EASTER — ARE YOU READY?

Christmas takes a lot of preparation. Decorate the whole house..inside and out. Shopping can be a real hassle. Next comes a trip to the grocery store to get supplies to make cookies, candy, and plum pudding. Followed by another trip to purchase supplies for Christmas dinner!!! Then it is all done in reverse. Dinner is over and the kitchen has to be cleaned. Leftover sweets are boxed up. Wrapping paper is put back in the corner of the closet. And, with a deep sigh, the taking down of the decorations …inside and out.. begins.

Yes, Christmas takes a lot of preparation. Easter on the other hand is easy. Set out an Easter bunny. Color a few eggs. Buy a new outfit. Stick the ham in the oven. And, after Easter, put the bunny away. 

Or is there more to it?

We want to celebrate Christmas. We picture Mary peacefully riding that donkey. Angels and heavenly hosts singing. Shepherds heading to the stable. Hey, who doesn’t want to see a new baby? Yes, we want to celebrate Christmas and we want to cherish the birth of Jesus from the moment the angel tells Mary that she is blessed. But Easter is different. 

We want to picture Jesus riding the colt and hear the shouts of Hosanna. We want to picture Jesus breaking the bread and holding the cup. We want to celebrate a risen Savior. We want to skip over the other parts. We do not want to think of Jesus standing condemned. We do not want to picture Jesus being beaten and forced to carry the Cross. We do not want to witness Jesus hanging on the Cross. We do not want to see him die. We do not want to watch as he is put into the tomb. We want to skip over those parts. 

But we cannot skip those parts because they are the Easter Story!!! Those parts are our salvation. Those parts are our hope. Jesus took our sins. And then Jesus gave us the way to have eternal life.

Easter asks a question: Are you ready? 

Easter asks a question that only you can answer: Do you know the way?

Get ready for Easter. Set out the bunny. Color a few eggs. Buy a new outfit. Put the ham in the oven. 

But don’t forget. You have two questions to answer: Are you ready and do you know the way?

 HOW CAN YOU NOT

Driving to an appointment, I heard the song, How Can You Not, by Leanna Crawford.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70JD5YTemJc

Part of the lyrics are:

I see the sun rise

…a million stars

…hear the birds

How can you not see God

In every little thing, in every little moment?

I have often wondered how anyone can look around and not realize this world was created by a loving God.  As the song states, we see God in the sunrise, the stars, and when we hear a bird.  Although, I think the bird singing at 5:00 AM is the devil trying to annoy me.

Often, we see something over and over until we no longer see it as a gift from God.  We walk by a tree or a rose bush or a stream and only see a tree, a rose, or flowing water. 

It is the chorus that got my attention.  IN EVERY LITTLE THING!  IN EVERY LITTLE MOMENT!  And isn’t that where we see God?  The little things that aren’t so little and the little moments that last a lifetime.

I remember the first time I felt a baby kick.  I swear that baby was trying to kick its way out.  (It was a boy, but back then you had to wait and see what popped out.)  It was such a normal thing when the little hand of a baby grasped my finger.  That first kick and the feel of a baby’s hand holding mine may be normal, everyday happenings, but they are not little things!  They are in my heart forever. 

The second pregnancy did not hold the wonder of the first.  I knew what was going to happen and I waited for the first kick.  Except the kick never came.  This baby was doing hands to feet exercises.  This time the morning sickness came when I got home from work and started to fix supper.  But then we met her and looked into her eyes and held her.  Normal, everyday happenings, but these were not a little thing.  And once again I saw God.

Over the years, I have found God in the so many little moments.  I remember God being present in a little church, when I turned down the aisle and saw Bill.  I remember the first time I saw the ocean, the Rocky Mountains, eating an orange right off the tree, and delivering a calf.  I can close my eyes and see my grandmother’s home and trying to read the Bible to her when she no longer could read. 

At the time, many things seem like part of life.  Nothing special.  Nothing unusual.  Just normal day to day stuff.  UNTIL we realize God is in every little thing, in every little moment.

Psalm 104 has 35 verses for you to read.  The cliff notes:

• God uses light, the heavens, water, clouds, wind, and flames
• God set the earth on its foundation and made springs … grass … trees … high mountains …the moon … birds and animals … the sun … the sea teaming with creatures … man
• We will sing to the LORD … praise … meditate …rejoice

God is all around us.  God is in every little thing, in every little moment.  How can you not see God?

And, sadly, way too many people miss Him.

A HOTEL FOR BOOK LOVERS

At one magical instant in your early childhood, the page of a book – that string of confused, alien ciphers – shivered into meaning.  Words spoke to you, gave up their secrets; at that moment, whole universes opened.  You became, irrevocably, a reader.  Alberto Manguel, A History of Reading.

I love to read and remember the books, with blue covers, on the shelves of the middle school library.  I started with the first one and read through the series of biographies.  I flew with Amelia Earhart, researched with Madam Curie, and blazed a trail with Daniel Boone.  Agatha Christie taught me detective skills and Harry Potter ignited my imagination.  Books have taken me to countries I will never visit.  I can have one book beside the bed, one beside the couch, and read one while cooking.  And keep each story straight.  Yes, I love to read.

My sister, also an avid reader, said, “It is too bad we cannot find a hotel which caters to readers.  Instead of sitting beside a pool, we could find a cozy nook….and have trays of cheese, crackers, and fancy sandwiches quietly delivered to our nook….and of course glasses of wine.  Now, that would be a vacation!”

This got me to wondering if there are hotels like this and off to google I went.  There are hotels which cater to book lovers!  The ones I found would require boarding a plane and having a passport.  But, I was determined!  Surely I had missed something.  And there it was.  Just what I was looking for:  The Bookshop Hotel.

The website drew me in.  Located in a small town.  In a really old building.  With nooks and comfortable chairs.  Every afternoon at 12:30, there is a book reading, on the green,.  Still no address!  What website would not have an address and phone number!  Talk about poor marketing!  Then I saw a link to their Facebook page.  Surely, the information would be found there. 

The Bookshop Hotel page was full of pictures of the quaint houses scattered around Lily Hollow.  Finally, the name of the town.  Maybe this was a test.  You had to follow leads, with true determination, to find booking information.  Only then would you be considered a true lover of books and worthy of a stay.

I searched and saw the names of many books:  The River of No Return, The Fifth Avenue Story Society, Ink and Bone, A Place to Hang the Moon, The Adventures of Mr. Toad, Peter and Wendy, and on, and on, and on.  Was I ever going to find an address?

The answer is no.  You see, I was searching so hard for a hotel that catered to book lovers that I failed to detect one small detail – Agatha Christie would not be proud of me – The Bookshop Hotel is NOT a hotel.  It is a BOOK!!!  A book now on my Kindle.

There is a lesson here.  When searching for something, be sure of where the search is leading you.  Are you headed to a place of fiction or a place of reality?

While you ponder that last sentence, I will be reading a book.  A book titled The Bookshop Hotel.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

I have not done random thoughts lately, so here goes –

I love to work jigsaw puzzles, but I wonder about something.  Exactly what prompted someone to look at a picture and decide to cut it into pieces so they could put the pieces back together? 

And what parent, of a very bored child, decided to put words into all sorts of straight lines, diagonal lines, upside down, and backwards, filling in all the blank spaces with odd letters, and calling it word search.  Then they handed it to their very bored child and said, “Here.  Find this list of words.”  Of course, that idea has resulted in their becoming rich by putting them in books and online.  Why is it always someone else that comes up with a marketable idea?  Why didn’t I get uncomfortable, at a little league game, and create a chair-in-a-bag?

Thinking about games – Why did they call the game SORRY?  Admit it.  No one is every sorry when they send someone back to home.

A morning without coffee is a morning you would not want to spend with me.  The sunshine is beautiful today.  Lunch with friends is time well spent.  Even when that friend reminds me about getting stopped for speeding, and ……..

I enjoy quiet time, but sometimes quiet can be very loud.

There is still snow on the ground and it was very cold the other morning when I saw a robin.  I wonder if the robin thought, “Did I look at the calendar wrong?”

How am I officially the shortest person in our family?  I still get teased that, after buying a new mattress (much ticker than a mattress used to be), I had three inches cut off the legs of the bed.  If you are shaking your head and thinking I am stretching the truth, I am telling the whole truth!

I love to read, but if the book hasn’t hooked me the end of the first chapter (sometimes by the end of the second page) I am done.  It goes back.

And the amount of work I get done depends on how good a book is or how many pieces are left in a puzzle.

That brings me back to the beginning:  jigsaw puzzles.  Which makes me think of reading the Bible.  Sometimes it seems like a jigsaw puzzle.  How do the pieces/stories fit together?  Where do I find answers?  Why did they use that word?  When would the disciples finally understand?  Who is Crispus?  (General index, random pick, with eyes closed.) 

Reading the Bible is like working a jigsaw puzzle.  As you read, you understand how one story fits with other stories.  BUT, unlike a jigsaw puzzle which eventually comes together, reading the Bible is an unending journey.  A journey worth taking and you might even find Crispus. (Hint:  Acts 18:8)

 As I write this, the snow is coming down and the people in the know say we could get 8-12”.  Don’t ya love the word could?  I think the forecasters use could to give them an out when the predicted snowfall does not happen.  The same holds true for the possible tornado or storm.  To be fair, sometimes they are right and making people aware, of the possibility of what could happen, can save lives.

The trouble is people quit paying attention.  The news flash says a tornado is headed your way.  The first time, you get in a safe room.  No tornado.  The second time, you watch out the window.  No tornado.  The third time, you sit on the porch and watch the clouds.  No tornado.  The fourth time … you pay no attention and keep on watching the movie.  The most you might do for a snow storm is help empty the shelves of milk and bread.

We quit paying attention to the warnings.  The problem with this is that IF a snowstorm or a tornado really happens, we will not be prepared and it could be too late. 

Life is full of could, might, and possible.  Life is full of not paying attention because could, might, and possible did not happen.  Life is full of suddenly realizing we should have paid attention.  We realize it can be too late.

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.  That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.  Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

 

So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

 

     Matthew 24:36-41, 44

Life is full of could, might, and possible.  Go back and look at the scripture.  Do you find even one could, might, or possible?  Or do you find the absolute certain words will be and would happen?

Do not sit on your porch and watch for the Son of Man to return.  Live your life as if it will happen the very next second.  Celebrate the falling snow and see how it decorates the trees and makes the landscape look clean and pure.  Call your spouse, your parents, your children, and your friends to tell them they are valuable.  Work to the best of your ability and be honest and trustworthy.  Be compassionate and share with those less fortunate.  And at dark, lay your head down, place your cares and worries into God’s hands, and rest.

 RUTH

 Our Sunday School Class has been studying the Book of Ruth.  Most of us have read this book, maybe even more than once.  Why wouldn’t we enjoy this book?  There are –

• Trials:  drought, death, living among strangers
• Decisions:  stay or go, consequences of each
• Journeys:  return to roots
• New Beginnings:  faith, family, new love, and a baby

 Ruth could be a Hallmark movie --- until ---

Reading Ruth and teaching Ruth are two different things.  Of course, we can read the notes in the Bible, but, as the teacher, I had to dig deeper.  I wondered how this book was studied by those of the Jewish faith.  What lessons did they learn?  Was this more than a love story?

I found exactly what I needed at  https://torah.org/  I searched Ruth and began reading.  Could I learn more about Naomi and Ruth?  Could I figure out why these four chapters were included in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible)?  Well, yes I could learn more!  I read.  I made notes.  I was prepared to expand on those chapters.  And the study of Ruth began.

Was the class excited about finding out that Elimelek fled the famine and abandoned his extended family and friends instead of helping them with his wealth and crops?  Did they realize Ruth was the daughter of a king and her people worshipped Chemosh, a god that demanded human sacrifice?  Did they understand the process Boaz had to follow to marry Ruth?

Did they see the continuing of the bloodline that Lot walked away from?  And, the biggie, did they see that Ruth is a story of redemption?

The class will finish the Book of Ruth in the next couple of weeks and I hope we will all realize the story of Ruth is our story.

Like Elimelek, we often walk away from those we could help with our excess of blessings.  Like Naomi, when we feel empty, we realize we want to go home -- back to our foundation, family, and friends.  Like Ruth, we realize we are worshipping the wrong gods and turn toward the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

Yes, the Book of Ruth is a beautiful love story as we see Boaz and Ruth fall in love.  But this story is so much more.

Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

Obed the father of Jesse,

and Jesse the father of King David.

Matthew 1:5-6

The story of Ruth is a beautiful love story, but it surpasses the love of a man for a woman.  This story is about the great-great-grandmother of David and the future birth of a very special baby.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.

I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

Revelation 22:16

 A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE

One fall Bill and I were leaving Yellowstone National Park and were told the buffalo were congregating at the east exit.  I was so excited, because we were headed that direction and I love buffalo.  There was only one small glitch.  This meant we went out the northeast entrance instead of the east entrance.  The east entrance leads to a nice drive to Cody.  The northeast entrance ….  A couple of things you need to know.  Many areas out west do not have internet service.  The towns do, but not when you get on the back roads.  Back and side roads are closed by a determined date.  They do not wait for the snow to start before they close roads and stop service until next spring.

Bill asked, “Mary can we get to Cody if we go out the northeast entrance?  It isn’t like you haven’t seen buffalo today.”

Grabbing my iPad and the atlas (Yes, I still use an atlas.) I found where we were and where we wanted to go.  “Of course we can get to Cody.  The quickest road has been closed for the winter, but this other road is open.  No problem,” I replied.  We saw the buffalo and headed out the northeast entrance. 

As we drove, I kept checking the atlas and the iPad.  Bill was thrilled that the road was two lane and paved.  I honestly cannot remember the exact roads we took but we ended up on Wyoming 296/Chief Joseph Highway.  The iPad had lost service so I relied on the atlas.  It looked like there were a few curves, but nothing Bill would be uncomfortable driving.

After a while, I told Bill, “I think that is the last of the curves.  Looks like the road gets straighter.”  Then, out there in the middle of nowhere, the iPad had service.  I opened the map.  Enlarged the area we were approaching and gasped.  It all depends on your perspective.  From the atlas to the iPad, my perspective changed.  The atlas looked pretty good.  The iPad told a different story.  I remember telling Bill, “You know how I said we were out of the curves?”  A glare came from the person behind the wheel as he said, “And …”

I calmly told Bill, “You know how a child draws when they are learning to hold a pencil?  I believe they used one of those drawing to design this road.  We are not out of the curves.”

It all depends on your perspective.  The big picture looked good.  It was not until we got on that section of road that we realized how curvy it was. 

 

BUT, as I think about the roads we have been on, this one was a piece of cake.  Look at the Beartooth Highway.  We were on that one time.

A really interesting drive happened when we left Apache Junction. 

We started on a very nice, two lane, blacktopped road.  The two lanes turned into a wide, paved one lane.  The wide, paved, one lane turned into a narrow, dirt road.  A curvy!! dirt road.  What a blast we had.  Well, I was having a blast.  It all depends on your perspective.  Bill had a death grip on the steering wheel and, whenever we met other brave souls, he had to find a place to pull over so they could pass. 

  

Oh, memories.  Bill will tell you that I do not know how to find a nice, straight road to travel.  I tell him to loosen up and grab ahold of the wheel.  We are in for a ride!!!!!!

Besides – when I looked at the pictures in the atlas, the roads did not look so bad.  It was only when we got on the road that we realized it was not quite what we thought.

BUT isn’t this how we get off the path God has ready for us?  We are keeping on the path.  Having a jolly good time and then, right along the path is another way to go.  It looks really neat.  It is all tree lined and so inviting.  We cannot see very far down the way, but how bad can it be?  And when our perspective of the other way to go finally comes into focus, Satan laughs.

Moral of all this:  Be sure and have a true perspective of where you are headed.

 I AM A JIGSAW PUZZLE

My mother worked jigsaw puzzles.  There was rarely a time she didn’t have a puzzle started.  Putting together jigsaw puzzles has rules.  Rule 1:  Border first.  Rule 2:  It is okay to say you will only be a minute, when you know you will stand there and search till you find the piece that should jump right out at you.  Rule 3:  You never put the last piece in someone else’s puzzle without asking permission.

I am my mother’s daughter.  Sorta.  I agree with rules two and three.  Rule one might apply to a kid’s puzzle or a 300 piece puzzle, but – and my mother is spinning in her grave – I no longer put the border together first.  Those pieces go back into the box, until I have room on the table or until the rest of the puzzle is put together.  This started when puzzles increased to 1,000 pieces and larger.  A 1,000 piece puzzle barely fits on my card table and a 2,000 piece puzzle had to be worked in sections and assembled on the dining room table.  Even if I don’t put the border together first, I am my mother’s daughter.  I love to work jigsaw puzzles.

I am a jigsaw puzzle.  My life is being assembled one piece at a time.  It is a mix of bright, beautiful colors and dark, scary colors I wish weren’t there.  Words and pictures appear as I am assembled.  In the middle is a baby.  Darn, I was a cute kid.  From there pictures appear of family, good times and bad.  Then another face appears and I remember the joy of finding true love.  Children.  Friends.  Illness.  Death.  Work.  Moving.  Travel.  Church.  Swirls of color surrounding each as I aged and learned and moved forward or struggled and stayed in one place too long. 

When I see my puzzle, I realize there is one constant presence visible in each piece. 

You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.

Acts 2:28

A puzzle has an end.  The border will come out of the box, the last piece will be placed, and the puzzle will be complete.  BUT, the puzzle, of my life, does not have a border.  My puzzle will continue to expand and grow as pieces are added.  Some pieces will be bright and beautiful.  Some will be dark and scary.  No matter what, the presence of God will continue to be visible in each piece.

 TITLE:  2022

SUBTITLE:  WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

I better start off with things I still have not learned.  That list would include patience.  Often, I have threatened to take white-out and use it wherever that word appears in the Bible.  Rest assured.  There is not one drop of white-out to be found in my Bible. 

Many will agree I still have not learned to keep my mouth shut or to keep my political and social views to myself.  Pretty sure changing me on this is a lost cause. 

Finally, I continue to hold to the belief that “speed limits” are suggestions instead of actual laws.  If people can rob stores and receive no punishment, then I can drive a mile or two over the suggestion on the sign.  Okay.  Yes, my lead foot does seem to go a bit more than a mile or two over.  And that would be a big bit more.

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

I have learned to trust.  If you have read some of my blogs, you realize this has been an extremely rough health year and trust has been front and center.  I have trusted:

• medical staff to be responsive to my condition, care, and medications
• operating room personnel to monitor my condition during surgery and to work as a team
• doctors to make wise and informed diagnoses and to give us the facts we needed to make decisions
• my friends and prayer warriors to pray when I no longer had the words
• my family to listen, observe, advise, and support me during this journey
• God to be there and give me the strength to recover and the ability to know when I needed to rest

I have learned that I do not have to understand or give into the why/what if game.  Let me explain.

This year has been rough, but the hardest part was the blood infection and the aches and other issues the antibiotics have left behind.  A blessing is that tests show the infection is no longer in my blood.  I am a puzzle to the infectious disease doctor because he cannot figure out how the infection got into my blood.  There are two things that caused my mind to play the why/what if game.  At my follow-up appointment, the infectious disease doctor made the comment that I almost died.  In the back of my mind, I realized that but tried not to focus on it.  Then I received a Medicare statement and one of the doctors I saw was referred to as a “terminal emergency doctor.”  Even on the first day …. Terminal doctor… You almost died. 

And the game began.  “Why didn’t I?”  “What if I had?”  “What now?”  “If it wasn’t my time, what does God have for me to do?”  Why?  What?   This is not a fun game.  It is a game I did not want to play, but I could not get those words terminal and almost died out of my mind.  I pondered.  I tossed them around and around – Why?  What if?  Friends are amazing.  I spoke with three lady friends and they listened.  They prayed with me.  They gently helped me see that I did not need to know why.  My hubby is a worrier!!!  So I waited until my mind had settled and then I shared with him what I had learned.

God knows the why/what if and I have faith and trust in God.  I do not need to know why I did not die.  Once I figured that out, I quickly declared I would not allow words to control my mind or make me afraid. 

I did not want to play the why/what if game, but play it I did.  AND ONCE I HAD GOD AS MY PARTNER, WE WON!!!

 Last week I tried to get you to see that Jesus experienced ordinary things.

Can you see Jesus laughing and smiling, as someone tells a joke?  Can you picture Jesus shaking his head as he has to explain a parable to the disciples, for the third time?  Can you see Jesus taking the hand of a dear friend and having a quiet conversation with him?  Jesus doing ordinary things and all the time he was teaching the love of the Father.

God had a plan for Jesus and he would fulfill that plan.

Jesus lived in such a way to show us the joy.

FULFILLED

I did not intend for this to be a series.  I thought comparing Jesus to a carpet cleaner would be a stand-alone blog.  But, as usually happens, that blog pointed out the hope we have because a baby was born.  The next blog explained how the birth of the baby was only the beginning of God’s plan.  Jesus was sent to teach the love of the Father.  The third blog, hopefully, helped you see Jesus finding joy as he spent time enjoying nature and ordinary things.  And this blog –

Advent uses the words Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace so you are assuming this blog is on Peace.  You are right.

The beauty queen contestant is asked the question, “What matters the most to you?”  The contestant leans forward, speaks into the mic, and says, “World Peace.”  Let’s get real.  If the contestant was honest, the answer would be, “Winning the title of Miss America.”

PEACE

Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, good will toward men.  Luke 2:14  KJV

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  John 14:27  NIV

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  Romans 5:1 NIV

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:7 NIV

When we read these verses on peace, we realize that the peace that came to earth was a personal peace.  Jesus provided a way for our ole sinful lives to obtain peace with God.  Now, nowhere does it say that the peace that transcends all understanding will make our life a piece of cake.  BUT it will take away our fear and guard our hearts and minds. 

For some reason, this Christmas season, my mind cannot separate Christmas and Easter.  It is as if Jesus went from the manger to the Cross.

God sent a baby and the baby Jesus gave us HOPE.

Jesus began his ministry to teach the LOVE of the Father.

Jesus lived in such a way to show us the JOY.

Jesus provided a way for us to obtain PEACE with God.

AND (a very important ‘and’ – like ‘therefore’ in the scriptures) God’s plan was fulfilled.

So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.  Mark 16:19

Merry Christmas

 Last week I told you it was as if Jesus went from the manger to the Cross.

This is Christmas and I want to keep Jesus in the manger.  I want to cherish this baby.  I want to kneel in respect and awe.  But it was not God’s plan for Jesus to stay a baby.  God’s plan was for Jesus to fulfill his ministry.

God had a plan. Jesus began his ministry.

Jesus began his ministry to teach the love of the Father.

A MAN

Jesus was all grown up and sowing seeds of his Father’s love. 

We all have pictures in our mind of Jesus and these pictures are usually shaped by the art work we see.  We see Jesus calling his disciples.  We see him with a child on his lap or feeding many people.  We see him healing the blind and we see his anger as he sends the “den of thieves” out of the temple.  We see him talking with the woman at the well and we see him telling Lazarus to come out of the tomb.

But, I also see him doing ordinary things.  I can picture Jesus walking along various roads and noticing everything.  He sees the flowers that have bloomed after the rain.  He hears the secretive Olive-tree Warbler.  He marvels at sunrises and sunsets.  We rush through life, but I picture Jesus savoring every moment. 

Can you see Jesus laughing and smiling, as someone tells a joke?  Can you picture Jesus shaking his head as he has to explain a parable to the disciples, for the third time?  Can you see Jesus taking the hand of a dear friend and having a quiet conversation with him?

Jesus doing ordinary things and all the time he was teaching the love of the Father.

God had a plan for Jesus and he would fulfill that plan.

 Last week I compared Jesus to a carpet cleaner.

Why am I comparing Jesus to a carpet cleaner?  Because God knew I could not have eternal life if my life was dirty with sin and God knew only HIS SON could clean my sins away.  So this blog is about Christmas.  It is about a baby.  A baby!  Born one night.  And on that night, my life changed. 

God had a plan.  He sent a baby.  He sent a baby to change me.  He sent a baby to change you.

God sent a baby and the baby Jesus gave us hope.

A BABY

When I look at our Christmas decorations, I see the baby Jesus in the nativity.  The nativity is the first thing you will see if you come in our front door.  The shepherd had come to see the baby and is kneeling in respect and awe.  There are angels singing and playing instruments.  The wise men are back a ways and trying to figure out exactly where they are going.  They do eventually find Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, but it took them one to two years.  If you look past the wise men, the angels have now turned to the Cross.  Yes, a Cross.  A glass Cross that reflects the lights that surround the manger and lead to the Cross.

I also see the baby Jesus at the top of our tree.  An ornament of the Holy Family, hangs right below the star.  Below them are angels …. and surrounding the angels are crosses.  Glass crosses that reflect the lights.  And strung around the tree are Mardi Gras beads.  Mardi Gras beads caught at Fat Tuesday parades on the day before Lent begins. 

For some reason, this Christmas season, my mind cannot separate Christmas and Easter.  It is as if Jesus went from the manger to the Cross.  But he did not.  Jesus grew up and experienced life.  At age 12, he told Joseph and Mary, “Why is it that you were looking for Me?  Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”  Jesus learned to be a carpenter.  Jesus was a good son and changed water to wine just because his mommy asked him to.  Then Jesus began his ministry. 

This is Christmas and I want to keep Jesus in the manger.  I want to cherish this baby.  I want to kneel in respect and awe.  But it was not God’s plan for Jesus to stay a baby.  God’s plan was for Jesus to fulfill his ministry.

God had a plan for Jesus to call disciples and to be an example.

 

THE CARPET CLEANER

It was past time to have our carpets cleaned, but carpet cleaning kept being put at the end of our list.  Finally, a date was set and the man arrived.

He came in, we talked for a bit, and then he started in the far end of the house and worked his way back to the office.  He stopped once to tell me he had dusted behind the couch.  Bless his heart because it had been a while since the couch had been pulled out.  I am positive there was dust!! Continuing on, he cleaned spots and worked hard on the traffic areas.  And then, just like that, he was done. 

The carpet looked so much better.  Clean!

I woke up at 1:30 AM and thought how getting the carpet cleaned was like taking Jesus into my life.  I tried to go back to sleep, but no.  The thought kept repeating.  This blog was written at 1:45 AM.

On the date I really believed, Jesus came into my life.  We talked for a bit and then he started at the far end of my sins and worked his way to my very core.  He cleaned away every sin.  He wiped away cobwebs left behind by unbelief and fear.  He made quick work of any dust hidden behind my sins.  And then Jesus did something the carpet cleaner did not do.

He marked my bill Paid In Full.  He paid my bill!!!

Are you wondering what this has to do with Christmas?  I mean, it is the Christmas season and you would expect to read about Christmas.  You would expect me to tell about having a baby.  Or that the Wise Men do not really belong in the scene at the manger.  Why am I comparing Jesus to a carpet cleaner?

Because I can.  Just kidding. 

Why am I comparing Jesus to a carpet cleaner?  Because God knew I could not have eternal life if my life was dirty with sin and God knew only HIS SON could clean my sins away.  So this blog is about Christmas.  It is about a baby.  A baby!  Born one night.  And on that night, my life changed. 

God had a plan.  He sent a baby.  He sent a baby to change me.  He sent a baby to change you.

This week has been a bit hectic.  Instead of not writing a blog, I went back to the first year I posted blogs.  This one from November 24, 2006.  Hope your Thanksgiving was blessed and that you are now looking forward to the time we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Mary

SLOW DOWN -- SEE THE WONDERS

When I saw the calendar page for November 23, the saying made me think. ---- “Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. -- W.T. Purkiser ---- I hope that today, you remember the blessing you have received and that you use those blessings wisely.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.
to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.
who by his understand made the heavens, His love endures forever.
who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.
who made the great lights -- His love endures forever.
the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.
the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1-9

SLOW DOWN -- SEE THE WONDERS

Oh, how time flies, except for the drive home from Rochester one night. On that drive, the time was just perfect. Grandson Nathan, who was four at the time, rode with me to attend a pre-school graduation. We heard the songs and saw Joshua, a five-year-old grandson, move his tassel. At least he could find his. Some had flipped their tassel from side to side so often that it had ended up on the back of the cap. We continued the celebration with cake. Then we headed home – on the back roads.

The ride over had been fun. We talked about rivers and about corn being planted. We talked about how to behave at the church. Yes, the ride over was fun, but the ride home was one wonder after another.

Around one corner, we saw a large lake and talked about water lilies. Then we saw wild geese and their babies. Since no one was behind us, we stopped and watched. What fun to see new life. All fluffy and going in all directions with mom trying to keep up. If that was not enough excitement for one drive, we saw some horses and their colts. Again, we stopped and watched. One colt came over to the fence to check us out. Maybe we were the ones being watched. The talk here involved how the colts were fed and how each was marked differently. We moved on, but again had to stop. This time to watch the deer. They just stood at the side of the road for us to admire. The conversation here? None. I had put the window down so Nathan could see better and he informed me that we needed to be quiet so as not to scare them. Finally, we had to move on. The wonders had not ended though. The sky was on fire. The sun was setting and Nathan kept looking over his shoulder saying, “Look now grandma.”

On this journey, I learned this four year old is never quiet. This is not a new revelation and he has a three-year-old cousin that is the same way. But confined in the car, I listened to him better. What did I hear? I heard the joy of seeing something new. I heard the excitement of watching a colt. I heard the quiet of nature. I learned that time does not have to fly by.

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

It is Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for? If you are reading this in the evening, did you find any wonders today? Was the sky on fire as the sun rose or set? Did you see a very bright star? Or a new colt? If you are reading this in the morning, where will you look for wonders to appear? Keep your eyes and mind open.

LET US PRAY

Dear God, I do know you have put many amazing wonders in this world for me to find. I want to see them. I want to feel the sun on my face and feel the breeze cool me. I want to wiggle my toes in the mud and watch a butterfly. Today I saw ………………………………… Amen

 THAT’S FUNNY

I am going on vacation next week so I decided to get my blog written early, have it scheduled to post, and off I could go.  There is only one problem with that --- I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO WRITE! 

When this happens, I can usually look at my future blog ideas and an idea will spin around and around and end up on the paper.  Not today!  I looked in the backup if all else fails folder.  Still drawing a blank. 

Then I saw it.  Why not?  It is snowing (on November 12) and this is about winter boots.  My second thought was, “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”  My next thought was, “Go for it.  Everyone needs a laugh.”

WINTER BOOTS

A Teacher’s Nightmare

He asked for help and she could see why.  Even with her pulling and him pushing, the little boots still didn’t want to go on.  By the time they got the second boot on, she had worked up a sweat.

She almost cried when the little boy said, “Teacher, they’re on the wrong feet.”

She looked and sure enough, they were.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t any easier pulling the boots off than it was putting them on.  She managed to keep her cool as, together; they worked to get the boots back on, this time on the correct feet.

He then announced, “These aren’t my boots.”

She bit her tongue, rather than get right in his face and scream, “Why didn’t you say so?”  Once again, she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting boots off his little feet.

No sooner had they got the boots off, he said, “They’re my brother’s boots.  But my mom made me wear ‘em today.” 

Now she didn’t know if she should laugh or cry.  But she mustered up what grace and courage she had left to wrestle the boots BACK onto his feet again. 

Helping him into his coat, she asked, “Now, where are your mittens?”

He said, “I stuffed ‘em in the toes of my boots….”

She’ll be eligible to come back into the classroom in three years.

I can picture this and sympathize with the teacher.  Every parent knows the fun of getting a child into a snowsuit, stocking cap, gloves (How can three fingers fit in the thumb spot?), and boots.  Of course, as the last item of winter garb goes on, every parent’s worst nightmare is to hear, “I have to go to the bathroom.”

“I know exactly how the teacher felt.  The boots were to protect the child’s feet against the snow and cold.  She struggled to get them on the child.”

Hi God.  You put boots on kids?

“No.  I try to get my children to wear protection against the devil’s schemes.  Instead, you try to handle everything yourself.”

What are you talking about?  I try not to bother you with the little things.  Surely I can do that without bothering you.  And the big things … I thought all I had to do was ask you and you would pop right in there between me and that ole devil.

“Have you heard of the Armor of God?”

Sorta…

“Please read Ephesians 6:10-20.  I’ll wait.”

Be strong in the Lord … full armor of God … against the devil’s schemes, rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world, spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  WHAT?  There are evil forces in the heavenly realms? 

“Keep reading.”

Stand your ground … belt of truth … breastplate of righteousness … gospel of peace … shield of faith …helmet of salvation … sword of the Spirit … Pray.

That’s a lot of important stuff in those eleven verses.  Why can’t I just do the prayer part?

“Think about the boy and his boots.  His mother wanted his feet to be dry so she gave him boots.  She prepared her son for what was in front of him.  I am doing the same for my children.  I am preparing you.”

You are preparing me to keep my feet dry?

“There is more at stake than wet feet.  I am preparing you to save your soul!  The devil is powerful and will try to trick you.  You must be ready to stand strong.  You must use truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God.”

And prayer!  Don’t forget prayer.

“By the way, I liked the story of the teacher, the boy, and the boots.  Thanks for making me smile.”

You’re welcome. 

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The moral of this week’s blog:  First, be prepared with the full armor of God.  Second, when putting snow boots on children, be sure there are no mittens in the toe and start with the left.  No, the other left.