one of those ROFL moments.   “Blessed are the people who know the passwords…”  Now that is just funny!!!  After I had ranted and raved because I could not remember a password and then went through the process of resetting the password and finally gaining access to MY account, I read that people who know the passwords are blessed.  God had me hooked so I continued to read.

Ps 89: 15 – 18  Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise,

who shout on parade in the bright presence of God.

Delighted, they dance all day long; they know

who you are, what you do—they can’t keep it quiet!

Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us—

you’ve been so good to us! We’re walking on air!

All we are and have we owe to God,

Holy God of Israel, our King!

The not-so secret password that grants me access into the King of Kings is "PRAISE" and God just wrote it down in plain sight in His word for all of us to know.  We are now eight days into November and I have written the password “PRAISE” on my heart and on my mind and just to be safe there is now a lime green post-a-note on my refrigerator (a place I frequent often) that says "PRAISE".  I am praying that we will all remember the not-so-secret password that allows us to enter into the presence of God and all He has to offer.

Tell all your friends that the password is "PRAISE".

Let’s Get Real

There is just something satisfying about having the real thing.  I think any sane person, if and when given the option of having the real thing or a fake, would take the real thing.  The real thing is better quality, more valuable, and to be desired.  Women, given the choice between a real coach purse and a fake coach purse will take the real coach purse and I would have some serious questions about the woman who would not. Maybe you could care less about a coach purse, but if someone is going to give you one – take the real one!  We would rather have a smaller, but real, diamond ring than a great big fake cubic zirconium.  We would rather have an authentic antique than an expensive reproduction.  Real homemade ice cream made with real cream is way better than ice milk! We want the real deal!  We want the definition of real - genuine; not counterfeit, artificial, or imitation; authentic.

So what strange thing grips my mind when I think about myself?  I suddenly lapse into momentary insanity and I am much more likely to desire the fake.  Why do I suddenly think that my fake personality is superior to my real personality?   Why do I think my pretend life is somehow more interesting and better than my real life?  Why do I suddenly choose the fake over the real?  For some reason I am afraid that no one would want the real me.  I am afraid that the genuine me is not good enough and that a fake is somehow better.  Maybe it is because I am listening to the standard the world is giving me as real.  According to their standard, I should be taller, thinner, better educated, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.  So when I can’t come even close to that standard with my real life, I fake one.

In Matthew 16 Jesus asks Peter who people were saying He was and then He presses Peter as to who Peter says He is.  We all remember that Peter then makes the declaration that Jesus is the Son of God.  After Peter declares without hesitation who Jesus is, this is what Jesus says to Peter.

Matthew 16:18a (MSG) And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock.

Once I declare Jesus as my Lord, then Jesus tells me who I really am.    According to Jesus the “real” me is loved, accepted, secure, beautiful, indispensable, and so much more. That battle between the fake sold by the world and the real offered by the Lord rages within each of us.  I am tired of settling for the fake and I hope you are too.  I am determined to be real.  The world is a master at marketing fake ID’s and selling us a cheap imitation of who we truly are when Jesus offers the genuine; not counterfeit, artificial, or imitation; authentic real deal. 

“Generally by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby.  But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”  The Velveteen Rabbit

Let’s not wait until our hair is gone, our eyes can’t see, we are loose in the joints and shabby.  Let’s start a movement of living the genuine; not counterfeit, artificial, or imitation; authentic real deal life that Jesus offers us today.  Let's show the world that loved, accepted, secure, beautiful, indispensable, and so much more is way better than anything the world has on the market.

Oops there goes another rubber tree plant . . .

 Have you ever had one of those days when you think your life is small and has little or no meaning?  Ever feel like what you are doing doesn't make any difference to anyone?  Ever think that what you are facing is too big for you to handle?

Then grab your Bible and look up

Proverbs 6:6  Go to the ant, O lazy person. Watch and think about her ways, and be wise.

Considering the ant has helped me turn my wrong thinking right, so I want to share some facts about ants that you are welcome to fact check. 

“In many ways, ants can outwit, outlast, and outplay humans. Their complex, cooperative societies enable them to survive and thrive in conditions that would challenge the individual. Here are some fascinating facts about ants that just might convince you they're superior to us.”

1. Ants are capable of carrying objects 50 times their own body weight with their mandibles.  Ants use their diminutive size to their advantage. Relative to their size, their muscles are thicker than those of larger animals or even humans. This ratio enables them to produce more force and carry larger objects. If we had muscles in the proportions of ants, we'd be able to heave a Hyundai over our heads!  The real strength of an ant, or any insect for that matter, lies in its diminutive size. Generally speaking, the smaller the critter, the stronger it will be. It's physics, plain and simple.  The tiny ant has a strength advantage because of the ratio of surface area to volume.  An ant need only lift a small measure of its own weight relative to the strength.

Matthew 19:26  Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

2. Soldier ants use their heads to plug the entrances to their nests and keep intruders from gaining access.

In certain ant species, the soldier ants have modified heads, shaped to match the nest entrance. They block access to the nest by sitting just inside the entrance, with their heads facing out like a cork in a bottle. When a worker ant returns to the nest, it will touch the soldier ant's head to let the guard know it belongs to the colony.

Ezekiel 22:30 “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn't have to destroy the land, but I found no one.

3.  Acacia trees employ a complicated mutualism with ants to fend off large herbivores, like giraffes and elephants. Across the African savannah, Acacia trees offer shelter to three species of biting ants that live in their swollen thorns. The ants drink nectar from the base of the Acacia leaves. Should an elephant try to enjoy a snack on the tree's tender leaves and twigs, these highly territorial ants swarm the offender, driving the elephant away with vicious bites en masse.

Isaiah 54:17  no weapon forged against you will prevail,  and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.  This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord.

4. The total biomass of all the ants on Earth is roughly equal to the total biomass of all the people on Earth.

How can this be?! Ants are so tiny, and we are so big! But scientists estimate there are at least 1.5 million ants on the planet for every human being. Over 12,000 species of ants are known to exist, on every continent except Antarctica. Most live in tropical regions. A single acre of Amazon rainforest may house 3.5 million ants.  http://insects.about.com/od/antsbeeswasps/a/10-cool-facts-about-ants.htm

2 Kings 6:16-17  He said, “Don’t worry about it—there are more on our side than on their side.”   Then Elisha prayed, “O God, open his eyes and let him see.”  The eyes of the young man were opened and he saw. A wonder! The whole mountainside full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha!

You and I may seem small and our lives insignificant, BUT the truth is that with God we can move mountains, stand in the gap, drive off the enemy, and change the world for the glory of God.  We are not alone, but are a part of a heavenly army that is unstoppable.
  

Next time your found, with your chin on the ground

There's a lot to be learned, so look around

Just what makes that little old ant

Think he’ll move that rubber tree plant

Anyone knows an ant, can’t

Move a rubber tree plant

But he's got high hopes, he's got high hopes

He’s got high apple pie, in the sky hopes

So any time your gettin low

Stead of lettin go

Just remember that ant

Oops there goes another rubber tree plant!

Cahn/VanHeusen

Stay Healthy!

Beware!  It is that time of the year – the dreaded cold and flu season. The flu season seems to creep in around November and haunts us until March.  What happens in those months?  Nothing really sinister just that in those months our weather changes and we aren't able to get the vitamin D we need from the sun and our windows and doors are sealed against the cold air which makes the air in our homes drier. Then add the fact that kids are back in school crowded together in small class rooms sharing pencils, glue, scissors, and anything else you can imagine.  Now you have the perfect recipe for colds and flu.  I am trying to be proactive and get outside in the fresh air as much as possible, exercise every day, drink lots of orange juice, and I went and got my annual flu shot.  Take that dreaded cold and flu!

There are times in my spiritual life that I am more susceptible to getting spiritually sick.  There are those seasons of my life when change comes and my time to be with the Lord is stolen away.  There are times when I close myself off from others who would encourage me.  I become spiritually dry.  Unlike the physical, the spiritual man needs to be around others who will build him up. Bam!  You have the perfect recipe for the spiritual mulligrubs.   I know because I have had those times when I had no energy, no motivation, and I felt tired and run down.  I have had those times when spiritually I just wanted to stay in bed and hide under my nice warm covers.  Maybe I should try and be proactive in my spiritual life, as well as, my physical life. I think there are several things we can do to help prevent the spiritual blues.

Proverbs 17:22  A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

One of the easiest remedies for the spiritual blues is to laugh.  Studies have shown that laughter actually relaxes the body.  One of those deep belly laughs can actually relieve stress and relax your muscles for up to 45 minutes. Your immune system is known to respond to laughter.  A good laugh has the power to decrease stress hormones and increase immune cells.  Your infection-fighting antibodies are thrust into high gear making you more resistant to disease.  Your body’s natural feel-good endorphins are released to give your body a sense of well-being and can actually help relieve pain.  One of those good laughs can increase blood flow, improve how your blood vessels function, and even help protect you from a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.  Children do not have to be told to laugh it just comes naturally.  Studies have shown that kids laugh about 400 hundred times a day and as adults that number drops to 17.  That’s right I said 17.  I think we can do way better than that!

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Rejoicing is a preemptive strike against spiritual sickness.  When I feel down I need to rejoice.  When my soul feels sick, I need to rejoice.  No matter how bad I want to stay in bed and hide from the world, I need to rejoice.  The key to this rejoicing is that it is in the Lord.  I rejoice because He is my redeemer, my friend, my healer, my provider. I rejoice because the Lord is loving, kind, and good.  I rejoice because I am His daughter and He loves me, accepts me, and thinks I am wonderful.

Nehemiah 8:10  And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”

Isaiah 12:3  With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!

Every day we should be feasting on the richness of God’s word and drinking from the wells of salvation.  We should be sharing God’s love with those who have nothing.  Just as in the natural I can take steps that will help ward off colds and the flu, I can take steps to stay spiritually healthy. 

Your prescription for today

1.  LAUGH!  You say you have nothing to laugh about.  Find something.  Watch reruns of "I Love Lucy."  Go to a park and sit and watch kids play.  Go to the zoo and look at a walrus.  Read a joke book. Laugh more than 17 times today.

2.  Rejoice in the Lord.  Make a gratitude list.  Tell the Lord why you love Him. 

3.  Feast today on God’s word and drink from the wells of salvation.

Inch by Inch

How long does it take the average person to go eighteen inches?  On your mark, get set, go.  Grab that high priced mathematical calculator and plug in some of those magical formulas and give me the answer down to the millisecond. How long could it possibly take?  One quick step and it is done.   The buzz words of our society are quick, easy, buy it now, one click shopping.  No waiting is music to our ears.  We like the drive through, on-line buying and shipped for free to our door.   So the answer to how long it should take the average person to go eighteen inches would be the snap of  your fingers, the blink of your eye, the swoosh of a hummingbird’s wings.   No time at all!

But wait, not so fast.  They say it is approximately eighteen inches from your head to your heart.  For over 50 years I have had the knowledge of God’s mercy in my head and yet, that truth has not completely found its way down those eighteen inches into my heart.  For over 50 years, I have had the glorious truth of God’s amazing grace and forgiveness firmly planted in my head and yet, I still do not walk in the freedom that I would know if that truth was totally transferred into my heart.  Now some might say that those are deep theological matters that it takes years to fully appreciate.  I can buy that, but what about the simpler things like don’t worry, no need to fear, or don’t judge.  I have not even managed to master the full eighteen inches in those areas.

    

Like I said, you would think that moving God's truth eighteen inches would be a quick and easy process.  Not so!  Satan does not care how many church services we go to or how many times we read our Bibles cover to cover.  He doesn't care how many Bible studies we go to or even teach.  There is no problem at all until we begin to ask the Lord to move the truth from our head to our hearts.  Those eighteen inches then become a battlefield.  We find God’s buzz words are patience and perseverance.  We hear the words wait on the Lord.  We discover Matthew 7:8  For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened.  

So today I am asking the Holy Spirit to come and tutor me.  I want to move some truth from my head to my heart today.  How long will that take?  As long as is required.  

Not a Normal Harvest

It is once again harvest time in the Midwest.  My small gravel country road is transformed into a parade route for green and red, and an occasisonal yellow, combines headed to a harvest field.  It has always been one of my favorite times of the year and my mind has always reflected on the words that Jesus had to say about the harvest. 

This year has been different.  With an early spring, seeds were in the ground early.  Depending on the day they were planted determined whether the 4 inch deluge of rain we received would cause the seed to rot in the ground or emerge with the return of the sunshine.  Some fields had to be replanted early in the season adding time and expense.  Then day after day of scourching 100 degree heat baked the ground and crops were stressed.  Drought became the reality as state after state went without rain.  Late summer storms with high winds swept across corn fields with devastating results.  Whole fields were flattened while others had patches here and there that were down.  Because of the high heat and low moisture, large ears filled with kernels are not to be found.  Instead, short stubby ears with corn spotted on the cob are the norm. Black mold covered stalk after stalk.   In short, the harvest field this year where I live is not the normal harvest field I have known in the past.

So do you even bother to harvest these fields?   Any farmer will never question that the harvest will come in, but harvesting  fields where half the stalks are on the ground and the other half are bent over will require some adjustments.   How do you harvest ears of corn that should be 8 or 9 inches long, but are only 5 or 6 inches long. Believe it or not that is a problem. There have to be adjustments.  There will be a lot of adjustments on the chains and belts.  The head of the combine will be set as low as possible so rocks and bad terrain are going to be a problem.  s.  Hot, dry, dirty fields are always a recipe for fires so caution will be taken to make sure equipment stays clean.  This year combines have an added feature called a corn lifter (those are the yellow attachments) to help lift the stalks off the ground and into the combine head. Yes, this year’s corn crop will be harvested but adjustments will have to be made.  In order to harvest this year’s crop “slow” will be the watchword.

 I think back on what the harvest fields of souls looked like when I was a little girl and I wonder if I need to make some adjustments.  According to Wikipedia married adults now divorce two-and-a-half times as often as adults did 20 years ago and four times as often as they did 50 years ago... between 40% and 60% of new marriages will eventually end in divorce.  Added to that the concept of obsession with body image as a motivating factor for excessive fasting did not emerge until the mid-1960s, and it was not until 1980 that body image disturbance was formally included as a diagnostic criterion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association.   According to www.save.org between 1952 and 1995, suicide in young adults nearly tripled.  As a child I cannot remember anyone who died from cancer.  There may have been, but today every child is probably aware of the dread of cancer.  When I was young I had never heard of cutting, but today it is not uncommon to hear of teens cutting. So many lives are bent and bruised.  So many feel diminished and insignificant.  So many feel like the potential they dreamed of has been greatly reduced or eliminated all together because of the economic downturn.  So many have fallen into the traps of Satan.  So do we even bother to try and bring in this harvest?  Yes and a thousand times YES.

Matthew 12:20  A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory.

My prayer today is that the Lord of the harvest will give me wisdom to bring in the bruised and the broken.  My prayer today is that I am willing to make whatever adjustments required to make sure that the harvest is brought in before it is too late.  

Which End is Up?

If the funnel represents your life, do you view your life from the little end to an ever widening expanse or is your life becoming smaller and smaller?  As I age, I am on a quest not to shrink and become smaller and smaller until I quietly disappear.  Physically that may happen because I started out at not quite 5 feet tall.  If I follow after my Grandma, you will not be able to see me behind the steering wheel in a few years, but I digress.  I am not talking about my physical stature.  I am on a quest to keep expanding and growing and evolving spiritually until the world can no longer contain me and I find myself with Jesus in the immensity of His Kingdom.  That's right - you read that sentence correctly - I am on a quest to keep expanding and growing and evolving spiritually until the world can no longer contain me and I find myself with Jesus in the immensity of His Kingdom.  As with any quest, this is not an easy task.  Society paints the picture of aging as something to be avoided like the bubonic plague.  Something to be avoided at all cost and offers botox, liposuction, hair transplants, face lifts, and 100 other ways to stay young.  Seventy million baby boomers (my generation) are predicted to go from spending $80 BILLION  dollars a year to $114 BILLION dollars a year by 2013 in order to ward off the aging process.   This may shock some of you, but society does not always get things right!

I am delighted to say that God has a different perspective all together.  From His perspective we start out small and shriveled as a newborn baby and move on from there.  The day we meet Jesus and give Him our small shriveled lives, He immediately begins to expand us in ways we never thought possible.  What if we spent our time and money developing our spiritual body? 

Instead of looking at life as a narrowing funnel, see it ever widening to choose the things we want to be, to take the wisdom we’ve learned and create something.  Liz Carpenter