Speechless

Hello long time ago friends.

I haven't been writing because of some unfortunate health issues over the past few months.  What makes today different?  I'm am gripped in sadness at what I see on the news today and wanted to journal the fewest of thoughts I can muster together to have on my blog...forever.

First I will say this, I will never forget the emotions that laid a hold of me on 9/11.  Second, I never stopped praying for those whose eyes are covered by a veil of hatred -- no matter if it presented itself as religion or justice.

I never rejoiced in Saddam's death.

Nor do I rejoice in the news I received this morning.

Terrorism did not die with Osama. I'm grateful that justice has been served but I do not celebrate in the death...of anyone.

So here are my Nine Little Words for today:

Eternal separation from Almighty God should never be celebrated.

Remember that:

 ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, New International Version, ©2011)

So I ask you to be different from the rest of the world who celebrated when our brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters died as a result of the attack on our country -- whether civilian or military.  Honor their memories by understanding that for their families, their lives will never be "normal".  The death of Osama may bring a sense of justice but it doesn't change the past.

Pray for us and the rest of the world.

¹ First, I tell you to pray for all people, asking God for what they need and being thankful to him.² Pray for rulers and for all who have authority so that we can have quiet and peaceful lives full of worship and respect for God. (1 Timothy 2:1-2, New Century Version)

Pray for grace, mercy, and peace.  That all peoples of the world may learn and know the love of one, true, holy and just God.

Blessings for your day.

Merriest Christmas!

I am thrilled beyond measure at the celebration that is Christmas!  Unfortunately, I'm only mid-way through the little project I had started in the beginning of December.

For those of you who follow this blog, the possibility exists that you may understand the word "warfare" when it comes to spiritual matters.  Let's just say I am battled and bruised but not defeated.

I ended up getting a raging sinus infection this week.

But I will be back.

We'll finish Why the Nativity? by David Jeremiah this coming week.

Enjoy your Christmas celebration.  Whether you've celebrated for years, or this is your first one, or you still have questions...there is no better time than Christmas to slow down and soak it all in.

A great place to start?







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Blessings for your Christmas!!!

Preparing for Christmas

Remember how this blog first started?  If you're new here, read the story about how it all began:  Nine Little Words.

I still ask the question.

"How can I ask God to bless you today?"

I do know it has been an adventure -- stepping out of my comfort zone to open up conversation.  A question seeming so simple to ask yet so difficult when truly moved and prompted to do so.  It has been a question that has opened up my eyes to a world and people -- His children -- who long for someone to just care even a little bit.

But what I haven't done is venture further out from my local stores and restaurants.  Perhaps it's become too easy and comfortable again.  Could I really make a difference or an impact if I stepped out a little further and really asked, "How can I ask God to bless you today?"

Perhaps I'm too afraid of what God would show my heart. Perhaps.

What if I was in little Bethlehem all those centuries ago?  Who would I ask? How would I respond?  Would I even think to approach shepherds in a field?  Regardless of their faithfulness to their work, they were known to be thieves and foul mouthed men.  As a woman, of course I wouldn't approach them alone but would I look down on them from a distance...judging them?  Would I be a "good" Jewish woman and consider myself too good because shepherds had such a dirty job and they were considered "unclean"?

What if those very shepherds were asked, "How can I ask God to bless you today?"

What do you think their response would be?

Personally, I believe God listened to their hearts every time they were given a look by "good" people when they went into the marketplace to buy food or supplies.  I believe in the loneliness and poverty of their jobs they had time to question God and ask if He would ever bless them.

I believe He answered.

From the book by David Jeremiah, Why the Nativity?

Question #14

"Why the shepherds?"

He writes:

"Men whose skin glistened with sweat, whose clothes gave off the stench of the fields; those who lacked the most basic manners, who used language unfit for your children's ears; minimum wage earners who were unlikely to be admitted to any respectable establishment of the time -- on this night they were favored by heaven."

I don't know about you but the above words brought me to tears.

Instead of giving you more of my insight from Dr. Jeremiah's book, I'm going to give you his discussion questions and suggestion for further reading.  Trust me. They made me think.

1. Who would be the equivalent of shepherds in society today? Why?
2. How do you respond to these people when they intersect your daily life? What could you do to improve that?

For further study: Read John 10:1-11. What other reason might there be for Jesus' birth being announced first to the shepherds?

Continuing to prepare for Christmas.

Next: Why the Angels?

Here is the link for Why the Nativity?




 
  Maybe you'll get it in your stocking?









Blessings for your day,

Preparing for Christmas

For those of us who are parents, most can remember the moments we first saw our children whether they were our own or adopted. We were filled with indescribable emotion.

For those who have adopted, from what I understand, the emotion is usually a combination of nervousness, joy, protection, apprehension, and an overwhelming sense of..."finally the wait is over".  Next comes the paperwork, and until those documents are signed there is always a chance the hopeful adoptive parents and child would have to part ways.

All of my life, I've been surrounded by adoptions and have five in our family circle.  I have friends who have adopted and have counted down the days with them.  All you can do is wait...and pray.

For those of us who have given birth to our own children, we all have similar emotions while waiting but we also wonder who the baby will look like. Some of us secretly hope that the child will look like "our side of the family".  But all of us hope for a healthy baby and we count all fingers and toes when the baby finally makes his or her appearance.

I used to stare at our babies.  I would study their faces and imagine what they would look like when grown up.  I would dream of conversations I would have in raising a little lady.  I would also think of all the ways I would teach our son to be a gentleman.

Imagine Mary and Joseph.

They had both waited for the coming of the Messiah.  They had heard the prophecies. They had heard the songs and the poems. They expected so much of the promised King.

Now they were told the Messiah would come, but arrive as an infant.

Imagine Mary and Joseph.

Imagine their anticipation as to who the Child would look like. Would he look like any other infant?

The baby boy is born, Son of God.  The waiting for the Messiah was over.  Mary and Joseph counted fingers and toes.  But what now?  How long before this Child is no longer theirs?  Joseph is now the adoptive father. Do you think they knew the boy Mary delivered would be the One who delivers them both?

Can you imagine waiting as parents..."until further notice"?

I certainly couldn't.

From the book Why the Nativity? by David Jeremiah


Question #13

"Why did Jesus come as a baby?"

He writes:

"In that regard, we have seen that the Virgin Birth is the sign of his [Jesus] divinity. He comes to the earth from outside, pure and clean, and is in no way a product of this world. Now we see that, in the same way, the infancy of the Child is the sign of his humanity.  He is one of us in every way. He arrives from heaven with perfection and godliness of which no man or woman is capable -- yet he takes the full human journey, which even God in heaven had not taken. How could we follow his footsteps as a man if we hadn't seen him crawl as a child? How could we believe he had undergone all the temptation we have faced if he had bypassed the most difficult years in which we struggle to earn our adulthood?

To make the full sacrifice on our behalf, Jesus had to make the full commitment."

Wow.

Get the book Why the Nativity? to read the rest of David Jeremiah's words.


Next:  Why the shepherds?





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Blessings for your day,

Preparing for Christmas

(Forgive me. Battling sickness is not fun...but I'm back and pushing through! And I'm changing the format slightly.)
...

How many times have we read it in an encouraging note, or a bumper sticker on a car?

"...with God all things are possible" (Mt 19:26)

But how many times have I really stopped to think about it and really reflect?  I always hear it. I know it. But have I ever really believed it? 

Have you?

What a perfect time of year to do a little digging into the biblical statement "with God all things are possible" that was spoken by Jesus himself, than while preparing for Christmas!

From the book by David Jeremiah, Why the Nativity?

Question 12

"Why was Jesus born of a virgin?"

He writes (and quotes Oswald Chambers...enough said!)

"The answer centers on the identity and mission of Jesus Christ. Even though Jesus lived among us as a fully human individual, he was also fully divine -- a pre-existing, eternal person.  Human parents are temporal and finite and they can pass on only limiting characteristics. 'He existed in the beginning with God' (John 1:2). He has always existed, and he always will. Therefore, as Oswald Chambers has pointed out, Jesus was born into this world, not from it. He is in no way a product of the natural earth or the union of a human father and mother. Instead, he is the eternal person of the Lord himself, the infinite one who created the universe, taking on the limited form of a human being."

I quoted David Jeremiah's words from the beginning parts of this chapter because as I read his thoughts and observations that followed, I felt like I was watching a rose bloom into its glorious created beauty.

Try to describe a rose to someone who has never seen one.  It's nearly impossible.  You can come close but until that person has actually come face to face with what you are trying to describe, they will not get it.

A similar thing happened to me while reading Dr Jeremiah's insightful answers to question #12 from Why the Nativity?  I've always known about the Virgin Birth. I've always known that Jesus was fully God and fully man. I've always known with God all things are possible.

But I think I missed fully understanding, because I've somehow lost my child-like wonder and overlooked a significant detail.

A Virgin Birth was necessary but impossible with man. But with God all things are possible.

All things.

Not just some things...but all things.

What is more mysterious than the miracle of life? We've already read about the miraclulous babies of older parents who were past child bearing age. But this baby had the absolute need for a Virgin Birth because Jesus was not a new creation.  With our finite human minds, we cannot comprehend how this is possible. It's completely impossible.

But God tells us that with Him...all things are possible.

I believe our Creator is constantly trying to tell us He is faithful and can be trusted. He proves Himself over and over again in words poured out in the pages of Scripture. We simply have to look, do a little digging, open our hearts...and believe.

In your life and in mine...all things are possible. All.

Per David Jeremiah's suggestion in the book Why the Nativity?:

For further study: Read Colossians 1:15-17 and Hebrews 1:1-3.  How do these passages support the necessity of the Virgin Birth?

Next, "Why did Jesus come as a baby?"






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Blessings for your day,