tools for friendship

A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart. To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. Haughty eyes and a proud heart— the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin. The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.

- Proverbs 21:2-6

Have you ever walked into a place, any place, and felt a good vibe, like immediately you know the people are friendly and you will be welcomed?

You may re-read today’s verse and wonder what friendship has to do with it.

Everything.

We are not friendly by accident (another quote from my pastor).

When I invite people to my home, I make it a point to ensure they feel welcome, safe and want to return, this is one of the reasons I have friends!

We should be diligent about being friendly and extending the invitation to others to be with us, at our home, at work and especially at our church.

There are so many verses in the Bible about how people support one another, “iron sharpens iron”, “a sweet friendship refreshes the soul”, “do unto others”.

Plan to be friendly.

Plan to invite people to be with you.

Plan to show them the way if they don’t know it, and plan to support them on their journey.

These are the same people that will support you, and it may not bring monetary profit, but the profit of a deep seated friendship in Christ is worth more than all the money in the world.

lost credit card

What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.  

- Matthew 12-14

How many times have we heard about the shepherd leaving the ninety-nine to find the lost sheep?

Hopefully you have heard it and most importantly, understand it.

The pastor at my church put a different spin on it in his sermon, that might make you understand if you did not before.

I asked him if I could use idea in my blog, and he said yes, so here it is.

Pretty much everybody has several debit or credit cards in their possession.

What happens if you lose your main debit card, the one with access to all your funds?

You don’t look in your wallet and see your Discover card still there and relax, you don’t call your friends and say “hey, I still have my Visa”, no, you start looking everywhere and calling the last places you may have used the card to see if you left it behind.

What about when you misplace your cell phone (admit it, we have all lost our phones at some point!)?

Do you look around the house and think of your other electronics like, “oh, I am so glad my wireless router is still there” or “hey, my TV is right where I left it”!

No, you don’t.

When we lose something important, we obsess over it, we go on a mission to find it.

I am telling you, the same thing happens with people.

God obsesses over us when we are lost, torn apart from Him.

It is His mission to find us and bring us back to Him safely.

I am so thankful that I am one of the ninety-nine, but I am more thankful that if I ever do stray, He will leave the ninety-nine to come find me and bring me home.

where is God?

Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long.

- Psalm 74:22

I have seen and heard many people questioning God, His existence, His presence, everything about Him.

I see people asking where He was in the middle of their pain, their tragedy.

People abandon God when they feel like He doesn’t answer them.

People claim to be agnostic or atheist, yet they blame my God when terrible things happen.

It is not God.

God is real.

So is the devil.

Very, very real.

And even the devil believes in God.

You see, when you or someone you love is in pain, or a disaster rains down on your family, it isn’t God “allowing” it to happen.

It is the devil worming his way into your life, filling you with hate, anger, hurt, despair and darkness.

Jesus is the light of the world, and even in the darkness we all need the light.

No matter your pain, no matter how long you have denied Him, I personally promise you that if you turn to Him now, things will change.

They might not change today, tomorrow or even next week, but I promise you, turning to God today will change things for the better.

keep talking

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
- John 3:17

Well, the presents are unwrapped, the leftover turkey is put away and another Christmas is in the books. 
But wait - Christmas is not over. 
You see, God did not send His Son just so we could celebrate a birthday, every day is someone's birthday. 
God sent His Son to save us. 
And to do that, we need to recognize Him every. single. day. 
We need to live our lives as though Jesus is coming back today to take us home. 
Praise Him, love Him, tell others about Him.  
Don't stop just because it is December 26th.  
Keep talking. 

Christmas thanks

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

- Isaiah 9:6

Today I hope all my family, friends and readers take a moment to give thanks.
Not thank you for the gifts from people, but thank you to God for the Ultimate Gift.
When the wrapping paper is all shredded and the toys and games and stuff has lost their excitement, the Gift of Jesus remains.
Find a quiet moment to give thanks to God. 
Merry Christmas.

Happy Christmas Eve

 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

- Matthew 2:22-25

Happy Christmas Eve.

My wish is that my family and friends are safe and warm and happy.

I hope all your dreams come true. 

I hope you are as blessed as I am. 

And I pray that you don’t forget the reason we celebrate, the birth of our savior is a really big deal! 

Almost here

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the lightof all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
- John 1:1-5

Two days before Christmas! 
Are you ready?
Wait, I don’t mean presents and food and travel plans.
Are you ready for Christ?
What if He came back today, would He find us worthy to be His bride?
Sadly, I don’t think He would. 
We have to stop following culture and do what we were made for: following Him.
Don’t let the stress of the commercialism of the holiday pull you away from the real meaning of Christmas. 

just breathe

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest..

— Matthew 11:28

Here we are, four days until Christmas.

Here we are.

I haven’t done much shopping or baking, or really even any planning.

I have been consumed by work and I’m still struggling with my leg and foot healing.

Today is the last Saturday before Christmas, the stores are going to be a mess, yet I will need to venture out at some point, I have things that must get done.

But it is Saturday.

Saturday mornings have been my favorite for a long time, I am usually the first one awake and I can spend a few hours with my coffee and a book and often a cat or two purring in my lap.

It is so quiet and peaceful and I am able to contemplate my blessings (there are many) and just breathe.

Song reference!

Alarm clock screaming bare feet hit the floor
It's off to the races everybody out the door
I'm feeling like I'm falling behind, it's a crazy life

Ninety miles an hour going fast as I can
Trying to push a little harder trying to get the upper hand
So much to do in so little time, it's a crazy life
It's ready, set, go it's another wild day
When the stress is on the rise in my heart I feel you say just

Breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at my feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need
Is to just breathe

Third cup of joe just to get me through the day
Want to make the most of time but I feel it slip away
I wonder if there's something more to this crazy life
I'm busy, busy, busy, and it's no surprise to see
That I only have time for me, me, me
There's gotta be something more to this crazy life
I'm hanging on tight to another wild day
When it starts to fall apart in my heart I hear you say just

Breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at my feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need

Is to take it in, fill your lungs
The peace of God that overcomes
Just breathe (just breathe)
Let your weary spirit rest
Lay down what's good and find what's best
Just breathe (just breathe)

Just breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at my feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need
Is to just breathe
Just breathe

I find this song fitting because it starts out with a fast beat, just like life, ninety miles an hour and then the chorus is so relaxed – just breathe.

In this holiday season, you will hear chaos call.

I encourage you to really listen to God and just breathe.

the story

But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

- Luke 1:30-33

So the story begins, with the angel visiting Mary.

The best story in the world.

I really have no words of wisdom, because His words are far better than mine.

This is the story of our Savior. 

here's your sign

The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

— Isaiah 7:14

What more of a sign do we need?

This was a perfect sign of His holiness, of His love for us.

God sent His only Son, knowing full that we would still reject Him.

The Lord gave you a sign.

Will you follow Him?

my soul

Mary said, "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.... The Mighty One has done great things for me — holy is His name."

— Luke 1:46

There is a wonderful song reference here!

Good news of great joy

For every woman, every man

This will be a sign to you

A baby born in Bethlehem

Come and worship

Do not be afraid

A company of angels

Glory in the highest

And on the earth peace among

Those of whom His favor rests

Oh, come and worship

Do not be afraid, no, no

My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord

My soul magnifies the Lord

He has done great things for me

Great things for me

Unto you a child is born

Unto us a Son is given

Let every heart prepare His throne

And every nation under Heaven

Come and worship

Do not be afraid, no, no

My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord

My soul magnifies the Lord

He has done great things for me

Great things for me

Of His government there will be no end

He'll establish it with His righteousness

And He shall reign on David's throne

And His name shall be from this day on

Wonderful, Counselor, Everlasting Father

Wonderful, Counselor

His name shall be Everlasting Father

My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord

My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord

He has done great things for us

He has done great things for us

Can you imagine, being given a daunting task as Mary was given, and responding with joy and praise?

I want to say that I would, but deep down, I am fairly certain that I my “fight or flight” response would kick in.

I am so glad that Mary did as she was instructed.

things to do

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

— Romans 12:12

This time of year can be extremely stressful for pretty much everyone.

We all have limits that are reached, whether it is our jobs or our families, or the long lines at the store.

We need to remain joyful, hopeful, patient and faithful.

Oh, let me tell you, the struggle is real!

Pray.

No matter the situation, no matter the struggle, pray.

It is our hope in Jesus that keeps us going, our faith that He is there, always,

Prayer is God's gift to us so that we can be patient and joyful, even when things don't appear to be going well.

just don't

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

— Romans 12:21

Every one is rushing around, trying to get those last-minute things done before the holiday.

I see and hear things out of people right now that is very uncharacteristic.

People who swear up and down that they are patient, or that they understand when others struggle are suddenly being that angry driver or the person shoving someone out of the way to get in line at the store.

I read somewhere that when we have to deal with difficult people or situations that we need to make sure that we don’t become those people.

Don’t become evil, wicked, petty, or cruel in our actions or conversations.

Remember that doing what is right and filling our hearts and lives with goodness is the way to overcome evil.

And there is no greater example of overcoming evil with good than Jesus.

a light in the darkness

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

- John 1:4-5

Is darkness the opposite of light? 

Is darkness the absence of light?

Philosophers have gone round and round trying to prove which one is true. 

Here is what I believe.

Jesus is the light of the world. 

And that is all I need to know. 

He did what?

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.  But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

- 1 Timothy 1:15-17

I am not sure what to say here.

This verse jumped out at me on every search I did, so God needs someone to hear it. I trust that Jesus came to save us.

All of us.

Even the worst of sinners – that’s got to be me.

Jesus loves me enough to patiently wait for me to run to Him.

I don’t know why I would wait.

treasure

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

- Luke 12:34

We all have things that we treasure.

For me, I guess it would be my cats.

I really love cats, I feel like they are little angels with fur.

But where is my heart?

Well, I have a heart for cats, I want to protect and love each one of them.

But my real treasure, the one that I cannot face the day without is Jesus.

Cats are finicky, they will ignore you because they can.

Jesus, well He will never leave your side.

He loves you so much that He spread out His arms and died.

That is a treasure I will keep forever.

gifts

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

- 2 Corinthians 9:15

Do you remember the best gift that you ever received?

If you ask a child, they might tell you the latest gift that every kid wants.

If you ask a teenager, they might talk about the hottest new phone.

If you ask a young adult, they might mention a car or a job.

If you ask a middle-aged person, they might say their family.

If you ask an elderly person, you might hear about how blessed they were in their lifetime.

The best gift any one us has ever received though, is Jesus.

There is no price tag on Him.  

a Son

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

- Matthew 1:23

Can you believe that in just a few short days (16!!) it will be Christmas?

How in the world will we get everything done in time?

There are parties, and programs and shopping and oh goodness so much to do!

Stop.

Breathe.

We are entering a time of celebration of our Savior’s birth, the parties and programs and presents, they would not matter if we didn’t have God with us, if we didn’t have Immanuel.

What exactly are you celebrating?

for us

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

– Isaiah 9:6

Even the Old Testament prophets knew that Jesus would come.

This is further proof that God knows what He is doing, that He has a plan for each of us.

Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, people were talking about Him.

Thousands of years after His death and resurrection, we are still talking.

God sent His Son for us.

Because He loves us that much.

Wow.  

awesome!

“Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol Him, all peoples! For great is His steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!”

– Psalm 117

Oh my goodness, I can’t even not have a song reference here!!!

Great are You, Lord

Mighty in strength

You are faithful

And You will ever be

We will praise You

All of our days

It's for Your glory

We offer everything

Raise your hands all you nations

Shout to God, all creation

How awesome is the Lord most high

Where You send us

God, we will go

You're the answer

We want the world to know

We will trust You

When You call our name

Where You lead us

We'll follow all the way

Raise your hands all you nations

Shout to God, all creation

How awesome is the Lord most high

We will praise You together

For now and forever

How awesome is the Lord most high

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

How awesome is the Lord most high

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

How awesome is the Lord most high

Raise your hands all you nations

Shout to God, all creation

How awesome is the Lord most high

We will praise You together

For now and forever

How awesome is the Lord most high

How can we not sing of how amazing, awesome, powerful and wonderful our Lord is?

I am so very glad that I know Him!

He is light

“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him…”

– John 1:9-10

I don’t like going into a dark room, I want a little bit of light.

For this reason, I have some type of night light in every room in my house.

The world can be a dark place, we need light.

We were given a Light – song reference!

You give life, You are love

You bring light to the darkness

You give hope, You restore

Every heart that is broken

Great are You, Lord

It's Your breath in our lungs

So we pour out our praise

We pour out our praise

It's Your breath in our lungs

So we pour out our praise to You only

And all the earth will shout Your praise

Our hearts will cry, these bones will sing

Great are You, Lord

It's Your breath in our lungs

So we pour out our praise

We pour out our praise

It's Your breath in our lungs

So we pour out our praise to You only

There are really a ton more songs out there about how Jesus is the Light.

When you live for Jesus, you become a light, people see His light in you.

I want to be a light.

share the love

“Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”

– Romans 12:10

While we are on the topic of giving,  how about giving yourself?

Not everyone needs a bottle of perfume or another holiday necktie.

Some folks appreciate a donation to their favorite charity over a gift that will remain unused. 

Some people just need to hang out with you, join you for an evening of movies or games, go for a walk.

Love should not be shown by the value of the gift, but by the gift of the heart.

How can you love someone today?

shhhhhhhhh

So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.

– Matthew 6:2

It is that time of the year . . .

There are bell ringers at every store, “angel trees” all over.

I see many people on social media making a huge deal over their giving.

You don’t need to do this.

If you have the ability to share, you should absolutely share, however, putting it on social media or discussing it in the breakroom, well that kind of takes away from the point of giving.

Pay it forward is a really cool concept, but telling the world that you did it is like you expect a pat on the back for doing a nice thing.

Drop that change in the red kettle, buy those “angel gifts” , pay it forward.

Just keep it to yourself – God knows your heart.

gifts

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

– 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

Did you know that each of us are given a gift, a special gift that we should use to praise God?

Some have the gift of teaching, bringing the next generation knowledge and ability to make the world a better place.

Some have the gift of healing, those who care for us like doctors and nurses.

Some have the gift of wisdom, our pastors and leaders, those to whom we listen and take direction.

Some have the gift of kindness, giving, mercy, caring, music, serving.

Each gift bears its own responsibilities – use them wisely.

Each gift is special.

Find your gift.

Use it to help others, because that pleases God.

Happy Thanksgiving

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.

- 1 Chronicles 16:34

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ann Voskamp wrote a book called One Thousand Gifts, my small group did a study on her book not too long ago.

It is really an amazing book with very good lessons inside.

There are so many quotes I could give here, but today, today I like this one:

“Thanksgiving-giving thanks in everything-prepares the way that God might show us His fullest salvation in Christ.”

So what if your huge meal is not on the table at exactly noon.

Who is going to care if the mashed potatoes are lumpy?

What does it matter if your pie isn’t blue ribbon worthy?

At the end of the day when everyone is sleeping off the tryptophan (by the way, that is a myth!) take a look around.

I bet if you try you can come up with one thousand gifts for which you can give thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving!  

anxiety

When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.

—Psalm 94:19

Anxiety is a very real thing.

I was doing some research and I found this statement:

The bible does not state what causes anxiety, because God considers anxiety to be a crisis of faith. The belief here is that anxiety shows that the person has not yet been able to put full trust in God, because fear itself is something that is meant to be relinquished as every person is meant to be part of God's plan.

Hmmm

Jehoshaphat suffered from anxiety, as did Job.

We are given tools to deal with our anxiety: tools like prayer, God’s promises, being thankful for what we have.

My anxiety hits an all-time high when I feel things are out of my control.

Shopping is something that sends me skyrocketing into an anxiety filled balloon from which it seems there is no escape.

My faith tells me that God is in control, that I need to trust Him to get me through each situation.

You know what? 

He has not let me down yet.

Joy

Be joyful always.

—1 Thessalonians 5:16

It is not always easy to be “joyful”.

This world is full of terrible things.

Bad things happen to good people every single day.

Today I am going to be a little weird in my song reference:

When you're weary, feeling small

When tears are in your eyes, I'll dry them all (all)

I'm on your side, oh, when times get rough

And friends just can't be found

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay me down

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay me down

When you're down and out

When you're on the street

When evening falls so hard

I will comfort you (ooo)

I'll take your part, oh, when darkness comes

And pain is all around

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay me down

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay me down

Sail on silver girl

Sail on by

Your time has come to shine

All your dreams are on their way

See how they shine

Oh, if you need a friend

I'm sailing right behind

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will ease your mind

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will ease your mind

It is not a worship song.

It is not sung by today’s artists.

But if you google the meaning behind the lyrics, you will find that Paul Simon was inspired by gospel music in some really dark times in the world.

And think on the lyrics, doesn’t God dry all of our tears?

Doesn’t He comfort us?

Isn’t He there for us, in everything we need and want?

We should be joyful, even in our sorrow, because we serve a God who cares enough to send “a cross to bridge the great divide” (yeah, that is another song reference).

We should be joyful because we are the sons and daughters of a King, a King who loves us through everything.