Looking Back at 2017

Can you believe that it's already the end of 2017? Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. It seems to me that every year goes by a little quicker. The kids grow up faster and I seem to move and accomplish things a lot slower then I used to. How's that work anyways? But that doesn't mean that things haven't been accomplished this year. So let's reflect on what 2017 has brought.

Last December I was learning to embrace my new role as the youth director of my church. It hasn't been the easiest transition to go from being a leader to the person "in charge". In truth there wasn't a lot that changed in my actual responsibilities but I got hung up on the title. It took a lot of confidence and I was scared. A lot of prayer went into me learning to accept the role and now I've been reelected for another year.

Working with the youth group is one of my greatest joys and one of my greatest trials. High schoolers (whom I primarily have in my group) are at an amazing stage of moving from childhood to adulthood. They're making decisions that will have an affect on the direction of their lives for many years to come. And I love the opportunity to be a person reminding them that God needs to be part of those decisions, speaking His love and wisdom into their lives and having the chance to teach them that He will never leave them. It's a pretty amazing gift to earn their trust and be able to speak into their lives.

Another thing accomplished in 2017 is the post I shared a few weeks ago. Two of my stories put into a book! What an amazing thing to get to be a part of!

Which brings me to one of the best things that happened this last year- new friends! A new critique group in fact that I've been so blessed to be part of. The women in this group have become some of my closest confidants, friends, prayer partners and an amazing source of encouragement to me. I'm so thankful to have them in my life.

And speaking of people in my life, the kiddos in my life are growing all the time. Being Auntie Kitty/Miss Katt is one of my very favorite roles in life.

I could go on and on but I won't put you all through that. The point is that New Years presents us with an awesome chance. The chance to reflect on what has happened over the past year and what we want to do the next year. This year I haven't picked words as I have in years past. This year I'm setting a few goals of things I want to work on.

How will you celebrate the New Year? What has the last year held for you? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below. Share your traditions, prayer requests, reflections or goals. Wherever the last year has brought you and wherever the New Year takes you here's my prayer for you all.

May God watch over you and keep you and cause His face to shine upon you. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Happy New Year's friends!

Advent Christmas Day- Christ, Purity

Merry Christmas friends! This special Monday post is the last of our Advent series. It's the day that all the expectation and anticipation has been leading up to. For most of us we've been looking forward to Christmas Day since the beginning of December, around the time that the first Advent candle was lit. But on that very first Christmas, Mary and Joseph had spent 9 long months anticipating that wonderful day. Jews everywhere had been waiting for over 400 years for the Messiah to be born. And then it was finally there! The day that we remember everything they were waiting for and all that we've been blessed with.

Christ.

That's what the fifth candle represents, perfect purity embodied. The Messiah, the Son of Man who is God. That's who was born that Christmas Day, Jesus. The story of his birth is recounted in Luke 2:7-19
"Then she (Mary) gave birth to her firstborn Son, and she wrapped Him snugly in cloth and laid Him in a feeding trough- because there was no room for them at the in. In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Don't be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David. This will be the sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped snugly in cloth and lying in a manger.'
Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors! When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let's go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us,'
"They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was laying in the feeding trough. After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and mediating on them."

That's what we celebrate on Christmas. Christ. The pure Son of God. The one who came to Earth, was laid in a manger, lived a pure life, died on a Cross, taking on the sins of the whole world- including you and me. Then was buried, rose again three days later and offered all of us the chance to accept his free gift of salvation, to be purified of our sin.

Merry Christmas friends and may God watch over you and keep you on this day of His Son's, our Messiah's, birth.

Advent Week 4- Love, His Presence

Week four of Advent has come incredibly quick. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve! Can you believe that? Christmas Eve! It's hard to believe that this amazing season is almost over! It seems like the further we get into the Christmas season the busier things get, the more stressed people get and the harder it is to stay focused on what's important. That's why I'm writing this series, to remind everyone, including myself, how to stay focused on what's important and what Christmas is really about.

The fourth candle is for love. Isn't that what Christmas is really about? God is love.
'"I will tend My flock and let them lie down.' (This is) the deceleration of the Lord God. 'I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bandage the injured, and strengthen the weak, but I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will shepherd them with justice." Ezekiel 34: 15-16

He sent His son out of love.
"For the Lord will not reject (us) forever. Even if He causes suffering, He will show compassion according to His abundant, faithful love. For He does not enjoy bringing affliction or suffering on mankind." Lamentations 3:31-33

Jesus came because of His love for us.
"For God loved the world in this way: He gave His one and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Mary and Joseph chose to love baby Jesus and raise Him despite the difficulties they knew they'd face. And on and on go the examples of love in the Christmas story. What it all boils down to is the greatest gift any of us will ever be given.
"But God proves His own love for us in: While we were still sinners Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

In fact He loves us so much that He's promised that if we believe in Him then He will never leave us nor forsake us. Which brings us to the second meaning, His presence. In Week 1 we discussed prophecy and how over 400 years before Jesus' birth Zechariah prophesied that the Messiah would come and live among men. Zechariah 2:10-11

So He left heaven and lived among men. Philippians 2:5-7

Week 3 we saw the many angelic proclamations including the one about His presence in Luke 2:8-11.

Even the Heavens proclaimed His presence with a star in Matthew 2:1-2.

His presence was recognized and declared by Simeon and Anna in the temple. Luke 2:28-32, 38

And of course as we've already said His presence was motivated by love. John 3:16-17

So there it is, tonight as you see the candle burning and you enjoy the wonder of Christmas Eve dwell in His presence, rejoice in His love and extend it to others.

Advent Week 3- Joy, The Journey

It's week 3 of the Christmas season friends! That means that we're already halfway through this beautiful and wonderful Advent season. Can you believe that? It's almost the end of the year! But that's a conversation for another post. Today's post is about joy and, according to some advent traditions, the journey.

Let's start with joy.
Luke 1:26-33
"In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.'
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You 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 God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.'"

If you were Mary would you be happy with the news from Gabriel? But the theme of this week's Advent candle isn't happiness, it's joy. Joy isn't just an emotion. It's a choice. So how do you choose joy? Trust. Trust in Christ as Mary did.

Luke 1:38
"'I am the Lord's slave,' said Mary. 'May it be done to me according to your word.'"

Mary chose to trust and so discovered the secret to joy. We have the same choice before us. Trust God and delight in the joy that resting in His presence gives us or let our joy be stolen because of our fear and doubts.

The second part of this Advent candle is the Journey. There's actually lots of journeys in the story of Christmas. The one that Mary took to visit Elizabeth in Luke 1:39-56. Then there's the most famous journey of Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem in Luke 2:1-5 and of course the journey of the shepherds in Luke 2:8-20. Finally the journey of the wise men in Matthew 2:1-12.

None of these journeys were easy for the people involved. Mary was a pregnant virgin, Joseph was getting ready to raise a baby that wasn't his own and traveling with his very pregnant fiancee. The shepherds were calmly tending their sheep when angels suddenly appeared! That's not a normal night and the wise men had to travel a long ways and evade a king who wanted to kill them.

And yet each journey is filled with hope and joy because the people on these journeys were trusting God. What journey is God taking you on? And how will you choose to handle it? With trust and joy or doubt and fear?

Whatever journey you're on this Advent season I pray that you'll choose joy as the third candle is lit this week.

Advent Week 2: Preparation, Peace

It's hard to believe that we're already heading into the second week of Advent! I love December, the Christmas songs, the lighting of the Advent candles, the decorations and of course the lights! It's my favorite time of year. However, it's also the time of year when it's easy to get too busy and caught up in our own lives and forget what Christmas is really about. That's why I'm writing this series on the Advent candles, to remind all of us, myself included, what this season is about.

The second candle of Advent stands for Preparation and Peace. Can you imagine being in the shoes of Mary or Joseph? Preparing for the birth of your first child? Who, oh by the way, just happens to be the Savior of the World! How much faith does it take to travel on a journey with God? Preparing for His plans but staying at peace with where He has you and where He's taking you?

Isaiah 40:1-3 says

"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. A voice of one calling: 'In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God."

Preparation is hard. It means trusting God's plan no matter where He takes you. Staying at peace while preparing is even harder but it's what we're called to do.

Use this 2nd week of Advent to prepare for whatever God takes you through in the next year and learn to be at peace with it.

Advent Week 1- Prophecy, Hope

Hey bloggers! Before we delve into this week's post about the season of advent I have some very exciting, and long awaited, news. Almost two weeks ago a book was released called People Are Good: 100 True Stories to Restore Your Faith in Humanity by AnnaMarie McHargue. Inside there are two short, nonfiction stories written by... me! A few months ago I submitted some stories about when everyday strangers had helped me and made a huge impact on my life. They were selected and put into this book along with stories from some of my wonderful writing friends. It's such a cool experience to see my name in this book and I just had to share this great news with all of you who have followed me so faithfully along this writing journey.

If you'd like to take a look at this book it's available on Amazon. Just search, People Are Good.

In other news, December is officially here! And with December comes the wonderful season of Advent. If you attend church during the month of December you'll often see an evergreen wreath with four candles around it and one in the center. But this pretty display is more then a decoration, so what does it mean?

First we need to know what the Advent season is. It's the four weeks before Christmas which is a time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. When God sent his Son, Jesus, to come to Earth to be born of a virgin. Jesus lived a sinless life then was crucified on the Cross in our place, taking on the sins of the world so we might accept His free gift of salvation and spend eternity with God in heaven. Three days after the Crucifixion He was raised to life again, He spent forty days teaching among the people then ascended into Heaven but one day He will return to rapture the believers and bring judgement on the Earth.

Our celebration of Christmas begins with remembering Christ's birth because of what it all leads up to- His gift of salvation.

So the first Sunday of Advent is the candle of Prophecy and Hope. In the New International Version Romans 15:12-13 says "And again, Isaiah says, 'The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope,' 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."

What a great passage! Isaiah prophesied the birth of Christ and when He arrived He gave us a reason to hope! Our hope is that we can be reconciled to God, through Christ. That my friends, is the gift of salvation.

And I love what Paul says next, "May the God of hope" what a great way to remember God. He is the God of hope who fills us with joy and peace when we trust in Him. Then we can overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Advent is an amazing time of year, one filled with hope, joy, love and peace. This advent season remember the source of where those things come from as you go about your holiday business.