From One Mom To Another

I just had to share this with you when I heard it. I took my girls to the Crayola Factory in Easton, Pennsylvania this week. If you have not been there, and get an opportunity, it is fantastic. The kids loved it, they got to do all kinds of crafts and artwork, and they also watched from hot melted wax to the box how crayons and markers are made. It was only $10 per person to get in, and you receive tokens to claim crayons, markers, modeling clay, etc. with them. All of the crafts and such are included in the admission, of course.

During the process of watching how the markers are made the speaker gave us a really great tip about those markers that have been left without caps and dried out. “Don’t throw them away just yet”, he said. All you need to do is wet the tip with warm or hot water, replace the cap, and wait 24 hours. When the marker dries out the ink does not. So by wetting it and allowing the moisture to wick back into the marker the ink will return! That was worth the trip, and I had to pass it along.

Gabriel greeted her:Good morning! You’re beautiful with God’s beauty, Beautiful inside and out! God be with you. She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, “Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus. He will be great, be called ‘Son of the Highest. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David;
He will rule Jacob’s house forever— no end, ever, to his kingdom.” Mary said to the angel, “But how? I’ve never slept with a man.”The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God. “And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.“And Mary said, “Yes, I see it all now: I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. Then the angel left her.” Luke 1:26-38TM

Two days away from celebrating the greatest miracle and gift to mankind. Mary could not have known t, though she knew it was big, the fullness of what role she would hold in history when she agreed to God’s will. When this stranger, Gabriel, visited her small Jewish home.

Like many of us, it wasn’t that Mary was not willing to do whatever God asked of her but her human mind tried so hard to wrap her brain around HOW God would accomplish His will. HOW could God use this little girl to perform the greatest miracle in history.

Mary’s response to this word from God was “But How? When I have never slept with a man”, Gabriel’s answer was simple, “Nothing, you see, is impossible with God!” Luke 1:34

When God has given you the vision and shown you your destiny you may say “But how I’ve never…”. You may “have never”, but “Nothing you see is impossible with God!”. Nothing you have done, or not done, can keep God’s purpose from being fulfilled as long as the servant is willing. God is not concerned with the education, the accolades, the people you know, your age, or the amount of money in your bank account. He is only looking for someone to say ” Yes, I see it all now: I’m… ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say.

The “But How’s?” may be following you everyday this Christmas season. But How will God provide for my bills? But How can God ever restore what is broken? But How can I ever see hope again? But How will God bring this big vision I carry into reality? Nothing You See Is Impossible with God!

No matter what challenges face you, do not abort or miscarry what God has placed in your heart because of fear or doubt. Mary had to face shaming her family, financial insecurity (I mean her child was born in a barn!), being left at the altar, even possible death. But just as was the case with Mary, carried to full term God may use you to change the world!

Remember our history, friends, and be warned. All our ancestors were led by the providential Cloud and taken miraculously through the Sea. They went through the waters, in a baptism like ours, as Moses led them from enslaving death to salvation life. They all ate and drank identical food and drink, meals provided daily by God. They drank from the Rock, God’s fountain for them that stayed with them wherever they were. And the Rock was Christ. But just experiencing God’s wonder and grace didn’t seem to mean much—most of them were defeated by temptation during the hard times in the desert, and God was not pleased.The same thing could happen to us. We must be on guard so that we never get caught up in wanting our own way as they did…We must never try to get Christ to serve us instead of us serving him; they tried it, and God launched an epidemic of poisonous snakes. We must be careful not to stir up discontent; discontent destroyed them…
1 Corinthians 10:1-13

If you skipped the scripture to read the post, go back and read it. I’ll wait.

When you were growing up and you heard the story of the Israelites, did you, like me, think they were so stupid? I thought ” if I saw the Red Sea split, and a huge cloud following me, and the Egyptian army swallowed up, and had food literally falling from heaven every day, and my shoes never got too little in 40 years, and I saw water flow from a rock, not to mention all the things that happened in Egypt, I think I would have no problem believing in God to take care of me” … That is what I thought, when I was younger. Anyone else?

How many miracles have you had in your life? Ever have a near miss accident that you know should have killed you? Ever get a check in the mail the day you needed to pay a bill? Ever come home after a tornado to find your home in tact when others around you lost nearly everything? Ever have a car last waaaaay beyond it’s expected lifespan? Ever had a healthy child? Ever had a good marriage? Ever buy Christmas for your kids when at the beginning of the month you had no idea how you were going to do it?

I have. And yet I still wonder some days if God is going to come through. Worse yet, I still have my moments of wanting to grumble and complain about my struggles and what God is making me go through. Oh yes, even I who have so many miracle stories. Seems silly doesn’t it? After all, I have been saying for weeks now about all the good things God has done in my life.

My Bishop says “God will offend the mind to reveal the heart.” There are many times I think to myself “O.k. I am getting this lesson God is trying to teach me. I believe God will take care of me. I will be content in every circumstance. I will not have doubt. I will believe He is who He is no matter what my circumstances”. Then the fire gets turned up, and I find myself balling my eyes out and questioning God again. I find myself beginning to relate more and more to those silly Israelites, and repenting seems to be my daily dose. And then I know, I am not done with this process. The process we all want to get out of as fast as possible. (1 Peter 4: 12-13) Like a band-aid, “just rip it off, Lord!”. But no, He is much wiser than that. This is not a band-aid, it is a layered onion.

I am reminded of James “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”
(James 1: 2-4)

The Israelites had everything handed to them. They did not have to hunt or harvest their food, it was brought to them every morning. They did not have to search for water; they just struck a rock. They did not have to buy or make new shoes. They had air conditioning in the day, and fire by night. Yet, they grumbled and doubted God would take them to their destination. How silly, right?

These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don’t repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence. No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it. 1 Corinthians 10: 11-13

Don’t forget:
Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner…God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does. 1Peter 4:12-13; 5:7-11

“Don’t defend yourself, your friends don’t need it, and your enemies won’t believe it” (Author Unknown…At least to me. )

I know the above quote to be so true. I have seen it so many times in my life. But my nature can not help but pack my arsenal full when I feel I, or someone I love, is being attacked. I often relate to David who would let God “have it” when he felt like he was not standing up for him.

Please get up—wake up! Tend to my case. My God, my Lord—my life is on the line. Do what you think is right, God, my God, but don’t make me pay for their good time. Don’t let them say to themselves, “Ha-ha, we got what we wanted.” Don’t let them say, “We’ve chewed him up and spit him out.” Let those who are being hilarious at my expense Be made to look ridiculous. Make them wear donkey’s ears; Pin them with the donkey’s tail, who made themselves so high and mighty! (Psalm 35:23-25 TM)

David and Peter and I would have probably gotten a long well. “Let’s just kill them and tell God they died” has often been our stand, but when the opportunity presented itself to David to kill his greatest enemy Saul he knew that taking matters into his own hands was not the answer. The love and trust of God’s love stops the need to vindicate yourself. David knew as well as I that ” the LORD will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants.” (Psalm 135:14 NIV)

One of my dad’s and my constant arguments as I was growing up between us would go something like this: “Dad that is not fair!!!!!!” And my dad would respond with “Baby, one day you are going to learn… Life is not fair”. Ugggh! I hated to hear that. I thought everything should be fair in the world, and if God were God he would do that. Right??

Well, God is not a fair God but He is just. Romans 8:28 (TM) says “He knows us far better than we know ourselves…That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” We can’t always know why life seems unfair. Why it seems slanderous words and hurtful circumstances seem to go unanswered by God, why good men fail and the good die young. Yet we can trust that He has a plan and will work it all out for our good!

I often feel like Jim Carey in Bruce Almighty, when he finally yields to God’s will he gets hit by a Big Mac Truck! I mean come on, can you win for losing?! Then suddenly he is standing in God’s presence, the heart motives are revealed and then he is sucker punched again. Has he not learned his lesson already? Yes, the sucker punch, though it hurts, is actually life!

Here is my point, many times life will not make sense, and we will more times than not NOT understand God. We will feel the desire to defend, fight, and let everyone know what is right and wrong. But it won’t change people’s opinions, it won’t make us feel better, it won’t make God move. But when we trust God, He will vindicate us, and we will find ourseves on our feet again.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord… Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:11-14)

Usually I have the high spirits of the holidays come the day after Halloween, and last the season long. I love every bit of the busyness and Christmas music. The family gatherings, and the children’s excitement. Everyone is a little nicer and giving to one another, and the cold weather gives to warm fires and roasted marshmallows. I have to admit, though, it has been a bit of a struggle this year. Being hit with a few personal hard hits right here at Christmas has almost made me want to just close my eyes and say “tell me when it is over”.

But now more than ever it is important to stop and remember why we celebrate Christmas. The birth of our savior. The hope to the world, the one who has come to bring restoration and take our sins that we might not be separated from God. The good news of Jesus Christ!

We can have a hope in a hopeless world. When people have let us down, and circumstances seem bleak in our lives we have hope, hope that a savior came off his throne, and chose to humble himself. A savior that says “I know what you are going through, I have been there too”.

My favorite song at the holidays, more than any other to bring tears to my eyes is “Oh Holy Night”. It shares the hope and the message of Jesus better than any other.

Are you weary today? Wondering where in the world your hope for a new and better day could be?

“Long lay the world in sin and error pining, ‘Til He appear’d and the soul felt its worth.A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.”

Do you feel bound by chains, debts you can not ever repay, and mistakes you can never repair? Bound by religious laws you feel you can never live up to?

Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother; And in His name all oppression shall cease.

Cast your cares upon him today and remember that this season is about rejoicing that you are not alone anymore! You can rejoice and be joyful for a new day has dawned and hope springs forth!

Words to Oh Holy Night. Read them, and truly think about them, not just another Christmas song, but words of Hope!

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
‘Til He appear’d and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O, hear the angels’ voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise men from Orient land.
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friend.

He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, Behold your King.

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
His power and glory evermore proclaim.

Don’t, enemy, crow over me. I’m down, but I’m not out. I’m sitting in the dark right now, but God is my light. I can take God’s punishing rage. I deserve it—I sinned. But it’s not forever. He’s on my side and is going to get me out of this. He’ll turn on the lights and show me his ways. I’ll see the whole picture and how right he is. And my enemy will see it, too, and be discredited—yes, disgraced! This enemy who kept taunting, “So where is this God of yours?”
I’m going to see it with these, my own eyes— my enemy disgraced, trash in the gutter….

Where is the god who can compare with you—wiping the slate clean of guilt, Turning a blind eye, a deaf ear, to the past sins of your purged and precious people? You don’t nurse your anger and don’t stay angry long, for mercy is your specialty. That’s what you love most.
And compassion is on its way to us. You’ll stamp out our wrongdoing. You’ll sink our sins
to the bottom of the ocean. You’ll stay true to your word to Father Jacob and continue the compassion you showed Grandfather Abraham—Everything you promised our ancestors
from a long time ago.

(Micah 7:8-10; 18-20 TM)

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. Philippians 4:6-9 TM

This week I watched a classic movie I have not seen since I was a little girl, Old Yeller.
I watched it with both my girls who have never seen them before. Of course Emily bit her nails and clutched her pillow as Old Yeller was shot, and then said “It ends happy right, I mean it is a Disney movie it has to have a happy ending?”. It was a tragic thing for me to have to let my daughter watch. But I suppose it is a right of passage for a kid. I have probably only watched it once in my life, because I hated the ending so bad. Except this time I realized Old Yeller’s death was not the ending at all.

Let me remind you for a moment, if you don’t know, what happened. Daddy comes home and his son is at the top of the hill burying old yeller. He goes up to his son and expresses his sorrow for the boys loss and then says to him.

Now and then for no good reason a man can figure out, life will just haul off and knock him flat. Then Slam him again on the ground, until it feels like his insides is busted. But it’s not all like that, a lot of it is mighty fine. And you can’t afford to waste the good stuff frettin about the bad. That makes it all bad. …. Yeah sure, I know sayin’ it is one thing, and feelin’ it is another, but I’ll tell you a trick that sometimes helps. You start looking for good to take the place of the bad… and you can usually find it. ~Pa from “Old Yeller”

When they come down the hill there is young yeller, the pup of old yeller, and though he has rejected him many times because he was not old yeller, he now has a new perspective. He embraces the young puppy and finds joy again.

It is o.k. to find the happy things even when all the bad seems to be raining down on you. Through losses and griefs, and hurts, and tears, there is joy, It does come in the morning. Sometimes our greatest griefs and losses can catapult us into our next greatest adventures.

What is the happiest time of the year can also be the most depressing at times, realizing the old things that have not come to this new year. But you have a choice. Do you allow the bad to overshadow the new goodness around you, or do you embrace that new joy and let life pick you back up off the ground?

I wrote this a few months ago, and today I felt the need to write it again. Remember that we see dimly through colored glass, and God sees everything clearly. He has a plan, a purpose for your life. He knew exactly where you would sit today, and He knows where you will be tomorrow.

The bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.

Francis Scott Key penned this Line as he sat on a British ship awaiting the battle to be over. He could not tell in the dark of the night whether America was proving victorious or not. But when the bombs burst in the air in the night it provided enough glimmer of hope to Key. He could still see the flag flying and knew that meant America was winning the war.

The bible says “Weeping may endure for a night, but Joy Comes in The Morning.” (Psalm 30:5) For everything there is a season, and at the end of a season of darkness and struggle, there will be light (clear vision) and joy. When you sit in the darkness you can’t see what is in front of you, whether you are moving in the right direction, whether you are winning or losing.

Francis Scott Key found a way to find peace in the midst of the darkness, God gave him just enough light to have hope that all was well. To this day, his words inspire us to know that even in the darkness the hope is there that we are winning the battle.

As I walk through hard time I always look for the breakthrough, but while the breakthrough is coming but not here yet, God gives “bombs bursting in air” of hope. It may be the unexpected check in the mail that provides what you need for today. It may be the positive Dr.’s report that the cancer is decreasing, it may be the phone call that says I am praying for you today. It may be sharing in someone else’s victory. It may be that scripture you read this morning that you know spoke right to your circumstance. Whatever it is, the bombs bursting in air do two things: they are weapons which are destroying the enemy, and they are light for you to see, to give you a hope of victory! They are proof through the night that GOD is still there!

So today, in whatever darkness you may be consumed with, hurting finances, hurting marriage, hurting children, sickness, or whatever struggle you face, there are bombs bursting in the darkness to remind you that God is still there. He still cares and though you will not see it fully until the morning hours, you are victorious!

Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah 43:19

I read a devotional today that I thought was very timely and wanted to pass it along.
Below is a piece of it, with a link to the full article. It is powerful if you are carrying a vision or dream that seems will never deliver. I hope this encourages you today as it has me!

Here we are, drawing to the end of another year, and many of us are still carrying around things that God had placed within us that have yet, much to our dismay, come to pass.

For some, it may be the promise of a new job or the start of a new relationship. While for others, it may be the desire for better health or a stronger church. Perhaps a new business venture.

Whatever the case may be, there are many of us as believers who still remain pregnant with a hope that what God promised you earlier this year will still come to pass.

Yet, here we are. It is December.
And for some of you, nothing has happened yet.

Well, I have a question for you today. This is a question that you may have to wrestle with for a little while. We did as a family…and now perhaps it is your turn.

Is it time…for you to induce your labor?

Streaming Faith Devotional

And the author, Milan Ford at The Pew View

I wanted to share, support and promote a film I am very excited about for a couple of reasons.

1) Because a friend of mine, Caleb Cubbison, is starring in it. I can not wait until he is a famous Hollywood star and I can say “I knew him when…” and

2) Because this film supports a really great project. A Mission project which will go to support buying Christmas for orphaned children in Uganda.
The Uganda film Project
Oasis Missions

Watch the trailer, buy the movie, do something good this Christmas!

One Person from Steven Kiefer on Vimeo.