Archives for November 2012

It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

30 Nov

I’ve begun to wonder if we haven’t romanticised Christmas.

The snow, the lights, hot chocolate and fur-fringed attire…I wonder if all of our man-made fluff hasn’t gotten in the way of the real heart of Christmas.

Christmas: a story that only God could craft. The Christ child born to a virgin and a simple carpenter from an obscure town.

Only the King of Kings, holy in all His ways, would write His Son into a story of simple obscurity and then cloak it in heavenly lights and angels heralding His birth to the poorest of the poor: nomadic sheep keepers seldom in the company of people much less the Son of the Most High. In a single night, royalty was tied to poppers, and peasants were afforded the honor of being the first to welcome the Messiah. And aren’t we all the least of these apart from our adoption in Christ?

Christmas is for all people: the rich, poor, the simple, the wisdom seekers, the joyful and sorrow-filled.

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ~Luke 2:10-11

The sights and sounds of the holiday are a welcome reminder of the reason we should celebrate our Savior all year long. The true gift is the One who was given.

I pray that this Christmas season will find us wrapped in thoughts of Jesus, grateful for the gift of salvation that He brings to all mankind; not pining after a nostalgic ideal that misses the mark of CHRISTmas… God with us.

Yes, partake in all the seasonal festivities as much as the Holy Spirit allows you freedom to do so. However, also steal away from the crowd as Christ himself did and spend time in private awe of The Gift, giving Him thanks and the glory due His name.

May we not rob Jesus the joy of worship in the season that celebrates comfort and joy.

Praising Him along with you this Christmas season and always,

 

Leave a Comment
Share This Post With Your Friends!
Filed Under: Contemplation, Holiday Tagged With: , ,

For When You Don’t Want to Trim the Tree

27 Nov

I lay on my unmade bed, “I don’t really want to decorate this house. I have the nativity up, isn’t that enough?”

Decorations were strewn all over the bedroom and living room and I was strewn on the bed in desperate need of a mental and physical break.

Wasn’t I the woman who had all her Christmas presents purchased before Thanksgiving for a few years in a row? Wasn’t I the one who occasionally decorated for Christmas prior to leaving for Thanksgiving celebrations with family in Alabama? My how things had changed.

Then I recalled Emily’s quip, “The tree looks beautiful mama!” This after I had only plugged the lights in! Then it came to me: I am no longer decorating for myself; I am decorating the house for the kids now.

I lay there a little while longer and let this reality set in. Even decorating the house for Christmas has taken on a selfless twist with the dawning of parenthood. Ashamedly, this was novel news to me. I always thought my mom decorated because she loved Christmas, but maybe it is always for the ones she loves?

After brainstorming what remained of the decorations, I began my quest to decorate the house in such a way that the kids and Ron would happily reflect upon in years to come. The new flannel Christmas sheets hit the mattress, the second nativity the dresser, garland and ornaments for the chandler, and the finishing ornaments on the tree.

Truly, Christmas was never about the presents nor the decorations it’s always been about man’s sinful heart which needed to be redeemed by the sinless Messiah.

The decorations in our home are an outward reminder and a marker to share the story of redemption. The story that all started when the Son forfeited Heaven to lay down in a bed of hay and start our journey Home.

 *A special thanks to the wonderful Neely Farms. We look forward to our traditional after Thanksgiving Day visit every year.

Leave a Comment
Share This Post With Your Friends!
Filed Under: Family, Life, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Moments Bathed in Thanksgiving

20 Nov

I pour the water over his uplifted head. He blinks and shakes the water from his blonde hair.

Only a few weeks ago Little E would have screamed and cried at the mention of pourning water over his hair; forget laying back in the tub to wet it.

Next he surpasses my expectations as he plunges his face into the clear water. I know he must have seen Joshua blowing bubbles in the tub. Joshua is altogether unafraid of plunging face first into depths of water. He knows how to kick and splash his way safely to the edge of the pool in summer time.

Yet, even as Little E is splahing his face in the water like a mallard, I gaze in amasement at this gift from God…an unexpected grace pointing to the fulfilled wholeness of a little life in our care. It is in these graces that the daily work is rewarded. Wasn’t it only days before that I had marveled at the love between foster father and son? Emily was pushing E on the park swing and Ron kissing his puckered lips with every swing forward.

The joy of the Father and Son kiss our upturned faces when they are lifted heavenward in repentance and thanks.

May the Lord pour out His joy on us as we gather together to thank him with upturned gazes for the blessings of another year. May your tables be filled with food, family, and faithful thanks to the Giver of all good and perfect gifts.

May we bathe everyday in moments of thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving!

1 Comment
Share This Post With Your Friends!
Filed Under: Family, Holiday, Life Tagged With: ,

Book Review: The Harbinger

14 Nov

 

Initially after reading The Harbinger I was convinced that America was under the judgement of God. The author so closely weaves America with Israel and the warning signs since the events of 911 seem so clear. However, there are problems with the intertwining of America and Israel from the text.

In The Harbinger, America and Israel are presented as parallel nations both in covenant with God. First, we need to consider that God initiated the covenant between Abraham and Himself and chose the, at that time,  unborn nation of Israel to be His chosen people.  Contrasting that with the birth of America we must consider that while many of America’s founders were Christian it was a man initiated nation.

One of the links between the proposed covenant between God and America was the dedication of our country to God by George Washington much like Solomon dedicating the temple in Jerusalem to God.

George Washington, after his inauguration, led a procession to St. Paul’s (pictured above) to dedicate our country to God in prayer. Only minutes before he had taken the oath of office by placing his hand on a Bible. However, it was not a Christian Bible he was sworn in on, but a Masonic Bible. A brief study via Google of the Masonic Bible leads to some literature on the Kabbalah as did one of the rebuttal blog posts listed below.

It is at this point that I would direct you to a well researched author, David Barton, of Wall Builders to further educate us concerning the subject of America’s founding being a Christian-led process. Please visit their website here. It may also be helpful for us to read their book, The Question of Freemasonry and the Founding Fathers (here).

America is not mentioned in the Bible, and certainly not as a little Israel. To presume such is a mistake on our part. To be grafted into the lineage of Christ we must believe on Christ Jesus as the Lord and Savior of the world and that he came as God in the flesh.

Do I think a time of judgement is coming for all people? Yes. Likewise, I believe that this is a thought provoking read which ties the truth that one day all people, American or not, will stand before the Judge of all the earth: God. The only way that we will be given a favorable judgement is if when God looks at us He sees Jesus Christ. That only happens if we repent of our sin and put our faith and trust in Him during this lifetime.

The Harbinger is a fictional, allegorical book that stresses a time of judgment is coming for our country and the inhabitants of all the earth. Read it and some of the article links below and then make a decision for yourself as to the contents of the text.

I welcome your thoughts in return.

A favorable review by Glenn Beck about the Harbinger here .

A rebuttal of the Harbinger: one, two, three, and four.

Leave a Comment
Share This Post With Your Friends!
Filed Under: What I Am Reading Wednesday Tagged With: ,

Studying Rocks was Never So Cool

9 Nov

Remember back in high school to earth science class. Those boxes with multiple dividers and a plethora of rocks different colors and hues were about as interesting to me as, well…a pile of rocks. Learning the names of rocks was one of my least favorite parts of school.

Now fast forward 13 years, I am actually learning about rock formations in my “free time.” The fingerprints of God are all over the mountain ranges, caverns, and canyons of the world.

Did you know that the major mountain ranges of the earth were formed as a result of the flood? The world-wide judgement upon the wickedness of man brought forth the most breathtaking views we see world-wide. (Read about the Hydroplate Theory here.)

You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took flight. The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them. You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they (the waters) might not again cover the earth. ~Psalm 104:6-9 (emphasis mine)

Ron and I recently traveled to the Grand Canyon. While the Grand Canyon was not formed during the flood, it is proposed that the flood left “postflood lakes in every continental basin.”* Two of these lakes Dr. Walt Brown refers to as the Grand Lake and the Hopi Lake (view here). He proposes that that the Grand Lake breached its southwest boundary, causing Hopi Lake to also breach. “Escaping waters spilled off the western edge of the Colorado Plateau, first stripping off the soft Mesozoic sediments south and west of the lakes (the Great Denudation).” * The result? The Grand Canyon was carved in weeks.

Yes, you read that right…weeks. (Please read Dr. Brown’s theory for yourself. Click here. I have written the most brief summary imaginable.)

The Grand Canyon was carved in weeks and the Colorado River was born–“a consequence, not the cause, of the carving of the Grand Canyon.”*

Why am I telling you all of this? First, because you should go to the Grand Canyon for yourself with Going the Distance Adventure Ministries and simultaneously view and learn the after effects of the world-wide flood with the teachings of Dr. Aaron Walp. Secondly, I want you to consider the judgement of God. Why does it come and what does it communicate to a lost and dying world?

In the path of your judgments, O LORD, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul…For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. If favor is shown to the wicked, he does not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly and does not see the majesty of the LORD. O LORD, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed. Let the fire for your adversaries consume them. ~Isaiah 26:3-11

God brings judgement on the people of the earth so that they might learn righteousness. He loves us, and the renown of His Name, too much to leave us wallowing in the mire of our sins; both individually and as the Body of Christ, the church. We can either continue to look at the warning signs of our righteous, loving, and holy God as obstacles to overcome or as a call to humility and repentance. God does not work without cause (Ezekiel 14:23).

Today, the same God who formed mountains and carved canyons to bring judgement and display His holy wrath, desires that His people live according to His word.

For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. ~Matthew 24:37-39, 44

 

 

*Walt Brown, Ph.D. (2008). In the Beginning Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood (8th Edition ed.).

Leave a Comment
Share This Post With Your Friends!
Filed Under: Creation Tagged With: , , , ,

What I Am Reading Wednesday: The Harbinger

7 Nov

The World Trade Center Sphere in Battery Park

Freedom Tower

 The Empire State Building

The bricks have fallen,

But we will rebuild with hewn stone;

The sycamores have been cut down,

But we will plant cedars in their place.

~Isaiah 9:10

“The prophecy, in its context, concerned ancient Israel. But now, as a sign, it concerns America.”

“How?”

“It is the sign of a nation that once knew God but then fell away, a sign that America is now the nation in danger of judgment…and now given warning and the call to return.”

“So it was originally given to Israel, but now it’s given as a sign to America?”

“Yes. So if that same prophetic message, that same warning of judgment, once given in Israel’s last days, should now manifest itself in America, it will be a sign–a sign that America is now the nation that once knew God but then fell away and is now in danger of judgment and now given warning and a calling to return.”

“So if that word should be manifested in America, it becomes a harbinger of America’s future?”

“A harbinger,” he answered, “and more than one.”

~The Harbinger: The Ancient Mystery That Holds the Secret of America’s Future by Jonathan Cahn

Grab your copy and join the discussion next week on What I Am Reading Wednesday. I am off to read the second half of this book…

Leave a Comment
Share This Post With Your Friends!
Filed Under: Uncategorized, What I Am Reading Wednesday Tagged With:

Lessons for Every Day

5 Nov

Every day there are lessons to learn, truths we must remember, and His promises that we must cling to.

Our lives have significantly changed adding a third child to the mix. It feels we are in constant motion trouble shooting one situation after another. Ron and I joke that I need to start wearing black and white vertical stripped shirts and have the kids call me “Ref” as I referee most of their waking hours.

The verses from last week’s post need to be printed out and referred to daily in our home. In fact, perhaps I simply need to staple them to my forehead?!  I am constantly reminding myself not to complain, to use kind words, to treat others the way that I want to be treated while simultaneously pointing the finger at the children and instructing them to do the same.

The lessons that I want our kids to learn first need to be modeled in their own mom and dad before they can adequately take root. This is true for everyday lessons and in missional, intentional living.

With our step into foster care there have been multiple people who have told me, “I think it is great what you are doing. I wanted to foster, but I couldn’t bare the goodbyes. It would be too hard for me to say goodbye.”

I felt the same way initially. Ron and I were only open to adoption in the beginning. We didn’t think we were “made” to foster. The change in our attitudes came when we realized that there are more children than homes with foster parents. We learned that many of these kids were living in group homes or separated from their brothers and sisters.

We were reminded that all of our children are with us temporarily. The truth is, there are only finite days that God gives us to parent our children before they leave the nest. We decided that we will take the days given us with as many children as we choose to foster over our lifetime; be it one or twenty.

The final kiss goodbye to our sweet Little E is not something that I look forward to with anticipation. I am still relying on today’s grace for today’s race and will leave what remains to God. We continue taking our fears and frustrations to Him as often as we need to in prayer.

My emotions are no different than the next person. I, and all of my family, get attached. We love deeply, we apologize often, we forgive one another and live alongside each other with the love God has given us. This is no less true in foster care.

His love never changes(Hebrews 13:8), the people in our lives in which we can share His love do change.

If you or someone you know has any interest in foster care or adoption I encourage you to take a step in faith. It is a wild and difficult ride…one that our family has only begun. Perhaps hearing from a couple that has adopted multiple times would help? I encourage you to join us at our church to hear guest speaker Tony Dungy and his wife, Lauren, as they share their adoption story. Click here for more details.

You might think that learning everyday lessons every day seems elementary, but mastering everyday lessons isn’t. Keep at it friends…every day.

With love,

Leave a Comment
Share This Post With Your Friends!
Filed Under: Contemplation, Family, Missions, My Story Tagged With: ,

Costume Parade

2 Nov

Leave a Comment
Share This Post With Your Friends!
Filed Under: Family