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For some reason, this year more than others, it feels good to have the holidays winding down. The gifts are unwrapped and it’s time to wrap up the year.
Whether it’s good or bad, I’m ready for a new year with new challenges. It feels good to shed the skin of all that happened this year, and focus on new things. I’m definitely not one to dwell on the past. There are good memories that are worth remembering and bad ones that sometimes haunt me, but my focus is on what God wants to do now. He always seems to be up to doing “a new thing” and I don’t want to miss it.
I want to hear what He is saying and stay in step with where He is going. Sometimes the places He leads us are not places we’d choose to go on our own, but I’d still rather be in the unfamiliar with Him than in my comfort zone without His presence. This is a really good time to set ourselves apart to listen to the voice of God so that we know what His direction for us is in the coming season.
Isaiah 42:9
Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.
The very first person at my very first book signing was a lovely lady I’d never met with a very cool name; Logan. She sat down and right away started talking to me, asking questions and treating me like a friend she hadn’t seen in a week. Then she started to open up and she told me about the abusive marriage she was in and how no one really knew how bad it had gotten. She’d only been married about a year. The more she talked, the more convinced I became that she had to get away from her husband for her own safety. I begged her to go to the police and even offered to go with her. She thanked me but declined the offer.
Two weeks later she had an appointment to get her hair done and never showed up. Our friend and hair stylist, Arnella went to her house to check on her. No one came to the door, and as she turned to go down the steps, Arnella was met by two FBI agents. Logan’s husband had reported her missing since Halloween. Logan remained missing for weeks. During that time, Arnella had a recurring dream of Logan calling out to her that she was cold and wet.
In November Logan Edward’s body was recovered from a river in South Carolina. Subsequently, her husband confessed to the murder.
I am so saddened by this event. I wish there was more I could have done. I don’t know what that could have been, but I just wish I could have done more. Many times we try to isolate ourselves from how evil, evil really is, but events like this remind us how far from home we really are in this world. We really are just passing through with the sole purpose of bringing the Light of Jesus to a very dark world. It reminds me of the significance of every “chance meeting” and the importance of every soul.
I keep waiting for something redemptive to come from this, but it’s just not there. I know that Logan loved the Lord and that she is with him. That is our consolation. Nothing can prepare a family for this kind of news. Please pray for Logan’s mom, daughter, grandchildren and sisters.
I read a story this morning that gripped my heart. Conjoined twins who were born to a teenager in England had to be separated on Christmas day. The twins were named Faith and Hope. Tragically, only one of the babies survived. Hope died. Hope’s lungs were not strong enough to support her. The doctor put it like this, “The lungs of Faith were somehow supporting Hope.”
Tears came to my eyes as I realized the message in the lives of these precious babies. We live in days and times that are causing people to search for hope. People look in all kinds of places for it. The fact is, though, that faith and hope are conjoined twins. There is no hope outside faith in Jesus Christ. It just can’t survive the traumas of this world. It is faith that breathes life into hope.
I am struck by God’s amazing ways. He sent a beautiful baby at Christmas that was destined to die in order to bring a message of hope. I pray that the family of Hope truly know what a miraculous little messenger they were blessed to behold.
Here are some photos of my son Josh in the Christmas play at church. He was Joseph.
Congratulations to the whole cast. You were great!
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Hi everyone. I’m back in Charlotte again! It was a quick but really good break. Of course, not without some of the ups and downs that just go with this roller coaster life!
First, I got stuck in security. I hate going through security because I have to be frisked every single time. For me, it’s one of the worst things I have to deal with as a handicapped person. So I always just barely get through it as it is, but this time the lady kept going on and on. I wear a binder that helps keep my blood pressure up so that I don’t pass out. Well this security guard was certain that I was concealing weapons or something and called her supervisor over. By this time I was crying. I tried to explain, and when that didn’t work I told them to just hurry so that I didn’t miss my flight. They called the police and took me off to another room to look under my clothes and poke me some more. All I could do was cry. It was really embarrassing but it just pushed all the wrong buttons and I crumbled! On the bright side, we can all rest better knowing that although illegal immigrants and criminals pour over our southern borders daily, America is safe from the many wheelchair bound terrorists roaming our nation!
I was finally released but I couldn’t stop crying! I really wanted to but every time I had a thought about the incident I started again. I thought for sure I was going to have to call in my intercessor friends for an emergency inner healing session!
God had already worked that out. The stewardess on the plane was a lovely Christian, full of His Spirit. I noticed that she kept looking at us. Finally, she came over and spoke to me. Suddenly, everything changed! The oppression lifted and I was finally able to stop crying. The joy of the Lord washed over me and I was so thankful! I love how very present the Lord is!
We got to Jamaica and it is hard not to smile there. We rested a lot! The morning of our anniversary we prayed for a “Divine appointment”. She showed up that evening! What a blessing to be surprised by meeting a dear sister and brother we never knew! There were so many cool connections in that one meeting that it is impossible to explain outside of God.
We were not able to visit the orphanage, but we did meet up with our friend Ron, who took us around last year. It was a hard time for him. His mother was near death in the hospital and his wife was recently diagnosed with cancer. So please pray for our friend Ron, his wife Maxine and their four children.
In spite of his difficulties, Ron was giving glory to God and reaching out to others. He took us shopping for the orphans. We got lots of diapers with the donation of a friend and lots of toys for Christmas. The children’s home will be receiving the rest of the money raised last year at the Royal Bank of Canada dinner before the year is out. Ron is also heading up a youth soccer outreach in his area.
I am glad to be back, but we had a blessed and restful time. Now it’s off to get ready for Christmas!
Luke 2:36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37For nothing will be impossible with God.”
The two main female characters in the Christmas story could probably tell us a lot about labels and name calling. The scripture above points out that Elizabeth was called barren. In her day and culture she may as well have been called worthless or “put out to pasture”. It’s funny how things change. Today nobody would have said anything to her for being barren, but had she not been barren she may have been labeld “just a mom”.
And what about Mary? I’m sure she was called a lot of names after she showed up pregnant with Jesus, but I’m fairly certain that “The Virgin Mary” wasn’t among them. Ironically, all these years after she’s had several children Mary is constantly referred to as a virgin. The poor woman can’t win!
What about you? What have you been called? What do you call yourself? You may wear a lot of labels and some of them may accurately describe some aspect of you, but none of them really tell the story of you, who you really are and who God envisioned you to be. That is from Him and can only be found in Him.
That’s why He, God, came here and wore the labels of infant, man, carpenter, liar, prophet and fool. The labels didn’t matter. He knew who He was and He knew you, too. He put the labels on so that you and I could take ours off and know ourselves as we are known. I think He almost likes it when we get labeled incorrectly. It gives Him the chance to prove that there really is nothing impossible with Him
Isaiah 62
2And thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah will name.
3And thou shalt be a crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.
4Thou shalt no more be termed, Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed, Desolate: but thou shalt be called, My delight is in her, and thy land, Married; for Jehovah delighteth in thee.
5and with the joy of the bridegroom over the bride, shall thy God rejoice over thee.
1.Decorating the House
2. Christmas Specials on T.V. (especially Charlie Brown and The Grinch!)
3. Josh’s Birthday
4. An excuse to eat too many sweets
5. My husband is at home more
6. Looking at Christmas lights
7. Getting together with friends and family
8. My Anniversary
9. I love Christmas Eve!
10. Looking forward to a new year
…for the happy heart, life is a continual feast. Proverbs 15:15 B
Have you ever felt like your treading water? You know what I mean. You’re in the middle of the ocean, the waves keep coming, the undertow is getting the best of you, you can’t swim so you’re just doing your best to keep your head above water. That’s how I’ve been feeling lately! I want to yell, “Hey Jesus! Could you do that “Peace be still miracle” again? I’d try the walking on water thing, but my head is under most of the time!
Then it occurred to me that in my son’s Little Otter Swim Class that they teach the kids to roll over, be still and float if they get into a potential drowning situation. It’s hard to do that while I’m flailing around like a mad woman! I think Jesus has been saying, “Peace be still,” but he’s talking to me and not the water. The waves obey quicker.
So, I’m going to try to get my kids to bed on time, plug the iPod into my ears and try to float as I meditate on these scriptures.
Psalm 93:3-4 3 The floods have risen up, O Lord.
The floods have roared like thunder;
the floods have lifted their pounding waves.
4 But mightier than the violent raging of the seas,
mightier than the breakers on the shore—
the Lord above is mightier than these!
Jeremiah 5:22
Have you no respect for me?Why don’t you tremble in my presence?I, the Lord, define the ocean’s sandy shorelineas an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross.The waves may toss and roar,but they can never pass the boundaries I set.
Isaiah 43:2 (Whole Chapter)
When you go through deep waters,I will be with you.When you go through rivers of difficulty,you will not drown.
