Friday, December 25, 2009

"Reflect on your present blessings of which every man has many, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." ~ Charles Dickens

Merry Christmas.
God has richly blessed us, and I pray for His love to fill you as you continue to seek His face. Thank you, Jesus, for Your life, death, and resurrection. Come, Lord Jesus, into our lives. May Your Kingdom be established on earth, and in all things Your will be done.
IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER

by: Christina Rossetti (1872)


In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty,
Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk
And a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore.

Angels and archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air,
But only His mother
In her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the Beloved
With a kiss.

What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him,
Give my heart.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

A BETTER RESURRECTION

by: Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

      HAVE no wit, no words, no tears;
      My heart within me like a stone
      Is numb'd too much for hopes or fears;
      Look right, look left, I dwell alone;
      I lift mine eyes, but dimm'd with grief
      No everlasting hills I see;
      My life is in the falling leaf:
      O Jesus, quicken me.

      My life is like a faded leaf,
      My harvest dwindled to a husk:
      Truly my life is void and brief
      And tedious in the barren dusk;
      My life is like a frozen thing,
      No bud nor greenness can I see:
      Yet rise it shall--the sap of Spring;
      O Jesus, rise in me.

      My life is like a broken bowl,
      A broken bowl that cannot hold
      One drop of water for my soul
      Or cordial in the searching cold;
      Cast in the fire the perish'd thing;
      Melt and remould it, till it be
      A royal cup for Him, my King:
      O Jesus, drink of me.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

~Matthew 6:25-34


There is a funny little bird that comes around outside my bedroom window. I frequently see him, digging in the dirt, stamping around and pecking at the ground, throwing up the soil and doing funny little birdy things. I enjoy watching him, because he seems to know exactly what he is doing, and is completely unconcerned about what is happening around him. The resident scrub jay chases him off on a regular basis (because, after all, the jay owns the yard), but he only stays gone for a little while, and usually comes back within the hour. I see him at all times of day, in all kinds of weather (he particularly likes the rain). Sometimes he brings a friend with him, but most of the time he is all by himself, digging and stamping and being funny.

I am pretty sure that he does not pray, but his actions of being his little birdy self are like prayer to me. When I watch him, I am certain of the things I cannot see; I am certain that I know his Creator. I'm not much of a worrier. That's not to say that I never worry, I just don't worry a lot. But this little bird doesn't worry at all -- he just does his thing. He is beautiful and plump, with everything he needs because the Father sees to his needs.

I want my daily actions to be prayers to other people. I want to be beautiful because the Father clothes me. As a daughter of the King, my needs are beautifully and bountifully met. I must remember.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Solitude

Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. Later Simon and the others went out to find him. When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.”

But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.” So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons.


Solitude -- what a treasure. I frequently seek solitude, and as a wife and mother of three I struggle to obtain it. If I get up early, I am questioned, and joined. If I stay up late, I am questioned, and joined. Solitude and isolation makes others uncomfortable.

“Everyone is looking for you.”

It irritates me when I hear that, as if I am not where I am supposed to be. In my world, someone is frequently looking for me I never seem to be in the place where I am being sought. The one place that I know I should be, that I am safe, is before the Father, in solitude. Everything else is a toss-up.

And yet solitude is encumbered. It is not understood -- it is considered weird and unhealthy. In the church assembly, we are frequently reminded that we live in community. And we do live in community, but even in community we need some time alone. Sometimes solitude is what is most needed. Yet when we seek it we are ridiculed, because it is somehow threatening. I think it is most threatening to the enemy, because he knows what we will find there.

I have seen the Father in the sanctuary, but I have walked with Him and heard His voice in solitude. I have gazed upon Him in the worship assembly, but I have touched and talked with, and been held by Him in private. He knows me best in solitude, because that is where I am safest. I know Him best when I seek Him in solitude, because that is where I am safest.