This Post says I love you in a whole new way!

 

Just when you think you are truly alone or no one notices you,

when you believe no one understands your struggle or hurts,

perhaps, you think no one is listening...

And then:

He paints this picture for you.

You hear, "Bring me your heart. Commit your way to me and trust me and I will make your righteousness reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.

I see you and I know your struggles." Psalm 37:5-6

There IS a God who sees us- El Roi (El Raw-ee) 

the name Hagar the slave gave to him.

Happy Valentine's Day. May we see it differently today!

What a beautiful mess I am...

I wrote this for my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group. It is a way to explain the theme of this year and is going in the first newsletter. I had to share what was on my heart...

Dear MOPS Moms,

Our theme, A Beautiful Mess-oh, I can certainly see my messes alright, but isn’t it stretching it a bit to call them beautiful? Doesn’t our theme ring oxymoron?  Can I get a witness?

How about an Mmmm-hmm?

 I mean, cleaning up my son’s potty training accident is anything, but pretty! My life appears more messy than gorgeous with never-ending piles of laundry or dishes, stacks of mail or paperwork to tend to, some kind of food that needs to be bought or chopped or cooked, and well this is only scratching the surface of outside messes. Lest I forget the inside me with untidy relationships, thoughts, and the need to permanently attach post-it notes to my body so my overloaded brain can remember the bazillion details swimming in my head. Not all that attractive, really, but God sees all of this differently! Okay, he isn’t blind to my messes, yet he knows that those messes aren’t the only pieces to who I am. They don’t tell the whole story of me. They just don’t define me…He does. In the bible, God tells me, “I am a masterpiece, created anew to do good works, which he planned for me long ago.” (Emphasis mine) Ephesians 2:10.

I struggle with that sometimes. Struggle to think of myself as a masterpiece because my human limitations tell me I am not good enough. Yet, no matter how crazy, chaotic or downright dirty my story or your story is God sees us as beautiful, God has a plan and if we are open to allowing some scrubbing away of the dirt-it will reveal the precious creation we are. Join me this year and let’s embrace our stain-covered manuscripts.

Part of a painting done with my children for MOPS called, Impression of Parenting. Notice the band-aid and REAL coffee drips and stains as well as the cute hand print.

Here's the full scale version of the painting...a mess alright!

Tell me about a time when you were in a mess and God          showed you the beauty. 

Linking up today with SDG. Go here to join the party! 

Face to face with God: A different Christmas Story #4

I have two more parts to my Christmas story series before I take a break for the rest of this year and for the Christmas season. Today is an aspect of Mary and Joseph that I haven't thought about, but came to me as I was reading and thinking about Mary's response...her pondering the night Jesus was born. 

Joseph and Mary saw so many miracles and promises come forth from the time she was told by the angel that she would become pregnant and carry God's only son, Jesus. Mary was told her cousin Elizabeth was pregnant and she was, Mary really was pregnant while still a virgin, she witnessed shepherds spreading the word of Jesus' birth and then later when Jesus was older, the Magi came and gave gifts, bowed and worshiped him. So many awesome occurrences, but the most amazing... 

Mary and Joseph were the only persons to actually see God in person, face to face and live! 

Yes, Moses literally heard the Lord, was in the presence of the Lord, but he could not see the Lord in all his glory for he would die. (See Exodus 19-23).

A baby like no other, the Messiah all had been waiting on for so many years. A miracle with a special star just for him.  A privilege.

 And Mary's beautiful response?

"She treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." -NIV Luke 2:19

It is as if she never wanted to forget this precious moment. I wouldn't have wanted to either.

I wonder if Joseph and her truly grasped seeing God in the flesh? Or if there was shock and awe and it hit them later? Hence the pondering in her response. 

Honestly, I sometimes wish I could see God face to face or experience his cloud (Moses) near me and speaking as I listen. I wonder how I would really behave? I can only speculate how I think I would be.

Yet, my hope is that I would respond just as Mary and be curious ("How will this be."), but say, "I am [your] servant, may your word to me be fulfilled." -Luke 1:34,38 NIV

Lord, I am your servant, may your word to me be fulfilled. Thy will be done.

Not a "Holy" blood line: A Different Christmas Story #1

Ever wish you didn't have to read that one story The Gruffalo over and over to your child? Your child loves it though so you do...unless you are like me and you try to persuade them with a shorter, easier to read or funnier story (think Green Hat, Blue Hat, If you give a Mouse a Cookie, or Goodnight Gorilla).
                   Yet, honestly, there is one story I never tire of reading each year. A story that continues to unravel layers and rich details. The Christmas story that tells of Jesus' birth. I've heard it again and again and there is always something new revealed to my head and heart. There is something so pure, truthful and even comforting to me to say these verses out loud every year, "...You (Mary) will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign...forever; his kingdom will never end." Luke 1:31-33 NIV

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This month, I am writing a short series (to be read like a devotional) to share what God has shown me with you. My hope is that the Lord will use this month to speak to our hearts as he changes our perspectives on the Christmas story. Hope you can join me. 

NOT a Holy Blood Line

(Matthew 1:1-17)

     When I think of kings I think of royalty, riches, honorable and noble qualities. Perhaps, my perspective of them as deserving or born into greatness comes from the fact that one is expected to worship or at least show loyalty and reverence to the king lest they get their head chopped off.

    History has shown how imperfect kings and their ancestry has been, but at the time I am sure that was not for the general public's knowledge. So why does it surprise me that Jesus' earthly blood line was so tainted?

     Maybe, like the Israelites, my version of a king comes from a misunderstood belief that a king would come from a dignified family, raised in a respectable manner and from a noble birth place.

     But, Jesus didn't. His earthly heritage was chalk full of sinners! 

Many of Jesus' great grandfathers were kings that did evil in the eyes of the Lord: Rehoboam, Abijah, Jehoram, Ahaz, Mannasseh, and Amon. Three of the four women named in the genealogy in Matthew were quite imperfect. Tamar pretended to be a prostitute and seduced her father-in-law, Rahab worked as a prostitute before her life was spared because she helped and listened to Joshua's spies before Jericho was conquered and Bathsheba committed adultery with King David.

Jesus really did come from humans full of folly, but he still came to forgive and save them and us! His imperfect genealogy shows how humbly he came into the world..."Who being in very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness..." Philippians 2:6-7

There is just something so freeing to know that if God would use a band of misfits to be Jesus' relatives then, he will certainly use us for his plans too.

 

             

Being super honest today

Today is a hard post because of how honest I am about to be. 
    Hubby has to ride his bike today in 19 degree weather and I feel sorry for him. Our Jeep's radiator is cracked and the water pump is out and this will cost us almost a thousand dollars to fix. Money we have, but money we really need-at least from our perspective. And I went on a hike last Saturday and somehow lost my driver's license. Then, there are the emotional issues and relationship struggles and terrible reactions. It was ugly last week and this week thus far. 
   Comical too. So I will be illegally driving to pick up said hubby this afternoon so he can drop me off at the local DMV and get our four year old to the dentist and hopefully pick-up the cash gouger that should be ready. Ugh! Life, huh?

So I wince and shift uncomfortably to admit that my deep seated feelings/actions toward this past week were less than ideal. I was fearful, prideful, critical, and dare say it, fleshly (oooooh).

I thought I was over faithless reactions.

Ya know the kind where you get all fearful, say stupid things, believe lies or come up with your own action plan? Striving instead of trusting God in other words.

  For a moment, I am like, um...did I seriously just do that? Hello? Where did the faithful me go?

I am so tired of the old me showing up when it feels like it.  

I wish I was scratch-art where I could use a wooden stick and scrape off the "blackness" and reveal  gold and it would stay and the flesh wouldn't mucky it up. But that job belongs to our Lord Jesus. 

THEN, the new me and the faith does come (after I smashed our decaying Jack O'Lantern with a baseball bat. Ahem, call it cheap therapy).

I read my devotional this morning. Read God's word. At first, I feel convicted, but not better.

Genesis 15:1, 17:1, 18:14 and 22:14 about whack my eyeballs and certainly pierce my heart.

    "Do not be afraid , Abram[Dionne], for I will protect you, and your reward will be great...I am El Shaddai-'God Almighty.' Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life...Is anything too hard for the Lord?...Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means "the Lord will provide").

The Lord will provide.

My 80's childhood returns saying, "Oooh, burn." I chuckle, feel bad, but quickly realize the truth, the freedom springing forth from God's words spoken so clearly to me.

And despite my tail between my legs or the miniscule pity party...there is hope! And I want to memorize the above to fend off the humanness. But, God isn't asking me to be less human. He is asking me to trust Him when he is testing my family and me. To trust me with Him. The Lord will provide.

Your turn to be honest. Share your heart, I will treat it with care.

Gladly linking up today with:

A week of Noah (Day 3): Why Noah didn't worry about voting.

Every four years, someone loses, someone is disappointed and a country is divided between two candidates. Luckily, Noah didn't have to worry about voting.

In his day, it was follow your own laws, yourself, or your own god. Even "fallen angels" chose their own will and married human daughters. It seems like this might be the first example of anarchy. But Noah did none of those things.  While almost everyone disobeyed and disrespected God, Noah and his family did not.

 In a way, Noah "voted" for God.

Let me explain...

Noah was given specific instructions on how to build a huge boat or "Ark"...VERY specific blueprints down to a particular wood to use called, Cypress or some translations say Gopher. The only vessel that would save his family and him.

Noah could have laughed, or decided to ignore God and build it his way, but he didn't. Sure, it would have been foolish for Noah to not believe God since drowning was the consequence, but I believe Noah wasn't just creating flood insurance for himself.

Noah didn't put his faith in humans or himself.
He put his faith in the only living God. And so should we.

We must trust God with our country and not place our hope in the government or a president. I am not saying to not vote nor am I advocating not standing up for your personal beliefs, but one must never rely on humans to make all the right decisions.

One man or Congress will not make everything as it should be...only God can do that.

Noah knew and believed that and was blessed for it.



 

A week of Noah: (Day 1) It wasn't two by two?

This week, I have decided to share what I am learning in a devotional I am doing called, The Women's Devotional Guide to the Bible by Jean E. Syswerda. I acquired some new facts, but the best part is what the Lord showed me. It just isn't fun to keep it to myself.

Did ya know that Noah didn't take animals two by two? What? Yep, I was shocked too. According to the devotional, Noah was told by God to ² Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate,... 

Genesis 7:2 NIV

So essentially, there was more than a duo of each animal and the reason for that is found in Genesis 8:20 ²⁰ Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.

If only two had been preserved on the ark, then that animal would have been instantly extinct. Not God's plan at all. -Syswerda

So like me, do you feel hoodwinked? Tricked or duped?

Honestly? At first I did feel this way, but then I realized the problem was me. Not the sweet Sunday School teacher or the Fisher Price's Little People Noah's Ark toy.

Often, it is me that is doing the bamboozling. Where my pride deceives me into thinking there is nothing left to learn from a tired story I have heard a million times. My thinking and pride stinks!

I don't care to admit that I cheat God of quality time. Sometimes, I spend a dutiful 15 minutes and call that "spending time in the word". Okay, no, I am not blogging to shame myself, however, had I read the familiar story more closely, listened more carefully with a thorough, open heart, I might not have missed that very important detail. Believe me when I say, NO detail is just fluff in the Bible. It is THERE for a reason.  

So why explain how many animals? Well, it isn't totally clear accept for what Syswerda said about animals being extinct and because building altars and sacrificing clean animals was required by God for atonement of sins or peace. Yet, in Noah's case, perhaps pure gratitude for God faithfully keeping his promise to protect Noah and his family.

Today, we are not required to build altars and sacrifice animals (thank goodness because I have a queasy stomach) to show gratitude or atone for sins.  Jesus paid that price. It is because of Jesus' sacrifice of himself, God's unselfish act of grace that God doesn't require this tradition.

So, for me, I am going to start showing gratitude in a different way; my eyes, and ears will soak up God's word more carefully so I don't miss a thing! Not out of pride, but out of thankfulness that I can read the Bible and I am loved by the Almighty God who longs to teach me and speak to me.

Linking up today at these awesome blogs:

Jen's at SDG 

Michelle@Hear it On Sunday, use it on Monday  

  

31 Days to Grace (Day 30): in examples

*Luke 2:40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
Jesus came into the world with the Grace of God on him. And would show the greatest example of grace through his death.

*Ephesians 4:7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
Grace is for all humans. When we choose Christ, we receive it.
 
*Colossians 4:6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
We should understand what we believe and our words should drip with grace not with a condescending tone.

^{*Acts 11: 22-23 22} News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. ²³ When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.  
Men from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch and spoke to the Greeks and many of those people came to Christ. God's grace can change any heart and mind.


 
 *2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

Grace is adequate, enough when I am not.