Christmas is awesome! The traditions, celebrations, family gatherings, smells, sights and tastes. I just love all the carols, pageants, lights, nativities and candlelights. I simply didn't think Christmas could exist without them. Then came Christmas '07.
Christmas '07 was found "lacking" in my estimation. You see, our family has been experiencing various struggles and hardships in relationships as well as health. Many of our cherished traditions were broken. Much of the joyous spirit in decorating our house was declared MIA. The normal cheer and anticipation seemed to wain. Most was being done out of duty, responsibility and the feeling of "supposed to."
To top it all off, on Christmas Eve, I found myself miserably sick with a head & chest cold. As a result, I missed the Christmas Eve service and ended up spending the night on the couch trying to insure that Jan would not catch it.
As I lay there drugged up, on a couch that was 6 inches too short to hinder me from stretching out and about 2 feet too narrow to keep me from turning over, I focused on our Christmas tree now standing in the dark. My head was exploding, I couldn't breath, I was aching and chilled and really feeling a bit sorry for myself.
As I lay there thinking, "What a wonderful Christmas this has turned out to be," the Lord said something I truly needed to hear. He reminded me that the first Christmas was not a very pleasant experience for Joseph and Mary either. There they were, miles from home, Mary VERY pregnant, having either walked or riden a donkey for hours, hungry, dirty and unable to find a single room in the village. They ended up having to stay in a barn of all places, with nothing around them but smelly animals, dirt and straw. There were no cheery decorations, no brightly colored lights, no thermostats to adjust the heating/AC, no ZICAM, no ibuprophin, no kleenex, no soft pillow with a bear on the case to snuggle up with, NOTHING! Not my idea of a wonderful Christmas!
Then I thought of how blessed I was. Safe, warm, somewhat comfortable, with my wife and son all under the same roof. I had nothing to complain about and everything to be thankful for. See, a miracle happened in that stinky, dirty, smelly barn, and that exhausted and rejected young couple got to see it first hand and have a part in it. They didn't sit there thinking of how bad things were when their focus turned to the little baby Mary had just delivered lying there in the manger. Instead, they recalled, "You shall call His name Jesus, Immanuel, God with us."
I looked in the dark at the silhouette of our beautifully decorated tree with all the presents surrounding it and saw our manger filled with straw holding the baby. When I began to focus on the baby, I wasn't so concerned about my sad situation. Instead I thought how in the midst of misery, the Messiah was born. In dirty surroundings, the divine Savior appeared. In that pitiful place, the Prince of Peace entered our world. That's the miracle and that's what makes Christmas, Christmas!! Our present is His presence! He is, "God with us." My Christmas became very merry.
God bless us, every one!
Monday, December 31, 2007
"The Return of the Blog"
I can't believe it's been since February '07 that I last blogged. I guess I was all blogged up. Perhaps my blog had a hole in it. As you may have heard in a country song, "My 'give a blog' was busted." (or something like that) Since it's been so long since I last blogged, I wonder if I can make the leap back into blogdom. You know, "leap blog. "
Anyway, I'm making another attempt at blogging. Hopefully, you can teach an old blog some new tricks. After all, it's hard to tell someone they have a speck in their eye if you have a blog in your own. (that sounds scriptural - maybe Matt. 7:3)
Oh well, for anyone who is interested, and for all who aren't, I'm going to try to get the blog rolling. Read on, oh king eternal, read on!
Anyway, I'm making another attempt at blogging. Hopefully, you can teach an old blog some new tricks. After all, it's hard to tell someone they have a speck in their eye if you have a blog in your own. (that sounds scriptural - maybe Matt. 7:3)
Oh well, for anyone who is interested, and for all who aren't, I'm going to try to get the blog rolling. Read on, oh king eternal, read on!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Remember Your Password!!
As a Texan, our battle cry is "Remember the Alamo!" As a blogger, it needs to be "Remember your password!" I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I haven't posted anything since Jan. 4th because I could not remember my password. I honestly tried everything I could think of. Try as I might, I could not get into my account to add a posting. I honestly thought I was going to have to hire a teenager to crack into my blogger account to retrieve my password.
Nowdays, you have to have an email password, checking account password, savings account password, a password for this and a password for that. Here a password, there a password, everywhere a password. Old McDonald had a password. It was "eieio."
All this talk about passwords made me think, will we need a password to get into heaven? When we die, as we all will, is a password required to allow you entrance into that glorious place? Do we all simply get a free pass to enter those pearly gates? Will being a "good person" be sufficient? How about maintaining perfect church attendance?
I believe a password IS required. Ephesians 2 states that we will NOT be saved, or enter into heaven because of our "goodness" or our "deeds." In fact, there is nothing we can do that will get us into heaven. However, Ephesians 2:8 does say it's by "grace" that we are saved. Could "grace" be our heavenly password? If it is, how do we set up our account to be able to enter in our password? The verse goes on to say that it's "through faith." We must place our "faith" in the fact that Jesus was God's gift to us for salvation. Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection from the grave was done out of "grace." We certainly didn't earn or deserve it. He did it in order to save us.
Getting into heaven is much more important than getting into our blog accounts or any other account we might have. Therefore, set up your account by placing your faith in Jesus and remember your password - "GRACE". (By the way, my blog account password was not "grace.")
Nowdays, you have to have an email password, checking account password, savings account password, a password for this and a password for that. Here a password, there a password, everywhere a password. Old McDonald had a password. It was "eieio."
All this talk about passwords made me think, will we need a password to get into heaven? When we die, as we all will, is a password required to allow you entrance into that glorious place? Do we all simply get a free pass to enter those pearly gates? Will being a "good person" be sufficient? How about maintaining perfect church attendance?
I believe a password IS required. Ephesians 2 states that we will NOT be saved, or enter into heaven because of our "goodness" or our "deeds." In fact, there is nothing we can do that will get us into heaven. However, Ephesians 2:8 does say it's by "grace" that we are saved. Could "grace" be our heavenly password? If it is, how do we set up our account to be able to enter in our password? The verse goes on to say that it's "through faith." We must place our "faith" in the fact that Jesus was God's gift to us for salvation. Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection from the grave was done out of "grace." We certainly didn't earn or deserve it. He did it in order to save us.
Getting into heaven is much more important than getting into our blog accounts or any other account we might have. Therefore, set up your account by placing your faith in Jesus and remember your password - "GRACE". (By the way, my blog account password was not "grace.")
Thursday, January 4, 2007
My New Year's Resolution
Contemplating the New Year is always a time of looking back on what has been, combined with the anticipation of what could be. It's a time of reflection on the past, with a commitment toward the future. As I consider 2007, a verse of scripture comes to my mind. It is Isaiah 43:19 which says, "Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert." As I read this verse, I have to ask myself, "Am I looking for the Lord to do something new?" It's really convicting when I think about it. Am I so caught up in the "everyday life", that I forget to "look" for what the Lord is doing?
He says He doesn't want me to miss what He is about to do. In fact, He says "even now it is coming." Am I ready for it? Will I see it when it arrives, or will it pass me by because of my preoccupation with lesser things? If it's so important to Him, should it not be as important to me? When He says, "Do you not see it?", does it mean it is already in view? I don't want to miss what the Lord has in store for me. Whatever it is, He says it's "new". When is the last time I've seen the Lord do something "new" to or around me? I know He must all the time, but I'm not paying attention.
My resolution is to "look at what the Lord is doing." I mean really look, eagerly anticipate, consider, ponder upon, meditate on what He is doing. Quit looking at the piddly things I'm doing so much and look at the amazing things He is doing.
He says He's providing "a way in the wilderness." To me, that speaks of guidance. He wants to show me a new way through this wilderness of life. As I find myself lost in the wilderness of busyness, confusion, deadlines, frustration, doubt and concerns of so much that I have absolutely no control over, He says He is preparing a way for me. Boy, do I need guidance from someone much greater than myself. I don't want to miss that! I resolve to look to my Lord for my way in the wilderness.
He also says He is making "rivers in the desert." To me, that speaks of provision. Too often, I feel that I am wandering in a desert. My provisions have run out, my strength is exhausted, my vision has turned out to be a mirage. I find myself in need of renewal, refreshment and rest. He says to me, "Look, I'm making rivers in your desert." If I'm in the desert, I want to know where the river is. Will I miss it by dwelling on what I don't have?
My New Year's Resolution is to daily look at what the Lord is doing. I need to live in eager anticipation of the new things the Lord is about to do in 2007. After all, He is my guide and my provider. He is everything I need.
He says He doesn't want me to miss what He is about to do. In fact, He says "even now it is coming." Am I ready for it? Will I see it when it arrives, or will it pass me by because of my preoccupation with lesser things? If it's so important to Him, should it not be as important to me? When He says, "Do you not see it?", does it mean it is already in view? I don't want to miss what the Lord has in store for me. Whatever it is, He says it's "new". When is the last time I've seen the Lord do something "new" to or around me? I know He must all the time, but I'm not paying attention.
My resolution is to "look at what the Lord is doing." I mean really look, eagerly anticipate, consider, ponder upon, meditate on what He is doing. Quit looking at the piddly things I'm doing so much and look at the amazing things He is doing.
He says He's providing "a way in the wilderness." To me, that speaks of guidance. He wants to show me a new way through this wilderness of life. As I find myself lost in the wilderness of busyness, confusion, deadlines, frustration, doubt and concerns of so much that I have absolutely no control over, He says He is preparing a way for me. Boy, do I need guidance from someone much greater than myself. I don't want to miss that! I resolve to look to my Lord for my way in the wilderness.
He also says He is making "rivers in the desert." To me, that speaks of provision. Too often, I feel that I am wandering in a desert. My provisions have run out, my strength is exhausted, my vision has turned out to be a mirage. I find myself in need of renewal, refreshment and rest. He says to me, "Look, I'm making rivers in your desert." If I'm in the desert, I want to know where the river is. Will I miss it by dwelling on what I don't have?
My New Year's Resolution is to daily look at what the Lord is doing. I need to live in eager anticipation of the new things the Lord is about to do in 2007. After all, He is my guide and my provider. He is everything I need.
They Made It!!
Through the ice and snow and many, many miles, Blake and Jen made home for Christmas. In their attempt to get from Bozeman, Montana to Waco, Texas, they had to travel East all the way to Souix Falls, South Dakota before they could turn South to Texas. But, at long last, they made it on Christmas Eve Eve. (Saturday night) We have had a wonderful time together and have really enjoyed catching up on what's going on in each other's lives. What we thought was going to be a three to four day visit has turned out to be almost two weeks at present. The reason? More ice and snow on the roadways and cities. Now they are finding it extremely difficult to find a path that would be open long enough for them to get from Waco back to Bozeman. Jan and I are really broken up about it. (Yea, right. We're loving every minute of it.) What has been such a hardship on so many up North has been a rich blessing on us by providing more time with Blake and Jen. I know they will have to return at sometime, but the Lord is richly blessing our time together now.
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