December 16, 2020

Christmas Perspective–When The Impossible Becomes Possible

With this wild year that we’ve had, it’s been hard to make definite plans when so much is changing quickly.

The Christmas story in the Bible is no different. There was so much uncertainty, the same as us today.

It’s easy for me to get excited about the Christmas story in Luke 2—the angel, the manger, the shepherds, Mary, Joseph, the wise men, AND sweet baby Jesus’s birth. Right before that chapter, I also love reading the inspiring story of Elizabeth, Zechariah and John the Baptist in Luke 1. I see a story of struggle and God’s miracle. The kind of story I love. The kind of story I live and can relate to.

Three of my favorite verses are found throughout this Luke 1 chapter. I never realized how much was in that chapter foretelling John the Baptist’s and Jesus’ birth.

Zechariah was a priest, and his wife Elizabeth had not been able to get pregnant. An angel appeared to Zechariah and told him not to be afraid (if I saw an angel I’d be afraid also), and that his prayer had been heard. I love that.

The angel told him he would have a son, name him John.

“He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord…and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.” –Luke 1:14, 15.

Zechariah doubted the angel, asking:

“How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” –Luke 1:18.

Ouch. How many times do I doubt God’s promises, God’s goodness, God’s faithfulness? My “soul holes” of doubt speak louder than my faith.

Because Zechariah doubted, he was struck silent for her whole pregnancy. People in the temple could tell he had seen a vision. He made signs with his hands but could not speak.

His sweet wife Elizabeth became pregnant and remained in seclusion for five months. Her response was,

“The Lord has done this for me.” –Luke 1:25.

Amen. What profound gratitude.

Six months into Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the angel Gabriel visits Elizabeth’s young relative Mary in a little town of Nazareth. The angel Gabriel told Mary she would give birth to a son named Jesus.

“He will be great and will be called Son of the most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David…His Kingdom will never end.” –Luke 1:32, 33b.

Mary asked the angel how it would happen since she was a virgin. The angel’s response is so encouraging.

“Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”  —Luke 1:36, 37.

AMEN! Mary’s response is one of my favorite in the entire Bible.

“’I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.’ Then the angel left her.” –Luke 1:38.

Can you imagine being 13 or 14 years old, as Mary was, and having the kind of Spirit-filled faith to be that obedient? She is such an inspiring testament of faith.

Then Mary went to visit Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s voice, the baby inside of her leaped, and Elizabeth was filled with the holy Spirit. Elizabeth encouraged Mary, saying in a LOUD voice:

“Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear!….” –Luke 1:42.

Elizabeth declared another one of my favorite verses:

“Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” –Luke 1:45.

Friend, what can we learn from this passage so full of miracles and wisdom?

1) God hears our prayers. The angel affirmed Zechariah first by saying his prayer had been heard. Every prayer is heard, no matter how short the prayers are and how desperately we cry out to God.

2)Whatever in our life seems “barren,” God provides life in that barren spot. Nothing is impossible with God. For me it’s my singleness. God fills my “barren spot” and heart’s desire for a husband. You may have a “barren” relationship or a yearning for a child. God fills that soul hole, even on days that are hard, especially at Christmas.

3) May we always give God the praise. Like Elizabeth who had prayed for years to be pregnant, “The Lord has done this for me.” All comes from Him.

4) May we have the humility and faith like Mary to be totally obedient. Not only did she say she was the Lord’s servant. She declared her total surrender. “May it be to me as you have said.”

Oh, I pray so for me and you also. Total surrender.

It was for Mary. It will be for us also if we surrender our will. May Thy will, not my will, be done.

Merry Christmas, friend.

Reflect:

–What seems “barren” in your life? What seems impossible? Please comment.

–What prayers do you want God to hear? Keep praying. He hears them all.

Renew:

“And Mary said: ‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is His name.” –Luke 1: 46-49.

November 24, 2020

Giving Thanks, Breaking, Giving Away

Editor’s Note: I’ll continue the “Loving Our Neighbors” series about my cousin Mark in December.

Have you ever just read a verse you’ve read before, and was finally hit by its profound truth? On this Thanksgiving week during these uncertain times, one such verse hit me. A simple verse, really.

“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying “Take and eat; this is my body.'” –Matthew 26:26.

From the first Lord’s Supper to today’s Lord’s Supper, the same sentiment is expressed in each sacrament. Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it away.

Two points jump out at me.

1) Jesus took and gave thanks.

2) Jesus broke it and gave it away.

Point one: May we give thanks for everything we are given, for every person, every circumstance in our life. May we have an attitude of gratitude. It’s hard to grumble when you’re grateful. So often I/we complain over what we don’t have instead of thanking God for the many blessings we do have. I am so guilty of this. Forgive me.

Point two: Jesus broke the bread before He gave it away. Although Jesus could, He does not use anything or anyone unless the item or person is broken. The bread was/is broken, not whole. The wine came/comes from smushed, fermented grapes. Even His own body had to be broken on the cross to save all of us from our sins. He broke Himself in order to give Himself away. May it be so of us.

Jesus does not use us unless we are broken and available to Him. The only people in the Bible Jesus couldn’t stand were those people who acted like they had it all together—the Pharisees.  We are the most whole in Christ when we admit to our brokenness.

Thanks and Brokenness. Jesus both focused on gratitude and brokenness in life and in the sacrament of communion.

Side note. I love stained glass. Do you know why I love beautiful stained glass so much? Stained glass is simply broken shards of glass arranged in a pattern. It is only when Light shines through the brokenness that we can see the beautiful image and purpose. That’s us. That’s you. That’s me.

As we prepare to celebrate our national holiday of Thanksgiving, may we use Jesus’ example to take and give thanks.  May we then give ourselves away as broken and beautiful vessels. Happy Thanks-LIVING, friend.

Reflect:

  • How will you transform Thanksgiving into Thanks-Living?
  • For what, for whom are you thankful?

Renew:

  • “Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth.” –Psalm 98:7-9.
  • “Enter his gates with Thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.” –Psalm 100:4.

Recharge:  

  • Please start a Gratitude Journal this week and  list at least three blessings daily. It could be a warm house, your health, laughter, cozy coats and boots. Keep going. You can do it.
  • Please let me know of some of your many blessings.

Resources:

October 27, 2020

Loving Our Neighbors—Lessons Learned Through Bedbugs, Pawn Shops & Addiction, Part 1

It began last October. Actually it began years before that, but I wasn’t made aware of how serious the problem was until last Fall. It’s been too difficult, too sacred, too embarrassing to write about. Now is the time.

Sometimes the best commandments, guidelines and mantras are preached well and not necessarily lived well. One such Great Commandment is to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul and strength AND to love our neighbors as ourselves. I have made mistakes and missteps I’ll admit to you and want to learn from and not repeat.

Who is our neighbor, we ask? It’s everyone. Everyone means from the neighbors across the street who we wave to and don’t know their name to the first cousin who we talk to on the phone but haven’t seen in years…until you receive a phone call that changes everything.

My Mom is one of eight children. We have big family reunions and many aunts, uncles and cousins to cherish and keep track of.  We had a family reunion last August and several cousins were unable to come. One of those cousins was Mark. He said on the phone he couldn’t make it and had broken his wrist. We made small talk. I told him it was great to catch up.

He lived in Charlotte, near me. His address for the family reunion invitation went to our aunt’s home, so I never thought to ask where he lived or even go see him. Talking on the phone was enough. I had heard he had not worked in years. His wife had passed away ten years earlier. They had no children together. His mom, my aunt Dolores, had passed away in 2017.

On October 11, 2019,  I received a phone call from our aunt that my 67-year-old cousin Mark had been admitted to a hospital near me. When I visited him I hardly recognized him. I’m embarrassed to admit it had been about 10 years since I had seen him. He had aged and his eyes were jaundiced. I leaned down and hugged him. I gently held his face in my hands and kissed him on the cheek.

He told me cirrhosis of the liver was his diagnosis, which his yellow eyes foreshadowed. When I asked him how much he drank, he said, “Only about 9-12 beers a day.” He didn’t think that was too much. He didn’t think he was an alcoholic.

I had heard he was an atheist, so I had strategically brought a “Jesus Calling” devotional for him. I inscribed it with his name and the October date. I asked If I could read some encouragement for him, and he said yes.  We talked about next steps, about me becoming his healthcare Power of Attorney, and I prayed over him. Tears were in his eyes.

I visited him each day until he was released. I found out he had been living in the attic of a rundown house with two roommates who smoked crack. He had no hot water to take showers. I found out through the hospital that Mark had come in with a live bedbug crawling on him and had been admitted to the hospital through DECON–Decontamination!

May this fact sit on you as it did me: my own family member was living in a crackhouse! It is, for lack of a better word, sobering. It is humbling, and I vowed to try to love him as Jesus would. 

As we worked on getting him into rehabilitation and finding housing, Mark later told me he had four items at the local pawn shop he wanted to get out. I had never been in a pawn shop and don’t plan to go back. We had to pay much more for the two guitars, Shop Vac and drills that they gave him initially. It’s an unwise way to get money fast.

One of my friends told me she wanted to put a tracker on my phone since I had been to pick items up from a crackhouse and pawn shop. These were places I didn’t know I’d find myself.

Since his release Mark surpassed some huge life milestones:

  • On October 20, 2019, he attended his first church service in 40+ years.
  • On October 25, 2019, he attended his first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting;
  • On October 27, 2019, he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior;
  • On October 28, 2019, he walked into an inpatient alcohol rehabilitation program for the first time.
  • On December 11, 2019, he was released from alcohol rehab.

Since then he had been back in the hospital twice to remove more fluid from his body due to cirrhosis complications.  His skin was jaundiced. His legs and feet were swollen due to edema from the cirrhosis. The doctor told Mark he needed to remain sober for at least six months before a liver transplant was possible.  Mark truly desired to stay sober.

In December he graduated from the rehabilitation program!  He came to live with me until I could get him into an Assisted Living Facility through Medicaid in January.

What lessons can we learn from Part 1 of this raw, tender family testimony?

  1. See your loved ones face-to-face and see where they live.
  2. Love unconditionally. Leave judgment up to the Lord.
  3. Encourage 12-step programs for you and your loved ones like Alcoholics Anonymous, Al Anon, CoDependents Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, etc.

Many more lessons were  revealed as we walked this journey.  More to come in Part 2.

Reflections:

 –“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” –1 Timothy 5:8

 –“Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” –Colossians 3:13

–“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” –2 Corinthians 5:17

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