Month: November 2018

 

When one of the pastors from my church asked me to write a short series of devotionals for the weeks leading up to Christmas, I jumped at the chance. What a wonderful opportunity to focus on hope, joy, peace and love as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Below is the first devotional I’ve written and it’s designed to be read with the whole family. I hope you enjoy it.

Long, long ago in a far away land, the people of Israel waited and hoped for a special King, the King of Kings. It was prophesied that this King would be and do great things. He would be like a light in the darkness. But before that could happen, He had to enter this world just like you and me, as a baby. Read what was written about Him in Isaiah 6:9:

“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.”

The people of Israel continued to wait and hope for this baby to arrive and many, many years later, in Luke 1:31-33, we read that it was time for the King to be born. The Angel, Gabriel, was speaking with a young woman named, Mary, and this is what he said to her:

“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.”

Nine months later, the baby Jesus was born. The King the people of Israel hoped for was finally here!

As the years passed and Jesus grew up into a man, He gave not only the Israelites, but everyone around the world, including you and me, for generations to come, the greatest gift:  hope.

You see, when Jesus died on the cross and rose again on the third day, He paid for our sin, all the mistakes we would ever make, and gave us hope of eternal life with Him in heaven.

Hebrews 6:19 tells us that, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure…”

Putting our hope in Jesus accomplishes for us what an anchor does for a ship. It makes it secure when strong winds blow, and waves come crashing down. So long as the anchor holds, and the ship is pointed in the right direction, it is safe. The same is true for us when hard things happen to us and around us. We are secure with our hope in Jesus.

Do you have people in your life who need hope? How about making a Hope Jar? On small pieces of paper, write down the names of people you know who need hope. Fold up the pieces of paper and put them in a jar. Each night at dinner or before bed, pull out a name from the jar and pray for that person.

Another idea is to look at needs of those in your community and brainstorm as a family how you might be able to meet those needs and give some hope. Maybe it’s providing a meal, giving them a ride, spending time with them or simply offering them encouragement.

Let us be radiant this week and this Christmas season, by bringing hope to those who need it most.

Wishing you a hope-filled Christmas and year to come.

The snow is gently swirling down outside my window this morning and I’m a little mesmerized by the magic of it.

The weather outside tells me that Thanksgiving and Christmas are fast approaching and I couldn’t be more excited. I really do love the holiday season, but I admit that sometimes it can get a little busy and even chaotic.

If you tend to stress out a little more in the holiday season, whether it’s because of all the activities on the calendar or because of family drama (or both), keep reading for a few ideas on how to actually enjoy the holidays instead of merely enduring them.

My first idea is to create a “Thankful Trivet.” I made mine a few years ago out of a simple round cork trivet from IKEA (3 to a pack), some river stones from the dollar store, a few metallic pens and some glue.

It was a fun craft to do with family members as we wrote down one thing we were thankful for on each stone. Then we laid out the stones on each of our trivets and glued them in place. Each year I bring it out, set it on the table and re-read what I wrote on the stones. Watch my video above if you’d like to see what it looks like.

The Thankful Trivet was an inexpensive project but brings value year after year.

My second idea for a way that we can be radiant in the midst of the holiday chaos is to acknowledge not just what we are thankful for, but to Whom we are thankful.

If you read Psalms 107 and 118, you’ll see the phrase “give thanks to the Lord,” which helps us remember that God is the source of everything for which we are thankful.

One way to cultivate this attitude of gratitude is to make a Thankful Tree on your wall. I used some brown packing paper I’d received in a package last month. After scrunching it up, I attached it to the wall to create a trunk and branches. Then, using some fall-colored construction paper, I cut out some leaves.

Each day, I ask my family things for which they can thank the Lord. We’ve had some especially interesting answers from our 4-year-old, which include, chocolate (he is my son 🙂 ), pizza, and even slime. Lol.

However, he said he was also thankful that Jesus died on the cross and rose again. I think that means we are doing something right as parents! When it was just the slime and the pizza I was beginning to wonder. Lol.

I write the things for which we are thankful on the leaves and put them on the tree. It’s a wonderful, daily, visual reminder of all that the Lord has done for us and to Whom we are grateful.

My third idea comes from Brennan Manning’s book, The Signature of Jesus. He writes, “The Spirit of Jesus provides a way for us to live on the surface and out of the depths at the same time. On the surface we can think, dialogue, plan, and be fully present to the demands of the daily routine. Simultaneously and deeply within, we can be in prayer, adoration, thanksgiving, and attentiveness to the Spirit.”

He goes on to say, “The secret places of the heart become a sanctuary of praise in the noisy playpen of the marketplace.” I changed that in my mind to say, “…in the playpen of my house.” 🙂

“What masters of the interior life recommend is the discipline of ‘centering down’ throughout the day–a quiet, persistent turning to God while driving, cooking, conversing, writing, and so on.”

I love this idea! Brother Lawrence called it the “practice of the presence of God.”

It is so helpful in the midst of the crazy, the chaotic, the loud, the dysfunctional, to re-focus yourself and your mind on Jesus. It helps us re-frame and re-center–to center down.

If you are dreading the family drama this holiday season, or you just want to constantly keep your thoughts on Jesus, then center-down my friend, center-down.

I believe that practice, that disciple, will also help us stay radiant.

I would love to hear your comments on this idea or on how you cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Please share below.

In the meantime, I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Let us go be radiant this week!

It had been sitting on my night stand for months, just gathering dust, until I felt a little nudge to go pick it up, open it and begin reading. And I am so glad I did!

The book I’m referring to is called, The Signature of Jesus, and I knew almost nothing about it. However, I was familiar with the author, Brennan Manning and remember having read another book he’d written a number of years ago entitled, The Ragamuffin Gospel.

This book is a follow-up to that one, though both stand-alone. Even if some of the examples are a bit dated, the realities and principles are timeless.

Can I just say that I’ve been devouring The Signature of Jesus? When I started reading it, I had no idea how much it would tie into what I’ve been posting lately about the topic of discipleship.

In the introductory portion of the book, Manning asks the million dollar question:  “Are you called to a life of radical discipleship?”

When I think of the concept of “radical discipleship,” I envision something extreme. I picture it as an all-in kind of attitude; no holds barred. Do anything, go anywhere, give it all up for Jesus. 

But is that what all Christ-followers are all called to? Manning notes, “What Jesus longs to see in radical disciples is what he saw in little children:  a spirit of sheer receptivity, utter dependence, and radical reliance on the power and mercy and grace of God mediated through the Spirit of Christ.”

One might think that we are all called to “radical discipleship,” but what I found rather surprising, is that Manning does not presume that all are called. In fact, he actually gives Scriptural examples of people who were NOT called.

“Not everyone is called like the rich young man to the radical renunciation of literally everything (see Mark 10:17-30).” While I agree with Manning that not all are called to give up everything like the rich young man, I also know that Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 16:24, that “whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me.”

As Christ-followers, we are called to a life of self-denial and sacrifice. However, when it comes to what Jesus wants from each of us, perhaps therein lies what we might consider an individual call.

If you think of different encounters Jesus had with people, His interaction with them was unique. Think about the time when Jesus healed the demon-possessed man in Mark 5 and afterward the man begged to go with him. You would think Jesus would have said, “yes! Come with me!” But he didn’t. Instead, Jesus had another calling for the man. Jesus said to him, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” (Mark 5:18-19).

Manning writes, “Apparently, this man was not called to radical discipleship. Yet he was called, as we are called, to listen attentively to God’s first word to us.”

Even though the man was called to stay, he still had a vital role to play and a way to advance God’s kingdom. He was told to tell his family two things:  1) how much the Lord had done for him and, 2) how He had mercy on him. Isn’t that fascinating? I wonder how big that man’s family was and what kind of influence they might have had on those around them. I have a feeling it was quite significant.

If you feel like you were willing to “go” with Jesus but He wanted you to “stay,” have you determined what He wants you to do where you are? If not, maybe one way would be, like the man who was healed, to share with others how much the Lord has done for you and how He has had mercy on you.

Whether or not we’ve been called to be disciples right where we are, or half-way around the world, I believe God desires to use us to further the advancement of His kingdom. One way we can do that is to testify to what He has done in our lives.

Some of us my not feel well-equipped or even verbally courageous to do that, but perhaps the power of the Holy Spirit could give us the voice and courage we need, just as He did for the disciples. (See Acts 1:8).

If you are wondering whether or not God has called you to radical discipleship, Manning says that you will need both honesty and discernment. Why not spend some time in prayer, asking God what radical discipleship might look like in your life if you’re not already engaged in it.

If we find that we are indeed called to it, there are a couple of key things that we will need to put it into practice…come back soon to find out what they are.

Do you think you are called to radical discipleship? Why or why not? I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Please comment below.

Until next time, let us go be radiant as we share with others what God has done for us and how He has had mercy on us.