Christmas Magic

Why is Christmas so magical? Is it the weather? Is it the breaks from school or work? (Though breaks do always produce a little bit of magic!) Is it the smells: evergreen, cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla? Or maybe it’s the sounds, the music, the plays, and the movies? Or the sights, the colorful lights, the shimmery snow falling softly in the night sky?

Or maybe it's none of those things. Maybe what really makes Christmas magical is that it’s the time of year when everyone suddenly remembers what’s really important in life. We’re kind and forgiving towards family and friends (even when they've hurt us) because “it’s Christmas” and we want to keep the peace. We buy gifts for needy children just to see their faces light up with smiles for one day (despite the fact that for the other eleven months of the year, we refuse to give their families anything because they’re all “lazy Welfare abusers”). We donate extra money to charities so that starving families in our communities can actually have a nice meal one night. We bake cookies, brownies, and pie for everyone at work or school (whether we like them or not). We volunteer. We host parties. We sing. Some of us actually go to church for once. We smile and glow because for one month of the year, we actually make an effort to bring joy to others…and we realize that we enjoy doing so.

Joy and giving. Those two words can pretty much describe all of the special things we do every Christmas season. But why do joy and giving have to be confined mostly to December? What if we treated every month like it were December? What if we celebrated every single day as if it were Christmas?

What if we should?

Sometimes we reserve our joy for the Christmas season only. And other times we don't feel any joy at all...ever. Sometimes life is just tough and all of our days are stressful, sad, and difficult--especially Christmas. But as Christians, we've been given hope and a new life in Jesus! We should rejoice and be glad every day because of what He has done, shouldn't we?

"Be joyful always." --1 Thessalonians 5:16

"My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you--I, whom you have redeemed."

--Psalm 71:23

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."

--Matthew 13:44

The last verse makes me think of the end of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, when Scrooge is suddenly filled with a new joy and runs around town wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, giving away food and turkeys to needy families for dinner. What if that were how all Christians acted every day: dancing, singing, and running around town sharing the joy that Christ has given us with everyone? This is what I think we should all aim and pray for! What a different sort of place the world would be!

So with that thought, I'd like to wish everyone who reads this a very Merry Christmas! My prayers will be with you all! "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13) Peace, God Bless, and Happy Holidays!

Praying Like Jesus

Something stuck out to me last night during my small group at church. I've been meditating on it and felt like writing about it. We've been reading and discussing the book of Luke for the past few weeks and last night we tackled chapter 22.

It’s all pretty tough. Jesus’ friend betrays him and he spends what he knows will be his last supper with his closest friends. He’s about to be arrested, he’s about to be tortured and killed, and he knows all about it. So Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives to pray.

He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:41-42)

I love this prayer! It’s short, to the point, honest, genuine, and full of so much emotion. Christ’s prayers are, I think, the best examples of how we as Christians should strive to pray. Jesus is honest with God that he would rather not go through what he knows he must do. He even asks for his “cup” to be taken from him. So many times we’re not honest with God about what we really want. I know I sometimes feel like it’s wrong or even sinful to not feel like doing what God asks of me. But how can it be wrong or sinful if Christ himself does it? It is, after all, very real and very human. Whenever we’re struggling, I think it’s best to just be real with God: to tell Him what we really want, to tell Him all of our fears, struggles, and worries. Being a naturally reserved person, I’ve learned recently that when I open up to my friends, I feel closer to them and our bond strengthens. We’ll never feel close to our friends if we’re never truly open and honest with them. What makes us think this doesn’t apply to God as well?

After “being real” with God, Jesus takes it one step further. He prays honestly about what he wants, but he also willingly submits to God’s will over his own; yet another model for us to follow. Jesus, who is both God in the flesh and a King, submits himself fully to God. And then right after he does this, something absolutely awesome occurs:

An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. (Luke 22:43-44)

Jesus is open and honest with his Father, prays for what he wants, but ultimately submits himself to God’s will…and then God strengthens him! This occurrence makes me think of another verse that I’ve been meditating on lately, written by Paul to the Philippians:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

So what can we learn from Jesus’ prayer in the Mount of Olives? I think we can learn that if we’re consistently open and honest with God in our prayer life, if we confess our struggles and present our requests to Him, and if we ultimately choose to submit to His will for our lives, then we can trust that our loving Father will give us peace and strengthen us to do His will!

Faith When It Seems Impossible

“Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted in spite of your

changing moods.” ~

C.S. Lewis

"Faith is not a sense, not sight, not reason, but a taking God at His Word." ~Evans

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is

what the ancients were commended for." ~Hebrews 11:1-2

The verse from Hebrews 11 always confused me just a little. It sort of made my head ache in the same way that taking the LSAT did. But lately God has been speaking to me about faith and the other day, that Hebrews verse suddenly made perfect sense. Faith is being sure and confident in God and what He has already said and done, so confident that even when everything around you points to your hope being impossible, you trust with certainty that God is at work and that He will deliver.

Noah trusted what God had told him and built the arc, despite the fact it probably didn't seem like there would be a flood for a while. Abraham was so sure of God's promise when he listened and almost sacrificed his son Isaac.

So what is faith for us then, today? I think faith is taking God's word to be the absolute truth, even when we don't "see" Him working at the moment. Faith could be, for instance, to not give in to hopelessness and depression when everything around you in today's economy says you won't be able to get work; faith would be trusting with certainty that God will take care of your needs somehow. Or faith could be to not settle for a jerk who doesn't treat you right because you don't believe that a good man can love you; faith would be trusting that if God wills you to be married then He'll bring the right kind of man into your life who loves you and treats you well (and that if He doesn't will for you to be married, that He has even better plans to use you to bring Him glory!)

Faith often defies all human reason. Maybe that's why the ancients were commended for it. Maybe faith that trusts God no matter what, defying all human logic and tangible evidence, stands out from the crowd and brings glory to God. Maybe if we all practiced our faith more often in our daily lives, we would stand out more as shining children of God.

Some More Encouragement For Women

I stumbled upon this encouraging little message written by T.D. Jakes recently. I know all too well that we ladies always need some Godly encouragement, so I thought I'd share this with all of my lovely sisters everywhere!

"Just Because" by T.D. Jakes

Just because no one has been fortunate enough to realize what a gold mine you are, doesn't mean you shine any less.
Just because no one has been smart enough to figure out that you can't be topped, doesn't stop you from being the best.
Just because no one has come along to share your life, doesn't mean that day isn't coming.
Just because no one has made this race worthwhile, doesn't give you permission to stop running.
Just because no one has realized how much of an awesome woman you are, doesn't mean they can affect your femininity.
Just because no one has shown up who can love you on your level, doesn't mean you have to sink to theirs.
Just because you deserve the very best there is, doesn't mean that life is always fair.
Just because God is still preparing your king, doesn't mean that you're not already a Queen.
Just because your situation doesn't seem to be progressing right now, doesn't mean you need to change a thing.
Keep shining. Keep running. Keep hoping. Keep praying. Keep being exactly what you are already...COMPLETE!

To all of my Godly sisters, continue shining as the women of God that you are!

Mirror Talk

As someone who has always struggled with confidence and self-esteem, I wrote up this challenge. Every morning, at the start of your day, try standing in front of a mirror and speaking these reminders to yourself:

• I am a child of The Most High God!
• I have been made in the image and likeness of God, who is beautiful and the definition of love.
• I have been fearfully and wonderfully made.
• God, the Creator of the universe, created me and declared all of his creation (including me!) to be VERY GOOD.
• God knows EVERYTHING about me, the good and the ugly, but He sill loves me!
• He loves me so much, that He died for me, in order to have a relationship with me!
• I am not my own; I was bought at a price: Christ's sacrifice.
• My real beauty comes from my inner self, from Christ in me, not from my hairstyles, my clothes, or my jewelry.
• Today, I will CHOOSE to believe and trust God's love for me and aim to please only Him! I will choose NOT to submit to the world's standards and chase after its approval.
• Today, I will remember that I am a child of God who is dearly loved. I will clothe myself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
• Today, I know that I can do all things through Christ, who loves me, strengthens me, guides me, and is with me always!

Some Bible verses that I used as references:

John 1:12-13, Genesis 1:26-27, Psalm 27:4, 1 John 4:15-18, Psalm 139:13-14, Genesis 1:31, Psalm 139:1, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, John 3:16, Romans 5:8, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Romans 12:2, Colossians 2:20, Galatians 1:10, 1 Peter 3:3-5, Colossians 3:12, Philippians 4:13, John 16:13

Lessons in Confidence

God has been speaking to me a lot lately. Or perhaps He always spoke so loudly, but I just wasn’t paying close attention. He’s teaching me a lot right now by really sculpting and chiseling my character. I know because I can feel it and it isn’t always pleasant.

One of several issues that God is working with me on is confidence. Confidence is something I’ve always struggled with. It’s a thorn to me; it cripples me in my everyday life and especially in my faith. So many times I tried and failed to battle it, probably because I always attempted to overcome it with my own strength. During the past year, however, I know that God has been speaking to me a lot about confidence. Only recently have I truly begun to pray fervently for it. So today, I want to share some of the things that I’ve learned.

For one thing, I've been meditating a lot on these verses recently:

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." – Romans 12:2

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” – Jeremiah 17:5-8

"This is what the Lord says: ‘Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord.”

– Jeremiah 9:23-24

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’" – 2 Corinthians 12:9

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” – 2 Timothy 1:7

First and foremost, I think it’s vital to remember who and what we really are: we have been created in God’s image and declared “good,” but we are also sinners who repeatedly choose to reject our wonderful, perfect Creator. We are therefore destined to Hell, to an eternity deprived of God’s love and mercy. But because He is goodness, mercy, and love, God became flesh and dwelled among us. He taught us, loved us, befriended us, and ultimately sacrificed himself and died for us, so that we could have a relationship with Him. I believe it’s absolutely essential to always remember this with a spirit of thankfulness and humility.

God has been teaching me about confidence in two ways throughout the past year. The first is that I need to allow Him to define me and determine my value. My constant struggle with self-esteem is largely due to the fact that instead of turning to my loving, perfect Creator and Savior for love and affirmation, I am running to everyone and everything else. It is a sort of spiritual adultery. I allow the world to define me and I chase after its approval, but I am never quite good enough for its approval. It is a dysfunctional, abusive relationship that only boils down to my pride. Daily, I need to humbly remind myself that not only is God’s love for me enough, but that it’s a treasure more valuable than anything on this earth!

The second lesson is that my daily confidence must come from Him and not from myself. I have always been incredibly hard on myself. In my own strength, I never believe that I am good enough, capable enough, or qualified enough to do anything; so I would sit, spiritually fruitless and ineffective, in my own paralysis. But the good news is that I don’t need to be capable, qualified, or good enough. Really! And it’s so freeing! It lifts a giant weight off of my own shoulders to know that I don’t have to be capable or qualified because God is the one who’s really doing all of the work, not me! And who is more qualified, capable, or powerful than God Himself?! With His help, I can do all things!

Yet, even as I write this I'm still struggling with my confidence and self-esteem. It's a battle every single day, but now I make it a habit to pray every single day about it! And slowly, very slowly, I am watching God's Spirit work little miracles in me! And I pray that the same be for all of you!

10 Guidelines From God

I stumbled upon this online today and realized that it was everywhere on the internet. I don't know who wrote it, but I thought it was quite lovely (though a little fluffy). Still, it's very encouraging, so I thought I'd share!

10 Guidelines From God

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY:

Please be aware that there are changes YOU need to make in YOUR life. These changes need to be completed in order that I may fulfill My promises to you to grant you peace, joy and happiness in this life. I apologize for any inconvenience, but after all that I am doing, this seems very little to ask of you. Please, follow these 10 guidelines:

1. QUIT WORRYING: Life has dealt you a blow and all you do is sit and worry. Have you forgotten that I am here to take all your burdens and carry them for you? Or do you just enjoy fretting over every little thing that comes your way?

2. PUT IT ON THE LIST: Something needs done or taken care of. Put it on the list. No, not YOUR list. Put it on MY to-do-list. Let ME be the one to take care of the problem. I can't help you until you turn it over to Me. And although My to-do-list is long, I am after all God. I can take care of anything you put into My hands. In fact, if the truth were ever really known, I take care of a lot of things for you that you never even realize.

3. TRUST ME: Once you've given your burdens to Me, quit trying to take them back. Trust in Me. Have the faith that I will take care of all your needs, your problems and your trials. Problems with the kids? Put them on My list. Problem with finances? Put it on My list. Problems with your emotional roller coaster? For My sake, put it on My list. I want to help you. All you have to do is ask.

4. LEAVE IT ALONE: Don't wake up one morning and say, "Well, I'm feeling much stronger now; I think I can handle it from here." Why do you think you are feeling stronger now? It's simple. You gave Me your burdens and I'm taking care of them. I also renew your strength and cover you in my peace. Don't you know that if I give you these problems back, you will be right back where you started? Leave them with Me and forget about them. Just let Me do My job.

5. TALK TO ME: I want you to forget a lot of things. Forget what was making you crazy. Forget the worry and the fretting because you know I'm in control. But there's one thing I pray you never forget. Please, don't forget to talk to Me -- OFTEN! I love YOU! I want to hear your voice. I want you to include Me in the things going on in your life. I want to hear you talk about your friends and family. Prayer is simply you having a conversation with Me. I want to be your dearest friend.

6. HAVE FAITH: I see a lot of things from up here that you can't see from where you are. Have faith in Me that I know what I'm doing. Trust Me; you wouldn't want the view from My eyes. I will continue to care for you, watch over you, and meet your needs. You only have to trust Me. Although I have a much bigger task than you, it seems as if you have so much trouble just doing your simple part. How hard can trust be?

7. SHARE: You were taught to share when you were only two years old. When did you forget? That rule still applies. Share with those who are less fortunate than you. Share your joy with those who need encouragement. Share your laughter with those who haven't heard any in such a long time. Share your tears with those who have forgotten how to cry. Share your faith with those who have none.

8. BE PATIENT: I managed to fix it so in just one lifetime you could have so many diverse experiences. You grow from a child to an adult, have children, change jobs many times, learn many trades, travel to so many places, meet thousands of people, and experience so much. How can you be so impatient then when it takes Me a little longer than you expect to handle something on My to-do-list? Trust in My timing, for My timing is perfect. Just because I created the entire universe in only six days, everyone thinks I should always rush, rush, rush.

9. BE KIND: Be kind to others, for I love them just as much as I love you. They may not dress like you, or talk like you, or live the same way you do, but I still love you all. Please try to get along, for My sake. I created each of you different in some way. It would be too boring if you were all identical. Please, know I love each of your differences.

10. LOVE YOURSELF: As much as I love you, how can you not love yourself? You were created by me for one reason only -- to be loved, and to love in return. I am a God of Love. Love Me. Love your neighbors. But also love yourself. It makes My heart ache when I see you so angry with yourself when things go wrong. You are very precious to me. Don't ever forget.

Hopefully this will be an encouraging reminder to someone today!

Some Links To Share

This morning I came across a couple of links that I wanted to share.

While driving, I heard a great message on Moody Radio. What piqued my interest was the fact that the speaker, Paul Little, worked with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, an awesome organization that I had been involved in during college. The message I heard this morning was spoken by Little in the 1970s, I believe; it was about evangelism and sharing our faith with our "non-Christian" friends. A link to this message's podcast and more of Little's messages is below:

Moody Radio Podcasts

Also, on an entirely different note, I came across this article and these videos today about a Pride and Prejudice musical on another blog! (Seeing this musical will definitely be added to my bucket list!) To my fellow Jane Austen fanatics, these links are for you!

Pride and Prejudice: A Musical on Jane Austen Today's Blog

The Musical's Website

So if anyone is interested, or just bored, I recommend checking these links out!

On Love and Books

I've recently read two good books that I'd like to recommend to anyone interested. These books are quite different, but reading them at the same time was rather thought-provoking because they both hit one theme really hard: love.

The first book is Francis Chan's Crazy Love. For anyone who has ever wondered if the church was "missing something" about God, well, this book is for you. I had been hearing so much about Crazy Love for so long and after finally reading it, I can't help but repeat many of the same things said to me about the book: it'll make you think, challenge you, and change you in your faith! However, I will be the first to admit that it's a difficult, convicting read! It begins with a powerful, humbling reminder of just who God is and just how small we are, and then dives right into the tragic state of lukewarm Christianity. I fear too many of us are often guilty of the traits of lukewarm Christians, myself most certainly included. And like a loveless marriage, I think that a lukewarm faith can never be truly satisfying; an unattainable to-do list, polite aloofness, and too much pride can only satisfy so much. But Crazy Love reminded me that our faith in Jesus Christ is not supposed to like this; it's about falling in love. I especially loved the inspirational stories of love and action that Francis Chan included in one of the last chapters. And although the book was certainly a convicting read, it was also very inspiring and so, I am highly recommending this book to all!

My second recommendation today is Ted Dekker's Immanuel's Veins. If you've ever read Dekker, then you know that his novels usually depict dramatic battles between good and evil and are always an emotional roller coaster of whiplashes. Immanuel's Veins is no different; it sinks its teeth in you pretty quickly and simply won't let go! It tells the story of a warrior attempting to rescue the one he loves from the greatest evil in 18th century Russia. Honestly, the plot was a bit melodramatic at moments, but what made me continue to contemplate this book for weeks after finishing was it's theme of self-sacrificing love, much like Christ's.

So these books have had me thinking about love a lot recently. For instance, what exactly is love? More importantly, how does one differentiate between "real love" and lukewarm feelings or infatuations? If we, as Christians, are commanded to love God and each other, shouldn't we know this difference?

In the book of John in the Bible, Jesus tells his disciples: "Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:12-13)

After thinking a lot about this, I concluded that the difference is a choice. Simple feelings and infatuations can feel like love but they don't necessarily act like love. Love is choosing to sacrifice yourself for your friends, for the ones you love. Love is choosing to obey God even when it's hard. Love is choosing to be loyal and faithful forever.

Anyway, these are just my thoughts after reading both of these books at around roughly the same time. To anyone who yearns for a challenge in their faith or to anyone who simply wants a good emotional adrenaline rush (with a lot of thought afterwards), check out one of these two books!

One Nation Under God

While driving this afternoon, I heard some provoking news: apparently NBC cut the phrase "one nation under God" from a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance during their coverage of the US Open yesterday. The aftermath, as anyone can imagine, was ugly:

New York Daily News - NBC Apologizes for Cutting "One Nation Under God" from Pledge of Allegiance

While listening to the controversy on the news, I suddenly realized that I was genuinely shocked by my own response to what I was hearing: almost complete indifference. A few years ago, I would have been inflamed by this sort of news. I would have joined in the ranks of people crying out publicly in anger, "How dare you, NBC?!". But now? I just don't really care. I don't see a point in debating, fighting, or rioting about it. In the grand scheme of our lives on earth, is this controversy really the most important thing?

In the Bible, the apostle Paul writes to Timothy: "Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful." (2 Timothy 2:23-24)

So what does this mean for politics? And what about controversial issues such as this one? Maybe sometimes it's not really worth arguing over. Maybe sometimes we're better off using our time to just love.

This is my two cents on some recent news. For anyone who is interested in this issue, please chime in! I'd love to hear some more thoughts on this subject.

Blue Like Jazz Movie

If you've ever read Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz, then you've probably heard over and over that a loose film adaptation has been in the works for some time now. (And if you haven't read Blue Like Jazz, I highly recommend it!) I absolutely loved the book, though it has been a couple years since I read it. Well, the other day, it was a most pleasant surprise to not only hear about the movie, but to actually see the first teaser trailer! As far as I know, there is no official release date yet, but it's rumored to be released sometime this year. From this trailer, I think it looks like it will be great!

This definitely calls for a re-read of Blue Like Jazz!

Generosity

“For God so loved the world that he gave….” ~John 3:16

Generosity is something that I have been wrestling with for the past few days. After recognizing this theme in two books I recently read, in an email I received this morning, and at church earlier, I think it’s time to take responsibility for my lack of it.

I have been selfish with what God has given me; we all too often are. During small group time at church today, I was given a challenge for the next week about generosity: to think about what God has given me an abundance of and to do something “generous” to give some of it away. A small step it may be, but for those of us who selfishly hoard what God has given us, it’s a start in the right direction. So I challenge all the other selfish hoarders like myself to join me and take this little step in living out our faith this week.

I haven’t quite decided what I’ll do yet. But I’ll start with a small bit of generosity by sharing with you all some interesting articles from World Vision ACT:S that I came across today. Check these links out:

6 Things to Know at 20-Something

6 Tips: Find a Cultural Experience

ACT:S Summer Adventure Bucket List