Tag: God’s character (Page 1 of 5)

Planning for a Meaningful Christmas 2022 (instead of a December newsletter)

December 1, 2022 /

Every year I try to do a little better at prepping for the Christmas season so that on January 1st I’m sighing in contentment instead of exhaustion and regret. Can you relate?

A squirrel has already decimated a box of Christmas cookies I left in my “outdoor fridge” so I may not be the most credible guide, but we’re in this together, so let me offer a little help and you can reciprocate by sharing your ideas in the comments!

Which one describes  your state of mind? Check one:

  • DENIAL. You’re in denial. You don’t want to be reminded, but the holidays are slowly tiptoeing towards us. There’s a feeling of panic when you look at the calendar. You’ll probably end up blitzing at the last possible second.
  • DEPRESSED. You love Advent, but the circumstances of your life mean you may have to adjust your expectations this year and that’s depressing.
  • DELIGHTED. You have been scrolling Christmas Pinterest ideas since August and you’re  SO EXCITED, but not everyone is onboard with your vision for the holidays! 
  • DEFAULT. You are the default or designated host for ALLOFTHETHINGS, either because you have the most room, or because of your location or whatever, but you struggle not to feel resentful and like you can’t enjoy the holidays because you’re doing all the work.
  • DISCOURAGED. The holidays are great, and you’d like to create some great memories, but you just feel inadequate to host anything. You get sucked into comparing yourself with others on social media and feeling “less than”.

Regardless of how you’re feeling, we can all use some help at the holidays! No one accidentally drifted into a meaningful Advent. It takes some forethought.

So today and for the next couple of days, I’ll give you some suggestions. Before we can give to others, we need to tend to our own soul.

Day One

Provide for your Soul

Be still and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10

Note to self: It doesn’t say “be busy”, or “be productive” or “be perfect”.

Put away your phone and any other potential distractions. 

  • Take some time today before things get crazy to pray for Advent. Talk to God about what is on your heart. 

  • What are you concerned or anxious about? 

  • In what relationships will you need extra grace and patience? 

  • Are there special services at church you want to be sure to attend?

Sit and breathe in God’s sufficiency for all that is ahead of you.

Don’t panic. I’m with you.
    There’s no need to fear for I’m your God.
I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you.
    I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.

Isaiah 41:10

You will keep in perfect peace
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust in you.

Isaiah 26:3

God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5

But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you..

Isaiah 43:1

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

3 Truths for Dealing with Covid Chaos, part 4

August 6, 2020 /

“I don’t know a single person right now that’s saying, ‘It’s cool, this is my fifth deadly virus pandemic and I’m an expert at these.'” Jon Acuff

None of us have ever gone through times like this! I heard someone say, “I wish we could go back to ‘precedented’ times!” This week I’m posting a series aimed at bringing Scripture to bear on the chaos we’re living through.

Truth #3: You have nothing to fear.

Our fears reveal what’s most important to us and where we trust God the least.

Fear is a natural by-product of chaos. We are plagued with “What if’s…”

  • What if my kids can’t go back to school?
  • What if I lose my job?
  • What if one of my parents gets Covid?
  • What if the elections are derailed?

But…

God is JEHOVAH SABAOTH – the Lord of the heavenly armies.

Throughout Scripture, this is the name God’s people would use to call on Him when they were in despair.

He will always fulfill His purposes, even when we fail.

from Ruth Chou Simons

Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

psalm 89:8

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

1 samuel 17:45

But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…

isaiah 43:1-2

Which of these do you need to hear most right now?

What do they say about God and about you?

3 Truths for Dealing with Covid Chaos, part 3

August 4, 2020 /

Those of you who are parents (or aunties or have ever dealt with toddlers) know what it’s like when a two-year-old is just DONE – overwhelmed with ALL OF THE THINGS and has a meltdown. As an adult, you pull them onto your lap, rub their back, and remind them of what’s true.

“I’m right here.”

“It’s going to be ok.”

This week I’m posting a series of three truths with Scripture to help calm us in the chaos of Covid. You can see the first posts here and here.

Here’s the second truth…

Truth #2: You have nothing to lose.

I can just hear you yelling at the screen, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I HAVE EVERYTHING TO LOSE!”

Last week was that I listened to someone speaking about the phenomenon of “anticipatory grief” that has been prompted by the chaos and uncertainty of the pandemic.

Covid has broken our collective sense of safety. We are afraid of loss! We don’t know what’s coming next, and so many of us are preemptively experiencing the stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, sadness acceptance, and the new one – meaning). BUT these stages are not linear. They themselves are not predictable! Lord have mercy!

Again, it’s helpful to pay attention – to recognize the stages of grief that you’re experiencing while also acknowledging “Lord, this loss is temporal, You are eternal.”

God is JEHOVAH-JIREH -the One who will provide.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

PSALM 23:1

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

2 CORINTHIANS 12:9

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ

philippians 3:8

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

psalm 33:11

Which of these do you need to hear most today?

What do they say about who God is and who you are?

3 Truths for Dealing With Covid Chaos, part 2

August 3, 2020 /

Everything is just hard these days.

If you’re like me, every new email in my in-box makes me tired before I even read it.

So I decided two things: 1) I’m going to send this series to you in short posts, one a day and 2) Then I’m going to stop posting for the rest of the month.

Before diving in, may I make a suggestion? Maybe read these in the morning, or whenever you are doing your devotions? Take a little time to soak up the faithfulness of God through His Word.

Last Monday I wrote about dealing with chaos as a spiritual practice that God may use to make us more like Jesus.

Kind of like alcoholics admit they are powerless over alcohol, I suggested that a first step is to admit we are powerless over much of the chaos swirling around us in this season.

via GIPHY

That doesn’t mean that God is powerless, or surprised, or not at work on our behalf!

I believe we have two choices:

We can choose to live BOTTOM UP – starting with our circumstances and projecting onto God (That is…If things are bad, God must be bad.)

OR we can choose to live TOP DOWN – starting with the character of God and trusting Him to bring the meaning to our circumstances.

As I live in the tangled mess of uncertainty that is my life right now, I remember three truths a friend shared with us years ago – you have nothing to prove, nothing to lose, and nothing to fear.

These truths are rooted in the character of God. But it’s only as I trust Him, living top down, that they make a difference.

I’d like to share these with you accompanied by a bunch of Scripture that I pray will bring some calm to your chaos.

Truth #1: You have nothing to prove.

We each have an ego-driven self that is bent on proving our control and worth, and if we ever had a year that showed us the futility of that it’s 2020, amiright?

Circumstances are tenuous for everyone – schooling options, job opportunities, health, family dynamics, Covid restrictions, finances… When you lean into these to define your worth you’re living out of your false self. But…

God is EL ROI – the One who sees me.

Circumstances change, but what will never change is God’s presence and the way He cherishes you. No.Matter.What.

You are a beloved child of the creator of the universe. This is your true identity and you don’t have to prove anything.

As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.

Isaiah 65:2

The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you  with singing.”

zephaniah 3:17

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
 You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

psalm 139:1-12

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s handiwork…

Ephesians 2:8-9

Which of these do you need to hear most today?

What does it say about who God is and who you are?

Perspectives From a Baton Pass, Part 1

February 7, 2019 /

It’s 11:45 Christmas Eve. The sanctuary glows with candlelight bouncing off the arched windows and reflecting in the eyes of the faithful gathered. John and I are serving communion one last time in the last worship service at the end of our 30 years in this faith community.

We know the hopes and dreams and fears and failures of most of the people who walk up to receive the bread and wine. It both moves us to tears of gratitude and strengthens us immeasurably. We are broken, and Jesus puts us back together. He is good.

We are at the end of a leg of the race, ready to pass the baton. For us, a time of change, or any change for anyone – change in job, location, relationship, whatever…gives us a chance to notice the work of God in our lives over time and question how we have been formed.

We treasure so many marking moments of grace and reconciliation and healing that we’ve shared with people we love over the years at this church.

There have been hard times too. Tears and questions and conflict and misunderstandings, and very difficult leadership decisions.

I’ve worried a lot. I’ve doubted myself, not because of a Word from the Lord, but because I let the words of others pierce me.

Like our friend Steve who ran the Grand Canyon, we look back over the hilly terrain we’ve run and the perspective brings a visceral sense of being strengthened in the Lord. There have been some really rough stretches, but God’s plans have prevailed.

If I were to say anything to my 30 year old self who came to CPC with two tinies in tow, it would be “REALLY rest in God. It’s gonna be ok if you do your best to play to an audience of One. Learn from critics who are wise, but listen for His voice above all.”

The words that keep coming to me in this season are “secure” and “unshaken”.

I envision a huge oak tree with branches reaching out and up towards the sky. In the wind those top branches get whipped around, back and forth. It can be scary if that’s where you stay. And that is often where I’ve perched. But even in the wind, the trunk remains secure and unshaken. That’s where we belong.

Think of your life right now, and the things that threaten to shake you. Consider these verses.

I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God’s great mystery.  

Colossians 2:2-3

We have made many, many mistakes, but we have done our best to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, knowing He is the Redeemer and can cause all things to work together for good. The more we have gotten to know Him, the more confident and at rest we’ve been.

He will stand and shepherd his flock
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

Micah 5:4

There are a lot of question marks about what comes next, but God has carried us this far. He will not abandon us. We are secure in Him.

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.


Psalm 33:11

We are fickle, but He is not. We waver, but He does not. We are merely privileged partners in the good work He prepared in advance for us to do.

The Third Way of Prayer

March 11, 2018 /

Seems like lately everyone around me has been experiencing loss, deep pain, or unexpected trauma.  As I walk along a wooded path my shoulders feel heavy. My spirit matches the damp gray afternoon and I dodge icy patches and sooty piles of snow. My prayers are more like a litany of lament, and it’s appropriate. There is a time for that. Absolutely. You may be lamenting, and God welcomes that.

There is also time for thanksgiving, for focusing not on what has been lost, but on all that we have to be grateful for…a kind of perspective corrective. We list one thousand gifts in a journal. We pay attention to our blessings.  We try to “think lovely thoughts”. Thanksgiving is always right and good.

But there’s a third way of praying  that has been most important to me in this heavy season.

Continue reading

Soul Food for the Redeemed

April 21, 2017 /

Hey Friends,

If you’re new to the blog, I try to take most Fridays to share a hodgepodge of resources that may be encouraging, interesting, beautiful, or funny. This week I’ve been thinking about the word, “redeemed.”

I love the word, the image, the value of God as our Redeemer!

The dictionary defines redeem: “to make (something that is bad, unpleasant, etc.) better or more acceptable” or “to recover ownership of by paying a specified sum”.

 But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1

I had a friend years ago who used to buy her clothes at a resale shop as a tangible reminder that she, like her clothes, had been bought back by Jesus.

And then, there’s this…

Isaiah 53:1-2 describes the joy of the redeemed this way:

The desert and the parched land will be glad;
    the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;
    it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
    the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
    the splendor of our God.

And then this picture on Instagram illustrates it.

Recently I received an advance copy of the book, Redeeming Ruth, to review. Meadow Rue Merrill writes with journalistic authenticity and detail of her family’s response to God’s prompting to adopt a young girl with disabilities from Africa.

Counter to our desire to paint everything as “up and to the right” in the Christian life, in spite of their sacrifice, this family suffers and loses. Nevertheless, they trust a good God to redeem their pain in ways they didn’t choose, and may not readily understand. This is a story of obedience and hope.

As I read it, I thought of so many friends living hard stories. I thought of my friend Emily who also adopted kids from Africa, and I gave my copy to her. I asked her to share her thoughts below.

As the mother of an adopted daughter, I resonate with much that Meadow describes in her book. She is honest about the journey towards, in and through adoption- a rare view inside what it truly means to bring a child from a hard place into your home. One strong theme in the book was that redemption comes only through suffering and how Meadow and her family chose to take on much of Ruth’s pain – emotional, physical, mental – so that Ruth could move towards health and wholeness. This is a hidden cost of intentional relationships, not just limited to adoption.

Redeeming Ruth is a great read for anyone who has trusted God with an important piece of life – whether a dream, a hope, a fear or a relationship – and has had that piece get crushed or remade or unearthed in a new way. Trusting God doesn’t mean everything is going to turn out okay. Our hearts may be bruised along the way, but He will be with us.

Redeeming Ruth releases May 1st. 

The One Thing About Yoga that Helps My Christmas

December 1, 2016 /

I really wish I liked Yoga more. It’s healthy.  And it’s so in.  But I’m not crazy about it.

Here are the only things I like about Yoga:

  • the comfy pants that are like legal pajamas,
  • the fact that you do it in a group with great people, and not, for example on a stationary bike in your basement (like a crazy introvert),
  • the corpse pose (where you lay still with soft music playing)…

And one more thing…

They remind you to breathe.  In fact, I think that’s the only part I consistently get right when I go.  I mess up all the poses.  And I can’t make myself pretzelize (is that a word?) like my friend Brooke.

But then they say, “Don’t forget to breathe.” and I think “Yes!  I’ve got that down!  Score!” (Can you tell I’m better at competitive sports than contemplative ones?)

Sometimes the best I can do at Yoga is to just keep breathing.  Sometimes in the Christmas season it seems that way also.  You too?

Continue reading

The Question Fear Asks

August 1, 2016 /

This weekend I had the privilege of preaching on Matthew 14:22-32 – the super familiar story of Jesus and Peter walking on the water. I LOVE this story and I felt like God had so much to teach me as I prepared.

IMG_3405

One of the most important things I learned as I was studying the passage of Peter walking on the Sea of Galilee and sinking, was that it was about more than Peter’s faith. It was about Jesus’ greater grace.

Jesus reaches out when we’re sinking and lifts us up. 

This morning I was thinking about a related story I heard a million years ago about a little boy trapped in the bedroom of his home which was on fire.

He was at the window, the home swallowed up in flames, no way out.  Smoke everywhere.

Below, a fireman called up to him, “Jump son!  I’ll catch you!  I’m here!”

The little boy screamed “No!  I can’t SEE you!!!”

“I know,” yelled the fireman, “but I can see YOU!  Jump!”

Cheesy story?  Maybe.  But it makes me think about the question fear asks of God.

The underlying question in the little boy’s heart was the question that fear asks:

What if…?

What if you don’t see me?

What if you miss?

What if you’re not strong enough?

What if I get hurt?

What if I look silly?

Sometimes I can’t see God.  And I’m afraid to jump. (or step out of my boat)

What does Love ask of you today that’s scary?

To go someplace uncomfortable?  Talk to someone uncomfortable?  Serve in way that’s uncomfortable?

Quit a job, or stay in a job that’s hard?  Give something away?  Build a bridge, or shake the dust off your feet?

Are you afraid to jump?  I am.  And I’m thinking about the lyrics from this Nicole Nordeman song:

But what if you’re wrong?
What if there’s more?
What if there’s hope you never dreamed of hoping for?
What if you jump?
And just close your eyes?
What if the arms that catch you, catch you by surprise?
What if He’s more than enough?
What if it’s love?

Jumping, or taking a step outside our boat of comfort. There are different things that God may use to prompt us.

Invitation to go on an advocacy trip with World Vision when that’s not “my thing” prompted me to step out this summer.

Frustration over the lack of sanitary equipment for girls in northern Uganda, causing them to miss school, prompted our daughter Maggie to step outside her “boat” and solve the problem.

Fear of the overwhelming emotions around returning to church after her husband died, prompted my sister-in-law to cling to Jesus and take the hard step back.

Loss of her beloved son Brett, who had Downs Syndrome, prompted my friend Nan to start ministries to kids with special needs.

What are you afraid of?

What might God be using to prompt you to jump, or step out, trusting Him? 

If we step out and sink, we can be assured that God’s grace is greater than our faith.

Invited, Part 1

January 26, 2016 /

One of my favorite times is in the hours before guests arrive at our front door and shed their hats and boots.

Some are nervously wary, like deer in the woods, others eagerly expectant, diving into hugs and conversation like happy golden retrievers.

IMG_2996

Before they arrive, I love the prep, the anticipation – the chopping of veggies and lighting of candles, the prayer that each person would feel our delight in them, the strategy considering flow and food.

IMG_2679

Hospitality is a gift I relish. I love connecting people around a table with thoughtful questions and laughter and meaningful conversation.

But whether the idea of opening your home makes you want to do a jig, or curl up in a fetal ball and hide, it’s still a spiritual practice.

We practice inviting because Jesus invites us.

As we include and gather and host, we mirror the image of God in us, welcoming all around His table.

Recently at a prayer gathering, we did this exercise. Continue reading

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