How to Have the Happiest New Year Yet

This was emailed to me from Dare2Share's website.  I thought it was, in a word, awesome!

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The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes. Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective. Unless a man starts on the strange assumption that he has never existed before, it is quite certain that he will never exist afterwards. Unless a man be born again, he shall by no means enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. – G. K. Chesterton

 

So what's the object of your New Year? For many, it's simply a new start on old habits, and for others the whole resolution thing goes in one year and out the other.

 

But...may I make a suggestion this year? Forget all the resolutions that involve just trying to manage your sin nature, and take the advice from the quote. What this means is that on January 1, wake up like it was the first day of your life and might be the last. If you stick to that alone, 2009 will bring you things you never thought possible.

 

I know that looking back can bring up guilt and regrets. The sorrows, sins and silly slip-ups get in your face and haunt you like a re-occurring nightmare. Yet I would still encourage you to do so for this reason: grace. If you peer hard enough into your accumulated memories, you will find the fingerprints of God over all your botches and blunders - and the finger that left the prints is pointing towards forgiveness and restoration. Remember that Jesus is the God of second chances (and third, fourth, fifth etc.). Learn from your mistakes and move on - that's what the Apostle

 

Paul did:

 

Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven (Philippians 3:13-14).

 

Paul was a lot like us. He looked back and saw things he was proud of, and things he was ashamed of. Yet rather than revel and grovel in obsessive observations, he made a decision to employ a wonderful technique for dealing with the past: forgetting.

 

But Paul also looked towards the future. Not in a ridiculous and useless resolution sort of way, but in a dedicated and determined fashion that takes seriously the high calling of being a believer left on this planet to advance God's Kingdom one day and one life at a time - because each day is a gift.

 

What impact does the attitude of 'each day being a gift' have on a person? Perhaps it differs with each individual - but here is the prayer of an African pastor who was later killed for his faith. Read it, memorize it, speak it and live it. Instead of a New Year's resolution, make it a New Year's 'prayer solution.' May Christ give you the grace to have it profoundly affect the way 2009 unfolds:

 

§         I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His and I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

 

§         My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I'm done and finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

 

§         I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, or first, or tops, or recognized, or praised, or rewarded. I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit power.

 

§         My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear.

 

§         I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed.

 

§         I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary. I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

 

§         I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.

 

§         I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He'll have no problems recognizing me. My colors will be clear!*

 

Head: What you need to know about this truth

 

The New Year is an amazing opportunity for us to look ahead and resolve to live each day like it is our first. When we focus on serving Jesus each day, no day of the year will be wasted.

 

Heart: What you need to feel about this truth

 

Are you excited about the New Year? Think of all the wonderful things God wants to do in your life - and feel confident that "God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns" (Philippians 1:6).

 

Hands: What you need to do about this truth

 

Read the African Pastor's poem every day for a week and see how it impacts your view of the New Year.

 

*Source: A young, unknown African pastor from Zimbabwe, martyred in 1990 for his faith.

 

Mary Christmas!!!

I've been reading others' blogs on Christmas memories and began to muse over a few of mine.

 

I'm not sure why, but in Jr. High & High School...some of the more annoying boys used to come up to me, pointing, and say "Mary Christmas! Get it?"  Yeah, I got it.  I got tired of informing them that the "Merry" in Merry Christmas isn't spelled the same as my name, "Mary."  As I reflect on those moments, it dawns on me that perhaps this was a botched attempt at flirting with me.  Sheesh!  I was so insecure, it never occurred to me that these boys were actually trying to flirt with me and strike up a conversation in any way possible.  Hm...missed opportunity.  Or was it?  He.he.he...I mean, who wants to date or carry on a relationship with someone who didn't understand the difference between the way a proper noun was spelled and an adjective? Really.

 

One Christmas, I was in the 4th grade and REALLY wanted a watch for Christmas.  What is it with me and watches?  My parents had left me in the care of my older sister, Judy.  While they were gone and she was occupied, I approached the wrapped presents under the Christmas tree.  I sorted out all the presents sent to me from "Santa" (wondering why my parents still insisted Santa gave us stuff...especially a few days before Christmas, no less?).  Meticulously, I unwrapped all of my gifts to ascertain if I received the much desired watch...and, I did!  I was elated.  Carefully, I rewapped each present and rearranged all gifts back under the Christmas tree.  No one was the wiser.  A few days later, I felt so guilty, I confessed to my dad what I had done!  He was pretty upset with me.  He grabbed up all my gifts and stuffed them in a closet.  I had NOTHING to open on Christmas morning.  A few days later (or it could have been that evening, I don't recall)...my dad let me have all my presents.

 

While in college (Christian Heritage in El Cajon, CA), I worked with the Youth Group.  We adopted a family who was struggling financially.  We pooled all of our funds and purchased presents, toys, Christmas dinner, Christmas tree & decorations and clothes in all the right sizes for a mom, two younger boys and one teenaged girl.  We were to be secret and the family was never to know who we were.  An elder in the church took the family out to dinner and a movie.  We had so much fun!  We ran a little short and everyone emptied their pockets so we'd have just enough.  When we arrived at the unsuspecting family's apartment...it was so empty, drab and the cupboards were pretty sparse.  We stuffed the refrigerator with yummies.  We stuffed the pantry/cupboards with all kinds of food.  We decorated the entire place with the tree, presents & lights.  It was so fun!  As quickly as we arrived, we left.  A few weeks later, the family sent us a thank you card.  There wasn't a dry eye in the room after we finished reading the card.  That was a Christmas to remember!

 

I have fond memories of decorating our house as a teen for Christmas.  Most of my family memories revolve around mom cooking in the kitchen and dad watching his beloved Cowboys play football.  I still have a picture I treasure of my parents hugging in the kitchen.  My mom was so busy and my dad went in to bother her.  He kissed her and she told him to go away, she was busy.  At that moment, I stopped them both and took their picture.  My mom was annoyed, but smiling and my dad was all Cheshire cat grins.

 

I have pictures of Jameson with Santa Claus (and bear bear - his stuffed polar bear).  Pictures from Jameson's many Christmas programs.  In one, he is an angel (I guess I had to know that would not last!).  In another, he is wearing a red, button-down shirt underneath a Christmas green sweater.  He is smiling so big, his eyes are all squinty.

 

I have good Christmas memories of Youth Group parties, trips to Disneyland and a recent progressive dinner ending up at our home.

 

As I ponder the Christmas season on this Christmas Eve...I wonder at all the hustle and bustle of Christmases past.  I don't really recall any special gifts given or received.  I wonder why we carry such an intense preoccupation with that "perfect" gift?  One of my co-workers was mourning the fact she couldn't give her kids the big ticket items this year like she did last year.

 

I think we are all guilty of trying to replace our love and affection to one another with the gifts we give.  Not many of us, in this generation or the next few, truly understand the concept of sacrificial giving.  Somehow, a gift is supposed to represent or embody the feelings we have for each other.

 

When Frank and I were first dating, Christmas hit us with little or no money to spare.  I asked him to simply get me a card.  I explained to him how a card takes time...effort...and more than likely, reflects the sentiments of the purchaser for the intended recipient.  It really WAS the thought that counted....to me.

 

What are your favorite Christmas memories?

 

As you celebrate Christmas eve tonight and Christmas Day tomorrow...take a moment to focus the family around you.  Find a moment to tell each one of them how much you love them and are thankful for them.  The best Christmases...are the ones remembered in the heart.

 

And, take time to read the Christmas Story found in Matthew chapters 1 & 2. Also read John 3:14-17.

 

Merry Christmas to you all!

 

May the love of Jesus reign in your hearts and minds now and forever.

 

 

The Day Before Christmas Eve...

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of gerat joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you:  You will find the baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'" (Luke 2:10-12)

 

Here are the top 10 excuses why I'm not sending out Christmas Cards this year: 

1. The store ran out of "meaningful" Christmas Cards.
2. The dog ate them, er, um...as he IS part goat.
3. After all the browsing I did for Christmas Cards, I couldn't find one that accurately represented me & Frank.
4. I'm disorganzied and need to work on my time management skills.
5. My right hand is allergic to writing on Christmas Cards.
6. I am not ambidextrous (i.e., unusually skillful, using both hands with ease), so using my left hand to write Christmas Cards is not an option.
7. I am allergic to the icky-gunk-pooh tasting glue on the Christmas Card envelopes (and so is any other wetting device I might employ or conceptualize to work in my stead).  Okay, well, that IS a fib.  I am sure I WOULD be allergic to the icky tasting glue if I got tested by an Allergy/Immunology Specialist.
8. Papercuts cause me great personal anxiety and food related stress.  And, they hurt (You too will find this to be very true when you start cooking and using lemons in your cooking, etc.).
9. With all the moving, unpacking, repacking, storing, unstoring, sleeping, working, playing, movie-watching, cooking, candy-making, party-going-ing (just sounded right to me with that extra "ing" in there), driving, cleaning, Ranger rescuing, rain dodging, cold weather turning, life-involving events, etc., I had to partake in this Christmas season, I ran out of time.
10. Somewhere, right now, there is a blizzard in the world and I don't want to add to the stress of our US Postal Service (as they are overworked and seriously underpaid).

If you managed to send us a Christmas card - thank YOU very much.  I do LOVE getting Christmas Cards in the mail.  They make me feel all special and wonderful and thought of and loved and warm and...and...and...I bet you feel the same way when YOU get Christmas Cards from everyone you know.  Okay, so NOW I have to apologize to you for NOT sending you a Christmas Card.  Please forgive me.  In fact, I feel so guilty that I'm going to have a terrible Christmas now (okay, THAT was a fib too).

 

So, please accept this electronic transmission as our Christmas Card to you!

 

I believe Frank and I will get our act together by June 25, 2009...and just MIGHT send out Christmas Cards then.  Hey, it COULD happen!

 

Seriously.

 

May Jesus Christ be your source of hope, joy and peace this Christmas Season.

 

We love you all and pray for you daily.

 

I hope to see you all at the Christmas Eve Service tomorrow night!

 

Much love,

Mary & Frank

 

 

It's Official...Pismo!

In the midst of crazy Southern California weather, even crazier Christmas shopping, and end of the year tidying-up-ed-ness...I'm thinking about Pismo. Fondly, I remember several key years and moments that, even now, bring a huge grin to my face. Images of campers from the past still flash across the movie screen of my mind: Justin's grin as he holds Nate's hand; Jenna looking away from the camera and playing with the sand; Sarah saying goodbye to a beloved pair of shoes; Frank with blonde tips and impish grin on his face; mud buddies; paintball wounds; huddled campers trying to snatch as much warmth as possible from a glowing fire; Jameson and his black hair; the immunity monkey; James & Megan hoola-hooping; Sasha throwing back her head in laughter at Jameson's white-boy hairy legs; Jenny's token "sleeping" picture; Austin's birthday shots; Tyler's fashion debut; AJ's posed pics; Alicia's sunglasses shot...and, so many more.

Wednesday night, everyone seemed alarmed that I had NOT called Pacific Dunes to secure our reservations for Memorial Day Weekend 2009. I smiled inwardly at their disgusted looks and pleading eyes. They REALLY want to go back. I am amazed. I guess there is something to a gang of us packing up our camping belongings and heading out to a cold, sandy, public camping place for a few days.

I spoke with Tom, the manager today. He definitely remembers us. "Yes, yes...he will still accommodate our Youth Group. We have a really solid reputation with them!" "Memorial Day Weekend? Are you sure?" And, just like that, we have our reservations secured for May 21-24, 2009. We have 5 sites instead of the usual 6.

Right now, the thought of camping with a group of teens who are eager to go...is very appealing to me. It always is. This time away is sweet, memorable and often the only time Frank and I get one-on-one time 24 hours a day with core people in our Youth Group.

Now, if 10 students will confirm with $200 they are going...we'll definitely be going.

What WILL we do for Summer Camp? Ahhh...that is another detail slated for discussion in 2009 (early, 2009).

I can smell the Pismo campfire even now. Deep, wistful sighhhhhhhhhhh.

Broken

For some, this weekend was one for the books.

 

I understand broken.  Once something is broken (i.e., a heart, a promise, a truth, an object, a body part...etc.), it is never the same again.  Ever.  No words, no actions, no geographical location, no glue, no bandages, can ever fully mend broken.  I have found the passage of time to be the most help.

 

It is the between time...the time from the point of breaking to the other time of the point of healing that is so unbearable.  It is when we are on the healed side of the broken that reason begins to rally, and life continues onward.

 

We try to say we understand.  We try to be the shoulder.  We say we'll be praying.  We offer medications for the pain.  However, these are all stop-gap measures.  They do not assuage the grief...the ripping of the soul...the rending of spirit....the tearing of bone.  Bones mend over time.  Broken hearts, however, seem to never heal.

 

No matter how much we try to let something go...forgive...forget..."get busy"...go away...that brokenness is always with us.  Frank tells me it is just as bad for guys...they just deal with it differently. I wonder, as obviously, I am not a guy.  To me, it seems like they skip away, deflecting the pain.  It seems, to me, like they get off easy.  But, I trust Frank, so it must be true.  So, for guys, it must be a severe internal shredding of heart, mind, soul, and spirit that is all the more extreme when they cannot express it, like we females can do so well.

 

But, no matter how badly the other party feels...you are still the one who is enduring, though not well, the never ending agony of heartbreak.  And, it doesn't matter to you if the person who broke your heart feels badly too.  It won't undo what was done.  It offers no relief to know the one who did the breaking is hurting as badly as you!  Sometimes you want to scream, "go away and let me get on with this business of grieving!"  You really don't care that anyone cares or "understands" what you are going through.  Because you are going through it RIGHT NOW.

 

Some of us have been there.  We've been the one left.  We've been the one lied to.  We've been the one who's heart has been broken.  We've bore the broken appendage.  And, because it truly hurts beyond description, in a word, it sucks.  Just when you think you've cried your last tear...that lump forms in your throat and the flood gates reopen and buckets of tears flow.  Sometimes, you just can't help it.  And, the grief is so consuming.  It SEEMS like you'll never be able to think about anything but THIS thing ever again!

 

Bottom line, there is not one thing anyone can say or do to help.  But we will still try.

 

It is timely this Planet Wisdom devotional arrived in my inbox today.  God does that.  And, though it is trite to say, it is still Truth to say God allows all things for a reason.  This HAS to be the hope we cling to...even when all else seems for naught.

 

If you are hurting today, I'm sorry.  If your heart has been smashed into a bazillion microscopic pieces, I'm sorry.  I know it doesn't help but, I'm deeply sorry.

 

And, I love you & will be praying for you.

-M

PlanetWisdom.com Devotionals

Your Message Here Posted: 13 Dec 2008 01:37 PM CST "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:18-19) Some form of the word reconcile shows up four times in these two verses. It must be an important word. It means to take something that is out of balance or broken or disconnected and make it work or put it together or fix it. Let's ask the standard journalism questions about these verses. Who? God did the reconciling; not us. What? He reconciled us to Himself. Our relationship with Him was out of balance, broken, headed for eternal disaster. He fixed it. When? At the moment we put our trust in Jesus alone for our salvation. Where? Inside our hearts now and in heaven forever. How? Simple substitution: Jesus died in our place to pay for our sin; now God does not count our sins against us. Through faith in Jesus, we are forgiven and clean. What next? Go tell someone. Think: These verses say that Christians still living in the fragile tents of our bodies on this side of heaven have been given the ministry and message of reconciliation. What have you done with that message? What could you do? Pray: Thank God for reconciling you to Himself through Jesus. Ask Him to help you to know how to carry out the "ministry of reconciliation" He has given you. Do: Type the word reconcile into an online dictionary and look at all the different things that word can mean. Visit PlanetWisdom.com for more great resources!

Seeing People Like God Does, Means What???

It is so easy to get wrapped up (he.he.he..) in the idea of Christmas and purchasing the "right" gift for everyone on your list.  It is also easy to focus on your "wish list" and make sure everyone who says their getting you something gets a copy of your list.

 

Though I know you want to give and receive gifts, what about the gift that lasts eternally?  Isn't the greatest gift, the free gift of eternal life with Jesus?  Sure it is (come on, you KNOW it is)!

 

On Thanksgiving Day, some TV station was playing the movie, "Return to Me."  It is a romantic love story about the ultimate gift of life to someone who is dying.  Minnie Driver plays the sickly gal who is in need of a new heart.  Her original heart is sick and, unless replaced with a healthy heart, our sweet Minnie will die.  Cut over to David Duchovny.  He is the happily married guy who's wife has just died in a car accident...but had that donor thing on her driver's license...and so, her healthy heart is carried off to the next recipient on the heart transplant list.  Who happens to me Minnie!  Well, I won't spoil the rest of the movie for you...but it is cute, funny and all romantical! =D

 

Everyone in the world who doesn't have a relationship with Jesus Christ is in serious need of a heart transplant too!  Those without Christ are walking around with dead hearts.

 

Why not tell your dead-hearted friends the best gift of all?

 

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. (Romans 5:6-9)

 

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

 

The following Planet Wisdom devotional makes a good point about how different our viewpoint would be if we could go back in time and talk to people about an impending disaster.

 

The fact is, we know death (or the rapture) is the imminent event waiting to happen to each one of us.  This should give you a sense of urgency to share the "Good News", the Gospel with everyone.  What better free gift to tell your freinds, family, everyone about?

 

Don't get me wrong...it is great to send and receive gifts at Christmas.  However, those gifts will evaporate and become meaningless for all who either spend eternity with Christ or eternally separated from God in hell.

PlanetWisdom.com Devotionals

Time Travel Vacation Posted: 11 Dec 2008 04:08 PM CST "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer." (2 Corinthians 5:16) Imagine taking a vacation on a luxury cruise ship. I'll go with you. What do you think we'd be thinking about, mostly? I think I'd be thinking about relaxing and figuring out how to make sure I did all the fun things on the boat before the trip was over. I would be nice to people, sure, but this trip would be for me and my friends. Now I'll ruin the dream. Imagine, instead, we went back in time to walk around on the luxury cruise ship Titanic the night before it sank. Even if I knew the time machine was taking us home before the iceberg hit, my head would be in a wildly different place. I'd wonder about the fate of every person I saw. I'd want to warn them or help or something. That's what Paul is kind of talking about in this verse. His awareness that this life is almost over for everyone — and that the next life is the one we're made for — changed the way he looked at people. He couldn't spend his life just serving himself any more. And He couldn't pretend that Jesus didn't matter. Faith in Jesus was the urgent need of every single person he met. Think: How many people in our lives do we think of as merely background? How many do we really look as as people made by God to be with Him forever? How can that attitude change our response to those who treat us unkindly? Pray: Ask God to help not to think of people from a worldly point of view but to look at everyone from His perspective. Do: Jot down a rough estimate of how many living human beings you saw or e-mailed or texted or talked to yesterday? How many of them would you guess are "in Christ." Visit PlanetWisdom.com for more great resources!

My Favorite Christmas Carol

On Sunday, Frank welcomed Sally's violin version of his favorite song: Breath of Heaven.  And, although he cannot stand Amy Grant (one of my original favorite contemporary Christian artists), he does like her version of this song as well.  I imagine, once we dig out the cd from a box, we'll be listening to this repeatedly over the next week or so.

 

One of MY favorite Christmas Carols is: O Come O Come Immanuel.  Every morning, on my way to work, I play selection one on my cd over and over and over.  It is a Fresh Aire version with some Gregorian moaners...er...um...singers doing a classical interpretation of this beloved carol.  I only recalled one or two stanzas, so I googled the lyrics and have reprinted them here for your edification.

 

Though salvation is freely offered to Jew and Gentile alike, the nation of Israel still has a future appointment with the Messiah!  One day, as the books of Revelation, Isaiah and other prophetic books in the Old Testatment record, the nation of Israel will repent and pray for Messiah's return.  And He will return!  Before that happens, however, Messiah will first return for His bride, the body of Christ: the church, and rapture her away from the impending wrath of God (yes, I am a pre-trib-rapture-ist).

 

Israel as a nation and a people are God's chosen people. In Deuteronomy 32:10 and Zechariah 2:8, the Lord God calls Israel "the apple of his eye." And to Abraham, God said in Genesis 12:2-3, "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."  Psalm 122:6 also encourages us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  This Christmas carol is a prayer for Israel.

 

It reminds me of the assurance we have in Christ Jesus and the hope that God's plans are certain and will not be thwarted by any created thing.

 

It thrills my heart to think about a collective nation praying for their Messiah (Jesus Christ) to return!  I guess that is why this Christmas Carol is so loved and meaningful to me.  No, I am not Jewish.  But, I am a child of God.  I eagerly await my beloved Lord's return!

 

O Come O Come Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times did'st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

 

I love you all & pray for peace in Jerusalem!

-M

Necessity is the mother of invention?

Thanks to Judy Jones for making me laugh with this one!

 

Redneck Christmas Tree...oh my.

 

 

The Lights are on....

For some reason, this devotional from Planet Wisdom hit me hard today!

 

I'm so tired of fake Christianity!  I truly wish we could all be joyful with each other, encouraging to each other, and excited about our eternal destination with Christ Jesus!

 

Don't be surprised if you show up at Youth Group and we do the suggestion at the bottom of this devotional!  This is a great object lesson to remind us!

 

Are you spending time each day with God?  (i.e., reading your Bible, a devotional, praying, talking to another Believer about your relationship with God, etc.).

 

Here's another object lesson:  Get out your fancy cell phone and find your stopwatch setting.  Take a deep, very deep breath and see how long you can hold it!  Okay, if you DON'T have a stopwatch on your cell...look at any clock with a 2nd hand and see how many seconds (or minutes) you can hold your breath.  TRY REALLY HARD. 

 

Did you do it?

 

DO IT NOW!!!

 

How much did you really just want to breathe?  Did your lungs hurt?  Did your eyes tear up? Did you think this was crazy?  Well, as much as you NEEDED to take a breath is how much we, as Christians, should NEED to spend time with God on a daily basis.  Without spending time every day with Him, we are killing ourselves spiritually.  We'll probably do this object lesson in Youth Group too.

 

Pray for me and I'll pray for you - to spend more and more time with God and away from the things of this world.  Nothing...no thing...not anything lasts...only our relationship with God.  That is forever.  Either forever with Him in eternity or forever separated from Him for eternity in Hell.

 

I love you-M

PlanetWisdom.com Devotionals

I'm Here Not There Posted: 08 Dec 2008 09:18 PM CST "Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:6) Too many Christians I know think there's something wrong with them; they wonder if they're missing some key part of Christianity. The look at around at church on a Sunday morning and everyone is smiling and dressed nice and nodding along with everything the pastor is saying. If they knew how empty I feel . . . If they knew that being a Christian hasn't taken away my loneliness . . . If they knew how much I still struggle with sin . . . Here's the little secret we don't mean to keep from each other: We all know. We're all lonely on some level. We all still struggle. Paul just told us how he groaned to leave the tent of this body behind and actually be with the Lord. We're not there, yet. We can't see Him, yet. So we keep believing and waiting, and He keeps providing strength and hope and joy for another day through His Spirit. Think: Do you think Christians intentionally hide from each other how deeply we struggle or hurt or groan for heaven? Do you think it would help for us to be as honest as Paul has been in this chapter? Pray: Ask God to help you live with His courage and joy and peace today even though you can't see Him, yet. Thank Him that one day you'll be able to live "by sight" of Him. Do: Play a game: Ask a friend or family member (that you trust) to guide you around a room or through a house while you keep your eyes closed. Follow their voice commands to stop, go left, go right, etc. Notice how much harder it is to walk by faith in someone else's voice than it is to walk by sight. Visit PlanetWisdom.com for more great resources!

Heavenly Real Estate

I liked this morning's devotional from Planet Wisdom.

 

I had to wake up at 5:00 a.m. today to be at work by 6:00 a.m. (so I can leave early today).  I normally wake up somewhere between the alarm at 6:45 a.m. and Frank's nudges to get up, or his kiss goodbye when he is leaving for work (awwwww, sweet!).  So, 5 a.m. is just RUDE to my psyche and system!  I think I started waking up around 4 a.m. as I REALLY needed to make sure I was up at 5 and wasn't really positive I had set my alarm correctly!

 

Has that ever happened to you?

 

My experience reminds me of Proverbs 3:5-8, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones."

 

This Christian life we live was not intended for us to go all maverick and do it on our own.  Nor, were we meant to live our lives according to our friends' opinions, direction or counsel.  NOR, were we supposed to follow the latest, greatest fad, ad or trend popularized on MTV or YouTube or MySpace or...you get the point!

 

I kept second guessing myself in the wee, bleary-eyed hours of the pre-dawn.  I'll pay for it all day.  I'll be tired, grumpy and want a nap so bad I'll be willing to sacrifice my first-born to get one (which wouldn't be too much of a stretch for me today!).

 

When we rely on God, lean on Him, acknowledge Him in ALL our ways, we don't need to second-guess ourselves.  There is safety, there is refreshment, there is assurances that God Almighty, THE Creator of the universe (and you & me), is capable and able to hold us, help us and protect us from the ravages of our faulty understanding and logic.

 

Put into practice the following as you go into your weekend:

1. Trust the Lord with all your heart.

2. Acknowledge Him in all your ways (where ever you go, whatever you do, say, think...).

3. Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

 

On Sunday, tell me how you did.

Love-M

 

PlanetWisdom.com Devotionals

I Want a Real House! Posted: 04 Dec 2008 04:06 PM CST "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked." (2 Corinthians 5:1-3) My family tried camping in a tent exactly one time when I was a kid. It was a nice evening somewhere in Wisconsin. Until the storm rolled in. And the rain started pouring through the seams. And the thunder made it hard for us to hear dad saying, "Just go to sleep." The guy on the radio in the van — where we ended up spending the night — said it was the worst storm in Wisconsin in ten years. We sat shivering and watched tent after tent get blown over, uprooted, and go tumbling through the campground as the tornado warning sounded. We stayed in motels after that. Paul said these fragile bodies we live in are like tents. Sometimes, it's cold and lonely and painful inside. We groan through long nights. It's not the life we were meant for. In heaven, though, we'll live in glorified bodies. Built just for us. Like sleeping in a real bed in a real house with our Father in the very next room. Think: Paul couldn't wait to be in his "heavenly dwelling." Are you looking forward to heaven? Why or why not? Pray: Thank God for the reality of heaven and that this life isn't the end of the story. Do: To get the full weight of Paul's metaphor, let's all try sleeping in a tent for a month or two this winter. How long do you think it will take before we're longing to sleep in our own beds inside a real house? Visit PlanetWisdom.com for more great resources!

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Go ahead - "Elf Yourself!"

Ah...it IS that time of the year when we all get a little bit of our freak on and bust a move!

 

Thanks Judy for making me laugh so hard my stomach ached for the whole day!

 

You too can enjoy by going here:

 

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/nYNROVwbkmYoWzOVwTP8

Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind...

Over the weekend, Frank and I removed almost all of our boxes from our storage unit.  This week, we'll finish and end our need for additional storage. Finally! And, Praise God!

 

Three of the boxes held precious treasures thought lost in the shuffle and scrape of three household moves!  What treasures? Pictures of our youth, college days, wedding, honeymoon, etc!  It was fun to take a walk down memory lane and this devo today reminded me very clearly of what I am already observing in the changes in my body as I age and grow......older.

 

I found one picture from the summer after my junior year in high school.  I was standing next to my cousin, Missy.  I recall thinking how fat I felt whenever I was posed in pictures next to her.  She was about 2-3 years older than me, a two-time varsity cheerleader and quite beautiful.  I was the awkward and shy 17 yr old teenager looking uncomfortable as I towered over her (I was already 5'9", she 5'5").  With older eyes and many years under the bridge, I yelled out to Frank, "I looked skinny and statuesque...not fat at all!"  It was true!  I was tanned, blond-ish and looking healthy in my white shorts and peach v-neck fitted top.  It is probably a good thing my immature self couldn't see me with my "now-I-know-better" eyes of today!

 

I mused over the silly notions I was consumed with at this immature time in my life.  I wonder why I didn't focus more on the inner Mary and my relationship with Jesus.  If I had, perhaps the outward Mary wouldn't have mattered so much.

 

What about you? Are you more concerned with the outside image of yourself the world sees than the inside image God sees? Why?  Read on.

 

I love you all and pray for you daily!

C'iao-M
 

PlanetWisdom.com Devotionals

Two Clocks Posted: 01 Dec 2008 04:26 PM CST "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." (2 Corinthians 4:16) Paul had a rough life because he just would not shut up about Jesus. In the chapter leading up to today's verse, he described some of the ways that he had suffered. You and I suffer, too. It might not be because we're out there spreading the gospel, but every human being suffers. It's part of being human on a sin-ravaged planet. From the moment we're born, the clock starts ticking down to the moment we will die. Pain and decay come with the package. Paul, who wrote these words, understood that better than anyone — but he refused to be discouraged by that clock. Why? Because he was focusing on a different clock. His great news about Jesus was that human beings could be made new — starting right now — through faith in Jesus. From the moment that we are born again, that clock starts ticking forward to the moment the new Christlike us will be completed. We might be dying physically, but our real life is just beginning. Think: Do you ever think about all the ways that life can be hard? Should we pretend that this life is not difficult? Where do you draw the line between being honest about the hard stuff in life and being encouraged about the reality of Jesus in you? Pray: Thank God that He is renewing you "day by day" to be more and more like Jesus. Do: Read 2 Corinthians 4 all the way through. Visit PlanetWisdom.com for more great resources!