Updated: I was just about to push the publish button when my mother called to tell me that my Grandmother has been diagnosed with three brain tumors. The largest is the size of a fist. She is 83.
Today is the first Sunday of the 2008 Advent Season.
The word "advent" is not something that I grew up hearing a whole lot in a Christian home and Baptist Church. It was simply, Christmas. The celebration of Jesus' birth. However, a few years ago, I did a little research on the advent season and it's meaning and I was greatly surprised that it's meaning and origin pretains to so much more than just the birth of Christ.
Advent has much to do with the preparation and anticipation of Christ's second coming. As Christians, our hope rests in the anticipation of a Messiah that will one day rule with peace, justice, and righteousness. It is the joy that floods our souls upon knowing that we will be reunited with our loved ones again. God poured Himself into a babe in a manger so that the world would know of His great love and longing to reconcile His creation to Himself. First came the virgin birth and now we await His second arrival.
I'm excited about Christmas this year and not for any particuliar reason. There is a renewed spirit within me for what the season truly means: celebration and expectation.
I want to do things differently this year. I want to prepare my heart by means of enlarging it for whatever God has planned for me this Advent season. I want to spend time in His word daily and find renewed love for Him and His purposes. And sometimes that is so hard. My desires normally come first and I have a three year old. But for the next 31 days, I want to fully commit to doing things God's way and exalting Him above all else.
The verse that comes to my mind tonight is Isaiah 9:6, "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Birth. Longing for redemption from an evil world. Anticipation of the second coming. Soon.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
8 Spiritual Things About Me
1. I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was in the third grade. I remember wearing my pink Easter dress with the slits in the sleeves that year when I walked down the aisle that Sunday night with my daddy. Walking down the aisle was a big deal to me and something that I absolutely did not want to do, but Daddy made me do it anyway. Of course, I was crying, because even then, I cried about everything!
2. I was baptized in a white and purple gingham dress. Imagine that! I'm not sure how long after I accepted Christ that I was baptized, but it wasn't very long. My mom was with me in the baptistry, not beside me, but there just the same.
3. When I was a teenager, I had one of those white Bibles that zipped up. It was the rage.
4. The year before Wayne and I got married, I taught second graders in Sunday School at my home church. On promotion day, the day I got "my class," the preacher handed me the roll and said, "Bless you, Child." I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Those kids are in college now.
5. My mom never let me go to church with my friends that believed differently than we or were a different religion. My friends could come to church with me, but not vice versa. For instance, my favorite neighborhood friend was Luthern and no matter how many times we begged, I could never go to church with her. It would be years before I would step into a Methodist church and TONS of years later before I would attend a Catholic wedding.
6. My life verse is Jeremiah 29:11. That's where it all began for me.
7. I don't read my Bible like I should. I love God's Word and I consider it a love letter to His children, but I tend to take it for granted and not appreciate it or hide it in my heart like I should. I have a bad habit of putting other reading before His.
8. In college, God used a very spiritual guy that I went to church with, but didn't know personally, to convince me to leave a dysfuntional relationship that I was in with someone else. At the time, I knew this particuliar relationship was not right for me and I was earnestly praying that God would send me a Chrisitan husband. I thought this guy from my church was him. Wrong. A few months later, I met Wayne. See Jeremiah 29:11.
2. I was baptized in a white and purple gingham dress. Imagine that! I'm not sure how long after I accepted Christ that I was baptized, but it wasn't very long. My mom was with me in the baptistry, not beside me, but there just the same.
3. When I was a teenager, I had one of those white Bibles that zipped up. It was the rage.
4. The year before Wayne and I got married, I taught second graders in Sunday School at my home church. On promotion day, the day I got "my class," the preacher handed me the roll and said, "Bless you, Child." I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Those kids are in college now.
5. My mom never let me go to church with my friends that believed differently than we or were a different religion. My friends could come to church with me, but not vice versa. For instance, my favorite neighborhood friend was Luthern and no matter how many times we begged, I could never go to church with her. It would be years before I would step into a Methodist church and TONS of years later before I would attend a Catholic wedding.
6. My life verse is Jeremiah 29:11. That's where it all began for me.
7. I don't read my Bible like I should. I love God's Word and I consider it a love letter to His children, but I tend to take it for granted and not appreciate it or hide it in my heart like I should. I have a bad habit of putting other reading before His.
8. In college, God used a very spiritual guy that I went to church with, but didn't know personally, to convince me to leave a dysfuntional relationship that I was in with someone else. At the time, I knew this particuliar relationship was not right for me and I was earnestly praying that God would send me a Chrisitan husband. I thought this guy from my church was him. Wrong. A few months later, I met Wayne. See Jeremiah 29:11.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Mirya Carey Quote
Mariah Carey is on the front cover of "Redbook's" December issue. I did not read the entire interview but I thought the following quote was interesting.
Mariah said that she celebrates Christmas with family and friends at her home in Aspen, Colorado. When describing her decorations, she says, "...And we have a manager set up in the front room because, to me, the season is about celebrating, about being with friends and loved ones, but first and foremost it's about the birth of Christ, and I think it's important to remember that."
The interviewer's next question is: "How does that religious aspect of the holiday fit into your celebration?"
Mariah responds, "One year I did a concert for Camp Mariah....that benefits underprivileged children. And every year I work with the foster kids of Denver. We do holiday events for them....Santa comes...."
My question is, did Mariah totally misunderstand that last question or does she totally misunderstand the "religious aspect of the holiday being the birth of Christ"?
(Source: Redbook, December 2008, "Mariah's Sweet Dreams of Christmas, by Julia Dahl, page 122)
Mariah said that she celebrates Christmas with family and friends at her home in Aspen, Colorado. When describing her decorations, she says, "...And we have a manager set up in the front room because, to me, the season is about celebrating, about being with friends and loved ones, but first and foremost it's about the birth of Christ, and I think it's important to remember that."
The interviewer's next question is: "How does that religious aspect of the holiday fit into your celebration?"
Mariah responds, "One year I did a concert for Camp Mariah....that benefits underprivileged children. And every year I work with the foster kids of Denver. We do holiday events for them....Santa comes...."
My question is, did Mariah totally misunderstand that last question or does she totally misunderstand the "religious aspect of the holiday being the birth of Christ"?
(Source: Redbook, December 2008, "Mariah's Sweet Dreams of Christmas, by Julia Dahl, page 122)
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Falling
This evening when I was leaving work, I fell just outside the back door that leads to our building. I didn't slip; my ankle just gave and down I went. Of course, it had been raining, so I got wet, too. I was so thankful that no one was around - that I know of - to see me fall.
The first thing that entered my head when I managed to get back up was Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." Instead of berating myself subconsciously about how stupid and grace-less I was, a Bible verse came to mind. And of all Bible verses, why this one?
I'm still trying to figure this one out.
The first thing that entered my head when I managed to get back up was Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." Instead of berating myself subconsciously about how stupid and grace-less I was, a Bible verse came to mind. And of all Bible verses, why this one?
I'm still trying to figure this one out.
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