HAVE A GREAT 2013!

And, again, I defer to the holidays and busyness!  I will be back next week to finish some things I started two weeks ago.

I pray your Holidays were good, safe and you enjoyed celebrating Jesus's birth.  If I could I would design Christmas Eve this way:   Have someone you haven't seen for a long time over for lunch.
About 4:00, you get ready to go to a 6pm Church service where you get to see the live animals, and the birth scene of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Have a candlelight prayer at the end and then return home.  There you have a candlelight Grilled Salmon and Steak dinner.  Coconut Cream Pie for desert.
Ah! then you open presents and take pictures.  Maybe one of these years if I could find just the right service.  Sunday at County Line they sang the Handel's Messiah, Hallelujah Chorus.  Then at the end, they brought in the mother Mary and Jesus, Joseph joined her, then the kings and Shepherds.  It was very moving and impactful.  So I got snippets of it.  I'm good.   How was yours?

Be safe Monday and Tuesday - Will spend time at the movies, dinner with friends and then Tuesday some fellowship and food with good friends.  ENJOY!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Since we all have so many events this weekend , Monday and Tuesday, I will not be posting until Friday the 28th.  Today Ellen, Jordan and Emily will be coming, and from here on out, it is a very busy time until Wednesday.

I am celebrating the FACT that Jesus, the Son of God came out of His own sacrifice to set us free from ourselves.  He came as a baby to grow up and experience what we experience.  Without Him, I would be such a psychological, emotional and spiritual mess.  I celebrate Him.  I pray you are too!

Enjoy your families and events. 

TYRANNY OF THE URGENT!

It has been quite a week across our nation, has it not?  Seven miles from cousin, Gwen in Portland, Oregon there was a shooting.  They use that mall several times a week not only in Gwen's work format, but personally.  It gets closer and closer, larger and larger.  Let us keep everyone in our prayers that will have a much different Christmas then we will. 

I chose the title to cover several areas that we experience.  Not only this time of year as we fit in all the get togethers we celebrate.  Small Groups, work related, friends, church, family and that is just the tip of the iceberg.  We also have regular work, or meetings, or volunteer, and our home environment to keep up with.  Some of us have college kids coming home, or family coming to visit.  One of the gals in my small group was getting on an airplane the next morning to fly into the Fort Lauderdale area to see her daughter who lives there.  Her daughter asked her to fly down to see her former roommate who is only there for a few days.  Then she will fly back Sunday night, and Angie comes home four days later to spend a few days.  It is insane. 

This is that one specific month of the year, we HAVE to become PERFECT.  Great decorations, new recipes, perfect housekeeping, the best party, best gifts, etc.  I could never figure out why I always got a cold or got sick by Christmas.  Now I know.  I made a decision years ago about starting in November and pacing myself.  It works.  I am no martyr, just got tired of being exhausted and sick in December.  Waving to the New Year as I went to bed at 10p.m.

Oh, and be sure you find time in there to HURRY up and read the Christmas Story. 

This small series will be about trying to be all things to all people.  The Tyranny of the Urgent.  People like everything to be perfect and pretty sure it is up to them to make it perfect.

Psalm 138: 8.  "The Lord will perfect that which concerns me, your mercy and loving kindness O Lord, endures forever - forsake NOT the works of Your own hands."

Do you see anything in there that says "I am to perfect that which concerns me!"?????  Does it say You are to not forsake the Works of your own hands?  Sure, we are to be willing to do what we need  to do.  Unto you O Lord, do I bring my life.  Yes, that means you.  The fine line is very thin here.
Let us use an example.  As a leader of the small group and because I know they like to get together in December for a small exchange and cookies - tea thing;  it is up to me to orchestrate it.  It is not up to me to do everything.  I pray, think, and plan.  Oh and delegate.  Now there is a foreign word for some of you. Delegate.  You can do that in your home, in the office, in your group.  We have had three parties here this season in our home.  In each case, I delegated and that left time and energy to enjoy the party and people in it.  It is a simple illustration, but very effective.

Next time, we will talk more about this perfection thing that women, in particular, take on.

We will be looking at PS 57: 2 and Phil 1: 6.

Here is a prayer:

Unto You Oh Lord, do I bring my life.  It is my intention to ask You to lead me where and how to use
those specific abilities that You have given me.
I ask that You remove any and all demonic distractions that been or will be set up against me this day to bring ungodly, imperfect thoughts ideas or actions into my life that may hurt others in any way.  I turn myself over to you Lord God.  Thank You for what You are going to do through me.  Holy Spirit check my spirit of all negative inputs as I commit to utilizing all your fruits of the spirit.  I praise Your Holy Name and thank you above all else.

ARE YOU RUNNING ON EMPTY?

II Kings 4: 3

Collecting Empty Vessels -

"Then he said - Go around and borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels - and not a few"


This is the story of a widow, a very poor widow who was speaking with Elisha.  Elisha had come to her home needing to be fed and also rest.  She told him she had nothing in the entire house to administer to him. 

What I saw here was one very major theme. . .as an empty vessel that means you can put something in it.  Today I notice so many people that are filled to the brim with way too much to do and be responsible for, they can't breath.  There is also the filling of having so much to think about and do that you can't take on one more stimuli.  The widow here had no pride left.  She told Elisha she had little to nothing to offer him.  There wasn't enough to bake a loaf of bread.  I noticed a couple of things.  The fact that she was humble and wasn't trying to look good or pretend in any way.  I noticed that she trusted Elisha, a man of God, and went obediently to make his request a trusted fact.

It is quite hard in today's culture to not put on a show of all we have to offer in our vessel.  God made us His vessel to be filled up.  But what are you filling your vessel with.  Fear, worry, being all things to all people, or so busy you spill over with anger and irritation?  Friend of mine had to have a stint put in her heart.  It may have happened anyway, but she pushes herself to be all things to all people, all the time.  She is rarely able to just sit and rest or keep her vessel rested.  I have women ask me all the time, "But, how do I learn to say no, I can't do that?"  No is no!  Keeping our vessel empty and ready for God's filling is an art, I admit.  It is a matter of saying each morning - "Unto you, O Lord, do I bring my life!"  "What would you have me do today that I can do only today, to help my family, friends and life as I know it?"  Direct my path, show me, guide me.

Ps 25: 1 and Ps 25: 4 and 5.

Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths.  Guide me in Your truths and faithfulness and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You (You only and altogether) do I wait (expectantly) all the day long.

In my own life, I have seen Him do some pretty great things from that earnest request.  I just wish I could say I do it everyday.  I am doing it more and more, but my obedience only came from having burned out twice in my life from being a very FULL VESSEL.  You know when I get full today, I get quite irritable and edgy.  It is not attractive.  I have incentive.  What is your vessel like?

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Two weeks from today - everyone, we only have a day until Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Christmas Eve is and will be my 39th anniversary as a woman who decided it was time to find out who this guy Jesus Christ is all about and why would He help me.  What a journey.  What a wild ride of learning, messing up;  listening, messing up;   experiencing, messing up;  enjoying the blessings of answered prayer and at last, some changes. . .whew!

Practice the Reason for the Season!  Fill your vessel with Him.

Block Party was fun, these are usin Christmas Chics.  Suzanne Drerup Davis (John's cousin), myself, Sue Michaels and Joyce Covell.

THEY WHY QUESTION?

It is intention always to be original, but today, I digress!

It is often that I hear the "Why" question.  If God is all powerful and could flick His fingers to fix anything, then "Why" doesn't He?"  Why are teenage girls in Africa raped and sold for sexual slavery, how can that be?    I could say "Why" did God place all those resources at our disposal for John's healing of cancer with the number one Melanoma specialist in the World, written up in Time Magazine.  Why was he there only those 7 years?  Why did Pat Delagrange's husband (with cancer at the same time) do all he could do, yet die of that cancer, leaving Pat so distraught and alone?  A woman at our church who got cancer the same time, went everywhere, tried everything, yet died.  Why? 

This Morning with God is written by Jennifer Rothschild - She is blind.  She travels with the Women of Faith Team all over the United States.  I have seen and heard her speak, sing and play piano.  Remarkable individual.  Chapter 19 is entitled "Take Me to the Cross".  Because of her speaking engagements and writings many people correspond with her.  This very short essay talks about the two people who wrote her.  Greg who had contracted cancer, asked for prayer and was feeling that his faith would pull him through.  It went away.  Then it came back.  He wrote her again and was scared and wanting to know Why?  Another young mother wrote her about her baby being still born.  Why?
Why was she blind, why had she been struck blind after living some of her life seeing?  What had she done wrong?  It all seems so unfair. 

And we can all agree!  We know God knows best, we can also know that He uses all things together for good for us in the end.  How do we manage all the unfairness?  It seems to very difficult for today's youth to contemplate this question.  They just get plain mad and walk away.  It drove Jennifer to write this song.  Wish we could hear her sing (what a voice) and yet I want to share this concept of her original words.

Take me to the Cross -

He said the cancer's back and he's afraid -   He wonders why.  So do I.
Now his greatest battle is against his fear -  It is so unclear -  He wonders Why.
The God who heals - Won't reveal Himself - In ways we understand.
She said her baby never had a chance to breathe - So she grieves - So Do I.
She struggles with the bitterness and loss - While she looks to the cross - and she cries.
In the mystery we trust, we adjust, and wonder why. -   Oh take me to the Cross where
You cried my tears - Hide me in Your Tomb, crucify my fears.  I'll praise You with
my pain though the mystery remains.
You are a God who cries, You are a Savior who died - and I can trust You with why.
So I travel down this bumpy road called faith - I still try -  To embrace all that I can't understand
Like Your kind plan, Your merciful plan.  I'm not angered, I am anchored.  Yet I feel
weightless, I am hateless.  Since you took me to the cross and cried each of my tears.
Hid me in Your tomb, crucified my fears.  I praise You with my pain though the mystery remains.
You are a God who cries, You are a Savior who died - And I will trust You with why.
I'll ask You why, why this grace?    Why this peace?  Why, Why this love?
I praise You with my pain though the mystery remains -  You are a God who cries, You are
a Savior who died
And I can trust You with why.

There is the bottom line.  And, yes it is is a hard line to follow, but nevertheless Hinds feet for High Places is only achieved by Trust.  PS 112: 7
And PS 25: 1