3 hours ago
Note: This is a two-part post, so if you are a first time visitor, I'm not usually so pessimistic, and you have to read tomorrow's post to really see where this is going. Thank you.
I have a confession to make. I don't like Spring too much.
I can hear the gasps of astonishment right now. So many people get so excited about the prospect of Spring.
New grass.
Chirping birds.
Flowers.
Maybe I'd be excited too if Spring was actually pretty here. But it's not. I think it's the ugliest season.
In Summer you have green everywhere you look. You have hot dogs, baseball games, barbecues, warm summer nights, fresh scents on the air after the rain. It's a lovely time of year.
In Autumn you have the beautiful colors of the changing leaves. You have that wonderful crisp smell in the air. You have hay being cut, deer being hunted, and football games being played. Pumpkins, squash, cookies, muffins. Cold enough to feel cozy when you're inside, warm enough to enjoy yourself outside. Definitely my favorite season.
Though Winter can sometimes be ugly, much of the season is just gorgeous. White just covering the landscape. Snow-covered mountains in the distance. Being able to see your breath. Sledding, ice skating, skiing, and other winter sports. Getting ready for Christmas and everything that comes with it. It's a season that really warms your heart, even while your toes are freezing off.
But there's just not much to say about Spring. The snow starts melting, and where I live it just takes forever for any green to appear. The air is too cold to wear any summer clothes, but too warm to wear the sweaters that were appropriate a short time before.
And there is mud. Lots and lots of mud. It squishes beneath your shoes, and it's almost impossible to wear heels. The dogs get all muddy whenever you let them outside, which means you have to give them a bath at least once a day to prevent your carpet from becoming stained.
Everything is just brown and ugly. By the time there is anything good to say it's more like Summer than Spring.
Maybe the reason I dislike it is because where I live things just tend to go from Winter to Summer, with nothing but a muddy mess in between. It snows, it melts, there's mud, it snows again. And we go through this cycle until about the middle of May.
Exhibit A - This picture was taken last year at "Springtime".
We don't really have "Spring" here. Not like most people think of Spring. It's only "Spring" in the sense that little shoots of grass start popping up here and there, but that's not too exciting when they get covered by snow a week later.
Some people get the Winter blues. I get the Springtime blues.
Maybe you all can help me change my outlook. I'm just having a hard time figuring out what I like about Spring.
This post to be continued tomorrow . . .
Wiping mud off my shoes,
Check back tomorrow for my conclusion to the Springtime issue!
I have a confession to make. I don't like Spring too much.
I can hear the gasps of astonishment right now. So many people get so excited about the prospect of Spring.
New grass.
Chirping birds.
Flowers.
Maybe I'd be excited too if Spring was actually pretty here. But it's not. I think it's the ugliest season.
In Summer you have green everywhere you look. You have hot dogs, baseball games, barbecues, warm summer nights, fresh scents on the air after the rain. It's a lovely time of year.
In Autumn you have the beautiful colors of the changing leaves. You have that wonderful crisp smell in the air. You have hay being cut, deer being hunted, and football games being played. Pumpkins, squash, cookies, muffins. Cold enough to feel cozy when you're inside, warm enough to enjoy yourself outside. Definitely my favorite season.
Though Winter can sometimes be ugly, much of the season is just gorgeous. White just covering the landscape. Snow-covered mountains in the distance. Being able to see your breath. Sledding, ice skating, skiing, and other winter sports. Getting ready for Christmas and everything that comes with it. It's a season that really warms your heart, even while your toes are freezing off.
But there's just not much to say about Spring. The snow starts melting, and where I live it just takes forever for any green to appear. The air is too cold to wear any summer clothes, but too warm to wear the sweaters that were appropriate a short time before.
And there is mud. Lots and lots of mud. It squishes beneath your shoes, and it's almost impossible to wear heels. The dogs get all muddy whenever you let them outside, which means you have to give them a bath at least once a day to prevent your carpet from becoming stained.
Everything is just brown and ugly. By the time there is anything good to say it's more like Summer than Spring.
Maybe the reason I dislike it is because where I live things just tend to go from Winter to Summer, with nothing but a muddy mess in between. It snows, it melts, there's mud, it snows again. And we go through this cycle until about the middle of May.
Exhibit A - This picture was taken last year at "Springtime".
We don't really have "Spring" here. Not like most people think of Spring. It's only "Spring" in the sense that little shoots of grass start popping up here and there, but that's not too exciting when they get covered by snow a week later.
Some people get the Winter blues. I get the Springtime blues.
Maybe you all can help me change my outlook. I'm just having a hard time figuring out what I like about Spring.
This post to be continued tomorrow . . .
Wiping mud off my shoes,
Check back tomorrow for my conclusion to the Springtime issue!
I'm doing this Bible study with my mom and sisters. We're going through a Proverbs study book, and it's really good so far. It's reminded me of the importance of wisdom and discernment.
When I was younger one of the qualities that I really desired for myself was wisdom. To be a wise woman was one of my goals in life. Wisdom is one of those virtues that helps you with every other virtue, and if you have wisdom difficult situations won't be so difficult. Difficult situations may not even arise in the first place, because if you show wisdom in different situations it's a good way to avoid complications.
Wisdom makes all the difference in knowing when to speak and when to be silent. When to share a concern and when to overlook an offense. What to say and what not to say. With wisdom life and godliness is just easier.
It's emphasized throughout Scripture that wisdom is better than any material possession. When God gave Solomon an opportunity to ask for anything he wanted, Solomon chose wisdom over riches or power or long life, and it pleased God (1 Kings 3:5-14).
Would I have chosen wisdom over anything else I could ask for? On some days I just don't know - but I would hope so. The amazing thing is that when Solomon asked for wisdom over riches or honor, God gave him what he asked for; but He also gave him what he didn't ask for (1 Kings 3:13). The Lord blessed Solomon for seeking wisdom; and I think He will bless any of His children who sincerely desire to please Him through wise actions and words.
Somehow I've lost that desire for wisdom in recent years. I think it's just because things have gotten so crazy and busy for the last, oh, three years, and somehow I just forgot about the importance of seeking wisdom.
That's shameful isn't it? How can one forget to pursue something that's so important - something that has been so important in the past? I don't know, but through this Bible study with my mom (who is a very wise woman) I've remembered that long forgotten desire of my heart: to grow to be a wiser woman.
Anyway, Proverbs says that those who seek wisdom diligently will find it (Proverbs 8:17). What a wonderful promise.
I think think the Bible study we're doing on Proverbs, reading Proverbs daily, and praying for wisdom are a good start, so that's what I plan to do.
You'll probably be reading alot of posts inspired by Proverbs in the near future!
When I was younger one of the qualities that I really desired for myself was wisdom. To be a wise woman was one of my goals in life. Wisdom is one of those virtues that helps you with every other virtue, and if you have wisdom difficult situations won't be so difficult. Difficult situations may not even arise in the first place, because if you show wisdom in different situations it's a good way to avoid complications.
Wisdom makes all the difference in knowing when to speak and when to be silent. When to share a concern and when to overlook an offense. What to say and what not to say. With wisdom life and godliness is just easier.
It's emphasized throughout Scripture that wisdom is better than any material possession. When God gave Solomon an opportunity to ask for anything he wanted, Solomon chose wisdom over riches or power or long life, and it pleased God (1 Kings 3:5-14).
Would I have chosen wisdom over anything else I could ask for? On some days I just don't know - but I would hope so. The amazing thing is that when Solomon asked for wisdom over riches or honor, God gave him what he asked for; but He also gave him what he didn't ask for (1 Kings 3:13). The Lord blessed Solomon for seeking wisdom; and I think He will bless any of His children who sincerely desire to please Him through wise actions and words.
Somehow I've lost that desire for wisdom in recent years. I think it's just because things have gotten so crazy and busy for the last, oh, three years, and somehow I just forgot about the importance of seeking wisdom.
That's shameful isn't it? How can one forget to pursue something that's so important - something that has been so important in the past? I don't know, but through this Bible study with my mom (who is a very wise woman) I've remembered that long forgotten desire of my heart: to grow to be a wiser woman.
Anyway, Proverbs says that those who seek wisdom diligently will find it (Proverbs 8:17). What a wonderful promise.
I think think the Bible study we're doing on Proverbs, reading Proverbs daily, and praying for wisdom are a good start, so that's what I plan to do.
You'll probably be reading alot of posts inspired by Proverbs in the near future!
As I've said multiple times before, one of the things I love about having an iPod is the podcasts. I love being able to subscribe to podcasts and listen to them anytime I want. I enjoy listening to music, but I get bored of music after a little while and I just like to listen to other radio programs. Hence my obsession with talk radio.
Well, right after I got my iPod for Christmas I also subscribed to some Christian radio podcasts. I love listening to certain Bible programs or the Focus on the Family radio program, but they're never on when I can listen to them - but now I can listen whenever I want!
I have about a forty-five minute drive to work each way, so it's the perfect time to listen to my lovely podcasts.
One of my favorite sermon programs is Grace To You, which is John MacArthur's ministry. I think he gives good, solid, biblical teaching in his sermons.
This past Friday I was listening to a sermon series by John MacArthur called "God, Satan, and Angels". You can download that series for free at John MacArthur's website, or subscribe to the Grace To You podcast - it aired in 2009 so you can sync the episodes of this series to your iPod that way as well.
I just finished the part of the series on the attributes of God, and in the last sermon I listened to, John MacArthur said something that really hit home for me.
He was talking about one of God's attributes - His Omniscience, meaning that God knows absolutely everything. He knows what we do wrong and what we do right, He knows our motives, He knows everything that's going on in the world, He knows how things are going to turn out in the end, He even knows how things would have turned out if we had chosen to act differently. He is absolutely all-knowing.
To illustrate the point that God knows what's going on in our hearts, John MacArthur told the story about the Lord Jesus asking Peter whether Peter loved Him. After Jesus asked Peter several times and Peter told Jesus that he did love Him, Peter finally said "Lord, You know all things; You know I love you."
MacArthur then went on to say that it's a good thing the Lord is omniscient, because if He wasn't omniscient there are some days He might not even know that we love Him, because it wouldn't be obvious.
Wow.
I was really convicted by that. I had never thought of that before, because obviously the Lord is omniscient and even though I mess up and do wrong things, He can see my heart and knows that I still love Him, even though I'm not acting like it. But I shouldn't just rely on the Lord's omniscience to give Him the knowledge of my love for Him - I should show it. It breaks my heart a little bit to think about the days when there really is no outward sign that I love the Lord - that I belong to Him, that I follow Him, that I serve Him.
How ashamed I am when I think of my behavior in that light! Because if the Lord couldn't see my heart, much of the time He might not be able to see that I love Him.
No one is omniscient but God. No one else can see my heart. No one else can see my heart. They can only see my actions. What a sobering thought. If there are days when the Lord might not be able to see my love for Him if He wasn't omniscient, how can I expect anyone else to see it?
I need to live my life with one constant question in my mind - if the Lord couldn't see my heart, would He be able to tell that I love Him right now? When I'm in the middle of an argument I need to ask myself this. When I'm having a bad day and feeling grumpy I need to ask myself this. Whenever I'm just living my daily life I need to ask myself this.
Because I belong to Jesus, God chooses to see me in the light of the righteousness of Christ, and not in the light of my own sins. He chooses to look past my daily failings and see my desire to follow Him and serve Him - what mercy He gives me, to choose to look past the obvious sins and consider my heart instead! In the light of such mercy it is such a little thing to serve the Lord through my daily actions - but how hard that little thing is at times! But He only asks that I continue to try - that I never stop trying.
No one but You, Lord, can see my heart - they can only see how I live my life. Help me to show them my love for You through every action.
,
Well, right after I got my iPod for Christmas I also subscribed to some Christian radio podcasts. I love listening to certain Bible programs or the Focus on the Family radio program, but they're never on when I can listen to them - but now I can listen whenever I want!
I have about a forty-five minute drive to work each way, so it's the perfect time to listen to my lovely podcasts.
One of my favorite sermon programs is Grace To You, which is John MacArthur's ministry. I think he gives good, solid, biblical teaching in his sermons.
This past Friday I was listening to a sermon series by John MacArthur called "God, Satan, and Angels". You can download that series for free at John MacArthur's website, or subscribe to the Grace To You podcast - it aired in 2009 so you can sync the episodes of this series to your iPod that way as well.
I just finished the part of the series on the attributes of God, and in the last sermon I listened to, John MacArthur said something that really hit home for me.
He was talking about one of God's attributes - His Omniscience, meaning that God knows absolutely everything. He knows what we do wrong and what we do right, He knows our motives, He knows everything that's going on in the world, He knows how things are going to turn out in the end, He even knows how things would have turned out if we had chosen to act differently. He is absolutely all-knowing.
To illustrate the point that God knows what's going on in our hearts, John MacArthur told the story about the Lord Jesus asking Peter whether Peter loved Him. After Jesus asked Peter several times and Peter told Jesus that he did love Him, Peter finally said "Lord, You know all things; You know I love you."
MacArthur then went on to say that it's a good thing the Lord is omniscient, because if He wasn't omniscient there are some days He might not even know that we love Him, because it wouldn't be obvious.
Wow.
I was really convicted by that. I had never thought of that before, because obviously the Lord is omniscient and even though I mess up and do wrong things, He can see my heart and knows that I still love Him, even though I'm not acting like it. But I shouldn't just rely on the Lord's omniscience to give Him the knowledge of my love for Him - I should show it. It breaks my heart a little bit to think about the days when there really is no outward sign that I love the Lord - that I belong to Him, that I follow Him, that I serve Him.
How ashamed I am when I think of my behavior in that light! Because if the Lord couldn't see my heart, much of the time He might not be able to see that I love Him.
No one is omniscient but God. No one else can see my heart. No one else can see my heart. They can only see my actions. What a sobering thought. If there are days when the Lord might not be able to see my love for Him if He wasn't omniscient, how can I expect anyone else to see it?
I need to live my life with one constant question in my mind - if the Lord couldn't see my heart, would He be able to tell that I love Him right now? When I'm in the middle of an argument I need to ask myself this. When I'm having a bad day and feeling grumpy I need to ask myself this. Whenever I'm just living my daily life I need to ask myself this.
Because I belong to Jesus, God chooses to see me in the light of the righteousness of Christ, and not in the light of my own sins. He chooses to look past my daily failings and see my desire to follow Him and serve Him - what mercy He gives me, to choose to look past the obvious sins and consider my heart instead! In the light of such mercy it is such a little thing to serve the Lord through my daily actions - but how hard that little thing is at times! But He only asks that I continue to try - that I never stop trying.
No one but You, Lord, can see my heart - they can only see how I live my life. Help me to show them my love for You through every action.
,
"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." 1 John 4:10-11
Taking time to remember Jesus's perfect love for us. I hope you all have a blessed Valentine's Day.
,
Taking time to remember Jesus's perfect love for us. I hope you all have a blessed Valentine's Day.
,
Today I've found myself rather grumpy. I've been focusing on some of the little things that have annoyed me this weekend. Little "bumps in the road".
Like the fact that my bank account was rather depleted during the Christmas season and I was planning on using any extra money for the next couple months to build it back up. But then Derek told me that the car is due for new tires (both snow tires and regular tires) and it will probably come out to about 800 dollars to get new ones.
Like the fact that we're starting our young married Bible study group (the brain child of a friend and me) tomorrow, but we just found out the Starbucks we were going to meet at closes early. Not a big deal, but we'll have to do a speed discussion so we can get out of there in time.
Also, I ordered the books for the Bible study two weeks ago, but we only got one of them in the mail just this weekend, even though we ordered two, so Derek and I have to share until the next one comes. The problem is that neither of us have that much time to do the first lesson before our first meeting, and we don't work anywhere near each other, so I have to try to hurry and do the Bible study tonight so I can give Derek the book tomorrow.
Derek has an early hockey game tonight though, and I'm going to it because he doesn't have many of those early games, so I'll probably have only a half hour or something to work on it.
There's no way both of us are going to get our Bible study done in time.
And of course the early hockey games still only start at 8:20 PM, so it's going to be a rather late night. Especially considering that I spent Saturday night with my mom's side of the family and he had a friend over, and neither of us got to bed until after midnight, and we both have to wake up at 4:30 AM (Derek) and 5:00 AM (me) tomorrow.
And the house will probably be a mess all week, because it's kind of messy now, I have a full week of work and will only have Wednesday to get anything done, and the house will only get worse with me and Derek working so much.
It's kind of hard to eat in between patients at work, and this week is a full week, so I'm hoping I don't lose any weight. I still haven't got to my goal weight. Gracious, you think it would be a little easier to gain six pounds.
Honestly though, tonight as I thought back on all my current annoyances, I realized it's not bad at all. Our life right now is really very smooth. My bad attitude is probably partly due to sleep deprivation, but that is no excuse.
These irritations are just like little lines in the pavement that give your car a little rumble as you pass over them. Derek and I could be on a washboard dirt road right now. We have been in the past - like those months that we were unemployed last year. It's so easy to forget how easy and blessed life really is right now, and how hard it could be. I'm ashamed of myself for allowing these little things to get to me.
All my complaints and grumpiness today were really about blessings, which makes them even more pathetic. Maybe we have to spend extra money on tires, but at least we have extra money. Maybe we won't be ready for our Bible study tomorrow night, but at least we have good Christian friends and a free country that allow us to do this Bible study. Maybe we'll be really tired tomorrow, but it's just because of all the fun stuff that we get to do, like hockey and time with friends and family. Maybe the house will be messy, but at least there's a house to live in. And I'd rather be worried about gaining weight than losing it.
How often do we complain about things that are really amazing blessings for us? I wonder how often the Lord hears our grumblings and frowns upon them because we're picking apart a gift that He has given us. The thought grieves my heart.
The Lord has given us a beautiful house, cute dogs, good jobs, food to eat, clothes to wear, a wonderful country to live in, and each other to lean on. There is nothing to complain about. In fact, even in the hardest times there are always blessings to be found. How terrible that we always search out the problems when the blessings are much more obvious. I think the Lord must be hurt and even righteously angered by our self-inflicted and willful blindness.
Lord, forgive me for my grumbling. I get so frustrated at the Israelites in the Bible for grumbling when You had provided everything they need, but I so often do the same thing. You would be right and just to be angry with me for my grumbling, but You are so gracious to me even in my sin and You forgive me when I fail. Thank You for all the incredible ways that You provide for us and bless us - I am awed by Your grace, and there is no way I could ask for anything more.
,
Like the fact that my bank account was rather depleted during the Christmas season and I was planning on using any extra money for the next couple months to build it back up. But then Derek told me that the car is due for new tires (both snow tires and regular tires) and it will probably come out to about 800 dollars to get new ones.
Like the fact that we're starting our young married Bible study group (the brain child of a friend and me) tomorrow, but we just found out the Starbucks we were going to meet at closes early. Not a big deal, but we'll have to do a speed discussion so we can get out of there in time.
Also, I ordered the books for the Bible study two weeks ago, but we only got one of them in the mail just this weekend, even though we ordered two, so Derek and I have to share until the next one comes. The problem is that neither of us have that much time to do the first lesson before our first meeting, and we don't work anywhere near each other, so I have to try to hurry and do the Bible study tonight so I can give Derek the book tomorrow.
Derek has an early hockey game tonight though, and I'm going to it because he doesn't have many of those early games, so I'll probably have only a half hour or something to work on it.
There's no way both of us are going to get our Bible study done in time.
And of course the early hockey games still only start at 8:20 PM, so it's going to be a rather late night. Especially considering that I spent Saturday night with my mom's side of the family and he had a friend over, and neither of us got to bed until after midnight, and we both have to wake up at 4:30 AM (Derek) and 5:00 AM (me) tomorrow.
And the house will probably be a mess all week, because it's kind of messy now, I have a full week of work and will only have Wednesday to get anything done, and the house will only get worse with me and Derek working so much.
It's kind of hard to eat in between patients at work, and this week is a full week, so I'm hoping I don't lose any weight. I still haven't got to my goal weight. Gracious, you think it would be a little easier to gain six pounds.
Honestly though, tonight as I thought back on all my current annoyances, I realized it's not bad at all. Our life right now is really very smooth. My bad attitude is probably partly due to sleep deprivation, but that is no excuse.
These irritations are just like little lines in the pavement that give your car a little rumble as you pass over them. Derek and I could be on a washboard dirt road right now. We have been in the past - like those months that we were unemployed last year. It's so easy to forget how easy and blessed life really is right now, and how hard it could be. I'm ashamed of myself for allowing these little things to get to me.
All my complaints and grumpiness today were really about blessings, which makes them even more pathetic. Maybe we have to spend extra money on tires, but at least we have extra money. Maybe we won't be ready for our Bible study tomorrow night, but at least we have good Christian friends and a free country that allow us to do this Bible study. Maybe we'll be really tired tomorrow, but it's just because of all the fun stuff that we get to do, like hockey and time with friends and family. Maybe the house will be messy, but at least there's a house to live in. And I'd rather be worried about gaining weight than losing it.
How often do we complain about things that are really amazing blessings for us? I wonder how often the Lord hears our grumblings and frowns upon them because we're picking apart a gift that He has given us. The thought grieves my heart.
The Lord has given us a beautiful house, cute dogs, good jobs, food to eat, clothes to wear, a wonderful country to live in, and each other to lean on. There is nothing to complain about. In fact, even in the hardest times there are always blessings to be found. How terrible that we always search out the problems when the blessings are much more obvious. I think the Lord must be hurt and even righteously angered by our self-inflicted and willful blindness.
Lord, forgive me for my grumbling. I get so frustrated at the Israelites in the Bible for grumbling when You had provided everything they need, but I so often do the same thing. You would be right and just to be angry with me for my grumbling, but You are so gracious to me even in my sin and You forgive me when I fail. Thank You for all the incredible ways that You provide for us and bless us - I am awed by Your grace, and there is no way I could ask for anything more.
,
This Christmas season I've been paying a lot of attention to the stars.
It seems like the nights sky is especially glorious this year. The stars seem especially bright - when I get home from work it's usually dark, and we've had a lot of clear nights - I look up and the sheer multitude of stars has just amazed me. And the other morning on my way to work I saw four shooting stars.
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19:1
I'm not sure why the skies seem to have my attention this Christmas, but it brings to my mind the star that led the Magi to Bethlehem. Where did that start come from, I wonder? Was it the result of two or three stars joining together, or did the Lord create it just for that purpose?
And where did it go? Did the star die, or did the two or three stars that made it just go their separate ways?
Did it appear right when Christ was born? And how long did it shine?
I think I'll have to ask Jesus when I get Home.
What a wondrous way for the Lord to make His coming known, even to heathen wise men in foreign lands! "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20
The Lord is so creative, and how great is His power that even while he was in human form, waiting in Mary's womb for the day of His birth, He was also making sure Caesar ordered a census, sending the angels to bring the good tidings to the shepherds, and setting the star in the sky so that Mary and Joseph were not the only ones who knew of His coming! He is mighty indeed that He continued to control the universe, even while He stepped down from His throne and became a baby in order to save us.
To think that our sovereign God, the Creator of everything, humbled Himself to be born as a human baby in the humblest of places. Hardly a birthplace worthy of the King of Kings, and though His birthplace was unworthy of Him, the darkness of our world was even more undeserving of such a light!
The sacrifice it took for Him to take human form - and the even greater sacrifice for which He came, to give Himself as payment for our sins - if we think about it, the thought should blow our minds. What kind of grace He must have! It's unfathomable.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for Your sacrifice! You could have left us in darkness, and it would have been just and right - but You chose to show us mercy and grace by giving Yourself! May we walk in a way that is worthy of that mercy and grace! A way that is worthy of the calling we have received (Ephesians 4:1). Amen.
May your Christmas be blessed, my friends, and I pray that each of you may turn your faces to His glorious light as we celebrate His coming this Christmas season!
,
It seems like the nights sky is especially glorious this year. The stars seem especially bright - when I get home from work it's usually dark, and we've had a lot of clear nights - I look up and the sheer multitude of stars has just amazed me. And the other morning on my way to work I saw four shooting stars.
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19:1
I'm not sure why the skies seem to have my attention this Christmas, but it brings to my mind the star that led the Magi to Bethlehem. Where did that start come from, I wonder? Was it the result of two or three stars joining together, or did the Lord create it just for that purpose?
And where did it go? Did the star die, or did the two or three stars that made it just go their separate ways?
Did it appear right when Christ was born? And how long did it shine?
I think I'll have to ask Jesus when I get Home.
What a wondrous way for the Lord to make His coming known, even to heathen wise men in foreign lands! "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20
The Lord is so creative, and how great is His power that even while he was in human form, waiting in Mary's womb for the day of His birth, He was also making sure Caesar ordered a census, sending the angels to bring the good tidings to the shepherds, and setting the star in the sky so that Mary and Joseph were not the only ones who knew of His coming! He is mighty indeed that He continued to control the universe, even while He stepped down from His throne and became a baby in order to save us.
To think that our sovereign God, the Creator of everything, humbled Himself to be born as a human baby in the humblest of places. Hardly a birthplace worthy of the King of Kings, and though His birthplace was unworthy of Him, the darkness of our world was even more undeserving of such a light!
The sacrifice it took for Him to take human form - and the even greater sacrifice for which He came, to give Himself as payment for our sins - if we think about it, the thought should blow our minds. What kind of grace He must have! It's unfathomable.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for Your sacrifice! You could have left us in darkness, and it would have been just and right - but You chose to show us mercy and grace by giving Yourself! May we walk in a way that is worthy of that mercy and grace! A way that is worthy of the calling we have received (Ephesians 4:1). Amen.
May your Christmas be blessed, my friends, and I pray that each of you may turn your faces to His glorious light as we celebrate His coming this Christmas season!
,
I was listening to Hugh Hewitt yesterday (I know, alot of talk radio this week), and Tarzana Joe, a poet for the Hugh Hewitt show, came on to read a poem for Thanksgiving this year. I liked it so much that I'm going to re-publish it here. I thought this year's Thanksgiving poem is great, and really brings things into focus.
Without further ado, the poem read on yesterday's Hugh Hewitt show:
Thanksgiving 2009
By Tarzana Joe
While thanking God this week for all our blessings is the norm
I say we should be thankful for the calm and for the storm
For the things that seem a hazard, when we think about them longer
Are somehow, by the will of God, designed to make us stronger
And so, I'm doubly grateful for the blessings and the curses
And humbly I acknowledge both my good and better verses
I thank Him for the grace that pumps the heart that keeps me living
And all the things I’ve done in life—I thank him for forgiving
The hand of God has fashioned this broad universe of beauty
And thanking him for all of it--is our pleasure and our duty
But more than for creation—for the rose and for the lotus
We ought to thank Him most for all the things we’ve yet to notice.
I really like that last line about thanking the Lord for things that we haven't noticed yet. I'm thankful for all the big things - my husband, my family, a house to live under, food to eat, dogs to cheer me up, having a job, being born an American. I could go on and on about each one of those things, and I do go on and on about them in my prayers of thanks to Jesus.
But after reading that poem, I've been trying to think of things for which I can thank the Lord that I haven't noticed before.
------------------
I'm thankful for my nice cozy down comforter.
I'm thankful for mud. It's fun to squish between my toes.
I'm thankful for all the great inventions that make my life easier. Like the microwave. How often do I thank the Lord for the microwave?
I'm thankful for electricity. That's what powers all the afore-mentioned inventions.
I'm thankful for the way it's so easy to connect with other Christians these days via the telephone, the internet, etc.
I'm thankful for color - can you imagine how wonderful the mind of God must be to think of something like color?
I'm thankful for spiders, because without them flies would take over the world. It's true, is it not?
I'm thankful for bacteria, because through the study of them we can get an entirely new glimpse at the ingenuity and creativity of God.
I'm thankful for space. There is no better proof of the existence of God.
I'm thankful that the Lord Jesus chose to die on the cross to save the likes of me. Me, with my selfishness, my pride, my sins.
I'm thankful that God chose to make a place like Heaven. I'm thankful that He died and rose again to make me a citizen of Heaven. I'm thankful that one day I'll spend the rest of eternity with Him.
I'm thankful for that eternity. It's a mind-boggling thought.
------------------
I've noticed some of these things before, but not in the way that I would thank the Lord for them.
Okay, and those last three weren't things that I haven't noticed before. Of course I've noticed what Jesus did for me - that's why I follow Him. But somehow I tend to forget to thank Him for it like I should. And that is shameful on my part. It's the ultimate thing to be thankful for.
I hope you find that ultimate gift of Christ's death and resurrection this Thanksgiving, and if you have already, I hope you remember to thank Him for it.
Poem: Thanksgiving 2009 by Tarzana Joe. www.tarzanajoe.blogspot.com; www.tarzanajoe.com.
Without further ado, the poem read on yesterday's Hugh Hewitt show:
Thanksgiving 2009
By Tarzana Joe
While thanking God this week for all our blessings is the norm
I say we should be thankful for the calm and for the storm
For the things that seem a hazard, when we think about them longer
Are somehow, by the will of God, designed to make us stronger
And so, I'm doubly grateful for the blessings and the curses
And humbly I acknowledge both my good and better verses
I thank Him for the grace that pumps the heart that keeps me living
And all the things I’ve done in life—I thank him for forgiving
The hand of God has fashioned this broad universe of beauty
And thanking him for all of it--is our pleasure and our duty
But more than for creation—for the rose and for the lotus
We ought to thank Him most for all the things we’ve yet to notice.
I really like that last line about thanking the Lord for things that we haven't noticed yet. I'm thankful for all the big things - my husband, my family, a house to live under, food to eat, dogs to cheer me up, having a job, being born an American. I could go on and on about each one of those things, and I do go on and on about them in my prayers of thanks to Jesus.
But after reading that poem, I've been trying to think of things for which I can thank the Lord that I haven't noticed before.
------------------
I'm thankful for my nice cozy down comforter.
I'm thankful for mud. It's fun to squish between my toes.
I'm thankful for all the great inventions that make my life easier. Like the microwave. How often do I thank the Lord for the microwave?
I'm thankful for electricity. That's what powers all the afore-mentioned inventions.
I'm thankful for the way it's so easy to connect with other Christians these days via the telephone, the internet, etc.
I'm thankful for color - can you imagine how wonderful the mind of God must be to think of something like color?
I'm thankful for spiders, because without them flies would take over the world. It's true, is it not?
I'm thankful for bacteria, because through the study of them we can get an entirely new glimpse at the ingenuity and creativity of God.
I'm thankful for space. There is no better proof of the existence of God.
I'm thankful that the Lord Jesus chose to die on the cross to save the likes of me. Me, with my selfishness, my pride, my sins.
I'm thankful that God chose to make a place like Heaven. I'm thankful that He died and rose again to make me a citizen of Heaven. I'm thankful that one day I'll spend the rest of eternity with Him.
I'm thankful for that eternity. It's a mind-boggling thought.
------------------
I've noticed some of these things before, but not in the way that I would thank the Lord for them.
Okay, and those last three weren't things that I haven't noticed before. Of course I've noticed what Jesus did for me - that's why I follow Him. But somehow I tend to forget to thank Him for it like I should. And that is shameful on my part. It's the ultimate thing to be thankful for.
I hope you find that ultimate gift of Christ's death and resurrection this Thanksgiving, and if you have already, I hope you remember to thank Him for it.
Poem: Thanksgiving 2009 by Tarzana Joe. www.tarzanajoe.blogspot.com; www.tarzanajoe.com.
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