Christmas...

...that time of year when we buy oodles of presents we don't need and stuff extra goodies into our already too full refrigerators, all so we can get together and enjoy our families and friends. Has Christmas really come to that? Don't get me wrong, family and friends are wonderful. I've had the pleasure of having two of my FB friends stay with me in the last week. My family and I - we are completing all the normal Christmas traditions. We watched all the old Christmas specials (Charlie Brown, Rudolph, and the Grinch) and then drove around to look at other peoples' decorated houses. Tomorrow we'll join some of our extended family for several hours and catch up on each other's lives. But isn't Christmas more than food and family-togetherness?
We read the Christmas story from Luke 2 on Christmas morning - right before we dig into our stack of wrapped material blessings. Could we be doing more? The very essence of Christmas is celebrating our Savior. JESUS. Yes, as the cliche goes: Jesus is the reason for the season. Bleg. But it's true. So we read one chapter in Luke and we may even haul our lazy selves out of our sugar-induced stupors to go to a Christmas service at church, but what else is there?
God wrapped Himself, a Being so large that any words that attempt to describe Him appear puny, in flesh. And came to this sin-stricken, filth-ridden earth. As a baby. The most powerful Being, helpless, trusting His mother, just like every other child on the planet, to provide food, warmth, and clean diapers. In the words of one of my professors, "What in the world anyway?" It's apalling. It staggers my imagination. Hopefully yours too. Because you know why He did that? For you. For me. For us. The very mankind that has trampled God's earth and purposes into the dust. Yet He knew it was the only way He could get us to listen; if He became one of us. God is LOVE. So the only way He can act is in love. Out of pure, unmitigated love He came. THAT'S what Christmas is about.
So yeah, enough sermon. Go enjoy those Christmas cookies and the Rook games with your cousins. Hug your aunts and kiss your nephews. But please, please remember: Christmas isn't just about family, friends, or goodies. It's not even just about love. It's about Love. What can you do differently in order to reflect that?

Blessings all you lovely people! May God be very present in your holiday.

Remember when...?

"My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration!"

Ah, then...

When I get where I'm going, there'll be only happy tears. I will shed the sins and struggles I have carried all these years. And I'll leave my heart wide open; I will love and have no fear.

Living Fully

How do we live fully? It seems in the humdrum of life, our "full living" gets pushed aside to a more convenient date or time. But that date or time doesn't always come, and so our living becomes cramped and dusty.
We are aware of the story of Esther in the Bible. She was put in the position of queen just when her people needed her most. She told Mordecai, her cousin, that she would go to the king and plead on the behalf of the Jews, even though she hadn't been summoned and it could mean death for her. She said "I'll go to the king, and if I die, I die."
We know how this story ends. Esther went to the king and the king received her. Esther then brought her plea to the king and her people were saved and the wicked Haman was hanged.
Esther was an amazing woman. She gathered her courage, risked her life, and saved her people. She will be remembered forever for being so brave and willing to put herself in danger. We could say she was living life to the fullest. She gave everything she had to give. She was there “for such a time as this.”
Sometimes we have the opportunity to do great things as well. It’s easy to live life to the fullest when we are saving the whales, running a soup kitchen, organizing a fundraiser to make money for Bibles in China, or you’re in Romania building an orphanage. We give everything we have – we can see the results of our work immediately; we are changing people’s lives. People around us see what we’re doing and they appreciate it. They may even be a bit awed by what we’re doing.
So, what do we do with the fact that a lot of life is just living day-to-day, trying not to fall behind on homework, or fall asleep in class? Maybe we have a job. But it’s the same job day in and day out. We have almost the same routine over and over. We’re not saving humanity or going on mission trips. How can we live life to the fullest in those mundane, totally ordinary moments when we’re not doing anything spectacular?
Let’s look at what Esther was up to before she was Queen saving her people. She started out in a small house in a village. She was an orphan, living with her cousin, possibly eking out their existence from day to day. She probably ground corn, baked bread, washed clothes, swept the floor, and made the beds. She lived an ordinary life. Day in and day out; nothing spectacular. A knock on her door changed her life forever. She was taken the palace where she spent an entire year getting beauty treatments. My question is, just how many times can you wash and brush your hair, soak in myrrh-infused water, and get sprayed with perfume before you’re really tired of it? Probably not very long. Even this exciting thing became ordinary. Mundane. Rather unspectacular.
But faithfully she performed her duties. It was boring scrubbing floors, and being spritzed with perfume was certainly getting old as well. But she kept up with it. We don’t know if she did it without complaining, but by entering into those moments and accomplishing those tasks, she was living life to the fullest. In each thing she did, whether it was baking or bathing, God was preparing her for her future, for that great event for which everyone will remember her.
I have to wonder if Esther ever felt like her life was going nowhere. Was she tired of doing the same things over and over just like we get tired of going to classes every other day and doing homework in every spare moment? We have to remember that God is orchestrating every moment. He has us where we are for a reason. He may be preparing us for something spectacular. On the other hand, we may never see the real, full results of our hard work. Nevertheless, we are doing homework and attending classes because we are here “for such a time as this.”
Life isn’t always filled with the glorious things that let us know that we are making a difference. Sometimes we are just living from day to day, doing the same thing
But, we are here for such a time as this. This IS where we are supposed to be right now
Leo Tolstoy, in his story, Three Questions, says, “Remember then: there is only one time that is important - Now! It is the most important time because it is the only time when we have any power. The most necessary man is he with whom you are, for no man knows whether he will ever have dealings with anyone else: and the most important affair is, to do him good, because for that purpose alone was man sent into this life!"
Enter each moment, accomplish the task set before you; then you will be living life to the fullest.

First post!

Alright! I finally have a blog. Don't know what all will end up here. Probably a hodge-podge mix of song lyrics, quotes, poems (maybe some original at times), and random thoughts that seem important at the moment. Thanks for stopping by. Come back soon for something more inspired.