Month: December 2019

I have a love/hate relationship with the whole New Year/ new beginning concept.  I absolutely believe that “the unexamined life is not worth living”* and so pausing to take stock, pray, and make adjustments is 100% me.  But I am usually exhausted from the holidays, unhappy with myself for a variety of reasons, and busy. Add that to a natural tendency for constant self-criticism and it’s just not a healthy or productive way to end one year and begin another.  

Honestly, this time of year will always be a struggle for me.  But for the past few years I have been joining friends in the “one word” practice- have you heard of this? We take a few days or weeks to reflect on and pray about what God is doing in and through us, where he is already working and where he might be trying to lead our growth.  Then we each choose a word to focus on for the year. Each of us chooses our word for different reasons and for different purposes, but I love doing this with friends. 

If this sounds like something you would like to do but you have not thought about it before today- DO NOT HURRY! Who says you have to start Jan 1?  Rather than rushing your word choice, take January to pray and reflect, then start on Feb 1. Linked below you can find a few helpful guidelines as well as a list of words others have chosen. Not rules, not the only words you can use- just a place to start.

A word from my experienced friends-every year, the same thing happens.  We all start thinking about our words a lot at the beginning of the year, but less and less as the weeks roll past.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing- nor is adjusting the word as the year goes by. But having a one word focus that lasts all year can be a powerful way to grow with God, and so this year I am planning a monthly word check that I will share on this blog. Also, I am creating phone lock screens (see below). Add your word and set your lock screen for a constant reminder. 

If you already have a word I’d love to hear it, and pray for you throughout the year.  If you don’t have one yet, come back and comment when you choose yours! 

#oneword2020

Guidelines for choosing your word 
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CdTu-mGtT9UEocf3GTGWr-Gh3pFLqs8c 

Lock screen photos

*I’ve seen this dictum attributed to both Plato and Socrates

Most of us have lived long enough to know- there’s love and then there’s love. And then, there is Love. We love food and Christmas. But we also love our parents and spouses and friends and kids. We would all have to admit that most of our emotional energy and attention stay tied up in these loves- at least until something happens that rocks our world. All the joy and security, we think in times of disappointment or despair, is just an illusion.

So then there is Love- the definition of love as embodied in God, who was a baby before he was a man. And right now, as the Christian world celebrates Christmas, we remember that in that manger a whole new dimension of love was born. Jesus, a fully divine human who completely redefined love. Finally, God’s plan is revealed, but we still struggle to understand.

But this we know; the love that is embodied in Jesus, Emmanuel, is not an illusion. Through decades, centuries and millennia it has remained faithful, steadfast, and astonishing. It is personal and communal, forgiving and empowering, present and eternal. Through death of spouse, child or friend. Through divorce and betrayal. Through the lonely years. Through the overwhelmed and endlessly busy years.

So, as Toby Mac says, let’s celebrate the birth of love. Even if the loves of our present life have led to heartbreak, exhaustion, or emptiness, let’s celebrate today the love that changed everything for each of us.

#prayersformychildren #advent19 #alightwillshine

If everything is perfect in your world, this is not the post for you. If the joy of Christmas is overflowing in your heart, we truly rejoice for you- it is a beautiful gift and we pray you can immerse yourself in this season.

For everyone else, this week’s theme can be hard. Really hard. I weep as I consider those of who are experiencing this holiday after a loss. And young moms, I remember the exhaustion and guilt that seem the inevitable companions to the end of year. Jobs lost, lives changed in unpredictable ways, disappointments. Loneliness. Talking about joy seems obscene.

One of our Advent readings provides a helpful perspective for handling this. “Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master’s Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time.” James‬ ‭5:7-8‬ ‭

We may not be experiencing joy right now. We may not even be able to imagine a day when joy will be possible. But we can wait patiently, knowing that Jesus is coming back and he will make everything right. Joy is not in season, but we know- just as surely as a farmer knows that the harvest will come- that God is growing its roots. We tend our crops by staying rooted in the word, in the community of faith, in prayer.

In the meantime, where does our strength come from? In Nehemiah, the people of God are told that “the joy of God is your strength.” Notice- they are not told to find their joy in the Lord (though that is a reasonable command). They are told to find strength in the Lord’s joy.

So in this moment in time, there may be no feeling of joy- maybe even no memory of joy for you. Or maybe you see joy over the hill, but your fatigue or despair keeps you from getting to it anytime soon. Can you gain strength from the joy of God, who adores us and is working constantly to draw us to him? Our Father, who will be present with us in suffering and hold our tears in his hand? Our Adonai, who will strengthen us for the journey ahead? Today, this is my prayer.

Have you ever thought about how very common the name “Jesus” was when Joseph was told to name Mary’s son? It would have been like using the name “Joshua.” The angel comes and tells Joseph- “Don’t worry. Your fiancé will have a son conceived of the Holy Spirit who will save his people, and you should name him ’Josh.’” Seems a little ordinary, doesn’t it?

But it’s not exactly like that, because the name has a meaning that has been full of promise for centuries. Remember, there were Joshuas born into captivity, even slavery. There was a brave and godly Joshua who led the people into the Promised Land. And there were hundreds, probably thousands of Joshuas who lived and died in obscurity. But every Joshua carried the reminder of the name’s meaning, “God saves,” into the world around.

There is one more detail about this name that grabbed my attention when I read it. The original version of the name “Jesus” was “Yeshua” or “Yehoshua, “ which actually means “YHWH saves.” Not any of the other commonly used names for God, but the most unique and holy name, Yahweh.

So we have this juxtaposition of an ordinary, commonly given name and an ancient promise. Jesus, Yahweh saves. Ordinary, yes. But at the same time, not ordinary at all.

I have been deeply blessed by these last few weeks of intentionally considering a few of the names of God. I hope you have had a chance to spend a few minutes each week focusing fully on Yahweh, Elohim, Adonai, Father, Messiah- not starting with what he has done in us or for us (though those are holy moments as well) but starting with his nature- his eternal presence, power, love, beauty.

Let’s continue that practice in the next couple of weeks as we consider the human presence of God in Jesus. Maybe you, like me, find this to be one of the most difficult mysteries of all- Jesus as a fully human God and a fully divine human.

Let’s allow this mystery to overwhelm us, and let’s allow our hearts to grow into deeper love and wonder for this man who lived and still lives, who moved among humans and still moves, who interceded for us and intercedes still. Who calls us friend and family.

Who fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, and is shining a light into a world of darkness.

Because if this God of love and presence and power delights in me, I don’t want to waste a moment of my life not delighting in him. One day, at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, and I don’t want that to be a new posture for me.

#prayersformychildren #alightwillshine #advent 19

There are some intensely stubborn people living in my house- the kind that get grumpy when thwarted, and the kind that stick to a plan even when it is clear the plan is terrible. It gets really tiring.

Honestly, though, I just described myself. I had an “ouch” moment when reading Tim Keller’s Hidden Christmas. He pointed out that in every heart there is a “little King Herod” who “wants to rule and is threatened by anything that may compromise its omnipotence and sovereignty.”

And that, my friends, is why peace is so elusive. We don’t want to give up the throne of our hearts to anyone, even God.

There is so much to say- about how, when we allow God to have the throne we become what we were created to be, and how our lives become more meaningful and fulfilling. About the peace of God bringing unity among all people and all creatures. But let’s leave all those truths for another day and take a moment to kick out our “little King Herods” and put God where he belongs- on the throne of our hearts.

My kids have had their hearts broken and it is terrible.  Deeply, painfully terrible. Of course that’s true for them, but those of you who love someone whose heart has been broken- you know it’s a different kind of terrible for you.  A thousand times we would choose that our own hearts break rather than see our child go through it.  

But when we have waded through the anger and tears, as loved ones and parents we can often see the blessing.  That friend was not a positive influence, that part in the play was too much for her right now, that girl was not right for him or he just wasn’t ready to date. We see, but we still hurt for them.  We give a little extra grace, cook the favorite dinner, hug a little tighter . We hope for them- not that what they wanted will be, but that what is will be good, maybe even better.

That’s the kind of hope I need this holiday season.

“A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new glorious morn”

A new and glorious morn has broken, and the light is shining, but there are still some places where the light feels “yonder.” And honestly, it is.  There is still evil, pain, and suffering in this world.  

But.  Yonder. 

We can see the light with our souls when our eyes are blind.  That is what it means to hope.

Someday, all will be made right.  

We have learned through the stories of the bible and the stories of our lives that some things are made right in the current reality- Joseph’s slavery was redeemed.  Ruth’s love was returned. Abraham’s sacrifice was honored. But these stories show us that the healing may take decades, and it may look nothing like our imagination. The darkness is still present in the pain. 

When we hope, we are choosing to walk in the light.  We look at how God has moved in the world, and we take confidence in his continued-though-unseen movement. Through the stories of scripture and our own or our loved ones’ heartbreak, we know that what we hoped for may never be, but what will be can still be good- maybe even better.  And in the meantime, God our Father is present with us, giving us what we need to make it through- all the way to wherever “yonder” may be. 

As Isaiah invited in his day we are invited still- “Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.”