Oh the Drive...

If you know me pretty well, you know I complain about driving when I go home...maybe it's just habit..anyway, I always have good stories.  Like today...on the road by 6:15 AM (yep you read that correctly)...stopped at 7:15 to get breakfast and much needed large coffee at El McDonaldos...pouring down rain...and I fly by the cash window like it's not going to be open...to which the woman YELLS "Hey!  Hey!  Hey!  Come back!"  Yes, I am almost 30 years old...hopefully you do dumb stuff too and are still able to laugh at yourself.

Anyway, back to my original thought...driving...I complain, but really, the time on the road is therapy for me. It gives me time to think, reflect, be quiet and still.  So today, say around 8:00, Lashonda and I were gettin it down I75 and I started thinking about the three wise men.  Rumor has it (not Adele) that they finally got to see Jesus when he was about 2 years old.  Well, I thought about that and how they had to carry those gifts for a long time and probably answer a lot of questions along the way..."Dude, are you still looking for that baby King?"  "What's that?"  "Why don't you just give it up?"  Yes, I realize I am processing this through my English, first world brain, but stay with me...

So I thought about how we relate to the wise men...we have these gifts...some of us can sing, some people can work really hard, others can make things, some people can listen to the craziest people and still love them...there are so many gifts represented in just the people that I know...and we all journey.  None of us has "arrived."  We are still looking, still anticipating, still answering a whole lot of questions while we journey toward the King.  I'm so glad we're all in the same boat...that we journey together...that we have this amazing hope that we know we will bow before one day.  And more than that, I am so grateful that I get to see the gifts and sacrifices in use along the way.

So, what is your gift?  Your sacrifice?  Are you holding tightly to it, waiting until the day finally comes when you meet the King?  Or are you sharing it along the way?  If you walk toward the King, people will ask you some questions...what is your response?

God,
Thank you for the gifts that you give...
Thank you for the journey that you call us to.
Help us to walk,
Help us to share,
Help us to see the beauty of the journey,
The wealth of the gifts,
The King that we serve,
And the ways that we can bless.
Amen.

Gifts of the Season?

Last night, I had the rare opportunity to sing back-up for Keith and Kristyn Getty...during the concert I experienced moments of laughter, times of wide-eyed wonder at the music being produced, and moments of awe and silence...during the song below, I stood there, eyes closed, just being still...

Still, my soul be still

With shield of faith Words and Music by Keith & Kristyn Getty & Stuart Townend  

Still my soul be still 

And do not fear 

Though winds of change may rage tomorrow

God is at your side 

No longer dread 

The fires of unexpected sorrow  

God You are my God 

And I will trust in You and not be shaken 

Lord of peace renew 

A steadfast spirit within me 

To rest in You alone  

Still my soul be still 

Do not be moved 

By lesser lights and fleeting shadows 

Hold onto His ways 

Against temptations flaming arrows  

Still my soul be still 

Do not forsake 

The Truth you learned in the beginning 

Wait upon the Lord 

And hope will rise As stars appear when day is dimming   

Kristyn Getty said something that stuck with me last night...she said that God gives us the gifts of advent at all times...not just for this season...

God gives hope, peace, joy, and love in all seasons, in all circumstances...they are new each morning...as you wake, remember these things...you KNOW them, so experience them...

God is hope.

God is peace.

God is joy.

God is love.

Be still and know that he is God...

Be still and know the gifts that he gives,

The gifts that God is...

Give Us A Hand...

Poetry by Ann Weems

In the godforsaken, obscene quicksand of life,
there is a deafening alleluia
rising from the souls of those who weep,
and of those who weep with those who weep.
If you watch, you will see
the hand of God
putting the stars back in their skies
one by one
Yesterday's Pain
Some of us walk in Advent
tethered to our unresolved yesterdays
the pain still stabbing
the hurt still throbbing.
It's not that we don't know better;
it's just that we can't stand up anymore by ourselves.
On the way of Bethlehem, will you give us a hand?

I received a Christmas card yesterday from one of the ladies we caroled to the other night...she said, "You don't know how much that meant to me."  Others said that their Christmas season was better because of a few songs and hugs...will you allow God to give you a hand this season?  To fill you with rejoicing....bringing joy again?  And will you allow others to give you hand?  Will you reach your hands out in offering?

All the angels could do was rejoice...and say "Alleluia."  Do you hear the chorus?  Is it making you cover your ears? Or have you joined the loud chorus?  Screaming, singing, whatever it may be...God asks us to join the Alleluias....this is offering.

THE Christmas Story

So, I was reading THE Christmas story to my ESL kiddos yesterday and today...we were doing a legit activity with vocabulary and such...and I noticed that each time an angel announced God's plans and good news, the angels prefaced it with "Don't be afraid..."

So, the message for us today?  Don't be afraid..

God woke Mary up in the middle of the night with a stirring...
She went and met an angel
Who told her she would become pregnant...
With God's Son...
She was scared.
But, she said yes anyway.
She decided to let things happen "as God chooses."

Joseph wanted to marry a pure young woman.
She shows up pregnant....
Yeah Joseph, it's not yours, but it's God's...
Huh?
Yeah...
Joseph wakes up to the voice of God
Telling him to marry Mary..
He lays fears aside and decides to trust God.

The shepherds were minding their own business,
Keeping watch over their sheep,
In the dark,
In the middle of nowhere.
Angels appear and tell them to go find their Savior...
They tremble,
They probably stare wide-eyed, jaws dropped...
But they decided it was probably worth it
To meet a baby King that would save them all.

Throughout time, people have had to decide
What to do with fear.
We will fear.
We will be afraid.
But, what do we do with angels telling us "Do not be afraid..."
Do we listen?
Do we walk forward?
Or do we stay in the fear?

Joy...Do not be afraid, for I bring you good tidings of great joy!
Leave fear behind...move toward joy.                     

Caroling, Caroling!

Last night, some friends of mine were kind enough to join me in caroling to some older folks from our church.  We met and the caravan began around town.  We started at a dear friend's from the choir...she is in her 80s and just lost her husband...and her husband was amazing...one of the funniest people I have ever met.  So, we sang a little, she came out, gave the kiddos some candy (always a good move), and she surprised me when I looked and saw tears in her eyes.  She said, "This is going to be a hard Christmas, but you made it better."  

At other times, the older people sang along, kids ran up and down halls, the baby even danced a little and sang "da da das" with Away in a Manger.  At one point, we were in this tiny apartment visiting a long time member of our church and she was so excited to see the children...she opened her arms to hug the two 5 year old...I looked at their faces and they registered panic!  The boy stared wide-eyed at her and started to back away..I just watched and honestly, wanted to laugh a little.  Eventually, he gave in and hugged her.  These are the memories that make me realize that those moments made me who I am today...learning to hug an old person...life lessons.  :)

We spent maybe an hour and a half making deliveries, singing, and running around...but I just had this moment of pure joy...sitting in my banged up car named Lashonda...I said to my friend Meg, "We really have good friends and good people."  Yes, that may be oversimplifying it, but people showed up to do something as simple as walk around, share their kids, sing, and tell people that we love them.  Small, but huge.  This is what we are all about.  This is the kingdom...this is Heaven on Earth.  I hope that the people we visited were encouraged...but I can't help but think that we were changed because we were forced to look outside of ourselves and to be a little less selfish.  

Have you seen beyond yourself today?  All of us have different circumstances...but, in the end, we can all look and see past that in order to make the day better for someone else.  Jesus made things better for us....he brought light into darkness...why shouldn't we do the same?

A Christmas/Birthday Memory...

Recently I asked someone, "Do you like Christmas?"  to which he replied, "Of course I like Christmas."  I mean, I try not to assume anything!  But, Christmas is pretty awesome...good memories for most people.  I am no different.  Christmas was a big deal (and still is) in my family.  Just about 30 years ago, I was born on Christmas morning.  Ask my mom and she will tell you really quickly that it wasn't very joyous...ha!  And since she will read this, sorry Mom for coming at a bad time!  I didn't know it was such a big day.  :)

We have some traditions in our family....we always eat crab stew on Christmas Eve with broccoli cornbread...we open gifts from siblings on Christmas Eve....we take turns opening presents on Christmas Day...and we have added a few over the fews...more sporadic traditions if you will...like eating Chinese food on the way to Florida because it's the only restaurant open...except for Waflle House, but that's not a good story.  We also have started going to the beach when we're in Florida.  Anyway, when I was younger, we usually went caroling as a family on Christmas Eve.  We would usually go to people from church, widows, older people, and just whoever my parents had on their hearts I guess.  I loved it and still do...

One Christmas Eve, when I was around 9 years old, we went out to a farm in the middle of nowhere Georgia.  My parents told us that we were caroling...so we went up to the door without question, sang a few songs, and a woman came to the door.  She talked for a while and then asked if we wanted to see the new kittens in the barn...of course we did...we went to the barn and they were so tiny!  There were probably five or six and they were all wild!  And all were grey or black except one...there was one orange, long-haired one.  I picked him up and nuzzled him close to my face.  I looked up at my mom and smiled.  She said, "Happy Birthday Melodie."  I couldn't believe it!  I had wanted my own cat for a long time...since Bethany claimed Steppy as "her cat."  So, in the car ride home, in the back of the station wagon, I named him Fluffy Basketball...yes, you read that correctly...and he was my cat for 13 years.

A Shepherd's Perspective

This is an excerpt from A Shepherd's Perspective, Written by: Rev. Bruce Goettsche

"When I say we are committed to our sheep you need to know what I mean. A good Shepherd would not only risk his life for his sheep, he would give his life for his sheep.


We take great pride in what we do. My friends and I have a very special job; we care for the sheep raised for temple sacrifices in Jerusalem.  Every morning and evening a lamb without blemish is offered in sacrifice. Those lambs have to come from someplace. That someplace is my flock.

At Passover time we are as busy as Turkey farmers at Thanksgiving. It's important we not only protect the sheep but keep them in the best of shape. If we don't do our job, others will be unable to worship.

Most of the time we work alone. So, we talk to our sheep a great deal. We develop a relationship with the sheep. I know, it sounds like we're one bagel short of a basket, but, haven't you ever talked to a family pet when no one else was around???

We talk to our flock so much that it gets to the point that our sheep recognize our voice. All I have to do is call the name of one of my flock and he or she responds instantly.  You mean you didn't know we had names for all our sheep? We do. You could call their name and you wouldn't get any response at all. They don't recognize your voice. They will respond instantly to my voice. That's why at night I can combine my flock with several other flocks and can take turns at watch. In the morning we simply call for our sheep and they follow their own shepherd. If you've never seen it before, it's really quite an impressive demonstration.

Well, anyhow, the night Messiah was born we had combined our flocks and were taking turns at the watch just outside of Bethlehem. A few of our group were already asleep. I and a couple of others were sitting by the fire enjoying a late night snack of cheese and lentils and swapping a few sheep stories. What happened next is something I will never ever forget."

I was reading this and thinking about how God prepared the way for the future even with the shepherds that the angels appeared to the night of Jesus' birth.  God demonstrated his love for ALL people by appearing to the lowly, misunderstood of society.  More than that, God showed us what Jesus would be like through the shepherds and what our own leaders SHOULD be like...Jesus was committed to his followers, he knew them by name, and he was willing to sacrifice for them, for US.  jesus never stops watching over us, his flock, and wanting the best for us.

Think about it...really let it sink in...this small detail of the birth of Jesus has translated to all people, over all time, even to us...I am lowly, and I am strange a whole lot of the time...but Jesus chose to demonstrate his love for me, for all of us...and continues to shepherd us.  We have seen a great light, will we follow it?