Lessons From My Father

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What lessons have I learned from my father? That is what I have been thinking about recently. You see, last week, my grandfather went home to heaven. My heart is sad, but I know he is filled with joy. When someone leaves this Earth, we all like to reflect on what the person meant to us and think about the memories with that person. My father had the honor of writing and sharing a eulogy about his life and legacy.

Sometimes, when I hear all these amazing things about a person at their funeral, I wonder did they know the impact they made on others’ lives while they were living? Why do we wait? Often we don’t express and tell someone what they truly mean to us or the impact they have on our life.

As I listened to my dad prepare to eulogize my grandfather, it made me reflect on all my father has taught me. My Dad taught me and my brother so much but a few of the lessons learned are; put God first always, love unconditionally, be a person of integrity and wisdom, share your faith at every opportunity, be a person of wisdom and he is fun

Dad taught me to put God first.

As his dad, Grandpa Lou, would say “make God number one and you will be ok.” On my dad’s nightstand sits a duct taped Bible. That well-read and studied Bible helps guide his life, his words, and his actions. Psalm 119: 105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Dad taught me how to love unconditionally.

He is a loving husband and takes such beautiful care of my mother (this would turn into a novel if I added all the stories about my selfless, gorgeous mom, stay tuned for the sequel!). Their relationship is full of hilarious stories, mutual respect, and being there for one another through life’s ups and downs. Dad loved coaching my brother’s baseball teams. He threw the coolest birthday parties in his deli/ice cream shop, and he planned a trip to the beach each summer.

Quality time as a family is something I’ll always cherish and love making a priority with my family today. My brother’s friends knew Dad as Coach Rick and mine like to call him JD…Jen’s Dad. My parents always made our home welcoming to our friends and often my friends would go to my dad for advice, that is who he is. One of my friends got a motorcycle and came to my house, not to show me, but to show my dad!

Dad taught me how to live with integrity.

When faced with adversity, hard times, and challenging people, my dad always prays first. When he messes up, he admits it and cleans up the mess. He is a humble man that lives his life with integrity. “The righteous who walks in his integrity — blessed are his children after him!” Proverbs 20:7. His actions speak louder than his words. His work ethic is one to be admired and he learned that from his father. Dad is full of wisdom. When I need solid wisdom, my dad is my first call.

Dad taught me to share my faith at every opportunity.

My dad is the kind of guy who talks to everyone…everyone!  One of his favorite topics of conversation lately is letting people know about “The Chosen” that is all about Jesus and His disciples. He might let you know to “stir up the water,” “get used to different,” and let you know “I was one way, now I’m completely different, and the thing in between was Him.”

During the pandemic, we were driving through the city and he saw a homeless man. He gave the man money, talked to him, blessed him, and held the man’s hand. During a time when everyone was fearful of their neighbor, my dad made a man who others didn’t see feel Christ. Jesus saw this man and loves him, He was known to not only talk with everyone, but also touch those who were actual untouchables, like lepers (Mark 1: 40-45). And when you model your life after the one called Love, it leaves a lasting impact on those around you.

Dad is fun!

His favorite name these days is Papa and his grandsons adore him. He loves playing with them. Sports, snowball fights. Being pushed in the water, sprayed by the hose, and of course he always tells the boys about Jesus. He is carrying on traditions with the boys, like beach trips to our favorite spot in Cape Cod, the occasional ice cream for dinner, and listening to their stories.

He’s leaving a beautiful legacy to his children and grandchildren; full of love and modeling how to live a Godly life. He’s also known to bust a move and sing random rap songs. My friends call it hilarious. But I call it embarrassing. Rap Daddy Arthur makes appearances at weddings, with friends, even at work. Oh my. And, Dad even sent me a text before the Halftime show, “Don’t forget about Dre…” Bless it!

God, our Father, Promises To Be…

God is referred to as Abba, meaning Father. And He wants us to come to Him with our troubles, failures, triumphs, fears, and gratitude. My earthly father is a beautiful example of what it means to be a loving father. And, I look at my father and feel and know so much love, respect and adore him. He is amazing, but that doesn’t even compare to how awesome our heavenly Father is.

To those reading this and have had hard relationships with your earthly fathers, God is all we need. He promises to be our Good Shepherd (John 10:11). Our good, good Father (Psalm 23:1). Deliverer (2 Samuel 2:22). Provider (Genesis 22:14). Healer (Exodus 15:26). The God who sees us (Genesis 16:13), God with us (Matthew 1:23), and God who saves us (John 3:16).

His life verse and the one he likes to share with everyone is John 14:6, ““I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” And, this truth is what he wants everyone to know and to believe. The man who’s never met a stranger wants everyone to have a relationship with Christ and know Him as savior.

So, thank you Dad for all of your wisdom, knowledge, and unconditional love. I too hope to share this truth and show love to everyone I meet. I love you Dad.

Now it is your turn.

Who do you need to let know how much they mean to you? Words of encouragement are good for the heart.

I’ll leave you with my Dad’s favorite blessing that he shares with everyone:

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6: 24-26

The Story Of Our Wedding Cake

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Have I ever told you the story about our wedding cake? It’s a good one. Like really good.

When looking for someone to do our wedding cake, we ended up going with a customer at the store I worked at. She was a fairly new customer, and one day she was showing me all of the wedding cakes she had done for her customers. They looked amazing, and after a quick taste testing we decided to hire her to do our cake. (P.S.- the cake she gave me to taste was amazing and exactly what I wanted!)

She seemed great to work with at first, and her price was reasonable. But as our wedding day got closer, something began to feel off with her, and details started to contradict one another. But our wedding date was approaching fast, and we had already paid her, so there wasn’t much we could do.

We had signed the contract, and paid the money… things would work out with the cake right?

This was about to be a story that they would probably write in the reception hall’s book of crazy events that would happen at a wedding…

The day of our wedding everything was going seamlessly, but as we began to take our photos in the garden at the reception place, the owner, John, kind of hovered to the side of the garden waiting for a moment to come speak to us. Weird.

When we had a break, he came over and kindly told us that there was a delay in the cake delivery, as they were stuck in traffic, but they should get there in time for the cake cutting (which you know kind of involves the cake).

Cool. No problem. Carrying on…

Cocktail hour finishes, the bridal party is introduced, we have our first dance, the maid of honor and best man give their speeches… then John comes over again. (We always liked John. John was very down to earth, easy to work with, and we would highly recommend anyone to have their reception at his place.) This time he is telling us that our cake got in a car accident, in the “Audi” that they brought it in. So much for the company van that was supposed to bring the cake.

And the cake didn’t look like the cake we ordered or were expecting. John promised the kitchen staff was doing everything they could to make the cake look “presentable”. He said it so kindly and calm.  And this is what I will say about the cake. It didn’t even look like the cake had been in an accident. It just looked really bad. Like it was made by someone who pretended to be a professional baker, and she had.

This was my face…

Now, when we saw the cake, we told them not to even do the cake cutting. It looked like a 5-year-old had made it. And I can say with confidence that it wasn’t the work of the reception workers that made it so bad. It was just made that poorly. And it tasted nothing like the amazing cake I tasted. It tasted like Betty Crocker made it. Still good, but not like a typical wedding cake that costs $500.

We asked the photographer to take a really quick photo at the best angle possible, so at least we had a picture of it. (If you need a photographer for your engagement photos, or wedding photos, we highly recommend Airen Miller Photography! All photos in this post besides featured image were taken by him.)

John told us that the baker said she would follow up with us about the accident. But by the time we got back from our 2 week honeymoon, we had not heard a word.

I emailed her a couple days after we got back, and with no apology or explanation promised to make us a small cake that we could freeze to have on our one-year anniversary (you know like traditionally you would freeze the top layer of your cake for this). And after 3 weeks of saying “oh it will be done tomorrow”, and no follow through with the promise over and over, we finally told her to call this an “act of God” as it was stated in the contract, and just let it go.

So what does this have to do with faith?

Just like we have people who will make false promises, and people who don’t follow through on their “end of the deal, ” there is a bigger enemy in life. His name is Satan. And he hates God. He is called the “father of lies”, and he is really good at making sin look really good.

But here is the thing. Disobedience and sin is never a good thing. Ever. And when Satan gets you to do what he wants, he will never rescue you. That is not his goal, desire, or purpose. His goal is to get you to be disobedient to God, and make you believe that His way isn’t that great. He will abandon you, and leave you with no hope. And we see this with Adam and Eve. What was he doing when they were naked and afraid? Not coming to their defense. Not clothing them, and not calling them out of hiding.

He will make you promises on delivering a beautiful wedding cake, mess your wedding cake up, drop it off and let someone else fix the mess, then make more promises, and allow the promises to return void every single time.

Then there is God…

He will come to you in the garden. Just like John came to us in the garden. He says “in this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world”. There is hope. He will come to us in our brokenness. He calls us out of hiding. Doesn’t abandon us. Because the only thing He abandoned was the grave.

He is full of truth and grace. Always fulfills His promises, His word never returning void. Always meeting our needs, just as He met the needs of Adam and Eve when they were naked and afraid.

Nothing ever surprises Him, because He has gone before us. He doesn’t leave us in the dark, because in His son, Jesus was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. That light shines in the darkness of night.

This God loves you. He comes to you. He desires for you to take heart, be strong and courageous. Be still. Have faith. And trust in Him. He will never fail you, as He is unchanging.

Just believe. Jesus is the truth. And the truth, will set you free.

What is Worship?

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“What is worship?”

That is the question that Charlie asks often if K-love is on in the car. I had to think about it for a minute the first time he asked, because how do you describe what worship is, to a 7-year-old? At face value, and according to Webster dictionary, worship is defined as honoring and showing reverence for as a divine being or supernatural power, or regarding with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion.

It can be easy to pigeon hole worship as just songs of adoration. But Romans 12:1 says this about what worship is:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

And so my answer to Charlie is the same answer I give you. Worship is living our lives in a way that honors God above all else.

What worship is.

Let’s go back to Mary from last week. Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the grave. And they were having a dinner in Jesus’ honor. Martha was serving, and Lazarus (who had just been raised from the dead) reclined at the table with Him.

Mary took an expensive bottle of perfume, poured it on the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.

Washing someone’s feet was an act of hospitality for a guest. Either the host, or a servant would perform the task. But this was a dirty job, because back then they didn’t walk around in boots that would keep a person’s feet clean. They wore sandals, and the roads were of dirt.(And let me tell you, my husband is disgusted by feet… so ask him if he would like to do this task!)

The perfume she used was very expensive, and probably a year’s worth of wages. This was an act of heartfelt love, gratitude, and adoration. Worship. She was offering Jesus the very best she had.

This Was Worship.

But Judas made sure Jesus knew his thoughts about what had just happened. Why hadn’t the perfume been sold and the money given to the poor? Why offer something to Him that cost so much? However, we are told that Judas didn’t really care about the poor. He wanted what belonged to Christ. and he didn’t want Christ to have what Christ deserved, if he wasn’t going to get anything out of it.

In reality, as the disciple who was keeper of the money bag, he would help himself to what was put into it. And that would have been his desire in this situation. Sell the perfume so he could benefit from it, and use the poor as a facade for his greedy heart.

And this was the response of Jesus. “Leave her alone. It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

Let me be really clear as to what Jesus was saying here. We will bring Jesus our best when what we bring is out of love. Love for Him. Love for others. Worship is not a waste. Worship is never a waste.

How To Live A Life Of Worship.

So how do we live this out in our lives? You see this acted out really well in scripture in the book of Ruth. We all know the story. She gave up a life of security to walk alongside Naomi.

She wasn’t committing to a life of being served and provided for, but a life of serving and providing for the needs of another. Ruth wasn’t committing to a certain life, but to a faithful God.

I want to point out something. The first time we are introduced to Ruth it is in verse 1:4. It says “They (Mahlon and Killion, Naomi’s sons) married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth.” For someone who had a book of the Bible named after her, she was named second. Seems a little strange, and even more so because she was married to the oldest son.

Ruth Was Second.

Why was she named last? I don’t know, and I have no idea what kind of meaning is behind this. It is possible she was just younger than Orpah, because usually the eldest is listed first in scripture. And usually more is expected from the eldest. Less is normally expected from the youngest.

But one thing seems clear here… Ruth stepping up to go with Naomi was probably completely unexpected.

The last will be first.

I kind of wonder what Ruth’s family thought when they heard she would be returning to Bethlehem with Naomi. They probably would have welcomed her back with open arms. Given her a life, a family, a hope for the future. But that isn’t the life she chose. She chose uncertainty. And scripture makes it seem like it wasn’t much of a difficult decision for her. It seems like she was more than ready to make this heartfelt commitment to Naomi. This can only be done because of a deep, selfless love.

Where you go I go. Where you stay I stay.

What she did probably wasn’t what was expected at all, especially from the younger maybe. But it didn’t stop her from her firm commitment for Naomi’s God to be her God, even if others didn’t understand how she lived her life, as they were stirred about when they arrived back in Bethlehem.

And the thought of what others thought of her didn’t seem to concern Mary, as she was pouring expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet and wiping it with her hair, either.

Do your friends and family not understand the life you live? You are not alone.

I will say that again.

You are not alone. As much as we would like for all of our loved ones to understand how we live our lives, that may never happen. And that is largely in part because we don’t follow the ways of the world. And since we don’t follow the ways of the world, more times than not, our lifestyle won’t be understood by the ones who understand the ways of the world.

His Ways Are Higher Than Ours.

Please hear me when I say, that this is okay. If you are living your life for Christ. And every beat of your heart beats for Him. And if you give Him your very very very very best, then you will have God’s favor on your life. You have His blessings, and His protection. You have your place in heaven. And the most important thing is that He will be glorified, because He is getting the honor and praise that He deserves.

Mary served the Lord, giving Him her very best, and not her leftovers. That is worship. Ruth did the same. And both of them were met with God’s protection on their lives.

God’s favor doesn’t rest on those who do the expected, does it? It rests on those who serve Him with their whole heart.

I love both of these women’s postures before the Lord. And my prayer is that this be our posture. That we bring Jesus our very best, because when we bring Jesus our best, we are coming before the risen King in worship, the One whose promises will never return void, and the One who will always have the victory.

 

Am I Praying For God’s Will To Be Done? … Or Mine?

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Was I being like the disciples who were arguing over who was the greatest? As Jesus reminded them that the first would be last. Do I understand what my purpose is? Am I seeking the right things? Am I praying for God’s will to be done? … Or mine?

Those are the questions that I have been thinking about a lot the past couple of weeks, as we have read story after story of how the disciples struggled with understanding the life Jesus calls His followers to live.

And I have been considering this more after a question was asked to me that completely challenged everything that I have been thinking about. I won’t tell you the question, but it is a question that has grieved and disheartened me since the second it was asked.

And so I have been searching my heart. What am I seeking?

When we wrestle with these questions, I think that something we need to take seriously is how Jesus responds to our desire to be great, and our wills to be done.

This was something else that was said to me. “You can’t see that God will bless and honor your obedience.”

And I want to be honest about my thoughts on this. Will God bless our obedience? Yes. In the way we expect? Probably not. And should we be obedient because we want God’s blessing? No.

Blessing and honor should not be what we are seeking. We should just seek and serve Christ because we love Christ. No expectations of strings attached. His will, way above, our own.

How Can I Know If I Am Praying For God’s Will?

We wrestle with the hard questions. And I say wrestle, because the hard questions are really hard questions. The uncomfortable questions. And we should wrestle with them, because they are important. So here are a few questions to consider:

   What are my intentions when I pray? 
   When praying, am I only asking for the things that I want? Or do my prayers ultimately submit to God’s will?
Do my prayers align with God’s truth and His promises?
Do my prayers benefit me? Or do they glorify God?
   Are my intentions really for God’s will, or are my desires for God’s will in my life only when His will aligns with my own?

Let’s look at Lazarus’s sister Mary, in Luke 11 for a second. Because this is a beautiful picture of this. Mary and Martha sent a message to Jesus that their brother Lazarus, the one Jesus loves, was sick. He wasn’t just sick, he was like really sick. Jesus responded saying that his sickness would not end in death, and this was for God’s glory and He would be glorified through it.

Jesus stayed where he was for 2 more days before he went to where Lazarus was. By the time Jesus got there, Lazarus had been dead for 4 days. This is not what Mary had hoped and prayed for. This was not her will. And she fell at the feet of Jesus and in her grief let Him know her disappointment, like He wasn’t in control of the situation, and like the victory He spoke was just a broken promise. Because if Jesus had been there, her will would have been done.

Jesus wept.

And here we have the shortest verse in the Bible that shows the heart of God. Jesus wept. And he wept because her (and the other’s) grief troubled Him. Some of them were surprised by this display of His love, while others said “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Couldn’t He have kept Lazarus from dying? Couldn’t He have healed the sickness as they had hoped for?

He could have, yes. But only if their will had been done.

We know the end of the story. Jesus continues to go back to His promise. “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” He asked for the stone to be removed, He thanks God, and He calls Lazarus out of the tomb. God was glorified through His Son. As promised.

Only when His will is done.

Nevertheless, Your will be done.

I skipped over a little detail in verse 5 and 6. It is actually not a small detail at all. And I think it speaks volumes for God’s will.

It says that Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, and so (translated as therefore, accordingly, or these being so) he stayed where he was for 2 days. He didn’t run to where Lazarus lay dying the second they called so that He could heal Him. He stayed because He loved them. It wasn’t to torture them, and it wasn’t because He wasn’t going to answer their prayers.

Jesus was about to show them that He could conquer death (even days later), just as He promised. However, all they could focus on was that He could have healed their brother and He didn’t. He promised that his sickness would not end in death. But it had. At least that’s what it looked like. He could have, and He didn’t.

And He didn’t do it according to their will because of His love.

Their faith would increase, as well as the faith of those around them. They would have a dinner in His honor, and the woman who had fell at Jesus’ feet in grief was now at His feet again, This time in an act of gratitude and love, she was pouring expensive perfume over His feet, and wiping it with her hair.

May this be our prayer…

God, I admit that at times I can be exactly like the disciples, and your followers, wanting my own will to be done over Yours. I thank you that your ways are higher than mine. I know I can take you at your word, and believe that you work for the good of those who love you. Thank you that your timing is perfect, and that your plans for me are good, even when I may feel like they are not. May Your will, be the will only that I pray for. May your purpose for me be the only purpose I long for. And may I believe and hold fast to what you have spoken, above what I can understand. May You always find me, at your feet, bringing you the very best that I have, out of love and adoration for all You are. In Your Son’s precious name, amen.

Be Still.

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It was a morning that started like any other morning in our house (sarcasm implied). First, I spilled my coffee by accidentally laying it on a pen that I didn’t see. And then 10 minutes later, I opened the cabinet to get a cereal bowl for Charlie, and the second I opened the cabinet, a coffee cup fell, and shattered all over the floor around me. “Okay so this is how my day is going to go” I thought. I had socks on, but I knew one thing. If I didn’t want a shard of ceramic cup in my foot, I needed to be still.

Still. That is my word for 2022. The word kept echoing in my head over and over, towards the end of 2021, and my go to verse is Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.”

And we are 10 days in to 2022, and the year is already living up to the word.

Be Still.

I had decisions to make, and I was making them based on someone’s word. This decision holds a lot of weight, so I definitely got all of the information about the possibilities of moving forward I could before making a decision.

It seemed like everything was great, and I sent emails confirming the decision, and then I got the shocking email that the person wasn’t going to keep their word. Like at all. Even though I had the commitment in writing.

And not only were they not budging on going back on their word, they also weren’t offering much hope for the future either. I felt like I did this morning. Like a coffee cup had shattered around me, and I had to be really still or completely lose it.

I was in a battle that I had no control over, and I had lost. At least, that is how it felt in the moment.

I had prayed for God’s favor, and it didn’t look like I had it.

And sometimes when we are in the battle, it can feel like the battle is lost. It looks like the schemes of the enemy have won. And you feel stuck, like “Now what?”

Be still.

In a way, I felt like I was stuck in the middle of a battle between man and God. Have you ever felt like this? It is not a good feeling.

This is what happens when we trust in the promises of man instead of the word of God. And when we consume ourselves with the “what if’s”, instead of declaring the “it is written’s.”

But if there is anything that I have learned about battles, it is this… when you abide in Christ, you are on the side of victory.

Our battle may not always feel victorious in the moment. So we always need to be mindful Whose battle we are fighting, but more importantly, Who is fighting our battle. Because this is what God will say to us in these moments…

I will fight for you; you need only to be still.

What a promise.The Lord will fight for us. He will come to the aid of His people, and watch over them, provide for them and care for them because He is their God.

But what exactly does it mean to be still?

But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever. Psalm 52:8

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about some roses that lived a long time. A lot longer than roses should live. They actually still haven’t died as they usually do. Right now, most of them are still standing with just the petals drying around the edges. And I have been thinking a lot about those roses. And how Isaiah 35:1 speaks of a rose that will grow in a place that could not sustain life, and relates this rose to the promise of Israel’s future.

This rose, that would grow despite its hopeless circumstance, because this rose didn’t grow because of its circumstance.

And a rose, or a tree, doesn’t grow because of its circumstance, or because it tries or because of what goes on around it. It grows because it is still.

Isaiah 35 continues to paint a really beautiful picture of the promise for God’s people. The joy in redemption, and the assurance of rescue. The blind will see, the deaf will hear. The lame will leap like a deer, the mute will shout. Water will gush in the wilderness, there will be streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool. And there will be a highway called “the Way of Holiness”, and only for those who walk on that Way will walk on it.

And it is just not a promise for those who walked in the days of the Old Testament. The promise is for His chosen ones, the one who have decided to follow Jesus.

Wow, what a secure hope we have. And a beautiful future we can behold.

How to be still.

Being still doesn’t mean that we completely shelter ourselves, and be completely unmovable. It means that we follow Him in confidence in who He is. We let go of the things that keep us from completely knowing that He is God.

We plant ourselves in Living Water, and abide in Him, and let our roots grow deep. It means that we do as He says, trusting that His ways are higher than ours, and that He will work all things for the good of those who love Him.

And when we can’t see beyond our circumstances and think the battle is lost, and when it is hard to see His love, faithfulness, grace, power, and goodness, we must believe that it. Not because we see it or feel it, but because He said so and because it is written. And if it is written, it is so. And if it is so, than we can be still and know He is God.

What I Learned Building The Disney Princess Castle

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It was the day after Christmas. Meaning the day that every child wants to open, build, and play with every single Christmas gift they received. Also, the day that every parent is trying to get the kids to stay in bed just a little longer, trying to get them to be patient while they make breakfast (even though “they aren’t hungry” because they are too excited to play with their gifts), and make the much needed to get through the day coffee. This was how our day after Christmas morning began, because Olivia wanted me to build her 4 foot Disney princess castle. You read that right… 4 ft.

I want to be honest, I was so excited about giving her this gift, because when she saw the commercial for it on tv, she told my husband that it was all she wanted for Christmas. And I love the Disney princesses, so watching your child open the gift she wants the most, that you love as well, is pretty special.

She couldn’t wait for that castle to be built so that she could play with all of her princesses in it.

She had gotten the gift, and she just wanted it completed. She was living in the already, but not yet.

She Wanted The Kingdom To Come.

We live in the already and not yet. Jesus came as promised, but we are awaiting His return, and for His kingdom to come to completion.

Just like Olivia couldn’t wait for the castle to be built, we long for the promise of Revelation 21:4.

Olivia had a dream about this the other day. She said Jesus told her a story of an old old old old man. He had boo boos on his legs, and was scratching himself. She said that he died and went to heaven, and his boo boos were all fixed.

This is the day that, as believers, we long for. The promise of Rev. 21:4. The day that He will wipe every tear from our eyes, and there will be no more death. They day that every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. Jesus, the name above all names.

The Maker Knows Best.

Back to the castle.

She was so impatient that she made things a little more difficult for me to build it. And she didn’t exactly want to follow directions. I had to tell her more than once “hold on Olivia, we need to follow the directions.”

Because sometimes, okay, most of the time, short cuts just don’t work. It’s true, they don’t. I have so many stories of shortcut fails, because I thought I could do it better, or faster, or knew better… when I really didn’t. If anyone knew how to build the castle the best, it was the company who made it. So if I wanted it built the best, I needed to trust the people who made it.

So I tried to encourage her to be patient, and in return my sweet girl kept telling me “good job mommy!”, as I was busy building this castle.

It took a few hours, because I didn’t want to rush, and do it wrong. But I completed it. I wish I could tell you that I followed the instructions perfectly. But there were a couple times I needed to go back a step or 2 because I failed to follow the instructions that the maker graciously gave to us in the box.

And once every piece was put together, she couldn’t have been happier to play with her princesses in their home.

Follow The Instructions

Just like I wasn’t rushing to get that castle built, because I wanted to follow the instructions, God has a reason why His Kingdom hasn’t fully come yet. And it is because He is being patient. He is waiting for every ear to hear about His Son, Jesus.

For now, He is preparing a place for us, just as I was trying to prepare the castle for Olivia. And when He is finished, He will come back for us.

For now, He left us with His word. And His word will lead us to the path of life. If we want to know how God desires us to live this one life of ours, we just have to open the most precious gift we have at our fingers tips.

Above Instructions…

What is the most valuable thing to learn from building the Disney Princess castle?

The instructions for the Disney castle seemed intricate and hard to follow. Figuring out which piece was which, where each sticker went, and which decoration belonged with each tower. There were so many pieces. Big pieces, small pieces, and every shape and size in between.

And just like the instructions for the castle were hard to follow, His word, given to us, can seem like it contains a lot of rules that seem completely impossible to live by.

I made mistakes making the castle. I had to go back a couple times, and redo things because I had jumped ahead. I thought I knew best… yeah that never works out too well, does it?

I make mistakes in life too. A lot of them, even though I tried not to. And this is why no matter how hard we try, our “best” won’t get us into heaven. And this is why that above the rules and restrictions, we first need to have faith.

Faith that the Creator is trustworthy, that His word is good, and written because He knew that us having it would lead us to eternal life with Him, in the place that He is preparing for us. Heaven.

God So Loved The World…

We can never do enough to please God enough to get into heaven. It has never worked before, and it never will.

We need to trust that God so loved the world that He created so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that we would not perish but have eternal life. We must believe, know, have confidence that He is the way, the truth, and the life.

And love God, with all our heart, doing as He says, knowing that one day the place He is preparing for us will be complete, and His kingdom will come. And, we as daughters of the King, will live in His Kingdom come, forever.

Limitless: The Story of the Roses

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A few weeks ago, I had flowers sent to my friend on the anniversary of the passing of a loved one.

You never know what you are going to get when you order flowers from the internet, but the flowers were beautiful. White roses with some greenery sprinkled in. Roses are my favorite, but they usually only last about a week at most. They are usually wilting and losing their strength fairly quickly.

Two weeks later, she gave me those roses back to care for. Honestly, I didn’t know how they were even alive still. And day after day, I expected them to die. And day after day they proved me wrong. They never lost their strength, and some opened so much that they basically outgrew themselves. The petals opened so wide that the stem couldn’t hold them anymore.

Despite the fact I thought the odds were against them. They aren’t dying. They instead are overflowing…unlimited by its condition.

Limitless: My word for 2021

Do you all do a word for the year? I do. Usually I remember it all year, and it is in some ways how I pray through the year. But this year I forgot it. And didn’t remember it until yesterday. The word is “limitless”. At first I thought that the year didn’t hold the meaning of the word. And then I thought harder. And it really did. Because we serve a limitless God. A God who is faithful even if we are struggling in the faith department.

And if that is true, then He isn’t limitedly the things of this world. Or by our lack or faith, or fears. Our insecurities, doubts, and the things that we can’t wrap our human minds around.

Have you ever had a moment that you can’t wrap your head around? Even days or weeks, or years later? Like the magnitude of the moment was so large that you can’t fit it into what your human mind can comprehend?

Maybe the moments seem surreal, or like a dream, far from reality? Moments that make you say “Would you believe me if I told you….”. But reality is what it is.

And that can be like our view of God, and then who He actually is. Maybe we unintentionally limit Him, because of what we think limits us.

Recently the friend I shared the roses with, and I with experienced this firsthand. And I could tell you a lot of stories about our limitless God from this year, but this one is the one that left me in the most awe.

We were preparing for an event. Everything was in place. People were stepping up in a way that I have never seen before to accomplish God’s work. I can best describe it as the body of Christ working together, and I had never witnessed it working as beautifully as I had on this day.

Everything was okay (even great), until it wasn’t. Suddenly some of us were in a room, most of us on our knees crying out to God to intervene, because we knew He could (even if He didn’t). One day I will share the story with you, but for more this is what I will say. It was an hour of a flurry of phone calls, texts, and planning in the event things didn’t change dramatically and quickly. Either God needed to move, or a couple of us were going to the ER.

We knew one thing. He was God. And He would be glorified no matter what. And regardless, that was our deepest desire.

In a way, we were limited. But God…

And as instantly as things “suddenly” began, things “suddenly” changed (it only took an hour and a half).

God is not limited by the things that limit us.

It feels like a dream. Still months later, in a way it almost feels like it didn’t happen. But it did, and we have the pictures to prove it. And God was glorified in greater ways than we could have ever hoped or imagined, as we knew He would be. Our faith grew, and we saw that truly God is not limited by the things that we think limit us. And if it is a part of His will, we aren’t limited by the things that we think limit us either.

I will remember this for the rest of my life.

“Jesus was standing in my room.”

A couple months ago, Olivia told me she had a dream about Jesus.

“Jesus was standing in my room. He didn’t even fit in my room because he was so big! He had a white robe on. It made me happy because I love Jesus. He is really nice”

When Olivia told me about Jesus being in her room, I immediately thought of Isaiah.

I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple (Isaiah 6:1)

She said that He was so big that He could not fit in her room. Just as only the train of His robe filled the temple. Just like He is so big that we can’t fully comprehend His ways, or contain His greatness or majesty. But if we trust in Him, we will see it.

Olivia said something else that night. “Jesus is coming back.”

Yes, He is. Out of the mouth of a babe. And until that day, my hope and prayer for all of us is that (like the roses) our faith and hope isn’t limited by a stem. May we all deeply know the limitless God we get to serve. The God of all hope. The One who fills us with joy and peace so that we overflow with hope… by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Before The First Christmas

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When I was younger, I used to be in a theater group. One year we did a play about the Maccabees. I can still remember one line in the song. “Antiochus, the terrible has made our lives unbearable.” Unbearable ended up being a bit of an understatement.

Antiochus heavily restricted (forbid) Jewish tradition, because he wanted them to fall under Greek lifestyle. He forbid reading Hebrew law, observing the Sabbath, and circumcising their children in obedience to God. This ruthless ruler built an altar to the Greek God, Zeus, in the temple built for God, Himself. He even sacrificed a pig on it, and pigs were considered unclean to the Jews, so this was a pretty big statement to them.

Eventually, the Maccabees (led by a man named Judas Maccabeus) revolted and regained control of Jerusalem. And this is when Hanukkah began for the Jews. 

The Silent Years…

When did this happen you might you ask? During the 400 years between the Old Testament and the New Testament. (also ever wonder what testament means? It means covenant. So when we say Old Testament, it is the covenant before Christ… and with the New Testament, we mean the new covenant)

Anyway. Yes, although scripture doesn’t mention what happens during those 400 years, history didn’t stand still. And obviously a lot actually happened with the Israelites during that time, that shapes the condition of what was going on when Jesus was born.

First, we start with someone we have all heard of, Alexander the great, coming in and taking over a lot of territory, including the area around Jerusalem. The Greeks would rename this area Palestine, and this change also brought Greek influence, to what was once the Promised Land. This explains why the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and the New written in Greek… because I know you all wondered that (you’re welcome).

For the most part Alexander the great and the next few leaders allowed the Jews to keep their religious practices, but Greek influence began to clash with people’s loyalty to God, and public conflict and unrest grew.

Back to Antiochus…

This is where Antiochus stepped in, and I read that on top of the outlawing on Jewish traditions, he made their lives more unbearable. He only ruled 10 years, but was said to be evil. Not only did he sacrifice a pig on the altar in the temple, but he turned other rooms into brothels, and murdered thousands of Jewish women and children.

When the Maccabees revolted, they had a cleanse and rededication of the temple that took 8 days. The Festival of Lights. Hanukkah.

Their newfound freedom as an independent nation didn’t last long, because they were overtaken again this time by the Romans, and we find here the rule of more well-known people like Julius Caesar, Anthony and Cleopatra, and then the Herod’s. 

Now we get to right before the first Christmas.

In 37 BC, the Roman Senate named Idumean Herod the Great “King of the Jews”, and became the king of Israel. The Israelites probably weren’t too thrilled about this, because of his bloodline, however in hopes to smooth things over a bit with them, he married into Jewish bloodline and remodeled and expanded the temple lavishly. So when the disciples take note of the extravagance of the temple… they weren’t joking. I read that some of the stones were bigger than the cars we drive.

Herod the great, had an intense desire for power, and this is seen in scripture, when he hears that the Magi came looking for the “king of the Jews” shortly after Jesus was born. He obviously wasn’t too excited about this, as in his mind he was the designated king of the Jews, and that title wouldn’t be shared with anyone else, or taken away for anyone else.

I shared last week, this lead to Herod ordering all the boys under 2 years old near Bethlehem to be killed.

Why do I tell you all this?

Because it doesn’t seem fair, does it? That this would be the plan for God’s people. That everything would be constantly changing. The temple built for His glory, would be destroyed, built again, and then taken over by someone who would use it for anything but God’s glory. Then refurbished to try to appease God’s chosen people.

It doesn’t seem fair that the Israelites would be stripped of their religious rights that were put into place by God, and that honored God. Then appeased by a man appointed by man, the king of the Jews, who would try to win them over because he was desperate for power.

This is where everything stood when Jesus was born. No, it doesn’t seem fair. Not at all. 

The world this Christmas, and the One who came to bring us peace.

And many times, life doesn’t seem fair at all. We live in a world that everything keeps changing, and sometimes by the day. And life may not feel fair this Christmas either.

Yet, this was type of world Jesus entered into that first Christmas. He didn’t come to appease people, or win them over. Jesus came to show the world God’s love, and set the captives free. He was never worried that His reign would be overthrown because His rule is never ending. He is the King of king, Lord of lords, Prince of peace, Wonderful Counselor, and a humble servant.

Murder, and manipulation can never describe Jesus’ reign. Miracles, healings, grace, and truth do. He didn’t display His power by saving Himself from the cross. But by doing what only He could do, overcoming death, and walking out of the grave.

What kind of king would do this? A King whose authority came from God. And the kind of king who would show His devotion to His people by not trying to gain political power, but teaching and living out a new commandment. John 13:30, “Love one another as I have loved you.”

This was the true “King of the Jews.” The One appointed by God, Himself. This is the One who came at the first Christmas. The One who in a constantly changing world, is unchanging and whose kingdom is unshakeable. 

This is Emmanuel. With us, is God. The same God who is with us yesterday, today, and forever.

The One we get the privilege to serve. The One we celebrate this Christmas. 

The Kind Of World We Live In

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Have you ever asked yourself the question “What kind of world do we live in?” Usually it is asked when we witness or hear of something horrible happening.

There have been many times in my life when I have asked myself that. And I caught myself doing it again this week, when the high school had 3 threats to it, in 8 days this past week. This sent the school and the elementary and middle school in close proximity into lockdown.

It ended up being a “hoax”, but this hoax caused a lot of anxiety and fear in the city we live in, and probably left a lot of people thinking “what kind of world do we live in?”.

This is usually the time of year that is full of joy, and yet, I wonder if many of us are feeling that Christmas is feeling less than usual again.

Who are you Jesus that the suffering of the innocent was worth it?

Shortly after Jesus was born (what we celebrate this time of year), the Magi came to worship Him and bring him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (those are good gifts by the way!). The problem with this was they went to Jerusalem, but the prophets had foretold that He would be born in Bethlehem. When King Herod heard they had seen His star and had come to worship Him, he got a bit (okay… a lot) disturbed because Jesus was getting the attention and worship that he wanted. I mean, the promise on Jesus’ life was immense. He was promised to be a ruler who would be a shepherd to all of God’s people.

Herod tried to recruit the Magi to find the child and report back to him. The Magi halfway did as they were told, but when they found the child with his mother, they were overjoyed and bowed down, worshipped Him, and presented Him with gifts. They were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and went back to their country by a different route.

When Herod realized what the Magi had done, he ordered all the boys under 2 years old near Bethlehem to be killed.

Pretty extreme, huh? Mary and Joseph had to escape to Egypt to keep flee this order, and stayed there until Herod had died.

Scripture doesn’t much more about this, except that what was said through the prophet Jeremiah came to pass.

“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” Matthew 2: 18 NIV

Can you imagine? You probably don’t even need to really imagine… because you can consider your own suffering, and the suffering that goes on around you.

Maybe the people were asking themselves the same question that many of us ask ourselves every day. What kind of world do we live in?

As a parent, this is the question that goes through my mind the most: What kind of world are we raising our kids in? Because sometimes the innocent suffer. And it’s not something new. As we have seen, this has been happening since the days the people in the Bible walked the earth.

And as I was driving the other day and reflecting on these questions, God whispered a truth that many of us know, but this time it hit me differently.

“You live in the kind of world where I (God) am with you.”

This is our God.

Yes. This is our God, the One who is with us. I know this. We celebrate this, this time of year too. Emmanuel, God with us. No longer do we live in a world separated from Him. But the kind of world, where He is with us.

I can’t imagine a world without God. Without the Light of the world. The Old Testament gives a good picture of what it was like before Jesus came, and a lot of the times it seems like the world was without hope.

But now, we live in a world where we can have hope, and this hope that we have in Jesus is an anchor for our souls.

We live in the kind of world where His promises are true, and His word is fixed in heaven.

This is the stuff that we can’t usually see, but we can deeply know in the depths of our hearts. Truths that we can stand firm on, when everything can seem like sifting sand.

Lastly, the kind of world we live in is the kind of world that God sent His son, Jesus, into. His birth wasn’t glamorous. Not at all. Neither was His life. He didn’t have a birth fit for a king. And His purpose wasn’t to assume the worldly position of a king. He lived a life no one would have wanted or chosen. Yet, He left the brilliance of heaven to grow up in Nazareth (and can any good come from Nazareth? John 1:46), to be united with His bride. The church.

What kind of king comes and lives among His people?

He came to dwell among His people.

But what kind of king comes and lives among His people? The kind of king that desires for His people to dwell with Him. He didn’t give orders from afar; He came near, and shared with God’s people about the kingdom of heaven. And He came to save His people from their sin, and set the captives free. He did what we never could, because of His great love for us.

So when you are asking yourself what kind of world we live in… remember that we live in the kind of world that with us, is God.

 

Let’s Talk About Heaven (and God’s perfect gift)

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Why should God let me into heaven?

Have you ever wrestled with the question if God should let you into heaven? I have just completed reading Ephesians with my dear friend, and if you want to read the gospel wrapped up in a nice little bow, read the first 3 chapters of Ephesians. In reading this beautiful book, it reminded me of the depth of grace.

So today in my new post on Candidly Christian, I am reflecting on Jesus, and heaven, and the magnitude of His grace.

 

In Case You Missed It!

Candidly Christian just held their first conference, Let’s Celebrate Jesus, and I had the honor of sharing a heartfelt message about what I have learned about friendship by reading about Naomi. I also had the blessing of discussing identity with Dawn Kelley, and we are still both reflecting on that conversation!

To view these sessions, and more, visit letscelebreatejesus.com.

Why Should I Be Thankful?

The Story Of A Prodigal Daughter