Farewell, Guinevere

I'll never forget the first time I saw a musical production of Camelot.  From that moment on, I was absolutely hooked.  I read every King Arthur book I could get my hands on.  (The Once and Future King is still one of my all-time favorites).  I memorized all of the songs from the musical, and wished I'd been born twenty years sooner, so I could have seen Julie Andrews and Richard Burton bring down the house at the Majestic.  First Knight became one my top ten favorite movies (and still is).  There's just something about Camelot... its magic and mystery, its idealism and foundation on justice and love...

But here's the thing about Guinevere.  As a teenager, I thought she was pretty amazing - and she is rather interesting in terms of being a complex character in a story - but the older I get, the more I've come to the conclusion that regardless of the circumstances that led her to the choices she made, she was an idiot.  (Sorry, Gwen.  But really?  Lancelot was a dumb decision.)


There's this song by the Eli Young Band called Guinevere, and I've had it stuck in my head all week long, ever since about 2 minutes before someone asked me on Sunday (or maybe it was Monday?) if I had an anthem - a song that was central to and/or helping me thru the season I'm in.  All artists need their art to express and clarify and sometimes even teach them truth, and I am no different.  There have almost always been songs that I've turned to, and if I can't find a song that says what I need to say, then I write one.  So when a song shows up on repeat in my head, I've learned to pay attention.

Here's what I've learned from four days of sitting with this song:

1) I've changed.  And this is a really good thing.  There was a day when the girl in this song and I had far more in common than we do now, and it is the healing grace of God that's brought me this far.  That's just awesome.

2) Un-forgiveness is no longer my main issue.  I've learned so much about the true meaning of forgiveness over the past 15 years, and even when I do become angry with someone (and remember: anger is almost always a secondary emotion - meant to protect us from hurt or fear) - I'm pretty quick now to try to see the situation from their perspective, to remember that I'm human too, and to not hold (whatever it is) against them.  The practicalities of working thru tough situations - now that can still be challenging (I really dislike conflict!) - but I've made a lot of progress, and I am celebrating that.  I'm sure there's still a lot of room to grow here - and probably always will be - but progress is definitely worth celebrating.

3) Healing takes time.  This whole idea of trying to "find something quicker than Heaven, to make the damage of [our] days disappear" - isn't it so true of us?  We want a quick fix - we just want to be better.  Open-heart surgery and months of recovery are not on our agenda.  When we're hurting, we just want to stop hurting, and we forget that healing is a process - sometimes a very long and slow one.  There are things we can do towards it, but like Eustace in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, we cannot un-dragon ourselves.  We need Heaven to do that, and it's probably going to hurt like anything when He does.  And sometimes it just takes a really long time.   I am tempted, often, to be exasperated by my own inability to heal completely.  Something comes up and it turns out to be tied to something I thought I'd worked through and gotten past and it turns out there's another round of un-dragon-ing fun to go, and I just get mad at myself about it, instead of recognizing that (sigh) this part of the journey is just not yet over.  But Heaven knows (far better than I do) how and when to heal me, and His ways are perfect.

4) Running.  I'm still incredibly inclined to do that, emotionally.  I'm ... working on it.  In the most recent situation in which I've found myself tempted to run... I chose not to.  Mostly because God said, "No."  And I'm finding that being "still here" is... okay.  If slightly terrifying.  Because rejection remains possible.  And that would suck.  But not running is ... well, better.  And an adventure worth its inherent risks.  

So... farewell, Guinevere.  No more running, no more trying to fix myself.  Not as a way of life - tho I'm sure I will probably try to do both again at some point...  (sigh)

Nevertheless, I think... I think I'd rather just stay in Camelot.

random ramblings, vol. 11

It's been awhile, so here we are.  Random Ramblings - vol. 11.  :)

1) For all my friends who are moms, or who are wondering what life will be like if and when they are moms:  this article is for you.  There is no "right" way (in terms of working or staying at home); it's all hard.  So thanks for doing what you do the way you do it.  All of our daughters, sisters, cousins, etc. will benefit from watching you navigate life with the grace (and sometimes lack thereof) with which you do.  You are gutsy, women of God.  And we're blessed to know you.  Thanks for living your life so boldly and transparently.

2) Sunshine is... lovely.  Especially at the end of January in the Midwest.  Check out these awesome reflections from my friend Arman at The Edge of Clarity  - inspired by the sun, and by the Son.

3) I am so grateful for the myriad of voices that have shaped my faith and helped me to find my own voice.  Shout-outs today to Nancy Beach, Bill Hybels, Madeleine L'Engle, Sarah Ban Breathnach, and Matt McMann, for being 5 of the best coaches ever.  Even when they didn't know they were coaching me.

4) While I recognize that the whole image/exercise thing can be an idol (thanks, J-squared - I do need to watch it) - I am very, very grateful for Zumba these days.  There's a piece of me that thinks (during every class): "Good Christian girls do NOT dance like this..." - but I love it, nonetheless.  (Tho you may note that I have not yet announced to my class that I am on staff at a church...lol.  Hm.  Maybe I should!  They might actually come, then...)

What I love most about Zumba is that you can't do it well without at least pretending to be confident - and as you pretend, somehow you cross over to actually being confident.  Zumba is ridiculously sexy.  As a single woman, I feel quasi-ridiculous dancing like that.  And I'm quite grateful that my class is mostly women - well, and Pete.  (A very nice, pot-bellied, and older gentleman who shows up in a sweatsuit, which is not standard Zumba attire.  I have no idea why he comes to Zumba, but he makes me smile.)  I walk out of every class feeling better, and better about myself.  And today - Barry, you'd be so proud - I was in the front row.  :)  And I didn't mind!!!   This is progress.  Lol.

5) I've been thinking a lot about vision lately.  Re-reading Andy Stanley's Visioneering.  Reflecting on the verse in Scripture that says that without vision, people perish (Proverbs 29:18, KJV).  I've let a lot of things steal my joy and my vision lately.  It's time to redefine it.

6) Last year I went on a retreat at the beginning of February last year that redefined a lot of things for me, particularly the definition and practice of Sabbath-keeping.  I'm very sorry to say I've lost sight - no, not sight.  practice - of that particular vision - but I am nonetheless dedicated to reclaiming it.  Most definitely looking forward to this year's retreat at the end of February, and the redefinition of this year's path forward that will inevitably come.

7) I was talking earlier this week with my absolute BFF, Sara - and I just have to say: there's something incredibly awesome about knowing someone who's known you for more than 1/2 of your life, has seen you at your absolute worst (and oh, heck, yes, she has!!!) - and knowing that they still love you.  In spite of that fact that you (and I quote) "attract drama."  lol.  okay.  so I do.  but someday it will be worth writing about.  ;)  And in the meantime, even if I do not provide legitimate literarily resourceful material... It's still awesome knowing that someone can see past all my failings to what I will be in Him someday.  I love that, actually.  :)

And there you are.  Random Ramblings, vol. 11.

:)

importance

"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." - Luke 2:19

Every now and again, God sends someone into my life who, for whatever reason, just seems to know what to say.  Some say that's the prophetic in action.  I don't care what you call it - I'm just glad it happens.

I woke up early yesterday, and one of the first things I read was an email from... well, a friend, for sure - but an unexpected one.  I'm not even 100% sure how we went from being people who knew the same people at church to being friends, but we're definitely there - and this morning's email was proof positive.

They were just two words in the middle of a letter, but they shaped my entire day: "You're important."

Whoa.

Can I just tell you, I really can't honestly remember the last time anyone said anything even remotely like that to me?

Importance.

From a traditional religious perspective, that word carries all kinds of danger and warning with it.  The Pharisees and Sadducees - they were important, right?  (Mild sarcasm alert:)  So by all means, belittle yourself, so you won't be caught in that trap.

And yet...

Jesus spent His entire time here on earth walking among and ministering to "the least of these."  Women, children, lepers - you name them - if they were outcasts of society, you could bet Jesus was spending time with them.  And He wasn't just around - He was doing things.  Like healing them.  Defending them.  Telling the self-righteous, arrogant people who knew how to "get it right" and therefore felt justified in judging others to take a flying leap, and to look in a mirror on the way.   He gave dignity and hope to everyone He encountered (well... except maybe to the self-righteous, who didn't think they needed it).

Dignity.  Hope.  Importance.

I'm not sure it was possible to know Jesus and not feel valued.  (Sidenote:  I think even the people He yelled at were people He valued.  He wanted them to get their heads out of their rule books and change their attitudes so they could actually see and know God.  Even when they killed Him, His heart toward them was compassionate and forgiving...)

Maybe it's just because we don't want to risk being Pharisees, or maybe it's because no one thinks to remind us and so we forget, but I think it's possible that we don't always really understand that we're important.  The Bible tells us that God knows how much hair we have (which is really impressive, when you think about it), that He knows the plans He has for us (do you know how many people there are on the planet?), that we're a part of what He's doing in the world to draw all people to Himself; theologians call mankind "the pinnacle of creation."  And it's easy for me to look at other people and see their value, to see someone hurting or stressed out and take an extra 5 minutes to say, "Hey, you're not alone in this. I'm with you.  I'm praying for you."  But for whatever reason, I'm somewhat floored when someone does the same thing for me.  I get it that "people" are valuable to God; but I don't think I always get it that I'm actually one of them.

So those two words yesterday were life to my soul.  I carried them around all day - listening to God whisper their truth to my heart.  I'm ... important.  Not in some puffed up, obnoxious way - but in a quiet, loved-deeply and individually valued-by-God way.  I think if you'd asked me if I knew I was important to Him, I would have said yes in a heart-beat, but yesterday I realized that I tend to measure my value by what I do.  I have people in my life who are awesome about saying "thank you" and "great job" - but so often it's about what I've done, and not who I am.  And I guess that's what was so life-giving about hearing those words from my friend.  Those words, in their original context, weren't about what I could do.  They were about me.

It was pretty amazing.

And I love how God took those two little words and turned them into a day-long conversation.  I think it was Rob Harrison who once reminded me that even Karl Barth could sum up all his theology by saying, "Jesus loves me, this I know."  Sometimes I think we really do just have to ditch all the complicated whatnot of our lives and go back to that, and like Mary, just treasure that truth, and ponder it in our hearts.

So if you've been in a season lately where you've just felt devalued, or if you feel as if you are valued more for your usefulness than for who you are, I'd encourage you: Remember that you're important.  Before He created you, He knew you (Psalm 51).  You were born on purpose, with purpose, yes - but the point is, you were born.  The God of the universe thought you up, and made you - and He loves you tremendously.  Just for who you are.  As you are.  With no conditions or escape clauses, no opting out, and no regrets.

Jesus loves you, this I know - for the Bible tells me so.  And He is with you, always.  Whatever this day may bring.

when God asked me: "...why?"

Solitude and silence are two disciplines that I often practice together.  They can be separated, but it takes a lot of intentionality to practice silence in a group, and solitude just lends itself to being quiet.  Saturdays, as my current Sabbath day, usually have a good chunk of time built in for both these disciplines, but I try to find time during the week, simply for my sanity as an introvert, to be quiet and alone, too - and one of the easiest ways I know of doing that is turning off the radio when I'm driving, and letting my car become a sanctuary of sorts.  I don't always pay attention to what's happening - or what could happen - in that silence.  Sometimes it is simply a refuge from the noise of life, and I don't spend my time in silence listening at all - I spend it mentally reviewing and processing through events and conversations, and forget to ask God what He thinks about any of it.  But one of the most awesome things about silence is that it creates the opportunity for Him to speak with a higher probability that I'll  hear it.  (Which makes the discipline of practicing solitude and silence totally worth it.)

I was driving home from my Zumba class the other day in the quietness of a cold winter's night.  The stars were shining; there was snow on the ground.  The YMCA where I take my class is out in the middle of ... well, I'm sure it's somewhere.  ;)  But it means that the drive home is on a winding road through large forested properties, and it's absolutely beautiful.  As I was driving home that night, I looked to my left, and there was a large log cabin-like home just visible through the snow-covered trees, with its porch lights on, and it looked so incredibly welcoming and ... well, homey.

And out of nowhere, it hit me.  This deep, intense longing:


I want that.

...oh.  God... I am so sorry....


And there was like this pause in the Spirit (for lack of a better way to describe it), and then He said, "... why?"  

It wasn't quite an incredulous sort of question - because He's God, and He knows everything, so He couldn't be incredulous about anything - but there was very definitely an element of kind challenge and serious questioning in the tone of His question.

I had an instant answer, of course.  Ruth Haley Barton says in her book, Sacred Rhythms, that our souls have no safe places to speak - that the minute they try, we meet them with instant judgment and commentary.  That was very true for me in that moment.

"It's coveting, God!  It's wanting something I don't have.  It's discontentment with where I am in life, with what You've given me.  It's sin!"


Oh, Hap.  


It's not like you want that specific house.  You're not asking to trade lives with those people.  You don't want their lives.  You want what that house represents to you: a home.  marriage, kids - a family.  love.  blessing.  prosperity.  hospitality - and the ability to offer it freely.  And those are actually good things to want!  They are things I made you for - things that I call "good."  


Wanting them is not a sin.  You are not coveting - you are longing.  


There's a difference.


That was hard for me to get my head around.  I'm still working on it, actually.  But here's the thing:

Psalm 37:4 says that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our hearts.  There are two ways I've heard that interpreted.  The first (and most common) is that if you make God your One Thing - if your absolute first priority in life is spending time with Him, and putting Him first in everything, then He's going to give you your heart's desires.

But here's the second (and I think possibly a more accurate) interpretation: that if you delight yourself in the Lord - if you are happy to be with Him - then He will give your heart the very desires it has.

Do you see the difference?

It's not just about getting what you want - it's about the very things you want being from Him in the first place.

I'm not sure what to think about that conversation.  It's not like there's honestly much I can do about it.  But it is definitely food for thought.

What do you think?

2012: Shifting Into A New Reality

Doesn't that sound trendy?  ;)

Believe me, I titled this post tongue-in-cheek, thinking about how "culturally relevant" it sounded - but God willing, it's not quite as full of hot air as it could be.  :)

I read one of the most incredibly profound books while I was flying to and from the East Coast over the holidays, and I hope that if you get a chance, you will go to your nearest local bookstore and order a copy (if they don't already have it in stock).  It's called SHIFT, by Peter Arnell.   I could summarize it for you, but I think Peter does a way better job of it himself:




For a number of reasons, towards the end of 2011, I found myself increasingly un-Happy.  Part of it, honestly, was just imbalance on my part - being too busy, being busy doing the wrong things, not having enough downtime to meet the needs of my inner introvert, and accidentally but subconsciously beginning to identify myself by what I do, and not by Whose I am.  Reading Peter's book was inspiring and timely and as far as I can tell, God-orchestrated.  (I mean, really - what was I doing in the business section of Barnes and Noble?!  How did I end up there?!)  Lol.

I came away from reading this book confident of two things: 1) change is possible; and 2) I'm going to need some help.

There are a lot of things in my life that I wish would just shift by themselves.
They're not going to.
If I want to see things change, I'm going to have to do something.

Some of the negatives are circumstances that I simply cannot do anything about, except pray.  Only God can move those mountains, and if/when He's ready to, He will.  But there are things I can change.  Things I can control.  Things I can do.

So as I took my annual beginning of the year retreat to finish Peter's book and pray over this coming year, here are the things I've determined that I would like to either see shift or to see God do in me, as we stand at this year's annual crossroads, choose a path and start walking into 2012:

1) I want to be more present.
     - Paying attention to the moment.
     - Really listening to people.
     - Enjoying what I'm eating, and stopping when I'm full.
     - Noticing nature; taking time to look at the stars.

2) I want to be more silent.
     - Listening to what I'm actually thinking, and what it reveals about my heart.
     - Listening for His voice; learning to know Him better.

3) I want to be more intentionally grateful.
     - I need to write it down: what am I thankful for today?

4) I want to make some personal shifts in how I structure my lifestyle:
     - Diet: I need to eat things that are good for me, that promote health.
     - Exercise: I need to try to exercise at least 2x a week (if not more).
     - Image: I've always wanted to dress with a little more style.  This is my year to do a little bit of shopping - to buy clothes that flatter and fit.  I will always be most comfortable in jeans and a sweatshirt, but as I start to eat better and exercise more, I know from experience that I will feel more confident, and I want to look it.  I can't go nuts; my debt-reduction plan needs to stay in place - but I need to give myself permission to look nice.  And I needed a new haircut.  Which I got today.  (And I feel fabulous.)   :)

5) I want to read and study more.  (Leadership books and stories.)

6) I want to write more.  And maybe finally take the risk and see if I can sell it.

7) I want to go deeper with Jesus, and fall more in love with Him than I have ever been.
     - Listen.  Pray.  Fast.  Wait.  Worship.
     - Dwell in the shelter of the Most High.
     - Walk into my calling.
     - Live with purpose. Live with joy.

So that's the new reality; at least, it's what I'm hoping for this year.  I don't know when/how/what it will all look like - but because He is with me on this journey, I know it's going to be full of adventure and fun and learning and grace, and an experience far greater than anything I can imagine now.

Please feel free to check in with me from time to time, and ask me how it's going.  And go read the book.  You won't regret it.  :)

Happy New Year, friends.  Be blessed.

Advent Love - Day 7

"But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.  Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.'  So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir." - Galatians 4:4-7

And this, too, is the good news of Christmas.

The baby in the manger whose birth we celebrate this weekend came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).  He came with great love to seek and to save all of us, who like sheep, had gone astray (Isaiah 53:6, 1 Peter 2:25).  And He still comes, every day, to each of us, with grace and mercy, love and compassion - still seeking us in those places where we're straying, still finding us when we lose our way and bringing us home again.

"I am the Good Shepherd," He said. "I know my sheep, and my sheep know me - just as the Father knows me and I know the Father - and I lay down my life for my sheep.  ...  My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.  I and the Father are one." (John 10:14-15, 27-30)

So rest secure, children of God.  The baby whose birth we celebrate this weekend came down from heaven to rescue you, because He loves you that much - and you are his sons and his daughters, the ones who know Him, the ones who know His voice.  As we gather to worship today and tomorrow, may His peace that passes all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).  And may you be filled with wonder and awe as you seek Him.  Amen.

Merry Christmas!

Advent Love - Day 6

"The LORD looked and was displeased
     that there was no justice.
He saw that there was no one,
     He was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so His own arm worked salvation for Him
     and His own righteousness sustained Him.
                                   ***
The Redeemer will come to Zion,
     to those in Jacob who repent of their sins."
                                                 - Isaiah 59: 15b-16, 20

Two more days.  Two more days until Christmas!  Two more days until the waiting is over.  Two more days until we celebrate the greatest Gift ever given...

The picture painted in the chapter we read in Isaiah today is bleak: "So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us.  We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows...  We look for justice, but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away." (Isaiah 59:9, 11b)  But we have the advantage of looking back and knowing that God's plan was already in place.  Isaiah's words prophesied the coming of a Redeemer, who would come "to those who repent" - and come He did.

His cousin, John, was confirmed by all four gospels as the one Isaiah spoke of as "the voice of one calling, 'In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'" (Isaiah 40:3, Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4, John 1:23), and on the day John was named, his father Zechariah prophesied over him: "you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him, to give His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God..." (Luke 1: 76-78a)  John preached a gospel of repentance, and the Redeemer came.

And the beauty of it is that He still comes.  Every time someone turns in repentance, they will find their Redeemer near.  Zechariah described Him as "the rising sun" who - because of God's tender mercy - "will come to us from heaven, to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace." (Luke 1:78b-79  He is the One we have waited for, all this Advent.  He is the One who shines brightly against the darkness, which can neither understand nor overcome Him.  He is the One who shines the light of His love and mercy and forgiveness and compassion into the darkest corners of our hearts and minds, and freely gives us grace.

There are so many places in the world that are still waiting for Him.  So many places and people crying out for justice... and for righteousness (right standing with God).  Reflect Him, these next two days.  Allow the One whose Spirit indwells you to shine forth through you, and bring light to the darkness.  Be hope, be peace, be joy, be love to the people around you, right where you are, no matter how tired or crabby or mean or uncaring they may appear to be.  There's no telling what kind of miracles could take place if you do.   The people Isaiah described included some who were growling like bears and some who were mourning like doves - and who knows but that the seemingly angry or desperately sad people you may encounter this Christmas season are simply looking for justice and righteousness and not finding it?  But you know the One they are searching for.  So do what you can to reflect His glory, and leave the rest to Him.  It is His kindness that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4), and He wants everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).  So put your hope in Him for your friends and family and neighbors and even the strangers that you meet who still seem to be waiting for their Redeemer, and simply reflect His love to them as you celebrate your own salvation and the coming of our King, who came, and is here, and will come again.

Advent Love - Day 5

Please welcome today's guest blogger, Sara Harrison.   Sara is a stay-at-home mom with 3 girls -- 11, 8, and 5, and a one-year old boy.  She was an English major and loves talking books. She's a Presbyterian pastor's wife and loves talking theology.  She's also an INTJ and an Enneagram-5 and loves talking about life, the universe and everything, and how it all fits together (42).  She's also one of my very best friends (I've known her for half of our lives), a former roommate, and once referred to coffee (quite rightly) as "lifeblood."  Pour yourself a cup and get ready for some good conversation.  :)


You can follow Sara's writing on her blog at http://coffeerandoms.blogspot.com/.

------------------

Given that this is Love week, let's talk about the love of God for a few minutes. God loves you. I expect that if you're reading this, you know that. And God loved us all Soo--ooo much that he sent Jesus down as a baby to be born . . . upon a midnight clear . . . and laid in the sweet smelling hay . . . with the gentle beasts all around him . . . and we cast the scene in a sentimental soft light glow, and call that the love of God during this season. But you know what? The love of God is bigger and brighter than that. More difficult. More all-consuming. Less a 40 watt light bulb, and more of a nuclear explosion.

There's a great Old Testament word-- hesed. (It's one of my pastor-husband's favorite words to preach on.) It gets translated love, loving-kindness, mercy, faithfulness, covenant faithfulness. It's all those things and more. The Jesus Storybook Bible talks of it as God's "Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love." It's God keeping his promises to us, and finding a way to rescue us from our sin because it's who he IS, and he can no more be unfaithful or unloving to us than we can make a square circle or smell blue. It would be a nonsensical impossibility.

And this is the love of God that is being called on and celebrated in the readings this morning. Psalms 146 and 147, two of the great praise psalms, remind us that hope and salvation are in God. That he is our faithful king, that he rescues all who call him . . . and that if we look to people for the sort of salvation and faithfulness that only come from God, we're going to be disappointed every time. But Yahweh lifts up the humble and heals the broken-hearted. It is with the knowledge and assurance of the hesed of God that the psalmist of Psalm 80 calls for rescue. And then we get to Zechariah, and I'm going to steal a little from tomorrow's reading, because the canticle of Zechariah is one of the great songs of the Bible.

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

for he has visited and redeemed his people

and has raised up a horn of salvation for us

in the house of his servant David,

as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

that we should be saved from our enemies

and from the hand of all who hate us;

to show the mercy promised to our fathers

and to remember his holy covenant,

                                                                       - Luke 1:68-72 ESV

That showing mercy? That's hesed, there. But let's look just a second at just who God redeems and how and why. He redeems his people. He raised up a horn of salvation for us. He calls us and redeems us together. Now of course, there is no group that is not made up of individuals, but God doesn't leave us alone to be individuals. He puts us together with other people to . . . do hesed to each other. To love each other. Be faithful to each other. To help each other along the path of redemption.

Real love is hard. Loving real people with real problems is hard. That's one of the reasons that the soft-glow version of Christmas doesn't really do us much good. If we have a God who nicely loves people who don't actually have much in the way of problems that they need fixed, it doesn't help us in loving each other when we run facelong into the fact that really loving real people, in our church, in our marriages, with our children, in our communities, is rather horribly gritty most days. Loving my kindergartner when she's home sick with stomach flu . . . well, there's just not much you can do to romanticize that, or cast it in a 40 watt glow. But God, in his Never Stopping, Never Giving Up Love, becomes Incarnate. He detonates a bomb of mercy, grace, forgiveness and God-With-Us-ness into our world, because that's what it needs, and so that's what he's going to give.

God loves you. God loves me too. He loves my kids, more than I do. He loves the elderly lady in the pew across the aisle, and the uncooperative kid who just wants to lie on the floor during junior church. He meets us at the point of our brokenness and dwells with us and loves us, and heals us, and saves us. And by loving us this way, God teaches us how to love this way. He shows us that love starts with being present. Which he is. That is reason for praise.

The LORD will reign forever,

your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Praise the LORD!

                            - Psalm 146:10 ESV

-- Sara Harrison

cross-posted at Coffee Randoms

Advent Love - Day 4

Please welcome today's guest blogger, my friend and fellow staff member  - Arman Sheffey.  :)

------------------

Arman Sheffey is a introspective, yet fun-loving Jesus follower. He believes for the salvation of all those close to him and those that God places in his path in the coming days. Arman is a husband to a beautiful wife, Lariza, and a father to a wonderful daughter, Leila. He is an avid reader, writer and wild dreamer. He is also the Director of Torch Online, the online division of TorchChurch.tv. He currently prays that his discipline, passion, pride, and his faith reach levels that better glorify Jesus Christ.

Follow: @mrsheffey
Blog: armansheffey.blogspot.com

------------------

"I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he sins, I will correct and discipline him with the rod, like any father would do.  But my favor will not be taken from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from your sight.  Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.’” ~2 Sam 7:1-17 NLT

As I read through the readings for our Advent devotional today, (http://www.crivoice.org/advent2.html), and meditate on the love of God I am brought to my own personal struggles, specifically with hope. I often feel like a man trapped in chapter one of a beautiful novel. I know that the story is to be one of triumph, that it is continually filled with victory and blessing. However, I recently find myself falling prey to the predatory thoughts of my present struggles being the plot for the whole story. It is amazing how my memory fails. It is amazing how I struggle to recall the Lord's past faithfulness in even more trying times. It is amazing how I tend to think that God is done working miracles and blessing me beyond belief. 

Then I go back to the readings for today and I encounter the most meaningful word in scripture to me personally: BUT. The Lord continually infuses this conjunction throughout His holy word to show that mid chapter, mid verse, mid-sentence…he has a history of turning things around.

In 2 Samuel 7:14, I read of the discipline a father gives and feel that this greatly characterizes my life right now. Not that my life is riddled with sin, but that I strongly feel the corrective hand of the Father on me. 

Then the Lord spoke to me with the first word of verse 15, But…

The story doesn't end with the correction. God speaks of the continual favor that rests with David, unlike his predecessor, Saul. This awoke a new sense of hope for me. So I continued to the next scripture.

"For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. " - Titus 3:3 NKJV
This once again had me remembering my past sins and searching within me for any of these in my present life. Then I reencountered His love in the following verse. 

"But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us…" - Titus 3:4-5a NKJV
God intervened into my past darkness and out of LOVE, He saved me. 

God intervenes…
God interrupts…
God intercedes…

He has a history of stepping in and changing the story, just when we think the final chapter has been written.

Joseph could have given up in the pit. He could have quit in the dungeon. Instead, Joseph remembered his God and waited on His Love to be shown.

Then he could declare to his brothers, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Genesis 50:20

"My flesh and my heart may fail, 
but God is the strength of my heart 
and my portion forever." - Psalm 73:26

The truth may be that you are failing. The truth may be that you are in a world of hurt. The truth may be that you have been too low for too long.

BUT…

The truth does not end there. Keep reading the story that God is writing with your life. Don't quit in the first verse. His love will appear again and again. His love is present now in Christ Jesus and we celebrate that gift in the next few days. 

You might not be feeling like that love is real for you right now, but if you have accepted that free gift of grace through Jesus then it is no less true for you than for any of the other Gospel heroes of which we read. 

Let God finish telling you the story. 

Wait for the "But."

Advent Love - Day 3

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered.  "May it be to me as you have said." - Luke 1:38a


I think those might be some of the bravest words in Scripture.

I love this part of the Story.  Can you just imagine it?

Mary's going about her average, everyday life, when an angel comes to her.  The first thing angels typically say when they appear in Scripture is "do not be afraid!" (which should tell us something about angels right there) - but before he says that, the angel greets Mary, likely a 13/14-year-old girl, as "you who are highly favored.  The Lord is with you." - Luke 1:28

Mary's "a little (understandably) freaked out" (that's The Happy Paraphrase of "greatly troubled"), so then the angel says, "Don't be afraid" and calmly goes on to explain to her: "You're going to get pregnant and give birth to a son; you'll name Him Jesus and He'll be called 'Son of the Most High', and He's going to be the King forever."

In her shoes, I suspect I might have said something eloquent, like:  "Um.   ....what?!"

Mary just asks the practical question: "Ok....  But... how?"

So the angel explains (sort of) and sums it all up by reminding Mary that "nothing is impossible with God."

To which Mary responds, "I am the Lord's servant.  Let it be to me as you have said."

Which seems to me to be somewhere along the lines of:
"I'm not sure I get it, but ... okay.  Since He said so."

And it struck me, reading this story for the how-many-th time tonight, that Mary was highly favored because God knew she was exactly the kind of girl who would respond just that way.

And I wondered...

"Am I?"

Am I the kind of person that God knows would say "yes" in a heartbeat if He asked me to do something unusual, counter-cultural, alienating even?  Am I the kind of person who would, without really understanding the particulars of how it would all actually work out in the long run and without even really having time to grasp the magnitude of what He was asking, say "Yes!!  Whatever, whenever, as long as I'm with You!"?

I want to be.  And, God helping me, I can be.

All God "needed" (practically speaking) to send His Son into this world was one willing heart - one heart so devoted to Him that she said "yes," even when she didn't fully understand what she was saying yes to, even when it changed everything and turned her entire life upside down.  We can't even begin to grasp the cultural implications of Mary's "yes" that day - but they were tremendous.  She became an outcast, and the man she was engaged to seriously considered calling it off - quietly, but definitely.  But all God "needed" to protect Mary and His Son was one willing heart - one heart willing to believe a dream sent from heaven, telling him what to do.

Is my heart willing?  (Am I still enough to listen for His voice?)  Is yours?  (Are you?)

The greatest gift of love ever given was made possible, in part - by His design - by the willing hearts of a man and a woman who, because their love for God made His will their top priority, simply said "yes."  In spite of the consequences.

That blows my mind.

And it leaves me wondering - how much more could the love of God be shown forth as we, with willing hearts, follow Him even more boldly, daring to tell the greatest Story ever told - about how Love came, so faithfully, and rescued us?


"Praise the LORD, all you nations;
     extol Him, all you peoples.
For great is His love toward us,
     and the faithfulness of the LORD 
          endures forever.
Praise the LORD."
                                          - Psalm 117

Advent Love - Day 2

Please welcome today's guest blogger: Jake Winter.  Jake is a good friend from my church who loves the Lord and has put a lot of time into studying God's word.  I love talking about Scripture with Jake, and I'm glad you get to "listen in" on some of his thoughts today.  :)

My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
   Why are You so far from saving me,
   so far from my cries of anguish? 

My God, I cry out by day, but You do not answer, 
   by night, but I find no rest.
                                                   - Psalm 22:1-2

In these winter months, as the days are shorter, the nights are colder, and all that once seemed teeming with breath is now dead and lifeless, life can seem pretty dreary. Though we know in our heads that, in just a few short months, those first buds will appear on trees, robins will be frolicking on the now exposed grass as the scent of lily of the valley and apple blossoms drift through the air, when you look outside, get in your car, or gaze longingly at your bicycle, it seems nearly impossible to imagine.

Now imagine that winter lasting 400 years.

For 400 years, God was silent in Israel. The Jews knew God had promised Abraham a nation. They knew the scriptures, too. They knew other nations had once feared speaking behind closed doors against Israel, because God would expose those conversations to His prophets. Yet, for 400 years, there had been no prophets, and Israel was living under subjugation of other nations. Why had the God that had interacted with Israel so often in the past been silent? Had His love dried up? Had He truly forsaken Israel?

We know the story. He hadn't forsaken Israel. He sent His very Son to die on our behalf, the greatest gift of love the world has ever seen or will ever see again. God's silence over those 400 years served a very loving purpose -- it caused Israel to recognize their desperate situation and strain to hear the voice of the Lord. So when He spoke through the coming of John the Baptist, calling a nation to repent, people flocked to him. The promised one of Israel, the savior of the world, the greatest love offering ever made, was coming, and Israel was ready to hear.

Our God has called Himself the Alpha and the Omega because He is the same in the past as He is today. The same God who let Abraham wait a century to have his promised son, the same God who, out of His love for both Israel and David, had David wait decades before taking the throne of Israel, the same God who let Israel wait 400 years to meet her King, is the same God who may seem to be making you wait, too.

Does it seem like God has been silent, making you wait for something? Like Israel, He may be lovingly drawing you to the point of desperation, where you are straining to hear from Him. It is not an act of an angry God, it is not Him saying He's disappointed enough not to talk. It is His love for you, and His desire for your best, that brings about some of these seasons of waiting. David, the same man who wrote those verses from Psalm 22 quoted above, also wrote this:

I remain confident of this: 
   I will see the goodness of the LORD 
   in the land of the living. 
Wait for the LORD; 
   be strong and take heart 
   and wait for the LORD. 
                                       - Psalm 27:13-14

That is our God. 


Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord. 


For He is good, and His love endures forever.


- Jake Winter

Advent Reflections: Love

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." - John 3:16

"Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, 'Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ.  For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.'" - Revelation 12:10

"O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you." - Psalm 84: 12

I'm not sure there are more fitting verses for the first day of the last week of Advent, which is all about Love.  The love of God shown to us in the gift of His Son is ...well, adjective-defying, honestly.  You can use words like wonderful, great, amazing, humbling, beautiful, priceless, gracious, kind... but all of them fall short and only get at part of what it really is.  It's Love.  With a capital L.

Love that loves us too much to leave us where we are.  Love that intersects with our lives, exactly when and where and how we are.  Love that transforms.  Encourages.  Changes.  Renews.  Saves.

This week, the last week of Advent - one more week of waiting for our King - what if we were on the lookout for the ways in which Love can and would and does intersect with our lives?  Could it change our perspective on the things that happen to us, or on the opportunities that arise before us?

"The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever." - Revelation 11:15

It's one of those beautiful and mysterious "now & not yet" things - already true (because Jesus came) and still coming true (because He's coming back).  And here in the middle of it, as we're waiting, it's coming true every single day.

The way Love intersects with your life may not seem dramatic - but whenever Love interacts with us, there's going to be amazing consequences.

So look for Him this week, this come and coming King.  And know that you are loved.  Hallelujah!

Advent Joy - Day 7

As we turn the corner today, finishing up our study on Joy and entering the homestretch of Advent (can you believe it's only a week until Christmas Eve?) I am very happy to be hosting a number of guest bloggers to wrap up this series.  Each of these authors are dear friends with a deep love for the Lord and solid theology, and I'm looking forward to reading their thoughts and being inspired along with you!


Today, please welcome guest blogger Rachel Hanna!  Rachel is a dear sister in Christ, a kindred spirit, a talented artist, and a gifted teacher.  We've never actually met in person - Rachel lives in Australia, and we "met" several years ago in the comments section of a mutual friend's blog.  Since that first conversation, Rachel and I have corresponded often, and I am dreaming of the day we will finally get to sit down and talk for hours over coffee.  Rachel writes beautifully (it's one of her many talents) and I'm thrilled that she was willing to share her thoughts with us today!


grace and peace,
Hap

-----

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" - Matthew 25:40

I love listening to Christian music, especially as I prepare for Christmas!  One of my favourites is a band called Newsboys who once sang “When it all comes down, everyone’s someone”.....

Ever noticed how insane the weeks leading up to Christmas are and how time suddenly becomes very valuable?  I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about!  Even those of us who struggle with being organised quickly develop the ability to prioritise!  Especially when it comes to what events we will attend, who we will spend money on and how much.  Where we may have been much more easygoing throughout the year, at Christmas we become very focused on the things and people that are most important.  I know I certainly do.  But in the madness, how many of us truly experience joy?  Sure, on Christmas day as we gather with loved ones, go to Church and share the season with those we value there are great moments; but in the lead up?

In Matthew 25:31 – 46 Jesus tells the story of the Sheep and the Goats.  He addresses the Sheep and tells them that “When I was hungry, you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me”..... and the list goes on.  The Sheep are amazed!  I know I would be – after all, what believer wouldn’t do that for Jesus?????  But then comes the twist.  They had no recollection of doing any of that for him.  Jesus explained “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”  It’s funny that while Jesus is the King of Kings, he wasn’t born in a palace but a barn.  While He is the Prince of Peace, he didn’t feature regularly in the Judean Celebrity events pages but rubbed shoulders with lepers and prostitutes.  Yes he loved his family, but his heart and passion was for those society forgot and walked over.  Jesus always had time to care for those that others ignored.

In the final week before Christmas, I truly believe that we can experience incredible joy, if, as we go about our preparations we look for those we can love and bless – not because they have any special significance to us personally, but because they do to God!  A kind word, helping hand, unexpected gift will no doubt bless the mother struggling to control her kids in the supermarket; the refugee family next door or the elderly man sitting alone on his park bench.  The thing is, God also made sure that when we remember to care for “the least of these” we get a gift too and it brings a whole new dimension to the season.  Suddenly we are not only remembering Jesus’ gift to us, we are sharing in it, and the joy that comes from living our purpose is so much greater than we could have imagined.  Let’s not get too busy and focused to miss the chance to bless unexpectedly and even undeservedly! After all, to Jesus – “when it all comes down, everyone’s someone.” 

- Rachel Hanna

Advent Joy - Day 6

"Restore to me the joy of my salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me." - Psalm 51:12

This verse tells us two things about joy:

1) it can be lost.
but 2) God can restore it.

How's your joy level, this Advent week?  I'll confess, there have been moments when mine's been just fine, but I only wish I could say it's been high all week.  I wish I could say that I've remembered (even as I've been blogging every day about it) that I'm supposed to be in a season of expectant hope, inexplicable peace, and vibrant joy - but I'll confess - there have moments in every day of this season when I've just lost sight of that.

Hope, peace, joy - it can be so easy for those three things to be crowded out by the immediate demands of the day.  Coworkers that drive us nuts.  Sugared-up kids who have forgotten the meaning of the words "obedience" and "respect."  Another day of the seemingly never-ending job-hunt that ends in unemployment (still).  Not enough money.  Not enough time.  Stress.  Errands.  Too many obligations....

Whatever it is that is stealing your joy - did you know you can tell it to stop?

You can.

All you need to do is pray the words of this psalm.  Ask the King of heaven and earth to restore to you the joy of your salvation.  To restore to you a little bit of perspective.  Yes, life was crazy today.  No, it didn't all get done.  But He loves you.  He saved you.  Your sin is forgiven.  You have been made new.

Breathe for a minute.  Think about that.

You need a willing spirit to sustain you.  A non-willing spirit will think about all the stuff that steals your joy, that stands in your way.  But a spirit willing to focus on the Lord, to remember the joy of salvation - that spirit will sustain you.  No matter what.



p.s.  I really loved the picture in Zechariah 8:4-8.  If you didn't get a chance to read it yet today, go do that now.  I love God's question: He's made a promise to His children, and He says, "it may seem marvelous to [you] - but will it seem marvelous to me?"

He knows what He's doing.  He has a plan.  And it's all going to work out well.

Faith says, "I believe it."  And hope waits for it.

Advent Joy - Day 5

"O my Strength, I sing praise to You;
     You, O God, are my fortress, my loving God."
                                                          - Psalm 59: 17

"We wait in hope for the LORD;
     He is our help and our shield.
In Him our hearts rejoice,
     for we trust in His holy Name.
May your unfailing love rest upon us, 
          O LORD,
     even as we put our hope in You."
                                               - Psalm 33:20-22

"... the joy of the LORD is your strength."
                                       - Nehemiah 8:10


There's a beautiful connection between joy and strength.

Sometimes it takes all the strength you've got to choose joy in the midst of the worst circumstances you could have imagined - and sometimes, when you choose it, that joy goes deep and gives you the strength you need to get through those circumstances.

One of the things I so appreciate about the Psalms is their honesty.  There is no sugar-coating it or taming it down for David and his fellow poets.  When they lament, they lament - when they're angry, they're angry - and when they rejoice, they do it with abandon.

And one of the things that makes those abandoned moments of joy so glorious is that they exist in the context of lament, anger, confusion, betrayal, and a whole host of other emotions within the Psalms.  At the end of the day, even with all of that emotion (and very real circumstances that caused it!) - the Psalmists still say of God, "But I will sing of Your strength, in the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble." (Psalm 59:16)  They choose to look past their situations and their feelings about their situations, and they remember Who God Is.  And they praise Him.

Because when you remember Who God Is - and all He's done, all He's promised, all He's able to do - you just can't help but praise Him.  And as you speak words of praise, the rest of you - your heart, soul, mind, emotions - will get in line with those words and agree - and you will find joy bubbling up in your soul.  And when joy meets that "peace that transcends all understanding" (Philippians 4:7) in your soul - suddenly situations that seemed impossible aren't as overwhelming.  They may still be hard, and they may not go away for awhile - but God is your refuge, your strength, your shelter, your comforter, your healer, your provider, your redeemer....  and you're going to be okay.

So rejoice, friends.  "For unto you is born...a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11)

And that changes everything.

Advent Joy - Day 4

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

Have you ever looked up the words "rejoice in the Lord" in the Bible?

Reading thru what comes up when you do was the sum total of my devotional time today, and it was pretty awesome.  Nothing more to say today.  


Just go to www.biblegateway.com and type "rejoce in the Lord" in the search box.  Your day will become that much better.  :)

Advent Joy - Day 3

"Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.  So be earnest, and repent.  Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." - Rev. 3:19-20

I can't even begin to count the number of times I heard this verse quoted between the summer of 1988 and the spring of 1993.  I was part of a touring choir - (first Joy, Inc., and later Musicon Ministries) in Connecticut, for most of my junior high and high school years, and this verse was at the heart of almost every message given at the conclusion of the musicals we performed.  We sang the words of this verse, and to this day, they are deeply a part of my walk with God.  Earnestness marks my relationship with Him, as does repentance.

Even more so, tho, the picture painted in these verses is one of intimacy.  You have to open the door - the latch is on the inside - and when you do, Jesus will come in.  And then the image is: "dinner for two."  Just you and Jesus.

What do you do when it's just you and someone else for dinner?  You talk.  You eat.  You probably say things you wouldn't say if there were a dozen people there.  It's close, intimate, personal, and caring.

It's wonderful.

And you go home feeling so incredibly treasured.

If your quiet time hasn't felt like that lately... it might be time to amp it up, just a little bit.  I'm not saying that you should strive to make it something it isn't.  In any relationship, there are going to be times when you choose to act in a certain way because the foundation of your relationship implies you should - you're not going to feel all lovey-dovey all the time.  But Jesus loves you - more deeply and more truly than anyone else ever could - and you ought to feel incredibly treasured, just knowing that.

Rejoice, then - even if you have to choose to do it - knowing that He is the One you have waited for, all of Advent (and all your life).  He is here: Emmanuel, God with you - and He loves you.

Advent Joy - Day 2

"Therefore, this is what the LORD says: 'I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt.  And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.'  Proclaim further: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem.'"  - Zechariah 1:16-17

What incredibly good news this must have been to God's people, when they'd been in exile from their country for 70 years.  Children who had been 10 years old when the enemy came and took them away from Jerusalem were 80 now, and had grandchildren, but they hadn't forgotten where they came from.  Their elders had continued to tell them the stories of all the great things God had done for His children over the years, and of His promise that they would not always be slaves in another land.  They had been waiting for deliverance for 70 years, and it was finally coming.  They were going home.

And how much better the news is for us, for this story is only a shadow of what is to come.  Sneak peek into Zechariah 2:

"'Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion.  For I am coming, and I will live among you', declares the LORD." - Zechariah 2:10

"I am coming soon.  Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.  Him who overcomes, I will make a pillar in the temple of my God.  Never again will he leave it.  I will write on him the Name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new Name.  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." - Rev. 3:11-13

God freed his people and enabled them to rebuild his temple in Zechariah's day.
God sent Jesus to live among us, to teach us, to save us - and He sent His Spirit to live in us, to make us His temple.
And He is coming back, and all things will be new.

We are living in the middle of an incredible story, with an amazing ending - an ending which is really only a beginning.  And the One around Whom this whole story centers chose you.

Mark 3:13 tells of a time when Jesus "went up on a mountainside and called to Him those He wanted, and they came to Him."  I remember Rich Mullins saying in an interview once how wonderful he found that verse.  "Anybody can be used by God," he said, (and it's true - God can use anybody and anything to bring about His purposes) "...but to be wanted..."

God wants you.

It's the very reason Jesus was born.

So shout aloud for joy today - the King of heaven came for you, and there is no better thing we could celebrate.

Advent Reflections: Joy

"Sing to the LORD a new song,
     for He has done marvelous things;
His right hand and His holy arm
     have worked salvation for Him.
The LORD has made His salvation known
     and revealed His righteousness to the nations.
He has remembered His love 
     and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
     the salvation of our God."
                                                 - Psalm 98:1-3

Halfway there!  Today is the 3rd Sunday of Advent, and this week is all about Joy.

We have a LOT to celebrate in this season, friends:

"Praise the LORD, O my soul, 
     and forget not all His benefits - 
     who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
     who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
     who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
..... He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities ....."
                                                                                                     - Psalm 103: 2-5, 10

I love the picture painted in Amos 9:11-15.  After chapters of just judgment, here comes the promise: "'I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,'" says the LORD your God." (Amos 9:15)

Our God, who never changes and whose love is unfailing, is more than able to do exactly the same thing for you.  "...God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.  He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thessalonians 2:13b-14)  He wants to take you out of the barren and exiled places of your life and plant you in new places within His kingdom - places you will find abundant life, and just the right environment for things like hope and peace and joy to grow.

So what will you do, during this Advent week of waiting with joy, to celebrate the coming of the King (who came and is here and will come again) - and to remember that you have much to celebrate?