it's not too late...

If you have not celebrated Advent this year...it's not too late.  Here are all four weeks of videos done by Ann Voskamp to help pave the way and prepare room in your heart for Him this Christmas.  Enjoy!

the heavens can't contain Him...

The heavens can't contain Him

Yet Mary held Him in her arms

Pondering the mystery in her heart.

He chose to come earth

In weakness and in strength

A living Sacrifice for you and me.

As I think about Mary and Joseph being able to hold Jesus in their arms, I am amazed.  Amazed that God allowed His son to come to earth to be our Savior.  Amazed that though the heavens couldn't contain Him, He was able to walk this earth.  He chose to be a Living Sacrifice for you and for me.  As the day of celebrating His birth draws near, I am in awe of Him and of who He really is and of what He has done for us.

The heavens couldn't hold Him

Yet, He lives within our hearts

Covering the whole earth with His love.

Without His hope as anchor 

I'd be lost on stormy seas.

His precious gift of life would not be mine.

seeking, waiting, and hoping for joy

 

A gift born in a manger
A Bright and Morning Star
Joy came to the world that silent night
Enthroned in heavenly peace
Mercy wrapped in newborn clothes
Glory, Hallelujah, pure Joy is mine! 

Joy is deeper and more fulfilling than happiness.  Happiness depends upon circumstances or moods.  Joy, however, is able to sustain us through the darkest of  nights.  As we seek His face, as we wait on His touch, as we hope on His name...may His joy fill us, renew us, and restore us day after day.  May pure Joy be ours during this season of Advent and throughout the New Year.

a simple advent tree...

 

I do plan to have an actual Christmas tree...but for right now...I am keeping it simple.  

As the celebration of the Birth of Christ approaches, I am Seeking, Waiting, and Hoping.  I am seeking a deeper connection with the True Spirit and meaning of Christmas, I am eagerly waiting to see how that unfolds, and I am hoping for this season to teach me more about Him.  

In the Christmas carol, 'Joy to World', we find the words, "Let every heart prepare Him room".  O, how I long for Him to find that there is indeed room in my heart for Him.  As I seek, wait, and hope I am reading a couple of Christmas devotionals.  One of which is focused on Christmas carols and the other is focused more specifically on Advent using Ann Voskamp's latest book called, 'The Greatest Gift'.  These ornaments on my little tree came as a free download when I purchased Ann's book.  Each day there is a devotional thought, an ornament, and a verse to go with it.  

Living abroad and being so far from the rest of our family at Christmas time is hard.  As an empty-nester the holidays seem to magnify the absence of Nathan and Spencer all the more.  Mom and Dad (Tom's parents) will be coming to Belize to celebrate with us.  This will be our first Christmas with them since we left the states eight years ago. It thrills me a great deal to get to spend Christmas with family!  But, at the same time it will make Spencer and Nathan's absence all the more prominent as this will be our first Christmas with the grandparents without the grandkids being here as well.  

Following Mary's example of pondering things in her heart I am choosing not to meditate on my losses but on the blessings in these life lessons.  Our children are supposed to grow up and find their own places in the world.  When they get married they are supposed to leave and cleave to their spouses. And we have not been abandoned here... God brought us to this country for a reason.  He has blessed our efforts here in Belize.  We have a home, we have a church family, we have a growing ministry, and we have each other.  And along with the Birth of our Savior these are things worth ruminating on and celebrating!  

following hard after Him...

 

I read this verse earlier this week as part of a Thanksgiving devotional.  I'm still sorting out what it means for me to "follow hard".  Matthew Henry's commentary says that it speaks of "a very earnest desire and a serious vigorous endeavor to keep up communion with God".  And Charles Spurgeon says "we follow close at the Lord's heels, because we are one with Him."

My desire is to follow Him wholeheartedly, unreservedly, with determination. 

I want to be filled and saturated by Him.  

I want to worship Him with my whole being.

I want to follow hard after Him.  

My word for this year has been "Embrace".  Across the months my greatest lessons have been the most private and painful.  I've had to let go and grieve and I've had to embrace and accept. I suppose this is all a part of following hard.

As this year is winding down and I look ahead to the year that is coming I am setting new goals.  One of the things that I am looking forward to the most scares me and yet fills me with joy.  This too must be a part of following hard after Him.  I am learning that intimate communion with Him is the only thing that will carry me through each challenge that I am called to face.

Following hard is a calling.  

Following hard is a way of life.    

Following hard is a daily commitment.  

I know that I cannot accept this calling, embrace this way of life, or keep this daily commitment in my own strength.

The last part of verse 8 says "Your right hand upholds me".  Matthew Henry says "those that follow hard after God would soon fail and faint if God's right hand did not uphold them."  Isn't it a comfort to know that the divine power of God will hold us up and strengthen us as we determine to cling closely to Him and follow Him passionately?! 

May we experience the grace-filled strength of His right hand supporting us each step of the way!

  

  

  

Our Thanksgiving Tree...

 

I will give thanks to You, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all Your wonderful deeds.
Psalm 9:1

 Years ago in the little church I grew up in we would be asked to give a testimony about what God had done in our lives over the past week. People would stand up and give a praise or sometimes they would sit and just shout them out.  But each week I heard something about God's goodness poured out on someone. This tree of ours is kind of like those testimonies.  We are giving praise to God for the big and the small things He is doing in our lives for the month of November.  

 

The tree is not fancy.  Just a branch cut from one of the trees in our yard.

I used the same branch for Easter.  (just click the highlighted words to see the Easter Tree.)

Some of the leaves are bigger than others but that is just so that I have room to write more when I need it. I made a template and then printed them out on various fall colors of construction paper.  Each day Tom and I talk about what we are thankful for. It's been a blessing to share with one another a bit each day and not save it all up for the holiday. And each time I look at the tree I am reminded of how good God is!

There is always something to be thankful for...

What are you grateful for today??

Worship is...

This past weekend I watched this beautiful young Belizean woman worship God through praise dancing. There are so many ways to worship Him.  We can worship through dance, through song, through our giving, through the sacrifice of our time, through loving the unlovely, and so on.  Our lives can be lived out daily in a worshipful way. However God leads you to worship Him, do that.  

God put His breath into us and brought us to life. 
May we give Him back that breath in worship and adoration of Him.

balancing the ring...

Have you ever tried taking a photo like this?  For some reason I thought it would be easy.  I grabbed my Bible, took off my ring, and was ready to focus my camera.  It took me several tries to get this shot.  As I struggled to figure out how to make the ring stand up long enough to get the photo it reminded me of the importance of balance.

Relationships get out of balance at times.  You know what I mean...one person is doing all the work and the other seems to be checked out.  Or one person is ill and the other acts as caregiver. Or perhaps, it's the stage where kids are little and couple time is scarce.  We also get off kilter as careers are being built or as ministries are being established. It takes two people actively working to make a relationship successful. We've been spending time with couples lately.  From young couples preparing for marriage to mature couples struggling through a life trauma, the need for balance is fundamental.

I think the key to balance in marriage is found in the last part of Ecclesiastes 4:12

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.  

God needs to be the third strand in the cord of our relationships.  Couples need His hand on the scale from time to time to stay in balance.  His intervention and grace can keep a marriage together when all seems lost.  

May we seek out balance in our homes, in our marriages, and in our lives.  May we look for ways to strengthen our bonds and put them into practice.  And may we keep God at the center of all our endeavors. 

standing on the Rock...

 

He set my feet on a rock and gave me a safe place to stand. 
Psalm 40:2

There are days when I feel safe, secure, and stable in His hands.  And of course, there are days when I struggle.  I took this photo at the top of a 100 stair climb above a Hindu temple in Pune, India.  

While the rock itself was stable some of the steps were uneven.  Just as we began our ascent it lightly and briefly rained; causing the rock to feel slippery.  Upon entering the temple everyone had to take off their shoes. Which meant the only traction we had on those stairs were the soles of our bare feet.  With my head down I focused on firmly placing each foot squarely on the next stair persevering onward to reach the uppermost step. My reward was a panoramic view of the city; along with a sense of personal accomplishment for hanging in there to reach the top.

While reminiscing over photos from our time abroad this summer the above photo jumped out at me.  I was caught up in contemplating the journey onward and upward in Him. The path through the Refiner's fire has tricky spots to navigate.  Despite the fact that He is the firm foundation of our faith...there will be times when we struggle.  In these moments we need the Word to remind us that He is still there, watching over us, guiding us, directing us, even when we cannot see the whole picture.  

May we look to Him for the strength to take the next indicated step on the path.

And may we rest in the knowledge that He is indeed the Rock on which we stand.  

the power of friendship in marriage...

Good friendships are hard to find.

Good marriages seem even more rare these days.  

The word friendship makes me think of trust, mutual respect, and shared experiences.  A friend is someone you can be vulnerable with, someone who will tell you the truth and not just what you want to hear, and a friend is someone who will be there to support you when needed.  How many of us can say these things about our spouse?  I am so grateful that I can raise my hand and say, "yes" to that question.  

Tom and I found each other first as friends back in high school.  And second to our faith in God it has been our friendship that has carried us through some of the most difficult times in our relationship. Many times over the years though I was frustrated with Tom as husband; I still wanted to talk it over with Tom as my friend.  

Our 31 years of marital experience has led me to believe that a shared faith in God and a genuine friendship form the strongest foundation for marriage.  We've all seen couples who just don't even seem to like each other.  It is obvious by the way they speak to and/or about one another that they don't value each other as human beings.  Those types of couples are so difficult to be around.  But, a couple who truly values each other is a strong magnet that draws others towards them.  Those are the couples I want to learn from and spend time with.  

Becoming best friends in marriage is something that must be done intentionally. Wishing and hoping doesn't change the quality of a relationship but hard work does.  Perseverance, sacrifice, and prayer can all lay the ground work for a priceless friendship with your spouse.  I've heard about soul mates, twin flames, and such.  But to me, the most romantic, passionate, and endearing of all to be said about a married couple...is that they are best friends.  

reaping and sowing...

At Bible study today our leader, Verna, gave us this passage as the key verse.  As the discussion ensued many different topics came up, some heated, some thought provoking, but as we closed our time together Verna gently brought us back to the point.  "Each day is planting season.  Each day we plant something spiritually."  She gave us a few questions to ask ourselves and the ones that I am taking to heart tonight are:

What seeds did I plant today?

and

What weeds did I pull today?

The choices I make, the way I choose to live, are seeds that will either bring about blessings or negative consequences.  The principle of sowing and reaping shows up in the dailiness of life.  We might sow seemingly innocent thoughts and later find that we've reaped ingrained habits that prove hard to break.

May I always remember that everyday is planting season

 and may I be mindful of what kind of seed I am sowing.

Peace Be With You...

I have been thinking about peace a lot today.  This past week I've heard about surgeries, illnesses, deaths of family members, job losses, parents with prodigal children...and so on.  There is a great need for peace in our minds, hearts, families, businesses, churches, cities, and countries.  

May you feel His presence throughout your day.  

And no matter what you are going through...

May you hear Him say, "Peace be with you!" 

meditating on His grace...

This verse has been on my mind since we discussed it this morning at Bible study.

Take joy in the knowledge that God Almighty has enough grace for each of us in our times of weakness.

We're all connected...

run with endurance...

Make Me Your Deepest Desire...

 

Choose the best place for you to shine!

 

a reflection in a coconut shell...

 What I saw when I looked at the coconut shell...

What the camera showed me...

Stepping outside after a much needed rainfall a few weeks ago I notice pools of water in various objects, droplets of rain on flowers, and birds singing to each other in celebration. The rain cooled the air and brought peace in the midst of a muggy day. 

As I look at the second photo leaves from the plum tree stare back at me.  I think of seeing things dimly, the importance of focusing, and the need to pay attention to the little details.  On first glance I didn't see any leaves.  Without my camera I never would have noticed them.

This passage comes to mind as I contemplate the photo: 

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.  1 Corinthians 13:12

How I long for the day when we shall see Him face to face.  How I yearn for the hour when I shall know fully. 

I am grateful for moments when His reflection is revealed,

and grateful for glimpses of the divine in small things,

like water-filled coconut shells after the rain. 

Truth vs Confusion

 

Confusion doesn't have much to offer to us spiritually.  There are days when my mind feels like those tangled branches in my photo.  If I don't get enough sleep, or have been too busy, I just cannot seem to focus on Truth.  

Today I spent time at a Women's Bible study, time at the office, time in my garden, and time outside walking.  Each activity had a clear purpose and there was no confusion as to what was expected out of me.  Hearing from Him throughout the day is calming and reassuring.  I feel grateful for the days of purpose.  I even feel grateful for the errors I make from time to time because they bring me closer to Truth.   

Seeing these branches in our yard reminded me that I don't want my mind or my relationships or our ministry to be tangled and confused.  I want clarity.  I want purpose.  And I want peace in all of those areas.  

My prayer is to embrace the role of Truth seeker each day. 

And may confusion stay far far away from me.

God opens the flowers...

There is a rhythm and cadence to life that we must learn to fit in with. 

In my season of Embrace there is a sense of being called to accept 'what is'.  "Face life on life's terms" as the recovery saying goes.  There is so much to learn about God's timing.  And so much to learn about when to speak and when to be silent.  When to forge ahead and when to wait and see.  

I have been spending more time in my Al Anon books preparing and being reminded of recovery principles.  We see a great need here in this area for this type of support group.  Beginning with an English speaking group and then adding Spanish and even German.  It would have been ideal to start back when the English speaking AA meeting started. But we didn't have a meeting place available back then.  Recently a space was offered to us...it wasn't my ideal timing...but, obviously it was God's.  

Having a head knowledge that His plans are not always the same as mine is not the same as truly acknowledging that His plans are not always the same as mine.  And it's important that I fit in with His desires.  It's imperative that I follow His lead and not step out of rhythm.  There is not much value in forcing things to happen before their appointed time.  It just causes unnecessary stress and heartache. 

This doesn't mean that I won't set goals or make plans...it just means that as I make decisions I want to be more sensitive to His leading and pay less attention to my own neediness.  My praying needs to come before my planning. And listening instead of doing all the talking in prayer will help me get a better grasp of His timing.  

May I always remember that God opens flowers without forcing the buds...