O Come All Ye Faithful

Most of us know this Christmas carol…or at least the first few words of it:

Oh, come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,

Oh, come ye, oh, come ye, to Bethlehem.

Come and behold Him, born the King of angels;

Oh, come, let us adore Him, oh, come, let us adore Him,

Oh, come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Over the years, as we sing this and other songs over and over, I wonder if the words get lost behind the familiarity.  I wonder if the meanings of the words in these carefully written songs are even pondered.  It seems there is a bit of a “movement” to put CHRIST back into CHRISTmas, and since singing these songs is a big part of our celebration throughout the season, maybe thinking about what we’re singing can help. 

I have picked out some of the words and/or phrases in this song in an attempt to bring them to life a bit, so to speak.  I hope they help you to remember and focus on the true meaning and reason of CHRISTMAS.

All Ye Faithful

Have you ever wondered who these all these “faithful” are?  That would be those who believe in God the Father and His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ!  The “faithful” don’t just profess love, allegiance and loyalty with their mouth.  That’s a great first step, but truly faithful people of God will be evident to the world around them by the way they live their lives; not in showy works that make themselves look good, but through loving actions that bring all honor to God above.  To be faithful is to be loyal and constant; to be true to one's promises and vows; to be devoted.  How do you show or express your faithfulness to Him?

Matthew 25:23 – Well done good and faithful servant!

Come…Let Us Adore Him/Come…And Behold Him

The song invites us to come to Him.  To adore Him.  Adoration is defined as follows:  paying honor; worship; reverent homage; fervent and devoted love.  How often do you go to God (it’s an open invitation!)?  And when you do approach Him, is it in adoration?  I hear about many who approach Him in desperation, but adoration isn’t always first priority.  Oh, most of us eventually get around to that part after we’ve listed all our needs and wants.  But I’m pretty positive we’ve got that twisted around a bit.  Adore Him.  Seek his face.  Behold Him.  Gaze upon it with great affection.

Psalm 95:6 – Come, let us bow down in worship (adoration),

let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

Joyful

As we accept His invitation to be with Him, we can do so with great joy!  Even when our situations make us deeply sad, we can still be joyful in Jesus' presence.  Joy has little to do with US, and everything to do with Him.  To be joyful is to be delighted with something, jubilant and elated!  Just knowing that God is sovereign, and that Jesus has paid our ransom – that is pure joy. We can delight in that!

Psalm 37:4 - Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Triumphant

Oh, I think this is my favorite part…come to him triumphantly! Do you know why?  Triumph means victory.  And through Jesus’ blood, we already HAVE the victory over all that is evil, all that is sinful, all that is not of God!  Death has no hold on us.  By Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are redeemed by grace to our rightful place as co-heirs.  I think that is an amazingly exciting revelation and truth!

1 Corinthians 15:55 - Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?

King of Angels/Christ the Lord

Christ is our Lord and the King of Angels.  He lovingly reigns over all – He is in absolute control of everything.  I don’t know about you, but that is a BIG relief to me.  Because I know he has already claimed victory, there is no need for me to try to be in control of anything.  I can (and should) certainly do my part in the work He has set before me, but there’s no pressure to try to figure out the why’s or the how’s of it all.  The Lord and King above all has everything worked out already!

Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD;

plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I hope this has inspired you some, so the next time you’re singing your favorite CHRISTmas hymn, you might stop and think about the words you’re singing.   Behind the pretty music, there’s a “reason for the season” and a message just for your heart!

The Great Destroyer

“Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer

is too small to be made into a burden.”

~Corrie ten Boom,

Clippings from My Notebook

Just looking at the word brings on a bit of anxiety in me.

And yet, I know from experience that worrying about things does NO GOOD what-so-ever!  Not for myself, and certainly not for others in my life.  Excessive worry in my own life has produced an unhealthy mind, an unhealthy body and an unhealthy soul.  And it is the root cause of the loss of a relationship that couldn’t bear up under the weight of it.

“Worry weighs a person down;

an encouraging word cheers a person up.”

Proverbs 12:25

Worry is a burden not only to ourselves, but to the ones that love us as well.  It’s bad enough that we cause this trouble within ourselves, but to put that kind of pressure onto others is, to say the very least, unfair and, more importantly, unloving.

My own worrisome nature stems from a long time ago when, as a child, I never knew what was going on.  I was thrown into situations that were scary and uncomfortable, with little or no preparation or instruction on how to handle them.  I was told to just do it, and then if the outcome was not pleasing I was ridiculed for it.  That caused a cycle of worry in my life, never knowing what would happen and then worrying that I wouldn’t get it right.  Over and over and over.

Most of my adult life, I have been nearly insistent on knowing the who, what, where, when and why (and at least some idea of the ultimate outcome) of everything before I take even one step.  I like to call it “being prepared”, and often in my head it is being prepared for the worst, without thought of how things just MIGHT turn out to be just fine.

It all comes down to trust really.

Or, more accurately, lack of trust.

As a child, I wasn’t taught to trust and stand on the promises of God.  We didn’t attend church for most of my growing up years, and the only scripture I heard was used in “discussions” with my wonderful, Christian grandfather, by family members trying to twist it to fit the ungodly lives they were living.  In my house, “God” was my mother, and what she said was “gospel” – what she told me to do were the commandments of my life.  And all too often, I was lead into painful situations where I finally figured out that I couldn’t trust people.

I’m not bashing my mother.  She was a human being.  She had faults, she had “stuff” from her past, and she acted out in the ways that she was raised in, or in the ways that gave her the self-preservation she needed.  It took me a long time to realize this, but when I did I was able to let go of the anger, bitterness and sadness and fully forgive her.

What I have learned on the long road since her death is this:  I may not ever be able to fully trust people, but I can always – ALWAYS – trust God.  When He says not to worry, he isn’t asking me.  He is telling me.

And as an adult, who is currently entering into a life-saving transformation, I must make that choice every day.  Every hour.  Sometimes even every minute.  If I do not trust Him – if I continually worry – what am I saying about God?  That He is not trust-worthy?  That He is a liar?  That He doesn’t love me?  That He doesn’t mean what he says?

Those are all lies directly from the enemy of my soul.

And yours.

Take a minute to think back on your life and the many things you have worried about.  How many of them came to fruition?  And if any of them DID come true, were they as horrifying as your mind made them out to be?

“Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

And why worry about your clothing?

Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow.

They don't work or make their clothing,

yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed

as beautifully as they are.”

Matthew 6:27-29

I know in my own life, very few of my worries have come true.  And the time I spent worrying is time wasted, energy wasted, and often has destroyed my own happiness, but worse yet the peace of others around me.  I unrightly invaded their lives with strife that wasn’t theirs.

So, do I still worry?  Of course I do.  I’m human.  I’m weak on my own.

Do I have a better way of dealing with that worry now?  Yes, I do.

“And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers

that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow,

he will certainly care for you. Why do you have

so little faith?”

Matthew 6:30

My new way is called faith and trust.  I choose to have faith.  I choose to trust.   Trust in God’s word, not only in the Bible, but those loving words that He has whispered into my heart.  Through those actions where time and time again, He protected me, loved me, and put me back on my feet because He knows my path, and He knows the outcome.  And it’s all good.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,

"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

Cliché?  Maybe to some.  Truth? Definitely to me.

What will you choose today?

“This day I call the heavens and the earth

as witnesses against you that I have set before you

life and death, blessings and curses.

Now choose life, so that you and your children may live

and that you may love the LORD your God,

listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.

For the LORD is your life…”

Deut 30:19-20

Falling

It was a simple post on Facebook by a friend:

“Nothing like going out to dinner only to come home to

your 30 ft tall tree lying across the street.”

Just like that…unexpectedly, the tree fell over

and crashed to the ground.

Upon further investigation, they found that the tree – healthy looking with green leaves on the outside – had completely rotted inside.

There wasn’t enough IN it to sustain it.

I joked that there must be some kind of life lesson there. But is it a joke? What about us? Do we have enough IN us to keep us standing upright?

Or do we simply look good on the outside, while slowly – minute by minute – we are wasting away on the inside?

God tells us we have enough...

1 John 4:4 “…the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

and

2 Corinthians 12:9 “…my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

With our mouths we accept with a yes that seems sincere and heartfelt. On the outside we exhibit beautiful foliage…on the inside, we are dead.

We sink in the mire of our pasts…surely we can’t be forgiven of everything – especially “that” – but listen to what God says:


1 Jn. 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

We drown in the rapids of our present daily life, constantly worrying and we find ourselves making deals – “Lord, just get me through this and I promise…” – but read Matthew 6:25-34 and see what Jesus tells you.

We desperately grasp at the prospect of our future: will we ever *really* receive the desires of our heart?  Listen to these beautiful promises from God:

Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."


Psalm 37:4 – “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

It seems to me that we’ve made our Great God very small. Our mouths say that we believe, but our hearts remain hollow. We have become infested with lies and we have believed the “one in the world” over the promises of God.

As a result, we have come crashing down to the ground, much like my friend’s tree. People stare in wonderment, thinking “how could that happen? It (he/she) seemed just fine!” Ahh, but look there…it’s that little dark spot that starts in the center and slowly eats it’s way all the way through, until we can no longer stand on our own feet.

Unlike that tree, though, when we come crashing down (and most of us do at one time or another) we have the assurance of renewed life. It’s not a one-time deal either…it’s a forever deal. God is always there to help us, over and over and over, when we approach with sincere hearts.

God

…doesn’t leave us

…doesn’t forsake us

…goes with us every step of the way

We have to trust Him. We cannot try to understand his ways (Isaiah 55:8) and we most certainly cannot try to understand things from our very limited perspective (Prov. 3:5-6)

In my own life, things have not always been pretty, or easy, or good.  However, in retrospect I can see where God has had his hand on me through it all, protecting me, loving me, teaching me (oh, how tough love can hurt!). 

It is this knowledge that I now have, from those experiences when I was less mature, that encourage me to continue to move through this messy life; and when things get especially difficult, I know to lean all the harder into His wisdom, love and guidance.

So stand tall and beautiful, firmly rooted in His love. 2 Timothy 1:7 says “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of sound mind.” Those are not characteristics that correlate to being weak, empty, or hollow. YOU are filled solidly and stand firm because God’s Spirit lives in you. Reach your arms to Heaven and keep growing!

“Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up.”

--Chinese Proverb

Revisiting My One Word

In January of this year, I wrote a blog post about a new approach I am taking to the old “New Year’s Resolution” tradition (you can read about it here).

Since we are officially halfway through 2011, I think it’s a good time to check-in and evaluate how the “My One Word” concept is going.

The word I chose to represent what I wanted (and what I think God wants) for my life this year is RELEASE. I remember praying about it, and ever so softly hearing the word being spoken into my soul.

I also remember being excited about it, eager to “let go and let God”, anticipating freely and easily letting go of things that for so long have held me in bondage. I had visions of surrender, freedom, peace.

As time has passed, I have come to find that RELEASE is a hard word. It’s a scary word. And most of all, it’s a necessary word.

RELEASE means

you have to let go of some things that you love,

because you know in your heart of hearts that they are not good for you

RELEASE means

you have to trust that God knows what He’s doing,

even when things seem to be crashing down around you

And ultimately RELEASE means that WHEN you TRUST...

WHEN you LET GO...

You will see it all begin to unfold…

Right when you think your heart is breaking into a million pieces, He is beside you lovingly picking up all the pieces, holding them in His hands, patiently waiting for you to look up and surrender.

And when you look up, you will see Him do something amazing.

He will open His hands that have been holding those shattered pieces, and HE will RELEASE your mended, whole, beautiful heart…free of all those things that once held you back.

So, yes…RELEASE is HARD; RELEASE is SCARY; RELEASE is NECESSARY; and in every sense of the word RELEASE is FREEDOM!!

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Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

~~2 Corinthians 3:17

What's In A Word?

Do you ever have times when you hear something, and it just sticks in your head? It’s usually some ridiculous car insurance jingle or something on that level. But sometimes it’s something that causes you to stop and really think.  A single word that stirs your soul.

That word for me this week is

Yeah, I know…doesn’t seem very soul-stirring, does it? It’s not even a very pretty word. There are no romantic images that immediately pop into my head when I see it or speak it.

But when I put that word in the context of “cultivating” my heart, it’s stunning.

Let me back up just a little, without getting into too much detail. My life lately has been an emotional roller coaster. I attribute this to the fact that I have been trying for far too long to do things MY way, rather than to lean in to God and take his lead. When things didn’t go the way I wanted, I got discouraged; I numbed myself emotionally; and I allowed my heart to become hardened. Needless to say, there has been very little joy present in my life recently.

Fast forward a little now…

A precious friend of mine directed me to a podcast of a sermon from her church and as I listened, there was talk of becoming broken. Wait a minute…you’re probably wondering why someone would want to be broken, right? I mean, being broken HURTS. Being broken means you’re laying in a heap on the ground and you can’t do anything for yourself.

Ohhhh, BINGO!

This kind of broken is Holy and Sacred. {GOD – Break Me So You Can Make Me!!!!} This kind of broken is the beginning toward a “cultivation” of one’s heart.

The dictionary definition(s) of cultivate are:

• to prepare and work on (as in tilling the land)
• to promote or improve the growth of
• to care for, attend to

I love the analogy that was used in the sermon: how when the ground becomes so hard, it will not readily soak in life-giving water. Hard, dry, cracked earth resists that which it so desperately needs.

And so it is with us. We harden our hearts to God and in so doing we become resistant to the “water from Heaven” that He so desperately wants to shower down on us.

But, He knows what it will take in order to get us to start soaking it in. He knows that, like the earth, our hearts must be worked, must be broken, must be tilled up from the depths of our darkness. And at that moment is when we can begin our process of cultivation.

Our hearts begin to be alive again. The life-giving water seeps into every broken piece and softens it. The broken, jagged edges begin to shift and move together to form fertile soil.

And the result? Nothing less than miraculous…

We grow

We experience unsurpassed joy

We know Love – not fleeting love – “Capital L” L-O-V-E!

If you’re feeling crumpled and laying on the ground; if you’re in a place where you don’t have the ability to get back up; REJOICE! Yes, I said rejoice…praise God, because you are in the exact place you need to be in order for him to MAKE YOU!!!

Open your arms wide in praise. Open your mouth in song to Him. Allow Him to rain down on you and refresh you to the depths of your soul.

Isaiah 55:10-13

As the rain and the snow

come down from heaven,

and do not return to it

without watering the earth

and making it bud and flourish,

so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:

It will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

You will go out in joy

and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and hills

will burst into song before you,

and all the trees of the field

will clap their hands.

Instead of the thorn bush will grow the juniper,

and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.

This will be for the LORD’s renown,

for an everlasting sign,

that will endure forever.

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The Sound of Silence

I breathe in….

                         …and out…
                                 
                                                     …in…

                                                                      …and out…

In the silence, I can feel the soft beating of my heart…hear the slight whoosh in my ears as I sit here in this place I’ve called home for so long now.

It’s times like this when so many memories fill my head.

It’s times like this when I begin to reflect on my life, remembering the good, the bad, and the terribly ugly.

It’s times like this when regret sets in…

…when shame hovers dark and heavy…

…when loneliness taunts from every shadowy corner…

…when tears brim and eventually spill…

…a heart wrenches and a soul cries out “why?”…

And in the silence, through the tears...over the sound of the heart that is breaking…

I hear His small, still voice…


{“I’m here”} – my breath catches
{“I always have been”} – I am humbled
{“I love you”} – my heart leaps
{“I always have”} – I believe
{“I always will”} – and now the tears are those of joy

With every wrong turn I make, he puts another turn in front of me, steering me back in the right direction – gently prodding me and guiding me.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”   ~~Isaiah 30:21

I feel His strong and gentle arms wrap around all of me…


Heart
                    Mind
                                      Body
                                                         Soul

In the silence, I am in awe that He could love me…a sinner of the worst kind…and yet I have a knowing in this wildly beating heart of mine that, like King David, He sees me as a (wo)man after His own heart. It gives me cause to bow down in thanksgiving, here in this quiet place where it’s just me and Him.

The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.  ~~1 Samuel 16:7

The sound of silence is the small, still voice…His voice…

Listen...

He’s calling your name…

Walking On Sunshine

Ahhhhhh... bright, beautiful, warm sunshine!  After several days of cloudy, cold, windy days and bone-chilling nights here in Central Texas, I woke up this morning to a glorious sight - the sun was out in full glory.  The sky a crystal clear blue.  It took all that I had to not go outside and hoop and holler a chorus of hallelujah's to the heavens (I did so rather quietly in my bed while still tucked under the covers, lest the neighbors think I had completely lost my mind).

It is true, there are some real dangers to sun exposure, but I am truly saddened that the sun has been made to be some kind of "monster".  As with many other things potentially dangerous, moderation is the key.  There are so many wonderful benefits of sunshine that have been pushed aside and forgotten.  Scientists and doctors seem bent on scaring us all to stay into the dark caves of our homes and offices out of fear of what "might" happen to us if a little bit of sun touched our skin.

Below are some wonderful benefits of enjoying the sun, but first I want to point out that God made the sun - and God does not create "bad" things.  The sun is SO important that God made it in what is known as the very first day!!!

Genesis 1:1-5 says:  

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Did you catch that?  It says "God saw that the light was good..."  That alone is enough to convince me that the sun is not my enemy!

But for those who need a little more prompting, keep reading!

A daily dose of sunshine enhances your immune system. It increases the number of white blood cells in your blood, and helps them to fight in destroying germs better.

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Sunshine encourages healthy circulation, and stimulates the production of more red blood cells which, in turn, increases the oxygen in your blood.

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Got the blues? One of the major benefits of sunlight is that it soothes your nerves and boosts your mood by increasing the production of endorphins and serotonin in your brain.

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Getting enough sunlight during the day can help you sleep better at night. Exposure to natural light during the day increases your melatonin output at night.  Melatonin is a natural hormone made by our bodies that enhances sleep and slows down the aging process.

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Sunlight helps to balance out your hormones. Some studies show it may even help to relieve certain symptoms of PMS (can I hear a good Amen?!)

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Sunlight helps your body convert a form of cholesterol that is present in your skin into vitamin D. This results in lower blood cholesterol levels.

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And of course, a definite plus is that sunshine gives you a healthy looking complexion. It will make your skin smooth with an irresistible healthy glow.

 So, get on out there and catch a few rays!  Yes, be wise and take necessary precautions so that you don't over-do it.  Remember, the sun is not your enemy - it is the source of life and growth for us and all the earth.  Go enjoy it!