Journey to Joy

Christmas is a compelling season.  We are surrounded by sights and sounds that compel us to participate in the festivities.  We are drawn to the bright  lights, jingling sounds, fragrant scents, and the experience of Christmas.  Christmas is a wonderful season of giving.  

In reality the Christmas story was not quite so glamorous.  While there was a guiding star outside, there were no lights in the manger.   The noises would have come from the sheep and the cattle.  The fragrance in the air would have also been supplied by the animals.  And what was their experience?  Mary and Joseph were far away from home and family.  They were alone in a smelly stable filled with animals.  Mary’s bed would have been made of straw. Mary was a young girl who was now far away from her Mother.   No account leads us to believe there were other women in the stable to help Mary give birth to her first born son.  Then the visitors who came after the child’s birth were men who came to see what had happened.  

Yet despite the conditions of the stable, the sounds, the scent in the air, and the isolation, this was a time of great joy.  Something happened in that dark and dreary stable  that would change history forever.  Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem led them to a strange place far away from everything familiar to them. It was there that the miracle of the birth of Jesus happened.

Journey.  Uncertainty.  Trusting.  Fear.  Miracle.  Joy.

How like God to show up in such an unexpected way in unfamiliar surroundings in the company of simple folk.  How like God it is to bring great joy in the midst of squalor and stench.  How like God it is to offer His love to the broken, dejected, and despised.  How like God to give love to all. 

On our journey outside the walls we, too will encounter sights and sounds that seem unfamiliar and we will face new challenges as we step out alone.  On our journey we need only remember one thing.  Regardless of who you are or where you’ve been, God gives love to all.  The baby came for you.  God’s miracle of joy just for you.  Christmas is a season of receiving. 

Advent

Advent marks the beginning of our journey of celebration and contemplation ushering in the coming of the Christ child. 

Advent brings a myriad of emotions to the table.  We revel in the lights, parties, gift buying, Christmas traditions, and friends and families spending time together.  At the opposite end of the spectrum Christmas also brings great loneliness, excessive spending, decisions about what to “get” those we love, changing traditions, and reminders of those we have lost.  At the same time, we may also experience lethargy because we have lost interest in all that Christmas brings. 

During Advent we experience how the season began with the fullness of life, in joy and in sorrow.  Remembering the coming One leads us to a greater understanding of the emotions experienced by Joseph and Mary, their parents, Elizabeth and Zechariah, King Herod, the Wise men, the Shepherds, the Hebrew neighbors, and the prophets.  During this time we are called to consider the full range of emotions they felt as they awaited the coming of the Christ child. 

The journey leads us to a time of feasting, and a time of fasting.  As we experience abundance and scarcity we look to the Spirit to guide us to a greater understanding of Christmas then and Christmas now.  

You are invited on the journey.  I encourage you to share your thoughts each day as we learn and grow together deeper in Christ.  

Word of the Day: Blessings

Someone shared this with me a few years ago and I wanted to share 

it with you. It didn't come to me with an author's name on it- 

if it had I would gladly attribute it to them. 

It's a gentle reminder to count your blessings, today and everyday.

                   THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD

A group of students were asked to list what they thought were 

the present "Seven Wonders of the World." Though there were 

some disagreements, the following received the most votes:

                         1. Egypt's Great Pyramids

                         2. Taj Mahal

                         3. Grand Canyon

                         4. Panama Canal

                         5. Empire State Building

                         6. St. Peter's Basilica

                         7. China's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student 

had not finished her paper yet. So she  asked the girl if she 

was having trouble with her list. 

The girl replied, "Yes, a little.  I couldn't quite make up my 

mind because there were so many."

The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we 

can help."The girl hesitated, then read, "I think these are 

the 'Seven Wonders of the World':

1. To See

2. To Hear

3. To Touch 

 

 7. And to Love."

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. The 

things we overlook as simple and ordinary and that we take 

for granted are truly blessings!

Every day is filled with miracles and blessings that God freely 

shares! 

The Donuts

I love to laugh and I believe that laughter is contagious.  Laughter just seems to brighten even the gloomiest day and at the same time it lightens our load.

I seem to have been blessed with a steady stream of crazy incidents throughout my life.  Almost daily I get involved in some kind of interesting mess.  I've been told by my family (and my friends) that I don’t need to write fiction…my life is hilarious enough as it is.  Someone even suggested I write an autobiography filled with crazy things that happen to me.  

Just a week ago Saturday I went to my favorite donut store to get a dozen donuts for my grand kids to eat before church.  On Sunday morning I very carefully carried the donuts so I wouldn't drop them.  I was picking everyone up so I needed to clear a few things out of the car.  I had several things to carry, including the donuts so my hands were really full. I gently put everything down. I was mostly worried about dropping the donuts so I guarded them carefully.

I picked up the backseat and after that was done I pulled the car out and took off to pick up the kids.  Just after the first turn as I headed toward the kids' house I heard a “thud” from the back of the car.  I looked into the rear view mirror and spotted round circles flying through the air behind me.  I thought, "what are those circles"?  Then, suddenly it hit me. Because I didn't want to drop the donuts, I put them the hood of the car.  

Now all of my lovely donuts were flying through the air like saucers.  

You can imagine my dilemma. I stopped the car, hoping that maybe at least two of the donuts were still in the box but alas, the box was empty.  I quickly picked up the donuts strewn out all over the road and put them in the trash.  I felt really bad that the kids wouldn’t have their donuts at church, but at the same time I was laughing so hard I was nearly crying.  I laughed all the way to my daughter’s house and was still laughing when I explained to the kids what happened to their donuts.  They thought it was pretty funny, too.  Of course, after church we went straight to the donut store to get more donuts.  We continued to laugh about the "first dozen" as we ate our fresh donuts. 

All in all, a good time was had by everyone.  

I realized that the laughter far outweighed the cost of a dozen donuts. You can't buy that kind of laughter. I really is priceless! 

I'm not sure how God created laughter, but because we all have our own unique contagious sound I'm pretty sure God intended it to be something we share liberally.  Have you had a good laugh today?

...Just keep going

I am not very good with failure.  I have a tendency to “beat myself up” when I make mistakes.  Plus, in my mind, an A- is a form of failure.  That’s part of the reason being in graduate school has really been a challenge for me.  When I make an A, I am on top of the world, but anything below that is (in my mind) an inferior grade (except for Hebrew class where passing is totally acceptable : ).

My dad used to tell me I won't fail if I get up and just keep going. I tried to pass that on to my children.   

When she was growing up my daughter also liked A’s.  In college she majored in Music with emphasis in piano and voice.  While singing was easy for her, piano performance was very challenging.  I would tell her the important thing is to "just keep playing".  Now my oldest granddaughter is taking piano and before recitals her mother tells her to "just keep playing."

The problem is our culture teaches us that failure is NOT an option.  

I have to remind myself it doesn't matter what culture says.  What matters is that God stands with me IN my failure.  By relying on God, we have a helper (the Spirit) who will hold onto us and who will lift us up.   Ephesians 3:17a says, “Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him.”  The answer is in trusting Jesus.  When I fail, I am grateful God is right there holding onto me with love.  God is there for you as well.

The last part of Ephesians 3:17 talks about letting our roots grow down into God’s love, and ends by saying God’s love will “keep you strong”.  God knows I am human and I will fail.  There is nothing about me God doesn’t know. What is amazing is that even while God knows I will fail, God does not consider me to BE a failure. Instead, God loves me and helps me IN my failure.

KNOW that God is holding onto you today and when you fail, God is WITH you. 

Do you have a story you would share with us about how God helped you IN your failure?  We would like to hear your story...feel free to post a comment.  

Awesome Surprises

Life is filled with awesome surprises!

My friends at work tell me I don’t need “fiction” because my life is hilarious enough.  Case in point, my day started with a few surprises.  

First, as I took a drink of my morning green tea and vanilla soy milk (blast the doctor for taking my coffee away), I got tickled, then got choaked, then proceeded to spew green milk everywhere.  I mean, absolutely everything was covered with green milk.  Suddenly, not only was I laughing, everyone around me was laughing.  People in the next row came to see what the ruckus was all about and they were laughing.  Awesome!

We all had a great laugh as I cleaned green milk off of everything. Awesome!

Right after that I got an email informing me I won an ipad.  I immediately thought of two of my particular friends and wondered how they pulled off such a terrific trick.  Before I could believe I really did win an ipad I checked it out and discovered I really did win an ipad.  Awesome!

Later someone who sits next to me said when I spewed green milk I made a noise that made her think it was a baby spewing oatmeal everywhere.  Awesome!

What they didn’t know is that when I was little I used to spew milk everywhere when I got tickled at the dinner table.  Everyone within range would duck.  

Spewing out green milk made me feel five years old again and gave me a good chuckle.  Awesome

What an awesome day filled with surprises! 

Psalm 118:24 (NLT)

This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.