Jesus is the Life of the Party

Christmas week is on! Last-minute shopping, food prep, wrapping gifts and preparations for the arrival of Santa. That’s not the case in our little corner of the world this year. Perhaps it’s good for us to be “on-the-move” because it causes us to relate to others who are also “on-the-move” like our armed forces who won’t make it home this year or families who are standing vigil in hospitals with ill loved ones and others who are having to work right through Christmas. Christmas traditions aren’t even a consideration in so many people’s lives.

It’s very different for us this year. What a surprise, after a year and half endeavoring to sell their home, my Frisco children’s home sold right here at Christmas and the buyer needed to close and move in by December 28th. That meant the hustle would be on to first, my children finding their next home, and then get them packed up.

Christmas miracles have come about, left and right, that assure us – God really is with us -- Emmanuel, and His ways are so much higher than ours. We see it now as the perfect time -- right here at Christmas! Payton, their 19-year-old son seized this opportunity to “strike while the iron was hot” and lay claim to so many home furnishings that were going to be sold or given away. It was the perfect time to find an apartment in downtown Dallas where he works. On Saturday, they moved him to his new digs – almost fully furnished!

I loved my daughter’s “take” on this timing – right here at Christmas. She thought about Mary and Joseph being “on-the-move” to Bethlehem and needing a place to stay. For them – it really was ALL about Jesus, the Son of God, being born. And, so it should be for us. In years past, my Christmas traditions were such a big deal to me – every bedroom decorated with a lit tree, the inside and outside of the house looked like a Christmas store. I made dozens of cookies and candies to share with family and friends. I handwrote and mailed a flood of Christmas cards bearing my family's picture. I spent hours shopping for the just right gifts. Despite my best intentions to make Christ the center of our Christmas, hyper mode was my center for years.

As we took our Sabbath seriously yesterday and embraced the 4th Sunday of Advent, we came back to the "principle thing"! Personally, I recalibrated my thinking to God’s way of thinking which is the celebration of His Son. If I let myself think it’s about me, I’d be in a tizzy that my Christmas traditions weren’t being kept. Here’s the deal – our lives, this season, our wants, our desires should be wrapped around THE ONE Who we celebrate. I'm determining in the midst of this “moving” marathon, to still keep my focus on Jesus' birthday. As I packed up a beautiful Holy Family figurine set yesterday, I realized that figurine didn’t mean I was putting away Jesus. It was just a figurine. It’s ALL about the LIFE and Star of the Christmas Story, Mary's baby boy, Who grew up to be our great I AM. "I AM" is our protector, our healer, our strength, our joy giver, our way-maker, truth-finder and our peace-provider.

If you've been like me -- whether in an utter frenzy-mode to this point, or in a little whiny mode about the changes in your life and even disappointments about things being different than they once were, since it's His birthday, then we need to LET IT GO! (Thanks, Frozen!) We get to show up and celebrate Him. No matter how we decorate the house for His party or undecorate the house because we’re moving, it is still ALL ABOUT HIM Who is ALWAYS the LIFE of the party. And He has come to give life to all the people at the party. And, when we lean in even closer, we'll find that the LIFE of the party holds out Himself as the gift that keeps on giving. And the gift tag? It has our names on it. Oh, what a relief it is!

"I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."
-- Jesus (John 10:10)

Help Us Lord! We Don't Know What to Do!

We've all been there. There -- where the answers don't come -- where the plans are uncertain. Where everyone is counting on us and we want to count the steps to the exit. Where there is a mob raising havoc in our lives -- the relentless, negativity mob we hear bashing our president, screaming ugly and hateful remarks against we pro-lifers, Bible-toters, God and country lovers. Did I at least cover one of the areas where you need to know what to do next instead of our usual responses:
~~ "I don't know what to do...so I'll eat another cookie."
~~ “I don’t know what to do…so I’m going to listen to the latest news commentator."
~~ “I don’t know what to do…so I’m going to try harder to please everyone.”
OR -- in big red, bold lettering......"I don't know what to do....but I'm going to find out what God's Word tells me what to do at times like this!"

Maybe we don't know what to do, but we go to our WHO -- Who does! We need to follow our Leader and leaders He used to show us the way. One such leader is King Jehoshaphat who spoke those same words when a vast army was approaching. But, in that scary moment he said this: “Lord, we don’t know what to do…but our eyes are upon You.” 2 Chronicles 20:12 At times like that -- it's not the WHAT but the WHO we go to.

Jehosaphat does something we won’t find in any military briefing. He puts the worshippers in front of the army and leads with the singers and the praisers. Their attention is on God -- our great Defender -- Mighty in battle -- our Rock -- our Shield -- our Fortress -- our Victor -- our great I AM -- our Hope -- our burden removing, yoke destroying Waymaker, Miracle Worker. That's Who He is and He is the answer to "I don't know what to do!" And King Jehoshaphat's armies watched the enemy forces fight and destroy each other. When the army of Judah overlooked the battlefield, they saw only dead bodies on the ground. No one had escaped.

What an amazing testimony to the power of faith, prayer, and praise, and that same power is available to us today. Praise is the voice of faith. So if you are unsure about what to do today, if the enemy is coming and the battle is raging and maybe you have even been wounded -- stand your ground and raise your voice. Speak the truth about Who God is and what He has done. About how big He is. How much He loves us. The ways He has always held the universe and our little part of it in His hands.

We cannot lose with Him. We cannot be overcome. As I type this I think of the stories of some of my champion friends who have plenty of battle scars but they are still raising invisible swords as they praise and worship God. To be a worshipper is to be a warrior. Jehoshaphat won his battle. We will too. We think we must know what to do. But in reality all we really need to know is Who. Because that is what makes the difference. That is what matters. When it looks like you’re surrounded, remind the enemy how you fight your battles – not with a sword or spear or fear or worry – remind him that you are surrounded by the Lord God of hosts by praising and worshiping Him.

How About a Game of Osani?

I read a story about an anthropologist who proposed a game to an African tribe's children. He put a basket full of fruit near a tree and told them that whoever got there first would win the sweet fruits. When he told them to run, they took each other’s hands and ran together, then sat and enjoyed the fruit together. When he asked them why they had run like that as one could have had all the fruits for himself, they said: “UBUNTU, 'How can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?'” UBUNTU’ in the Xhosa culture means: "I am because we are." Can you imagine how much better the world would be if everyone lived by that motto? Isn't that the way God wants His kids to live?

This photo is of the Efé children of Zaire (Congo, Central Africa) playing the Osani Circle Game. The game teaches that we are much better when we work as a team and think about each other before ourselves. It teaches that each individual can achieve so much more when they approach situations with the mindset and focus on love and cooperation rather than competition. Osani (the Efé word for love),begins by sitting in a circle, feet touching, all connected. Then, for example, each child in turn names a round object like the sun, the moon, a star, an eye and then goes on to name a figurative expression of “round” like the circle of the family. What I love most in this photo is the closeness of the children -- a circle of togetherness, of community, creativity, enjoying each other's company and celebrating the different perspectives each of them bring to the circle.

I often add words to the photos I post on my blogs. In this photo's case, I picked a font that I thought looked somewhat "African" in my mind's eye. Not until I looked at it, after the fact, did I realize the i's in that font, even though it's the uppercase lettering, is still a lower case "i". Aw! Being a little i in life when it comes to wanting to have it my way, or what i want or what pleases me. It's what WE ARE together. WE share. WE love. WE serve. WE give. WE go for what's right together. WE WIN together. UBUNTU -- i AM because we ARE!

Today, I'm thinking of ways that we can join our hands and hearts together to be a part of something greater than i -- greater than my 4 and no more -- greater than "What's in it for me?" What if we began to pray and humble ourselves to become servants that live a life of "What can i do for you? What can i do for the cause? What can i do for the team? What can i do for others?” UBUNTU -- i AM because we ARE!

There is so much competition in life -- between family members, co-workers, friends, political and news pundits, and so many others. I wonder "What if we thought more like these kids...."I am...because WE ARE!" Those kids sound like the kids that God calls us to be: "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:2-3)

How about a game of Osani? i AM because we ARE!

The Month of Love Can Be “Bah Humbug”.....if we let it!

Everywhere I look there are reminders: "This is Love Month!". Since my sweetheart is long gone from this side of heaven, I could shut my eyes, allow myself to be pitiful and think "Please March, get here quickly!" But you’ll notice I refuse to go there, so much so that I intentionally post about love this month.

You see, February 14th has been a precious day for me since I was 12 years old. Well, maybe even before that when we decorated shoe boxes for receiving Valentine cards from our schoolmates. Up till February 14th, 1961, the cards I received from boys were slim-pickens. But from 1961 until 2010, Valentine's meant the world to me. My Sweetheart and I had our first "date" on Valentine's (ages 12 & 13) and every year since then, we made it "our" special day. I fully understand, however, why many wish there wasn't so much emphasis on love and lovers -- especially if they don't have a significant other.

But, every year, I purposely decide to defeat those thoughts as soon as February rolls around. Rather than being wimpy, I purpose to be energized, strong and determined. I embrace this whole month and call it a Month of Love -- focusing on giving out love daily, expressing my appreciation for friends, family and ESPECIALLY, my Father God -- the greatest LOVER of all.

I'm sharing my thoughts with you about "Valentine's NOT being Bah Humbug". I checked my heart on it before this month rolled around. And look at how God intercepted my thoughts. These photos are of a Valentine's "Love" brunch given by some precious women from Dwell Church. The homeowner emulates the beauty of being a Martha who serves with excellence and a Mary who worships at the feet of Jesus. I was so grateful to be included in this special celebration that she went way out of her way to show her love to us. Everything was done meticulously with excellence from the "love" signs that greeted us to the handsome servers from the church who welcomed us with a lovely punch, a ticket, and a sweet "love" magnet.

Their living area furniture was moved to their bedroom. Can. You. Speak? Reminders of love were everywhere and the brunch was par excellence. Check out that chocolate fountain bar. How blessed I felt when she gave a gorgeous orchid plant to me and another widow. I sensed my sweetheart looking down from heaven and applauding. To top it off, the tickets were for the gorgeous centerpieces filled with candy hearts and roses, and my number was drawn. I tried to give it away for someone else, but they insisted I keep it. Truly I sensed God's favor. He keeps on pouring it on!

I like to think that this sweet day was a gift for turning up the love burner in my month. It was a “give and it shall be given” gift to me. So, I will continue to NOT fall for the "IF ONLY" lie. You know, "IF ONLY my sweetheart was still here, IF ONLY I had a boyfriend, IF ONLY I had a romantic husband." "IF ONLY" can do quite a number on our hearts. That’s why I’m determined to replace my "If onlys" with "I ams". I AM loved by God. I AM so thankful for the beautiful people He has placed in my life. I AM rich in God’s mercy and grace. I AM so happy that I love this LOVE season because I am reminded to amp up my love for God and others. 1 John 4:19 explains it this way "We love because He first loved us."