A belated Merry Christmas...

...and a Happy New Year, from my family to yours!

"...the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’)." Isaiah 7:14, NLT

He is Our Immanuel, and we are praising Him that He is always with us.

Be blessed this holiday week, as we celebrate the hope that His coming brings.

Glory moments

I’m tucked away in my bed for a few extra minutes this morning, our first day of Christmas break, with a cup of coffee on my nightstand and my Bible and laptop next to me. Quiet moments are few and far between right now, with the regular busyness of the season on us combined with learning how to juggle it all as a single parent. There are kids’ concerts and parties to attend, gifts to shop for, and the regular mess that always seems to greet me when I get home, just begging me to please clean up. I’m disappointed in myself for forgetting a deadline, trying to plan out how I’m going to get everything done for Christmas in time, and still trying to seize the moments of quiet when they come.

 In this crazy “rat race” of life, dreams can go unfulfilled, passions the heart wanted so badly to pursue are put on the back burner, and life can just seem so mundane sometimes, can’t it? It’s this constant going, going, going… without the feeling of accomplishing anything some days. It’s knowing down deep that motherhood is the most important job, but feeling in the thick of it that it seems like it’s mostly a bunch of tedious jobs including cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry – over and over – and none of those things require any of my own learned skills or seemingly lost talents. It’s that feeling of insignificance. Just an ordinary mama trying to keep all the plates juggling with all the other ordinary mamas out there.

Then I read it – that amazing passage in Luke 2 where the angels came to the shepherds to announce the birth of Christ.

  "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'

 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven,and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.' 

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.' So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them." 
 Luke 2:8-18,NIV

The angels came to the shepherds, and we have nothing else stating that they went to anyone else first. The shepherds, these common ordinary men who spent their days and nights watching sheep, whose jobs required little to no skill, and whose clothes probably always stunk like sheep’s wool. I recently learned that they were also looked down on for not keeping the strict religious rules and cultural norms of their day, due to the rigorous work schedule they had to keep. They were excluded, neglected, and disdained. These men were pretty close to the lowest end on the totem pole.

And yet, when God chose who would receive the news of Jesus’ birth first, He chose them. Maybe because they needed to hear most that there was hope of a better tomorrow, and the good news of a Savior’s plan to redeem the world. Or maybe, they just needed a reminder in their insignificance that they weren’t forgotten. The realization that God still shows up in the mundane and even the dark of night, when all the world seems to ignore you and be comfortably sleeping. When God shows up, glory always shows up too. Those moments the angels appeared to announce and sing were ones those men would never forget. Maybe that night brought the shepherds a little reminder to keep watching for glory moments, for one just never knows when they might happen with a sovereign Savior in control.

Glory moments… those are what I’m looking for. And I doubt I’m going to find them in an angel choir appearing to me in my own backyard. But I believe I will keep finding them if I seek them, and they will keep coming in the midst of an ordinary day. Because God is in the ordinary day, and His glory encompasses it even when I can't always recognize it.  This Christmas, I want to let the shepherds’ story keep reminding me that God delights in the ordinary, appears in the midst of the mundane, and He is El Roi, “the God who sees”. He sees the rigorous tasks that are never ending and don’t seem all that fun, and He knows that my heart still has passions it just can’t pursue right now. He sees me dedicating myself to watching my own little “sheep” and trying to keep them from straying.  He sees it all.

He has not forgotten me, or you, and He may just use the mundane and the dark of night to show us Himself in the most grandiose way we’ll ever see Him.

Putting on the Spirit...updated with winners...

If you are like me, you’ve seen the extreme importance of starting a day of parenting well by spending time in God’s Word. I absolutely must spend time with my Father, be reminded of His love for me, be encouraged by His plan of redemption, and be filled with His power and love in order to effectively go love my little ones and anyone else that the Lord puts in my path that day. Yet often, I’m crunched for time, I’ve got a sweet little boy snuggling in my bed wanting to be tickled, or I didn’t take the time to prepare for the school day the night before and now I’m running around trying to get everyone out the door on time.
 

That’s why I was thrilled to hear about this new Bible study called Putting on the Spirit, created especially for the busy mom who is pressed for time but desperately wants to spend regular time each morning in the Word of God. I love how it's not long but it goes into good depth, and helps readers dig deeply in their Bibles every day in a consistent but brief amount of time. This is a topical study of the fruit of the Spirit, taking apart each one listed, studying what the Scripture has to say on that "fruit", and applying what we’ve learned to our lives as mothers. I have done other studies on the fruit of the Spirit, but none so applicable to this phase of my life, giving me practical ways to implement it as the day parenting my children begins. The author, Katie Hornor, continually encourages the use of a notebook, and this helps emphasize important biblical truth and provide a way to remember and reflect on it for years to come.
 

And from December 11-13, this new study is on sale for just 99 cents to download on Kindle! You can go here to buy and download, or to give a gift to a friend who might be encouraged by this study. You will be so glad that you did!

But the fun news for today, is that I get the blessing of giving away three copies!!! Just leave a comment here sharing how you make time as a busy mom, to spend time with the Savior. I will be drawing three names after 9:00 pm EST, tomorrow (Friday) night.

Winners are... Faith, Jennifer, and Sabrina!  Don't forget to download this book while it's still 99 cents, through tonight only!  

On grief and holidays...

I’m so thankful that we have such a great support system around us, checking in regularly to see how we are doing and loving on us in any way they can. One question I’ve been asked a lot lately is, “How are you doing with the holiday season here?” It’s made me really reflect and ask myself, “How AM I doing?”

You see, there’s this constant clash within me of grief and joy. Of course, I am sad. Of course, I miss my best friend and love of my life so much, especially when there are holiday events and festive activities to look forward to. It’s pretty lonely to go to a party by myself when all my friends have their husbands along, and it stinks to be excluded from Christmas themed “date night” invitations. This time of year, B used to call me “Captain Christmas,” and L started being known recently by his daddy as “Captain Junior Christmas,” because of our love for decorating and seasonal festive activities. All of those are much harder this year without the person who made them much more fun with his big sense of humor and tremendous love for his family. However, there is a new level of beauty and depth this year in the reason I celebrate holidays.

Over Thanksgiving week, I had so much more to be thankful for because I’ve seen Jesus carry us through dark days and constantly bring enough light to our journey that we are able to keep pressing forward. I’ve realized that life is a gift, and not one day should be taken for granted, because you just never know what’s coming.  I've seen the body of Christ in action, and it is a beautiful, beautiful thing.  And now that the Christmas season is upon us, I can’t help but rejoice even more because of the true reason we celebrate. It’s not about gifts or decorations, or even all those fun Christmas parties I'm missing out on this year. It’s about a Heavenly King that was willing to leave His throne and belittle Himself by coming into our world as a helpless baby, just so He could grow up and fulfill His redemptive plan through His painful death on the cross.

And, you know, I feel like this is the only time of year when much of the world focuses on and celebrates that truth with me. Sure, they may not know the extent of the amazing Story, and they need to. But every time Silent Night or Away in a Manger is played, and every time a cause for giving to others is announced, He shines brighter. His plan as the Savior of the World is more clearly announced through this mess we live in. So how can I not celebrate? How can my heart, which will always miss B, not still have reason to rejoice? This baby… this Savior… He is my only hope for living in this fallen world. It is His gift, His humility, His love and His sacrifice, that assures me that better things are ahead.

Yea, you can keep your “Blue Christmas” and “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” songs to yourself this year. I don’t need to hear them. And right now they just depress me. But I’m choosing to sing loudly to “Joy to the World,” because I know for sure that it’s true.

The Lord has come… and He has come for me and for you.