Christmas Time

Christmas Time! It's almost over...in the material, worldly kind of way. All the presents are opened, the toys are released from their strongholds (my hands hurt!) and I think dear hubby has my iPOD Nano loaded and ready for me to listen to my new cds on! However, I do hope to continually be reflecting and living a life of celebration long after midnight



This season brought me several new thoughts about the Christmas story and Jesus birth. I've been reflecting a lot on Mary and what her life must have been like, her thoughts, concerns, fears, joys, etc. As I think back on giving birth for the first time, I was probably twice Mary's age and had a wonderful hospital and staff by my side. Anything that I or my child needed was readily available. Certainly I was scared, but was Mary?

"I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said." This is Mary's response in Luke 1:38 to being the virgin mother of the Savior of the World. Wow! What confidence, what self-control this young woman had.
I'm thinking I would have had a whole list of questions like what will my husband say about all this? where are my pre-natal vitamins? who will tie my shoes when I can't see my feet? are nine months really necessary?


Seriously, what I've realized is that I tend to like things in order, to control what's happening or at least know what's happening. The challenge for me is to be more like Mary when things are messy or uncomfortable and not immediately try to clean up. To say I am the Lord's servant and like Mary know that He is the Lord in all these circumstances. To trust God and like Mary say may it be as You have said.

Ready or Not.....

For about a month now, my husband and I have been planning a "Norman Rockwell, Parents of the Year" moment for our children. Santa was to drop an early Christmas present at the airport on Friday afternoon. We would drive there straight from school to pick up our suprise!

(His name is Gumbo and he's a comfort retriever.)

Several days had passed and we hadn't heard from Santa, so I gave him a call. Much to my suprise, he was delivering that day, two days early, Wednesday at 3:22pm. Did I mention it was 3:15pm? or that the airport is an hour away? or that I hadn't had a shower? or that said husband was in route from out of town? The last thought actually sparked my brain into overdrive and with Santa on hold, I called my husband and re-routed him to the airport!

I shared our plans with a friend a few weeks ago and she gently commented that said suprise would probably stink and be messy after several hours in a crate on a plane! So my special moment may not be so special! I was not too happy with her because this was spoiling my plans. However, she was right and so ready or not, here comes GUMBO! All stinky and messy as predicted! Amazing how God just worked that all out...my husband to be driving at just the right time, my children to have a party to go to so we would be out of the house, making the phone call just in time!

Needless to say it all worked out fine. The kids were so excited and can hardly wait to get home everyday and play with him.

Prayer - The Best Gift

For several days, maybe weeks, I've been in a weird place about Christmas this year. Not gringy, or scroogey, just a "hard to explain, not so jolly" kind of place. Anyway, I finally decided that what's causing my dilemna is my desire to give more this year, and the inability to do so.



You see for some reason this year, more than others, I have many relatives and friends in difficult places financially, spiritually, physically, etc., etc. Many of them spending extra time and cash going to and from hospitals, paying for parking, eating on the run because life is just a little more difficult right now. So my thought was to purchase gift cards to favorite restaurants, nearby gas stations, any place that might make their life a little easier. The reality is that is not a viable plan for me this year. Thus my "weird mood" over Christmas. Then late last week, I remembered some scripture that I had studied in Every Day Faith. Jesus, in probably His greatest hour of need, asks those with Him to "watch and pray." (Matthew 26:36-46)



If Jesus' desire was for His friends to watch and pray as He prepared to go to the cross, than I think it's the perfect gift for those in my life who are hurting this season. So I can't really put a price on it or wrap it up, but I can watch expectantly and pray earnestly for God to work.

More later....

PS...For an interesting and great book on prayer, take a look at Philip Yancey's "Prayer: Does It Make any Difference?"

Today is the DAY

So today is the day I start blogging! It's December 5th, 2007, and there's no particular significance for me to this day. I just finally decided to go for it. To write down all those fuuny thoughts, life's unexpected turns, amazing truths that I uncover in God's word, and who knows what else you might find here at "Every Day Faith".

The blog title is one I used for a Bible Study that I've taught a few times. It's purpose is to take a look at some of the Bible's stories of particular people, Old and New Testament saints, and see what we can learn from their stories. Questioning why their particular stories were left for us; what they could teach us about how to live our life in a Godly way today, every day.

While teaching this over the past few years to groups of different women, I've been fascinated how the same stories can have such different and impactful life lessons. It all depends on where you are at that moment, what you're focused on and how you hear God speaking through the stories. So while you're reading God's Word, ask Him to make a familiar story fresh. Drop by and share what new life lesson you learned today.