Good News!

I am suffering now because I tell the Good News, but I am not ashamed, because I know Jesus, the One in whom I have believed. And I am sure He is able to protect what He has trusted me with until that day.

- 2 Timothy 1:12 (NCV)

 

2020, the year that wasn’t, has come to an end. 

Do I believe that everything will return to normal in 2021? 

No, I am not delusional, I know that it is not all going back to the way it was. 

What I do know is that many have suffered in 2020. 

Many will continue to suffer in 2021. 

The year is just a number. 

Peter knew his suffering was a direct result of the Good News he shared, that he was imprisoned by non-believers, but he continued to tell the story of Christ, because he knew that in the end, he would receive his reward. 

We may suffer in the present, but if we stand strong with Jesus, our reward in Heaven will be amazing. 

 

cheers!

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

- Proverbs 17:22

 

It is hard to be cheerful when it feels like the world is crashing down around you, I get that. 

I have spent countless hours in tears, trying to make sense of something horrible that has happened, hours in prayer asking God “why?”. 

Maybe God doesn’t always give me a direct answer. 

I have learned that if I can smile through my pain rather than dwell on the heartache, I feel better. 

Sweep your crushed spirit out with the old year, and begin 2021 with a cheerful heart! 

 

inheritance

Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for He chose us in advance, and He makes everything work out according to His plan.

- Ephesians 1:11 (NLT)

 

Gifts are unwrapped, some trees are put away for the season, and we have a few days left to reflect on this year (even if we don’t want to reflect on 2020!). 

We have been given an inheritance from God. 

What we do with it is up to us. 

As crazy as it was, 2020 did bring some good. 

Personally, I received the gift of a precious first grandchild and a beautiful new daughter-in-law. 

Even with all of the insanity, people still got married, had babies, bought houses, started new jobs. 

Something good had to happen to you this year, no matter how small, I challenge you to find it, and let the joy of it grow within you. 

God did choose you, and He does have a plan, and it will work out in His time. 

Hang in there and embrace the gifts He has given you. 

 

star

 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

- Matthew 2:10-11

 

Hopefully everyone was able to see the Star of Bethlehem in the southwest sky last week. 

Science explains this as being an “especially bright planetary conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn”, I’m not going to disagree with the “how it happens” but having seen it with my own eyes, I can understand how its appearance would make people (wise men) follow it, especially when prompted by God. 

I hope that everyone had a joyous Christmas, albeit different from years past due to the pandemic. 

I hope that you took time to appreciate and thank God for the things that we do have, things like technology to spend time with loved ones virtually when we can’t be together in person. 

We may not all have gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, but we do have the Holy Spirit inside us that we can share with others. 

Christmas isn’t over, share His Word with others every day. 

 

the story

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)  And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.  And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”  So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

- Luke 2:1-20

Merry Christmas

Love

 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

- John 3:16

 

Here we are, Christmas eve, the night we celebrate the coming of Christ the King. 

Who are we that God would love us this much? 

What have we done to deserve His love? 

Thank God every day that He loves us, in spite of our flaws. 

We are so lucky.

 

Word

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 light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

- John 1:1-5

 

The Word became flesh and came to live among us. 

How amazing is that? 

Every word of this verse holds meaning. 

God has been with us since the beginning. 

The Word was God, through Him all things are made. 

He is truly the light of the world. 

Where there is light, there is Hope. 

Angel voices

And again, when God brings His firstborn into the world, He says, “Let all God’s angels worship Him.”

- Hebrews 1:6

 

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is the music. 

I love songs that tell of His birth and the angels singing. 

I just learned that the angels singing was God’s will! 

Those Angels We Have Heard on High – they were singing because God told them to sing! 

They also sang in awe and wonder of the love of the Father. 

I want to sing like that. 

 

gifts

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

-2 Corinthians 9:15

 

I think we all love getting gifts. 

Some people love giving gifts too. 

I enjoy both, I love to watch people’s faces when they open something that I have picked especially for them. 

God gave us a pretty great gift, and He loves to see your face when you discover the wonder in that gift.

How can you thank God for the gift of His son? 

 

 

flames

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

- 2 Timothy 1:6-7

 

All this talk every where about the Gift we were given, but what do we do with that Gift?

Do we put it on a shelf for display, or tuck it away in a pretty box in the closet?

Imaging if you will building a fire in your fireplace for a cold evening at home, you start small, with kindling and a spark and you hope that the spark catches, then you fan the flame, add some more wood until you have a blazing fire going to keep you warm.

Now imagine that the Spirit of God is that fire – oh! Song Reference!!

This world can be cold and bitter

Feels like we're in the dead of winter

Waiting on something better

But am I really gonna hide forever?

Over and over again

I hear Your voice in my head

Let Your light shine, let Your light shine for all to see

Start a fire in my soul

Fan the flame and make it grow

So there's no doubt or denying

Let it burn so brightly

That everyone around can see

That it's You, that it's You that we need

Start a fire in me

You only need a spark to start a whole blaze

It only takes a little faith

Let it start right here in this city

So these old walls will never be the same

Over and over again

I hear Your voice in my head

They need to know

I need to go

Spirit won't You fall on my heart now

Start a fire in my soul

Fan the flame and make it grow

So there's no doubt or denying

Let it burn so brightly

That everyone around can see

That it's You, that it's You that we need

Start a fire in me

You are the fire, You are the flame

You are the light on the darkest day

We have the hope we bear Your name

We carry the news that You have come to save

Only You can save

Start a fire in my soul

Fan the flame and make it grow

So there's no doubt or denying

Let it burn so brightly

That everyone around can see

That it's You, that it's You that we need

Start a fire in me

You are the fire You are the flame

You are the light on the darkest day

Start a fire in me

Don’t left the Gift sit in a box and die, fan that flame and let the fire burst out of your heart, share God with the world!!!

balance

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

- Matthew 6:33

 

Craziness.

Have you gone shopping recently?  
Even with COVID, it is craziness. 

This time of year is overwhelming for a lot of people, trying to get everything done in a limited amount of time.

And for those of us that don’t like shopping anyway, the holiday crowds just add to the stress.

We need balance.

We need to know that it is OK to say “no” to attending a party, to yet another gift exchange, to baking cookies for yet another event.

It is also OK to put God first, to talk to Him to spend time with Him and to ask His guidance in all things.

When you seek Him first, you will find balance.

lights

No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.

- Luke 8:16

 

My husband spoils me.

Growing up, my family never hung Christmas lights outside, in fact I don’t believe that we even had lights on our tree because my dad thought it was a fire hazard.

But my husband, he lets me go all out, he even helps me.

One year when we were living in Iowa, he helped me create a huge wooden sign for the roof of our front porch that said “Joy” on one side and “Peace” on the other.

The last few years, he has let me add one light up item per year, so maybe by the time we are 100, we will have the Griswold house!!! (Just kidding, I won’t go that far!)  

Why do we light up our houses?

If you google “why do people hang Christmas lights”, you will find about 26,300,000 results, one of the first results is “This custom was borrowed from pagan yule rituals that celebrate the return of the light of the sun as the days grow longer after solstice” 

I am going to take this a step further . . .

The return of the Light.

Jesus is the Light of the world, and He came to save us.

Don’t hide the lights, let them shine bright for the whole world to see, and when someone asks you, tell them that it is to celebrate the return of the Light.  

good

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

- James 1:7 (NLT)

 

Everyone is looking for the perfect gift this year, it has been such a crazy year and I think people are trying to make up for it in any way that they can, especially in buying gifts. 

Wait though, and realize that the perfect gift is that in the Lord!

We don’t have to go to a crowded store or wait for the online order, we don’t even have to wait until Christmas morning, we can open our hearts to the perfect gift right now.  

Today is a two-fer 😊

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

 

help me

 Help me, Lord my God; save me according to your unfailing love. Let them know that it is your hand, that you, Lord, have done it.

- Psalm 109:26-27

 

It’s that time of year, many of us are feeling overwhelmed and stressed out and definitely more on the grinch side of things.

Have you seen the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”? 

There is a scene in the movie where George Bailey whispers a prayer to a God he doesn’t know, because he is at the end of his rope, broken, asking for help.  Insert song reference!

Are you hurting and broken within?

Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin?

Jesus is calling

Have you come to the end of yourself?

Do you thirst for a drink from the well?

Jesus is calling

O come to the altar

The Father's arms are open wide

Forgiveness was bought with

The precious blood of Jesus Christ

Leave behind your regrets and mistakes

Come today, there's no reason to wait

Jesus is calling

Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy

From the ashes, a new life is born

Jesus is calling

O come to the altar

The Father's arms are open wide

Forgiveness was bought with

The precious blood of Jesus Christ

Forgiveness was bought with

The precious blood!...

Oh what a Savior

Isn't He wonderful?

Sing hallelujah, Christ is risen

Bow down before Him

For He is Lord of all

Sing hallelujah, Christ is risen

O come to the altar

The Father's arms are open wide

Forgiveness was bought with

The precious blood of Jesus Christ!...

O come to the altar

The Father's arms are open wide

Forgiveness was bought with

The precious blood of Jesus Christ!

The Father's arms are open wide

Don’t be broken, alone or at the end of your rope this holiday season (or any time for that matter), turn to the Father, He is there with open arms.

take action

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

 - 1 John 3:18

 

Pretty much everyone has started Christmas shopping by now, even I have, and I am usually quiet the procrastinator when it comes to shopping.

Except for the Giving Tree. 

Our church has a Giving Tree that goes up every year, it is similar to the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree. 

I tend to chose from the Giving Tree because I know the families are from our church and I know that there is truly a need.

This year especially has been tough on a lot of people, so please, when you are out shopping this weekend, look for a giving tree, or an angel tree, or even call up one of the local nursing homes to see if they have a resident tree.

We can show love to people we don’t even know, by providing a few basic needs.

It always fills my heart when I’m able to share in this way.

 

fully known

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

- 1 John 4:16-17

 

Hey, you! Yeah, you! Stop hiding.

So many of us have built walls around ourselves, because we are afraid to let anyone see who we really are.

Guess who does know the real you?

Yeah, God does . . .  song reference!!

It's so unusual it's frightening

You see right through the mess inside me

And you call me out to pull me in

You tell me I can start again

And I don't need to keep on hiding

I'm fully known and loved by You

You won't let go no matter what I do

And it's not one or the other

It's hard truth and ridiculous grace

To be known fully known and loved by You

I'm fully known and loved by You

It's so like You to keep pursuing

It's so like me to go astray, ooh

But You guard my heart with Your truth

The kind of love that's bullet proof

And I surrender to Your kindness, oh

I'm fully known and loved by You

You won't let go no matter what I do

And it's not one or the other

It's hard truth and ridiculous grace

To be known fully known and loved by You

I'm fully known and loved by You

How real, how wide

How rich, how high is Your heart

I cannot find the reasons why

You give me so much

How real, how wide

How rich, how high is Your heart

Now, I cannot find the reasons why

You give me so much

None of us are perfect, nor do we need to be perfect.

We don’t have to build walls or put up false fronts, because the Father knows us fully.

And He still loves us.

welcome

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

- Romans 15:7

 

Have you ever met someone and just “clicked”? Like you immediately feel like you’ve known them forever and the more time you spend with them, the more you find that you have in common?

Have you ever met someone that from the first impression you could not wait to get away?  Like being around them just instantly puts you in a foul mood? 

I know people in both categories, and sometimes the latter really do drive me crazy.

We as Christ followers want to bring glory to God in everything that we do, so that means accepting others, even when we don’t like them or the things they do. 

It is hard to welcome folks with open arms, especially when we don’t get along, but we really should try. 

God has always welcomed us, shouldn’t we extend that same grace to others?

story time!

 Jesus constantly used these illustrations when speaking to the crowds. In fact, because the prophets said that he would use so many, he never spoke to them without at least one illustration. For it had been prophesied, “I will talk in parables; I will explain mysteries hidden since the beginning of time.”

- Matthew 13:34-35 (TLB)

 

Who doesn’t love story time?

If you think about it, we tell stories several times every day, when someone asks us how our day is, or how our family is, we humans love telling and listening to stories because they help us relate with one another and help us to understand ideas and explanations.

Jesus taught people by giving them something they could relate to in story form, and when we read the Bible we continue to learn from Him by His stories. 

Song reference!

I love to tell the story

Of unseen things above

Of Jesus and his glory

Of Jesus and his love

I love to tell the story

Because I know 'tis true

It satisfies my longings

As nothing else can do

I love to tell the story

'Twill be my theme in glory

To tell the old, old story

Of Jesus and his love

I love to tell the story

For those who know it best

Seem hungering and thirsting

To hear it like the rest

And when in scenes of glory

I sing the new, new song

'Twill be the old, old story

That I have loved so long

I love to tell the story

'Twill be my theme in glory

To tell the old, old story

Of Jesus and his love

To tell the old, old story

Of Jesus and his love

Oh what a beautiful old Hymn, I love it.

What is your favorite story?  

come back

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

- Colossians 3:16

 

I like this verse, because it makes me feel like I am doing the right thing, sharing His word and finding all the song references!

This verse specifically led me to the song Freedom by Jesus Culture – here is a snippet of the lyrics:

Step out of the shadows, step out of the grave

Break into the wild and don't be afraid

Run into wide open spaces, grace is waiting for you

Dance like the weight has been lifted, grace is waiting

Where the Spirit of the Lord is

There is freedom, there is freedom

Where the Spirit of the Lord is

There is freedom, there is freedom

Come out of the dark just as you are

Into the fullness of His love

For the Spirit is here, let there be freedom

Let there be freedom

Bring all of your burdens, bring all of your scars

Come back to communion, come back to the start

Run into wide open spaces, grace is waiting for you

Dance like the weight has been lifted, grace is waiting

Where the Spirit of the Lord is

There is freedom, there is freedom

Where the Spirit of the Lord is

There is freedom, there is freedom

I have had many people ask me things like what do I get out of “relationship” with God, or what can religion do for them, and my all time favorite, how can my God help them?

My response is come! 

If you’ve never been to church, come!

If you have not been to church in a long time, come back!

Friends, there is true freedom in knowing God, He loves you so much, and He will never stop loving you or pursuing you. 

He gave you a Book, that tells you how much He loves you, yeah it is a big book, and kind of intimidating if you don’t like to read, so come, let me introduce you to Amazing Grace! 

Oh, that is another song!