Flurries

It is snowing! Finally! So far this year, the snow has fallen to the north and to the south, but has for the most part skirted our area. I am giddy with snow happiness! The best part of today's snow is beauty and quality of the flakes. Not all snow is created equal. I'm no snow expert, but I've come to realize that conditions need to be just right to produce good quality snowflakes. Today's snow is that kind of snow. A snowflake is actually an individual ice crystal that grows six arms as it flits from cloud to ground, growing as it spins and flutters. There is a lot more science surrounding the anatomy of a snowflake, but that's about as detailed an explanation as my mind can grasp.


As I stood outside this afternoon, catching flakes on my glove, I marveled at the complexity of the flakes. I've been known to stand outside for long periods of time, inspecting snowflakes. I do it in the middle of the day. I do it late at night. I inspect by natural light. I inspect with a flashlight. Each time, I am amazed by the beauty God creates. God is the ultimate creator. His art is on display every day if we only take time to admire it. His handiwork is visible in the expanse of a morning sunrise. His brush strokes the hues of an evening sunset. And he handcrafts the intricate details of a snowflake. Wow!




God delights in our delight. I'm blown away by the fact that he cares so much about the finery of an individual ice crystal. And if that is true, how much more must he care for us as his individual children?

Take time to enjoy God's everyday gifts. Open your eyes. His gifts are everywhere!



"What a wildly wonderful world, GOD!
You made it all, with Wisdom at your side,
made earth overflow with your wonderful creations."

Psalm 104:24 The Message

Scandalous

My neighbor's daughter is pregnant. She is young. Maybe thirteen or fourteen. Her family is disappointed. No, devastated is more like it. I would have thought my neighbor was kidding had she not shared the news through tears. Her daughter is such a sweetheart. She is quiet. She attends youth group. She's a great student. Yet now, from what I hear, her boyfriend is ready to ditch her. He swears he has never touched her like that. Really? He is a few years older than her and he wants us to believe that his hormones aren't raging? Whatever. Girls just don't suddenly become pregnant. This situation is, of course, the subject for gossip. The neighborhood is buzzing!

It gets more interesting. The poor girl has come up with quite a story. I don't believe it and neither do her friends. But she is adamant. Get this: she says she's never had sex. She says she's a virgin. Ha! Oh, it gets better. She says she is pregnant with God's son. Whatever. I think her parents should send her away. Maybe send her to see a shrink. It's still hard for me to believe. She's such a sweetheart. But, really? This just takes the cake. Oh, have I told her her name? No? I should tell you her name. The girl's name is Mary.

There you have it. Of course my neighbor's daughter is not pregnant. But I have a feeling this is the way I would react if Mary was my neighbor's daughter. I'm sure that neighbors, family and friends had a field day with the gossip surrounding Mary and Joseph. Jesus' earthly parents did not have it easy. Sometimes I think we gloss over the whole Christmas story because we think we know it too well, yet we really don't know it at all. We don't ponder the consequences that resulted from the responsibility Mary and Joseph accepted with humility. We don't reflect on the fact that before Jesus was even born, his life was filled with controversy.

This Christmas season, I've had the opportunity to reflect, not only on Mary and Joseph's circumstances, but also that of the Magi, the shepherds and Mary's family through a Bible study. Through "The Christmas Story," and its accompanying video, I have been touched by the reality of Jesus' birth. I've been convicted by the humility with which Mary accepted her call. I've learned new truths about God's love. I've rejoiced, along with the shepherds and the Magi, in following the call to worship. But best of all, I've been reminded that God uses his most ordinary people to carry out his most extraordinary purposes.

Reflect on his story. Rejoice in his love. And then, be restored by his sacrifice.

Merry Christmas!

Isaiah 9:6

"For unto us a child is born,
Unto us a son is given,
And the government will be on his shoulders,
And he shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Dearly Loved

The events of this past week leave us reeling. The mass killing of innocent first graders is horrific and unimaginable, yet true. As a parent, my heart aches for the Newtown moms and dads whose lives have been shattered by a senseless, unthinkable act. I would argue that a parent's love is the deepest and purest love.

As a mom, I go to great lengths to ensure my kids' happiness, well being and safety. I have made midnight meals. I have made early morning doughnut drop offs. I have had middle of the night heart to heart talks. As parents, we kiss boo boos, make meals, do laundry, drive to the ends of the earth and say bedtime prayers. We sit through sporting events, volunteer for school events and chaperone class field trips. Almost without exception, we put our children before ourselves. That's just the way it is with parents. We would do anything for our kids.

Reflect on this for a moment. If we feel this way about our kids, just think of what lengths God goes to in caring for us, his children. I don't think we have a clue. Psalm 36:5 puts it this way, "Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies." What a great picture of the greatness of God's love. And then this verse from I John 3:1 drives home the truth. Here from The Message: "What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it-we're called children of God! That's who we really are."

If you are a parent, hug your child today. If you are a child, hug your parent today. If you are a child of God, embrace his love for you today. He would do anything for you. Remember that. Always.

12-12-12

I like numbers. I like finding discrepancies. I like finding transposition errors. My love for numbers is a good thing, seeing how numbers is my job! Numbers are getting a lot of attention right now. This year, in particular, we've had a couple of fun dates. We had October 11, 2012. Or 10/11/12. Today, there's lots of hype around 12/12/12. It was fun dating documents today. I know. I find joy in some strange things.

Today, for fun, I searched on the number twelve in the Bible. Twelve is a really important number in the Bible. Jacob had twelve sons. Naturally, this directly correlates with the twelve tribes of Israel. Offerings in the Old Testament frequently consisted of groupings of twelves. Twelve each of bulls, rams, lambs and goats. Move to the New Testament and Jesus was twelve years old when he preached in the temple. When he began his ministry, he chose twelve disciples. After feeding five thousand, the disciples gathered up twelve basketfuls of broken bread. Read Revelations, and you'll find references to twelve all over the place: stars, gates, angels, pearls, foundations and crops.

Jump out of the Bible and into our daily life and twelve is important in the order of our lives. Think about it. We have two twelve hour sections in each day. Look on the clock dial and there are twelve five-minute sections in each hour. We have twelve months in a year. We have twelve inches in a foot. A search on the internet reminded me that twelve is a dozen and there are twelve days of Christmas.

While December 12, 2012 is really just another twenty four day in the many days of our lives, I can't help but marvel at the fun-ness of the day. For some strange reason, it helps me feel closer to God. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because he obviously has an affection for the number twelve. And today is about as twelve-ish as we can get.

"Dominion and awe belong to God; he establishes order in the heights of heaven." Job 25:1-3

Can you see it?

Christmas is fourteen days away. Focus in...can you see it? Once you see it, you'll wonder how you could have missed it!

In the midst of the presents, remember His presence.

May you experience pure joy this Christmas season!

Christmas Prequel

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Christmas is coming. It's December. Duh! The newspaper is chubby with big box and departments store flyers. Advent candles are lit during Sunday services. Cousin Eddie, George Bailey, Charlie Brown and Rudolph are nightly entertainment stars. And it's impossible to shop without encountering the infamous Salvation Army bell ringers.

For Christians, Christmas is a pivotal season in our faith calendar. Jesus, we know and believe, is the reason for the season. As I reflected on a Christmas blog post, I was struck by the realization that I needed to rewind. Really rewind. Rewind back to the reason we need Christmas. The plain, simple, yet totally heavy reason we need Christmas. Sin. My sin. Your sin. The world's sin. Now the following truth is not new, nor is it surprising, but I simple do not dwell on it. I AM A SINNER.

Four words with a need for emphasis. I am a sinner. I am a sinner. My actions are my responsibility alone. I cannot blame someone else for the things I do that I shouldn't, or the things that I don't do that I should. I am to blame. I am a sinner. As in present tense. However I choose to act today, I will sin. Period. I am a sinner. I guess this is where I have company. I'm just one in a world full of sinners. In fact, a world of ALL sinners. I am a sinner. There you have it. I am not perfect. Boy do I know it. Never was, never will be, at least not in this world.

There it is. The Christmas prequel. A world of sinners, in need of a Savior. God knew our need. God loved us so much that he gave us a solution. His only son. Jesus. God's gift to the world. Reflect on what that means in your life. And then understand this: if you believe that Jesus is your Savior and confess your sins, you'll be forgiven of all your sin. Once you've made that decision, don't live in the past, don't dwell on your sin, and don't wallow in self-pity. Dwell on his marvelous sacrifice. If that doesn't demand the ultimate happy dance, I don't know what does!

I John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness."

John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall  not perish but have eternal life."

Are you dancing yet?

Access denied

Passwords. Strong passwords. Pass codes. For my job alone, I use upwards of a dozen different user names and passwords to access systems. Add to that my personal bank, credit card, FaceBook, email and website passwords, and I could fill a small notebook with login instructions. Of course we all know that writing down passwords is a big no no, so it's no wonder that I frequently forget passwords.

Forgetting passwords is frustrating. "Access denied" or "password incorrect" messages drive me crazy. I just want to log in and take care of business. Thankfully, I've always able to access my accounts with a reset password or a security question answered correctly.

Tapping into spiritual joy demands a password as well. Unlike computer passwords, our spiritual password is simple. Too simple for some people to understand. For this reason, I've always wondered why some Christians have such a hard time being joyful and praising God. Upon reflection, I've realized that some folks have literally forgotten the password. While some Christians are logged in and connected to the ultimate praise line, others are struggling to reconnect because they are chained to their world of worry, doubt and self-imposed guilt.

Praise God that he sent Jesus to set us free from our bondage!  God reminds us of his promise in Romans 8:1, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

The password is simple. REPENT and BELIEVE. Believe in Jesus as your personal Savior and you are right with God. Write it down on your heart. Etch it deep in your soul. It is truth. It is life. It is simple.

Psalm 89 from the Message:
"Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise, who shout on parade in the bright presence of GOD, delighted, they dance all day long; they know who you are, what you do - they can't keep it quiet! Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us - you've been so good to us! We're walking on air! All we are and have we owe to GOD, Holy God of Israel, our King!"